Impact of Drought Exerted during Spike Development on Tillering, Yield Parameters and Grain Chemical Composition in Semi-Dwarf Barley Mutants Deficient in the Brassinosteroid Metabolism

Drought is a major factor limiting plant development and negatively affecting crop yield. It was reported that mutants defective in the brassinosteroid (BR) metabolism from several species, including barley (Hordeum vulgare), show improved tolerance to drought during the vegetative phase of growth. Hence, semi-dwarf barley mutants defective in the BR metabolism may be regarded as an alternative in breeding programs. Occurrence of drought during spike development has a profound effect on yield. Thus, determining reaction of the semi-dwarf, BR-deficient barley mutants to drought during the reproductive phase is crucial. This study was conducted on barley Near-Isogenic Lines defective in the BR metabolism and the reference ‘Bowman’ cultivar. The experiments were performed under laboratory (optimal watering and drought) and field conditions. The following yield-related parameters were analyzed: total tillering, productive tillering, average grain weight per plant and per spike, as well as weight of 1000 seeds. Additionally, an analysis of chemical composition of grain was performed. The BR-insensitive BW312 line showed the highest values of the productive tillering and grain weight per plant under the drought conditions. Perturbations in the BR metabolism did not have any significant deteriorating effect on the contents of grain chemical ingredients

The influence of plant mulches on the content of phenolic compounds in soil and primary weed infestation of maize

In growing maize, an increase in the content of phenolic compounds and selected phenolic acids in soil was found after the incorporation of white mustard, buckwheat, spring barley, oats and rye mulches into the soil. The highest content of phenolic compounds in soil was found after oats mulch incorporation (20% more than in the control soil). The highest content of selected phenolic acids was found for the soil with the oats and rye mulch. Among the phenolic acids investigated, ferulic acid was most commonly found in the soil with the plant mulches. However, two phenolic acids: the protocatechuic and chlorogenic acid, were not detected in any soil samples (neither in the control soil nor in the mulched soil). At the same time, a decrease in the primary weed infestation level in maize was found in the plots with all the applied plant mulches, especially on the plots with oats, barley and mustard. The plant mulches were more inhibitory against monocotyledonous weeds than dicotyledonous ones. During high precipitation events and wet weather, a rapid decrease in the content of phenolic compounds in soil and an increase in the primary weed infestation level in maize were observed

The Effect of Castration on Peripheral Autonomic Neurons Supplying Mammalian Male Genitourinary System

This review paper deals with the influence of androgens (testosterone) on pelvic autonomic pathways in male mammals. The vast majority of the relevant information has been gained in experiments involving castration (testosterone deprivation) performed in male rats, and recently, in male pigs. In both species, testosterone significantly affects the biology of the pathway components, including the pelvic neurons. However, there are great differences between rats and pigs in this respect. The most significant alteration is that testosterone deprivation accomplished a few days after birth results some months later in the excessive loss (approximately 90%) of pelvic and urinary bladder trigone intramural neurons in the male pig, while no changes in the number of pelvic neurons are observed in male rats (rats do not have the intramural ganglia). In the castrated pigs, much greater numbers of pelvic neurons than in the non-castrated animals express CGRP, GAL, VIP (peptides known to have neuroprotective properties), and caspase 3, suggesting that neurons die due to apoptosis triggered by androgen deprivation. In contrast, only some morpho-electrophysiological changes affecting neurons following castration are found in male rats. Certain clinicopathological consequences of testosterone deprivation for the functioning of urogenital organs are also discussed

The Comparison of the Influence of Bisphenol A (BPA) and Its Analogue Bisphenol S (BPS) on the Enteric Nervous System of the Distal Colon in Mice

