Isolation and functional characterization of cold-regulated promoters, by digitally identifying peach fruit cold-induced genes from a large EST dataset

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cold acclimation is the process by which plants adapt to the low, non freezing temperatures that naturally occur during late autumn or early winter. This process enables the plants to resist the freezing temperatures of winter. Temperatures similar to those associated with cold acclimation are also used by the fruit industry to delay fruit ripening in peaches. However, peaches that are subjected to long periods of cold storage may develop chilling injury symptoms (woolliness and internal breakdown). In order to better understand the relationship between cold acclimation and chilling injury in peaches, we isolated and functionally characterized cold-regulated promoters from cold-inducible genes identified by digitally analyzing a large EST dataset.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Digital expression analyses of EST datasets, revealed 164 cold-induced peach genes, several of which show similarities to genes associated with cold acclimation and cold stress responses. The promoters of three of these cold-inducible genes (<it>Ppbec1</it>, <it>Ppxero2 </it>and <it>Pptha1</it>) were fused to the GUS reporter gene and characterized for cold-inducibility using both transient transformation assays in peach fruits (<it>in fruta</it>) and stable transformation in <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it>. These assays demonstrate that the promoter <it>Pptha1 </it>is not cold-inducible, whereas the <it>Ppbec1 and Ppxero2 </it>promoter constructs are cold-inducible.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This work demonstrates that during cold storage, peach fruits differentially express genes that are associated with cold acclimation. Functional characterization of these promoters in transient transformation assays <it>in fruta </it>as well as stable transformation in Arabidopsis, demonstrate that the isolated <it>Ppbec1 </it>and <it>Ppxero2 </it>promoters are cold-inducible promoters, whereas the isolated <it>Pptha1 </it>promoter is not cold-inducible. Additionally, the cold-inducible activity of the <it>Ppbec1 </it>and <it>Ppxero2 </it>promoters suggest that there is a conserved heterologous cold-inducible regulation of these promoters in peach and Arabidopsis. These results reveal that digital expression analyses may be used in non-model species to identify candidate genes whose promoters are differentially expressed in response to exogenous stimuli.</p

Local conditions vs regional context: variation in composition of bird communities along the Middle Paraná River, an extensive river-floodplain system of South America

We studied spatial changes in species composition (i.e., beta diversity) of local assemblages of birds along ∼450 km of the Middle Paraná River, an extensive fluvial system of South America. Point counts were used to survey birds at 60 plots located in shrub swamps and marshes of the floodplain within four sites (15 plots per site). Two sites were surrounded by each of the two upland ecoregions. Beta diversity of bird assemblages was high and was more important than alpha diversity in shaping regional diversity (i.e., gamma diversity) of the fluvial system. Compositional changes were related to species turnover among plots, while nestedness dissimilarity was not important for shaping diversity patterns. Variation-partitioning analysis showed that local conditions (i.e., landscape composition within a radius of 200 m from the center of each plot) accounted for more spatial variation in assemblage composition than did location along the fluvial system. Adjacent upland ecoregions did not account for spatial changes in bird composition within the fluvial system. In conclusion, environmental heterogeneity created by flood pulses is an important factor for sustaining regional diversity of birds within the fluvial system through effects on beta diversity

New psychoactive substances: evolution in the exchange of information and innovative legal responses in the european union

At the end of 2019, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction was monitoring around 790 new psychoactive substances, more than twice the total number of controlled substances under the United Nations Conventions. These substances, which are not subject to international drug controls, include a wide range of molecules, including the assortment of drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, opiates, and benzodiazepines. Most of them are sold as “legal” substitutes for illicit drugs, while others are intended for small groups willing to experiment with them in order to know their possible new effects. At the national level, various measures have been taken to control new substances and many European countries have responded with specific legislation in favor of consumer safety and by extending or adapting existing drug laws to incorporate the new psychoactive substances. Moreover, since 1997, an early warning system has been created in Europe for identifying and responding quickly to the risks of new psychoactive substances. In order to establish a quicker and more effective system to address the criminal activities associated with new dangerous psychoactive substances, the European legal framework has considerably changed over the years

Human health risk assessment due to ambient PM10 and SO2 by an air quality modeling technique

Exposure to air pollutants may be an important environmental risk factor for human health. The main objective of this study was to assess the health impacts of exposure to particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter <= 10 mu g (PM10) and to sulfur dioxide (SO2) using the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO European Center for Environment and Health. Daily concentrations of PM10 and SO2 were used to assess the health effects. With regard to the mortality, the results showed that 3.9 (95 CI: 3.3-4.5) of total, 4.2 (95 CI: 2.7-9.05) of cardiovascular, and 6.2 (95 CI: 4.2-16.9) of respiratory mortality were related to PM10 concentrations above 10 mu g/m(3), respectively. In addition, 1.7 (95 CI: 1.3-2.06) of total, 3.4 (95 CI: 0.78-5.0) of cardiovascular, and 2 (95 CI: 2.5-5.7) of respiratory death were attributed to SO2 levels higher than 10 mu g/m(3), respectively. Given these findings, urgent policy decisions are needed to reduce the death caused by air pollution, and better quantification studies are recommended. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Criopreservation effect on fertility

La fertilidad del semen criopreservado es inferior a la del semen fresco. Este hecho está relacionado con los daños subletales instaurados en la población espermática que sobrevive al proceso de congelación. Diversos factores (shock de frío, velocidad de enfriamiento, composición de los diluyentes y estrés osmótico) que ocurren durante el proceso de congelación, son responsables de la disminución de la fertilidad en el semen congelado. En este trabajo se discuten los factores que afectan la calidad de los espermatozoides sobrevivientes al proceso de criopreservación.Cryopreserved semen has impaired fertility compare to fresh semen. The lower post-thaw viability and fertility is related with the spermatozoa sub lethal dysfunction establishes in part of the survival population. These facts are relations with many factors (e.g. cold shock, cooling rate, extender composition, and osmotic stress) during the cryopreservation process. In this paper factor affecting the quality or survival spermatozoa are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Criopreservation effect on fertility

La fertilidad del semen criopreservado es inferior a la del semen fresco. Este hecho está relacionado con los daños subletales instaurados en la población espermática que sobrevive al proceso de congelación. Diversos factores (shock de frío, velocidad de enfriamiento, composición de los diluyentes y estrés osmótico) que ocurren durante el proceso de congelación, son responsables de la disminución de la fertilidad en el semen congelado. En este trabajo se discuten los factores que afectan la calidad de los espermatozoides sobrevivientes al proceso de criopreservación.Cryopreserved semen has impaired fertility compare to fresh semen. The lower post-thaw viability and fertility is related with the spermatozoa sub lethal dysfunction establishes in part of the survival population. These facts are relations with many factors (e.g. cold shock, cooling rate, extender composition, and osmotic stress) during the cryopreservation process. In this paper factor affecting the quality or survival spermatozoa are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Vaginal cytology in the bitch: technique and clinical application

En este trabajo se analizan diferentes aspectos del ciclo estral de la perra. Se discuten las aplicaciones clínicas del estudio citológico vaginal y su relación con procesos fisiológicos y patológicos.This article deals with various aspects of basic physiology of the estrous cycle in the female dog. The clinical use of vaginal cytology and the relationship with physiology and pathology process are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Comparative EST transcript profiling of peach fruits under different post-harvest conditions reveals candidate genes associated with peach fruit quality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cold storage is used to inhibit peach fruit ripening during shipment to distant markets. However, this cold storage can negatively affect the quality of the fruit when it is ripened, resulting in disorders such as wooliness, browning or leathering. In order to understand the individual and combined biological effects that factors such as cold storage and ripening have on the fruit and fruit quality, we have taken a comparative EST transcript profiling approach to identify genes that are differentially expressed in response to these factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We sequenced 50,625 Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) from peach mesocarp <it>(Prunus persica </it>O'Henry variety) stored at four different postharvest conditions. A total of 10,830 Unigenes (4,169 contigs and 6,661 singletons) were formed by assembling these ESTs. Additionally, a collection of 614 full-length and 1,109 putative full-length cDNA clones within flanking loxP recombination sites was created.</p> <p>Statistically analyzing the EST population, we have identified genes that are differentially expressed during ripening, in response to cold storage or the combined effects of cold storage and ripening. Pair-wise comparisons revealed 197 contigs with at least one significant difference in transcript abundance between at least two conditions. Gene expression profile analyses revealed that the contigs may be classified into 13 different clusters of gene expression patterns. These clusters include groups of contigs that increase or decrease transcript abundance during ripening, in response to cold or ripening plus cold.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These analyses have enabled us to statistically identify novel genes and gene clusters that are differentially expressed in response to post-harvest factors such as long-term cold storage, ripening or a combination of these two factors. These differentially expressed genes reveal the complex biological processes that are associated with these factors, as well as a large number of putative gene families that may participate differentially in these processes. In particular, these analyzes suggest that woolly fruits lack the increased boost of metabolic processes necessary for ripening. Additionally, these results suggest that the mitochondria and plastids play a major role in these processes. The EST sequences and full-length cDNA clones developed in this work, combined with the large population of differentially expressed genes may serve as useful tools and markers that will enable the scientific community to better define the molecular processes that affect fruit quality in response to post-harvest conditions and the organelles that participate in these processes.</p

