Study on differential expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase genes in table grape cv. Thompson Seedless

As a consequence of the non-climacteric status of grapes (Vitis vinifera), ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction have scarcely been studied in this fruit. In spite this drawback, the available information suggests a role for ethylene in ripening grape berries. In this work, we report the identification of three homologous genes that encode 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO), a key component of ethylene biosynthesis. A comparison of protein sequences revealed that all three VvACOs harbor a 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase domain, which is typical of the ACO gene family; however, VvACO1 showed a higher amino acid sequence homology with VvACO2 than with VvACO3. The expression pattern of VvACOs and the effect of exogenous ethylene on their transcript accumulation were evaluated during table grape berry development in the “Thompson Seedless” cultivar. A peak in VvACO1 transcript accumulation levels was registered around veraison that was 4-fold higher than at harvest, and this peak was confirmed during a second season in grapes that were harvested from three different vineyards. An enhancement in ethylene production and VvACO genes transcript levels was observed in grapes sprayed with ethephon during berry development. However, VvACO1 transcripts reached the highest accumulation earlier than VvACO2 and VvACO3. Altogether, these data confirmed that ethylene may have a role in some aspects of the grape ripening process, and they also highlighted the potential use of some VvACO genes as molecular markers for identifying grape veraison stages in grapes

The Unusual Acid-Accumulating Behavior during Ripening of Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is Linked to Changes in Transcription and Enzyme Activity Related to Citric and Malic Acid Metabolism

Indexación: Web of ScienceCherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is a subtropical fruit characterized by a significant increase in organic acid levels during ripening, making it an interesting model for studying the relationship between acidity and fruit flavor. In this work, we focused on understanding the balance between the concentration of organic acids and the gene expression and activity of enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of these metabolites during the development and ripening of cherimoya cv. "Concha Lisa". Our results showed an early accumulation of citric acid and other changes associated with the accumulation of transcripts encoding citrate catabolism enzymes. During ripening, a 2-fold increase in malic acid and a 6-fold increase in citric acid were detected. By comparing the contents of these compounds with gene expression and enzymatic activity levels, we determined that cytoplasmic NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase (cyNAD-MDH) and mitochondrial citrate synthase (mCS) play important regulatory roles in the malic and citric acid biosynthetic pathways.http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/21/5/39

Cross-talk between signaling pathways: The link between plant secondary metabolite production and wounding stress response

Plants subjected to wounding stress produce secondary metabolites. Several of these metabolites prevent chronic diseases and can be used as colorants, flavors, and as antimicrobials. This wound-induced production of plant secondary metabolites is mediated by signaling-molecules such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), ethylene (ET) and jasmonic acid (JA). However, their specific role and interactions that modulate the wound-respond in plants is not fully understood. In the present study, a subtractive cDNA library was generated, to better understand the global response of plants to wounding stress. Carrot (Daucus carota) was used as a model system for this study. A total of 335 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) sequences were obtained. ESTs sequences with a putative identity showed involvement in stress-signaling pathways as well as on the primary and secondary metabolism. Inhibitors of ROS biosynthesis, ET action, and JA biosynthesis alone and in combination were applied to wounded-carrots in order to determine, based on relative gene expression data, the regulatory role of ET, JA, and ROS on the wound-response in plants. Our results demonstrate that ROS play a key role as signaling-molecules for the wound-induced activation of the primary and secondary metabolism whereas ET and JA are essential to modulate ROS levels

Aplicación de la tele-ecografía 3D al cribado y diagnóstico prenatal de cardiopatías congénitas

