Assessment of the genetic diversity of native apple cultivars in the south eastern ranges of the Alps with three selected microsatellite loci

The regional diversity of native apple cultivars in parts of the south eastern ranges of the Alps (Styria, Austria and northern parts of Slovenia) was examined. As the application of conventional pomological methods to characterise cultivars may sometimes be ambiguous, we regard the application of molecular methods to be essential for thorough cultivar diversity assessments. Five hundred samples were collected from different climatic and edaphic regions and analysed using three selected microsatellite loci. With this approach we were able to distinguish 190 named varieties at which we chose 50 as reference varieties. The high diversity of native races suggests that the Southern alpine ranges represent a „hot spot“ of cultivar diversity. This can be attributed to historical effects and the local persistence of a traditional management practice with orchards of widely spaced and old-grown trees of various races. Because these „old“ native races could harbour interesting genetic traits (pathogen resistance, taste, etc.) that will be important in future food production, measures for their conservation are overdue. Our approach will not only show which local cultivars/genotypes require rapid action for their protection, but due to the international nature of our project we can also show which old and untraceable local names in different languages correspond with the same cultivars

Phytochemistry of heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) and its altitudinal alteration

11 páginas, 2 figuras, 3 tablas.-- The final publication is available at www.springerlink.comCalluna vulgaris (L.) Hull (heather) is the only species within the genus Calluna (Ericaceae). It is a dominant species of heather communities and can be found in most parts of Europe and Northern America from lowland up to alpine regions. Common heather is traditionally used to treat urinary tract disturbances and inflammatory related disorders. This review covers the current knowledge on phytochemical investigations of C. vulgaris which revealed a complex pattern of flavonoid glycosides including acetylated compounds as well as other classes of phenolics (chromones, procyanidins and simple phenols). Recently, an acetophenone (rodiolinozide) was identified. C. vulgaris occurs in habitats comprising several altitudinal zones which makes it an attractive species to study the variation of its metabolic profiles in wild populations growing under different climatic Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull (heather) is the only species within the genus Calluna (Ericaceae). It is a dominant species of heather communities and can be found in most parts of Europe and Northern America from lowland up to alpine regions. Common heather is traditionally used to treat urinary tract disturbances and inflammatory related disorders. This review covers the current knowledge on phytochemical investigations of C. vulgaris which revealed a complex pattern of flavonoid glycosides including acetylated compounds as well as other classes of phenolics (chromones, procyanidins and simple phenols). Recently, an acetophenone (rodiolinozide) was identified. C. vulgaris occurs in habitats comprising several altitudinal zones which makes it an attractive species to study the variation of its metabolic profiles in wild populations growing under different climatic conditions. Within phenolic compounds, flavonols showed significant differences in samples collected at different altitudes with increased levels of quercetin glycosides at higher altitudes whereas no significant correlation could be found for caffeoyl quinic acids and the dihydroflavonol glycoside callunin. Expanding such investigations to different species and different geographical areas should give a more accurate picture of suitable marker compounds within the group of phenolics in order to detect adaptive processes in high altitude plants. Furthermore, investigations on the specific patterns of phenolics at cellular and subcellular level and their variation due to factors like enhanced solar radiation and low temperature should be expandedWe are grateful for financial support by the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Graz, and the Dr. Heinrich-Jo¨rg and the Gandolph-Doelter foundationsPeer reviewe

Activities of H2O2-Converting Enzymes in Apple Leaf Buds during Dormancy Release in Consideration of the Ratio Change between Bud Scales and Physiologically Active Tissues

Hydrogen peroxide-converting enzyme activities in leaf buds of the apple cultivar Idared during the transition from dormancy release to the ontogenetic development were investigated. For this purpose, leaf buds were collected from 26 March 2021 (DOY = day of the year 85) to 23 April 2021 (DOY 113) and the air temperature was continuously monitored. Enzyme assay protocols for catalase (CAT), intracellular peroxidase (POX), and cell wall-bound peroxidase (cwPOX) in apple leaf buds were successfully established based on published protocols. All enzymes showed considerable changes in activity during the observation period. Fluctuation in daily mean air temperatures seemed not to affect the activities of POX and CAT, whereas severe drops in daily mean air temperature may have interrupted the assumed trajectory of cwPOX activity during the stage of ontogenetic development. In addition, the importance of considering changes in the ratio between physiologically active tissues and bud scales when investigating physiological changes in buds during the phase of dormancy release and ontogenetic development is discussed. A new reference system, namely the “adjusted dry weight” [aDW], is proposed to circumvent this shift in ratios when working with scaled buds

