Conservation of Arabidopsis thaliana photoperiodic flowering time genes in onion (Allium cepa L.)

The genetics underlying onion development is poorly understood. Here the characterisation of onion homologues of Arabidopsis photoperiodic flowering pathway genes is reported with the end goal of accelerating onion breeding programmes by understanding the genetic basis of adaptation to different latitudes. The expression of onion GI, FKF1 and ZTL homologues under SD and LD conditions was examined using quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of AcGI and AcFKF1 was examined in onion varieties which exhibit different daylength responses. Phylogenetic trees were constructed to confirm the identity of the homologues. AcGI and AcFKF1 showed diurnal expression patterns similar to their Arabidopsis counterparts while AcZTL was found to be constitutively expressed. AcGI showed similar expression patterns in varieties which exhibit different daylength responses whereas AcFKF1 showed differences. It is proposed that these differences could contribute to the different daylength responses in these varieties. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all the genes isolated are very closely related to their proposed homologues. The results presented here show that key genes controlling photoperiodic flowering in Arabidopsis are conserved in onion and a role for these genes in the photoperiodic control of bulb initiation is predicted. This theory is supported by expression and phylogenetic data

It\u27s Time to Spring Clean Your Closets — and Personal Relationships

I looked at my calendar recently and realized that spring is rapidly approaching. Each year at this time, I’m like millions of others who undertake the task of spring cleaning our homes

Allow the Waves to do Their Work

I have found that the beach is one of the most relaxing places to visit

Relationships That Have Roots Are the Anchors in Our Lives

The view in my backyard is a conservation area full of various types of trees. As the seasons pass, the trees lose their leaves and even some of their branches, but the trees remain in large part due to their sturdy roots

Zinc-Binding B-Box Domains with RING Folds Serve Critical Roles in the Protein Ubiquitination Pathways in Plants and Animals

Protein ubiquitination is an essential cellular process that maintains protein homeostasis, regulates protein, and cell functions, and removes aggregated and misfolded protein. Disruption in function of any of the protein components of the ubiquitination pathway is associated with human diseases including cancers. An important member in the ubiquitination cascade is the very large E3 ligase family that directs substrate modification. The RING-type E3 ligases possess a cysteine/histidine-rich zinc-binding RING domain that confers ligase functionality. RING domains adopt a canonical ββα-fold. TRIM proteins represent a novel class of RING-type E3 ligase. TRIM proteins consist of an N-terminal RING domain followed by one or two B-box domains. The two types of B-box domains play essential roles in protein ubiquitination by contributing to substrate targeting, ligase activity enhancement, and redundancy of ligase activity. This review presents a general background of the B-box domains, a structural and functional comparison with RING domains, and a summary of recent work demonstrating their role in proteolysis. We discuss new findings that reveal B-box domains which are ubiquitous and are found in non-TRIM plant proteins without the adjacent RING domain, indicating that B-boxes are members of RING-class E3 ligases

Resource requirements to fight HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean.

OBJECTIVES: Economists and epidemiologists from 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reviewed the methods used to develop estimates for resource requirements to address HIV/AIDS prevention and care in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: They applied their country-specific knowledge to re-estimate the costs, coverage, and capacity of their health and education systems to expand HIV/AIDS interventions by 2005. A discrepancy of 173 million US dollars exists between the model estimates and those of country specialists. RESULTS: The most important difference between the model estimates and those of country specialists was in the estimated future price of highly active antiretroviral therapy. To a large extent, the estimates of the model reflect the efficiency gains that could result from purchasing arrangements that lead LAC countries to lower prices for antiretroviral drugs. CONCLUSION: This preliminary exercise with 10 LAC countries confirmed the validity of the use of these estimates as tools at the international level, given current data limitations, both to guide the allocation of resources across diseases and countries, and for advocacy and resource mobilization. In addition, with the country revisions, these estimates have also been shown to be key tools for country-level strategic planning

Flight Emergency Advice Works Just as Well Back on the Ground

Save yourself first! This one sentence is a valuable piece of advice I wish I had received and fully embraced so much earlier in life. In fact, it is still a notion that I struggle with because it is one that sounds selfish in nature. However, now more than at any other point in my life, I realize that in order to be selfless and to be able to assist others, you must first truly work on thinking of your own self first

Learning From a Complex Communications Experiment in My Own Home

I am living in what I believe is the most complex communications experiment that could be designed by researchers

We All Should Strive To Be the Palm in the Storm

Hurricane season is beginning to hit its peak activity. Multiple storms have been brewing in the Atlantic the past couple weeks