Taking advantage og organelle genomes in plant breeding: an integrated approach = Aprovechando los genomas de las organelas en el mejoramiento genético de plantas: un enfoque integrado

Plant cells carry their genetic information in three compartments: the nucleus, the plastids and the mitochondria. In last years, next-generation sequencing has allowed the development of genomic databases, which are increasingly improving our knowledge about the role of nuclear and cytoplasmic genes as well as their interactions in plant development. However, most plant breeding efforts consider the utilization of the nuclear genome, while less attention is given to plastid and mitochondrial genomes. The objective of this review is to present current knowledge about cytoplasmic and cytonuclear effects on agronomic traits bearing in mind the prospective utilization of all the genomes in plant breeding.La información genética de las células vegetales está contenida en tres compartimentos: el núcleo, los plástidos y las mitocondrias. En los últimos años, la secuenciación de última generación ha permitido desarrollar bases de datos genómicas que están aumentando progresivamente nuestro conocimiento sobre el rol de los genes nucleares y citoplásmicos y de sus interacciones durante el desarrollo de la planta. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los esfuerzos de la mejora vegetal se basan en el aprovechamiento del genoma nuclear y relegan a los genomas de los plástidos y las mitocondrias. El objetivo de esta revisión es actualizar el conocimiento sobre de los efectos citoplásmicos y las interacciones núcleo-citoplásmicas sobre caracteres interés agronómico, asumiendo la utilización potencial de todos los genomas en el mejoramiento vegetal.Instituto de GenéticaFil: Colombo, Noemi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; Argentin

Caracterización molecular de mutantes derivadas del genotipo mutador de cloroplastos de cebada

Tesis para obtener el grado de Doctor en Ciencias Biológicas, de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, en 2008La coordinación de la expresión génica entre los genomas nuclear, plastídico y mitocondrial es de importancia crucial para las células vegetales. Un caso particular de la interacción núcleo-plástido está dado por los genes nucleares mutadores de cloroplasto, que inducen un dramático aumento de la tasa de mutación espontánea del plastoma. En esta tesis se estudió molecularmente el plastoma de cuatro mutantes inducidas por el mutador de cloroplastos de cebada en las que no se observaron cambios mayores, ni en el tamaño, ni en el arreglo génico del plastoma. Sin embargo, no debe descartarse en las mismas la presencia de alteraciones menores, como pequeñas deleciones, duplicaciones o sustituciones. Por otro lado, se hicieron estudios de expresión génica en la lámina de la primera hoja de una de ellas, la línea citoplásmica 2 (LC2) caracterizada por presentar retraso en la traducción plastídica durante embriogénesis, afectando el desarrollo temprano de los cloroplastos. En la base y el ápice LC2 presentó: a) incremento en los transcriptos de las ARN polimerasas plastídica (NEP) y mitocondrial; b) incremento en la acumulación de ARN mensajeros para genes transcriptos por NEP; c) menor acumulación de ARN ribosomales plastídicos; d) menor acumulación de proteínas tilacoidales. La acumulación de la ARN polimerasa plastídica (PEP) fue similar al control, al igual que los patrones de sus transcriptos. Se observó expresión diferencial de Rubisco entre células del mesófilo y de la vaina parenquimática del haz vascular en el ápice de LC2. Mediante parámetros de fluorescencia de clorofila se comprobó la alteración temprana y posterior recuperación de la fotosíntesis en LC2. Los resultados aportan nuevas evidencias sobre la relación entre la traducción plastídica y el desarrollo de los cloroplastos y muestran a LC2 como un material experimental útil para el estudio de la traducción plastídica y del efecto de ésta y de los plástidos sobre la expresión concertada de los distintos genomas de la célula vegetal.The coordination of gene expression between the nuclear, plastidic and mitochondrial genomes is crucial for plant cells. A particular case of the nuclear-plastid interaction is that of the chloroplast mutator nuclear genes, which dramatically increase the plastome spontaneous mutation rate. In this thesis, the plastome of four mutants induced by the barley chloroplast mutator was characterized at the molecular level. No major changes were observed, either in plastome size or in gene arrangement. However, minor changes like small deletions, duplications or substitutions should not be discarded. Additionally, studies on gene expression along the first leaf blade were carried out in one of the mutants, the cytoplasmic line 2 (CL2). CL2 presents a delay in plastid translation during embryogenesis, affecting early chloroplast development. In the basal and top sections CL2 showed: a) an increase in transcripts levels of plastid (NEP) and mitochondrial RNA polymerases; b) an increase in mRNA accumulation of NEP- transcribed genes; c) lower levels of plastid ribosomal RNAs; d) lower accumulation of thylakoid proteins. The accumulation of plastid RNA polymerase (PEP) in CL2 was similar to that of the control, as were its transcripts patterns. Differential expression of Rubisco was observed between mesophyll and parenchymatous bundle sheath cells in CL2 top. Early photosynthesis impairment and subsequent recovery was determined using chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Results provide new evidences about the relationship between plastid translation and chloroplast development and show CL2 is a useful material for studying plastid translation and its effect on the concerted expression of different plant cell genomes.Instituto de GenéticaFil: Colombo, Noemi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; Argentin

