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Topic Review
Cytokinins in Plant
Cytokinins (CKs) are key phytohormones that not only regulate plant growth and development but also mediate plant tolerance to drought stress. Recent advances in genome-wide association studies coupled with in planta characterization have opened new avenues to investigate the drought-responsive expression of CK metabolic and signaling genes, as well as their functions in plant adaptation to drought. Under water deficit, CK signaling has evolved as an inter-cellular communication network which is essential to crosstalk with other types of phytohormones and their regulating pathways in mediating plant stress response. In this review, we revise the current understanding of CK involvement in drought stress tolerance. Particularly, a genetic framework for CK signaling and CK crosstalk with abscisic acid (ABA) in the precise monitoring of drought responses is proposed. In addition, the potential of endogenous CK alteration in crops towards developing drought-tolerant crops is also discussed.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Melatonin Regulate ROS and NO
Abiotic stress in plants is an increasingly common problem in agriculture, and thus, studies on plant treatments with specific compounds that may help to mitigate these effects have increased in recent years. Melatonin (MET) application and its role in mitigating the negative effects of abiotic stress in plants have become important in the last few years. MET, a derivative of tryptophan, is an important plant-related response molecule involved in the growth, development, and reproduction of plants, and the induction of different stress factors. In addition, MET plays a protective role against different abiotic stresses such as salinity, high/low temperature, high light, waterlogging, nutrient deficiency and stress combination by regulating both the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems. Moreover, MET interacts with many signaling molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), and participates in a wide variety of physiological reactions. It is well known that NO produces S-nitrosylation and NO2-Tyr of important antioxidant-related proteins, with this being an important mechanism for maintaining the antioxidant capacity of the AsA/GSH cycle under nitro-oxidative conditions, as extensively reviewed here under different abiotic stress conditions.
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Plant Metabolomics
Plant metabolomics plays important roles in both basic and applied studies regarding all aspects of plant development and stress responses. With the improvement of living standards, people need high quality and safe food supplies. Thus, understanding the pathways involved in the biosynthesis of nutritionally and healthily associated metabolites in plants and the responses to plant-derived biohazards in humans is of equal importance to meet people’s needs. For each, metabolomics has a vital role to play, which is discussed in detail in this study. In addition, the core elements of plant metabolomics are highlighted, researches on metabolomics-based crop improvement for nutrition and safety are summarized, metabolomics studies on plant natural products including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for health promotion are briefly presented. Challenges are discussed and future perspectives of metabolomics as one of the most important tools to promote human nutrition and health are proposed.
  • 1.6K
  • 11 May 2021
Topic Review
Plant Secondary Metabolites as Biopesticides
Plant extracts and pure plant-derived substances with promising biological activity and the potential to be used as biopesticides for stored products. The main aim of biopesticides is to be effective against target pests, without harming humans and the environment. 
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Antioxidant Potential of Glutathione and Crosstalk with Phytohormones
Glutathione (GSH) is an abundant tripeptide that can enhance plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Its main role is to counter free radicals and detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in cells under unfavorable conditions. Moreover, along with other second messengers (such as ROS, calcium, nitric oxide, cyclic nucleotides, etc.), GSH also acts as a cellular signal involved in stress signal pathways in plants, directly or along with the glutaredoxin and thioredoxin systems.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Biocontrol Agents against Root-Knot Nematodes
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are sedentary endoparasites that cause severe economic losses to agricultural crops globally. Due to the regulations of the European Union on the application of nematicides, it is crucial now to discover eco-friendly control strategies for nematode management. Biocontrol is one such safe and reliable method for managing these polyphagous nematodes. Biocontrol agents not only control these parasitic nematodes but also improve plant growth and induce systemic resistance in plants against a variety of biotic stresses. A wide range of organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans live in their natural mode as nematode antagonists.
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Cell-Penetrating Peptides in Development of Transgenic Plants
The peptide-based gene delivery system, mediated by cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), has been regarded as a promising non-viral tool for efficient and stable gene transfection into both animal and plant cells. CPPs are short peptides with diverse sequences and functionalities, capable of agitating plasma membrane and entering cells. Various basic, amphipathic, cyclic, and branched CPPs were designed, and modifications of functional groups were performed to enhance DNA interaction and stabilization in transgenesis.
  • 1.6K
  • 04 May 2023
Topic Review
Pulse Root Ideotype
Pulses root ideotype is a conceptual root system architecture for pulse plants. This ideotype is derived from root traits that have been documented to be beneficial under soil and climate constraints, in particular, the temperate dryland cropping systems. 
