Nutritional profile and nutraceutical components of olive ( L.) seeds.

Olive seeds, a potential food by-product from both table olive and olive oil industries, were examined for their overall proximate composition, oil, protein, mineral and phenolic components. Proximate analysis indicates that olive seeds are an unusually rich source of total dietary fibre (≅ 47% dry weight basis, DWB), as well as lipids (≅ 30%) and proteins (≅ 17%). Oil composition shows high levels of oleic (≅ 62% of total fatty acids) and linoleic (≅ 24%) acids, moderate concentrations of tocopherols (≅ 460 mg/kg) and squalene (≅ 194 mg/kg), and relatively high amounts of several sterols and non-steroidal triterpenoids.

Histological Features of the Olive Seed and Presence of 7S-Type Seed Storage Proteins as Hallmarks of the Olive Fruit Development.

The production of olive oil is an important economic engine in the Mediterranean area. Nowadays, olive oil is obtained mainly by mechanical processes, by using the whole fruit as the primary raw material. Although the mesocarp is the main source of lipids contributing to olive oil formation, the seed also contributes to the olive oil composition and attributes.

Identification of novel superoxide dismutase isoenzymes in the olive (Olea europaea L.) pollen.

Background: Among antioxidant enzymes, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) family is a major actor in catalysing the disproportionation of superoxide. Apart from its role as antioxidant, these enzymes have a role in cell signalling, and Cu,Zn-SOD proteins are also major pollen allergens. In order to deepen our understanding of the SOD isoenzymes present in olive pollen and to analyse the molecular variability of the pollen Cu,Zn-SOD family, we carried out biochemical, transcriptomic and localization studies of pollen grains from different olive cultivars and other allergenic species.

Identification and Functional Annotation of Genes Differentially Expressed in the Reproductive Tissues of the Olive Tree ( L.) through the Generation of Subtractive Libraries.

The olive tree is a crop of high socio-economical importance in the Mediterranean area. Sexual reproduction in this plant is an essential process, which determines the yield. Successful fertilization is mainly favored and sometimes needed of the presence of pollen grains from a different cultivar as the olive seizes a self-incompatibility system allegedly determined of the sporophytic type.

Automated identification of reference genes based on RNA-seq data.

Background: Gene expression analyses demand appropriate reference genes (RGs) for normalization, in order to obtain reliable assessments. Ideally, RG expression levels should remain constant in all cells, tissues or experimental conditions under study. Housekeeping genes traditionally fulfilled this requirement, but they have been reported to be less invariant than expected; therefore, RGs should be tested and validated for every particular situation.

Patterns of ROS Accumulation in the Stigmas of Angiosperms and Visions into Their Multi-Functionality in Plant Reproduction.

Accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the stigma of several plant species has been investigated. Four developmental stages (unopened flower buds, recently opened flowers, dehiscent anthers, and flowers after fertilization) were analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy using the ROS-specific probe DCFH2-DA. In all plants scrutinized, the presence of ROS in the stigmas was detected at higher levels during those developmental phases considered "receptive" to pollen interaction.

Identification and Assessment of the Potential Allergenicity of 7S Vicilins in Olive (Olea europaea L.) Seeds.

Olive seeds, which are a raw material of interest, have been reported to contain 11S seed storage proteins (SSPs). However, the presence of SSPs such as 7S vicilins has not been studied. In this study, following a search in the olive seed transcriptome, 58 sequences corresponding to 7S vicilins were retrieved.

ReprOlive: a database with linked data for the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) reproductive transcriptome.

Plant reproductive transcriptomes have been analyzed in different species due to the agronomical and biotechnological importance of plant reproduction. Here we presented an olive tree reproductive transcriptome database with samples from pollen and pistil at different developmental stages, and leaf and root as control vegetative tissues http://reprolive.eez.

Cellular localization of ROS and NO in olive reproductive tissues during flower development.

Background: Recent studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the signalling processes taking place during the interactions pollen-pistil in several plants. The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is an important crop in Mediterranean countries.