scholarly journals The role of natural variation in dissecting genetic regulation of primary metabolism

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost J.B. Keurentjes ◽  
Ronan Sulpice
Keyword(s):  
Natural Variation ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Primary Metabolism

scholarly journals Evolution and expansion of the RUNX2 QA repeat corresponds with the emergence of vertebrate complexity

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel H. Newton ◽  
Andrew J. Pask
Keyword(s):  
Natural Variation ◽  
Skeletal Development ◽  
Skull Shape ◽  
Morphological Novelty ◽  
Transactivation Potential ◽  
Repeat Domain ◽  
Related Transcription Factor ◽  
Mammalian Skull ◽  
Evolutionary Tuning

AbstractRunt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is critical for the development of the vertebrate bony skeleton. Unlike other RUNX family members, RUNX2 possesses a variable poly-glutamine, poly-alanine (QA) repeat domain. Natural variation within this repeat is able to alter the transactivation potential of RUNX2, acting as an evolutionary ‘tuning knob’ suggested to influence mammalian skull shape. However, the broader role of the RUNX2 QA repeat throughout vertebrate evolution is unknown. In this perspective, we examine the role of the RUNX2 QA repeat during skeletal development and discuss how its emergence and expansion may have facilitated the evolution of morphological novelty in vertebrates.

scholarly journals Role of photosynthesis and analysis of key enzymes involved in primary metabolism throughout the lifespan of the tobacco flower

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (13) ◽  
pp. 3675-3688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Leticia Müller ◽  
María Fabiana Drincovich ◽  
Carlos Santiago Andreo ◽  
María Valeria Lara
Keyword(s):  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Key Enzymes

scholarly journals Iridescent structural colour production in male blue-black grassquit feather barbules: the role of keratin and melanin

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Maia ◽  
João Victor O Caetano ◽  
Sônia N Báo ◽  
Regina H Macedo
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Coherent Scattering ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Stray Light ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Keratin Layer

Iridescent coloration plays an important role in the visual communication system of many animal taxa. It is known that iridescent structural colours result from layers of materials with different refractive indexes, which in feathers usually are keratin, melanin and air. However, the role of these materials in the production of structural iridescent coloration is still poorly documented. Despite the great interspecific variation in the organization of such structures in bird plumage, melanin layers are usually considered too opaque, suggesting its main role is to delineate the outermost keratin layer and absorb incoherently scattered stray light. We combined spectrometry, electron microscopy and thin-film optical modelling to describe the UV-reflecting iridescent colour of feather barbules of male blue-black grassquits ( Volatinia jacarina ), characterized by a keratin layer overlying a single melanin layer. Our models indicate that both the keratin and the melanin layers are essential for production of the observed colour, influencing the coherent scattering of light. The melanin layer in some barbules may be thin enough to allow interaction with the underlying keratin; however, individuals usually have, on an average, the minimum number of granules that optimizes absorbance by this layer. Also, we show that altering optical properties of the materials resulted in better-fitting models relative to the empirically measured spectra. These results add to previous findings concerning the influence of melanin in single-layer iridescence, and stress the importance of considering natural variation when characterizing such photonic structures.

scholarly journals Reproductive Success of American Kestrels: The Role of Prey Abundance and Weather

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 814-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell D. Dawson ◽  
Gary R. Bortolotti
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Minimum Threshold ◽  
Provisioning Behavior ◽  
American Kestrels ◽  
Parental Provisioning

Abstract We investigated how natural variation in abundance and availability of the main prey of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), small mammals, influenced provisioning rates by parents, and offspring size and survival. Provisioning behavior of kestrels was not constrained by the abundance of food in the environment; however, the availability of food, mediated through variation in weather, appeared to significantly influence parental provisioning behavior. Moreover, variation in weather had clear effects on reproductive success because nestlings exposed to inclement weather were smaller and lighter at fledging, and less likely to survive to fledging, compared to nestlings raised during good weather conditions. Prey abundance was not related to offspring size or survival. Our results suggest American Kestrels are limited by the availability, as opposed to abundance, of food on territories. It is likely that during our study, prey abundance was above some minimum threshold necessary to support successful reproduction, and so variation in weather affected reproduction more than variation in prey abundance.

scholarly journals Melatonin and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Plant Cells

