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Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO) is one of the most serious biotic constraints for this tree crop. Our knowledge of the genetics of the tolerance/resistance to this disease is very limited. Here we show that tolerance of the cv Frantoio relies on both basal and early pathogeninduced differential transcriptomic responses. A comparative transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) was conducted in root tissues of cvs Frantoio (VWO-tolerant) and Picual (VWO-susceptible). RNA samples originated from roots of inoculated olive plants during the early infection stages by Verticillium dahliae (highly virulent, defoliating pathotype). A huge number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found between ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Picual’ (27 312 unigenes) in the absence of the pathogen. Upon infection with V. dahliae, ‘Picual’ and ‘Frantoio’ plants responded differently too. In the early infection stages, four clusters of DEGs could be identified according to their time-course expression patterns. Among others, a pathogenesis-related protein of the Bet v I family and a dirigent-like protein involved in lignification, and several BAK1, NHL1, reactive oxygen species stress response and BAM unigenes showed noticeable differences between cultivars. Tolerance of ‘Frantoio’ plants to VWO is a consequence of a complex and multifaceted process which involves many plant traits.

Understanding the relationship between the location of nanoparticles (NPs) in an organic matrix and their catalytic performances is essential for catalyst design. Here we show that catalytic activities of Au, Ag and CuNPs stabilized by dendrimers using coordination to intradendritic triazoles, galvanic replacement or stabilization outside dendrimers strongly depends on their location. AgNPs are found at the inner click dendrimer periphery, whereas CuNPs and AuNPs are encapsulated in click dendrimer nanosnakes. AuNPs and AgNPs formed by galvanic replacement are larger than precursors and only partly encapsulated. AuNPs are all the better 4-nitrophenol reduction catalysts as they are less sterically inhibited by the dendrimer interior, whereas on the contrary CuNPs are all the better alkyne azide cycloaddition catalysts as they are better protected from aerobic oxidation inside dendrimers. This work highlights the role of the location in macromolecules on the catalytic efficiency of metal nanoparticles and rationalizes optimization in catalyst engineering. Organic supports are often employed for encapsulation of metal nanoparticles. Here the authors report a method for the precise localisation of gold, silver and copper nanoparticles within a dendrimer support and show how this localisation influences catalytic performance.

The primary domestication of olive (Olea europaea L.) in the Levant dates back to the Neolithic period, around 6,000–5,500 BC, as some archeological remains attest. Cultivated olive trees are reproduced clonally, with sexual crosses being the sporadic events that drive the development of new varieties. In order to determine the genomic changes which have occurred in a modern olive cultivar, the genome of the Picual cultivar, one of the most popular olive varieties, was sequenced. Additional 40 cultivated and 10 wild accessions were re‐sequenced to elucidate the evolution of the olive genome during the domestication process. It was found that the genome of the ‘Picual’ cultivar contains 79,667 gene models, of which 78,079 were protein‐coding genes and 1,588 were tRNA. Population analyses support two independent events in olive domestication, including an early possible genetic bottleneck. Despite genetic bottlenecks, cultivated accessions showed a high genetic diversity driven by the activation of transposable elements (TE). A high TE gene expression was observed in presently cultivated olives, which suggests a current activity of TEs in domesticated olives. Several TEs families were expanded in the last 5,000 or 6,000 years and produced insertions near genes that may have been involved in selected traits during domestication as reproduction, photosynthesis, seed development, and oil production. Therefore, a great genetic variability has been found in cultivated olive as a result of a significant activation of TEs during the domestication process.

