Novel mutant alleles reveal a role of the extra-large G protein in rice grain filling, panicle architecture, plant growth, and disease resistance

Akshaya Biswal Daisuke Urano (2022, [Artículo])

Heterotrimeric G Proteins Extra-Large G Proteins Cas9 OsXLG CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CRISPR RICE PROTEINS PLANT GROWTH DISEASE RESISTANCE

On-farm storage loss estimates of maize in Kenya using community survey methods

Hugo De Groote Anani Bruce (2023, [Artículo])

Maize is the most important staple in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with highly seasonal production. High storage losses affect food security, but good estimations are lacking. A new method using focus group discussions (FGDs) was tested with 121 communities (1439 farmers, 52% women) in Kenya's six maize-growing zones, to estimate the maize losses to storage pests and analyze farmer practices. As control strategies, half of the farmers used chemical pesticides (49%), while hermetic bags (16%) and botanicals (15%) were also popular. Relative loss from weevils in the long rains was estimated at 23%, in the short rains 18%, and annually 21%. Fewer farmers were affected by the larger grain borer (LGB) than by maize weevils: 42% in the long rainy season and 32% in the short rainy season; losses from LGB were also smaller: 19% in the long season, 17% in the short season, and 18% over the year. Total storage loss, from both species combined, was estimated at 36%, or 671,000 tonnes per year. The greatest losses occur in the humid areas, especially the moist mid-altitudes (56%), and with smaller loss in the drylands (20–23%). Extrapolating the point data and overlaying with the maize production map shows the geographic distribution of the losses, with the most important area found around Lake Victoria. FGDs provide convenient and cheap tools to estimate storage losses in representative communities, but a total loss estimate of 36% is higher than is found in other studies, so its accuracy and framing effects need to be assessed. We conclude that storage pests remain a major problem, especially in western Kenya, and that the use of environmentally friendly technologies such as hermetic storage and botanicals needs more attention, both by the public extension service and private agrodealers.

Larger Grain Borer Maize Weevil CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE STORAGE LOSSES PESTS SURVEY METHODS

Salivary effector Sm9723 of grain aphid sitobion miscanthi suppresses plant defense and is essential for aphid survival on wheat

Yong Zhang Leonardo Abdiel Crespo Herrera Julian Chen (2022, [Artículo])

Cereal Aphid Salivary Protein Plant Immunity RNA Interference Aphid Performance CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA APHIDOIDEA PLANTS RNA PROTEINS

miRNAs contained in extracellular vesicles cargo contribute to the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: an in vitro aproach

JOVITO CESAR SANTOS ALVAREZ JUAN MANUEL VELAZQUEZ ENRIQUEZ ROSENDO GARCÍA CARRILLO CESAR RODRIGUEZ BEAS ALMA AURORA RAMIREZ HERNANDEZ EDILBURGA REYES JIMENEZ KARINA GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA ARMANDO LOPEZ MARTINEZ LAURA PEREZ CAMPOS MAYORAL SERGIO ROBERTO AGUILAR RUIZ MARIA DE LOS ANGELES ROMERO TLALOLINI HONORIO TORRES AGUILAR LUIS ALBERTO CASTRO SANCHEZ JAIME ARELLANES ROBLEDO VERONICA ROCIO VASQUEZ GARZON RAFAEL BALTIERREZ HOYOS (2022, [Artículo])

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease. Lesions in the lung epithelium cause alterations in the microenvironment that promote fibroblast accumulation. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) transport proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, such as microRNAs (miRNAs). The aim of this study was to characterize the differentially expressed miRNAs in the cargo of EVs obtained from the LL97 and LL29 fibroblast cell lines isolated from IPF lungs versus those derived from the CCD19 fibroblast cell line isolated from a healthy donors. We characterized EVs by ultracentrifugation, Western blotting, and dynamic light scattering. We identified miRNAs by small RNA-seq, a total of 1144 miRNAs, of which

1027 were known miRNAs; interestingly, 117 miRNAs were novel. Differential expression analysis showed that 77 miRNAs were upregulated and 68 were downregulated. In addition, pathway enrichment analyses from the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genomes identified several miRNA target genes in the categories, cell proliferation, regulation of apoptosis, pathways in cancer, and proteoglycans in cancer. Our data reveal that miRNAs contained in EVs cargo could be helpful as biomarkers for fibrogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention of IPF.

