Advances in Iron Retrograde Signaling Mechanisms and Uptake Regulation in Photosynthetic Organisms.

Iron (Fe) is an essential metal for the growth and development of different organisms, including plants and algae. This metal participates in different biological processes, among which are cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Fe is found associated with heme groups and as part of inorganic Fe-S groups as cofactors of numerous cellular proteins.

Protein Maps for Durum Wheat Precision Harvest and Pasta Production.

The quality traits of dough and dry pasta obtained from semolina (Triticum durum Desf. var. Biensur), harvested from a 13.

Structural and Functional Characterization of CreFH1, the Frataxin Homolog from .

Frataxin plays a key role in cellular iron homeostasis of different organisms. It has been implicated in iron storage, detoxification, delivery for Fe-S cluster assembly and heme biosynthesis. However, its specific role in iron metabolism remains unclear, especially in photosynthetic organisms.

High-amylose and Tongil type Korean rice varieties: physical properties, cooking behaviour and starch digestibility.

The National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration (RDA) of Korea is presently developing new rice varieties suitable for producing Western rice-based foods, such as , a well-known Italian-style product. The study considered different milled rice from five Tongil-type and six Japonica-type varieties. Besides the biometric properties, cooking behaviour, starch properties, and in vitro digestibility of Korean rice samples were compared with those of the 'Carnaroli' Italian variety.

Pasta-Making Process: A Narrative Review on the Relation between Process Variables and Pasta Quality.

Pasta is an increasingly popular food worldwide and different formulations have been developed to improve its nutritional profile. Semolina that is high both in protein and gluten content is recognized as the ideal raw material to produce conventional dry pasta. When alternative raw materials are used, an understanding of the relationship between processing variables and pasta quality is crucial in order to optimize the redesign of the production process.

Assessing the Rheological Properties of Durum Wheat Semolina: A Review.

Empiric rheology is considered a useful tool for assessing the technological quality of wheat. Over the decades, several tests have been adapted from common to durum wheat, and new approaches have been proposed to meet the needs of the players of the durum wheat value chain. Breeders are looking for reliable methods to test the functional quality of wheat lines at early stages, where there are limited amounts of sample; millers need fast and reliable methods for checking wheat quality right at the point of the receiving station; and pasta-makers are looking for suitable methods to predict end product quality.

PAP/SAL1 retrograde signaling pathway modulates iron deficiency response in alkaline soils.

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plants and is present abundantly in the Earth's crust. However, Fe bioavailability in alkaline soils is low due to the decreased solubility of the ferric ions. Previously, we have demonstrated the relationship between the PAP/SAL1 retrograde signaling pathway, the activity of Strategy I Fe uptake genes (FIT, FRO2, IRT1), and ethylene signaling.

Fe-S Protein Synthesis in Green Algae Mitochondria.

Iron and sulfur are two essential elements for all organisms. These elements form the Fe-S clusters that are present as cofactors in numerous proteins and protein complexes related to key processes in cells, such as respiration and photosynthesis, and participate in numerous enzymatic reactions. In photosynthetic organisms, the ISC and SUF Fe-S cluster synthesis pathways are located in organelles, mitochondria, and chloroplasts, respectively.

Effect of Sprouting on Proteins and Starch in Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.).

This study aims at understanding the relation among sprouting time (from 12 up to 72 h), changes in protein and starch components, and flour functionality in quinoa. Changes related to the activity of sprouting-related proteases were observed after 48 h of sprouting in all protein fractions. Progressive proteolysis resulted in relevant modification in the organization of quinoa storage proteins, with a concomitant increase in the availability of physiologically relevant metals such as copper and zinc.

Iron-Sulfur Cluster Complex Assembly in the Mitochondria of .

In plants, the cysteine desulfurase (AtNFS1) and frataxin (AtFH) are involved in the formation of Fe-S groups in mitochondria, specifically, in Fe and sulfur loading onto scaffold proteins, and the subsequent formation of the mature Fe-S cluster. We found that the small mitochondrial chaperone, AtISD11, and AtFH are positive regulators for AtNFS1 activity in . Moreover, when the three proteins were incubated together, a stronger attenuation of the Fenton reaction was observed compared to that observed with AtFH alone.

Nutritional Features and Bread-Making Performance of Wholewheat: Does the Milling System Matter?

Despite the interest in stone-milling, there is no information on the potential advantages of using the resultant wholegrain flour (WF) in bread-making. Consequently, nutritional and technological properties of WFs obtained by both stone- (SWF) and roller-milling (RWF) were assessed on four wheat samples, differing in grain hardness and pigment richness. Regardless of the type of wheat, stone-milling led to WFs with a high number of particles ranging in size from 315 to 710 μm), whereas RWFs showed a bimodal distribution with large (>1000 μm) and fine (<250 μm) particles.

Bio-Functional and Structural Properties of Pasta Enriched with a Debranning Fraction from Purple Wheat.

A colored and fiber-rich fraction from the debranning of purple wheat was incorporated at 25% into semolina- and flour-based pasta produced on a pilot-plant scale, with the aim of increasing anthocyanin and total phenolic content with respect to pasta obtained from whole pigmented grains. The debranning fraction impaired the formation of disulfide-stabilized protein networks in semolina-based systems. Recovery of phenolics was impaired by the pasta making process, and cooking decreased the phenolic content in both enriched samples.

Sprouting improves the bread-making performance of whole wheat flour (Triticum aestivum L.).

