Vanilla biofactories (Vanilla planifolia Jacks.) in Mexico as an opportunity for agricultural development

La vainilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks.) es la principal orquídea de interés económico y la tercera especia con mayor precio y alta demanda en el mundo debido al dulce aroma y sabor que emana su fruto. A pesar de que México es el centro de origen y domesticación de la vainilla, contando con las condiciones edafoclimáticas ideales para su cultivo, esta especie presenta graves problemas de conservación y reproducción. Actualmente, en México, los nuevos programas de apoyo gubernamental a este sector están motivando el desarrollo de la producción de vainilla, no obstante, todavía no se cuenta con material vegetativo suficiente y de calidad para hacer frente a estos requerimientos. En este sentido, las biofábricas representan una oportunidad para aumentar el número de propágulos comerciales a través de la biotecnología. Estas plantas generadas poseen características agronómicas deseadas que ayudan a resolver la problemática a la que se enfrentan los productores. Se ha demostrado que estos lugares representan una oportunidad económica redituable por su estabilidad, versatilidad y explotación con función social y/o ecológica. La vainilla es un cultivo altamente atractivo desde el punto de vista económico y puede llegar a constituir una gran oportunidad para impulsar el desarrollo agrario de las zonas productoras.Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks.) is the main orchid of economic interest and the third most expensive and demanded spice in the world due to the sweet aroma and flavor that emanates from its fruit. Even though Mexico is the center of origin and diversification of vanilla, this species presents serious conservation problems and the main difficulties it faces are the lack of genetic variability caused by the loss of its natural habitat, the excessive collection on a large scale for illegal sale caused by a new demanding market and deforestation. Currently in Mexico the production area is increasing motivated by new government programs that are supporting this sector, but there is not enough quality vegetative material to meet these requirements. In this sense, biofactories represent an opportunity to increase national figures, since they are production centers that, under the application of biotechnology, have the objective of increasing the generation of plants (generally of agricultural interest) with the desired characteristics to solve problems faced by producers. It has been shown that these places represent a profitable economic opportunity due to their stability, versatility and exploitation with a social and/or ecological function. Vanilla is a highly attractive crop from an economic point of view and can become a great opportunity for producers if it is used correctly through material from a biofactory, promoting agricultural development in producing areas.Los autores agradecen al Consejo Veracruzano para la Investigación Científica y Desarrollo Tecnológico (COVEyDET) por el financiamiento del proyecto 15 0325 que permitió la realización de este trabajo. El autor MVRD agradece al Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) por la beca de subvención No. 429702

Evaluation of the humoral and mucosal immune response of a multiepitope vaccine against COVID-19 in pigs

IntroductionThis study evaluated the immune response to a multiepitope recombinant chimeric protein (CHIVAX) containing B- and T-cell epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 spike’s receptor binding domain (RBD) in a translational porcine model for pre-clinical studies.MethodsWe generated a multiepitope recombinant protein engineered to include six coding conserved epitopes from the RBD domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Pigs were divided into groups and immunized with different doses of the protein, with serum samples collected over time to determine antibody responses by indirect ELISA and antibody titration. Peptide recognition was also analyzed by Western blotting. A surrogate neutralization assay with recombinant ACE2 and RBDs was performed. Intranasal doses of the immunogen were also prepared and tested on Vietnamese minipigs.ResultsWhen the immunogen was administered subcutaneously, it induced specific IgG antibodies in pigs, and higher doses correlated with higher antibody levels. Antibodies from immunized pigs recognized individual peptides in the multiepitope vaccine and inhibited RBD-ACE2 binding for five variants of concern (VOC). Comparative antigen delivery methods showed that both, subcutaneous and combined subcutaneous/intranasal approaches, induced specific IgG and IgA antibodies, with the subcutaneous approach having superior neutralizing activity. CHIVAX elicited systemic immunity, evidenced by specific IgG antibodies in the serum, and local mucosal immunity, indicated by IgA antibodies in saliva, nasal, and bronchoalveolar lavage secretions. Importantly, these antibodies demonstrated neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.DiscussionThe elicited antibodies recognized individual epitopes on the chimeric protein and demonstrated the capacity to block RBD-ACE2 binding of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain and four VOCs. The findings provide proof of concept for using multiepitope recombinant antigens and a combined immunization protocol to induce a neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in the pig translational model for preclinical studies

In vitro propagation and germplasm conservation of wild orchids from South America

Orchids are an important part of plant biodiversity on this planet due to their high variability among species and their habitats. South America represents more than thirty percent of all known orchid species, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia being among the richest countries in the world in terms of orchid biodiversity. Nevertheless, concerning the orchid conservation status, in Colombia precisely orchids occupy the unlucky first place as the plant family with the highest number of threatened species. There is a similar situation in the rest of the South American countries. The two main threats to orchid survival are both anthropogenic: the first one is deforestation, and the second largest threat to orchids is collection from the wild. One desirable action to safeguard these endangered species is to develop procedures that make possible their massive propagation, which would provide material for both environmental restoration and commercial purposes avoiding extractions from nature. Likewise, the development of systems that allow the ex situ conservation of orchid germplasm is imperative. This chapter reviews the progresses of different in vitro approaches for orchid propagation and germplasm conservation, safeguarding the genetic biodiversity of these species. Several study cases are presented and described to exemplify the protocols developed in the Botanical Institute of Northeast (UNNE-CONICET) for propagating and long-term storing the germplasm of wild orchids from Argentina (Cattleya lundii, Cohniella cepula, C. jonesiana, Gomesa bifolia, Aa achalensis, Cyrtopodium brandonianum, C. hatschbachii, Habenaria bractescens). Moreover, it has been attempted to put together most of the available literature on in vitro propagation and germplasm conservation for South American orchids using different explants and procedures. There are researches of good scientific quality that even cover critical insights into the physiology and factors affecting growth and development as well as storage of several orchid materials. Moreover, studies are still necessary to cover a major number of South American species as well as the use of selected material (clonal) for both propagation and conservation approaches.Fil: Dolce, Natalia Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Medina, Ricardo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Terada, Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: González Arnao, María Teresa. Universidad Veracruzana; MéxicoFil: Flachsland, Eduardo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentin