Mitigation of UV-B Radiation Stress in Tobacco Pollen by Expression of the Tardigrade Damage Suppressor Protein (Dsup).

Pollen, the male gametophyte of seed plants, is extremely sensitive to UV light, which may prevent fertilization. As a result, strategies to improve plant resistance to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation are required. The tardigrade damage suppressor protein (Dsup) is a putative DNA-binding protein that enables tardigrades to tolerate harsh environmental conditions, including UV radiation, and was therefore considered as a candidate for reducing the effects of UV exposure on pollen.

Pasta Enriched with Carrot and Olive Leaf Flour Retains High Levels of Accessible Bioactives after In Vitro Digestion.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the levels of antioxidants and polyphenols in pasta enriched with either carrot or olive leaf flours after simulating gastrointestinal digestion. Pasta samples were prepared with fixed amounts of carrot and olive leaf flours (15% and 6% of the total mixture, respectively). We measured the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content at different stages of the pasta production process, starting from the initial flour to the cooked pasta, and tested samples of the liquid component and solid waste resulting from the digestion process.

Tomato Biodiversity and Drought Tolerance: A Multilevel Review.

Ongoing global climate change suggests that crops will be exposed to environmental stresses that may affect their productivity, leading to possible global food shortages. Among these stresses, drought is the most important contributor to yield loss in global agriculture. Drought stress negatively affects various physiological, genetic, biochemical, and morphological characteristics of plants.

Distinct Tomato Cultivars Are Characterized by a Differential Pattern of Biochemical Responses to Drought Stress.

Future climate scenarios suggest that crop plants will experience environmental changes capable of affecting their productivity. Among the most harmful environmental stresses is drought, defined as a total or partial lack of water availability. It is essential to study and understand both the damage caused by drought on crop plants and the mechanisms implemented to tolerate the stress.

Effect of Tomato Peel Extract Grown under Drought Stress Condition in a Sarcopenia Model.

Tomatoes and their derivates represent an important source of natural biologically active components. The present study aims to investigate the protective effect of tomato peel extracts, grown in normal (RED-Ctr) or in drought stress (RED-Ds) conditions, on an experimental model of sarcopenia. The phenolic profile and total polyphenols content (TPC) of RED-Ctr and RED-Ds were determined by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) analyses coupled to electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HR-MS).

Italian Tomato Cultivars under Drought Stress Show Different Content of Bioactives in Pulp and Peel of Fruits.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the performance, in terms of accumulation of antioxidant compounds in fruits, of nine local and three commercial Italian tomato cultivars subjected to drought stress. The same local cultivars had been previously studied at morpho-physiological level.

Methods: The present manuscript analyzes drought stress as a tool to increase the amount of secondary metabolites that can enhance fruit quality.

Let's shape again: the concerted molecular action that builds the pollen tube.

The pollen tube is being subjected to control by a complex network of communication that regulates its shape and the misfunction of a single component causes specific deformations. In flowering plants, the pollen tube is a tubular extension of the pollen grain required for successful sexual reproduction. Indeed, maintaining the unique shape of the pollen tube is essential for the pollen tube to approach the embryo sac.

Morpho-Physiological Classification of Italian Tomato Cultivars ( L.) According to Drought Tolerance during Vegetative and Reproductive Growth.

Irrigation is fundamental for agriculture but, as climate change becomes more persistent, there is a need to conserve water and use it more efficiently. It is therefore crucial to identify cultivars that can tolerate drought. For economically relevant crops, such as tomatoes, this purpose takes on an even more incisive role and local agrobiodiversity is a large genetic reservoir of promising cultivars.

Impact of Peels Extracts from an Italian Ancient Tomato Variety Grown under Drought Stress Conditions on Vascular Related Dysfunction.

Background: Tomato by-products contain a great variety of biologically active substances and represent a significant source of natural antioxidant supplements of the human diet. The aim of the work was to compare the antioxidant properties of a by-product from an ancient Tuscan tomato variety, Rosso di Pitigliano (RED), obtained by growing plants in normal conditions (-Ctr) or in drought stress conditions (-Ds) for their beneficial effects on vascular related dysfunction.

Methods: The antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content (TPC) were measured.

Drought Stress Affects the Response of Italian Local Tomato ( L.) Varieties in a Genotype-Dependent Manner.

Drought stress is one of the most severe conditions for plants, especially in the face of the emerging problem of global warming. This issue is important when considering economically relevant crops, including the tomato. For these plants, a promising solution is the valorization of local agrobiodiversity as a source of genetic variability.

Gluten-Free Diet and Lipid Profile in Children With Celiac Disease: Comparison With General Population Standards.

Objectives: A gluten-free diet (GFD) may carry high energy and fat load. We verified lipid profile and dietary indicators cross-sectionally and prospectively in patients with celiac disease (CD).

Methods: In any consecutive child receiving a GFD (group 1) or newly diagnosed as having CD (group 2), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, blood pressure (BP), anthropometric data, physical activity, and a 24-hour food diary were collected during follow-up visits (yearly in group 1 and during the first year of GFD in group 2).

Mapping of main and epistatic effect QTLs associated to grain protein and gluten strength using a RIL population of durum wheat.

Quality, specifically protein content and gluten strength are among the main objectives of a durum wheat breeding program. The aim of this work was to validate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with grain protein content (GPC) and gluten strength measured by SDS sedimentation volume (SV) and to find additional QTLs expressed in Argentinean environments. Also, epistatic QTL and QTL x environmental interactions were analyzed.

Psychological and behavioural aspects in children and adolescents with congenital hypothyroidism diagnosed by neonatal screening: comparison between parents' and children's perceptions.

Objective: To compare the psychological adjustment and behaviour of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) children and their parents with a control group.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 84 CH subjects diagnosed by neonatal screening (range 2.7-18.

Long-term clinical significance of thyroid autoimmunity in children with celiac disease.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcome of thyroid function and autoimmunity in a large series of children with celiac disease.

Study Design: This longitudinal, retrospective study (duration of follow-up, 8.9 +/- 4.