Melon is an economically important fruit crop that has been cultivated for thousands of years; however, the genetic basis and history of its domestication still remain largely unknown. Here we report ...a comprehensive map of the genomic variation in melon derived from the resequencing of 1,175 accessions, which represent the global diversity of the species. Our results suggest that three independent domestication events occurred in melon, two in India and one in Africa. We detected two independent sets of domestication sweeps, resulting in diverse characteristics of the two subspecies melo and agrestis during melon breeding. Genome-wide association studies for 16 agronomic traits identified 208 loci significantly associated with fruit mass, quality and morphological characters. This study sheds light on the domestication history of melon and provides a valuable resource for genomics-assisted breeding of this important crop.
An adequate carbon supply is fundamental for plants to thrive under ammonium stress. In this work, we studied the mechanisms involved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) response to ammonium toxicity ...when grown under ambient or elevated CO2 conditions (400 or 800 p.p.m. CO2). Tomato roots were observed to be the primary organ dealing with ammonium nutrition. We therefore analyzed nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) metabolism in the roots, integrating the physiological response with transcriptomic regulation. Elevated levels of CO2 preferentially stimulated root growth despite the high ammonium content. The induction of anaplerotic enzymes from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle led to enhanced amino acid synthesis under ammonium nutrition. Furthermore, the root transcriptional response to ammonium toxicity was improved by CO2-enriched conditions, leading to higher expression of stress-related genes, as well as enhanced modulation of genes related to signaling, transcription, transport and hormone metabolism. Tomato roots exposed to ammonium stress also showed a defense-like transcriptional response according to the modulation of genes related to detoxification and secondary metabolism, involving principally terpenoid and phenolic compounds. These results indicate that increasing C supply allowed the co-ordinated regulation of root defense mechanisms when dealing with ammonium toxicity.
Aim of study: To survey and report the behavior of the weevil Pleurodirus fairmairii as a pest species on Cistus heterophyllus subsp. carthaginensis (Pau) M.B. Crespo & Mateo (Cartagena’s rockrose), ...in order to provide the first biological data on this species. Cartagena’s rockrose is an Ibero-Balearic endemism considered as "endangered" in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species. Its current distribution is limited to the Spanish provinces of Murcia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Area of study: The study has been conducted in Valencia province (Spain). Material and methods: Pleurodirus fairmairii was observed in the field feeding voraciously on Cartagena’s rockrose. Damages were described, and several individuals of the weevil were captured alive for preliminary observation of their feeding habits under laboratory conditions. The trials (no-choice test) consisted of offering a freshly plucked leaf from different potential host plants to the weevils introduced individually in a Petri dish. Furthermore, a male and a female were dissected for the study of genitalia, and their respective components were prepared for microscopy study and subsequently described. Main results: This paper reports for the first time the occurrence of the weevil Pleurodirus fairmairii on plants of C. heterophyllus subsp. carthaginensis and describes the important damage it causes on leaves, stem, buds, flowers and fruits. Research highlights: A short description of the adults is given, including the genitalia, that are shown and described for the first time.
The B and T lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system are important for the control of most viral infections, including COVID-19. Identification of epitopes recognized by these cells is fundamental ...for understanding how the immune system detects and removes pathogens, and for antiviral vaccine design. Intriguingly, several cross-reactive T lymphocyte epitopes from SARS-CoV-2 with other betacoronaviruses responsible for the common cold have been identified. In addition, antibodies that cross-recognize the spike protein, but not the nucleoprotein (N protein), from different betacoronavirus have also been reported. Using a consensus of eight bioinformatic methods for predicting B-cell epitopes and the collection of experimentally detected epitopes for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, we identified four surface-exposed, conserved, and hypothetical antigenic regions that are exclusive of the N protein. These regions were analyzed using ELISA assays with two cohorts: SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and pre-COVID-19 samples. Here we describe four epitopes from SARS-CoV-2 N protein that are recognized by the humoral response from multiple individuals infected with COVID-19, and are conserved in other human coronaviruses. Three of these linear surface-exposed sequences and their peptide homologs in SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 were also recognized by antibodies from pre-COVID-19 serum samples, indicating cross-reactivity of antibodies against coronavirus N proteins. Different conserved human coronaviruses (HCoVs) cross-reactive B epitopes against SARS-CoV-2 N protein are detected in a significant fraction of individuals not exposed to this pandemic virus. These results have potential clinical implications.
