Pine has two glutamine synthetase paralogs, GS1b.1 and GS1b.2, exhibiting distinct biochemical properties.

The enzyme glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.

Epitranscriptome changes triggered by ammonium nutrition regulate the proteome response of maritime pine roots.

Epitranscriptome constitutes a gene expression checkpoint in all living organisms. Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development that influences gene expression at different levels such as epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome. Therefore, our hypothesis is that changes in the epitranscriptome may regulate nitrogen metabolism.

Transcriptome Analysis and Intraspecific Variation in Spanish Fir ( Boiss.).

Spanish fir ( Boiss.) is an endemic, endangered tree that has been scarcely investigated at the molecular level. In this work, the transcriptome of Spanish fir was assembled, providing a large catalog of expressed genes (22,769), within which a high proportion were full-length transcripts (12,545).

Is plastidic glutamine synthetase essential for C plants? A tale of photorespiratory mutants, ammonium tolerance and conifers.

Agriculture faces the considerable challenge of having to adapt to a progressively changing climate (including the increase in CO levels and temperatures); environmental impact must be reduced while at the same time crop yields need to be maintained or increased to ensure food security. Under this scenario, increasing plants' nitrogen (N) use efficiency and minimizing the energy losses associated with photorespiration are two goals of crop breeding that are long sought after. The plastidic glutamine synthetase (GS2) enzyme stands at the crossroads of N assimilation and photorespiration, and is therefore a key candidate for the improvement of crop performance.

A revised view on the evolution of glutamine synthetase isoenzymes in plants.

Glutamine synthetase (GS) is a key enzyme responsible for the incorporation of inorganic nitrogen in the form of ammonium into the amino acid glutamine. In plants, two groups of functional GS enzymes are found: eubacterial GSIIb (GLN2) and eukaryotic GSIIe (GLN1/GS). Only GLN1/GS genes are found in vascular plants, which suggests that they are involved in the final adaptation of plants to terrestrial life.

Ammonium regulates the development of pine roots through hormonal crosstalk and differential expression of transcription factors in the apex.

Ammonium is a prominent source of inorganic nitrogen for plant nutrition, but excessive amounts can be toxic for many species. However, most conifers are tolerant to ammonium, a relevant physiological feature of this ancient evolutionary lineage. For a better understanding of the molecular basis of this trait, ammonium-induced changes in the transcriptome of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.

Strategic Orthopedic Evacuations to the Spanish Role 4 During a Decade (2009-2018).

Introduction: Casualty evacuation is a key point in medical support to military operations, sometimes being necessary to transfer them to National Territory for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this work is to analyze the patients evacuated from Areas of Operations to the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Unit of the Spanish Role 4 Medical Treatment Facility in the last 10 years.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and retrospective study carried out in the period between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2018.

Inorganic Nitrogen Form Determines Nutrient Allocation and Metabolic Responses in Maritime Pine Seedlings.

Nitrate and ammonium are the main forms of inorganic nitrogen available to plants. The present study aimed to investigate the metabolic changes caused by ammonium and nitrate nutrition in maritime pine ( Ait.).

NADH-GOGAT Overexpression Does Not Improve Maize ( L Performance Even When Pyramiding with NAD-IDH, GDH and GS.

Maize plants overexpressing NADH-GOGAT were produced in order to determine if boosting 2-Oxoglurate production used as a carbon skeleton for the biosynthesis of amino acids will improve plant biomass and kernel production. The NADH-GOGAT enzyme recycles glutamate and incorporates carbon skeletons into the ammonium assimilation pathway using the organic acid 2-Oxoglutarate as a substrate. Gene pyramiding was then conducted with NAD-IDH and NADH-GDH, two enzymes also involved in the synthesis of 2-Oxoglurate.

Understanding plant nitrogen nutrition through a laboratory experiment.

Plant nitrogen nutrition is an essential topic in biology that should be included in scientific education. Nitrogen availability is one of the primary limiting factors for plant growth, and these organisms are the primary support for the pluricellular terrestrial life, since they are the fundamental group of autotrophs. For this reason, the use of nitrogen fertilizers is in the basis of the Green Revolution that led to an extraordinary increase in the food production during the twentieth century.

Can we achieve universal health coverage without a focus on disability? Results from a national case-control study in Guatemala.

Objective: To compare access to healthcare services for people with disabilities to those without disabilities, within a national case-control study in Guatemala.

Methods: We undertook a population-based case-control study, nested within a national survey in Guatemala. Cases with disabilities were people with self-reported difficulties in functioning.

Nitrogen Metabolism and Biomass Production in Forest Trees.

Low nitrogen (N) availability is a major limiting factor for tree growth and development. N uptake, assimilation, storage and remobilization are key processes in the economy of this essential nutrient, and its efficient metabolic use largely determines vascular development, tree productivity and biomass production. Recently, advances have been made that improve our knowledge about the molecular regulation of acquisition, assimilation and internal recycling of N in forest trees.

