Improving Agricultural Traits While Maintaining High Resistant Starch Content in Rice.

Background: Resistant starch (RS) is beneficial for human health. Loss of starch branching enzyme IIb (BEIIb) increases the proportion of amylopectin long chains, which greatly elevates the RS content. Although high RS content cereals are desired, an increase in RS content is often accompanied by a decrease in seed weight.

Active-type starch synthase (SS) IIa from indica rice partially complements the sugary-1 phenotype in japonica rice endosperm.

Introduction of higher SSIIa activity to mild-type isa1 mutant by crossing results in restoration of crystallinity, starch granule structure, and production of plump seeds. Isoamylase 1 (ISA1) removes improper α-1, 6 glycosidic branches of amylopectin generated by starch branching enzymes and is essential for the formation of proper amylopectin structure. Rice isa1 (sug-1) mutants in japonica cultivar with less-active starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) and low granule-bound SSI (GBSSI) expression display wrinkled seed phenotype by accumulating water-soluble phytoglycogen instead of insoluble amylopectin.

Structure and Immunomodulatory Activity of Glycogen Derived from Honeybee Larvae (Apis mellifera).

Honeybee larvae have been recognized as nutrient-rich food in many countries. Although glycogen, a storage form of glucose in animals, is synthesized in honeybee larvae, there is no information on the structure of glycan and its biological activity. In this study, we successfully extracted glycogen from honeybee larvae using hot water extraction and investigated the structure and biological activity of glycan.

Generation and Starch Characterization of Non-Transgenic BEI and BEIIb Double Mutant Rice (Oryza sativa) with Ultra-High Level of Resistant Starch.

Background: Cereals high in resistant starch (RS) are gaining popularity, as their intake is thought to help manage diabetes and prediabetes. Number of patients suffering from diabetes is also increasing in Asian countries where people consume rice as a staple food, hence generation of practically growable high RS rice line has been anticipated. It is known that suppression of starch branching enzyme (BE) IIb increases RS content in cereals.

The planocerid flatworm is a main supplier of toxin to tetrodotoxin-bearing fish juveniles.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent neurotoxin, is found in various phylogenetically diverse taxa. In marine environments, the pufferfish is at the top of the food chain among TTX-bearing organisms. The accumulation of TTX in the body of pufferfish appears to be of the food web that begins with bacteria.

Three Major Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Gene Correlated with the Amounts of Extra-long Chains of Amylopectin in Rice Cultivars with S or L-type Amylopectin.

Extra-long chains (ELC) of amylopectin in rice endosperm are synthesized by granule-bound starch synthase I encoded by the () gene, which primarily synthesizes amylose. Previous studies showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in intron 1 and exon 6 of the gene influences ELC amount. However, whether these SNPs are conserved among rice cultivars and if any other SNPs are present in the gene remained unknown.

Identification of a Point Mutation in the Granule-bound Starch Synthase I Gene () in a Diploid Wheat Mutant and Design of Molecular Markers for Backcrossing.

In cereals, granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI)-deficient mutants accumulate glutinous (amylose-free) starch in their storage tissues. The amylose-free starch produced by () mutants of hexaploid bread wheat ( L.) is used in cakes and breads.

Characterization of the endosperm starch and the pleiotropic effects of biosynthetic enzymes on their properties in novel mutant rice lines with high resistant starch and amylose content.

Resistant starch (RS) is beneficial to human health. In order to reduce the current prevalence of diabetes and obesity, several transgenic and mutant crops containing high RS content are being developed. RS content of steamed rice with starch-branching enzyme (BE)IIb-deficient mutant endosperms is considerably high.

Screening Method for Novel Rice Starch Mutant Lines Prepared by Introducing Gene Encoding Starch Synthase IIa and Granule-bound Starch Synthase I from Indica Cultivar into a Branching Enzyme IIb-Deficient Mutant Line.

The structure and properties of starch reserves in rice seeds are strongly affected by deficiencies in specific starch biosynthetic enzymes, which are highly expressed in storage tissues. Rice lines with unique seed starches should be utilized for food and industrial applications in the near future. We are currently developing novel rice mutant lines with distinct starch properties by introducing specific genes from different cultivars into mutant lines and by producing multiple combinations of single mutant lines.

Possible role of insulin-like factor 3 in the bovine corpus luteum.

Insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is a local regulator in mammalian gonads, but little is known of its function in bovine corpus luteum (CL). Here, we show that RXFP2 protein, the receptor of INSL3, was expressed throughout the estrous cycle and significantly high at the early luteal stage compared to the regressed luteal stage. INSL3 stimulated progesterone secretion, but not prostaglandin F2α and viability in cultured luteal cells.