Transgenic soya bean (Glycine max) plants overexpressing a seed-specific bacterial phytoene synthase gene from Pantoea ananatis modified to target to plastids accumulated 845 μg β carotene g(-1) dry seed weight with a desirable 12:1 ratio of β to α. The β carotene accumulating seeds exhibited a shift in oil composition increasing oleic acid with a concomitant decrease in linoleic acid and an in...

Gas chromatographic determination of the fat ty acids in the seeds of soybean (Glycine max) showed mainly linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids with linoleic acid being the major component . Changes in the distribution of fat ty acids were measured during germination in the cotyledons and roots. A decrease in palmitic and oleic acids was observed in the cotyledons from 6 to 12 days, while linoleic...

Relationships between respiration rate and adenylate and carbohydrate pools of the soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) fruit during rapid seed growth were evaluated. Plants at mid pod-fill were subjected to different concentrations of CO(2) to alter the amount of photosynthate produced and, thus, available to the fruit. Respiration rate of the intact fruits was measured, along with glucose, sucros...

Vicilin and legumin, the storage globulins of mature dry vetch (Vicia sativa L.) seeds, are found in protein bodies which are present not only in the cotyledons, but also in the radicle, axis and shoot (together, for reasons of simplicity, here called axis). When at 24 h after the start of imbibition (hai) the radicle breaks through the seed coat a major part of the globulins in the axis has al...

The aim of this work was to characterize the respiratory metabolism of the greening cotyledons of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) during early seedling growth and to investigate how this is integrated with changes in mitochondrial biogenesis and function. In light-grown cotyledons, lipid mobilization extended from germination to 6 days postimbibition, reaching a maximum at 3 to 4 days postimbibit...

Seedling morphology of 210 species (173 trees and 37 lianas) was studied from a community perspective to identify major patterns of seedling functional types in a Mexican rain forest. Five types of seedlings were distinguished: cryptocotylar with reserve storage or absorption cotyledons (epigeal [CER] and hypogeal [CHR]), phanerocotylar epigeal, either with photosynthetic cotyledons (PEF) or wi...

The present investigation was undertaken to study the morphological characteristics of foetal membrane of swamp buffaloes of Assam. Animals were calved normally and no cases of retention of placenta were recorded. The average expulsion time, weight, length, width and number of cotyledons of foetal membranes were 241.20+ 22.05 minutes, 3.47+0.12 kg, 171.87+ 2.99 cm, 30.83+ 0.73 cm and 114.83+ 5....

A cysteine endopeptidase (SH-EP) is involved in the degradation of storage globulin in cotyledons of germinating seeds of Vigna mungo. Using SH-EP cDNA as a probe, we isolated two oyerlapping genomic clones for SH-EP from a VL mungo genomic library, The results of Southern blot analysis of the nuclear DNA suggested that there is a single gene for SH-EP. The site of initiation f transcription wa...

The metabolism of arginine by etiolated pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seedlings was studied over various time and age intervals by injecting arginine-U-(14)C into the cotyledons. At most, 25% of the (14)C was transported from the cotyledon to the axis tissue and the amount of this transport decreased with increasing age of the seedlings. The cotyledons of 25 day old plants contained 60% of the a...

A cDNA encoding a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) homolog was isolated from nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) epicotyl RNA. The deduced protein encoded by the corresponding gene, termed XET1, was substantially divergent from a previously isolated nasturtium XET (NXG1) expressed in germinating seed cotyledons but was highly homologous to XET genes isolated from vegetative tissues of several di...