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Laboratoire Physiologie Cellulaire & Végétale

facilityGrenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from Laboratoire Physiologie Cellulaire & Végétale (France). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.

Total works
7.4K
Citations
392.8K
h-index
235
i10-index
5.6K
Also known as
Laboratoire Physiologie Cellulaire & VégétaleLaboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire VégétaleUMR 5168UMR5168

Top-cited papers from Laboratoire Physiologie Cellulaire & Végétale

JASPAR 2022: the 9th release of the open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles
Jaime Abraham Castro-Mondragon, Rafael Riudavets Puig, Ieva Rauluševičiūtė, Roza Berhanu Lemma +4 more
2021· Nucleic Acids Research2.2Kdoi:10.1093/nar/gkab1113

JASPAR (http://jaspar.genereg.net/) is an open-access database containing manually curated, non-redundant transcription factor (TF) binding profiles for TFs across six taxonomic groups. In this 9th release, we expanded the CORE collection with 341 new profiles (148 for plants, 101 for vertebrates, 85 for urochordates, and 7 for insects), which corresponds to a 19% expansion over the previous release. We added 298 new profiles to the Unvalidated collection when no orthogonal evidence was found in the literature. All the profiles were clustered to provide familial binding profiles for each taxonomic group. Moreover, we revised the structural classification of DNA binding domains to consider plant-specific TFs. This release introduces word clouds to represent the scientific knowledge associated with each TF. We updated the genome tracks of TFBSs predicted with JASPAR profiles in eight organisms; the human and mouse TFBS predictions can be visualized as native tracks in the UCSC Genome Browser. Finally, we provide a new tool to perform JASPAR TFBS enrichment analysis in user-provided genomic regions. All the data is accessible through the JASPAR website, its associated RESTful API, the R/Bioconductor data package, and a new Python package, pyJASPAR, that facilitates serverless access to the data.

Actin Dynamics, Architecture, and Mechanics in Cell Motility
Laurent Blanchoin, Rajaa Boujemaa‐Paterski, Cécile Sykes, Julie Plastino
2014· Physiological Reviews1.6Kdoi:10.1152/physrev.00018.2013

Tight coupling between biochemical and mechanical properties of the actin cytoskeleton drives a large range of cellular processes including polarity establishment, morphogenesis, and motility. This is possible because actin filaments are semi-flexible polymers that, in conjunction with the molecular motor myosin, can act as biological active springs or "dashpots" (in laymen's terms, shock absorbers or fluidizers) able to exert or resist against force in a cellular environment. To modulate their mechanical properties, actin filaments can organize into a variety of architectures generating a diversity of cellular organizations including branched or crosslinked networks in the lamellipodium, parallel bundles in filopodia, and antiparallel structures in contractile fibers. In this review we describe the feedback loop between biochemical and mechanical properties of actin organization at the molecular level in vitro, then we integrate this knowledge into our current understanding of cellular actin organization and its physiological roles.

Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world
David Ellison, Cindy E. Morris, Bruno Locatelli, Douglas Sheil +4 more
2017· Global Environmental Change1.2Kdoi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.01.002

Forest-driven water and energy cycles are poorly integrated into regional, national, continental and global decision-making on climate change adaptation, mitigation, land use and water management. This constrains humanity’s ability to protect our planet’s climate and life-sustaining functions. The substantial body of research we review reveals that forest, water and energy interactions provide the foundations for carbon storage, for cooling terrestrial surfaces and for distributing water resources. Forests and trees must be recognized as prime regulators within the water, energy and carbon cycles. If these functions are ignored, planners will be unable to assess, adapt to or mitigate the impacts of changing land cover and climate. Our call to action targets a reversal of paradigms, from a carbon-centric model to one that treats the hydrologic and climate-cooling effects of trees and forests as the first order of priority. For reasons of sustainability, carbon storage must remain a secondary, though valuable, by-product. The effects of tree cover on climate at local, regional and continental scales offer benefits that demand wider recognition. The forest- and tree-centered research insights we review and analyze provide a knowledge-base for improving plans, policies and actions. Our understanding of how trees and forests influence water, energy and carbon cycles has important implications, both for the structure of planning, management and governance institutions, as well as for how trees and forests might be used to improve sustainability, adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Genome sequencing and analysis of the versatile cell factory Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88
Herman J. Pel, Johannes H. de Winde, David B. Archer, Paul S. Dyer +4 more
2007· Nature Biotechnology1.2Kdoi:10.1038/nbt1282

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is widely exploited by the fermentation industry for the production of enzymes and organic acids, particularly citric acid. We sequenced the 33.9-megabase genome of A. niger CBS 513.88, the ancestor of currently used enzyme production strains. A high level of synteny was observed with other aspergilli sequenced. Strong function predictions were made for 6,506 of the 14,165 open reading frames identified. A detailed description of the components of the protein secretion pathway was made and striking differences in the hydrolytic enzyme spectra of aspergilli were observed. A reconstructed metabolic network comprising 1,069 unique reactions illustrates the versatile metabolism of A. niger. Noteworthy is the large number of major facilitator superfamily transporters and fungal zinc binuclear cluster transcription factors, and the presence of putative gene clusters for fumonisin and ochratoxin A synthesis.

JASPAR 2024: 20th anniversary of the open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles
Ieva Rauluševičiūtė, Rafael Riudavets Puig, Romain Blanc‐Mathieu, Jaime Abraham Castro-Mondragon +4 more
2023· Nucleic Acids Research1.2Kdoi:10.1093/nar/gkad1059

JASPAR (https://jaspar.elixir.no/) is a widely-used open-access database presenting manually curated high-quality and non-redundant DNA-binding profiles for transcription factors (TFs) across taxa. In this 10th release and 20th-anniversary update, the CORE collection has expanded with 329 new profiles. We updated three existing profiles and provided orthogonal support for 72 profiles from the previous release's UNVALIDATED collection. Altogether, the JASPAR 2024 update provides a 20% increase in CORE profiles from the previous release. A trimming algorithm enhanced profiles by removing low information content flanking base pairs, which were likely uninformative (within the capacity of the PFM models) for TFBS predictions and modelling TF-DNA interactions. This release includes enhanced metadata, featuring a refined classification for plant TFs' structural DNA-binding domains. The new JASPAR collections prompt updates to the genomic tracks of predicted TF binding sites (TFBSs) in 8 organisms, with human and mouse tracks available as native tracks in the UCSC Genome browser. All data are available through the JASPAR web interface and programmatically through its API and the updated Bioconductor and pyJASPAR packages. Finally, a new TFBS extraction tool enables users to retrieve predicted JASPAR TFBSs intersecting their genomic regions of interest.

JASPAR 2016: a major expansion and update of the open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles
Anthony Mathelier, Oriol Fornés, David J. Arenillas, Chih‐Yu Chen +4 more
2015· Nucleic Acids Research1.1Kdoi:10.1093/nar/gkv1176

JASPAR (http://jaspar.genereg.net) is an open-access database storing curated, non-redundant transcription factor (TF) binding profiles representing transcription factor binding preferences as position frequency matrices for multiple species in six taxonomic groups. For this 2016 release, we expanded the JASPAR CORE collection with 494 new TF binding profiles (315 in vertebrates, 11 in nematodes, 3 in insects, 1 in fungi and 164 in plants) and updated 59 profiles (58 in vertebrates and 1 in fungi). The introduced profiles represent an 83% expansion and 10% update when compared to the previous release. We updated the structural annotation of the TF DNA binding domains (DBDs) following a published hierarchical structural classification. In addition, we introduced 130 transcription factor flexible models trained on ChIP-seq data for vertebrates, which capture dinucleotide dependencies within TF binding sites. This new JASPAR release is accompanied by a new web tool to infer JASPAR TF binding profiles recognized by a given TF protein sequence. Moreover, we provide the users with a Ruby module complementing the JASPAR API to ease programmatic access and use of the JASPAR collection of profiles. Finally, we provide the JASPAR2016 R/Bioconductor data package with the data of this release.

