Genome-wide analysis of the omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene family in Gossypium

Background The majority of commercial cotton varieties planted worldwide are derived from Gossypium hirsutum, which is a naturally occurring allotetraploid produced by interspecific hybridization of A- and D-genome diploid progenitor species. While most cotton species are adapted to warm, semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions, and thus perform well in these geographical areas, cotton seedlings are sensitive to cold temperature, which can significantly reduce crop yields. One of the common biochemical responses of plants to cold temperatures is an increase in omega-3 fatty acids, which protects cellular function by maintaining membrane integrity. The purpose of our study was to identify and characterize the omega-3 fatty acid desaturase (FAD) gene family in G. hirsutum, with an emphasis on identifying omega-3 FADs involved in cold temperature adaptation. Results Eleven omega-3 FAD genes were identified in G. hirsutum, and characterization of the gene family in extant A and D diploid species (G. herbaceum and G. raimondii, respectively) allowed for unambiguous genome assignment of all homoeologs in tetraploid G. hirsutum. The omega-3 FAD family of cotton includes five distinct genes, two of which encode endoplasmic reticulum-type enzymes (FAD3-1 and FAD3-2) and three that encode chloroplast-type enzymes (FAD7/8-1, FAD7/8-2, and FAD7/8-3). The FAD3-2 gene was duplicated in the A genome progenitor species after the evolutionary split from the D progenitor, but before the interspecific hybridization event that gave rise to modern tetraploid cotton. RNA-seq analysis revealed conserved, gene-specific expression patterns in various organs and cell types and semi-quantitative RT-PCR further revealed that FAD7/8-1 was specifically induced during cold temperature treatment of G. hirsutum seedlings. Conclusions The omega-3 FAD gene family in cotton was characterized at the genome-wide level in three species, showing relatively ancient establishment of the gene family prior to the split of A and D diploid progenitor species. The FAD genes are differentially expressed in various organs and cell types, including fiber, and expression of the FAD7/8-1 gene was induced by cold temperature. Collectively, these data define the genetic and functional genomic properties of this important gene family in cotton and provide a foundation for future efforts to improve cotton abiotic stress tolerance through molecular breeding approaches

Engineering the production of conjugated fatty acids in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves

This article discusses whether the fatty acid composition of leaf oil could be engineered to accumulate unusual fatty acids

Metabolic Engineering for Enhanced Oil in Biomass

The world is hungry for energy. Plant oils in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) are one of the most reduced storage forms of carbon found in nature and hence represent an excellent source of energy. The myriad of applications for plant oils range across foods, feeds, biofuels, and chemical feedstocks as a unique substitute for petroleum derivatives. Traditionally, plant oils are sourced either from oilseeds or tissues surrounding the seed (mesocarp). Most vegetative tissues, such as leaves and stems, however, accumulate relatively low levels of TAG. Since non-seed tissues constitute the majority of the plant biomass, metabolic engineering to improve their low-intrinsic TAG-biosynthetic capacity has recently attracted significant attention as a novel, sustainable and potentially high-yielding oil production platform. While initial attempts predominantly targeted single genes, recent combinatorial metabolic engineering strategies have focused on the simultaneous optimization of oil synthesis, packaging and degradation pathways (i.e., \u27push, pull, package and protect\u27). This holistic approach has resulted in dramatic, seed-like TAG levels in vegetative tissues. With the first proof of concept hurdle addressed, new challenges and opportunities emerge, including engineering fatty acid profile, translation into agronomic crops, extraction, and downstream processing to deliver accessible and sustainable bioenergy

Colloidal suspensions in external rotating electric field: experimental studies and prospective applications in physics, material science, and biomedicine

Colloidal suspensions and tunable self-assembly of colloidal particles attract a great interest in recent years. In this paper, we propose a new setup and technology for studies of self-assembly of colloidal particles, interection of which between themselves is tuned by external rotating electric fields. We reveal wide prospectives of electric field employment for tunable self-assembly, from suspensions of inorganic particles to ensembles of biological cells. These results make enable particle-resolved studies of various collective phenomena and fundamental processes in many-particle systems in equilibrium state and far from it, while the dynamics can be resolved at the level of individual particles using video microscopy. For the first time, we demonstrate that, apart from ability to prepare photonic crystalline films of inorganic silica particles, the tunable self-assembly provides a novel technological way for manipulation with ensembles of biological cells by control of interactions between them

New Cyclopiane Diterpenes and Polyketide Derivatives from Marine Sediment-Derived Fungus <i>Penicillium antarcticum</i> KMM 4670 and Their Biological Activities

