Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Synan F Abu Qamar
United Arab Emirates University, UAE
Keynote: Identification of candidate genes involved in Arabidopsis responses to abiotic and biotic stresses using a transcriptomic approach
Time : 09:30- 10:10
Biography:
Synan F Abu Qamar has completed his PhD at Purdue University, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology in 2007 and Postdoctoral studies at the same university in the area of Molecular Genetics of Plant Immunity. In August 2008, he joined the Department of Biology at the United Arab Emirates University as an Assistant Professor. Currently, he is an Associate Professor. His current research interest is in the area of Plant Molecular Genetics/Plant Biotechnology. He has co-authored a number of publications in peer-reviewed international journals. He is serving as an Editorial Board Member of reputed journals.
Abstract:
Transcriptional reprogramming forms a major part of a plant’s response to environmental stress. We investigated the effects of combinations of biotic and abiotic stresses on the transcriptome level of Arabidopsis genome using comparative microarrays. We showed a unique program of gene expression was activated in response to each biotic and abiotic stress. In addition, abiotic stress-induced genes were commonly regulated with Botrytis cinerea infection. The Arabidopsis cell wall expansion-like A2 (EXLA2) gene was identified based on its down-regulation in response to infection by the necrotrophic pathogen B. cinerea, and on the reduced susceptibility of its mutants to the same pathogen. The exla2 mutants also enhanced tolerance to the phytoprostane-A1 (PPA1). Our results suggest that the absence or down-regulation of EXLA2 leads to increased resistance to B. cinerea in a COI1-dependent manner, and this down-regulation can be achieved by PPA1 treatment. The EXLA2 is significantly induced by salinity and cold, and exogenous application of abscisic acid (ABA). The exla2 mutant also showed hypersensitivity towards increased salt and cold, and this hypersensitivity required a functional ABA pathway. Overall, EXLA2 appears to be important in response to environmental stress, particularly in the pathogenesis of necrotrophic pathogens and tolerance to abiotic stress. Future directions to further analyze the functions of commonly expressed genes in response to environmental stress will increase our understanding of the plant stress response.
Keynote Forum
Eugenija Kupcinskiene Habil
Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Lithuania
Keynote: Do riparian species like nitrogen?
Time : 10:10- 10:50
Biography:
Eugenija Kupcinskiene has been working at Lithuanian University of Agriculture. Currently, she is working in the Department of Biology at Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania), delivering lectures in multiple courses. Her research experience is obtained by the training at East and West European universities. Research interests extend from ecosystems to Molecular biology, starting from enzymatic DNA methylation. Since 1976 she has been participating in the international scientific events. She is the Author of over two hundred publications. Her current research interests include Natural and Anthropogenic Stress, Oxidative Stress, Allelopathy, Climate Change, Heavy Metal Tolerance, Air Pollutants, Industrial Pollution, Bioindication, Plant Surfaces, Nutrition, Secondary Metabolites of Plants, Invasions, Populations, Plant Molecular Biology and Riparian vegetation.
Abstract:
Statement of the problem: Nitrogen deposition data together with inland water parameters provide message that nitrogen load might affect riparian vegetation of Baltic States. There is much concern about eutrophication of the rivers due to various anthropogenic activities. Depending on species, reaction of plants might encompass a number of different strategies. Plant productivity firstly depends on processes ongoing in the leaves. Studies of riparian plant species usually refer on Ellenberg indicatory values or the other indirect external parameters. Till now data about plant leaf saturation with nitrogen remains poor. Present study is aimed at evaluation of nitrogen concentration among populations of riparian plant species of Lithuania.
Methodology and Theoretical orientation: Both, widely spread native and invasive species were selected (Figure). Depending on frequency of species occurrence, populations were sampled along main river basins in Lithuania: Nemunas, Venta, Lielupe, Baltic Seafront. Material was collected in 230 sites. Only leaf blades were used for analyses. Nitrogen concentration was determined by Kjeldahl method (project sponsored by Lithuania Research Council; SIT-02/2015). Nitrogen concentration data were related to the land use type (employing CORINE classification system), river size, intensity of agriculture, fragments of the rivers differing in their nature (natural or regulated).
Findings: Differencies in leaf nitrogen concentrations between populations were the smallest for Stuckenia pectinata and the largest for Lythrum salicaria. Leaf nitrogen concentration of selected species was not influenced by regulations in some rivers also did not depend on river size.
