Project description:Oral administration of an extract of compost fermented with thermophiles to pigs reduces the incidence of stillbirth and promotes piglet growth. However, the mechanism by which compost extract modulates the physiological conditions of the animals remains largely unknown. Here, we investigate the effects of compost extract on the gene expression in the intestine of the rat as a mammalian model. Gene expression analyses of the intestine indicated that several immune-related genes were upregulated following compost exposure. Thus, thermophile-fermented compost can contain microbes and/or substances that activate the gut mucosal immune response in the rat.
Project description:Background: Phenotypic plasticity refers to the range of phenotypes a single genotype can express as a function of its environment. These phenotypic variations are attributable to the effect of the environment on the expression and function of genes influencing plastic traits. We investigated phenotypic plasticity in grapevine by comparing the berry transcriptome in a single clone of the vegetatively-propagated common grapevine species Vitis vinifera cultivar Corvina through three consecutive growth years cultivated in 11 different vineyards in the Verona area of Italy. Results: Most of the berry transcriptome clustered by year of growth rather than common environmental conditions or viticulture practices, and transcripts related to secondary metabolism showed high sensitivity towards different climates, as confirmed also by metabolomic data obtained from the same samples. When analyzed in 11 vineyards during one growth year, the environmentally-sensitive berry transcriptome comprised 5% of protein-coding genes and 18% of the transcripts modulated during berry development. Plastic genes were particularly enriched in ontology categories such as transcription factors, translation, transport and secondary metabolism. Specific plastic transcripts were associated with groups of vineyards sharing common viticulture practices or environmental conditions, and plastic transcriptome reprogramming was more intense in the year characterized by extreme weather conditions. We also identified a set of genes that lacked plasticity, showing either constitutive expression or similar modulation in all berries. Conclusions: Our data reveal candidate genes potentially responsible for the phenotypic plasticity of grapevine and provide the first step towards the characterization of grapevine transcriptome plasticity under different agricultural systems. Vitis vinifera cultivar Corvina clone 48 berries were harvested from different vineyards, each located in one of the three most important wine production macro-areas of the Verona region: Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave, on the basis of the site geographical coordinates. For each of the selected vineyards, specific environmental conditions (altitude and type of soil) and farming and agricultural practices used (training system, rows facing direction, planting layout, vineyard age and rootstock type) were recorded. Vineyards were selected in order to maximize differences in locations and in microenvironmental and farming conditions. Berries were harvested at three different developmental stages: véraison, mid-ripening and harvest; each sample was collected in three biological replicates, to cover the whole vineyard variability. The same sampling procedure had been repeated over three consecutive vintages (2006, 2007 and 2008).
Project description:Composts are the products obtained after the aerobic degradation of different types of organic matter wastes and can be used as substrates or substrate/soil amendments. There are a small but increasing number of reports that suggest that foliar diseases may be reduced when using compost as growing medium compared to standard substrates. The purpose of this study was to unravel the gene expression alteration produced by the compost to gain knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the compost-induced systemic resistance. A compost from olive marc and olive tree leaves was able to induce resistance against Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis compared to the standard substrate perlite. Microarray analyses revealed that 178 genes were differently expressed with a fold change cut off of 1 from which 155 were upregulated and 23 were down regulated in compost-grown compared to perlite-grown plants. Functional enrichment study of up regulated genes revealed that 38 Gene Ontology terms were significantly enriched. Response to stress, biotic stimulus, other organism, bacterium, fungus, chemical and abiotic stimulus, SA and ABA stimulus, oxidative stress, water, temperature and cold were significantly enriched terms as well as immune and defense responses, systemic acquired resistance, secondary metabolic process and oxireductase activity. Interestingly, PR1 expression, which was equally enhanced by growing the plants in compost and by B. cinerea inoculation, was further boosted in compost-grown pathogen-inoculated plants. Compost triggered a plant response that shares similarities with both systemic acquired resistance and ABA dependent/independent abiotic stress responses.
2012-11-09 | GSE42149 | GEO
Project description:Studies on soil microorganisms after compost application
Project description:An Application of DNA metabarcoding to analyze the diet of Japanese boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) in Hachioji- and Kanayama-hilly areas, Ota City, Gunma Prefecture.
Project description:Vitis vinifera cultivar Corvina clone 48 berries were harvested from different vineyards, each located in one of the three most important wine production macro-areas of the Verona region: Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave, on the basis of the site geographical coordinates. For each of the selected vineyards, specific environmental conditions (altitude and type of soil) and farming and agricultural practices used (training system, rows facing direction, planting layout, vineyard age and rootstock type) were recorded. Vineyards were selected in order to maximize differences in locations and in microenvironmental and farming conditions. Berries were harvested at three different developmental stages: véraison, mid-ripening and harvest; each sample was collected in three biological replicates, to cover the whole vineyard variability. The same sampling procedure had been repeated over three consecutive vintages (2006, 2007 and 2008).