A novel ferritin gene, TaFER, was identified from our previous heat stress-responsive transcriptome analysis of a heat-tolerant wheat cultivar (TAM107). TaFER was mapped to chromosome 5B and named TaFER-5B. Expression pattern analysis revealed that TaFER-5B was induced by heat, polyethylene glycol (PEG), H₂O₂ and Fe-ethylenediaminedi(o-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid (Fe-EDDHA). To confirm the function of TaFER-5B in wheat, TaFER-5B was transformed into the wheat cultivar Jimai5265 (JM5265), and the transgenic plants exhibited enhanced thermotolerance.

Increasing plant density is one of the main approaches of achieving higher yields for modern maize crop. However, there exists leaf redundancy for high-density maize, and leaves of the upper canopy shade more competent leaves at the middle strata. In a two-year field experiments, Jinhai5, a semi-compact corn cultivar, was grown at a density of 105,000 plants ha^-1 grown until 3 days after silking (3DAS), when plants were subjected to removal of the uppermost two leaves (S₂), four leaves (S₄) or six leaves (S₆), with no leaf removal as control (S₀).

Potential of MoSM1, encoding for a cerato-platanin protein from Magnaporthe oryzae, in improvement of rice disease resistance was examined. Transient expression of MoSM1 in rice leaves initiated hypersensitive response and upregulated expression of defense genes. When transiently expressed in tobacco leaves, MoSM1 targeted to plasma membrane. The MoSM1-overexpressing (MoSM1-OE) transgenic rice lines showed an improved resistance, as revealed by the reduced disease severity and decreased in planta pathogen growth, against 2 strains belonging to two different races of M. oryzae, causing blast disease, and against 2 strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, causing bacterial leaf blight disease. However, no alteration in resistance to sheath blight disease was observed in MoSM1-OE lines.

Modification of source–sink ratios in tropical maize through detasseling is an ancestral agronomical practice used for increasing yields under stressful conditions. However, the mechanisms behind such effect are not well understood given the difficulties to determine physiological processes such as photosynthesis and whole-plant transpiration in the field. We have tested the potential ability of kernel δ¹⁸O to assess differences in grain yield (GY) through changes in plant transpiration caused by the modification of water availability and source–sink modification treatments, (including removal of the tassel and different numbers of leaves) in three tropical maize hybrids differing in drought tolerance.

A major QTL for heading date,qHD5, was fine-mapped to a 52.59-kb region on the short arm of rice chromosome 5. Heading date (HD) is one of the most important traits that enables rice to adapt to seasonal differences and specific growth conditions in diverse growing regions.

Altered levels of colonic peptide YY (PYY) have been reported in patients suffering from functional and inflammatory bowel disorders. While the involvement of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Y receptors in the regulation of nociception is well established, the physiological role of PYY in somatic and visceral pain is poorly understood.

The existence of sexual reproduction despite its well-known costs is a decades-old puzzle. Although recent studies show that sex can be advantageous because it may facilitate adaptation, it remains unclear whether all types of adaptation result in the same sexual response. Using experimental evolution we show that adaptation to different environments results in varying amounts of sex and, more importantly, that higher levels of sex evolve when adapting to more complex environments.

In response to a variety of stress signals, tumor suppressor p53 is activated to influence the cellular outcome. Various stresses result in different levels of p53 activation. We demonstrate here that during mouse development, uniform activation of p53 at a moderate level is well tolerated in the embryos. In contrast, mild activation of p53 in individual cells leads to a growth disadvantage and their out-competition when they are present together with nonactivated cells.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the most important vegetables among the Solanaceae and can be a host to fungal species causing powdery mildew (PM) disease. Specific homologs of the plant Mildew Locus O (MLO) gene family are PM susceptibility factors, as their loss of function results in a recessive form of resistance known as mlo resistance. In a previous work, we isolated the eggplant MLO homolog SmMLO1.

Human blood cell production is coordinated to ensure balanced levels of all lineages. The basis of this regulation remains poorly understood. Identification of genetic differences in human populations associated with blood cell measurements can shed light on such regulatory mechanisms.For example, we identified a regulatory element that is necessary for basophil production, which acts specifically during this process to regulate expression of the transcription factor CEBPA. We demonstrate how genome sequencing, genetic fine-mapping, and functional data can be integrated to gain important insight into blood cell production.