The world's largest potato cryobank at the International Potato Center (CIP) - Status quo, protocol improvement through large-scale experiments and long-term viability monitoring.

Long-term conservation of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) is a key priority for guaranteeing food security and sustainability of agricultural systems for current and future generations. The need for the secure conservation of genetic resources collections is critical, due to rapid and extreme climatic changes which are threatening and reducing biodiversity in their natural environments. The International Potato Center (CIP) conserves one of the most complete and diverse genetic resources collections of potato, with more than 7500 accessions composed of 4900 cultivated potato and 2600 potato wild relative accessions.

Phased, chromosome-scale genome assemblies of tetraploid potato reveal a complex genome, transcriptome, and predicted proteome landscape underpinning genetic diversity.

Cultivated potato is a clonally propagated autotetraploid species with a highly heterogeneous genome. Phased assemblies of six cultivars including two chromosome-scale phased genome assemblies revealed extensive allelic diversity, including altered coding and transcript sequences, preferential allele expression, and structural variation that collectively result in a highly complex transcriptome and predicted proteome, which are distributed across the homologous chromosomes. Wild species contribute to the extensive allelic diversity in tetraploid cultivars, demonstrating ancestral introgressions predating modern breeding efforts.

Production and characterisation of a marine Halomonas surface-active exopolymer.

During screening for novel emulsifiers and surfactants, a marine gammaproteobacterium, Halomonas sp. MCTG39a, was isolated and selected for its production of an extracellular emulsifying agent, P39a. This polymer was produced by the new isolate during growth in a modified Zobell's 2216 medium amended with 1% glucose, and was extractable by cold ethanol precipitation.

A Case of Need: Linking Traits to Genebank Accessions.

Genebanks are responsible for collecting, maintaining, characterizing, documenting, and distributing plant genetic resources for research, education, and breeding purposes. The rationale for requests of plant materials varies highly from areas of anthropology, social science, small-holder farmers, the commercial sector, rehabilitation of degraded systems, all the way to crop improvement and basic research. Matching "the right" accessions to a particular request is not always a straightforward process especially when genetic resource collections are large and the user does not already know which accession or even which species they want to study.

Using Genomic Sequence Information to Increase Conservation and Sustainable Use of Crop Diversity and Benefit-Sharing.

This article describes how CGIAR centers and partners are using genomic sequence information to promote the conservation and sustainable use of crop genetic diversity, and to generate and share benefits derived from those uses. The article highlights combined institutional, and benefit-sharing-related challenges that need to be addressed to support expanded use of digital sequence information in agricultural research and development.

Hydrocarbon-degradation and MOS-formation capabilities of the dominant bacteria enriched in sea surface oil slicks during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

A distinctive feature of the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill was the formation of significant quantities of marine oil snow (MOS), for which the mechanism(s) underlying its formation remain unresolved. Here, we show that Alteromonas strain TK-46(2), Pseudoalteromonas strain TK-105 and Cycloclasticus TK-8 - organisms that became enriched in sea surface oil slicks during the spill - contributed to the formation of MOS and/or dispersion of the oil. In roller-bottle incubations, Alteromonas cells and their produced EPS yielded MOS, whereas Pseudoalteromonas and Cycloclasticus did not.

A randomised, double blind comparison of tecarfarin, a novel vitamin K antagonist, with warfarin. The EmbraceAC Trial.

Tecarfarin is a novel vitamin K antagonist that is metabolised by carboxyl estererase, thereby eliminating the variability associated with cytochrome-mediated metabolism. EmbraceAC was designed to compare the quality of anticoagulation with tecarfarin and warfarin as determined by time in therapeutic range (TTR). In this phase 2/3 randomised and blinded trial, 607 patients with indications for chronic anticoagulation were assigned to warfarin (n=304) or tecarfarin (n=303).

Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of naronapride (ATI-7505), a serotonin 5-HT(4) receptor agonist for gastrointestinal motility disorders.

The absorption and disposition of the serotonin 5-HT(4) receptor agonist, naronapride (6-[(3S,4R)-4-(4-amino-5-chloro-2-methoxy-benzoylamino)-3-methoxy-piperidin-1-yl]-hexanoic acid 1-aza-bicyclo[2,2,2]oct-(R)-3-yl ester dihydrochloride; ATI-7505), were evaluated in healthy males given a single 120-mg oral dose of (14)C-labeled compound. Serial blood samples and complete urine and feces were collected up to 552 h postdose. Naronapride was extensively metabolized, undergoing rapid hydrolysis to 6-[(3S,4R)-4-(4-amino-5-chloro-2-methoxy-benzoylamino)-3-methoxy-piperidin-1-yl]-hexanoic acid (ATI-7500) with stoichiometric loss of quinuclidinol.

Identification of amide bioisosteres of triazole oxytocin antagonists.

