Identification and co-evolution pattern of stem cell regulator miR394s and their targets among diverse plant species.

Background: Micro RNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, have been implicated in various aspects of plant development. miR394 is required for shoot apical meristem organization, stem cell maintenance and abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis, where it functions by negatively regulating the transcript level of target LEAF CURLING RESPONSIVENESS (LCR), which is an F-box protein-coding gene. The evolutionary conservation of stem cell regulatory miR394-LCR module among plants remains elusive.

Plant small RNAs: advancement in the understanding of biogenesis and role in plant development.

Present review addresses the advances made in the understanding of biogenesis of plant small RNAs and their role in plant development. We discuss the elaborate role of microRNAs (miRNAs) and trans-acting small interfering RNAs (ta-siRNAs) in various aspects of plant growth and development and highlight relevance of small RNA mobility. Small non-coding RNAs regulate various aspects of plant development.

Hormonal regulation in adventitious roots and during their emergence under waterlogged conditions in wheat.

To gain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying hormonal regulation in adventitious roots and during their emergence under waterlogged conditions in wheat, the present study investigated transcriptional regulation of genes related to hormone metabolism and transport in the root and stem node tissues. Waterlogging-induced inhibition of axile root elongation and lateral root formation, and promotion of surface adventitious and axile root emergence and aerenchyma formation are associated with enhanced expression levels of ethylene biosynthesis genes, ACS7 and ACO2, in both tissues. Inhibition of axile root elongation is also related to increased root indole acetic acid (IAA) and jasmonate (JA) levels that are associated with up-regulation of specific IAA biosynthesis/transport (TDC, YUC1, and PIN9) and JA metabolism (LOX8, AOS1, AOC1, and JAR1) genes, and transcriptional alteration of gibberellin (GA) metabolism genes (GA3ox2 and GA2ox8).

Molecular aspects of sucrose transport and its metabolism to starch during seed development in wheat: A comprehensive review.

Wheat is one of the most important crops globally, and its grain is mainly used for human food, accounting for 20% of the total dietary calories. It is also used as animal feed and as a raw material for a variety of non-food and non-feed industrial products such as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol. Starch is the major constituent of a wheat grain, as a result, it is considered as a critical determinant of wheat yield and quality.

Transcriptional coordination and abscisic acid mediated regulation of sucrose transport and sucrose-to-starch metabolism related genes during grain filling in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Combining physiological, molecular and biochemical approaches, this study investigated the transcriptional coordination and abscisic acid (ABA) mediated regulation of genes involved in sucrose import and its conversion to starch during grain filling in wheat. Sucrose import appears to be mediated by seed localized TaSUT1, mainly TaSUT1D, while sucrose cleavage by TaSuSy2. Temporal overlapping of the transcriptional activation of AGPL1 and AGPS1a that encode AGPase with that of the above genes suggests their significance in the synthesis of ADP-glucose; TaAGPL1A and TaAGPL1D contributing the majority of AGPL1 transcripts.

Isolation and characterization of rubisco small subunit gene promoter from common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Choice of an appropriate promoter is critical to express target genes in intended tissues and developmental stages. However, promoters capable of directing gene expression in specific tissues and stages are not well characterized in monocot species. To identify such a promoter in wheat, this study isolated a partial sequence of the wheat small subunit of RuBisCO (TarbcS) promoter.

Identification and characterization of the three homeologues of a new sucrose transporter in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Background: Sucrose transporters (SUTs) play important roles in regulating the translocation of assimilates from source to sink tissues. Identification and characterization of new SUTs in economically important crops such as wheat provide insights into their role in determining seed yield. To date, however, only one SUT of wheat has been reported and functionally characterized.

Sensitivity to mental effort and test-retest reliability of heart rate variability measures in healthy seniors.

Objectives: To determine (1) whether heart rate variability (HRV) was a sensitive and reliable measure in mental effort tasks carried out by healthy seniors and (2) whether non-linear approaches to HRV analysis, in addition to traditional time and frequency domain approaches were useful to study such effects.

Methods: Forty healthy seniors performed two visual working memory tasks requiring different levels of mental effort, while ECG was recorded. They underwent the same tasks and recordings 2 weeks later.

Cardiovascular autonomic functions in well-controlled and intractable partial epilepsies.

Background: Epilepsy is associated with imbalance of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity which may lead to sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Well-controlled (WcE) and intractable epilepsy (IE) subjects may present different autonomic profiles, which can be helpful in explaining the predisposition of the latter to SUDEP.

Purpose: To compare inter-ictal cardiovascular autonomic function in subjects with partial WcE and IE.

Dysfunction of the pupillary light reflex in experimental autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy.

Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) is an antibody-mediated form of severe autonomic failure. AAG is associated with serum antibodies against ganglionic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) and appears to result from impaired synaptic transmission in autonomic ganglia. The rabbit model of experimental AAG (EAAG), induced by immunization, reproduces the cardinal features of the human disease.