Enhancing the output of Rubisco, an enzyme that converts atmospheric CO 2 into energy-rich molecules, could improve photo-synthetic efficiency, and therefore crop yield, in plants. Maize is a C4 grass, which uses four-carbon compounds to carry CO 2 into an interior compartment; subsequent release of CO 2 increases its local concentration and favors efficient activity of Rubisco. Rice, however, is a C3 grass and lacks this pathway. Wang et al. compared transcripts and metabolites in developing maize and rice plants as a step toward understanding the biochemical and anatomical bases of C4 photosynthesis. Furthermore, Lin et al. transplanted Rubisco from a cyanobacterium, which also relies on a CO 2-concentrating apparatus, into tobacco (a C3 plant) chloro-plasts.-GJC Nat.

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Production of structured lipid 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol (OPO), from tripalmitin (PPP) and oleic acid (OA) using lipases and ultrasonic pretreatment was conducted. Factors influencing both the ultrasonic conditions and enzymatic reaction were investigated. Optimum conditions could be attained with 6 min pretreatment time, 50% ultrasonic power, 3 s/9 s (work/pause) cycle of ultrasonic pulse, 1:8 PPP/OA molar ratio, 12% enzyme dosage and 50 °C temperature of. At the optimum conditions, the OPO yield of 51.8% could be achieved in 4h. Studies showed that the OPO content increased to 35.9% in 1h with ultrasonic pretreatment, in comparison to 4h without ultrasonic pretreatment. Reuse of Lipozyme RM IM for 10 cycles under ultrasonic irradiation did not cause essential damage to its lipase activity. Reaction kinetic model fitted well with the proposed Ping-Pong mechanism. The apparent kinetic constant (Vm'/K₂) of ultrasound pretreatment reaction was 2.52 times higher than the conventional mechanical stirring, indicating that ultrasound pretreatment enhanced the substrates affinity to the enzyme. This study confirmed that ultrasonic pretreatment was more efficient in OPO production than conventional mechanical agitation.

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The single and combinational effects of cadmium (Cd) and fluoranthene (FLT) on germination, growth and photosynthesis of soybean seedlings were investigated. Exposure to 5, 10, or 15 mg Cd/L or 1, 5, or 10 mg FLT/L individually or in combination significantly decreased germination vigor (3 days) and final germination rate of soybean seeds, except at 1 and 5 mg FLT/L. The results of two-way ANOVA analysis and the Bliss independence model showed that at lower concentrations of FLT (1 mg/L), the interaction between Cd and FLT on germination was antagonistic, whereas the interaction was synergistic when the concentration of FLT was 5 or 10 mg/L and the concentration of Cd was 15 mg/L. Growth, expressed as dry weight, length of shoot and root, leaf area, and photosynthesis, expressed as net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO 2 concentration, chlorophyll contents and fluorescence of soybean seedlings were also reduced by exposure to 5 or 10 mg Cd/L or 1 or 5 mg FLT/L, singly or jointly. Significant antagonistic effects of exposure to 5 or 10 mg Cd/L or 1 or 5 mg FLT/L on shoot growth and photosynthesis were observed, whereas synergy and antagonism of Cd and FLT were both observed for root growth.

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Oilseed plants produce huge amounts of fatty acids (FA) stored as triacylglycerols (TAG) in seeds that give a great variation in their composition. The variety and content of TAG directly affect the nutrition and function of lipids. TAG composition of 12 high‐oleic and normal peanut oil samples were profiled by two‐dimensional liquid chromatography (2D LC) coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI‐MS). The statistical evaluation of the TAG profiles determined was conducted on the basis of multidimensional data matrix using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The technique enabled the differentiation of high‐oleic oils from normal peanut oils—as results illustrated TAG of high‐oleic peanut oil were clearly different from those of normal peanut oils. High‐oleic and normal peanut oils had different profiles mainly in the contents of OOO, OPO and POL. This finding provided theoretical foundation for detecting the adulteration of edible oils and analyzing the nutrition and function of high‐oleic peanut oils.

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