bZIP transcription factors in the regulatory networks controlling seed maturation and germination of Arabidopsis thaliana

Se describe la expresión por RTqPCR de los genes que codifican los factores transcripcionales bZIP44 y bZIP9. Asimismo se establece la interacción entre ambas proteínas en el sistema de 2 híbridos de levadura y in planta por complementación bimolecular fluorescente.

An Automatic Quantification and Registration Strategy to Create a Gene Expression Atlas of Zebrafish Embryogenesis

In order to properly understand and model the gene regulatory networks in animals development, it is crucial to obtain detailed measurements, both in time and space, about their gene expression domains. In this paper, we propose a complete computational framework to fulfill this task and create a 3D Atlas of the early zebrafish embryogenesis annotated with both the cellular localizations and the level of expression of different genes at different developmental stages. The strategy to construct such an Atlas is described here with the expression pattern of 5 different genes at 6 hours of development post fertilization.

Diseño y desarrollo de un modelo booleano probabilístico de regulación genética en el simulador de colonias bacterianas GRO

Resulta interesante comprender como microorganismos sencillos como la bacteria Escherichia coli poseen mecanismos no tan simples para responder al entorno en el que está gestionada por complicadas redes de regulación formadas por genes y proteínas, donde cada elemento de la red genética debe tomar parte en armonía, en el momento justo y la cantidad adecuada para dar lugar a la respuesta celular apropiada. La biología sintética es un nuevo área de la biología y la tecnología que fusiona la biolog ía molecular, la ingeniería genética y las herramientas computacionales, para crear sistemas biológicos con funcionalidades novedosas. Los sistemas creados sintéticamente son ya una realidad, y cada vez se acumulan más trabajos alrededor del mundo que muestran su factibilidad. En este campo no solo se hacen pequeñas modificaciones en la información genética, sino que también se diseñan, manipulan e introducen circuitos genéticos a los organismos. Actualmente, se hace un gran esfuerzo para construir circuitos genéticos formados por numerosos genes y caracterizar la interacción de los mismos con otras moléculas, su regulaci ón, expresión y funcionalidad en diferentes organismos. La mayoría de los proyectos de biología sintética que se han desarrollado hasta ahora, se basan en el conocimiento actual del funcionamiento de los organismos vivos. Sin embargo, la información es numerosa y creciente, por lo que se requiere de herramientas computacionales y matem áticas para integrar y hacer manejable esta gran cantidad de información. El simulador de colonias bacterianas GRO posee la capacidad de representar las dinámicas más simples del comportamiento celular, tales como crecimiento, división y comunicación intercelular mediante conjugación, pero carece de la capacidad de simular el comportamiento de la colonia en presencia de un circuito genético. Para ello, se ha creado un nuevo módulo de regulación genética que maneja las interaciones entre genes y proteínas de cada célula ejecutando respuestas celulares específicas. Dado que en la mayoría de los experimentos intervienen colonias del orden de 105 individuos, es necesario un módulo de regulación genética simplificado que permita representar de la forma más precisa posible este proceso en colonias de tales magnitudes. El módulo genético integrado en GRO se basa en una red booleana, en la que un gen puede transitar entre dos estados, on (expresado) o off (reprimido), y cuya transición viene dada por una serie de reglas lógicas.---ABSTRACT---It is interesting to understand how simple organisms such as Escherichia coli do not have simple mechanisms to respond to the environment in which they find themselves. This response is managed by complicated regulatory networks formed by genes and proteins, where each element of the genetic network should take part in harmony, at the right time and with the right amount to give rise to the appropriate cellular response. Synthetic biology is a new area of biology and technology that combines molecular biology, genetic engineering and computational tools to create biological systems with novel features. The synthetically created systems are already a reality, and increasingly accumulate work around the world showing their feasibility. In this field not only minor changes are made in the genetic information but also genetic circuits designed, manipulated and introduced into the organisms. Currently, it takes great effort to build genetic circuits formed by numerous genes and characterize their interaction with other molecules, their regulation, their expression and their function in different organisms. Most synthetic biology projects that have been developed so far are based on the current knowledge of the functioning of living organisms. However, there is a lot of information and it keeps accumulating, so it requires computational and mathematical tools to integrate and manage this wealth of information. The bacterial colonies simulator, GRO, has the ability to represent the simplest dynamics of cell behavior, such as growth, division and intercellular communication by conjugation, but lacks the ability to simulate the behavior of the colony in the presence of a genetic circuit. To this end, a new genetic regulation module that handles interactions between genes and proteins for each cell running specific cellular responses has been created. Since most experiments involve colonies of about 105 individuals, a simplified genetic module which represent cell dynamics as accurately and simply as possible is needed. The integrated genetic GRO module is based on a Boolean network, in which a gene can be in either of two states, on (expressed) or off (repressed), and whose transition is given by a set of logical rules.

An Analysis of Next Generation Access Networks Deployment in rural areas

Next generation access networks (NGAN) will support a renewed electronic communication market where main opportunities lie in the provision of ubiquitous broadband connectivity, applications and content. From their deployment it is expected a wealth of innovations. Within this framework, the project reviews the variety of NGAN deployment options available for rural environments, derives a simple method for approximate cost calculations, and then discusses and compares the results obtained. Data for Spain are used for practical calculations, but the model is applicable with minor modifications to most of the rural areas of European countries. The final part of the paper is devoted to review the techno-economic implications of a network deployment in a rural environment as well as the adequacy and possible developments of the regulatory framework involved