Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (RgPAL) from Rhodotorula glutinis JN-1 stereoselectively catalyzes the conversion of the l-phenylalanine into trans-cinnamic acid and ammonia, and was used in chiral resolution of dl-phenylalanine to produce the d-phenylalanine under acidic condition. However, the optimum pH of RgPAL is 9 and the RgPAL exhibits low catalytic efficiency at acidic side. Therefore, a mu...

We have isolated an enzyme, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.5.), from the rootlets of Zea mays var. СЕ-IV. After partial purification by fractional salting out with ammonium sulfate and gel chromatography on Sephadex G-100, we obtained a preparation of a 40-fold greater specific activity than that of the crude homogenate. We hbve determined the ap­ parent Michaelis constant and the activa...

Phenylketonuria (PKU), with its associated hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) and mental retardation, is a classic genetic disease and the first to have an identified chemical cause of impaired cognitive development. Treatment from birth with a low phenylalanine diet largely prevents the deviant cognitive phenotype by ameliorating HPA and is recognized as one of the first effective treatments of a gen...

The effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on postharvest decay and antioxidant capacity in harvested Chinese bayberry fruit were investigated. Chinese bayberries were treated with 0, 1, 10, 100, or 1000 micromol L(-1) MeJA at 20 degrees C for 6 h and then stored at 0 degrees C for 12 days. MeJA at 10 micromol L(-1) was most effective in reducing fruit decay; quality parameters including pH value, ...

Root colonization by specific nonpathogenic bacteria can induce a systemic resistance in plants to pathogen infections. In bean, this kind of systemic resistance can be induced by the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 and depends on the production of salicylic acid by this strain. In a model with plants grown in perlite we demonstrated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2-induced resista...

Stored cut lettuce gradually turns brown on the cut section after several days of storage, because cutting induces phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, the biosynthesis of polyphenol is promoted, and the polyphenols are oxidized by polyphenol oxidase. Here, the effect of heat shock treatment at 50 degrees C for 90 s on the quality of cut lettuce during cold storage was examined. The heat...