Identification of bacteria in pasteurized zucchini purees stored at different temperatures and comparison with those found in other pasteurized vegetable purees.
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One hundred nineteen isolates from a commercial zucchini puree stored at 4, 10, and 20 to 25 degrees C were fingerprinted using repetitive sequence-based PCR (REP-PCR) and classified into 35 REP types. One representative isolate of each REP type was subsequently identified by API50CHB/20E profile and partial rrs gene sequence analysis. Nine REP types were misidentified by the API system. Strains were misidentified as being in the Bacillus circulans (group 2) API taxon or in taxa with a low number of positive API characters such as Brevibacillus brevis. A phylogenetic analysis pointed to one new species of Bacillus and three new species of Paenibacillus among the misidentified REP types. Bacterial components in zucchini puree were compared phenotypically with those obtained in previous work on broccoli, carrot, leek, potato, and split pea purees, based on simple matching coefficient and unweighted pair group method with averages cluster analysis. Out of 254 strains, 69 strains previously identified as B. circulans (group 2) or B. circulans/B. macerans/B. polymyxa were assigned to a new Paenibacillus taxon phylogenetically related to P. azotofixans. Storage conditions at 4 degrees C favored the development of "B. macroides/B. maroccanus" and Paenibacillus spp. in zucchini purees and Paenibacillus spp. in other purees. Storage conditions at 20 to 25 degrees C favored the development of B. subtilis group (B. licheniformis and B. subtilis) and B. cereus group strains. At 10 degrees C, Paenibacillus spp. were always present at high frequencies, whereas the occurrence of B. macroides/B. maroccanus (in zucchini purees), B. cereus, and B. pumilus varied with the experiment. (+info)
A novel membrane protein that is transported to protein storage vacuoles via precursor-accumulating vesicles.
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A novel protein, MP73, was specifically found on the membrane of protein storage vacuoles of pumpkin seed. MP73 appeared during seed maturation and disappeared rapidly after seed germination, in association with the morphological changes of the protein storage vacuoles. The MP73 precursor deduced from the isolated cDNA was composed of a signal peptide, a 24-kD domain (P24), and the MP73 domain with a putative long alpha-helix of 13 repeats that are rich in glutamic acid and arginine residues. Immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis showed that the precursor-accumulating (PAC) vesicles (endoplasmic reticulum-derived vesicles responsible for the transport of storage proteins) accumulated proMP73, but not MP73, on the membranes. Subcellular fractionation of the pulse-labeled maturing seed demonstrated that the proMP73 form with N-linked oligosaccharides was synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum and then transported to the protein storage vacuoles via PAC vesicles. Tunicamycin treatment of the seed resulted in the efficient deposition of proMP73 lacking the oligosaccharides (proMP73 Delta Psi) into the PAC vesicles but no accumulation of MP73 in vacuoles. Tunicamycin might impede the transport of proMP73 Delta Psi from the PAC vesicles to the vacuoles or might make the unglycosylated protein unstable in the vacuoles. After arrival at protein storage vacuoles, proMP73 was cleaved by the action of a vacuolar enzyme to form a 100-kD complex on the vacuolar membranes. These results suggest that PAC vesicles might mediate the delivery of not only storage proteins but also membrane proteins of the vacuoles. (+info)
Calcium-mediated association of a putative vacuolar sorting receptor PV72 with a propeptide of 2S albumin.
