The influence of the environment (natural and experimental) on the composition of the exine of allergenic pollen with respect to the deposition of pollutant mineral particles

Pollen material of the two anemophilous plants of known allergic significance Dactylis glomerata (Poaceae) and Betula verrucosa (Betulaceae) was collected at several places (in Sweden and France) and exposed to natural or experimental conditions. This material was analyzed with Electron Probe X Microanalysis (EPMA) (System ORTEC 5000) attached to a Scanning Electron Microscope (Jeol JMS 35), or with EDAX, a 10000 X-Ray Analyser, Link System, connected to a SEM-microscope (Jeol JSM 820).

It is clear that the environment has an effect on such a co-inductor or adjuvant of allergenicity as K. The possible presence of pollutant inorganic (mineral) particles on the pollen grain surface may play a role in the allergenic activity. Pollen, consequently, may be used as sensitive biological indicators of atmospheric pollution.     

Telomere dynamics may link stress exposure and ageing across generations

Although exposure to stressors is known to increase disease susceptibility and accelerate ageing, evidence is accumulating that these effects can span more than one generation. Stressors experienced by parents have been reported to negatively influence the longevity of their offspring and even grand offspring. The mechanisms underlying these long-term, cross-generational effects are still poorly understood, but we argue here that telomere dynamics are likely to play an important role. In this review, we begin by surveying the current connections between stress and telomere dynamics. We then lay out the evidence that exposure to stressors in the parental generation influences telomere dynamics in offspring and potentially subsequent generations. We focus on evidence in mammalian and avian studies and highlight several promising areas where our understanding is incomplete and future investigations are critically needed. Understanding the mechanisms that link stress exposure across generations requires interdisciplinary studies and is essential to both the biomedical community seeking to understand how early adversity impacts health span and evolutionary ecologists interested in how changing environmental conditions are likely to influence age-structured population dynamics.