Bisphenol A (BPA), commonly used as a plasticizer in various branches of industry has a strong negative effect on living organisms. Therefore, more and more often it is replaced in production of plastics by other substances. One of them is bisphenol S (BPS). This study for the first time compares the impact of BPA and BPS on the enteric neurons using double immunofluorescence technique. It has been shown that both BPA and BPS affect the number of enteric neurons containing substance P (SP), galanin (GAL), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS—a marker of nitrergic neurons) and/or vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT- a marker of cholinergic neurons). The changes noted under the impact of both bisphenols are similar and consisted of an increase in the number of enteric neurons immunoreactive to all neuronal factors studied. The impact of BPS on some populations of neurons was stronger than that noted under the influence of BPA. The obtained results clearly show that BPS (similarly to BPA) administered for long time is not neutral for the enteric neurons even in relatively low doses and may be more potent than BPA for certain neuronal populations

The In Vitro Effect of Steroid Hormones, Arachidonic Acid, and Kinases Inhibitors on Aquaporin 1, 2, 5, and 7 Gene Expression in the Porcine Uterine Luminal Epithelial Cells during the Estrous Cycle

Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins, which play an important role in water homeostasis in the uterus. According to the literature, the expression of aquaporins in reproductive structures depends on the local hormonal milieu. The current study investigated the effect of selected PKA kinase inhibitor H89 and MAPK kinase inhibitor PD98059, on the expression of AQP1, 2, 5, and 7, and steroid hormones (E2), progesterone (P4), and arachidonic acid (AA) in the porcine endometrium on days 18–20 and 2–4 of the estrous cycle (the follicular phase where estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are secreted increasingly in preparation for estrus and the luteal phase where the ovarian follicles begin the process of luteinization with the formation of the corpus luteum and progesterone secretion, respectively). The luminal epithelial cells were incubated in vitro in the presence of the aforementioned factors. The expression of mRNA was determined by the quantitative real-time PCR technique. In general, in Experiment 1, steroid hormones significantly increased expression of AQP1, 2, and 5 while arachidonic acid increased expression of AQP2 and AQP7. On the other hand, MAPK kinase inhibitor significantly decreased the expression of AQP1 and 5. In Experiment 2, E2, P4, or AA combined with kinase inhibitors differentially affected on AQPs expression. E2 in combination with PKA inhibitor significantly decreased expression of AQP1 but E2 or P4 combined with this inhibitor increased the expression of AQP5 and 7. On the contrary, E2 with PD98059 significantly increased AQP5 and AQP7 expression. Progesterone in combination with MAPK kinase inhibitor significantly downregulated the expression of AQP5 and upregulated AQP7. Arachidonic acid mixed with H89 or PD98059 caused a decrease in the expression of AQP5 and an increase of AQP7. The obtained results indicate that estradiol, progesterone, and arachidonic acid through PKA and MAPK signaling pathways regulate the expression of AQP1 and AQP5 in the porcine luminal epithelial cells in the periovulatory period

The Influence of Tetrodotoxin (TTX) on the Distribution and Chemical Coding of Caudal Mesenteric Ganglion (CaMG) Neurons Supplying the Porcine Urinary Bladder

The treatment of micturition disorders creates a serious problem for urologists. Recently, new therapeutic agents, such as neurotoxins, are being considered for the therapy of urological patients. The present study investigated the chemical coding of caudal mesenteric ganglion (CaMG) neurons supplying the porcine urinary bladder after intravesical instillation of tetrodotoxin (TTX). The CaMG neurons were visualized with retrograde tracer Fast blue (FB) and their chemical profile was disclosed with double-labeling immunohistochemistry using antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), somatostatin (SOM), calbindin (CB), galanin (GAL) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). It was found that in both the control (n = 6) and TTX-treated pigs (n = 6), the vast majority (92.6% ± 3.4% and 88.8% ± 2%, respectively) of FB-positive (FB+) nerve cells were TH+. TTX instillation caused a decrease in the number of FB+/TH+ neurons immunopositive to NPY (88.9% ± 5.3% in the control animals vs. 10.6% ± 5.3% in TTX-treated pigs) or VIP (1.7% ± 0.6% vs. 0%), and an increase in the number of FB+/TH+ neurons immunoreactive to SOM (8.8% ± 1.6% vs. 39% ± 12.8%), CB (1.8% ± 0.7% vs. 12.6% ± 2.7%), GAL (1.7% ± 0.8% vs. 10.9% ± 2.6%) or nNOS (0% vs. 1.1% ± 0.3%). The present study is the first to suggest that TTX modifies the chemical coding of CaMG neurons supplying the porcine urinary bladder

