Metabolite profiling of somatic embryos of Cyclamen persicum in comparison to zygotic embryos, endosperm, and testa

Winkelmann T, Ratjens S, Bartsch M, Rode C, Niehaus K, Bednarz H. Metabolite profiling of somatic embryos of Cyclamen persicum in comparison to zygotic embryos, endosperm, and testa. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2015;6: 597.Somatic embryogenesis has been shown to be an efficient in vitro plant regeneration system for many crops such as the important ornamental plant Cyclamen persicum, for which this regeneration pathway of somatic embryogenesis is of interest for the vegetative propagation of parental lines as well as elite plants. However, somatic embryogenesis is not commercially used in many crops due to several unsolved problems, such as malformations, asynchronous development, deficiencies in maturation and germination of somatic embryos. In contrast, zygotic embryos in seeds develop and germinate without abnormalities in most cases. Instead of time-consuming and labor-intensive experiments involving tests of different in vitro culture conditions and plant growth regulator supplements, we follow a more directed approach. Zygotic embryos served as a reference and were compared to somatic embryos in metabolomic analyses allowing the future optimization of the in vitro system. The aims of this study were to detect differences in the metabolite profiles of torpedo stage somatic and zygotic embryos of C. persicum. Moreover, major metabolites in endosperm and testa were identified and quantified. Two sets of extracts of two to four biological replicates each were analyzed. In total 52 metabolites were identified and quantified in the different tissues. One of the most significant differences between somatic and zygotic embryos was that the proline concentration in the zygotic embryos was about 40 times higher than that found in somatic embryos. Epicatechin, a scavenger for reactive oxygen species, was found in highest abundance in the testa. Sucrose, the most abundant metabolite was detected in significantly higher concentrations in zygotic embryos. Also, a yet unknown trisaccharide, was significantly enriched in zygotic embryos

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Prevalence and Correlates Pre- and Post-Bariatric Surgery: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Previous research shows an association between obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study compares pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients using the internationally used Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS™) to screen for ADHD. Methods: Matched samples pre- (N = 120) and post-bariatric surgery (N = 128) were compared using self-rating instruments to assess ADHD-relevant symptomatology, depression, eating-related psychopathology, and BMI. Results: Prevalence of probable ADHD did not differ between groups using the CAARS Index Scale T-scores; however, CAARS subscales Inattention/Memory and Self-Concept showed significantly lower scores in post-surgery patients. All CAARS subscales correlated significantly with each other, with depression and eating-related psychopathology. There was no correlation between ADHD and excess BMI loss in post-surgery patients. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a considerable number of patients before and after bariatric surgery screened positive for ADHD. It can be hypothesized that some core ADHD symptoms improve after surgery. Future studies are warranted to investigate the influence of ADHD on long-term surgery outcomes

Corrigendum to “Seasonal variations of Quercus pubescens isoprene emissions from an in natura forest under drought stress and sensitivity to futureclimate change in the Mediterranean area”

International audienc

Looks can be deceiving: contrasting temperature characteristics of two morphologically similar kelp species co-occurring in the Arctic

Two morphologically similar digitate kelp species, Laminaria digitata and Hedophyllum nigripes, co-occur along a shallow sublittoral depth gradient in the Arctic but, in contrast to L. digitata, very few ecophysiological data exist for H. nigripes. We investigated growth, survival, photosynthetic characteristics and carbon:nitrogen ratios of juvenile sporophytes, and recruitment and survival of gametophytes in genetically verified Arctic isolates of both species along temperature gradients (0–25 °C) over 14 days. Laminaria digitata gametophytes survived 23–24 °C, while sporophytes survived 21–22 °C. Hedophyllum nigripes had lower temperature affinities. Gametophytes survived 19–21 °C, while sporophytes survived 18 °C. Male gametophytes were more heat-tolerant than female gametophytes in both species. The pronounced cold adaption of H. nigripes compared to L. digitata also became apparent in different sporophyte growth optima (L. digitata: 15 °C; H. nigripes: 10 °C) and gametogenesis optima (L. digitata: 5–15 °C; H. nigripes: 0–10 °C).Higher carbon:nitrogen ratios in H. nigripes suggest an adaptation to nutrient poor Arctic conditions. The overall temperature performance of H. nigripes possibly restricts the species to Arctic–Sub-Arctic regions, while Arctic L. digitatabehaved similarly to cold-temperate populations. Our data suggest that a future increase in seawater temperatures may hamper the success of H. nigripes and favour L. digitata in Arctic environments

