Gene expression profiling in Pinus sylvestris after methyl jasmonate treatment

Šajā pētījumā noskaidrojām metiljasmonāta ietekmi uz parastās priedes gēnu ekspresijas profilu ar mērķi pārbaudīt tā potenciālu inducētas rezistences veidošanā. Divgadīgus viena klona parastās priedes stādus apstrādājām ar 10 mM metiljasmonāta un pēc divām nedēļām ievācām skuju paraugus. No iegūtajiem paraugiem izdalījām RNS un veicām nāk paaudzes sekvencēšanu ar Ion Torrent PGM platformu, kā arī RT-PCR ekspresijas pārbaudi atsevišķiem gēniem. Sekvencēšanā iegūtos datus analizējām ar RNA-Seq iegūstot paraugos ekspresēto gēnu profilu. Šos rezultātus apkopojām, veidojot gēnu tīklu un iegūstot funkcionalitātes anotācijas. Noskaidrojām, ka apstrāde novirza metabolisma orientāciju no augšanas un attīstības uz aizsardzību. Organisms atrodas inducētā stāvoklī divas nedēļas pēc apstrādes, kas aptiprina metiljasmonāta potenciālu inducētās rezistences veidošanā.In this research the effect of methyl jasmonate on the gene expression profile of Scots pine was determined in order to assess its potential to induce resistance. Two year old Scots pine ramets were treated with 10 mM methyl jasmonate and needle samples were collected two weeks after treatment. RNA was isolated from samples and transcription profiling was performed using the Ion Torrent PGM platform, as well as RT-PCR expression measurment for selected genes. Sequencing data were analyzed with RNA-Seq and gene expression profiles acquired. These results were summarized in a gene network and using gene functionality annotations. Results revealed that treatment with methyl jasmonate diverts metabolic functions from growth and development to defense. The organism is in an induced state two weeks after treatment, which confirms the potential of methyl jasmonate to cause induced resistance

Seagrass Meadows in Chwaka Bay : Socio-ecological and Management Aspects

The shallow-water seascape of Chwaka Bay consists of diverse habitats including coral reefs, sand/mud flats, algal belts and mangrove forests, but the embayment is primarily characterized by its widespread and highly productive seagrass beds. The Bay is a unique seagrass diversity “hotspot”, with eleven species observed, from small, fast-growing and thin-leaved “pioneer” species like Halophila ovalis and H. stipulacea to large, slower-growing “climax species” with thick and long leaves like Thalassodendron ciliatum and Enhalus acoroides. Consequently, it is not surprising that the small-scale subsistence fishery of Chwaka Bay can be seen as a seagrass fishery, with catches consisting primarily of species intimately associated with the seagrass meadows (de la Torre-Castro and Rönnbäck 2004; de la Torre-Castro 2006).Seagrasses are a polyphyletic group of marine vascular, rhizomal plants (den Hartog 1970, 12-13), which form stands of varying sizes usually called “beds” or “meadows” in intertidal and subtidal coastal waters across the globe. Seagrass meadows typically occur on nearshore soft bottoms (although some species are found on rocky bottoms) in single- or mixed-species assemblages, with the typical wide range from tropical to boreal margins of coastal waters (Green and Short 2003, 21-22). They form one of the most productive aquatic ecosystems on Earth (Duarte and Chiscano 1999) and in most areas occur intermixed with other large primary producers like macroalgae. Seagrass ecosystems support multiple ecological functions, including nursery grounds, food and refuge for many benthic