Article
Environmental Sciences
Mona M. Abd El-Hameed, Mohamed E. Abuarab, Nadhir Al-Ansari, Shady Abdel Mottaleb, Gomaa A. Bakeer, Yeboah Gyasi-Agyei, Ali Mokhtar
Summary: Water pollution with heavy metals, specifically Cd, is a global concern due to its impact on natural ecosystems and human health. This study evaluated the removal efficiency of Cd from contaminated aqueous solutions using two cyanobacterial strains. Results showed that N. muscorum was more efficient in removing Cd than T. variabilis, and high Cd concentrations had a more toxic impact on algal growth.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
I. P. E. Macario, T. Veloso, J. Romao, F. J. M. Goncalves, J. L. Pereira, I. F. Duarte, S. P. M. Ventura
Summary: This study employed high resolution 1H NMR to screen the metabolic composition of the freshwater cyanobacterium N. muscorum, and detected several interesting metabolites such as sugars, lipids, amino acids, peptides, and pigments. The long-term monitoring provided new insights into the production of these compounds associated with specific moments of the growth of N. muscorum, contributing to the biotechnological exploitation of specific molecules.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shimaa M. El Shafay, Ahmed Gaber, Walaa F. Alsanie, Mostafa E. Elshobary
Summary: The study aimed to improve biomass and biochemical constituents, especially lipid production, of Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc muscorum by formulating an optimal growth condition using various concentrations of nutrients. A. variabilis was chosen for biodiesel production due to its superior lipid and protein accumulation, while N. muscorum showed the highest carbohydrate content.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sakshi Pandey, Varunendra Kumar Singh, Nidhi Verma, Sheo Mohan Prasad
Summary: This study explores the roles of kinetin and calcium in alleviating the damage caused by salinity stress on the growth and metabolism of cyanobacterium. The results show that calcium and kinetin can mitigate the negative effects of salinity stress and improve the photosynthetic performance and growth of the cyanobacterium.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Samuel Belton, Paul F. McCabe, Carl K. Y. Ng
Summary: This study reveals that the symbiotic cyanobacteria Nostoc punctiforme can protect against programmed cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cell cultures and induce the expression of genes associated with defense and immunity. Additionally, genes involved in cell growth and differentiation are down-regulated in response to conditioned medium from N. punctiforme cell cultures, suggesting a complex interplay between the cyanobiont and the plant host.
JOURNAL OF PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
S. Brett, C. K. Y. Ng
Summary: Brachypodium distachyon has been established as a model plant for studying stomatal development and physiology, and a new method for isolating leaf epidermis from this plant and other grass species with minimal mesophyll contamination has been developed. Researchers have demonstrated that stomatal guard cells in the isolated leaf epidermis remain viable, and that stomatal opening and closing responses can be induced and inhibited by specific treatments.
CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna Kacprzyk, Rory Burke, Johanna Schwarze, Paul F. McCabe
Summary: Plant growth and development are closely related to environmental stress defense mechanisms. Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled pathway for selectively eliminating redundant, damaged, or infected cells. Evidence suggests that auxin signaling and PCD regulation are often interconnected, with auxin generally suppressing cell death but also promoting PCD events in certain circumstances.
Article
Plant Sciences
Myriam Deshaies, Nadia Lamari, Carl K. Y. Ng, Patrick Ward, Fiona M. Doohan
Summary: This study demonstrates the inhibitory effect of chitosan hydrochloride on wheat Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease. It shows that pre-treatment with chitosan can trigger wheat resistance against FHB infection and highlights the impact of chitosan, the pathogen, and their interaction on metabolites and pathways.
Article
Agronomy
Tomas Byrne, James Grant, Petra Kock-Appelgren, Lena Forster, Thibauld Michel, Alexandra Miricescu, William T. B. Thomas, Emmanuelle Graciet, John Spink, Carl K. Y. Ng, Susanne Barth
Summary: Global climate change is causing increased rainfall in Northern Europe, leading to more field flooding and impacting crop yield. Researchers evaluated 403 winter barley cultivars for waterlogging tolerance and identified sensitive and tolerant cultivars. Variability in cultivar responses to waterlogging stress was observed in multi-season field trials, prompting the development of an enhanced phenotyping method to better assess cultivars' responses under controlled conditions.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Patrick Quille, Aisling Claffey, Ewan Feeney, Joanna Kacprzyk, Carl K. -Y. Ng, Shane O'Connell
Summary: Nitrogen is crucial for crop yields in agriculture, but a significant amount is lost to the environment. This study shows that the biostimulant PSI-362 can improve nitrogen use efficiency and increase grass yield while reducing nitrogen input.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Rainer Melzer, Paul F. McCabe, Susanne Schilling
Summary: Cannabis sativa, known for its psychoactive compound THC, is gaining scientific interest in its genetics and biochemistry for medicinal and commercial use. Understanding the genetics and morphology of cannabis is crucial for maximizing phytocannabinoid production.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Saoirse Casey-Power, Richie Ryan, Gautam Behl, Peter McLoughlin, Mark E. Byrne, Laurence Fitzhenry
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) in ocular drug delivery, focusing on the preparation of HA-based nanoparticles through polyelectrolyte complexation. The physicochemical and biological properties of HA that make it suitable for ocular application are discussed.
Article
Plant Sciences
Susanne Schilling, Rainer Melzer, Caroline A. Dowling, Jiaqi Shi, Shaun Muldoon, Paul F. McCabe
Summary: Hemp is a versatile crop with various applications, including textiles, biofuel, and food products. Non-hallucinogenic cannabinoids like CBD can be extracted from hemp flowers. The speed breeding method described in this study allows for rapid generation cycling and synchronizes flowering time, enabling efficient crosses between hemp cultivars and the generation of new cultivars with desired genetic characteristics.
Article
Plant Sciences
Orla L. Sherwood, Rebecca Carroll, Stephen Burke, Paul F. McCabe, Joanna Kacprzyk
Summary: We developed a cost-effective method for testing anoxia tolerance in plants without specialized equipment. By conducting experiments in airtight jars and generating an anoxic atmosphere using anaerobic sachets, we validated this novel protocol as an inexpensive alternative for testing anoxia tolerance in plants.
APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rory Burke, Aideen McCabe, Neetu Ramesh Sonawane, Meet Hasmukh Rathod, Conor V. Whelan, Paul F. McCabe, Joanna Kacprzyk
Summary: Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled process that eliminates redundant, damaged, or infected cells. This study used RNA sequencing and Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells to identify PCD-associated genes and infer regulatory networks of PCD in plants.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Joanna Kacprzyk, Arunika H. L. A. N. Gunawardena, Francois Bouteau, Paul F. Mccabe
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Johanna Schwarze, James C. Carolan, Gavin S. Stewart, Paul F. McCabe, Joanna Kacprzyk
Summary: This study used Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspension culture to investigate the regulation of programmed cell death (PCD) induced by heat stress. The results revealed the changes in protein abundance and localization in both mitochondria and cytosol during the early stages of PCD.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rory Burke, Orla L. Sherwood, Stephanie Clune, Rebecca Carroll, Paul F. McCabe, Adam Kane, Joanna Kacprzyk
Summary: Plants are crucial for life on Earth and protecting their biodiversity and developing climate-resilient crops is essential for our future. Increasing public awareness and interest in plant science and related careers is critical. There has been a growing interest in plants among younger demographics, which should be leveraged by researchers and educators to enhance science communication and societal awareness of botany.
PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET
(2022)