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Nutrients play important roles in the growth and development of most plant species. However, in perennial trees, the function of nutrients in different genotypes is poorly understood. Three different nutrient levels (low, sufficient, and high nutrient levels) were applied to two contrasting Eucalyptus urophylla cultivars (a high-growth cultivar ZQUA44 and a low-growth cultivar ZQUB15), and growth and expression levels were analyzed. Although the growth traits of both genotypes under nutrient starvation treatment were much lower than under abundant nutrients, tree height, crown width, and biomass of different ZQUA44 tissues were much higher than those of ZQUB15 at all three nutrient levels. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) clustered into six subclusters based on their expression patterns, and functional annotation showed that the DEGs involved in glutathione metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis may be responsible for nutrient starvation across different genotypes, while the DEGs involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism may have a range of functions in different genotypes. The DEGs encoding the MYB-related family may be responsible for nutrient deficiency in all genotypes, while B3 may have different functions in different genotypes. Our results demonstrate that different genotypes may form different pathways to coordinate plant survival when they face abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of concentrated growth factor exudate (CGFe) on human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) stimulated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. From the peripheral blood of healthy donors, CGFe was prepared according to the Sacco protocol after 7 days of incubation. The hPDLCs were cultured by a tissue explant method and identified with anti-vimentin and anti-cytokeratin antibodies. Cells were subjected to four different treatments: i) Control; ii) TNF-α (10 ng/ml); iii) CGFe (concentration 50%); and iv) CGFe+TNF-α. The proliferation of hPDLCs was measured with Cell Counting Kit-8 assays. Osteogenic differentiation and mineralization were determined by Alizarin Red S staining, alkaline phosphatase activity, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CGFe enhanced cell proliferation and upregulated ALP activity, the mineralization level, and osteogenic-associated osteocalcin, runt-related transcription factor 2 and Osterix gene expression in hPDLCs under inflammatory conditions induced by TNF-α. The present study demonstrated that CGFe enhanced hPDLC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in the presence of TNF-α-induced inflammation. As CGFe can be obtained from the venous blood of patients, it generates no immune reaction. Thus, it is more economical and beneficial to use CGFe in clinical periodontal regeneration practice than synthetic growth factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants species in the genus Amorphophallus are of great economic importance, as they are the only plants known to produce glucomannan. Although southwestern China has been recognized as one of the origin centres of Amorphophallus, only a few studies assessing its genetic diversity have been reported. To aid in the utilization and conservation of Amorphophallus species, we evaluated the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among seven edible Amorphophallus species using three chloroplast DNA regions (rbcL, trnL and trnK-matK). The results showed that the genetic diversity at the population level was relatively low, with over half of the populations harbouring only one haplotype. The widely scattered species, A. konjac, had the largest genetic diversity, while the narrow endemic species, A. yuloensis, possessed only one haplotype. Phylogeny analysis identified three well-supported major lineages. Our study suggested that habitat fragmentation might be a driver of the genetic variation patterns within and between populations of Amorphophallus. A conservation strategy consisting of in situ conservation and germplasm collection is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrients play important roles in the growth and development of most plant species. However, in perennial trees, the function of nutrients in different genotypes is poorly understood. Three different nutrient levels (low, sufficient, and high nutrient levels) were applied to two contrasting Eucalyptus urophylla cultivars (a high-growth cultivar ZQUA44 and a low-growth cultivar ZQUB15), and growth and expression levels were analyzed. Although the growth traits of both genotypes under nutrient starvation treatment were much lower than under abundant nutrients, tree height, crown width, and biomass of different ZQUA44 tissues were much higher than those of ZQUB15 at all three nutrient levels. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) clustered into six subclusters based on their expression patterns, and functional annotation showed that the DEGs involved in glutathione metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis may be responsible for nutrient starvation across different genotypes, while the DEGs involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism may have a range of functions in different genotypes. The DEGs encoding the MYB-related family may be responsible for nutrient deficiency in all genotypes, while B3 may have different functions in different genotypes. Our results demonstrate that different genotypes may form different pathways to coordinate plant survival when they face abiotic stresses.