Vaccine hesitancy has increased in the past few years, influenced by the socio-cultural differences, political populism, or concerns related to the effectiveness and safety of some vaccines, ...resulting a feeling of distrust. This feeling can become a barrier against the achievement of the immunity necessary to stop the expansion of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptance of the vaccine against COVID-19 in Spain, as well as to identify the factors that have an influence on the concerns and attitudes of people against accepting the vaccine in the months prior to the start of vaccination on December 2020. An online questionnaire was created to obtain information about (1) sociodemographic characteristics; (2) concerns and sources of information about vaccines; and (3) attitudes about vaccination and state of health. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the influencing factors. Of the 2501 participants, 1207 (48.3%) would accept the COVID-19 vaccine, 623 (24.9%) were hesitant, and 671 (26.8%) would reject it. The logistic regression showed that being male, older than 60, married, retired, with a high level of education, or with a leftist political inclination, could increase the probability of accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. Disinformation and the lack of political consensus were the main sources of distrust. The patients with hypertension, immunodepression, hypercholesterolemia, or respiratory disease, or were overweight, showed a greater acceptance to the vaccine, while those with cancer took the longest to accept it. A low acceptance of the vaccine against COVID-19 was observed among the Spanish population in the phase prior to its availability, and the main fears of the population were identified. It is necessary to offer correct and transparent information about these vaccines to reduce the concerns and increase the trust of the population, to thereby guarantee the success of the vaccination campaigns.
The Catalan diabetic foot health program was established in 2009 in order to prevent complications caused by type 2 diabetes. This study aims to describe its application from 2009 to 2018. The ...objective was to describe diabetic foot care provision in the National Health System of Catalonia between 2009 and 2018, including the number of patients and professionals involved, the causes behind patients’ visits, and the most demanded codes for diagnosis and treatment filled by the podiatrist in each consultation during 2018–2020. This description was addressed through an analysis of the database provided by the Association of Podiatrists to evaluate the implementation of the program. The results for the diabetic foot health program in Catalonia showed a growth in demand from 2009 (1726) to 2018 (213,095) in terms of visits and from 2009 (1541) to 2018 (104,629) in terms of patients. The number of registered podiatrists from 2009 to 2018 increased from 165 to 470. The most commonly used diagnosis codes were (a) without sensory alterations in control and treatment of grade 1 lesions; (b) grade 0 without neuropathic, vascular, structural, or biomechanical alteration; (c) no sensory structural alterations in the foot; (d) keratopathies. The treatments most commonly used were (a) conservative (chiropody), (b) without ortho-podiatric treatment, and (c) plantar supports. The conclusions show that the health program is in great demand amongst the population. Similarly, the coding system has made it possible to identify the diagnosis and treatment of such demand.
Cutaneous plantar warts may be treated using several optional methods, with the use of laser surgery having increased in the last few years. This work examined the efficacy of laser treatment ...combined with simple cooling to reduce pain. The cure rate was approximately 84%. There were no significant differences in the efficacy of treatment for different viral genotypes. The laser parameters were 500 msec pulses, 30 W of power, and a fluence of 212 J/cm
delivered in up to four sessions. Successful treatment was achieved after an average of 3.6 sessions.
A number of molecular marker linkage maps have been developed for melon (Cucumis melo L.) over the last two decades. However, these maps were constructed using different marker sets, thus, making ...comparative analysis among maps difficult. In order to solve this problem, a consensus genetic map in melon was constructed using primarily highly transferable anchor markers that have broad potential use for mapping, synteny, and comparative quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, increasing breeding effectiveness and efficiency via marker-assisted selection (MAS).
Under the framework of the International Cucurbit Genomics Initiative (ICuGI, http://www.icugi.org), an integrated genetic map has been constructed by merging data from eight independent mapping experiments using a genetically diverse array of parental lines. The consensus map spans 1150 cM across the 12 melon linkage groups and is composed of 1592 markers (640 SSRs, 330 SNPs, 252 AFLPs, 239 RFLPs, 89 RAPDs, 15 IMAs, 16 indels and 11 morphological traits) with a mean marker density of 0.72 cM/marker. One hundred and ninety-six of these markers (157 SSRs, 32 SNPs, 6 indels and 1 RAPD) were newly developed, mapped or provided by industry representatives as released markers, including 27 SNPs and 5 indels from genes involved in the organic acid metabolism and transport, and 58 EST-SSRs. Additionally, 85 of 822 SSR markers contributed by Syngenta Seeds were included in the integrated map. In addition, 370 QTL controlling 62 traits from 18 previously reported mapping experiments using genetically diverse parental genotypes were also integrated into the consensus map. Some QTL associated with economically important traits detected in separate studies mapped to similar genomic positions. For example, independently identified QTL controlling fruit shape were mapped on similar genomic positions, suggesting that such QTL are possibly responsible for the phenotypic variability observed for this trait in a broad array of melon germplasm.
Even though relatively unsaturated genetic maps in a diverse set of melon market types have been published, the integrated saturated map presented herein should be considered the initial reference map for melon. Most of the mapped markers contained in the reference map are polymorphic in diverse collection of germplasm, and thus are potentially transferrable to a broad array of genetic experimentation (e.g., integration of physical and genetic maps, colinearity analysis, map-based gene cloning, epistasis dissection, and marker-assisted selection).
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