Volatile-Mediated Induced and Passively Acquired Resistance in Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).

Plants produce a diversity of secondary metabolites including volatile organic compounds. Some species show discrete variation in these volatile compounds such that individuals within a population can be grouped into distinct chemotypes. A few studies reported that volatile-mediated induced resistance is more effective between plants belonging to the same chemotype and that chemotypes are heritable.

In utero deposition of trace elements and metals in tissues.

Introduction: All animals, including humans, are exposed to heavy metals which are known to accumulate in different tissues, especially in bone. During pregnancy, the maternal bone turnover is increased and the metals in the mother's body can be mobilized into the bloodstream. Heavy metals in maternal blood are known to pass through the placenta to the fetal blood and finally, deposited to bone tissue.

Improved chromosome-level genome assembly of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) integrating Pacific Biosciences long reads and a high-density linkage map.

Background: The Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) butterfly is a model system for metapopulation dynamics research in fragmented landscapes. Here, we provide a chromosome-level assembly of the butterfly's genome produced from Pacific Biosciences sequencing of a pool of males, combined with a linkage map from population crosses.

Results: The final assembly size of 484 Mb is an increase of 94 Mb on the previously published genome.

Phytoextraction and recovery of rare earth elements using willow (Salix spp.).

Soil and water contaminations are caused by rare earth elements (REEs) due to mining and industrial activities, that threaten the ecosystem and human health. Therefore, phytoremediation methods need to be developed to overcome this problem. To date, little research has been conducted concerning the phytoremediation potential of Salix for REEs.

Adipose gene expression profiles reveal insights into the adaptation of northern Eurasian semi-domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are semi-domesticated animals adapted to the challenging conditions of northern Eurasia. Adipose tissues play a crucial role in northern animals by altering gene expression in their tissues to regulate energy homoeostasis and thermogenic activity. Here, we perform transcriptome profiling by RNA sequencing of adipose tissues from three different anatomical depots: metacarpal (bone marrow), perirenal, and prescapular fat in Finnish and Even reindeer (in Sakha) during spring and winter.

Retention of metals in periprosthetic tissues of patients with metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty is reflected in the synovial fluid to blood cobalt transfer ratio in the presence of a pseudotumour.

Background: Modern metal-on-metal (MOM) arthroplasties were performed for over a decade before alarming reports of adverse metal reactions dramatically reduced their use. Failures are seen more often with high-wearing implants, but also well-positioned components with more favourable wear patterns can cause problems. There are no specific clinical indicators that could help us to predict the prognosis of these implants.

Human airway construct model is suitable for studying transcriptome changes associated with indoor air particulate matter toxicity.

In vitro models mimicking the human respiratory system are essential when investigating the toxicological effects of inhaled indoor air particulate matter (PM). We present a pulmonary cell culture model for studying indoor air PM toxicity. We exposed normal human bronchial epithelial cells, grown on semi-permeable cell culture membranes, to four doses of indoor air PM in the air-liquid interface.

Transcriptional effects of cadmium on iron homeostasis differ in calamine accessions of Noccaea caerulescens.

Calamine accessions of the zinc/cadmium/nickel hyperaccumulator, Noccaea caerulescens, exhibit striking variation in foliar cadmium accumulation in nature. The Ganges accession (GA) from Southern France displays foliar cadmium hyperaccumulation (>1000 μg g DW), whereas the accession La Calamine (LC) from Belgium, with similar local soil metal composition, does not (<100 μg g DW). All calamine accessions are cadmium hypertolerant.

Biofiltration of airborne VOCs with green wall systems-Microbial and chemical dynamics.

Botanical air filtration is a promising technology for reducing indoor air contaminants, but the underlying mechanisms need better understanding. Here, we made a set of chamber fumigation experiments of up to 16 weeks of duration, to study the filtration efficiencies for seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs; decane, toluene, 2-ethylhexanol, α-pinene, octane, benzene, and xylene) and to monitor microbial dynamics in simulated green wall systems. Biofiltration functioned on sub-ppm VOC levels without concentration-dependence.

Genome sequencing and population genomic analyses provide insights into the adaptive landscape of silver birch.

Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a pioneer boreal tree that can be induced to flower within 1 year. Its rapid life cycle, small (440-Mb) genome, and advanced germplasm resources make birch an attractive model for forest biotechnology. We assembled and chromosomally anchored the nuclear genome of an inbred B.

De novo transcriptome assemblies of four accessions of the metal hyperaccumulator plant Noccaea caerulescens.

Noccaea caerulescens of the Brassicaceae family has become the key model plant among the metal hyperaccumulator plants. Populations/accessions of N. caerulescens from geographic locations with different soil metal concentrations differ in their ability to hyperaccumulate and hypertolerate metals.