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las malformaciones congénitas suponen una de las causas más importantes de morbimortalidad pre y postnatal. El diagnóstico de algunas de ellas entraña una gran dificultad como es el caso de las cardiopatías congénitas. Estas anomalías representan las malformaciones congénitas más frecuentes.En nuestro medio, se registran unas 8/1000 cardiopatías congénitas, Estas malformaciones no son únicamente importantes por su frecuencia, sino que lo son también por la elevada repercusión en la morbi-mortalidad prenatal y postnatal. Un tercio de la mortalidad por malformaciones congénitas se debe a cardiopatías congénitas y, además, son las responsables de 1 de cada 10 muertes durante el primer año de vida. El diagnóstico prenatal de las cardiopatías congénitas sigue constituyendo un reto en la práctica obstétrica diaria. La tasa de detección de las principales malformaciones difiere en los distintos centros y, sin duda, son las cardiopatías congénitas una de las áreas más problemáticas. En este sentido ha surgido, en los últimos años, un gran interés en la superespecialización dentro de este ámbito. La evaluación ecocardiográfica básica (visualización del corte de cuatro cámaras) ha dejado paso a la evaluación ecocardiográfica básica ampliada que consiste en la evaluación del corte de cuatro cavidades y de los tractos de salida de los grandes vasos. La obtención de dichos cortes precisa unas condiciones adecuadas materno-fetales y demanda mayor habilidad y experiencia por parte del ecografista. La ecografía tridimensional permite obtener volúmenes que aportan imágenes de buena calidad para su interpretación posterior, introduciendo la técnica volumétrica y multiplanar, facilitando la navegación a través de los tres planos del espacio. Sin embargo, lo más revolucionario de esta tecnología es la posibilidad de procesamiento, almacenamiento, recuperación y transferencia de archivos que permite, no sólo el diagnóstico ¿online¿, sino también el análisis ¿offline¿ de los volúmenes adquiridos, ofreciendo la posibilidad de que un mismo volumen capturado por una persona sea interpretado por varios profesionales localizados en diferentes puntos geográficos. DESARROLLO TEÓRICO: Para analizar la aplicación de la ecografía 3D al cribado de cardiopatías congénitas se desarrolló un estudio comparativo entre el análisis de corazones normales realizado mediante 2D y 3D. Los volúmenes fueron adquiridos, almacenados y encriptados por personal no experto y, en un segundo tiempo, fueron remitidos a un profesional ubicado en diferente punto geográfico con acreditada experiencia en evaluación 3D para su análisis. Posteriormente, se elaboró un estudio multicéntrico con diez centros participantes para analizar el papel de la ecografía 3D en el diagnóstico de cardiopatías congénitas. Se dispuso de una página web donde los investigadores pudieron descargar y aportar los casos incluidos en el estudio. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos obtenidos confirman que personal no experto (sin conocimientos previos de ecografía y con una formación previa específica de un mes) puede realizar la adquisición y el almacenamiento de los volúmenes cardiacos necesarios para su posterior análisis a distancia por expertos. La visualización de todas las estructuras cardiacas recomendada por la ISUOG para el cribado de cardiopatías congénitas se consiguió en el 87,9% de los casos mediante análisis 3D offline mientras que con ecografía 2D fue posible en el 97,5%. Esta diferencia resultó estadísticamente significativa. No se observaron diferencias significativas en el corte de 4 cámaras y corte abdominal alto. Sin embargo, la identificación mediante tele-ecografía 3D del corte de 5 cámaras, el tracto de salida de la pulmonar y el corte de tres vasos con la tráquea fue significativamente inferior a la evaluación 2D. El IMC por encima o igual a 30, la posición anterior del dorso y la calidad inadecuada de las imágenes fueron los factores que ocasionaron diferencias significativas en la evaluación cardiaca realizada mediante estudio 3D. Sin embargo, la posición de la placenta, la presentación fetal, el investigador que realizó la adquisición, la edad gestacional o el tiempo empleado en la captura de los volúmenes no presentaron diferencias significativas. La posición anterior del dorso y el IMC igual o superior a 30 incrementó 3,5 y 4 veces, respectivamente, la probabilidad de obtener volúmenes de calidad inadecuada. La información anatómica y funcional contenida en los volúmenes cardiacos permitió diferenciar corazones sanos y patológicos en el 89% de los casos. La sensibilidad global del estudio fue del 88,7%, la especificidad del 94% y los valores predictivo positivo y negativo fueron de 88% y 94,5% respectivamente. Los casos patológicos suponen una dificultad 4 veces mayor para la emisión de un diagnóstico que los casos normales. La sensibilidad en el diagnóstico de los casos de truncus, atresia tricuspídea, ventrículo único, coartación de aorta, estenosis pulmonar y síndrome de hipoplasia de ventrículo izquierdo fue del 100%. La tetralogía de Fallot y la trasposición de grandes vasos obtuvieron una sensibilidad superior al 92%. La concordancia interobservador del estudio fue buena, mostrando un índice de kappa global de 0,74. Se obtuvo concordancia exacta o discrepancia leve con poca relevancia clínica en 4 de cada 5 diagnósticos emitidos sobre casos afectos de cardiopatía congénita. Sin embargo, hasta un 4% de los diagnósticos realizados sobre casos patológicos mostró discrepancia grave con relevancia clínica. La calidad de los diagnósticos emitidos fue diferente en función del tipo de cardiopatía seleccionada, obteniéndose concordancia exacta en 7 de cada 10 diagnósticos de cardiopatías conotruncales. El 89% de diagnósticos realizados sobre el caso de SHVI fueron exactos

