Coupling lead isotope analysis and petrography to characterize fabrics of storage and trade containers from Hala Sultan Tekke (Cyprus)

Lead isotopes, thin- and sherd-section analyses are coupled on pottery-vessel fragments excavated from the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke (south-east Cyprus) and representing fabrics used for the production of storage and trade containers. The fabrics of the sherds are first described according to general macroscopic observations. Based on the different fabrics identified, a petrographic analysis is carried out on thin sections and compared to lead isotope results on the same samples. This study shows that a specific fabric corresponds to a specific lead isotopic composition and proposes different sources for the various groups of associated sherds/fabrics. It also demonstrates the compatibility and complementarity of petrography and lead isotopes within pottery provenance study. © 2013 University of Oxford.SCOPUS: ar.jFLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Suppression of sucrose synthase affects auxin signaling and leaf morphology in tomato

<div><p>Metabolic enzymes have been found to play roles in plant development. Sucrose synthase (SUS) is one of the two enzyme families involved in sucrose cleavage in plants. In tomato, six SUS genes have been found. We generated transgenic tomato plants with RNAi suppression of <i>SlSUS1</i>, <i>SlSUS3</i> and <i>SlSUS4</i> genes. Independent transgenic lines with RNAi suppression of more than one <i>SUS</i> gene exhibited morphological effects on their cotyledons and leaf structure, but there were no significant effects on their carbohydrate levels, demonstrating that SUS has a developmental function, in addition to its metabolic function. Shoot apices of the transgenic lines showed elevated expression of <i>JAGGED</i> (<i>JAG</i>) and the auxin transporter <i>PIN1</i>. In a PIN1-GFP fusion reporter/SUS-RNAi hybrid, PIN1-GFP patterns were altered in developing leaves (as compared to control plants), indicating that <i>SlSUS</i> suppression alters auxin signaling. These results suggest possible roles for SUS in the regulation of plant growth and leaf morphology, in association with the auxin-signaling pathway.</p></div

Effect of <i>SlSUS</i> suppression on tomato fertility and seed viability.

<p><b>(A)</b><i>SlSUS-RNAi</i> and WT plants were grown in a greenhouse to maturity. Flowers from the first five inflorescences from the ground of each plant (<i>n</i> = 9) were counted. <b>(B)</b> Fruit set was calculated as the number of fruit divided by the number of flowers from the first five inflorescences of each plant (<i>n</i> = 9). <b>(C)</b> To calculate average seed weights, 50 seeds per fruit (<i>n</i> = 4) were counted and weighed, and that weight was divided by the number of seeds. Error bars represent the standard error. Asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference relative to the WT (* <i>P</i> < 0.05; ** <i>P</i> < 0.01).</p