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PV72, a type I membrane protein with three epidermal-growth factor (EGF)-like motifs, was found to be localized on the membranes of the precursor-accumulating (PAC) vesicles that accumulated precursors of various seed storage proteins. To clarify the function of PV72 as a sorting receptor, we expressed four modified PV72s and analyzed their ability to bind the internal propeptide (the 2S-I peptide) of pro2S albumin by affinity chromatography and surface plasmon resonance. The recombinant PV72 specifically bound to the 2S-I peptide with a K(D) value of 0.2 microm, which was low enough for it to function as a receptor. The EGF-like motifs modulated the Ca(2+)-dependent conformational change of PV72 to form a functional pocket for the ligand binding. The binding of Ca(2+) stabilizes the receptor-ligand complex even at pH 4.0. The association and dissociation of PV72 with the ligand is modulated by the Ca(2+) concentration (EC(50) value = 40 microm) rather than the environmental pH. Overall results suggest that Ca(2+) regulates the vacuolar sorting mechanism in higher plants. (+info)
Phylogenetic relationships among domesticated and wild species of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) inferred from a mitochondrial gene: Implications for crop plant evolution and areas of origin.
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We have investigated the phylogenetic relationships among six wild and six domesticated taxa of Cucurbita using as a marker an intron region from the mitochondrial nad1 gene. Our study represents one of the first successful uses of a mtDNA gene in resolving inter- and intraspecific taxonomic relationships in Angiosperms and yields several important insights into the origins of domesticated Cucurbita. First, our data suggest at least six independent domestication events from distinct wild ancestors. Second, Cucurbita argyrosperma likely was domesticated from a wild Mexican gourd, Cucurbita sororia, probably in the same region of southwest Mexico that gave rise to maize. Third, the wild ancestor of Cucurbita moschata is still unknown, but mtDNA data combined with other sources of information suggest that it will probably be found in lowland northern South America. Fourth, Cucurbita andreana is supported as the wild progenitor of Cucurbita maxima, but humid lowland regions of Bolivia in addition to warmer temperate zones in South America from where C. andreana was originally described should possibly be considered as an area of origin for C. maxima. Fifth, our data support other molecular results that indicate two separate domestications in the Cucurbita pepo complex. The potential zone of domestication for one of the domesticated subspecies, C. pepo subsp. ovifera, includes eastern North America and should be extended to northeastern Mexico. The wild ancestor of the other domesticated subspecies, C. pepo subsp. pepo, is undiscovered but is closely related to C. pepo subsp. fraterna and possibly will be found in southern Mexico. (+info)
Differential effects of satellite RNA on the accumulation of cucumber mosaic virus RNAs and their encoded proteins in tobacco vs zucchini squash with two strains of CMV helper virus.
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The presence of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) satellite RNA usually reduces the yield of accumulated helper virus, although more so in solanaceous than in cucurbit hosts. The accumulation of viral RNA and viral-encoded proteins of two strains of CMV (Fny- and Sny-) known to differ in their ability to support satellite RNA in zucchini squash was examined in squash and tobacco to determine the effect of satellite RNA on the accumulation of viral-associated components. In the absence of satellite RNA, Fny- and Sny-CMV showed similar levels of accumulation of RNA at 7 days postinoculation (p.i.), but by 14 days p.i. the Fny-CMV RNAs accumulated to lower levels than did both strains at 7 days p.i., in either host. The levels of accumulated Sny-CMV-encoded proteins were higher than those encoded by Fny-CMV in tobacco, but not squash plants, at 7 days p.i. At 14 days p.i., for Fny-CMV vs Sny-CMV, there were differences in the levels of accumulation of most CMV-encoded proteins in both hosts, more exacerbated in tobacco vs squash. The effect of satellite RNA was to intensify these differences; that is, by 7 days p.i., satellite RNA reduced the accumulation of Fny-CMV RNAs 1 and 2 and their encoded proteins in both tobacco and squash but had little or no effect on the accumulation of Sny-CMV RNAs or encoded proteins. By 14 days p.i., the levels of accumulation of all Fny-CMV RNAs and encoded proteins were severely reduced in both hosts, and the levels of accumulation of Sny-CMV RNAs 1 and 2 and their encoded proteins were also reduced in tobacco, but not squash. Sny-CMV did not support satellite RNA accumulation in squash plants or protoplasts. Satellite RNA did not appear to have a direct effect on the movement of either CMV strain. Rather, accumulation studies in tobacco protoplasts indicated that the difference in response of Fny-CMV vs Sny-CMV to satellite RNA in tobacco was due to the extent to which satellite RNA affected the levels of RNA 1, and to a lesser extent RNA 2, and their encoded proteins, 1a and 2a, both components of the CMV replicase. (+info)
Analysis of the complexity of protein kinases within the phloem sieve tube system. Characterization of Cucurbita maxima calmodulin-like domain protein kinase 1.
