Stable QTL for malate levels in ripe fruit and their transferability across Vitis species.

Malate is a major contributor to the sourness of grape berries (Vitis spp.) and their products, such as wine. Excessive malate at maturity, commonly observed in wild Vitis grapes, is detrimental to grape and wine quality and complicates the introgression of valuable disease resistance and cold hardy genes through breeding. This study investigated an interspecific Vitis family that exhibited strong and stable variation in malate at ripeness for five years and tested the separate contribution of accumulation, degradation, and dilution to malate concentration in ripe fruit in the last year of study. Genotyping was performed using transferable rhAmpSeq haplotype markers, based on the Vitis collinear core genome. Three significant QTL for ripe fruit malate on chromosomes 1, 7, and 17, accounted for over two-fold and 6.9 g/L differences, and explained 40.6% of the phenotypic variation. QTL on chromosomes 7 and 17 were stable in all and in three out of five years, respectively. Variation in pre-veraison malate was the major contributor to variation in ripe fruit malate (39%), and based on two and five years of data, respectively, their associated QTL overlapped on chromosome 7, indicating a common genetic basis. However, use of transferable markers on a closely related Vitis family did not yield a common QTL across families. This suggests that diverse physiological mechanisms regulate the levels of this key metabolite in the Vitis genus, a conclusion supported by a review of over a dozen publications from the past decade, showing malate-associated genetic loci on all 19 chromosomes.

The Genetic Basis of Anthocyanin Acylation in North American Grapes (Vitis spp.).

Hydroxycinnamylated anthocyanins (or simply 'acylated anthocyanins') increase color stability in grape products, such as wine. Several genes that are relevant for anthocyanin acylation in grapes have been previously described; however, control of the degree of acylation in grapes is complicated by the lack of genetic markers quantitatively associated with this trait. To characterize the genetic basis of anthocyanin acylation in grapevine, we analyzed the acylation ratio in two closely related biparental families, Vitis rupestris B38 × 'Horizon' and 'Horizon' × Illinois 547-1, for 2 and 3 years, respectively. The acylation ratio followed a bimodal and skewed distribution in both families, with repeatability estimates larger than 0.84. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping with amplicon-based markers (rhAmpSeq) identified a strong QTL from 'Horizon' on chromosome 3, near 15.85 Mb in both families and across years, explaining up to 85.2% of the phenotypic variance. Multiple candidate genes were identified in the 14.85-17.95 Mb interval, in particular, three copies of a gene encoding an acetyl-CoA-benzylalcohol acetyltransferase-like protein within the two most strongly associated markers. Additional population-specific QTLs were found in chromosomes 9, 10, 15, and 16; however, no candidate genes were described. The rhAmpSeq markers reported here, which were previously shown to be highly transferable among the Vitis genus, could be immediately implemented in current grapevine breeding efforts to control the degree of anthocyanin acylation and improve the quality of grapes and their products.

Grape berry position affects the diurnal dynamics of its metabolic profile.

Solar irradiance and air temperature are characterized by dramatic circadian fluctuations and are known to significantly modulate fruit composition. To date, it remains unclear whether the abrupt, yet predictive, diurnal changes in radiation and temperature prompt direct metabolic turn-over in the fruit. We assessed the role of fruit insolation, air temperature, and source-tissue CO2 assimilation in the diurnal compositional changes in ripening grape berries. This was performed by comparing the diurnal changes in metabolite profiles of berries positioned such that they experienced (a) contrasting diurnal solar irradiance patterns, and (b) similar irradiance but contrasting diurnal CO2 assimilation patterns of adjacent leaves. Grape carbon levels increased during the morning and decreased thereafter. Sucrose levels decreased throughout the day and were correlated with air temperature, but not with the diurnal pattern of leaf CO2 assimilation. Tight correlation between sucrose and glucose-6-phosphate indicated the involvement of photorespiration/glycolysis in sucrose depletion. Amino acids, polyamines, and phenylpropanoids fluctuated diurnally, and were highly responsive to the diurnal insolation pattern of the fruit. Our results fill the knowledge gap regarding the circadian pattern of source-sink assimilate-translocation in grapevine. In addition, they suggest that short-term direct solar exposure of the fruit impacts both its diurnal and nocturnal metabolism.

Sunlight Modulates Fruit Metabolic Profile and Shapes the Spatial Pattern of Compound Accumulation within the Grape Cluster.