JASPAR 2014: an extensively expanded and updated open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles
Anthony Mathelier, Xiaobei Zhao, Allen W. Zhang, François Parcy +4 more
2013· Nucleic Acids Research1.0Kdoi:10.1093/nar/gkt997

JASPAR (http://jaspar.genereg.net) is the largest open-access database of matrix-based nucleotide profiles describing the binding preference of transcription factors from multiple species. The fifth major release greatly expands the heart of JASPAR-the JASPAR CORE subcollection, which contains curated, non-redundant profiles-with 135 new curated profiles (74 in vertebrates, 8 in Drosophila melanogaster, 10 in Caenorhabditis elegans and 43 in Arabidopsis thaliana; a 30% increase in total) and 43 older updated profiles (36 in vertebrates, 3 in D. melanogaster and 4 in A. thaliana; a 9% update in total). The new and updated profiles are mainly derived from published chromatin immunoprecipitation-seq experimental datasets. In addition, the web interface has been enhanced with advanced capabilities in browsing, searching and subsetting. Finally, the new JASPAR release is accompanied by a new BioPython package, a new R tool package and a new R/Bioconductor data package to facilitate access for both manual and automated methods.

Micropatterning as a tool to decipher cell morphogenesis and functions
Manuel Théry
2010· Journal of Cell Science749doi:10.1242/jcs.075150

In situ, cells are highly sensitive to geometrical and mechanical constraints from their microenvironment. These parameters are, however, uncontrolled under classic culture conditions, which are thus highly artefactual. Micro-engineering techniques provide tools to modify the chemical properties of cell culture substrates at sub-cellular scales. These can be used to restrict the location and shape of the substrate regions, in which cells can attach, so-called micropatterns. Recent progress in micropatterning techniques has enabled the control of most of the crucial parameters of the cell microenvironment. Engineered micropatterns can provide a micrometer-scale, soft, 3-dimensional, complex and dynamic microenvironment for individual cells or for multi-cellular arrangements. Although artificial, micropatterned substrates allow the reconstitution of physiological in situ conditions for controlled in vitro cell culture and have been used to reveal fundamental cell morphogenetic processes as highlighted in this review. By manipulating micropattern shapes, cells were shown to precisely adapt their cytoskeleton architecture to the geometry of their microenvironment. Remodelling of actin and microtubule networks participates in the adaptation of the entire cell polarity with respect to external constraints. These modifications further impact cell migration, growth and differentiation.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in proteomics: Old, old fashioned, but it still climbs up the mountains
Thierry Rabilloud
2002· PROTEOMICS691doi:10.1002/1615-9861(200201)2:1<3::aid-prot3>3.0.co;2-r

Proteomics has traditionally used the separating power of two-dimensional electrophoresis for the quantitative analysis of protein amounts in complex extracts. However, the limitations of this approach in terms of throughput and analyzable protein range have elicited the development of other proteomics approaches, based either on peptide separations instead of protein separations, or based on direct protein recognition and selection on dedicated arrays (protein chips). These recent methods seem very promising, and probably look more promising than they will ultimately be, just because their weaknesses are not fully characterized yet. The purpose of this paper is thus to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of all the proteomics approaches proposed to date and to try to deduce the respective niches in proteomics that these approaches will have in the future.

Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses
Marcin Barański, Dominika Średnicka-Tober, Nikolaos Volakakis, Chris J. Seal +4 more
2014· British Journal Of Nutrition686doi:10.1017/s0007114514001366

Demand for organic foods is partially driven by consumers' perceptions that they are more nutritious. However, scientific opinion is divided on whether there are significant nutritional differences between organic and non-organic foods, and two recent reviews have concluded that there are no differences. In the present study, we carried out meta-analyses based on 343 peer-reviewed publications that indicate statistically significant and meaningful differences in composition between organic and non-organic crops/crop-based foods. Most importantly, the concentrations of a range of antioxidants such as polyphenolics were found to be substantially higher in organic crops/crop-based foods, with those of phenolic acids, flavanones, stilbenes, flavones, flavonols and anthocyanins being an estimated 19 (95 % CI 5, 33) %, 69 (95 % CI 13, 125) %, 28 (95 % CI 12, 44) %, 26 (95 % CI 3, 48) %, 50 (95 % CI 28, 72) % and 51 (95 % CI 17, 86) % higher, respectively. Many of these compounds have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including CVD and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers, in dietary intervention and epidemiological studies. Additionally, the frequency of occurrence of pesticide residues was found to be four times higher in conventional crops, which also contained significantly higher concentrations of the toxic metal Cd. Significant differences were also detected for some other (e.g. minerals and vitamins) compounds. There is evidence that higher antioxidant concentrations and lower Cd concentrations are linked to specific agronomic practices (e.g. non-use of mineral N and P fertilisers, respectively) prescribed in organic farming systems. In conclusion, organic crops, on average, have higher concentrations of antioxidants, lower concentrations of Cd and a lower incidence of pesticide residues than the non-organic comparators across regions and production seasons.

Bacterial wilt disease and the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex
Caitilyn Allen, Philippe Prior, Alice C. Hayward
2005· HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)668

Contents: Preface. Introductory overviews: Research on bacterial wilt: a perspective on international linkages and access to the literature; the current bacterial wilt situation: a global overview - Epidemiology of Ralstonia solanacearum: introduction and prospectus on the survival of introduction and prospectus on the survival; Fate of Ralstonia solanacearum Biovar 2 as affected by conditions and soil treatments in temperate climate zones; Mechanization has contributed to the spread of bacterial wilt on flue-cured tobacco in the Southeastern USA; Processes in the development of a biocontrol agent against bacterial wilt; Colonization capacity of Ralstonia solanacearum; Tomato strains differing in aggressiveness on tomatoes and weeds; Introduction to Europe of Ralstonia solanacearum Biovar 2, Race 3 in Pelargonium zonale cuttings from Kenya; Seeds from infected tomato plants appear to be free from contamination by Ralstonia solanacearum when tested by PCR or microbiological assays; The viable but non-culturable state in Ralstonia solanacearum: is there a realistic threat to our strategic concepts? - Bacterial wilt disease management: Management of bacterial wilt disease; Management of bacterial wilt in tomato with essential oils and systemic acquired resistance inducers; Monitoring of bacterial wilt in potato propagation material: a success story; Integrated control of potato bacterial wilt in Eastern Africa: the experience of African highlands initiative; Using Brassica spp. as biofumigants to reduce the population of Ralstonia solanacearum; Seed-plot technique: empowerment of farmers in production of bacterial wilt-free seed potato in Kenya and Uganda; Primary bacterial wilt study on tomato in vegetable areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Rhizome solarization and microwave treatment: ecofriendly methods for disinfecting ginger seed rhizomes; Management of bacterial wilt of potato using one-season rotation crops in South-Western Uganda; Potato bacterial wilt management: new prospects for an old problem - Breeding and deployment of wilt-resistant crops: A broad review and perspective on breeding for resistance to bacterial wilt; Progress on genetic enhancement for resistance to groundnut bacterial wilt in China; Search for resistance to bacterial wilt in a Brazilian Capsicum germplasm collection; Solanum phureja and S. stenotomum are sources of resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum for somatic hybrids of potato; Assessment of resistance to bacterial wilt in CIP advanced potato clones; Screening long pepper (Piper spp.) resistance to bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum - Host plant response and disease development: Host resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum; Microscopic studies of root infection in resistant tomato cv. Hawaii 7996; Development of bacterial wilt resistant varieties and basis of resistance in eggplant (Solanum melongena); QTL mapping for bacterial wilt resistance in Hawaii 7996 using AFLP, RGA, and SSR markers; Genetic basis of resistance to bacterial wilt in Arabidopsi thaliana; Roles of the Hrp-secreted PopA protein in Ralstonia solanacearum interactions with plants - Pathogen genetics: A short history of the biochemical and genetic research on Ralstonia solanacearum pathogenesis; The Ralstonia solanacearum complete genome sequence: outputs and prospects; Genes involved in early bacterial wilt pathogenesis; Phase reversion from phenotype conversion mutants to wild type may be induced in Ralstonia solanacearum by a susceptible host-plant; Insertions in the avirulence gene AvrA alter the virulence of Ralstonia solanacearum on Nicotiana tabacum; Ralstonia solanacearum requires type-4 Pili for twitching motility, adherence, natural transformation and virulence; Understanding the molecular basis of bacterial wilt disease: a view from the inside out - R. solanacearum in banana and plantains: Bacterial wilt diseases of banana: evolution and ecology; Comparative genome plasticity of tomato and banana strains o

