Zein is one of the seed storage proteins found in endosperm maize. It soluble aqueous ethanol solutions with high content, and forms aggregates when content solution lowered. This unique structural variation has long been utilized to prepare nanoparticles that carry hydrophobic drugs. In this research, optimal conditions for encapsulation menthol, major component peppermint oil, into zein nanoc...

Essential oils (EOs), which are derived from plants, have antifungal, insecticidal and antimicrobial activities, but they are slightly soluble in water and impart to the water their odor and taste, which limit their applications in food area. Zein, a prolamin from corn, is able to form nanoparticles by liquid-liquid dispersion process. These nanoparticles are well dispersed in water and stable,...

We investigated the effect of 3'-noncoding and poly(A) sequences on the translation and stability of membrane-bound mRNA (maize zein) and free mRNA (Xenopus beta-globin) by injecting SP6 transcripts into stage 6 Xenopus oocytes. With zein mRNA, the presence or absence of a 3'-noncoding or poly(A) sequence had little effect on mRNA stability over 24 h, and the 3'-noncoding sequence played essent...

Interactions of a model surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with a water-insoluble model protein, zein, were investigated to gain an understanding of the effects, such as skin irritation and protein denaturation, of surfactants that are common in personal-care products. To elucidate the mechanisms of such effects, the zeinprotein interactionwithSDSinaqueoussolutionswas investigatedusingam...

background and objectives: lauroyl arginine ethyl ester (lae) has been focused as a new active compound with antimicrobial property for food preservative. because of environmental concerns, the incorporation of preservatives into biodegradable films is more suitable than their incorporation into plastic films.the aim of this work was to develop antimicrobial including lae in bio zein matrix and...

Prolamins, the major cereal seed storage proteins, are sequestered and accumulated in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and are directly assembled into protein bodies (PBs). The content and composition of prolamins are the key determinants for protein quality and texture-related traits of the grain. Concomitantly, the PB-inducing fusion system provides an efficient target to produce ...

The origin of protein bodies in maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm was investigated to determine whether they are formed as highly differentiated organelles or as protein deposits within the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Electron microscopy of developing maize endosperm cells showed that membranes surrounding protein bodies were continuous with rough endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Membranes of prot...

Opaque or nonvitreous phenotypes relate to the seed architecture of maize (Zea mays) and are linked to loci that control the accumulation and proper deposition of storage proteins, called zeins, into specialized organelles in the endosperm, called protein bodies. However, in the absence of null mutants of each type of zein (i.e. alpha, beta, gamma, and delta), the molecular contribution of thes...

Zeins, the predominent storage proteins in maize endosperm, are encoded by multiple genes and gene families. However, only a few transcriptional factors for zein gene regulation have been functionally characterized. In this study, a MADS-box protein, namely ZmMADS47, was identified as an Opaque2 (O2) interacting protein via yeast two-hybrid screening. The N-terminal portion of ZmMADS47 contains...

The maize opaque2 (o2) mutant has a high nutritional value but it develops a chalky endosperm that limits its practical use. Genetic selection for o2 modifiers can convert the normally chalky endosperm of the mutant into a hard, vitreous phenotype, yielding what is known as quality protein maize (QPM). Previous studies have shown that enhanced expression of 27-kDa γ-zein in QPM is essential for...