A novel source of cytoplasmic male sterility in Calibrachoa pubescens

Calibrachoa pubescens is a species native from the south of Brazil, Uruguay and northeast Argentina. An accession identified as 7.3.1.1 was collected at San Martín Department in Corrientes Province, Argentina and is included in the calibrachoa breeding program at the Institute of Floriculture, INTA. This accession is male sterile and produces male-sterile progeny, characterized by the lack of pollen production. Male sterility may be controlled by nuclear or cytoplasmic genes with each type presenting a different mode of inheritance. The objective of this research was to present a novel source of cytoplasmic male sterility in Calibrachoa pubescens. Crosses were made in the greenhouse between the male-sterile line 7.3.1.1 as the female parent and seven male-fertile lines of diverse origin. F1s were backcrossed and self-pollinated. Individual plants of the progenies were classified as male-fertile or male-sterile according to pollen viability. Analyses of observed segregations showed that male sterility observed in 7.3.1.1 results from the interaction of a male sterile cytoplasm and nuclear restorer genes. A novel male sterile cytoplasm is now available for breeders. Main advantages of cytoplasmic male sterility in ornamentals breeding are: efficient hybrid production, increased flower longevity, avoidance of pollen allergens and control of plant invasiveness.Inst. de Genética "Ewald A. Favret"- IGEAFFil: Colombo, Noemi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Coviella, Maria Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Intistuto de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Hagiwara, Juan Carlos. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Floricultura; Argentin

Análisis de resultados de entrevistas a jóvenes universitarios sin hijos sobre representaciones sociales de maternidad y paternidad

Este informe es parte de un proyecto de investigación trienal que se plantea la exploración de las representaciones sociales –RRSS- de la maternidad y de la paternidad en adolescentes tardíos universitarios sin hijos. Las RRSS son una construcción sociocultural (Wagner & Elejabarrieta, 1994), cuyos contenidos emergen de procesos sociales, que a su vez influyen sobre la realidad. Las RRSS se refieren a imágenes y modelos que explican algún fenómeno relevante para un grupo social determinado (Avendaño, Krause & Winkler, 1993; Jodelet, 1984; Moscovici, 1984). Partimos Hipótesis de que las RRSS de maternidad y paternidad de los adolescentes tardíos universitarios sin hijos expresan transformaciones respecto de los modelos hegemónicos del Sistema Patriarcal, generando relaciones más horizontales y afectivas de vinculación con los hijos y de distribución de las responsabilidades de crianza en la pareja.Eje: Psicología grupal, social, institucional y comunitariaFacultad de Psicologí

Case report: Primary Ewing sarcoma of the ureter, an exceptional finding of unique manifestation of disease

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common malignant bone tumor in children and has also been described in adults with highly aggressive behavior. ES belongs to the small round blue cell tumor family and presents the distinctive translocation of FET-ETS family genes (85% with EWSR1), generating gene fusions. Extraskeletal ES mainly occurs in soft tissues; the urogenital tract is rarely affected, and ureteral localization is an exceptional event with only 4 cases described in the literature. Here we report the first Italian case of primary ES of the ureter, a 24-year-old young man with lower back pain and a narrowed left ureteral lumen on CT scan. ES of the urogenital tract is an almost unique condition with a nonspecific clinical presentation and a challenging diagnosis for pathologists. We encourage awareness of these exceptional events in the differential diagnosis of ureteral lesions in young patients

