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The size ofAstyanax mexicanusblind cavefish populations of North-East Mexico is a demographic parameter of great importance for investigating a variety of ecological, evolutionary and conservation issues. However, very few estimates have been obtained. For these mobile animals living in an environment difficult to explore as a whole, methods based on capture-mark-recapture are appropriate, but the feasibility of such approach and the interpretation of the results depend on several assumptions that must be carefully examined. Here, we provide evidence that minimally invasive genetic identification from captures at different time intervals can give insights on cavefish population size dynamics as well as other important demographic parameters of interest. We also provide tools to calibrate sampling and genotyping efforts necessary to reach a given level of precision. Our results suggest that the El Pachón cave population is currently very small, of an order of magnitude of a few hundreds of individuals, and is distributed in a relatively isolated area. The probable decline in population size in the El Pachón cave since the last census in 1971 raises serious conservation issues.

Cassava landraces are impacted by post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD). 34 primary/secondary metabolites (carotenes, flavonols, indols, phenolic, hydroxycinnamic, and organic acids) were analysed using HPLC/GC–MS in 72 landraces harvested 8 months after planting (MAP) to clarify whether these compounds may play a role in PPD tolerance. Cluster analysis differentiated a first group with high organic acids contents, citric acid being dominant, a second group with landraces high in tryptophan, a third group including landraces with high phenolic and hydroxycinnamic acids content, and a fourth group characterised by 8 carotenoids. PPD tolerant and susceptible landraces were present in each group. To determine if PPD is related to age of harvest, 174 landraces were harvested at 6, 8, 10 and 12 MAP. Scopoletin, sucrose and glucose were analysed. PPD was positively correlated with DMC and negatively correlated with scopoletin at all ages of harvest. Scopoletin is a useful biomarker to characterize landraces.

The greater yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is the most widely distributed yam species in the world. In many countries, its cultivation is expanding because of its ease of preparation, taste and nutritional properties. The greater yam has been the object of significant research studies conducted by independent teams in distant countries, and aiming at characterising its complex chemical composition in major compounds and in secondary metabolites. Here, we conduct a detailed and comprehensive literature review regarding the chemical composition and functional properties of the greater yam. We also review briefly the botanical, phylogeny and genetic information on D. alata, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of its phytochemicals, and its use as a staple food, or in processed products. One of the objectives of this review is also to compile the information needed by genetic improvement programs interested in the biofortification of the greater yam.

The impact of inoculated plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on its host physiology and nutrition depends on inoculum level. Whether the impact of the inoculated PGPR on the indigenous rhizosphere microbiota also varies with the PGPR inoculum level is unclear. Here, we tested this issue using the PGPR

The beneficial effects of plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) entail several interaction mechanisms with the plant or with other root-associated microorganisms. These microbial functions are carried out by multiple taxa within functional groups and contribute to rhizosphere functioning. It is likely that the inoculation of additional PGPR cells will modify the ecology of these functional groups. We also hypothesized that the inoculation effects on functional groups are site specific, similarly as the PGPR phytostimulation effects themselves. To test this, we assessed in the rhizosphere of field-grown maize the effect of seed inoculation with the phytostimulatory PGPR

International audience; The genus Dioscorea hosts a large number of yam species used medicinally and as a staple food by millions of people in tropical countries. All yams share a high antioxidant activity that correlates with their total phenolics contents. However, knowledge of edible species antioxidant phenolics remains incomplete. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the tubers of a yam species with high total phenolics content, D. nummularia, led to the isolation of two flavonols, caryatin and 3 ′-O-methyl caryatin, contributing over 92% of a stable methanol extract of the tuber in this species. Their structures were determined by high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and a synthesized authentic sample. They displayed no bacterial toxicity. Their content was estimated in the tubers and bulbils of 411 landraces and hybrids belonging to eight food yam species using high performance-thin layer chromatography (HP-TLC). These were found to be highly variable at the intra-and interspecific levels to reach up to 1 030 and 457 μg/g DW respectively and added up to contents of already described antioxidant phenolics. This study provides additional understanding of the health benefits of a yam diet and constitutes the first phytochemical analysis of D. nummularia.