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Arabidopsis MLO4 Interacts with CaM/CML
Here, we report the functional characterization of the MLO4 protein in Arabidopsis roots. The MLO4 was identified as interacting with CML12 in a screening for the interaction between the proteins from Arabidopsis MLO and calmodulin/calmodulin-like (CaM/CML) families using yeast two hybrid (Y2H) assays. Then, the interaction between MLO4 and CML12 was further verified by Luciferase Complementation Imaging (LCI) and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) assays. Genetic analysis showed that the mlo4, cml12, and mlo4 cml12 mutants displayed similar defects in root gravity response. These results imply that the MLO4 might play an important role in root gravity response through interaction with CML12. Moreover, our results also demonstrated that the interaction between the MLO and CaM/CML families might be conservative.
  • 1.6K
  • 24 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Arabidopsis RETICULON-LIKE4 (RTNLB4)
Agrobacterium tumefaciens genetically transforms plant cells by transferring the transfer-DNA (T-DNA) and virulence (Vir) proteins from bacteria via a VirB-encoded type IV secretion system into plants. The effectors manipulate plant proteins to assist in T-DNA transfer, integration, and expression in plant cells. The Arabidopsis reticulon-like (RTNLB) proteins are located in the endoplasmic reticulum and are involved in endomembrane trafficking in plant cells. We functionally characterized reticulon-like protein B4 (RTNLB4), which interacted with the A. tumefaciens VirB2 protein, a major component of A. tumefaciens T-pilus. Overexpression or knockdown of RTNLB4 affected the expression of A. tumefaciens elf18 peptide-induced plant defense-related genes and could affect Agrobacterium-mediated transformation rates. Pre-treatment with elf18 peptide decreased Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression efficiency more in wild-type seedlings than RTNLB4 O/E transgenic plants, which suggests that the induced defense responses in RTNLB4 O/E transgenic plants might be affected after bacterial elicitor treatments. We also showed that two VirB2 peptides induced the expression of defense-related genes and H2O2 production and inhibited seedling growth. These typical pathogen-associated molecular pattern-trigged immune responses were less induced in RTNLB4 overexpression transgenic plants. Our findings provide strong evidence that RTNLB4 has major roles in the A. tumefaciens elf18 and VirB2 peptide-derived plant defense responses. We believe this study advances our understanding of possible functions of the RTNLB4 protein in the A. tumefaciens infection process and plant immunity.
  • 1.6K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Increasing Disease-Resistance in Cereals
Nowadays, biotechnology represents our best resource both for protecting crop yield and for a science-based increased sustainability in agriculture. Over the last decades, agricultural biotechnologies have made important progress based on the diffusion of new, fast and efficient technologies, offering a broad spectrum of options for understanding plant molecular mechanisms and breeding. This knowledge is accelerating the identification of key resistance traits to be rapidly and efficiently transferred and applied in crop breeding programs.
  • 1.6K
  • 30 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Crop Wild Relatives
All our crops are the result from a domestication process that has been conducted by people from around the world. This domestication process of selected wild species in parts of the world that harbour a high level of species and genetic diversity was preceded by gathering plants or parts thereof (e.g. seeds; root and tubers) for their consumption 'at home', usually combined with hunting of wild animals. The selected and gradually domesticated plants, i.e. our today's crops, have 'nephews and cousins' that are closely related to a given crop species and that are wild plants, i.e. the crop wild relatives. These species sometimes naturally interbreed with their related crops or can be crossed with the crop by using specific techniques such as molecular genetic tools. These crop wild relatives possess important genes and traits that are critically important for the improvement of our crops, through research, pre-breeding and breeding of new varieties that are better adapted to our ever-changing production environment. Climate change is causing serious threats to a number of crops and crop varieties and their adaptation to the changed conditions is critical to maintain their production level. Unfortunately, the drastic changes we have seen in our agricultural production systems during the past 70 - 80 years, the huge changes in our landscapes, the impacts of climate change and many other aspects cause a direct and severe threat to the survival of the crop wild relatives and concerted efforts are urgently required to ensure their survival. This entry provides a general introduction to this often forgotten and little known subset of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, it defines CWRs and provides information on classification of the species and presents an overview over the conservation status under in situ conditions (i.e. in nature), in ex situ conditions (i.e. in genebanks or botanic gardens) as well on how conservation approaches can be optimized by combining in situ and ex situ (the so-called complementary conservation) as well as on their use in breeding programmes. The final concluding session provides an overview of the problems encountered with the conservation (and use) and what should be done to improve the current situation to ensure a more effective and efficient conservation. The presented recommendations are based on an analysis of the threat status of the CWRs as well as on biological factors that hamper conservation as well as on other constraints encountered so far. the importance of CWRs. Details on these parameters are not included in the text below but are included in the related paper that has been recently published.
