Enhancing grain size in durum wheat using RNAi to knockdown GW2 genes

Sestili F., Pagliarello R., Zega A., Saletti R., Pucci A., Botticella E., Masci S., Tundo S., Moscetti I., Foti S., Lafiandra D. 2019 Enhancing grain size in durum wheat using RNAi to knock-down GW2 genes. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 132(2): 419-429 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-018-3229-9. Abstract Key message Knocking down GW2 enhances grain size by regulating genes encoding the synthesis of cytokinin, gibberellin, starch and cell wall. Abstract Raising crop yield is a priority task in the light of the continuing growth of the world’s population and the inexorable loss of arable land to urbanization. Here, the RNAi approach was taken to reduce the abundance of Grain Weight 2 (GW2) transcript in the durum wheat cultivar Svevo. The effect of the knockdown was to increase the grains’ starch content by 10–40%, their width by 4–13% and their surface area by 3–5%. Transcriptomic profiling, based on a quantitative real-time PCR platform, revealed that the transcript abundance of genes encoding both cytokinin dehydrogenase 1 and the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was markedly increased in the transgenic lines, whereas that of the genes encoding cytokinin dehydrogenase 2 and gibberellin 3-oxidase was reduced. A proteomic analysis of the non-storage fraction extracted from mature grains detected that eleven proteins were differentially represented in the transgenic compared to wild-type grain: some of these were involved, or at least potentially involved, in cell wall development, suggesting a role of GW2 in the regulation of cell division in the wheat grain

Designing a novel tomato ideotype for future cultivation in space manned missions

Introduction: Methods for production of fresh, health food are needed in view of long-term, deep-space manned missions. To this end, crops tailored for better performance under non-terrestrial conditions may be obtained by the exploitation of biochemical patterns related to specialized metabolites known to confer protection against environmental challenges and to be beneficial to human health.Methods: In this work, for the first time, MicroTom plants have been engineered specifically for agrospace applications to express PhAN4, a MYB-like transcription factor able to regulate the biosynthesis of anthocyanins that influence tomato genes possibly involved in agrospace-relevant functions. Results:PhAN4 engineering underpinned the genetic background of the dwarf tomato MicroTom while maintaining yield and photosynthetic capacity. PhAN4 expression resulted in the accumulation of anthocyanins and polyphenols, a differential carotenoid profile, increased antioxidant scavenging capacities of fruits compared to the original genotype. Improved ability to counteract ROS generation and to preserve plant protein folding after ex-vivo gamma irradiation was observed.Discussion: These results highlights that the manipulation of specific metabolic pathways is a promising approach to design novel candidate varieties for agrospace applications

Designing greenhouse subsystems for a lunar mission: the LOOPS - M Project

The 2020s is a very important decade in the space sector, where international cooperation is moving towards the exploration of the Moon and will lead to stable lunar settlements, which will require new, innovative, and efficient technologies. In this context, the project LOOPS–M (Lunar Operative Outpost for the Production and Storage of Microgreens) was created by students from Sapienza University of Rome with the objective of designing some of the main features of a lunar greenhouse. The project was developed for the IGLUNA 2021 campaign, an interdisciplinary platform coordinated by Space Innovation as part of the ESA Lab@ initiative. The LOOPS-M mission was successfully concluded during the Virtual Field Campaign that took place in July 2021. This project is a follow-up of the V-GELM Project, which took part in IGLUNA 2020 with the realization in Virtual Reality of a Lunar Greenhouse: a simulation of the main operations connected to the cultivation module, the HORT3 , which was already developed by ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) during the AMADEE-18 mission inside the HORTSPACE project. This paper will briefly describe the main features designed and developed for the lunar greenhouse and their simulation in a VR environment: an autonomous cultivation system able to handle the main cultivation tasks of the previous cultivation system, a bioconversion system that can recycle into new resources the cultivation waste with the use of insects as a biodegradation system, and a shield able of withstanding hypervelocity impacts and the harsh lunar environment. A wide overview of the main challenges faced, and lessons learned by the team to obtain these results, will be given. The first challenge was the initial inexperience that characterized all the team members, being for most the first experience with an activity structured as a space mission, starting with little to no know-how regarding the software and hardware needed for the project, and how to structure documentation and tasks, which was acquired throughout the year. An added difficulty was the nature of LOOPS-M, which included very different objectives that required different fields of expertise, ranging from various engineering sectors to biology and entomology. During the year, the team managed to learn how to handle all these hurdles and the organizational standpoint, working as a group, even if remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Through careful planning, hard work and the help of supervisors, the activity was carried out through reviews, up to the prototyping phase and the test campaign with a successful outcome in each aspect of the project. By the end of the year everyone involved had acquired new knowledge, both practical and theoretical, and learned how to reach out and present their work to sponsors and to the scientific community

CRISPR towards a Sustainable Agriculture

Climate change and the need to feed an increasing population undermines food production and safety, representing the reasons behind the development of a new agriculture that is much more sustainable, productive and accessible worldwide. Genome editing and, in particular, clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) tools will play a major role in plant breeding to address these concerns. CRISPR/Cas includes a series of genome editing tools relying on the recognition and cleavage of target DNA/RNA sequences to introduce specific mutations

