Heritability Estimates of L*a*b* Color Space Values in Winter Squash (Cucurbita spp.)

Carotenoids serve as protective antioxidants, and function in normal vision, bone growth, cell division and differentiation, and reproduction. Winter squash (Cucurbita spp.) is an excellent dietary source of carotenoids. The range of colors from yellow to red in Cucurbita species indicates that increasing carotenoid levels through plant breeding is possible. The objective of this research was to determine the heritability of flesh color in winter squash in both Cucurbita moschata Duchesne and Cucurbita pepo L. Segregating families representing F2, BC1P1 and BC1P2 populations were created in two families of C. pepo (‘Table Gold Acorn’ × PI 314806 and ‘Table King Bush’ × PI 314806) and one family of C. moschata (‘Butterbush’ × ‘Sucrine DuBerry’). Broad-sense heritabilities were calculated for the F2, BC1P1, and BC1P2 populations within each of the three families. Heritabilities ranged from 0.19 to 0.82 for L*, 0.28 to 0.97 for chroma, and 0.12 to 0.87 for hue across all families. Transgressive segregation for color space values L* was identified in the ‘Table King Bush’ × PI 314806 C. pepo population. Our results indicate that it is possible to breed for improved flesh color in Cucurbita, but the population size and number of test locations for evaluation need to be increased to provide better heritability estimates. Cucurbita species are grown throughout the world and their availability and low price makes them an important potential source of carotenoids for human nutrition and health for all ages.

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Distraction Osteogenesis in the Treatment of Craniofacial Anomalies: Applications and Outcomes

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-20-00055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 1469-1481 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph A. Napoli ◽

Carrie E. Zimmerman ◽

Linda D. Vallino

Keyword(s):

Distraction Osteogenesis ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Upper Airway ◽

Craniofacial Anomalies ◽

Craniofacial Skeleton ◽

Facial Skeleton ◽

Psychosocial Impairment ◽

And Function ◽

Correct Structure

Purpose Craniofacial anomalies (CFA) often result in growth abnormalities of the facial skeleton adversely affecting function and appearance. The functional problems caused by the structural anomalies include upper airway obstruction, speech abnormalities, feeding difficulty, hearing deficits, dental/occlusal defects, and cognitive and psychosocial impairment. Managing disorders of the craniofacial skeleton has been improved by the technique known as distraction osteogenesis (DO). In DO, new bone growth is stimulated allowing bones to be lengthened without need for bone graft. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to describe the technique and clinical applications and outcomes of DO in CFA. Conclusion Distraction can be applied to various regions of the craniofacial skeleton to correct structure and function. The benefits of this procedure include improved airway, feeding, occlusion, speech, and appearance, resulting in a better quality of life for patients with CFA.

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Long Term Cyclic Pamidronate Reduces Bone Growth by Inhibiting Osteoclast Mediated Cartilage-to-Bone Turnover in the Mouse

The Open Orthopaedics Journal ◽

10.2174/1874325000802010121 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 121-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K.D Evans ◽

L.E Sheppard ◽

D.I Grossman ◽

S.H Rao ◽

R.B Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Turnover ◽

Growth Plate ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Cathepsin K ◽

Chondrocyte Apoptosis ◽

Cell Numbers ◽

Hypertrophic Chondrocyte ◽

Osteoclast Function ◽

And Function

Bisphosphonates, used to treat diseases exhibiting increased osteoclast activity, reduce longitudinal bone growth through an as yet undefined mechanism. Pamidronate, an aminobisphosphonate, was given weekly to mice at 0, 1.25, or 2.50 mg/kg/wk beginning at 4 weeks of age. At 12 weeks of age, humeral length, growth plate area, regional chondrocyte cell numbers, chondrocyte apoptosis, TRAP stained osteoclast number, and osteoclast function assessed by cathepsin K immunohistochemistry were quantified. Humeral length was decreased in pamidronate treated mice compared to vehicle control mice, and correlated with greater growth plate areas reflecting greater proliferative and hypertrophic chondrocyte cell numbers with fewer hypertrophic cells undergoing apoptosis. Pamidronate treatment increased TRAP stained osteoclast numbers yet decreased cathepsin K indicating that pamidronate repressed osteoclast maturation and function. The data suggest that long term cyclic pamidronate treatment impairs bone growth by inhibition of osteoclast maturation thereby reducing cartilage-to-bone turnover within the growth plate.

