Search results for "TUS"
showing 10 items of 17115 documents
A Model for ERD2 Function in Higher Plants
2020
ER lumenal proteins have a K(H)DEL motif at their C-terminus. This is recognized by the ERD2 receptor (KDEL receptor in animals), which localizes to the Golgi apparatus and serves to capture escaped ER lumenal proteins. ERD2-ligand complexes are then transported back to the ER via COPI coated vesicles. The neutral pH of the ER causes the ligands to dissociate with the receptor being returned to the Golgi. According to this generally accepted scenario, ERD2 cycles between the ER and the Golgi, although it has been found to have a predominant Golgi localization. In this short article, we present a model for the functioning of ERD2 receptors in higher plants that explains why it is difficult t…
Nest-mediated parental care in a marine fish: Are large-scale nesting habitats selected and do these habitats respond to small-scale requirements?
2018
Fishes have evolved various reproductive strategies including mechanisms that involve parental care and demersal eggs laid into nests. Symphodus ocellatus has a seasonal reproduction period during which large, dominant males become territorial and build nests with fragments of algae, where they attract females to spawn and provide care to the developing eggs. Based on the hypothesis that the S. ocellatus males choose the reproductive habitat based on some characteristics of the substrate, here we assessed whether, on a coastal area scale, the distribution of this species changes during the reproductive period because of the selection of some suitable sites or substrates, and whether the nes…
Genetic Mechanisms of the Devious Intruder Candidatus Liberibacter in Citrus.
2017
HLB symptom progression may result from three types of dysfunction occurring in Ca.L.-infected citrus: (1) a carbohydrate disorder linked to disruption of the source-sink relationship, (2) perturbation of hormonal crosstalk involved in plant immune responses (JA-SA signaling crosstalk), and (3) changes in the rapid activation of detoxifying pathways (particularly GSTs). The development of innovative short- or long-term biotechnological tools that allow beneficial modulation of these three pathways will help increase Citrus tolerance to this devastating disease.
Influence of an evoked pleasant consumption context on consumers’ hedonic evaluation for minimally processed cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit
2016
Awareness of the need to consider a consumption context when measuring the consumer's hedonic evaluation of a food product led researchers to investigate differences among responses given by consumers in different contexts. Previous studies measured the effects of evoking a consumption context, by using photographs or a written scenario, on hedonic evaluations of consumers for food products. This study investigated the influence of evoking a consumption context on hedonic evaluation of minimally processed cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit, using pictures and memories of pleasant personal experiences. A hedonic scale method for measuring food preferences was used. Hedonic evaluation o…
Throwing down a genomic gauntlet on fisheries-induced evolution
2021
Beginning with studies on crypsis and camouflage, the hypothesis that predators can generate evolutionary change in their prey has a long and rich history (1). Few predators, however, rival humans in their potential to generate selection responses and concomitant phenotypic change on contemporary timescales. In the 1930s, J. B. S. Haldane (2) mused that fishing would be an ideal candidate for such “observable evolution” within a human lifetime, proceeding “with extreme and abnormal speed.” However, it was not until the late 1970s that research on fisheries-induced evolution (FIE) gained a substantive scientific foothold, beginning with thought-provoking work on Canadian whitefish ( Coregonu…
Morphological, chemical, and genetic diversity of wild myrtle(Myrtus communis L.) populations in Sicily
2016
Myrtus communis L. İs a shrub widespread in the Mediterranean area. The interest in this species is growing, mainly due to its pharmacological and aromatic properties. The overexploitation of wild populations induced increasing degradation of plant cover with serious risk of loss of genetic diversity. This research explored the morphological, chemical, and genetic diversity of wild myrtle populations in Sicily, with the aim to provide a first characterization of a core collection of 36 accessions from 7 localities for future domestication programs. Amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting generated 152 polymorphic fragments. STRUCTURE analysis identified three genetic clusters …
Further insights in the Tardigrada microbiome: phylogenetic position and prevalence of infection of four new Alphaproteobacteria putative endosymbion…
2019
Abstract Data from a previous study showed that microbiomes of six tardigrade species are species-specific and distinct from associated environmental microbes. We here performed a more in-depth analyses of those data, to identify and characterize new potential symbionts. The most abundant bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found in tardigrades are classified, and their prevalence in other environments is assessed using public databases. A subset of OTUs was selected for molecular phylogenetic analyses based on their affiliation with host-associated bacterial families in tardigrades. Almost 22.6% of the most abundant OTUs found do not match any sequence at 99% identity in the IMNGS…
Snake richness predicts breeding distribution of short-toed snake eagle in central Italy.
2017
Birds of prey, as top predators, play a key role in ecosystem functioning by regulating prey populations and, by means of cascade effects, promoting biodiversity. This makes them adequate sentinels of ecosystem health. Here we analyse the relationship between the occurrence of breeding short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and both the richness of potential prey species and landscape characteristics by taking into account two different spatial scales (i.e. nest-site scale and landscape scale). The short-toed snake eagle offers an interesting case study for investigating the relationships between top predators, prey diversity, and habitats, because it is an extremely specialised raptor…
Loss of Arabidopsis p24 function affects ERD2 traffic and Golgi structure and activates the unfolded protein response
2017
The p24 family of proteins (also known as the TMED family) are key regulators of protein trafficking along the secretory pathway, but very little is known about their functions in plants. A quadruple loss-of-function mutant affecting the p24 genes from the δ-1 subclass of the p24δ subfamily (p24δ3δ4δ5δ6) showed alterations in the Golgi, suggesting that these p24 proteins play a role in the organization of the compartments of the early secretory pathway in Arabidopsis Loss of p24δ-1 proteins also induced the accumulation of the K/HDEL receptor ERD2a (ER lumen protein-retaining receptor A) at the Golgi and increased secretion of BiP family proteins, ER chaperones containing an HDEL signal, pr…
First report of neofusicoccum batangarum as causal agent of scabby cankers of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in minor islands of sicily
2018
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica, Cactaceae), native to Mexico, is a multipurpose crop. About 90% of Italian production of cactus pear fruit is from Sicily. In 2013, a disease of cactus pear was noticed in minor islands of Sicily, Lampedusa and Linosa (Pelagie archipelago), Favignana (Aegadian archipelago), and Ustica, where cactus pear is grown as living fences. Symptoms were on flattened stems functioning as leaves (cladodes) and included radially expanding cankers, up to 20 cm in diameter, concentric, crusty, silvery areas, with minute, black dots (pycnidia erumpent from epidermis) and a leathery, brown halo. A milky to buff colored exudate, caking on contact with air, oozed from active…