Search results for "SED"
showing 10 items of 21612 documents
Flashing light emitting diodes (LEDs) induce proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments in three microalgae
2020
As the periodic emission of light pulses by light emitting diodes (LEDs) is known to stimulate growth or induce high value biocompounds in microalgae, this flashing light regime was tested on growth and biochemical composition of the microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana, Koliella antarctica and Tetraselmis chui. At low flashing light frequencies (e.g., 5 and 50 Hz, Duty cycle = 0.05), a strain-dependent growth inhibition and an accumulation of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, chlorophyll or carotenoids (lutein, β-carotene, violaxanthin and neoxanthin) was observed. In addition, a 4-day application of low-frequency flashing light to concentrated cultures increased productivities of eicos…
Identification of conserved genes linked to responses to abiotic stresses in leaves among different plant species
2020
As a consequence of global climate change, certain stress factors that have a negative impact on crop productivity such as heat, cold, drought and salinity are becoming increasingly prevalent. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify genes conserved across plant species involved in (1) general abiotic stress conditions, and (2) specific and unique abiotic stress factors (drought, salinity, extreme temperature) in leaf tissues. We collected raw data and re-analysed eight RNA-Seq studies using our previously published bioinformatic pipeline. A total of 68 samples were analysed. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using MapMan and PageMan whereas DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visuali…
Glycolipid Biosurfactant Production from Waste Cooking Oils by Yeast: Review of Substrates, Producers and Products
2021
Biosurfactants are a microbially synthesized alternative to synthetic surfactants, one of the most important bulk chemicals. Some yeast species are proven to be exceptional biosurfactant producers, while others are emerging producers. A set of factors affects the type, amount, and properties of the biosurfactant produced, as well as the environmental impact and costs of biosurfactant’s production. Exploring waste cooking oil as a substrate for biosurfactants’ production serves as an effective cost-cutting strategy, yet it has some limitations. This review explores the existing knowledge on utilizing waste cooking oil as a feedstock to produce glycolipid biosurfactants by yeast. The review f…
Implications of size‐selective fisheries on sexual selection
2019
Fisheries often combine high mortality with intensive size‐selectivity and can, thus, be expected to reduce body size and size variability in exploited populations. In many fish species, body size is a sexually selected trait and plays an important role in mate choice and mate competition. Large individuals are often preferred as mates due to the high fecundity and resources they can provide to developing offspring. Large fish are also successful in competition for mates. Fisheries‐induced reductions in size and size variability can potentially disrupt mating systems and lower average reproductive success by decreasing opportunities for sexual selection. By reducing population sizes, fisher…
Gaining Insight into Exclusive and Common Transcriptomic Features Linked to Drought and Salinity Responses across Fruit Tree Crops
2020
The present study aimed at identifying and mapping key genes expressed in root tissues involved in drought and salinity tolerance/resistance conserved among different fruit tree species. Twenty-six RNA-Seq samples were analyzed from six published studies in five plant species (Olea europaea, Vitis riparia Michx, Prunus mahaleb, Prunus persica, Phoenix dactylifera). This meta-analysis used a bioinformatic pipeline identifying 750 genes that were commonly modulated in three salinity studies and 683 genes that were commonly regulated among three drought studies, implying their conserved role in resistance/tolerance/response to these environmental stresses. A comparison was done on the genes th…
Rigid Core and Flexible Terminus
2012
The structure of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex (LHCII) was analyzed by pulsed EPR measurements and compared with the crystal structure. Site-specific spin labeling of the recombinant protein allowed the measurement of distance distributions over several intra- and intermolecular distances in monomeric and trimeric LHCII, yielding information on the protein structure and its local flexibility. A spin label rotamer library based on a molecular dynamics simulation was used to take the local mobility of spin labels into account. The core of LHCII in solution adopts a structure very similar or identical to the one seen in crystallized LHCII trimers with little motional freed…
How challenging RADseq data turned out to favor coalescent-based species tree inference. A case study in Aichryson (Crassulaceae)
2022
Analysing multiple genomic regions while incorporating detection and qualification of discordance among regions has become standard for understanding phylogenetic relationships. In plants, which usually have comparatively large genomes, this is feasible by the combination of reduced-representation library (RRL) methods and high-throughput sequencing enabling the cost effective acquisition of genomic data for thousands of loci from hundreds of samples. One popular RRL method is RADseq. A major disadvantage of established RADseq approaches is the rather short fragment and sequencing range, leading to loci of little individual phylogenetic information. This issue hampers the application of coa…
Protein hydrolysates and mo-biofortification interactively modulate plant performance and quality of ‘canasta’ lettuce grown in a protected environme…
2021
Since the use of protein hydrolysates (PHs) enhances overall plant performance and quality of vegetables, they might be considered as a toll to face a number of concerns essentially associated to the growing request of premium quality foodstuff realized in agreement with eco-friendly agriculture practices. Molybdenum (Mo) is considered a fundamental trace element for human body. Thus, its shortage determines several disorders mainly related to neurological lesion and esophageal cancer. Biofortification of fruiting and leafy vegetables is a promising tool to prevent Mo deficiency in the human diet. The current study was carried out to assess the interactive effect of plant-derived PHs and Mo…
Communication versus waterproofing: the physics of insect cuticular hydrocarbons
2019
Understanding the evolution of complex traits is among the major challenges in biology. One such trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) layer in insects. It protects against desiccation and provides communication signals, especially in social insects. CHC composition is highly diverse within and across species. To understand the adaptive value of this chemical diversity, we must understand how it affects biological functionality. So far, CHCs received ample research attention, but their physical properties were little studied. We argue that these properties determine their biological functionality, and are vital to understand how CHC composition affects their adaptive value. We investigat…
One taxon does not fit all: Herb-layer diversity and stand structural complexity are weak predictors of biodiversity in Fagus sylvatica forests
2016
Abstract Since adequate information on the distribution of biodiversity is hardly achievable, biodiversity indicators are necessary to support the management of ecosystems. These surrogates assume that either some habitat features, or the biodiversity patterns observed in a well-known taxon, can be used as a proxy of the diversity of one or more target taxa. Nevertheless, at least for certain taxa, the validity of this assumption has not yet been sufficiently demonstrated. We investigated the effectiveness of both a habitat- and a taxa-based surrogate in six European beech forests in the Apennines. Particularly, we tested: (1) whether the stand structural complexity and the herb-layer speci…