Nitric oxide controls shoot meristem activity via regulation of DNA methylation.

Despite the importance of Nitric Oxide (NO) as signaling molecule in both plant and animal development, the regulatory mechanisms downstream of NO remain largely unclear. Here, we show that NO is involved in Arabidopsis shoot stem cell control via modifying expression and activity of ARGONAUTE 4 (AGO4), a core component of the RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM) pathway. Mutations in components of the RdDM pathway cause meristematic defects, and reduce responses of the stem cell system to NO signaling. Importantly, we find that the stem cell inducing WUSCHEL transcription factor directly interacts with AGO4 in a NO dependent manner, explaining how these two signaling systems may converge to modify DNA methylation patterns. Taken together, our results reveal that NO signaling plays an important role in controlling plant stem cell homeostasis via the regulation of de novo DNA methylation.

Understanding COVID: Collaborative Government Campaign for Citizen Digital Health Literacy in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The strategy "Understanding COVID" was a Public Health campaign designed in 2020 and launched in 2021 in Asturias-Spain to provide reliable and comprehensive information oriented to vulnerable populations. The campaign involved groups considered socially vulnerable and/or highly exposed to COVID-19 infection: shopkeepers and hoteliers, worship and religious event participants, school children and their families, and scattered rural populations exposed to the digital divide. The purpose of this article was to describe the design of the "Understanding COVID" strategy and the evaluation of the implementation process. The strategy included the design and use of several educational resources and communication strategies, including some hundred online training sessions based on the published studies and adapted to the language and dissemination approaches, that reached 1056 people of different ages and target groups, an accessible website, an informative video channel, posters and other pedagogical actions in education centers. It required a great coordination effort involving different public and third-sector entities to provide the intended pandemic protection and prevention information at that difficult time. A communication strategy was implemented to achieve different goals: reaching a diverse population and adapting the published studies to different ages and groups, focusing on making it comprehensible and accessible for them. In conclusion, given there is a common and sufficiently important goal, it is possible to achieve effective collaboration between different governmental bodies to develop a coordinated strategy to reach the most vulnerable populations while taking into consideration their different interests and needs.

Opposite polarity programs regulate asymmetric subsidiary cell divisions in grasses.

Grass stomata recruit lateral subsidiary cells (SCs), which are key to the unique stomatal morphology and the efficient plant-atmosphere gas exchange in grasses. Subsidiary mother cells (SMCs) strongly polarise before an asymmetric division forms a SC. Yet apart from a proximal polarity module that includes PANGLOSS1 (PAN1) and guides nuclear migration, little is known regarding the developmental processes that form SCs. Here, we used comparative transcriptomics of developing wild-type and SC-less bdmute leaves in the genetic model grass Brachypodium distachyon to identify novel factors involved in SC formation. This approach revealed BdPOLAR, which forms a novel, distal polarity domain in SMCs that is opposite to the proximal PAN1 domain. Both polarity domains are required for the formative SC division yet exhibit various roles in guiding pre-mitotic nuclear migration and SMC division plane orientation, respectively. Nonetheless, the domains are linked as the proximal domain controls polarisation of the distal domain. In summary, we identified two opposing polarity domains that coordinate the SC division, a process crucial for grass stomatal physiology.

The Male Mouse Meiotic Cilium Emanates from the Mother Centriole at Zygotene Prior to Centrosome Duplication.

