Responses to Drought Stress in Poplar: What Do We Know and What Can We Learn?

Poplar ( spp.) is a high-value crop for wood and biomass production and a model organism for tree physiology and genomics. The early release, in 2006, of the complete genome sequence of was followed by a wealth of studies that significantly enriched our knowledge of complex pathways inherent to woody plants, such as lignin biosynthesis and secondary cell wall deposition.

Nanoscale battery cathode materials induce DNA damage in bacteria.

The increasing use of nanoscale lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (Li Ni Mn Co O, NMC) as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries poses risk to the environment. Learning toxicity mechanisms on molecular levels is critical to promote proactive risk assessment of these complex nanomaterials and inform their sustainable development. We focused on DNA damage as a toxicity mechanism and profiled in depth chemical and biological changes linked to DNA damage in two environmentally relevant bacteria upon nano-NMC exposure.

Identification of New Markers of Alcohol-Derived DNA Damage in Humans.

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for the development of several cancers, including those of the head and neck and the esophagus. The underlying mechanisms of alcohol-induced carcinogenesis remain unclear; however, at these sites, alcohol-derived acetaldehyde seems to play a major role. By reacting with DNA, acetaldehyde generates covalent modifications (adducts) that can lead to mutations.

Increased water use efficiency in miR396-downregulated tomato plants.

MicroRNAs regulate plant development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses but their impact on water use efficiency (WUE) is poorly known. Increasing WUE is a major task in crop improvement programs aimed to meet the challenges posed by the reduction in water availability associated with the ongoing climatic change. We have examined the physiological and molecular response to water stress of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.

Fragmentation Spectra Prediction and DNA Adducts Structural Determination.

In this work, chemical dynamics simulations were optimized and used to predict fragmentation mass spectra for DNA adduct structural determination. O-methylguanine (O-Me-G) was used as a simple model adduct to calculate theoretical spectra for comparison with measured high-resolution fragmentation data. An automatic protocol was established to consider the different tautomers accessible at a given energy and obtain final theoretical spectra by insertion of an initial tautomer.

The human gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin alkylates DNA.

Certain strains residing in the human gut produce colibactin, a small-molecule genotoxin implicated in colorectal cancer pathogenesis. However, colibactin's chemical structure and the molecular mechanism underlying its genotoxic effects have remained unknown for more than a decade. Here we combine an untargeted DNA adductomics approach with chemical synthesis to identify and characterize a covalent DNA modification from human cell lines treated with colibactin-producing Our data establish that colibactin alkylates DNA with an unusual electrophilic cyclopropane.

Identification of an Alternative rRNA Post-transcriptional Maturation of 26S rRNA in the Kingdom Fungi.

Despite of the integrity of their RNA, some desert truffles present a non-canonical profile of rRNA where 3.3 kb is absent, 1.8 kb is clear and a band of 1.

A High Resolution/Accurate Mass (HRAM) Data-Dependent MS Neutral Loss Screening, Classification, and Relative Quantitation Methodology for Carbonyl Compounds in Saliva.

Reactive carbonyl compounds (RCCs) are ubiquitous in the environment and are generated endogenously as a result of various physiological and pathological processes. These compounds can react with biological molecules inducing deleterious processes believed to be at the basis of their toxic effects. Several of these compounds are implicated in neurotoxic processes, aging disorders, and cancer.

QTLs for Woolly Poplar Aphid (Phloeomyzus passerinii L.) Resistance Detected in an Inter-Specific Populus deltoides x P. nigra Mapping Population.

The genus Populus represents one of the most economically important groups of forest trees. It is composed by approximately 30 species used for wood and non-wood products, phytoremediation and biomass. Poplar is subjected to several biological and environmental threats although, compared to annual crops, we know far less about the genetic bases of biotic stress resistance.

Determination of tissue levels of a neuroprotectant drug: the cell permeable JNK inhibitor peptide.

