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Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022Oedogoniales comprises the three genera , , and , which include more than 600 described species. The classification of Oedogoniaceae is currently based on morphology,...
Oedogoniales comprises the three genera , , and , which include more than 600 described species. The classification of Oedogoniaceae is currently based on morphology, and the complicated morphological characteristics make species identification difficult, with the limited molecular data also restricting the phylogenetic analysis. In the present study, we collected 47 specimens from China and sequenced 18S rDNA, ITS2, ITS (ITS1 + 5.8S + ITS2), and rbcL sequences to conduct phylogenetic analyses. We selected nine morphological characteristics, most of which were considered important in traditional systematics, for comparison with the molecular phylogeny results. All the topologies based on different datasets showed similar results; was a paraphyletic group, and and clustered with . The morphological characteristics matching the phylogenetic results showed that the types of sexual differentiation, characteristics of the oogonium (including shape, types of aperture, and ornamentation of oospore wall), division types of antheridial, and number of sperm of each antheridial, which are considered the most important morphological characteristics in traditional taxonomy of , did not form monophyletic lineages respectively, indicating that traditional systematics may not reflect the real phylogeny of the genus . In addition, a new taxonomical classification of the genus was presented according to the shapes of basal cells, which matched well with the phylogenetic topologies. In addition, we propose to divide the genus into two sections, section and section , representing the species with spherical or sub-hemispherical basal cells and elongated basal cells, respectively.
PubMed: 36145821
DOI: 10.3390/plants11182422 -
American Journal of Translational... 2022To detect mRNA and protein expression of meiosis-specific genes in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs) in an co-culture microenvironment with mouse...
OBJECTIVE
To detect mRNA and protein expression of meiosis-specific genes in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs) in an co-culture microenvironment with mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs), and to further explore the effective potential of hUMSCs to differentiate into PGCs.
METHODS
HUMSCs were obtained from human Wharton's jelly fragments by adherent culture. PGCs were derived from 12.5 days post-coitum (dpc) BalbC mice. Then hUMSCs were co-cultured with PGCs in Matrigel, inside or outside of a culture chamber, respectively. The changes in morphology and cytogenetic characteristics were observed. SCP3 and DDX4 expression in hUMSCs were detected and analyzed using immunofluorescence staining. Oct-4, Stra8, Zp3 and Dmc1 gene expressions in PGCs, hUMSCs, and hUMSCs after co-culture with PGCs were analyzed by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS
Both hUMSCs and PGCs expressed Oct-4 at different degrees. After co-culture with PGCs, hUMSCs became rounded and showed AKP activity. HUMSCs suspension-cultured in Matrigel or adherent cultured with cell chamber significantly expressed Stra8, DMC1, SCP3 and DDX4 genes.
CONCLUSION
HUMSCs can be induced to express PGC-specific genes Stra8 and DMC1, spermatogonium/oogonium-specific genes SCP3 and DDX4 that predict directed differentiation potential into early germ cells at a molecular level.
PubMed: 36628204
DOI: No ID Found -
Integrative Organismal Biology (Oxford,... 2023In high-latitude environments where seasonal changes include periods of harsh conditions, many arthropods enter diapause, a period of dormancy that is hormonally...
In high-latitude environments where seasonal changes include periods of harsh conditions, many arthropods enter diapause, a period of dormancy that is hormonally regulated. Diapause is characterized by very low metabolism, resistance to environmental stress, and developmental arrest. It allows an organism to optimize the timing of reproduction by synchronizing offspring growth and development with periods of high food availability. In species that enter dormancy as pre-adults or adults, termination of diapause is marked by the resumption of physiological processes, an increase in metabolic rates and once transitioned into adulthood for females, the initiation of oogenesis. In many cases, individuals start feeding again and newly acquired resources become available to fuel egg production. However, in the subarctic capital-breeding copepod , feeding is decoupled from oogenesis. Thus, optimizing reproduction limited by fixed resources such that all eggs are of high quality and fully-provisioned, requires regulation of the number of oocytes. However, it is unknown if and how this copepod limits oocyte formation. In this study, the phase in oocyte production by post-diapause females that involved DNA replication in the ovary and oviducts was examined using incubation in 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU). Both oogonia and oocytes incorporated EdU, with the number of EdU-labeled cells peaking at 72 hours following diapause termination. Cell labeling with EdU remained high for two weeks, decreasing thereafter with no labeling detected by four weeks post diapause, and three to four weeks before spawning of the first clutch of eggs. The results suggest that oogenesis is sequential in with formation of new oocytes starting within 24 hours of diapause termination and limited to the first few weeks. Lipid consumption during diapause was minimal and relatively modest initially. This early phase in the reproductive program precedes mid-oogenesis and vitellogenesis 2, when oocytes increase in size and accumulate yolk and lipid reserves. By limiting DNA replication to the initial phase, the females effectively separate oocyte production from oocyte provisioning. A sequential oogenesis is unlike the income-breeder strategy of most copepods in which oocytes at all stages of maturation are found concurrently in the reproductive structures.
