Chemical Composition and Potential Practical Application of 15 Red Algal Species from the White Sea Coast (the Arctic Ocean).

Though numerous valuable compounds from red algae already experience high demand in medicine, nutrition, and different branches of industry, these organisms are still recognized as an underexploited resource. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of 15 Arctic red algal species from the perspective of their practical relevance in medicine and the food industry. We show that several virtually unstudied species may be regarded as promising sources of different valuable metabolites and minerals.

RNA-seq, de novo transcriptome assembly and flavonoid gene analysis in 13 wild and cultivated berry fruit species with high content of phenolics.

Background: Flavonoids are produced in all flowering plants in a wide range of tissues including in berry fruits. These compounds are of considerable interest for their biological activities, health benefits and potential pharmacological applications. However, transcriptomic and genomic resources for wild and cultivated berry fruit species are often limited, despite their value in underpinning the in-depth study of metabolic pathways, fruit ripening as well as in the identification of genotypes rich in bioactive compounds.

Barley heads east: Genetic analyses reveal routes of spread through diverse Eurasian landscapes.

One of the world's most important crops, barley, was domesticated in the Near East around 11,000 years ago. Barley is a highly resilient crop, able to grown in varied and marginal environments, such as in regions of high altitude and latitude. Archaeobotanical evidence shows that barley had spread throughout Eurasia by 2,000 BC.

Genetic diversity of grasspea and its relative species revealed by SSR markers.

The study of genetic diversity between Lathyrus sativus L. and its relative species may yield fundamental insights into evolutionary history and provide options to meet the challenge of climate changes. 30 SSR loci were employed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 283 individuals from wild and domesticated populations from Africa, Europe, Asia and ICARDA.

Variability of seed traits and properties of soluble mucilages in lines of the flax genetic collection of Vavilov Institute.

Upon hydration, flax seeds secrete mucilages whose content and physico-chemical properties vary according to the genotype and environment. The aim of the work was to investigate the complex genetic relationships between the vegetative period, colour, size and production of seed, the composition (polysaccharides and proteins) and physico-chemical properties of soluble mucilages collected at 28 °C from seeds of 18 lines grown in St Petersburg area. The vegetative period duration was found to impact the size and production of seeds, the yield of mucilages, including the polysaccharides, and the galactosidase enzymes, as well as their composition (mainly the rhamnogalacturonan I moieties) and some of their properties (mainly viscosity).

Reticulate evolution in Panicum (Poaceae): the origin of tetraploid broomcorn millet, P. miliaceum.

Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) is a tetraploid cereal, which was among the first domesticated crops, but is now a minor crop despite its high water use efficiency. The ancestors of this species have not been determined; we aimed to identify likely candidates within the genus, where phylogenies are poorly resolved. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences from P.

New insights into the role of the maize ameiotic1 locus.

In maize the am1-1 mutant allele results in both the male and female meiocytes undergoing mitosis in place of the meiotic divisions. A second mutant allele am1-praI enables both the male and female meiocytes to proceed to the early zygotene stage of meiotic prophase I before being blocked. Here we report on three new alleles that allow all male meiocytes to undergo mitosis but in female meiocytes approximately one quarter (am1-2), one half (am1-485), or all (am1-489) of them are blocked at an abnormal interphase stage.