Impact of Chitosan-Based Foliar Application on the Phytochemical Content and the Antioxidant Activity in Hemp ( L.) Inflorescences.

In the present study, the phytochemical content and the antioxidant activity in the inflorescences of the monoecious hemp cultivar Codimono grown in southern Italy were assessed, and their elicitation was induced by foliar spray application of 50 mg/L and 250 mg/L of chitosan (CHT) at three different molecular weights (low, CHT L; medium, CHT M; high CHT H). The analysis of the phytochemical profile confirmed that cannabinoids were the most abundant class (54.2%), followed by flavonoids (40.

Effect of Genotype, Year, and Their Interaction on the Accumulation of Bioactive Compounds and the Antioxidant Activity in Industrial Hemp ( L.) Inflorescences.

The phytochemical content and the antioxidant activity in the inflorescences of six industrial hemp ( L.) genotypes, four monoecious (Codimono, Carmaleonte, Futura 75, and Santhica 27), and two dioecious (Fibrante and Carmagnola Selezionata), were assessed for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity were determined by spectrophotometric measurements, whereas HPLC and GC/MS were used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds, terpenes, cannabinoids, tocopherols, and phytosterols.

Candidate Genes Associated with Abiotic Stress Response in Plants as Tools to Engineer Tolerance to Drought, Salinity and Extreme Temperatures in Wheat: An Overview.

Wheat represents one of the most important staple food crops worldwide and its genetic improvement is fundamental to meeting the global demand of the growing population. However, the environmental stresses, worsened by climate change, and the increasing deterioration of arable land make it very difficult to fulfil this demand. In light of this, the tolerance of wheat to abiotic stresses has become a key objective of genetic improvement, as an effective strategy to ensure high yields without increasing the cultivated land.

Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization and Expression Pattern Analysis of the γ-Gliadin Gene Family in the Durum Wheat ( Desf.) Cultivar Svevo.

Very recently, the genome of the modern durum wheat cv. Svevo was fully sequenced, and its assembly is publicly available. So, we exploited the opportunity to carry out an in-depth study for the systematic characterization of the γ-gliadin gene family in the cv.

Chitosan-Induced Activation of the Antioxidant Defense System Counteracts the Adverse Effects of Salinity in Durum Wheat.

The present study was carried out with the aim of () evaluating the effect of chitosan (CTS) on the growth of durum wheat under salinity and () examining CTS-regulated mechanisms of salinity tolerance associated with the antioxidant defense system. To achieve these goals, durum wheat seedlings were treated with CTS at different molecular weight, low (L-CTS, 50-190 kDa), medium (M-CTS, 190-310 kDa) and high (H-CTS, 310-375 kDa). The results obtained show that exposure to 200 mM NaCl reduced the shoot and the root dried biomass by 38% and 59%, respectively.

The Molecular and Functional Characterization of the Durum Wheat Lipoxygenase TdLOX2 Suggests Its Role in Hyperosmotic Stress Response.

In plants, lipoxygenases (LOXs) are involved in various processes, such as growth, development, and response to stress cues. In the present study, the expression pattern of six durum wheat LOX-encoding genes (, , , , and ) under hyperosmotic stress was investigated. With osmotic (0.

Carotenoids in Cereal Food Crops: Composition and Retention throughout Grain Storage and Food Processing.

Carotenoids are C40 isoprenoids synthesized by plants, as well as some bacteria, fungi and algae, that have been reported to be responsible for a number of benefits conferred on human health. The inability of animals and humans to synthesize de novo these compounds is the reason why they must be introduced from dietary sources. In cereal grains, carotenoids are important phytochemicals responsible for the characteristic yellow colour of the endosperm, which confers nutritional and aesthetic quality to cereal-based products.

Analysis of metabolic and mineral changes in response to salt stress in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) genotypes, which differ in salinity tolerance.

The key mechanisms of salinity tolerance (ST) in durum wheat were investigated, with five genotypes used to determine changes in morpho-physiological traits and mineral and metabolite contents after exposure to 50, 100 and 200 mM NaCl. Plant growth impairment was evident at the highest salt level. Under this condition, a wide range of shoot Na contents and ST were observed within genotypes.

Molecular Approaches to Genetically Improve the Accumulation of Health-Promoting Secondary Metabolites in Staple Crops-A Case Study: The Lipoxygenase-B1 Genes and Regulation of the Carotenoid Content in Pasta Products.