A series of amides were investigated as potential bioisosteres of previously reported triazole oxytocin antagonists. A range of potent analogues were identified, although SAR for potency and selectivity over the related V(1A) and V(2) receptors was found to be somewhat divergent from that observed for the corresponding triazole series. The high synthetic accessibility of this new amide series also facilitated the identification of a range of alternative left hand side (biaryl replacement) substituents which gave good levels of oxytocin antagonism.

Identification of a urea bioisostere of a triazole oxytocin antagonist.

A series of azetidine ureas were investigated as potential bioisosteres of previously reported azetidinyltriazole oxytocin antagonists. Although potency was somewhat reduced in several close-in analogues, one compound, 9, was both a potent oxytocin antagonist and demonstrated significant selectivity over the closely related vasopressin V(1A) receptor.

Triazole oxytocin antagonists: Identification of an aryloxyazetidine replacement for a biaryl substituent.

A series of aryloxyazetidines, aryloxypyrrolidines and aryloxypiperidines were designed based on structural overlap with previously reported arylpyrazine Oxytocin antagonists. Similarly high levels of Oxytocin antagonism were achievable in these new series. Several aryloxyazetidines also showed high levels of selectivity, with one compound, 25, displaying promising in vivo pharmacokinetics and significantly improved aqueous solubility over related compounds containing a biaryl substituent.

Aryloxypyrazines as highly selective antagonists of Oxytocin.

A series of aryloxypyrazines were designed based on structural overlap with previously reported arylpyrazine Oxytocin antagonists. Similarly high levels of Oxytocin antagonism were achievable in this new series. In addition, significant improvements in selectivity over the related vasopressin V(1A) receptor were also possible.

Triazole oxytocin antagonists: identification of aryl ether replacements for a biaryl substituent.

Several potent aryl ether/triazole oxytocin antagonists are described. The lead compound in this series had significantly improved aqueous solubility over related systems containing a biaryl substituent.

Design and optimization of potent, selective antagonists of Oxytocin.

A novel series of Oxytocin antagonists are described. This series was identified through pharmacophoric overlap of in-house and literature antagonists. Subsequent optimization led to a series of potent, selective antagonists.

Up-regulation of sucrose synthase and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase impacts plant growth and metabolism.

The effects of the overexpression of sucrose synthase (SuSy) and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) on plant growth and metabolism were evaluated in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi). T(1) transgenic plants expressing either gene under the control of a tandem repeat cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (2x35S) or a xylem-localized 4CL promoter (4-coumarate:CoA ligase; 4CL) were generated, and reciprocally crossed to generate plants expressing both genes.

Implementation of garlic cryopreservation techniques in the national plant germplasm system.

The USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) maintains more than 200 Allium sativum (garlic) accessions at the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station in Pullman, WA. All accessions must be grown out in the field annually since garlic plants from these accessions do not reliably produce seeds and bulbs do not store well. Shoot tips excised from garlic cloves can be successfully cryopreserved using either Plant Vitrification Solution 2 (PVS2; 15 percent v/v DMSO, 15 percent v/v ethylene glycol, 30 percent v/w glycerol, 0.

The potential of metabolite profiling as a selection tool for genotype discrimination in Populus.

Differences between wild-type Populus tremulaxalba and two transgenic lines with modified lignin monomer composition, were interrogated using metabolic profiling. Analysis of metabolite abundance data by GC-MS, coupled with principal components analysis (PCA), successfully differentiated between lines that had distinct phenotypes, whether samples were taken from the cambial zone or non-lignifying suspension tissue cultures. Interestingly, the GC-MS analysis detected relatively few phenolic metabolites in cambial extracts, although a single metabolite associated with the differentiation between lines was directly related to the phenylpropanoid pathway or other down-stream aspects of lignin biosynthesis.

Proteome analysis of early somatic embryogenesis in Picea glauca.

Forestry is a valuable natural resource for many countries. Rapid production of large quantities of genetically improved and uniform seedlings for restocking harvested lands is a key component of sustainable forest management programs. Clonal propagation through somatic embryogenesis has the potential to meet this need in conifers and can offer the added benefit of ensuring consistent seedling quality.

Significant increases in pulping efficiency in C4H-F5H-transformed poplars: improved chemical savings and reduced environmental toxins.

The gene encoding ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H) was overexpressed in poplar (Populus tremula x Populus alba) using the cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H) promoter to drive expression specifically in cells involved in the lignin biosynthetic pathway and was shown to significantly alter the mole percentage of syringyl subunits in the lignin, as determined by thioacidolysis. Analysis of poplar transformed with a C4H-F5H construct demonstrated significant increases in chemical (kraft) pulping efficiency from greenhouse-grown trees. Compared to wild-type wood, decreases of 23 kappa units and increases of >20 ISO brightness units were observed in trees exhibiting high syringyl monomer concentrations.