Ultrastructure of Early Secondary Embryogenesis by Multicellular and Unicellular Pathways in Cork Oak (Quercus suber L.)

Early cellular events during secondary embryogenesis were studiedin a cork oak recurrent embryogenic system in which embryosarise either in a multicellular budding pathway from a compactmass of proliferation or from isolated single cells in friablecallus. The compact mass of proliferation originated from theepidermal cells at the hypocotyl whose growth and convolutionwas characterized by a decrease in the nucleus/cytoplasm ratioand a marked increase in storage products. The transition fromthe compact mass to meristematic primordia occurred at the peripheryand was accompanied by cell dedifferentiation and a drasticreduction of storage products. Meristematic primordia evolvedto globular embryos by the organization of a protodermis andtwo internal centres. Microscope analysis of friable callusshowed an hypothetical sequence from single cells to aggregatesof a few cells, meristematic cell clusters and globular embryos.Single cells showed typical features of embryogenic cells suchas rich cytoplasm and a large number of starch grains and lipidbodies. A progressive cell dedifferentiation and a drastic reductionof storage products was observed when aggregates of a few cellsand meristematic cell clusters were compared. Progressive bipolarizationin large meristematic cell clusters initiated globular embryoformation. The comparison of both embryogenic pathways at theultrastructural level showed that subcellular changes followa similar sequential pattern, especially with regard to thestorage products. The possible role of plastid extrusions andmultivesicular bodies in the changing pattern of starch metabolismduring embryogenesis is discussed. Copyright 2001 Annals ofBotany Company Quercus suber L, cork oak, somatic embryogenesis, multicellular budding, friable callus, ultrastructural studies     

Molecular characterization of acquired tolerance of tumor cells to picropodophyllin (PPP)

Background

Picropodophyllin (PPP) is a promising novel anti-neoplastic agent that efficiently kills tumor cells in vitro and causes tumor regression and increased survival in vivo. We have previously reported that PPP treatment induced moderate tolerance in two out of 10 cell lines only, and here report the acquired genomic and expression alterations associated with PPP selection over 1.5 years of treatment.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Copy number alterations monitored using metaphase and array-based comparative genomic hybridization analyses revealed largely overlapping alterations in parental and maximally tolerant cells. Gain/ amplification of the MYC and PVT1 loci in 8q24.21 were verified on the chromosome level. Abnormalities observed in connection to PPP treatment included regular gains and losses, as well as homozygous losses in 10q24.1-q24.2 and 12p12.3-p13.2 in one of the lines and amplification at 5q11.2 in the other. Abnormalities observed in both tolerant derivatives include amplification/gain of 5q11.2, gain of 11q12.1-q14.3 and gain of 13q33.3-qter. Using Nexus software analysis we combined the array-CGH data with data from gene expression profilings and identified genes that were altered in both inputs. A subset of genes identified as downregulated (ALDH1A3, ANXA1, TLR4 and RAB5A) or upregulated (COX6A1, NFIX, ME1, MAPK and TAP2) were validated by siRNA in the tolerant or parental cells to alter sensitivity to PPP and confirmed to alter sensitivity to PPP in further cell lines.

Conclusions

Long-term PPP selection lead to altered gene expression in PPP tolerant cells with increase as well as decrease of genes involved in cell death such as PTEN and BCL2. In addition, acquired genomic copy number alterations were observed that were often reflected by altered mRNA expression levels for genes in the same regions.     

Correction to: Linear relation between leaf xylem water potential and transpiration in pearl millet during soil drying

Plant and Soil - In the original version of this article, equations 4 and 9 unfortunately contained errors     

Discriminant analysis as a tool to identify catfish (Ariidae) species of the excavated archaeological otoliths

Catfish otoliths excavated from two archaeological sites in Kuwait, Sabiyah (ca. 7000 Years Before Present) and Al-Khidr, ca. 4000 YBP, were compared with those of Kuwait’s modern catfish. Otoliths from Kuwait’s four species of catfish, Netuma bilineata, N. thalassina, Plicofollis dussumieri, and P. tenuispinis were collected after recording total length and weight. Data recorded for both ancient and modern otoliths, including annual ring (age), weight, length and four otolith radii from transverse sections, were subject to discriminant analysis to differentiate among species and develop classification functions for otoliths. Comparisons of the results from the ancient and modern otoliths showed that most of the excavated otoliths (78% from Sabiyah and 100% from Al-Khidr) belong to the two presently dominate species N. bilineata and P. tenuispinis, indicating that ichthyofauna of Kuwait Bay may not have changed much in the past 7000 years.     

Hyponatraemia Syndrome in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Hyponatraemia was observed in 11 out of 14 consecutive patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and its variants. Metabolic studies on these patients revealed an early increase in the urinary sodium excretion, negative free water clearance, and urine osmolality inappropriately higher than that of the serum. It is postulated that this syndrome is caused by a substance released from the primitive cells of the abnormal myeloid series.     

Accumbens lesion in female rats increases mount rejection without modifying lordosis

Ovariectomized Wistar rats received bilateral electrolytic (n = 24) or sham (n = 11) lesion of the nucleus accumbens. Following priming with estradiol benzoate (25 micrograms/rat) and progesterone (0.5 mg/rat) they were tested for sexual behavior with a stud male. Tests were carried out once prior to operation and twice postoperatively. Both lordosis and rejection behaviors as responses to male mount attempts were evaluated for each session. Proceptive patterns (hopping, darting and presenting) were also recorded. Females with accumbens lesion did not differ from control animals either with regard to lordosis or to soliciting behaviors. On the contrary, the lesioned group showed a statistically significant increase in rejection behavior in both postoperative sessions (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.002). In conclusion, nucleus accumbens lesion dissociated the normal correlation between lordosis and rejection responses to male mount attempts without affecting soliciting behaviors. This finding is thought to be related to the hyperreactivity produced by nucleus accumbens lesion.     

Significance of structural chromosome aberrations in human sperm: analysis of induced aberrations

Summary A significant increase in the incidence of structural chromosome anomalies has been observed in the sperm of patients treated with radio and/or chemotherapy for different types of cancer when analyzed by the interspecific fertilization of hamster eggs. The analysis of these aberrations shows that while in controls only 9.4% of structural abnormalities are of the stable type, in treated patients this figure increases to 39.3%, thus indicating that the anomalies have not been produced during the fertilization of the hamster egg. However, it is possible that part, or even most, of the breaks appear as a result of a reduced repair capacity of sperm chromosomes in the cytoplasm of the hamster egg.