Regulation of the access to genetic resources of natural and historical value and sharing the benefits of their utilisation to favour conservation efforts

All living organisms contain or produce structures, genetic material and other chemicals that could be potentially useful to humans in various sectors. In the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), these resources are collectively termed genetic resources. Benefits which may be gained from their uses may range from a better understanding of the natural world to the development of a wide range of products and services for human benefit, including medicines, food additives as well as agricultural and environmental practices and techniques.peer-reviewe

Genome size estimation of three endemic plant taxa from Malta

The Maltese archipelago has several endemic species adapted to an arid and hot climate. Due to its limited land area (316 km2) and high human population density most of these endemics are endangered or critically so. Few genomic studies have been carried out on this flora to date. The purpose of the present study was to estimate genome sizes (1C-values) of three of these endemic taxa using flow cytometry. The genome size of Cheirolophus crassifolius, was found to be 0.98 pg. This is the highest recorded value in this genus and does not fit published values and trends. The genome size of the octoploid Sedum album subsp. rupimelitense was found to be 1.05 pg and that of Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. melitensis 0.52 pg.peer-reviewe

Heterologous Expression of the AtNPR1 Gene in Olive and Its Effects on Fungal Tolerance

En este trabajo se evalúa la tolerancia de plantas de olivo transgénicas que expresan el gen AtNPR1, clave en la regulación de la resistencia SAR de plantas, tras la transformación mediante Agrobacterium tumefaciens de embriones somáticos, frente a los patógenos de suelo Rosellinia necatrix, causante de la podredumbre blanca de raíz, y a Verticillium dahliae, causante de la verticilosis, mostrando menor desarrollo de la enfermedad con cepas no-defoliantes de V. dahliae y mayor tolerancia frente a R. necatrix.Este trabajo se realizó como parte de una Tesis doctoral, financiada con la beca No. P11-AGR-7992, de la Secretaría General de Investigación (Consejería de Innovación Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía, Spain, Grant ), en la Universidad de Málag

Transformación de olivo con el gen AtNPR1 para inducir tolerancia a patógenos fúngicos.

El gen NPR1 codifica un componente esencial de la respuesta SAR mediada por ácido salicílico (AS). Tras la infección por el patógeno, la acumulación de AS libera los monómeros NPR1 en el citoplasma, los cuáles son translocados al núcleo activando la expresión de genes relacionados con la patogénesis (PR). La sobreexpresión del gen NPR1 de Arabidopsis thaliana ha incrementado la resistencia a hongos, bacterias y virus, en distintas especies. El objetivo de esta investigación fue sobreexpresar este gen en olivo con objeto de evaluar su efecto en la tolerancia a dos hongos de suelo, el hemibiotrofo Verticillium dahliae (Vd), una de las mayores amenazas del cultivo y el necrotrofo Rosellinia necatrix, un patógeno emergente en nuevas plantaciones. Se obtuvieron 3 líneas transgénicas, a partir de una línea embriogénica derivada de semilla del cv. Picual. Las líneas mostraron diferencias en el nivel de expresión del transgen en hoja, aunque estas diferencias no afectaron a los niveles de actividad endoquitinasa basal, similar a la de plantas control. La respuesta a Vd varió con el patotipo; así, todas las plantas murieron 50 días tras su inoculación con la cepa defoliante (D) V-138. Por otra parte, la respuesta a patotipos no defoliantes (ND) también fue variable, en función de la raza; tras la inoculación con la cepa V1242 (ND, raza 2), los síntomas aparecieron transcurridos 44-55 días, siendo la línea NPR1-780, con mayor expresión del transgen, la que mostró menor índice de severidad de la enfermedad. Esta línea también mostró un comportamiento superior al control tras la inoculación con la cepa V1558 (ND, raza 1), aunque las diferencias no fueron tan acusadas. En la respuesta a R. necatrix, las líneas transgénicas mostraron un ligero retraso en el desarrollo de la enfermedad con valores AUDPC entre 7-15% inferiores al control.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Heterologous Expression of the AtNPR1 Gene in Olive and Its Effects on Fungal Tolerance

