Persistent Supercooling of Reproductive Shoots Is Enabled by Structural Ice Barriers Being Active Despite an Intact Xylem Connection - Fig 4

<p><b>Anatomical parameters measured on cross and longitudinal sections of the vegetative shoot (Z</b>_<b>1</b><b>), the upper part of the pedicel (Z</b>_<b>2</b><b>), the transition zone between the vegetative shoot and the pedicel (Z</b>_<b>3</b><b>), and the basal part of the pedicel (Z</b>_<b>4</b><b>) in <i>C</i>. <i>vulgaris</i> (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0163160#pone.0163160.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1</a>).</b> Total xylem area in a cross section (A_x), external diameter (d_e), diameter of the vascular tissue (d_x), diameter of the pith tissue (d_p), diameter of conducting xylem units (depending on zone: tracheae and tracheids or only tracheids; d_tt), cell wall thickness of conducting xylem units (t_cw), length of tracheids (l_tr), ratio of cell wall thickness to cell diameter (r = t_cw/d_tt), and number of vessels in a cross section (n), given in mean values ± SE. The box plots indicate the median (= second quartile; line inside the box) and extend from the first to the third quartile. The whiskers show at most the 1.5 fold interquartile range. Outliers are shown as black dots. Within a single parameter, lower case letters indicate significant differences among the mean values of the four zones.</p

Changes in low-molecular-weight thiol-disulphide redox couples are part of bread wheat seed germination and early seedling growth

<p>The tripeptide antioxidant glutathione (γ-l-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine; GSH) essentially contributes to thiol-disulphide conversions, which are involved in the control of seed development, germination, and seedling establishment. However, the relative contribution of GSH metabolism in different seed structures is not fully understood. We studied the GSH/glutathione disulphide (GSSG) redox couple and associated low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols and disulphides related to GSH metabolism in bread wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) seeds, focussing on redox changes in the embryo and endosperm during germination. In dry seeds, GSH was the predominant LMW thiol and, 15 h after the onset of imbibition, embryos of non-germinated seeds contained 12 times more LMW thiols than the endosperm. In germinated seeds, the embryo contained 17 and 11 times more LMW thiols than the endosperm after 15 and 48 h, respectively. This resulted in the embryo having significantly more reducing half-cell reduction potentials of GSH/GSSG and cysteine (Cys)/cystine (CySS) redox couples (E_GSSG/2GSH and E_CySS/2Cys, respectively). Upon seed germination and early seedling growth, Cys and CySS concentrations significantly increased in both embryo and endosperm, progressively contributing to the cellular LMW thiol-disulphide redox environment (E_{thiol-disulphide}). The changes in E_CySS/2Cys could be related to the mobilisation of storage proteins in the endosperm during early seedling growth. We suggest that E_GSSG/2GSH and E_CySS/2Cys can be used as markers of the physiological and developmental stage of embryo and endosperm. We also present a model of interaction between LMW thiols and disulphides with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in redox regulation of bread wheat germination and early seedling growth.</p

Location of the ice barrier tissue by IR-Thermography.

<p>(A) Digital image of a vegetative shoot bearing five reproductive shoots of <i>C</i>. <i>vulgaris</i> prior to the freezing treatment and (B-P) sequence of images of an overlay of the digital image and of IDTA images during controlled freezing. Heat given off by freezing is white in comparison to the background. Ice nucleated at -3.3°C in an INA bacteria suspension droplet (not in the picture) that had been placed at the cut end of the vegetative shoot and passed immediately into the vegetative shoot (B-D). The structural ice barrier is clearly detectable at the base of the pedicel (D, red circles). All flowers remained supercooled and froze at lower temperatures between -9.9°C and -15.5°C, about 2.5 h and 4.7 h later than the initial ice nucleation in the vegetative shoot. In one flower the initial ice nucleation event was detected in the style (E, red arrow), and ice propagated from there into all other reproductive organs (F-H). The other four flowers showed initial ice nucleation in the region of the calyx, base of the petals or the gynoeceum (I, K, M, O). After nucleation in the flowers ice propagated downwards and stopped at the base of the pedicels (I-P). Actual temperatures are indicated in the top right corner of each image. The time span (in hours, minutes, and seconds) after initial ice nucleation in the vegetative shoot is indicated at the bottom right corner of each image.</p

Genotype-phenotype-analysis of SNP rs6887695 in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) for which detailed phenotypic data based on the Montreal classification was available.

<p>For each variable, the number of patients included is given. P_CC<i>P</i>-value for testing for differences between homozygous carriers of the C allele and heterozygous/non-carriers of the C allele. OR_CC: corresponding odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Significant <i>P</i>-values (<0.05) are depicted in <b>bold fonts</b>. <i>P</i>-values marked with an asterisk remained significant following Bonferroni correction.</p

Genotype-phenotype-analysis of SNP rs6887695 in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

<p>P_CC:<i>P</i>-value for testing for differences between homozygous carriers of the C allele (C/C) and heterozygous and non-carriers of the C allele. OR_CC: corresponding odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Significant <i>P</i>-values (<0.05) are depicted in <b>bold</b>, <i>P</i>-values showing a trend towards significance are depicted in <i>Italic fonts</i>. P-values marked with an asterisk * remained significant after Bonferroni correction.</p>1<p>Disease behaviour was defined according to the Montreal classification. A stricturing disease phenotype was defined as presence of stenosis without penetrating disease. The diagnosis of stenosis was made surgically, endoscopically, or radiologically (using MRI enteroclysis).</p>2<p>Immunosuppressive agents included azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanin, methotrexate, infliximab and/or adalimumab.</p>3<p>Only surgery related to CD-specific problems (e.g. fistulectomy, colectomy, ileostomy) was included.</p