Global and regional IUCN red list assessments: 5

In this contribution, the conservation status of four vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Arceuthobium oxycedri (DC.) M.Bieb., Ionopsidium albiflorum Durieu, Trifolium latinum Sebast., and Vicia incisa M.Bieb. at a Regional level (Italy)

Biostimulant activity of azotobacter chroococcum and trichoderma harzianum in durum wheat under water and nitrogen deficiency

Biostimulants hold great potential for developing integrated sustainable agriculture systems. The rhizobacteria Azotobacter chroococcum strain 76A and the fungus Trichoderma harzianum strain T22, with demonstrated biostimulant activity in previous systems, were evaluated in Triticum durum cv Creso for their ability to enhance growth and tolerance to drought stress. Growth and drought tolerance were evaluated in conditions of low and high soil nitrogen, with two levels of water stress. T. harzianum increased plant growth (+16%) under control conditions and tolerance to moderate drought stress (+52%) under optimal fertilization, while A. chroococcum conferred a growth penalty (−28%) in well-watered conditions under suboptimal fertilization and increased tolerance only under extreme drought stress (+15%). This growth penalty was ameliorated by nitrogen fertilization. T. harzianum abundance was found to be positively correlated to extreme soil drying, whereas A. chroococcum-induced tolerance was dependent on soil nitrogen availability. These results indicate that while biostimulants may enhance growth and stress tolerance, nutrient availability soil and environmental conditions heavily influence these responses. These interactions should be considered when designing biostimulant products targeted to specific cultural conditions

Anxiety-like behavior of prenatally stressed rats is associated with a selective reduction of glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus

Abnormalities of synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus represent an integral part of the altered programming triggered by early life stress. Prenatally restraint stressed (PRS) rats develop long-lasting biochemical and behavioral changes, which are the expression of an anxious/depressive-like phenotype. We report here that PRS rats showed a selective impairment of depolarization- or kainate-stimulated glutamate and 3HD-aspartate release in the ventral hippo campus, a region encoding memories related to stress and emotions. GABA release was un affected in PRS rats. As a consequence of reduced glutamate release, PRS rats were also highly resistant to kainate-induced seizures. Abnormalities of glutamate release were associated with large reductions in the levels of synaptic vesicle-related proteins, such as VAMP (synaptobrevin), syntaxin-1, synaptophysin, synapsin Ia/b and IIa, munc-18, and Rab3A in the ventral hippocampus of PRS rats. Anxiety-like behavior in male PRS (and control) rats was inversely related to the extent of depolarization-evoked glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus. A causal relationship between anxiety-like behavior and reduction in glutamate release was demonstrated usingamixtureofthemGlu2/3 receptor antagonist, LY341495, and the GABAB receptor antagonist, CGP52432, which was shown to amplify depolarization-evoked 3HD-aspartate release in the ventral hippocampus. Bilateral micro infusion of CGP52432 plus LY341495 in the ventral hippocampus abolished anxiety-like behavior in PRS rats. These findings indicate that an impairment of glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus is a key component of the neuro plastic program induced by PRS, and that strategies aimed at enhancing glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus correct the "anxious phenotype" caused by early life stress

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 1

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of six plant species according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment at global level of Linaria tonzigii Lona, Allium garganicum Brullo, Pavone, Salmeri & Terrasi, Ferula arrigonii Bocchieri, Orchis patens Desf. subsp. patens and Armeria saviana Selvi and the assessment at regional level (Italy) of Viola jordanii Hanry

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 5

In this contribution, the conservation status of four vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Arceuthobium oxycedri (DC.) M.Bieb., Ionopsidium albiflorum Durieu, Trifolium latinum Sebast., and Vicia incisa M.Bieb. at a Regional level (Italy)

Global and regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 1

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of six plant species according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment at global level of Linaria tonzigii Lona, Allium garganicum Brullo, Pavone, Salmeri & Terrasi, Ferula arrigonii Bocchieri, Orchis patens Desf. subsp. patens and Armeria saviana Selvi and the assessment at regional level (Italy) of Viola jordanii Hanry

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived L1 Overexpressing Neural Aggregates Enhance Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Mice

An obstacle to early stem cell transplantation into the acutely injured spinal cord is poor survival of transplanted cells. Transplantation of embryonic stem cells as substrate adherent embryonic stem cell-derived neural aggregates (SENAs) consisting mainly of neurons and radial glial cells has been shown to enhance survival of grafted cells in the injured mouse brain. In the attempt to promote the beneficial function of these SENAs, murine embryonic stem cells constitutively overexpressing the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 which favors axonal growth and survival of grafted and imperiled cells in the inhibitory environment of the adult mammalian central nervous system were differentiated into SENAs and transplanted into the spinal cord three days after compression lesion. Mice transplanted with L1 overexpressing SENAs showed improved locomotor function when compared to mice injected with wild-type SENAs. L1 overexpressing SENAs showed an increased number of surviving cells, enhanced neuronal differentiation and reduced glial differentiation after transplantation when compared to SENAs not engineered to overexpress L1. Furthermore, L1 overexpressing SENAs rescued imperiled host motoneurons and parvalbumin-positive interneurons and increased numbers of catecholaminergic nerve fibers distal to the lesion. In addition to encouraging the use of embryonic stem cells for early therapy after spinal cord injury L1 overexpression in the microenvironment of the lesioned spinal cord is a novel finding in its functions that would make it more attractive for pre-clinical studies in spinal cord regeneration and most likely other diseases of the nervous system

Folding of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Prevents Endogenous Generation of MHC Class-I Restricted Epitope

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that the matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) contained an antigenic peptide recognized by a CD8 T cell clone in the HLA-A*0201 context. The presentation of this peptide on class I molecules by human melanoma cells required a cross-presentation mechanism. Surprisingly, the classical endogenous processing pathway did not process this MMP-2 epitope. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By PCR directed mutagenesis we showed that disruption of a single disulfide bond induced MMP-2 epitope presentation. By Pulse-Chase experiment, we demonstrated that disulfide bonds stabilized MMP-2 and impeded its degradation. Finally, using drugs, we documented that mutated MMP-2 epitope presentation used the proteasome and retrotranslocation complex. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data appear crucial to us since they established the existence of a new inhibitory mechanism for the generation of a T cell epitope. In spite of MMP-2 classified as a self-antigen, the fact that cross-presentation is the only way to present this MMP-2 epitope underlines the importance to target this type of antigen in immunotherapy protocols

Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 9

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Two new combinations are proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material

Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 9

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Two new combinations are proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1