The molecular network governing nodule organogenesis and infection in the model legume Lotus japonicus

Bacterial infection of interior tissues of legume root nodules is controlled at the epidermal cell layer and is closely coordinated with progressing organ development. Using spontaneous nodulating Lotus japonicus plant mutants to uncouple nodule organogenesis from infection, we have determined the role of 16 genes in these two developmental processes. We show that host-encoded mechanisms control three alternative entry processes operating in the epidermis, the root cortex and at the single cell level. Single cell infection did not involve the formation of trans-cellular infection threads and was independent of host Nod-factor receptors and bacterial Nod-factor signals. In contrast, Nod-factor perception was required for epidermal root hair infection threads, whereas primary signal transduction genes preceding the secondary Ca2+ oscillations have an indirect role. We provide support for the origin of rhizobial infection through direct intercellular epidermal invasion and subsequent evolution of crack entry and root hair invasions observed in most extant legumes

Oak root response to ectomycorrhizal symbiosis establishment: RNA-Seq derived transcript identification and expression profiling

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is essential for the life and health of trees in temperate and boreal forests where it plays a major role in nutrient cycling and in functioning of the forest ecosystem. Trees with ectomycorrhizal root tips are more tolerant to environmental stresses, such as drought, and biotic stresses such as root pathogens. Detailed information on these molecular processes is essential for the understanding of symbiotic tissue development in order to optimize the benefits of this natural phenomenon. Next generation sequencing tools allow the analysis of non model ectomycorrhizal plant-fungal interactions that can contribute to find the "symbiosis toolkits" and better define the role of each partner in the mutualistic interaction. By using 454 pyrosequencing we compared ectomycorrhizal cork oak roots with non-symbiotic roots. From the two cDNA libraries sequenced, over 2 million reads were obtained that generated 19,552 cork oak root unique transcripts. A total of 2238 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed when ECM roots were compared with non-symbiotic roots. Identification of up- and down-regulated gens in ectomycorrhizal roots lead to a number of insights into the molecular mechanisms governing this important symbiosis. In cork oak roots, ectomycorrhizal colonization resulted in extensive cell wall remodelling, activation of the secretory pathway, alterations in flavonoid biosynthesis, and expression of genes involved in the recognition of fungal effectors. In addition, we identified genes with putative roles in symbiotic processes such as nutrient exchange with the fungal partner, lateral root formation or root hair decay. These findings provide a global overview of the transcriptome of an ectomycorrhizal host root, and constitute a foundation for future studies on the molecular events controlling this important symbiosis.This work was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (www.fct.pt) in the frame of the project Cork Oak EST Consortium SOBREIRO/0034/2009. Post-doc grant to MS was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BPD/25661/2005). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Signal transduction-related responses to phytohormones and environmental challenges in sugarcane

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane is an increasingly economically and environmentally important C4 grass, used for the production of sugar and bioethanol, a low-carbon emission fuel. Sugarcane originated from crosses of Saccharum species and is noted for its unique capacity to accumulate high amounts of sucrose in its stems. Environmental stresses limit enormously sugarcane productivity worldwide. To investigate transcriptome changes in response to environmental inputs that alter yield we used cDNA microarrays to profile expression of 1,545 genes in plants submitted to drought, phosphate starvation, herbivory and N(2)-fixing endophytic bacteria. We also investigated the response to phytohormones (abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate). The arrayed elements correspond mostly to genes involved in signal transduction, hormone biosynthesis, transcription factors, novel genes and genes corresponding to unknown proteins. RESULTS: Adopting an outliers searching method 179 genes with strikingly different expression levels were identified as differentially expressed in at least one of the treatments analysed. Self Organizing Maps were used to cluster the expression profiles of 695 genes that showed a highly correlated expression pattern among replicates. The expression data for 22 genes was evaluated for 36 experimental data points by quantitative RT-PCR indicating a validation rate of 80.5% using three biological experimental replicates. The SUCAST Database was created that provides public access to the data described in this work, linked to tissue expression profiling and the SUCAST gene category and sequence analysis. The SUCAST database also includes a categorization of the sugarcane kinome based on a phylogenetic grouping that included 182 undefined kinases. CONCLUSION: An extensive study on the sugarcane transcriptome was performed. Sugarcane genes responsive to phytohormones and to challenges sugarcane commonly deals with in the field were identified. Additionally, the protein kinases were annotated based on a phylogenetic approach. The experimental design and statistical analysis applied proved robust to unravel genes associated with a diverse array of conditions attributing novel functions to previously unknown or undefined genes. The data consolidated in the SUCAST database resource can guide further studies and be useful for the development of improved sugarcane varieties

Effects of the sol-gel solution host on the chemical and optical properties of PbS quantum dots

PbS nanoparticles were prepared via a colloidal route using an organic capping agent, and were incorporated in both a silica and a titania sol-gel solution with a concentration of 10 mol%. The stability of the particles embedded in the sols was lengthened from 2 h to several days and their growth was considerably slowed down. The kinetics of the optical absorption allowed us to quantify the growth rate of the particles. Analysis of the optical emission in the three solutions (colloid, SiO2/PbS and TiO2/PbS) showed that the PbS nanocrystals are partially passivated by the silica chains and completely by the titania chains in the sols. Conjoint study of the optical absorption and emission measurements revealed a correlation between the presence of a structured exciton peak in the absorption spectra and the absence of shallow surface states

Correlation between gelation time, structure and texture of low-doped silica gels

It is shown how the properties of a porous silica xerogel prepared using a classical sol-gel synthesis can be fine-tuned by a minor modification of the composition. The addition of a doping cation (Cu2+, Ca2+, Na+) in trace quantities in the silica sol was found to exert a dramatic effect at all stages of material preparation. An investigation of both liquid and solid phases is presented, making it possible to highlight strong correlations. The time-resolved speciation of Si-containing moieties in the sol was found to be an indication of the structuration of the gel, which was reflected by the porosity and by the molecular structure of the resulting porous material. Based on a careful comparison of several slightly doped silica gels, a model is proposed which makes it possible to predict the structure and the texture of a silica gel from data recorded early in the liquid phase

Densification and crystallization processes of aluminosilicate planar waveguides doped with rare-earth ions

Aluminosilicate planar waveguides have been prepared using a sol–gel process and the dip-coating technique. The structure of Er3+- and Ce3+-doped as well as undoped films has been investigated as a function of the annealing temperature. Low-wavenumber Raman scattering and opto-geometrical properties of these thin films have demonstrated the role of Er3+ and Ce3+ ions in the densification and nucleation processes. Indeed, doping with rare-earth ions first hinders the densification process in the amorphous phase, while crystallization begins at a lower annealing temperature for the doped waveguides. It was found that the two behaviors are intimately linked to the doping effect

Synthesis and optical properties of MPTMS-capped CdS quantum dots embedded in TiO2 thin \ufb01lms for photonic applications

CdS nanoparticles have been prepared via a colloidal route using 3-mercatopropyltrimethoxysilane as a capping agent. The stability of the particles in solution and embedded in TiO2 matrices has been followed by optical absorption. Both the size and the size distribution of the particles are well controlled, thus allowing a tunable emission. Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies have been used to characterize colloidal CdS, TiO2:CdS solutions and thin films deposited on soda-lime slides. The Z-scan technique has been used to measure the non-linear refractive indices of the solutions and the non-linear absorption coefficients of the thin films