Genetic improvement of sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is based on recurrent cycles of phenotypic selection and recombination of parents. Metabolite profiling can be used to differentiate chemotypes to assist selection of parents. Chlorogenic acids (CQAs) and coumarins are natural fungicides and insect repellents present in the storage root periderm which can contribute to reduction of post-harvest losses and insect damage. The objectives of this study were: (i) to develop a rapid and reliable analytical technique for screening breeding lines, (ii) to correlate their CQAs and coumarins contents with periderm colour and biotic stress susceptibility, and (iii) to assess variation among clones. A first experiment measured the variation in scopolin, scopoletin, chlorogenic acid (CGA) and three dicaffeoylquinic acids (3,4-, 4,5-, 3,5-diCQA) in 296 breeding lines periderm. CGA (mean of 0.95 µg/mg FW) and 3,5-diCQA (0.86 µg/mg) contents were significantly higher than scopolin (0.50 µg/mg), scopoletin (0.09 µg/mg), 3,4-diCQA (0.09 µg/mg), and 4,5-diCQA (0.16 µg/mg). CGA was significantly and positively correlated with all compounds but especially with 3,5-diCQA (+ 0.812**). All compounds were in significantly higher content in purple-red periderm breeding lines. A second experiment estimated the range of variation among five clones for 39 selected breeding lines. The results confirmed the first experiment. Furthermore, for all six compounds the coefficient of variation in the second experiment were low indicating that they are genetically controlled. CQAs appear to be more interesting compounds compared to coumarins for selecting breeding lines and chemotype assisted breeding should be a useful tool to reduce post-harvest losses and insect damage.

Phenolic compounds are involved in plant response to environmental conditions and are highly present in leaves of Coffea arabica L., originally an understory shrub. To increase knowledge of C. arabica leaf phenolic compounds and their patterns in adaptation to light intensity, mature leaves of Ethiopian wild accessions, American pure lines and their relative F1 hybrids were sampled in full sun or under 50% shade field plots in Mexico and at two contrasting elevations in Nicaragua and Colombia. Twenty-one phenolic compounds were identified by LC-DAD-MS2 and sixteen were quantified by HPLC-DAD. Four of them appeared to be involved in C. arabica response to light intensity. They were consistently more accumulated in full sun, presenting a stable ratio of leaf content in the sun vs. shade for all the studied genotypes: 1.6 for 5-CQA, F-dihex and mangiferin and 2.8 for rutin. Moreover, 5-CQA and mangiferin contents, in full sun and shade, allowed for differentiating the two genetic groups of Ethiopian wild accessions (higher contents) vs. cultivated American pure lines. They appear, therefore, to be potential biomarkers of adaptation of C. arabica to light intensity for breeding programs. We hypothesize that low 5-CQA and mangiferin leaf contents should be searched for adaptation to full-sun cropping systems and high contents used for agroforestry systems.

The genus Lavandula L. (Lamiaceae) comprises 40 species, of which only a few are used to extract essential oils for perfume and detergent industries. To date, the compound diversity of Lavandula es...

The present study aimed at evaluating the potential of diethyl ether extracts UV/visible (UV/vis) absorbance for assessing the suitability of commercial lots of kava (Piper methysticum). The UV/vis absorption spectra of diethyl ether root extracts of 15 cultivars clustered them into three groups in parallel to their known genetic relatedness and their chemical composition determined by GC–MS and LC–MS analyses. Absorption peaks at 250 nm and 290 nm respectively corresponded to kavain, the most health-promoting kavalactone, and dihydromethysticin a non-desirable kavalactone. The absorbance peak at 340–350 nm reflected the yellow coloration of the extract, which was mainly due to the undesirable flavokavins, desmethoxyyangonin and yangonin. Ratios of absorbance values at 250 nm and 290 nm significantly differentiated all three groups of cultivars, namely 'noble' which provide health benefits from 'two-day' and 'wichmannii' that are health damaging. These results provide a robust and rapid colorimetric test for routine control of a critical aspect of the quality of kava batches. (Resume d'auteur)

