A transgenic Camelina sativa seed oil effectively replaces fish oil as a dietary source of eicosapentaenoic acid in mice

Background: Fish currently supplies only 40% of the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) required to allow all individuals globally to meet the minimum intake recommendation of 500 mg/d. Therefore, alternative sustainable sources are needed. Objective: The main objective was to investigate the ability of genetically engineered Camelina sativa (20% EPA) oil (CO) to enrich tissue EPA and DHA relative to an EPA-rich fish oil (FO) in mammals. Methods: Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed for 10 wk either a palm oil–containing control (C) diet or diets supplemented with EPA-CO or FO, with the C, low-EPA CO (COL), high-EPA CO (COH), low-EPA FO (FOL), and high-EPA FO (FOH) diets providing 0, 0.4, 3.4, 0.3, and 2.9 g EPA/kg diet, respectively. Liver, muscle, and brain were collected for fatty acid analysis, and blood glucose and serum lipids were quantified. The expression of selected hepatic genes involved in EPA and DHA biosynthesis and in modulating their cellular impact was determined. Results: The oils were well tolerated, with significantly greater weight gain in the COH and FOH groups relative to the C group (P < 0.001). Significantly lower (36–38%) blood glucose concentrations were evident in the FOH and COH mice relative to C mice (P < 0.01). Hepatic EPA concentrations were higher in all EPA groups relative to the C group (P < 0.001), with concentrations of 0.0, 0.4, 2.9, 0.2, and 3.6 g/100 g liver total lipids in the C, COL, COH, FOL, and FOH groups, respectively. Comparable dose-independent enrichments of liver DHA were observed in mice fed CO and FO diets (P < 0.001). Relative to the C group, lower fatty acid desaturase 1 (Fads1) expression (P < 0.005) was observed in the COH and FOH groups. Higher fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2), peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (Ppara), and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (Pparg) (P < 0.005) expressions were induced by CO. No impact of treatment on liver X receptor α (Lxra) or sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (Srebp1c) was evident. Conclusions: Oil from transgenic Camelina is a bioavailable source of EPA in mice. These data provide support for the future assessment of this oil in a human feeding trial

Palladium nanoparticles in catalytic carbon nanoreactors: the effect of confinement on Suzuki-Miyaura reactions

We explore the construction and performance of a range of catalytic nanoreactors based on palladium nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow graphitised nanofibres. The optimum catalytic material, with small palladium nanoparticles located almost exclusively at the graphitic step-edges within nanoreactors, exhibits attractive catalytic properties in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Confinement of nanoparticles at the step-edges facilitates retention of catalytic centres and recycling of catalytic nanoreactors without any significant loss of activity or selectivity over multiple catalytic cycles. Furthermore, careful comparison of the catalytic properties of palladium nanoparticles either on or in nanoreactors reveals that nanoscale confinement of catalysts fundamentally affects the pathways of the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, with the yield and selectivity for the cross-coupled product critically dependent on the steric properties of the aryl iodide reactant, whereas no effects of confinement are observed for aryl boronic acid reactants possessing substituents in different positions. These results indicate that the oxidative addition step of the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction occurs at the step-edge of nanofibres, where the mechanisms and kinetics of chemical reactions are known to be sensitive to nanoscale confinement, and thus the extent of confinement in carbon nanoreactors can be discretely controlled by careful selection of the aryl iodide reactant

Fluidite de l’huile produite par des arbres du second cycle de selection reccurente reciproque chez le palmier a huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq)