PubMed: 37361914
DOI: 10.1093/iob/obad020 -
The International Journal of... 2013Embryonic development is strictly controlled by functionality of genes in which the existing networks can act both on transcription and translation regulation. Germ cell... (Review)
Review
Embryonic development is strictly controlled by functionality of genes in which the existing networks can act both on transcription and translation regulation. Germ cell cancers (GCC) are unique because of a number of characteristics. In spite of their clinical presentation, i.e., predominantly after puberty, they arise from primordial germ cells/gonocytes that have failed appropriate maturation to either pre-spermatogonia or oogonia. GCC mimic embryonal development to a certain extent, including capacity for totipotency. This knowledge has allowed the identification of informative diagnostic markers, including OCT3/4 (POU5F1), SOX2 and SOX17. An additional marker is the overall demethylated status of the genome. Genetic mutations in GCC are rare, which is exceptional for solid cancers. Our hypothesis is that a disturbed epigenetic regulation (through combined interaction of genetic or environmental parameters; referred to as genvironment) affect embryonic germ cell development, resulting in delayed or blocked maturation, and potentially progression to GCC. In this respect, studies of patients with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) have increased our knowledge significantly. Genvironmental influences can lead to retention of existence of embryonic germ cells, the first step in the pathogenesis of GCC, resulting into the precursor lesions gonadoblastoma or carcinoma in situ. Identification of epigenetic alterations could lead to better understanding these processes and development of specific markers for early detection, eventually leading to development of targeted treatment. This review describes an interactive model related to the role of epigenetics in GCC pathogenesis, focusing on DNA methylation, histone modifications, epigenetic memory and inheritance, as well as environmental factors.
Topics: Epigenesis, Genetic; Humans; Male; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal
PubMed: 23784841
DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.130017ll -
Development (Cambridge, England) Jan 2022Gamete formation from germline stem cells (GSCs) is essential for sexual reproduction. However, the regulation of GSC differentiation is incompletely understood. Set2,...
Gamete formation from germline stem cells (GSCs) is essential for sexual reproduction. However, the regulation of GSC differentiation is incompletely understood. Set2, which deposits H3K36me3 modifications, is required for GSC differentiation during Drosophila oogenesis. We discovered that the H3K36me3 reader Male-specific lethal 3 (Msl3) and histone acetyltransferase complex Ada2a-containing (ATAC) cooperate with Set2 to regulate GSC differentiation in female Drosophila. Msl3, acting independently of the rest of the male-specific lethal complex, promotes transcription of genes, including a germline-enriched ribosomal protein S19 paralog RpS19b. RpS19b upregulation is required for translation of RNA-binding Fox protein 1 (Rbfox1), a known meiotic cell cycle entry factor. Thus, Msl3 regulates GSC differentiation by modulating translation of a key factor that promotes transition to an oocyte fate.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; Meiosis; Nuclear Proteins; Oogenesis; Oogonia; RNA-Binding Proteins; Ribosomal Proteins; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 34878097
DOI: 10.1242/dev.199625 -
Plant Disease Apr 2023Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H. Chen, known as ''sanqi'', is widely used for its medicinal and tonic effects in China, such as treatment of cardiovascular diseases and...
Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H. Chen, known as ''sanqi'', is widely used for its medicinal and tonic effects in China, such as treatment of cardiovascular diseases and antioxidant effects. However, root rot disease is the most destructive disease that hampers industrial development (Mi et al. 2017). In August 2018 and 2019, samples displaying symptoms of root rot, such as unnormal, stunted growth and chlorotic leaves, were dug out with a shovel and put in clean sample-bags from four production bases in Wenshan (around 23.5° N; 104° E), Yunnan province, the biggest "sanqi" production area in China, with over 20 thousand ha. Among production bases, root rot incidence typically ranged from 10% to 20%, but in a few number of severe cases, exceeded 70%. Typical symptomatic root tubers were washed with tap water, surface-sterilized in 5% NaClO for 1 min followed by 70% alcohol for 30 s, and rinsed three times with sterile water. The diseased tissues were excised and placed on rye sucrose agar medium (RSA) supplemented with 25 mg/L rifampin and 50 mg/L kanamycin, then incubated at 25°C in the dark for five days. Colonies with different features grew from the diseased pieces and twenty oomycete-like colonies, (white, dense, aerial mycelia with rapid radiate growth) were chosen for further investigation. Microscopic observations showed terminal and intercalary hyphal swellings, which were either globose or limoniform, thin-walled, mostly smooth, and 13-28 µm wide (average 20.3 µm). Oogonia were globose or rarely fusiform, mostly intercalary, 11-19 µm wide (average 13 µm), provided with a varying number of blunt, digitate projections. Oospores were plerotic, rarely aplerotic, thin-walled, and 16-19 μm wide (average 18.6 μm). Antheridia usually originated at various distances from the oogonium and appeared- clavate and crook-necked, making apical contact with the oogonium. Based on typical morphological features described, the isolates were putatively identified as Pythium spinosum (van der Plaats-Niterink 1981). The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (CoxII) of isolates SQ00803 and SQ00903-1 were sequenced using universal primers ITS1/ITS4 and FM58/FM66 (Villa et al. 2006). The nucleotide sequences were deposited to GenBank with the accession numbers MN369530, MN370548, MN561687 and MN561688, respectively. Blastn analysis of ITS sequences showed 99.58% similarity to those of Globisporangium spinosum isolates CBS275.67 and CBS276.67 (accession number AY598701 and HQ643792). CoxII sequences showed 99.82% to 100% similarity to G. spinosum isolates (accession number GU071755 and AF196616). For pathogenicity tests, nine two-year-old healthy sanqi plants grown in sterilized substrate in plastic pots under greenhouse conditions were inoculated with 5×104 CFU/ml zoospore suspension of G. spinosum by root-drenching method (Dixon et al. 1984). Three non-inoculated plants drenched with sterile water were used as controls. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 25°C with a 16/8-h photoperiod. After two weeks, inoculated sanqi plants showed discoloration and chlorosis of leaves with water-soaked root rot. Control plants were symptomless and healthy. Colonies resembling G. spinosum were re-isolated from infected root tissues and showed the same morphological features as G. spinosum, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. G. spinosum originally isolated from seedlings of Anthirrhinum majus has been reported to cause root rot disease on many plant species worldwide (Lévesque and De Cock 2004). Recently, based on whole genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis, P. spinosum was transferred to Globisporangium genus. Therefore, P. spinosum is now classified as G. spinosum (Hai et al. 2022). To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. spinosum causing root rot of P. notoginseng in China. This research will contribute to the development of integrated management strategies for P. notoginseng root rot.
PubMed: 37081634
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-05-22-1216-PDN -
Fungal Systematics and Evolution Dec 2022During a survey of gardens in Shiraz County, Iran, aimed at identifying oomycetes associated with roots of ornamental trees, a species of with distinctive morphological...
During a survey of gardens in Shiraz County, Iran, aimed at identifying oomycetes associated with roots of ornamental trees, a species of with distinctive morphological characters separating it from other known species in this genus was recovered from conifers and occasionally from a sp. Five isolates of this species were characterised. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear (ITS and ) and mitochondrial ( and ) loci using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses as well as their distinct morphological and cultural characteristics ( abundant production of chlamydospores; globose, ellipsoid to ovoid sporangia; amorphous oogonia with a smooth wall; paragynous to rarely hypogynous antheridia and 1-5 antheridia per oogonium; mostly plerotic oospores) revealed that these isolates belong to a new species grouping in the phylogenetic clade G of . This paper formally describes . as a new species and compares it with other phylogenetically related and already known species, including , , and . Salmaninezhad F, Aloi F, Pane A, Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa R, Cacciola SO (2022). ., associated with conifers and spp. : 127-137. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.05.
