Project description:Nanomaterials (NMs) are on the nanoscale level range ca. 1-100 nm and due to the peculiar physico-chemical properties are widely used in different areas. The present study aimed to characterize the responses of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) treated with copper oxide (CuO) NPs from seed germination to the flowering stage. CuO NPs treatment did not negatively impact plant morphology and growth as well as the pollen formation and viability. Physiological analyses were followed by a complete RNAseq-based transcriptomic analysis in the different plant tissues. Mitochondrial and chloroplast functions emerged as a critical component in plant response. Evidence of CuO NPs internalization and biotransformation was a driving force to measure the impacts at both physiological and molecular levels.
Project description:Nectaries are the glands responsible for nectar secretion. To understand the genetic programming underlying nectar production, male and female squash(Cucurbita pepo) floral nectaries at four different time points (pre-secretion #1, pre-secretion #2, secretory, and post-secretory) in biological triplicate were collected, with RNA being isolated and subjected to Illumina RNA-seq analysis.