Deciphering gene regulatory networks that control seed development and maturation in Arabidopsis
Monica Santos‐Mendoza, Bertrand Dubreucq, Sébastien Baud, François Parcy +2 more
2008· The Plant Journal501doi:10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03461.x

Seeds represent the main source of nutrients for animals and humans, and knowledge of their biology provides tools for improving agricultural practices and managing genetic resources. There is also tremendous interest in using seeds as a sustainable alternative to fossil reserves for green chemistry. Seeds accumulate large amounts of storage compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins and oils. It would be useful for agro-industrial purposes to produce seeds that accumulate these storage compounds more specifically and at higher levels. The main metabolic pathways necessary for oil, starch or protein accumulation are well characterized. However, the overall regulation of partitioning between the various pathways remains unclear. Such knowledge could provide new molecular tools for improving the qualities of crop seeds (Focks and Benning, 1998, Plant Physiol. 118, 91). Studies to improve understanding of the genetic controls of seed development and metabolism therefore remain a key area of research. In the model plant Arabidopsis, genetic analyses have demonstrated that LEAFY COTYLEDON genes, namely LEC1, LEC2 and FUSCA3 (FUS3), are key transcriptional regulators of seed maturation, together with ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3). Interestingly, LEC2, FUS3 and ABI3 are related proteins that all contain a 'B3' DNA-binding domain. In recent years, genetic and molecular studies have shed new light on the intricate regulatory network involving these regulators and their interactions with other factors such as LEC1, PICKLE, ABI5 or WRI1, as well as with sugar and hormonal signaling. Here, we summarize the most recent advances in our understanding of this complex regulatory network and its role in the control of seed maturation.

AT_CHLORO, a Comprehensive Chloroplast Proteome Database with Subplastidial Localization and Curated Information on Envelope Proteins
Myriam Ferro, Sabine Brugière, Daniel Salvi, Daphné Seigneurin‐Berny +4 more
2010· Molecular & Cellular Proteomics478doi:10.1074/mcp.m900325-mcp200

Recent advances in the proteomics field have allowed a series of high throughput experiments to be conducted on chloroplast samples, and the data are available in several public databases. However, the accurate localization of many chloroplast proteins often remains hypothetical. This is especially true for envelope proteins. We went a step further into the knowledge of the chloroplast proteome by focusing, in the same set of experiments, on the localization of proteins in the stroma, the thylakoids, and envelope membranes. LC-MS/MS-based analyses first allowed building the AT_CHLORO database (http://www.grenoble.prabi.fr/protehome/grenoble-plant-proteomics/), a comprehensive repertoire of the 1323 proteins, identified by 10,654 unique peptide sequences, present in highly purified chloroplasts and their subfractions prepared from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. This database also provides extensive proteomics information (peptide sequences and molecular weight, chromatographic retention times, MS/MS spectra, and spectral count) for a unique chloroplast protein accurate mass and time tag database gathering identified peptides with their respective and precise analytical coordinates, molecular weight, and retention time. We assessed the partitioning of each protein in the three chloroplast compartments by using a semiquantitative proteomics approach (spectral count). These data together with an in-depth investigation of the literature were compiled to provide accurate subplastidial localization of previously known and newly identified proteins. A unique knowledge base containing extensive information on the proteins identified in envelope fractions was thus obtained, allowing new insights into this membrane system to be revealed. Altogether, the data we obtained provide unexpected information about plastidial or subplastidial localization of some proteins that were not suspected to be associated to this membrane system. The spectral counting-based strategy was further validated as the compartmentation of well known pathways (for instance, photosynthesis and amino acid, fatty acid, or glycerolipid biosynthesis) within chloroplasts could be dissected. It also allowed revisiting the compartmentation of the chloroplast metabolism and functions.

Peroxidase Release Induced by Ozone in Sedum album Leaves
Federico Castillo, Claude Penel, Hubert Greppin
1984· PLANT PHYSIOLOGY468doi:10.1104/pp.74.4.846

The effect of ozone was studied on the peroxidase activity from various compartments of Sedum album leaves (epidermis, intercellular fluid, residual cell material, and total cell material). The greatest increase following a 2-hour ozone exposure (0.4 microliters O(3) per liter) was observed in extracellular peroxidases. Most of the main bands of peroxidase activity separated by isoelectric focusing exhibited an increase upon exposure to ozone. Incubation experiments with isolated peeled or unpeeled leaves showed that leaves from ozone-treated plants release much more peroxidases in the medium than untreated leaves. The withdrawal of Ca(2+) ions reduced the level of extracellular peroxidase activity either in whole plants or in incubation experiments. This reduction and the activation obtained after addition of Ca(2+) resulted from a direct requirement of Ca(2+) by the enzyme and from an effect of Ca(2+) on peroxidase secretion. The ionophore A23187 promoted an increase of extracellular peroxidase activity only in untreated plants. The release of peroxidases by untreated and ozone-treated leaves is considerably lowered by metabolic inhibitors (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea and sodium azide) and by puromycin.

Proteomics of the Chloroplast Envelope Membranes from Arabidopsis thaliana
Myriam Ferro, Daniel Salvi, Sabine Brugière, Stéphane Miras +4 more
2003· Molecular & Cellular Proteomics444doi:10.1074/mcp.m300030-mcp200

The development of chloroplasts and the integration of their function within a plant cell rely on the presence of a complex biochemical machinery located within their limiting envelope membranes. To provide the most exhaustive view of the protein repertoire of chloroplast envelope membranes, we analyzed this membrane system using proteomics. To this purpose, we first developed a procedure to prepare highly purified envelope membranes from Arabidopsis chloroplasts. We then extracted envelope proteins using different methods, i.e. chloroform/methanol extraction and alkaline or saline treatments, in order to retrieve as many proteins as possible, from the most to least hydrophobic ones. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analyses were then performed on each envelope membrane subfraction, leading to the identification of more than 100 proteins. About 80% of the identified proteins are known to be, or are very likely, located in the chloroplast envelope. The validation of localization in the envelope of two phosphate transporters exemplifies the need for a combination of strategies to perform the most exhaustive identification of genuine chloroplast envelope proteins. Interestingly, some of the identified proteins are found to be Nalpha-acetylated, which indicates the accurate location of the N terminus of the corresponding mature protein. With regard to function, more than 50% of the identified proteins have functions known or very likely to be associated with the chloroplast envelope. These proteins are a) involved in ion and metabolite transport, b) components of the protein import machinery, and c) involved in chloroplast lipid metabolism. Some soluble proteins, like proteases, proteins involved in carbon metabolism, or proteins involved in responses to oxidative stress, were associated with envelope membranes. Almost one-third of the proteins we identified have no known function. The present work helps understanding chloroplast envelope metabolism at the molecular level and provides a new overview of the biochemical machinery of the chloroplast envelope membranes.

