scholarly journals Mitochondrial Mass Assessment in a Selected Cell Line under Different Metabolic Conditions

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Costanzini ◽  
Gianluca Sgarbi ◽  
Alessandra Maresca ◽  
Valentina Del Dotto ◽  
Giancarlo Solaini ◽  
...  

Changes of quantity and/or morphology of cell mitochondria are often associated with metabolic modulation, pathology, and apoptosis. Exogenous fluorescent probes used to investigate changes in mitochondrial content and dynamics are strongly dependent, for their internalization, on the mitochondrial membrane potential and composition, thus limiting the reliability of measurements. To overcome this limitation, genetically encoded recombinant fluorescent proteins, targeted to different cellular districts, were used as reporters. Here, we explored the potential use of mitochondrially targeted red fluorescent probe (mtRFP) to quantify, by flow cytometry, mitochondrial mass changes in cells exposed to different experimental conditions. We first demonstrated that the mtRFP fluorescence intensity is stable during cell culture and it is related with the citrate synthase activity, an established marker of the mitochondrial mass. Incidentally, the expression of mtRFP inside mitochondria did not alter the oxygen consumption rate under both state 3 and 4 respiration conditions. In addition, using this method, we showed for the first time that different inducers of mitochondrial mass change, such as hypoxia exposure or resveratrol treatment of cells, could be consistently detected. We suggest that transfection and selection of stable clones expressing mtRFP is a reliable method to monitor mitochondrial mass changes, particularly when pathophysiological or experimental conditions change ΔΨm, as it occurs during mitochondrial uncoupling or hypoxia/anoxia conditions.

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Jiménez-López ◽  
María E. Eugenio ◽  
David Ibarra ◽  
Margarita Darder ◽  
Juan A. Martín ◽  
...  

The potential use of elm wood in lignocellulosic industries has been hindered by the Dutch elm disease (DED) pandemics, which have ravaged European and North American elm groves in the last century. However, the selection of DED-resistant cultivars paves the way for their use as feedstock in lignocellulosic biorefineries. Here, the production of cellulose nanofibers from the resistant Ulmus minor clone Ademuz was evaluated for the first time. Both mechanical (PFI refining) and chemical (TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical)-mediated oxidation) pretreatments were assessed prior to microfluidization, observing not only easier fibrillation but also better optical and barrier properties for elm nanopapers compared to eucalyptus ones (used as reference). Furthermore, mechanically pretreated samples showed higher strength for elm nanopapers. Although lower nanofibrillation yields were obtained by mechanical pretreatment, nanofibers showed higher thermal, mechanical and barrier properties, compared to TEMPO-oxidized nanofibers. Furthermore, lignin-containing elm nanofibers presented the most promising characteristics, with slightly lower transparencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
S. A. Karpukhin

The article considers the competition of verbal aspects from a new perspective. Instead of employing the traditional method of demonstrating this phenomenon — an empirical replacement of the aspect of a verb in a phrase with the opposite — the author examines Dostoevsky’s choice between the variants found in different manuscripts of the same text. For the first time, based on a two-component theory of the semantic invariant of a verb type, the aspectual meaning of the selection of a verb aspect is revealed and, as a result of contextual analysis, an artistic interpretation of the selected type is proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
E. A. Dolmatov ◽  
R. B. Borzayev ◽  
A. N. Shaipov

The results of the study of the duration of the juvenile period of indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes (Pyrus salicifolia Pall.) are given in connection with the acceleration of the breeding process and the use of selected forms in pear breeding for high precocity. The studies were carried out in 2016-2019 at OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” in accordance with the Agreement on creative cooperation with the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding. The work was carried out in accordance with generally accepted programs and methods. The objects of the study were one-year and two-year-old pear seedlings obtained from sowing seeds of selected dwarf and low-growing local Chechen forms of willow pear (P. salicifolia Pall.), laying fruit buds on annual growths and seedlings of Caucasian pear (P. caucasica Fed.), 20 500 pcs. of each specie. The aim of the research was to study the potential of precocity of willow pear seedlings and to reveal of selected forms with the greatest degree of this trait. Stratified seeds were sown in the sowing department of the OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” production nursery in April, 2017. The seedlings were grown according to the common technology in dryland conditions on the plot with chestnut soil. The first fl owering of plants was noted in the spring, 2019. As a result of the research, for the first time on a large number of the experimental material it was found that in the off spring of the indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes, the selection of a little more than 2% of seedlings with a very short juvenile period (2 years) was possible. They are of great interest in accelerating the breeding process and in the selection of new pear varieties with high precocity. 20 willow leaf pear genotypes were selected for the further use in breeding for high precocity and as sources of the trait of short juvenile period.