Activities of H₂O₂-Converting Enzymes in Apple Leaf Buds during Dormancy Release in Consideration of the Ratio Change between Bud Scales and Physiologically Active Tissues

Hydrogen peroxide-converting enzyme activities in leaf buds of the apple cultivar Idared during the transition from dormancy release to the ontogenetic development were investigated. For this purpose, leaf buds were collected from 26 March 2021 (DOY = day of the year 85) to 23 April 2021 (DOY 113) and the air temperature was continuously monitored. Enzyme assay protocols for catalase (CAT), intracellular peroxidase (POX), and cell wall-bound peroxidase (cwPOX) in apple leaf buds were successfully established based on published protocols. All enzymes showed considerable changes in activity during the observation period. Fluctuation in daily mean air temperatures seemed not to affect the activities of POX and CAT, whereas severe drops in daily mean air temperature may have interrupted the assumed trajectory of cwPOX activity during the stage of ontogenetic development. In addition, the importance of considering changes in the ratio between physiologically active tissues and bud scales when investigating physiological changes in buds during the phase of dormancy release and ontogenetic development is discussed. A new reference system, namely the “adjusted dry weight” [aDW], is proposed to circumvent this shift in ratios when working with scaled buds

Effects of bacterial inoculants on the indigenous microbiome and secondary metabolites of chamomile plants

Plant-associated bacteria fulfil important functions for plant growth and health of their host. However, our knowledge about the impact of bacterial treatments on the host’s microbiome and physiology is limited. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of bacterial inoculants on the microbiome of chamomile plants Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert grown in a field under organic management in Egypt. Chamomile seedlings were inoculated with three indigenous Gram-positive strains (Streptomyces subrutilus Wbn2-11, Bacillus subtilis Co1-6, Paenibacillus polymyxa Mc5Re-14) from Egypt and three European Gram-negative strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens L13-6-12, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila P69, Serratia plymuthica 3Re4-18) already known for their beneficial plant-microbe interaction. Molecular fingerprints of 16S rRNA gene as well as real-time PCR analyses did not show statistically significant differences for all applied bacterial antagonists compared to the control. In contrast, a pyrosequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed significant differences in the community structure of bacteria between the treatments. These differences could be clearly shown by a shift within the community structure and corresponding beta-diversity indices. Moreover, B. subtilis Co1-6 and P. polymyxa Mc5Re-14 showed an enhancement of the bioactive secondary metabolite apigenin-7-O-glucoside. This indicates a possible new function of bacterial inoculants: to interact with the plant microbiome as well as with the plant metabolome

Loosenin-Like Proteins from Phanerochaete carnosa Impact Both Cellulose and Chitin Fiber Networks

