Mutual Interactions between Aquaporins and Membrane Components

During the last years, a number of studies have been focused on the structural evaluation of protein complexes in order to get mechanistic insights into how proteins communicate at the molecular level within the cell. Specific sites of protein-aquaporin interaction have been evaluated and new regulations of aquaporins described based on these associations. Aquaporin isoforms heterotetramerizations are considered as novel regulatory mechanisms for plasma membrane (PIPs) and tonoplast (TIPs) proteins, influencing their intrinsic permeability and trafficking dynamics in the adaptive response to changing environmental conditions. However, protein-protein interaction is an extensive theme that is difficult to tackle and new methodologies of physical interactions are being used in approaches to its study. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and the identification of cross-linked peptides based on tandem mass spectra, which resulted complementary to other methodologies such as heterologous expression, co-precipitation assays or confocal fluorescence microscopy, have been discussed in this review. The chemical composition or physical characteristics of the lipid bilayer also influences many aspects of membrane aquaporins, including their functionality. The molecular driving forces stabilizing the observed lipid positions around aquaporins could define their activity, which could alter the conformational properties. Therefore, an integrative approach to the relevance of the membrane-aquaporin interaction to different processes related to plant cell physiology is shown. Finally, the interactions between aquaporins and copolymer matrixes or biological compounds offer an opportunity for the functional incorporation of aquaporins into new biotechnological advances

Ca, B and Si application determining fruit physical quality in relation to aquaporins in Prunus species

[SPA] Los frutos del género Prunus sp. siguen un patrón climatérico de maduración, produciendo un rápido deterioro de la calidad del fruto y causando el acortamiento de la vida útil del producto. Uno de los parámetros de calidad que más afectados se ve por este decaimiento es la firmeza, la cual está considerada como uno de los más importantes tanto a nivel mercantil como de manejo de los frutos. Algunos minerales como Ca, B y Si han demostrado ser claves para la estructura y función de la pared celular, favoreciendo el mantenimiento de la firmeza. Por otro lado, el Ca, aplicado en spray, ha demostrado ser capaz de regular la actividad de las acuaporinas en situaciones de estrés para la planta. En este trabajo se realizaron aplicaciones de tratamientos combinados (Ca+B y Ca+Si) en cuatro especies de Prunus, determinando la relación de su firmeza con la activación del transporte y mantenimiento de nutrientes en los frutos a través de las acuaporinas. Ambos tratamientos resultaron efectivos en la activación de acuaporinas, la firmeza mostró tener un componente genético más importante. [ENG] The fruits of the genus Prunus sp. follow a climacteric pattern of ripening, producing a quick deterioration of the fruit quality and causing the shortening of their shelf life. Firmness is considered one of the most important features both, commercially and in the fruit management. It is one of the quality parameters most affected by this ripening decay. Some minerals such as Ca, B and Si have been shown to be involved in the structure and function of the cell wall, favouring the maintenance of firmness. On the other hand, Ca, applied in spray, has been shown to be able to regulate the activity of aquaporins under stressful situations for the plant. In this work, the application of combined treatments (Ca+B and Ca+Si) was carried out in four Prunus species, determining the relation between their firmness and the activation of nutrient transport through the aquaporins. Both treatments were effective in activating aquaporins, firmness showed to have a more important genetic component.Agradecemos a la empresa Fénix Fresh su implicación en el proyecto y envío de frutos para su análisis

Relationship of the shelf life of fruits with the content of water and mineral nutrients

[SPA] La tesis doctoral pretende estudiar los mecanismos fisiológicos y moleculares que influyen en el turgor y la firmeza de los frutos, así como en su vida útil. Pudiendo identificar a nivel agronómico la existencia o no de marcadores moleculares, se adaptará la nutrición de Calcio y Boro en el árbol para incidir en la firmeza de los frutos que, en su caso, repercutirá en la calidad del producto final. Se ensayarán de forma directa en campo diversos tratamientos foliares comprobando su eficacia, lo cual nos permitirá mejorar la calidad de los frutos con el consiguiente incremento de su vida útil. [ENG] The doctoral thesis aims to study the physiological and molecular mechanisms that influence the turgor and firmness of the fruits, as well as their shelf life, identifying at the agronomic level the existence or not of molecular markers, the nutrition of Calcium and Boron will be adapted to the tree nutrition to influence the firmness of the fruits and the quality of the final product. Therefore, different foliar treatments will be directly tested in the field, checking their effectiveness, which it will allow to improve fruit quality and increase their shelf life.Francisco José Quirante Moya ha sido financiado por CEBAS-CSIC en el marco de un contrato CDTI con referencia 090202190226- FÉNIX FRESH

Enriched-biochar application increase broccoli nutritional and phytochemical content without detrimental effect on yield

