Project description:Upon exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions, plants need to respond quickly to maintain their homeostasis. For instance, physiological, biochemical and transcriptional changes occur during plant-pathogen interaction. In the case of Vanilla planifolia Jacks., a worldwide economically important crop, it is susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vanillae. This pathogen causes root and stem rot in vanilla plants that lead to plant death. To investigate how vanilla plants, respond at the transcriptional level upon infection with F. oxysporum f. sp. vanillae, here we employed the RNA-Seq approach to analyze the dynamics of whole-transcriptome changes during two-time frames of the infection. Analysis of global gene expression profiles indicated that the major transcriptional change occurred at 2 dpi, in comparison to 10 dpi. Whereas 3420 genes were found with a differential expression at 2 dpi, only 839 were identified at 10 dpi. The analysis of the transcriptional profile at 2 dpi suggests that, among other responses, vanilla plants prepare to counter the infection by gathering a pool of translational regulation-related transcripts. The screening of transcriptional changes of V. planifolia Jacks upon infection by F. oxysporum f. sp. vanillae provides insights into the plant molecular response, particularly the upregulation of ribosomal proteins at early stages. Thus, we propose that the plant-pathogen interaction between V. planifolia Jacks and F. oxysporum f. sp. vanillae causes a transcriptional reprogramming coupled with a translational regulation. Altogether, this study provides the identification of molecular players that could help to fight the most damaging disease of vanilla.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to identify transcripts differentially expressed in zebrafish embryos exposed to two oxygenated PAHs, 1,9-benz-10-anthrone and benzanthracene-7,12-dione, which cause abnormal development. We used RNA-seq (Illumina HiSeq) to identify mRNA profiles of whole zebrafish embryos exposed to 10 μM 1,9-benz-10-anthrone, benzanthracene-7,12-dione or vehicle control (1% DMSO) from 6-48 hours post fertilization
Project description:The aim of this mRNA expression profiling experiment was to screen for ecotoxicogenomic fingerprints in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos as aquatic vertebrate non-target model exposed to sublethal concentrations of 4-methyl-3-deoxy-1,9,12-trihydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)7-tetraene-6,17-dione (MDTETD) and 12β-trihydroxy-androsta-4,6-diene-3,17-dione (THADD). MDTETD and THADD both are degradation products of bile salts, which are steroid compounds from the digestive tracts of vertebrates, which enter the environment upon excretion, e.g. in manure.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to identify transcripts differentially expressed in zebrafish embryos exposed to two oxygenated PAHs, 1,9-benz-10-anthrone and benzanthracene-7,12-dione, which cause abnormal development.
Project description:The ventral face of the wings of the butterfly Dione vanillae is covered with bright and shiny silvery spots. These areas contain densely packed ground- and coverscales with a bright metallic appearance reflecting more than 50% of light uniformly over the visible range. Our analysis shows that this optically attractive feature is caused by the inner microstructure of the scales located in these areas. Electron microscopy of cross sections through the scales shows that upper and lower lamina, supporting trabeculae, and topping ridges can be approximated by a 'circus tent'-like geometry. By simulating its optical properties, we show that a moderate disorder of this geometry is important for the uniform reflection of light resulting in the silvery appearance.
