Insights into the functional role of tomato as a transcriptional regulator of flower development.

Flower development is a crucial step towards the completion of the plant life cycle. Physiological processes and gene regulatory mechanisms underlying flower formation have been extensively characterized, and the implication of MADS-box transcription factors as primary regulators of flower morphology has been widely described, mainly due to the analysis of loss-of-function mutants in model species. Nevertheless, detailed characterization of allele variation in several MADS-box homologous genes from crop species remains undescribed.

Decoding Gene Expression Signatures Underlying Vegetative to Inflorescence Meristem Transition in the Common Bean.

The tropical common bean ( L.) is an obligatory short-day plant that requires relaxation of the photoperiod to induce flowering. Similar to other crops, photoperiod-induced floral initiation depends on the differentiation and maintenance of meristems.

Tomato POLLEN DEFICIENT 2 encodes a G-type lectin receptor kinase required for viable pollen grain formation.

Pollen development is a crucial biological process indispensable for seed set in flowering plants and for successful crop breeding. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating pollen development in crop species. This study reports a novel male-sterile tomato mutant, pollen deficient 2 (pod2), characterized by the production of non-viable pollen grains and resulting in the development of small parthenocarpic fruits.

A Tomato EMS-Mutagenized Population Provides New Valuable Resources for Gene Discovery and Breeding of Developmental Traits.

Tomato ( L.) is a major horticultural crop and a model species among eudicots, especially for traits related to reproductive development. Although considerable progress has been made since the tomato genome sequence project was completed, most of the genes identified remain predictions with an unknown or hypothetical function.

The Virus-Induced Upregulation of the miR-183/96/182 Cluster and the FoxO Family Protein Members Are Not Required for Efficient Replication of HSV-1.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) expresses a large number of miRNAs, and their function is still not completely understood. In addition, HSV-1 has been found to deregulate host miRNAs, which adds to the complexity of the regulation of efficient virus replication. In this study, we comprehensively addressed the deregulation of host miRNAs by massive-parallel sequencing.

Functional characterization of the tomato HAIRPLUS gene reveals the implication of the epigenome in the control of glandular trichome formation.

Trichomes are specialised epidermal cells developed in the aerial surface of almost every terrestrial plant. These structures form physical barriers, which combined with their capability of synthesis of complex molecules, prevent plagues from spreading and confer trichomes a key role in the defence against herbivores. In this work, the tomato gene HAIRPLUS (HAP) that controls glandular trichome density in tomato plants was characterised.

Driven progressive evolution of genome sequence complexity in Cyanobacteria.

Progressive evolution, or the tendency towards increasing complexity, is a controversial issue in biology, which resolution entails a proper measurement of complexity. Genomes are the best entities to address this challenge, as they encode the historical information of a species' biotic and environmental interactions. As a case study, we have measured genome sequence complexity in the ancient phylum Cyanobacteria.

Transcriptional Dynamics and Candidate Genes Involved in Pod Maturation of Common Bean ( L.).

Pod maturation of common bean relies upon complex gene expression changes, which in turn are crucial for seed formation and dispersal. Hence, dissecting the transcriptional regulation of pod maturation would be of great significance for breeding programs. In this study, a comprehensive characterization of expression changes has been performed in two common bean cultivars (ancient and modern) by analyzing the transcriptomes of five developmental pod stages, from fruit setting to maturation.

sRNAbench and sRNAtoolbox 2019: intuitive fast small RNA profiling and differential expression.

Since the original publication of sRNAtoolbox in 2015, small RNA research experienced notable advances in different directions. New protocols for small RNA sequencing have become available to address important issues such as adapter ligation bias, PCR amplification artefacts or to include internal controls such as spike-in sequences. New microRNA reference databases were developed with different foci, either prioritizing accuracy (low number of false positives) or completeness (low number of false negatives).

liqDB: a small-RNAseq knowledge discovery database for liquid biopsy studies.