The plant microbiota may differ depending on soil type, but these microbiota probably share the same functions necessary for holobiont fitness. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that phytostimulatory microbial functional groups are likely to co-occur in the rhizosphere, using groups corresponding to nitrogen fixation (nifH) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deamination (acdS), i.e. two key modes of action in plant-beneficial rhizobacteria. The analysis of three maize fields in two consecutive years showed that quantitative PCR numbers of nifH and of acdS alleles differed according to field site, but a positive correlation was found overall when comparing nifH and acdS numbers. Metabarcoding analyses in the second year indicated that the diversity level of acdS but not nifH rhizobacteria in the rhizosphere differed across fields. Furthermore, between-class analysis showed that the three sites differed from one another based on nifH or acdS sequence data (or rrs data), and the bacterial genera contributing most to field differentiation were not the same for the three bacterial groups. However, co-inertia analysis indicated that the genetic structures of both functional groups and of the whole bacterial community were similar across the three fields. Therefore, results point to co-selection of rhizobacteria harboring nitrogen fixation and/or 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deamination abilities.

International audience; Members of the bacterial genus Azospirillum are root-associated bacteria that increase yield in cereals by promoting growth and alleviating drought stress. How plants integrate the many bacterium-derived growth-promoting stimuli with other environmental factors to generate a coordinated response remains unresolved. Using a commercial Azospirillum strain, A. lipoferum CRT1 and two host maize cultivars, it was observed that bacterization reduced the drought-induced increase in lateral root growth and enhanced the flood-induced increase in lateral root growth in the more drought- and flood-sensitive cultivar. In the other one, A. lipoferum CRT1 only elicited a moderate root growth response under low soil water potential. The photosynthetic potential and activity were increased in the earlier cultivar and decreased in the later one, irrespective of the soil water content. No impact of the bacterium was seen on the growth of the leaves of both cultivars under both stresses until the third leaf stage, therefore suggesting that it is a consequence of multiple primary adaptations to biotic and abiotic stresses. It is suggested that host-bacteria recognition leads to a stress-specific modulation of the root response and a differential stress-independent effect on photosynthesis. This is the first report of the impact of Azospirillum under flood conditions.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is increasingly traded internationally and there is need for a rapid method to analyze kava raw material before export. The objectives of the present study were: (i) to develop a simple and robust protocol for high throughput simultaneous quantification of kavalactones (KLs) and flavokavins (FKs) in kava and (ii) to assess its potential for quality control. Methysticin, dihydromethysticin, kavain, desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokavain, yangonin, and flavokavin A, B and C were quantified using HPTLC in acetonic extracts of 174 kava varieties. UHPLC analysis was conducted on a subset of six varieties representing the genetic variation of the species. The genetically distinct groups of nobles, two-day and wichmannii varieties were clearly differentiated and multivariate analyses of UHPLC and HPTLC data were congruent. Noble varieties have significantly low FKs/KLs (0.13) and high kavain/flavokavin B (K/FKB = 7.31). Two-day and wichmannii varieties are characterized by high FKs/KLs (0.36, 0.21) and low K/FKB (1.5, 1.7). A high-throughput HPTLC protocol was developed with a total analytical time of 50 min for 20 samples and only 10 mL of mobile phase. The use of acetone, sonication and two different detection wavelengths improves the accuracy compared to previous HPLC studies and confirms that kava varieties exhibit distinct chemotypes clearly differentiated by their FKs/KLs profiles. These results will strengthen the use of Codex Alimentarius regional standards.

