Project description:Trypsin is the protease of choice for protein sample digestion in proteomics. The most typical active forms are the single-chain β-trypsin and the two-chain α-trypsin, which is produced by a limited autolysis of β-trypsin. An additional intra-chain split leads to pseudotrypsin (ψ-trypsin) with three chains interconnected by disulfide bonds, which can be isolated from the autolyzate by ion-exchange chromatography. Based on experimental data with artificial substrates, peptides, and protein standards, ψ-trypsin shows altered kinetic properties, thermodynamic stability and cleavage site preference (and partly also cleavage specificity) compared to the above-mentioned proteoforms. In our laboratory, we have analyzed the performance of bovine ψ-trypsin in the digestion of protein samples with a different complexity. It cleaves predominantly at the characteristic trypsin cleavage sites. However, in a comparison with common tryptic digestion, non-specific cleavages occur more frequently (mostly after the aromatic residues of Tyr and Phe) and more missed cleavages are generated. Because of the preferential cleavages after the basic residues and more developed side specificity, which is not expected to occur for the major trypsin forms (but may appear anyway because of their autolysis), ψ-trypsin produces valuable information, which is complementary in part to data based on a strictly specific trypsin digestion and thus can be unnoticed following common proteomics protocols.
Project description:Cannabis is a predominantly diecious phenotypically diverse domesticated genus with few if any extant natural populations. International narcotics conventions and associated legislation have constrained the establishment, characterization, and use of Cannabis genetic resource collections. This has resulted in the underutilization of genepool variability in cultivar development and has limited the inclusion of secondary genepools associated with genetic improvement strategies of the Green Revolution. The structured screening of ex situ germplasm and the exploitation of locally-adapted intraspecific traits is expected to facilitate the genetic improvement of Cannabis. However, limited attempts have been made to establish the full extent of genetic resources available for pre-breeding. We present a thorough critical review of Cannabis ex situ genetic resources, and discuss recommendations for conservation, pre-breeding characterization, and genetic analysis that will underpin future cultivar development. We consider East Asian germplasm to be a priority for conservation based on the prolonged historical cultivation of Cannabis in this region over a range of latitudes, along with the apparent high levels of genetic diversity and relatively low representation in published genetic resource collections. Seed cryopreservation could improve conservation by reducing hybridization and genetic drift that may occur during Cannabis germplasm regeneration. Given the unique legal status of Cannabis, we propose the establishment of a global virtual core collection based on the collation of consistent and comprehensive provenance meta-data and the adoption of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies. This would enable representative core collections to be used for systematic phenotyping, and so underpin breeding strategies for the genetic improvement of Cannabis.
Project description:The vesicle trafficking apparatus is a fundamental machinery to maintain the homeostasis of membrane-enclosed organelles in eukaryotic cells. Thus, it is broadly conserved in eukaryotes including plants. Intensive studies in the model organisms have produced a comprehensive picture of vesicle trafficking in yeast and human. However, with respect to the vesicle trafficking of plants including rice, our understanding of the components and their coordinated regulation is very limited. At present, several vesicle trafficking apparatus components and cargo proteins have been identified and characterized in rice, but there still remain large unknowns concerning the organization and function of the rice vesicle trafficking system. In this review, we outline the main vesicle trafficking pathways of rice based on knowledge obtained in model organisms, and summarize current advances of rice vesicle trafficking. We also propose to develop methodologies applicable to rice and even other crops for further exploring the mysteries of vesicle trafficking in plants.
