Biochemical characterization of lipid metabolic genes of Aurantiochytrium limacinum.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is known to have numerous health benefits and immense dietary value. There is a pressing need to have a deeper understanding of DHA metabolism. Acyl CoA: Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase (DGAT) is an important enzyme of lipid anabolism and an essential piece of the puzzle.

Extraction, fatty acid profile, phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities of fixed oils from spices belonging to Apiaceae and Lamiaceae family.

Unlabelled: Fixed oil, the non-volatile fraction of oil from spices remains an unexplored entity. The study aimed to extract fixed oils from 13 Indian spices belonging to the Apiaceae and Lamiaceae family. Further fatty acid composition, antioxidant activities and phytochemical profile of the fixed oils was estimated.

Profiling of Lipids, Nutraceuticals, and Bioactive Compounds Extracted from an Oilseed Rich in PUFA.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) rich vegetable oils are nutritionally and economically important agriculture based commodities. The lipid profile, nutraceutical content, and antioxidant activity of Indian chia seed oil (CSO) were analysed and compared with PUFA rich vegetable oils. The total oil content was 28% (w/w) with α-linolenic acid (ALA; 65%) as the predominant fatty acid and a n-3/n-6 ratio of 3.

Physicochemical characterization and nutraceutical compounds of the selected spice fixed oils.

Spices and herbs are well appreciated for their medicinal properties since ancient times. Till date, spices are being explored for volatile oils (essential), flavour and for addressing many chronic diseases. In the present study, we investigated the physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental composition and nutraceutical compounds of fixed oils (non-volatile) from five selected spices viz.

Biochemical Characterization of Acyl-CoA: Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferase (LPCAT) Enzyme from the Seeds of Salvia hispanica.

Salvia hispanica (chia) is the highest reported terrestrial plant source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, ~ 65%), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with numerous health benefits. The molecular basis of high ALA accumulation in chia is yet to be understood. We have identified lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) gene from the developing seed transcriptome data of chia and carried out its biochemical characterization through heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Functional characterization of acyltransferases from Salvia hispanica that can selectively catalyze the formation of trilinolenin.

Salvia hispanica (chia) is an important oilseed crop cultivated commercially in South America, Australia, and India. It is the richest terrestrial natural source of α-linolenic acid (ALA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with varied health benefits. In this study, we have measured the total lipid content, fatty acid composition in four phases of seed development and analyzed the major triacylglycerol (TAG) molecular species present in Indian chia seed oil.

Novel Cell-Based Assay to Investigate Monoacylglycerol Acyltransferase 2 Inhibitory Activity Using HIEC-6 Cell Line.

The dietary triacylglycerol (TAG) gets absorbed and accumulated in the body through the monoacylglycerol (MAG) pathway, which plays a major role in obesity and related disorders. The main enzyme of this pathway, monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (MGAT2), is considered as a potential target for developing antiobesity compounds. Hence, there is a need for cell-based assays for screening the potential leads for MGAT2 inhibitors.

Spice fixed oils as a new source of γ-oryzanol: nutraceutical characterization of fixed oils from selected spices.

γ-Oryzanol is an important group of nutraceuticals that play a key role in addressing metabolic disorders. This study, for the first time, examined volatile-free spice fixed oils (FOs) as an alternate plant source for γ-oryzanol and other nutraceuticals (phenolics, flavonoids, phytosterols, and tocopherols) using HPLC, HR-MS and NMR. The antioxidant activities of FOs were also analysed.

Chemical composition, nutraceuticals characterization, NMR confirmation of squalene and antioxidant activities of L. seed oil.

(Malabar spinach) is a commonly consumed green leafy vegetable in southern parts of India. The chemical composition, nutraceuticals characterization, squalene Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), antioxidant activities and cytotoxicity of seed oil (33.08%) was investigated.

Selection and validation of appropriate reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis in Salvia hispanica.

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) has become the most popular choice for gene expression studies. For accurate expression analysis, it is pertinent to select a stable reference gene to normalize the data. It is now known that the expression of internal reference genes varies considerably during developmental stages and under different experimental conditions.

A distinct DGAT with sn-3 acetyltransferase activity that synthesizes unusual, reduced-viscosity oils in Euonymus and transgenic seeds.

Endosperm and embryo tissues from the seeds of Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush) accumulate high levels of 3-acetyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols (acTAGs) as their major storage lipids. In contrast, the aril tissue surrounding the seed produces long-chain triacylglycerols (lcTAGs) typical of most other organisms. The presence of the sn-3 acetyl group imparts acTAGs with different physical and chemical properties, such as a 30% reduction in viscosity, compared to lcTAGs.

Isolation of a gene encoding a 1,2-diacylglycerol-sn-acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase from developing seeds of Euonymus alatus.

1,2-Diacyl-3-acetyl-sn-glycerols (ac-TAG) are unusual triacylglycerols that constitute the major storage lipid in the seeds of Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush). These ac-TAGs have long-chain acyl groups esterified at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of glycerol. Cell-free extracts of developing seeds of E.

Acetyl coenzyme A concentrations in plant tissues.

Despite the importance of acetyl coenzyme A in many facets of metabolism and the availability of methods for estimation of its concentration, data for acetyl-CoA concentrations in plant tissues have been very scarce. A method using reversed phase HPLC for the quantitative estimation of acetyl-CoA was applied to a variety of plant tissues. In three different developing oilseeds the bulk acetyl-CoA concentration ranged from 5 to 25 nmoles/g fresh weight.

Isolation of lysophosphatidic acid phosphatase from developing peanut cotyledons.

The soluble fraction of immature peanut (Arachis hypogaea) was capable of dephosphorylating [(3)H]lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) to generate monoacylglycerol (MAG). The enzyme responsible for the generation of MAG, LPA phosphatase, has been identified in plants and purified by successive chromatography separations on octyl-Sepharose, Blue Sepharose, Superdex-75, and heparin-agarose to apparent homogeneity from developing peanuts. This enzyme was purified 5,048-fold to a final specific activity of 858 nmol min(-1) mg(-1).