International audience; Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) naturally aid plant growth, development and tolerance to stress. Yield increase by the commercial isolate Azospirillum lipoferum CRT1 was recently attributed to an enhanced sprouting success. In order to provide the first biochemical and physiological analysis of sprouting enhancement by PGPR, seed germination and metabolism were followed by time-lapse photography and GC/MS-based metabolomics, respectively, after inoculating two differentially-responding maize cultivars with A. lipoferum CRT1. Bacterial growth on the seeds and plantlet development were also determined. Bacterial inoculation of the seeds of one cultivar led to a 6–8 h hastening of radicle emergence, increased surface bacterial counts, lower contents of energetic primary metabolites before radicle emergence and increased photosynthetic yield, and root surface area, in 3-leaf plantlets. None of these changes were observed on the other maize cultivar that rather accumulated greater levels of stress-related metabolites shortly after radicle emergence. Bacterial counts and cell division-driven central root growth increased in parallel and similarly on both cultivars. A. lipoferum CRT1 stimulated pre-germinating or defense events in a cultivar-dependent manner in maize after rapid (less than 24 h) recognition with initially resting seeds. This PGPR isolate therefore bears agronomic potential as a biopriming agent.

The characiform fish Astyanaxmexicanus comes in two forms, a surface-dwelling morph which lives in the rivers of North and Central America and a blind, depigmented cave-dwelling morph which inhabits caves in Mexico. In recent years, this species has arguably become among the most influential model system for the study of evolutionary development and genomics in cave biology. While recent articles have analysed in great detail Astyanax genetics, development, physiology, phylogeny and behaviour, there have been comparatively few recent studies concerning its ecology and in particular its biogeography. Mitchell et al. (1977) reported the species inhabiting 29 caves in the Sierra de El Abra region. Despite the elapsing of over 40 years and the latest surge of interest in the model, not a single new cave locality had been described for the species. We describe here a new and 30th cave locality, Chiquitita Cave, inhabited by troglomorphic A.mexicanus. Their morphology, eye histology, 16S rRNA DNA sequence, and smelling capabilities are analysed. This cave represents the southernmost extension for the cave morph’s habitat within the Sierra de El Abra. Its name, Chiquitita Cave (Tiny Cave), was chosen in reference to a potential hydrologic connection to “Chica Cave” (small cave), which is among the most studied populations of Astyanax.

The starchy corms of taro (Colocasia esculenta) are consumed throughout the tropics and are essential for food security in many developing countries. Taro corms are increasingly processed into fries, chips, flours or flakes in urban areas, and varieties with attractive corm flesh colours are now needed. The identification of flavonoids in taro corms would add value to this crop. The present study developed a high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) protocol for the high-throughput screening of flavonoids in taro germplasm. Overall, 350 different accessions were analysed including 259 varieties from Vanuatu, one from Vietnam, eight from Thailand, eight from the Philippines, six from Malaysia, two from Japan and 18 from Indonesia. Forty-eight breeding lines (hybrids) including 21 from Vanuatu, 21 from Samoa, four from Hawaii and two from Papua New Guinea were also analysed. Ten flavones, namely luteolin-6-C-hexoside-8-C-pentoside, schaftoside, luteolin-3′,7-di-O-glucoside, homoorientin, isovitexin, orientin, luteolin-4′-O-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, vitexin and apigenin-7-O-glucoside, were successfully detected in the corm and are responsible for the attractive yellow colour of the flesh and fibres. Quantitatively, luteolin-6-C-hexoside-8-C-pentoside and schaftoside were the most important of all the detected flavonoids. However, only 18% of the varieties analysed presented these two compounds and 80% presented poor flavonoid composition. No geographical structure of the variation was detected and the most flavone-rich varieties originated from Vanuatu, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. The compounds detected in the present study were significantly and positively correlated, suggesting that there is potential for fast improvement through controlled crosses, subsequent evaluation of full-sib progenies and cloning of elite individuals.

Several carnivorous plant families have been a source of medicine for centuries in many parts of the world. Research into their active ingredients have revealed that they include naphthoquinones, flavonoids, phenolic acid derivatives, goodyerosides, iridoids, and phenylpropanoids. Many aspects of their industrial production have been optimized, including plant elicitation, plant genetic modification, and plant in vitro culture to limit the collect of wild material. The currently most active biotechnological developments are related directly to their carnivorous nature. These include the heterologous production of therapeutic polypeptides by carnivorous plant secretory glands; and the creation of bio-inspired engineered products based on the snap-buckling mechanism of trap closure of the Venus’ fly trap, the internal nano-structures of the Drosera mucilage, and the physical properties of the slippery zone of the Nepenthes pitcher with applications in the textile, automobile, aeronautics, architecture, and medical industries.