The NPR1 gene encodes a key component of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) signaling mediated by salicylic acid (SA). Overexpression of NPR1 confers resistance to biotrophic and hemibiotrophic fungi in several plant species. The NPR1 gene has also been shown to be involved in the crosstalk between SAR signaling and the jasmonic acid-ethylene (JA/Et) pathway, which is involved in the response to necrotrophic fungi. The aim of this research was to generate transgenic olive plants expressing the NPR1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana to evaluate their differential response to the hemibiotrophic fungus Verticillium dahliae and the necrotroph Rosellinia necatrix. Three transgenic lines expressing the AtNPR1 gene under the control of the constitutive promoter CaMV35S were obtained using an embryogenic line derived from a seed of cv. Picual. After maturation and germination of the transgenic somatic embryos, the plants were micropropagated and acclimated to ex vitro conditions. The level of AtNPR1 expression in the transgenic materials varied greatly among the different lines and was higher in the NPR1-780 line. The expression of AtNPR1 did not alter the growth of transgenic plants either in vitro or in the greenhouse. Different levels of transgene expression also did not affect basal endochitinase activity in the leaves, which was similar to that of control plants. Response to the hemibiotrophic pathogen V. dahliae varied with pathotype. All plants died by 50 days after inoculation with defoliating (D) pathotype V-138, but the response to non-defoliating (ND) strains differed by race: following inoculation with the V-1242 strain (ND, race 2), symptoms appeared after 44–55 days, with line NPR1-780 showing the lowest disease severity index. This line also showed good performance when inoculated with the V-1558 strain (ND, race 1), although the differences from the control were not statistically significant. In response to the necrotroph R. necatrix, all the transgenic lines showed a slight delay in disease development, with mean area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) values 7–15% lower than that of the control.-This investigation was funded by the Junta de Andalucía (Grant No. P11-AGR-7992) and by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain and Feder European Union Funds (Grant No. AGL2017-83368-C2-1-R)

Forest Genetics Research in the Mediterranean Basin: Bibliometric Analysis, Knowledge Gaps, and Perspectives

International audiencePurpose of Review Recognizing that in the context of global change, tree genetic diversity represents a crucial resource for future forest adaptation, we review and highlight the major forest genetics research achievements of the past decades in biodiversity-rich countries of the Mediterranean region. For this, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature spanning the past thirty years (1991-2020). Putting together the representative regionwide expertise of our co-authorship, we propose research perspectives for the next decade. Recent Findings Forest genetics research in Mediterranean countries is organized into three different scientific domains of unequal importance. The domain "Population diversity and Differentiation" related to over 62% of all publications of the period, the domain "Environmental conditions, growth and stress response" to almost 23%, and the domain "Phylogeography" to almost 15%. Citation rate was trending the opposite way, indicating a strong and sustained interest in phylogeography and a rising interest for genetics research related to climate change and drought resistance. The share of publications from Asia and Africa to the total within the Mediterranean increased significantly during the 30-year period analyzed, reaching just below 30% during the last decade. Describing poorly known species and populations, including marginal populations, using the full potential of genomic methods, testing adaptation in common gardens, and modeling adaptive capacity to build reliable scenarios for forest management remain strategic research priorities. Delineating areas of high and low genetic diversity, for conservation and restoration, respectively, is needed. Joining forces between forest management and forest research, sharing data, experience, and knowledge within and among countries will have to progress significantly, e.g., to assess the potential of Mediterranean genetic resources as assisted migration material worldwide. Introductory quote: Let us collect with care the facts we can observe, let us consult experience wherever we can, and when this experience is inaccessible to us, let us assemble all the inductions which observation of facts analogous to those which escape us can furnish and let us assert nothing categorically; in this way, we shall be able little by little to discover the causes of a multitude of natural phenomena, and, perhaps, even of phenomena which seem the most incomprehensible... J.B. de Lamarck (Philosophie zoologique, 1809), cited by O. Langlet (1971)