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As actors of global carbon cycle, Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) have developed complex enzymatic machineries that allow them to decompose all plant polymers, including lignin. Among them, saprotrophic Agaricales are characterized by an unparalleled diversity of habitats and lifestyles. Comparative analysis of 52 Agaricomycetes genomes (14 of them sequenced de novo) reveals that Agaricales possess a large diversity of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes for lignocellulose decay. Based on the gene families with the predicted highest evolutionary rates −namely cellulose-binding CBM1, glycoside hydrolase GH43, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase AA9, class-II peroxidases, glucose-methanol-choline oxidase/dehydrogenases, laccases, and unspecific peroxygenases− we reconstructed the lifestyles of the ancestors that led to the extant lignocellulose-decomposing Agaricomycetes. The changes in the enzymatic toolkit of ancestral Agaricales are correlated with the evolution of their ability to grow not only on wood but also on leaf-litter and decayed wood, with grass-litter decomposers as the most recent eco-physiological group. In this context, the above families were analyzed in detail in connection with lifestyle diversity. Peroxidases appear as a central component of the enzymatic toolkit of saprotrophic Agaricomycetes, consistent with their essential role in lignin degradation and high evolutionary rates. This includes not only expansions/losses in peroxidase genes common to other basidiomycetes, but also the widespread presence in Agaricales (and Russulales) of new peroxidases types not found in wood-rotting Polyporales, and other Agaricomycetes orders. Therefore, we analyzed the peroxidase evolution in Agaricomycetes by ancestral-sequence reconstruction revealing several major evolutionary pathways, and mapped the appearance of the different enzyme types in a time-calibrated species tree.

PURPOSE Poor blood pressure control is common in the United States. We conducted a study to determine whether health coaching with home titration of antihypertensive medications can improve blood pressure control compared with health coaching alone in a low-income, predominantly minority population.

Purpose: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are major mediators in tumor microenvironment. We investigated the changes in protein expression in colon cancer-associated fibroblasts compared with normal fibroblasts (NF) in the context of searching for prognostic biomarkers, particularly for stage II patients.Experimental Design: CAFs and NFs isolated from colon cancer patients were used to identify differentially expressed proteins using quantitative proteomics. Stromal expression of deregulated proteins was analyzed by IHC. Prognostic impact was studied using external gene-expression datasets for training, then quantitative PCR and IHC for validation in different cohorts of patients. Combined datasets were used for prediction of risk assessment at stages II and III.Results: A desmoplastic signature composed of 32 proteins, highly specific for stromal components in colon cancer, was identified. These proteins were enriched for extracellular matrix organization components, TGFb signaling pathway, fibrosis, and wound-healing proteins. The expression in CAFs of 11 upregulated proteins and four downregulated proteins, selected for biomarker validation, was verified by orthogonal techniques. LOXL2 displayed a high prognostic impact by using external independent datasets and further validation in two different cohorts of patients. High expression of LOXL2 was associated with higher recurrence P ¼ 0. Conclusions: We identified LOXL2 to be associated with the outcome of colon cancer patients. Furthermore, it can be used to stratify patients at stages II and III for further therapeutic decisions.

In Galicia (northwestern Spain), Brassica rapa subsp. rapa L. includes turnips, turnip greens, and turnip tops. The objectives of this study are (i) to determine the genetic diversity and morphological resemblances among the B. rapa landraces of northwestern Spain in order to have information relative to the resources preserved, and (ii) to evaluate their agronomic characteristics, considering the three potential products that can be harvested. A collection of 120 landraces was evaluated for 34 morphological and agronomical traits by an augmented design at two locations. Two landraces were the most promising for turnips production (MBG-BRS0183 and MBG-BRS0256), two showed the best characteristics for turnip greens (MBG-BRS0082 and MBG-BRS0184), and three were the most appropriate landraces for turnip tops production (MBG-BRS0143, MBG-BRS0173 and MBG-BRS0401). Landraces were classified into five clusters (A-E) using the Ward-MLM (Modified Location Model) strategy: (A) included plants with the worst agronomic potential, (B) included most of the turnip populations with rosette growth habit, (C) included turnip populations without rosette growth habit, having more vigorous plants than cluster B, (D) gathered the most vigorous local varieties, with the highest early vigor, fresh matter content per leaf, and number of secondary stems per plant, and (E) landraces characterized by their earliness, large flowering periods, high numbers of secondary stems, and large seed weights. As conclusion, landraces evaluated in this work displayed enough variability to differentiate among appropriate populations for each one of the distinct crops. Their classification, using the Ward-MLM strategy, grouped accessions with similar characteristics into homogeneous categories.

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Nabicol (B. napus L. var. pabularia) is a traditional crop in the Northwest of Iberian Peninsula (South of Galicia and North of Portugal) where it is grown during the winter season on small farms and gardens using traditional varieties. A collection of 36 populations of nabicol from Galicia (northwestern Spain) was evaluated during 2002 and 2003 in two locations and two growing seasons (spring/summer and autumn/spring) for 28 agronomic and morphological traits. The objectives of this study were to: (i) evaluate a collection of nabicol landraces from northwestern Spain, (ii) determine the suitability of this germplasm as a summer crop and (iii) study the genetic diversity among local populations. Significant differences were observed among populations for most traits. Genotype × environment interaction was significant for most of them. Spring/summer growing season could be recommended for growing nabicol but resistance to Lepidoptera pests attacking Brassica crops should be improved. Most populations had an agronomic value similar to the commercial variety. The most promising variety for horticultural use was MBG-BRS0063, which showed the highest yield. Morphological and agronomic data were subjected to cluster analysis and four groups were defined with a group clustering most populations. The low genetic diversity could be explained because populations were collected in close geographical areas and the selection made by farmers was always for a horticultural use. These results give information about the diversity and breeding value of the nabicol Spanish germplasm, which could be useful in breeding programs.