Cultivation of mint timija (Mentha suaveolens subsp. timija (Briq.) Harley) constitutes a promising solution to the conservation and sustainable utilization of this Moroccan endemic and threatened species. Optimized agronomic practices require mineral and/or biological fertilizer applications. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of application of a complete (N, P, and K) mineral fertilizer and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) inoculation on the composition, antioxidant, and insecticidal properties of mint timija essential oils (EOs). The GC-MS analyses identified 27 components representing more than 99.9% of the total oils. Menthone (40.7–49.3%), pulegone (31.3–36.5%), and isomenthone (2.5–4.4%) were found to be the main constituents. Cultivation of mint timija with mineral fertilizer and VAM inoculation induced an increase in menthone content and a parallel decrease of pulegone. Both treatments enhanced the antioxidant activity of the investigated EOs in all assays (IC50 ranged from 2.34 ± 0.03 mg/mL to 6.82 ± 0.25 mg/mL), while no significant difference in the toxicities of these oils against Tribolium confusum du Val. has been observed. Overall, we conclude that cultivation using complete mineral fertilizer and VAM inoculation could be useful in modulating the chemical composition and enhancing the antioxidant activity of the EO of this endemic Moroccan species.

Leaf and root essential oils of two closely related but ecologically distant Philodendron species were extracted in natural conditions in French Guiana and analysed by GC/MS to i) describe the blends of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by those species and ii) analyse species and environment-based variations in extracts composition. A total of 135 VOCs were detected with a majority of aliphatic sesquiterpenes. P. fragrantissimum produced mainly β-bisabolene (on average 29.12% of the extract) as well as α- and β-selinene (14.52% and 17.50%, respectively) while in P. melinonii, four aliphatic sesquiterpenes could alternatively be the main component: (E)-β-farnesene (up to 91.42% of the extract), germacrene-D (73.74%), β-caryophyllene (51.63%) and trans-α-bergamotene (41.26%). A significant effect of species and organs on extracts composition was observed while the environment (sun exposure) only affected the relative proportions of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in roots of P. melinonii. These results are discussed in the light of the potential role of leaf and root terpenes in Philodendron species.

The fish Astyanax mexicanus presents, within the same species, populations of river-dwelling surface fish (SF) and blind cave-living fish. In cavefish (CF), the eyes develop almost normally during embryogenesis. But 40 h after fertilization, the lens enters apoptosis, triggering the progressive degeneration of the entire eye. Before apoptosis, the CF lens expresses early differentiation factors correctly. Here, we searched for possible late differentiation defects that would be causal in CF lens degeneration. We reasoned that crystallins, the major lens structural proteins, could be defective or misregulated. We surveyed the CF and SF transcriptomes and uncovered 14 Astyanax crystallins from the beta, gamma, lambda, mu, and zeta families. These proteins are less polymorphic and accumulate more fixed mutations, some at highly conserved positions, in CF than in SF, suggesting relaxed selection at these loci in CF. In situ hybridizations and qPCR show that crybb1c, crybgx, crygm5 are expressed at much lower levels or are not expressed in the CF lens. For the best crystallin candidates, we tested a potential causal role in CF lens apoptosis. Crybgx, crybb1c (not expressed in CF from very early on), and cryaa (previously shown to be faintly expressed in CF) failed to induce any defect when knocked-down in zebrafish embryos. However, the anti-apoptotic cryaa protected lens cells from apoptosis when reexpressed by transgenesis in CF, suggesting a cell-autonomous effect of cryaa on lens cell survival. Altogether, these data suggest that crystallin sequence evolution and expression defects may contribute to the loss of eyes in CF.

