Differential gene expression and chemical patterns of an intertidal crab inhabiting a polluted port and an adjacent marine protected area.

The acquisition of data to safeguard marine protected areas located close to ports is important in order to develop plans that allow effective protection from pollution as well as sustainable development of the port. The area Secche della Meloria is a Marine Protected Area (MPA-MEL) three miles from Livorno Harbour (LH), which is characterized by a long history of pollution. Here we studied the bioaccumulation and transcriptomic patterns of the marbled crab, Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea; Brachyura, Grapsidae), inhabiting the two selected sites.

H. Baumann × (Loisel.) P. Delforge: A New Interspecific Hybrid Assessed by Barcoding Analysis.

Most cultivated orchids, contributing to a worldwide highly profitable industry, are originated from tropic regions. Conversely, a considerable number of spontaneous orchids, belonging to the terrestrial orchids and widely diffused throughout the European continent, are not considered for trading due to their less gorgeous appearance and for technical difficulties in seed propagation. However, a breeding programme was undertaken aimed at developing a new hybrid between H.

Effect of ammonia on the gene expression levels of the freshwater cyclopoid Eucyclops serrulatus.

Ammonia pollution is a critical issue in Europe, since more than half of the European freshwater bodies actually fail to meet EU quality standards for this chemical. In this study, the response of stress-related genes to a sublethal ammonia concentration has been investigated in the adults of the freshwater cyclopoid Eucyclops serrulatus. Two short-term exposures (12h and 24h) at 12mg/L NH have been tested.

Polyphenolic profiles and antioxidant and antiradical activity of Italian berries from Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Vaccinium uliginosum L. subsp. gaultherioides (Bigelow) S.B. Young.

Total soluble polyphenols (TSP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), radical scavenging activity (RSA), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and a number of anthocyanins, phenolic acids, coumarins, flavanols, dihydrochalcones and flavonols were investigated in Tuscan bilberry (i.e. Vaccinium myrtillus) and "false bilberry" (i.

Inverse PCR and Quantitative PCR as Alternative Methods to Southern Blotting Analysis to Assess Transgene Copy Number and Characterize the Integration Site in Transgenic Woody Plants.

One of the major unanswered questions with respect to the commercial use of genetic transformation in woody plants is the stability of the transgene expression over several decades within the same individual. Gene expression is strongly affected by the copy number which has been integrated into the plant genome and by the local DNA features close to the integration sites. Because woody plants cannot be subjected to selfing or backcrossing to modify the transgenic allelic structure without affecting the valuable traits of the cultivar, molecular characterization of the transformation event is therefore crucial.

Zn2+ -induced changes at the root level account for the increased tolerance of acclimated tobacco plants.

Evidence suggests that heavy-metal tolerance can be induced in plants following pre-treatment with non-toxic metal concentrations, but the results are still controversial. In the present study, tobacco plants were exposed to increasing Zn2+ concentrations (up to 250 and/or 500 μM ZnSO4) with or without a 1-week acclimation period with 30 μM ZnSO4. Elevated Zn2+ was highly toxic for plants, and after 3 weeks of treatments there was a marked (≥50%) decline in plant growth in non-acclimated plants.