Inducible Over-Expression of the CBF3 Abiotic Stress Regulon in Transgenic Bahiagrass (\u3cem\u3ePaspalum Notatum\u3c/em\u3e Flugge)

Bahiagrass is an important turf and forage grass in the Southern US and in the subtropical regions around the world. The objective of this experiment was to further enhance the productivity and persistence of bahiagrass during seasonal periods of drought and / or freezing and in salt affected regions by over-expression of the stress inducible transcription factor CBF3. Transcription factors like CBF3 are capable of activating the expression of multiple genes involved in protection against environmental stresses (Kasuga et al., 1999)

Regeneration of fertile, hexaploid, interspecific hybrids of elephantgrass and pearl millet following treatment of embryogenic calli with antimitotic agents.

Abstract: Elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum, 2n = 4x = 28) produces large amounts of biomass in tropical and subtropical regions and is considered a prime candidate for lignocellulosic biofuel production. Interspecific hybridization between elephantgrass and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum, 2n = 2x = 14) may allow improvement of drought tolerance and biomass quality. These interspecific hybrids are male and female sterile due to their triploid genome (2n = 3x = 21). Chromosome doubling of the triploid hybrids may restore fertility, permitting a backcross with the recurrent or other elephantgrass parents to enhance biomass yield and persistence. In this study, chromosome doubling of productive interspecific hybrids was performed in vitro. Immature inflorescence cross-sections of five interspecific hybrids with good agronomic performance were used as explants for establishment of embryogenic tissue cultures. These calli were treated with different antimitotic agents, oryzalin or trifluralin. Chromosome doubling was achieved in all five interspecific hybrids and a total of 74 plants with altered ploidy were confirmed by flow cytometry. Stomatal size determination was a suitable screening tool for identification of hexaploid events. Genotypes MN18 and MN51 had the highest number of plants with altered ploidy of 29 and 27, respectively. Oryzalin at 5 µM was the most effective antimitotic treatment and produced 55 of the 74 plants with altered ploidy. The most vigorous lines were grown to maturity and produced viable pollen

Modulation of the Gibberellin Content in Transgenic Turf-Type Bahiagrass for Improved Turf Characteristics and Reduced Mowing Requirements

Bahiagrass is extensively used for utility turf along highways and for residential lawns in the southern USA and in the subtropical regions around the world. The objective of this experiment was to enhance turf quality of bahiagrass and reduce the mowing frequency by over-expression of a gibberellin catabolizing enzyme, Gibberellin 2-oxidase

Friction Modeling, Identification and Compensation (PhD Thesis)

Abstract HIGH-PRECISION tracking requires excellent control of slow motion and positioning. Recent advances have provided dynamic friction models that represent almost all experimentally observed properties of friction. The state space formulation of these new mathematical descriptions has the property that the state derivatives are continuous functions. This enables the application of established theories for nonlinear systems. The existence of locally stable fixed points does not imply for nonlinear systems the absence of limit cycles (periodic orbits) or unstable solutions. Therefore, global properties of PI velocity and PID position control are analyzed using a passivity and Lyapunov based approach. These linear control laws are then extended by nonlinear components based on the friction model considered. The applications presented in this work are in the domains of mechatronics and machine-tools

Status and Potential of Single-cell Transcriptomics for Understanding Plant Development and Functional Biology

Funding Information University of Western Australia Acknowledgments The authors would like to extend sincere thanks to Robert Salomon for inspiring to write this manuscript. Resources were provided by The University of Western Australia.Peer reviewedPostprin

Surveying the genome and constructing a high-density genetic map of napiergrass (Cenchrus purpureus Schumach)

