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Varietats de blat tou en producció agrària ecològica
Full text linkLes darreres campanyes s’han avaluat varietats de blat tou d’hivern i primavera, en producció agrària ecològica, a les
comarques interiors de Girona. Entre les que han mostrat els rendiments més elevats es pot fer menció d’ARTUR NICK,
RGT TOCAYO, VALBONA, LG ANCIA, entre d’altres. Per contra, els potencials de producció més baixos s’han obtingut
en les varietats i poblacions antigues XEIXA, MONTJUIC i FLORENCE AURORA. Els blats que han mostrat una major
capacitat de competir amb les herbes han estat FLORENCE AURORA, MONTJUIC i XEIXA, que han presentat una
elevada cobertura del sòl durant l’afillament i una planta més alta. Les varietats més susceptibles a la cendrosa han
estat XEIXA, MONTEMAYOR, SANTAELLA i MONTUIC; mentre que, a rovell bru, RGT TOCAYO. Les que han mostrat un
major pes hectolítric han estat REBELDE i LG MERCURIUS; mentre que, un contingut en proteïna més elevat MONTJUIC
i XEIXA. Per altra banda, els blats tous LG ANCIA, RGT MIKELINO i FLORENCE AURORA es poden considerar millorants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Reducció de l'ús d'herbicides en el cultiu del blat de moro
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Exclusion of ants conditions the efficiency of an attract and reward strategy against Dysaphis plantaginea in apple orchards
Full text linkThe rosy apple aphid is a major pest of apple orchards, it is also potentially ant tended. Attract&Reward strategy is a promising pest management method, combining semiochemicals as attractant and companion plants as food sources for natural enemies. However, this method is difficult to implement owing to complex multi-tropic interactions (including mutualist interactions) at play in agroecosystems. Using sentinel plants (apple seedlings bearing rosy apple aphid) we investigated individual and combined effect(s) of Attract&Reward components on aphid biocontrol in early and late spring in apple orchards. The attract component was implemented by adding apple seedlings treated with a plant defense stimulator (inducing plant semiochemicals attractive for natural enemies). The reward component was implemented by adding potted plants producing extrafloral nectar. Moreover, the impact of ant tending on aphids (in exchange of honeydew) was evaluated using exclusion device. We demonstrated that the Attract&Reward strategy enabled increasing aphid biocontrol (vs. control) but only when ants were excluded, and only in early spring. The exclusion device successfully excluded ants in early and late spring but not Araneae and Syrphidae. Araneae and Syrphidae were not affected by the individual Attract&Reward components or their combination. The combination of Attract&Reward components is an effective strategy but only when ants are excluded. This is among the few studies showing experimentally that presence of ants conditions the efficiency of biocontrol strategies, including those based on Attract&Reward concept. A better understanding of trophic and mutualistic interactions is required to design effective conservation biocontrol strategies.This study would not been possible without the additional support of M.Gaubert, A.Cailleau, L. Vitteaut, C.Douay and K.Dassé in setting up the experiment, in counting and sampling arthropods. We also thank the apple producers for letting us use their orchards as well as I. Gutierrez and M. Yguel. This work benefited from a government grant managed by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche under the Investissements d’avenir programme France 2030 with the reference ANR-20-PCPA-0003. A.P.-C. was financially supported by the PECT AgroBioFood b.Ponent.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Cofactors facilitate bona fide prion misfolding in vitro but are not necessary for the infectivity of recombinant murine prions
Full text linkPrion diseases, particularly sporadic cases, pose a challenge due to their complex nature and heterogeneity. The underlying mechanism of the spontaneous conversion from PrPC to PrPSc, the hallmark of prion diseases, remains elusive. To shed light on this process and the involvement of cofactors, we have developed an in vitro system that faithfully mimics spontaneous prion misfolding using minimal components. By employing this PMSA methodology and introducing an isoleucine residue at position 108 in mouse PrP, we successfully generated recombinant murine prion strains with distinct biochemical and biological properties. Our study aimed to explore the influence of a polyanionic cofactor in modulating strain selection and infectivity in de novo-generated synthetic prions. These results not only validate PMSA as a robust method for generating diverse bona fide recombinant prions but also emphasize the significance of cofactors in shaping specific prion conformers capable of crossing species barriers. Interestingly, once these conformers are established, our findings suggest that cofactors are not necessary for their infectivity. This research provides valuable insights into the propagation and maintenance of the pathobiological features of cross-species transmissible recombinant murine prion and highlights the intricate interplay between cofactors and prion strain characteristics.The present work was partially funded by three different grants awarded by “Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (Spanish Government), grant numbers PID2021-122201OB-C21 granted to J.C., PID2021-1222010B-C22 granted to E.V., and PID2020-117465GB-I00 granted to J.R.R., funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). EFA031/01 NEURO-COOP, which is co-funded at 65% by the European Union through Programa Interreg VI-A España-Francia-Andorra (POCTEFA 2021-2027) granted to J.C. and H.E. Additional funding was provided by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), grant number AC21_2/00024, granted to J.C. Additionally, CIC bioGUNE currently holds a Severo Ochoa Excellence accreditation, CEX2021-001136-S granted to J.C., also funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/AEI /10.13039/501100011033. Transgenic Facility, directed by M.A.S.-M., is supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), co-funded by the European Union grant PT23/00123. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Urban yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and peri-urban Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii) as a source of Campylobacter and Salmonella of public health relevance
