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Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 19;178:202-210. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Naturais (PPGCN), Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Rua Professor Antônio Campos, s/n, CEP: 59600-000, Mossoró-RN, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e Naturais (FANAT), Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Brazil. Electronic address:

The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of salinized water on Lippia gracilis by determining the ion accumulation capacity and morphophysiological changes as a function of salinity and time of exposure to stress. L. gracilis was irrigated with water containing different concentrations of salts and electrical conductivities. Read More

Eur J Med Chem 2019 Apr 14;173:228-239. Epub 2019 Apr 14.

Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Natural Products & Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi Province, China. Electronic address:

In continuation of our program to discover new potential antifungal agents, thirty-two neuchromenin analogues were synthesized and characterized by the spectroscopic analysis. By using the mycelium growth rate method, the target compounds were evaluated systematically for antifungal activities in vitro against six plant pathogenic fungi, and structure-activity relationships (SAR) were derived. Compounds 6b-c, and 6l showed obvious inhibition activity on each of the fungi at 50 μg/mL. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2019 Apr 3;374:267-275. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China. Electronic address:

Manganese oxides with different crystallographic structures were investigated for gas-phase elemental mercury removal. The inherent thermal regeneration performance and mechanism of α- and γ-MnO were studied. The manganese dioxides were found to possess a mercury removal efficiency of higher than 96% even after 120 min mercury exposure except for β-MnO which removed much less mercury than MnO. Read More

Plant Physiol Biochem 2019 Apr 14;139:485-494. Epub 2019 Apr 14.

IFAPA Centro "Alameda del Obispo", Avda Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address:

The pattern of olive oil accumulation is of paramount importance in olive because its influence in determining final oil yield and optimal harvesting date. In this work, we have evaluated the genetic and environment influence on the olive oil accumulation pattern. For that purpose, a set of cultivars and breeding selections planted in a multi-environment trial was evaluated in two consecutive harvest seasons. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2019 Feb 12;71(3):503-508. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Physical Education, School of Medicine, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of intense intermittent exercise and Ginkgo biloba on the hippocampal levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) and also memory and learning in young rats.

Methods: Forty two eight-week-old rats were randomly divided into six groups including control, low dose of Ginkgo biloba (65 mg/kg), high dose of Ginkgo biloba (100 mg/kg), exercise, exercise + low dose of Ginkgo biloba, exercise + high dose of Ginkgo biloba. The exercise protocol or Ginkgo biloba administration was six days a week for six weeks. Read More

Curr Opin Plant Biol 2019 Apr 19;49:8-16. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address:

Acylsugars are insecticidal plant specialized metabolites produced in the Solanaceae (nightshade family). Despite having simple constituents, these compounds are unusually structurally diverse. Their structural variations in phylogenetically closely related species enable comparative biochemical approaches to understand acylsugar biosynthesis and pathway diversification. Read More

Water Res 2019 Apr 10;158:22-33. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Box 7026, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address:

Explosives used in mining operations release reactive nitrogen (N) that discharge into surrounding waters. Existing pond systems at mine sites could be used for N removal through denitrification and we investigated capacity in tailings and clarification pond sediments at an iron-ore mine site. Despite differences in microbial community structure in the two ponds, the potential denitrification rates were similar, although carbon limited. Read More

Water Res 2019 Apr 12;158:11-21. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Key Laboratory for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China; Joint Research Institute for New Energy and the Environment, East China Normal University and Colorado State University, Shanghai, 200062, China. Electronic address:

The widespread of water borne antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) represents a growing threat to the health of millions of people. Our study detected the relative abundances of 10 ARG subtypes in the Shanghai river network, where the major ARG components were strB, sul1, and ermB. These ARGs were significantly enriched by the combined sewage, tail water from urban wastewater treatment plant and runoff from agricultural areas, which reached the Suzhou (SZ), Dianpu (DP), and Huangpu (HP) River, respectively (one-way ANOVA, P < 0. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Apr 19;241:284-292. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UVEG-GV), Carretera Moncada ‒ Náquera, km 4.5, Moncada, Valencia, 46113, Spain.

