Flash forward genetics: new twists in transcription across evolutionary boundaries

“Flash forward genetics” refers to a genetic approach based on the functional interaction of a given factor with unknown partner(s) converging on shared targets across evolutionary boundaries. A study by Li et al (2021), published in this issue of EMBO Reports, illustrates the innovative potential of the approach. The authors applied it to identify interacting factors for FOXN1, a mammalian transcription factor with a highly specialized function in hair follicle morphogenesis and thymus. The authors express FOXN1 in the Drosophila eye to perform an unbiased genetic screen in a totally heterologous system. In a remarkable tour de force, the authors identify and characterize a factor so far known for its ubiquitous function in transcription elongation, AFF4. Li et al show that AFF4 plays also a specific role in hair follicle and thymus development in the mouse overlapping with that of FOXN1

CSL-p53: From senescence to CAF activation.

CSL-p53: From senescence to CAF activatio

Absence of class 1 and class 2 integrons among Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from poultry in Italy

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Inhomogeneities on the surface of 21 Lutetia, the asteroid target of the Rosetta mission

CONTEXT: In July 2010 the ESA spacecraft Rosetta will fly-by the main belt asteroid 21 Lutetia. Several observations of this asteroid have been so far performed, but its surface composition and nature are still a matter of debate. For long time Lutetia was supposed to have a metallic nature due to its high IRAS albedo. Later on it has been suggested to have a surface composition similar to primitive carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, while further observations proposed a possible genetic link with more evolved enstatite chondrite meteorites. AIMS: In order to give an important contribution in solving the conundrum of the nature of Lutetia, in November 2008 we performed visible spectroscopic observations of this asteroid at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG, La Palma, Spain). METHODS: Thirteen visible spectra have been acquired at different rotational phases. RESULTS: We confirm the presence of a narrow spectral feature at about 0.47-0.48 micron already found by Lazzarin et al. (2009) on the spectra of Lutetia. We also find a spectral feature at about 0.6 micron, detected by Lazzarin et al. (2004) on one of their Lutetia's spectra. More importantly, our spectra exhibit different spectral slopes between 0.6 and 0.75 micron and, in particular, we found that up to 20% of the Lutetia surface could have flatter spectra. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a variation of the spectral slopes at different rotational phases that could be interpreted as possibly due to differences in the chemical/mineralogical composition, as well as to inhomogeneities of the structure of the Lutetia's surface (e.g., the presence of craters or albedo spots) in the southern hemisphere.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Updated on 25 March 2010

Desempenho agronomico e caracteristicas da cultivar de trigo BRS 49 no Estado do Parana.

A cultivar de trigo BRS 49, desenvolvida pela Embrapa Trigo, foi indicada para semeadura no Estado do Parana, a partir de 1999. Para a determinacao do seu valor de cultivo e uso, foram utilizados dados de 54 experimentos, instalados em nove locais das regioes 6, 7 e 8 do Parana, no periodo de 1996 a 1998. Apresenta como principais caracteristicas: ciclo intermediario, altura media a alta, moderada resistencia ao acamamento, tolerancia ao aluminio toxico no solo, moderada resistencia ao oidio (Blumeria graminis f. sp tritici) e a ferrugem da folha (Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici), com percentuais de severidade em ensaios inferiores aos das testemunhas Trigo BR 23 e Trigo BR 35, suscetibilidade a giberela (Giberella zeae), cujas notas foram superiores as atribuidas as testemunhas, elevado potencial de rendimento e boa qualidade industrial. No trienio considerado, apresentou rendimento medio de 4.667 kg/ha na Regiao 6, 3.432 kg/ha, na Regiao 7, e 3.930 kg/ha, na regiao 8. Esses valores foram 11%, 11% e 28%, respectivamente, superiores a media das testemunhas (Trigo BR 2, Trigo BR 35 e CEP 24-Industrial). Os percentuais de resposta ao controle fitossanitario foram, em geral, inferiores aos observados nas referidas testemunhas, evidenciando o elevado potencial de rendimento da cultivar com aplicacoes reduzidas de fungicidas. A forca geral de gluten (W), na media de 14 amostras coletadas nas tres Regioes, foi de 260 e a relacao P/L foi de 0,685. Portanto, a cultivar se enquadra na classe Trigo Pao, de acordo com a Instrucao Normativa n.1, de 27 de janeiro de 1999 do MA. A cultivar apresenta caracteristicas de interesse agronomico, principalmente por possibilitar a obtencao de altos rendimentos, sem a necessidade de elevados investimentos com fungicidas.bitstream/CNPSO/17105/1/circTec25.pd

Cultivares de trigo do Parana: rendimento, caracteristicas agronomicas e qualidade industrial.

Base experimental e metodologia utilizada; Resultados; Rendimento de graos; Rendimento x epoca de semeadura; Peso do hectolitro(PH); Peso de mil semeadura(PMS); de doencas; Ciclo; Altura e acamamento; Doencas; Controle de doencas; Qualidade industrial.bitstream/CNPSO/16211/1/circTec18.pd

Características e desempenho agronômico da cultivar de trigo BRS 220 no estado de Santa Catarina.

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Cultivar de trigo BRS 208: produtividade, rusticidade e qualidade.

Desenvolvimento da cultivar; Caracteristicas botanicas e agronomicas; Caracteristcas botanicas; Caracteristicas agronomicas; Ciclo; Alta da planta (AP); Acamamento (Ac); Peso do hectolitro (PH); Reacao a doencas; Rendimento de graos; Resposta ao controle de doencas pela aplicacao; Densidade; Epoca de semeadura; Qualidade industrial.bitstream/CNPSO/2730/1/circtec31.pd

Nanoparticles and interfaces with toxic elements in fluvial suspended sediment

Studies examining nanoparticles (NPs) and hazardous elements (HEs) contained in suspended sediments (SSs) are vital for watershed administration and ecological impact evaluation. The biochemical consequence of titanium-nanoparticles (Ti-NPs) from SSs in Colombia's Magdalena River was examined utilizing an innovative approach involving nanogeochemistry in this study. In general, the toxicity and the human health risk assessment associated with the presence of some Ti-NPs + HEs in SSs from riverine systems need to be determined with a robust analytical procedure. The mode of occurrence of Ti-NPs, total Ti and other elements contained within SSs of the Magdalena River were evaluated through advanced electron microscopy (field emission scanning electron microscope-FE-SEM and high resolution transmission electron microscope-HR-TEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis system (EDS); X-Ray Diffractions (XRD); and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This work showed that enormous quantities of Ti-NPs were present in the river studied and that they displayed diverse geochemical properties and posed various possible ecological dangers. Ti-NP contamination indices must be established for measuring the environmental magnitudes of NP contamination and determining contamination rank among rivers. Finally, SS contamination guidelines must be recommended on an international level. This study contributes to the scientific understanding of the relationship of HE and Ti-NP dynamics from SSs in riverine systems around the world