Enzymatic inhibitions of crude extracts and their constituents from Zingiberaceae against both rat intestinal alpha-glucosidase and porcine pancreatic lipase were investigated. Structure-activity relationships using their derivatives were also investigated. The rhizomes extract of mango ginger, Curcuma amada showed remarkable inhibitory activity in the screening test. Two natural labdane diterpenes 1 and 2 and a drimane sesquiterpene 3 were major constituents isolated from this hexane extract. Among them, (E)-labda-8(17),12-diene-15,16-dial (1) was the most prominent compound and showed inhibitory activity against both alpha-glucosidase and lipase. Derivatives 4-10 from compound 1 were prepared and evaluated using inhibitory assays with these enzymes. The reduced derivative 4 maintained alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity, but had decreased pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity compared with parent compound 1. Other tested derivatives of compound 1, including acetates 5-7 and oxidative derivatives 8-10, had very weak alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Most of these compounds showed moderate pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. However, only sesquiterpene albicanal (3) showed drastically decreased pancreatic lipase activity compared with 1. These findings suggested that molecular size was essential for enzymatic inhibitory activities of these compounds. These results demonstrated that mango ginger may be useful for the prevention of obesity and being overweight.
The colonization of land by plants was a key event in the evolution of life. Here we report the draft genome sequence of the filamentous terrestrial alga Klebsormidium flaccidum (Division Charophyta, Order Klebsormidiales) to elucidate the early transition step from aquatic algae to land plants. Comparison of the genome sequence with that of other algae and land plants demonstrate that K. flaccidum acquired many genes specific to land plants. We demonstrate that K. flaccidum indeed produces several plant hormones and homologues of some of the signalling intermediates required for hormone actions in higher plants. The K. flaccidum genome also encodes a primitive system to protect against the harmful effects of high-intensity light. The presence of these plant-related systems in K. flaccidum suggests that, during evolution, this alga acquired the fundamental machinery required for adaptation to terrestrial environments.
Acyl lipids in Arabidopsis and all other plants have a myriad of diverse functions. These include providing the core diffusion barrier of the membranes that separates cells and subcellular organelles. This function alone involves more than 10 membrane lipid classes, including the phospholipids, galactolipids, and sphingolipids, and within each class the variations in acyl chain composition expand the number of structures to several hundred possible molecular species. Acyl lipids in the form of triacylglycerol account for 35% of the weight of Arabidopsis seeds and represent their major form of carbon and energy storage. A layer of cutin and cuticular waxes that restricts the loss of water and provides protection from invasions by pathogens and other stresses covers the entire aerial surface of Arabidopsis. Similar functions are provided by suberin and its associated waxes that are localized in roots, seed coats, and abscission zones and are produced in response to wounding. This chapter focuses on the metabolic pathways that are associated with the biosynthesis and degradation of the acyl lipids mentioned above. These pathways, enzymes, and genes are also presented in detail in an associated website (ARALIP: http://aralip.plantbiology.msu.edu/). Protocols and methods used for analysis of Arabidopsis lipids are provided. Finally, a detailed summary of the composition of Arabidopsis lipids is provided in three figures and 15 tables.
Hepatic lipase (HL) is synthesized in the liver and hydrolyses triglyceride and phospholipids. C-514T polymorphism in HL gene promoter was reported to associate with hepatic lipase activity and plasma lipid levels. We examined whether C-514T polymorphism affects glucose metabolism beyond its effect on plasma lipid levels in nondiabetic Japanese subjects. Gene frequencies of C/C homozygote, C/T heterozygote and T/T homozygote were 18, 51 and 31%, respectively. The allelic frequencies of C and T were 44 and 56%, respectively. T allele frequency was much higher than in Caucasian subjects. Moreover, -514T allele carriers had higher levels of triglyceride (P=0.027), fasting insulin (P=0.016) and HOMA-IR (P=0.033) than non-carriers. In contrast to some former studies, -514T allele affected triglyceride levels and insulin sensitivity. Taken together, HL gene might be one of the important susceptibility genes of type 2 diabetes and the high incidence of type 2 diabetes could be explained by high frequency of -514T allele in the Japanese population. Moreover, since HL and adiponectin showed an additive effect on insulin sensitivity, these genetic variations can be independently associated with insulin sensitivity.
We mapped 633 markers (488 AFLPs, 28 RAPDs, 34 IRSs, 75 ESTs, 4 STSs, and 4 phenotypic markers) for the Medaka Oryzias latipes, a teleost fish of the order Beloniformes. Linkage was determined using a reference typing DNA panel from 39 cell lines derived from backcross progeny. This panel provided unlimited DNA for the accumulation of mapping data. The total map length of Medaka was 1354.5 cM and 24 linkage groups were detected, corresponding to the haploid chromosome number of the organism. Thirteen to 49 markers for each linkage group were obtained. Conserved synteny between Medaka and zebrafish was observed for 2 independent linkage groups. Unlike zebrafish, however, the Medaka linkage map showed obvious restriction of recombination on the linkage group containing the male-determining region (Y) locus compared to the autosomal chromosomes.
