Key steps of essential metabolic pathways are housed in plant peroxisomes. We conducted a microscopy-based screen for anomalous distribution of peroxisomally targeted fluorescence in Arabidopsis thaliana This screen uncovered 34 novel alleles in 15 genes affecting oil body mobilization, fatty acid β-oxidation, the glyoxylate cycle, peroxisome fission, and pexophagy. Partial loss-of-function of ...

Robin Thomas asked whether for every proper minor-closed class G, there exists a polynomial-time algorithm approximating the chromatic number of graphs from G up to a constant additive error independent on the class G. We show this is not the case: unless P = NP, for every integer k ≥ 1, there is no polynomial-time algorithm to color a K4k+1-minor-free graph G using at most χ(G) + k − 1 colors....

Development of complex multicellular organisms requires careful regulation at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Post-transcriptional gene regulation is in part mediated by a class of non-coding RNAs of 21-25 nucleotides in length known as microRNAs (miRNAs). β-catenin, regulated by the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, has a highly evolutionarily conserved function in pattern...

The transcription factor Pdx1 is required for multiple aspects of pancreatic organogenesis. It remains unclear to what extent Pdx1 expression and function depend upon trans-activation through 5' conserved cis-regulatory regions and, in particular, whether the mammal-specific Area II (-2139 to -1958 bp) affects minor or major aspects of organogenesis. We show that Area II is a primary effector o...

DNA polymerase β (pol β) requires nuclear localization to fulfil its DNA repair function. Although its small size has been interpreted to imply the absence of a need for active nuclear import, sequence and structural analysis suggests that a monopartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) may reside in the N-terminal lyase domain. Binding of this domain to Importin α1 (Impα1) was confirmed by gel...

BACKGROUND Sesquiterpenes are 15-carbon terpenes synthesized by sesquiterpene synthases using farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) as a substrate. Recently, a sesquiterpene synthase gene that encodes a 65 kDa protein was isolated from the aromatic plant Persicaria minor. Here, we report the expression, purification and characterization of recombinant P. minor sesquiterpene synthase protein (PmSTS). Insig...

Synthesis of minor prenylflavonoids found in hops and their non-natural derivatives were performed. The antiproliferative activity of the obtained compounds against some human cancer cell lines was investigated. Using xanthohumol isolated from spent hops as a lead compound, a series of minor hop prenylflavonoids and synthetic derivatives were obtained by isomerization, cyclisation, oxidative-cy...

We construct a connected graph H such that (1) χ(H) = ω; (2) Kω, the complete graph on ω points, is not a minor of H . Therefore Hadwiger’s conjecture does not hold for graphs with infinite coloring number. 1. Notation In this note we are only concerned with simple undirected graphs G = (V,E) where V is a set and E ⊆ P2(V ) where P2(V ) = { {x, y} : x, y ∈ V and x 6= y } . We also require that ...

This work reports on the influence of β-lactoglobuline (β-LGB) and of its denaturation on the adherence of quartz particles, taken as a model of particulate soil, on stainless steel AISI 304 with mirror finish. The substrate was soiled with quartz suspensions in water or in β-LGB solutions as such or previously heated at 75°C, and dried at room temperature or in an oven at 75°C. Cleanability wa...