Biology subjects

Bilbao, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Bilbao, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Metabolomic, photoprotective, and photosynthetic acclimatory responses to post-flowering drought in sorghum

Climate change is globally affecting rainfall patterns, necessitating the improvement of drought tolerance in crops. Sorghum bicolor is a drought-tolerant cereal capable of producing high yields under water scarcity conditions. Functional stay-green sorghum genotypes can maintain green leaf area and efficient grain filling in terminal post-flowering water deprivation, a period of ~10 weeks. To obtain molecular insights into these characteristics, two drought-tolerant genotypes, BTx642 and RTx430, were grown in control and terminal post-flowering drought field plots in the Central Valley of California. Photosynthetic, photoprotective, water dynamics, and biomass traits were quantified and correlated with metabolomic data collected from leaves, stems, and roots at multiple timepoints during drought. Physiological and metabolomic data was then compared to longitudinal RNA sequencing data collected from these two genotypes. The metabolic response to drought highlights the uniqueness of the post-flowering drought acclimation relative to pre-flowering drought. The functional stay-green genotype BTx642 specifically induced photoprotective responses in post-flowering drought supporting a putative role for photoprotection in the molecular basis of the functional stay-green trait. Specific genes are highlighted that may contribute to post-flowering drought tolerance and that can be targeted in crops to maximize yields under limited water input conditions. HighlightPathways contributing to the long-term maintenance of photosynthetic activity in terminal post-flowering drought are revealed by a comprehensive approach combining in-field photosynthetic physiological analysis, metabolomics, and transcriptomics.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption

BackgroundThe concept of "sugar addiction" is gaining increasing attention in both the lay media and scientific literature. However, the concept of sugar addiction is controversial and only a few studies have attempted to determine the "addictive" properties of sugar using rigorous scientific criteria. ObjectiveHere we set out to systematically test the addictive properties of sugar in male and female mice using established paradigms and models from the drug addiction field. MethodsMale and female C57BL/6N (8-10 weeks old) were evaluated in 4 experimental procedures to study the addictive properties of sugar: (i) a drinking in the dark (DID) procedure to model sugar binging; (ii) a long-term free choice home cage drinking procedure measuring the sugar deprivation effect (SDE) following an abstinence phase; (iii) a long-term operant sugar self-administration with persistence, motivation and compulsivity measures and (iv) intracranial self-administration (ICSS). ResultsFemale mice were more vulnerable to the addictive properties of sugar than male mice, showing higher binge and long-term, excessive drinking, a more pronounced relapse-like drinking following deprivation, and higher persistence and motivation for sugar. No sex differences were seen in a compulsivity test or reward sensitivity measured using ICSS following extended sugar consumption. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the occurrence of an addictive-like phenotype for sugar in male and female mice, similar to drugs of abuse, and suggests sex-dependent differences in the development of sugar addiction.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Single-dose ethanol intoxication causes acute and lasting neuronal changes in the brain

Alcohol intoxication at early ages is a risk factor for development of addictive behavior. To uncover neuronal molecular correlates of acute ethanol intoxication, we used stable-isotope labeled mice combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to screen over 2000 hippocampal proteins of which 72 changed synaptic abundance up to two-fold after ethanol exposure. Among those were mitochondrial proteins and proteins important for neuronal morphology, including MAP6 and Ankyrin-G. Based on these candidate proteins, we found acute and lasting molecular, cellular, and behavioral changes following a single intoxication in alcohol-naive mice. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a shortening of axon initial segments. Longitudinal two-photon in vivo imaging showed increased synaptic dynamics and mitochondrial trafficking in axons. Knockdown of mitochondrial trafficking in dopaminergic neurons abolished conditioned alcohol preference in Drosophila. This introduces mitochondrial trafficking as a process implicated in reward learning, and highlights the potential of high-resolution proteomics to identify cellular mechanisms relevant for addictive behavior.

neuroscience↗