Differential gene expression and chemical patterns of an intertidal crab inhabiting a polluted port and an adjacent marine protected area.

The acquisition of data to safeguard marine protected areas located close to ports is important in order to develop plans that allow effective protection from pollution as well as sustainable development of the port. The area Secche della Meloria is a Marine Protected Area (MPA-MEL) three miles from Livorno Harbour (LH), which is characterized by a long history of pollution. Here we studied the bioaccumulation and transcriptomic patterns of the marbled crab, Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea; Brachyura, Grapsidae), inhabiting the two selected sites. Results showed that the two crab populations are significantly different in their chemical composition of trace elements and Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and gene expression patterns (1280 DEGs). Enrichment analysis indicated that crabs at LH had the highest stress response genes, and they were associated with higher levels of bioaccumulation detected in body tissues. We are confident that the significant differential gene expression profiles observed between crabs, characterized by significant chemical differences, is associated with responses to contaminant exposure.

Himantoglossum adriaticum H. Baumann × Himantoglossum robertianum (Loisel.) P. Delforge: A New Interspecific Hybrid Assessed by Barcoding Analysis.

Most cultivated orchids, contributing to a worldwide highly profitable industry, are originated from tropic regions. Conversely, a considerable number of spontaneous orchids, belonging to the terrestrial orchids and widely diffused throughout the European continent, are not considered for trading due to their less gorgeous appearance and for technical difficulties in seed propagation. However, a breeding programme was undertaken aimed at developing a new hybrid between Himantoglossum adriaticum H. Baumann and H. robertianum (Loisel.) P. Delforge [syn. Barlia robertiana (Loisel.) Greuter] by applying techniques of anther conservation, manual pollination and in vitro asymbiotic germination of the obtained seeds. The plantlets that originated from the protocorms after seed germination were successfully acclimatised after potting in a proper medium. The parentage of the progenies of the hybridisation experiment was assessed by sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer assembly (ITS) and plastid barcoding markers of the parental lines and of the hybrids. The method proved to be effective in revealing the origin of the hybrids and to validate the maternal inheritance of the plastid DNA.

Effect of ammonia on the gene expression levels of the freshwater cyclopoid Eucyclops serrulatus.

Ammonia pollution is a critical issue in Europe, since more than half of the European freshwater bodies actually fail to meet EU quality standards for this chemical. In this study, the response of stress-related genes to a sublethal ammonia concentration has been investigated in the adults of the freshwater cyclopoid Eucyclops serrulatus. Two short-term exposures (12h and 24h) at 12mg/L NH4+ have been tested. Results indicate that 12mg/L NH4+ causes a significant increase in the expression of some proteins, namely CAT, HSP90 and HSP40, suggesting an activation of the protecting antioxidant system after both 12h and 24h.

Polyphenolic profiles and antioxidant and antiradical activity of Italian berries from Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Vaccinium uliginosum L. subsp. gaultherioides (Bigelow) S.B. Young.

Total soluble polyphenols (TSP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), radical scavenging activity (RSA), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and a number of anthocyanins, phenolic acids, coumarins, flavanols, dihydrochalcones and flavonols were investigated in Tuscan bilberry (i.e. Vaccinium myrtillus) and "false bilberry" (i.e. Vaccinium uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides Bigelow). V. myrtillus berries showed much higher TSP, TMA, RSA and FRAP values than V. uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides fruits. Moreover, very different profiles of individual phenolics were observed in the two species, being V. myrtillus mainly characterised by delphinidin and cyanidin glycosides, together with chlorogenic acid, and V. uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides dominated by malvidin derivatives and flavonols. Strong differences between the two species regarded also metabolites investigated herein for the first time, such as scopoletin, which was approximately two magnitude orders higher in V. uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides than in V. myrtillus berries. Very different abundances were also highlighted for cryptochlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-rhamnoside that were about ten-fold higher in bilberry than in "false bilberry". When the anthocyanin composition pattern of Tuscan "false bilberry" was compared to those elsewhere reported for V. uliginosum fruits harvested in different world areas, some important differences were observed.

Zn2+ -induced changes at the root level account for the increased tolerance of acclimated tobacco plants.

Evidence suggests that heavy-metal tolerance can be induced in plants following pre-treatment with non-toxic metal concentrations, but the results are still controversial. In the present study, tobacco plants were exposed to increasing Zn2+ concentrations (up to 250 and/or 500 µM ZnSO4) with or without a 1-week acclimation period with 30 µM ZnSO4. Elevated Zn2+ was highly toxic for plants, and after 3 weeks of treatments there was a marked (≥50%) decline in plant growth in non-acclimated plants. Plant acclimation, on the other hand, increased plant dry mass and leaf area up to 1.6-fold compared with non-acclimated ones. In non-acclimated plants, the addition of 250 µM ZnSO4 led to transient membrane depolarization and stomatal closure within 24h from the addition of the stress; by contrast, the acclimation process was associated with an improved stomatal regulation and a superior ability to maintain a negative root membrane potential, with values on average 37% more negative compared with non-acclimated plants. The different response at the plasma-membrane level between acclimated and non-acclimated plants was associated with an enhanced vacuolar Zn2+ sequestration and up to 2-fold higher expression of the tobacco orthologue of the Arabidopsis thaliana MTP1 gene. Thus, the acclimation process elicited specific detoxification mechanisms in roots that enhanced Zn2+ compartmentalization in vacuoles, thereby improving root membrane functionality and stomatal regulation in leaves following elevated Zn2+ stress.