PubMed: 36741557
DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.05 -
Plant Disease May 2022Photinia × fraseri Dress is a hybrid species of Rosaceae and Photinia genus which is widely cultivated in China. During 2020 and 2021, approximately 80% of plants...
Photinia × fraseri Dress is a hybrid species of Rosaceae and Photinia genus which is widely cultivated in China. During 2020 and 2021, approximately 80% of plants growing in Xuanwu district of Nanjing, China, exhibited disease symptoms including blight, necrosis, and dieback of crowns and roots. Symptomatic root tissues collected from 2-year-old plants were rinsed with water, cut into 2-mm tissues which were surface-sterilized in 70% ethanol for 60 s, and plated onto 10% V8 PARP agar and incubated in the dark at 26°C for 3 days. Hyphae emerged from 70% of the samples. Two representative isolates (PF-he2, PF-he3) were obtained and deposited. Ten agar plugs (2×2 mm2) of each isolate were transferred into 10 mL of 10% V8 juice to produce mycelial mats. To stimulate sporangial production, 3-5 drops of soil extract solution (soil collected from healthy fields, immersed in sterile water, and filtered) were added to each plate. Sporangia were terminal, ovoid to globose or papillate. The zoospores were 7.1-9.3 µm in diameter. Each oogonium contained a single, smooth, spherical and aplerotic oospore with a diameter of 24.5-32.6 μm. These morphological properties resemble those of Phytopythium helicoides (CBS286.31 from S. F. Ashby). For molecular identification, the large subunit (LSU) rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase I (COXI) gene, and COXII gene were amplified using the primer pairs NL1/NL4 , FM55/FM52R , and FM66/FM58 . The LSU, COXI, and COXII sequences of isolate PF-he2 were 100% (763/763 nt), 98.07% (1066/1087 nt), 99.64% (561/563 nt) identical to isolate CBS 286.31 (AY598665.2), GDGJ6 (KT750956.1), and TC3 (MN952224.1), respectively. Based on the morphological and molecular analysis, the two isolates shared 100% homology were identified as Phytopythium helicoides. The pathogenicity of two isolates were tested on potted 2-yr-old (40-cm tall) P. × fraseri. Six plants were dug up to expose root balls which were wounded before inoculations with a sterile needle, and then inoculated with zoospore suspension (106 zoospore/mL). Controls were treated with ddH2O. Three seedlings/isolate were used for each treatment including controls. All plants were repotted using the original sterilized potting mix and pots. After inoculation, the plants were covered with plastic bags, and sterilized H2O was sprayed into the bags twice per day to maintain humidity and kept in a greenhouse at the day/night temperatures at 25/16 °C. All the inoculated plants showed lesions similar to those observed in the field after 23 days , whereas controls were asymptomatic. The isolates were reisolated from the lesions and sequenced as P. helicoides which has found causing root rot on Nelumbo nucifera, Rhododendron pulchrum, Zea mays in China, and also on Fragaria × ananassa in America, Peach Rootstock in California. Globally, this is the first report of P. helicoides causing crown blight and root rot of P. × fraseri. Management programs are under development to contain the spread of P. helicoides and treat diseased plants.
PubMed: 35581911
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-03-22-0672-PDN -
Zoology (Jena, Germany) Oct 2023Ovaries in earthworms belonging to the family Megascolecidae are paired structures attached to the septum in the anterior part of the XIII segment. They are fan to...
Ovaries in earthworms belonging to the family Megascolecidae are paired structures attached to the septum in the anterior part of the XIII segment. They are fan to rosette shaped with numerous rows of growing oocytes, known as egg strings, radiating from the ovary center towards the segmental cavity. The histological and ultrastructural ovary organization in megascolecids and the course of oogenesis remain unknown. The paper presents the results of light and electron microscopy analyses of ovaries in six megascolecid species, three from the genus Amynthas and three from Metaphire. Both parthenogenetic and sexually reproducing species were included in the study. The organization and ultrastructure of ovaries in all studied species are broadly similar. Considering the histological organization of ovaries, they could be divided into two zones. Zone I (proximal, close to the connection with the septum) is tightly packed with germline and somatic cells. Germ cells are interconnected via intercellular bridges and thin strands of the central cytoplasm (known as cytophore) and form syncytial cysts. Cysts unite oogonia, early meiotic cells (till diplotene), and clustering cells develop synchronously. During diplotene, interconnected cells lose developmental synchrony; most probably, one cell per cyst grows faster than others, detaches from the cysts, and becomes an oocyte. The remaining cells grow slightly and are still interconnected via the thin and reticular cytophore; these cells are considered nurse cells. Zone II has a form of egg strings where growing oocytes are isolated one from another by thin somatic cells and form short cords. We present the ultrastructural details of germline and somatic cells. We propose the term "Amynthas" type of ovaries for this ovary organization. We suppose that such ovaries are characteristic of other megascolecids and related families.