Conclusion and Significance: Among the tested plants the highest concentration was detected for invasive in Lithuania species Echinocystis lobata. It could be concluded that present level of nitrogen amounts, entering riparian ecosystems is big enough to cause spread of nitrophilous species.
Keynote Forum
Ryoung Shin
RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Japan
Keynote: Cesium is a specific inhibitor of the AKT1-KC1 complex-mediated potassium influx in Arabidopsis
Time : 11:10-11:50
Biography:
Ryoung Shin, PhD is a Unit Leader and the Principal Investigator of Regulatory Network Research Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science. She had worked on the molecular mechanisms of virus resistance in hot pepper and earned her PhD at Korea University in 2002. She moved to USA for her Postdoc Fellow and started to research on potassium sensing and signaling in plants at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, USA. In 2008, she became the Unit Leader at RIKEN and continued to work on plant potassium deficiency signaling. Recently, her team expanded the research to radiocesium remediation after the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan following the great earthquake in 2011 caused the spread of radiocesium over the surrounding areas.
Abstract:
Cesium (Cs+) exists in nature at relatively low levels but occasionally accidental anthropogenic activities spread high levels of Cs+ (most commonly radioactive) which contaminate the environment and enter the food chain. Cs+ disrupts plant growth at high concentrations through pleiotropic effects and the part of the Cs+ toxicity in plants is known to derive from competition and interference with potassium (K+) due to the similarity in physicochemical properties between K+ and Cs+. K+ is an essential nutrient, a lack of which causes serious growth retardation and physiological defects. In order to find the means to sustain plant growth in Cs+-contaminated areas for phytoremediation purpose, the molecular mechanisms of how Cs+ exerts its deleterious effects on K+ accumulation in plants need to be elucidated. In Arabidopsis thaliana, K+ uptake through the roots is considered to be mediated mainly by two players: Arabidopsis K+ Transporter 1 (AKT1) and High Affinity K+ Transporter 5 (HAK5). Expression of HAK5 is swiftly induced in response to K+ deficiency while AKT1 is more responsible for low-affinity K+ uptake. AKT1 forms a tetrameric complex with K+ Rectifying Channel 1 (KC1) to exert proper function. Here, we show that mutation on a member of the major K+ channel AKT1-KC1 complex renders Arabidopsis thaliana hypersensitive to Cs+. Electrophysiological analysis demonstrated that Cs+, but not sodium, rubidium or ammonium, specifically inhibited K+ influx through the AKT1-KC1 complex. In addition, a lack of KC1 further led to an inability of Arabidopsis to accumulate K+ in the plant body due to uncontrollable K+ leakage through the homomeric AKT1 channel. These data indicate that Cs+ is a specific inhibitor of the AKT1 complex-mediated K+ influx and KC1 is essential to avoid K+ leakage.
- Soil Science and Soil-Plant Nutrition | Plant Pathology and Plant-Micro-Biology | Plant Physiology and Biochemistry | Plant Breeding and Molecular Breeding | Plant Genome Sciences | Plant Morphology and Plant Metabolism | Plant Pathology and Plant-Micro-Biology | Plant Biotechnology and Plant Tissue Culture
Location: Scala
Session Introduction
Cesaro P
Università del Piemonte Orientale, Italy
Title: Arbuscular mycorrhizal biodiversity in a Piedmont vineyard treated with integrated pest management
Time : 11:50-12:20
Biography:
Cesaro P is a Researcher at the Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, Italy. She has completed her Graduation in Biological Sciences at the University of Torino, a specialization in Applied Biotechnology with an evaluation and PhD in "Environmental Science, Internal Waters and Agroecosystems" at the University of Piemonte Orientale “A Avogadro”. Her research has been focused in Molecular Biotechnology. She has good expertise in Molecular Biological Techniques. Since 2011, she is a Professor of Molecular Biology
Abstract:
Vitis vinifera L. is an economically important crop whose value largely depends on fruit quality, a feature that can be influenced by soil microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF, able to establish symbiotic associations with vine roots, have beneficial effects on grapevine performance, including water use efficiency and replant success. Most grapevine varieties are susceptible to diseases, whose control can be performed by different approaches, including integrate pest practice (IPM). Previous reports suggested specificity in the symbiosis between grapevine and AMF and the importance of soil characteristics on this association. In the present study, we examined the AMF communities in the rhizospheric and bulk soil of V. vinifera cv. Pinot Nero, subjected to IPM, by using 454 Roche sequencing technology. The bulk and the rhizospheric soil of the grapevines were sampled before and after grape production. Genomic DNA was amplified, after extraction, according to the methods for pyrosequencing, by nested PCR using AMF specific primers of the large ribosomal subunit (LSU rDNA). Sequences were compared with both NCBI and an AMF LSU rDNA reference databases. Our data showed different AMF communities in the rhizospheric and bulk soil of V. vinifera and the importance of the sampling time in regulating AMF biodiversity.