L’étude de la fluidité de l’huile du Palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis) présente de nombreux intérêts, en particulier pour l’identification des arbres élites qui seront utilisés dans le programme d’amélioration soit par clonage, soit par croisement en vue d’augmenter la fraction d’huile fluide dans le fruit. Dans cette perspective, les indices d’iode des huiles extraites à partir des régimes produits par des arbres du second cycle de sélection récurrente réciproque ont été évalués et comparés à ceux des huiles extraites à partir d’arbres du premier cycle. Les résultats obtenus indiquent que le matériel végétal Deli x La Mé issu du premier cycle de sélection récurrente réciproque possède un indice d’iode moyen de 55. Les indices d’iode des matériels issus du second cycle de sélection récurrente réciproque, laissent apparaître globalement une amélioration de 2 points pour les arbres des croisements réalisés avec des parents femelles DA5D x DA3D et DA 115D AF (Indice d’Iode moyen = 57) et de 3 points pour ceux issus des croisements ayant pour parent femelle DA3D AF (Indice d’Iode moyen = 58). La fluidité de l’huile des arbres témoins ayant pour parent femelle DA115D AF pris comme référence dans les essais comparatifs, demeure stable du premier au second cycle de sélection récurrente réciproque avec un indice d’iode moyen de 54. L’amélioration sensible obtenue au niveau de la fluidité de l’huile du matériel de second cycle, serait essentiellement due aux meilleures recombinaisons des génotypes du premier cycle de sélection récurrente réciproque.Mots clés : Fluidité, huile, indice d’iode, palmier à huile, Elaeis guineensisFUIDITY OF OIL PRODUCED BY TREES FROM THE SECOND CYCLE OF RECIPROCAL RECURRENT BREEDING (RRS) OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis JACQ)Research on Palm oil’s fluidity has several interests, especially for the identification of elite trees used in breeding program for the improvement of the quantity of fluid oil in the fruit. In this prospective, iodine indices of oil produced by bunches of palm trees derived from second cycle of reciprocal recurrent breeding (RRS) are measured and compared to those of trees from first cycle of reciprocal recurrent breeding. Obtained results indicate that Deli x La Mé Plant material from the first cycle of RRS displays an iodine index of 55. The values of oil iodine indices of trees from the second cycle of RRS showan improvement of 2 points for trees derived from crosses using DA5D x DA3D and DA115D AF as female parents (mean iodine index = 57). The oil iodine index increases by 3 points for bunches harvested on trees derived from DA3D AF as female parent (mean iodine index = 58). Fluidity of the oil from DA115D x LM2T used as control in the comparative trials remains steady from the first to the second cycle of RRS with a mean value of 54. The significant rise in fluidity of the palm oil from the second cycle of RRS, would be essentially due to better recombinations of the genotypes of the first cycle of RRS.Keywords : Fluidity, oil, iodine index, oil Palm, Elaeis guineensis

A silviculture-oriented spatio-temporal model for germination in Pinus pinea L. in the Spanish Northern Plateau based on a direct seeding experiment

Natural regeneration in Pinus pinea stands commonly fails throughout the Spanish Northern Plateau under current intensive regeneration treatments. As a result, extensive direct seeding is commonly conducted to guarantee regeneration occurrence. In a period of rationalization of the resources devoted to forest management, this kind of techniques may become unaffordable. Given that the climatic and stand factors driving germination remain unknown, tools are required to understand the process and temper the use of direct seeding. In this study, the spatio-temporal pattern of germination of P. pinea was modelled with those purposes. The resulting findings will allow us to (1) determine the main ecological variables involved in germination in the species and (2) infer adequate silvicultural alternatives. The modelling approach focuses on covariates which are readily available to forest managers. A two-step nonlinear mixed model was fitted to predict germination occurrence and abundance in P. pinea under varying climatic, environmental and stand conditions, based on a germination data set covering a 5-year period. The results obtained reveal that the process is primarily driven by climate variables. Favourable conditions for germination commonly occur in fall although the optimum window is often narrow and may not occur at all in some years. At spatial level, it would appear that germination is facilitated by high stand densities, suggesting that current felling intensity should be reduced. In accordance with other studies on P. pinea dispersal, it seems that denser stands during the regeneration period will reduce the present dependence on direct seeding

LCA applied to perennial cropping systems: a review focused on the farm stage

International audienc

Desiccation and mortality dynamics in seedlings of different European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) populations under extreme drought conditions