Contraction of Cultured Rat Glomerular Cells of Apparent Mesangial Origin after Stimulation with Angiotensin II and Arginine Vasopressin
Dennis A. Ausiello, Jeffrey I. Kreisberg, Christian Roy, Morris J. Karnovsky
1980· Journal of Clinical Investigation406doi:10.1172/jci109723

Studies to identify the physiological role of glomerular mesangial cells were undertaken using homogeneous cultures of rat glomerular cells of apparent mesangial origin (MS). Cultured MS cells were treated with arginine vasopressin (AVP), angiotensin II (AGII), prostaglandin E(2), and parathyroid hormone. AVP (0.1 nM) and AGII (1 nM) stimulated contraction of MS cells in vitro that was complete by 2 min at 37 degrees C or 10 min at 23 degrees C as observed by phase contrast and electron microscopy. Relaxation recurred 15 min after hormonal addition at 23 degrees C. Similar experiments in cloned rat glomerular epithelial cells or "renin"-producing cells did not demonstrate a contractile response. The contraction of MS cells was independent of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production, even when cyclic nucleotides were measured as early as 30 s after hormonal stimulation. To demonstrate that contraction was a function of hormone-receptor interaction, binding of [(3)H](8-lysine)vasopressin was studied. Specific binding for 1.6 and 5 nM hormone was both time- and dose-dependent. The estimated apparent affinity was 10 nM. In late MS cell passages (>16th) that no longer demonstrated hormone-stimulated contraction, no specific binding of [(3)H](8-lysine)vasopressin was observed. Incubations were modified to optimize the conditions for detecting the effect of hormones on cell cyclic nucleotide content. A supramaximal concentration of AVP (200 nM) increased the cAMP content of MS cells twofold in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Similar experiments with prostaglandin E(2) (1 mug/ml) led to a 1.5-6-fold increase in MS cell cAMP content, but no effect on contraction was observed. Neither hormone altered cGMP content. These data are further support for the independence of contraction and cyclic nucleotide production. Our studies suggest that MS cells are the equivalent of smooth muscle cells in the glomerulus and that their contraction may be important in control of glomerular filtration.

Preparation and characterization of membrane fractions enriched in outer and inner envelope membranes from spinach chloroplasts. II. Biochemical characterization.
Maryse A. Block, Albert-Jean Dorne, Jacques Joyard, Roland Douce
1983· Journal of Biological Chemistry392doi:10.1016/s0021-9258(17)44113-5

In the previous paper (Block, M. A., Dorne, A.-J., Joyard, J., and Douce, R. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 13273-13280), we have described a method for the separation of membrane fractions enriched in outer and inner envelope membranes from spinach chloroplasts. The two envelope membranes have a different weight ratio of acyl lipid to protein (2.5-3 for the outer envelope membrane and 0.8-1 for the inner envelope membrane). The two membranes also differ in their polar lipid composition. However, in order to prevent the functioning of the galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase during the course of envelope membrane separation, we have analyzed the polar lipid composition of each envelope membrane after thermolysin treatment of the intact chloroplasts. The outer envelope membrane is characterized by the presence of high amounts of phosphatidylcholine and digalactosyldiacylglycerol whereas the inner envelope membrane has a polar lipid composition almost identical with that of the thykaloids. No phosphatidylethanolamine or cardiolipin could be detected in either envelope membranes, thus demonstrating that the envelope membranes, and especially the outer membrane, do not resemble extrachloroplastic membranes. No striking differences were found in the fatty acid composition of the polar lipids from either the outer or the inner envelope membrane. The two envelope membranes also differ in their carotenoid composition. Among the different enzymatic activities associated with the chloroplast envelope, we have shown that the Mg2+-dependent ATPase, the UDP-Gal:diacylglycerol galactosyltransferase, the phosphatidic acid phosphatase, and the acyl-CoA thioesterase are associated with the inner envelope from spinach chloroplasts whereas the acyl-CoA synthetase is located on the outer envelope membrane.

