The complex molecular signaling network in microbe-plant interaction

Soil bacteria living around plants exert neutral, benefi cial, or detrimental effects on plant growth and development. These effects are the result of signal exchange in which there is a mutual recognition of diffusible molecules produced by the plant and microbe partners. Understanding the molecular signalling network involved in microbe–plant interaction is a promising opportunity to improve crop productivity and agriculture sustainability. Many approaches have been used to decipher these molecular signals, and the results show that plants and microorganisms respond by inducing the expression of, and releasing, a mixture of molecules that includes flavonoids, phytohormones, pattern recognition receptors, nodulins, lectins, enzymes, lipo-chitooligosaccharides, exopolysaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and volatiles. This chapter reviews current knowledge of the diverse signalling pathways that are turned on when plants interact with beneficial microbes, with emphasis on bacteria belonging to the genera Rhizobium , Azospirillum , and Pseudomonas.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Draft genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. strain Oc8 isolated from Crotalaria ochroleuca nodule

In this study, we report the draft genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. strain Oc8, a rhizobium isolated from Crotalaria ochroleuca,efficient in C. ochroleuca, C. juncea, C. spectabilis, and Cajanus cajan. The whole genome of the strain Oc8 contains 46 scaffolds, 8,283,342 bp, and 63.27% of GC content. Bradyrhizobium sp. Oc8 is an effective nitrogen-fixing bacterium with potential use as an inoculant for legumes used as cover crops and green manures.ANII: FMV_ 3_2016_1_12549

Modelling and Identification of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle: Technical Report

The purpose of this document is to provide technical information about the identification and modelling of the Yellowfish autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), developed in Universidad Loyola Andalucía within the line of research entitled ASV4Sustainability of the Optimization and Control of Distributed Systems research group.Junta de AndalucíaAgencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarroll

Revealing the biotechnological potential of Delftia sp. JD2 by a genomic approach

Delftia sp. JD2 is a chromium-resistant bacterium that reduces Cr(VI) to Cr(III), accumulates Pb(II), produces the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid and siderophores, and increases the plant growth performance of rhizobia in co-inoculation experiments. We aimed to analyze the biotechnological potential of JD2 using a genomic approach. JD2 has a genome of 6.76Mb, with 6,051 predicted protein-coding sequences and 93 RNA genes (tRNA and rRNA). The indole-acetamide pathway was identified as responsible for the synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid. The genetic information involved in chromium resistance (the gene cluster, chrBACF,) was found. At least 40 putative genes encoding for TonB-dependent receptors, probably involved in the utilization of siderophores and biopolymers, and genes for the synthesis, maturation, exportation and uptake of pyoverdine, and acquisition of Fe-pyochelin and Fe-enterobactin were also identified. The information also suggests that JD2 produce polyhydroxy butyrate, a carbon reserve polymer commonly used for manufacturing petrochemical free bioplastics. In addition, JD2 may degrade lignin-derived aromatic compounds to 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylate, a molecule used in the bio-based polymer industry. Finally, a comparative genomic analysis of JD2, Delftia sp. Cs1-4 and Delftia acidovorans SPH-1 is also discussed. The present work provides insights into the physiology and genetics of a microorganism with many potential uses in biotechnology.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Five-year bio-monitoring of aquatic ecosystems near Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base, King George Island

Fildes Peninsula, in King George Island, Antarctica, has a great concentration of international facilities, and it has clearly been affected by human activities. The objective of this 5-year study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the bacterial abundance in water bodies close to Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base (BCAA, in Spanish Base Científica Antártica Artigas). Water samples from areas under different human influence (Uruguay Lake, nearby ponds, and meltwater from Collins Glacier) were aseptically collected and refrigerated until processed. The number of heterotrophic bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. was analyzed using a culture-dependent approach. Physico-chemical properties of the water samples (temperature, pH, and conductivity) were also determined. Results showed that water from the highly affected area, Uruguay Lake, where the pump that provides water to the BCAA is located, did not suffer significant fluctuations in heterotrophic bacterial abundance (104–105 CFU∙mL−1); however, Pseudomonas abundance increased until becoming the predominant population. In other water samples, the number of heterotrophic bacteria and Pseudomonas gradually increased during this 5-year study, by 2014 reaching similar values to those observed for Uruguay Lake. The implications of human activities on Antarctic bacterial abundance are discussed

Los depósitos continentales triásicos

Las sedimentitas triásicas se encuentran representadas principalmente en dos regiones geográficas: la Región Patagónica, en donde se incluyen los afloramientos de El Tranquilo en el norte de la provincia de Santa Cruz y una serie de localidades ubicadas en el área del Macizo Nordpatagónico; y la Región Centro-oeste del país, donde se ubican los afloramientos de las provincias de Mendoza, San Luis, San Juan y La Rioja (Figuras 1 y 2). Además de estos grupos principales de afloramientos triásicos, se han identificado sedimentitas asignables a este período en el subsuelo de la cuenca Chacoparanense.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Hallazgo del género Asterotheca en niveles superiores de la Formación Tunas, cuenca Sauce Grande, caracterización e implicancias dentro de Gondwana