Vineyards are characterized by their large spatial variability of solar irradiance (SI) and temperature, known to effectively modulate grape metabolism. To explore the role of sunlight in shaping fruit composition and cluster uniformity, we studied the spatial pattern of incoming irradiance, fruit temperature and metabolic profile within individual grape clusters under three levels of sunlight exposure. The experiment was conducted in a vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon cv. located in the Negev Highlands, Israel, where excess SI and midday temperatures are known to degrade grape quality. Filtering SI lowered the surface temperature of exposed fruits and increased the uniformity of irradiance and temperature in the cluster zone. SI affected the overall levels and patterns of accumulation of sugars, organic acids, amino acids and phenylpropanoids, across the grape cluster. Increased exposure to sunlight was associated with lower accumulation levels of malate, aspartate, and maleate but with higher levels of valine, leucine, and serine, in addition to the stress-related proline and GABA. Flavan-3-ols metabolites showed a negative response to SI, whereas flavonols were highly induced. The overall levels of anthocyanins decreased with increased sunlight exposure; however, a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the members of this family were grouped into three distinct accumulation patterns, with malvidin anthocyanins and cyanidin-glucoside showing contrasting trends. The flavonol-glucosides, quercetin and kaempferol, exhibited a logarithmic response to SI, leading to improved cluster uniformity under high-light conditions. Comparing the within-cluster variability of metabolite accumulation highlighted the stability of sugars, flavan-3-ols, and cinnamic acid metabolites to SI, in contrast to the plasticity of flavonols. A correlation-based network analysis revealed that extended exposure to SI modified metabolic coordination, increasing the number of negative correlations between metabolites in both pulp and skin. This integrated study of micrometeorology and metabolomics provided insights into the grape-cluster pattern of accumulation of 70 primary and secondary metabolites as a function of spatial variations in SI. Studying compound-specific responses against an extended gradient of quantified conditions improved our knowledge regarding the modulation of berry metabolism by SI, with the aim of using sunlight regulation to accurately modulate fruit composition in warm and arid/semi-arid regions.

Sport-related eye injury in northern Israel.

BACKGROUND: Eye injuries are common in sports. Sports-related eye injuries have the potential for major morbidity OBJECTIVES: To investigate the occurrence and to classify sport-related eye trauma in northern Israel. METHODS: We analyzed the records of the ophthalmology emergency department for the years 2007-2011 and classified the admissions according to type, severity of injury and demographic data. RESULTS: In 2% of the patients the injuries occurred during a sport activity. Most of the injuries occurred during soccer, basketball or school sport activity (74%). The majority of patients were young males. CONCLUSIONS: Most sports-related eye injuries can be prevented with adequate eye protection.

Medial tibial stress syndrome.

MTSS is a benign, though painful, condition, and a common problem in the running athlete. It is prevalent among military personnel, runners, and dancers, showing an incidence of 4% to 35%. Common names for this problem include shin splints, soleus syndrome, tibial stress syndrome, and periostitis. The exact cause of this condition is unknown. Previous theories included an inflammatory response of the periosteum or periosteal traction reaction. More recent evidence suggests a painful stress reaction of bone. The most proven risk factors are hyperpronation of the foot, female sex, and history of previous MTSS. Patient evaluation is based on meticulous history taking and physical examination. Even though the diagnosis remains clinical, imaging studies, such as plain radiographs and bone scans are usually sufficient, although MRI is useful in borderline cases to rule out more significant pathology. Conservative treatment is almost always successful and includes several options; though none has proven more superior to rest. Prevention programs do not seem to influence the rate of MTSS, though shock-absorbing insoles have reduced MTSS rates in military personnel, and ESWT has shortened the duration of symptoms. Surgery is rarely indicated but has shown some promising results in patients who have not responded to all conservative options.

The influence of radiofrequency ablation patterns on length, histological and mechanical properties of tendons.

The use of radiofrequency ablation for thermomodulation of connective tissues has gained acceptance with some surgeons. It is now mainly used for shoulder instability, and two techniques are commonly applied - ablation in a uniform pattern (paintbrush) and ablation in a linearly dispersed fashion (grid). The use of these techniques for shrinkage of tendons or cruciate ligaments is not widely accepted but may be utilized in selected cases. We assessed the effects of thermo-modulation via monopolar radiofrequency ablation using these two techniques on the histological and biomechanical properties of rabbit Achilles tendons. 16 paired rabbit achilles tendons were divided into two treatment groups. Using a Monopolar RF device, eight tendons were treated using the paintbrush technique, and eight using the grid technique. The tendons were shrunk to about 90% of their original length, and the paired tendons were used as control. Following thermomodulation, tendons were pulled to tear using the Instron 4502 (Instron, Mass.) device. We found treated tendons were significantly less resistant to tear when compared to control; the average load to failure of the treatment group was 19.4% lower (p=0.05) than the control group values and the average tissue stiffness in the treatment group was 11.3% lower (p=0.051) than the control group. We found a tendency towards a lower resistance to pull in the tendon group treated using the grid technique. Histological analysis demonstrated areas of collagen denaturation correlated to areas of thermomodulation. A random point of failure was found along the tendons in the paintbrush group whereas the typical point of failure in the grid group was located at the treatment point or at its margins. Our findings demonstrate that use of the grid technique in ablation of tendons creates typical failure points (locus minoris resistenci) which bring about failure and alter the biomechanical properties of the thermomodulated tendons. Thermomodulation of tendons may be used efficiently in selected cases but its detrimental effects to the biomechanical attributes of the tissue should be considered.