Genotypic variability in callus induction and plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis of five deepwater rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars of Bangladesh

Experiments were carried out to induce embryogenic callus and plant regeneration from five different deepwater rice cultivars. Using mature embryos as explant, all the cultivars demonstrated high callusinduction and plant regeneration frequencies. When coleoptile and root segments used as explants, they had low frequencies of embryogenesis. Depending on different genotypes, the best plant regeneration was obtained on LS (Linsmaier and Skoog, 1965) based medium supplemented with 2 mgl-1 BAP + 1.5 mg l-1 2,4-D. Large variabilities in callus growth and plant regeneration potential were revealed among the cultivars tested. Cultivar HA-8 formed a high frequency (78%) of callus than that of other cultivars. In contrast cv. HA-1 produced the highest percentage (72%) of plant regeneration. The callus growth potential was not correlated with the plant regeneration potential. Coleoptiles and root segments produced calli, which did not develop any shoot bud in regeneration media. Moreover, thecalli turned blackish, watery and translucent after 25-28 days of culture. It is clear that mature seed scutellum (MSS) is the best explant for callus induction and plant regeneratio

May the Force Be with You! Force-Volume Mapping with Atomic Force Microscopy

Information of the chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties of materials can be obtained using force volume mapping (FVM), a measurement mode of scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Protocols have been developed with FVM for a broad range of materials, including polymers, organic films, inorganic materials, and biological samples. Multiple force measurements are acquired with the FVM mode within a defined 3D volume of the sample to map interactions (i.e., chemical, electrical, or physical) between the probe and the sample. Forces of adhesion, elasticity, stiffness, deformation, chemical binding interactions, viscoelasticity, and electrical properties have all been mapped at the nanoscale with FVM. Subsequently, force maps can be correlated with features of topographic images for identifying certain chemical groups presented at a sample interface. The SPM tip can be coated to investigate-specific reactions; for example, biological interactions can be probed when the tip is coated with biomolecules such as for recognition of ligand-receptor pairs or antigen-antibody interactions. This review highlights the versatility and diverse measurement protocols that have emerged for studies applying FVM for the analysis of material properties at the nanoscale

Early-Life Human Microbiota Associated With Childhood Allergy Promotes the T Helper 17 Axis in Mice

The intestinal microbiota influences immune maturation during childhood, and is implicated in early-life allergy development. However, to directly study intestinal microbes and gut immune responses in infants is difficult. To investigate how different types of early-life gut microbiota affect immune development, we collected fecal samples from children with different allergic heredity (AH) and inoculated germ-free mice. Immune responses and microbiota composition were evaluated in the offspring of these mice. Microbial composition in the small intestine, the cecum and the colon were determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. The intestinal microbiota differed markedly between the groups of mice, but only exposure to microbiota associated with AH and known future allergy in children resulted in a T helper 17 (Th17)-signature, both systemically and in the gut mucosa in the mouse offspring. These Th17 responses could be signs of a particular microbiota and a shift in immune development, ultimately resulting in an increased risk of allergy