En las Sierras Australes de Buenos Aires, los depósitos del Carbonífero Superior a Pérmico Inferior de la cuenca Sauce Grande se hallan bioestratigráficamente definidos por macrofósiles de la fauna de Eurydesma y flora de Glossopteris, así como por palinomorfos. Informamos aquí el hallazgo de ejemplares de Asterotheca sp. cf. A. andersonii junto a Paracalamites sp. en estratos superiores de la Formación Tunas. La localidad dista alrededor de 5 km de la cantera Las Mostazas, donde se registran ejemplares de la flora de Glossopteris. Si bien Asterotheca es un género no descrito hasta el presente en la cuenca Sauce Grande, su presencia es común en otras cuencas coetáneas del país y de Gondwana, como las de Paganzo, Tepuel Genoa, la Golondrina y Paraná. Con el hallazgo se amplía la diversidad florística de la cuenca Sauce Grande y mejoran las comparaciones regionales dentro de Gondwana.First record of the Genus Asterotheca in Upper levels o/Tunas Formation, Sauce Grande Basin - characterization and implications within Gondwana. In the Sierras Australes de Buenos Aires, the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian deposits ofthe Sauce Grande basin are biostratigraphically constrained by macrofossils ofthe Eurydesma fauna and Glossopteris flora, as well as palinofossils. In this contribution we record the finding of Asterotheca sp. cf. A. andersonii in association with Paracalamites sp. in upper strata ofthe Tunas Formation, approximately at 5 km from Las Mostazas quarry, where Glossopteris flora specimens were quoted. Asterotheca is a genus not described in the Sauce Grande basin until now, yet its presence is comrnon in other coeval basins in Argentina and Gondwana as well, such as Paganzo, Tepuel Genoa, la Golondrina and Paraná basins. This finding expands the floristic diversity in the Sauce Grande basin and allows better regional comparisons within the Gondwana continent

The Effect of Physical Activity and High Body Mass Index on Health-Related Quality of Life in Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome

[EN] The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of physical activity (PA) and the degree of obesity with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) who participated in the Predimed-Plus study. A total of 6875 subjects between 55 and 75 years of age with MetS were selected and randomized in 23 Spanish centers. Subjects were classified according to categories of body mass index (BMI). PA was measured with the validated Registre Gironi del Cor (REGICOR) questionnaire and subjects were classified according to their PA level (light, moderate, vigorous) and the HRQoL was measured with the validated short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. By using the ANOVA model, we found a positive and statistically significant association between the level of PA and the HRQoL (aggregated physical and mental dimensions p < 0.001), but a negative association with higher BMI in aggregated physical dimensions p < 0.001. Furthermore, women obtained lower scores compared with men, more five points in all fields of SF-36. Therefore, it is essential to promote PA and body weight control from primary care consultations to improve HRQoL, paying special attention to the differences that sex incurs.SIThe Predimed-Plus trial was supported by the Spanish government’s official funding agency for biomedical research, ISCIII, through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (three coordinated FIS projects led by Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Josep Vidal, including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/0147, PI14/00636, PI14/00972, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926, PI19/00957, PI19/00386, PI19/00309, PI19/01032, PI19/00576, PI19/00017, PI19/01226, PI19/00781, PI19/01560, PI19/01,332), the Special Action Project entitled: Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensiva sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-PLUS grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó, the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2013–2018; 340918) grant to Miguel Ángel Martínez-Gonzalez, the Recercaixa grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó (2013ACUP00194), grants from the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013; PS0358/2016; PI0137/2018), the PROMETEO/2017/017 grant from the Generalitat Valenciana, the SEMERGEN grant and FEDER funds (CB06/03 and CB12/03), Olga Castaner is funded by the JR17/00,022 grant, ISCIII. Christopher Papandreou is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship granted by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (PERIS 2016–2020 Incorporació de Científics i Tecnòlegs, SLT002/0016/00,428). María Rosa Bernal-Lopez was supported by “Miguel Servet Type I” program (CP15/00028) from the ISCIII-Madrid (Spain), cofinanced by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER, Ignacio M.Giménez-Alba is supported by a FPU predoctoral contract (reference FPU18/01703) from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain

A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans: Health Research and Capacity Building in Disease-Endemic Countries for Helminthiases Control

Capacity building in health research generally, and helminthiasis research particularly, is pivotal to the implementation of the research and development agenda for the control and elimination of human helminthiases that has been proposed thematically in the preceding reviews of this collection. Since helminth infections affect human populations particularly in marginalised and low-income regions of the world, they belong to the group of poverty-related infectious diseases, and their alleviation through research, policy, and practice is a sine qua non condition for the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Current efforts supporting research capacity building specifically for the control of helminthiases have been devised and funded, almost in their entirety, by international donor agencies, major funding bodies, and academic institutions from the developed world, contributing to the creation of (not always equitable) North–South “partnerships”. There is an urgent need to shift this paradigm in disease-endemic countries (DECs) by refocusing political will, and harnessing unshakeable commitment by the countries' governments, towards health research and capacity building policies to ensure long-term investment in combating and sustaining the control and eventual elimination of infectious diseases of poverty. The Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4), established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), was given the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps. This paper discusses the challenges confronting capacity building for parasitic disease research in DECs, describes current capacity building strategies with particular reference to neglected tropical diseases and human helminthiases, and outlines recommendations to redress the balance of alliances and partnerships for health research between the developed countries of the “North” and the developing countries of the “South”. We argue that investing in South–South collaborative research policies and capacity is as important as their North–South counterparts and is essential for scaled-up and improved control of helminthic diseases and ultimately for regional elimination