Identification and generation of new germplasms in barley with increased tolerance to waterlogging

The ability to maintain high yields for barley production in Ireland is crucial for the indigenous brewing industry. However, high yields are threatened by global climate change, as Ireland is predicted to have increased flooding events. In consequence, the identification and development of barley varieties that are more tolerant to waterlogging has become an important research focus. The N-end rule protein degradation pathway has been shown to play an important role in the response of plants to flooding in Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on sequence similarities, N-end rule components were identified in barley and used as targets to develop new cultivars with increased waterlogging tolerance. Also, barley varieties that are part of AGOUEB population were tested for their waterlogging tolerance. Gene expression together with physiological parameters such as plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll content and root architecture were assessed in order to select varieties that are more tolerant to waterloggin

Ubiquitylation in plants: signaling hub for the integration of environmental signals

A fundamental question in biology is how organisms integrate the plethora of environmental cues that they perceive to trigger a co-ordinated response. The regulation of protein stability, which is largely mediated by the ubiquitin–proteasome system in eukaryotes, plays a pivotal role in these processes. Due to their sessile lifestyle and the need to respond rapidly to a multitude of environmental factors, plants are thought to be especially dependent on proteolysis to regulate cellular processes. In this review, we present the complexity of the ubiquitin system in plants, and discuss the relevance of the proteolytic and non-proteolytic roles of this system in the regulation and co-ordination of plant responses to environmental signals. We also discuss the role of the ubiquitin system as a key regulator of plant signaling pathways. We focus more specifically on the functions of E3 ligases as regulators of the jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and ethylene hormone signaling pathways that play important roles to mount a co-ordinated response to multiple environmental stresses. We also provide examples of new players in this field that appear to integrate different cues and signaling pathway

The Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase (Akt)/ Protein Kinase B (PkB) Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer

According to statistical data published in 2019, breast cancer is among the leading causes of death in women worldwide. The serine/threonine kinase (AKT) or protein kinase B (PkB) signaling pathway is activated by phosphorylation processes, which further is associated with cell growth, proliferation, and survival, but also with activation of glucose metabolism. Mutations of the AKT signaling pathway components (especially PI3KCA and PTEN) have been observed in breast cancer patients, which are associated with resistance to hormonal treatment. Many clinical trials are testing the effect of AKT inhibition in order to block the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells. The purpose of this review is to present the incidence of this neoplastic disease, to describe AKT signaling pathways activation, mutations that occur at its level, and inhibitors that can block this protein kinase

The Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase (Akt)/ Protein Kinase B (PkB) Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer

According to statistical data published in 2019, breast cancer is among the leading causes of death in women worldwide. The serine/threonine kinase (AKT) or protein kinase B (PkB) signaling pathway is activated by phosphorylation processes, which further is associated with cell growth, proliferation, and survival, but also with activation of glucose metabolism. Mutations of the AKT signaling pathway components (especially PI3KCA and PTEN) have been observed in breast cancer patients, which are associated with resistance to hormonal treatment. Many clinical trials are testing the effect of AKT inhibition in order to block the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells. The purpose of this review is to present the incidence of this neoplastic disease, to describe AKT signaling pathways activation, mutations that occur at its level, and inhibitors that can block this protein kinase

Experimental comparison of two methods to study barley responses to partial submergence

peer-reviewedBackground Crop yield is dependent on climate conditions, which are becoming both more variable and extreme in some areas of the world as a consequence of global climate change. Increased precipitation and flooding events are the cause of important yield losses due to waterlogging or (partial) submergence of crops in the field. Our ability to screen efficiently and quickly for varieties that have increased tolerance to waterlogging or (partial) submergence is important. Barley, a staple crop worldwide, is particularly sensitive to waterlogging. Screening for waterlogging tolerant barley varieties has been ongoing for many years, but methods used to screen vary greatly, from the type of soil used to the time at which the treatment is applied. This variation makes it difficult to cross-compare results. Results Here, we have devised a scoring system to assess barley tolerance to waterlogging and compare two different methods when partial submergence is applied with either water or a starch solution at an early developmental stage, which is particularly sensitive to waterlogging or partial submergence. The use of a starch solution has been previously shown to result in more reducing soil conditions and has been used to screen for waterlogging tolerance. Conclusions Our results show that the two methods provide similar results to qualitatively rank varieties as tolerant or sensitive, while also affecting plants differently, in that application of a starch solution results in stronger and earlier symptoms than applying partial submergence with water

Improving phenotyping in winter barley cultivars towards waterlogging tolerance by combining field trials under natural conditions with controlled growth condition experiments