Plant species identity is assumed to be a major driver of belowground microbial diversity and composition. However, diagnosing which plant functional traits are responsible for shaping microbial communities remains elusive. Primary succession on barren metalliferous mining substrates was selected as the framework to study above-belowground interactions, and plant functional traits that lead the successional trajectories of soil bacterial communities were identified. Read More

J Proteomics 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China. Electronic address:

Sesame is one of the most important oilseed crops and has high nutritional value. The yield and quality of sesame are severely affected by high salinity in coastal and semi-arid/arid regions. In this study, the phenotypic, physiological, and proteomic changes induced by salt treatment were analyzed in salt-tolerant (G441) and salt-sensitive (G358) seedlings. Read More

Mol Plant 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

School of Advanced Agriculture Sciences and School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address:

Light serves as the source of energy as well as information signals for photosynthetic plants. During evolution, plants have acquired the ability to monitor environmental light radiation and adjust their developmental patterns to optimally utilize light energy for photosynthesis. The mechanisms of light perception and signal transduction have been comprehensively studied in the past decades, mostly in a few model plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2019 Apr 19:111897. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Pharmacen™, Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230, Odense M, Denmark; Celvivo IVS, Blommenslyst, Denmark. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacology Relevance: Traditional herbal medicines are utilized by 27 million South Africans. Xysmalobium undulatum (Uzara) is one of the most widely used traditional medicinal plants in Southern Africa. A false belief in the safety of herbal medicine may result in liver injury. Read More

Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Institute of Chemicals Safety, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

As the main toxic component of aristolochic acid, aristolochic acid I (AAI) is primarily found in Aristolochiaceae plants such as Aristolochia, Aristolochia fangchi and Caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis. AAI has been proven to be carcinogenic, mutagenic and nephrotoxic. Although the role of AAI in testicular toxicity has been reported, its mechanism of action is unknown. Read More

Gene 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Grassland Agri-husbandry Research Center, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China. Electronic address:

Arachis species produce flowers aerially, and then grow into the ground, where they develop into fruits; a feature that is unique to Arachis species. We hypothesized that Arachis species evolved genes specifically involved in the control of aerial flowers and the formation of underground fruits. Arachis duranensis is more resistant to biotic and abiotic stressors. Read More

Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address:

RNA interference (RNAi) refers to the process of suppression of gene expression in eukaryotes, which has a great potential for the control of pest and diseases. Unfortunately, the efficacy of this technology is limited or at best variable in some insects. In the African sweet potato weevil (SPW) Cylas puncticollis, a devastating pest that affects the sweet potato production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the RNAi response was highly efficient when dsRNA was delivered by injection, but it showed a reduced response by oral feeding. Read More

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural Application, College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, 102206, China. Electronic address:

Residues and dietary risk assessment of tetraconazole and bifenazate were investigated in strawberry under greenhouse conditions using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD) after QuEChERs extraction in Beijing of China. The effects of different processing factors on the two pesticides were studied. The recoveries of tetraconazole and bifenazate were 87. Read More

J Insect Physiol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310008, China. Electronic address:

Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are considered to play critical roles in sex pheromone detection. Lepidopteran moths can be divided into two taxa, those that use Type-I sex pheromones, such as C10-C18 unsaturated aldehydes, alcohols and acetates, and those that use Type-II pheromones, which are C17-C23 polyunsaturated hydrocarbons and their epoxide derivatives. To date, nearly all the characterized PBPs have been reported in moths with Type-I sex pheromones, and the physiological functions of PBPs in moths that use Type-II sex pheromones remains unclear. Read More

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

University of Jordan, 54658, Amman, Jordan ;

Loranthus acaciae (Loranthaceae) is a perennial green semi-parasitic plant used in ethnopharmacological medicine for healing wounds. The protective effect of L. acaciae on gastric ulcer induced by ethanol was investigated in a rat model. Read More

Ann Bot 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

Background And Aims: The ability of individuals to change sex during their lifetime is known as environmental sex determination (ESD). This represents a unique life history trait, allowing plants to allocate resources differentially to male and female functions across lifetimes, potentially maximizing fitness in response to changing environmental or internal cues. In this study, Acer pensylvanicum, a species with an unconfirmed sex determination system, was investigated to see what patterns in sex expression existed across multiple years, if there were sex-based differences in growth and mortality, and whether this species conformed to theoretical predictions that females are larger and in better condition. Read More

Environ Entomol 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Albany, CA.