Contrasting temperature chracteristics of Laminaria digitata and Hedophyllum nigripes - C:N-ratio, growth rate, PAM fluorometry, gametogenesis

We investigated effects of temperature on gametophytes and sporophytes of the two morphologically similar kelp species Laminaria digitata and Hedophyllum nigripes co-occurring in the Arctic. We quantified gametogenesis, sporophyte recruitment and growth, optimal quantum yield and carbon and nitrogen content of sporophytes, as well as survival of both life cycle stages along temperature gradients (0-25°C), using several unialgal strains isolated from the European Arctic in Kongsfjorden, western Spitsbergen

Embryogenic callus as target for efficient transformation of cyclamen persicum enabling gene function studies

Cyclamen persicum is an ornamental plant with economic relevance in many parts of the world. Moreover, it can be regarded as an applied model for somatic embryogenesis, since transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic comparisons have revealed insights into this regeneration process on the molecular level. To enable gene function analyses, the aim of this study was to establish an efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation protocol for C. persicum. For the first time, embryogenic callus cultures were used as a target material. The advantages of embryogenic callus are the defined and known genotype compared to seedlings, the high regeneration potential and the stability of the regenerated plants. A. tumefaciens strains EHA105 and LBA4404 were most efficient for transformation, resulting in transformation efficiencies of up to 43 and 20%, respectively. In regenerated plants, the presence of the transgenes was verified by PCR, Southern hybridization, and a histochemical GUS assay. The protocol was applied successfully to two C. persicum genotypes. Moreover, it served to transfer two reporter constructs, the auxin-responsive promoter DR5 driving the gus gene and the redox sensor roGFP2_Orp1, to the C. persicum genotypes, allowing the localization of high auxin concentrations and reactive oxygen species in order to study their roles in somatic embryogenesis in the future. For success in transformation, we regard the following factors as important: highly embryogenic cell lines, the use of Silwet® L-77 as a surfactant during co-culture, a genotype-specific appropriate selection schedule with hygromycin, and A. tumefaciens strains EHA105 and LBA4404

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Prevalence and Correlates Pre- and Post-Bariatric Surgery: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Previous research shows an association between obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study compares pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients using the internationally used Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS™) to screen for ADHD. Methods: Matched samples pre- (N = 120) and post-bariatric surgery (N = 128) were compared using self-rating instruments to assess ADHD-relevant symptomatology, depression, eating-related psychopathology, and BMI. Results: Prevalence of probable ADHD did not differ between groups using the CAARS Index Scale T-scores; however, CAARS subscales Inattention/Memory and Self-Concept showed significantly lower scores in post-surgery patients. All CAARS subscales correlated significantly with each other, with depression and eating-related psychopathology. There was no correlation between ADHD and excess BMI loss in post-surgery patients. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a considerable number of patients before and after bariatric surgery screened positive for ADHD. It can be hypothesized that some core ADHD symptoms improve after surgery. Future studies are warranted to investigate the influence of ADHD on long-term surgery outcomes

Salicylic Acid–Independent ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 Signaling in Arabidopsis Immunity and Cell Death Is Regulated by the Monooxygenase FMO1 and the Nudix Hydrolase NUDT7

Arabidopsis thaliana ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1) controls defense activation and programmed cell death conditioned by intracellular Toll-related immune receptors that recognize specific pathogen effectors. EDS1 is also needed for basal resistance to invasive pathogens by restricting the progression of disease. In both responses, EDS1, assisted by its interacting partner, PHYTOALEXIN-DEFICIENT4 (PAD4), regulates accumulation of the phenolic defense molecule salicylic acid (SA) and other as yet unidentified signal intermediates. An Arabidopsis whole genome microarray experiment was designed to identify genes whose expression depends on EDS1 and PAD4, irrespective of local SA accumulation, and potential candidates of an SA-independent branch of EDS1 defense were found. We define two new immune regulators through analysis of corresponding Arabidopsis loss-of-function insertion mutants. FLAVIN-DEPENDENT MONOOXYGENASE1 (FMO1) positively regulates the EDS1 pathway, and one member (NUDT7) of a family of cytosolic Nudix hydrolases exerts negative control of EDS1 signaling. Analysis of fmo1 and nudt7 mutants alone or in combination with sid2-1, a mutation that severely depletes pathogen-induced SA production, points to SA-independent functions of FMO1 and NUDT7 in EDS1-conditioned disease resistance and cell death. We find instead that SA antagonizes initiation of cell death and stunting of growth in nudt7 mutants