Application of the RAPD technique to identify genetic diversity in cultivated forms of Capsicum annuum L.

Background: The extensive use of pepper fruit creates a constant demand for new cultivars with specific agromorphological properties. The wide variety of breeding materials of this species means that methods based on morphological traits descriptions are not always sufficient to allow for their identification. Genetic homogeneity must be guaranteed to ensure repeatability of phenotypic traits. Most often, molecular analyses characterizing diversity at the DNA level are used for this purpose. Material and methods: The PCR-RAPD technique was used for molecular analysis of the generative offspring of three cultivars of pepper: "Anchi", "Luba" and "Sono" and their forms of different fruit colour. The genetic distance between the tested genotypes was determined using the Nei and Li formula. Results: The reaction with 26 RAPD primers resulted in a total of 262 products and 5.2% of them were polymorphic bands. Eight of the used primers generated 12 polymorphic products that differentiated the tested genotypes. The "Anchi" cultivar was identified by the primers A07, K10, Q07 and AE10. Starter Q07 identified as well the "Luba" cultivar. Reactions carried out with primers B10 and RAD1 identified the "Sono" cultivar. In addition, primer A15 generated products that made it possible to distinguish yellow-fruit and red-fruit forms within the "Luba" and "Sono" cultivars. Conclusion: The analyses showed a low degree of genetic distance between C. annuum L. cultivars confirming the genetic homogeneity of the examined groups of plants and creating and opportunity for molecular identification of the genetic diversity within the "Luba" and "Sono" cultivars.

The role of ethylene and transcriptome alterations in response to hypoxia stress in plants / Rola etylenu i zmiany na poziomie transkryptomu w odpowiedzi na stres niedotlenienia u roslin.

Hypoxia in plants is a usually the result of heavy rainfall and the subsequent flooding. All current climate models indicate a notable increase in extreme weather over the coming years. Depending on the species and geographical location, plants have developed two distinct strategies for hypoxia stress adaptation: escape and quiescence. The escape strategy involves rapid growth of part of the shoot above the water level whe­reas the second strategy requires a significant reduction in the metabolic rate of the plant in order to survive until the negative environmental conditions pass. These processes are primarily regulated by ethylen in addition to the transcription factor, ERF (ethylen response factor), which enables the transcription of hypoxia response genes. These processes are primarily regulated by ethylen in addition to the transcription factors, ERFs (ethylen response factors), which enables the transcription of hypoxia response genes. Most ERF genes are constitutively trans­cribed independently of oxygen concentration. However, post-translational modification of the N-terminus of ERFs leads to their degradation in plants growing under physiological conditions. During hypoxia there is an increase in the expression level of genes associated with carbon, nitrogen, glycolysis or anaerobic respiration. However, as shown by studies using ribosome profiling, in order to save energy, plants under hypoxic stress strongly inhibit the process of initiating translation. The regulation of gene expression under stress conditions is also influen­ced by the accumulation of poly(A) RNA in the cell nucleus and cytoplasmic stress granules.

Author Correction: An open data infrastructure for the study of anthropogenic hazards linked to georesource exploitation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

An open data infrastructure for the study of anthropogenic hazards linked to georesource exploitation.

Mining, water-reservoir impoundment, underground gas storage, geothermal energy exploitation and hydrocarbon extraction have the potential to cause rock deformation and earthquakes, which may be hazardous for people, infrastructure and the environment. Restricted access to data constitutes a barrier to assessing and mitigating the associated hazards. Thematic Core Service Anthropogenic Hazards (TCS AH) of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) provides a novel e-research infrastructure. The core of this infrastructure, the IS-EPOS Platform (tcs.ah-epos.eu) connected to international data storage nodes offers open access to large grouped datasets (here termed episodes), comprising geoscientific and associated data from industrial activity along with a large set of embedded applications for their efficient data processing, analysis and visualization. The novel team-working features of the IS-EPOS Platform facilitate collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific research, public understanding of science, citizen science applications, knowledge dissemination, data-informed policy-making and the teaching of anthropogenic hazards related to georesource exploitation. TCS AH is one of 10 thematic core services forming EPOS, a solid earth science European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) (www.epos-ip.org).

Pedogenesis, geochemical forms of heavy metals, and artifact weathering in an urban soil chronosequence, Detroit, Michigan.

An urban soil chronosequence in downtown Detroit, MI was studied to determine the effects of time on pedogenesis and heavy metal sequestration. The soils developed in fill derived from mixed sandy and clayey diamicton parent materials on a level late Pleistocene lakebed plain under grass vegetation in a humid-temperate (mesic) climate. The chronosequence is comprised of soils in vacant lots (12 and 44 years old) and parks (96 and 120 years old), all located within 100 m of a roadway. An A-horizon 16 cm thick with 2% organic matter has developed after only 12 years of pedogenesis. The 12 year-old soil shows accelerated weathering of iron (e.g. nails) and cement artifacts attributed to corrosion by excess soluble salts of uncertain origin. Carbonate and Fe-oxide are immobilizing agents for heavy metals, hence it is recommended that drywall, plaster, cement and iron artifacts be left in soils at brownfield sites for their ameliorating effects.

Ozone therapy and the activity of selected lysosomal enzymes in blood serum of patients with lower limb ischaemia associated with obliterative atheromatosis.

BACKGROUND: The paper compares the effects of ozone therapy and conventional balneological methods on health condition of patients with obliterative atheromatosis and on serum activity of three lysosomal enzymes. MATERIAL/METHODS: Sixty-four patients with lower limb ischaemia in the course of obliterative atheromatosis (without diabetes) were enrolled in the study. Thirty-two patients were treated with ozone administered by intravenous infusions and 30-minute aerosol oxygen-ozone baths. A comparative group was formed of 32 patients treated with traditional balneology. There was also a control group made up of 30 healthy subjects. Ozone therapy as well as traditional balneology were administered daily for the period of 10 days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. Blood for biochemical analysis was collected from elbow vein in the following time intervals: 24 hours before ozone therapy or classical balneology, one hour after therapy and on the 10th day of treatment. The activity of cathepsin D, acid phosphatase and arylsulphatase as well as the levels of a-1-antitrypsin (protease inhibitor) were determined in blood serum of patients with obliterative atheromatosis. RESULTS: In patients who received ozone therapy the activity of analysed lysosomal hydrolases returned to the values typical for healthy subjects. Patients' general condition also improved. The use of traditional balneological methods did not result in any significant change either in the activity of lysosomal hydrolases, the level of a-1-antitrypsin or general condition of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ozone therapy administered by intravenous infusions and aerosol oxygen-ozone baths of lower extremities yields much better therapeutic results in comparison with classical balneology.

[Programmed cell death in the pathogenesis of human diseases]. / Znaczenie zaprogramowanej smierci komórki w patogenezie chorób czlowieka.

The distempers considering cell dying have an important meaning in pathogenesis of different diseases, just like the proliferation distempers. Proliferation and dying are probably responsible for homeostasis support at the same part. Two groups of distempers were distinguished. One of them is connected with an increased cell viability (some cancers, autoimmunological diseases, viral infections) and the other where there is an increased cell mortality (AIDS, some neurodegenerative diseases, myelodysplastic syndromes, osteoporosis and others). Programmed cell death induction using gene therapy methods is tested in preclinical examinations. The results of these tests are thought to have an important significance in therapy of many diseases.