Cell wall pectin forms a matrix around the cellulose-xyloglucan network that is composed of rhamnogalacturonan I, rhamnogalacturonan II, and homogalacturonan (HG), a major pectic polymer consisting of α-1,4-linked galacturonic acids. HG is secreted in a highly methyl-esterified form and selectively de-methyl-esterified by pectin methylesterases (PMEs) during cell growth and pathogen attack. The...

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of long-term storage on the carotenoid pigments present in whole-grain flours prepared from durum wheat and tritordeum. As expected, higher storage temperatures showed a catabolic effect, which was very marked for free carotenoid pigments. Surprisingly, for both cereal genotypes, the thermal conditions favoured the synthesis of lutein esters, lead...

Boron is an important micronutrient for plants. However, boron is also toxic to cells at high concentrations, although the mechanism of this toxicity is not known. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of boron toxicity on Malus domestica pollen tube growth and its possible regulatory pathway. Our results showed that a high concentration of boron inhibited pollen germination and tube growth a...

In two subjects the specific activity of esterified cholesterol in plasma lipoprotein subfractions was measured for up to 9 hr after an intravenous injection of [(3)H]mevalonic acid. It was found to be consistently higher in larger (S(f) > 100) than in smaller (S(f) 20-100) very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). Four subjects were given an intravenous injection of heparin so that the VLDL could ...

The low potency of many man-made estrogenic chemicals, so-called xenoestrogens, has been used to suggest that risks arising from exposure to individual chemicals are negligible. Another argument used to dismiss concerns of health effects is that endogenous steroidal estrogens are too potent for xenoestrogens to contribute significantly to estrogenic effects. Using a yeast reporter gene assay wi...

background: the excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological properties of the hydrogels, fabricated using natural polymers, especially polysaccharides, are very advantageous for biomedical applications. gum tragacanth (gt) is a heterogeneous highly branched anionic polysaccharide, which has been used extensively in food and pharmaceutical industries. despite,  its desirable prop...

Fats and oils are made of esterified hydrocarbons (RCOOR’) and this work demonstrates the substitution of R by multi-walled CNTs (MWNTs). The resultant materials are fluidic, oily, electrically conducting and excellent lubricants. Esterified MWNTs can also respond to magnetic field when tubules contain long segments