Secondary metabolites, also known as phytochemicals, represent a large subset of plant molecules that include compounds with health-promoting effects. Indeed, a number of epidemiological studies have shown that, when taken regularly and in adequate amounts, these molecules can have long-term beneficial effects on human health, through reduction of the incidence of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. As the dietary intake of these phytochemicals is often inadequate, various strategies are in use to improve their content in staple crops, and the end-products thereof.

Cloning, expression analysis, and functional characterization of two secretory phospholipases A2 in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.).

We previously isolated four cDNAs in durum wheat, TdsPLA2I, TdsPLA2II, TdsPLA2III and TdsPLA2IV, that encode proteins with homology to plant secretory phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) (Verlotta et al., Int. J.

Modulation of Potassium Channel Activity in the Balance of ROS and ATP Production by Durum Wheat Mitochondria-An Amazing Defense Tool Against Hyperosmotic Stress.

In plants, the existence of a mitochondrial potassium channel was firstly demonstrated about 15 years ago in durum wheat as an ATP-dependent potassium channel (PmitoKATP). Since then, both properties of the original PmitoKATP and occurrence of different mitochondrial potassium channels in a number of plant species (monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous) and tissues/organs (etiolated and green) have been shown. Here, an overview of the current knowledge is reported; in particular, the issue of PmitoKATP physiological modulation is addressed.

Recombinant Lipases and Phospholipases and Their Use as Biocatalysts for Industrial Applications.

Lipases and phospholipases are interfacial enzymes that hydrolyze hydrophobic ester linkages of triacylglycerols and phospholipids, respectively. In addition to their role as esterases, these enzymes catalyze a plethora of other reactions; indeed, lipases also catalyze esterification, transesterification and interesterification reactions, and phospholipases also show acyltransferase, transacylase and transphosphatidylation activities. Thus, lipases and phospholipases represent versatile biocatalysts that are widely used in various industrial applications, such as for biodiesels, food, nutraceuticals, oil degumming and detergents; minor applications also include bioremediation, agriculture, cosmetics, leather and paper industries.

Expression, purification and refolding of active durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) secretory phospholipase A2 from inclusion bodies of Escherichia coli.

Recently, a durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) secretory phospholipase A2 (TdsPLA2III) was identified in leaves as potentially involved in plant responses to conditions of limiting water supply. Therefore, to allow future functional studies on TdsPLA2III and shed further light on the involvement of sPLA2 isoforms in specific plant functions, here we report a protocol for the overexpression of TdsPLA2III in Escherichia coli in the form of inclusion bodies, and for its purification and refolding.

Transport pathways--proton motive force interrelationship in durum wheat mitochondria.

In durum wheat mitochondria (DWM) the ATP-inhibited plant mitochondrial potassium channel (PmitoK(ATP)) and the plant uncoupling protein (PUCP) are able to strongly reduce the proton motive force (pmf) to control mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species; under these conditions, mitochondrial carriers lack the driving force for transport and should be inactive. However, unexpectedly, DWM uncoupling by PmitoK(ATP) neither impairs the exchange of ADP for ATP nor blocks the inward transport of Pi and succinate. This uptake may occur via the plant inner membrane anion channel (PIMAC), which is physiologically inhibited by membrane potential, but unlocks its activity in de-energized mitochondria.

Stay-green trait-antioxidant status interrelationship in durum wheat (Triticum durum) flag leaf during post-flowering.

Three independent durum wheat mutant lines that show delayed leaf senescence or stay-green (SG) phenotype, SG196, SG310 and SG504, were compared to the parental genotype, cv. Trinakria, with respect to the photosynthetic parameters and the cellular redox state of the flag leaf in the period from flowering to senescence. The SG mutants maintained their chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate for longer than Trinakria, thus revealing a functional SG phenotype.

The uniqueness of the plant mitochondrial potassium channel.

The ATP-inhibited Plant Mitochondrial K(+) Channel (PmitoKATP) was discovered about fifteen years ago in Durum Wheat Mitochondria (DWM). PmitoKATP catalyses the electrophoretic K(+) uniport through the inner mitochondrial membrane; moreover, the co-operation between PmitoKATP and K(+)/H(+) antiporter allows such a great operation of a K(+) cycle to collapse mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) and ΔpH, thus impairing protonmotive force (Δp). A possible physiological role of such ΔΨ control is the restriction of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) production under environmental/oxidative stress conditions.

Secretory Phospholipases A2 in Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Gene Expression, Enzymatic Activity, and Relation to Drought Stress Adaptation.

Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) are known to mediate signaling cascades during plant growth and development, as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this context, the present study provides extensive characterization of specific PLA2s in durum wheat, and assesses their involvement in durum wheat response to drought stress. In durum wheat leaves, four full-length expressed sequences encoding putative PLA2s were isolated and characterized as belonging to the class of secretory PLA2s (sPLA2s): TdsPLA2I, TdsPLA2II, TdsPLA2III and TdsPLA2IV.

The existence of phospholipase A(2) activity in plant mitochondria and its activation by hyperosmotic stress in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.).

The activity of mitochondrial phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) was shown for the first time in plants. It was observed in etiolated seedlings from durum wheat, barley, tomato, spelt and green seedlings of maize, but not in potato and topinambur tubers and lentil etiolated seedlings. This result was achieved by a novel spectrophotometric assay based on the coupled PLA(2)/lipoxygenase reactions using 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine as substrate; the mitochondrial localisation was assessed by checking recovery of marker enzymes.

Potassium channel-oxidative phosphorylation relationship in durum wheat mitochondria from control and hyperosmotic-stressed seedlings.

Durum wheat mitochondria (DWM) possess an ATP-inhibited K(+) channel, the plant mitoK(ATP) (PmitoK(ATP) ), which is activated under environmental stress to control mitochondrial ROS production. To do this, PmitoK(ATP) collapses membrane potential (ΔΨ), thus suggesting mitochondrial uncoupling. We tested this point by studying oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in DWM purified from control seedlings and from seedlings subjected both to severe mannitol and NaCl stress.

Insight into durum wheat Lpx-B1: a small gene family coding for the lipoxygenase responsible for carotenoid bleaching in mature grains.

Background: The yellow colour of pasta products is one of the main criteria used by consumers to assess pasta quality. This character is due to the presence of carotenoid pigments in semolina. During pasta processing, oxidative degradation of carotenoid pigments occurs mainly due to lipoxygenase (LOX).

Activation of the plant mitochondrial potassium channel by free fatty acids and acyl-CoA esters: a possible defence mechanism in the response to hyperosmotic stress.

The effect of free fatty acids (FFAs) and acyl-CoA esters on K(+) uptake was studied in mitochondria isolated from durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), a species that has adapted well to the semi-arid Mediterranean area and possessing a highly active mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) channel (PmitoK(ATP)), that may confer resistance to environmental stresses. This was made by swelling experiments in KCl solution under experimental conditions in which PmitoK(ATP) activity was monitored.

Plant inner membrane anion channel (PIMAC) function in plant mitochondria.

To date, the existence of the plant inner membrane anion channel (PIMAC) has been shown only in potato mitochondria, but its physiological role remains unclear. In this study, by means of swelling experiments in K(+) and ammonium salts, we characterize a PIMAC-like anion-conducting pathway in mitochondria from durum wheat (DWM), a monocotyledonous species phylogenetically far from potato. DWM were investigated since they possess a very active potassium channel (PmitoK(ATP)), so implying a very active matching anion uniport pathway and, possibly, a coordinated function.

Possible plant mitochondria involvement in cell adaptation to drought stress. A case study: durum wheat mitochondria.

Although plant cell bioenergetics is strongly affected by abiotic stresses, mitochondrial metabolism under stress is still largely unknown. Interestingly, plant mitochondria may control reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by means of energy-dissipating systems. Therefore, mitochondria may play a central role in cell adaptation to abiotic stresses, which are known to induce oxidative stress at cellular level.

The transcript levels of two plant mitochondrial uncoupling protein (pUCP)-related genes are not affected by hyperosmotic stress in durum wheat seedlings showing an increased level of pUCP activity.

Etiolated early seedlings of durum wheat submitted to moderate and severe salt (NaCl) and osmotic (mannitol) stress showed no relevant increase of both transcript levels of two plant uncoupling protein (pUCP)-related genes and maximal pUCP activity in purified mitochondria (which estimates protein level); contrarily, pUCP functioning due to endogenous free fatty acids strongly increased. These results show that pUCP activation under hyperosmotic stress may be due to modulation of pUCP reaction rather than to an increased protein synthesis. Finally, a properly developed method, based on a single membrane potential measurement, to evaluate both pUCP maximal activity and functioning, is reported.

Seawater stress applied at germination affects mitochondrial function in durum wheat (Triticum durum) early seedlings.

Seawater stress effects on mitochondrial ATP synthesis and membrane potential (ΔΨ) were investigated in germinating durum wheat seedlings under moderate (22% seawater osmolarity, -0.62 MPa) and severe (37% seawater osmolarity, -1.04 MPa) stress.