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The present study concerns three aspects of barley androgenesis: (1) the morphology and histology of the embryos during their development, (2) the time course of fluorescent symplasmic tracers’ distribution, and (3) the correlation between symplasmic communication and cell differentiation. The results indicate that barley embryos, which are developing via an androgenic pathway, resemble their zygotic counterparts with respect to their developmental stages, morphology and histology. Analysis of the distribution of the symplasmic tracers, HPTS, and uncaged fluorescein indicates the symplasmic isolation of (1) the protodermis from the underlying cells of the late globular stage onwards, and (2) the embryonic organs at the mature stage of development.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00425-010-1345-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

NCT00512109.

No abstract

KEY WORDSchronic obstructive pulmonary disease, computed tomography, emphysema score, endobronchial ultrasound, markers of remodelling ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Airway remodeling plays an important role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Imaging methods, such as computed tomography (CT) and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), may be useful in the assessment of structural alterations in the lungs.OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate a relationship between the severity of emphysema assessed by chest CT, the thickness of bronchial wall layers measured by EBUS, and the markers of remodeling in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study included 33 patients with COPD who underwent pulmonary function tests, emphysema score assessment by chest CT, as well as bronchofiberoscopy with EBUS in order to measure the total bronchial wall thickness and, separately, layers L 1 , L 2 , and L 3-5 . Selected remodeling (matrix metalloproteinase 9 [MMP-9], tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, transforming growth factor β 1 [TGF-β 1 ]) and inflammatory markers (neutrophil elastase, eosinophil cationic protein) were measured in BALF samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS MMP-9 levels in BALF were significantly higher in patients with very severe bronchial obstruction than in those with moderate and mild bronchial obstruction (P = 0.02), and showed a negative correlation with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (r = -0.538, P = 0.002). The thickness of L 1 and L 2 , which histologically correspond to the mucosa, submucosa, and smooth muscle, demonstrated a positive correlation with TGF-β 1 levels in BALF (r = 0.366, P = 0.046 and r = 0.425, P = 0.02) and the thickness of L 1 showed a negative association with neutrophil elastase levels (r = -0.508, P = 0.004). There was no significant correlation between the analyzed markers in BALF and the emphysema score. CONCLUSIONS Significant correlations of TGF-β 1 and elastase with the thickness of bronchial wall layers, and of MMP-9 with the severity of obstruction, may suggest the involvement of these markers in airway remodeling in patients with COPD.