Transcriptome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of DIVARICATA- and RADIALIS-Like Genes of the Mediterranean Orchid Orchis italica.

Bilateral symmetry of flowers is a relevant novelty that has occurred many times throughout the evolution of flowering plants. In Antirrhinum majus, establishment of flower dorso-ventral asymmetry is mainly due to interaction of TCP (CYC and DICH) and MYB (DIV, RAD, and DRIF) transcription factors. In the present study, we characterized 8 DIV-, 4 RAD-, and 2 DRIF-like genes from the transcriptome of Orchis italica, an orchid species with bilaterally symmetric and resupinate flowers.

Probiotic modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis and behaviour in zebrafish.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the bi-directional gut-brain axis, a communication that integrates the gut and central nervous system (CNS) activities. Animal studies reveal that gut bacteria influence behaviour, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels and serotonin metabolism. In the present study, we report for the first time an analysis of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Analysis of the TCP genes expressed in the inflorescence of the orchid Orchis italica.

TCP proteins are plant-specific transcription factors involved in many different processes. Because of their involvement in a large number of developmental pathways, their roles have been investigated in various plant species. However, there are almost no studies of this transcription factor family in orchids.

Helinoto, a Helitron2 transposon from the icefish Chionodraco hamatus, contains a region with three deubiquitinase-like domains that exhibit transcriptional activity.

Transposable elements have accompanied the evolution of the eukaryotic genome for millions of years. The recently discovered Helitron order (class II, subclass 2 single-strand DNA transposons) is common in eukaryotes and seems to play a highly active role in genome reshuffling. This study provides novel insights into the characteristics of Helinoto, a helitron isolated in the genome of the Antarctic fish Chionodraco hamatus.

De novo transcriptome assembly from inflorescence of Orchis italica: analysis of coding and non-coding transcripts.

The floral transcriptome of Orchis italica, a wild orchid species, was obtained using Illumina RNA-seq technology and specific de novo assembly and analysis tools. More than 100 million raw reads were processed resulting in 132,565 assembled transcripts and 86,079 unigenes with an average length of 606 bp and N50 of 956 bp. Functional annotation assigned 38,984 of the unigenes to records present in the NCBI non-redundant protein database, 32,161 of them to Gene Ontology terms, 15,775 of them to Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG) and 7,143 of them to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways.

The analysis of the inflorescence miRNome of the orchid Orchis italica reveals a DEF-like MADS-box gene as a new miRNA target.

Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, regulatory non-coding RNAs involved in a wide range of biological processes, from organ development to response to stimuli. In recent years, an increasing number of studies on model plant species have highlighted the evolutionary conservation of a high number of miRNA families and the existence of taxon-specific ones. However, few studies have examined miRNAs in non-model species such as orchids, which are characterized by highly diversified floral structures and pollination strategies.