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- Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid, et al.
(author)
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Analysing ethnobotanical and fishery-related importance of mangroves of the East-Godavari Delta (Andhra Pradesh, India) for conservation and management purposes
- 2006
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In: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. - London : Biomed Central. - 1746-4269. ; 2, s. 24-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mangrove forests, though essentially common and wide-spread, are highly threatened. Local societies along with their knowledge about the mangrove also are endangered, while they are still underrepresented as scientific research topics. With the present study we document local utilization patterns, and perception of ecosystem change. We illustrate how information generated by ethnobiological research can be used to strengthen the management of the ecosystem. This study was conducted in the Godavari mangrove forest located in the East-Godavari District of the state Andhra Pradesh in India, where mangroves have been degrading due to over-exploitation, extensive development of aquaculture, and pollution from rural and urbanized areas (Kakinada).One hundred interviews were carried out among the fisherfolk population present in two mangrove zones in the study area, a wildlife sanctuary with strong conservation status and an adjacent zone. Results from the interviews indicated that Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh., a dominant species in the Godavari mangroves, is used most frequently as firewood and for construction. Multiple products of the mangrove included the bark of Ceriops decandra (Griff.) Ding Hou to dye the fishing nets and improve their durability, the bark of Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco to poison and catch fish, and the leaves of Avicennia spp. and Excoecaria agallocha L. as fodder for cattle. No medicinal uses of true mangrove species were reported, but there were a few traditional uses for mangrove associates. Utilization patterns varied in the two zones that we investigated, most likely due to differences in their ecology and legal status. The findings are discussed in relation with the demographic and socio-economic traits of the fisherfolk communities of the Godavari mangroves and indicate a clear dependency of their livelihood on the mangrove forest.Reported changes in the Godavari mangrove cover also differed in the two zones, with significantly less perceptions of a decrease in the protected area, as compared to the adjacent non-protected area. A posteriori comparisons between sequential satellite imagery (retrospective till 1977) and respondents that were at least 15 years back then, revealed a mangrove decrease which was however perceived to different extents depending on the area with which the fishermen were familiar. While local needs had not been incorporated in the existing policy, we created a framework on how data on ethnobotanical traditions, fishery-related activities and local people's perceptions of change can be incorporated into management strategies.
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| 2. |
- Nishikubo, Nobuyuki, et al.
(author)
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Xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (XET) functions in gelatinous layers of tension wood fibers in poplar - A glimpse into the mechanism of the balancing act of trees
- 2007
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In: Plant and Cell Physiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0032-0781 .- 1471-9053. ; 48:6, s. 843-855
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tension wood is a specialized tissue of deciduous trees that functions in bending woody stems to optimize their position in space. Tension wood fibers that develop on one side of the stem have an increased potency to shrink compared with fibers on the opposite side, thus creating a bending moment. It is believed that the gelatinous (G) cell wall layer containing almost pure cellulose of tension wood fibers is pivotal to their shrinking. By analyzing saccharide composition and linkage in isolated G-layers of poplar, we found that they contain some matrix components in addition to cellulose, of which xyloglucan is the most abundant. Xyloglucan, xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (XET) activity and xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) gene products were detected in developing G-layers by labeling using CCRC-M1 monoclonal antibody, in situ incorporation of XXXG-SR and the polyclonal antibody to poplar PttXET16-34, respectively, indicating that xyloglucan is incorporated into the G-layer during its development. Moreover, several XTH transcripts were altered and were generally up-regulated in developing tension wood compared with normal wood. In mature G-fibers, XTH gene products were detected in the G-layers while the XET activity was evident in the adjacent S-2 wall layer. We propose that XET activity is essential for G-fiber shrinking by repairing xyloglucan cross-links between G- and S-2-layers and thus maintaining their contact. Surprisingly, XTH gene products and XET activity persisted in mature G-fibers for several years, suggesting that the enzyme functions after cell death repairing the cross-links as they are being broken during the shrinking process.
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| 3. |
- Piens, Kathleen, et al.
(author)
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Glycosynthase activity of hybrid aspen xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase PttXET16-34 nucleophile mutants
- 2007
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In: Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-0520 .- 1477-0539. ; 5:24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glycosynthases are active-site mutants of glycoside hydrolases that catalyse glycosyl transfer using suitable activated donor substrates without competing product hydrolysis ( S. M. Hancock, M. D. Vaughan and S. G. Withers, Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 2006, 10, 509-519). Site-directed mutagenesis of the catalytic nucleophile, Glu-85, of a Populus tremula x tremuloides xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (PttXET16-34, EC 2.4.1.207) into alanine, glycine, and serine yielded enzymes with glycosynthase activity. Product analysis indicated that PttXET16-34 E85A in particular was able to catalyse regio- and stereospecific homo- and hetero- condensations of alpha-xylogluco-oligosaccharyl fluoride donors XXXG alpha F andXLLG alpha F to produce xyloglucans with regular sidechain substitution patterns. This substrate promiscuity contrasts that of the Humicola insolens Ce17B E197A glycosynthase, which was not able to polymerise the di-galactosylated substrate XLLG alpha F. The production of the PttXET16-34 E85A xyloglucosynthase thus expands the repertoire of glycosynthases to include those capable of synthesising structurally homogenenous xyloglucans
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| 4. |
- Takahashi Schmidt, Junko, et al.
(author)
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KORRIGAN1 and its Aspen Homolog PttCel9A1 Decrease Cellulose Crystallinity in Arabidopsis Stems
- 2009
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In: Plant and Cell Physiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0032-0781 .- 1471-9053. ; 50:6, s. 1099-1115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- KORRIGAN1 (KOR1) is a membrane-bound cellulase implicated in cellulose biosynthesis. PttCel9A1 from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. tremuloides Michx.) has high sequence similarity to KOR1 and we demonstrate here that it complements kor1-1 mutants, indicating that it is a KOR1 ortholog. We investigated the function of PttCel9A1/KOR1 in Arabidopsis secondary growth using transgenic lines expressing 35S::PttCel9A1 and the KOR1 mutant line irx2-2. The presence of elevated levels of PttCel9A1/KOR1 in secondary walls of 35S::PttCel9A1 lines was confirmed by in muro visualization of cellulase activity. Compared with the wild type, 35S::PttCel9A1 lines had higher trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)-hydrolyzable glucan contents, similar Updegraff cellulose contents and lower cellulose crystallinity indices, as determined by C-13 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. irx2-2 mutants had wild-type TFA-hydrolyzable glucan contents, but reduced Updegraff cellulose contents and higher than wild-type cellulose crystallinity indices. The data support the hypothesis that PttCel9A1/KOR1 activity is present in cell walls, where it facilitates cellulose biosynthesis in a way that increases the amount of non-crystalline cellulose.
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