No-choice tests can help select weed biological control agents with a high degree of host specificity but may exclude potentially effective agents that can develop on nontarget plants under laboratory conditions. The actual amount of damage to nontarget plants often goes unstudied, even though agents may exploit nontarget plants without inflicting significant harm. Furthermore, tests typically assess whether prospective agents can complete one generation on nontarget plants, and rarely examine whether agents are likely to persist on the nontarget plants over the long term. Read More

PLoS One 2019 22;14(4):e0215715. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Ecology, Social-Ecological Systems Laboratory, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Identifying which ecosystem services are relevant to different stakeholders and understanding stakeholders' perceptions of such services is useful for making informed decisions, especially in regions of the world where the achievement of biodiversity conservation goals is threatened by economically productive activities. In this article, we assess social preferences for ecosystem services in a biodiversity hotspot in central Chile. We use a consultative case study to ask local stakeholders (n = 70) from the Campana Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve to identify the most important ecosystem services the area provides for them and inquire about the perceived vulnerability of the services to changes in the future. Read More

PLoS One 2019 22;14(4):e0215505. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an effective approach for detecting vertebrates and plants, especially in aquatic ecosystems, but prior studies have largely examined eDNA in cool temperate settings. By contrast, this study employs eDNA to survey the fish fauna in tropical Lake Bacalar (Mexico) with the additional goal of assessing the possible presence of invasive fishes, such as Amazon sailfin catfish and tilapia. Sediment and water samples were collected from eight stations in Lake Bacalar on three occasions over a 4-month interval. Read More

Plant Dis 2019 Apr 19:PDIS10181815RE. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

4 Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, Salinas, CA 93905, U.S.A.

Verticillium wilt caused by spp., also called potato early dying disease, is one of the most serious soilborne diseases affecting potato production in China. The disease has been expanding into most potato production areas over the past few years. Read More

Plant Dis 2019 Apr 19:PDIS06181003RE. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

1 College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by the fungal pathogen f. sp. , is one of the most destructive wheat diseases in China, especially in Sichuan Province. Read More

Plant Dis 2019 Apr 22:PDIS05180905RE. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Biology, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba R78 6A9, Canada.

Soybean () has become an important crop in Manitoba, Canada, with a 10-fold increase in dedicated acreage over the past decade. Given the rapid increase in production, scarce information about foliar diseases present in the province has been recorded. In order to describe the foliar pathogens affecting this legume, we harnessed next-generation sequencing (NGS) to carry out a comprehensive survey across Manitoba in 2016. Read More

OMICS 2019 Apr;23(4):190-206

1 Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India.

Historically, plant biology studies have lagged behind systems biology studies in animals and humans. However, there are signs of positive change as evidenced by the rise of big data in plant proteomics, and the availability of data science tools and next-generation sequencing technologies. Currently, the sequence information on nearly 300 plant species is available although they are curated to varying degrees of sophistication. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

2   Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA.

Brucellosis, caused by , has been eliminated from livestock in the US. Remaining wildlife reservoirs are the bison () and elk () populations in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area, from which there is periodic exposure and transmission to surrounding livestock herds. Elk account for nearly all of the livestock exposure, and the infection appears to be expanding in the elk population. Read More

Foodborne Pathog Dis 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

2 Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, León, Spain.

Plant and essential oil extracts have been used for some time as antimicrobials and antioxidants, although little is known about the interactions between the main components of these plant materials. This knowledge could help to design more potent antimicrobial and antioxidant mixtures. Carvacrol and thymol, the main components of the essential oils of the Lamiaceae family of plants, were assessed in combination to evaluate their antioxidant activity and antimicrobial effect against 19 strains of () of different origins (clinical, meat, milk, and other) and mostly (12) enterotoxin producers. Read More

Nat Prod Res 2019 Apr 22:1-5. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

a Unité de recherche: Valorisation des Ressources Naturelles, Molécules Bioactives et Analyses Physicochimiques et Biologiques (VARENBIOMOL), Université des Frères Mentouri Constantine , Constantine , Algérie.

This is the first report on the phytochemistry and antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate and n- butanol extracts from an Algerian endemic plant Verbascum atlanticum Batt. (Scrophulariaceae). Both extracts were subjected to a phytochemical study by semi-preparative HPLC, which led to the isolation and identification of nine compounds: methyl linolenate (1), methyl linoleate (2), Phytol-1(3), Martynoside (4), Isomartynoside (5), Cis-martynoside (6), Ilwensisaponin C (7), Ilwensisaponin B (8), Ilwensisaponin A (9). Read More

Nat Prod Res 2019 Apr 22:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

a Institute of Marine Biochemistry , Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) , Hanoi , Vietnam.