Smita Purohit
The IIS University, India
Title: Influencing regeneration potential in Dianthus caryophyllus L. (carnation) by manipulation of culture medium
Time : 12:20- 12:50
Biography:
Smita Purohit, Associate Professor & Former Head, Department of Botany, The IIS University, Jaipur has her expertise in plant tissue culture, stress physiology, molecular biology, mineral manipulation and phytochemical studies. She has worked on various plant systems like Cuminum cyminum, Dianthus caryophyllus, Cissus quadrangularis, Salvia hispanica to name a few. She has also authored books in the field of Genetics and Plant Breeding and has supervised few doctoral and many MPhil candidates and has published many research papers in national and international journals of repute.
Abstract:
Growth and morphogenesis of plant tissues under in vitro conditions are largely influenced by the composition of the culture media. Therefore, in this study, effects of copper sulphate in regeneration medium of Dianthus caryophyllus were examined. Nodal segments were cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP (0.5 mg l-1) + NAA (0.5 mg l-1) and different levels of CuSO4 (0, 0.1*, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 µM). The levels of CuSO4 in the induction as well as proliferation medium highly influenced the shoot regeneration. Highest number of shoot buds per explant was obtained when the concentration of CuSO4 was increased two times the normal MS level. The effect of various antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase, SOD and peroxidase) was studied on different levels of copper sulphate. It was found that the enzyme activities increased with the increasing levels of copper sulphate and also increased with increased morphogenic competence of the in vitro cultures. The enzyme activities showed a decline where the number of shoot buds was less. Therefore, this confirms a relationship between the organogenesis and stress levels in the in vitro cultures.
Elena Ermilova
Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia
Title: Nitric oxide and truncated hemoglobin 1 in regulation of sulfur deprivation responses in Chlamydomonas
Time : 13:50-14:20
Biography:
Elena Ermilova is a full Professor and Head of Laboratory at Saint-Petersburg State University. She has her expertise in nitrogen metabolism and PII signal transduction in green and red algae, and land plants. She has extensively studied the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and identified new functions associated with stress acclimation. She also studies the regulation of sulfur metabolism.
Abstract:
Statement of the Problem: Sulfur (S) is an essential element among catalysts and intermediates of primary metabolism. S can be limiting in the environment and strongly influence ecosystem composition. During S deprivation, metabolism of Chlamydomonas cells is refocused on both scavenging the nutrient and remodeling primary metabolism. Although some signaling proteins and regulators of S-specific responses have been identified, the mechanisms triggering the coordinated responses in different cellular compartments are not absolutely clear. Previously, we have reported that nitric oxide is generated upon S deprivation.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the role of nitric oxide (NO) and truncated hemoglobin 1 (THB1) in modulating early responses to S deficiency in different compartment of Chlamydomonas cells.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: To examine transcriptional regulation of a subset of S limitation-responsive genes and role of NO and THB1 in signaling pathway associated with S deprivation, real-time PCR analysis and artificial microRNA method were employed. A comparative analysis of gene expression and NO generation in wild type, nitrate reductase mutants and THB1 knock-down transformant was utilized to understand the functional consequences of NO production.
Findings: In S-free medium, Chlamydomonas cells produced NO apparently via nitrate reductase. We found that in S-limited cells NO is important to upregulate some S deficiency-inducible genes (THB1) and repress the others (FDX5, ARS1, ARS2, SULTR2, SLT1 and SLT2). THB1 is involved in this NO-dependent process.
Conclusion & Significance: Together, the results demonstrated that THB1 has implicated to function as NO regulator (via conversion of NO into nitrate) and thereby initiate NO-based signaling cascades in S-depleted cells. Moreover, NO generation may be regarded as an early trigger, which contributes to Chlamydomonas adaptability to S starvation.
