ABSTRACT
Fruit ripening is a complex, developmentally regulated process. A series of genes have been isolated from various ripening fruits encoding enzymes mainly involved in ethylene and cell wall metabolism. In order to aid our understanding of the molecular basis of this process in a tropical fruit, a cDNA library was prepared from ripe mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Manila). By differential screening with RNA poly(A)+ from unripe and ripe mesocarp a number of cDNAs expressing only in ripe fruit have been isolated. This paper reports the characterization of one such cDNA (pTHMF 1) from M. indica which codes for a protein highly homologous to cucumber, rat and human peroxisomal thiolase (EC 2.3.1.16), the catalyst for the last step in the beta-oxidation pathway. The cDNA for the peroxisomal mango thiolase is 1305 bp in length and codes for a protein of 432 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 45,532 Da. Mango thiolase is highly homologous to cucumber thiolase (80%), the only other plant thiolase whose cloning has been reported, and to rat and human thiolases (55% and 55% respectively). It is shown by northern analysis that during fruit ripening THMF 1 is up-regulated. A similar pattern of expression was detected in tomato fruit. Wounding and pathogen infection do not appear to affect THMF 1 expression. The possible involvement of thiolase in fatty acid metabolism during fruit ripening will be discussed. To our knowledge this is the first report cloning of a plant gene involved in fatty acid metabolism showing an induction during fruit ripening.
Subject(s)
Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase/genetics , Fruit/physiology , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Microbodies/enzymology , Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase/chemistry , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , Cloning, Molecular , DNA, Complementary/genetics , Fruit/enzymology , Fruit/genetics , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Weight , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Plant/genetics , Rats , Sequence HomologyABSTRACT
En estudio clínico comparativo el autor somete a prueba la hipótesis que existe correlación positiva entre consumo dependiente de pasta de coca por tres o más años y los hallazgos clínicos, psicométricos y electroencefalográficos indicativos de un síndrome cerebral crónico. La muestra del estudio estuvo conformada por 50 pacientes dependientes al consumo de pasta básica de coca, por un periodo mínimo de tres años y un grupo control de 50 sujetos sanos. Se homogenizaron las variables edad, sexo y nivel educacional. Los resultados permiten concluir que el consumo de pasta de coca es potencialmente capaz de producir síndrome orgánico cerebral crónico bajo ciertas condiciones tales como: consumo mayor de cinco años, uso casi continuado, consumo de grandes cantidades, combinación con otras drogas y malas condiciones nutricionales y su salud en general de los consumidores.
In a clinical comparative study the author test the following hypothesis: there is a positive correlation between dependent consumption of cocaine paste for three of more years and the clinical, psychometric, and EEGÆs findings indicative of chronic organic brain syndrome. Fifty cocaine paste dependent patients for a minimum period of three years and fifty control normal subjects were selected. Age, sex and educational level variables were matched. Results allow to conclude that cocaine paste consumption can potentially produce a chronic organic brain syndrome under some conditions such as: drug consumption for more than five years, continued use and in great quantities, combined use with other drugs and bad nutritional and health conditions of the consumers.
