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ON THE ACTIVITY OF β-AMYLASE IN GERMINATED CARYOPSES OF PANICUM MILIACEUM AND SETARIA PUMILA


ELENA CIORNEA, VLAD ARTENIE, GABRIELA VASILE

Issue:

SCSB, Volume XI

Section:

Biochemistry

Abstract:

The metabolism of substances and the energy constitutes an astonishing characteristic of the living world, which differentiates in a clear - cut manner the living organisms from the inanimate ones.

The totality of reactions and transformations making up the two parts of metabolism (catabolism and anabolism) does not occur randomly, instead they manifest themselves in a permanent correlation with the environment, responding in a coordinate manner to cell's momentary necessities. This fact is possible as such transformations occur under the action of the enzymatic equipment of each cell, which means that a complex mechanism of self - regulation and control is in action each moment.

Seeds' germination represents an extremely complex biochemical and physiological process, in which the reserve substances are mobilized, at incredible speed, for assuring to the embryo the energy and the metabolic precursors necessary for the biosynthetic process (BURZO et al., 1999).

To a certain extent, the biochemical transformations occurring during germination represent the reverse of the processes developed during seeds' ripening (and, respectively, bulbs' and tubercles' formation, etc.). Consequently, in the maturation stages, the main biochemical processes developed inside the vegetal organisms are actually biosynthetic processes, leading to the formation of more or less significant amounts - as depending on the species- of glucides, lipids and reserve proteins. Further on, these amounts are transported to the reproduction organs (seeds, bulbs, tubercles, etc.), where they are accumulated (EVANS et al., 1997).

The amylases, enzymes belonging to the class of hydrolases, are involved in the hydrolysis of starch. β-Amylase (α-1, 4 - D- glucan-maltohydrolase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the α - 1, 4, - glycosidic links from the polysaccharides, by successive removal of the maltose rests from the non-reductive ends (COJOCARU, 1997).

Keywords:

millet, bristle grass, germination, β, -amylase.

Code [ID]:

SCSB200611V11S02A0002 [0002530]


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