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1917
Author(s):  
Marino B. Arnao ◽  
Josefa Hernández-Ruiz ◽  
Antonio Cano ◽  
Russel J. Reiter
Keyword(s):  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Degradation Pathways ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stress ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Tolerance Response ◽  
Simple Carbohydrates ◽  
Living Organisms

Melatonin, a multifunctional molecule that is present in all living organisms studied, is synthesized in plant cells in several intercellular organelles including in the chloroplasts and in mitochondria. In plants, melatonin has a relevant role as a modulatory agent which improves their tolerance response to biotic and abiotic stress. The role of melatonin in stress conditions on the primary metabolism of plant carbohydrates is reviewed in the present work. Thus, the modulatory actions of melatonin on the various biosynthetic and degradation pathways involving simple carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides), polymers (starch), and derivatives (polyalcohols) in plants are evaluated. The possible applications of the use of melatonin in crop improvement and postharvest products are examined.

scholarly journals The molecular and genetic regulation of shoot branching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Luo ◽  
Bart J Janssen ◽  
Kimberley C Snowden
Keyword(s):  
Plant Hormones ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Regulatory Genes ◽  
Shoot Branching ◽  
Axillary Meristem ◽  
Subsequent Growth

One sentence summary The key regulatory genes and the role of multiple plant hormones coordinate the process of axillary meristem initiation and subsequent growth into a branch.

scholarly journals Regeneration: Why junk DNA might matter

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Díaz-Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Variation ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Collective Knowledge ◽  
Junk Dna ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
The Individual

The ability of certain natural species to restore or regenerate missing structures has been a recurrent source of inspiration to forge our collective knowledge, from being used to adorn mythological figures with superhuman powers to permitting controlled reproducible observations that help setting the bases of entire research fields such as experimental biology and regenerative medicine. In spite of being one of the oldest natural phenomena under study, what makes certain species able or unable to regenerate missing parts is still largely a mystery. Recent advancements towards the highly detailed characterization of the sequence, the spatial organization, and the expression of genomes is offering a new standpoint to address the study of the natural variation in regenerative responses. An intriguing observation that has not yet conveniently pursued is that species with remarkable regenerative abilities tend to have genomes loaded with junk DNA (jDNA), i.e., genetic elements presumed to be useless for the benefit of the individual, whereas species for taxa with limited regenerative abilities tend to have jDNA-poor genomes. Here, I use existing knowledge on the role of jDNA as genome evolution facilitator and its non-random chromosome and nuclear distributions to speculate about two non-excluding ways through which the variation in jDNA genomic content might end up enhancing or limiting regenerative responses. The present piece aims to go beyond the confines of correlational studies between biological variables and to lay sensible conceptual grounds for future hypothesis-driven attempts to substantiate the genomic determinants of the natural variation of regenerative responses.

scholarly journals Role of the Gut in Lipid Homeostasis

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 1061-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada A. Abumrad ◽  
Nicholas O. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein ◽  
Cholesterol Absorption ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Lipid Homeostasis ◽  
Integrative View ◽  
Familial Hypobetalipoproteinemia

Intestinal lipid transport plays a central role in fat homeostasis. Here we review the pathways regulating intestinal absorption and delivery of dietary and biliary lipid substrates, principally long-chain fatty acid, cholesterol, and other sterols. We discuss the regulation and functions of CD36 in fatty acid absorption, NPC1L1 in cholesterol absorption, as well as other lipid transporters including FATP4 and SRB1. We discuss the pathways of intestinal sterol efflux via ABCG5/G8 and ABCA1 as well as the role of the small intestine in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) biogenesis and reverse cholesterol transport. We review the pathways and genetic regulation of chylomicron assembly, the role of dominant restriction points such as microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and apolipoprotein B, and the role of CD36, l-FABP, and other proteins in formation of the prechylomicron complex. We will summarize current concepts of regulated lipoprotein secretion (including HDL and chylomicron pathways) and include lessons learned from families with genetic mutations in dominant pathways (i.e., abetalipoproteinemia, chylomicron retention disease, and familial hypobetalipoproteinemia). Finally, we will provide an integrative view of intestinal lipid homeostasis through recent findings on the role of lipid flux and fatty acid signaling via diverse receptor pathways in regulating absorption and production of satiety factors.

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