Requiring water and minerals to grow and to develop its organs, Maize (Zea mays L.) production and distribution is highly rainfall-dependent. Current global climatic changes reveal irregular rainfall patterns and this could represent for maize a stressing condition resulting in yield and productivity loss around the world. It is well known that low water availability leads the plant to adopt a number of metabolic alterations to overcome stress or reduce its effects. In this regard, selenium (Se), a trace element, can help reduce water damage caused by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we report the effects of exogenous Se supply on physiological and biochemical processes that may influence yield and quality of maize under drought stress conditions. Plants were grown in soil fertilized by adding 150 mg of Se (sodium selenite). We verified the effects of drought stress and Se treatment. Selenium biofortification proved more beneficial for maize plants when supplied at higher Se concentrations. The increase in proline, K concentrations and nitrogen metabolism in aerial parts of plants grown in Se-rich substrates, seems to prove that Se-biofortification increased plant resistance to water shortage conditions. Moreover, the increase of SeMeSeCys and SeCys2 forms in roots and aerial parts of Se-treated plants suggest resistance strategies to Se similar to those existing in Se-hyperaccumulator species. In addition, epigenetic changes in DNA methylation due to water stress and Se treatment were also investigated using methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP). Results suggest that Se may be an activator of particular classes of genes that are involved in tolerance to abiotic stresses. In particular, PSY (phytoene synthase) gene, essential for maintaining leaf carotenoid contents, SDH (sorbitol dehydrogenase), whose activity regulates the level of important osmolytes during drought stress and ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase), whose activity plays a central role in biochemical adaptation to environmental stress. In conclusion, Se-biofortification could help maize plants to cope with drought stress conditions, by inducing a higher drought tolerance.

/pdf/soil-selenium-se-biofortification-changes-the-physiological-557sjmdzt5.pdf

Soil Selenium (Se) Biofortification Changes the Physiological, Biochemical and Epigenetic Responses to Water Stress in Zea mays L. by Inducing a Higher Drought Tolerance.

DNA methylation is known to play a crucial role in regulating plant development and organ or tissue differentiation. Here, we focused on the DNA methylation dynamics during the germination of wheat seeds using the adapted AFLP technique so called methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP). The MSAP profiles of genomic DNA in embryo and endosperm tissues of germinating seeds, as well as dry seeds were characterized and notable changes of cytosine methylation were detected. Comparisons of MSAP profiles in different tissues tested showed that the methylation level in dry seeds is the highest. The alteration analysis of cytosine methylation displayed that the number of demethylation events were three times higher than that of de novo methylation, which indicated that the demethylation was predominant in germinating wheat seeds, though the methylation events occurred as well. Sixteen differentially displayed DNA fragments in MSAP profiles were cloned and the sequencing analysis confirmed that nine of them contained CCGG sites. The further BLAST search showed that four of the cloned sequences were located in coding regions. Interestingly, three of the sixteen candidates were homologous to retrotransposons, which indicated that switches between DNA methylation and demethylation occurred in retrotransposon elements along with the germination of wheat seeds.

Analysis of DNA methylation during the germination of wheat seeds

Broad phenotypic variations were obtained previously in derivatives from the asymmetric somatic hybridization of cauliflower "Korso" (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, 2n = 18, CC genome) and black mustard "G1/1" (Brassica nigra, 2n = 16, BB genome). However, the mechanisms underlying these variations were unknown. In this study, 28 putative introgression lines (ILs) were pre-selected according to a series of morphological (leaf shape and color, plant height and branching, curd features, and flower traits) and physiological (black rot/club root resistance) characters. Multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that these plants contained 18 chromosomes derived from "Korso." Molecular marker (65 simple sequence repeats and 77 amplified fragment length polymorphisms) analysis identified the presence of "G1/1" DNA segments (average 7.5%). Additionally, DNA profiling revealed many genetic and epigenetic differences among the ILs, including sequence alterations, deletions, and variation in patterns of cytosine methylation. The frequency of fragments lost (5.1%) was higher than presence of novel bands (1.4%), and the presence of fragments specific to Brassica carinata (BBCC 2n = 34) were common (average 15.5%). Methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism analysis indicated that methylation changes were common and that hypermethylation (12.4%) was more frequent than hypomethylation (4.8%). Our results suggested that asymmetric somatic hybridization and alien DNA introgression induced genetic and epigenetic alterations. Thus, these ILs represent an important, novel germplasm resource for cauliflower improvement that can be mined for diverse traits of interest to breeders and researchers.

/pdf/genetic-and-epigenetic-alterations-of-brassica-nigra-1td0qu6f7w.pdf

Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations of Brassica nigra Introgression Lines from Somatic Hybridization: A Resource for Cauliflower Improvement.

