Biomedical subjects

Mark R Thomas

Publications and source records attributed to Mark R Thomas.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Transporters expressed during grape berry (Vitis vinifera L.) development are associated with an increase in berry size and berry potassium accumulation.

Potassium accumulation is essential for grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) growth and development, but excessive levels in berries at harvest may reduce wine quality particularly for red wines. In addition to decreasing the free acid levels, potassium also combines with tartaric acid to form largely insoluble potassium bitartrate. This precipitates during winemaking and storage, resulting in an increase in wine pH that is associated with negative impacts on wine colour, flavour, and microbiological stability. For these reasons, a better understanding of potassium transport and accumulation within the vine and berries is important for producing fruit with improved winemaking characteristics. Here two genes encoding KUP/KT/HAK-type potassium transporters that are expressed in grape berries are described. Their function as potassium transporters was demonstrated by complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant. The two transporters are expressed most highly in the berry skin during the first phase of berry development (pre-veraison), with similar patterns in two grapevine varieties. The timing and location of expression of these transporters are consistent with an involvement in potassium accumulation in grape berries.

Blotting, Southern↗

PubMed2006

Historical origins and genetic diversity of wine grapes.

The genomic resources that are available to the grapevine research community have increased enormously during the past five years, in parallel with a renewed interest in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) germplasm resources and analysis of genetic diversity in grapes. Genetic variation, either natural or induced, is invaluable for crop improvement and understanding gene function, and the same is true for the grapevine. The history and vineyard cultural practices have largely determined the genetic diversity that exists today in grapevines. In this article, we provide a synopsis of what is known about the origin and genetics of grapes and how molecular genetics is helping us understand more about this plant: its evolution, historical development, genetic diversity and potential for genetic improvement.

Databases, Genetic↗

PubMed2006

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.).

Grapevine (Vitis) is considered to be one of the major fruit crops in the world based on hectares cultivated and economic value. Grapes are used not only for wine but also for fresh fruit, dried fruit, and juice production. Wine is by far the major product of grapes and the focus of this chapter is on wine grape cultivars. Grapevine cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. have a reputation for producing premium quality wines. These premium quality wines are produced from a small number of cultivars that enjoy a high level of consumer acceptance and are firmly entrenched in the market place because of varietal name branding and the association of certain wine styles and regions with specific cultivars. In light of this situation, grapevine improvement by a transgenic approach is attractive when compared to a classical breeding approach. The transfer of individual traits as single genes with a minimum disruption to the original genome would leave the traditional characteristics of the cultivar intact. However, a reliable transformation system is required for a successful transgenic approach to grapevine improvement. There are three criteria for achieving an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system: (1) the production of highly regenerative transformable tissue, (2) optimal co-cultivation conditions for both grapevine tissue and Agrobacterium, and (3) an efficient selection regime for transgenic plant regeneration. In this chapter, we describe a grapevine transformation system which meets the above mentioned criteria.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

PubMed2005

The grapevine fleshless berry mutation. A unique genotype to investigate differences between fleshy and nonfleshy fruit.

In flowering plants, fruit morphogenesis is a distinct process following fertilization resulting in the formation of a specialized organ associated with seeds. Despite large variations in types and shapes among species, fleshy fruits share common characteristics to promote seed dispersal by animals such as organ growth and metabolite accumulation to attract animal feeding. The molecular biology of fruit ripening has received considerable attention, but little is known about the determinism of early fruit morphogenesis and why some fruits are fleshy while others lack flesh. We have identified in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) a mutation we have named fleshless berry (flb) that reduces by 20 times the weight of the pericarp at ripening without any effect on fertility or seed size and number. The flb mutation strongly impaired division and differentiation of the most vacuolated cells in the inner mesocarp. The timing of ripening was not altered by the mutation although the accumulation of malic acid in the green stage was noticeably reduced while sucrose content (instead of hexoses) increased during ripening. The mutation segregates as a single dominant locus. These results indicate that the Flb- mutant is suitable material to advance our understanding of the genetic and developmental processes involved in the differentiation of an ovary into a fruit.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed2005

Grapes on steroids. Brassinosteroids are involved in grape berry ripening.