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In angiosperms, functional, mature sieve elements lack nuclei, vacuoles, ribosomes, and most of the endomembrane network. In this study, the complexity, number, and nature of protein kinases within the phloem sap of Cucurbita maxima were investigated to test the hypothesis that the enucleate sieve tube system utilizes a simplified signal transduction network. Supporting evidence was obtained in that only five putative protein kinases (three calcium-independent and two calcium-dependent protein kinases) were detected within the phloem sap extracted from stem tissues. Biochemical methods were used to purify one such calcium-dependent protein kinase. The gene for this C. maxima calmodulin-like domain protein kinase 1 (CmCPK1), was cloned using peptide microsequences. A combination of mass spectrometry, peptide fingerprinting, and amino-terminal sequencing established that, in the phloem sap, CmCPK1 exists as an amino-terminally cleaved protein. A second highly homologous isoform, CmCPK2, was identified, but although transcripts could be detected in the companion cells, peptide fingerprint analysis suggested that CmCPK2 does not enter the phloem sap. Potential substrates for CmCPK1, within the phloem sap, were also detected using an on-membrane phosphorylation assay. Entry of CmCPK1 into sieve elements via plasmodesmata and the potential roles played by these phloem protein kinases are discussed. (+info)
Kinetic mechanism and order of substrate binding for sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from squash (Cucurbita moschata).
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sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (G3PAT, EC 2.3.1.15), a component of glycerolipid biosynthesis, is an important enzyme in chilling sensitivity in plants. The three-dimensional structure of the enzyme from squash (Cucurbita moschata), without bound substrate, has been determined [Turnbull et al. (2001) Acta Crystallogr. D 57, 451-453; Turnbull et al. (2001) Structure 9, 347-353]. Here we report the kinetic mechanism of plastidial G3PAT from squash and the order of substrate binding using acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) substrates. The reaction proceeds via a compulsory-ordered ternary complex with acyl-ACP binding before glycerol-3-phosphate. We have also determined that the reaction will proceed with C(4:0)-CoA, C(6:0)-CoA and C(12:0)-ACP substrates, allowing a wider choice of acyl groups for future co-crystallisation studies. (+info)
Subcellular localization of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and high-mannose type free N-glycans in plant cell.
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Subcellular distribution of plant endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (endo-beta-GlcNAc-ase) and high-mannose type free N-glycans produced by the endoglycosidase has been analyzed using cotyledons of pumpkin seedlings as the model plant cells. Each organelle in the cotyledons was fractionated by ultracentrifugation with the sucrose density gradient system and the endo-beta-GlcNAc-ase activity in each fraction was assayed with fluorescence labeled N-glycans as substrates. The endoglycosidase activity was exclusively recovered in the soluble fraction (cytosol fraction) but not in other specific organellar fractions, suggesting that the endoglycosidase would reside predominantly in the cytosol. The quantitative analysis of high-mannose type free N-glycans occurring in each fraction showed that more than 70% of the free N-glycans was recovered from the soluble fraction, suggesting the endoglycosidase would work in the cytosol and the resulting free N-glycans would accumulate in the same fraction. The pumpkin endo-beta-GlcNAc-ase (endo-CM) partially purified from the cotyledons showed optimum activity around pH 6.5, supporting this enzyme would reside in the cytosol. Furthermore, the detailed analysis of substrate specificity of endo-CM using various high-mannose type N-glycans showed that the pumpkin enzyme, as well as other plant endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases, were highly active toward the high-mannose type glycans bearing the Man(alpha1)-2Man(alpha1)-3Man(beta1)-structural unit. (+info)