Uptake, Translocation, and Consequences of Nanomaterials on Plant Growth and Stress Adaptation

Nanotechnology has shown promising potential tools and strategies at the nanometer scale to improve food production and meet the future demands of agricultural and food security. However, considering nanotechnology’s potential benefits to date, their applicability has not yet reached up to field conditions. Increasing concerns regarding absorption, translocation, bioavailability, toxicity of nanoparticles, and impropriety of the regulatory framework restrict the complete acceptance and inclination of the agricultural sector to implement nanotechnologies. The biological function of nanoparticles depends on their physicochemical properties, the method of application, and concentration. The effects of the various types of nanoparticles (NPs) on plants were determined to increase seed germination and biomass or grain yield. The NPs also increased the plant’s resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The plant’s biological functions depend on the events that occur at the molecular level. However, little progress has been made at the molecular level influenced by nanoparticles, which is an important step in evaluating potential mechanisms and plants’ effects. Therefore, it is important to understand plants’ underlying mechanism and response towards nanoparticles, and the gene expression changes through molecular approaches. The associations of nanomaterials with plant cells, the process of internalization, and the distribution of biomolecules using nanoparticles as a carrier are studied but not well understood. The transmission of biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, is a major obstacle due to cell walls, limiting the application of nanomaterials in crop enhancement mediated by genetic engineering. Recently, the use of different nanomaterials for nucleic acid delivery in plant cells has been published. Here, we aim to update researchers on the absorption and translocation of nanoparticles and elaborate on the importance of nanoparticles in agriculture and crop stress tolerance.

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Antipsychotic-induced supersensitivity – A reappraisal

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/00048674211025694 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000486742110256

Author(s):

William Lugg

Keyword(s):

Tardive Dyskinesia ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Antipsychotic Treatment ◽

Physiological Changes ◽

Antipsychotic Therapy ◽

Neurotransmitter Systems ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Treatment Refractory ◽

Brain Pathways

Objectives: Tardive dyskinesia, psychotic relapse and treatment-refractory psychosis have long been associated. A common underlying mechanism involving antipsychotic-induced ‘supersensitivity’, albeit in different brain pathways, was proposed as early as 1978. This piece seeks to reappraise the concept and potential implications of antipsychotic-induced supersensitivity. Conclusions: Evidence increasingly suggests that chronic antipsychotic exposure induces neuroadaptive physiological changes in dopaminergic, and other, neurotransmitter systems that may render some individuals more vulnerable to psychotic relapse - including those receiving continuous antipsychotic treatment. It is possible that in treating every episode of psychosis with prolonged or indefinite antipsychotic therapy, we paradoxically increase the risk of psychotic relapse in a significant proportion of people. A greater appreciation of supersensitivity may allow us to optimise any potential benefits of antipsychotics while minimising the risk of inadvertent iatrogenic harms. More research is needed to improve our understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of supersensitivity and to better identify which individuals are most vulnerable to its development. It is time we paid more attention to the concept, emerging evidence and potential implications of antipsychotic-induced supersensitivity and, where appropriate, adjusted our practice accordingly.

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Link between Lipid Second Messengers and Osmotic Stress in Plants

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22052658 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 2658

Author(s):

Beatriz A. Rodas-Junco ◽

Graciela E. Racagni-Di-Palma ◽

Michel Canul-Chan ◽

Javier Usorach ◽

S. M. Teresa Hernández-Sotomayor

Keyword(s):

Osmotic Stress ◽

Protein Conformation ◽

Membrane Lipids ◽

Second Messengers ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Plant Cells ◽

Transient Molecules ◽

Molecular Approaches ◽

Extracellular Signal ◽

Different Types

Plants are subject to different types of stress, which consequently affect their growth and development. They have developed mechanisms for recognizing and processing an extracellular signal. Second messengers are transient molecules that modulate the physiological responses in plant cells under stress conditions. In this sense, it has been shown in various plant models that membrane lipids are substrates for the generation of second lipid messengers such as phosphoinositide, phosphatidic acid, sphingolipids, and lysophospholipids. In recent years, research on lipid second messengers has been moving toward using genetic and molecular approaches to reveal the molecular setting in which these molecules act in response to osmotic stress. In this sense, these studies have established that second messengers can transiently recruit target proteins to the membrane and, therefore, affect protein conformation, activity, and gene expression. This review summarizes recent advances in responses related to the link between lipid second messengers and osmotic stress in plant cells.