Background Olive orchards are threatened by a wide range of pathogens. Of these, Verticillium dahliae has been in the spotlight for its high incidence, the difficulty to control it and the few cultivars that has increased tolerance to the pathogen. Disease resistance not only depends on detection of pathogen invasion and induction of responses by the plant, but also on barriers to avoid the invasion and active resistance mechanisms constitutively expressed in the absence of the pathogen. In a previous work we found that two healthy non-infected plants from cultivars that differ in V. dahliae resistance such as ‘Frantoio’ (resistant) and ‘Picual’ (susceptible) had a different root morphology and gene expression pattern. In this work, we have addressed the issue of basal differences in the roots between Resistant and Susceptible cultivars. Results The gene expression pattern of roots from 29 olive cultivars with different degree of resistance/susceptibility to V. dahliae was analyzed by RNA-Seq. However, only the Highly Resistant and Extremely Susceptible cultivars showed significant differences in gene expression among various groups of cultivars. A set of 421 genes showing an inverse differential expression level between the Highly Resistant to Extremely Susceptible cultivars was found and analyzed. The main differences involved higher expression of a series of transcription factors and genes involved in processes of molecules importation to nucleus, plant defense genes and lower expression of root growth and development genes in Highly Resistant cultivars, while a reverse pattern in Moderately Susceptible and more pronounced in Extremely Susceptible cultivars were observed. Conclusion According to the different gene expression patterns, it seems that the roots of the Extremely Susceptible cultivars focus more on growth and development, while some other functions, such as defense against pathogens, have a higher expression level in roots of Highly Resistant cultivars. Therefore, it seems that there are constitutive differences in the roots between Resistant and Susceptible cultivars, and that susceptible roots seem to provide a more suitable environment for the pathogen than the resistant ones.

Nitro-fatty acids (NO₂-FAs) are the product of the reaction between reactive nitrogen species derived of nitric oxide (NO) and unsaturated fatty acids. In animal systems, NO₂-FAs are considered novel signaling mediators of cell function based on a proven antiinflammatory response. Nevertheless, the interaction of NO with fatty acids in plant systems has scarcely been studied. Here, we examine the endogenous occurrence of nitro-linolenic acid (NO₂-Ln) in Arabidopsis and the modulation of NO₂-Ln levels throughout this plant’s development by mass spectrometry. The observed levels of this NO₂-FA at picomolar concentrations suggested its role as a signaling effector of cell function. In fact, a transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq technology established a clear signaling role for this molecule, demonstrating that NO₂-Ln was involved in plant defense response against different abiotic-stress conditions, mainly by inducing heat shock proteins and supporting a conserved mechanism of action in both animal and plant defense processes. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that NO₂-Ln was also involved in the response to oxidative stress conditions, mainly depicted by H₂O₂, reactive oxygen species, and oxygen-containing compound responses, with a high induction of ascorbate peroxidase expression. Closely related to these results, NO₂-Ln levels significantly rose under several abiotic-stress conditions such as wounding or exposure to salinity, cadmium, and low temperature, thus validating the outcomes found by RNA-seq technology. Jointly, to our knowledge, these are the first results showing the endogenous presence of NO₂-Ln in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and supporting the strong signaling role of these molecules in the defense mechanism against different abiotic-stress situations.

This research analyses how different cement mortars behave in terms of their physical and mechanical properties. Several components were necessary to make seven mixes of mortars, such as Portland cement, standard sand, and solid waste from a factory of sodium silicate, in addition to graphene oxide. Furthermore, graphene oxide (GO) was selected to reduce the micropores and increase the nanopores in the cement mortar. Hence, some tests were carried out to determine their density, humidity content, water absorption capacity, open void porosity, the alkali–silica reaction, as well as flexural and mechanical strength and acid resistance. Thus, standard-sand-manufactured mortars’ mechanical properties were proved to be slightly better than those manufactured with recycled waste; the mortars with this recycled aggregate presented problems of alkali–silica reaction. In addition, GO (in a ratio GO/cement = 0.0003) performed as a filler, improving the mechanical properties (30%), alkali–silica (80%), and acid resistance

