Creating new genetic variability in sunflower using induced mutations

The objective of the study was to provide new genetic variability in important agronomic traits that can be exploited for improvement of sunflower production. Seeds of eight sunflower inbred lines from gene collection of Institute of Field and Vegetables, Novi Sad were irradiated with gamma rays (γ) and fast neutrons (Nf) and treated in ethyle-methane-sulphonate (EMS) solution. The manifestation of mutations was mostly expressed in M2 and M3 generation. Seven mutants were developed; one early flowering, two short stature and one high, two with higher oil content and one branching. The stable progenies were evaluated in micro-plot tests in M6 generation for seed yield and other traits in comparison with respective original line. Further studies should be focused on testing new mutant lines in hybrid combinations, as well as the determination of inheritance of mutant traits

Exploring environmental determinants of the geographic distribution of broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.)

Broomrape is one of the most critical biotic constraints to sunflower crop production. In the most extended sunflower crop area of the world, distributed across Black sea region, this parasitic weed shows a high occurrence. The weed, originally from the Caucasus region, has progressively migrated to the South of the Eurasia continent. The actual invaded area reaches Spain, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Iran. Due to the usual seed exchange between macro-regions it is not clear why this weed is absent in other extended sunflower crop area located in South America. It is possible that the invasive process could be limited by abiotic restrictions. With the aim to estimate the influence of environmental factors on the actual broomrape geographic distribution, we evaluated 14 sunflower habitats of Serbia with different levels of natural infection and nine natural habitats of wild sunflower in Argentina. The altitude, latitude, longitude, mean hottest month temperature, mean coolest month temperature, and average rainfall of 10 habitats from Serbia showed no differences between infected and non-infected soils. The natural initial infection of four soils from Serbia did not influence the Orobanche attack intensity in a greenhouse experiment with artificial inoculation. Soil texture, total N, humus and calcareous content, as well as pH, had no effect on Orobanche attack intensity. In the greenhouse experiment, Principal Components Analysis showed that Orobanche attack intensity (expressed as parasite plant number per sunflower plant) was inversely associated only with P availability (ALP2O5), but the linear relationship between both variables was not significant. When Argentinean habitats were included in the database, strong differences between invaded and not invaded areas were found regarding geographic localization, as expected. The invaded habitats differed by the coolest month mean temperature, but no significant differences were found for the remaining climatic parameters. Soil fertility and the texture of 13 soils with different natural Orobanche infection showed no differences between invaded and non-invaded habitats. A better understanding of the abiotic determinants of Orobanche geographic distribution could help to design management tools to prevent the continuous increase of the invaded area and to limit damage to sunflower in the regions presently affected by the weed

MALDI TOF Mass Spectrometry Characterization of Collagen

Collagen is the most frequently occuring fibrillar protein in mammals, which can be found in cartilage, tendon, bone, ligament, skin, etc. The structure of collagen is based on a complicated helix structure of single chains of amino acids (most abundant is glicine-Gly, proline-Pro and hydroxyproline-Hyp) which are connected by hydrogen bonds. We tried to establish MALDI method to get better resolution of collagen’s mass spectra. Digested collagen (type II from bovine Achilles tendon which was digested with collagenase from Clostridium histolycium) has been analysed on MALDI-TOF MS in order to find peptide’s fragments that are characteristic for collagen. In mass spetra we found peaks of peptides, which is highly indicative for collagen (GlyPro-Hyp, Gly-Pro-Asp, Gly-Pro-Glu ect.) We hope that it should be possible to obtain MS analysis and structure characterization of collagen by MALDI-TOF/TOF in future

Collagen Structure and Morphology Analysis by TEM and AFM

Collagens, one of the most abundant on the Earth, are family of proteins which constitute the basis of connective tissue (extracellular matrix) in multicellular organisms. We used collagen type II from bovine Achilles tendon. In further work, collagen has been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Using TEM we successfully obtained images of collagen and whole collagen fibrils. Using AFM we captured images of whole collagen as well as images of fragments from collagenase-treated collagen (it was digested with collagenase from Clostridium histolycium). AFM images of collagenase-treated collagen showed many fibrils grouping into large bundles – collagen fiber. Based on obtained images we studied surface morphology, shape and length of fragments from collagenase-treated collagen

Antioxidative responses to seasonal changes and chemiluminescence assay of Astragalus onobrychis leaves extract

The aim of this study was to research the seasonal changes of antioxidant enzyme activity and total antioxidant capacity in leaves of Astragalus onobrychis L. subsp. chlorocarpus (Griseb.) S. Kozuharov et D.K. Pavlova. Leaves of A. onobrychis were collected during the different stages of growth and analyzed for antioxidant enzyme activity: superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase. Quantities of malonyldialdehyde, superoxide radicals, and hydroxyl radicals were measured as well as the content of soluble proteins. Furthermore, total antioxidant capacity was determined by the inhibition of chemiluminescence activity of blood phagocytes by leaf extracts. Stages of vegetation significantly affected the accumulation of superoxide radicals, but there were no significant differences in hydroxyl radical quantity and lipid peroxidation levels during vegetation. Soluble proteins vary greatly between different stages of growth. Seasonal changes were found to have an effect on enzymatic activities. During the spring season, guaiacol peroxidase showed the highest levels. Catalase and glutathione peroxidase increased their activities in summer, while, during the autumn season, superoxide dismutase showed maximum activity. On the basis of chemiluminescence assay, it can be concluded that leaf extract of A. onobrychis possesses a significant antioxidant capacity thus protecting plants during environmental stress

