Extreme Hypoxic Conditions Induce Selective Molecular Responses and Metabolic Reset in Detached Apple Fruit.

The ripening physiology of detached fruit is altered by low oxygen conditions with profound effects on quality parameters. To study hypoxia-related processes and regulatory mechanisms, apple (Malus domestica, cv Granny Smith) fruit, harvested at commercial ripening, were kept at 1°C under normoxic (control) and hypoxic (0.4 and 0.

Ethylene negatively regulates transcript abundance of ROP-GAP rheostat-encoding genes and affects apoplastic reactive oxygen species homeostasis in epicarps of cold stored apple fruits.

Apple (Malus×domestica Borkh) fruits are stored for long periods of time at low temperatures (1 °C) leading to the occurrence of physiological disorders. 'Superficial scald' of Granny Smith apples, an economically important ethylene-dependent disorder, was used as a model to study relationships among ethylene action, the regulation of the ROP-GAP rheostat, and maintenance of H2O2 homeostasis in fruits during prolonged cold exposure. The ROP-GAP rheostat is a key module for adaptation to low oxygen in Arabidopsis through Respiratory Burst NADPH Oxidase Homologs (RBOH)-mediated and ROP GTPase-dependent regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis.

Identification of the Arabidopsis RAM/MOR signalling network: adding new regulatory players in plant stem cell maintenance and cell polarization.

Background And Aims: The RAM/MOR signalling network of eukaryotes is a conserved regulatory module involved in co-ordination of stem cell maintenance, cell differentiation and polarity establishment. To date, no such signalling network has been identified in plants.

Methods: Genes encoding the bona fide core components of the RAM/MOR pathway were identified in Arabidopsis thaliana (arabidopsis) by sequence similarity searches conducted with the known components from other species.

The Arabidopsis thaliana Mob1A gene is required for organ growth and correct tissue patterning of the root tip.

Background And Aims: The Mob1 family includes a group of kinase regulators conserved throughout eukaryotes. In multicellular organisms, Mob1 is involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis, thus controlling appropriate cell number and organ size. These functions are also of great importance for plants, which employ co-ordinated growth processes to explore the surrounding environment and respond to changing external conditions.

Italy's electronic health record system for opioid agonist treatment.

Electronic health record systems (EHRs) play an increasingly important role in opioid agonist treatment. In Italy, an EHR called the Multi Functional Platform (MFP) is in use in 150 opioid-agonist treatment facilities in 8 of Italy's 23 regions. This report describes MFP and presents 2010 data from 65 sites that treated 8145 patients, of whom 72.

Prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis C in a survey of female sex workers in the north-East of Italy.

A key issue in the prevention and control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) is to provide access to health centres, and in diagnosing and treating STD. The present study is aimed to assess the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a population of immigrant female sex workers (FSWs). We conducted a cross sectional survey of FSWs working in Verona, North-eastern Italy.

Signaling pathways mediating the induction of apple fruitlet abscission.

Apple (Malus × domestica) represents an interesting model tree crop for studying fruit abscission. The physiological fruitlet drop occurring in this species can be easily magnified by using thinning chemicals, such as benzyladenine (BA), to obtain fruits with improved quality and marketability. Despite the economic importance of this process, the molecular determinants of apple fruitlet abscission are still unknown.

Characterization and evolution of the cell cycle-associated mob domain-containing proteins in eukaryotes.

The MOB family includes a group of cell cycle-associated proteins highly conserved throughout eukaryotes, whose founding members are implicated in mitotic exit and co-ordination of cell cycle progression with cell polarity and morphogenesis. Here we report the characterization and evolution of the MOB domain-containing proteins as inferred from the 43 eukaryotic genomes so far sequenced. We show that genes for Mob-like proteins are present in at least 41 of these genomes, confirming the universal distribution of this protein family and suggesting its prominent biological function.