1998 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 100-105
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Norton ◽  
Mark H. Jones

The Open University is the UK's foremost distance teaching university. For over twenty five years we have been presenting courses to students spanning a wide range of degree level and vocational subjects. Since we have no pre-requisites for entry, a major component of our course profile is a selection of foundation courses comprising one each in the Arts, Social Science, Mathematics, Technology and Science faculties. The Science Faculty's foundation course is currently undergoing a substantial revision. The new course, entitled “S103: Discovering Science”, will be presented to students for the first time in 1998.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 2855
Author(s):  
Anna Janeczko ◽  
Jana Oklestkova ◽  
Danuše Tarkowská ◽  
Barbara Drygaś

Ecdysteroids (ECs) are steroid hormones originally found in the animal kingdom where they function as insect molting hormones. Interestingly, a relatively high number of these substances can also be formed in plant cells. Moreover, ECs have certain regulatory effects on plant physiology, but their role in plants still requires further study. One of the main aims of the present study was to verify a hypothesis that fenarimol, an inhibitor of the biosynthesis of ECs in the animal kingdom, also affects the content of endogenous ECs in plants using winter wheat Triticum aestivum L. as a model plant. The levels of endogenous ECs in winter wheat, including the estimation of their changes during a course of different temperature treatments, have been determined using a sensitive analytical method based on UHPLC-MS/MS. Under our experimental conditions, four substances of EC character were detected in the tissue of interest in amounts ranging from less than 1 to over 200 pg·g−1 FW: 20-hydroxyecdysone, polypodine B, turkesterone, and isovitexirone. Among them, turkesterone was observed to be the most abundant EC and accumulated mainly in the crowns and leaves of wheat. Importantly, the level of ECs was observed to be dependent on the age of the plants, as well as on growth conditions (especially temperature). Fenarimol, an inhibitor of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, was shown to significantly decrease the level of naturally occurring ECs in experimental plants, which may indicate its potential use in studies related to the biosynthesis and physiological function of these substances in plants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. Aranguren Caro ◽  
F. Alghamdi ◽  
K. De Belder ◽  
J. Lin ◽  
H. N. Mai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an enteric pathogen that affects Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon shrimp in many SE Asian countries. In the western hemisphere, EHP was reported for the first time in 2016 in farmed P. vannamei in Venezuela. Anecdotal evidence suggests that EHP is more prevalent in grow-out ponds where the salinity is high (> 15 parts per thousand (ppt)) compared to grow-out ponds with low salinities (< 5 ppt). Considering that P. vannamei is an euryhaline species, we were interested in knowing if EHP can propagate in P. vannamei in low salinities. Results In this study, we described an experimental infection using fecal strings as a source inoculum. Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) P. vannamei were maintained at three different salinities (2 ppt, 15 ppt, and 30 ppt) while continuously challenged using feces from known EHP-infected P. vannamei over a period of 3 weeks. The fecal strings, used as a source of EHP inocula in the challenges, was sufficient to elicit an infection in shrimp maintained at the three salinities. The infectivity of EHP in shrimp reared at 2 ppt, 15 ppt, and 30 ppt salinities was confirmed by PCR and histopathology. The prevalence and the severity of the EHP infection was higher at 30 ppt than at 2 ppt and 15 ppt. Conclusion The data suggests that fecal strings are a reliable source of EHP inoculum to conduct experimental challenges via the fecal-oral route. An EHP infection can occur at a salinity as low as 2 ppt, however, the prevalence and the severity of the EHP infection is higher at a salinity of 30 ppt.


2021 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umit Demirbas ◽  
Martin Kellert ◽  
Jelto Thesinga ◽  
Yi Hua ◽  
Simon Reuter ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present detailed experimental results with cryogenic Yb:YLF gain media in rod-geometry. We have comparatively investigated continuous-wave (cw) lasing and regenerative amplification performance under different experimental conditions. In the cw lasing experiments effect of crystal doping, cw laser cavity geometry and pump wavelength on lasing performance were explored. Regenerative amplification behavior was analyzed and the role of depolarization losses on performance was investigated. A recently developed temperature estimation method was also employed for the first time in estimating average crystal temperature under lasing conditions. It is shown that the thermal lens induced by transverse temperature gradients is the main limiting factor and strategies for future improvements are discussed. To the best of our knowledge, the achieved results in this study (375 W in cw, and 90 W in regenerative amplification) are the highest average powers ever obtained from this system via employing the broadband E//a axis.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 794
Author(s):  
Luca M. Scolari ◽  
Robert D. Hancock ◽  
Pete E. Hedley ◽  
Jenny Morris ◽  
Kay Smith ◽  
...  

‘Crumbly’ fruit is a developmental disorder in raspberry that results in malformed and unsaleable fruits. For the first time, we define two distinct crumbly phenotypes as part of this work. A consistent crumbly fruit phenotype affecting the majority of fruits every season, which we refer to as crumbly fruit disorder (CFD) and a second phenotype where symptoms vary across seasons as malformed fruit disorder (MFD). Here, segregation of crumbly fruit of the MFD phenotype was examined in a full-sib family and three QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) were identified on a high density GbS (Genotype by Sequencing) linkage map. This included a new QTL and more accurate location of two previously identified QTLs. A microarray experiment using normal and crumbly fruit at three different developmental stages identified several genes that were differentially expressed between the crumbly and non-crumbly phenotypes within the three QTL. Analysis of gene function highlighted the importance of processes that compromise ovule fertilization as triggers of crumbly fruit. These candidate genes provided insights regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in the genetic control of crumbly fruit in red raspberry. This study will contribute to new breeding strategies and diagnostics through the selection of molecular markers associated with the crumbly trait.


2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preetinder K. Dhanoa ◽  
Alison M. Sinclair ◽  
Robert T. Mullen ◽  
Jaideep Mathur

The discovery and development of multicoloured fluorescent proteins has led to the exciting possibility of observing a remarkable array of subcellular structures and dynamics in living cells. This minireview highlights a number of the more common fluorescent protein probes in plants and is a testimonial to the fact that the plant cell has not lagged behind during the live-imaging revolution and is ready for even more in-depth exploration.


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