Napiergrass (Cenchrus purpureus Schumach) is a tropical forage grass and a promising lignocellulosic biofuel feedstock due to its high biomass yield, persistence, and nutritive value. However, its utilization for breeding has lagged behind other crops due to limited genetic and genomic resources. In this study, next-generation sequencing was first used to survey the genome of napiergrass. Napiergrass sequences displayed high synteny to the pearl millet genome and showed expansions in the pearl millet genome along with genomic rearrangements between the two genomes. An average repeat content of 27.5% was observed in napiergrass including 5,339 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Furthermore, to construct a high-density genetic map of napiergrass, genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) was employed in a bi-parental population of 185 F1 hybrids. A total of 512 million high quality reads were generated and 287,093 SNPs were called by using multiple de-novo and reference-based SNP callers. Single dose SNPs were used to construct the first high-density linkage map that resulted in 1,913 SNPs mapped to 14 linkage groups, spanning a length of 1,410 cM and a density of 1 marker per 0.73 cM. This map can be used for many further genetic and genomic studies in napiergrass and related species

Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Arthritis Program for Breast Cancer Survivors on Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy Who Experience Joint Pain

Adding aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor–positive breast cancer significantly reduces cancer recurrence. A common side effect of AIs is noninflammatory joint pain and stiffness (arthralgia) similar to arthritis symptoms. An evidence-based walking program developed by the Arthritis Foundation — Walk With Ease (WWE) — reduces arthritis-related joint symptoms. We hypothesized that WWE may also reduce AI-associated arthralgia. However, the potential for different barriers and facilitators to physical activity for these 2 patient populations suggested a need to adapt WWE before testing it with breast cancer survivors. We conducted qualitative research with 46 breast cancer survivors to explore program modification and inform the development of materials for an adapted program (Walk With Ease-Breast Cancer). Our process parallels the National Cancer Institute’s Research-Tested Intervention Programs (RTIPs) guidelines for adapting evidence-based programs for cancer populations. Findings resulted in a customized 8-page brochure to supplement existing WWE materials

Advancing Crop Transformation in the Era of Genome Editing

Plant transformation has enabled fundamental insights into plant biology and revolutionized commercial agriculture. Unfortunately, for most crops, transformation and regeneration remain arduous even after more than 30 years of technological advances. Genome editing provides novel opportunities to enhance crop productivity but relies on genetic transformation and plant regeneration, which are bottlenecks in the process. Here, we review the state of plant transformation and point to innovations needed to enable genome editing in crops. Plant tissue culture methods need optimization and simplification for efficiency and minimization of time in culture. Currently, specialized facilities exist for crop transformation. Single-cell and robotic techniques should be developed for high-throughput genomic screens. Plant genes involved in developmental reprogramming, wound response, and/or homologous recombination should be used to boost the recovery of transformed plants. Engineering universal Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains and recruiting other microbes, such as Ensifer or Rhizobium, could facilitate delivery of DNA and proteins into plant cells. Synthetic biology should be employed for de novo design of transformation systems. Genome editing is a potential game-changer in crop genetics when plant transformation systems are optimized

Functional stacking of three resistance genes against Phytophthora infestans in potato

Functional stacking of broad spectrum resistance (R) genes could potentially be an effective strategy for more durable disease resistance, for example, to potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Pi). For this reason, three broad spectrum potato R genes (Rpi), Rpi-sto1 (Solanum stoloniferum), Rpi-vnt1.1 (S. venturii) and Rpi-blb3 (S. bulbocastanum) were selected, combined into a single binary vector pBINPLUS and transformed into the susceptible cultivar Desiree. Among the 550 kanamycin resistant regenerants, 28 were further investigated by gene specific PCRs. All regenerants were positive for the nptII gene and 23 of them contained the three Rpi genes, referred to as triple Rpi gene transformants. Detached leaf assay and agro-infiltration of avirulence (Avr) genes showed that the 23 triple Rpi gene transformants were resistant to the selected isolates and showed HR with the three Avr effectors indicating functional stacking of all the three Rpi genes. It is concluded that Avr genes, corresponding to the R genes to be stacked, must be available in order to assay for functionality of each stack component. No indications were found for silencing or any other negative effects affecting the function of the inserted Rpi genes. The resistance spectrum of these 23 triple Rpi gene transformants was, as expected, a sum of the spectra from the three individual Rpi genes. This is the first example of a one-step approach for the simultaneous domestication of three natural R genes against a single disease by genetic transformation