Calorie restriction promotes mitochondrial biogenesis by inducing the expression of eNOS

Calorie restriction extends life span in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. Here, we report that calorie restriction for either 3 or 12 months induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate formation in various tissues of male mice. This was accompanied by mitochondrial biogenesis, with increased oxygen consumption and adenosine triphosphate production, and an enhanced expression of sirtuin 1. These effects were strongly attenuated in eNOS null-mutant mice. Thus, nitric oxide plays a fundamental role in the processes induced by calorie restriction and may be involved in the extension of life span in mammals.     

Tillage effects on plant extractable soil water in a silty clay vertisol in Southern Italy

This paper describes how the CERES-Wheat simulation model can be used to estimate tillage effects on soil water regimes of a silty clay soil in Foggia, Southern Italy. The four tillage treatments compared are traditional mouldboard ploughing, ripper subsoiling, surface disc-harrowing and minimum tillage with rotary hoeing under continuous durum wheat cropping. For each tillage treatment the CERES-Wheat model was used to calculate the water balance for several layers in the root zone.

The water balance routine of the model estimates the water content within saturation and the lower limit at any time. Inputs required by the model are some basic information about the site, weather, genetic parameters and management practices as well as some soil properties, such as albedo, bulk density, organic matter and N contents. The model was calibrated by estimating the genetic parameters for the minimum tillage treatment in the season 1984–1985. The same set of parameters was used for the subsequent validation procedure. Statistical tests proved that the match between measured and simulated soil water content values was quite good. The simulation results also showed some differences among different tillage treatments. The model predicted the lowest plant extractable soil water values and a different water content distribution along the soil profile of the ripper subsoiling in comparison with the other tillage treatments. The soil water content was lower until 20–40 cm depth and higher at 40–60 cm depth in the ripper treatment as compared with the others. In deeper layers differences became non-significant. This might be due to the cracks produced by the ripper through which rainfall infiltrated in deep layers.     

Nondestructive evaluation of anthocyanins in olive (Olea europaea) fruits by in situ chlorophyll fluorescence spectroscopy

Anthocyanins (Anths) in olive (Olea europaea L.) fruits at different degrees of pigmentation were assessed nondestructively by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF). The method is based on the comparison of the ChlF excitation spectra from olives with different pigmentation from green to green-red, reddish-purple, and purple. The logarithm of the ratio between the fluorescence excitation spectra (logFER) from two different colored zones gave the difference in the absorption spectrum between them. The absorbance spectrum derived from the logFER between a red olive and the same olive devoid of the skin showed the typical Anth green band (at 550 nm). It matched that recorded by microspectrophotometry on a single pulp cell and the in vitro absorbance spectrum of the olive skin extract. As expected, the in vivo Anths absorption maximum increased in intensity going from less to more mature olives and was higher in the sun-exposed olive side with respect to the sun-shaded side. Absolute quantitative nondestructive determination of Anths for each olive sample was obtained by the logFER calculated for two excitation wavelengths, 550 and 625 nm, of ChlF at 740 nm. Going from green to purple skin colors, the Log[ChlF(625)/ChlF(550)] was fairly well-correlated to the extract Anths concentration. Finally, the relationship between the Anths and the other main phenolics present in the olives analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography was evaluated. The main result was a net increase of verbascoside with increasing Anths content. On the basis of our results, the development of a new rapid and noninvasive method for the monitoring of olive development and ripening can be envisaged.     

A brachiopod biotope associated with rocky bottoms at the shelf break in the central Mediterranean Sea: Geobiological traits and conservation aspects

1. In the Recent, brachiopods only seldom occur in benthic communities. A biotope dominated by Megerlia truncata was identified in 2013 by exploration of the south‐easternmost Adriatic margin by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).
2. Emerging rocky substrates next to the shelf break at approximately 120 m appear intensively exploited by this eurybathic rhynchonelliformean brachiopod, attaining a population of more than 300 individuals per m².
3. Calcareous red algae are almost ubiquitous at this site and preferentially encrust sectors of the substrate where brachiopods are minimal.
4. This Megerlia biotope is a novel finding for this part of the Mediterranean Sea, similar to a situation previously observed in the Western Basin, off the Mediterranean French coast.
5. It is proposed that this remarkable brachiopod biotope and the adjacent rhodolith bed are considered important for conservation management.

     

Bryde's whales in the North-East Atlantic: New insights on site fidelity and connectivity between oceanic archipelagos

1. The conservation of marine megafauna presents numerous difficulties owing to their high mobility over difficult-to-access oceanic areas that impairs the collection of basic, but essential, biological information.
2. The Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is one of the most elusive species of baleen whales, and although it is known to be a seasonal visitor to several archipelagos in Macaronesia (the Azores, Madeira, and Canaries), there are no studies regarding its occurrence or geographical connectivity in this area of the Atlantic.
3. A 14-year photographic database was used to determine short-term (intra-seasonal) and long-term (inter-annual) Bryde's whale site fidelity and to estimate individual residency times in Madeira, whereas photographic catalogues from Madeira and the Canaries were compared in order to assess large-scale movements (i.e. on the scale of hundreds of kilometres).
4. In Madeira, 59 individuals were identified, 27 (45.8%) of which were recaptured. Of these, 10 individuals (37.0%) presented short-term site fidelity and 17 individuals (63.0%) presented long-term site fidelity, with a maximum recapture interval of 12 years. Lagged identification rates showed that five individuals (SE = 2) remained in the area for 32 days (SE = 108 days) before leaving and not returning during the same year. Seven individuals were seen both in Madeira and the Canaries (catalogue comprising 51 individuals), three of which were identified multiple times in both archipelagos, with a minimum of 43 days between consecutive sightings.
5. This information combined with the fact that this species is commonly sighted accompanied by calves and feeding in both archipelagos highlights the ecological importance of this area for Bryde's whales. This should be taken into consideration by policymakers when implementing conservation measures, where coordination of effort among countries is needed. This study also reinforces the value of using data from platforms of opportunity and of making photographic data open access.

     

Genome organization in coffee as revealed by EST PCRRFLP,SNPs and SSR analysis

An EST-based PCR-RFLP method was employed to gain insight into genome organization in eight allopolyploid Coffea arabica cultivars and seven diploid coffee species. The PCR-amplified products at 19 EST loci were digested with 46 different restriction enzymes and size fractioned in agarose gels. Most often, the sum of the fragments length was double or more than the PCR product. In arabica, this condition could be explained by assuming the presence of duplicated loci in paralogous chromosomes and this was supported by considerable evidence of multiple loci SSR amplification. Based on the RFLP analysis, 12 EST loci were polymorphic. The level of polymorphism was higher in different species compared to the arabica varieties. Sequencing of the amplified products revealed a SNP frequency of 0.021 among diploid species and of 0.007 among arabica varieties. We propose that the involvement of two genomes in C. arabica maintains a residual level of heterozygosity in the form of paralogous chromosomes, while the self-fertilization in this species tends to drive of homozygosity. The heterozygosity of paralogous chromosomes in arabica creates valuable polymorphism essential for species diversity and survival in various ecological niches, while self-fertility tends to preserve in homozygosity many genes of functional significance.