Transcriptomic study of pedicels from GA3- treated table grape genotypes with different susceptibility to berry drop reveals responses elicited in cell wall yield, primary growth and phenylpropanoids synthesis

Background: Gibberellins (GA3) are the most sprayed growth regulator for table grape production worldwide, increasing berry size of seedless varieties through pericarp cell expansion. However, these treatments also exacerbate berry drop, which has a detrimental effect on the postharvest quality of commercialized clusters. Several studies have suggested that pedicel stiffening caused by GA3 would have a role in this disorder. Nevertheless, transcriptional and phenotypic information regarding pedicel responses to GA3 is minimal. Results: Characterization of responses to GA3 treatments using the lines L23 and Thompson Seedless showed that the former was up to six times more susceptible to berry drop than the latter. GA3 also increased the diameter and dry matter percentage of the pedicel on both genotypes. Induction of lignin biosynthesis-related genes by GA3 has been reported, so the quantity of this polymer was measured. The acetyl bromide method detected a decreased concentration of lignin 7 days after GA3 treatment, due to a higher cell wall yield of the isolated fractions of GA3-treated pedicel samples which caused a dilution effect. Thus, an initial enrichment of primary cell wall components in response to GA3 was suggested, particularly in the L23 background. A transcriptomic profiling was performed to identify which genes were associated with these phenotypic changes. This analysis identified 1281 and 1787 genes differentially upregulated by GA3 in L23 and cv. Thompson Seedless, respectively. Concomitantly, 1202 and 1317 downregulated genes were detected in L23 and cv. Thompson Seedless (FDR < 0.05). Gene ontology analysis of upregulated genes showed enrichment in pathways including phenylpropanoids, cell wall metabolism, xylem development, photosynthesis and the cell cycle at 7 days post GA3 application. Twelve genes were characterized by qPCR and striking differences were observed between genotypes, mainly in genes related to cell wall synthesis. Conclusions: High levels of berry drop are related to an early strong response of primary cell wall synthesis in the pedicel promoted by GA3 treatment. Genetic backgrounds can produce similar phenotypic responses to GA3, although there is considerable variation in the regulation of genes in terms of which are expressed, and the extent of transcript levels achieved within the same time frame. © 2020 The Author(s).Indexación: Scopu

Asentamientos costeros tardíos en los valles occidentales (norte de Chile): Pisagua en el contexto Pica-Tarapacá (900-1540 d.C.)

Este trabajo expone el estudio arqueológico de dos asentamientos ubicados en Pisagua, norte de Chile. Los sitios Pisagua B y Pisagua N forman parte del Complejo Cultural Pica-Tarapacá, durante los períodos Intermedio Tardío y Tardío (950-1540 d.C.). El análisis arquitectónico y funcional es integrado con registros de otros sitios pertenecientes a colecciones museológicas. La discusión de estas líneas de evidencia permite: 1) caracterizar la expresión costera de un complejo cultural propio de los Andes Centro Sur; 2) evaluar el planteamiento de enclaves o colonias, y 3) definir la existencia de patrones culturales regionales y su génesis en los períodos precedentes. Las conclusiones apuntan a sociedades de ancestro costero que explotan intensivamente el litoral y el espacio marítimo mediante asentamientos residenciales de distinta envergadura que son el resultado de lógicas económicas y de movilidad diferenciales, las que alcanzan territorios y poblaciones establecidas en valles y oasis interiores

Transcriptome profiling of grapevine seedless segregants during berry development reveals candidate genes associated with berry weight

