High-throughput Agrobacterium-mediated barley transformation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant transformation is an invaluable tool for basic plant research, as well as a useful technique for the direct improvement of commercial crops. Barley (<it>Hordeum vulgare</it>) is the fourth most abundant cereal crop in the world. It also provides a useful model for the study of wheat, which has a larger and more complex genome. Most existing barley transformation methodologies are either complex or have low (<10%) transformation efficiencies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A robust, simple and reproducible barley transformation protocol has been developed that yields average transformation efficiencies of 25%. This protocol is based on the infection of immature barley embryos with <it>Agrobacterium </it>strain AGL1, carrying vectors from the pBract series that contain the <it>hpt </it>gene (conferring hygromycin resistance) as a selectable marker. Results of large scale experiments utilising the <it>luc </it>(firefly luciferase) gene as a reporter are described. The method presented here has been used to produce hundreds of independent, transgenic plant lines and we show that a large proportion of these lines contain single copies of the <it>luc </it>gene.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This protocol demonstrates significant improvements in both efficiency and ease of use over existing barley transformation methods. This opens up opportunities for the development of functional genomics resources in barley.</p

Making America A Better Place for All: Sustainable Development Recommendations for the Biden Administration

In 2015, the United Nations Member States, including the United States, unanimously approved 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are nonbinding; each nation is to implement them based on its own priorities and circumstances. This Article argues that the SDGs are a critical normative framework the United States should use to improve human quality of life, freedom, and opportunity by integrating economic and social development with environmental protection. It collects the recommendations of 22 experts on steps that the Biden-Harris Administration should take now to advance each of the SDGs. It is part of a book project that will recommend not only federal actions, but also actions by state and local governments, the private sector, and civil society. In the face of multiple challenges and opportunities, this Article is intended to contribute to a robust public discussion about how to accelerate the transition to a sustainable society and make America a better place for all

Genetic Resistance to Greenbug is Expressed with Higher Contents of Proteins and Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Wheat Substitution Lines

This paper studied the endogenous levels of reduced, non-reduced, total non-structural carbohydrates, soluble proteins and biomass in aerial and rooting structures of bread wheat, Triticum aestivum (2n=6x=42), in response to aphids, as a first step for understanding the cascade of transductional events that may account for antixenosis, antibiosis and tolerance to greenbug. Up to now, few studies have been made on the relationship between aphid resistance and these traits. A set of wheat intervarietal chromosome substitution lines, with ‘‘Chinese Spring’’ (CS, a greenbug susceptible line) as a recipient and a synthetic wheat (Triticum dicoccum x T tauschii, = [Syn]) as the donor, and both parents were used. Plants were cultivated in hydroponic solutions to the fully expanded 3rd leaf stage. Half of the plants of every genotype were infested 72h with greenbugs, and the remaining uninfested plants were used as controls. Carbohydrate and protein contents and dry matter mass were determined for aerial and root tissues Lines 5A and 6A had lower aerial, root and, consequently, total dry weights in both control and infested plants. These lines have been previously reported to be antixenotic against greenbug and Russian Wheat Aphid (RWA), implying these lines carry genes for constitutive defences. Four substitution lines (1A, 1B, 7B and 7D) showed significant increases in protein content when infested, compared to their controls and to the CS susceptible parent. Considering that these substitution lines have been previously reported to reduce greenbug and RWA fertilities and longevities, the antibiotic resistance to greenbugs may be related to gene expression for enhanced protein levels. Most of the D genome substitution lines showed an increase of total root carbohydrates with the greatest increase in total root and aerial carbohydrates under infestation in the 1D and 6D substitution lines. Since these lines have been reported as being tolerant to greenbug, their highest carbohydrate contents probably protect them against biotic stress by enhancing growth. Greenbug resistance genes have been mapped only on the 1A, 6A, 7A and 7D chromosomes. Nonetheless, it was possible to identify other substitution lines that showed effects in the photosynthesis, the C and N metabolisms in the cascade of transductional signals that account for antixenosis, antibiosis and tolerance to greenbug in wheatPublicado en Buck H.T., Nisi J.E. y Salomón N. (eds) Wheat Production in Stressed Environments. Developments in Plant Breeding, vol 12. Springer, DordrechtFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Safety and immunogenicity of AS03B adjuvanted split virion versus non-adjuvanted whole virion H1N1 influenza vaccine in UK children aged 6 months-12 years: open label, randomised, parallel group, multicentre study

