Time-course of changes in amounts of specific proteins upon exposure to hyper-g, 2-D clinorotation, and 3-D random positioning of Arabidopsis cell cultures

In previous studies it has been shown that callus cell cultures of Arabidopsis thaliana respond to changes in gravitational field strengths by altered gene expression. In this study an investigation was carried out into how different g conditions affect the proteome of such cells. For this purpose, callus cells were exposed to 8 g (centrifugation) and simulated microgravity (2-D clinorotation: fast rotating clinostat, yielding 0.0016 g at maximum; and 3-D random positioning) for up to 16 h. Extracts containing total soluble protein were subjected to 2-D SDS-PAGE. Image analysis of Sypro Ruby-stained gels showed that approximately 28 spots reproducibly and significantly (P <0.05) changed in amount after 2 h of hypergravity (18 up- and 10 down-regulated). These spots were analysed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). In the case of 2-D clinorotation, 19 proteins changed in a manner similar to hypergravity, while random positioning affected only eight spots. Identified proteins were mainly stress related, and are involved in detoxification of reactive oxygen species, signalling, and calcium binding. Surprisingly, centrifugation and clinorotation showed homologies which were not detected for random positioning. The data indicate that simulation of weightlessness is different between clinorotation and random positioning.     

Lectinomics I. Relevance of exogenous plant lectins in biomedical diagnostics

This review focuses on utilization of plant lectins as medical diagnostic reagents and tools. The lectin-related diagnostic is aimed at detection of several diseases connected to alteration of the glycosylation profiles of cells and at identification of microbial and viral agents in clinical microbiology. Certain lectins, proposed for or used as diagnostic tools could even recognize those cellular determinants, which are not detected by available antibodies. Broad information is presented on the lectinomics field, illustrating that lectin diagnostics might become practical alternative to antibody-based diagnostic products. In addition, the rising trend of lectin utilization in biomedical diagnostics might initiate a development of innovative methods based on better analytical technologies. Lectin microarray, a rapid and simple methodology, can be viewed as an example for such initiative. This technology could provide simple and efficient screening tools for analysis of glycosylation patterns in biological samples (cellular extracts, tissues and the whole cells), allowing thus personalized detection of changes associated with carbohydrate-related diseases.     

A new approach for activation of the kiwifruit cysteine protease for usage in in-vitro testing

Molecular Biology Reports - Actinidin (Act d 1), a highly abundant cysteine protease from kiwifruit, is one of the major contributors to the development of kiwifruit allergy. Many studies have...     

Cytotoxic activities of Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against 2D and 3D cancer cell models

Cytotechnology - Six extracts were obtained from plant species Hypericum perforatum L., collected at Samsun in Turkey. The aim of this study was to examine the mechanisms of the anticancer activity...     

Developmental stability and morphological differences in Plantago major L. leaves under contrasting environmental conditions

Abstract

In the present study, an additional combination of end‐points was applied on the natural populations of the common plantain, previously estimated using morphometric assays. Here, besides measuring developmental instability (DI), by determining the level of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and the total amount of phenotypic variability (PV), we tried to distinguish the three natural populations under contrasting environmental conditions using the morphological data. Results obtained using both FA indices were the same; higher asymmetry levels in the reference than in the polluted environments were detected for leaf width, vein distances within a leaf and lobe length. The one‐way analysis of variance results revealed that there were significant differences in PV values among populations analysed for each character. When all leaf traits were considered together, the PV median value was significantly higher in Crni Lug leaves compared with leaves from other sites. The multivariate analysis of variance results revealed the significant effect of environment on both FA₄ and PV values. The component scores of first factor (PC1) were significantly different between the Karaburma and Crni Lug populations. Besides, component scores of both PC1 and PC2 were significantly different between the Zemun and Crni Lug samples. The stepwise discriminant functional analysis results allowed us to identify a set of four variables, with a sufficient discriminating ability (75%).     

Comparison of allometric relationships and morphological differences in Tilia cordata Mill. outer leaves exposed to different environmental conditions

The study is based on four leaf parameters: leaf width (LW), lobe length (LL), leaf size (LS) and leaf shape which is calculated as LW to leaf length (LW/LL) ratio. Under different environmental conditions, LL is an isometric character, LW shows positive allometry, whereas LW/LL shows negative allometry. Regression analysis results indicated that there is no significant difference either in slopes or in regression coefficients between investigated sites. Thus, in this study, we found that allometric relationships between leaf parameters and LS are character specific and that they tended not to differ significantly between Tilia cordata Mill. outer leaves exposed to different environmental conditions. Also, there are no significant interpopulation differences for both principal component PC1 and PC2 scores. The stepwise discriminant functional analysis results allowed us to identify a set of two leaf parameters (LS and LL) with a moderate discriminating ability (59.8%). T. cordata outer leaves are significantly larger and broader in the reference area (R-leaves) than leaves from polluted (P-leaves) site. The data also indicated that there is a relatively larger petiole size in R-leaves than in P-leaves. We found that in P-leaves, LW increased faster with increasing LS than in R-leaves.     

Hosts and distribution of Viscum album L. ssp. album in Croatia and Slovenia

Abstract

Viscum album L. ssp. album is semi-parasitic on deciduous trees and shrubs. In order to identify hosts and map the distribution of V. album ssp. album in Croatia and Slovenia, field research was carried out, and herbaria were surveyed. In Croatia and Slovenia, V. album ssp. album occurred on 59 taxa. In Croatia, there were 52 hosts (33 autochthonous and 15 allochthonous species, two cultivars and two hybrids). In Slovenia, there were 25 hosts (21 autochthonous and four allochthonous species). There were 18 hosts common to both countries, 34 hosts were found only in Croatia, and seven hosts only in Slovenia. The hosts belonged to 13 families. The majority of these (19 species) belong to the Rosaceae, followed by Salicaceae, Aceraceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae, Tiliaceae, Hippocastanaceae, Ulmaceae, Oleaceae, Fabaceae, Moraceae and Viscaceae. All hosts have been previously recorded in the literature, except Alnus japonica (Thunb.) Steud., Amelanchier lamarckii F.G. Schroed. and Crataegus nigra Waldst. et Kit. The distribution of this mistletoe was scattered, due to the scattered distribution of hosts, local conditions, movement of bird-vectors, etc. A continuous distribution was found only in part of the distribution area of narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl).     

Leaflet morphometric variation of service tree (Sorbus domestica L.) in the Balkan Peninsula

Abstract

In most European countries, the service tree (Sorbus domestica L.) is a rare and threatened species and its conservation has been recognised as a priority. The aim of this study was to asses its morphologic variation in the western and central part of the Balkan Peninsula and in southern Central Europe. Three populations were analysed: one in Serbia, one in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one in Slovenia. In each population 30 trees were selected, and from each tree 30 leaves were collected for morphometric analysis based on nine leaflet morphological traits. Univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (MANOVA) analysis of variance were used to estimate the variation within- and between populations and a discriminant analysis was performed to examine the structure of the between-population differences. The values of particular morphological traits found in our study did not differ considerably from the values reported elsewhere. The results revealed significant within- and between population variation. Variation within populations was highly significant for all the scored leaf morphological traits, while variation between populations was significant for all the studied traits except for the leaflet length. The discrimination between the three populations was significant. High percentages of correctly classified samples demonstrate good discriminating employability of the analysed leaf morphological traits and indicate differentiation of the analysed populations.