BACKGROUND Soil fertility is a major concern during vegetable production. Conventional versus organic fertilization has been studied in order to conserve soil properties. While some reports point out an increase in food nutritional properties, the loss of crop yield under organic conditions continues to be a problem. Thus, an experiment with broccoli in the field was carried out, comparing crop management under conventional fertilization (CF) and two soil amendment treatments: manure pellet (M) and an enriched-biochar (EB) supplemented by an organic fertilizer (AND) applied alone (M + CF; EB+AND) or in combination (M + EB + AND). Crop yield and the nutritional properties in the flowering heads (mineral content, phenolic compounds and glucosinolates (GSLs)), were determined. RESULTS Enriched-biochar and manure as a standalone amendment resulted in higher crop yield regarding CF, but not when they were applied in combination. The number of flowering heads with no-commercial characteristics was lower after enriched-biochar soil application. Finally, enriched-biochar treatment enhanced NO3−, PO43− and SO42− levels in the flowering heads, and some of the ion contents can be associated with mineral changes in the soil after the biochar amendment. Also, the contents of phenolic compounds and indole GSLs were higher after enriched-biochar application compared with the other treatments, GSL increase being due to the higher percentage of sulfur in the plant rather that an adequate N/S ratio. CONCLUSION Application of enriched-biochar amendment in the cultivation of broccoli is appropriate, since there are no losses of yield and an increase in nutritional compounds in the flowering heads. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.The authors thank Carbuna SL for the supply of biochar. The authors thank Pedro Mínguez from El Mirador-CDTA experimental station for availability of the production data. The authors thank Diego Moreno from CEBAS-CSIC for support with glucosinolate analysis. Experiments were funded by Carbuna AG

Improvement of the quality parameters in fruits of the genus Prunus by means of foliar pre-harvest atomization of Ca, B and Si

[ESP] Los frutos del género Prunus sufren un rápido deterioro de su calidad, provocando el acortamiento de su vida útil. En el transporte y comercialización de estos frutos, color y firmeza son parámetros cualitativos muy importantes. Se ha observado que algunos minerales como el Ca, B y Si están implicados en la estructura y función de la pared celular, que son vitales para mantener la firmeza. En este trabajo, se aplicaron diferentes aerosoles combinados (Ca, Ca+B, Ca+Si y un producto comercial llamado ANTISALGold+BREAK- Thru), se llevó a cabo en cuatro especies de Prunus, con la intención de comprobar si se produce una mejora en el mantenimiento de la firmeza y diferencias en el color medido durante el periodo post cosecha y en su vida útil. En general, los frutos del cultivo tratado con Ca+Si mostraron una menor pérdida de firmeza y un tono más asociado a madurez en este periodo. [ENG] The fruits of the genus Prunus suffer a rapid deterioration of their quality, causing the shortening of their useful life. In the transport and marketing of these fruits, colour, and firmness are very important qualitative parameters. It has been observed that some minerals such as Ca, B, and Si are involved in the structure and function of the cell wall, which are vital for maintaining firmness. In this work, different combined sprays were applied (Ca, Ca + B, Ca+Si, and a commercial product called ANTISALGold+BREAK-Thru), it was carried out in four species of Prunus, with the intention of checking if there is an improvement in the maintenance of firmness and differences in the colour measured during the post-harvest period and in its useful life. In general, the fruits of the crop treated with Ca+Si showed a lower loss of firmness and a tone more associated with maturity in this period.Agradezco a la empresa Fénix fresh su implicación en el proyecto y envío de frutos para su análisis

Improvement of the quality parameters in fruits of the genus Prunus by means of foliar pre-harvest atomization of Ca, B and Si

[SPA] Los frutos del género Prunus sp sufren un rápido deterioro de su calidad, provocando el acortamiento de su vida útil. En el transporte y comercialización de estos frutos, color y firmeza son parámetros cualitativos muy importantes. Se ha observado que algunos minerales como el Ca, B y Si están implicados en la estructura y función de la pared celular, que son vitales para mantener la firmeza. En este trabajo, se aplicaron diferentes sprays combinados (Ca, Ca + B, Ca + Si y un producto comercial llamado ANTISALGold + BREAK-Thru), se llevó a cabo en cuatro especies de Prunus, con la intención de comprobar si se produce una mejora en el mantenimiento de la firmeza y diferencias en el color medido durante el periodo post cosecha y en su vida útil. En general, los frutos del cultivo tratado con Ca+ Si mostraron una menor pérdida de firmeza y un tono más asociado a madurez en este periodo. [ENG] The fruits of the genus Prunus sp suffer a rapid deterioration of their quality, causing the shortening of their useful life. In the transport and marketing of these fruits, color and firmness are very important qualitative parameters. It has been observed that some minerals such as Ca, B and Si are involved in the structure and function of the cell wall, which are vital for maintaining firmness. In this work, different combined sprays were applied (Ca, Ca + B, Ca + Si and a commercial product called ANTISALGold + BREAK-Thru), it was carried out in four species of Prunus, with the intention of checking if there is an improvement in the maintenance of firmness and differences in the color measured during the post-harvest period and in its useful life. In general, the fruits of the crop treated with Ca+ Si showed a lower loss of firmness and a tone more associated with maturity in this period.Agradezco a la empresa Fénix Fresh su implicación en el proyecto y envío de frutos para su análisis

