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Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is the first key enzyme of the anthocyanidin synthesis pathway, has been extensively studied in the biosynthesis of various plant secondary metabolites. Its function is to catalyze L-phenylalanine to trans-cinnamic acid. In this study, the critical mutations of PAL gene was identified in mango fruits. The sequences of the PAL gene in these three varieties were partially the same, except for some base-pair change and an approximately 79-bp, and 81-bp deletion within the middle portion of the yellow color, and the green color. The amino acid sequences of the PAL showed different lengths, consisting of 691, 328, and 718 amino acids in 'Guiqi', 'Jinghuang', and 'Guifei'mango. The present study showed that in contrast with red mango fruits (Guifei), the less anthocyanin production in green mango fruits (Guiqi), and in yellow mango fruits (Jinghuang) during ripening was a result of reduced activity of the PAL enzyme at the translational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive interest in open-minded discussion in organizations, inconsistencies regarding its antecedents and consequences remain. Drawing upon cooperation and competition theory, we propose a theoretical framework of open-minded discussion. On the basis of 114 primary studies (128 independent samples), a meta-analytic investigation showed that cooperative goal interdependence was positively associated with open-minded discussion, which in turn was positively related to desirable work outcomes, including performance, creativity, relationship quality, LMX, and commitment, whereas competitive and independent goal interdependence were negatively related to open-minded discussion and desirable outcomes. We also explored three moderators: culture (i.e., East Asian cultures and North American cultures), level of analysis (i.e., incident, individual, and team level), and research area (i.e., goal interdependence and conflict management). Results support the theorizing that cooperative goal interdependence develops mutual benefit motivation and integrative conflict management that in turn lead to open-mindedness where collaborators combine their best ideas that result in high quality contributions to organizations. Through the meta-analysis, we offer a more stringent test of cooperation and competition theory and expand the research on open-minded discussion in organizations across various contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wampee [Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels] was originally native to the southern part of China, and had a long history of cultivation. Wampee has been an important species in the development of the fruit breeding program in the genus Clausena, family Rutaceae. In addition to fruit characteristics and bark color, it is difficult to distinguish different varieties of wampee, more difficult of identification of seedling stage. In this study, we determined and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of Jixin, seedless, and sweet wampee varieties. By comparison, it was found that the sweet wampee is 150 bp less than the other two varieties. We designed a pair of specific primers to distinguish between sweet wampee and other varieties, and it also has better discriminating ability through the analysis of seedlings. The complete chloroplast genome will provide valuable information for the development of highly variable DNA markers for future variety identification and population analysis studies of wampee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the screening of 5′-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTAN) inhibitors in traditional Chinese drugs and small molecular compounds. In this method, reaction occurred at the capillary inlet during a predetermined waiting period, followed by electrophoretic separation of the reaction substrates and products. Parameters affecting separation efficiency and enzyme activity were evaluated systematically. The optimized conditions were as follows: 30 mM phosphate (pH 3.0) running buffer, 25 kV applied voltage, 20 mM HEPES (pH 6.0) reaction buffer, and 4 min incubation time. Under the optimized conditions, the Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) of MTAN was 3.44 μM, which agreed with the documented data. The proposed method was successfully applied for MTAN inhibitor screening from 21 natural extracts and 8 small molecular compounds. The results demonstrated the practical applicability of the at-inlet reaction-based CE method in screening of MTAN inhibitors from natural products and small molecular compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]