The importin α proteins IMPA1, IMPA2, and IMPA4 play redundant roles in suppressing autoimmunity in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Proteins in the importin α (IMPA) family play pivotal roles in intracellular nucleocytoplasmic transport. Arabidopsis thaliana possesses nine IMPA members, with diverse tissue-specific expression patterns. Among these nine IMPAs, IMPA1, IMPA2, and IMPA4 cluster together phylogenetically, suggesting potential functional redundancy.

Spatial modeling of biological patterns shows multiscale organization of Arabidopsis thaliana heterochromatin.

The spatial organization in the cell nucleus is tightly linked to genome functions such as gene regulation. Similarly, specific spatial arrangements of biological components such as macromolecular complexes, organelles and cells are involved in many biological functions. Spatial interactions among elementary components of biological systems define their relative positioning and are key determinants of spatial patterns.

Evaluation of ELISA kits for the screening of four nitrofuran metabolites in aquaculture products according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods.

The administration of nitrofurans to livestock to treat or prevent animal diseases has been banned in the EU for the production of food of animal origin. The corresponding marker residues are tissue-related metabolites AMOZ, AHD, SEM, and AOZ. The MRPL (minimum required performance limit)/RPA (Reference point for action) was set at 1 µg kg in the EU.

Evaluation of three ELISA kits for the screening of colistin residue in porcine and poultry muscle according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods.

Colistin is a polypeptide antibiotic mainly used in porcine and poultry to treat gastrointestinal infections. It has been included by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the list of critically important human antibiotics of high priority for antimicrobial resistance since 2017. Therefore, it is necessary to develop specific and sensitive screening methods for this molecule.

Tidying-up the plant nuclear space: domains, functions, and dynamics.

Understanding how the packaging of chromatin in the nucleus is regulated and organized to guide complex cellular and developmental programmes, as well as responses to environmental cues is a major question in biology. Technological advances have allowed remarkable progress within this field over the last years. However, we still know very little about how the 3D genome organization within the cell nucleus contributes to the regulation of gene expression.

Who Rules the Cell? An Epi-Tale of Histone, DNA, RNA, and the Metabolic Deep State.

Epigenetics refers to the mode of inheritance independent of mutational changes in the DNA. Early evidence has revealed methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation of histones, as well as methylation of DNA as part of the underlying mechanisms. The recent awareness that many human diseases have in fact an epigenetic basis, due to unbalanced diets, has led to a resurgence of interest in how epigenetics might be connected with, or even controlled by, metabolism.

The Growing Interest in Development of Innovative Optical Aptasensors for the Detection of Antimicrobial Residues in Food Products.

The presence of antimicrobial residues in food-producing animals can lead to harmful effects on the consumer (e.g., allergies, antimicrobial resistance, toxicological effects) and cause issues in food transformation (i.

Extensive nuclear reprogramming and endoreduplication in mature leaf during floral induction.

Background: The floral transition is a complex developmental event, fine-tuned by various environmental and endogenous cues to ensure the success of offspring production. Leaves are key organs in sensing floral inductive signals, such as a change in light regime, and in the production of the mobile florigen. CONSTANS and FLOWERING LOCUS T are major players in leaves in response to photoperiod.

Multiplex immunoassay based on biochip technology for the screening of antibiotic residues in milk: validation according to the European guideline.

The Infiniplex for milk® (IPM) kit is a quick method for the simultaneous and qualitative detection of more than 100 molecules including antibiotic residues, mycotoxins, anti-inflammatories and antiparasitic drugs into a single test that does not require milk treatment. The IPM® kit was validated according to the European decision EC/2002/657 and according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods (2010). Our validation was focused only on antibiotic residues.

A Method for Testing Random Spatial Models on Nuclear Object Distributions.

The cell nucleus is a structurally complex and dynamic organelle ensuring key biological functions. Complex relationships between nuclear structure and functions require a better understanding of the three-dimensional organization of the genome and of the subnuclear compartments. Quantitative image analysis coupled with spatial statistics and modeling is a relevant approach to address these questions.

State of the art in the validation of screening methods for the control of antibiotic residues: is there a need for further development?

Screening methods are used as a first-line approach to detect the presence of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin. The validation process guarantees that the method is fit-for-purpose, suited to regulatory requirements, and provides evidence of its performance. This article is focused on intra-laboratory validation.

Strategies for the screening of antibiotic residues in eggs: comparison of the validation of the classical microbiological method with an immunobiosensor method.

Efficient screening methods are needed to control antibiotic residues in eggs. A microbiological kit (Explorer® 2.0 test (Zeu Inmunotech, Spain)) and an immunobiosensor kit (Microarray II (AM® II) on Evidence Investigator™ system (Randox, UK)) have been evaluated and validated for screening of antibiotic residues in eggs, according to the European decision EC/2002/657 and to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods.

Advances in biosensor development for the screening of antibiotic residues in food products of animal origin - A comprehensive review.

