Effects of Germination on the Structure, Functional Properties, and In Vitro Digestibility of a Black Bean ( (L.) Merr.) Protein Isolate.

The utilization of black beans as a protein-rich ingredient presents remarkable prospects in the protein food industry. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of germination treatment on the physicochemical, structural, and functional characteristics of a black bean protein isolate. The findings indicate that germination resulted in an increase in both the total and soluble protein contents of black beans, while SDS-PAGE demonstrated an increase in the proportion of 11S and 7S globulin subunits.

Effect of germination in the form of paddy rice and brown rice on their phytic acid, GABA, γ-oryzanol, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity.

This study investigated the effect of paddy rice and brown rice germination on their phytic acid, phytase, GABA, γ-oryzanol, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity. The GABA content and phytase activity in the rice germinated in the form of paddy (GP) were respectively lower than those in the rice germinated in the form of brown rice (GBR), and the level of phytic acid in GP was higher than that in GBR during germination processes from 18 h to 72 h. However, the contents of total γ-oryzanol, free phenolic, total phenolic, free flavonoid and total flavonoid in GP were higher than those in GBR during germination processes (18-72 h).

Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament with a Ligament-advanced Reinforcement System and Hamstring Tendon Autograft: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: Both ligament-advanced reinforcement system (LARS) and hamstring tendon autograft can serve as grafts for posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction. However, few studies have compared the effectiveness of these two approaches. This study therefore aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic reconstruction of the PCL using either the LARS or hamstring tendon autograft.

The application of the starfish hatching enzyme for the improvement of scar and keloid based on the fibroblast-populated collagen lattice.

Various bioactivities of the starfish hatching enzyme (HE) including collagen gel contraction, MMPs activity, hydroxyproline release, and gene regulation based on the fibroblast-populated collagen lattice (FPCL) in three-dimensional medium were investigated for the improvement of scar and keloid. The starfish HE significantly inhibited the collagen gel contraction over 2 days of culture. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were also identified by gelatin zymography and RT-PCR products with both HE and collagenase treatments, which resulted in the high amount of hydroxyproline release.

Structural identification and proteolytic effects of the hatching enzyme from starfish Asterias amurensis.

Hatching enzyme (HE) is secreted from the blastula stage during fertilization and can cleave the egg membrane. The structural identification and proteolytic effects on the collagen and fibrinogen were investigated in this study. Approximate 20 kDa of Asn-linked oligosaccharides were attached to the HE.

A novel hatching enzyme from starfish Asterias amurensis: purification, characterization, and cleavage specificity.

Hatching enzyme (HE) is of importance to degrade egg membrane to let the larvae be free. HE was purified and characterized from starfish blastula. The specific activity and the purification ratio of the purified HE with 110.

Identification of new autoantigens for primary biliary cirrhosis using human proteome microarrays.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown etiology and is considered to be an autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies are important tools for accurate diagnosis of PBC. Here, we employed serum profiling analysis using a human proteome microarray composed of about 17,000 full-length unique proteins and identified 23 proteins that correlated with PBC.

[Distribution and activity of marine bacterioplankton at frequent HAB area of East China Sea].

The distribution, activity and community structure of bacterioplankton in surface water were investigated at frequent harmful algae blooms (HABs) area in East China Sea (28 degrees-30.7 degrees N) from April to May, 2006. The abundance of bacterioplankton was determined by using the DAPI (4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) direct count (DDC) method.

[Methods for the identification of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events and progress in related fields].

Horizontal gene transfer is the gene exchange between different organisms or different organelles, which occurs frequently in prokaryotes. Many newly identified horizontal transfer events in eukaryotes indicates that it is a common phenomenon in all organisms. This paper describes the concept of horizontal gene transfer, the standard for judging a horizontal gene transfer events, the character, the mode, the way of horizontal gene transfer, and its impact on gene and genome evolution.

Cloning, characterization and prokaryotic expression of cytosolic malate dehydrogenase from Oryza sativa.

cDNA sequences of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were cloned from various species, and MDH was identified to play an important role in cell energy metabolism. Here, we present the isolation and characterization of its homologue (OscMDH) in Oryza sativa. Comparison of the results to the genome details indicated that OscMDH consisted of seven exons.

Isolation, characterization and expression analysis of a leaf-specific phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene in Oryza sativa.

Suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out to enrich gene fragments over-expressed in rice leaves by subtraction to rice roots, from which two identical cDNA fragments were identified to encode putative phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. Then the corresponding full-length cDNA (Osppc) is isolated by RT-PCR and sequenced, which indicates an open reading frame of 2895bp is contained. Its deduced protein is encoded in 10 exons and shows high similarity to many other plant PEPCs.

Cloning and characterization of a novel Hsp100/Clp gene (osClpD) from Oryza sativa.

A novel osClpD gene, encoding a highly conservative ClpD subfamily member, was first isolated and characterized from Oryza sativa. The full-length cDNA of osClpD gene was 3140 bp and contained a 2884 bp open reading frame encoding a 938 amino acid protein. The phylogenetic tree and blast search showed that OSClpD belonged to the ClpD subfamily of the Hsp100/Clp family, and contained all protein motifs characteristic for the ClpD subfamily of Hsp100/Clp proteins.

cDNA cloning and expression analysis of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) RNase L inhibitor.

A subtractive cDNA library was constructed using rice (Oryza sativa L.) callus cDNA as driver and differentiating callus cDNA as tester. A novel cDNA fragment encoding RNase L inhibitor (RLI) was isolated by screening the subtractive library, which had a higher expression level in differentiating callus than in callus.

Cloning and prokaryotic expression of a cDNA encoding a putative mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase in Oryza sativa.

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) has been characterized as a key player in oxaloacetate (OAA) biosynthesis mechanism in citrate acid cycle that generates reducing powers for further assimilation in the whole cell. Here we present the cloning, characterization and prokaryotic expression of a putative Mdh (OsmMDH) in Oryza sativa. Sequence alignment shows that there is a high homology between the deduced amino acid sequence of OsmMDH and MDH portein in Eucalyptus gunnii (80%), as well as between the deduced amino acid sequence of OsmMDH and other MDHs.