Ciberbullying en estudiantes de los grados 6°, 9° Y 11° de colegios públicos de la ciudad de Duitama

1 recurso en línea (155 páginas) : figuras, tablas.The repeated physical and psychological abuse over an indefinite period of time of students, in or outside the classroom, has always existed. Today, it has new characteristics related to the scope of bullying, the means by which it is carried out, the new language used, and the use of social media instead of physical attacks. This study hopes to encourage research that will generate new information about the characteristics of the growing phenomena of school violence through the use of ICTs that will allow us to glimpse the real picture of the problem and to focus on actions that are concrete and pertinent to the context under study. The research is funded by the research group SIMILES of the ICT Master’s Program applied to education sciences. The methodology was developed through the quantitative method. The study group consisted of 421 students enrolled in urban public educational institutes in the municipality of Duitama in grades six, nine, and eleven. The instrument used for collecting the information was a modified version of Ortega, Calmaestra and Mora-Merchan’s (2007) cyberbullying questionnaire with a reduced number of items and an adaptation of the questions to the Colombian context. A univariate and bivariate analysis of the results indicate the prevalence of cyberbullying in the Duitama public educational institutes. Finally, an ICT tool called “Cyberlab of Peace” was designed, a website to determine the prevalence of Cyberbullying in high schools through the use of an online questionnaire that identifies the climate of coexistence among students and enables administrators to propose action strategies for risks that may arise.El maltrato físico o psicológico provocado entre estudiantes, de forma repetida a lo largo de un tiempo indefinido al interior del salón de clase o fuera de él, ha existido desde siempre. Actualmente el acoso o maltrato se presenta con nuevas características relacionadas con su alcance, los medios a través de los cuales se lleva a cabo, el nuevo lenguaje utilizado y la presencia virtual en cambio de la física. Esta investigación responde a la necesidad de generar nuevo conocimiento acerca de las características del creciente fenómeno de violencia escolar mediante el uso de las TIC, que permita vislumbrar el panorama real del problema y enfocar acciones concretas y pertinentes al contexto estudiado. Es un proyecto auspiciado por el grupo de investigación SIMILES de la Maestría en TIC aplicadas a las ciencias de la educación. La metodología está basada en un enfoque de tipo cuantitativo, el cual ofrece un informe en el que se muestran una serie de datos clasificados, resultado de recoger, procesar y analizar datos numéricos sobre las variables previamente determinadas; se espera que brinden una realidad específica del ciberbullying en los colegios públicos del municipio de Duitama y estudia la asociación o relación entre las variables que han sido cuantificadas, lo que debe ayudar aún más en la interpretación de los resultados. La población de estudio estuvo constituida por 421 estudiantes matriculados en instituciones educativas oficiales urbanas del municipio de Duitama de los grados sexto, noveno y undécimo. El instrumento utilizado para la recolección de la información fue una adaptación del Cuestionario Ciberbullying de Ortega, Calmaestra y Mora-Merchán (2007), con una reducción en el número de ítems y ajustando preguntas al contexto colombiano. La investigación arrojó como resultado la prevalencia del ciberbullying en instituciones educativas públicas de Duitama mediante un análisis univariado y un análisis bivariado. Se concluye el estudio con una propuesta de diseño de una herramienta TIC, denominada “Ciberlaboratorio de Paz”, sitio web para determinar la prevalencia del Ciberbullying en Instituciones Educativas de Bachillerato mediante la aplicación y resolución de un cuestionario en línea para identificar el clima de convivencia entre los estudiantes y que las directivas puedan proponer estrategias de acción frente a los riesgos que se puedan presentar.Bibliografía y webgrafía: páginas 140-147MaestríaMagíster en TIC Aplicadas a las Ciencias de la Educació

Combined effect of salinity and LED lights on the yield and quality of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) microgreens

