72 research outputs found

    Regulation of Arabidopsis 14-3-3 gene expression by GABA.

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    The function in plants of the non-protein amino acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is poorly understood. In this study, we show that GABA down-regulates the expression of a large sub-set of 14-3-3 gene family members in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in a calcium, ethylene and abscisic acid-dependent manner. Gene expression is not affected when seedlings are supplied with glutamate, a precursor of GABA. The repression of 14-3-3 gene expression by GABA is dependent on functional ethylene and abscisic acid signalling pathways, since the response is lost in the etr1-1, abi1-1 and abi2-1 mutants. Calcium measurements show that in contrast to glutamate, GABA does not elicit a cytoplasmic calcium elevation, suggesting that the GABA response is unlikely to be mediated by glutamate receptors, as has been suggested previously. We suggest that in addition to its role as a stress-related metabolite, GABA may regulate gene expression in Arabidopsis, including members of the 14-3-3 gene family

    Weighted maximal regularity estimates and solvability of non-smooth elliptic systems II

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    We continue the development, by reduction to a first order system for the conormal gradient, of L2L^2 \textit{a priori} estimates and solvability for boundary value problems of Dirichlet, regularity, Neumann type for divergence form second order, complex, elliptic systems. We work here on the unit ball and more generally its bi-Lipschitz images, assuming a Carleson condition as introduced by Dahlberg which measures the discrepancy of the coefficients to their boundary trace near the boundary. We sharpen our estimates by proving a general result concerning \textit{a priori} almost everywhere non-tangential convergence at the boundary. Also, compactness of the boundary yields more solvability results using Fredholm theory. Comparison between classes of solutions and uniqueness issues are discussed. As a consequence, we are able to solve a long standing regularity problem for real equations, which may not be true on the upper half-space, justifying \textit{a posteriori} a separate work on bounded domains.Comment: 76 pages, new abstract and few typos corrected. The second author has changed nam

    Mild reductions in cytosolic NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity result in lower amino acid contents and pigmentation without impacting growth

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    Transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants were generated targeting the cytosolic NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (SlICDH1) via the RNA interference approach. The resultant transformants displayed a relatively mild reduction in the expression and activity of the target enzyme in the leaves. However, biochemical analyses revealed that the transgenic lines displayed a considerable shift in metabolism, being characterized by decreases in the levels of the TCA cycle intermediates, total amino acids, photosynthetic pigments, starch and NAD(P)H. The plants showed little change in photosynthesis with the exception of a minor decrease in maximum photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), and a small decrease in growth compared to the wild type. These results reveal that even small changes in cytosolic NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity lead to noticeable alterations in the activities of enzymes involved in primary nitrate assimilation and in the synthesis of 2-oxoglutarate derived amino acids. These data are discussed within the context of current models for the role of the various isoforms of isocitrate dehydrogenase within plant amino acid metabolism

    Cost analysis of options for management of African Animal Trypanosomiasis using interventions targeted at cattle in Tororo District; south-eastern Uganda

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    BACKGROUND: Tsetse-transmitted African trypanosomes cause both nagana (African animal Trypanosomiasis-AAT) and sleeping sickness (human African Trypanosomiasis - HAT) across Sub-Saharan Africa. Vector control and chemotherapy are the contemporary methods of tsetse and trypanosomiasis control in this region. In most African countries, including Uganda, veterinary services have been decentralised and privatised. As a result, livestock keepers meet the costs of most of these services. To be sustainable, AAT control programs need to tailor tsetse control to the inelastic budgets of resource-poor small scale farmers. To guide the process of tsetse and AAT control toolkit selection, that now, more than ever before, needs to optimise resources, the costs of different tsetse and trypanosomiasis control options need to be determined. METHODS: A detailed costing of the restricted application protocol (RAP) for African trypanosomiasis control in Tororo District was undertaken between June 2012 and December 2013. A full cost calculation approach was used; including all overheads, delivery costs, depreciation and netting out transfer payments to calculate the economic (societal) cost of the intervention. Calculations were undertaken in Microsoft Excel™ without incorporating probabilistic elements. RESULTS: The cost of delivering RAP to the project was US6.89peranimalperyearwhilethatof4dosesofacurativetrypanocideperanimalperyearwasUS 6.89 per animal per year while that of 4 doses of a curative trypanocide per animal per year was US 5.69. However, effective tsetse control does not require the application of RAP to all animals. Protecting cattle from trypanosome infections by spraying 25 %, 50 % or 75 % of all cattle in a village costs US1.72,3.45and5.17peranimalperyearrespectively.Alternatively,ayearofasingledoseofcurativeorprophylactictrypanocidetreatmentplus50  1.72, 3.45 and 5.17 per animal per year respectively. Alternatively, a year of a single dose of curative or prophylactic trypanocide treatment plus 50 % RAP would cost US 4.87 and US$ 5.23 per animal per year. Pyrethroid insecticides and trypanocides cost 22.4 and 39.1 % of the cost of RAP and chemotherapy respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cost analyses of low cost tsetse control options should include full delivery costs since they constitute 77.6 % of all project costs. The relatively low cost of RAP for AAT control and its collateral impact on tick control make it an attractive option for livestock management by smallholder livestock keepers