Cilia are hair-like projections of the plasma membrane with an inner microtubule skeleton known as axoneme. Motile cilia and flagella beat to displace extracellular fluids, playing important roles in the airways and reproductive system. On the contrary, primary cilia function as cell-type-dependent sensory organelles, detecting chemical, mechanical, or optical signals from the extracellular environment. Cilia dysfunction is associated with genetic diseases called ciliopathies and with some types of cancer. Cilia have been recently identified in zebrafish gametogenesis as an important regulator of bouquet conformation and recombination. However, there is little information about the structure and functions of cilia in mammalian meiosis. Here we describe the presence of cilia in male mouse meiotic cells. These solitary cilia formed transiently in 20% of zygotene spermatocytes and reached considerable lengths (up to 15-23 µm). CEP164 and CETN3 localization studies indicated that these cilia emanate from the mother centriole prior to centrosome duplication. In addition, the study of telomeric TFR2 suggested that cilia are not directly related to the bouquet conformation during early male mouse meiosis. Instead, based on TEX14 labeling of intercellular bridges in spermatocyte cysts, we suggest that mouse meiotic cilia may have sensory roles affecting cyst function during prophase I.

EAR domain-containing transcription factors trigger PRC2-mediated chromatin marking in Arabidopsis.

Polycomb group (PcG) complexes ensure that every cell in an organism expresses the genes needed at a particular stage, time, or condition. However, it is still not fully understood how PcG complexes PcG-repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 are recruited to target genes in plants. Recent findings in Arabidopsis thaliana support the notion that PRC2 recruitment is mediated by different transcription factors (TFs). However, it is unclear how all these TFs interact with PRC2 and whether they also recruit PRC1 activity. Here, by using a system to bind selected TFs to a synthetic promoter lacking the complexity of PcG target promoters in vivo, we show that while binding of the TF VIVIPAROUS1/ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE3-LIKE1 recapitulates PRC1 and PRC2 marking, the binding of other TFs only renders PRC2 marking. Interestingly, all these TFs contain an Ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated Amphiphilic Repression (EAR) domain that triggers both HISTONE DEACETYLASE COMPLEX and PRC2 activities, connecting two different repressive mechanisms. Furthermore, we show that different TFs can have an additive effect on PRC2 activity, which may be required to maintain long-term repression of gene expression.

Effect of industrial freezing on the physical and nutritional quality traits in broccoli.

Broccoli was blanched and frozen at industrial scale to ascertain the physical and nutritional changes that take place in industrial processing. Colour, texture, ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids, glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, mineral nutrients and microstructure were evaluated. Blanching and freezing caused a decrease in lightness and firmness. Losses of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid + dehydroascorbic acid reached about 57% and 30%, respectively. The antioxidant capacity was similar in fresh and treated broccoli, and the glucosinolates remained constant. These results show that frozen broccoli retains antioxidants compounds, vitamin C and glucosinolates even after industrial processing, meaning that industrially frozen broccoli intended for human consumption can be considered rather similar to the fresh product.

Development and Validation of a Self-Administered Multidimensional Prognostic Index to Predict Negative Health Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Persons.

The multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) is a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)-based tool that accurately predicts negative health outcomes in older subjects with different diseases and settings. To calculate the MPI several validated tools are assessed by health care professionals according to the CGA, whereas self-reported information by the patients is not available, but it could be of importance for the early identification of frailty. We aimed to develop and validate a self-administered MPI (SELFY-MPI) in community-dwelling subjects. For this reason, we enrolled 167 subjects (mean age = 67.3, range = 20-88 years, 51% = men). All subjects underwent a CGA-based assessment to calculate the MPI and the SELFY-MPI. The SELFY-MPI included the assessment of (1) basic and instrumental activities of daily living, (2) mobility, (3) memory, (4) nutrition, (5) comorbidity, (6) number of medications, and (7) socioeconomic situation. The Bland-Altman methodology was used to measure the agreement between MPI and SELFY-MPI. The mean MPI and SELFY-MPI values were 0.147 and 0.145, respectively. The mean difference was +0.002 ± standard deviation of 0.07. Lower and upper 95% limits of agreement were -0.135 and +0.139, respectively, with only 5 of 167 (3%) of observations outside the limits. Stratified analysis by age provided similar results for younger (≤65 years old, n = 45) and older subjects (>65 years, n = 122). The analysis of variances in subjects subdivided according to different year decades showed no differences of agreement according to age. In conclusion, the SELFY-MPI can be used as a prognostic tool in subjects of different ages.