Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision impairment and irreversible blindness among individuals over the age of 55 in developed countries [1, 2, 3]. It is characterized by progressive damage to the macula, a key component of the eye’s retina. Since the retina is responsible for converting light into neural signals essential for vision, any damage can severely impair both central and peripheral vision, significantly impacting the quality of life for millions of people.
Climate change threatens crops and agriculture worldwide, bringing uncertainty and demanding investigation into how plants might respond. One of the most important plant systems to study in this context is the cellular communication pathway, which is responsible for signaling potential threats and transporting important materials from cell to cell. In this study, we investigate how temperature stress and light affect callose deposition in the plasmodesmata of Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) seedlings. We hypothesized that heat shocks would increase callose deposition while differences in light would have no effect on callose deposition. We planted A. thaliana seedlings in solid media, left them to germinate in a growth room, and imaged them using a microscope under fluorescent light to illuminate callose depositions. We then counted and analyzed callose levels, with data supporting both our temperature and light hypotheses.
In Drosophila melanogaster, the highest number of novel gene expression phenotypes have been observed in male reproductive tract tissues. Recent discovery of a novel testis expression by a gene, CG14662, in D. melanogaster but not sister species suggests a possible newly-evolved association with male fecundity. This study examined whether CG14662 is associated with reduced male fertility in D. melanogaster. with the use of RNAi knockdown.