The Recovery Orientation of a Farm Community for Severe Autism — Data from the DREEM-IT (Developing Recovery Enhancing Environment Measures — Italian Version)

Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in the concept of ‘recovery’ in the field of mental health and psychiatry. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction and communication skill, along with a restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped pattern of behavior and interests. The diagnosis is lifelong and can be a major impediment to independent living. It has been previously demonstrated that organized and structured forms of intervention, starting from early childhood and developing during all the different life stages, may improve outcome and quality of life in patients with autism. It is therefore conceivable that diverse forms of recovery (e.g. optimal level of motivation, skills, social involvement) may be possible in autism. There are no fully developed tools with which to evaluate the recovery orientation of a service, but the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) has identified the Developing Recovery Enhancing Environments Measure (DREEM) as the most promising of an emerging group of recovery sensitive measures. This study explores the use of DREEM, as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of recovery-based care in an Italian farm community center specifically designed for adult patients with autism and intellectual disability

Management of hypertension during lenvatinib for advanced thyroid cancer: a suggested diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is the most frequent adverse event during treatment with lenvatinib (LEN), but data on its best management are limited. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess incidence, features and best management of LEN-related HTN in a consecutive single tertiary-care centre cohort. Methods: Twenty-nine patients were followed up for a mean time of 29.8 months (6–77 months). Results: After a mean follow-up of 6.8 months, HTN was recorded in 76% of cases, as a de novo occurrence in half of them. HTN significantly correlated with L EN dose and was of grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 in 5%, 50% and 45% of patients, respectively. The majority (77%) of patients with HTN developed proteinuria. There was no correlation between HTN and proteinuria or clinical features or best morphological response or any other adverse event (AE), with the exception of diarrhoea. Patients with or without pre-existing HTN or any other cardiovascular disease had a similar incidence of HTN during LEN, thus excluding the impact of this potential predisposing factor. After evaluation by a dedicated cardiologist, medical treatment was introduced in 21/22 patients (polytherapy in 20 of them). The most frequently used drugs were calcium channel blockers (CCBs) due to their effect on vasodilation. In case of poor control, CC Bs were associated with one or more anti-hypertensive drug. Conclusion: HTN is a frequent and early AE in patients on LEN treatment. We suggest a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm to be applied in clinical practice to allow efficient HTN control and improve patient compliance, reducing LEN discontinuation

Impact of the flame retardant 2,2’4,4’-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) in THP-1 macrophage-like cell function via small extracellular vesicles

2,2’4,4’-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) is one of the most widespread environmental brominated flame-retardant congeners which has also been detected in animal and human tissues. Several studies have reported the effects of PBDEs on different health issues, including neurobehavioral and developmental disorders, reproductive health, and alterations of thyroid function. Much less is known about its immunotoxicity. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects that treatment of THP-1 macrophage-like cells with PBDE-47 could have on the content of small extracellular vesicles’ (sEVs) microRNA (miRNA) cargo and their downstream effects on bystander macrophages. To achieve this, we purified sEVs from PBDE-47 treated M(LPS) THP-1 macrophage-like cells (sEVsPBDE+LPS) by means of ultra-centrifugation and characterized their miRNA cargo by microarray analysis detecting the modulation of 18 miRNAs. Furthermore, resting THP-1 derived M(0) macrophage-like cells were cultured with sEVsPBDE+LPS, showing that the treatment reshaped the miRNA profiles of 12 intracellular miRNAs. This dataset was studied in silico, identifying the biological pathways affected by these target genes. This analysis identified 12 pathways all involved in the maturation and polarization of macrophages. Therefore, to evaluate whether sEVsPBDE+LPS can have some immunomodulatory activity, naïve M(0) THP-1 macrophage-like cells cultured with purified sEVsPBDE+LPS were studied for IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-β mRNAs expression and immune stained with the HLA-DR, CD80, CCR7, CD38 and CD209 antigens and analyzed by flow cytometry. This analysis showed that the PBDE-47 treatment does not induce the expression of specific M1 and M2 cytokine markers of differentiation and may have impaired the ability to make immunological synapses and present antigens, down-regulating the expression of HLA-DR and CD209 antigens. Overall, our study supports the model that perturbation of miRNA cargo by PBDE-47 treatment contributes to the rewiring of cellular regulatory pathways capable of inducing perturbation of differentiation markers on naïve resting M(0) THP-1 macrophage-like cells