Cereal variety and species mixtures in practice, with emphasis on disease resistance
Maria R. Finckh, Edward S. Gacek, Henriette Goyeau, Christian Lannou +4 more
2000· Agronomie388doi:10.1051/agro:2000177

International audience

The early responses of Arabidopsis thaliana cells to cadmium exposure explored by protein and metabolite profiling analyses
Jean‐Emmanuel Sarry, Lauriane Kühn, Céline Ducruix, Alexandra Lafaye +4 more
2006· PROTEOMICS375doi:10.1002/pmic.200500543

To get more insight into plant cell response to cadmium (Cd) stress, both proteomic and metabolomic "differential display" analyses were performed on Arabidopsis thaliana cells exposed to different concentrations of the toxic chemical. After a 24 h treatment, soluble proteins extracted from untreated and treated cells were separated by 2-D-PAGE and image analyses were performed to quantify and compare protein levels. Proteins up- and down-regulated in response to Cd were identified by MS and mapped into specific metabolic pathways and cellular processes, highlighting probable activation of the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolic pathways. For some of these proteins, Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses were performed to test transcript accumulation in response to Cd. In parallel, metabolite profiling analyses by LC coupled to ESI MS were initiated to better characterize the metabolic adaptation to the chemical stress. This study revealed that the main variation at the metabolite level came from the presence of six different families of phytochelatins, in A. thaliana cells treated with Cd, whose accumulation increases with Cd concentrations. Taken together these data provide an overview of the molecular and cellular changes elicited by Cd exposure.

A natural recessive resistance gene against potato virus Y in pepper corresponds to the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)
Sandrine Ruffel, M.H. Dussault, Alain Palloix, Benoît Moury +3 more
2002· The Plant Journal372doi:10.1046/j.1365-313x.2002.01499.x

We show here that the pvr2 locus in pepper, conferring recessive resistance against strains of potato virus Y (PVY), corresponds to a eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) gene. RFLP analysis on the PVY-susceptible and resistant pepper cultivars, using an eIF4E cDNA from tobacco as probe, revealed perfect map co-segregation between a polymorphism in the eIF4E gene and the pvr2 alleles, pvr2(1) (resistant to PVY-0) and pvr2(2) (resistant to PVY-0 and 1). The cloned pepper eIF4E cDNA encoded a 228 amino acid polypeptide with 70-86% nucleotide sequence identity with other plant eIF4Es. The sequences of eIF4E protein from two PVY-susceptible cultivars were identical and differed from the eIF4E sequences of the two PVY-resistant cultivars Yolo Y (YY) (pvr2(1)) and FloridaVR2 (F) (pvr2(2)) at two amino acids, a mutation common to both resistant genotypes and a second mutation specific to each. Complementation experiments were used to show that the eIF4E gene corresponds to pvr2. Thus, potato virus X-mediated transient expression of eIF4E from susceptible cultivar Yolo Wonder (YW) in the resistant genotype YY resulted in loss of resistance to subsequent PVY-0 inoculation and transient expression of eIF4E from YY (resistant to PVY-0; susceptible to PVY-1) rendered genotype F susceptible to PVY-1. Several lines of evidence indicate that interaction between the potyvirus genome-linked protein (VPg) and eIF4E are important for virus infectivity, suggesting that the recessive resistance could be due to incompatibility between the VPg and eIF4E in the resistant genotype.