Three new muurolane type sesquiterpene glycosides, named balanoindicosides A - C (1 - 3), were isolated from the whole plant of Balanophora fungosa subsp. indica using various chromatographic methods. Their structures were determined by extensive analysis of HR-ESI-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Read More

J Nat Prod 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Korea Bioactive Natural Material Bank, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 08826 , Republic of Korea.

In Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain results in neuronal cell death and is one of the major causes of dementia. Because the current therapeutic agents are not yet sufficiently effective or safe, there have been attempts to find new neuroprotective chemicals against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity. A 70% EtOH extract of whole plants of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) was selected after the screening of a natural extract library. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.

The trans-Golgi network (TGN) is a major site for sorting of cargo to either the vacuole orapoplast. The TGN-localized coiled-coil protein TNO1 is a putative tethering factor that interacts with the TGN t-SNARE SYP41 and is required for correct localization of the SYP61 t-SNARE. An Arabidopsis thalianatno1 mutant is hypersensitive to salt stress and partially mislocalizes vacuolar proteins to the apoplast, indicating a role in vacuolar trafficking. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Center for Statistical Genetics, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.

Increasing evidence shows that quantitative inheritance is based on both DNA sequence and non-DNA sequence variants. However, how to simultaneously detect these variants from a mapping study has been unexplored, hampering our effort to illustrate the detailed genetic architecture of complex traits. We address this issue by developing a unified model of quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping based on an open-pollinated design composed of randomly sampling maternal plants from a natural population and their half-sib seeds. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, CONICET, Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET Santa Fe, Colectora Ruta Nacional Nº 168 km. 0, Paraje El Pozo, (3000), Santa Fe, Argentina.

Plant architecture plasticity determines the efficiency at harvesting and plays a major role defining biomass and seed yield. We observed that several previously described transgenic genotypes exhibiting increased seed yield show also wider stems and more vascular bundles than wild type plants. Here, the relationship between these characteristics and seed yield was investigated. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

CSIRO Land and Water, Building 101, Black Mountain Laboratories, Clunies Ross St., Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.

Nations have committed to ambitious conservation targets in response to accelerating rates of global biodiversity loss. Anticipating future impacts is essential to inform policy decisions for achieving these targets, but predictions need to be of sufficiently high spatial resolution to forecast the local effects of global change. As part of the intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models of the IPBES, we present a fine-resolution assessment of trends in the persistence of global plant biodiversity. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.

Despite its critical importance to our understanding of plant growth and adaptation, the question of how environment-induced plastic response is affected genetically remains elusive. Previous studies showed that the reaction norm of an organism across environmental index obeys the allometrical scaling law of part-whole relationships. The implementation of this phenomenon into functional mapping can characterize how quantitative trait loci (QTLs) modulate the phenotypic plasticity of complex traits to heterogeneous environments. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.

The genetic mechanisms underlying fruit development have been identified in Arabidopsis and have been comparatively studied in tomato as a representative of fleshy fruits. However comparative expression and functional analyses on the bHLH genes downstream the genetic network, ALCATRAZ (ALC) and SPATULA (SPT) which are involved in the formation of the dehiscence zone in Arabidopsis, have not been functionally studied in the Solanaceae. Here we perform detailed expression and functional studies of ALC/SPT homologs in Nicotiana obtusifolia with capsules, and Capsicum annuum and Solanum lycopersicum with berries. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

School of Agriculture, Food & Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, South Australia, 5064, Australia.

Nuclear male-sterile mutants with non-conditional, recessive and strictly monogenic inheritance are useful for both hybrid and conventional breeding systems and have long been a research focus for many crops. In allohexaploid wheat however, genic redundancy results in rarity of such mutants, with the EMS-induced mutant ms5 among the few reported to date. Here, we identify TaMs5 as a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored lipid transfer protein required for normal pollen exine development, and by transgenic complementation demonstrate that TaMs5-A restores fertility to ms5. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, HB, China.

Pepper is an important vegetable with great economic value and unique biological features. In the past few years, significant development has been made towards understanding the huge complex pepper genome; however, pepper functional genomics has not been well studied. To better understand the pepper gene structure and pepper gene regulation, we conducted full-length mRNA sequencing by PacBio sequencing and obtained 57862 high-quality full-length mRNA sequences derived from 18362 previously annotated and 5769 newly detected genes. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, B-9052, Ghent, Belgium.

