Behrensshelton2102

Recent studies have revealed that foliar application of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) or small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) encoding specific genes of plant pathogens triggered RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of the gene targets. However, a limited number of reports documented silencing of plant endogenes or transgenes after direct foliar RNA application. This study analyzed the importance of physiological conditions (plant age, time of day, soil moisture, high salinity, heat, and cold stresses) and different dsRNA application means (brush spreading, spraying, infiltration, inoculation, needle injection, and pipetting) for suppression of neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) transgene in Arabidopsis thaliana, as transgenes are more prone to silencing. We observed a higher NPTII suppression when dsRNA was applied at late day period, being most efficient at night, which revealed a diurnal variation in dsRNA treatment efficacy. Exogenous NPTII-dsRNA considerably reduced NPTII expression in 4-week-old plants and only limited it in 2- and 6-week-old plants. In addition, a more discernible NPTII downregulation was detected under low soil moisture conditions. Treatment of adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces by brushes, spraying, and pipetting showed a higher NPTII suppression, while infiltration and inoculation were less efficient. Thus, appropriate plant age, late time of day, low soil moisture, and optimal dsRNA application modes are important for exogenously induced gene silencing.Beyond the conventional perception of solid tumours as mere masses of cancer cells, advanced cancer research focuses on the complex contributions of tumour-associated host cells that are known as "tumour microenvironment" (TME). It has been long appreciated that the tumour stroma, composed mainly of blood vessels, cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells, together with the extracellular matrix (ECM), define the tumour architecture and influence cancer cell properties. Besides soluble cues, that mediate the crosstalk between tumour and stroma cells, cell adhesion to ECM arises as a crucial determinant in cancer progression. In this review, we discuss how adhesome, the intracellular protein network formed at cell adhesions, regulate the TME and control malignancy. The role of adhesome extends beyond the physical attachment of cells to ECM and the regulation of cytoskeletal remodelling and acts as a signalling and mechanosensing hub, orchestrating cellular responses that shape the tumour milieu.Membrane filtration is an attractive process in water and wastewater treatment, but largely restricted by membrane fouling. In this study, the membrane fouling issue is addressed by developing polyethersulfone (PES)-based mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with the incorporation of hydrophilic nanoparticles as an additive. Ultrafiltration MMMs were successfully fabricated by incorporating different loadings of halloysite nanotube-ferrihydrates (HNT-HFO) into a polyethersulfone (PES) matrix and their performance was evaluated for the separation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution and oil/water emulsion. The results show that wettability is endowed to the membrane by introducing the additive aided by the presence of abundant -OH groups from the HFO. The loading of additive also leads to more heterogeneous surface morphology and higher pure water fluxes (516.33-640.82 L/m2h) more than twice that of the pristine membrane as reference (34.69 L/m2h) without affecting the rejection. learn more The MMMs also provide much enhanced antifouling properties. The filtration results indicate that the flux recovery ratio of the modified membrane reached 100% by washing with only distilled water and a total flux recovery ratio of >98% ± 0.0471 for HNT-HFO-loaded membranes in comparison with 59% ± 0.0169 for pristine PES membrane.The search of valuable natural compounds should be directed towards alternative vegetal resources, and to the re-discovery of underutilized plants. Belonging to the Plantaginaceae family, the hoary plantain (Plantago media L.) represents one of the lesser studied species from the Plantago genus. The literature study revealed the under-utilization of the hoary plantain, a surprising aspect, considering its widespread. If the composition of Plantago media L. is rather well established, its applications are not nearly studied as for other Plantago species. The goal of the present paper is to summarize the findings regarding the applications of P. media, and, having as starting point the applications of related species, to propose new emerging areas of research, such as the biomedical applications validation through in vivo assays, and the evaluation of its potential towards industrial applications (i.e., development of food or personal care products), pisciculture or zootechny, phytoremediation and other environmental protection applications, or in the nanotechnology area (materials phytosynthesis). The present work constitutes not only a brief presentation of this plant's present and potential applications, but also an invitation to research groups world-wide to explore the available vegetal resources.Ionic liquids have attracted the attention of the industry and research community as versatile solvents with unique properties, such as ionic conductivity, low volatility, high solubility of gases and vapors, thermal stability, and the possibility to combine anions and cations to yield an almost endless list of different structures. These features open perspectives for numerous applications, such as the reaction medium for chemical synthesis, electrolytes for batteries, solvent for gas sorption processes, and also membranes for gas separation. In the search for better-performing membrane materials and membranes for gas and vapor separation, ionic liquids have been investigated extensively in the last decade and a half. This review gives a complete overview of the main developments in the field of ionic liquid membranes since their first introduction. It covers all different materials, membrane types, their preparation, pure and mixed gas transport properties, and examples of potential gas separation applications.