Effective circularization of mRNA molecules is a key step for the efficient initiation of translation. Research has shown that the intrinsic separation of the ends of mRNA molecules is rather small, suggesting that intramolecular arrangements could provide this effective circularization. Considering that the innate proximity of RNA ends might have important unknown biological implications, we aimed to determine whether the close proximity of the ends of mRNA molecules is a conserved feature across organisms and gain further insights into the functional effects of the proximity of RNA ends. To do so, we studied the secondary structure of 274 full native mRNA molecules from 17 different organisms to calculate the contour length (CL) of the external loop as an index of their end‐to‐end separation. Our computational predictions show bigger variations (from 0.59 to 31.8 nm) than previously reported and also than those observed in random sequences. Our results suggest that separations larger than 18.5 nm are not favored, whereas short separations could be related to phenotypical stability. Overall, our work implies the existence of a biological mechanism responsible for the increase in the observed variability, suggesting that the CL features of the exterior loop could be relevant for the initiation of translation and that a short CL could contribute to the stability of phenotypes. Both mRNA ends are in proximity despite mRNAs origin, length and secondary or tertiary structures. However, we show that the distance between native mRNA ends is not constant and varies across organisms. We found that native sequences show much larger variations than those observed in random sequences, implying the existence of a biological mechanism responsible for the increased variability.

Systems biology is increasingly being applied in nanosafety research for observing and predicting the biological perturbations inflicted by exposure to nanoparticles (NPs). In the present study, we used a combined transcriptomics and proteomics approach to assess the responses of human monocytic cells to Au-NPs of two different sizes with three different surface functional groups, i . e ., alkyl ammonium bromide, alkyl sodium carboxylate, or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-terminated Au-NPs. Cytotoxicity screening using THP-1 cells revealed a pronounced cytotoxicity for the ammonium-terminated Au-NPs, while no cell death was seen after exposure to the carboxylated or PEG-modified Au-NPs. Moreover, Au-NR3+ NPs, but not the Au-COOH NPs, were found to trigger dose-dependent lethality in vivo in the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans . RNA sequencing combined with mass spectrometry-based proteomics predicted that the ammonium-modified Au-NPs elicited mitochondrial dysfunction. The latter results were validated by using an array of assays to monitor mitochondrial function. Au-NR3+ NPs were localized in mitochondria of THP-1 cells. Moreover, the cationic Au-NPs triggered autophagy in macrophage-like RFP-GFP-LC3 reporter cells, and cell death was aggravated upon inhibition of autophagy. Taken together, these studies have disclosed mitochondria-dependent effects of cationic Au-NPs resulting in the rapid demise of the cells.

Significant amounts of coal fly and bottom ash are generated globally each year, with especially large quantities of bottom ash accumulating in landfills. In this study, fly ash and bottom ash were used to create fire-resistant materials. A mix of 30 wt% gypsum, 9.5 wt% vermiculite, and 0.5 wt% polypropylene fibers was used, maintaining a constant water-to-solid ratio, with varying fly ash/bottom ash ratios (40/20, 30/30, and 20/40). The density, as well as various mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and surface hardness), fire insulation capacity, and leaching behavior of both ashes were evaluated. When comparing the 40/20 and 20/40 compositions, a slight decrease in density was observed; however, compressive strength dropped drastically by 80%, while flexural strength decreased slightly due to the action of the polypropylene fibers, and fire resistance dropped by 8%. Neither of the ashes presented any environmental concerns from a leaching standpoint. Additionally, historical data from various materials with different wastes in previous works were used to train different machine learning models (random forest, gradient boosting, artificial neural networks, etc.). Compressive strength and fire resistance were predicted. Simple parameters (density, water/solid ratio and composition for compressive strength and thickness and the composition for fire resistance) were used as input in the models. Both regression and classification algorithms were applied to evaluate the models’ ability to predict compressive strength. Regression models for fire resistance reached r2 up to about 0.85. The classification results for the fire resistance rating (FRR) showed high accuracy (96%). The prediction of compressive strength is not as good as the fire resistance prediction, but compressive strength classification reached up to 99% accuracy for some models.