Introduction: Cell permeable peptides (CPPs) represent a novel tool for the delivery of bioactive molecules into scarcely accessible organs, such as the brain. CPPs have been successfully used in pre-clinical studies for a variety of diseases, ranging from cancer to neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms by which CPPs cross biological membranes, as well as their pharmacokinetic properties, have been poorly explored due to the lack of specific and sensitive analytical methods.

Fast and reliable artemisinin determination from different Artemisia annua leaves based alimentary products by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

In many tropical countries malaria is endemic, causing acute illness and killing people, especially children. The availability of recommended malaria medicines is scant, even though these medicines are based on artemisinin, a compound extracted from the Artemisia annua plant that grows in many of these countries. New sources of treatment drawn from traditional medicine are therefore used, such as the tea infusion.

Determination of paclitaxel distribution in solid tumors by nano-particle assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging.

A sensitive, simple and reproducible protocol for nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging technique is described. The use of commercially available TiO2 nanoparticles abolishes heterogeneous crystallization, matrix background interferences and enhances signal detection, especially in the low mass range. Molecular image normalization was based on internal standard deposition on tissues, allowing direct comparison of drug penetration and distribution between different organs and tissues.

Expression analysis of aquaporins from desert truffle mycorrhizal symbiosis reveals a fine-tuned regulation under drought.

We have performed the isolation, functional characterization, and expression analysis of aquaporins in roots and leaves of Helianthemum almeriense, in order to evaluate their roles in tolerance to water deficit. Five cDNAs, named HaPIP1;1, HaPIP1;2, HaPIP2;1, HaPIP2;2, and HaTIP1;1, were isolated from H. almeriense.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic Acid in fish fillet samples.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) acid are persistent contaminants which can be found in environmental and biological samples. A new and fast analytical method is described here for the analysis of these compounds in the edible part of fish samples. The method uses a simple liquid extraction by sonication, followed by a direct determination using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Profiling of hydroxycinnamoyl tartrates and acylated anthocyanins in the skin of 34 Vitis vinifera genotypes.

The diversity of berry skin flavonoids in grape genotypes has been previously widely investigated with regard to major compounds (nonacylated anthocyanins and flavonols), but much less with regard to acylated anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamoyl tartrates (HCTs). In this study, the composition of the phenolic fraction of the berry skin (free and acylated anthocyanins, flavonols, and HCTs) was assessed on 34 grapevine genotypes grown in a collection vineyard in northwestern Italy. The phenolic fraction was profiled on berries collected in the same vineyard, at the same ripening level across two successive vintages.

Millet-porridge with Artemisia annua as first aid for African children with malaria?

Objectives: In a few malaria-endemic countries with high disease prevalence, especially in children, and local cultivation of Artemisia annua, the availability of recommended malaria medicines is scant. New sources of treatment could be used, drawing from traditional medicine.

Methods: A popular African millet-porridge was prepared by adding dried, sieved leaves of Artemisia annua.

A new fluorogenic peptide determines proteasome activity in single cells.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system plays a critical role in many diseases, making it an attractive biomarker and therapeutic target. However, the impact of results obtained in vitro using purified proteasome particles or whole cell extracts is limited by the lack of efficient methods to assess proteasome activity in living cells. We have engineered an internally quenched fluorogenic peptide with a proteasome-specific cleavage motif fused to TAT and linked to the fluorophores DABCYL and EDANS.

Transgene silencing in grapevines transformed with GFLV resistance genes: analysis of variable expression of transgene, siRNAs production and cytosine methylation.

Eight transgenic grapevine lines transformed with the coat protein gene of Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV-CP) were analyzed for a correlation between transgene expression, siRNAs production and DNA methylation. Bisulphite genome sequencing was used for a comprehensive analysis of DNA methylation. Methylated cytosine residues of CpG and CpNpG sites were detected in the GFLV-CP transgene, in the T7 terminator and in the 35S promoter of three grapevines without transgene expression, but no detectable level of siRNAs was recorded in these lines.

Cloning and characterization of small non-coding RNAs from grape.

Small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are effectors of regulatory pathways underlying plant development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. To address the nature and functions of these regulators in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), we have produced a small RNA library from mixed-stage grape berries.