  • 1.5K
  • 19 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Air during New Year’s Eve
Mosses are one of the best bioindicators in the assessment of atmospheric aerosol pollution by heavy metals. Studies using mosses allow both short- and long-term air quality monitoring. The increasing contamination of the environment (including air) is causing a search for new, cheap and effective methods of monitoring its condition. Once such method is the use of mosses in active biomonitoring. The aim of the entry was to assess the atmospheric aerosol pollution with selected heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) from the smoke of fireworks used during New Year’s Eve in the years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
  • 1.5K
  • 16 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Abscisic Acid and WUE
ABA controls multiple plant physiological and biochemical processes. Here we have highlighted the role of this hormone in the regulation of plant WUE and reviewed promising  biotechnogical approches to confer drought resistance and  improve crop WUE.
  • 1.5K
  • 22 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Zoopharmacology
Zoopharmacognosy is the multidisciplinary approach of the self-medication behavior of many kinds of animals. Recent studies showed the presence of antitumoral secondary metabolites in some of the plants employed by animals and their use for the same therapeutic purposes in humans. Other related and sometimes confused term is Zootherapy, which consists on the employment of animal parts and/or their by-products such as toxins, venoms, etc., to treat different human ailments. Therefore, the aim of this work is to provide a brief insight for the use of Zoopharmacology (comprising Zoopharmacognosy and Zootherapy) as new paths to discover drugs studying animal behavior and/or using compounds derived from animals.
  • 1.5K
  • 28 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Stazione Zoologica
The Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn is a research institute in Naples, Italy, devoted to basic research in biology. Research is largely interdisciplinary involving the fields of evolution, biochemistry, molecular biology, neurobiology, cell biology, biological oceanography, marine botany, molecular plant biology, benthic ecology, and ecophysiology. Founded in 1872 as a private concern by Anton Dohrn, in 1982 the Stazione Zoologica came under the supervision and control of the Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (Ministry of Universities and Scientific and Technological Research) as a National Institute.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Desiccation Tolerance in Lichens
Lichens are symbiotic associations (holobionts) established between fungi (mycobionts) and certain groups of cyanobacteria or unicellular green algae (photobionts). This symbiotic association has been essential in the colonization of terrestrial dry habitats. Lichens possess key mechanisms involved in desiccation tolerance (DT) that are constitutively present such as high amounts of polyols, LEA proteins, HSPs, a powerful antioxidant system, thylakoidal oligogalactolipids, etc. This strategy allows them to be always ready to survive drastic changes in their water content. However, several studies indicate that at least some protective mechanisms require a minimal time to be induced, such as the induction of the antioxidant system, the activation of non-photochemical quenching including the de-epoxidation of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin, lipid membrane remodeling, changes in the proportions of polyols, ultrastructural changes, marked polysaccharide remodeling of the cell wall, etc. Although DT in lichens is achieved mainly through constitutive mechanisms, the induction of protection mechanisms might allow them to face desiccation stress in a better condition. The proportion and relevance of constitutive and inducible DT mechanisms seem to be related to the ecology at which lichens are adapted to. 
  • 1.5K
  • 05 May 2021
Topic Review
Biological and Chemical Diversity of Angelica archangelica L.
Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica L.), native to the northern temperate region, is widespread in Europe and Asia. Since the middle ages, it has been used for healing and as a vegetable in traditional dishes. In the modern era, it has been proven that A. archangelica has a complex chemical composition. The main derivatives that contribute to the plant’s biological activities are essential oil and coumarins. 
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Pexophagy in Plants
Autophagy, or self-eating, is a conservative process that occurs in yeast, animal, and plant cells, and primarily involves the degradation of cytoplasmic fragments along with organelles, protein complexes, and other macromolecules. In plants, autophagy participates in the circulation of cell components and acts as a quality control mechanism. 
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Ursolic and Oleanolic Acids
Ursolic and oleanolic acids are secondary plant metabolites that are known to be involved in the plant defence system against water loss and pathogens. Nowadays these triterpenoids are also regarded as potential pharmaceutical compounds, compounds or triterpenoid-enriched plant extracts exert various beneficial effects, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, on model systems of both human or animal origin. Some of those effects have been linked to the ability of ursolic and oleanolic acids to modulate intracellular antioxidant systems and also inflammation and cell death-related pathways.
  • 1.5K
  • 07 May 2021
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