Antibiotic residues may be found in food of animal origin, since veterinary drugs are used for preventive and curative purposes to treat animals. The control of veterinary drug residues in food is necessary to ensure consumer safety. Screening methods are the first step in the control of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin.

The Arabidopsis hnRNP-Q Protein LIF2 and the PRC1 Subunit LHP1 Function in Concert to Regulate the Transcription of Stress-Responsive Genes.

LHP1-INTERACTING FACTOR2 (LIF2), a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein involved in cell fate and stress responses, interacts with LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 (LHP1), a Polycomb Repressive Complex1 subunit. To investigate LIF2-LHP1 functional interplay, we mapped their genome-wide distributions in wild-type, , and backgrounds, under standard and stress conditions. Interestingly, LHP1-targeted regions form local clusters, suggesting an underlying functional organization of the plant genome.

The many faces of plant chromatin: Meeting summary of the 4th European workshop on plant chromatin 2015, Uppsala, Sweden.

In June 2015, the fourth European Workshop on Plant Chromatin took place in Uppsala, Sweden, bringing together 80 researchers studying various aspects of plant chromatin and epigenetics. The intricate relationships between plant chromatin dynamics and gene expression change, chromatin organization within the plant cell nucleus, and the impact of chromatin structure on plant development were discussed. Among the main highlights of the meeting were an ever-growing list of newly identified players in chromatin structure establishment and the development of novel tools and approaches to foster our understanding of chromatin-mediated gene regulation, taking into account the context of the plant cell nucleus and its architecture.

Evaluation and validation of a multi-residue method based on biochip technology for the simultaneous screening of six families of antibiotics in muscle and aquaculture products.

The Evidence Investigator™ system (Randox, UK) is a biochip and semi-automated system. The microarray kit II (AM II) is capable of detecting several compounds belonging to different families of antibiotics: quinolones, ceftiofur, thiamphenicol, streptomycin, tylosin and tetracyclines. The performance of this innovative system was evaluated for the detection of antibiotic residues in new matrices, in muscle of different animal species and in aquaculture products.

One, Two, Three: Polycomb Proteins Hit All Dimensions of Gene Regulation.

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins contribute to the formation and maintenance of a specific repressive chromatin state that prevents the expression of genes in a particular space and time. Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs) consist of several PcG proteins with specific regulatory or catalytic properties. PRCs are recruited to thousands of target genes, and various recruitment factors, including DNA-binding proteins and non-coding RNAs, are involved in the targeting.

The Arabidopsis GAGA-Binding Factor BASIC PENTACYSTEINE6 Recruits the POLYCOMB-REPRESSIVE COMPLEX1 Component LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 to GAGA DNA Motifs.

Polycomb-repressive complexes (PRCs) play key roles in development by repressing a large number of genes involved in various functions. Much, however, remains to be discovered about PRC-silencing mechanisms as well as their targeting to specific genomic regions. Besides other mechanisms, GAGA-binding factors in animals can guide PRC members in a sequence-specific manner to Polycomb-responsive DNA elements.

Evaluation and validation of biochip multi-array technology for the screening of six families of antibiotics in honey according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods for residues of veterinary medicines.

The main chemicals used against varoa are acaricides, and the antibiotics used for the control of bee bacterial diseases are mainly tetracyclines, streptomycins, sulfonamides and chloramphenicol. No maximum residue limits (MRLs) have been set for any antibiotics in honey. Therefore, in the European Union, minimum recommended concentrations (RC) for the analytical performance of methods to control a certain set of these non-authorised chemicals in honey were published by the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) in 2007.

Nuclear architecture and chromatin dynamics in interphase nuclei of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The interphase cell nucleus is extraordinarily complex, ordered, and dynamic. In the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in deciphering the functional organisation of the cell nucleus, and intricate relationships between genome functions (transcription, DNA repair, or replication) and various nuclear compartments have been revealed. In this review, we describe the architecture of the Arabidopsis thaliana interphase cell nucleus and discuss the dynamic nature of its organisation.

The hnRNP-Q protein LIF2 participates in the plant immune response.

Eukaryotes have evolved complex defense pathways to combat invading pathogens. Here, we investigated the role of the Arabidopsis thaliana heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP-Q) LIF2 in the plant innate immune response. We show that LIF2 loss-of-function in A.

Plant chromatin warms up in Madrid: meeting summary of the 3rd European Workshop on Plant Chromatin 2013, Madrid, Spain.

The 3rd European Workshop on Plant Chromatin (EWPC) was held on August 2013 in Madrid, Spain. A number of different topics on plant chromatin were presented during the meeting, including new factors mediating Polycomb Group protein function in plants, chromatin-mediated reprogramming in plant developmental transitions, the role of histone variants, and newly identified chromatin remodeling factors. The function of interactions between chromatin and transcription factors in the modulation of gene expression, the role of chromatin dynamics in the control of nuclear processes and the influence of environmental factors on chromatin organization were also reported.