Tree age-related effects on sun acclimated leaves in a chronosequence of beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Louis ◽  
Hélène Genet ◽  
Sylvie Meyer ◽  
Kamel Soudani ◽  
Pierre Montpied ◽  
...  

The assessment of the effect of tree age on leaves is usually limited by the difficulty of sampling sun leaves from tall ageing trees. In this study, we investigated tree age-related effects on sun leaves in a chronosequence of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands. The effects of stand age on leaf mass to area ratio (LMA), chlorophyll (Chl), epidermal polyphenols (EPhen), nitrogen and carbon contents in sun leaves were investigated in 17 even-aged stands distributed into six age classes (14–175 years old). Chl and EPhen were assessed in vivo with SPAD and Dualex portable leaf-clips respectively. Leaves were sampled by shooting and sun leaves were identified based on criteria obtained from a vertical profile of the ratio abaxial vs adaxial EPhen across the canopy. Sun leaves were characterised by a high and similar adaxial and abaxial EPhen contents, high LMA value and low mass-based Chl content. These sun leaf characteristics, together with leaf nitrogen and carbon contents, were not significantly affected by stand age. Along the chronosequence, beech trees invested a stable fraction of leaf mass into nitrogen, carbon, Chl and EPhen with decreasing leaf size, i.e. dry mass and area.

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 6417-6459 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. B. L. Cintra ◽  
J. Schietti ◽  
T. Emillio ◽  
D. Martins ◽  
G. Moulatlet ◽  
...  

Abstract. The ongoing demand for information on forest productivity has increased the number of permanent monitoring plots across the Amazon. Those plots, however, do not comprise the whole diversity of forest types in the Amazon. The complex effects of soil, climate and hydrology on the productivity of seasonally waterlogged interfluvial wetland forests are still poorly understood. The presented study is the first field-based estimate for tree ages and wood biomass productivity in the vast interfluvial region between the Purus and Madeira rivers. We estimate stand age and wood biomass productivity by a combination of tree-ring data and allometric equations for biomass stocks of eight plots distributed along 600 km in the Purus-Madeira interfluvial area that is crossed by the BR-319 highway. We relate stand age and wood biomass productivity to hydrological and edaphic conditions. Mean productivity and stand age were 5.6 ± 1.1 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 102 ± 18 yr, respectively. There is a strong relationship between tree age and diameter, as well as between mean diameter increment and mean wood density within a plot. Regarding the soil hydromorphic properties we find a positive correlation with wood biomass productivity and a negative relationship with stand age. Productivity also shows a positive correlation with the superficial phosphorus concentration. In addition, superficial phosphorus concentration increases with enhanced soil hydromorphic condition. We raise three hypotheses to explain these results: (1) the reduction of iron molecules on the saturated soils with plinthite layers close to the surface releases available phosphorous for the plants; (2) the poor structure of the saturated soils creates an environmental filter selecting tree species of faster growth rates and shorter life spans and (3) plant growth on saturated soil is favored during the dry season, since there should be low restrictions for soil water availability.


2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Louis ◽  
Sylvie Meyer ◽  
Florence Maunoury-Danger ◽  
Chantal Fresneau ◽  
Emmanuelle Meudec ◽  
...  

Seasonal patterns of dry mass invested in chlorophyll and epidermal phenolic compounds (EPhen) were investigated in vivo using optical methods, in leaves of 2-year-old oaks (Quercus petraea Matt. (Liebl.)) grown under semi-controlled conditions. The plasticity of the seasonal pattern was investigated by applying stem girdling treatment. In control young expanding leaves, leaf dry mass per area, dry mass investment in chlorophyll and abaxial EPhen content increased. In late May, at leaf maturity, these variables reached a plateau, and adaxial and abaxial EPhen contents became similar. Thereafter, as leaves aged, dry mass investment in chlorophyll gradually decreased, whereas it remained steady for EPhen. Girdling treatment impacted this seasonal pattern differently depending on the phenological stage. Treatment effects and their reversion revealed in vivo EPhen turnover. Finally, optical signatures of immature and mature leaf phenological stages with contrasting nitrogen and carbon economy were proposed, based on the relationship between the chlorophyll to EPhen ratio and the leaf nitrogen to carbon ratio.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Shida Long ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and age-related pulmonary disease. Nintedanib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one of the only two listed drugs against IPF. Regorafenib is a novel, orally active, multi-kinase inhibitor that has similar targets to nintedanib and is applied to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in patients. In this study, we first identified that regorafenib could alleviate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The in vivo experiments indicated that regorafenib suppresses collagen accumulation and myofibroblast activation. Further in vitro mechanism studies showed that regorafenib inhibits the activation and migration of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production, mainly through suppressing the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways. In vitro studies have also indicated that regorafenib could augment autophagy in myofibroblasts by suppressing TGF-β1/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, and could promote apoptosis in myofibroblasts. In conclusion, regorafenib attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Rosaria Meccariello ◽  
Stefania D’Angelo