Indexación: Web of Science; PubMedBackground Berry size is considered as one of the main selection criteria in table grape breeding programs. However, this is a quantitative and polygenic trait, and its genetic determination is still poorly understood. Considering its economic importance, it is relevant to determine its genetic architecture and elucidate the mechanisms involved in its expression. To approach this issue, an RNA-Seq experiment based on Illumina platform was performed (14 libraries), including seedless segregants with contrasting phenotypes for berry weight at fruit setting (FST) and 6–8 mm berries (B68) phenological stages. Results A group of 526 differentially expressed (DE) genes were identified, by comparing seedless segregants with contrasting phenotypes for berry weight: 101 genes from the FST stage and 463 from the B68 stage. Also, we integrated differential expression, principal components analysis (PCA), correlations and network co-expression analyses to characterize the transcriptome profiling observed in segregants with contrasting phenotypes for berry weight. After this, 68 DE genes were selected as candidate genes, and seven candidate genes were validated by real time-PCR, confirming their expression profiles. Conclusions We have carried out the first transcriptome analysis focused on table grape seedless segregants with contrasting phenotypes for berry weight. Our findings contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in berry weight determination. Also, this comparative transcriptome profiling revealed candidate genes for berry weight which could be evaluated as selection tools in table grape breeding programs.http://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12870-016-0789-

Dietary Patterns and Dietary Recommendations Achievement From Latin American College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

This study aimed to compare the diet quality of different dietary patterns among college students from Latin American countries, including vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study was conducted including a non- probabilistic sample of university students from 10 countries. University students were invited to participate in the study through social network platforms. Participants were self-reported to have followed a specific dietary pattern; either the Prudent diet, Western diet, Ovo-dairy-vegetarian diet, Fish-vegetarian diet, Strict vegetarian diet (vegan) or other. The last three patterns (vegetarians and vegans) were grouped as following a plant-based diet. A self-assessment survey was used to evaluate healthy eating habits using a questionnaire with values between 1 (do not consume) and 5 (consume) for a total of 9–45 points (higher values represent better eating habits). Unhealthy habits were assessed with nine questions. A total of 4,809 students filled out the questionnaire, and the majority of them were females (73.7%). Murillo et al. College Dietary Patterns During COVID-19 A high percentage have been in lockdown for more than 5 months and were in lockdown when the survey was released. 74.3% were self-reported to follow a prudent diet, while 11.4% reported following a western dietary pattern and 8.8% a plant-based diet. When compliance with healthy and unhealthy dietary habits was analyzed, although all groups had low compliance, the plant-based diet group (56.09 ± 6.11) performed better than the Western diet group (48.03 ± 5.99). The total diet quality score was significantly higher for plant-based diet followers, who also tended to better achieve the recommendations than omnivorous students, especially the ones following a western diet. These results present evidence that young adults such as college-aged students have unhealthy dietary habits. However, the ones who follow a plant-based diet such as vegetarians and vegans exhibit better scores and healthier dietary conducts.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Medicin

Identification of woolliness response genes in peach fruit after post-harvest treatments

Woolliness is a physiological disorder of peaches and nectarines that becomes apparent when fruit are ripened after prolonged periods of cold storage. This disorder is of commercial importance since shipping of peaches to distant markets and storage before selling require low temperature. However, knowledge about the molecular basis of peach woolliness is still incomplete. To address this issue, a nylon macroarray containing 847 non-redundant expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a ripe peach fruit cDNA library was developed and used. Gene expression changes of peach fruit (Prunus persica cv. O'Henry) ripened for 7 d at 21 °C (juicy fruit) were compared with those of fruit stored for 15 d at 4 °C and then ripened for 7 d at 21 °C (woolly fruit). A total of 106 genes were found to be differentially expressed between juicy and woolly fruit. Data analysis indicated that the activity of most of these genes (>90%) was repressed in the woolly fruit. In cold-stored peaches (cv. O'Henry), the expression level of selected genes (cobra, endopolygalacturonase, cinnamoyl-CoA-reductase, and rab11) was lower than in the juicy fruit, and it remained low in woolly peaches after ripening, a pattern that was conserved in woolly fruit from two other commercial cultivars (cv. Flamekist and cv. Elegant Lady). In addition, the results of this study indicate that molecular changes during fruit woolliness involve changes in the expression of genes associated with cell wall metabolism and endomembrane trafficking. Overall, the results reported here provide an initial characterization of the transcriptome activity of peach fruit under different post-harvest treatments