The Lotus japonicus NPF4.6 gene, encoding for a dual nitrate and ABA transporter, plays a role in the lateral root elongation process and is not involved in the N-fixing nodule development.

Plant root development depends on signaling pathways responding to external and internal signals. In this study we demonstrate the involvement of the Lotus japonicus LjNPF4.6 gene in the ABA and nitrate root responding pathways.

Plant Extracellular Vesicles: Current Landscape and Future Directions.

Plant cells secrete membrane-enclosed micrometer- and nanometer-sized vesicles that, similarly to the extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by mammalian or bacterial cells, carry a complex molecular cargo of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and primary and secondary metabolites. While it is technically complicated to isolate EVs from whole plants or their tissues, in vitro plant cell cultures provide excellent model systems for their study. Plant EVs have been isolated from the conditioned culture media of plant cell, pollen, hairy root, and protoplast cultures, and recent studies have gathered important structural and biological data that provide a framework to decipher their physiological roles and unveil previously unacknowledged links to their diverse biological functions.

Plant and Microalgae Derived Peptides Are Advantageously Employed as Bioactive Compounds in Cosmetics.

Bioactive peptides (BP) are specific protein fragments that are physiologically important for most living organisms. It is proven that in humans they are involved in a wide range of therapeutic activities as antihypertensive, antioxidant, anti-tumoral, anti-proliferative, hypocholesterolemic, and anti-inflammatory. In plants, BP are involved in the defense response, as well as in the cellular signaling and the development regulation.

The Growth Differentiation Factor 11 is Involved in Skin Fibroblast Ageing and is Induced by a Preparation of Peptides and Sugars Derived from Plant Cell Cultures.

Ageing is a complex and progressive phenomenon, during which the accumulation of morphological and chemical changes seriously compromises the capacity of the cells to proliferate and fulfil their biological tasks. The increase in the average age of the world population, associated with a higher occurrence of age-related diseases, is prompting scientific research to look for new strategies and molecular targets that may help in alleviating age-related phenotypes. Growth factors, responsible for modulating several aging markers in many tissues and organs, represent valuable targets to fight age-associated dysfunctions.

The Hydrophobin HYTLO1 Secreted by the Biocontrol Fungus Triggers a NAADP-Mediated Calcium Signalling Pathway in .

filamentous fungi are increasingly used as biocontrol agents and plant biostimulants. Growing evidence indicates that part of the beneficial effects is mediated by the activity of fungal metabolites on the plant host. We have investigated the mechanism of plant perception of HYTLO1, a hydrophobin abundantly secreted by , which may play an important role in the early stages of the plant-fungus interaction.

Brassica rapa hairy root extracts promote skin depigmentation by modulating melanin production and distribution.

Background: Skin whitening products, used for ages by Asian people for cultural and esthetic purposes, are very popular nowadays in Western countries as well, where the need to inhibit skin spots after sun exposure has become not only a cosmetic but also a health-related issue. Thus, the development of effective and safe depigmenting agents derived from natural products gets continuous attention by cosmetic brands and consumers.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of two preparations, obtained from the hairy root cultures of the species Brassica rapa, on melanogenesis and the expression of the extracellular matrix proteins involved in a correct pigment distribution.

PII Overexpression in Lotus japonicus Affects Nodule Activity in Permissive Low-Nitrogen Conditions and Increases Nodule Numbers in High Nitrogen Treated Plants.

We report here the first characterization of a GLNB1 gene coding for the PII protein in leguminous plants. The main purpose of this work was the investigation of the possible roles played by this multifunctional protein in nodulation pathways. The Lotus japonicus LjGLB1 gene shows a significant transcriptional regulation during the light-dark cycle and different nitrogen availability, conditions that strongly affect nodule formation, development, and functioning.

A tomato stem cell extract, containing antioxidant compounds and metal chelating factors, protects skin cells from heavy metal-induced damages.

Heavy metals can cause several genotoxic effects on cells, including oxidative stress, DNA sequence breakage and protein modification. Among the body organs, skin is certainly the most exposed to heavy metal stress and thus the most damaged by the toxic effects that these chemicals cause. Moreover, heavy metals, in particular nickel, can induce the over-expression of collagenases (enzymes responsible for collagen degradation), leading to weakening of the skin extracellular matrix.

Characterization of a developmental root response caused by external ammonium supply in Lotus japonicus.

Plants respond to changes of nutrient availability in the soil by modulating their root system developmental plan. This response is mediated by systemic changes of the nutritional status and/or by local perception of specific signals. The effect of nitrate on Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root development represents a paradigm of these responses, and nitrate transporters are involved both in local and systemic control.

Tissue-specific down-regulation of LjAMT1;1 compromises nodule function and enhances nodulation in Lotus japonicus.

Plant ammonium transporters of the AMT1 family are involved in N-uptake from the soil and ammonium transport, and recycling within the plant. Although AMT1 genes are known to be expressed in nitrogen-fixing nodules of legumes, their precise roles in this specialized organ remain unknown. We have taken a reverse-genetic approach to decipher the physiological role of LjAMT1;1 in Lotus japonicus nodules.

Differential effects of combined N sources on early steps of the Nod factor-dependent transduction pathway in Lotus japonicus.

The development of nitrogen-fixing nodules in legumes is induced by perception of lipochitin-oligosaccharide signals secreted by a bacterial symbiont. Nitrogen (N) starvation is a prerequisite for the formation, development, and function of root nodules, and high levels of combined N in the form of nitrate or ammonium can completely abolish nodule formation. We distinguished between nitrate and ammonium inhibitory effects by identifying when and where these combined N sources interfere with the Nod-factor-induced pathway.

Improved procedures for in vitro regeneration and for phenotypic analysis in the model legume Lotus japonicus.

As a prerequisite for the development of an efficient gene transfer methodology, the possibility of inducing direct somatic embryogenesis in Lotus japonicus (Regel) K. Larsen explants was investigated. Petiole bases, cotyledons, hypocotyls and stem segments were cultivated in the presence of different amounts of benzylaminopurine (BAP) and / or thidiazuron (TDZ).

Characterization of three functional high-affinity ammonium transporters in Lotus japonicus with differential transcriptional regulation and spatial expression.

Ammonium is a primary source of nitrogen for plants. In legume plants ammonium can also be obtained by symbiotic nitrogen fixation, and NH(4)(+) is also a regulator of early and late symbiotic interaction steps. Ammonium transporters are likely to play important roles in the control of nodule formation as well as in nitrogen assimilation.