Additional rainfall in Northern Europe due to global climate change is increasing the incidences of field flooding. Flooding causes hypoxic stress that results in a reduced capacity for photosynthesis, reduction in nutrient availability and uptake, increased production of toxic metabolites by anaerobic bacteria in the soil, and ultimately yield losses and crop death. To overcome hypoxic environmental conditions, new cultivars need to be bred and tested for waterlogging tolerance. We scored 403 winter barley cultivars from the ‘Association Genetics of UK Elite Barley’ (AGOUEB) population, taking advantage of the phenotypic changes associated with hypoxic stress. This enabled us to identify an initial set of waterlogging sensitive and tolerant cultivars. Comparative analysis of a subset of 65 cultivars exposed to waterlogging stress under field and growth cabinet environments showed variability in scores due to varying sensitivity to waterlogging over multi-season field trials. In field trials, we observed waterlogging damage resulting in reductions in biomass, grain yield and crop height. However, the effects varied between seasons and the severity of waterlogging due to differences in the topography of the field and the amount of rainfall. To overcome the seasonal variations in environmental conditions in multi-season field trials, we developed in parallel, an enhanced phenotyping method by complementing field experiments with phenotyping under controlled growth conditions. The phenotyping scoring method allows for the grouping of cultivars by sensitivity and tolerance to waterlogging, with limited variance between cultivars scored in the field and controlled conditions. Together, these two complementary approaches maximise the data available to breeders, allowing for the reliable selection of more tolerant cultivars able to grow under flooding conditions

Identification and generation of new germplasms in barley with increased tolerance to waterlogging

The ability to maintain high yields for barley production in Ireland is crucial for the indigenous brewing industry. However, high yields are threatened by global climate change, as Ireland is predicted to have increased flooding events. In consequence, the identification and development of barley varieties that are more tolerant to waterlogging has become an important research focus. The N-end rule protein degradation pathway has been shown to play an important role in the response of plants to flooding in Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on sequence similarities, N-end rule components were identified in barley and used as targets to develop new cultivars with increased waterlogging tolerance. Also, barley varieties that are part of AGOUEB population were tested for their waterlogging tolerance. Gene expression together with physiological parameters such as plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll content and root architecture were assessed in order to select varieties that are more tolerant to waterloggin

Identification and generation of new germplasms in barley with increased tolerance to waterlogging

The ability to maintain high yields for barley production in Ireland is crucial for the indigenous brewing industry. However, high yields are threatened by global climate change, as Ireland is predicted to have increased flooding events. In consequence, the identification and development of barley varieties that are more tolerant to waterlogging has become an important research focus. The N-end rule protein degradation pathway has been shown to play an important role in the response of plants to flooding in Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on sequence similarities, N-end rule components were identified in barley and used as targets to develop new cultivars with increased waterlogging tolerance. Also, barley varieties that are part of AGOUEB population were tested for their waterlogging tolerance. Gene expression together with physiological parameters such as plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll content and root architecture were assessed in order to select varieties that are more tolerant to waterloggin

Identification and generation of new germplasms in barley with increased tolerance to waterlogging

The ability to maintain high yields for barley production in Ireland is crucial for the indigenous brewing industry. However, high yields are threatened by global climate change, as Ireland is predicted to have increased flooding events. In consequence, the identification and development of barley varieties that are more tolerant to waterlogging has become an important research focus. The N-end rule protein degradation pathway has been shown to play an important role in the response of plants to flooding in Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on sequence similarities, N-end rule components were identified in barley and used as targets to develop new cultivars with increased waterlogging tolerance. Also, barley varieties that are part of AGOUEB population were tested for their waterlogging tolerance. Gene expression together with physiological parameters such as plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll content and root architecture were assessed in order to select varieties that are more tolerant to waterloggin

Identification and generation of new germplasms in barley with increased tolerance to waterlogging

The ability to maintain high yields for barley production in Ireland is crucial for the indigenous brewing industry. However, high yields are threatened by global climate change, as Ireland is predicted to have increased flooding events. In consequence, the identification and development of barley varieties that are more tolerant to waterlogging has become an important research focus. The N-end rule protein degradation pathway has been shown to play an important role in the response of plants to flooding in Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on sequence similarities, N-end rule components were identified in barley and used as targets to develop new cultivars with increased waterlogging tolerance. Also, barley varieties that are part of AGOUEB population were tested for their waterlogging tolerance. Gene expression together with physiological parameters such as plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll content and root architecture were assessed in order to select varieties that are more tolerant to waterloggin