Simple Summary The aquaculture industries are essential sectors of food production and global trade. Several novel approaches have established gene modification in different fish species over the last few years. These approaches show that gene editing tools, including the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, are very powerful and broadly used in aquaculture. The targeted and accurate modifications in the genome of different fish species and their pathogens bring radical improvement in different aquaculture sectors, including disease resistance, growth or reproduction. With these novel techniques presenting feasible molecular devices, the development of functional genomics and therapeutic applications in fish species and crustaceans can be enhanced. In summary, the creation of mutant animals in aquaculture through specific gene modification methods is the reality. Abstract Gene editing and gene silencing techniques have the potential to revolutionize our knowledge of biology and diseases of fish and other aquatic animals. By using such techniques, it is feasible to change the phenotype and modify cells, tissues and organs of animals in order to cure abnormalities and dysfunctions in the organisms. Gene editing is currently experimental in wide fields of aquaculture, including growth, controlled reproduction, sterility and disease resistance. Zink finger nucleases, TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 targeted cleavage of the DNA induce favorable changes to site-specific locations. Moreover, gene silencing can be used to inhibit the translation of RNA, namely, to regulate gene expression. This methodology is widely used by researchers to investigate genes involved in different disorders. It is a promising tool in biotechnology and in medicine for investigating gene function and diseases. The production of food fish has increased markedly, making fish and seafood globally more popular. Consequently, the incidence of associated problems and disease outbreaks has also increased. A greater investment in new technologies is therefore needed to overcome such problems in this industry. To put it concisely, the modification of genomic DNA and gene silencing can comprehensively influence aquatic animal medicine in the future. On the ethical side, these precise genetic modifications make it more complicated to recognize genetically modified organisms in nature and can cause several side effects through created mutations. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of applications of gene modifications and genome editing in fish medicine.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/7/1250/pdf?version=1680603660

Review: Recent Applications of Gene Editing in Fish Species and Aquatic Medicine

Genomes are targets sensitive to invasion by virus. In recent years, a defense mechanism has been discovered, which turns out to be conserved among eukaryotes. The system can be compared to the immune system in several ways: It has specificity against foreign elements and the ability to amplify and raise a massive response against an invading nucleic acid. The latter property is beginning to be understood at the molecular level. In recent study, RNAi holds a good therapeutic promising for silencing virus gene. This article reviews the characters of RNAi as compared to the immune system and the advance in application in anti-virus therapy.

RNA silencing: the genome^s immune system

This review revealed a new mechanism for gene regulation through “gene silencing” at the transcriptional level (TGS) or at the post-transcriptional level (PTGS), which play a key role in many essential cellular processes. Today dsRNA is used as a powerful tool to experimentally elucidate the function of essentially any gene in a cell. The immense impact of the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) on biomedical research and its novel medical applications in the future are reviewed in this article, with particular stress on therapeutic applications of radio-labeled antisense oligonucleotides (RASONs) for diagnosis and treatment of various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases by “gene silencing”. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASONs) can also modulate alternative splicing which 74% of all human genes undergo. Epigenetic changes affect chromatin structure and thus regulate processes such as transcription, X-chromosome inactivation, allele-specific expression of imprinted genes, and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Treatment with inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation can reactivate epigenetically silenced genes and has been shown to restore normal gene function. In cancer cells, this results in expression of tumor suppressor genes and other regulatory functions, inducing growth arrest and apoptosis.

https://www.imedpub.com/articles/gene-silencing-and-dna-methylation.pdf

Gene Silencing and DNA Methylation

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by chronic bacterial infection of the gum and bone supporting the teeth. Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory agents are used to treat periodontal diseases. Due to their short half life, these medications have to be taken frequently to maintain the desired therapeutic effect. Extensive efforts have recently been focused on targeting the drugs to a particular region of the body for extended period of time, thus maximizing drug availability and minimizing dose dependent side effects. This article reviews preparation of microspheres, gels and bioadhesive gel incorporated with drug loaded microspheres and parameters to evaluate their efficiency.

Bioadhesive Gel Incorporated Drug Loaded Microspheres for Periodontal Therapy - An Overview

https://www.imedpub.com/articles/bioadhesive-gel-incorporated-drug-loadedmicrospheres-for-periodontal-therapy--anoverview.pdf

Bioadhesive Gel Incorporated Drug LoadedMicrospheres for Periodontal Therapy - AnOverview

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Gene Silencing and DNA Methylation

Bioadhesive Gel Incorporated Drug Loaded Microspheres for Periodontal Therapy - An Overview

Bioadhesive Gel Incorporated Drug LoadedMicrospheres for Periodontal Therapy - AnOverview