Understanding the long-term storage sink.

Similar to short-term starch storage in the chloroplasts of the leaves that serves to buffer growth of organs from carbohydrate shortages due to diurnal patterns of photosynthesis related to daily patterns of light and darkness, trees also have long-term storage capacity to enable them to supply the minimal respiratory needs of tissues during the winter and resume growth in the spring when trees are still leafless. This long-term storage of carbohydrates and some minerals occurs primarily in the phloem and xylem tissue of the branches, trunk and roots. While active phloem tissue has higher concentrations of stored carbohydrates than xylem tissue, the mass of active xylem storage tissue is many times the mass of the active phloem tissue. Thus, xylem tissue comprises the largest storage compartment of temperate deciduous fruit trees. This chapter deals with understanding the long-term storage sink in fruit trees.

Lysosome Lipid Signaling from the Periphery to Neurons Regulates Longevity

Lysosomes are key cellular organelles that metabolize extra- and intracellular substrates. Alterations in lysosomal metabolism are implicated in aging-associated metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. However, how lysosomal metabolism actively coordinates the metabolic and nervous systems to regulate aging remains unclear. Here, we report a fat-to-neuron lipid signaling pathway induced by lysosomal metabolism and its longevity promoting role in Caenorhabditis elegans. We discovered that lysosomal lipolysis in peripheral fat storage tissue up-regulates the neuropeptide signaling pathway in the nervous system to promote longevity. This cell-non-autonomous regulation requires the secretion from the fat storage tissue of a lipid chaperone protein LBP-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). LBP-3 binds to specific PUFAs, and acts through a nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 and neuropeptide NLP-11 in neurons to extend lifespan. Together, these results reveal lysosomes as a signaling hub to coordinate metabolism and aging, and lysosomal signaling mediated inter-tissue communication in promoting longevity.

Lysosome Lipid Signaling from the Periphery to Neurons Regulates Longevity

Lysosomes are key cellular organelles that metabolize extra- and intracellular substrates. Alterations in lysosomal metabolism are implicated in aging-associated metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. However, how lysosomal metabolism actively coordinates the metabolic and nervous systems to regulate aging remains unclear. Here, we report a fat-to-neuron lipid signaling pathway induced by lysosomal metabolism and its longevity promoting role in Caenorhabditis elegans. We discovered that lysosomal lipolysis in peripheral fat storage tissue up-regulates the neuropeptide signaling pathway in the nervous system to promote longevity. This cell-non-autonomous regulation requires the secretion from the fat storage tissue of a lipid chaperone protein LBP-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). LBP-3 binds to specific PUFAs, and acts through a nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 and neuropeptide NLP-11 in neurons to extend lifespan. Together, these results reveal lysosomes as a signaling hub to coordinate metabolism and aging, and a lysosomal signaling mechanism that mediates inter-tissue communication to promote longevity.

Structural and Nutritional Peculiarities Related to Lifespan Differences on Four Lopesia Induced Bivalve-Shaped Galls on the Single Super-Host Mimosa gemmulata

Super-host plants are elegant models to evaluate the peculiarities of gall structural and nutritional profiles due to the stimuli of distinct gall inducers in temporal and spatial perspectives. Galls induced by congeneric insects, Lopesia spp. (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) on the same host plant, Mimosa gemmulata Barneby (Fabaceae) were analyzed to estimate if variations of 1 or 2 months in gall lifespans may result in differences over the accumulation of nutritional resources, and their compartmentalization both in cell walls and protoplasm. Mimosa gemmulata hosts four Lopesia-induced galls: the lenticular bivalve-shaped gall (LG) with a 2-month life cycle, the brown lanceolate bivalve-shaped gall (BLG) and the green lanceolate bivalve-shaped gall (GLG) with 3 month-life cycles, and the globoid bivalve-shaped gall (GG) with a 4 month-life cycle. The comparisons among the four Lopesia galls, using anatomical, histometric, histochemical, and immunocytochemical tools, have demonstrated that the longest lifespan of the GG related to its highest increment in structural and nutritional traits compared with the LG, GLG, and BLG. The differences among the tissue stratification and cell wall thickness of the galls with the 2-month and the 3-month lifespans were subtle. However, the GG had thicker cell walls and higher stratification of the common storage tissue, schlerenchymatic layers and typical nutritive tissue than the other three gall morphospecies. The higher tissue thickness of the GG was followed by the formation of a bidirectional gradient of carbohydrates in the protoplasm, and the detection of xyloglucans in cell walls. Current data supported the presumption that the longest the lifespan, the highest the impact over the structural and nutritional metabolism of the Lopesia galls associated to M. gemmulata.

Adipokines and Chronic Rheumatic Diseases: from Inflammation to Bone Involvement

Besides its well-known role as energy storage tissue, adipose tissue is a biologically active tissue that can also be considered as an endocrine organ, as it is able to secrete adipokines. These bioactive factors, similar in structure to cytokines, are involved in several physiological and pathological conditions, such as glucose homeostasis, angiogenesis, blood pressure regulation, control of food intake, and also inflammation and bone homeostasis via endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine mechanisms. Given their pleiotropic functions, the role of adipokines has been evaluated in chronic rheumatic osteoarticular inflammatory diseases, particularly focusing on their effects on inflammatory and immune response and on bone alterations. Indeed, these diseases are characterized by different bone complications, such as local and systemic bone loss and new bone formation. The aim of this review is to summarize the role of adipokines in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis, especially considering their role in the pathogenesis of bone complications typical of these conditions.

