Novel Approach of Nanophotonic Electron Transfer for Augmenting Photosynthesis in : A Biophysical Rationale behind the Plasmonic Enhancement of Chemical Energy Transfer.

Plant photosynthetic machinery is the main source of acquisition and conversion of solar energy to chemical energy with the capacity for autonomous self-repair. However, the major limitation of the chloroplast photosystem is that it can absorb light only within the visible range of the spectrum, which is roughly 50% of the incident solar radiation. Moreover, the photosynthetic apparatus is saturated by less than 10% of available sunlight.

Jasmonate signaling modulates root growth by suppressing iron accumulation during ammonium stress.

Plants adapt to changing environmental conditions by adjusting their growth physiology. Nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) are the major inorganic nitrogen forms for plant uptake. However, high NH4+ inhibits plant growth, and roots undergo striking changes, such as inhibition of cell expansion and division, leading to reduced root elongation.

Determination of antifungal efficacy and phytotoxicity of a unique silica coated porous zinc oxide nanocomposite medium for slow-release agrochemicals.

Aims: In this study, the antifungal efficacy and phytotoxicity of silica coated porous zinc oxide nanoparticle (SZNP) were analyzed as this nanocomposite was observed to be a suitable platform for slow release fungicides and has the promise to bring down the dosage of other agrochemicals as well.

Methods And Results: Loading and release kinetics of tricyclazole, a potent fungicide, were analyzed by measuring surface area (SBET) using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) isotherm and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively. The antifungal efficacy of ZnO nanoparticle (ZNP) and SZNP was investigated on two phytopathogenic fungi (Alternaria solani and Aspergillus niger).

Nodule INception-independent epidermal events lead to bacterial entry during nodule development in peanut (Arachis hypogaea).

Legumes can host nitrogen-fixing rhizobia inside root nodules. In model legumes, rhizobia enter via infection threads (ITs) and develop nodules in which the infection zone contains a mixture of infected and uninfected cells. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) diversified from model legumes c.

Microscopic and Transcriptomic Analyses of Dalbergoid Legume Peanut Reveal a Divergent Evolution Leading to Nod-Factor-Dependent Epidermal Crack-Entry and Terminal Bacteroid Differentiation.

Root nodule symbiosis (RNS) is the pillar behind sustainable agriculture and plays a pivotal role in the environmental nitrogen cycle. Most of the genetic, molecular, and cell-biological knowledge on RNS comes from model legumes that exhibit a root-hair mode of bacterial infection, in contrast to the Dalbergoid legumes exhibiting crack-entry of rhizobia. As a step toward understanding this important group of legumes, we have combined microscopic analysis and temporal transcriptome to obtain a dynamic view of plant gene expression during (peanut) nodule development.

Analysis of Large Seeds from Three Different Medicago truncatula Ecotypes Reveals a Potential Role of Hormonal Balance in Final Size Determination of Legume Grains.

Legume seeds are important as protein and oil source for human diet. Understanding how their final seed size is determined is crucial to improve crop yield. In this study, we analyzed seed development of three accessions of the model legume, Medicago truncatula, displaying contrasted seed size.

Characterization of the autophosphorylation property of HflX, a ribosome-binding GTPase from Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli HflX belongs to the widely distributed but poorly characterized HflX family of translation factor-related GTPases that is conserved from bacteria to humans. A 426-residue polypeptide that binds 50S ribosomes and has both GTPase and ATPase activities, HflX also exhibits autophosphorylation activity. We show that HflX(C), a C-terminal fragment of HflX, has an enhanced autophosphorylation activity compared to the full-length protein.

DASH transcription factor impacts Medicago truncatula seed size by its action on embryo morphogenesis and auxin homeostasis.

The endosperm plays a pivotal role in the integration between component tissues of molecular signals controlling seed development. It has been shown to participate in the regulation of embryo morphogenesis and ultimately seed size determination. However, the molecular mechanisms that modulate seed size are still poorly understood especially in legumes.

SOXC proteins amplify canonical WNT signaling to secure nonchondrocytic fates in skeletogenesis.

Canonical WNT signaling stabilizes β-catenin to determine cell fate in many processes from development onwards. One of its main roles in skeletogenesis is to antagonize the chondrogenic transcription factor SOX9. We here identify the SOXC proteins as potent amplifiers of this pathway.

The C2H2 transcription factor regulator of symbiosome differentiation represses transcription of the secretory pathway gene VAMP721a and promotes symbiosome development in Medicago truncatula.

Transcription factors (TFs) are thought to regulate many aspects of nodule and symbiosis development in legumes, although few TFs have been characterized functionally. Here, we describe regulator of symbiosome differentiation (RSD) of Medicago truncatula, a member of the Cysteine-2/Histidine-2 (C2H2) family of plant TFs that is required for normal symbiosome differentiation during nodule development. RSD is expressed in a nodule-specific manner, with maximal transcript levels in the bacterial invasion zone.

A regulatory network-based approach dissects late maturation processes related to the acquisition of desiccation tolerance and longevity of Medicago truncatula seeds.

In seeds, desiccation tolerance (DT) and the ability to survive the dry state for prolonged periods of time (longevity) are two essential traits for seed quality that are consecutively acquired during maturation. Using transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling together with a conditional-dependent network of global transcription interactions, we dissected the maturation events from the end of seed filling to final maturation drying during the last 3 weeks of seed development in Medicago truncatula. The network revealed distinct coexpression modules related to the acquisition of DT, longevity, and pod abscission.

Studies on Escherichia coli HflKC suggest the presence of an unidentified λ factor that influences the lysis-lysogeny switch.

Background: The lysis-lysogeny decision in the temperate coliphage λ is influenced by a number of phage proteins (CII and CIII) as well as host factors, viz. Escherichia coli HflB, HflKC and HflD. Prominent among these are the transcription factor CII and HflB, an ATP-dependent protease that degrades CII.

Escherichia coli HflK and HflC can individually inhibit the HflB (FtsH)-mediated proteolysis of lambdaCII in vitro.

LambdaCII is the key protein that influences the lysis/lysogeny decision of lambda by activating several phage promoters. The effect of CII is modulated by a number of phage and host proteins including Escherichia coli HflK and HflC. These membrane proteins copurify as a tightly bound complex 'HflKC' that inhibits the HflB (FtsH)-mediated proteolysis of CII both in vitro and in vivo.

Properties of HflX, an enigmatic protein from Escherichia coli.

The Escherichia coli gene hflX was first identified as part of the hflA operon, mutations in which led to an increased frequency of lysogenization upon infection of the bacterium by the temperate coliphage lambda. Independent mutational studies have also indicated that the HflX protein has a role in transposition. Based on the sequence of its gene, HflX is predicted to be a GTP-binding protein, very likely a GTPase.