Chloroplast DNA phylogeography of the argan tree of Morocco

Polymorphisms in the chloroplast genome of the argan tree (Sapotaceae), an endemic species of south-western Morocco, have been detected by restriction site studies of PCR-amplified fragments. A total of 12 chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments were amplified and digested with a single restriction enzyme ( Hin fI). Polymorphisms were identified in six of the cpDNA fragments, whereas no mtDNA polymorphisms were detected in a survey of 95 individuals from 19 populations encompassing most of the natural range of the species. The cpDNA polymorphisms allowed the identification of 11 haplotypes. Two lineages, one in the south-east and the other in the north-west, divide the range of the argan tree into two distinct areas. The level of genetic differentiation measured at the haplotype level ( G _STc= 0.60) (i.e. with unordered haplotypes) was smaller than when phylogenetic relationships were taken into account ( N _STc= 0.71–0.74) (ordered haplotypes), indicating that population history must be considered in the study of the geographical distribution of cpDNA lineages in this species. If contrasted with the level of nuclear genetic differentiation measured in a previous study with isozymes ( G _STn= 0.25), the results indicate a relatively high level of gene flow by seeds, or conversely a relatively low level of gene flow by pollen, as compared with other tree species. Goats and camels could have played an important role in disseminating the fruits of this tree.     

Mycorrhiza and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria: Potential Bioagents for Sustainable Phosphorus Management in Agriculture

Phosphorus (P) is a critical nutrient that plays an essential role in improving soil fertility for optimum plant growth and productivity. It is one of the most deficient macro-nutrients in agricultural soils after nitrogen and is considered inadequate for plant growth and production. To P availability in soils, the farmers are applying huge amounts of synthetic P fertilizers that adversely affect the wider environment, groundwater, soil fertility and microbial population. Many beneficial microbes are known to release and supply soluble P for improving growth and yield of a variety of plants in a sustainable manner in P deficient soils. Thus, inoculation of these microbes, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to soil to enhance crop production without harming the environment, is an alternative approach to chemical fertilizers. The combined role of AMF and PSB in P solubilization is not well understood and the application and mode of action of these microbial groups are often naive due to variation in the environment. Therefore, the current review article would develop a better understanding of the interactive role and mechanisms of AMF and PSB in improving P availability from both organic and inorganic sources in a sustainable crop production system. Finally, the current review would loop out further avenues for researchers interested to commercially produce effective AMF and PSB-based biofertilizers for sustainable management of phosphorus over a wide range of agricultural crops worldwide.     

Enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of esomeprazole and pantoprazole in dosage forms and spiked human plasma using organized media

A simple, sensitive and rapid spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of esomeprazole (EMZ) and pantoprazole (PRZ) in their pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. The proposed method is based on the fluorescence spectral behavior of EMZ in methanol in the presence of 0.1 m NaOH containing 0.5% methyl cellulose (MC) at 306/345 nm. The fluorescence intensity of EMZ was enhanced about 1.3‐fold and good linearity in the range 0.4–4.0 µg/mL with a lower detection limit of 0.04 µg/mL and lower quantification limit of 0.14 µg/mL. For PRZ, its methanolic solution exhibited marked native fluorescence at 290/325 nm after enhancement (about 2.1‐ or 1.4‐fold) using either 0.025% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or 0.05% MC in the presence of 0.2 m borate buffer of pH 9.5. The fluorescence–concentration plots of PRZ were rectilinear over the ranges 0.2–2.0 and 0.3–3.0 µg/mL with lower detection limits of 0.02 and 0.03 µg/mL and lower quantification limits of 0.07 and 0.09 µg/mL using sodium dodecyl sulfate and MC, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of EMZ and PRZ in their commercial dosage forms and the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the comparison method. Furthermore, in a preliminary investigation, the proposed method was extended to the in vitro determination of the two drugs in spiked human plasma and the results were satisfactory. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diversity of Sertoli cells in the testis of Saduria entomon L. (Crustacea,Isopoda)

Summary

The present paper is the first to give a comprehensive and detailed characterization of Sertoli cells in the isopod, Saduria entomon, based on transmission electron microscopy. Two types of Sertoli cells, A and B, were distinguished which clearly differ in their location in the wall of the testicular tubule, and in their morphology, ultrastructure, and function. Their occurrence is closely connected with the characteristic arrangement of germ cells inside the tubule. Sertoli A cells occupy only the part of the tubule containing spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes and they are associated with these cells by means of numerous ramified processes running in many directions. They are irregular in shape, but their shape and the ultrastructure are stable during maturation of the germ cells. Sertoli B cells, which compose most of the testicular tubule wall, form a columnar epithelium. They send long processes into the lumen of the tubule by means of which they make contact with maturing spermatids. The cytoarchitecture of the processes is highly variable and reflects their role in spermiogenesis and the formation of sperm bundles. After spermiation, when the apical part of the Sertoli cells has become flattened, they phagocytoze the residual cytoplasmic masses of spermatids, which undergo degradation in heterophagic vacuoles. Simultaneously, numerous autophagic vesicles appear.     

Investigation of polyacrylamide hydrogel-based molecularly imprinted polymers using protein gel electrophoresis

In conjunction with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), molecular imprinting methods have been applied to produce a multilayer mini-slab in order to evaluate how selectively and specifically a hydrogel-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) binds bovine haemoglobin (BHb, ~64.5 kDa). A three-layer mini-slab comprising an upper and lower layer and a MIP, or a non-imprinted control polymer dispersion middle layer has been investigated. The discriminating MIP layer, also based on polyacrylamide, was able to specifically bind BHb molecules in preference to a protein similar in molecular weight such as bovine serum albumin (BSA, ~66 kDa). Protein staining allowed us to visualise the protein retention strength of the MIP layer under the influence of an electric field. This method could be applied to other proteins with implications in effective protein capture, disease diagnostics, and protein analysis.     

Physiological Responses of Spring Durum Wheat Cultivars to Early-season Drought in a Mediterranean Environment

The Mediterranean climate of North Africa is characterized byuncertain rainfall immediately after seedling emergence, leadingto drought early in the growing season which depresses durumwheat production. However, there is limited understanding ofthe physiological basis of resistance of spring durum wheatto drought in rainfed Mediterranean regions. The objectivesof this study were to examine differences in some physiologicalcharacters among spring durum wheat cultivars in response toduration of early-season drought, and to determine the relationshipof these characters to drought resistance. In two field experiments(1995 and 1996 growing seasons) and a glasshouse experiment(1996), six spring sown durum wheat cultivars were evaluatedunder four water regimes: well irrigated and three differentwater deficits from emergence until the onset of tillering,mid-tillering or at the end of tillering. Cultivars differedin their response. Decreases in photosynthesis soon after droughtstress was imposed resulted mainly from reduced stomatal conductance.Continued water deficits also reduced mesophyll photosyntheticactivity. Possible factors determining the drought-resistanceof a cultivar are lower sensitivity of CO₂exchange rate, netCO₂uptake to water loss ratio, stomatal resistance, relativewater content and greater osmotic adjustment under stress. Furthermore,there is sufficient intraspecific variation in these physiologicalattributes to suggest their use as selection tools.Copyright1998 Annals of Botany Company Wheat;Triticum durumDesf.; early-season drought; physiological responses.