Plants respond to herbivore or pathogen attacks by activating specific defense programs that include the production of bioactive specialized metabolites to eliminate or deter the attackers. Volatiles play an important role in the interaction of a plant with its environment. Through transcript profiling of jasmonate-elicited Medicago truncatula cells we identified Emission of Methyl Anthranilate (EMA) 1, a MYB transcription factor that is involved in the emission of the volatile compound methyl anthranilate when expressed in M. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.

RNA-based processes play key roles in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. This includes both the processing of pre-mRNAs into mature mRNAs ready for translation and RNA-based silencing processes, such as RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Polyadenylation of pre-mRNAs is one important step in their processing and is carried out by three functionally specialized canonical nuclear poly(A) polymerases in Arabidopsis thaliana. Read More

Plant J 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.

The biological activity of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) has led to discoveries for their use in cancer treatments and other medical applications. Their biosynthesis has involved formation of reactive intermediates used by responsible enzymes to elaborate several different chemical scaffolds. Modification of scaffolds through different substitution reactions has produced chemically diverse MIAs and related biological activities. Read More

New Phytol 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.

It has long been known that more pollen grains often arrive on stigmas than there are ovules to fertilize, resulting in pollen competition. Moreover, this competition among pollen grains (gametophytes) depends, in part, on their extensive haploid gene expression. Here I review how this leads to a variety of phenomena in dioecious plants of interest to evolutionary biologists. Read More

New Phytol 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China.

BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BES1) functions as a key regulator in the brassinosteroid (BR) pathway that promotes plant growth. However, whether BES1 is involved in photoperiodic flowering is unknown. Here we report that BES1 acts as a positive regulator of photoperiodic flowering, but it cannot directly bind FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) promoter. Read More

New Phytol 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201602, China.

The capability to maintain cell wall integrity is critical for plants to adapt to unfavorable conditions. L-arabinose (Ara) is a constituent of several cell wall polysaccharides and many cell wall-localized glycoproteins, but so far the contribution of Ara metabolism to abiotic stress tolerance is still poorly understood. Here, we report that mutations in the MUR4 (also known as HSR8) gene, which is required for the biosynthesis of UDP-Arap in Arabidopsis, lead to a reduced root elongation under high concentrations of NaCl, KCl, NaNO , or KNO . Read More

J Chin Med Assoc 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cathy General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Department of Medicine, Cheng-Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, Department of Nursing, Oriental Institute of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.

J Am Coll Nutr 2019 Apr 22:1-11. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

b TPM Bioactives Division , The Product Makers Pty Ltd , Melbourne , Australia.

Objectives: Dysfunctional metabolism of carbohydrates is a fundamental component of many dietary-related disorders. It has been hypothesized that plant extracts containing high levels of antioxidants may have the ability to stabilize carbohydrate regulation. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a polyphenol-rich sugarcane extract on cellular pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism. Read More

Mol Plant Microbe Interact 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Pohang University of Science and Technology, 34995, Department of Life Sciences , 77 CheongAm-Ro , Nam-Gu , Pohang, GyeongBuk, Korea (the Republic of) , 37673 ;

Venturia nashicola is a fungal pathogen that causes Asian pear scab disease. This pathogen is of particular importance in Northeast Asian countries, where Asian pears are grown industrially. Scab disease in Asian pear is currently controlled by fungicide spraying and this situation calls for developing scab resistant cultivars. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Crude extracts of Vitis vinifera canes represent a natural source of stilbene compounds with well characterized antifungals properties. In our trials, exogenous application of a stilbene extract (SE) obtained from grape canes on grapevine leaves reduces the necrotic lesions caused by Botrytis cinerea. The SE showed to possess a direct antifungal activity by inhibiting the mycelium growth. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Cytosine DNA methylation plays important roles in plants; it can mediate gene expression to affect plant growth and development. However, little is known about the potential involvement of cytosine DNA methylation in apple, as well as in response to alternate bearing. Here, we performed whole-genome bisulfate sequencing to investigate genomic CG, CHG, and CHH methylation patterns, together with their global mRNA accumulation, and small RNA expression in 'Fuji' apple trees. Read More