Lotus Spp.: A foreigner that came to stay forever: Economic and environmental changes caused by its naturalization in the Salado River Basin (Argentina)

The Flooding Pampas in Buenos Aires Province is Argentina’s is one of cattle-raising areas. Climatic, topographic and edaphic conditions limit its potential in this area for growing crops such as soybean and wheat. The introduction of L. tenuis in the Flooding Pampas area triggered research based on its ability to tolerate the abiotic stresses that characterize the region and on its role in the improvement of the quality of forage resources. Along with research on abiotic stress tolerance, productive strategies have been developed to enhance the establishment of L. tenuis grassland and beef production. Research on Lotus spp. in the Flooding Pampas has therefore studied not only the biotechnological development and evaluation of new plant resources, but also the accompanying plant diversity, soil microorganisms and symbionts and their impact on environmental dynamics and sustainability. Based on this research, productive strategies have been designed, including continuous evaluation of the impact of cattle production on vulnerable ecosystems. In addition, basic and applied research on grasslands have been combined in order to respond to the environmental impact of the introduction and use of Lotus in these particular ecosystems.Fil: Nieva, Amira Susana del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); Argentina. Institut Max Planck fur Molekulare Physiologie; AlemaniaFil: Ruiz, Oscar Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); Argentin

Spermine and its interaction with proline induce resistance to the root rot pathogen Phytophthora capsici in pepper (Capsicum annuum)

The root rot pathogen Phytophthora capsici can severely damage production of peppers (Capsicum annuum). This study examined the effect of exogenous spermine and spermine in combination with proline on disease severity in pepper inoculated with P. capsici, as well as the effect of the treatments on P. capsici growth and zoospore development. Peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase activity, the levels of phenolic compounds, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and fresh and dry weight were measured on the 3(rd), 5(th), and 7(th) days after P. capsici infection. Disease severity and size of the necrotic lesions increased with the degree of injury caused by the pathogen and decreased in resistant varieties. The cultivar CM-334 exhibited the highest resistance to P. capsici followed by Amazon F1 whereas other genotypes were susceptible to the disease. Treatments with spermine and spermine + proline prior to inoculation decreased the severity of disease, the length of the necrotic lesions, and the MDA and H2O2 levels in all genotypes, and increased peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase activity, the total level of phenolics, and fresh and dry weight, when compared to the untreated, inoculated plants. In addition, 1 mM spermine, 1 mM spermine + 1 mM proline, and 1 mM spermine + 10 mM proline decreased colony growth of P. capsici and zoospore production. This study showed that spermine and spermine + proline induced defense responses and increased resistance to P. capsici infection in pepper.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [112T725]This study is a part of the project (No: 112T725) financially supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)

DataSheet1_Development of a scalable single process for producing SARS-CoV-2 RBD monomer and dimer vaccine antigens.pdf

We have developed a single process for producing two key COVID-19 vaccine antigens: SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) monomer and dimer. These antigens are featured in various COVID-19 vaccine formats, including SOBERANA 01 and the licensed SOBERANA 02, and SOBERANA Plus. Our approach involves expressing RBD (319-541)-His6 in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells, generating and characterizing oligoclones, and selecting the best RBD-producing clones. Critical parameters such as copper supplementation in the culture medium and cell viability influenced the yield of RBD dimer. The purification of RBD involved standard immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), ion exchange chromatography, and size exclusion chromatography. Our findings suggest that copper can improve IMAC performance. Efficient RBD production was achieved using small-scale bioreactor cell culture (2 L). The two RBD forms - monomeric and dimeric RBD - were also produced on a large scale (500 L). This study represents the first large-scale application of perfusion culture for the production of RBD antigens. We conducted a thorough analysis of the purified RBD antigens, which encompassed primary structure, protein integrity, N-glycosylation, size, purity, secondary and tertiary structures, isoform composition, hydrophobicity, and long-term stability. Additionally, we investigated RBD-ACE2 interactions, in vitro ACE2 recognition of RBD, and the immunogenicity of RBD antigens in mice. We have determined that both the monomeric and dimeric RBD antigens possess the necessary quality attributes for vaccine production. By enabling the customizable production of both RBD forms, this unified manufacturing process provides the required flexibility to adapt rapidly to the ever-changing demands of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and different COVID-19 vaccine platforms.</p