Fruit ripening is a unique plant developmental process with direct implications for our food supply, nutrition, and health. In contrast to climacteric fruit, where ethylene is pivotal, the hormonal control of ripening in nonclimacteric fruit, such as grape (Vitis vinifera), is poorly understood. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal hormones, essential for normal plant growth and development but not previously implicated in the ripening of nonclimacteric fruit. Here we show that increases in endogenous BR levels, but not indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or GA levels, are associated with ripening in grapes. Putative grape homologs of genes encoding BR biosynthesis enzymes (BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE and DWARF1) and the BR receptor (BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1) were isolated, and the function of the grape BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE gene was confirmed by transgenic complementation of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) extreme dwarf (dx/dx) mutant. Expression analysis of these genes during berry development revealed transcript accumulation patterns that were consistent with a dramatic increase in endogenous BR levels observed at the onset of fruit ripening. Furthermore, we show that application of BRs to grape berries significantly promoted ripening, while brassinazole, an inhibitor of BR biosynthesis, significantly delayed fruit ripening. These results provide evidence that changes in endogenous BR levels influence this key developmental process. This may provide a significant insight into the mechanism controlling ripening in grapes, which has direct implications for the logistics of grape production and down-stream processing.

Cloning, Molecular↗

PubMed2005

Investigation of Nicotiana tabacum (+) N. suaveolens cybrids with carpelloid stamens.

To investigate cytoplasmic effects on homeotic floral morphology, Nicotiana tabacum and N. suaveolens protoplasts were fused and cybrids obtained to contrast with the sexual alloplasmic line Nta(sua)S. Nta(sua)S contains the nucleus of N. tabacum and cytoplasm of N. suaveolens while cybrids derive from fused cells where the cytoplasms can interact. The three male-sterile somatic cybrid plants analyzed contained mitochondria with N. tabacum and N. suaveolens mtDNA sequences, but not all the N. tabacum or all the N. suaveolens mtDNA sequences were present. The flowers were N. tabacum-like but with a split corolla (not observed in Nta(sua)S) and the whorl of stamens replaced by a whorl of carpel-like structures. Based on scanning electron microscopy the carpelloid stamens had a characteristic N. tabacum stigma, a style of variable length and a pseudo-ovary with ovule-like structures. The Southern blot data were consistent with mtDNA recombination. These genomic changes were maternally inherited. Chloroplasts were either of the N. tabacum or N. suaveolens type. AFLP analysis showed transfer of variable amounts of N. suaveolens nuclear DNA. However, it is the presence of the N. suaveolens sequences and/or absence of N. tabacum sequences in the mitochondria that correlates with the homeotic floral morphology. These cybrids will facilitate the analysis of the role of mitochondrial DNA sequences in floral organ identity; which has received limited attention in genetic flowering models based primarily on Arabidopsis research.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

PubMed2003

Pulmonary function at follow-up of very preterm infants from the United Kingdom oscillation study.

Prematurely born infants supported by conventional ventilation (CV) frequently have abnormal pulmonary function when assessed in childhood. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that infants who were randomly assigned to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation would have superior pulmonary function at follow-up compared with those who received CV (UK Oscillation Study). Infants from 12 trial centers were recruited for pulmonary function testing at a single center. Seventy-six infants, of a mean gestational age 26.4 weeks, were studied after sedation with chloral hydrate at between 11 and 14 months of age, corrected for prematurity. Infants assigned to CV had similar pulmonary function compared with those assigned to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, with mean (SD) results as follows: functional residual capacity measured by whole-body plethysmography, 26.9 (6.3) versus 26.5 (6.4) ml/kg; functional residual capacity measured by helium dilution, 24.1 (5.4) versus 23.5 (5.7) ml/kg; inspiratory airway resistance, 3.3 (1.3) versus 3.4 (1.6) kPa. second. L; expiratory airway resistance, 4.4 (2.8) versus 4.1 (2.5) kPa. second. L; respiratory rate, 31.2 (6.0) versus 33.9 (8.0) breaths/minute. We conclude that early use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in very preterm infants appears to offer no advantage over CV in terms of pulmonary function at follow-up.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia↗

PubMed2002

Association of dwarfism and floral induction with a grape 'green revolution' mutation.

The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth is an essential process in the life cycle of plants. Plant floral induction pathways respond to both environmental and endogenous cues and much has been learnt about these genetic pathways by studying mutants of Arabidopsis. Gibberellins (GAs) are plant growth regulators important in many aspects of plant growth and in Arabidopsis they promote flowering. Here we provide genetic evidence that GAs inhibit flowering in grapevine. A grapevine dwarf mutant derived from the L1 cell layer of the champagne cultivar Pinot Meunier produces inflorescences along the length of the shoot where tendrils are normally formed. The mutated gene associated with the phenotype is a homologue of the wheat 'green revolution' gene Reduced height-1 (ref. 6) and the Arabidopsis gene GA insensitive (GAI). The conversion of tendrils to inflorescences in the mutant demonstrates that the grapevine tendril is a modified inflorescence inhibited from completing floral development by GAs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