Increasing soil salinity causes significant crop losses globally; therefore, understanding plant responses to salt (sodium) stress is of high importance. Plants avoid sodium toxicity through subcellular compartmentation by intricate processes involving a high level of elemental interdependence. Current technologies to visualize sodium, in particular, together with other elements, are either indirect or lack in resolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex (RSSC) is the most significant plant pathogen group with a wide host range. It is genetically related but displays distinct biological features, such as restrictive geography occurrence. The RSSC comprises three species: Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum (phylotype I and III), Ralstonia solanacearum (phylotype IIA and IIB), and Ralstonia syzygii (phylotype IV) (Fegan and Prior 2005).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShifts in cytosolic pH have been recognized as key signaling events and mounting evidence supports the interdependence between H and Ca signaling in eukaryotic cells. Among the cellular pH-stats, K/H exchange at various membranes is paramount in plant cells. Vacuolar K/H exchangers of the NHX (Na,K/H exchanger) family control luminal pH and, together with K and H transporters at the plasma membrane, have been suggested to also regulate cytoplasmic pH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this article, we review the main theories of biological aging, exploring the interaction of genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, immunological, and ecological factors in this process. For this purpose, we examine and discuss theories such as the allocation of metabolic resources, pleiotropic antagonism, genetic regulation, codon restriction, replicative senescence, action of free radicals, caloric restriction, catastrophic error, immunological theory, neuroendocrine theory, programmed aging, epigenetics of aging, grandmother and caregiver theories and ecological biophysical theory. We identify the contribution of different biological mechanisms to aging, emphasizing the complementarity of theories such as the allocation of metabolic resources, pleiotropic antagonism, and caloric restriction, providing a more comprehensive view of the phenomenon.
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