Transcripts of Vp-1 homeologues are misspliced in modern wheat and ancestral species.

The maize (Zea mays) Viviparous 1 (Vp1) transcription factor has been shown previously to be a major regulator of seed development, simultaneously activating embryo maturation and repressing germination. Hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) caryopses are characterized by relatively weak embryo dormancy and are susceptible to preharvest sprouting (PHS), a phenomenon that is phenotypically similar to the maize vp1 mutation. Analysis of Vp-1 transcript structure in wheat embryos during grain development showed that each homeologue produces cytoplasmic mRNAs of different sizes.

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene required for heterologous fatty acid elongase activity encodes a microsomal beta-keto-reductase.

A number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae membrane-bound oxidoreductases were examined for potential roles in microsomal fatty acid elongation, by assaying heterologous elongating activities in individual deletion mutants. One yeast gene, YBR159w, was identified as being required for activity of both the Caenorhabditis elegans elongase PEA1 (F56H11.4) and the Arabidopsis thaliana elongase FAE1.

Characterization of starch from tubers of yam bean (Pachyrhizus ahipa).

Detailed studies of the starch present in tubers of six accessions of Pachyrhizus ahipa (ahipa) have been carried out using starches from tubers of P. erosus (Mexican yam bean) and seeds of ahipa and wheat for comparison. Starch accounted for 56-58% of the tuber dry weight with granules occurring in a range of geometric forms and in sizes from below 5 microm to about 35 microm (mean about 10 microm in all accessions except two).

Elastomeric proteins: biological roles, structures and mechanisms.

Elastomeric proteins are able to withstand significant deformations without rupture before returning to their original state when the stress is removed. Although elastomeric proteins differ considerably in their amino acid sequence, they all have a complex domain structure and share two common properties. Namely, they contain elastomeric domains, comprised of repeated sequences, and additional domains that form intermolecular crosslinks.

Secondary structure of oleosins in oil bodies isolated from seeds of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

Oil bodies were isolated from mature seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.).

Expression of a borage desaturase cDNA containing an N-terminal cytochrome b5 domain results in the accumulation of high levels of delta6-desaturated fatty acids in transgenic tobacco.

gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA; C18:3 delta(6,9,12)) is a component of the seed oils of evening primrose (Oenothera spp.), borage (Borago officinalis L.), and some other plants.