Asunto(s)

Proteínas de Unión al ADN , Factores de Transcripción , Antirrhinum/química , Antirrhinum/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Flores/genética , Flores/metabolismo , Regulación de la Expresión Génica de las Plantas/genética , Filogenia , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción/genética

RESUMEN

The nutritional composition - including total and individual phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and the antioxidant capacity - of two commercially available edible flowers, pansy and snapdragon, was studied. The edible flowers did not differ in their carbohydrates, fat, or ash contents, or in total energy, but pansy had higher values of moisture, protein, and total dietary fiber than snapdragon. Phenolic compounds were more abundant in pansy than in snapdragon, and flavonoids were the major compounds, followed by anthocyanins. The phenolic profile of pansy included flavonols, such as quercetin and isorhamnetin glycosides, flavones, such as apigenin glycosides, and anthocyanins, such as cyanidin and delphinidin glycosides; in snapdragon it included flavonol glycosides (e.g. quercetin and kaempferol glycosides) and anthocyanins, such as cyanidin and pelargonidin glycosides. The contents of total carotenoids were 146 and 29 µg/mg for pansy and snapdragon, respectively, and lutein was the dominant compound.

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/química , Extractos Vegetales/química , Viola/química , Antocianinas/análisis , Antioxidantes/análisis , Carotenoides/análisis , Flavonoides/análisis , Flavonoles/análisis , Flores/química , Glicósidos/análisis , Luteína/análisis , Fenoles/análisis , Extractos Vegetales/aislamiento & purificación

RESUMEN

A new iridoid diglucoside has been isolated from an ethanolic extract of Antirrhinum siculum, together with five-known compounds. Its structure has been assigned as 5-O-glucopyranosyl-7α-hydroxyharpagide by spectroscopic means.

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/química , Iridoides/aislamiento & purificación , Iridoides/química , Estructura Molecular , Análisis Espectral

RESUMEN

In recent years, the high frequency of illicit substance abuse reported in the United States has made the development of efficient and rapid detection methods important. Biological detectors, such as canines (Canis familiaris), are valuable tools for rapid, on-site identification of illicit substances. However, research indicates that in many cases canines do not alert to the contraband, but rather to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released from the contraband, referred to as the "active odor." In 2013, canine accuracy and reliability were challenged in the Supreme Court case, State of Florida v. Jardines. In this case, it was stated that if a canine alerts to the active odor, and not the contraband, the canine's accuracy and selectivity could be questioned, since many of these compounds have been found in common household products. Specifically, methyl benzoate, the active odor of cocaine, has been found to be the most abundant compound produced by snapdragon flowers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the odor profiles of various species of snapdragon flowers to assess how significantly methyl benzoate contributes to the total VOC profile or fragrance that is produced. Particularly, this study examines the VOCs released from newly grown snapdragon flowers and determines its potential at eliciting a false alert from specially trained detection canines. The ability of detection canines to differentiate between cocaine and snapdragon flowers was determined in order to validate the field accuracy and discrimination power of these detectors. An optimized method using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) was used to test the different types and abundances of compounds generated from snapdragon flowers at various stages throughout the plants' life cycle. The results indicate that although methyl benzoate is present in the odor profile of snapdragon flowers, other compounds are present that contribute significantly, if not more, than that of methyl benzoate. Canine teams, from various police departments throughout South Florida, certified for narcotics detection, took part in this study. Two canine trials involving 21 canines teams were performed by exposing the teams to 4 different species of snapdragon flowers. Of the 21 canine teams tested, none alerted to the snapdragon flowers presented, while all (100%) alerted to real cocaine samples, the positive control. Notably, the results revealed that although methyl benzoate is produced by snapdragon flowers, certified narcotics detection canines can distinguish cocaine's odor profile from that of snapdragon flowers.

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/química , Benzoatos/análisis , Perros/fisiología , Flores/química , Olfato/fisiología , Compuestos Orgánicos Volátiles/análisis , Animales , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Cocaína/química , Ciencias Forenses , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Narcóticos/química , Odorantes , Microextracción en Fase Sólida

RESUMEN

Edible flowers have great sensory appeal, but their extremely short shelf life limits their commercial usage. Postharvest 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment is used to counter ethylene activity and delay senescence in fresh produce; however, its potential application in edible flowers has not been tested. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 1-MCP treatment with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the shelf life of edible flowers. Freshly harvested carnations and snapdragons were packaged in trays with or without 0.5 µL/L of 1-MCP, sealed with a gas permeable film, and stored at 5 °C. Package atmospheres, tissue electrolyte leakage, and flower quality were evaluated on days 0, 7, and 14. Treatment with 1-MCP resulted in significantly slower changes in package headspace O(2), CO(2), and C(2)H(4) partial pressures, maintained higher overall quality of both flower species and reduced electrolyte leakage and abscission in snapdragon. All samples prepared with MAP had significantly reduced dehydration and higher overall quality compared to flowers packaged commercially in plastic clamshell containers. Treatments with controlled release of 1-MCP and MAP significantly extended storage life of edible carnation and snapdragon flowers.

Asunto(s)

Ciclopropanos/farmacología , Flores/química , Embalaje de Alimentos/métodos , Conservación de Alimentos/métodos , Antirrhinum/química , Dióxido de Carbono/análisis , Dianthus/química , Etilenos/análisis , Calidad de los Alimentos , Almacenamiento de Alimentos , Oxígeno/análisis

RESUMEN

It is commonly thought that deep phylogenetic conservation of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets indicates conserved regulatory functions. We show that the blind (bl) mutant of Petunia hybrida and the fistulata (fis) mutant of Antirrhinum majus, which have similar homeotic phenotypes, are recessive alleles of two homologous miRNA-encoding genes. The BL and FIS genes control the spatial restriction of homeotic class C genes to the inner floral whorls, but their ubiquitous early floral expression patterns are in contradiction with a potential role in patterning C gene expression. We provide genetic evidence for the unexpected function of the MIRFIS and MIRBL genes in the center of the flower and propose a dynamic mechanism underlying their regulatory role. Notably, Arabidopsis thaliana, a more distantly related species, also contains this miRNA module but does not seem to use it to confine early C gene expression to the center of the flower.

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/genética , Secuencia Conservada , Flores/genética , Regulación de la Expresión Génica de las Plantas/fisiología , Genes Homeobox/fisiología , MicroARNs/fisiología , Petunia/genética , Antirrhinum/química , Tipificación del Cuerpo/fisiología , MicroARNs/química , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Petunia/química

RESUMEN

Previously it has been shown that the floral scent of snapdragon flowers consists of a relatively simple mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds are thought to be involved in the attraction of pollinators; however, little is known about their effect on other organisms, such as neighboring plants. Here, we report that VOCs from snapdragon flowers inhibit Arabidopsis root growth. Out of the three major snapdragon floral volatiles, myrcene, (E)-beta-ocimene, and methyl benzoate (MB), MB was found to be primarily responsible for the inhibition of root growth. Ten micromoles MB reduced root length by 72.6%. We employed a microarray approach to identify the MB target genes in Arabidopsis that were responsible for the root growth inhibition phenotype in response to MB. These analyses showed that MB treatment affected 1.33% of global gene expression, including cytokinin, auxin and other plant-hormone-related genes, and genes related to seed germination processes in Arabidopsis. Accordingly, the root growth of cytokinin (cre1) and auxin (axr1) response mutants was less affected than that of the wild type by the volatile compound: roots of the treated mutants were reduced by 45.1 and 56.2%, respectively, relative to untreated control mutants.

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/química , Arabidopsis/efectos de los fármacos , Benzoatos/farmacología , Flores/química , Arabidopsis/crecimiento & desarrollo , Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Germinación , Raíces de Plantas/efectos de los fármacos , Raíces de Plantas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Semillas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Volatilización

Asunto(s)

Antirrhinum/química , Proteínas de Plantas/química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-myb/química , Factores de Transcripción/química , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Cristalografía por Rayos X , Modelos Moleculares , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Conformación Proteica , Pliegue de Proteína , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína

RESUMEN

SBP-domain proteins are plant-specific putative transcription factors. They all contain the highly conserved 76 amino acid residue SBP-domain, shown to bind specifically to related motifs in the Antirrhinum majus SQUA promoter and the orthologous Arabidopsis thaliana AP1 promoter. The structural basis for this sequence-specific binding of DNA are two Zn-finger like structures formed by the coordination of two zinc ions by conserved cysteine and histidine residues. Amino acid exchanges of the cysteine residues involved revealed that each of the Zn(2+)-coordinating structures is essential for DNA binding. By random target-site selection studies, it is shown that the palindromic GTAC core motif is essential for efficient DNA binding with additional nucleotides preferred by different SBP-domain proteins. Despite their different functions and origin from plants at different evolutionary distances, the mode of DNA binding is conserved from the single-cell algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to the moss Physcomitrella patens and higher plants. At the C-terminal end of the SBP-domain, a putative bipartite nuclear localization signal is located, which overlaps with the DNA-binding domain, in particular with the second Zn(2+)-binding structure. By immunolocalization of SPL3 and transient expression of SBP-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins in plant cells, it is shown that this nuclear localization signal is functional. Exchange of a highly conserved serine next to the nuclear localization signal by aspartate, which may mimic phosphorylation, resulted in a decreased nuclear import (SPL8), while DNA binding in vitro was abolished completely. In contrast, exchange by alanine increased nuclear import and left DNA binding intact. This suggests that the function of SBP-domain proteins is also regulated by post-translational modification on the levels of nuclear import and DNA binding.

Asunto(s)

Proteínas de Unión al ADN/química , Proteínas de Plantas/química , Transporte Activo de Núcleo Celular , Secuencias de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Antirrhinum/química , Antirrhinum/genética , Arabidopsis/química , Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Secuencia de Bases , Sitios de Unión/genética , Secuencia Conservada , ADN de Plantas/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Ensayo de Cambio de Movilidad Electroforética , Evolución Molecular , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Mutagénesis , Señales de Localización Nuclear/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Plantas/química , Plantas/genética , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/química , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/metabolismo , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , Zinc/metabolismo