Labeling Maize (Zea mays L.) Leaves with NH and Monitoring Nitrogen Incorporation into Amino Acids by GC/MS Analysis.

The human body contains approximately 3.2% nitrogen (N), mainly present as protein and amino acids. Although N exists at a high concentration (78%) in the air, it is not readily available to animals and most plants.

Exploring the links between water, sanitation and hygiene and disability; Results from a case-control study in Guatemala.

Objective: To assess the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) access and appropriateness of people with disabilities compared to those without, in Guatemala.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted, nested within a national survey. The study included 707 people with disabilities, and 465 age- and sex-matched controls without disabilities.

Analysis of the WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX gene family in Pinus pinaster: New insights into the gene family evolution.

WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) genes are key players controlling stem cells in plants and can be divided into three clades according to the time of their appearance during plant evolution. Our knowledge of stem cell function in vascular plants other than angiosperms is limited, they separated from gymnosperms ca 300 million years ago and their patterning during embryogenesis differs significantly. For this reason, we have used the model gymnosperm Pinus pinaster to identify WOX genes and perform a thorough analysis of their gene expression patterns.

PpNAC1, a main regulator of phenylalanine biosynthesis and utilization in maritime pine.

The transcriptional regulation of phenylalanine metabolism is particularly important in conifers, long-lived species that use large amounts of carbon in wood. Here, we show that the Pinus pinaster transcription factor, PpNAC1, is a main regulator of phenylalanine biosynthesis and utilization. A phylogenetic analysis classified PpNAC1 in the NST proteins group and was selected for functional characterization.

The gene expression landscape of pine seedling tissues.

Conifers dominate vast regions of the Northern hemisphere. They are the main source of raw materials for timber industry as well as a wide range of biomaterials. Despite their inherent difficulties as experimental models for classical plant biology research, the technological advances in genomics research are enabling fundamental studies on these plants.

Exploiting the Genetic Diversity of Maize Using a Combined Metabolomic, Enzyme Activity Profiling, and Metabolic Modeling Approach to Link Leaf Physiology to Kernel Yield.

A combined metabolomic, biochemical, fluxomic, and metabolic modeling approach was developed using 19 genetically distant maize () lines from Europe and America. Considerable differences were detected between the lines when leaf metabolic profiles and activities of the main enzymes involved in primary metabolism were compared. During grain filling, the leaf metabolic composition appeared to be a reliable marker, allowing a classification matching the genetic diversity of the lines.

Molecular fundamentals of nitrogen uptake and transport in trees.

Nitrogen (N) is frequently a limiting factor for tree growth and development. Because N availability is extremely low in forest soils, trees have evolved mechanisms to acquire and transport this essential nutrient along with biotic interactions to guarantee its strict economy. Here we review recent advances in the molecular basis of tree N nutrition.

Biosynthesis and Metabolic Fate of Phenylalanine in Conifers.

The amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) is a critical metabolic node that plays an essential role in the interconnection between primary and secondary metabolism in plants. Phe is used as a protein building block but it is also as a precursor for numerous plant compounds that are crucial for plant reproduction, growth, development, and defense against different types of stresses. The metabolism of Phe plays a central role in the channeling of carbon from photosynthesis to the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids.

Establishing gene models from the Pinus pinaster genome using gene capture and BAC sequencing.

Background: In the era of DNA throughput sequencing, assembling and understanding gymnosperm mega-genomes remains a challenge. Although drafts of three conifer genomes have recently been published, this number is too low to understand the full complexity of conifer genomes. Using techniques focused on specific genes, gene models can be established that can aid in the assembly of gene-rich regions, and this information can be used to compare genomes and understand functional evolution.

Root-shoot interactions explain the reduction of leaf mineral content in Arabidopsis plants grown under elevated [CO2 ] conditions.

Although shoot N depletion in plants exposed to elevated [CO2 ] has already been reported on several occasions, some uncertainty remains about the mechanisms involved. This study illustrates (1) the importance of characterizing root-shoot interactions and (2) the physiological, biochemical and gene expression mechanisms adopted by nitrate-fed Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown under elevated [CO2 ]. Elevated [CO2 ] increases biomass and photosynthetic rates; nevertheless, the decline in total soluble protein, Rubisco and leaf N concentrations revealed a general decrease in leaf N availability.

Transcriptome-wide analysis supports environmental adaptations of two Pinus pinaster populations from contrasting habitats.

Background: Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) grows in a range of different climates in the southwestern Mediterranean region and the existence of a variety of latitudinal ecotypes or provenances is well established. In this study, we have conducted a deep analysis of the transcriptome in needles from two P. pinaster provenances, Leiria (Portugal) and Tamrabta (Morocco), which were grown in northern Spain under the same conditions.

The overexpression of the pine transcription factor PpDof5 in Arabidopsis leads to increased lignin content and affects carbon and nitrogen metabolism.

PpDof 5 is a regulator of the expression of glutamine synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.