The effect of Cr (VI) on different inbred lines ofZea mays

Summary Four inbred lines ofZea mays (33.16, B 68, N 7B, B 77) were grown in nutrient solution to which K₂Cr₂O₇ was added to give final concentration of 5 mg/l Cr (VI). The most evident differences in metal tolerance were observed between the B 68 and 33.16 line: in fact, even though the level of Cr (VI) was almost the same in the root tissues of both lines after 6 d of treatment, in the B 68 line, Cr induced marked alterations of nuclear structure and a progressive arrest of the cell cycle in G 1. In the 33.16 line, on the contrary, the integrity of the nuclei was well preserved and the progression of the cell cycle was only barely affected.Abbreviations Cr (VI) hexavalent chromium - CRBC chick red blood cells - DAPI 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole - FCM Flow cytometry - FM Fluorescence microscopy - TEM Transmission electron microscopy - Tris 10 mM Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane     

Rock phosphate solubilization with gluconic acid produced by immobilized Penicillium variabile P16

Summary Penicillium variabile P16 immobilized on polyurethane sponge produced gluconic acid in presence of rock phosphate, the latter being simultaneously solubilized during five repeated batches. A total production of 42, 60, and 90 g gluconic acid/l was obtained for 3, 7, and 14 g rock phosphate/l, respectively. Accordingly, soluble phosphorus concentration increased with gluconic acid production, reaching a maximum of 350 mg/l at the 3d batch in medium supplemented with 14 g rock phosphate/l.     

Vibrio communities along a salinity gradient within a marine saltern hypersaline environment (Saline di Tarquinia,Italy)

Vibrio species are ubiquitous in a number of different aquatic environments and promptly adapting to environmental changes due to high genome plasticity. The presence of these bacteria in marine salterns, in relation to a salinity gradient has been not investigated yet. Moreover, it is not clear if these hypersaline environments could represent a reservoir for Vibrio spp. This work investigated, through a metagenetic approach, the distribution of Vibrio (over 2 years) in different ponds along the salinity gradient within the ‘Saline di Tarquinia’ salterns, considering also the adjacent coastal waters and an isolated brine storage basin (BSB). Vibrio occurrence was higher in the sea than in the ponds and BSB, where it usually represented a rare taxon (abundance <1%). In the sea, it showed abundances in-between 1%–2.6% in 8 months out of 24. Four OTUs were assigned to the Vibrio genus; except for one that was more abundant in BSB, the others were much higher in the sea. Redundancy analysis (RDA) suggested a different distribution of the OTUs in relation to water temperature and salinity. Vibrio was found, even with low abundances, at the highest salinities also, suggesting the salterns as a possible reservoir for the bacterium.     

The role of miRNA-221 and miRNA-126 in patients with benign metastasizing leiomyoma of the lung: an overview with new interesting scenarios

Molecular Biology Reports - Benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare disease characterized by extrauterine benign leiomyomatosis in patients with a previous or concomitant history of uterine...     

Kinematic and electromyographic analysis of the Nordic Hamstring Exercise

The Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) has been introduced as a training tool to improve the efficiency of eccentric hamstring muscle contraction. The aim of this study was to perform a biomechanical analysis of the NHE. Eighteen participants (20.4 ± 1.9 years) performed two sets of five repetitions each of the NHE and maximal eccentric voluntary contraction (MEVC) of the knee flexors on an isokinetic dynamometer whilst knee angular displacement and electrical activity (EMG) of biceps femoris were measured. EMG was on average higher during the NHE (134.3% of the MEVC). During the forward fall of the NHE, the angle at which a sharp increase in downward velocity occurred varied between 47.9 and 80.5 deg, while the peak knee angular velocity (pVelocity) varied between 47.7 and 132.8 deg s^?1. A significant negative correlation was found between pVelocity and peak EMG (r = ?0.62, p < 0.01) and EMG at 45 deg (r = ?0.75, p < 0.01) expressed as a percentage of peak MEVC EMG. Some of the variables analyzed exhibited good to excellent levels of intra- and inter-session reliability. This type of analysis could be used to indirectly monitor the level of eccentric strength of the hamstring muscles while performing the NHE and potentially any training- or injury-related changes.     

The WD40-Repeat Proteins NFC101 and NFC102 Regulate Different Aspects of Maize Development through Chromatin Modification

The maize (Zea mays) nucleosome remodeling factor complex component101 (nfc101) and nfc102 are putative paralogs encoding WD-repeat proteins with homology to plant and mammalian components of various chromatin modifying complexes. In this study, we generated transgenic lines with simultaneous nfc101 and nfc102 downregulation and analyzed phenotypic alterations, along with effects on RNA levels, the binding of NFC101/NFC102, and Rpd3-type histone deacetylases (HDACs), and histone modifications at selected targets. Direct NFC101/NFC102 binding and negative correlation with mRNA levels were observed for indeterminate1 (id1) and the florigen Zea mays CENTRORADIALIS8 (ZCN8), key activators of the floral transition. In addition, the abolition of NFC101/NFC102 association with repetitive sequences of different transposable elements (TEs) resulted in tissue-specific upregulation of nonpolyadenylated RNAs produced by these regions. All direct nfc101/nfc102 targets showed histone modification patterns linked to active chromatin in nfc101/nfc102 downregulation lines. However, different mechanisms may be involved because NFC101/NFC102 proteins mediate HDAC recruitment at id1 and TE repeats but not at ZCN8. These results, along with the pleiotropic effects observed in nfc101/nfc102 downregulation lines, suggest that NFC101 and NFC102 are components of distinct chromatin modifying complexes, which operate in different pathways and influence diverse aspects of maize development.