CRISPR towards a Sustainable Agriculture

Climate change and the need to feed an increasing population undermines food production and safety, representing the reasons behind the development of a new agriculture that is much more sustainable, productive and accessible worldwide. Genome editing and, in particular, clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) tools will play a major role in plant breeding to address these concerns. CRISPR/Cas includes a series of genome editing tools relying on the recognition and cleavage of target DNA/RNA sequences to introduce specific mutations

Natural Bioactives: Back to the Future in the Fight against Human Papillomavirus? A Narrative Review

Human papillomavirus (HPV) still represents an important threat to health worldwide. Better therapy in terms of further improvement of outcomes and attenuation of related side-effects is desirable. The pharmaceutical industry has always targeted natural substances—phytochemicals in particular—to identify lead compounds to be clinically validated and industrially produced as antiviral and anticancer drugs. In the field of HPV, numerous naturally occurring bioactives and dietary phytochemicals have been investigated as potentially valuable in vitro and in vivo. Interference with several pathways and improvement of the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents have been demonstrated. Notably, some clinical trials have been conducted. Despite being endowed with general safety, these natural substances are in urgent need of further assessment to foresee their clinical exploitation. This review summarizes the basic research efforts conducted so far in the study of anti-HPV properties of bio-actives with insights into their mechanisms of action and highlights the variety of their natural origin in order to provide comprehensive mapping throughout the different sources. The clinical studies available are reported, as well, to highlight the need of uniformity and consistency of studies in the future to select those natural compounds that may be suited to clinical application

Design of a modular controlled unit for the study of bioprocesses. Towards solutions for bioregenerative life support systems in space

Space exploration beyond the Low Earth Orbit requires the establishment of Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs), which, through bioprocesses for primary resource recycling, ensure crew survival. However, the introduction of new organisms in confined space habitats must be carefully evaluated in advance to avoid unforeseen events that could compromise the mission. In this work, we have designed and built an experimental chamber, named Growing/Rearing Module (GRM), completely isolated and equipped with micro-environmental monitoring and control systems. This unit is specially intended for the study of single bioprocesses, which can be composed to design functional BLSSs. GRM can be implemented with specific devices for the biological system under study and the control of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, lighting and if required, pressure of gaseous components. GRM was validated in experiments of both microgreen cultivation, as a source of fresh food for astronauts, and rearing of the decomposer insect Hermetia illucens for bioconversion of organic waste. During the study of each bioprocess, the environmental and biological data were recorded, allowing to make preliminary assessments of the system efficiency. The GRM, as a completely confined environment, represents the first self-consistent unit that allows to fine-tune the optimal parameters for the operability of different bioprocesses. Furthermore, the upgradability according to the mission needs and the functional integrability of modules differently equipped are the keys to GRM versatility, representing a valuable tool for BLSSs’ design

Consumer Awareness and Acceptance of Biotechnological Solutions for Gluten-Free Products

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder caused by the ingestion of gluten proteins. The gluten-free diet is currently the only therapy to achieve the symptoms’ remission. Biotechnological approaches are currently being explored to obtain safer and healthier food for celiacs. This article analyzes consumer awareness and acceptance of advanced biotechnologies to develop gluten-free products. An online snowball sampling questionnaire was proposed to 511 Italian participants, selected among celiac and non-celiac people, from December 2020 to January 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 64% of respondents favor food biotechnology, as long as it has benefits for health or the environment. Moreover, biotechnology perception differs according to education level and type. A total of 65% of the survey participants would taste gluten-free products obtained through a biotechnological approach, and 57% would buy them at a higher price than the current market price. Our results show a change in public opinion about the usefulness of food biotechnology and its moral acceptability compared to 20 years ago. However, the study of public opinion is very complex, dealing with individuals with social, economic, and cultural differences. Undoubtedly, the scientific dissemination of genetic biotechnologies must be more effective and usable to increase the level of citizens’ awareness

The epidemiology of proximal femur fractures during covid-19 emergency in italy: A multicentric study

Background and aim: After the first Italian case of Covid-19, the Government imposed the complete closure of all areas involved by the spread of the virus to contain transmissions. There was a massive reorganization of Hospitals, a stop of all elective activities and a convertion of many hospitals in "Covid Centers''. AITOG (Associazione Italiana Traumatologia e Ortopedia Geriatrica) conducted a retrospective study on all proximal femur fractures surgeries that occurred in this period, to find out whether the pandemic and the correlated lockdown somehow changed the incidence of these events. Methods: 10 Italian orthopedic centers were involved in the study. Considering the geographic location, three groups were created (North, Centre and South). The considered period is the Italian "Phase 1" (February 23rd - May 3rd 2020). Results: the cohort is composed of 412 patients, 116 male and 296 female (mean age 81.1 ± 9.1 years). The same period of 2019 has been used as control group, with 558 patients, 156 male and 402 female (mean age 84.2 ± 8.0 years). In 2020 we counted 323 (78.4%) fractures occurred at home, 61 (14.8%) in retirement houses and 28 (6.8%) in different locations. We mainly treated fractures with intramedullary nails (n.237 57.5%). Among all patients we had 46 (11.1%) Covid-19 positive. The mortality rate within 30 days was of 51 patients (12.4%); 23 of these died because of complications related to Covid-19 while 31 of these were in treatment with anticoagulant/antiaggregant. Conclusions: AITOG analysis demonstrates a decrease in surgical interventions for proximal femur fractures from 2019 to 2020, a reduction in patients mean age and an increase in trauma occurred in domestic environment. We also registered a consistent difference between the North, Center and South of the Country