Publications by authors named "Jorge M Santamaria"

This chapter presents an efficient protocol for regenerating Carica papaya plants via somatic embryogenesis from immature zygotic embryos from economically important papaya genotypes. To achieve regenerated plants from somatic embryos, in the present protocol, four induction cycles are required, followed by one multiplication cycle and one regeneration cycle. With this optimized protocol, 80% of somatic embryos can be obtained in only 3.

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A genome-wide analysis for two families of key transcription factors (TF; WRKY and NAC) involved in drought response revealed 46 WRKY and 66 NAC members of the genome. A phylogenetic analysis grouped the CpWRKY proteins into three groups (I, II a, b, c, d, e and III), while the CpNAC proteins were clustered into 15 groups. The conserved domains, chromosomal localization and promoter cis-acting elements were also analyzed.

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Huanglongbing (HLB) is a vascular disease of caused by three species of the α-proteobacteria " Liberibacter", with " Liberibacter asiaticus" (Las) being the most widespread and the one causing significant economic losses in citrus-producing regions worldwide. However, Persian lime ( Tanaka) has shown tolerance to the disease. To understand the molecular mechanisms of this tolerance, transcriptomic analysis of HLB was performed using asymptomatic and symptomatic leaves.

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Mangrove forests are threatened by the continuous discharge of inorganic pollutants and studies show that coasts receive high levels of heavy metals, from which lead (Pb) is one of the most persistent and toxic. In the present study, lead accumulation capacity, as well as its toxicological effects and tolerance mechanisms, such as proline accumulation and increased antioxidant capacity were evaluated in two contrasting mangrove species: Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa. Six-month-old plants were exposed to different concentrations of lead nitrate (0, 75, 150, and 300 µM) and samples of roots and leaves were taken from all treatments at different times during a 30d exposure period.

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Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) have a high demand in the industry. However, these ions, at high concentrations, can cause severe damage to both fauna and flora. Phytoremediation has gained international importance because its relatively low cost and it is environmentally friendly.

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The interaction between exogenous IBA with sucrose, light and ventilation, alters the expression of ARFs and Aux/IAA genes in in vitro grown Carica papaya plantlets. In vitro papaya plantlets normally show low rooting percentages during their ex vitro establishment that eventually leads to high mortality when transferred to field conditions. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) auxin is normally added to culture medium, to achieve adventitious root formation on in vitro papaya plantlets.

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Resilience of growing in arid and semiarid regions and a high capacity of accumulating sugar-rich biomass with low lignin percentages have placed Agave species as an emerging bioenergy crop. Although transcriptome sequencing of fiber-producing agave species has been explored, molecular bases that control wall cell biogenesis and metabolism in agave species are still poorly understood. Here, through RNAseq data mining, we reconstructed the cellulose biosynthesis pathway and the phenylpropanoid route producing lignin monomers in , and evaluated their expression patterns in silico and experimentally.

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Most of the commercial papaya genotypes show susceptibility to water deficit stress and require high volumes of irrigation water to yield properly. To tackle this problem, we have collected wild native genotypes of Carica papaya that have proved to show better physiological performance under water deficit stress than the commercial cultivar grown in Mexico. In the present study, plants from a wild Carica papaya genotype and a commercial genotype were subjected to water deficit stress (WDS), and their response was characterized in physiological and molecular terms.

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Among the most serious problems in papaya production are the viruses associated with papaya ringspot and papaya sticky disease (PSD). PSD concerns producers worldwide because its symptoms are extremely aggressive and appear only after flowering. As no resistant cultivar is available, several disease management strategies have been used in affected countries, such as the use of healthy seeds, exclusion of the pathogen, and roguing.

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We investigated the transcriptional regulation of six genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis, together with the carotenoid accumulation during postharvest ripening of three different papaya genotypes of contrasting pulp color. Red-pulp genotype (RPG) showed the lowest content of yellow pigments (YP), such as β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin, together with the lowest relative expression levels (REL) of CpLCY-β2 and CpCHX-β genes. On the contrary, the yellow-pulp genotype (YPG) showed the highest content of YP and the highest REL of CpLCY-β2 and CpCHX-β genes.

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Global DNA methylation changes caused by in vitro conditions are associated with the subculturing and phenotypic variation in Agave angustifolia Haw. While the relationship between the development of albinism and in vitro culture is well documented, the role of epigenetic processes in this development leaves some important questions unanswered. During the micropropagation of Agave angustifolia Haw.

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Salvinia minima Baker accumulates a fair amount of lead in its tissues; however, no studies have investigated the effect of lead on the physiological processes that affect photosynthesis in this species. The objective of the present study was to assess whether the high amounts of lead accumulated by S. minima can affect its photosynthetic apparatus.

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An experiment was designed to assess the capacity of Salvinia minima Baker to uptake and accumulate nickel in its tissues and to evaluate whether or not this uptake can affect its physiology. Our results suggest that S. minima plants are able to take up high amounts of nickel in its tissues, particularly in roots.

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The effects of copper toxicity on the photosynthetic activities of Avicennia germinans was investigated using two CuSO4 concentrations (0.062 and 0.33 M) added in Hoagland's solution in an aerated hydroponic system.

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The TGA transcription factors belong to the subfamily of bZIP group D that play a major role in disease resistance and development. Most of the TGA identified in Arabidopsis interact with the master regulator of SAR, NPR1 that controls the expression of PR genes. As a first approach to determine the possible involvement of these transcription factors in papaya defense, we characterized Arabidopsis TGA orthologs from the genome of Carica papaya cv.

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The toxic effects of cadmium on the photosynthetic apparatus of Avicennia germinans were evaluated by means of the chlorophyll fluorescence transient O-J-I-P. The chlorophyll fluorescence transients were recorded in vivo with high time resolution and analyzed according to the OJIP-test that can quantify the performance of photosystem II. Cadmium-treated plants showed a decrease in yield for primary photochemistry, TR0/ABS.

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This chapter presents a protocol that will show ways to obtain photoautotrophic coconut in vitro plants and outlines protocol for improving photosynthesis and field performance. This protocol involves reducing sucrose concentration from the growing medium while simultaneously increasing light intensity and enriching the CO2 concentration of growth rooms.

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