BACKGROUND Phaseolamin or α-amylase inhibitor 1 (αAI) is a glycoprotein from common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that inhibits some insect and mammalian α-amylases. Several clinical studies support the beneficial use of bean αAI for control of diabetes and obesity. Commercial extracts of P. vulgaris are available but their efficacy is still under question, mainly because some of these extracts...

Eighty-five wild and cultivated accessions of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), representing a wide geographic area in the centres of domestication were tested for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). Genomic DNA was digested with one of three restriction enzymes (EcoRI, EcoRV, and HindIII) and hybridized to 12 probes distributed throughout the common bean genome. Accessions co...

Vanadate (Na(3) VO(4)) inhibits leaf movement and stomatal conductance of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Carlos Favorit in light-dark cycles as well as photomorphogenetic leaf unrolling of Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Rupal. Inhibition was 50% by 10 to 100 micromolar vanadate and 100% by millimolar vanadate. Leaf unrolling was also inhibited by oligomycin and diethylstilbestrol.Millimolar vanadate is requ...

Phenotypic diversity among Croatian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces was assessed by analysing 12 qualitative and six quantitative traits in 338 accessions collected from all production areas in Croatia. Out of 12 qualitative morphological traits, seed coat colour was the most polymorphic among accessions having the highest Shannon’s information index and discriminating power. Out ...

INTRODUCTION Embryo defective mutants in Phaseolus vulgaris obtained by Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) induction were studied to determine the structural and molecular basis of seed abortion in this species. In the wild-type, the classical pattern of seed development showed coordinated differentiation of the embryo proper, suspensor, endosperm tissue, and seed coat. On the contrarily, EMS mutant ...

Volatile compounds of uncooked dry bean {Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars representing 3 market classes (black, dark red kidney and pinto) grown in 2005 were isolated with headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), and analyzed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). A total of 62 volatiles consisting of aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols and ketones represented...