Genome Editing by CRISPR/Cas9 in Polyploids.

CRISPR/Cas system has been widely used for genome editing in the past few years. Even though it has been performed in many polyploid species to date, its efficient accomplishment in these organisms is still a challenge. The presence of multiple homoeologous genes as targets for their editing requires more rigorous work and specific needs to assess successful genome editing. Here, we describe a general stepwise protocol to select target sites, design sgRNAs, indicate vector requirements, and screen CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in polyploid species.

Insights into transcription factors controlling strawberry fruit development and ripening.

Fruit ripening is a highly regulated and complex process involving a series of physiological and biochemical changes aiming to maximize fruit organoleptic traits to attract herbivores, maximizing therefore seed dispersal. Furthermore, this process is of key importance for fruit quality and therefore consumer acceptance. In fleshy fruits, ripening involves an alteration in color, in the content of sugars, organic acids and secondary metabolites, such as volatile compounds, which influence flavor and aroma, and the remodeling of cell walls, resulting in the softening of the fruit. The mechanisms underlying these processes rely on the action of phytohormones, transcription factors and epigenetic modifications. Strawberry fruit is considered a model of non-climacteric species, as its ripening is mainly controlled by abscisic acid. Besides the role of phytohormones in the regulation of strawberry fruit ripening, a number of transcription factors have been identified as important regulators of these processes to date. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the role of transcription factors in the regulation of strawberry fruit ripening, as well as in compiling candidate regulators that might play an important role but that have not been functionally studied to date.

Phenolic content analysis of coffee leaves subjected to htst and convective drying / Análisis del contenido fenólico de hojas de café sujetas a secado htst y convectivo

SUMMARY As a potential beverage, coffee leaf tea may possess both qualities of brewed coffee and regular tea. Thus, making it an attractive beverage in years to come. One of the main qualities is the leaf's phenolic content, which is chiefly attributed with health benefits. However, the leaf's total phenolic content may be adversely affected by heat during the drying process. Coffee leaves were dried using a combined drying process, high-temperature short-time (HTST) and convective drying, to assess the optimal drying parameters for both total phenolic content preservation and drying time reduction. To reach conclusions, a central composite rotational design (CCRD) was employed. With both temperature and thickness as independent variables, a response surface using time as dependent variable was generated. The temperature ranged from 80°C to 110°C and the thickness from 1cm to 3cm. Results indicate that the HTST pretreatment significantly reduced the drying time without affecting the total phenolic content; that is, the CCRD analysis on the effect of the HTST pretreatment on the total phenolic content did not yield statistically significant results.

RESUMEN Como bebida potencial, el té de hojas de café posee cualidades, tanto de café preparado como de té regular, por lo tanto, será una bebida interesante en los próximos años. Una de las principales cualidades es el contenido fenólico de las hojas, a lo cual, se atribuyen beneficios sobre la salud; sin embargo, el contenido fenólico total (TPC), se puede ver afectado negativamente por el calor, durante el proceso de secado. Hojas de café fueron secadas usando un proceso de secado combinado, tiempo corto y alta temperatura (HTST) y secado convectivo, para establecer los parámetros óptimos de secado, tanto para la preservación del TPC como para la reducción del tiempo de secado. Para obtener conclusiones, un diseño de experimentos rotacional central compuesto (CCRD) fue aplicado. Usando como variables independientes la temperatura y el espesor, se generó una superficie de respuesta, empleando el tiempo, como variable dependiente. El rango de temperatura usado fue entre 80 y 110 y de espesor, entre 1 y 3cm. Los resultados indican que el pretratamiento de HTST redujo significativamente el tiempo de secado, sin afectar el TPC, es decir, el análisis del CCRD sobre el efecto del pretratamiento del HTST en el TPC no obtuvo resultados estadísticamente significativos.