Category Archives: Castor seeds

Marker assisted probing of castor toxin.

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Molecular fingerprinting of DNA proves to be the most reliable of all biological assays applied today in spite of an extensive application of other biomolecules as markers in different functional evaluation studies.Ricin, Castor toxin profiling is not an exception as researchers from USA have devised a protocol for the detection of ricin in food as an accidental or intentional contaminant on the basis of a DNA based molecular marker, unique to castor.The experimental result indicated a sensitivity of 5 microgram of toxin per unit gram of ground beef which is promising according to scientists. They claim further that their methodology’ sensitivity is well below the threshold oral toxicity levels of toxin.

Molecular marker are highly polymorphic and hence the fingerprint that they generate will display a minimum probability for  mismatch but requires a high technical skill.It also has a critical limitation that any insignificant contamination interfering with experimental template DNA  would readily produce a magnified artifact and lead to misinterpretations.

For further reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17227091

Fullerene-castor oil molecular association

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Fullerenes are allotropes of carbon holding a centre stage in nanotechnology for its unique physio-chemical properties to exhibit applications which seem to be superior to classical technologies.Scientists from Italy have produced a turning point and found that fullerenes are capable of interacting with lipids of vegetable origin including castor.The significance is that the fullerene-lipid complex is not generated of a mere physical association instead it is  a materialistically transformed chemical reaction where allotropic carbon under study serves as a reductant to covalently bind the spontaneously oxidized castor oil.

The fullerene behaviour was functionally evaluated with a standard solvent against auto-oxidized vegetable oils and found to have a consistency in electron transfer nature.The experiment was repeated with other lipids as well produced from different vegetable sources and an identical reductant activity of fullerene was noticed.Spectrophotometry was the tool applied to analyze the fullerenes chemical activity.

As it is well proved that fullerenes are drivers of nanotechnology and probably any molecule associated with it may present strange applications subjected for exploitation.Surprisingly, the experimental assessment shows castor based lipids as one among the candidate members to display a complex which when characterized at molecular and elemental level would link and expand fullerenes potential in biology.

For reading:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20338159

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Unique molecular mechanisms in castor protein mobilization

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Castor plant is reported to have an advanced protein molecular machinery for the conversion of storage lipids to carbohydrates mediated through glyoxysomes  to accomplish this process.Carbohydrate bio-synthesis from lipids requires the catalytic function of isocitrate lyase in the glyoxylate cycle whose synthesis occurs in cytolplasm but functional activity is confined to glyoxysomes.The  signal sequences of the enzyme implicated in transportation to its right sub-cellular compartment stand to be a subject of debate as contradictory results have been made so far regarding this phenomenon.To unravel this,researchers have made genetic mutations in sites which is at the carboxy terminus of the enzyme which in its wild type proved to show an homology with standard isoforms from sunflower and Arabidopsis. in vitro studies on the mutant variants of isocitrate lyase revealed an import of the mutant enzyme into glyoxysomes which is further supplemented by the localization of the mutant enzyme in the concerned organelles under in vivo transgenic model lines.

The results turned to be startling for the researchers as they finally concluded that the transportation is driven by hidden signal sequences to be discovered and basically distinct from the members characterized earlier or independent of their experimental sequence.

Isocitrate lyase function is crucial for the plant development andd probing it through genetics and biochemical analysis would enable scientists to have a better understanding of the germination and glycobiology in castor.

For detailed reference:http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/112/4/1457.full.pdf

Consistent surge in castor seed prices

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Castor seed prices in the market continue to remain high.Commodity prices stood at Rs:5140 per quintal with an increase of Rs:48 for the future trading in June.NCDEX prices rates for April futures of castor seed also showed a surge with percentage rise of 0.94%.Low arrival of castor seed and an increased demand for oil from abroad make the prices to stay high atleast for the near future.Experts warn of advanced procurements so as to ensure a smooth productive run in castor oil based manufacturing units.

For reading: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/castorseed-futures-recovershort-covering/130790/&tp=on

Castor protease homologous to microbial forms.

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Seed maturation in castor is accompanied by a tremendous degree of pro-protein processing in vacuolar sub-cellular components  with a clear implication for the proteases to generate them functionally active for the expression of this complex developmental  phenomenon in castor life span.Researchers from Japan have identified a novel vacuole processing enzyme which seem to process those inactive pro-proteins in vacuoles.Immunolocalization study was performed to confirm its existence in vacuoles and association with target proteins.Intrestingly,the enzyme as such is inactive after its direct synthesis from ribosomes but later processed to act against pro-proteins.

Further transcript profiling studies  revealed a startling fact that the vacuole processing enzyme from castor bean is analogous in terms of its functional domains to its isoforms present in S.mansoni and E.coli that attributed to its evolutionary relations.

Owing to developments in molecular genetics, identification of proteins  with evolutionary homology is possible on time and without ambiguity.Its medical siginificance is also noticed to a greater height when a suitable inhibitor or a regulatory molecule is devised by exploiting the isoform from castor bean instead of a direct experimentation with pathogen derived enzyme which is tedious to have containment and demanding a technical skill  under most of the circumstances besides our regular study over this protein in castor physiology.

