Establecimiento de las bases biotecnológicas y ecológicas en la mejora genética de Vanilla planifolia Jacqs. (Orchidaceae)

Vanilla planifolia Jacks is a genetic resource of socio-economic importance to the State of Veracruz, México. However, in recent years, this culture is facing a serious problem due to the fall of its fruits. To contribute to the conservation, improvement and management of V. planifolia, it has been developed a network project for the strengthening of academic bodies sponsored by the Secretariat of public education. This paper presents some of the progress made in this context

Possible bases of the resistance of Coconut palm to the phytoplasma that causes lethal yellowing disease

Phytoplasmas belong to the parasitic group of mollicutes, which represent a phylogenetically coherent group of pathogens that colonize a wide spectrum of hosts and insects [1]

5-Azacytidine: A Promoter of Epigenetic Changes in the Quest to Improve Plant Somatic Embryogenesis

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a widely studied process due to its biotechnological potential to generate large quantities of plants in short time frames and from different sources of explants. The success of SE depends on many factors, such as the nature of the explant, the microenvironment generated by in vitro culture conditions, and the regulation of gene expression, among others. Epigenetics has recently been identified as an important factor influencing SE outcome. DNA methylation is one of the most studied epigenetic mechanisms due to its essential role in gene expression, and its participation in SE is crucial. DNA methylation levels can be modified through the use of drugs such as 5-Azacytidine (5-AzaC), an inhibitor of DNA methylation, which has been used during SE protocols. The balance between hypomethylation and hypermethylation seems to be the key to SE success. Here, we discuss the most prominent recent research on the role of 5-AzaC in the regulation of DNA methylation, highlighting its importance during the SE process. Also, the molecular implications that this inhibitor might have for the increase or decrease in the embryogenic potential of various explants are reviewed

Incremento de embriones somáticos de Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) en sistema de inmersión automatico

Abstract: Cacao is a tropical tree native to America. Its fruit is used in the elaboration of chocolate and its derivatives. The propagation of cacao is done through sexual means or seeds; additionally, it propagates through the use of cuttings and grafting. Currently, somatic embryogenesis is also employed for the clonal propagation of cacao, which can be repeated several times and contributes to the increase in the formation of somatic embryos. Therefore, the use of a temporary immersion system can increase the production of secondary somatic embryos. Given the aforementioned, the objective was to evaluate the Rita® temporary immersion system in the performance of secondary somatic embryos from 30 to 180 days in two cultivation cycles. The results showed that somatic embryos were generated in cotyledon explants and in full somatic embryos. A second cycle was obtained from the secondary somatic embryogenesis where 150 somatic embryos were obtained per Rita® recipient with an average of 15 embryos per explant. The temporary immersion system favored the production of somatic embryos, its synchronization, and decreased the oxidation of the tissue.Resumen: El cacao es un árbol tropical originario de América, su fruto se usa en la elaboración del chocolate y sus derivados. La propagación del cacao se realiza por la vía sexual o semillas, adicionalmente se propaga por enraizamiento de estacas e injertos. En la actualidad también se emplea la embriogénesis somática para la propagación clonal del cacao, la cual puede repetirse varias veces, lo que contribuye al incremento en la formación de embriones somáticos; por lo que el uso de un sistema de inmersión automático, puede incrementar la producción de embriones somáticos secundarios. Por lo anterior, el objetivo fue evaluar el sistema de inmersión automático Rita® en el rendimiento de embriones somáticos secundarios de los 30 a los 180 d en dos ciclos de cultivo. Los resultados muestran que se generaron embriones somáticos en los explantes de fragmento de cotiledón y en embriones somáticos completos. Se obtuvo un segundo ciclo de la embriogénesis somática secundaria, en el que se obtuvieron 150 embriones somáticos por recipiente Rita® con promedio de 15 embriones por explante. El sistema de inmersión automático favoreció la producción de embriones somáticos, su sincronización y disminuyó la oxidación del tejido

PhyEffector, the First Algorithm That Identifies Classical and Non-Classical Effectors in Phytoplasmas

Phytoplasmas are the causal agents of more than 100 plant diseases in economically important crops. Eleven genomes have been fully sequenced and have allowed us to gain a better understanding of the biology and evolution of phytoplasmas. Effectors are key players in pathogenicity and virulence, and their identification and description are becoming an essential practice in the description of phytoplasma genomes. This is of particular importance because effectors are possible candidates for the development of new strategies for the control of plant diseases. To date, the prediction of effectors in phytoplasmas has been a great challenge; the reliable comparison of effectoromes has been hindered because research teams have used the combination of different programs in their predictions. This is not trivial since significant differences in the results can arise, depending on the predictive pipeline used. Here, we tested different predictive pipelines to create the PhyEffector algorithm; the average value of the F1 score for PhyEffector was 0.9761 when applied to different databases or genomes, demonstrating its robustness as a predictive tool. PhyEffector can recover both classical and non-classical phytoplasma effectors, making it an invaluable tool to accelerate effectoromics in phytoplasmas

EffHunter: A Tool for Prediction of Effector Protein Candidates in Fungal Proteomic Databases

Pathogens are able to deliver small-secreted, cysteine-rich proteins into plant cells to enable infection. The computational prediction of effector proteins remains one of the most challenging areas in the study of plant fungi interactions. At present, there are several bioinformatic programs that can help in the identification of these proteins; however, in most cases, these programs are managed independently. Here, we present EffHunter, an easy and fast bioinformatics tool for the identification of effectors. This predictor was used to identify putative effectors in 88 proteomes using characteristics such as size, cysteine residue content, secretion signal and transmembrane domains

Fungal diversity and colonization in roots seed trees of Swietenia macrophylla King (Magnoliophyta: Meliaceae) in the tropical rainforest of Laguna Om, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Aim of study: (i) To investigate the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with the roots of seed trees stands in a conserved and natural population of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), based on rDNA sequences; and (ii) to evaluate the dual colonization by AMF and dark septate fungi (DSF), showing the types of fungal colonization patterns in the dry season. Area of study: Tropical rainforest of Ejido Laguna Om, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Material and methods: We evaluated the AMF and DSF colonization in secondary root segments of ten adult trees of mahogany. We analysed the diversity of AMF in one composite sample of mahogany roots (three trees) using 18S rDNA gene with Illumina MiSeq platform. Main results: Through metabarcoding 14 virtual taxa belonging mainly to the genus Glomus and Diversispora were obtained, VTX00186 being the most abundant. The percentages of colonization for the different fungal structures were hyphae 80%, vesicles 18%, coils 2%, and arbuscules 0.5%; for DSF, 60% hyphae and 12% microsclerotia. The Paris-type colonization predominated with 61% in the roots. Research highlights: The knowledge of the AMF diversity present in natural mahogany forests will allow the selection of species for inoculation management seeking to enhance seedling survival and growth of this species