Smita Purohit
The IIS University, India
Title: Effect of vitamins on improving morphogenic competence in Cuminum cyminum L. cultures
Time : 14:20-14:50
Biography:
Smita Purohit, Associate Professor & Former Head, Department of Botany, The IIS University, Jaipur has her expertise in plant tissue culture, stress physiology, molecular biology, mineral manipulation and phytochemical studies. She has worked on various plant systems like Cuminum cyminum, Dianthus caryophyllus, Cissus quadrangularis, Salvia hispanica to name a few. She has also authored books in the field of Genetics and Plant Breeding and has supervised few doctoral and many MPhil candidates and has published many research papers in national and international journals of repute
Abstract:
Cuminum cyminum L. is an important seed spice belonging to family Apiaceae. Production of cumin is limited due to limited genetic diversity and several biotic stresses. Hence, the present study aims at improving the regeneration of cumin in in vitro cultures. A regeneration medium was standardized comprising of MS supplemented with kinetin (0.5 mg/l). Effect of thiamine was studied on the morphogenic competence of the in vitro cultures. The levels of thiamine in the induction as well as proliferation medium highly influenced the shoot regeneration. Highest number of shoot buds per explant was obtained when the concentration of thiamine was twofold the normal MS level at both induction as well as proliferation stages. Shoots upto 2 cm or more in length were excised and inoculated on rooting medium i.e., MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Rooted plantlets were transferred to field conditions.
Smita Purohit
The IIS University, India
Title: Effect of vitamins on improving morphogenic competence in Cuminum cyminum L. cultures
Biography:
Smita Purohit, Associate Professor & Former Head, Department of Botany, The IIS University, Jaipur has her expertise in plant tissue culture, stress physiology, molecular biology, mineral manipulation and phytochemical studies. She has worked on various plant systems like Cuminum cyminum, Dianthus caryophyllus, Cissus quadrangularis, Salvia hispanica to name a few. She has also authored books in the field of Genetics and Plant Breeding and has supervised few doctoral and many MPhil candidates and has published many research papers in national and international journals of repute
Abstract:
Cuminum cyminum L. is an important seed spice belonging to family Apiaceae. Production of cumin is limited due to limited genetic diversity and several biotic stresses. Hence, the present study aims at improving the regeneration of cumin in in vitro cultures. A regeneration medium was standardized comprising of MS supplemented with kinetin (0.5 mg/l). Effect of thiamine was studied on the morphogenic competence of the in vitro cultures. The levels of thiamine in the induction as well as proliferation medium highly influenced the shoot regeneration. Highest number of shoot buds per explant was obtained when the concentration of thiamine was twofold the normal MS level at both induction as well as proliferation stages. Shoots upto 2 cm or more in length were excised and inoculated on rooting medium i.e., MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Rooted plantlets were transferred to field conditions.
Wuwei YeÂ
Institute of Cotton Research of CAAS, China
Title: DNA methylation and its analysis on Gossypium under the salt- and draught-stress
Time : 14:50- 15:20
Biography:
Wuwei Ye is a Professor and Deputy Director in Cotton Germplasm Research Department of Institute of Cotton Research at CAAS, China. He has been involved in studies related to cotton germplasm identification, innovation and biodiversity research for 30 years, focusing on resistant on cotton germplasm, such as salinity and drought-resistance. He is responsible for the coordination of identification and implementation of cotton germplasm identification center in China.
Abstract:
DNA methylation, an important component of epigenetics induced usually by adversity, plays a vital role in the response to various stresses including drought and salt. A methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism method based on capillary electrophoresis was used to explore the epigenetic mechanisms of salt tolerance and heterosis in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and the results indicated that hyper methylation and demethylation could be an important mechanism to resist the stresses. And the demethylation could be the mechanism to explain heterosis in cotton hybrid. The results of whole genome methylation sequencing showed high DNA methylation density usually occurs in promoter regions and transposons areas. Methylated cytosines in different sequence contexts (CG, CHG and CHH) have different functions and methylation levels. And the results also showed methylated cytosines in asymmetric CHH sequence context are dynamic, being mostly related to stresses. Combined with transcriptome data, we found long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may involve in the regulation of DNA methylation in response to drought stress. All these results could provide theoretical reference value for the mechanism research of tolerance in cotton.