Objectives To compare the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of an adjuvanted split virion H1N1 vaccine and a non-adjuvanted whole virion vaccine used in the pandemic immunisation programme in the United Kingdom

Connecting Earth Observation to High-Throughput Biodiversity Data

There is much interest in using Earth Observation (EO) technology to track biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services, understandable given the fast pace of biodiversity loss. However, because most biodiversity is invisible to EO, EO-based indicators could be misleading, which can reduce the effectiveness of nature conservation and even unintentionally decrease conservation effort. We describe an approach that combines automated recording devices, high-throughput DNA sequencing, and modern ecological modelling to extract much more of the information available in EO data. This approach is achievable now, 62 offering efficient and near-real time monitoring of management impacts on biodiversity and its functions and services

Connecting Earth observation to high-throughput biodiversity data

Understandably, given the fast pace of biodiversity loss, there is much interest in using Earth observation technology to track biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. However, because most biodiversity is invisible to Earth observation, indicators based on Earth observation could be misleading and reduce the effectiveness of nature conservation and even unintentionally decrease conservation effort. We describe an approach that combines automated recording devices, high-throughput DNA sequencing and modern ecological modelling to extract much more of the information available in Earth observation data. This approach is achievable now, offering efficient and near-real-time monitoring of management impacts on biodiversity and its functions and services

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment: What are the big questions?

Background: Over the past 10-15 years, a substantial amount of work has been done by the scientific, regulatory, and business communities to elucidate the effects and risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment. Objective: This review was undertaken to identify key outstanding issues regarding the effects of PPCPs on human and ecological health in order to ensure that future resources will be focused on the most important areas. Data sources: To better understand and manage the risks of PPCPs in the environment, we used the "key question" approach to identify the principle issues that need to be addressed. Initially, questions were solicited from academic, government, and business communities around the world. A list of 101 questions was then discussed at an international expert workshop, and a top-20 list was developed. Following the workshop, workshop attendees ranked the 20 questions by importance. Data synthesis: The top 20 priority questions fell into seven categories: a) prioritization of substances for assessment, b) pathways of exposure, c) bioavailability and uptake, d) effects characterization, e) risk and relative risk, f) antibiotic resistance, and g) risk management. Conclusions: A large body of information is now available on PPCPs in the environment. This exercise prioritized the most critical questions to aid in development of future research programs on the topic.Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambient

The Influence of Number and Timing of Pregnancies on Breast Cancer Risk for Women With BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutations

International audienceBACKGROUND:Full-term pregnancy (FTP) is associated with a reduced breast cancer (BC) risk over time, but women are at increased BC risk in the immediate years following an FTP. No large prospective studies, however, have examined whether the number and timing of pregnancies are associated with BC risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.METHODS:Using weighted and time-varying Cox proportional hazards models, we investigated whether reproductive events are associated with BC risk for mutation carriers using a retrospective cohort (5707 BRCA1 and 3525 BRCA2 mutation carriers) and a prospective cohort (2276 BRCA1 and 1610 BRCA2 mutation carriers), separately for each cohort and the combined prospective and retrospective cohort.RESULTS:For BRCA1 mutation carriers, there was no overall association with parity compared with nulliparity (combined hazard ratio [HRc] = 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83 to 1.18). Relative to being uniparous, an increased number of FTPs was associated with decreased BC risk (HRc = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.69 to 0.91; HRc = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.82; HRc = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.40 to 0.63, for 2, 3, and ≥4 FTPs, respectively, P trend < .0001) and increasing duration of breastfeeding was associated with decreased BC risk (combined cohort P trend = .0003). Relative to being nulliparous, uniparous BRCA1 mutation carriers were at increased BC risk in the prospective analysis (prospective hazard ration [HRp] = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.62). For BRCA2 mutation carriers, being parous was associated with a 30% increase in BC risk (HRc = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.69), and there was no apparent decrease in risk associated with multiparity except for having at least 4 FTPs vs. 1 FTP (HRc = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54 to 0.98).CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest differential associations with parity between BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with higher risk for uniparous BRCA1 carriers and parous BRCA2 carriers