The Clp protease  composed of more than 15 proteins,  is the central protein degradation machinery in the plastids  of a plant cell which  plays  a  similar role  as  proteasomes  in cytoplasm  and nucleus.  ClpC1 and ClpC2  are  two chaperonic proteins  for the Clp protease  and  share  more than 90%  similarities in the  nucleotide  and amino acid sequences.  In this study, we investigated the functions of ClpC1 and ClpC2 in photosynthesis by co-suppression of both genes (NbClpC1  and  NbClpC2,  NbClpC1/C2)  in Nicotiana benthamiana  using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique. 

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins were confirmed to be involved in the acquisition of tolerance to drought, cold and high salinity in many different organisms.  In this paper, we  report  on  the isolation and characterization of the cDNA clone for a  LEA protein (CsLEA) and its putative promoter sequence from Cleistogenes songorica, a xerophytic desert grass. CsLEA was predicted as a hydrophilic LEA protein.

Few individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) go on to achieve high levels of independence or what are considered “very good” outcomes. As such, there is a need to identify predictors of outcomes to improve treatment and services for these individuals. Although behavioral and cognitive variables can predict substantial variance in outcomes, the majority of the variance remains unexplained.

Plant cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and sterility restoration by nuclear restorer-of-fertility (Rf) genes provide a crucial breeding tool to harness hybrid vigor in many crops. Here, we identify RF6 as a novel pentatricopeptide repeat family protein that restores the fertility of Honglian CMS (HL-CMS), a major type of rice CMS used in breeding. We demonstrated that RF6 and hexokinase 6 function together in mitochondria to promote the processing of the aberrant CMS-associated transcript atp6-orfH79, thereby restoring the fertility of HL-CMS rice

A proportion of the variation in HIV-1 viral load in the infected population is influenced by host genetics. Using a large sample of infected individuals (n = 6,315) with genome-wide genotype data, we sought to map genomic regions that influence HIV viral load and quantify their impact. We identified amino acid positions located in the binding groove of class I HLA proteins (HLA-A and -B) and SNPs in the chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 gene region that together explain 14.5% of the observed variation in HIV viral load

Each species contains a subset of genes that are uniquely present in that species; the functions and origins of the vast majority of these “orphan genes” are not well-understood. Expression of the Arabidopsis QQS (Qua-Quine Starch; At3g30720) orphan transgene increases the level of protein in soybean lines with high and low protein and acts across flowering plants to increase the protein content of maize and rice.

The maize genome is relatively large (∼2.3 Gb) and has a complex organization of interspersed genes and transposable elements, which necessitates frequent boundaries between different types of chromatin. The examination of maize genes and conserved noncoding sequences revealed that many of these are flanked by regions of elevated asymmetric CHH (where H is A, C, or T) methylation (termed mCHH islands).

A non-redundant subset of 15,138 previously identified SNPs and 4454 SNPs originating from the SolCAP project were combined into a 20k Infinium SNP array for genotyping a total of 569 potato genotypes. In this study we describe how this SNP array (encoded SolSTW array) was designed and analysed with fitTetra, software designed for autotetraploids. Genotypes from different countries and market segments, complemented with historic cultivars and important progenitors, were genotyped.

Red coloration of fruit skin is one of the most important traits in peach (Prunus persica), and it is mainly due to the accumulation of anthocyanins. Three MYB10 genes, PpMYB10.1, PpMYB10.2, and PpMYB10.3, have been reported as important regulators of red coloration and anthocyanin biosynthesis in peach fruit.

Rice is the most important staple food for more than half of the human population, and blast disease is the most serious disease affecting global rice production. In this work, the isoform OsCPK4 of the rice calcium-dependent protein kinase family is reported as a regulator of rice immunity to blast fungal infection. It shows that overexpression of OsCPK4 gene in rice plants enhances resistance to blast disease by preventing fungal penetration.