Topics: Humans; Female; Animals; Ovary; Oligochaeta; Oocytes; Oogenesis; Germ Cells
PubMed: 37586295
DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2023.126109 -
Plant Disease Sep 2022Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is an evergreen tree native to SW Europe and NW Africa. It covers 2·106 ha in the western Mediterranean basin, forms heterogeneous forest...
Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is an evergreen tree native to SW Europe and NW Africa. It covers 2·106 ha in the western Mediterranean basin, forms heterogeneous forest ecosystems and represents an important source of income derived from cork production. While in Iberia, Italy, Tunisia and Algeria, drought and several endemic pathogens have been associated with cork oak decline (Moricca et al. 2016; Smahi et al. 2017), in Morocco there is no evidence, apart from overgrazing and human intervention (Fennane and Rejdali 2015), of a pathogen associated with oak decline. In December 2019, extensive dieback and mortality of 60-year-old cork oak trees were observed in a natural stand of ca 150 ha located 5 km east from Touazithe, in Maâmora forest, Morocco (34°13'38''N, 6°14'51''W - 87 m a.s.l.). Two years before, Q. suber seedlings from a local nursery were planted to increase tree density. Symptoms in trees and planted seedlings included chlorosis, reddish-brown discoloration of the whole crown and dieback starting in the upper crown. Root rot and lack of fine roots were observed. Tree mortality was estimated at ca 30%, and disease incidences of trees and seedlings were 45 and 70%, respectively. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from the rhizosphere of 3 symptomatic trees randomly selected at the site using leaves as bait (Jung et al. 1996). On carrot agar Phytophthora colonies were uniform and cottonwool-like. Sporangia were typically terminal, with ovoid, and obpyriform shape, mostly papillate, measuring 30.7 ± 4.7 µm length and 22.7 ± 4.1 µm wide. Oogonia were produced in single culture, and they were globose to subglobose, elongated to ellipsoid, 32.1 ± 2.9 µm in diameter and 46.1 ± 4.8 µm in length. Oospores were usually spherical, thick-walled, and measured 28.1 ± 2.4 µm. Antheridia were paragynous, mostly spherical, measuring 12.2 ± 1.4 µm. Isolates had minimum and maximum temperatures of 5 °C and 30 °C, respectively, and a growth optimum at 20 °C. Apart from the small size of sporangia, features were typical of Phytophthora quercina Jung. The identity of a representative strain (TJ1500) was corroborated by sequencing the ITS and mitochondrial cox1 gene regions, and BLAST search in GenBank showed 100% homology with sequences of the ex-type culture of P. quercina (KF358229 and KF358241 accessions, respectively). Both sequences of the representative isolate were submitted to GenBank (accessions OP086243 and OP290549). The strain TJ1500 is currently stored within the culture collections of the Mendel University in Brno and the University of Sassari. Its pathogenicity was verified and compared with a P. cinnamomi strain in a soil infestation test with one-year-old cork oak seedlings (Corcobado et al. 2017). Five months after inoculation, the symptoms described were observed in the seedlings, and fine root weight of plants inoculated with the TJ1500 strain and P. cinnamomi was reduced by 19 and 42%, respectively, in relation to non-inoculated controls. The pathogen was re-isolated from the necrotic roots, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. So far, P. quercina has been reported associated with chronic mortality of cork oak in new plantations in Spain (Martín-García et al. 2015; Jung et al. 2016) and natural forests in Italy (Seddaiu et al. 2020). To our knowledge this is the first report of P. quercina in Morocco. Givenat Morocco is an important cork producing country, our finding warns about the risk this pathogen poses to Q. suber and other North African oaks.
PubMed: 36167516
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-08-22-1795-PDN