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New gene discoveries in skeletal diseases with short stature

Endocrine Connections ◽

10.1530/ec-21-0083 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alice Costantini ◽

Mari H Muurinen ◽

Outi Mäkitie

Keyword(s):

Short Stature ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Massively Parallel Sequencing ◽

Matrix Composition ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Novel Gene ◽

Genetic Mechanisms ◽

New Gene ◽

And Function

In the last decade, the widespread use of massively-parallel sequencing has considerably boosted the number of novel gene discoveries in monogenic skeletal diseases with short stature. Defects in genes playing a role in the maintenance and function of the growth plate, the site of longitudinal bone growth, are a well-known cause of skeletal diseases with short stature. However, several genes involved in extracellular matrix composition or maintenance as well as genes partaking in various biological processes have also been characterized. This review aims to describe the latest genetic findings in spondyloepiphyseal and spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasias and in some monogenic forms of isolated short stature. Strategies on how to successfully characterize novel skeletal phenotypes with short stature and genetic approaches to detect and validate novel gene-disease correlations will be discussed in detail. Finally, novel genetic mechanisms in the field of skeletal diseases, including variants affecting miRNAs and disrupting the chromatin structure, will be described. In summary, we discuss the latest gene discoveries underlying skeletal diseases with short stature and emphasize the importance of characterizing novel molecular mechanisms for genetic counseling, optimal management of the disease and for therapeutic innovations.

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Growth and Yields of Bell Pepper and Winter Squash Grown with Organic and Living Mulches

Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science ◽

10.21273/jashs.119.6.1193 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 119 (6) ◽

pp. 1193-1199 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Nancy E. Roe ◽

Peter J. Stoffella ◽

Herbert H. Bryan

Keyword(s):

Cucurbita Pepo ◽

Phytophthora Capsici ◽

Bell Pepper ◽

Pepper Plant ◽

Arachis Glabrata ◽

Organic Mulch ◽

Small Seed ◽

Raised Bed ◽

Plant Stand ◽

Winter Squash

Increasing disposal problems with polyethylene (PL) mulch and greater availability of compost prompted an investigation into the effects of using compost as a mulch on horizontal raised bed surfaces with living mulches (LMs) on vertical surfaces. Wood chips (WC), sewage sludge-yard trimming (SY) compost, and municipal solid waste (MW) compost were applied at 224 t·ha-1 on bed surfaces. Sod strips of `Jade' (JD) or `Floratam' (FT) St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum Kuntze) or perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) (PP) or seeds of a small, seed-propagated forage peanut (Arachis sp.) (SP) were established on the vertical sides of the raised beds before transplanting bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) into the beds. Phytophthora capsici reduced pepper plant stand in PL-mulched plots compared with organic mulch (OM) and LM. Despite the stand reduction, total pepper yields were highest in PL plots and, in the OM plots, decreased in the order SY > MW > WC. Early fruit yields and yield per plant were highest from plants in PL plots followed by SY. Among LMs, plants in SP plots produced highest early yields and FT produced the lowest. Plants in PL plots produced the largest fruit. When the same plots were seeded with winter (butternut) squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), plant stands were higher in MW than WC and SY. Squash yields were similar between PL and OM plots.

