Drought resistance by engineering plant tissue-specific responses

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaDrought is the primary cause of agricultural loss globally, and represents a major threat to food security. Currently, plant biotechnology stands as one of the most promising fields when it comes to developing crops that are able to produce high yields in water-limited conditions. From studies of Arabidopsis thaliana whole plants, the main response mechanisms to drought stress have been uncovered, and multiple drought resistance genes have already been engineered into crops. So far, most plants with enhanced drought resistance have displayed reduced crop yield, meaning that there is still a need to search for novel approaches that can uncouple drought resistance from plant growth. Our laboratory has recently shown that the receptors of brassinosteroid (BR) hormones use tissue-specific pathways to mediate different developmental responses during root growth. In Arabidopsis, we found that increasing BR receptors in the vascular plant tissues confers resistance to drought without penalizing growth, opening up an exceptional opportunity to investigate the mechanisms that confer drought resistance with cellular specificity in plants. In this review, we provide an overview of the most promising phenotypical drought traits that could be improved biotechnologically to obtain drought-tolerant cereals. In addition, we discuss how current genome editing technologies could help to identify and manipulate novel genes that might grant resistance to drought stress. In the upcoming years, we expect that sustainable solutions for enhancing crop production in water-limited environments will be identified through joint efforts

Efficacy and safety of honeybee and wasp tyrosine-adsorbed venom immunotherapy

It is acknowledged that any claim of efficacy of allergen immunotherapy must be done for each specific product, and this remains true also for venom immunotherapy (VIT). Thus, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a specific tyrosine-adsorbed VIT for vespula spp. and honeybee in real-life

From Arabidopsis to Sorghum drought resistant plants: it's a long way to the crop

Trabajo presentado al Internal Seminar of the Centre de Recerca Agrigenómica (CRAG), celebrado el 15 de noviembre de 2019

Mechanisms of allergic diseases in Otorhinolaryngology

Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity disease caused by inhalation of an allergen to which the patients is sensitized. Etiopathogenesis of AR comprises a sensitization phase, an immediate phase and a late phase. In the sensitization phase, inhaled allergens are processed in peptides and come into contact with the nasal mucosa cells. Antigen-Presenting Cells (APCs), especially represented by Dendritic Cells (DCs), capture them through the interaction with their own MHC class II complexes and migrate to lymph nodes. Then, allergenic peptides are presented to naïve CD4+ T lymphocytes and a differentiation of T cells in Th2 subset takes place. After Th2 lymphocyte induction due to allergen exposure, the most relevant cytokines that are produced are represented by IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, and IL-13 that are able to promote IgE synthesis and mast cell proliferation. The allergen reaction, when allergen meets its specific IgEs on mast cells surface, causes an early inflammatory reaction determined by mast cells and basophils degranulation with release of preformed mediators from the intracellular granules, resulting in symptoms such as rhinorrhea, itching and sneezing. This phase is followed by a late phase characterized by the release of newly formed mediators, like leukotrienes, chemokines and adhesion molecules, and by the recruitment of eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, lymphocytes B and T in the nasal mucosa. Such mechanism is responsible for continuing inflammation sustained by chemoattractants, cytokines and adhesion receptors that induce cellular infiltration of eosinophils, basophils, Th2 lymphocytes and mast cells and is clinically mirrored by the prevalence of nasal congestion over sneezing, itching and rhinorrhea