Estrous cycle features in the bitch: clinical and endocrinologycal aspects

Si se compara a los caninos con otros animales domésticos, se puede observar que la perra posee varias características reproductivas que la distinguen de otras especies. La perra es monoéstrica no estacional, posee un intervalo interestral de entre 5 y 12 meses. El período de proestro y el comportamiento de estro es prolongado y variable. La ovulación ocurre dos días después del pico de LH. La perra, ovula ovocitos primarios que tardarán 2 o 3 días en madurar en el oviducto momento en el cual podrán ser fecundados. El conocimiento de la fisiología y endocrinología reproductiva canina hace posible un adecuado manejo del ciclo estral así como del diagnóstico y tratamiento de la enfermedades reproductivas. En este trabajo se discuten la estructura y función de las hormonas hipofisiarias y gonadales así como las particularidades del ciclo estral canino.Reproductive activity in the bitch differs from the pattern of other species. There does not appear to be any seasonal effect on reproductive function since there is a fairly even distribution of the occurrence of oestrus throughout the year. The interestrous interval normally varies from 5 to 12 months in duration, with 7 being the average. The duration of pro-estrus and oestrus is about 18 days. However, this can be very variable. Ovulation of infertile primary oocytes occurs 2 days after the LH surge, with oocyte maturation occurring over the following 1 to 3 days. The knowledge of reproductive physiology and endocrinology are necessary for the management of the oestrus cycle. Hormone structure and function likewise reproductive features of the bitch are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Measuring for change : A multi-centre pre-post trial of an air quality feedback intervention to promote smoke-free homes

Second-hand smoke exposure in the home is a serious cause of ill-health for children. Behaviour change interventions have been developed to encourage parents to keep homes smoke-free. This study evaluates a novel air quality feedback intervention using remote air quality monitoring with SMS and email messaging to promote smoke-free homes among families from deprived areas. This paper presents a pre-post study of this intervention. Using internet connected monitors developed with the Dylos DC1700, daily SMS and weekly email feedback provided for 16 days to participants recruited in four European countries. Participants were recruited based on their stage of change, in order to target those most able to achieve smoke-free homes. The primary outcome measure was median change in mean fine particulate matter (PM) concentration between baseline and follow-up periods, while secondary outcome measures included change in time over the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline limit for PM exposure over 24 h (25 µg/m) in those periods and the number of homes where PM concentrations reduced. Telephone interviews were conducted with participants in Scotland post-intervention to explore intervention experience and perceived effectiveness. Of 86 homes that completed the intervention study, 57 (66%) experienced pre-post reductions in measured PM. The median reduction experienced was 4.1 µg/m (a reduction of 19% from baseline, p = 0.008). Eight homes where concentrations were higher than the WHO guideline limit at baseline fell below that level at follow-up. In follow-up interviews, participants expressed positive views on the usefulness of air quality feedback. Household air quality monitoring with SMS and email feedback can lead to behaviour change and consequent reductions in SHS in homes, but within the context of our study few homes became totally smoke-free