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Wheat (Triticum aestivum) grains contain large protein polymers constituted by two main classes of polypeptides: the highmolecular- weight glutenin subunits and the low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). These polymers are among the largest protein molecules known in nature and are the main determinants of the superior technological properties of wheat flours. However, little is known about the mechanisms controlling the assembly of the different subunits and the way they are arranged in the final polymer. Here, we have addressed these issues by analyzing the formation of interchain disulfide bonds between identical and different LMW-GS and by studying the assembly of mutants lacking individual intrachain disulfides. Our results indicate that individual cysteine residues that remain available for disulfide bond formation in the folded monomer can form interchain disulfide bonds with a variety of different cysteine residues present in a companion subunit. These results imply that the coordinated expression of many different LMW-GS in wheat endosperm cells can potentially lead to the formation of a large set of distinct polymeric structures, in which subunits can be arranged in different configurations. In addition, we show that not all intrachain disulfide bonds are necessary for the generation of an assembly-competent structure and that the retention of a LMW-GS in the early secretory pathway is not dependent on polymer formation. L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://www.aspb.org

Aims Self‐care, an essential component of heart failure (HF) treatment, is inadequate in most patients. We evaluated if motivational interviewing (MI) (i) improves patient self‐care maintenance (primary endpoint; e.g. taking medications), self‐care management (e.g. responding to symptoms) and self‐care confidence (or self‐efficacy) 3 months after enrolment; (ii) changes self‐care over 1 year, and (iii) augments patient self‐care if informal caregivers are involved. Methods and results Parallel randomized controlled trial (1:1:1). A sample of 510 patients (median 74 years, 58% male) and caregivers (median 55 years, 75% female) was randomized to Arm 1 (MI only for patients), Arm 2 (MI for patients and caregivers), or Arm 3 (usual care). The intervention in Arms 1 and 2 consisted of one face‐to‐face MI session with three telephone contacts. Self‐care was evaluated with the Self‐Care of HF Index measuring self‐care maintenance, management, and confidence. Scores on each scale range from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating better self‐care; ≥70 is considered adequate. At 3 months, self‐care maintenance improved 6.99, 7.42 and 2.58 points in Arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P = 0.028). Self‐care maintenance was adequate in 18.4%, 19.4%, and 9.2% of patients in Arms 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P = 0.016). Over 1 year, self‐care maintenance, management, and confidence scores in Arms 1 and 2 were significantly higher than in Arm 3 in several follow‐ups. Over 1 year, Arm 2 had the best scores in self‐care management. Conclusions MI significantly improved self‐care in HF patients. Including caregivers may potentiate the effect, especially in self‐care management. http://ClinicalTrial.gov, identifier: NCT02894502.

A bread wheat line (N11) and a disomic 2D(2R) substitution triticale line were crossed and backrossed four times. At each step electrophoretic selection for the seeds that possessed, simultaneously, the complete set of high molecular weight glutenin subunits of N11 and the two high molecular weight secalins of rye, present in the 2D(2R) line, was carried out. Molecular cytogenetic analyses of the BC4F8 generation revealed that the selection carried out produced a disomic addition line (2n = 44). The pair of additional chromosomes consisted of the long arm of chromosome 1R (1RL) from rye fused with the satellite body of the wheat chromosome 6B. Rheological analyses revealed that the dough obtained by the new addition line had higher quality characteristics when compared with the two parents. The role of the two additional high molecular weight secalins, present in the disomic addition line, in influencing improved dough characteristics is discussed.