The Influence of Resiniferatoxin (RTX) and Tetrodotoxin (TTX) on the Distribution, Relative Frequency, and Chemical Coding of Noradrenergic and Cholinergic Nerve Fibers Supplying the Porcine Urinary Bladder Wall

The present study investigated the influence of intravesically instilled resiniferatoxin (RTX) or tetrodotoxin (TTX) on the distribution, number, and chemical coding of noradrenergic and cholinergic nerve fibers (NF) supplying the urinary bladder in female pigs. Samples from the bladder wall were processed for double-labelling immunofluorescence with antibodies against cholinergic and noradrenergic markers and some other neurotransmitter substances. Both RTX and TTX caused a significant decrease in the number of cholinergic NF in the urinary bladder wall (in the muscle coat, submucosa, and beneath the urothelium). RTX instillation resulted in a decrease in the number of noradrenergic NF in the submucosa and urothelium, while TTX treatment caused a significant increase in the number of these axons in all the layers. The most remarkable changes in the chemical coding of the NF comprised a distinct decrease in the number of the cholinergic NF immunoreactive to CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), nNOS (neuronal nitric oxide synthase), SOM (somatostatin) or VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide), and an increase in the number of noradrenergic NF immunopositive to GAL (galanin) or nNOS, both after RTX or TTX instillation. The present study is the first to suggest that both RTX and TTX can modify the number of noradrenergic and cholinergic NF supplying the porcine urinary bladder

The Influence of an Adrenergic Antagonist Guanethidine on the Distribution Pattern and Chemical Coding of Caudal Mesenteric Ganglion Perikarya and Their Axons Supplying the Porcine Bladder

This study was aimed at disclosing the influence of intravesically instilled guanethidine (GUA) on the distribution, relative frequency and chemical coding of both the urinary bladder intramural sympathetic nerve fibers and their parent cell bodies in the caudal mesenteric ganglion (CaMG) in juvenile female pigs. GUA instillation led to a profound decrease in the number of perivascular nerve terminals. Furthermore, the chemical profile of the perivascular innervation within the treated bladder also distinctly changed, as most of axons became somatostatin-immunoreactive (SOM-IR), while in the control animals they were found to be neuropeptide Y (NPY)-positive. Intravesical treatment with GUA led not only to a significant decrease in the number of bladder-projecting tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) CaMG somata (94.3 ± 1.8% vs. 73.3 ± 1.4%; control vs. GUA-treated pigs), but simultaneously resulted in the rearrangement of their co-transmitters repertoire, causing a distinct decrease in the number of TH+/NPY+ (89.6 ± 0.7% vs. 27.8 ± 0.9%) cell bodies and an increase in the number of SOM-(3.6 ± 0.4% vs. 68.7 ± 1.9%), calbindin-(CB; 2.06 ± 0.2% vs. 9.1 ± 1.2%) or galanin-containing (GAL; 1.6 ± 0.3% vs. 28.2 ± 1.3%) somata. The present study provides evidence that GUA significantly modifies the sympathetic innervation of the porcine urinary bladder wall, and thus may be considered a potential tool for studying the plasticity of this subdivision of the bladder innervation

Molecular Influence of Resiniferatoxin on the Urinary Bladder Wall Based on Differential Gene Expression Profiling

Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a potent capsaicin analog used as a drug for experimental therapy to treat neurogenic disorders associated with enhanced nociceptive transmission, including lower urinary tract symptoms. The present study, for the first time, investigated the transcriptomic profile of control and RTX-treated porcine urinary bladder walls. We applied multistep bioinformatics and discovered 129 differentially expressed genes (DEGs): 54 upregulated and 75 downregulated. Metabolic pathways analysis revealed five significant Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) items (‘folate biosynthesis’, ‘metabolic pathways’, ‘sulfur relay system’, ‘sulfur metabolism’ and ‘serotonergic synapse’) that were altered after RTX intravesical administration. A thorough analysis of the detected DEGs indicated that RTX treatment influenced the signaling pathways regulating nerve growth, myelination, axon specification, and elongation. Many of the revealed DEGs are involved in the nerve degeneration process; however, some of them were implicated in the initiation of neuroprotective mechanisms. Interestingly, RTX intravesical installation was followed by changes in the expression of genes involved in synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation, including 5-HT, H2S, glutamate, and GABA transmission. The obtained results suggest that the toxin may exert a therapeutic, antinociceptive effect not only by acting on TRPV1 receptors