Background: Pre-harvest sprouting of wheat is viewed negatively because of the high level of enzymatic activity, which leads to a deterioration in the bread-making performance of the related flours. On the other hand, improvements in bread properties (i.e.

The PAP/SAL1 retrograde signaling pathway is involved in iron homeostasis.

There is a link between PAP/SAL retrograde pathway, ethylene signaling and Fe metabolism in Arabidopsis. Nuclear gene expression is regulated by a diversity of retrograde signals that travel from organelles to the nucleus in a lineal or classical model. One such signal molecule is 3'-phosphoadenisine-5'-phosphate (PAP) and it's in vivo levels are regulated by SAL1/FRY1, a phosphatase enzyme located in chloroplast and mitochondria.

Loss of function of Arabidopsis NADP-malic enzyme 1 results in enhanced tolerance to aluminum stress.

In acidic soils, aluminum (Al) toxicity is a significant limitation to crop production worldwide. Given its Al-binding capacity, malate allows internal as well as external detoxification strategies to cope with Al stress, but little is known about the metabolic processes involved in this response. Here, we analyzed the relevance of NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME), which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of malate, in Al tolerance.

Altered levels of mitochondrial NFS1 affect cellular Fe and S contents in plants.

The ISC Fe-S cluster biosynthetic pathway would play a key role in the regulation of iron and sulfur homeostasis in plants. The Arabidopsis thaliana mitochondrial cysteine desulfurase AtNFS1 has an essential role in cellular ISC Fe-S cluster assembly, and this pathway is one of the main sinks for iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) in the plant. In different plant species it has been reported a close relationship between Fe and S metabolisms; however, the regulation of both nutrient homeostasis is not fully understood.

Effect of salt reduction on quality and acceptability of durum wheat bread.

In the Mediterranean area, being pedoclimatic conditions more favorable to durum than common wheat cultivation, a bread-making tradition from durum wheat has been established. Durum wheat bread has a compact texture, with lower specific volume than common wheat bread. Due to health implications, several studies were carried out to reduce the content of NaCl in common wheat bread, however without considering durum wheat bread.

The mitochondrial copper chaperone COX19 influences copper and iron homeostasis in arabidopsis.

The mitochondrial metallochaperone COX19 influences iron and copper responses highlighting a role of mitochondria in modulating metal homeostasis in Arabidopsis. The mitochondrial copper chaperone COX19 participates in the biogenesis of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) in yeast and humans. In this work, we studied the function of COX19 in Arabidopsis thaliana, using plants with either decreased or increased COX19 levels.

Plant Frataxin in Metal Metabolism.

Frataxin is a highly conserved protein from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Several functions related to iron metabolism have been postulated for this protein, including Fe-S cluster and heme synthesis, response to oxidative damage and oxidative phosphorylation. In plants, the presence of one or two isoforms of this protein with dual localization in mitochondria and chloroplasts has been reported.

Effect of processing conditions on water mobility and cooking quality of gluten-free pasta. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging study.

A new approach for producing gluten-free pasta from hydrated (50 °C, 20 min) rice kernels, skipping the grinding step, was explored. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to study the hydration kinetics of rice, by monitoring the time evolution of both proton density and water transverse-relaxation rate during water diffusion. Results showed that the optimal water diffusion was reached after 180 min, allowing the extrusion of hydrated rice kernels into pasta.

Ferrochelatase activity of plant frataxin.

Frataxin plays a key role in cellular iron homeostasis of different organisms. It is engaged in several activities at the FeS cluster assembly machinery and it is also involved in heme biosynthesis. In plants, two genes encoding ferrochelatases (FC1 and FC2) catalyze the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin IX in the last stage of heme synthesis in chloroplasts.

Quinoa bitterness: causes and solutions for improving product acceptability.

Awareness of the several agronomic, environmental, and health benefits of quinoa has led to a constant increase in its production and consumption not only in South America, where it is a native crop, but also in Europe and the USA. However, producing wheat or gluten-free based products enriched with quinoa alters some quality characteristics, including sensory acceptance. Several anti-nutritional factors such as saponins are concentrated in the grain pericarp.

Copper redox chemistry of plant frataxins.

The presence of a conserved cysteine residue in the C-terminal amino acid sequences of plant frataxins differentiates these frataxins from those of other kingdoms and may be key in frataxin assembly and function. We report a full study on the ability of Arabidopsis (AtFH) and Zea mays (ZmFH-1 and ZmFH-2) frataxins to assemble into disulfide-bridged dimers by copper-driven oxidation and to revert to monomers by chemical reduction. We monitored the redox assembly-disassembly process by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, electrophoresis, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence measurements.

Characterization of Whole Grain Pasta: Integrating Physical, Chemical, Molecular, and Instrumental Sensory Approaches.

Unlabelled: The consumption of whole-grain food-including pasta-has been increasing steadily. In the case of whole-grain pasta, given the many different producers, it seems important to have some objective parameters to define its overall quality. In this study, commercial whole-grain pasta samples representative of the Italian market have been characterized from both molecular and electronic-senses (electronic nose and electronic tongue) standpoint in order to provide a survey of the properties of different commercial samples.

Macromolecular Traits in the African Rice Oryza glaberrima and in Glaberrima/Sativa Crosses, and Their Relevance to Processing.

Unlabelled: Molecular properties of proteins and starch were investigated in 2 accessions of Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa, and in one NERICA cross between the 2 species, to assess traits that could be relevant to transformation into specific foods. Protein nature and organization in O. glaberrima were different from those in O.