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L., hereafter beech), one of the major native tree species in Europe, is known to be drought sensitive. Thus, the identification of critical thresholds of drought impact intensity and duration are of high interest for assessing the adaptive potential of European beech to climate change in its native range. In a common garden experiment with one-year-old seedlings originating from central and marginal origins in six European countries (Denmark, Germany, France, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Spain), we applied extreme drought stress and observed desiccation and mortality processes among the different populations and related them to plant water status (predawn water potential, 9PD) and soil hydraulic traits. For the lethal drought assessment, we used a critical threshold of soil water availability that is reached when 50% mortality in seedling populations occurs (LD50SWA). We found significant population differences in LD50SWA (10.5-17.8%), and mortality dynamics that suggest a genetic difference in drought resistance between populations. The LD50SWA values correlate significantly with the mean growing season precipitation at population origins, but not with the geographic margins of beech range. Thus, beech range marginality may be more due to climatic conditions than to geographic range. The outcome of this study suggests the genetic variation has a major influence on the varying adaptive potential of the investigated populations

Multi-Parent QTL/Gene Mapping, Novel Field Trial Systems and Intra-Gene Markers: A Key Method for Marker-Assisted Selection in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.). W493

CIRAD (www.cirad.fr) and PalmElit SA (www.palmelit.com) are implementing a Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) of the oil palm through a long-term multi-stage project in order to make optimum use of its existing network of field experiments while capitalising upon recent advances in molecular marker technology. Biotechnology projects, performed in both E. guineensis and E. oleifera species, combine genetics, structural genomics, functional genomics and whole genome sequence information. A QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) analysis designed for multi-parent populations was designed for crosses between heterozygous parents and tested in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), which is a diploid cross-fertilizing perennial species with small family sizes tested in breeding trials. The algorithm, MCQTL OutBred available for any allogamous species, an extension of MCQTL (INRA, http://carlit.toulouse.inra.fr/MCQTL/), a sofware application to handle multiallelic QTL detection in multicross design, was used to compare two types of QTL search for small size families, within-family analysis and across-family analysis. Results showed that the across-family analysis proved to be efficient due to the interconnected families, but the small family size issue is just partially solved. A conclusion is that a "real-time" MAS of the oil palm perennial crop can be performed, apart a genome wide methodology, by generalising a multi-parent QTL/Gene detection approach through adapted classical genetic trials, novel Field Methodological Systems and Multi-parent QTL/Gene mapping methods and extensive catalogues of expressed Elaeis genes for intra-gene markers, all information analyses being supported by the South Green Bioinformatics Platform (SGBP) applied by CIRAD to the genomic resource analysis of southern and mediterranean plants. Therefore, our presentation focuses on how our current biotechnology researches are integrated into the genetic improvement plan for optimizing the MAS creation of new high yielding commercial varieties in the context of a more sustainable oil palm agro-industry. (Texte integral

Weak tradeoff between xylem safety and xylem-specific hydraulic efficiency across the world\u27s woody plant species.

The evolution of lignified xylem allowed for the efficient transport of water under tension, but also exposed the vascular network to the risk of gas emboli and the spread of gas between xylem conduits, thus impeding sap transport to the leaves. A well-known hypothesis proposes that the safety of xylem (its ability to resist embolism formation and spread) should trade off against xylem efficiency (its capacity to transport water). We tested this safety-efficiency hypothesis in branch xylem across 335 angiosperm and 89 gymnosperm species. Safety was considered at three levels: the xylem water potentials where 12%, 50% and 88% of maximal conductivity are lost. Although correlations between safety and efficiency were weak (r(2) \u3c 0.086), no species had high efficiency and high safety, supporting the idea for a safety-efficiency tradeoff. However, many species had low efficiency and low safety. Species with low efficiency and low safety were weakly associated (r(2) \u3c 0.02 in most cases) with higher wood density, lower leaf- to sapwood-area and shorter stature. There appears to be no persuasive explanation for the considerable number of species with both low efficiency and low safety. These species represent a real challenge for understanding the evolution of xylem