Article showing that knockdown Arabidopsis plants with suppressed expression of the key water-water cycle enzyme, thylakoid-attached copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (KD-SOD), are suppressed in their growth and development. This article provides e genetic evidence for the importance of the water-water cycle in protecting the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants from photooxidative damage.

Article showing that overexpression of MsProDH in tobacco and Arabidopsis or impairment of P5C oxidation in the Arabidopsis p5cdh mutant did not change the cellular Pro to P5C ratio under ambient and osmotic stress conditions, indicating that P5C excess was reduced to Pro in a mitochondrial-cytosolic cycle. Results show that normal oxidation of P5C to Glu by P5CDH is key to prevent P5C-Pro intensive cycling and avoid ROS production from electron run-off.

Article showing that the enhanced growth and NAE tolerance of the AtFAAH overexpressing seedlings depends on the catalytic activity of AtFAAH, hypersensitivity to ABA and hypersusceptibility to nonhost pathogens are independent of its enzymatic activity. Findings suggest that the AtFAAH influences plant growth and interacts with ABA signaling and plant defense through distinctly different mechanisms.

Article reporting that the highly conserved transcriptional co-activator, MBF1c (multiprotein bridging factor 1c), is a key regulator of thermotolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results provide evidence for the existence of a tightly coordinated heat stress-response network, involving trehalose-, SA-, and ethylene-signaling pathways, that is under the control of MBF1c.

Article conducting proteomic and metabolic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana plants subjected to a combination of drought and heat stress. The authors identify 45 different proteins that specifically accumulated in Arabidopsis in response to the stress combination. The findings suggest that cytosolic APX1 plays a key role in the acclimation of plants to a combination of drought and heat stress.

Article reporting that transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively expressing the Cys2/His2 zinc finger protein Zat7 have suppressed growth and are more tolerant to salinity stress. Findings demonstrate that the EAR-domain of Cys2/His2-type zinc finger proteins plays a key role in the defense response of Arabidopsis to abiotic stresses.

Article examining the mechanism of Glutathione synthetase, an enzyme that belongs to the glutathione synthetase ATP-binding domain-like superfamily. A variety of structural alignment methods were applied and four highly conserved residues of human glutathione synthetase (Glu-144, Asn-146, Lys-305, and Lys-364) were identified in the binding site. The function of these was studied by experimental and computational site-directed mutagenesis.

Article reporting that PAK2, a member of the Rho family of GTPase-dependent kinases, regulates isometric tension development and myosin II RLC phosphorylation in saponin permeabilized endothelial monolayers. The results demonstrate that PAK2 can directly phosphorylate MLCK, inhibiting its activity and limiting the development of isometric tension.

Paper examines the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an organism which can normally survive a day of anoxia (oxygen deprivation) and longer with mutations in the daf-2/daf-16 pathway. Examines how these mutations affect anoxia survival and the potential benefit to the development of anoxia-related therapies in humans.

Paper discusses the capabilities of the eSensor® XT-8, which is designed to assist doctors in determining the dose and effectiveness of warfarin in patients by detecting polymorphisms in the genes CYP2C9 and VKORC1.

Paper examines the state of children's healthcare and explores options for expanding care to more uninsured children.

With a current population of just over half a million and a 2030 projected population of approximately one million, expansion throughout Denton County shows no sign of slowing down (NCTCOG). Increasingly, freshwater resources are also facing increased pressure from this urban expansion. Effective assessment and management techniques are necessary to protect the diversity of ecosystem services found within fluvial ecosystems and to mitigate current and future conditions of environmental stressor amplified by urban development. The use of various spatial analysis techniques in environmental assessment present more expedient, cost effective, and broader ranging methods of evaluation than traditional field techniques. One such novel evaluation technique is the Water Quality Corridor Management (WQCM) model, developed by the University of North Texas in cooperation with the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD). The WQCM model is a geospatial database that utilizes GIS and remote sensing techniques to assess and prioritize stream reaches according to their overall health and sustainability. This project assessed the viability of the WQCM model in reviewing the status of stream systems, and ultimately, established an accurate mechanism for evaluating the stream corridor and surface water quality draining into Lewisville Lake, a popular recreation site and drinking water source for …

This review discusses how the concepts of epigenetics and maternal effects both overlap with, and are distinct from each other, analyzes examples of existing animal physiological studies based on these concepts, and offers a construct by which to integrate these concepts into the design of future investigations in animal physiology.

This article performs a comparative analysis of the predicted proteomes derived from 10 different sequenced genomes, including budding and fission yeast, worm, fly, mosquito, Arabidopsis, rice, mouse, rat, and human.

This article studies the evolution of oxidative stress related genes in a single plant cell by conducting comparative expression profiling analyses of the elongated seed trichomes of cotton, using a phylogenetic approach.

Article on the pds2 mutation as a lesion in the Arabidopsis homogentisate solanesyltransferase gene involved in plastoquinone biosynthesis.

Article on terpene biosynthesis in glandular trichomes of hop.

Article on biosynthesis and genetic engineering of proanthocyanidins and (iso)flavonoids.

This book chapter provides an overview of the genomics and postgenomic technologies that are likely to have the greatest impacts on agronomy over the next 10-20 years and describes a number of case studies of their application.

Article on multi-site genetic modification of monolignol biosynthesis in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and the effects on lignin composition in specific cell types.

Article on signals for local and systemic responses of plants to pathogen attack.

Article on the effects of coumarate 3-hydroxylase down-regulation on lignin structure.

Article on genomics-based selection and functional characterization of triterpene glycosyltransferases from the model legume Medicago truncatula.

Article on the transcriptome analysis of alfalfa glandular trichomes.