For reference:http://www.plantcell.org/content/5/11/1651.full.pdf

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Extreme enzymes noticed in castor beans

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Castor chemistry is a complex subject and an extensive focus has been made so far over its lipid components and quantitative magnitude of them.However biochemists have realized well the macromolecular co-ordination at the cellular level to cause the emergence of complex traits that is witnessed at the phenotypic level.This logic stood as one of the basis for persuasion of research in castor enzyme chemistry associated with edible oil metabolism.

Scientists of this study have made a crude enzyme extract,soluble at acidic pH and incubated it with multiple, lipid substrates (reactants)  purified of castor oil origin.They were able to observe a differential hydrolytic activity over the substrates with lipids having short chain saturated and long chain unsaturated fatty acids being catalytically susceptible to a maximum extent which led the researchers to identify acidic lipases in their extract.They further confirmed that their crude extract is infact a lipase mixture through its biased sensitivity to inhibitors and substrates. Enzyme kinetics data  revealed that the enzyme mixture tends to follow a complex order and demand for an external emulsifier to achieve an accelerated catalytic action,proves to be a typical behaviour linked with catabolic lipases.

Experimental research is comprehensive to initiate in-depth enzyme  characterization in multiple biochemical dimensions. It followed a classical pattern in biochemistry so far in molecular profiling of seed materials that has not been studied in the concerned direction in past.Purification and in vitro analytical studies in these acidic lipases would answer their significance in lipid turnover processes in castor beans.

For reference:http://www.jlr.org/content/3/1/99.abstract?related-urls=yes&legid=jlr;3/1/99

Valuable metabolite probe from castor meal

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Castor meal is a concentrated residue matter produced after extraction of oil from castor seeds.Its application is so restricted due to ricin and poor molecular biochemical knowledge about the material.A surprising breakthrough has been made by the discovery of galactinol, a carbohydrate derivative associated with raffinose metabolism in plants to an appreciable extent on mass basis.

Experimental designs including chromatography and mass spectrometry were applied to isolate and confirm the purity of galactinol in castor meal.The scientists further stated that it is exciting as research in past in the concerned field is hindered by a lack of availability of commercial source of galactinol.

Galactinol discovery in castor meal illuminates the potential of castor meal which is currently applied as a field manure in most of the castor growing regions.Identification of high value metabolites would tremendously add the commercial value to this product on an international scale.

For further reference:http://www.springerlink.com/content/h25474813h184r73/

Novel nylons from castor oil

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Nylon is a  polymer with a wide spectrum of industrial applications.It is generally available in different grades depending on the nature of monomeric constituents of which Nylon6,10 and Nylon 11 are of special attention as their constituents are derived from castor oil.

Nylon 11 is a modern day polymer first produced by Arkema,France in 2009 by utilizing a castor oil derivative, aminoundecanoic acid which is unique to serve as a reactant for polymer synthesis by self-polycondensation. According to the firm,they commercialized the product as Rilsan and claims that the technology is accessed by firms Japan’ Unitika and Monnet and Sofila of France and proved to be satisfactory.They further claim that the products generated from Nylon 11 are dimensional stability, abrasion and thermal resistance etc.

In spite of its advantages,sources say that the yarns seem to be expensive and non biodegradable which may tend to raise the environmental and industrial concerns over the large and long range application of this wonderful polymer

For reference:http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6547/is_2010_Nov/ai_n56249443/?tag=content;col1

Analysis of sub-cellular components in castor seed

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Castor seed is an evolved propagative material with a great molecular complexity in endosperm. Biochemical analysis of protein bodies in castor seed endosperm has been made.Protein bodies account for a major fraction in the total protein content in castor seed and is thought to involve in an important role in the mobilization of nutrients during seed development and germination.Scientists from an University in USA have isolated them from endosperm tissues and identified two principal units namely globoids and crystalloids embedded in an amorphous matrix.A protein fingerprint of buffer and detergent soluble matrix and crystalloid fractions from protein bodies was examined and revealed complexes and modified proteins including the toxin Ricin present in the soluble fraction.The principal techniques applied in this experimental study were gel electrophoresis and chromatography for resolution and analytical purposes.

Studies of such type are noteworthy to identify novel members of proteins along with their sub-cellular localization and biological functions.

For further reading: http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/58/6/710.short

Proteases characterization in germinating castor seeds

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Castor, a key agricultural crop has long been studied at the morphological level for understanding its behaviour.Researchers have deepened their approach and made an attempt to implicate the phenotypic, germination phenomenon in castor with the molecular level of proteins.During germination, the energy reserves are mobilized from endosperm to emerging plant organs which appears to be regulated by catalysis.Scientists from University of California have identified two important proteolytic enzymes called them as aminopeptidases from castor bean endosperm after an experimental confirmation in their activity against synthetic substrates.They even found the enzymes’ functional activity under physiological conditions was at the peak during the initial phase of germination and completely vanished during endosperm senescence.The study was so robust which permitted the researchers to further identify other classes of proteases associated with castor seed germination but they showed an inverse relation with previous members in terms of their temporal presence.

Results of this study clearly indicate that proteases play a vital role in castor seed germination as we normally observe with plant seed germination and a comprehensive profiling of proteases would enable biologists to exploit them as candidate markers for the selection of seeds with effective germination and productive stand in the field.

For reference: http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/62/5/746.full.pdf