University of Hohenheim

About: University of Hohenheim is a education organization based out in Stuttgart, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 8585 authors who have published 16406 publications receiving 567377 citations.

Composite structure of the crystalline epicuticular wax layer of the slippery zone in the pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata and its effect on insect attachment

Abstract: The slippery zone situated below the peristome inside pitchers of most carnivorous plants from the genus Nepenthes is covered with a thick layer of epicuticular wax. This slippery zone is reported to play a crucial role in animal trapping and prey retention. In N. alata, the wax coverage consists of two clearly distinguished layers. These layers differ in their structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties, and they reduce the insect attachment in different ways. The lower layer resembles foam, composed of interconnected membraneous platelets protruding from the surface at acute angles. The upper layer consists of densely placed separate irregular platelets, located perpendicular to the subjacent layer. Crystals of the upper layer bear small stalks, directed downwards and providing connections to the lower layer. These morphological distinctions correlate with differences in the chemical composition of waxes. The compound classes of alkanes, aldehydes, primary alcohols, free fatty acids, esters and triterpenoids occurred in extracts from both wax layers, but in different proportions. Chain length distributions in aliphatics were different in extracts from the lower and the upper wax layers. Waxes of the upper and lower layers exhibited different mechanical properties: wax of the lower layer is harder and stiffer than that of the upper layer. Moreover, crystals of the upper layer are brittle and may be easily exfoliated or broken to tiny pieces. Laboratory experiments using tethered insects showed that both wax layers reduce the attachment force of insects. It is assumed that a decrease in insect attachment on the two distinct wax layers is provided by the two different mechanisms: (1) crystals of the upper wax layer contaminate insects' adhesive pads; (2) the lower wax layer leads to a reduction of the real contact area of insects' feet with the plant surface.

Vitamin E-enriched nanoemulsions formed by emulsion phase inversion: factors influencing droplet size and stability.

Abstract: There is considerable interest in using nanoemulsions as delivery systems for lipophilic bioactive ingredients, such as oil-soluble vitamins. Nanoemulsions can be fabricated using either high-energy or low-energy methods, but the latter offer advantages in terms of low cost, higher energy efficiency, and simplicity of implementation. In this study, the emulsion phase inversion (EPI) method was used to produce food-grade nanoemulsions enriched with vitamin E acetate. The EPI method simply involves titrating water into a mixture containing oil and surfactant, which initially leads to the formation of a water-in-oil emulsion that then inverts into an oil-in-water emulsion. Oil composition, surfactant type, and surfactant-to-oil ratio (SOR) were all found to influence the particle size distribution of the systems produced. Nanoemulsions with a mean particle diameter of 40 nm could be produced at a final system composition of 2 wt% MCT, 8 wt%vitamin E acetate, and 20 wt% Tween 80. The EPI method was shown to be unsuitable for producing nanoemulsions from label-friendly surfactants, such as Quillaja saponin, whey protein, casein, and sucrose monoesters. The EPI method was more effective at producing nanoemulsions at high SOR than microfluidization, but much less effective at low SOR.

Localized Iron Supply Triggers Lateral Root Elongation in Arabidopsis by Altering the AUX1-Mediated Auxin Distribution

Abstract: Root system architecture depends on nutrient availability, which shapes primary and lateral root development in a nutrient-specific manner. To better understand how nutrient signals are integrated into root developmental programs, we investigated the morphological response of Arabidopsis thaliana roots to iron (Fe). Relative to a homogeneous supply, localized Fe supply in horizontally separated agar plates doubled lateral root length without having a differential effect on lateral root number. In the Fe uptake-defective mutant iron-regulated transporter1 (irt1), lateral root development was severely repressed, but a requirement for IRT1 could be circumvented by Fe application to shoots, indicating that symplastic Fe triggered the local elongation of lateral roots. The Fe-stimulated emergence of lateral root primordia and root cell elongation depended on the rootward auxin stream and was accompanied by a higher activity of the auxin reporter DR5-β-glucuronidase in lateral root apices. A crucial role of the auxin transporter AUXIN RESISTANT1 (AUX1) in Fe-triggered lateral root elongation was indicated by Fe-responsive AUX1 promoter activities in lateral root apices and by the failure of the aux1-T mutant to elongate lateral roots into Fe-enriched agar patches. We conclude that a local symplastic Fe gradient in lateral roots upregulates AUX1 to accumulate auxin in lateral root apices as a prerequisite for lateral root elongation.