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Investment in the agricultural sector as a way to solve food security problems in developing countries: the example of investment activity of the US agribusiness

Social'naja politika i social'noe partnerstvo (Social Policy and Social Partnership) ◽

10.33920/pol-01-2106-04 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Stepanovna Ustinovich ◽

Tatyana Petrovna Boldyreva

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

International Investment ◽

Investment Activity ◽

Agricultural Investment ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Us ◽

The World ◽

Potential Benefits

It is clear to everyone that investment in the agricultural sector in developing countries is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty and hunger in the world. Agricultural investment can generate a wide range of development opportunities. However, these benefi ts cannot be expected to arise automatically. Some forms of large-scale investment pose significant risks to investor states. It should be noted, however, that, despite discussions about the potential benefits and risks of international investment, there is still no evidence of negative actual consequences for the countries receiving investments. This article examines the issues of investment activity in relation to developing countries using the example of US agribusiness entities.

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The Rise and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198870944.003.0003 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 28-49

Author(s):

Ivan Khoo Yi ◽

Andrew Fang Hao Sen

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Financial Institutions ◽

Molecular Level ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Pharmaceutical Companies ◽

Healthcare Industry ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Legal Professional ◽

Medical Domain

The overall purpose of this chapter will be to broadly explore both the existing and possible implementations of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. The scope of this chapter will be explored from the unique perspectives of various stakeholders in the healthcare industry, namely the healthcare providers, patients, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare financial institutions, and policymakers. The chapter will seek to identify the potential benefits and pitfalls that faced by these stakeholders in implementing the use of AI, from the molecular level to a macroeconomics level; as well as seeking to understand the legal, professional, and ethical boundaries of the medical domain that are challenged as AI increasingly becomes irreversibly intertwined with the practice of medicine.

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Farmer-developed vegetable intercropping systems in southern Hebei, China

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170510000293 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 272-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Til Feike ◽

Qing Chen ◽

Simone Graeff-Hönninger ◽

Judit Pfenning ◽

Wilhelm Claupein

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Production Systems ◽

Great Part ◽

Qualitative Inquiry ◽

Hebei Province ◽

Research Approach ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Integrative Research ◽

Long Run ◽

Future Demands

AbstractThe expansion of intensive vegetable production systems exacerbates ongoing resource degradation in China's Hebei province. There is an urgent need to develop and disseminate more sustainable vegetable production systems. Intercropping, the simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops on the same field, is widely practiced in the region. Intercropping can use environmental resources more efficiently and is therefore considered to generate high and stable yields with lower inputs. Until now, scientific literature on vegetable intercropping in China is non-existent. To identify prevailing vegetable intercropping systems, a qualitative inquiry was conducted in southern Hebei province. Researchers, extensionists and farmers were interviewed on the occurrence, methods, potentials and constraints of vegetable intercropping. Furthermore, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to examine the farmers' underlying motives and concepts and to determine the origin and distribution of the systems. The investigations revealed a huge variety of sophisticated systems being practiced in southern Hebei. Apart from pure vegetable intercropping systems such as spinach–garlic, especially maize–vegetable and cotton–vegetable systems are widespread. The systems are developed by the farmers themselves and disseminated by the state extension service. Apart from the benefits of plant health, the optimal use of limited land resources is the main reason for farmers to exercise intercropping. However, with the ongoing mechanization and labor force reduction in the agricultural sector, a great part of the intercropping systems, which demand a high input of manual labor, are prone to extinction in the long run. Recent research in China focused purely on agronomic advantages of intercropping, neglecting the linkages between the socio-economic developments and farmers' decisions in the field. To overcome this dilemma and to maintain the traditional and sustainable intercropping systems, we conclude that only an integrative research approach that involves various stakeholders from the beginning is able to adjust the intercropping systems to future demands.

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Actin–binding proteins in the Arabidopsis genome database: properties of functionally distinct plant actin–depolymerizing factors/cofilins

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2002.1086 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 357 (1422) ◽

pp. 791-798 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Patrick J. Hussey ◽

Ellen G. Allwood ◽

Andrei P. Smertenko

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Cytoplasmic Streaming ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Plant Cells ◽

Actin Binding ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Actin Binding Proteins ◽

Genome Database ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Stimulus Responsive

The plant actin cytoskeleton is a highly dynamic, fibrous structure essential in many cellular processes including cell division and cytoplasmic streaming. This structure is stimulus responsive, being affected by internal stimuli, by biotic and abiotic stresses mediated in signal transduction pathways by actin–binding proteins. The completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence has allowed a comparative identification of many actin–binding proteins. However, not all are conserved in plants, which possibly reflects the differences in the processes involved in morphogenesis between plant and other cells. Here we have searched for the Arabidopsis equivalents of 67 animal/fungal actin–binding proteins and show that 36 are not conserved in plants. One protein that is conserved across phylogeny is actin–depolymerizing factor or cofilin and we describe our work on the activity of vegetative tissue and pollen–specific isoforms of this protein in plant cells, concluding that they are functionally distinct.

