Argan trees are normally endemic to Morocco and Algeria, but hundreds of argan trees exist in Tunisia, some introduced from Morocco and some from unknown origins. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic, morphological, and biochemical diversity of the argan trees in Tunisia. In this study, we used morphometric data collected from vegetative tissue, as well as pomological characteristics related to fruits, stones, and kernels. Genetic variation in 60 trees of Tunisian Argania spinosa L. was estimated using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). Mutation screening and genotyping by high-resolution melting (HRM) was performed to detect delta-6-desaturase (D6D) variants in the tested individuals, and finally fatty acid analysis of argan leaves with gas chromatography (GC) was performed. The plant materials used in this study originated from four different sites in Tunisia. Analysis of morphological characteristics showed large variability both within and between the studied collections. The analysis of ISSR polymorphisms gave information about the diversity within and between populations. HRM analysis showed that all 60 argan individuals were grouped into 10 different categories. The results of the gas chromatography analysis showed that the presence of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA was noticeable in some argan leaves.
The microRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs found in both plants and animals. Their functions and target genes have been identified in many plant species. It has been shown that miRNAs have crucial roles in stress responses of plants as much as other defence mechanisms. Throughout abiotic stress, miRNAs regulate their target genes and take part in signalling pathways. In this study, we evaluated the expression profiles of miR156, miR170, miR171, miR395, miR398 and miR845, which have been shown to be related with stress, and their target genes in different tissues of Solanum lycopersicum H-2274 plants under salt stress. We applied 100 mmol/L NaCl to tomato plants for one week and performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. The results that stood out belonged to miR156 both in root and stem tissues and miR398 in stem tissues. Interestingly the expression profiles of these miRNAs and their target genes were similar. These findings show that there is a complex stress response mechanism still waiting to be deciphered. Our findings could provide valuable information to understand the function of miRNAs in stress response mechanisms of plants.
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