MiRNAs are important regulators of gene expression and are frequently deregulated under pathologic conditions. They are highly stable in bodily fluids which makes them feasible candidates to become minimally invasive biomarkers. In fact, several studies already proposed circulating miRNA-based biomarkers for different types of neoplastic, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.

Prediction of CpG Islands as an Intrinsic Clustering Property Found in Many Eukaryotic DNA Sequences and Its Relation to DNA Methylation.

The promoter region of around 70% of all genes in the human genome is overlapped by a CpG island (CGI). CGIs have known functions in the transcription initiation and outstanding compositional features like high G+C content and CpG ratios when compared to the bulk DNA. We have shown before that CGIs manifest as clusters of CpGs in mammalian genomes and can therefore be detected using clustering methods.

Identification of tomato miRNAs responsive to root colonization by endophytic Pochonia chlamydosporia.

The molecular mechanisms active during the endophytic phase of the fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia are still poorly understood. In particular, few data are available on the links between the endophyte and the root response, as modulated by noncoding small RNAs. In this study, we describe the microRNAs (miRNAs) that are differentially expressed (DE) in the roots of tomato, colonized by P.

sRNAtoolboxVM: Small RNA Analysis in a Virtual Machine.

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) data for small RNAs (noncoding RNA molecules that are 20-250 nucleotides in length) can now be routinely generated by minimally equipped wet laboratories; however, the bottleneck in HTS-based research has shifted now to the analysis of such huge amount of data. One of the reasons is that many analysis types require a Linux environment but computers, system administrators, and bioinformaticians suppose additional costs that often cannot be afforded by small to mid-sized groups or laboratories. Web servers are an alternative that can be used if the data is not subjected to privacy issues (what very often is an important issue with medical data).

NGSmethDB 2017: enhanced methylomes and differential methylation.

The 2017 update of NGSmethDB stores whole genome methylomes generated from short-read data sets obtained by bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) technology. To generate high-quality methylomes, stringent quality controls were integrated with third-part software, adding also a two-step mapping process to exploit the advantages of the new genome assembly models. The samples were all profiled under constant parameter settings, thus enabling comparative downstream analyses.

sRNAtoolbox: an integrated collection of small RNA research tools.

Small RNA research is a rapidly growing field. Apart from microRNAs, which are important regulators of gene expression, other types of functional small RNA molecules have been reported in animals and plants. MicroRNAs are important in host-microbe interactions and parasite microRNAs might modulate the innate immunity of the host.

DNA clustering and genome complexity.

Early global measures of genome complexity (power spectra, the analysis of fluctuations in DNA walks or compositional segmentation) uncovered a high degree of complexity in eukaryotic genome sequences. The main evolutionary mechanisms leading to increases in genome complexity (i.e.

The informed consent: a study of the efficacy of informed consents and the associated role of language barriers.

Background: Obtaining informed consent before performing invasive procedures and operations has become a standard practice at all medical institutions in the United States. All agree that patients should be both conscious of and in agreement with their medical care. Though patients routinely sign consent forms with numerous risks and complications detailed, there are only a limited amount of reports that study if these patients have a thorough understanding of those risks and complications.

Practice management education during surgical residency.

Background: Surgical education has undergone radical changes in the past decade. The introductions of laparoscopic surgery and endovascular techniques have required program directors to alter surgical training. The 6 competencies are now in place.

Wandering spleen presenting as recurrent pancreatitis.

Introduction: A wandering spleen occurs when there is a laxity of the ligaments that fix the spleen in its normal anatomical position.

Case Report: We present the case of a wandering spleen in a 20-year-old female who presented with recurrent pancreatitis and underwent a laparoscopic splenectomy.

Discussion: The presentation of a wandering spleen varies from an asymptomatic mass to splenic infarct with an acute abdomen.

Can a computed tomography scoring system predict the need for surgery in small-bowel obstruction?

Background: Small-bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common dilemma faced by general surgeons. A timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial, based on history, physical examination, and radiographic studies. A computed tomography (CT) scan has become an increasingly common diagnostic modality.