Caprine and ovine Greek dairy products: The official German method generates false-positive results due to κ-casein gene polymorphism.

Caseins are widely used for species identification of dairy products. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) of para-κ-casein peptide is used as the official German method for the differentiation between caprine (isoform A) and ovine (isoform B) dairy products, based on their different isoelectric points. The discrimination between Greek goat and ewe dairy products using IEF has, however, been shown to be problematic because of the existence of the ewe isoform in milk from Greek indigenous dairy goats.

A high-protein low-fat diet is more effective in improving blood pressure and triglycerides in calorie-restricted obese individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Background/objectives: There is controversy over dietary protein's effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors in diabetic subjects. It is unclear whether observed effects are due to increased protein or reduced carbohydrate content of the consumed diets. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two diets differing in protein to fat ratios on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

A high protein low fat meal does not influence glucose and insulin responses in obese individuals with or without type 2 diabetes.

Background: When substituted for carbohydrate in a meal, dietary protein enhances glycaemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes (DM2). It is unknown whether the effect is a result of increased protein or reduced carbohydrate. The present study aimed to compare the effects of two meals differing in protein to fat ratios on post-prandial glucose and insulin responses.

Structural destabilization of the recombinant thermophilic TthL11 ribosomal protein by a single amino acid substitution.

Thermus thermophilus L11 protein has previously been reported to be resistant against tryptic and chymotryptic proteolysis under native conditions. With a single amino acid substitution, namely Trp101Arg, conformational changes were induced that resulted in the exhibition of specific amino acids that served as targets for tryptic and chymotryptic action and rendered the protein highly unstable even during purification. This unexpected process was evidenced by the isolation with size exclusion gel chromatography of the well-structured chymotryptic N-terminal domain in a high amount and its characterization both by Edman degradation and QTOF-EMS spectroscopy.

Barley beta-galactosidase: structure, function, heterogeneity, and gene origin.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) beta-galactosidase is composed of a large (45 kDa) and a small (33 kDa) polypeptide. N-terminal sequencing of the polypeptides and antibody reactivity data place the barley enzyme and heterodimeric plant beta-galactosidases from jack bean, maize, and wheat in family 35 of the glycosyl hydrolases. Sequence analysis indicates the existence of a subfamily of genes coding for polypeptide precursors that are cleaved to produce the two subunits in heterodimeric beta-galactosidases.