MEDICINA Y CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Extracellular vesicles Fibroblasts Small-RNA seq

Association of specific expansins with growth in maize leaves is maintained under environmental, genetic, and developmental sources of variation

Francois Tardieu (2007, [Artículo])

Environmental Stimuli Expansins CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CELLS CROPS GENETIC ENGINEERING PROTEINS TISSUE EPIDERMIS ZEA MAYS

Diversifying with grain legumes amplifies carbon in management-sensitive soil organic carbon pools on smallholder farms

Regis Chikowo Sieglinde Snapp (2023, [Artículo])

Crop diversification with grain legumes has been advocated as a means to increase agroecological resilience, diversify livelihoods, boost household nutrition, and enhance soil health and fertility in cereal-based cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a primary indicator of soil health and there is limited data regarding SOC pools and grain legume diversification on smallholder farms where soils are often marginal. In Malawi, a range of legume diversification options are under investigation, including rotations and a doubled-up legume rotation (DLR) system in which two compatible legumes are intercropped and then rotated with a cereal. The impact of the DLR system on SOC has not yet been determined, and there is a lack of evidence regarding SOC status over a gradient of simple to complex grain legume diversified systems. We address this knowledge gap by evaluating these systems in comparison to continuous sole maize (Zea mays L.) at three on-farm trial sites in central Malawi. After six years of trial establishment, we measured SOC in bulk soils and aggregate fractions and in faster cycling SOC pools that respond more rapidly to management practices, including water extractable organic carbon (WEOC), particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), potentially mineralizable carbon (C), and macroaggregate C. Cropping treatment differences were not seen in bulk SOC or total N, but they were apparent in SOC pools with a shorter turnover time. The DLR system of intercropped pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) rotated with maize had higher WEOC, POM-C, potentially mineralizable C, macroaggregate and microaggregate C values than continuous maize. Of the single legume rotations, the pigeonpea-maize rotation had more mineralizable C and microaggregate C compared to continuous maize, while the groundnut-maize rotation had similar C values to the maize system. Overall, this study shows the potential for crop rotations diversified with grain legumes to enhance C in management sensitive SOC pools, and it is one of the first reports to show this effect on smallholder farm sites.

Crop Diversification Water Extractable Organic Carbon CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DIVERSIFICATION LEGUMES PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER SOIL ORGANIC CARBON

Resolución de disputas comerciales y flujos de Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED) hacia los Estados Mexicanos

MITZI MAGALI MORENO VARGAS MANUEL DE JESUS GOMEZ ZALDIVAR (2018, [Artículo])

En este trabajo se analiza la relación existente entre los flujos de IED que reciben los distintos estados del país, y el estado de derecho en las entidades, para el periodo 2007-2015. El estado de derecho en las entidades se aproxima con una medida de eficiencia de su sistema de justicia; específicamente, se mide el número de días que toma resolver disputas comerciales en cortes locales. En principio, un menor tiempo en la resolución judicial de las disputas debería incentivar que las entidades reciban mayores flujos de IED; esto debido a que los procesos judiciales tienen costos, potencialmente importantes para las empresas. Los resultados muestran una relación negativa y significativa entre el número de días que toma resolver las disputas comerciales y la cantidad de inversión extranjera directa que recibe el estado

In this work, we analyze the relationship between FDI flows and a rule of law indicator in Mexican states, during the period 2007-2015. The states’ rule of law is a measure of the efficiency in their justice system; specifically, it measures the number of days that takes to solve commercial disputes in local courts. In principle, we expect that the shorter the time it takes to resolve commercial disputes should encourage entities to receive higher flows of FDI. Long, drawn-out court disputes are costly for firms, which in turn may translate into lower growth rates due to the negative impact of these costs on their levels of investment. The results show a negative and significant relationship between the number of days it takes to resolve commercial disputes and the amount of direct foreign investment the state receives

