Use of cover crops in soybean monoculture: effects on water and carbon balance

Los cultivos de cobertura (CC) son una alternativa para mejorar la falta de cobertura y balance de carbono (C) en suelos bajo siembra directa con monocultivo de soja (Glycine max L. Merr.), predominantes en la Región Pampeana. En este estudio (2006-2011) se evaluó el efecto de especies otoño-inviernales trigo (T), avena (A), vicia (V) y avena+vicia (A+V) como CC sobre el consumo de agua, cantidad de materia seca (MS) producida y contenidos de carbono orgánico del suelo (COT), utilizando un control (Ct) sin CC. La producción de biomasa de los CC estuvo relacionada con las precipitaciones registradas entre los meses de Junio y Octubre. En general, los tratamientos T y A aportaron mayor cantidad de MS al suelo, en promedio, la biomasa de estas gramíneas fue 24 y 91 % superior en comparación con A+V y V. El costo hídrico de la inclusión de los CC fue de 13 a 93 mm en comparación con Ct. A la siembra del cultivo de soja, en general, Ct presentó los mayores contenidos hídricos. Sin embargo, este tratamiento presentó una pérdida de humedad por evaporación sin producción de biomasa, la cual fue utilizada por los CC para fijar entre 18 y 303 kg C ha-1 mm-1 dependiendo de las condiciones del año. La inclusión de T, A y A+V, aumentó el COT a una tasa de 597 a 98 kg C ha-1año-1 en 0-25 cm, mientras que sin CC o utilizando leguminosas (V) disminuyó 824 y 289 kg C ha-1año-1, respectivamente. Para la conservación o aumento del COT en planteos de monocultivos de soja, el uso de A, A+V y T como CC serian una opción viable dado que el aporte de C supera los 4,5 Mg C ha-1 año-1 necesarios para no generar disminuciones en los contenidos de COT al sur de Santa Fe.Cover crops (CC) are a good alternative to improve soil mulch and carbon (C) balance under no tillage with soybean monoculture (Glycine max L. Merr.), predominant in the Pampean Region. This study (2006-2011) evaluated the effect of winter CC -wheat (T), oats (A), vetch (V) and oats+vetch (A+V)- on water consumption, dry matter (MS) production and soil organic carbon contents (COT) using a control (Ct) without CC. Biomass production of the CC was closely related to rainfall recorded between the months of June and October. In general, T and A treatments contributed greater amounts of MS, on average, biomass production was 24 and 91% higher compared to A+V and V. The water cost of including CC was 13-93 mm compared to Ct. At soybean seeding, in general, Ct presented the highest water content. However, this treatment. Showed a loss of moisture by evaporation without biomass production, which is used by the CC to fix between 18 and 303 kg C ha-1 mm-1 depending on the conditions that year. The use of T, A and A+V increased the COT at a rate of 597 to 98 kg C ha-1yr-1 at 0-25 cm depth, while those without CC and with legumes (V) decreased 824 and 289 kg C ha-1 yr-1, respectively. For conservation or increase of the COT, use of A, A+V and T like CC would be a feasible option given that it exceeds the minimum source C input of 4.5 Mg C ha-1 necessary to maintain the COT south of Santa Fe.Fil: Duval, Matias Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Capurro, Julia Ester. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Galantini, Juan Alberto. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Andriani, José Manuel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Oliveros; Argentin

Exploiting the passenger ACO1-deficiency arising from 9p21 deletions to kill T-cell lymphoblastic neoplasia cells

Precursor T-cell lymphoblastic neoplasms are aggressive malignancies in need for more effective and specific therapeutic treatments. A significant fraction of these neoplasms harbor deletions on the locus 9p21, targeting the tumor suppressor CDKN2A but also deleting the aconitase 1 (ACO1) gene, a neighboring housekeeping gene involved in cytoplasm and mitochondrial metabolism. Here we show that reducing the aconitase activity with fluorocitrate decreases the viability of T-cell lymphoblastic neoplasia cells in correlation to the differential aconitase expression. The consequences of the treatment were evidenced in vitro using T-cell lymphoblastic neoplasia cell lines exhibiting 9p21 deletions and variable levels of ACO1 expression or activity. Similar results were observed in melanoma cell lines, suggesting a true potential for fluorocitrate in different cancer types. Notably, ectopic expression of ACO1 alleviated the susceptibility of cell lines to fluorocitrate and, conversely, knockdown experiments increased susceptibility of resistant cell lines. These findings were confirmed in vivo on athymic nude mice by using tumor xenografts derived from two T-cell lines with different levels of ACO1. Taken together, our results indicate that the non-targeted ACO1 deficiency induced by common deletions exerts a collateral cellular lethality that can be used as a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of several types of cancerInstituto de Salud Carlos III (ACCI-CIBERER-17); Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2015-70561 R;MINECO/FEDER, EU); Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RTI2018-093330-B-I00; MCIU/FEDER, EU); Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain (B2017/BMD-3778; LINFOMAS-CM); Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC, 2018; PROYE18054PIRI); Fundación Ramón Areces (CIVP19S7917); Institutional grants from Fundación Ramón Areces and Banco de Santander to Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa are also acknowledge

Coordinate β-adrenergic inhibition of mitochondrial activity and angiogenesis arrest tumor growth

Mitochondrial metabolism has emerged as a promising target against the mechanisms of tumor growth. Herein, we have screened an FDA-approved library to identify drugs that inhibit mitochondrial respiration. The β1-blocker nebivolol specifically hinders oxidative phosphorylation in cancer cells by concertedly inhibiting Complex I and ATP synthase activities. Complex I inhibition is mediated by interfering the phosphorylation of NDUFS7. Inhibition of the ATP synthase is exerted by the overexpression and binding of the ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1 (IF1) to the enzyme. Remarkably, nebivolol also arrests tumor angiogenesis by arresting endothelial cell proliferation. Altogether, targeting mitochondria and angiogenesis triggers a metabolic and oxidative stress crisis that restricts the growth of colon and breast carcinomas. Nebivolol holds great promise to be repurposed for the treatment of cancer patients.FPI-MINECO and Fondo Social Europeo. L.F. received support from the Ramón y Cajal Program (RyC-2013-13693). The work was supported by grants from MINECO (SAF2016-75916-R and PID2019-108674RB-100), CIBERER-ISCIII (CB06/07/0017) and Fundación Ramón Arece