MALDI TOF and AFM studies of DNA/SWNT hybrids

A primer is a strand of nucleic acid that serves as a starting point for DNA synthesis. DNA, as a large molecule, is very difficult for analysis by means of mass spectrometry. However, primer, as a short sequence of nucleic acid, is much more convinient for e.g. MALDI TOF MS analysis. Mass spectrometric experiment resulted in quality MALDI TOF spectra of 3 primers. Compound 3-HPA (3- hydroxypicolinic acid) showed the best results as matrix. AFM studies were also conducted, for both pure primer samples and hybrids of primer molecule with single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT). Thus, obtained functionalisation of SWNT with DNA primers was confirmed by AFM imaging. AFM images clearly showed wrapping of DNA structures around nanotube „template“. Functionalisation of SWNT is very important for potential applications of nanotubes in biomedical field. MALDI TOF mass spectrometry, in combination with AFM imaging, proved its great potential in analysis of short DNA sequences, and indicated the possibility of investigating more complex DNA structures.Physical chemistry 2012 : 11th international conference on fundamental and applied aspects of physical chemistry; Belgrade (Serbia); 24-28 September 201

Chemical Diversity and Complexity of Scotch Whisky as Revealed by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Scotch Whisky is an important product, both culturally and economically. Chemically, Scotch Whisky is a complex mixture, which comprises thousands of compounds, the nature of which are largely unknown. Here, we present a thorough overview of the chemistry of Scotch Whisky as observed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Eighty-five whiskies, representing the majority of Scotch Whisky produced and sold, were analyzed by untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry. Thousands of chemical formulae were assigned for each sample based on parts-per-billion mass accuracy of FT-ICR MS spectra. For the first time, isotopic fine structure analysis was used to confirm the assignment of high molecular weight CHOS species in Scotch Whisky. The assigned spectra were compared using a number of visualization techniques, including van Krevelen diagrams, double bond equivalence (DBE) plots, as well as heteroatomic compound class distributions. Additionally, multivariate analysis, including PCA and OPLS-DA, was used to interpret the data, with key compounds identified for discriminating between types of whisky (blend or malt) or maturation wood type. FT-ICR MS analysis of Scotch Whisky was shown to be of significant potential in further understanding of the complexity of mature spirit drinks and as a tool for investigating the chemistry of the maturation processes. [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13361-016-1513-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Targeted plant improvement through genome editing: from laboratory to field

This review illustrates how far we have come since the emergence of GE technologies and how they could be applied to obtain superior and sustainable crop production. The main challenges of today's agriculture are maintaining and raising productivity, reducing its negative impact on the environment, and adapting to climate change. Efficient plant breeding can generate elite varieties that will rapidly replace obsolete ones and address ongoing challenges in an efficient and sustainable manner. Site-specific genome editing in plants is a rapidly evolving field with tangible results. The technology is equipped with a powerful toolbox of molecular scissors to cut DNA at a pre-determined site with different efficiencies for designing an approach that best suits the objectives of each plant breeding strategy. Genome editing (GE) not only revolutionizes plant biology, but provides the means to solve challenges related to plant architecture, food security, nutrient content, adaptation to the environment, resistance to diseases and production of plant-based materials. This review illustrates how far we have come since the emergence of these technologies and how these technologies could be applied to obtain superior, safe and sustainable crop production. Synergies of genome editing with other technological platforms that are gaining significance in plants lead to an exciting new, post-genomic era for plant research and production. In previous months, we have seen what global changes might arise from one new virus, reminding us of what drastic effects such events could have on food production. This demonstrates how important science, technology, and tools are to meet the current time and the future. Plant GE can make a real difference to future sustainable food production to the benefit of both mankind and our environment.European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) CA18111info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

BacHBerry: BACterial Hosts for production of Bioactive phenolics from bERRY fruits

BACterial Hosts for production of Bioactive phenolics from bERRY fruits (BacHBerry) was a 3-year project funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Union that ran between November 2013 and October 2016. The overall aim of the project was to establish a sustainable and economically-feasible strategy for the production of novel high-value phenolic compounds isolated from berry fruits using bacterial platforms. The project aimed at covering all stages of the discovery and pre-commercialization process, including berry collection, screening and characterization of their bioactive components, identification and functional characterization of the corresponding biosynthetic pathways, and construction of Gram-positive bacterial cell factories producing phenolic compounds. Further activities included optimization of polyphenol extraction methods from bacterial cultures, scale-up of production by fermentation up to pilot scale, as well as societal and economic analyses of the processes. This review article summarizes some of the key findings obtained throughout the duration of the project

ABSORBED DOSE DISTRIBUTION IN HUMAN EYE SIMULATED BY FOTELP-VOX CODE AND VERIFIED BY VOLUMETRIC MODULATED ARC THERAPY TREATMENT PLAN

This paper illustrates the potential of the FOTELP-VOX code, a modification of the gen-eral-purpose FOTELP code, combining Monte Carlo techniques to simulate particle trans-portation from an external source through the internal organs, resulting in a 3-D absorbed dose distribution. The study shows the comparison of results obtained by FOTELP software and the volumetric modulated arc therapy technique. This planning technique with two full arcs was applied, and the plan was created to destroy the diseased tissue in the eye tumor bed and avoid damage to surrounding healthy tissue, for one patient. The dose coverage, homoge-neity index, conformity index of the target, and the dose volumes of critical structures were calculated. Good agreement of the results for absorbed dose in the human eye was obtained using these two techniques