Full text linkCampylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. are the leading cause of human enteric infections in the European Union. Some gull species act as reservoirs and play an important role in the epidemiology of these zoonotic agents. To gain insight into Campylobacter and Salmonella epidemiology we studied colonies of Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii) and yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) in Barcelona metropolitan area, Catalonia (north-eastern Spain). We assessed the occurrence, genetic diversity, virulence potential, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter and Salmonella isolates recovered from gull faeces in different time periods within 2009–2018. The occurrence of Campylobacter was higher compared to Salmonella in both gull species. Also, the occurrence of both pathogens was significantly higher in Audouin's gull (45 % for Campylobacter, 20 % for Salmonella), than in yellow-legged gull (13 % and 7 %, respectively). All but one individual carried C. jejuni; the remaining positive yellow-legged gull carried C. lari. Salmonella serovar Typhimurium (including its monophasic variant) was the most frequent in both hosts followed by ser. Bredeney. Other serovars frequently associated with human salmonellosis (Infantis, London, Virchow) were only isolated from yellow-legged gulls. Multilocus Sequence Typing analyses showed that yellow-legged gull and not Audouin's gull carried several Campylobacter genotypes associated with human enteritis. Campylobacter isolates from both gull species revealed a high virulence potential, as opposed to Salmonella isolates which showed a lower prevalence of virulence-associated genes, particularly in Audouin's gull. Overall, a moderate to high frequency of antimicrobial resistance (including multidrug resistance) was found in both pathogens from both gull species. Campylobacter and Salmonella from yellow-legged gull showed a higher frequency of isolates resistant to antimicrobials of relevance in human medicine. Overall, our results highlight the potential public health threat associated with these gull species, particularly yellow-legged gull, in densely human populated areas.The legal permissions for the fieldwork were obtained from the Dept. d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural of Generalitat de Catalunya, with reference number SF/743. Colomba Control S.L. collaborated in the sampling carried out. Ricard Gutiérrez (Head of the Wildlife Conservation Section of the Generalitat de Catalunya) is acknowledged for the information provided on the census of Audouin's gull in Barcelona. A. M. P. has a pre-doctoral fellowship FPI 2019 from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities from the Spanish Government (PRE2019-087435). The authors are also grateful to the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) Programme from the Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Structure–Antimicrobial Activity Relationships of Recombinant Host Defence Peptides Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria
No full textHost defence peptides (HDPs) represent a valuable class of antimicrobial agents with the potential to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Here, we have studied recombinant constructs based on a combination of HDPs fused to the GFP protein and multidomain proteins combining three or four HDPs in a single polypeptide, referred to as first and second generation antimicrobials, respectively. These recombinant peptides were tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria associated with healthcare infections. In addition, in silico studies provided insight into the antimicrobial structure–activity relationships of these biomolecules. For the first generation of antimicrobials, amphipathicity mainly explains the average antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive strains. In the case of the Gram-negative bacteria, it depends on the quantity and the exposed area of the Ser and Thr amino acids. For the second generation of antimicrobials, the order of domains is crucial to act against Gram-positive strains, preferably by positioning the most bioactive domain against the Gram-positive pathogen at the ends.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Detection of domestication signals through the analysis of the full distribution of fitness effects
No full textDomestication is a process marked by complex interactions between demographic changes and selective pressures, which together shape genetic diversity. While the phenotypic outcomes of domestication are well documented, its genetic basis—particularly the dynamics of selection—remain less well understood. To investigate these dynamics, we performed simulations designed to approximate the demographic history of large domestic mammals. These simulations used selection coefficients as a modeling tool to represent changes in selection pressures, recognizing that such coefficients are abstractions rather than direct representations of biological reality. Specifically, we analyzed site frequency spectra (SFS) under varying distributions of fitness effects (DFE) and proportions of mutations with divergent selective pressures. Our results show that the discretized deleterious DFE can be reliably inferred from the SFS of a single population, but reconstructing the beneficial DFE and demographic history remains challenging, even when using the joint SFS of both populations. We further developed a novel joint DFE inference model to estimate the proportion of mutations with divergent selection coefficients (pc), although we found that signals of classic hard sweeps can mimic increases in pc, complicating interpretation. These findings underscore both the utility and limitations of DFE inference and highlight the need for caution when interpreting demographic histories in domesticated populations based on such modeling assumptions.SERO was supported by grants AGL2016-78709-R funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” and grant PID2020119255GB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. This work was also supported by grants SEV-2015-0533 and CEX2019-000902-S funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and by the CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya. RNG and DC were supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (R35GM149235 and R01GM127348 to RNG). ITV was supported by a predoctoral fellowship funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 through the Grant BES-2017-081139 and by “ESF Investing in your future”. This research was also supported by NSF Grant No. PHY-1748958 and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant No. 2919.02.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
La “infecció residual”: un factor clau en la persistència de la tuberculosi bovina
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio