Molecular Insights into the Role of Sterols in Microtuber Development of Potato L.

Potato tubers are reproductive and storage organs, enabling their survival. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms that regulate tuberization is crucial for understanding how potatorespond to environmental stress situations and for potato breeding. Previously, we did a transcriptomic analysis of potato microtuberization without light.

RNA Isolation Method in Marginal Crops with High Agronomic Potential.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) isolation is a basic technique in the field of molecular biology. The purpose of RNA isolation is to acquire pure and complete RNA that can be used to evaluate gene expression. Many methods can be used to perform RNA isolation, all of them based on the chemical properties of nucleic acids.

Trunk Injection of Citrus Trees with a Polymeric Nanobactericide Reduces Huanglongbing Severity Caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a disease caused by the phloem- limited Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) that affects the citrus industry worldwide. To date, only indirect strategies have been implemented to eradicate HLB. Included among these is the population control of the psyllid vector (Diaphorina citri), which usually provides inconsistent results.

Identification of genetic and biochemical mechanisms associated with heat shock and heat stress adaptation in grain amaranths.

Heat stress is poised to become a major factor negatively affecting plant performance worldwide. In terms of world food security, increased ambient temperatures are poised to reduce yields in cereals and other economically important crops. Grain amaranths are known to be productive under poor and/or unfavorable growing conditions that significantly affect cereals and other crops.

Systemic whitefly-induced metabolic responses in newly developed distal leaves of husk tomato plants (Physalis philadelphica) impairs whiteflies development.

Background: Metabolic reconfiguration in plants is a hallmark response to insect herbivory that occurs in the attack site and systemically in undamaged tissues. Metabolomic systemic responses can occur rapidly while the herbivore is still present and may persist in newly developed tissue to counterattack future herbivore attacks. This study analyzed the metabolic profile of local and newly developed distal (systemic) leaves of husk tomato (Physalis philadelphica) plants after whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum infestation.

Viability markers for determination of desiccation tolerance and critical stages during dehydration in Selaginella species.

While most plants die below a threshold of water content, desiccation-tolerant species display specific responses that allow them to survive extreme dehydration. Some of these responses are activated at critical stages during water loss and could represent the difference between desiccation tolerance (DT) and death. Here, we report the development of a simple and reproducible system to determine DT in Selaginella species.

Tomato Prosystemin Is Much More than a Simple Systemin Precursor.

Systemin (Sys) is an octadecapeptide, which upon wounding, is released from the carboxy terminus of its precursor, Prosystemin (ProSys), to promote plant defenses. Recent findings on the disordered structure of ProSys prompted us to investigate a putative biological role of the whole precursor deprived of the Sys peptide. We produced transgenic tomato plants expressing a truncated ProSys gene in which the exon coding for Sys was removed and compared their defense response with that induced by the exogenous application of the recombinant truncated ProSys (ProSys the Prosystemin sequence devoid of Sys region).

Contrasting Metabolic Fingerprints and Seed Protein Profiles of and Fruits from Feral Plants Sampled in Central Mexico.

and are scarcely studied wild pumpkin species that grow in arid and semi-arid areas of Mexico and the United States. This study describes the morphological, proximal composition, metabolic finger-prints and seed protein profiles of and fruits collected in the wild during a one-year period in different locations of central-western Mexico. The results obtained complement the limited information concerning the fruit composition of and greatly expand information in this respect regarding .

Metabolic Footprints of Sensu Lato Rhizosphere Bacteria Active against Maize Pathogens.

Consistent with their reported abundance in soils, several sensu lato strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of maize plants cultivated at different sites in central México. Comparative analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences permitted their separation into three distinctive clades, which were further subdivided into six other clusters by their close resemblance to (1) ; (2) , , and ; (3) ; (4) ; (5) , or (6) representative species. Direct confrontation assays revealed that these strains inhibited the growth of pathogenic f.

Natural or light-induced pigment accumulation in grain amaranths coincides with enhanced resistance against insect herbivory.

Increased resistance to insect herbivory in grain amaranth plants is associated with increased betalain pigmentation, either naturally acquired or accumulated in response to blue-red light irradiation. Betalains are water-soluble pigments characteristic of plants of the Caryophyllales order. Their abiotic stress-induced accumulation is believed to protect against oxidative damage, while their defensive function against biotic aggressors is scarce.

Metabolic response to larval herbivory in three species.

The genus includes species of commercial importance due to their ornamental, edible and medicinal properties. These qualities stem from their variety of biologically active compounds. We performed a metabolomic analysis of three species, i.

Highest Defoliation Tolerance in Plants at Panicle Development Is Associated With Sugar Starvation Responses.

Defoliation tolerance (DT) in is known to reach its apex at the panicle emergence (PE) phase and to decline to minimal levels at flowering (FL). In this study, defoliation-induced changes were recorded in the content of non-structural carbohydrates and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), and in the expression and/or activity of sugar starvation response-associated genes in plants defoliated at different vegetative and reproductive stages. This strategy identified sugar-starvation-related factors that explained the opposite DT observed at these key developmental stages.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of grain (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) and leafy (A. hybridus) amaranths.

Transgenic A. hypochondriacus and A. hybridus roots were generated.

Distinct gene expression and secondary metabolite profiles in tomato mutants having impaired mycorrhizal colonization.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization, sampled at 32-50 days post-inoculation (dpi), was significantly reduced in mutant tomato plants impaired in the ω-3 () gene that limits the generation of linolenic acid and, consequently, the wound-responsive jasmonic acid (JA) burst. Contrary to wild-type (WT) plants, JA levels in root and leaves of mutants remained unchanged in response to AMF colonization, further supporting its regulatory role in the AM symbiosis. Decreased AMF colonization in plants was also linked to alterations associated with a disrupted FAD7 function, such as enhanced salicylic acid (SA) levels and SA-related defense gene expression and a reduction in fatty acid content in both mycorrhizal roots and leaves.

Seasonal Changes in the Metabolic Profiles and Biological Activity in Leaves of and "Zapote" Trees.

Leaves of semi-domesticated and wild trees, sampled seasonally in Mexico in 2014, were analyzed. Metabolic fingerprints revealed higher metabolite diversity in leaves. The TLC bands characteristic of glycosylated flavonoids, predominant in this species, matched the detection of quercetin and quercetin 3-O-glucuronides by liquid chromatography (UPLC-MS) of spring leaf extracts (LEs).

Identification of Factors Linked to Higher Water-Deficit Stress Tolerance in Compared to Other Grain Amaranths and , Their Shared Ancestor.

Water deficit stress (WDS)-tolerance in grain amaranths (, and A. ), and , their presumed shared ancestor, was examined. was the most WDS-tolerant species, a trait that correlated with an enhanced osmotic adjustment (OA), a stronger expression of abscisic acid (ABA) marker genes and a more robust sugar starvation response (SSR).

Fruits of wild and semi-domesticated Diospyros tree species have contrasting phenological, metabolic, and antioxidant activity profiles.

Background: In contrast to commercial Diospyros species, Mesoamerican fruit-producing species are scarcely known, particularly wild species that might harbor desirable traits suitable for breeding. Thus, metabolomic, chemical, and antioxidant profiles of fruits harvested from cultivated Diospyros digyna and wild Diospyros rekoi trees during consecutive winter seasons were obtained. Fruits were harvested in habitats having marked differences in soil quality, climate, and luminosity.

Modulation of steroidal glycoalkaloid biosynthesis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by jasmonic acid.

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a phytohormone involved in plant development and defense. A major role of JA is the enhancement of secondary metabolite production, such as response to herbivory. Systemin is a bioactive plant peptide of 18 amino acids that contributes to the induction of local and systemic defense responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) through JA biosynthesis.

Seasonal variation in non-structural carbohydrates, sucrolytic activity and secondary metabolites in deciduous and perennial Diospyros species sampled in Western Mexico.

This study was performed to test the working hypothesis that the primary determinants influencing seasonal driven modifications in carbon mobilization and other key biochemical parameters in leaves of poorly known Diospyros digyna (Ddg; semi-domesticated; perennial) and D. rekoi (Dre; undomesticated; deciduous) trees are determined by environmental growing conditions, agronomic management and physiological plasticity. Thus, biochemical changes in leaves of both trees were recorded seasonally during two successive fruiting years.

AhDGR2, an amaranth abiotic stress-induced DUF642 protein gene, modifies cell wall structure and composition and causes salt and ABA hyper-sensibility in transgenic Arabidopsis.

An amaranth DGR gene, induced under abiotic stress, modifies cell wall structure and causes hypersensitivity to ABA and salt when overexpressed in Arabidopsis. DUF642 is a highly conserved plant-specific family of unknown cell wall-associated proteins. The AhDGR2 gene, coding for a DUF642 protein, was significantly induced in grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) plants subjected to water-deficit and salinity stress, thereby suggesting its participation in abiotic stress tolerance in this plant.

Overexpression of Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) AhERF or AhDOF Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis thaliana Increases Water Deficit- and Salt-Stress Tolerance, Respectively, via Contrasting Stress-Amelioration Mechanisms.

Two grain amaranth transcription factor (TF) genes were overexpressed in Arabidopsis plants. The first, coding for a group VII ethylene response factor TF (i.e.

The overexpression of an Amaranthus hypochondriacus NF-YC gene modifies growth and confers water deficit stress resistance in Arabidopsis.

Nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y), is a plant heterotrimeric transcription factor constituted by NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC subunits. The function of many NF-Y subunits, mostly of the A and B type, has been studied in plants, but knowledge regarding the C subunit remains fragmentary. Here, a water stress-induced NF-YC gene from Amaranthus hypochondriacus (AhNF-YC) was further characterized by its overexpression in transgenic Arabidospis thaliana plants.

The novel and taxonomically restricted Ah24 gene from grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) has a dual role in development and defense.

Grain amaranths tolerate stress and produce highly nutritious seeds. We have identified several (a)biotic stress-responsive genes of unknown function in Amaranthus hypochondriacus, including the so-called Ah24 gene. Ah24 was expressed in young or developing tissues; it was also strongly induced by mechanical damage, insect herbivory and methyl jasmonate and in meristems and newly emerging leaves of severely defoliated plants.

The tolerance of grain amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) to defoliation during vegetative growth is compromised during flowering.

The biochemical processes underlying variations of tolerance are often accompanied by source-sink transitions affecting carbon (C) metabolism. We investigated the tolerance of Amaranthus cruentus L. to total mechanical defoliation through development and in different growing seasons.

Treatment of Amaranthus cruentus with chemical and biological inducers of resistance has contrasting effects on fitness and protection against compatible Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial pathogens.

Amaranthus cruentus (Ac) plants were treated with the synthetic systemic acquired resistance (SAR) inducer benzothiadiazole (BTH), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and the incompatible pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss), under greenhouse conditions. The treatments induced a set of marker genes in the absence of pathogen infection: BTH and Pss similarly induced genes coding for pathogenesis-related and antioxidant proteins, whereas MeJA induced the arginase, LOX2 and amarandin 1 genes.