Background: A successful development of herbivorous insects into plant tissues depends on coordination of metabolic processes. Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to recognize such attacks, and to trigger a defense response. To understand the transcriptional basis of this response, we compare gene expression profiles of two coffee genotypes, susceptible and resistant to leaf miner (Leucoptera coffella). A total of 22000 EST sequences from the Coffee Genome Database were selected for a microarray analysis. Fluorescence probes were synthesized using mRNA from the infested and non-infested coffee plants. Array hybridization, scanning and data normalization were performed using Nimble Scan® e ArrayStar® platforms. Genes with foldchange values +/-2 were considered differentially expressed. A validation of 18 differentially expressed genes was performed in infected plants using qRT-PCR approach. Results: The microarray analysis indicated that resistant plants differ in gene expression profile. We identified relevant transcriptional changes in defense strategies before insect attack. Expression changes (>2.00-fold) were found in resistant plants for 2137 genes (1266 up-regulated and 873 down-regulated). Up-regulated genes include those responsible for defense mechanisms, hypersensitive response and genes involved with cellular function and maintenance. Also, our analyses indicated that differential expression profiles between resistant and susceptible genotypes are observed in the absence of leaf-miner, indicating that defense is already build up in resistant plants, as a priming mechanism. Validation of selected genes pointed to four selected genes as suitable candidates for markers in assisted-selection of novel cultivars. Conclusions: Our results show evidences that coffee defense responses against leaf-miner attack are balanced with other cellular functions. Also analyses suggest a major metabolic reconfiguration that highlights the complexity of this response.

Background: The proximal femoral head separation (FHS) or epiphysiolysis is a prevalent disorder affecting the chicken femur epiphysis, being considered a risk factor to infection which can cause bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis in broilers. To identify the genetic mechanisms involved in epiphysiolysis, differentially expressed (DE) genes in the femur of normal and FHS-affected broilers were identified using RNA-Seq technology. Femoral growth plate (GP) samples from 35-day-old commercial male broilers were collected from 4 healthy and 4 FHS-affected broilers. Sequencing was performed using an Illumina paired-end protocol. Differentially expressed genes were obtained using the edgeR package based on the False Discovery Rate (FDR < 0.05).Results: Approximately 16 million reads/sample were generated with 2 × 100 bp paired-end reads. After data quality control, approximately 12 million reads/sample were mapped to the reference chicken genome (Galgal5). A total of 12,645 genes were expressed in the femur GP. Out of those, 314 were DE between groups, being 154 upregulated and 160 downregulated in FHS-affected broilers. In the functional analyses, several biological processes (BP) were overrepresented. Among them, those related to cell adhesion, extracellular matrix (ECM), bone development, blood circulation and lipid metabolism, which are more related to chicken growth, are possibly involved with the onset of FHS. On the other hand, BP associated to apoptosis or cell death and immune response, which were also found in our study, could be related to the consequence of the FHS.Conclusions: Genes with potential role in the epiphysiolysis were identified through the femur head transcriptome analysis, providing a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate bone development in fast-growing chickens. In this study, we highlighted the importance of cell adhesion and extracellular matrix related genes in triggering FHS. Furthermore, we have shown new insights on the involvement of lipidemia and immune response/inflammation with FHS in broilers. Understanding the changes in the GP transcriptome might support breeding strategies to address poultry robustness and to obtain more resilient broilers.

Banana fruits are susceptible to chilling injury (CI) under field conditions, which significantly impairs fruit quality. Cold tolerance varies among genotypes; however, only a limited number of cultivars have been identified as tolerant and are commercially cultivated. This study aimed to investigate the physiological responses and quality attributes of banana cultivars exposed to natural cold fronts during development, compared with fruits developed under summer conditions. Furthermore, it evaluated whether the B genome confers greater cold tolerance, driven by a more efficient antioxidant mechanism, thereby supporting its recommendation for cultivation in regions prone to low temperatures. Bunches were harvested in winter following five natural cold fronts, during which air temperatures fell below 12 °C (137 h). The experimental design followed a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement. Consecutive cold fronts intensified CI symptoms up to the fourth exposure event. CI severity was highest in ‘Grande Naine’ (AAA), which exhibited lower L*, a*, and b* values at the ripe stage compared to ‘BRS Princesa’ (AAAB) and ‘Prata Catarina’ (AAB), along with greater deviations relative to summer-harvested fruits. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total phenolic content, and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, APX, and POD) in the peel of unripe fruits were significantly higher during winter, particularly in ‘BRS Princesa’ and ‘Prata Catarina’, compared to ‘Grande Naine’. Proline accumulation followed a similar pattern, with the highest levels observed in ‘BRS Princesa’, followed by ‘Prata Catarina’ and ‘Grande Naine’. The findings indicate that ‘BRS Princesa’ exhibits greater tolerance to cold stress and highlights of the contribution of the B genome. Phenolic content was identified as a consistent marker of seasonal variation across cultivars.