Polymorphism rs7903146 of TCF7L2 gene and occurrence of being overweight and obesity among patients admitted to outpatient clinic

INTRODUCTION: TCF7L2 is linked with the pathogenesis of insulin-resistant diabetes. The participation of the gene polymorphism encoding TCF7L2 in the development of being overweight and obesity is still controversial. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included a total of 476 patients (208 men and 268 women) from southern Poland who sucessively reported to the primary healthcare clinic for medical help. The patients were divided into three groups, depending on girth (control group, obese group, overweight group). In genotyping the TCF7L2 (rs 7903146) polymorphism, fluorescent probes from a prepared set for assaying single nucleotide polymorphism were used: TaqMan Pre-designed SNP Genotypie Assai (Applied Biosystems). AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between the chosenTCF7L2 polymorphism and the prevalence of being overweight and obesity in a population of patients reporting to a primary healthcare clinic. RESULTS The prevalence of being overweight as assessed by waist circumference in the study group was found to be 23.9% while 47.1% of patients were determined to be suffering from abdominal obesity . Our study did not show any significant correlation between the observed rs 7903146 polymorphism of the TCF7L2 gene and the prevalence of being overweight and obesity. Moreover, no significant relationship between the rs 7903146 polymorphism of the TCF7L2 gene and waistline or BMI was found in the entire study group or separately for men and women. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of obesity and being overweight in the examined group amounted to 72.3% (23.9% – overweight and 48.4% – obese). The research did not confirm an association between the studied rs 7903146 polymorphism of the TCF7L2 gene and waist circumference and the prevalence of being overweight and abdominal obesity.W S T Ę P: TCF7L2 uczestniczy w patogenezie cukrzycy typu 2. Udział polimorfizmu genu kodującego TCF7L2 w rozwoju nadwagi i otyłości pozostaje nadal kontrowersyjny. Celem pracy była ocena potencjalnego związku między wybranym polimorfizmem genu TCF7L2 a występowaniem nadwagi i otyłości w populacji pacjentów zgłaszających się do poradni ogólnej podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej (POZ). M A T E R I A Ł I M E T O D Y K A Badaniem objęto łącznie 476 dorosłych pacjentów (208 mężczyzn i 268 kobiet) z rejonu Polski Południowej, którzy kolejno zgłaszali się po poradę do poradni ogólnej POZ. Badanych podzielono na 3 grupy na podstawie wartości obwodu pasa (grupa kontrolna, grupa z otyłością, grupa z nadwagą). Genotypowanie polimorfizmu TCF7L2 (rs7903146) prowadzono z wykorzystaniem znakowanych fluorescencyjnie sond, używając gotowych zestawów do oznaczania polimorfizmu pojedynczego nukleotydu-TaqMan Pre-designed SNP Genotypie Assai (Applied Biosystems). WYNIKI Częstość występowania nadwagi ocenianej na podstawie obwodu talii wynosiła w badanej grupie 23,9%, zaś u 47,1% osób stwierdzono występowanie otyłości brzusznej. Nasze badania nie wykazały znamiennej zależności między badanym polimorfizmem a częstością występowania nadwagi lub otyłości u pacjentów zarówno w całej grupie badawczej, jak i oddzielnie u kobiet i mężczyzn. WNIOSKI Częstość występowania nadwagi i otyłości wśród pacjentów zgłaszających się do poradni POZ wynosi aż 72,3%, z czego 23,9% to osoby z nadwagą, a 48,4% z otyłością. Nie stwierdzono związku między badanym polimorfizmem TCF7L2 a obwodem talii i występowaniem otyłości brzusznej