The present work aims to explore the potential to improve quality of purslane microgreens by combining water salinity and LED lighting during their cultivation. Purslane plants were grown in a growth chamber with light insulated compartments, under different lighting sources on a 16 h d1 photoperiod—fluorescent lamps (FL) and two LED treatments, including a red and blue (RB)) spectrum and a red, blue and far red (RB+IR) LED lights spectrum—while providing all of them a light intensity of 150 _mol m2 s1. Plants were exposed to two salinity treatments, by adding 0 or 80 mM NaCl. Biomass, cation and anions, total phenolics (TPC) and flavonoids content (TFC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total chlorophylls (Chl) and carotenoids content (Car) and fatty acids were determined. The results showed that yield was increased by 21% both in RB and RB+FR lights compared to FL and in salinity compared to non-salinity conditions. The nitrate content was reduced by 81% and 91% when microgreens were grown under RB and RB+FR, respectively, as compared to FL light, and by 9.5% under saline conditions as compared with non-salinity conditions. The lowest oxalate contents were obtained with the combinations of RB or RB+FR lighting and salinity. The content of Cl and Na in the leaves were also reduced when microgreens were grown under RB and RB+FR lights under saline conditions. Microgreens grown under RB light reached the highest TPC, while salinity reduced TFC, Chl and Car. Finally, the fatty acid content was not affected by light or salinity, but these factors slightly influenced their composition. It is concluded that the use of RB and RB+FR lights in saline conditions is of potential use in purslane microgreens production, since it improves the yield and quality of the product, reducing the content of anti-nutritional compounds.This project was financed by the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia nº 20849/PI/18 through the grant call for projects for the development of scientific and technical research by competitive groups, included in the Regional Programme for the Promotion of Scientific and Technical Research (Action Plan 2018) of the Seneca Foundation-Science and Technology Agency of the Region of Murcia (Spain). The research also received funding from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF), in the framework of the project “Light on Shelf Life” (CUP J56J20000410008). The elaboration of the manuscript was supported by a grant from the Fundación Séneca (reference 20555/IV/18, Call for Fellowships for Guest Researcher Stays at Universities and OPIS of the Region of Murcia) awarded to Francesco Orsini

Effect of salinity and resistance induction using methyl jasmonate on growth and phytochemical properties of sea fennel

[SPA] El hinojo marino (Crithmum maritimum L.) es una halófita herbácea, aromática y comestible, que se produce naturalmente en las zonas costeras de la cuenca mediterránea. En este estudio, se ha evaluado el efecto de la salinidad y la inducción de resistencia mediante metiljasmonato (MeJa) en el crecimiento y las propiedades fitoquímicas (fenoles y flavonoides totales, capacidad antioxidante) del hinojo marino. Las plantas tratadas con MeJa mostraron valores similares de compuestos fenólicos que las plantas control, mientras que el tratamiento salino disminuyó significativamente su contenido en hojas. Respecto a los flavonoides, la salinidad y el MeJa aumentaron significativamente los valores respecto a los controles. La capacidad antioxidante no se vio afectada por ningún tratamiento. Los resultados muestran que el tratamiento con MeJa alivió los efectos negativos de la salinidad sobre el crecimiento sin afectar a la composición fitoquímica de la planta bajo estrés salino. [ENG] Sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) is an herbaceous aromatic and edible halophyte, naturally occurring in coastal areas of the Mediterranean basin. In this study, the effect of salinity and resistance induction using methyl jasmonate (MeJa) on the growth and phytochemical properties (phenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant capacity) of sea fennel was evaluated. The plants treated by MeJa showed similar values of phenolic compounds than the control plants, while the saline treatment significantly decreased its leaf content. Regarding flavonoids, salinity and MeJa significantly increased the values compared to the controls. The antioxidant capacity was not affected by any treatment. The results show that the treatment with MeJa alleviated the negative effects of salinity on growth without affecting the phytochemical composition of the plant under conditions of saline stress

A Portable Luminometer with a Disposable Electrochemiluminescent Biosensor for Lactate Determination

A hand-held luminometer for measuring electrochemiluminescence (ECL) for lactate determination and based on one-shot biosensors fabricated using screen-printed electrodes is described. The lactate recognition system is based on lactate oxidase and the transduction system consists of electro-oxidation of luminol, with all the reagents immobilized in a Methocel membrane. The membrane composition and reaction conditions have been optimized to obtain adequate sensitivity. The luminometer is based on a large silicon photodiode as detector and includes a programmable potentiostat to initialize the chemical reaction and signal processing circuitry, designed to acquire a low level photocurrent with offset cancelation, low pass filtering for noise attenuation and adjustable gain up to 1012 V/A. The one-shot biosensor responds to lactate rapidly, with an acquisition time of 2.5 min, obtaining a linear dependence from 8 × 10−6 to 2 × 10−4 M, a detection limit of 2.4 × 10−6 M and a sensor-to-sensor reproducibility (relative standard deviation, RSD) of around 7–10 % at the medium level of the range