Dry Grasslands Database of Central Italy

We stored original and published phytosociological relevés of semi-natural dry grasslands sampled in different mountain ranges in central Italy (Apennines and anti-Apennines ranges). A total of 762 relevés were stored in a TURBOVEG database. The data spans from 1982 to present. The database has a geographical special focus on the Tyrrhenian district of central Italy and it has been designed to order improve the synecological and syntaxonomical knowledge of dry grasslands. The surveyed grasslands are pastures, characterized by different substrata (calcareous, marly-calcareous, arenaceous substrata) and macroclimatic types (Mediterranean, Submediterranean and Temperate). In physiognomic terms the majority of relevés are dominated by Bromus erectus, while a few are characterized by the dominance of Brachypodium rupestre. In syntaxonomical terms the relevés represent communities that belong to Festuco-Brometea syntaxa. A reference check-list of taxa was set up mostly following Conti et al. (2005), including several largely adopted synonymous to facilitate the correct input of relevé data. The ecological database is linked to the vascular species list, following Ellenberg indicator values modified for the Italian flora and including life forms or chorotypes. The database contains useful information to test several ecological hypotheses and to perform wide-scale vegetation classification. Furthermore it facilitates the use of vegetation-plot data for biodiversity and habitat monitoring and for land use/cover changes evaluation. This report describes the available content in the Dry Grasslands Database of Central Italy (GIVD ID EU-IT-004)

Synovial fluid profile dictates nanoparticle uptake into cartilage - implications of the protein corona for novel arthritis treatments

Objective: Drug delivery strategies for joint diseases need to overcome the negatively charged cartilage matrix. Previous studies have extensively investigated particle approaches to increase uptake efficiency by harnessing the anionic charge of the cartilage but have neglected to address potential interactions with the protein-rich biological environment of the joint space. We aimed to evaluate the effects of hard protein coronas derived from osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient synovial fluids as well as the commonly used fetal calf serum (FCS) on nanoparticle (NP) uptake into tissues and cells. Methods: We developed a NP panel with varying PEGylation and incubated them with synovial fluid from either OA, RA patients or FCS. We evaluated the effects of the formed NP-biocorona complex uptake into the porcine articular cartilage explants, chondrocytes and monocyte cell lines and primary patient FLS cells. Proteins composing hard biocoronas were identified using a quantitative proteomics approach. Results: Formed biocoronas majorly impacted NP uptake into cartilage tissue and dictated their uptake in chondrocytes and monocytes. The most suitable NP for potential OA applications was identified. A variety of proteins that were found on all NPs, irrespective of surface modifications. NP-, and protein-specific differences were also observed between the groups, and candidate proteins were identified that could account for the observed differences. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the impact of protein coronas from OA and RA patient synovial fluids on NP uptake into cartilage, emphasizing the importance of biological microenvironment considerations for successful translation of drug delivery vehicles into clinics

Design and Synthesis of a Quintessential Self-Transmissible IncX1 Plasmid, pX1.0

DNA exchange in bacteria via conjugative plasmids is believed to be among the most important contributing factors to the rapid evolution- and diversification rates observed in bacterial species. The IncX1 plasmids are particularly interesting in relation to enteric bacteria, and typically carry genetic loads like antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. So far, however, a “pure” version of these molecular parasites, without genetic loads, has yet to be isolated from the environment. Here we report the construction of pX1.0, a fully synthesized IncX1 plasmid capable of horizontal transfer between different enteric bacteria. The designed pX1.0 sequence was derived from the consensus gene content of five IncX1 plasmids and three other, more divergent, members of the same phylogenetic group. The pX1.0 plasmid was shown to replicate stably in E. coli with a plasmid DNA per total DNA ratio corresponding to approximately 3–9 plasmids per chromosome depending on the growth phase of the host. Through conjugation, pX1.0 was able to self-transfer horizontally into an isogenic strain of E. coli as well as into two additional species belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Our results demonstrate the immediate applicability of recent advances made within the field of synthetic biology for designing and constructing DNA systems, previously existing only in silica

Contribution to the floristic knowledge of the head of the Po Valley (Piedmont, north Italy)

In 2014, the annual field trip of the working group for Floristics, Systematics, and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society was held in Piemonte (northern Italy), at the head of the Po Valley. This valley, at whose extremity is located the Monviso (3,841 m a.s.l.), belongs to the Cottian Alps about which very little is known from a floristic point of view. An inventory of the taxa of vascular plants collected during the field trip is reported here. The research led to the identification of 3,546 exsiccata, kept in nine public and nine private collections. A total of 669 taxa belonging to 79 plant families were recorded. Six taxa resulted endemic to Italy and three exclusive to Piemonte, while only nine alien species were detected; six taxa are new and five confirmed for the regional flora

Citokininek, a növényi in vitro fejlődés kulcsregulátorai

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Global Oceanic Diazotroph Database Version 2 and Elevated Estimate of Global N\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Fixation

Marine diazotrophs convert dinitrogen (N2) gas into bioavailable nitrogen (N), supporting life in the global ocean. In 2012, the first version of the global oceanic diazotroph database (version 1) was published. Here, we present an updated version of the database (version 2), significantly increasing the number of in situ diazotrophic measurements from 13 565 to 55 286. Data points for N2 fixation rates, diazotrophic cell abundance, and nifH gene copy abundance have increased by 184 %, 86 %, and 809 %, respectively. Version 2 includes two new data sheets for the nifH gene copy abundance of non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs and cell-specific N2 fixation rates. The measurements of N2 fixation rates approximately follow a log-normal distribution in both version 1 and version 2. However, version 2 considerably extends both the left and right tails of the distribution. Consequently, when estimating global oceanic N2 fixation rates using the geometric means of different ocean basins, version 1 and version 2 yield similar rates (43–57 versus 45–63 Tg N yr−1; ranges based on one geometric standard error). In contrast, when using arithmetic means, version 2 suggests a significantly higher rate of 223±30 Tg N yr−1 (mean ± standard error; same hereafter) compared to version 1 (74±7 Tg N yr−1). Specifically, substantial rate increases are estimated for the South Pacific Ocean (88±23 versus 20±2 Tg N yr−1), primarily driven by measurements in the southwestern subtropics, and for the North Atlantic Ocean (40±9 versus 10±2 Tg N yr−1). Moreover, version 2 estimates the N2 fixation rate in the Indian Ocean to be 35±14 Tg N yr−1, which could not be estimated using version 1 due to limited data availability. Furthermore, a comparison of N2 fixation rates obtained through different measurement methods at the same months, locations, and depths reveals that the conventional 15N2 bubble method yields lower rates in 69 % cases compared to the new 15N2 dissolution method. This updated version of the database can facilitate future studies in marine ecology and biogeochemistry. The database is stored at the Figshare repository (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21677687; Shao et al., 2022)