International audience; Health monitoring is a crucial aspect of the management of any research animal house. RESAMA is a network strong of 60 academic and private partners acting in France since the end of 2012. The network aims to increase awareness of animal caretakers and researchers on health management issues in facilities holding aquatic model species (zebrafish, Xenopus, medaka, Mexican tetra). To do so, each partner research facility will be visited at least once. The visiting team is composed at least of one veterinarian and one zootechnician specialized in aquatic species. The visit results in a health-monitoring assessment of the facility, which includes a sampling for histo-pathological, bacteriological, and molecular pathogen detection. During the visit, rearing practices are also reviewed through an interview of animal caretakers. However, the present report essentially focuses on the health-monitoring aspect. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide a network-wide picture of health issues in aquatic facilities. Performed in parallel, the rearing practice assessment will ultimately help to establish rational relationship between handling practices and animal health in aquatic facilities. The study is still in progress. Here, we describe the results to be drawn from an analysis of the 23 facilities that had been visited so far. We sampled 720 fish and 127 amphibians and performed a little less than 1400 individual tests.

In line with the sustainable development objectives of the Claryssime W research programme, a by-product of Salvia sclarea concrete (low sclareol by-product) obtained from industrial scalreol purification, was subjected to full chemical fractionation, characterization and assessment of its economic potential as a by-product synergy candidate. Fractionation and intensive semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography isolation led to the characterization of several compounds that belong to different metabolite families, including flavonoids (salvigenin (3), 1.8%), diterpenoids (sclareol (6), 4.6%) and triterpenoids (oleanolic acid (10), 6.2%), and triacylglycerols (60.8%). The triacylglycerol fraction was further studied: its total fatty acid content was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and all the triacylglycerols were described by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QToF) analysis. The reproducibility of the low sclareol by-product chemical composition was assessed and validated by quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector analysis and its evolution during the process was investigated via the analysis of a rich sclareol by-product. Such an analytical approach, from the improved fractionation to the triacylglycerol analysis via UPLC-QToF, can be applied to many industrial concretes or other by-products from natural ingredient extraction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Supporting information may be found in the online version of this article.

Chantier qualité GA; International audience; Every model species requires its own developmental table. Astyanax mexicanus, a teleost fish comprising both sighted river and blind cave populations, is becoming more and more important in the field of developmental and evolutionary biology. As such, a developmental staging table is increasingly necessary, particularly since comparative analysis of early developmental events is widely employed by researchers. We collected freshly spawned embryos from surface fish and Pachón cavefish populations. Embryos were imaged every 10-12 min during the first day of development, and less frequently in the following days. The results provide an illustrated comparison of selected developmental stages from one cell to hatching of these two populations. The two morphs show an essentially synchronous development regarding major events such as epiboly, neurulation, somitogenesis, heart beating, or hatching. We also present data on particular morphological characters appearing during larval development, such as eye size, yolk regression, swim bladder, and fin development. Some details about the development of F1 Pachón cave×surface hybrids are also given. Comparisons are made with Danio rerio (zebrafish) development.

Despite the commercial importance of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and L. x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel floral essential oils (EOs), no information is currently available on potential changes in individual volatile organic compound (VOC) content during inflorescence development. Calyces were found to be the main sites of VOC accumulation. The 20 most abundant VOCs could be separated into three sub-groups according to their patterns of change in concentration The three groups of VOCs sequentially dominated the global scent bouquet of inflorescences, the transition between the first and second groups occurring around the opening of the first flower of the inflorescence and the one between the second and third groups at the start of seed set. Changes in calyx VOC accumulation were linked to the developmental stage of individual flowers. Leaves accumulated a smaller number of VOCs which were a subset of those seen in preflowering inflorescences. Their nature and content remained constant during the growing season. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction assessments of the expression of two terpene synthase (TPS) genes, LaLIMS and LaLINS, revealed similar trends between their patterns of expression and those of their VOC products. Molecular and chemical analyses suggest that changes in TPS expression occur during lavender inflorescence development and lead to changes in EO composition. Both molecular data and terpene analysis support the findings that changes in biosynthesis of terpene occurred during inflorescence development.

