Unravelling the Epigenetic Code: DNA Methylation in Plants and Its Role in Stress Response.

Environmental stress significantly affects plant growth, development, and survival. Plants respond to stressors such as temperature fluctuations, water scarcity, nutrient deficiencies, and pathogen attacks through intricate molecular and physiological adaptations. Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial in regulating gene expression in response to environmental stress.

Development of pollinated and unpollinated ovules in Ginkgo biloba: unravelling the role of pollen in ovule tissue maturation.

In gymnosperms such as Ginkgo biloba, the arrival of pollen plays a key role in ovule development, before fertilization occurs. Accordingly, G. biloba female plants geographically isolated from male plants abort all their ovules after the pollination drop emission, which is the event that allows the ovule to capture pollen grains.

Short-term exposition to acute cadmium toxicity induces the loss of root gravitropic stimuli perception through PIN2-mediated auxin redistribution in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

Cadmium (Cd), one of the most widespread and water-soluble polluting heavy metals, has been widely studied on plants, even if the mechanisms underlying its phytotoxicity remain elusive. Indeed, most experiments are performed using extensive exposure time to the toxicants, not observing the primary targets affected. The present work studied Cd effects on Arabidopsis thaliana (L.

An evaluation of alertness training for older adults.

We present an evaluation of a self-administered, biofeedback-aided, alertness training programme called the Alertness: Training for Focused Living (ATFL) Programme, which was developed as part of the Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) collaboration. We conducted two studies in order to evaluate the programme. A randomized controlled trial was, first of all, conducted with 40 older adults aged between 60 and 83.

Identifying early inflammatory changes in monocyte-derived macrophages from a population with IQ-discrepant episodic memory.

Background: Cells of the innate immune system including monocytes and macrophages are the first line of defence against infections and are critical regulators of the inflammatory response. These cells express toll-like receptors (TLRs), innate immune receptors which govern tailored inflammatory gene expression patterns. Monocytes, which produce pro-inflammatory mediators, are readily recruited to the central nervous system (CNS) in neurodegenerative diseases.