The End of History and the Last Man

Ethnic Groups in Conflict

AP2/ERF family transcription factors in plant abiotic stress responses.

Este articulo es, a dia de hoy, una de las piezas clasicas y fundamentales para la posibilidad de estudiar las relaciones globales de poder a partir de las herramientas conceptuales desarrolladas por Gramsci a lo largo de su obra. Cox, contribuye de esta forma a las corrientes criticas de las Relaciones Internacionales al discutir varios conceptos gramscianos y cuales serian las implicaciones para estudiar las relaciones internacionales en distintos periodos de hegemonia y contrahegemonia. De igual forma, el autor planteo la cuestion –en su momento novedosa– de la relevancia de tomar en cuenta los procesos internos de construccion de bloques historicos contrahegemonicos como aquellos que podrian tener un efecto revolucionario en las estructuras y organizaciones internacionales, asi como ruptura con la hegemonia plasmada como una clase perteneciente a un orden economico universal transnacional.  This article is a classic and fundamental for approaching global power relations with the conceptual tools developed by Gramsci. Cox contributes to critical thought in International Relations by discussing various gramscian concepts and what their implications are for the study of different historical forms of hegemony and counter-hegemony. Also, the author draws our attention –novel at the time of its publicaction– to the relevance of taking into account the construction of domestic counter-hegemonic historic blocs. He suggests that these could have a revolutionary effect on international structures and organizations, as well as rupture with the hegemony performed by the transnational economic order.

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Gramsci, hegemonía y relaciones internacionales: Un ensayo sobre el método | Gramsci, Hegemony and International Relations: An Essay in Method

NAC transcription factors in plant abiotic stress responses.

NAC transcription factors are one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants, and members of the NAC gene family have been suggested to play important roles in the regulation of the transcriptional reprogramming associated with plant stress responses. A phylogenetic analysis of NAC genes, with a focus on rice and Arabidopsis, was performed. Herein, we present an overview of the regulation of the stress responsive NAC SNAC/(IX) group of genes that are implicated in the resistance to different stresses. SNAC factors have important roles for the control of biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance and that their overexpression can improve stress tolerance via biotechnological approaches. We also review the recent progress in elucidating the roles of NAC transcription factors in plant biotic and abiotic stresses. Modification of the expression pattern of transcription factor genes and/or changes in their activity contribute to the elaboration of various signaling pathways and regulatory networks. However, a single NAC gene often responds to several stress factors, and their protein products may participate in the regulation of several seemingly disparate processes as negative or positive regulators. Additionally, the NAC proteins function via auto-regulation or cross-regulation is extensively found among NAC genes. These observations assist in the understanding of the complex mechanisms of signaling and transcriptional reprogramming controlled by NAC proteins.

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Roles of NAC transcription factors in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants

Genome-wide analysis of NAC transcription factor family in rice

We identified 163 AP2/EREBP (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive element-binding protein) genes in rice. We analyzed gene structures, phylogenies, domain duplication, genome localizations and expression profiles. Conserved amino acid residues and phylogeny construction using the AP2/ERF conserved domain sequence suggest that in rice the OsAP2/EREBP gene family can be classified broadly into four subfamilies [AP2, RAV (related to ABI3/VP1), DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein) and ERF (ethylene-responsive factor)]. The chromosomal localizations of the OsAP2/EREBP genes indicated 20 segmental duplication events involving 40 genes; 58 redundant OsAP2/EREBP genes were involved in tandem duplication events. There were fewer introns after segmental duplication. We investigated expression profiles of this gene family under biotic stresses [infection with rice viruses such as rice stripe virus (RSV), rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) and rice dwarf virus (RDV, three virus strains S, O and D84)], and various abiotic stresses. Symptoms of virus infection were more severe in RSV infection than in RTSV and RDV infection. Responses to biotic stresses are novel findings and these stresses enhance the ability to identify the best candidate genes for further functional analysis. The genes of subgroup B-5 were not induced under abiotic treatments whereas they were activated by the three RDV strains. None of the genes of subgroups A-3 were differentially expressed by any of the biotic stresses. Our 44K and 22K microarray results suggest that 53 and 52 non-redundant genes in this family were up-regulated in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, respectively. We further examined the stress responsiveness of most genes by reverse transcription-PCR. The study results should be useful in selecting candidate genes from specific subgroups for functional analysis.

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Gene structures, classification and expression models of the AP2/EREBP transcription factor family in rice.

Thioredoxin (Trx) proteins play important biological functions in cells by changing redox via thioldisulfied exchange. This system is especially widespread in plants. Through database search, we identified 30 potential Trx protein-encoding genes (OsTrx) in rice (Oryza sativa L.). An analysis of the complete set of OsTrx proteins is presented here, including chromosomal location, conserved motifs, domain duplication, and phylogenetic relationships. Our findings suggest that the expansion of the Trx gene family in rice, in large part, occurred due to gene duplication. A comprehensive expression profile of Trx genes family was investigated by analyzing the signal data of this family extracted from the whole genome microarray analysis of Minghui 63 and Zhenshan 97, two indica parents, and their hybrid Shanyou 63, using 27 different tissues representing the entire life cycle of rice. Results revealed specific expression of some members at germination transition as well as the 3-leaf stage during the vegetative growth phase of rice. OsTrx genes were also found to be differentially up- or down-regulated in rice seedlings subjected to treatments of phytohormones and light/dark conditions. The expression levels of the OsTrx genes in the different tissues and under different treatments were also checked by RT-PCR analysis. The identification of OsTrx genes showing differential expression in specific tissues among different genotypes or in response to different environmental cues could provide a new avenue for functional analyses in rice.

Sequence and expression analysis of the thioredoxin protein gene family in rice

Pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) transporters belonging to the ABCG subfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are identified only in fungi and plants. Members of this family are expressed in plants in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses and transport a diverse array of molecules across membranes. Although their detailed transport mechanism is largely unknown, they play important roles in detoxification processes, preventing water loss, transport of phytohormones, and secondary metabolites. This review provides insights into transport mechanisms of plant PDR transporters, their expression profiles, and multitude functions in plants.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jipb.12196

Mohammed Nuruzzaman

Papers

Roles of NAC transcription factors in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants

Genome-wide analysis of NAC transcription factor family in rice

Gene structures, classification and expression models of the AP2/EREBP transcription factor family in rice.

Sequence and expression analysis of the thioredoxin protein gene family in rice

Plant pleiotropic drug resistance transporters: transport mechanism, gene expression, and function.