Preharvest salicylic acid application improves the amino acid content and volatile profile in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay during development.

Nitrogen is an important component that affects grapevine growth and the formation of flavor-associated volatile chemicals in grape berries. Dynamic changes in amino acids and aroma compounds in Chardonnay grape berry preharvest treated with different doses of salicylic acid (SA) at onset and one week later of veraison stage were evaluated. Exogenous 1- or 3-mM SA application significantly increased the content of total soluble solid and titratable acid in grapes, while 5 mM SA tended to decrease their levels. Compared with the control, the concentration of yeast assimilable nitrogen were 9.3% and 14.6% higher in 3 mM SA-treated grapes in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Preharvest 3 mM SA treatment efficiently enhanced the accumulation of nine amino acids, including tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine, aspartic acid, lysine, asparagine, valine, isoleucine and histidine, as well as the concentration of total amino acid with and without proline in the two grape vintages. Higher concentrations of primary phenylalanine-derivatives and terpenoids and lower levels of C6 compounds in grapes treated with 3 mM SA were observed during the 2021-2022 season. Overall, SA improved the quality of wine grape in a dose dependent manner, while the response of berries to SA treatment also showed effects of the vintage.

Effect of Deacidification Treatment on the Flavor Quality of Zaosu Pear-Kiwifruit Wine.

Conventional pear-kiwifruit wine has a bland flavor and sour taste, because of excessive l-malic acid content and, consequently, little consumer appeal. An Oenococcus oeni strain, GF-2, has good malolactic fermentation (MLF) performance and high glucosidase activity. Through a Box-Behnken design, the optimum MLF parameters for deacidification by GF-2 were determined: initial pH of 3.4, 5% v/v inoculation, and temperature of 20 °C, which reduced the malic acid content by 98.3%. The changes in the content of organic acids, polyphenols, and aromatic compounds after MLF were compared with chemical deacidification. MLF significantly decreased the total concentration of organic acids by 29.7% and promoted the accumulation of aromatic esters, higher alcohols, and terpenoids, but chemical deacidification markedly decreased aromatic compound content by 59.8%. MLF wine achieved the highest sensory scores for aroma, taste, and overall acceptability. Therefore, MLF with O. oeni GF-2 has great potential to markedly improve the quality of commercial pear-kiwifruit wine.

Colorimetric study of malvidin-3-O-glucoside copigmented by phenolic compounds: The effect of molar ratio, temperature, pH, and ethanol content on color expression of red wine model solutions.

In the recent research, the copigmentations of malvidin-3-O-glucoside with eight types of phenolic copigments have been investigated. The influence of the pigment/copigment molar ratio, the reaction temperature, the pH and the ethanol content of solutions has been examined. The results showed that the copigmentation effect was dependent on not only the particular structures of the phenolic compounds but also the factors of the reaction systems. The increase of the copigment concentration can strengthen the copigmentation effect, improve the solution color, and enhance the red-purple features. Different temperatures had different influences on the copigmentation reactions. The destruction of the copigmentation complexes can result in the hypsochromic shift of the reaction solution when the temperature was higher than 20°C. The bathochromic shift of the solution gradually progressed with the increase of the pH value. A significant copigmentation feature was spotted when pH reached 3.0, which demonstrates obvious red-purple characterization. The addition of the ethanol weakened the copigmentation effect. According to measurement through color analysis, it was found that the color differences caused by ethanol in red wine were typically attributed to quantitative changes. Remarkably, all of the above delicate color deviations caused by the structural or environmental factors can be precisely and conveniently depicted via the CIELAB space analysis.

On the dynamical structure of calcium oscillations.

Oscillations in the concentration of free cytosolic Ca2+ are an important and ubiquitous control mechanism in many cell types. It is thus correspondingly important to understand the mechanisms that underlie the control of these oscillations and how their period is determined. We show that Class I Ca2+ oscillations (i.e., oscillations that can occur at a constant concentration of inositol trisphosphate) have a common dynamical structure, irrespective of the oscillation period. This commonality allows the construction of a simple canonical model that incorporates this underlying dynamical behavior. Predictions from the model are tested, and confirmed, in three different cell types, with oscillation periods ranging over an order of magnitude. The model also predicts that Ca2+ oscillation period can be controlled by modulation of the rate of activation by Ca2+ of the inositol trisphosphate receptor. Preliminary experimental evidence consistent with this hypothesis is presented. Our canonical model has a structure similar to, but not identical to, the classic FitzHugh-Nagumo model. The characterization of variables by speed of evolution, as either fast or slow variables, changes over the course of a typical oscillation, leading to a model without globally defined fast and slow variables.

[Synergistic effect of targeted inhibition of MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT survival signaling pathways on induction of apoptosis in melanoma].

OBJECTIVE: The treatment of metastatic melanoma by conventional chemotherapeutic agents remains unsatisfactory. The present study was undertaken to reveal the role of co-inhibition of survival signaling pathways in apoptosis of melanoma cells. METHODS: A panel of human melanoma cell lines and fresh melanoma isolates was assessed for their sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor U0126 and/or AKT inhibitor LY294002. The proliferation and apoptosis of the cells were examined after treatment with the inhibitors. RESULTS: Constitutive activation of ERK1/2 and AKT was closely related to concentrations of serum in the culture medium (extracellular signals). The sensitivity of melanoma cells to apoptosis induced by inhibition of MEK/ERK was not correlated with the active BRAF mutation (BRAF(V600E)). Inhibition of MEK/ERK predominantly induced apoptosis; whereas inhibition of PI3K/AKT primarily inhibited proliferation. Co-inhibition of MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT synergistically induced apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Co-targeting MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways may further improve treatment for melanoma.