A concise review on multi-omics data integration for terroir analysis in Vitis vinifera

Mini reviewVitis vinifera (grapevine) is one of the most important fruit crops, both for fresh consumption and wine and spirit production. The term terroir is frequently used in viticulture and the wine industry to relate wine sensory attributes to its geographic origin. Although, it can be cultivated in a wide range of environments, differences in growing conditions have a significant impact on fruit traits that ultimately affect wine quality. Understanding how fruit quality and yield are controlled at a molecular level in grapevine in response to environmental cues has been a major driver of research. Advances in the area of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, have significantly increased our knowledge on the abiotic regulation of yield and quality in many crop species, including V. vinifera. The integrated analysis of multiple ‘omics’ can give us the opportunity to better understand how plants modulate their response to different environments. However, ‘omics’ technologies provide a large amount of biological data and its interpretation is not always straightforward, especially when different ‘omic’ results are combined. Here we examine the current strategies used to integrate multi-omics, and how these have been used in V. vinifera. In addition, we also discuss the importance of including epigenomics data when integrating omics data as epigenetic mechanisms could play a major role as an intermediary between the environment and the genome.Pastor Jullian Fabres, Cassandra Collins, Timothy R. Cavagnaro and Carlos M. Rodríguez Lópe

Micro-Engineered Heart Tissues On-Chip with Heterotypic Cell Composition Display Self-Organization and Improved Cardiac Function

Advanced in vitro models that recapitulate the structural organization and function of the human heart are highly needed for accurate disease modeling, more predictable drug screening, and safety pharmacology. Conventional 3D Engineered Heart Tissues (EHTs) lack heterotypic cell complexity and culture under flow, whereas microfluidic Heart-on-Chip (HoC) models in general lack the 3D configuration and accurate contractile readouts. In this study, an innovative and user-friendly HoC model is developed to overcome these limitations, by culturing human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial (ECs)- and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), together with human cardiac fibroblasts (FBs), underflow, leading to self-organized miniaturized micro-EHTs (µEHTs) with a CM-EC interface reminiscent of the physiological capillary lining. µEHTs cultured under flow display enhanced contractile performance and conduction velocity. In addition, the presence of the EC layer altered drug responses in µEHT contraction. This observation suggests a potential barrier-like function of ECs, which may affect the availability of drugs to the CMs. These cardiac models with increased physiological complexity, will pave the way to screen for therapeutic targets and predict drug efficacy.</p

Especies de moluscos no-nativos de América del Sur

Una de las mayores amenazas para la biodiversidad es la introducción de especies no-nativas. Algunas de estas desarrollan un comportamiento invasivo, causando graves daños en los ecosistemas receptores. En América del Sur, los moluscos nonativos e invasores fueron uno de los focos de discusión en el 1CAM (1er. Congreso Argentino de Malacología, 2013). Ese encuentro permitió resaltar que la información sobre las especies no-nativas en la región era escasa, dispersa, incompleta y críptica. En el año 2016 se inició el relevamiento de especies de moluscos no-nativas e invasoras de América del Sur, a fin de generar el conocimiento base para futuros estudios, el cual considera solo las especies introducidas desde otros continentes y aquellas criptogénicas (no se conoce con certeza su origen).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse