Nanoparticles doped with methyl jasmonate: foliar application to Monastrell vines under two watering regimes. An alternative to improve grape volatile composition?

Financial support was given by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades for projects RTI2018‐096549‐B‐I00 and RTI‐2018‐095794‐A‐C22. EP Pérez‐Álvarez thanks the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades for her Juan de la Cierva‐Incorporación postdoctoral contract (IJC2019‐040502‐I). GBRR also acknowledges the Junta de Andalucía for her postdoctoral contract within the PAIDI 2020 program (DOC_01383).Background: Elicitors induce defense mechanisms, triggering the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Irrigation has implications for a more sustainable viticulture and for grape composition. The aim was to investigate the influence on grape aroma composition during 2019 and 2020 of the foliar application of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanoparticles and ACP doped with methyl jasmonate (ACP-MeJ), as an elicitor, with rainfed or regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) grapevines. Results: In both growing seasons, nearly all terpenoids, C13 norisoprenoids, benzenoid compounds and alcohols increased with ACP-MeJ under the RDI regimen. In 2019, under the rainfed regime, ACP treatment increased limonene, p-cymene, α-terpineol, 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN), 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, and MeJ concentration in comparison with control grapes. In 2020, the rainfed regime treated with ACP-MeJ only increased the nonanoic acid content. Grape volatile compounds were most influenced by season and watering status whereas the foliar application mainly affected the terpenoids. Conclusion: A RDI regime combined with the elicitor ACP-MeJ application could improve the synthesis of certain important volatile compounds, such as p-cymene, linalool, α-terpineol, geranyl acetone, β-ionone, 2-phenylethanol, benzyl alcohol, and nonanoic acid in Monastrell grapes. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018‐096549‐B‐I00, RTI‐2018‐095794‐A‐C22, IJC2019‐040502‐I MCIUJunta de Andalucía DOC_0138

Application of Elicitors, as Conventional and Nano Forms, in Viticulture: Effects on Phenolic, Aromatic and Nitrogen Composition of Tempranillo Wines

The phenolic, aromatic and nitrogen composition of a wine determines its organoleptic profile and quality. Elicitors have been used as a tool to stimulate the plant’s defense systems, favoring the synthesis of secondary metabolites. In this pioneering study, the elicitor methyl jasmonate in conventional form (MeJ) and in nanoparticle form (ACP-MeJ), with a concentration ten times lower, was applied in a Tempranillo vineyard over two seasons. The phenolic, nitrogen and volatile composition and the sensory properties of the MeJ-based wines were determined. The results showed that the effects of foliar applications of MeJ modify the wine composition. Thus, although the total concentration of most of the groups of phenolic compounds was not altered, several compounds, such as petunidin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-glucoside, epigallocatechin and most of the stilbenes, increased, in both years, in the treated wines. Amino acids were influenced differently in each of the years studied, and volatile compounds generally did not improve in the treated wines. However, the ACP-MeJ wines were the best rated by the tasters, highlighting their equilibrium on the taste and their genuineness and odor quality. Therefore, foliar applications of ACP-MeJ can be considered a useful tool to improve wine quality.Spanish Government RTI2018-096549-B-I00 RTI-2018-095794-A-C2

OBSERVATORIO TERRITORIAL Y AMBIENTAL ALENTEJO, EXTREMADURA, CENTRO (OTALEX C): DE GIS A IDE.

In the scope of the Spain-Portugal INTERREG projects and FEDER funded POCTEP program, OTALEX C (Territorial and Environmental Monitoring Alentejo Extremadura Center) project aims at studying of various territorial, socioeconomic and environmental indicators. It is the fundamental objective of this project, to develop a geo-portal accessible via internet, for anyone, so that the information will be useful in making decisions related to land use and therefore sustainable development of the environment. Under this general framework over the past fifteen years, we have developed different projects that have set the standardization of data between Portugal and Spain, also was designed GIS systems, and developed regional models and indicator systems, culminating in the current Spatial Data Infrastructure SDI-OTALEX C

Effect of a nutritional intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet on environmental impact

[EN]To estimate the environmental impact of a dietary intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) after one year of follow-up. Methods Baseline and 1-year follow-up data were used for 5800 participants aged 55–75 years with metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study. Food intake was estimated through a validated semiquantitative food consumption frequency questionnaire, and adherence to the MedDiet was estimated through the Diet Score. Using the EAT-Lancet Commission tables we assessed the influence of dietary intake on environmental impact (through five indicators: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication). Using multivariable linear regression models, the association between the intervention and changes in each of the environmental factors was assessed. Mediation analyses were carried out to estimate to what extent changes in each of 2 components of the intervention, namely adherence to the MedDiet and caloric reduction, were responsible for the observed reductions in environmental impact. Results We observed a significant reduction in the intervention group compared to the control group in acidification levels (−13.3 vs. -9.9 g SO2-eq), eutrophication (−5.4 vs. -4.0 g PO4-eq) and land use (−2.7 vs. -1.8 m2). Adherence to the MedDiet partially mediated the association between intervention and reduction of acidification by 15 %, eutrophication by 10 % and land use by 10 %. Caloric reduction partially mediated the association with the same factors by 55 %, 51 % and 38 % respectively. In addition, adherence to the MedDiet fully mediated the association between intervention and reduction in GHG emissions by 56 % and energy use by 53 %.SIPublicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

DisProt: intrinsic protein disorder annotation in 2020

The Database of Protein Disorder (DisProt, URL: https://disprot.org) provides manually curated annotations of intrinsically disordered proteins from the literature. Here we report recent developments with DisProt (version 8), including the doubling of protein entries, a new disorder ontology, improvements of the annotation format and a completely new website. The website includes a redesigned graphical interface, a better search engine, a clearer API for programmatic access and a new annotation interface that integrates text mining technologies. The new entry format provides a greater flexibility, simplifies maintenance and allows the capture of more information from the literature. The new disorder ontology has been formalized and made interoperable by adopting the OWL format, as well as its structure and term definitions have been improved. The new annotation interface has made the curation process faster and more effective. We recently showed that new DisProt annotations can be effectively used to train and validate disorder predictors. We believe the growth of DisProt will accelerate, contributing to the improvement of function and disorder predictors and therefore to illuminate the ‘dark’ proteome

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2