Transfer of elements relevant to nuclear fuel cycle from soil to boreal plants and animals in experimental meso- and microcosms.

Uranium (U), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), thorium (Th) and zinc (Zn) occur naturally in soil but their radioactive isotopes can also be released into the environment during the nuclear fuel cycle. The transfer of these elements was studied in three different trophic levels in experimental mesocosms containing downy birch (Betula pubescens), narrow buckler fern (Dryopteris carthusiana) and Scandinavian small-reed (Calamagrostis purpurea ssp. Phragmitoides) as producers, snails (Arianta arbostorum) as herbivores, and earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) as decomposers.

Variation among matsutake ectomycorrhizae in four clones of Pinus sylvestris.

Tricholoma matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that forms commercially important mushrooms in coniferous forests. In this study, we explored the ability of T. matsutake to form mycorrhizae with Pinus sylvestris by inoculating emblings produced through somatic embryogenesis (SE) in an aseptic culture system.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of the metal hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens.

The metal hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens is an established model to study the adaptation of plants to metalliferous soils. Various comparators have been used in these studies. The choice of suitable comparators is important and depends on the hypothesis to be tested and methods to be used.

A bisphosphonate increasing the shoot biomass of the metal hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens.

The feasibility of using the hyperaccumulator plant, Noccaea caerulescens, to remove trace elements from contaminated soils has been studied extensively. However, this plant creates too low biomass and an inappropriately slow growth rate for actual use in the field. Soluble bisphosphonates (BPs) are well-known pharmaceutical compounds e.

Carbohydrate concentrations and freezing stress resistance of silver birch buds grown under elevated temperature and ozone.

The effects of slightly elevated temperature (+0.8 °C), ozone (O3) concentration (1.3 × ambient O3 concentration) and their combination on over-wintering buds of Betula pendula Roth were studied after two growing seasons of exposure in the field.

Needle metabolome, freezing tolerance and gas exchange in Norway spruce seedlings exposed to elevated temperature and ozone concentration.

Northern forests are currently experiencing increasing mean temperatures, especially during autumn and spring. Consequently, alterations in carbon sequestration, leaf biochemical quality and freezing tolerance (FT) are likely to occur. The interactive effects of elevated temperature and ozone (O(3)), the most harmful phytotoxic air pollutant, on Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.

Methane-cycling microbial communities and methane emission in natural and restored peatlands.

We addressed how restoration of forestry-drained peatlands affects CH(4)-cycling microbes. Despite similar community compositions, the abundance of methanogens and methanotrophs was lower in restored than in natural sites and correlated with CH(4) emission. Poor establishment of methanogens may thus explain low CH(4) emissions on restored peatlands even 10 to 12 years after restoration.

The ectomycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma matsutake is a facultative saprotroph in vitro.

Tricholoma matsutake is an economically important ectomycorrhizal fungus of coniferous woodlands. Mycologists suspect that this fungus is also capable of saprotrophic feeding. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, enzyme and chemical assays were performed in the field and laboratory.

Characterization of the glyoxalase 1 gene TcGLX1 in the metal hyperaccumulator plant Thlaspi caerulescens.

Stress tolerance is currently one of the major research topics in plant biology because of the challenges posed by changing climate and increasing demand to grow crop plants in marginal soils. Increased Zn tolerance and accumulation has been reported in tobacco expressing the glyoxalase 1-encoding gene from Brassica juncea. Previous studies in our laboratory showed some Zn tolerance-correlated differences in the levels of glyoxalase 1-like protein among accessions of Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens.

Plant metallothioneins--metal chelators with ROS scavenging activity?

Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous cysteine-rich proteins present in plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. In plants, MTs are suggested to be involved in metal tolerance or homeostasis, as they are able to bind metal ions through the thiol groups of their cysteine residues. Recent reports show that MTs are also involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Elevation of night-time temperature increases terpenoid emissions from Betula pendula and Populus tremula.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are expected to have an important role in plant adaptation to high temperatures. The impacts of increasing night-time temperature on daytime terpenoid emissions and related gene expression in silver birch (Betula pendula) and European aspen (Populus tremula) clones were studied. The plants were grown under five different night-time temperatures (6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 degrees C) while daytime temperature was kept at a constant 22 degrees C.

Proteomics of Thlaspi caerulescens accessions and an inter-accession cross segregating for zinc accumulation.

Metal hyperaccumulator plants have previously been characterized by transcriptomics, but reports on other profiling techniques are scarce. Protein profiles of Thlaspi caerulescens accessions La Calamine (LC) and Lellingen (LE) and lines derived from an LCxLE cross were examined here to determine the co-segregation of protein expression with the level of zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulation. Although hydrophobic proteins such as membrane transporters are not disclosed, this approach has the potential to reveal other proteins important for the Zn hyperaccumulation trait.