Cloning and structural analysis of an Indian little millet (Panicum sumatrense) zein-like storage protein: implications for molecular assembly

Genetic diversity and genomic resources available for the small millet crops to accelerate a New Green Revolution

Small millets are nutrient-rich food sources traditionally grown and consumed by subsistence farmers in Asia and Africa. They include finger millet (Eleusine coracana), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp.), and little millet (Panicum sumatrense). Local farmers value the small millets for their nutritional and health benefits, tolerance to extreme stress including drought, and ability to grow under low nutrient input conditions, ideal in an era of climate change and steadily depleting natural resources. Little scientific attention has been paid to these crops, hence they have been termed "orphan cereals." Despite this challenge, an advantageous quality of the small millets is that they continue to be grown in remote regions of the world which has preserved their biodiversity, providing breeders with unique alleles for crop improvement. The purpose of this review, first, is to highlight the diverse traits of each small millet species that are valued by farmers and consumers which hold potential for selection, improvement or mechanistic study. For each species, the germplasm, genetic and genomic resources available will then be described as potential tools to exploit this biodiversity. The review will conclude with noting current trends and gaps in the literature and make recommendations on how to better preserve and utilize diversity within these species to accelerate a New Green Revolution for subsistence farmers in Asia and Africa.

Genetic diversity and genomic resources available for the small millet crops to accelerate a New Green Revolution

Small millets are nutrient-rich food sources traditionally grown and consumed by subsistence farmers in Asia and Africa. They include finger millet (Eleusine coracana), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp.), and little millet (Panicum sumatrense). Local farmers value the small millets for their nutritional and health benefits, tolerance to extreme stress including drought, and ability to grow under low nutrient input conditions, ideal in an era of climate change and steadily depleting natural resources. Little scientific attention has been paid to these crops, hence they have been termed "orphan cereals." Despite this challenge, an advantageous quality of the small millets is that they continue to be grown in remote regions of the world which has preserved their biodiversity, providing breeders with unique alleles for crop improvement. The purpose of this review, first, is to highlight the diverse traits of each small millet species that are valued by farmers and consumers which hold potential for selection, improvement or mechanistic study. For each species, the germplasm, genetic and genomic resources available will then be described as potential tools to exploit this biodiversity. The review will conclude with noting current trends and gaps in the literature and make recommendations on how to better preserve and utilize diversity within these species to accelerate a New Green Revolution for subsistence farmers in Asia and Africa.

Comparative proteomical analysis of zygotic embryo and endosperm from Coffea arabica seeds

During coffee seed development, proteins are predominantly deposited in cotyledons and in the endosperm. Reserve proteins of the 11S family are the most abundant globulins in coffee seeds, acting as a nitrogen source during roasting and guaranteeing flavor and aroma. The aim of the present study was to compare the protein profiles of endosperm and zygotic embryos of coffee seeds. Proteins were extracted from whole seed as well as from embryo and endosperm, separately. Total proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by identification by mass spectrometry (MS). The most abundant spots observed in the gels of coffee seeds were excised, digested with trypsin, and identified by MS as subunits of the 11S globulin. Spots with identical pI and molecular masses were also observed in the protein profiles of coffee endosperm and embryo, indicating that 11S protein is also highly expressed in those tissues. Peptide sequence coverage of about 20% of the entire 11S globulin was obtained. Three other proteins were identified in the embryo and endosperm 2-DE profiles as a Cupin superfamily protein, an allergenic protein (Pru ar 1), exclusive to the endosperm 2D map, and a hypothetical protein, observed only in the zygotic embryo profile.