CIENCIAS SOCIALES Inversión extranjera directa Sistema de Justicia Datos de panel

Epistasis activation contributes substantially to heterosis in temperate by tropical maize hybrids

Liu Xiaogang Yunbi Xu (2022, [Artículo])

Genome-Wide Association Study Epistatic Effects Protein Interaction Multiple-Hybrid Population CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA HETEROSIS MAIZE PROTEINS HYBRIDS

Effect of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids on membrane fouling during short and long-term operation of membrane bioreactor

EDSON BALTAZAR ESTRADA ARRIAGA PETIA MIJAYLOVA NACHEVA LILIANA GARCIA SANCHEZ (2015, [Artículo])

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of different Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids (MLVSS) concentrations on membrane fouling, in a submerged Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) at short and long-term MBR operation for wastewater treatment. Three laboratory-scale in a submerged MBR system were operated under critical flux, sub-critical flux, and an intermittent suction time and backwashing conditions. At short-term MBR operation with mixed liquors of 4,200 and 6,150 mg MLVSS L-1, the hydraulic resistance of membranes followed a same trajectory with averages of 5.0E+12 m-1, whereas for 7,940 mg MLVSS L-1, a high resistance of up to 1.7E+13 m-1 was obtained. The result showed that high biomass concentrations decreased to permeability due to a bio-layer formed in the membrane surface and high Extracellular Polymeric Substance.

Biorreactor de membrana Saturación de la membrana Sólidos suspendidos volátiles Sustancias poliméricas extracelulares BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA

Environmental Nanoparticles Reach Human Fetal Brains

LILIAN OFELIA CALDERON GARCIDUEÑAS ANGEL AUGUSTO PEREZ CALATAYUD ANGELICA GONZALEZ MACIEL RAFAEL REYNOSO ROBLES Héctor Gabriel Silva Pereyra Andrea Ramos Morales RICARDO TORRES JARDON Candelario de Jesús Soberanes Cerino Raúl Carrillo Esper JESÚS CARLOS BRIONES GARDUÑO Yazmin del Socorro Conde Gutiérrez (2022, [Artículo])

"Anthropogenic ultrafine particulate matter (UFPM) and industrial and natural nanoparticles (NPs) are ubiquitous. Normal term, preeclamptic, and postconceptional weeks(PCW) 8–15 human placentas and brains from polluted Mexican cities were analyzed by TEM and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We documented NPs in maternal erythrocytes, early syncytiotrophoblast, Hofbauer cells, and fetal endothelium (ECs). Fetal ECs exhibited caveolar NP activity and widespread erythroblast contact. Brain ECs displayed micropodial extensions reaching luminal NP-loaded erythroblasts. Neurons and primitive glia displayed nuclear, organelle, and cytoplasmic NPs in both singles and conglomerates. Nanoscale Fe, Ti, and Al alloys, Hg, Cu, Ca, Sn, and Si were detected in placentas and fetal brains. Preeclamptic fetal blood NP vesicles are prospective neonate UFPM exposure biomarkers. NPs are reaching brain tissues at the early developmental PCW 8–15 stage, and NPs in maternal and fetal placental tissue compartments strongly suggests the placental barrier is not limiting the access of environmental NPs. Erythroblasts are the main early NP carriers to fetal tissues. The passage of UFPM/NPs from mothers to fetuses is documented and fingerprinting placental single particle composition could be useful for postnatal risk assessments. Fetal brain combustion and industrial NPs raise medical concerns about prenatal and postnatal health, including neurological and neurodegenerative lifelong consequences."

Environmental medicine Placental impairment Neurodevelopmental disorders Fetal brains Erythroblasts Preeclampsia Nanoparticles NPs extracellular vesicles Petrochemical pollution Villahermosa Tabasco BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA QUÍMICA BIOQUÍMICA BIOQUÍMICA