ABSTRACT
The increasing interest in the production of bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) with specific quality traits requires a shift from the current breeding goal, being yield, to improved compositional and, consequently, functional traits. Since wheat is a key food crop, this must be attained while maintaining or even further increasing yield. Furthermore, as compositional requirements for specific applications are not well-defined, both protein and gluten content as well as the enzymatic activity remain most important. Given that these traits are majorly impacted by both genotype and environment, it is very complex to predict and ultimately control them. Different strategies, such as applying optimized agronomic practices, can temper these uncontrollable determinants which are equally important to steer wheat quality. As current research on their contribution to specific traits is highly fragmented, this report provides a comprehensive review of the influence of crop husbandry and environmental conditions on wheat yield and composition.
Subject(s)
Crop Production/methods , Triticum/chemistry , Ecosystem , Genotype , Phenotype , Plant Proteins/genetics , Plant Proteins/metabolism , Triticum/genetics , Triticum/growth & development , Triticum/metabolismABSTRACT
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) consists of at least two major prognostic subgroups, characterized by different cellular and molecular markers. This observation sparked studies on the function and clinical importance of these markers. In order to address their function adequately, an efficient and reliable method for gene transfer is needed. In this study, we compared efficiency and utility of different gene transfer techniques in CLL. Lenti-, retro- and adenoviral transduction did not yield appreciable numbers of marker gene enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) positive CLL cells, despite various prestimulation protocols. Efficient transgene expression was observed after nucleofection of CLL cells with plasmid DNA, at the expense of low survival rates. After optimization, electroporation of in vitro transcribed mRNA yielded up to 90% EGFP+CLL cells without affecting survival. Transgene expression remained detectable for at least 2 weeks after electroporation. Furthermore, we could demonstrate overexpression of ZAP70 and of a ZAP70-EGFP fusion protein after electroporation with ZAP70 or ZAP70-EGFP mRNA. We conclude that mRNA electroporation is a novel and straightforward method for highly efficient gene transfer in CLL. The application of this technique should facilitate functional studies on CLL cells, as well as clinical research.
Subject(s)
Electroporation/methods , Gene Transfer Techniques , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/pathology , RNA, Messenger/administration & dosage , Biomarkers , Cell Survival , Cells, Cultured , Electroporation/standards , Gene Expression , Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics , Humans , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics , ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase/geneticsABSTRACT
This article deals with the definition of a method for analyzing sequences of symbols, especially biological sequences. We are mostly interested in finding representations of sequences, that could help to explicit relationship between their structure and their activity. Starting with automatically built rules, governing occurrences of symbols within sequences, we define ways of using these rules to determine different subsequences that we assume to be contexts. Labelled contexts provide a possible representation of sequences. Finally an example of detected contexts in proteins is given.
