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Cell Wall Thickness (cell + wall_thickness)
Selected AbstractsGene Expression during Formation of Earlywood and Latewood in Loblolly Pine: Expression Profiles of 350 GenesPLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004U. Egertsdotter Abstract: The natural variability of wood formation in trees affords opportunities to correlate transcript profiles with the resulting wood properties. We have used cDNA microarrays to study transcript abundance in developing secondary xylem of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) over a growing season. The cDNAs were selected from a collection of 75 000 ESTs that have been sequenced and annotated (http:web.ahc.umn.edubiodatansfpine). Cell wall thickness and climatic data were related to earlywood and latewood formation at different time points during the growing season. Seventy-one ESTs showed preferential expression in earlywood or latewood, including 23 genes with no significant similarity to genes in GenBank. Seven genes involved in lignin synthesis were preferentially expressed in latewood. The studies have provided initial insights into the variation of expression patterns of some of the genes related to the wood formation process. [source] Effect of suramin on the human pathogen Candida albicans: implications on the fungal development and virulenceFEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Lys Adriana Braga-Silva Abstract Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is of growing medical importance because it causes superficial, mucosal and systemic infections in susceptible individuals. Here, the effect of suramin, a polysulfonated naphthylurea derivative, on C. albicans development and virulence was evaluated. Firstly, it was demonstrated that suramin (500 ,M) arrested its growth, showing a fungicidal action dependent on cell number. Suramin treatment caused profound changes in the yeast ultrastructure as shown by transmission electron microscopy. The more important changes were the enlargement of the fungi cytoplasmic vacuoles, the appearance of yeasts with an empty cytoplasm resembling ghost cells and a reduction in cell wall thickness. Suramin also blocked the transformation of yeast cells to the germ-tube and the interaction between C. albicans and epithelial cells. In order to ascertain that the action of suramin on C. albicans growth is a general feature instead of being strain-specific, the effects of suramin on 14 oral clinical strains isolated from healthy children and HIV-positive infants were analyzed. Interestingly, the strains of C. albicans isolated from HIV-positive patients were more resistant to suramin than strains isolated from healthy patients. Altogether, the results produced here show that suramin interfered with essential fungal processes, such as growth, differentiation and interaction with host cells. [source] Disruption of Cortical Microtubules by Overexpression of Green Fluorescent Protein-Tagged ,-Tubulin 6 Causes a Marked Reduction in Cell Wall SynthesisJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006David H. Burk Abstract It has been known that the transverse orientation of cortical microtubules (MTs) along the elongation axis is essential for normal cell morphogenesis, but whether cortical MTs are essential for normal cell wall synthesis is still not clear. In the present study, we have investigated whether cortical MTs affect cell wall synthesis by direct alteration of the cortical MT organization in Arabidopsis thaliana. Disruption of the cortical MT organization by expression of an excess amount of green fluorescent protein-tagged ,-tubulin 6 (GFP-TUA6) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants was found to cause a marked reduction in cell wall thickness and a decrease in the cell wall sugars glucose and xylose. Concomitantly, the stem strength of the GFP-TUA6 overexpressors was markedly reduced compared with the wild type. In addition, expression of excess GFP-TUA6 results in an alteration in cell morphogenesis and a severe effect on plant growth and development. Together, these results suggest that the proper organization of cortical MTs is essential for the normal synthesis of plant cell walls. (Managing editor: Wei Wang) [source] Marc concentration of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L) in relation to sucrose storageJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 3 2005Christa M Hoffmann Abstract Pulp as a feed stuff produced in the sugar factory is estimated by the marc concentration in sugar beet, which consists of the insoluble cell wall compounds. To identify factors affecting level and development of marc concentration during the growing season, several field trials and pot experiments were carried out in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The results show that marc concentration decreased until 100 days after sowing, but then did not change markedly until October, when it ranged between 34 and 45 g kg,1 beet. Marc concentration was affected more by site and variety than by year. Differences in marc concentration were already established very early in the season (65 days after sowing). This was attributed to the formation of cambial rings and parenchyma cells in the root during this period, which determine sucrose storage. There was a positive correlation between marc and dry matter, sucrose and betaine, but a negative correlation to root yield and amino N. Marc concentration was about 10% lower than reported in the past, which is supposed to be due to a change in the optimal cell volume for sucrose storage and the cell wall thickness of new sugar beet varieties. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Overexpression of EgROP1, a Eucalyptus vascular-expressed Rac-like small GTPase, affects secondary xylem formation in Arabidopsis thalianaNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 4 2009Camille Foucart Summary ,,To better understand the genetic control of secondary xylem formation in trees we analysed genes expressed during Eucalyptus xylem development. ,Using eucalyptus xylem cDNA libraries, we identified EgROP1, a member of the plant ROP family of Rho-like GTPases. These signalling proteins are central regulators of many important processes in plants, but information on their role in xylogenesis is scarce. ,,Quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed that EgROP1 was preferentially expressed in the cambial zone and differentiating xylem in eucalyptus. Genetic mapping performed in a eucalyptus breeding population established a link between EgROP1 sequence polymorphisms and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to lignin profiles and fibre morphology. Overexpression of various forms of EgROP1 in Arabidopsis thaliana altered anisotropic cell growth in transgenic leaves, but most importantly affected vessel element and fibre growth in secondary xylem. Patches of fibre-like cells in the secondary xylem of transgenic plants showed changes in secondary cell wall thickness, lignin and xylan composition. ,,These results suggest a role for EgROP1 in fibre cell morphology and secondary cell wall formation making it a good candidate gene for marker-based selection of eucalyptus trees. [source] |