Lipid peroxidation in tobacco leaves treated with the elicitor cryptogein: evaluation by high-temperature thermoluminescence emission and chlorophyll fluorescence

AbstractTreatment of excised tobacco leaves with the fungal elicitor cryptogein progressively induced lipid peroxidation. In a first step, evidence was provided by the accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and in a second step, the process was monitored for a 26 h period by high-temperature thermoluminescence (TL) emission, showing a close correlationship with the TBARS data. Differences in the temperature-associated F0 rise (constant fluorescence) and in fluorescence emission spectra point to a progressive destabilization of the thylakoid membrane, especially affecting Photosystem II (PS II). In parallel, the PS II quantum efficiency ΔF / Fm and the Fv / Fm ratio of chlorophyll fluorescence induction decreased significantly over the 24 h period

Peculiar properties of chlorophyll thermoluminescence emission of autotrophically or mixotrophically grown Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella sp. CCAP 211/84 were grown autotrophically and mixotrophically and their thermoluminescence emissions were recorded above 0 °C after excitation by 1, 2 or 3 xenon flashes or by continuous far-red light. An oscillation of the B band intensity according to the number of flashes was always observed, with a maximum after 2 flashes, accompanied by a downshift of the B band temperature maximum in mixotrophic compared to autotrophic grown cells, indicative of a dark stable pH gradient. Moreover, new flash-induced bands emerged in mixotrophic Chlamydomonas grown cells, at temperatures higher than that of the B band. In contrast to the afterglow band observed in higher plants, in Chlamydomonas these bands were not inducible by far-red light, were fully suppressed by 2 μM antimycin A, and peaked at different temperatures depending on the flash number and growth stage, with higher temperature maxima in cells at a stationary compared to an exponential growth stage. These differences are discussed according to the particular properties of cyclic electron transfer pathways in C. reinhardtii.Ministerio de Educación y Cultura BFU2007-68107-C02-01/BMCJunta de Andalucía PAIDI CVI-26

Cytochrome c550 in the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus: Study of redox mutants

Cytochrome c550 is one of the extrinsic Photosystem II subunits in cyanobacteria and red algae. To study the possible role of the heme of the cytochrome c550 we constructed two mutants of Thermosynechococcus elongatus in which the residue His-92, the sixth ligand of the heme, was replaced by a Met or a Cys in order to modify the redox properties of the heme. The H92M and H92C mutations changed the midpoint redox potential of the heme in the isolated cytochrome by +125 mV and –30 mV, respectively, compared with the wild type. The binding-induced increase of the redox potential observed in the wild type and the H92C mutant was absent in the H92M mutant. Both modified cytochromes were more easily detachable from the Photosystem II compared with the wild type. The Photosystem II activity in cells was not modified by the mutations suggesting that the redox potential of the cytochrome c550 is not important for Photosystem II activity under normal growth conditions. A mutant lacking the cytochrome c550 was also constructed. It showed a lowered affinity for Cl– and Ca2+ as reported earlier for the cytochrome c550-less Synechocystis 6803 mutant, but it showed a shorter lived Formula state, rather than a stabilized S2 state and rapid deactivation of the enzyme in the dark, which were characteristic of the Synechocystis mutant. It is suggested that the latter effects may be caused by loss (or weaker binding) of the other extrinsic proteins rather than a direct effect of the absence of the cytochrome c55

Remote sensing of sunlight-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and reflectance of Scots pine in the boreal forest during spring recovery

A measurement campaign to assess the feasibility of remote sensing of sunlight-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) from a coniferous canopy was conducted in a boreal forest study site (Finland). A Passive Multi-wavelength Fluorescence Detector (PMFD) sensor, developed in the LURE laboratory, was used to obtain simultaneous measurements of ChlF in the oxygen absorption bands, at 687 and 760 nm, and a reflectance index, the PRI (Physiological Reflectance Index), for a month during spring recovery. When these data were compared with active fluorescence measurements performed on needles they revealed the same trend. During sunny days fluorescence and reflectance signals were found to be strongly influenced by shadows associated with the canopy structure. Moreover, chlorophyll fluorescence variations induced by rapid light changes (due to transient cloud shadows) were found to respond more quickly and with larger amplitude under summer conditions compared to those obtained under cold acclimation conditions. In addition, ChlF at 760 nm was observed to increase with the chlorophyll content. During this campaign, the CO2 assimilation was measured at the forest canopy level and was found remarkably well correlated with the PRI index

Complement Inhibition Promotes Endogenous Neurogenesis and Sustained Anti-Inflammatory Neuroprotection following Reperfused Stroke

The restoration of blood-flow following cerebral ischemia incites a series of deleterious cascades that exacerbate neuronal injury. Pharmacologic inhibition of the C3a-receptor ameliorates cerebral injury by attenuating post-ischemic inflammation. Recent reports also implicate C3a in the modulation of tissue repair, suggesting that complement may influence both injury and recovery at later post-ischemic time-points.To evaluate the effect of C3a-receptor antagonism on post-ischemic neurogenesis and neurological outcome in the subacute period of stroke, transient focal cerebral ischemia was induced in adult male C57BL/6 mice treated with multiple regimens of a C3a receptor antagonist (C3aRA).Low-dose C3aRA administration during the acute phase of stroke promotes neuroblast proliferation in the subventricular zone at 7 days. Additionally, the C3a receptor is expressed on T-lymphocytes within the ischemic territory at 7 days, and this cellular infiltrate is abrogated by C3aRA administration. Finally, C3aRA treatment confers robust histologic and functional neuroprotection at this delayed time-point.Targeted complement inhibition through low-dose antagonism of the C3a receptor promotes post-ischemic neuroblast proliferation in the SVZ. Furthermore, C3aRA administration suppresses T-lymphocyte infiltration and improves delayed functional and histologic outcome following reperfused stroke. Post-ischemic complement activation may be pharmacologically manipulated to yield an effective therapy for stroke

Ascorbic acid, aroma compounds and browning of orange juices related to PET packaging materials and pH

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699International audienceThe ascorbic acid content of orange juice made from concentrate was measured after 9 months of storage at 20 degrees C in glass, standard monolayer polyethylene terephthalate (PET1), multilayer PET (PET2) and plasma-treated PET (PET3) containers. Glass enabled the best preservation of ascorbic acid and, in plastic packaging materials, ascorbic acid losses were correlated with their oxygen permeability. PET2 and PET3, which exhibit oxygen permeability 10 times less than that of PET1, enabled a gain of 100 mg L-1 after 9 months of storage. Freshly hand-squeezed orange juice samples were adjusted to various pH values using sodium hydroxide; a rise in the pH from 3.2 to 4.0 significantly reduced the amounts of off-flavours (i.e., furfural and alpha-terpineol) appearing during storage, by 79% and 65%, respectively. Moreover, an increase in the pH from 3.2 to 4.0 enabled the protection of ascorbic acid levels without detrimentally increasing non-enzymatic browning

Evolution of aroma compounds from orange juice stored in polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699International audienceThe evolution of aroma compounds from orange juice made from concentrate and stored in glass, standard monolayer polyethylene terephthalate (PET 1), multilayer PET (PET 2) and plasma-treated PET (internal carbon coating) (PET 3) was investigated. Bottles were stored at room temperature (20 degrees C) under artificial light. Volatile compounds in orange juice samples and corresponding packaging materials were analysed at zero time and after 2, 3 and 5 months of storage. After 5 months of storage, from 0.2 to 0.3% of the initial amounts of limonene and beta-myrcene in the orange juice had been absorbed by the plastic packaging materials. Statistical analyses showed that the evolution of aroma compounds was strongly correlated to the duration of storage, but not to the type of packaging material. Indeed, whatever the stored orange juice samples, the same evolutions were observed, with a decrease in aldehydes and ketones, esters, aliphatic alcohols, sesquiterpene and monoterpene alcohols, and an increase in two aliphatic and monoterpene alcohols (i.e. furfural and 4-vinylguaicol). The results suggest that the losses of aroma compounds from the juice could be attributed to the high acidity of the matrix, implying acid-catalysed reactions. Finally, PET packaging materials and their corresponding oxygen permeabilities showed no correlation with the loss of aroma compound

Le Maghreb dans la Mondialisation

Le Maghreb occupe une place secondaire dans la polarisation de l’économie mondialisée à laquelle il est pourtant fortement arrimé mais dans un rapport asymétrique. Cette situation qui justifie la qualification de «Mondialisation subalterne», se traduit par une accentuation des déséquilibres régionaux au travers d’une valorisation différenciée et sélective des territoires. Elle se traduit également par l’irruption d’espaces marginaux directement connectés avec le système monde et de groupes sociaux censés, situés à la marge extrême des dynamiques de mondialisation et qui réussissent à intégrer celles-ci et à se les réapproprier y compris en mobilisant des référents sociaux traditionnels. Ces pratiques se développent dans une interpellation en miroir entre particularismes et mondialisation alors que l’entre-soi identitaire et national est largement fissuré par de multiples réseaux transnationaux y compris culturels, et virtuels