Joseph Gale
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Title: The environments of planets orbiting red dwarf stars and the potential for supporting oxygenic photosynthesis and complex life
Time : 15:20- 15:50
Biography:
Joseph Gale is a professor emeritus of the Hebrew U. of Jerusalem. His original interests were in Environmental Plant Physiology. After a period of research and consultation at NASA, USA, working on their Life Support in Space project, he turned to Astrobiology. Together with his astronomer colleague, Prof. Amri Wandel of the Racach Inst., HU., they have developed courses in Astrobiology for undergraduate students, with both science and humanities backgrounds. He has published more than one hundred refereed papers and has authored/co-authored and edited four books.
Abstract:
Seven planets have been detected orbiting the “nearby” Red Dwarf star Trappist-1. The star is relatively small (0.12 Rsun) and cool (2,550K) compared to our Sun (5,780K). Consequently its radiation flux is low (0.05% that of the Sun), mainly in the infrared, with a spectral peak at ~1ïm, well above the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) waveband of 400 – 700nm. At least three of the planets are in the Habitable Zone (defined as regions where surface temperatures may support liquid water), but all six inner planets could have such temperatures, depending on their atmospheres. The six inner, closely orbiting planets (at 0.1-0.35AU), receive a radiation flux 0.3-4 that of Earth, but only ~10% of this is PAR, compared with ~40% on Earth. However, the star-facing hemisphere of tidally locked Trappist-1 planets would receive continuous PAR. Earth at high northerly or southerly latitudes, provides an analogy for the possible outcome (see Figure). During only 3-4 months per Earth year, the almost continuous low-level radiation, above 80o north or south, produces lush vegetation. The radiation intensity on such a tidally locked planet would be maximum immediately facing the star, falling off to zero, towards the terminator, at 90o. XUV radiation from Trappist -1 is ~103-104 that of the Sun. This radiation could (possibly, but not necessarily) erode the primary atmosphere and oceans, and directly endanger life, unless life evolves in water or under a dense atmosphere. In addition to PAR, dry land plants on Trappist-1 and other RDS planets could possibly evolve to utilize the infrared radiation between 700 and 1,000nm, which is energetically sufficient to drive water splitting oxygenic photosynthesis, an important precursor of complex life. These considerations and the abundance of RD and other star planets, enhance the chance of finding other life clement abodes in the Milky Way.
Jana Jarosova
Crop Research Institute, Czech Republic
Title: The influence of climate changes on BYDV infection and Rhopalosiphum padi development
Time : 16:10- 16:40
Biography:
Jana Jarosova has her expertise in Plant Virology. She has been focusing on study of stone fruit viruses and cereal viruses since 2007. Her main topics of research are virus-vector-plant interactions; cereal virus occurrence prediction; current molecular biology methods of virus characterization and detection
Abstract:
Statement of the problem: Climate change is of global concern due to its predicted impacts on the environment and agriculture. The third IPCC report predicts that global-average surface temperature will increase further by 1.4-5.8°C by 2100 with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations expected to rise between 540 and 970 ppm over the same period. The potential impact of elevated CO2 and temperature on the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) infection was exploited.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Barley and wheat plants were cultivated in normal and elevated temperature and CO2 level conditions. Rhopalosiphum padi aphids carrying BYDV were allowed to feed on the plants for a limited amount of time. The infectivity rate was recorded. Furthermore, aphid (R. padi) development and fecundity was studied in normal and elevated temperature and CO2 level conditions. The influence of the presence of the BYDV in the vector was taken into account.
Findings: The BYDV transmission efficiency increased significantly in the elevated CO2 and temperature conditions. Furthermore, the aphids took less time to develop and produced significantly more progeny in the elevated CO2 and temperature conditions when compared to normal conditions. The presence of the barley yellow dwarf virus in the vectors increased the longevity in the case of aphids under normal conditions. However, in the elevated CO2 and temperature conditions, life of the aphids carrying BYDV was shorter.
Conclusion & Significance: The elevated CO2 and temperature conditions have significant influence on BYDV transmission efficiency of Rhopalosiphum padi as well as on the R. padi development and fecundity. This might lead to higher BYDV infection rates in cereal stands in the future.
Utpala Sharma
HiMedia Laboratories GmbH, India
Title: HiMedia Laboratories GmbH, India
Time : 16:40-17:40
Biography:
EXHIBITOR HOSTED SESSION
Abstract:
HiMedia Plant Tissue Culture