Glycine-rich proteins (GRPs) derived from plants compose a family of proteins and peptides that share a glycine repeat domain and they can perform diverse functions. Two structural conformations have been proposed for GRPs: glycine loops arranged as a Velcro and an anti-parallel β-sheet with several β-strands. The antimicrobial peptide Pg-AMP1 is the only plant GRP with antibacterial activity r...

In addition to the micronutrient inadequacy of staple crops for optimal human nutrition, a global downtrend in crop-quality has emerged from intensive breeding for yield. This trend will be aggravated by elevated levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Therefore, crop biofortification is inevitable to ensure a sustainable supply of minerals to the large part of human population who is diet...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether increases in AMP1 deaminase activity caused by TA injections were mediated by RNA biosynthesis. Multiple TA injections (50 mg/kg body weight) resulted in 2to 3-fold increases in AMP deaminase activity, but simultaneous injection of Act. D (120 Mg/kg body weight) or 5-FU (30 mg/kg body weight) with TA caused no interference with this increase. A...

The purpose of this study was to provide information about arch shape variations among South Pacific populations. The application of Fourier transforms, Y(phi i) = ao/2 + sigma (aicos phi i + bisin phi i) was used to separate two components of variation; size and shape. Dental arch size can be described by one coefficient (ao), while the shape can be summarized by the first three harmonics (amp...

Maintaining nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis is essential for normal plant physiological processes. However, very little is known about the mechanisms of NO modulation in plants. Here, we report a unique mechanism for the catabolism of NO based on the reaction with the plant hormone cytokinin. We screened for NO-insensitive mutants in Arabidopsis and isolated two allelic lines, cnu1-1 and 1-2 (con...