The first evidence of a host-to-parasite mitochondrial gene transfer in Orobanchaceae

Several parasitic plants are known to have acquired mitochondrial genes via a horizontal transfer from their hosts. However, mitochondrial gene transfer in this direction has not yet been found in the parasite-rich family Orobanchaceae. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial atp6 gene in selected species of Orobanche s.l., we provide evidence of a host-to-parasite transfer of this gene in O. coerulescens, which is a Eurasiatic species that parasitises Artemisia (Asteraceae). We did not find the original Orobanche atp6 gene in this species, which suggests that it has been replaced by a gene that was acquired from Asteraceae. In addition, our data suggest the occurrence of a second HGT event in the atp6 sequence - from Asteraceae to Phelipanche. Our results support the view that the transfer of genetic material from hosts to parasites influences the mitochondrial genome evolution in the latter

Stretching and twisting of the DNA duplexes in coarse grained dynamical models

Three coarse-grained models of the double-stranded DNA are proposed and compared in the context of mechanical manipulation such as twisting and various schemes of stretching. The models differ in the number of effective beads (between two and five) representing each nucleotide. They all show similar behavior and, in particular, lead to a torque-force phase diagrams qualitatively consistent with experiments and all-atom simulations

Dynamics of Vulmar/VulMITE group of transposable elements in Chenopodiaceae subfamily Betoideae

Transposable elements are important factors driving plant genome evolution. Upon their mobilization, novel insertion polymorphisms are being created. We investigated differences in copy number and insertion polymorphism of a group of Mariner-like transposable elements Vulmar and related VulMITE miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) in species representing subfamily Betoideae. Insertion sites of these elements were identified using a modified transposon display protocol, allowing amplification of longer fragments representing regions flanking insertion sites. Subsequently, a subset of TD fragments was converted into insertion site-based polymorphism (ISBP) markers. The investigated group of transposable elements was the most abundant in accessions representing the section Beta, showing intraspecific insertion polymorphisms likely resulting from their recent activity. In contrast, no unique insertions were observed for species of the genus Beta section Corollinae, while a set of section-specific insertions was observed in the genus Patellifolia, however, only two of them were polymorphic between P. procumbens and P. webbiana. We hypothesize that Vulmar and VulMITE elements were inactivated in the section Corollinae, while they remained active in the section Beta and the genus Patellifolia. The ISBP markers generally confirmed the insertion patterns observed with TD markers, including presence of distinct subsets of TE insertions specific to Beta and Patellifolia

Phytosulfokine stimulates cell divisions in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) mesophyll protoplast cultures

The aim of this work was to improve plating efficiency of sugar beet mesophyll protoplast cultures. Preliminary experiments showed that cultures of good quality, viable protoplasts were obtained in rich media based on the Kao and Michayluk formulation and with the calcium alginate as an embedding matrix. Nevertheless, in these cultures cell divisions were either not observed or very seldom confirming earlier reported recalcitrance of sugar beet protoplasts. The recalcitrant status of these cultures was reversed upon application of exogenous phytosulfokine (PSK)—a peptidyl plant growth factor. The highest effectiveness of PSK was observed at 100 nM concentration. Plating efficiencies obtained in the presence of PSK reached approximately 20% of the total cultured cells. The stimulatory effect of phytosulfokine was observed for all tested breeding stocks of sugar beet. Our data indicate that PSK is a powerful agent able to overcome recalcitrance of plant protoplast cultures

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

Pro-environmental behaviours of management students in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose - The main objective of the conducted research was to find out various manifestations of pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) amongst students of extramural programmes forced to stay at home during the lockdown period. Design/methodology/approach - In order to identify manifestations of PEBs during the lockdown, the authors conducted research with the participation of students of various management extramural programmes in a Polish university. The primary research method was diary, supplemented by literature review and analysis of curriculum content. Findings - Pro-sanitary behaviours that dominated during the pandemic period were aimed at protecting individuals from contracting the virus and resulted from legal regulations. No clear and regular differences in PEBs were observed amongst the respondents with respect to their age, gender or familiarity with management systems used in their respective workplaces. Student-employees acquire little knowledge of PEBs during their studies. A serious barrier to the development of PEBs is the lack of access to knowledge that would clearly indicate the causes of environmental degradation. Practical implications - Based on the obtained results, a list of recommendations for educational practices was developed. The list emphasises the importance of drawing students' attention to PEBs in the household environment. Originality/value - The conducted research was another project focussed in general on environmental behaviours and aimed in particular at exploring how mandatory social distancing influenced people's PEBs. The paper also highlights some limitations of the diary method used to identify people's behaviours in the pandemic context