Current state and prospects of protoplast technology and potato somatic hybridization (review)

Wild Solanum species have often been used as sources of important agricultural traits, including resistance to various diseases, pests, and abiotic factors. However, their large-scale use in potato breeding is limited by complex barriers of sexual incompatibility with Solanum tuberosum. Fusion of protoplasts enzymatically isolated from somatic cells is one of the approaches to overcoming sexual incompatibility. The diverse nuclear and cytoplasmic traits exhibited by potato somatic hybrids provide new genetic material for breeding programs, which is confirmed by the creation of a large number of somatic hybrids of cultivated potatoes with wild Solanum species. The research in development of somatic potato hybrids by means of protoplast fusion has been carried out for more than 40 years already. In this review, the prospects for the use of this technology in modern potato breeding are considered. Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies provide further insight into the fundamental processes underlying the somatic hybrids formation, such as cell wall formation, chromosomal rearrangements in fusion products, regeneration, and also make a significant contribution to understanding the processes of genome stabilization. Improvement in the methods of molecular screening of both genome and cytoplasm also contributes to the expansion of the field of application of somatic hybrids in breeding. Finally, it has been shown that somatic hybridization promotes the introgression of important agricultural traits, primarily resistance to pathogens

Антиоксидантная активность пигментированного картофеля (Solanum tuberosum L.), содержание антоцианов, их биосинтез и физиологическая роль

Relevance. Potatoes with red and purple flesh are highly valued dietary products and sources of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant activity, especially anthocyanins. It has been found that the anthocyanin content in potatoes correlates with the total soluble phenolic content and antioxidant activity. These measures are significantly higher for coloured potatoes. The total phenolic content in particular the total anthocyanin content increases during the cold storage of coloured potatoes. Pigmented potatoes are also more preferable for food and industrial processing because of retaining of antioxidant properties and improving of final products quality. Сoloured potatoes selection and biotechnological approaches of regulation of anthocyanins accumulation are based on the understanding of the molecular genetic processes of anthocyanins biosynthesis. The anthocyanin biosynthesis is a part of the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway. It is controlled by the MBW complex. The MBW complex includes the transcription factors MYB, bHLH, and WD40. A number of the MYB complex genes have been identified in potatoes. The key role in potatoes pigmentation variability is currently assigned to the StAN1 gene. According to available data anthocyanins play a protective role in response to various types of stress in potatoes.Актуальность. Сорта картофеля с красной и фиолетовой мякотью представляют высокую диетическую ценность, так как являются источниками полифенольных соединений с антиоксидантной активностью, прежде всего антоцианов. Установлено, что содержание антоцианов у картофеля коррелирует с суммарным содержанием растворимых фенольных соединений и антиоксидантной активностью. Эти показатели значительно выше у картофеля с пигментированной кожурой и мякотью. При холодном хранении такого картофеля содержание фенольных соединений, в частности антоцианов, увеличивается. Пигментированный картофель также является более предпочтительным для потребления в пищу и промышленной переработки, так как в ходе этих процессов сохраняет антиоксидантные свойства и улучшает качество конечных продуктов. Селекция картофеля по признаку окраски мякоти и биотехнологические подходы регуляции накопления антоцианов базируются на понимании молекулярно-генетических процессов их биосинтеза. Биосинтез антоцианов включен в фенилпропаноидный метаболический путь и находится под контролем комплекса MBW, который включает в себя транскрипционные факторы MYB, bHLH и WD40. У картофеля был идентифицирован ряд генов, принадлежащих комплексу MYB. Ключевая роль в изменчивости по признаку пигментации в данный момент отводится гену StAN1. Имеются обширные данные о защитной роли антоцианов в ответ на различные типы стресса у картофеля

Antioxidant activity of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) and anthocyanin content, its biosynthesis and physiological role

Relevance. Potatoes with red and purple flesh are highly valued dietary products and sources of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant activity, especially anthocyanins. It has been found that the anthocyanin content in potatoes correlates with the total soluble phenolic content and antioxidant activity. These measures are significantly higher for coloured potatoes. The total phenolic content in particular the total anthocyanin content increases during the cold storage of coloured potatoes. Pigmented potatoes are also more preferable for food and industrial processing because of retaining of antioxidant properties and improving of final products quality. Сoloured potatoes selection and biotechnological approaches of regulation of anthocyanins accumulation are based on the understanding of the molecular genetic processes of anthocyanins biosynthesis. The anthocyanin biosynthesis is a part of the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway. It is controlled by the MBW complex. The MBW complex includes the transcription factors MYB, bHLH, and WD40. A number of the MYB complex genes have been identified in potatoes. The key role in potatoes pigmentation variability is currently assigned to the StAN1 gene. According to available data anthocyanins play a protective role in response to various types of stress in potatoes

Never cross the path of a traveling salesman: The neural network generation of Halstead-Reitan trail making tests

The Halstead-Reitan Trail Making Test (TMT) is one of the most widely used neuropsychological instruments for the assessment of brain damage. Despite its usefulness, however, the TMT has two major disadvantages. It has not been constructed in a principled manner that would facilitate systematic investigation, and there is no established procedure for generating equivalent, but stochastically different, test forms. The reason is that the generation of self-avoiding TMT pathways resembles the finding of near-optimal solutions to the Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and constitutes a computational problem that is NP-complete. This article describes a practical approach to the problem of generating stochastically different test forms. This approach employs anelastic net neural network to generate TMT forms based on self-avoiding, near-optimal paths, and closed circuits. The usefulness and limitations of this solution are discussed briefly in relation to alternative and complementary problems and procedures.Douglas Vickers, Michael D. Le