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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

[14C] Glucose Cell Wall Incorporation Assay For The Estimation Of Cellulose Biosynthesis, Chad Brabham, Jozsef Stork, Seth Debolt Sep 2015

[14C] Glucose Cell Wall Incorporation Assay For The Estimation Of Cellulose Biosynthesis, Chad Brabham, Jozsef Stork, Seth Debolt

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Cellulose is synthesized by Cellulose Synthase A proteins at the plasma membrane using the substrate UDP glucose. Herein, we provide a detailed method for measuring the incorporation of radiolabeled glucose into the cellulose fraction of the cell wall. In this method Arabidopsis seedlings are treated for 2 h with a cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor in the presence of radiolabeled glucose, and are subsequently boiled in acetic-nitric acid to solubilize non-cellulosic material. The radiolabeled glucose detected in the insoluble fraction indicates the amount of cellulose synthesized during the experimental timeframe. The short-term nature of this method is a useful tool in determining …


Prospecting For Energy-Rich Renewable Raw Materials: Agave Leaf Case Study, Kendall R. Corbin, Caitlin S. Byrt, Stefan Bauer, Seth Debolt, Don Chambers, Joseph A. M. Holtum, Ghazwan Karem, Marilyn Henderson, Jelle Lahnstein, Cherie T. Beahan, Antony Bacic, Geoffrey B. Fincher, Natalie S. Betts, Rachel A. Burton Aug 2015

Prospecting For Energy-Rich Renewable Raw Materials: Agave Leaf Case Study, Kendall R. Corbin, Caitlin S. Byrt, Stefan Bauer, Seth Debolt, Don Chambers, Joseph A. M. Holtum, Ghazwan Karem, Marilyn Henderson, Jelle Lahnstein, Cherie T. Beahan, Antony Bacic, Geoffrey B. Fincher, Natalie S. Betts, Rachel A. Burton

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Plant biomass from different species is heterogeneous, and this diversity in composition can be mined to identify materials of value to fuel and chemical industries. Agave produces high yields of energy-rich biomass, and the sugar-rich stem tissue has traditionally been used to make alcoholic beverages. Here, the compositions of Agave americana and Agave tequilana leaves are determined, particularly in the context of bioethanol production. Agave leaf cell wall polysaccharide content was characterized by linkage analysis, non-cellulosic polysaccharides such as pectins were observed by immuno-microscopy, and leaf juice composition was determined by liquid chromatography. Agave leaves are fruit-like--rich in moisture, …


Calmodulin Methyltransferase Is Required For Growth, Muscle Strength, Somatosensory Development And Brain Function, Sitvanit Haziza, Roberta Magnani, Dima Lan, Omer Keinan, Ann Saada, Eli Hershkovitz, Nurit Yanay, Yoram Cohen, Yoram Nevo, Robert L. Houtz, Val C. Sheffield, Hava Golan, Ruti Parvari Aug 2015

Calmodulin Methyltransferase Is Required For Growth, Muscle Strength, Somatosensory Development And Brain Function, Sitvanit Haziza, Roberta Magnani, Dima Lan, Omer Keinan, Ann Saada, Eli Hershkovitz, Nurit Yanay, Yoram Cohen, Yoram Nevo, Robert L. Houtz, Val C. Sheffield, Hava Golan, Ruti Parvari

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Calmodulin lysine methyl transferase (CaM KMT) is ubiquitously expressed and highly conserved from plants to vertebrates. CaM is frequently trimethylated at Lys-115, however, the role of CaM methylation in vertebrates has not been studied. CaM KMT was found to be homozygously deleted in the 2P21 deletion syndrome that includes 4 genes. These patients present with cystinuria, severe intellectual disabilities, hypotonia, mitochondrial disease and facial dysmorphism. Two siblings with deletion of three of the genes included in the 2P21 deletion syndrome presented with cystinuria, hypotonia, a mild/moderate mental retardation and a respiratory chain complex IV deficiency. To be able to attribute …


Engineering Plant Biomass Lignin Content And Composition For Biofuels And Bioproducts, Cassie Marie Welker, Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian, Carloalberto Petti, Krishan Mohan Rai, Seth Debolt, Venugopal Mendu Aug 2015

Engineering Plant Biomass Lignin Content And Composition For Biofuels And Bioproducts, Cassie Marie Welker, Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian, Carloalberto Petti, Krishan Mohan Rai, Seth Debolt, Venugopal Mendu