Two new cyclopiane diterpenes and a new cladosporin precursor, together with four known related compounds, were isolated from the marine sediment-derived fungus Penicillium antarcticum KMM 4670, which was re-identified based on phylogenetic inference from ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 gene regions. The absolute stereostructures of the isolated cyclopianes were determined using modified Mosher’s method and quantum chemical calculations of the ECD spectra. The isolation from the natural source of two biosynthetic precursors of cladosporin from a natural source has been reported for the first time. The antimicrobial activities of the isolated compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans as well as the inhibition of staphylococcal sortase A activity were investigated. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the compounds to mammalian cardiomyocytes H9c2 was studied. As a result, new cyclopiane diterpene 13-epi-conidiogenone F was found to be a sortase A inhibitor and a promising anti-staphylococcal agent

Oxirapentyns F–K from the Marine-Sediment-Derived Fungus <i>Isaria felina</i> KMM 4639

Six new highly oxygenated chromene derivatives, oxirapentyns F–K (<b>2</b>–<b>7</b>), one new polyketide (<b>8</b>), one new benzofurane (<b>9</b>), and two known cyclodepsipeptides, isoisariin B and isaridin E, were isolated from the lipophilic extract of the marine-derived fungus <i>Isaria felina</i> KMM 4639. The structures of compounds <b>2</b>–<b>9</b> were determined using spectroscopic methods. The relative configurations of compounds <b>2</b>–<b>7</b> were established through a combination of NOE data and spin coupling constants, and these results were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of <b>4</b>. The absolute structures of all oxirapentyns were assumed based on their biogenetic relationship and confirmed using the modified Mosher’s method on <b>2</b> and <b>7</b>. Isariketide (<b>8</b>) showed moderate cytotoxicity toward HL-60 cells

Mouse fat storage‐inducing transmembrane protein 2 ( FIT

This article discusses the test of the function of FIT2 in plant cells by ectopically expressing mouse (Mus musculus) FIT2 in Nicotiana tabacum suspension-cultured cells, Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and Arabidopsis thaliana plants

Comparative Study of Extracellular Vesicles from the Urine of Healthy Individuals and Prostate Cancer Patients.

Recent studies suggest that extracellular vesicles may be the key to timely diagnosis and monitoring of genito-urological malignancies. In this study we investigated the composition and content of extracellular vesicles found in the urine of healthy donors and prostate cancer patients. Urine of 14 PCa patients and 20 healthy volunteers was clarified by low-speed centrifugation and total extracellular vesicles fraction was obtain by high-speed centrifugation. The exosome-enriched fraction was obtained by filtration of total extracellular vesicles through a 0.1 μm pore filter. Transmission electron microscopy showed that cell-free urine in both groups contained vesicles from 20 to 230 nm. Immunogold staining after ultrafiltration demonstrated that 95% and 90% of extracellular vesicles in healthy individuals and cancer patients, respectively, were exosomes. Protein, DNA and RNA concentrations as well as size distribution of extracellular vesicles in both fractions were analyzed. Only 75% of the total protein content of extracellular vesicles was associated with exosomes which amounted to 90-95% of all vesicles. Median DNA concentrations in total extracellular vesicles and exosome-enriched fractions were 18 pg/ml and 2.6 pg/ml urine, correspondingly. Urine extracellular vesicles carried a population of RNA molecules 25 nt to 200 nt in concentration of no more than 290 pg/ml of urine. Additionally, concentrations of miR-19b, miR-25, miR-125b, and miR-205 were quantified by qRT-PCR. MiRNAs were shown to be differently distributed between different fractions of extracellular vesicles. Detection of miR-19b versus miR-16 in total vesicles and exosome-enriched fractions achieved 100%/93% and 95%/79% specificity/sensitivity in distinguishing cancer patients from healthy individuals, respectively, demonstrating the diagnostic value of urine extracellular vesicles

The 2020 release of the ExoMol database:Molecular line lists for exoplanet and other hot atmospheres

The ExoMol database (www.exomol.com) provides molecular data for spectroscopic studies of hot atmospheres. While the data are intended for studies of exoplanets and other astronomical bodies, the dataset is widely applicable. The basic form of the database is extensive line lists; these are supplemented with partition functions, state lifetimes, cooling functions, Lande g-factors, temperature-dependent cross sections, opacities, pressure broadening parameters, k-coefficients and dipoles. This paper presents the latest release of the database which has been expanded to consider 80 molecules and 190 isotopologues totaling over 700 billion transitions. While the spectroscopic data are concentrated at infrared and visible wavelengths, ultraviolet transitions are being increasingly considered in response to requests from observers. The core of the database comes from the ExoMol project which primarily uses theoretical methods, albeit usually fine-tuned to reproduce laboratory spectra, to generate very extensive line lists for studies of hot bodies. The data have recently been supplemented by line lists derived from direct laboratory observations, albeit usually with the use of ab initio transition intensities. A major push in the new release is towards accurate characterisation of transition frequencies for use in high resolution studies of exoplanets and other bodies. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p