| openaire: EC/H2020/648925/EU//BHIVE | openaire: EC/H2020/964764/EU//BioUPGRADE Funding Information: We thank Thu Vuong (Master Group, University of Toronto) for his assistance with generating model protein structures. We also acknowledge the use of Aalto University Bioeconomy facilities as well as the Biocenter Oulu Protein Biophysical Analysis core facility (a member of Biocenter Finland). We declare that no competing interests exist. This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 964764 and the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator program (grant no. BHIVE–648925). This study was also supported by funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (BIOSEMBL–34622). Work by J.V. and K.S.M. was supported by the Academy of Finland under grant no. 311244; work by D.J.C. and E.R.W. was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under grant no. DE-FG02-84ER13179, and work by T.K. was supported by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (Centre for Young Synbio Scientists). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The content presented in this article represents the views of the authors, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Funding Information: This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 964764 and the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator program (grant no. BHIVE–648925). This study was also supported by funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (BIOSEMBL–34622). Work by J.V. and K.S.M. was supported by the Academy of Finland under grant no. 311244; work by D.J.C. and E.R.W. was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under grant no. DE-FG02-84ER13179, and work by T.K. was supported by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (Centre for Young Synbio Scientists). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Monschein et al.Microbial expansin-related proteins are ubiquitous across bacterial and fungal organisms and reportedly play a role in the modification and deconstruction of cell wall polysaccharides, including lignocellulose. So far, very few microbial expansin-related proteins, including loosenins and loosenin-like (LOOL) proteins, have been functionally characterized. Herein, four LOOLs encoded by Phanerochaete carnosa and belonging to different subfamilies (i.e., PcaLOOL7 and PcaLOOL9 from subfamily A and PcaLOOL2 and PcaLOOL12 from subfamily B) were recombinantly produced and the purified proteins were characterized using diverse cellulose and chitin substrates. The purified PcaLOOLs weakened cellulose filter paper and cellulose nanofibril networks (CNF); however, none significantly boosted cellulase activity on the selected cellulose substrates (Avicel and Whatman paper). Although fusing the family 63 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM63) of BsEXLX1 encoded by Bacillus subtilis to PcaLOOLs increased their binding to cellulose, the CBM63 fusion appeared to reduce the cellulose filter paper weakening observed using wild-type proteins. Binding of PcaLOOLs to alpha-chitin was considerably higher than that to cellulose (Avicel) and was pH dependent, with the highest binding at pH 5.0. Amendment of certain PcaLOOLs in fungal liquid cultivations also impacted the density of the cultivated mycelia. The present study reveals the potential of fungal expansin-related proteins to impact both cellulose and chitin networks and points to a possible biological role in fungal cell wall processing.Peer reviewe

Loosenin-Like Proteins from Phanerochaete carnosa Impact Both Cellulose and Chitin Fiber Networks

The present study deepens investigations of microbial expansin-related proteins and their applied significance by (i) reporting a detailed comparison of diverse loosenins encoded by the same organism, (ii) considering both cellulosic and chitin-containing materials as targeted substrates, and (iii) investigating the impact of the C-terminal carbohydrate binding module (CBM) present in other expansin-related proteins on loosenin function. By revealing the potential of fungal loosenins to impact both cellulose and chitin-containing networks, our study reveals a possible biological and applied role of loosenins in fungal cell wall processing.Microbial expansin-related proteins are ubiquitous across bacterial and fungal organisms and reportedly play a role in the modification and deconstruction of cell wall polysaccharides, including lignocellulose. So far, very few microbial expansin-related proteins, including loosenins and loosenin-like (LOOL) proteins, have been functionally characterized. Herein, four LOOLs encoded by Phanerochaete carnosa and belonging to different subfamilies (i.e., PcaLOOL7 and PcaLOOL9 from subfamily A and PcaLOOL2 and PcaLOOL12 from subfamily B) were recombinantly produced and the purified proteins were characterized using diverse cellulose and chitin substrates. The purified PcaLOOLs weakened cellulose filter paper and cellulose nanofibril networks (CNF); however, none significantly boosted cellulase activity on the selected cellulose substrates (Avicel and Whatman paper). Although fusing the family 63 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM63) of BsEXLX1 encoded by Bacillus subtilis to PcaLOOLs increased their binding to cellulose, the CBM63 fusion appeared to reduce the cellulose filter paper weakening observed using wild-type proteins. Binding of PcaLOOLs to alpha-chitin was considerably higher than that to cellulose (Avicel) and was pH dependent, with the highest binding at pH 5.0. Amendment of certain PcaLOOLs in fungal liquid cultivations also impacted the density of the cultivated mycelia. The present study reveals the potential of fungal expansin-related proteins to impact both cellulose and chitin networks and points to a possible biological role in fungal cell wall processing.IMPORTANCE The present study deepens investigations of microbial expansin-related proteins and their applied significance by (i) reporting a detailed comparison of diverse loosenins encoded by the same organism, (ii) considering both cellulosic and chitin-containing materials as targeted substrates, and (iii) investigating the impact of the C-terminal carbohydrate binding module (CBM) present in other expansin-related proteins on loosenin function. By revealing the potential of fungal loosenins to impact both cellulose and chitin-containing networks, our study reveals a possible biological and applied role of loosenins in fungal cell wall processing.Peer reviewe