Project description:Lodging reduces grain yield in cereal crops. Understanding the genetic basis of lodging resistance (LR) benefits LR breeding. In the study, 524 accessions from a rice germplasm collection and 193 recombinant inbred lines were phenotyped for 17 LR-related traits. Height and culm strength (the magnitude of applied force necessary to break the culm) were two major factors affecting LR. We conducted genome-wide association study (GWAS) and identified 127 LR-associated loci. Significant phenotypic correlations between culm-strength traits and yield-related traits were observed. To reveal the genetic relationship between them, we conducted GWAS of culm-strength traits with adding yield-related trait as a covariate and detected 63 loci linking culm strength and yield. As a proof, a near-isogenic line for an association locus on chromosome 7 showed enhanced LR and yield. Strikingly, 58 additional loci were identified in the covariate-added GWAS. Several LR-associated loci had undergone divergent selection. Linkage analysis supported the GWAS results. We propose that introgression of alleles beneficial for both culm strength and panicle weight without negative effects on panicle number or pyramiding high-yielding alleles and lodging-resistant alleles without effects on yield can be employed for the post-Green-Revolution breeding.
Project description:Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are constantly produced by metabolically active plant cells. The concentration of ROS may determine their role, e.g., they may participate in signal transduction or cause oxidative damage to various cellular components. To ensure cellular homeostasis and minimize the negative effects of excess ROS, plant cells have evolved a complex antioxidant system, which includes ascorbic acid (AsA). AsA is a multifunctional metabolite with strong reducing properties that allows the neutralization of ROS and the reduction of molecules oxidized by ROS in cooperation with glutathione in the Foyer-Halliwell-Asada cycle. Antioxidant enzymes involved in AsA oxidation and reduction switches evolved uniquely in plants. Most experiments concerning the role of AsA have been performed on herbaceous plants. In addition to extending our understanding of this role in additional taxa, fundamental knowledge of the complex life cycle stages of woody plants, including their development and response to environmental factors, will enhance their breeding and amend their protection. Thus, the role of AsA in woody plants compared to that in nonwoody plants is the focus of this paper. The role of AsA in woody plants has been studied for nearly 20 years. Studies have demonstrated that AsA is important for the growth and development of woody plants. Substantial changes in AsA levels, as well as reduction and oxidation switches, have been reported in various physiological processes and transitions described mainly in leaves, fruits, buds, and seeds. Evidently, AsA exhibits a dual role in the photoprotection of the photosynthetic apparatus in woody plants, which are the most important scavengers of ozone. AsA is associated with proper seed production and, thus, woody plant reproduction. Similarly, an important function of AsA is described under drought, salinity, temperature, light stress, and biotic stress. This report emphasizes the involvement of AsA in the ecological advantages, such as nutrition recycling due to leaf senescence, of trees and shrubs compared to nonwoody plants.
Project description:BackgroundMany faunistic studies on the myrmecofauna of Bulgaria have been carried out and about 180 ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from 43 genera and six subfamilies have been discovered as a result. Although the Bulgarian ant fauna is considered to be relatively well studied, the finding of unrecorded species continues, especially amongst the rare social parasites and the species with a more southern distribution in the Balkans.New informationThe current study presents data on 11 ant species recorded for the first time in Bulgaria (Messorhellenius Agosti & Collingwood, 1987, M.mcarthuri Steiner et al., 2018, Crematogasterionia Forel, 1911, Monomoriummonomorium Bolton, 1987, Temnothoraxaeolius (Forel, 1911), T.cf.exilis(formdarii Forel, 1911), T.finzii (Menozzi, 1925), T.rogeri Emery, 1869, Tetramoriumcf.punicum, Plagiolepisxene Stärcke, 1936 and Lasiusreginae Faber, 1967), as well as new locality data on 15 rarely found species. Some of the species, such as Hypoponeraeduardi (Forel, 1894), Strumigenysargiola (Emery, 1869), Temnothoraxgraecus (Forel, 1911), Tetramoriumdiomedeum Emery, 1908, Camponotusionius Emery, 1920 and C.tergestinus Müller, 1921, have been known so far only from a single locality in Bulgaria.The dataset of all records presented in this work was published separately through Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, https://doi.org/10.15468/mngbzp).