Mechanisms of allergic diseases in otorhinolaryngology

Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity disease caused by inhalation of an allergen to which the patients is sensitized. Etiopathogenesis of AR comprises a sensitization phase, an immediate phase and a late phase. In the sensitization phase, inhaled allergens are processed in peptides and come into contact with the nasal mucosa cells. Antigen-Presenting Cells (APCs), especially represented by Dendritic Cells (DCs), capture them through the interaction with their own MHC class II complexes and migrate to lymph nodes. Then, allergenic peptides are presented to naïve CD4+ T lymphocytes and a differentiation of T cells in Th2 subset takes place. After Th2 lymphocyte induction due to allergen exposure, the most relevant cytokines that are produced are represented by IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, and IL-13 that are able to promote IgE synthesis and mast cell proliferation. The allergen reaction, when allergen meets its specific IgEs on mast cells surface, causes an early inflammatory reaction determined by mast cells and basophils degranulation with release of preformed mediators from the intracellular granules, resulting in symptoms such as rhinorrhea, itching and sneezing. This phase is followed by a late phase characterized by the release of newly formed mediators, like leukotrienes, chemokines and adhesion molecules, and by the recruitment of eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, lymphocytes B and T in the nasal mucosa. Such mechanism is responsible for continuing inflammation sustained by chemoattractants, cytokines and adhesion receptors that induce cellular infiltration of eosinophils, basophils, Th2 lymphocytes and mast cells and is clinically mirrored by the prevalence of nasal congestion over sneezing, itching and rhinorrhea

A methodological framework for the design of efficient resilience in supply networks

Disruptions can adversely affect profitability, service level, and even the viability of supply networks (SNs). Natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical tensions heightened disruption risks for SNs. We propose a methodological framework to guide the design of resilient SNs, with a focus on efficient resilience. In fact, despite an increasing economic and social interest in SN resilience and a large variety of qualitative resilience frameworks, there is a lack of model-based frameworks to guide decision makers in the complex task of designing resilient SNs. Differently to the existing literature, that mostly focuses on industry- or disruption-specific approaches, the framework of this paper is general, independent from sectors and causes. It consists of three steps to guide practitioners through model-based stress testing of their SNs: it integrates and organises methods from the literature, from the selection of data to be collected to the validation of the resilient and efficient SN. We illustrate the application of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics at each phase using real-life case studies data supplemented by literature references. Finally, we present an industrial case study with the step-by-step application of the framework highlighting its strengths and objectives

Exploring the role of brassinosteroids in the primary root growth and development of the primary embryonic root of Sorghum bicolor

Resumen del póster presentado al Congreso 'At the Forefront of Plant Research', celebrado en Barcelona (España) del 6 al 8 de mayo de 2019.Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroid hormones essential for plant growth and development as well as for the adaptation to drought. A wealth of studies report the importance of BRs in superior plants, mostly Arabidopsis. How BRs modulate root formation and adaptation to abiotic stress in monocot cereals awaits to be understood. In this study, we explore the role of BRs in root growth and development in cereal Sorghum bicolor. We focus on the analysis of embryonic roots by implementing a set of in vitro and microscopy techniques, such as mPS-PI and EdU staining. Our analysis reveals the organization of the primary root in how different cell types at the root apex behave in response to BRs and abiotic stress. In addition, we used a mutant collection of Sorghum bicolor to identify a number of mutants in BR signalling components. Mutant analysis will be key to begin to decipher the role of BRs in sorghum primary root growing in normal and stress conditions, and will be instrumental for their future improvement.Peer reviewe

A method for rapid and reliable molecular detection of drought-response genes in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench roots

Drought is a major environmental stress that limits growth and productivity in agricultural ecosystems limiting crop yield worldwide. Breeding crops for enhanced drought tolerance is a priority to preserve food security on the increasing world population. Recent work in Arabidopsis has shown that vascular brassinosteroid receptor BRL3 (Brassinosteroid insensitive like-3) transcriptionally controls the production of osmoprotectant metabolites that confer drought resistance without penalizing growth, offering new and exciting possibilities for biotechnological improvement of drought-resistant crops. In cereals, understanding transcriptional responses to drought is an essential step for the production of gene-edited drought-resistant cereals. In this chapter, we present a method to analyze the transcriptional responses to drought in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, our cereal of choice. Among the genes we tested, we found that drought marker gene SbDHN1 has a 1000-fold increase only after 1 day of drought, bringing possibilities for the development of molecular sensors for testing drought. Overall, this analysis is useful to set up conditions of high-throughput transcriptomic analysis of drought stressed plants before drought phenotype is observed.Peer reviewe