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Lignin is an aromatic biopolymer involved in providing structural support to plant cell walls. Compared to the other cell wall polymers, i.e., cellulose and hemicelluloses, lignin has been considered a hindrance in cellulosic bioethanol production due to the complexity involved in its separation from other polymers of various biomass feedstocks. Nevertheless, lignin is a potential source of valuable aromatic chemical compounds and upgradable building blocks. Though the biosynthetic pathway of lignin has been elucidated in great detail, the random nature of the polymerization (free radical coupling) process poses challenges for its depolymerization into valuable bioproducts. The absence of specific …


Characterization Of Culturable Bacterial Endophytes And Their Capacity To Promote Plant Growth From Plants Grown Using Organic Or Conventional Practices, Ye Xia, Seth Debolt, Jamin Dreyer, Delia Scott, Mark A. Williams Jul 2015

Characterization Of Culturable Bacterial Endophytes And Their Capacity To Promote Plant Growth From Plants Grown Using Organic Or Conventional Practices, Ye Xia, Seth Debolt, Jamin Dreyer, Delia Scott, Mark A. Williams

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Plants have a diverse internal microbial biota that has been shown to have an important influence on a range of plant health attributes. Although these endophytes have been found to be widely occurring, few studies have correlated agricultural production practices with endophyte community structure and function. One agricultural system that focuses on preserving and enhancing soil microbial abundance and biodiversity is organic farming, and numerous studies have shown that organically managed system have increased microbial community characteristics. Herein, the diversity and specificity of culturable bacterial endophytes were evaluated in four vegetable crops: corn, tomato, melon, and pepper grown under organic …


Horticulturae — An International, Multidisciplinary, Open Access Journal, Douglas D. Archbold Jan 2015

Horticulturae — An International, Multidisciplinary, Open Access Journal, Douglas D. Archbold

Horticulture Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Identification Of Micrornas In Two Species Of Tomato, Solanum Lycopersicum And Solanum Habrochaites, By Deep Sequencing, Shan-Shan Fan, Qian-Nan Li, Guang-Jun Guo, Jian-Chang Gao, Xiao-Xuan Wang, Yan-Mei Guo, John C. Snyder, Yong-Chen Du Jan 2015

Identification Of Micrornas In Two Species Of Tomato, Solanum Lycopersicum And Solanum Habrochaites, By Deep Sequencing, Shan-Shan Fan, Qian-Nan Li, Guang-Jun Guo, Jian-Chang Gao, Xiao-Xuan Wang, Yan-Mei Guo, John C. Snyder, Yong-Chen Du

Horticulture Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~21 nucleotide (nt), endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression in plants. Increasing evidence suggests that miRNAs play an important role in species-specific development in plants. However, the detailed miRNA profile divergence has not been performed among tomato species. In this study, the small RNA (sRNA) profiles of Solanum lycopersicum cultivar 9706 and Solanum habrochaites species PI 134417 were obtained by deep sequencing. Sixty-three known miRNA families were identified from these two species, of which 39 were common. Further miRNA profile comparison showed that 24 known non-conserved miRNA families were species-specific between these two tomato species. In addition, …


Conservation Agriculture In Kentucky: Investigating Nitrogen Loss And Dynamics In Corn Systems Following Wheat And Hairy Vetch Cover Crops, Rebecca Erin Shelton Jan 2015

Conservation Agriculture In Kentucky: Investigating Nitrogen Loss And Dynamics In Corn Systems Following Wheat And Hairy Vetch Cover Crops, Rebecca Erin Shelton

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Unintentional nitrogen (N) loss from agroecosystems produces greenhouse gases, induces eutrophication, and is costly for farmers; therefore, adoption of conservation agricultural management practices, such as no-till and cover cropping, has increased. This study assessed N loss via leaching, NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions, and N retention in plant and soil pools of corn conservation agroecosystems across a year. Three systems were evaluated: 1) an unfertilized organic system with cover crops Vicia villosa, Triticum aestivum, or a mix of the two; 2) an organic system with a Vicia cover crop employing three fertilization schemes (0 N, organic N, …


The Influence Of Production Practices, Tillage, And Endophytic Bacteria On Bell Pepper Productivity And Physiology Under Different Irrigation Regimes, Zheng Wang Jan 2015

The Influence Of Production Practices, Tillage, And Endophytic Bacteria On Bell Pepper Productivity And Physiology Under Different Irrigation Regimes, Zheng Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

To evaluate the strip tillage in organic bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production as an integrated system for sustainable vegetable cropping two-years of field trials were conducted in 2011 and 2012. The field trials were conducted to determine the viability of strip tillage in conventional and organic bell pepper production systems by comparing plant growth, water status, and fruit yield to plastic mulch grown plants application under different irrigation regimes. The two-year field data demonstrated that organic pepper with strip tillage application was a viable combination that produced comparable yield to conventional plastic mulch system and utilized water more …