Project description:Sustainable food systems aim to provide sufficient and nutritious food, while maximizing climate resilience and minimizing resource demands as well as negative environmental impacts. Historical practices, notably the Green Revolution, prioritized the single objective to maximize production over other nutritional and environmental dimensions. We quantitatively assess outcomes of alternative production decisions across multiple objectives using India's rice-dominated monsoon cereal production as an example. We perform a series of optimizations to maximize nutrient production (i.e., protein and iron), minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and resource use (i.e., water and energy), or maximize resilience to climate extremes. We find that increasing the area under coarse cereals (i.e., millets, sorghum) improves nutritional supply (on average, +1% to +5% protein and +5% to +49% iron), increases climate resilience (1% to 13% fewer calories lost during an extreme dry year), and reduces GHGs (-2% to -13%) and demand for irrigation water (-3% to -21%) and energy (-2% to -12%) while maintaining calorie production and cropped area. The extent of these benefits partly depends on the feasibility of switching cropped area from rice to coarse cereals. Based on current production practices in 2 states, supporting these cobenefits could require greater manure and draft power but similar or less labor, fertilizer, and machinery. National- and state-level strategies considering multiple objectives in decisions about cereal production can move beyond many shortcomings of the Green Revolution while reinforcing the benefits. This ability to realistically incorporate multiple dimensions into intervention planning and implementation is the crux of sustainable food production systems worldwide.
Project description:The genus Dahliphora Schmitz, 1923 is recorded from China for the first time. Three Dahliphora species are reported, namely D. sigmoides, D. zaitzevi, and a new species here described, D. chaetocaudasp. n. Some new morphological data are reviewed and illustrated for the first time, and an identification key to species present in China is presented.
Project description:The Green Revolution of the mid-20th century transformed agriculture worldwide and has resulted in environmental challenges. A new approach, the Second Green Revolution, seeks to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Plant microbiomes play critical roles in plant growth and stress responses, and understanding plant-microbiome interactions is essential for developing sustainable agricultural practices that meet food security and safety challenges, which are among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of key deterministic processes crucial for developing microbiome management strategies, including the host effect, the facilitator effect, and microbe-microbe interactions. A hierarchical framework for plant microbiome modulation is proposed to bridge the gap between basic research and agricultural applications. This framework emphasizes three levels of modulation: single-strain, synthetic community, and in situ microbiome modulation. Overall, rational management of plant microbiomes has wide-ranging applications in agriculture and can potentially be a core technology for the Second Green Revolution.
Project description:Mutagenesis is a powerful tool used for studying gene function as well as for crop improvement. It is regaining popularity because of the development of effective and cost efficient methods for high-throughput mutation detection. Selection for semi-dwarf phenotype during green revolution has reduced genetic diversity including that for agronomically desirable traits. Most of the available mutant populations in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were developed in post-green revolution cultivars. Besides the identification and isolation of agronomically important alleles in the mutant population of pre-green revolution cultivar, this population can be a vital resource for expanding the genetic diversity for wheat breeding. Here we report an Ethylmethane Sulfonate (EMS) generated mutant population consisting of 4,180 unique mutant plants in a pre-green revolution spring wheat cultivar 'Indian'. Released in early 1900s, 'Indian' is devoid of any known height-reducing mutations. Unique mutations were captured by proceeding with single M2 seed from each of the 4,180 M1 plants. Mutants for various phenotypic traits were identified by detailed phenotyping for altered morphological and agronomic traits on M2 plants in the greenhouse and M3 plants in the field. Of the 86 identified mutants, 75 (87%) were phenotypically stable at the M4 generation. Among the observed phenotypes, variation in plant height was the most frequent followed by the leaf morphology. Several mutant phenotypes including looped peduncle, crooked plant morphology, 'gritty' coleoptiles, looped lower internodes, and burnt leaf tips are not reported in other plant species. Considering the extent and diversity of the observed mutant phenotypes, this population appears to be a useful resource for the forward and reverse genetic studies. This resource is available to the scientific community.