Scent production is a rare phenomenon in the genus Camellia, which is otherwise very diverse. This study provides the first report of GC–MS analyses of the volatile compounds synthesized and emitted by six Camellia species belonging to three subgenera. Solvent extracts mainly contained derivatives of the terpenoid, phenylpropanoid and fatty acid metabolisms. Members of subgenus Metacamellia mainly accumulated 2-phenylethanol, while C. japonica of subgenus Camellia mainly synthesized monoterpenes and C. yuhsienensis of subgenus Paracamellia displayed a balanced mix of constituents. Headspace analysis of emitted volatiles confirmed the volatile composition and the rosy note of the scent of all species (due to 2-phenylethanol, (±) linalool and some of their derivatives). Analysis of dissected tissues revealed that stamens accumulated 3–50 times more volatiles than petals and that carpels and sepals were the weakest producers of volatiles. These latter organs were the main source of heptanol. Phenylpropanoid and terpenoid derivatives accumulated differentially in both petals and stamens. Tissue distribution differed among Camellia species. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The development of quality standards to regulate the trade of kava (Piper methysticum) in the Pacific necessitates new analytical techniques for routine control of high-quality raw material. In the present study, varieties and parts of the plant were compared for their kavalactone and flavokavin (FK) profiles. Three hundred and eight samples corresponding to 25 noble, 25 two-days and five wichmannii varieties were collected from 203 different plants. Commercial samples were also analysed to test the technique. Overall, 353 samples were prepared (221 roots, 114 stumps, nine basal stems and nine stem peelings). Their acetonic extracts were measured for UV absorbance and analysed by HP-TLC. Two ratios were computed after scanning the plates at 245 nm (K/KL = kavain/total kavalactones) and 366 nm (FK/KL = flavokavins/kavalactones). The results indicate that noble varieties suitable for daily consumption of kava are characterised by high K/KL and low FK/KL. At 400 nm, the mean UV absorbance of acetonic extracts from noble, two-days and wichmannii varieties are 0.69, 0.94 and 1.04, respectively. The significant (+0.757**) correlation between the total FK content and the extracts absorbance at 400 nm indicates that a simple colorimeter can be used to detect poor-quality raw material. (Resume d'auteur)

The genus Lavandula L. consists of 39 species distributed from the North Atlantic Islands, across the Mediterranean Basin to India. We analysed 36 taxa of the genus Lavandula representing two of the three subgenera and six of the eight sections according to the most recent classification (Upson & Andrews 2004). We achieved a phylogenetic reconstruction from partial sequences from plastid trnK and matK genes; the genome size was estimated by flow cytometer measurements. The primary aim was to track phylogenetic patterns through the maternal inherited marker at the sectional level and identify possible genome duplications. The cpDNA tree shows the phylogenetic relationships between subgenus, sections and also elucidates for the first time the relationships between the endemic species of Macaronesia, Morocco and Arabia. The ancestral split between the two subgenera could be explained by dispersal followed by an early vicariance event. The C-value shows genome up-sizing within several phylogenetic clades and geographical areas. An ancestral genome-up sizing is characterized at the node of section Dentatae and Lavandula. The cpDNA tree suggests that the taxa L. angustifolia subsp. pyrenaica (DC.) Guinea and L. stoechas subsp. luiseiri are best treated as a distinct species.

International audience; The objectives of the present study were to develop a simple high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)-based protocol: (i) to allow high-throughput profiling of phenolic compounds of microwaved roots from 295 sweet potato varieties and breeding lines, (ii) to quantify the content of anthocyanins and caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) derivatives, and (iii) to determine their respective contributions to the antioxidant activity of sweet potato methanolic extracts using the DPPH test. Analysed accessions were separated into three groups: white-fleshed (n = 100), orange-fleshed (n = 64) and purple-fleshed (n = 131). Purple-fleshed accessions presented the highest mean CQA content. After DPPH treatment and transmittance scanning of the plate at 517 nm, the most active free radical scavengers were found to be the four CQAs (CGA, 3,4-, 4,5- and 3,5-diCQA) while the anthocyanins were found to be less active. The total antioxidant capacity of the sweet potato methanolic extracts was mostly linked to total CQAs content. This method can now be used for fast routine analysis and selection of sweet potato breeding clones.

Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, is one of the oldest major staple food crops of tropical regions. This study represents one the first in-depth surveys of taro biodiversity based on corms flesh secondary metabolites fingerprints. Out of the 167 analyzed cultivars, 70 UV-absorbing substances were annotated according to their retention time, UV/vis absorption spectrum, high resolution mass (by HRMS) and fragmentation pattern (tandem MS-MS). They included 6 carotenoids, 35 flavones/flavonols, 6 flavanones, 2 flavanols and 1 indol. Twenty flavones that were glycosylated forms of apigenin, luteolin and chrysoeriol conferred to the corms a yellow color and defined a low abundance (ca. 10% of cultivars) chemotype. Their accumulation negatively correlated with flavanones which were annotated for the first time in taro. Orange flesh corms were characterized by high levels of β-carotene. Secondary metabolite-based chemotypes displayed no geographical distribution pattern.

Pinguicula vulgaris was observed growing in the Champagne state of France near the city of Rheims during 1994-2000. The plants are the remnants of what was, up to the beginning of the 20th century, a largely distributed set of populations that grew all over the Champagne and Paris basins. During the time of the study, the three populations were living in alkaline bogs and were gradually reducing in size. The plants differed from most other P. vulgaris by their ability to generate large numbers of gemmae in the winter, the round shape of their seed capsules and the small size of their leaf rosettes. A rough description of their habitat is presented in this article to explain their survival and observed dwindling numbers.

International audience; The fish Astyanax mexicanus presents, within the same species, populations of river-dwelling surface fish (SF) and blind cave-living fish. In cavefish (CF), the eyes develop almost normally during embryogenesis. But 40 h after fertilization, the lens enters apoptosis, triggering the progressive degeneration of the entire eye. Before apoptosis, the CF lens expresses early differentiation factors correctly. Here, we searched for possible late differentiation defects that would be causal in CF lens degeneration. We reasoned that crystallins, the major lens structural proteins, could be defective or misregulated. We surveyed the CF and SF transcriptomes and uncovered 14 Astyanax crystallins from the beta, gamma, lambda, mu, and zeta families. These proteins are less polymorphic and accumulate more fixed mutations, some at highly conserved positions, in CF than in SF, suggesting relaxed selection at these loci in CF. In situ hybridizations and qPCR show that crybb1c, crybgx, crygm5 are expressed at much lower levels or are not expressed in the CF lens. For the best crystallin candidates, we tested a potential causal role in CF lens apoptosis. Crybgx, crybb1c (not expressed in CF from very early on), and cryaa (previously shown to be faintly expressed in CF) failed to induce any defect when knocked-down in zebrafish embryos. However, the anti-apoptotic cryaa protected lens cells from apoptosis when reexpressed by transgenesis in CF, suggesting a cell-autonomous effect of cryaa on lens cell survival. Altogether, these data suggest that crystallin sequence evolution and expression defects may contribute to the loss of eyes in CF. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2014.

Carnivorous plants have emerged as model systems for addressing many ecological and evolutionary questions, and since Lentibulariaceae comprise more than half of all known carnivorous species (325 spp.), they are of particular interest. Studies using various molecular markers have established that Lentibulariaceae and their three genera are monophyletic with Pinguicula being sister to a Genlisea-Utricularia-clade, while the closest relatives of the family remain uncertain. Character states of the carnivorous syndrome in related proto-carnivorous lamialean families apparently emerged independently. In Utricularia, the terrestrial habit has been reconstructed as plesiomorphic, and an extension of subgenus Polypompholyx is warranted. In the protozoan-attracting Genlisea, subgenus Tayloria is revealed as basal lineage. In Pinguicula, the six major lineages found reflect radiations in clearly defined geographic regions, whereas most previously recognized subgeneric taxa are non-monophyletic. Genlisea and Utricularia exhibit substitutional rates that rank among the highest in angiosperms for the molecular markers analyzed. One possible explanation for this lies in selective constraints on a wide range of genomic regions that may have been lowered due to the use of an alternative mode of acquiring nutrients.