Leaf anatomical adaptation of eighteen mangrove plant species from the Sundarbans in Bangladesh

Investigation on leaf anatomical adaptation of 18 mangrove plant species was carried out. Among the 18 species 13 were dorsiventral and five were isobilateral type. All the species had special stomatal structure and variable cuticle layer to minimize transpiration. Most of the species had succulent leaves with leaf thickness ranging from around 232 to 1363 μm. As an indication of salt secretion, both glandular and non-glandular trichomes were observed in several species. Although presence of single to multilayered hypodermis might effectively function as water storage tissue, several studied mangrove plant species e.g. Cynometra ramiflora L., Phoenix paludosa Roxb., Pongamea pinnata (L.) Pierre, Sonneratia apetala Buch. - Ham., S. caseolaris (L.) Engl. and Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lamk.) M. Roem. showed complete absence of hypodermis. This might be due to moderate saline condition. In addition, marked terminal tracheids in mesophyll tissue of a number of species might help with capillary water storage within the leaf. To enhance mechanical support several species were found to develop considerable amount of diverse sclereids within the mesophyll tissue and surrounding vascular bundle. Although maximum anatomical adaptations are common for plants growing in saline habitat it may be suggested that these features were differentially developed in plants specifically grown in mesohaline zone.

Ovule-gall stimulating a large fake fruit on Miconia chamissois Naudin (Melastomataceae): a structural overview

The developmental processes of galls are better known when induced on vegetative organs, while they have hardly ever been described for reproductive ones. Herein, galls induced by Allorhogas uberlandiensis (Hymenoptera) on ovules of Miconia chamissois (Melastomataceae) were analyzed in terms of morphological, anatomical, histochemical and cytological characteristics. Galls are induced on the ovules before fertilization, acting as a physiological seed. Therefore, the ovary grows and develops into a fruit-like gall. The ovule-galls are on average 20 times larger than the seeds, and fruit-like gall volume is on average 5.4 times larger than that of mature fruits. These are related to cell hypertrophy and tissue hyperplasia in the host organ. There is a typical nutritive tissue formation in the ovule-gall with lipid, protein and pectin storage, as well as a storage tissue close to the epidermis. This nutritive tissue shows a smooth endoplasmic reticulum, multivesicular bodies and mitochondria-rich cells. After gall induction, all the ovules degenerate and ovary and hypanthium hypertrophy to form the fruit-like gall. The fruit-like galls form a physical barrier blocking the anthesis, preventing fertilization and keeping only ovule-galls. Our study shows that the A. uberlandensis galling insect may reduce the reproductive success of Miconia chamissois, thus acting as a biological control agent for this host plant population.

Gene expression prior to post-zygotic endosperm collapse in tetraploid bahiagrass

The endosperm is the storage tissue of seeds and is an important source of nutrients for humans and animals. In the previous work, the gene expression was characterized at 3 and 24 h after pollination (AP). The results suggested that eATP would act as a signalling molecule at the beginning of endosperm development and that sucrose metabolism could be related to EBN insensitivity. In addition, differentially expressed transcripts derived fragments (DETDFs) were related to the failure of fusion of the polar nuclei and the accumulation of storage products in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana. The objective of the present study was to identify genes related to endosperm development in apomictic and sexual ovaries of Paspalum notatum 48 h AP, a stage at which development is prior to post-zygotic collapse. The cDNA-AFLP analysis was carried out to analyse different crosses and DETDFs categorized according to their function. The main cellular functions at 48 h AP were metabolism and signal transduction. Fourteen out of 39 DETDFs with relevant functional information were found in crosses for which normal endosperm development was expected. Three DETDFs were found in crosses where viable and unviable seeds were predicted and presented similarity with a casein kinase II (CK2), an enzyme that governs the accumulation of storage proteins in seeds of A. thaliana and Zea mays. The results obtained at 3, 24 and 48 h AP suggest that CK2 is involved in early endosperm development in P. notatum.

Karakter Anatomi Daun sebagai Bentuk Adaptasi Tumbuhan Penyusun Zonasi Mangrove di Banggai Kepulauan, Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah

Mangrove is an essential ecosystem that are located in the transition area of fresh and sea water. Therefore, species that grow are typical species that are able to adapt to the saline environment. The aim of this research is to characterize leaf anatomical structure for every species that compose the communities found in each mangrove zonations, including their similarities and dissimilarities characteristic. Sampling of examined leaf was carried out in the mangrove areas of Peling Island and Bakalan Island by making plots in four sites of the mangrove ecosystem area. Methods for leaf anatomical preparations were carried out using the paraffin-tert-butanol and paradermal sections. Anatomical characters as an adaptation to saline habitat are found in all species of mangrove plants, including thick cuticle and epidermal cells, thick leaves and water-storage tissue (hypodermis). In addition, there is found the presence of cork warts and sclereid as characteristic of the genus Rhizophora. Based on quantitative character observations, the mesophyll (palisade to sponge) ratio range from 0.28 ± 0.04 μm to 1.19 ± 0.42 μm, leaf thickness ratio 289,41 ± 38,21 μm to 695,20 ± 97,50 μm and the highest stomata density is owned by Lumnitzera littorea