Plant lectins: the ties that bind in root symbiosis and plant defense

Lectins are a diverse group of carbohydrate-binding proteins that are found within and associated with organisms from all kingdoms of life. Several different classes of plant lectins serve a diverse array of functions. The most prominent of these include participation in plant defense against predators and pathogens and involvement in symbiotic interactions between host plants and symbiotic microbes, including mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Extensive biological, biochemical, and molecular studies have shed light on the functions of plant lectins, and a plethora of uncharacterized lectin genes are being revealed at the genomic scale, suggesting unexplored and novel diversity in plant lectin structure and function. Integration of the results from these different types of research is beginning to yield a more detailed understanding of the function of lectins in symbiosis, defense, and plant biology in general

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules involved in the improvement of plant growth, health and nutrition

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules are known as rhizobia and belong to the class Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. They promote the growth and nutrition of their respective legume hosts through atmospheric nitrogen fixation which takes place in the nodules induced in their roots or stems. In addition, rhizobia have other plant growth-promoting mechanisms, mainly solubilization of phosphate and production of indoleacetic acid, ACC deaminase and siderophores. Some of these mechanisms have been reported for strains of rhizobia which are also able to promote the growth of several nonlegumes, such as cereals, oilseeds and vegetables. Less studied are the mechanisms that have the rhizobia to promote the plant health; however, these bacteria are able to exert biocontrol of some phytopathogens and to induce the plant resistance. In this chapter, we revised the available data about the ability of the legume nodule-inducing bacteria for improving the plant growth, health and nutrition of both legumes and nonlegumes. These data showed that rhizobia meet all the requirements of sustainable agriculture to be used as bio-inoculants allowing the total or partial replacement of chemicals used for fertilization or protection of crops

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of aroma synthesis in two hybrids between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii in winemaking conditions

[Background] Aroma is one of the most important attributes defining wine quality in which yeasts play a crucial role, synthesizing aromatic compounds or releasing odourless conjugates. A present-day trend in winemaking consists of lowering fermentation temperature to achieve higher aroma production and retention. S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii hybrids seem to have inherited beneficial traits from their parental species, like fermenting efficiently at low temperature or producing higher amounts of certain aromatic compounds. In this study, allelic composition and gene expression of the genes related to aroma synthesis in two genetically and phenotypically different S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii hybrids, Lalvin W27 and VIN7, were compared and related to aroma production in microvinifications at 12 and 28 °C. In addition, the contribution of the allele coming from each parental to the overall expression was explored by RT-PCR.[Results] The results indicated large differences in allele composition, gene expression and the contribution of each parental to the overall expression at the fermentation temperatures tested. Results obtained by RT-PCR showed that in ARO1 and ATF2 genes the S. kudriavzevii allele was more expressed than that of S. cerevisiae particularly at 12 °C.[Conclusions] This study revealed high differences regarding allele composition and gene expression in two S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii hybrids, which may have led to different aroma profiles in winemaking conditions. The contribution of the alleles coming from each parental to the overall expression has proved to differently influence aroma synthesis. Besides, the quantitative contribution to the overall gene expression of the alleles coming from one parental strain or the other was clearly determined by the fermentation temperature for some genes.This work has been supported by the projects AGL2012-39937-C02-01 from the Spanish Government and FEDER to A. Querol. AG acknowledge to her PhD contract from I3P program.Peer reviewe

Effects of ecological gradients on tropical avian haemoparasites

Diego Santiago-Alarcón y Alfonso Marzal (eds.); Primera Edición; 910 páginasThis chapter provides a brief overview of how natural gradients (e.g., latitude, altitude, and landscape gradients) affect host–parasite interactions involving blood parasites in wildlife and how biotic and abiotic factors act as disruptors. These gradients have a direct impact on prevalence, parasitemia, and the observed relationships between parasites and hosts. In the tropical zone, altitudinal gradients imitate the behavior of the latitudinal gradient, since low temperatures are common at both higher altitudes and higher latitudes. Temperature is one of the determining factors of the diversity of vectors, hosts, and vegetation that affect parasite transmission cycles. Furthermore, within landscapes, there may be many types of elements producing gradients. For instance, increasing distance from water sources, anthropogenic degradation, and even sequential stages of succession and interspersion of vegetation communities would affect host–parasite–vector interactions. However, such effects do not always operate in the same direction because responses are context sensitive. We also discuss the importance of an integrative diagnosis, using microscopic and molecular approaches, which allow better approximations and analyses at the parasite species level, thus producing stronger conclusions. The same detail is recommended for studies on the hematophagous fauna of potential vectors. The life cycle of different parasite species has its own set of characteristics, and it corresponds to the researchers to unravel the puzzle and to avoid unwarranted generalizations.The work of SM is supported by project PGC2018-097426-B-C21 from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. The work of LC-V was funded by the National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT; grants SEP-CB-2012-1-183377, and PDCPN-2015-1-1628).Peer reviewe