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Characterization of genetic diversity on tropical Trichoderma germplasm by sequencing of rRNA internal transcribed spacers

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-019-4694-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yara Barros Feitosa ◽

Valter Cruz-Magalhães ◽

Ronaldo Costa Argolo-Filho ◽

Jorge Teodoro de Souza ◽

Leandro Lopes Loguercio

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Molecular Level ◽

Its Region ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacers ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Physiological Data ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Beneficial Effects

Abstract Objective Trichoderma species are found in soil and in association with plants. They can act directly or indirectly in the biological control of plant diseases and in the promotion of plant growth, being among the most used fungi in the formulation of bioproducts applied to agricultural systems. The main objective of this study was to characterize at a first-tier level a collection of 67 Trichoderma isolates from various tropical sources, based solely on sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA genes. Our goal was to provide a preliminary idea of the baseline diversity in this collection, to combine this information later with an array of other isolate-specific physiological data. This study provides a required knowledge at molecular level for assessment of this germplasm potential as a source of biotechnological products for beneficial effects in plants. Results Sequencing of the ITS region showed that the 67 Trichoderma isolates belonged in 11 species: T. asperellum, T. atroviride, T. brevicompactum, T. harzianum, T. koningiopsis, T. longibrachiatum, T. pleuroticola, T. reesei, T. spirale, T. stromaticum and T. virens. A total of 40.3% of the isolates were very closely related to each other and similar to T. harzianum. The baseline genetic diversity found indicates that the collection has different genotypes, which can be exploited further as a source of bioproducts, aiming at providing beneficial effects to plants of interest to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses.

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Radioprotective Potential of Nutraceuticals and their Underlying Mechanism of Action

Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1871520621666210223101246 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

Author(s):

Shabnoor Iqbal ◽

Muhammad A. Shah ◽

Azhar Rasul ◽

Malik Saadullah ◽

Sobia Tabassum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanism Of Action ◽

Molecular Level ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Efficient Treatment ◽

Current Review ◽

Genes Expression ◽

Radiation Induced ◽

Effects Of Radiation ◽

Ionizing Radiations ◽

Anti Inflammation

: Radiations are an efficient treatment modality in cancer therapy. Besides the treatment effects of radiations, the ionizing radiations interact with biological systems and generate reactive oxygen species that interfere with the normal cellular process. Previous investigations of synthetic radioprotectors have shown less effectiveness, mainly owing to some limiting effects. The nutraceuticals act as efficient radioprotectors to protect the tissues from the deleterious effects of radiation. The main radioprotection mechanism of nutraceuticals is the scavenging of free radicals while other strategies are involved modulation of signaling transduction of pathways like MAPK (JNK, ERK1/2, ERK5, and P38), NF-kB, cytokines, and their protein regulatory genes expression. The current review is focused on the radioprotective effects of nutraceuticals including vitamin E, -C, organosulphur compounds, phenylpropanoids, and polysaccharides. These natural entities protect against radiation-induced DNA damage. The review mainly entails the antioxidant perspective and mechanism of action of their radioprotective activities on a molecular level, DNA repair pathway, anti-inflammation, immunomodulatory effects, the effect on cellular signaling pathways, and regeneration of hematopoietic cells.

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Molecular and cellular aspects of Dutch elm disease

Phytoprotection ◽

10.7202/705997ar ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

M.B. Sticklen ◽

M.G. Bolyard ◽

R.K. Hajela ◽

L.C. Dufresne

Keyword(s):

Bark Beetles ◽

Defense Mechanism ◽

Molecular Level ◽

Dutch Elm Disease ◽

Host Responses ◽

Control Mechanisms ◽

Cellular Interactions ◽

Molecular Approaches ◽

Biochemical Level ◽

Elm Bark Beetles

The folio wing review gives an overview of current research in the area of molecular and cellular interactions in Dutch elm disease. This vascular wilt disease is caused by the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi and is transmitted from diseased to healthy trees by the elm bark beetles. Fungal toxins are described which are associated with pathogenesis, one of which, ceratoulmin, is under investigation at the molecular level, particularly regarding its mode of action and localization. The fungus has also been examined at the molecular level to differentiate between aggressive and non-aggressive isolates on the basis of protein and nucleic acid profiles. Genetic linkage maps are being developed to correlate disruption of certain genes with the loss of pathogenicity. Viral and bacterial antagonists of the fungus, which may serve as biological control mechanisms for Dutch elm disease, have been characterized, as have several of the active molecules responsible for control. Host responses are also discussed at the molecular and biochemical level, including phytoalexins and defense mechanism elicitors. Several Unes of investigation are discussed to provide an overview of molecular approaches to understanding and manipulating the organisms involved with the ultimate goal of controlling Dutch elm disease.

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