Aging and, particularly, the onset of age-related diseases are associated with tissue dysfunction and macromolecular damage, some of which can be attributed to accumulation of oxidative damage. Recently, growing interest has emerged on the beneficial effects of plant-based diets for the prevention of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Several studies collectively suggests that the intake of polyphenols and their major food sources may exert beneficial effects on improving insulin resistance and related diabetes risk factors, such as inflammation and oxidative stress. They are the most abundant antioxidants in the diet, and their intake has been associated with a reduced aging in humans. Polyphenolic intake has been shown to be effective at ameliorating several age-related phenotypes, including oxidative stress, inflammation, impaired proteostasis, and cellular senescence, both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, effects of these phytochemicals (either pure forms or polyphenolic-food) are reviewed and summarized according to affected cellular signaling pathways. Finally, the effectiveness of the anti-aging preventive action of nutritional interventions based on diets rich in polyphenolic food, such as the diets of the Blue zones, are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donita L. Garland ◽  
Eric A. Pierce ◽  
Rosario Fernandez-Godino

AbstractThe complement system plays a role in the formation of sub-retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) deposits in early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the specific mechanisms that connect complement activation and deposit formation in AMD patients are unknown, which limits the development of efficient therapies to reduce or stop disease progression. We have previously demonstrated that C3 blockage prevents the formation of sub-RPE deposits in a mouse model of EFEMP1-associated macular degeneration. In this study, we have used double mutant Efemp1R345W/R345W:C5-/- mice to investigate the role of C5 in the formation of sub-RPE deposits in vivo and in vitro. The data revealed that the genetic ablation of C5 does not eliminate the formation of sub-RPE deposits. Contrarily, the absence of C5 in RPE cultures promotes complement dysregulation that results in increased activation of C3, which likely contributes to deposit formation even in the absence of EFEMP1-R345W mutant protein. The results also suggest that genetic ablation of C5 alters the extracellular matrix turnover through an effect on matrix metalloproteinases in RPE cell cultures. These results confirm that C3 rather than C5 could be an effective therapeutic target to treat early AMD.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1206
Author(s):  
Aimilia D. Sklirou ◽  
Maria T. Angelopoulou ◽  
Aikaterini Argyropoulou ◽  
Eliza Chaita ◽  
Vasiliki Ioanna Boka ◽  
...  

Skin health is heavily affected by ultraviolet irradiation from the sun. In addition, senile skin is characterized by major changes in the collagen, elastin and in the hyaluronan content. Natural products (NPs) have been shown to delay cellular senescence or in vivo aging by regulating age-related signaling pathways. Moreover, NPs are a preferable source of photoprotective agents and have been proven to be useful against the undesirable skin hyperpigmentation. Greek flora harvests great plant diversity with approximately 6000 plant species, as it has a wealth of NPs. Here, we report an extensive screening among hundreds of plant species. More than 440 plant species and subspecies were selected and evaluated. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant and anti-melanogenic properties, while the most promising were further subjected to various in vitro and cell-based assays related to skin aging. In parallel, their chemical profile was analyzed with High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and/or Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). A variety of extracts were identified that can be of great value for the cosmetic industry, since they combine antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-melanogenic and anti-aging properties. In particular, the methanolic extracts of Sideritis scardica and Rosa damascena could be worthy of further attention, since they showed interesting chemical profiles and promising properties against specific targets involved in skin aging.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1207-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Qiu ◽  
Coralie Hoareau-Aveilla ◽  
Sebastian Oltean ◽  
Steven J. Harper ◽  
David O. Bates

Anti-angiogenic VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) isoforms, generated from differential splicing of exon 8, are widely expressed in normal human tissues but down-regulated in cancers and other pathologies associated with abnormal angiogenesis (cancer, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, the Denys–Drash syndrome and pre-eclampsia). Administration of recombinant VEGF165b inhibits ocular angiogenesis in mouse models of retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, and colorectal carcinoma and metastatic melanoma. Splicing factors and their regulatory molecules alter splice site selection, such that cells can switch from the anti-angiogenic VEGFxxxb isoforms to the pro-angiogenic VEGFxxx isoforms, including SRp55 (serine/arginine protein 55), ASF/SF2 (alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2) and SRPK (serine arginine domain protein kinase), and inhibitors of these molecules can inhibit angiogenesis in the eye, and splice site selection in cancer cells, opening up the possibility of using splicing factor inhibitors as novel anti-angiogenic therapeutics. Endogenous anti-angiogenic VEGFxxxb isoforms are cytoprotective for endothelial, epithelial and neuronal cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting both an improved safety profile and an explanation for unpredicted anti-VEGF side effects. In summary, C-terminal distal splicing is a key component of VEGF biology, overlooked by the vast majority of publications in the field, and these findings require a radical revision of our understanding of VEGF biology in normal human physiology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 755-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Boulanger ◽  
Martin Girardin ◽  
Pierre Y. Bernier ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
André Beaudoin ◽  
...  

Forest fire activity is projected to increase with climate change in Canada, but vegetation feedbacks are usually not considered. Using new information on the selectivity or avoidance of fire as a function of stand age and composition, we ran simple simulation models that consider the changes in the regional age matrices induced by fire and harvesting to project future burn rates. We also projected estimated future regional vulnerability of timber supply to fire by considering these new burn rates. The inclusion of age-related feedbacks would have a large impact on projected increases in burn rates, mostly in a very fire active zone under aggressive climate forcing. Projected burn rates would still increase, but would be 50% less in 2100 than if projected without this biotic feedback in some zones. Negative feedbacks would be virtually nonexistent when potential burning rates are below 1%, whereas realized burning rates would be lowered by more than a 0.5 percentage point when potential burning rates exceed 2.5%. Including fire–vegetation feedbacks had virtually no impact on total volume harvested. As fire burns more old-growth coniferous stands, slightly negative impacts were projected on conifer harvested almost everywhere. These results underline the need to incorporate fire–vegetation feedbacks when projecting future burn rates.


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