Seasonal Evolution of the Quality of Fresh Glasshouse Tomatoes under Mediterranean Conditions, as Affected by Air Vapour Pressure Deficit and Plant Fruit Load

Changes in yield and quality of fresh tomatoes in response toair vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and plant fruit load werestudied under Mediterranean summer conditions. Plants thinnedto three or six fruits per truss were grown in two compartments,one at a VPD below 1.5 kPa, the other without VPD control. Theseasonal trend in fruit yield and quality was assessed fromApril to September by weekly measurement of number, fresh weightand dry matter content of harvested fruits, together with theoccurrence of blossom-end-rot (BER) and cracking. On two occasions,in July and September, sugar and acid content was measured atthree ripening stages. The seasonal decrease in fresh yieldwas attenuated at low VPD, because of higher individual fruitfresh weight, especially at low fruit load. Low VPD decreasedoccurrence of BER but like low fruit load, it increased fruitcracking. Fruit dry matter content was lower at low VPD, butwas unaffected by fruit load. Sugar content and the ratio ofsugars:acids was increased at high VPD and low fruit load, withinteractive effects depending on season and ripening stage.The influence of VPD on acid content differed with fruit loadand also changed during ripening and between seasons. Resultsshowed that water was the main limiting factor for growth offruits picked in July; at this time, reducing fruit load topromote mean fruit size had negative effects on BER and cracking.Reducing VPD reduced BER but had a negative effect on crackingand diluted both the dry matter and sugar content. For fruitsharvested later in summer, these negative effects were attenuatedbecause fruit growth was also carbon limited. Copyright 2000Annals of Botany Company Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., tomato, water and carbon stress, yield, quality, dry matter, sugar, acid, BER, volatile composition     

The genetic polymorphism of Δ-aminolevulinate dehydrase in Italy

Summary The distribution of phenotypic and allelic frequencies of red blood cells aminolevulinate dehydrase in several Italian populations is reported. The frequency of the most common allele ALADH ¹ ranges from 0.78 to 0.93 with a mean value of 0.90±0.01.     

Methylation of histone H3 at lysine 37 by Set1 and Set2 prevents spurious DNA replication

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How do Different Types of Emulsifiers/Stabilizers Affect the In Vitro Intestinal Digestion of O/W Emulsions?

This study analyzes the influence of different types of molecules (tween, lecithin, xanthan gum, and methylcellulose) on the physical properties (flow behavior and particle size) and microstructure of oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions before and during in vitro intestinal digestion. The release of free fatty acids during a simulated intestinal stage has also been examined. The results show that various o/w emulsions present different rates and extents of lipolysis and that these differences are not primarily due to their rheological properties nor to the droplet size/surface area available for the action of lipase. Rather, the observed differences in the kinetics of lipolysis are most likely attributable to the nature and location of each type of molecule in their respective o/w emulsions as well as to their interactions with intestinal components. These results shed light on the mechanisms by which the interfacial layer controls lipid digestion, paving the way for a practical application of some of these emulsions in the production of foods used for regulating dietary lipid digestion in order to prevent and treat obesity and related disorders.

     

Induction of Neuron-Specific Degradation of Coenzyme A Models Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration by Reducing Motor Coordination in Mice

Background

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, PKAN, is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive impairment in motor coordination and caused by mutations in PANK2, a human gene that encodes one of four pantothenate kinase (PanK) isoforms. PanK initiates the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA), an essential cofactor that plays a key role in energy metabolism and lipid synthesis. Most of the mutations in PANK2 reduce or abolish the activity of the enzyme. This evidence has led to the hypothesis that lower CoA might be the underlying cause of the neurodegeneration in PKAN patients; however, no mouse model of the disease is currently available to investigate the connection between neuronal CoA levels and neurodegeneration. Indeed, genetic and/or dietary manipulations aimed at reducing whole-body CoA synthesis have not produced a desirable PKAN model, and this has greatly hindered the discovery of a treatment for the disease.

Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusions

Cellular CoA levels are tightly regulated by a balance between synthesis and degradation. CoA degradation is catalyzed by two peroxisomal nudix hydrolases, Nudt7 and Nudt19. In this study we sought to reduce neuronal CoA in mice through the alternative approach of increasing Nudt7-mediated CoA degradation. This was achieved by combining the use of an adeno-associated virus-based expression system with the synapsin (Syn) promoter. We show that mice with neuronal overexpression of a cytosolic version of Nudt7 (scAAV9-Syn-Nudt7cyt) exhibit a significant decrease in brain CoA levels in conjunction with a reduction in motor coordination. These results strongly support the existence of a link between CoA levels and neuronal function and show that scAAV9-Syn-Nudt7cyt mice can be used to model PKAN.     

A global assessment of forest surface albedo and its relationships with climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition

We present a global assessment of the relationships between the short‐wave surface albedo of forests, derived from the MODIS satellite instrument product at 0.5° spatial resolution, with simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition rates (N_dep), and climatic variables (mean annual temperature T_m and total annual precipitation P), compiled at the same spatial resolution. The analysis was performed on the following five forest plant functional types (PFTs): evergreen needle‐leaf forests (ENF); evergreen broad‐leaf forests (EBF); deciduous needle‐leaf forests (DNF); deciduous broad‐leaf forests (DBF); and mixed‐forests (MF). Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied in the exploratory analysis to assess the functional nature of short‐wave surface albedo relations to environmental variables. The analysis showed evident correlations of albedo with environmental predictors when data were pooled across PFTs: T_m and N_dep displayed a positive relationship with forest albedo, while a negative relationship was detected with P. These correlations are primarily due to surface albedo differences between conifer and broad‐leaf species, and different species geographical distributions. However, the analysis performed within individual PFTs, strengthened by attempts to select ‘pure’ pixels in terms of species composition, showed significant correlations with annual precipitation and nitrogen deposition, pointing toward the potential effect of environmental variables on forest surface albedo at the ecosystem level. Overall, our global assessment emphasizes the importance of elucidating the ecological mechanisms that link environmental conditions and forest canopy properties for an improved parameterization of surface albedo in climate models.     

The amino acid/K symporters for neutral amino acids along the midgut of lepidopteran larvae: Functional differentiations

The functional properties of the K⁺-dependent symporter for neutral amino acids have been investigated in brush border membrane vesicles prepared from the anterior, middle and posterior portions corresponding to the three morphologically distinguishable regions of the midgut of Bombyx mori larvae. An intravesicular accumulation of leucine was driven by a K⁺-gradient in the three preparations, but vesicles from the posterior tract displayed much higher uptake and accumulation values. Kinetic analysis of leucine uptake, performed in experimental conditions which mimic as closely as feasible experimentally those occurring in vivo (Δψ = −90 mV, pH_in7.2/pH_out8.7, [K⁺]_out100 mM), evidenced that the affinity for the amino acid was similar along the midgut (150 μM), but V_max in the posterior region was more than 11-fold higher than that of the anterior-middle tract (11.3 ± 0.7 and 0.98 ± 0.07 nmol/7s/mg protein, respectively). Leucine uptake was remarkably influenced by extravesicular pH and by Δψ only in vesicles from the posterior midgut: a lowering of pH to 7.2 caused a sevenfold increase of K_m, whereas in the absence of Δψ, V_max decreased threefold. The selectivity sequence for the alkali cations was somewhat different in the two midgut regions, but K⁺ remained the most effective. In the posterior midgut, the selectivity for K⁺ was greatly enhanced when a transmembrane electrical potential was present. Leucine kinetics as a function of external potassium concentration was hyperbolic in the posterior and sigmoidal in the anterior-middle part. Inhibition of leucine uptake induced by a 20-fold excess of different amino acids suggested the presence in both midgut tracts of a broad specificity system for neutral amino acids, with many-but not all-features in common with the B^o system of mammal intestinal and renal epithelial brush borders. However, there are differences between the two midgut regions as regard to the ability of the symporters to recognize the different amino acids, which concern the side chain and the presence of the aromatic ring. Altogether these data suggest that two kinds of symporters for neutral amino acids, with different functional properties, are expressed in the anterior-middle and posterior regions of the lepidopteran midgut.