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Evaluation of Winter Squash and Pumpkin Cultivars for Age-related Resistance to Phytophthora capsici Fruit Rot

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci11173-16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (10) ◽

pp. 1251-1255 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Charles S. Krasnow ◽

Mary K. Hausbeck

Keyword(s):

Cucurbita Pepo ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Phytophthora Capsici ◽

Genetic Resistance ◽

Fruit Rot ◽

Infested Soil ◽

Cucurbita Moschata ◽

Cucurbita Maxima ◽

Age Related ◽

Winter Squash

Phytophthora capsici annually threatens production of cucurbit and solanaceous crops. Long-lived oospores produced by the pathogen incite primary infection of susceptible plants when conditions are wet. Limiting the rot of winter squash and pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.) fruits is difficult due to the long maturation period when fruits are often in direct contact with infested soil. Genetic resistance to fruit rot is not widely available within Cucurbita sp.; however, age-related resistance (ARR) to P. capsici fruit rot develops in specific cultivars during maturation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the fruits of 12 cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata, and Cucurbita maxima for ARR to P. capsici using a mycelial-plug inoculation method. All Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata cultivars displayed ARR; 7 days postpollination (dpp) fruits were susceptible, limited lesion development occurred on fruits 22 dpp, and lesions did not develop at 56 dpp. Disease developed on both Cucurbita maxima cultivars tested at 7, 14, 22, and 56 dpp. Firmness of fruit exocarps was measured with a manual penetrometer. Exocarp firmness of all cultivars increased during maturation; however, there was no correlation between firmness and disease incidence among cultivars at 22 dpp (R2 = −0.01, P = 0.85). When fruits of cultivars expressing ARR at 22 dpp were wounded before inoculation, fruit rot developed.

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Molecular Mechanisms of Thyroid Hormone Effects on Bone Growth and Function

Molecular Genetics and Metabolism ◽

10.1006/mgme.2001.3268 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 17-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 79

Author(s):

Clare B. Harvey ◽

Patrick J. O'Shea ◽

Anthea J. Scott ◽

Helen Robson ◽

Thomas Siebler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Hormone ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Hormone Effects ◽

And Function

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Alpha 2A and Alpha 2C Adrenergic Receptors are involved in the regulation of Bone Growth, Structure and Function

The FASEB Journal ◽

10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.339.6 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 26 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Cecilia H Gouveia ◽

Gisele M Martins ◽

Marilia B Teixeira ◽

Cristiane C Costa ◽

Patricia C Brum

Keyword(s):

Adrenergic Receptors ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Growth Structure ◽

And Function

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Circulating IGF1 regulates hippocampal IGF1 levels and brain gene expression during adolescence

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1530/joe-11-0200 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 211 (1) ◽

pp. 27-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Han Yan ◽

Matthew Mitschelen ◽

Georgina V Bixler ◽

Robert M Brucklacher ◽

Julie A Farley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Bone Growth ◽

Somatic Growth ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Gh Treatment ◽

Brain Gene Expression ◽

Gh Replacement ◽

Final Adult Height ◽

And Function ◽

The Brain

GH and its anabolic mediator, IGF1, are important not only in somatic growth but also in the regulation of brain function. Even though GH treatment has been used clinically to improve body composition and exercise capacity in adults, its influence on central nervous system function has only recently been recognized. This is also the case for children with childhood-onset GH deficiency (GHD) where GH has been used to stimulate bone growth and enhance final adult height. Circulating IGF1 is transported across the blood–brain barrier and IGF1 and its receptors are also synthesized in the brain by neurons and glial and endothelial cells. Nevertheless, the relationship between circulating IGF1 and brain IGF1 remains unclear. This study, using a GH-deficient dwarf rat model and peripheral GH replacement, investigated the effects of circulating IGF1 during adolescence on IGF1 levels in the brain. Our results demonstrated that hippocampal IGF1 protein concentrations during adolescence are highly regulated by circulating IGF1, which were reduced by GHD and restored by systematic GH replacement. Importantly, IGF1 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid were decreased by GHD but not restored by GH replacement. Furthermore, analysis of gene expression using microarrays and RT-PCR indicated that circulating IGF1 levels did not modify the transcription ofIgf1or its receptor in the hippocampus but did regulate genes that are involved in microvascular structure and function, brain development, and synaptic plasticity, which potentially support brain structures involved in cognitive function during this important developmental period.

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