    Amygdala 14-3-3ζ as a Novel Modulator of Escalating Alcohol Intake in Mice

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    Alcoholism is a devastating brain disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The development of alcoholism is caused by alcohol-induced maladaptive changes in neural circuits involved in emotions, motivation, and decision-making. Because of its involvement in these processes, the amygdala is thought to be a key neural structure involved in alcohol addiction. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern the development of alcoholism are incompletely understood. We have previously shown that in a limited access choice paradigm, C57BL/6J mice progressively escalate their alcohol intake and display important behavioral characteristic of alcohol addiction, in that they become insensitive to quinine-induced adulteration of alcohol. This study used the limited access choice paradigm to study gene expression changes in the amygdala during the escalation to high alcohol consumption in C57BL/6J mice. Microarray analysis revealed that changes in gene expression occurred predominantly after one week, i.e. during the initial escalation of alcohol intake. One gene that stood out from our analysis was the adapter protein 14-3-3ζ, which was up-regulated during the transition from low to high alcohol intake. Independent qPCR analysis confirmed the up-regulation of amygdala 14-3-3ζ during the escalation of alcohol intake. Subsequently, we found that local knockdown of 14-3-3ζ in the amygdala, using RNA interference, dramatically augmented alcohol intake. In addition, knockdown of amygdala 14-3-3ζ promoted the development of inflexible alcohol drinking, as apparent from insensitivity to quinine adulteration of alcohol. This study identifies amygdala 14-3-3ζ as a novel key modulator that is engaged during escalation of alcohol use

    Ion homeostasis in the Chloroplast

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    peer reviewedThe chloroplast is an organelle of high demand for macro- and micro-nutrient ions, which are required for the maintenance of the photosynthetic process. To avoid deficiency while preventing excess, homeostasis mechanisms must be tightly regulated. Here, we describe the needs for nutrient ions in the chloroplast and briefly highlight their functions in the chloroplastidial metabolism. We further discuss the impact of nutrient deficiency on chloroplasts and the acclimation mechanisms that evolved to preserve the photosynthetic apparatus. We finally present what is known about import and export mechanisms for these ions. Whenever possible, a comparison between cyanobacteria, algae and plants is provided to add an evolutionary perspective to the description of ion homeostasis mechanisms in photosynthesis

    Prescribed Szlenk index of separable Banach spaces

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    International audienceIn a previous work, the first named author described the set P of all values of the Szlenk indices of separable Banach spaces. We complete this result by showing that for any integer n and any ordinal α in P, there exists a separable Banach space X such that the Szlenk of the dual of order k of X is equal to the first infinite ordinal ω for all k in {0, .., n − 1} and equal to α for k = n. One of the ingredients is to show that the Lindenstrauss space and its dual both have a Szlenk index equal to ω

    Asymptotic smoothness and universality in Banach spaces

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    International audienceFor 1 < p ≤ ∞, we study the complexity and the existence of universal spaces for two classes of separable Banach spaces, denoted Ap and Np, and related to asymptotic smoothness in Banach spaces. We show that each of these classes is Borel in the class of separable Banach spaces. Then we build small families of Banach spaces that are both injectively and surjectively universal for these classes. Finally, we prove the optimality of this universality result, by showing in particular that none of these classes admits a universal space
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