Adapting clonally propagated crops to climatic changes: a global approach for taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott)

Clonally propagated crop species are less adaptable to environmental changes than those propagating sexually. DNA studies have shown that in all countries where taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) has been introduced clonally its genetic base is narrow. As genetic variation is the most important source of adaptive potential, it appears interesting to attempt to increase genetic and phenotypic diversity to strengthen smallholders’ capacity to adapt to climatic changes. A global experiment, involving 14 countries from America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific was conducted to test this approach. Every country received a set of 50 indexed genotypes in vitro assembling significant genetic diversity. After onstation agronomic evaluation trials, the best genotypes were distributed to farmers for participatory on-farm evaluation. Results indicated that hybrids tolerant to taro leaf blight (TLB, Phytophthora colocasiae Raciborski), developed by Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and Samoa breeding programmes outperformed local cultivars in most locations. However, several elite cultivars from SE Asia, also tolerant to TLB, outperformed improved hybrids in four countries and in one country none of the introductions performed better than the local cultivars. Introduced genotypes were successfully crossed (controlled crossing) with local cultivars and new hybrids were produced. For the first time in the history of Aroids research, seeds were exchanged internationally injecting tremendous allelic diversity in different countries. If climatic changes are going to cause the problems envisaged, then breeding crops with wide genetic diversity appears to be an appropriate approach to overcome the disasters that will otherwise ensue.This research was financially supported by the Europe-Aid project ‘‘Adapting clonally propagated crops to climatic and commercial changes’’ (Grant No. DCI-FOOD/ 2010/230-267 SPC). Thanks are due to the 14 different countries technicians working on research stations and to farmers and their families for their enthusiastic contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modeling the Effect of High Calorie Diet on the Interplay between Adipose Tissue, Inflammation, and Diabetes

Background. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disease potentially leading to serious widespread tissue damage. Human organism develops T2D when the glucose-insulin control is broken for reasons that are not fully understood but have been demonstrated to be linked to the emergence of a chronic inflammation. Indeed such low-level chronic inflammation affects the pancreatic production of insulin and triggers the development of insulin resistance, eventually leading to an impaired control of the blood glucose concentration. On the contrary, it is well-known that obesity and inflammation are strongly correlated. Aim. In this study, we investigate in silico the effect of overfeeding on the adipose tissue and the consequent set up of an inflammatory state. We model the emergence of the inflammation as the result of adipose mass increase which, in turn, is a direct consequence of a prolonged excess of high calorie intake. Results. The model reproduces the fat accumulation due to excessive caloric intake observed in two clinical studies. Moreover, while showing consistent weight gains over long periods of time, it reveals a drift of the macrophage population toward the proinflammatory phenotype, thus confirming its association with fatness

Oestrogen stimulates endothelial progenitor cells via oestrogen receptor-alpha

CONTEXT: Oestrogens play an important protective role on the vascular system. The endothelial cell layer is a direct target for these hormones, and expresses at least two oestrogen receptors, ER-alpha and ER-beta. Recent studies have shown that vascular healing is significantly modulated by circulating bone marrow-derived cells. A subset of these stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), have recently been described as a population of pluripotent cells within the peripheral blood capable of differentiating into endothelial cells. OBJECTIVE: In the present study we investigated the expression of ER-alpha and ER-beta on human EPCs and the effect that oestrogens have on the function of EPCs in vitro. METHODS: EPCs were isolated and cultured from healthy donors. RT-PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to assess expression of ER-alpha and ER-beta. Proliferation and CFU assays were used to assess the response of EPCs to different doses of 17,beta-oestradiol. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Expression of ER-alpha and ER-beta in EPCs, and the effect of 17,beta-oestradiol on proliferation of EPCs. RESULTS: Human EPCs express ER-alpha mRNA and protein. 17,beta-oestradiol increases proliferation of EPCs and CFU in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Human EPCs express ER-alpha but not ER-beta, and oestrogens can stimulate the proliferation of these cells in vitro. Oestrogens exert these effects at concentrations that are usually reached during stimulation for in vitro fertilization in women, and therefore further studies are needed to clarify the clinical significance of these effects

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Not AvailableThe present review is an attempt to signify the importance of heat shock proteins in livestock adaptation during heat stress. The cellular and molecular responses in livestock are very crucial as it may lead to identification of confirmatory biomarker for heat stress in livestock. Thermo-tolerant gene expression and elevated heat shock protein (HSP) levels are observed to be the ultimate response through which the cell survives the heat stress. The HSPs have chaperonic activity ensuring the folding, unfolding and refolding of stress-denatured proteins. The components of heat shock response include heat shock factors (HSFs), heat shock element (HSE) and HSP. The cellular response to heat stress in mammalian organisms is controlled at the transcription level and it is mediated by a family of HSF which are regulated by the corresponding HSF genes. The activated HSFs bind with the HSE in the promoter region of HSP genes culminating in enhanced transcription of HSP mRNA. The HSP70, HSP90 and HSP27 are the predominant HSPs having protective role during heat stress in farm animals. Among these HSPs studied, HSP70 was identified to be the ideal biological marker for quantifying heat stress in animals.Not Availabl

Geographical distribution of the 18 multilocus lineages (MLLs) found within or in more than one country.

<p>Total number of cultivars for each MLL are shown below.</p

Map showing the geographical distribution of the cultivars (i) after Bayesian clustering assignment (black, grey and white pie chart in each linked pair of charts), (ii) of the ploidy levels inferred from the number of alleles per microsatellite locus, (iii) and of the multi-locus lineages (MLLs) in cultivated taro (coloured pie chart in each linked pair of charts).

<p>Map showing the geographical distribution of the cultivars (i) after Bayesian clustering assignment (black, grey and white pie chart in each linked pair of charts), (ii) of the ploidy levels inferred from the number of alleles per microsatellite locus, (iii) and of the multi-locus lineages (MLLs) in cultivated taro (coloured pie chart in each linked pair of charts).</p