Phenotypic and nuclear DNA variation in Tunisian cultivars of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

The aim of this study was to assess the morphological diversity of the five most important and widely consumed Tunisian date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars and the possible relationship between phenotypic variation and genome size and ploidy, since polyploidy can occur in this species. Five Tunisian palm date cultivars were evaluated, based on morphological traits and nuclear DNA content. The analysis of variance revealed statistically highly-significant differences among cultivars (Alig, Bsser, Deglet Nour, Kinticha and Hamra) for average palm length (LP) (m), perianth diameter (PD) (mm), pulp thickness (ThP) (cm), 30 fresh fruit weight (30 FrW) (g), 30 fresh seed weight (30 SW) (g), 30 SW/30 FrW ratio (%), fresh seed length (SL) (cm), fresh seed width (SWi) (cm) and water content (WaC) (%). The relationship among these characters was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), resulting in the separation of these cultivars into three groups. The first group included Alig and Deglet Nour, characterized by high values for perianth diameter, pulp thickness, 30 fresh fruit weight and water content. The cultivar Hamra (H) formed a separate group, characterized by high values for seed width, 30 seed weight, 30 seed weight /30fruit weight ratio and seed length. This study shows that certain Tunisian cultivars, apart from Deglet Nour (Alig and Hamra), are particularly recommended for future selection and breeding programs. The morphological variation was not due to differences in ploidy, since the tested cultivars had 2C nuclear DNA contents of 1.729 to 1.80 pg and were all diploids (2n = 2x = 36). The data suggested that the Tunisian cultivars have limited geographical distribution and that P. dactylifera is an ancestral species.Key words: Date palm, fruit, genome size, morphological traits, seed

Geographical variation in the terpene composition of Pinus halepensis Mill.

Les variations génétiques de 57 populations péri-méditerranéennes de Pinus halepensis ont été étudiées à l'aide de 12 terpènes utilisés comme marqueurs biochimiques. Des échantillons de tissus corticaux de pins d'Alep ont été collectés dans des peuplements naturels ainsi que dans d'anciens essais comparatifs. La structure de la population et les variations géographiques diffèrent d'un composé à un autre. Une discrimination des groupes géographiques a été obtenue à l'aide des concentrations relatives de cinq monoterpènes et d'un sesquiterpène. Les résultats révèlent une grande variation de la composition en terpènes entre les sources de graines et le pays étudié. La comparaison des zones géographiques révèle que les provenances d'origines italiennes semblent diversifiées, certaines autochtones et d'autres résultant d'introductions artificielles (essentiellement du Moyen-Orient). A l'opposé, d'autres zones géographiques semblent être plus homogènes, comme l'Espagne de l'est, le Sud-Est de la France et la Tunisi

Fatty acid composition, essential oil and antibacterial activity of berries of laurus nobilis L.

Fruits of Laurus nobilis L. growing wild in different stations of Tunisia and Algeria were analysed for their fixed oil and essential oil composition. Fixed oil was extracted in Soxhlet apparatus by using hexane as solvent. The yield values were found approximatively the same for the fruit of the different stations. Fatty acids composition of the fixed oil was determined by using combined techniques of HPLC and GC. Fatty acids composition of L. nobilis were found as 54 % for satured fatty acids and 46 %for unsatured acids. Essential oils, isolated by hydrodistillation, from different parts of the berries (seeds and pericarp) of L. nobilis were analyzed by GC-MS and the main components were: 1,8-cineole, (E) β-ocimene, α-terpinyl acetate, α-pinene, β-pinene and β-longipinene. The yields in essential oil range between 0.6 - 1.2 % by weight for seeds and 0.8 -1.1 % for pericarps. Study of the chemical composition indicate a small variability of the volatile oil and fixed oil between the different stations whereas big differences in the composition was observed for the seeds and pericarp

Phenotypic spectrum and prevalence of INPP5E mutations in Joubert Syndrome and related disorders

<p>Joubert syndrome and related disorders (JSRD) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous ciliopathies sharing a peculiar midbrain-hindbrain malformation known as the 'molar tooth sign'. To date, 19 causative genes have been identified, all coding for proteins of the primary cilium. There is clinical and genetic overlap with other ciliopathies, in particular with Meckel syndrome (MKS), that is allelic to JSRD at nine distinct loci. We previously identified the INPP5E gene as causative of JSRD in seven families linked to the JBTS1 locus, yet the phenotypic spectrum and prevalence of INPP5E mutations in JSRD and MKS remain largely unknown. To address this issue, we performed INPP5E mutation analysis in 483 probands, including 408 JSRD patients representative of all clinical subgroups and 75 MKS fetuses. We identified 12 different mutations in 17 probands from 11 JSRD families, with an overall 2.7% mutation frequency among JSRD. The most common clinical presentation among mutated families (7/11, 64%) was Joubert syndrome with ocular involvement (either progressive retinopathy and/or colobomas), while the remaining cases had pure JS. Kidney, liver and skeletal involvement were not observed. None of the MKS fetuses carried INPP5E mutations, indicating that the two ciliopathies are not allelic at this locus.</p>