José Francisco Morales-Domínguez

Autonomous University of Aguascalientes | UAA

Background Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used in plant tissue culture as growth stimulants, promoting bud initiation, germination, and rooting. In prior studies, AgNPs were synthesized and characterized by green synthesis using extracts from Beta vulgaris var. cicla (BvAgNP), and their functionality as seed disinfectant and antimicrobial w...

Mammillaria bombycina is a cactus distributed in the central region of Mexico. This species is in danger of extinction, and its in vitro cultivation has, therefore, been established for reinsertion into its natural habitat. Due to this species’ relatively easy propagation, its use has been ideal for analysis at the gene level. In this contribution,...

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used in plant tissue culture as growth stimulants, promoting bud initiation, germination, and rooting. In prior studies, AgNPs were synthesized and characterized by green synthesis using extracts from Beta vulgaris var. Cicla (BvAgNP), and their functionality as seed disinfectant and antimicrobial...

The guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a climacteric fruit with an accelerated post-harvest overripening. miRNAs are small RNA sequences that function as gene regulators in eukaryotes and are essential for their survival and development. In this study, miRNA libraries were constructed, sequenced and analyzed from the breaker and ripe stages of guava fru...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were produced by green synthesis using Raphanus sativus (RsAgNPs), Beta vulgaris (BvAgNPs), and Ocimum basilicum (ObAgNPs) leaf extracts as reducing agents. Plant phytochemical composition analysis indicated that they contain phenolic compounds that can participate in the synthesis reaction as flavonoids. Synthesized Ag...

Soil salinity severely affects plants and specially to crop plants. Halophytes are resistant to salinity stress since they have developed several gene mechanisms of resistance, such as the enzymatic Na+ compartmentalization into vacuoles by vacuolar Pyrophosphatase (VPase) and the up-expression of transcription factors such as Dehydration-sensitive...

The continuous increase of bacterial pathogen resistance to conventional antibiotics has challenged the research community to develop new antimicrobial strategies. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are a promising alternative to combat multidrug-resistant strains compared to conventional antibiotics because of their biocompatibility. In the present stud...

Microalgae oil has great potential to address the growing energy demand and dependence on fossil fuels. However, the multilayered cell walls of microalgae hinder efficient extraction and enhanced lipid recovery. In this study, we develop a novel protocol based on near infrared-assisted extraction (NIRAE) technology to extract efficiently total lipi...

Background Guava fruit softening is a crucial process during ripening and this process involves a number of enzymes that modifies the cell wall. Two of the enzymes that regulate this process are (a) the β-1, 4-endoglucanase 17 (BEG) which hydrolyze β-1, 4 bonds from cellulose and hemicellulose, and (b) β-galactosidase (BGA) that hydrolyzes pectin c...

Industrial and agricultural activities have increased the amounts of heavy metals on the Earth's crust, risking organisms and ecosystem stability. Phytoremediation is a technique to remove heavy metals from contaminated sites. Soil phytoremediation involves many processes in which, not only plants participate, but also microorganisms present in the...

La biotecnología vegetal es una disciplina de reciente desarrollo que podría convertirse en una herramienta crucial para enfrentar los problemas mencionados. Los sistemas de cultivo, conservación y propagación masiva in vitro de vegetales pueden ser vitales para la conservación y uso racional de la Biodiversidad en el corto y mediano plazo. Además,...

Mammillaria bombycina is a cactus distributed in the central region of Mexico. Cactaceae have the particularity of surviving drought and high temperatures, which is why in vitro propagation studies have been carried out successfully to preserve this species and use it as a study model in cacti. In this contribution, a de novo transcriptome of M. bo...

Natriuretic plant peptides (PNPs) are biomolecules with hormonal function that lead to homeostasis of solutes and water in plant cells and are involved in the opening and closing of stomata. In this study, an Opuntia ficus-indica PNP gene was identified and was characterized. It was called OfPNPA and its sequence was deposited in the NCBI database...

Agave guiengola Gentry is an endemic plant from a very small locality in Oaxaca, Mexico. Its conservation status is fragile and can rapidly worsen. Because of its scarcity, this agave has been used solely for ornamental purposes, but it could have other uses if more plants were available. In vitro propagation by enhanced axillary sprouting from ste...

Expansin and extensin are proteins involved in resistance to various abiotic stresses by processes of cell wall modification and in the formation and elongation of the hairy root. They are located in several organs of the plant included root epidermis. Turbinicarpus lophophoroides is a cactus model to studies these genes in adventitious and transfo...

El objetivo fue el desarrollo de un sistema eficiente para la micropropagación del alcaparro (Capparis spinosa L.), arbusto leñoso de gran interés por los productos derivados del mismo, su notable resistencia a la sequía y su tolerancia a las altas temperaturas. Primero se establecieron cultivos in vitro se a través de la desinfección y germinación...

Wastewater can be reused after a treatment process and compliance with high quality standards that guarantee its safe use. The wastewater treatment plant of the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (AUA), like others, uses primary, secondary, and tertiary processes. The tertiary process followed is chlorination and is used to eliminate microorga...

The use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) synthesized by bacteria (bacteriocins) is an alternative for combating multidrug resistant bacterial strains and their production by recombinant route is a viable option for their mass production. The bacteriocin E-760 isolated from the genus Enterococcus sp. has been shown to possess inhibitory activity aga...

Acacia farnesiana (Huizache) and Prosopis laevigata (Mesquite) are plants used by rural populations of México to: feed livestock, wood is used to make fence posts, charcoal, furniture, handicrafts, construction material and medicinal purposes. The excessive use of these plants and indiscriminate deforestation for the settlement of houses and indust...

Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) populations are found in widely variable environments, tolerating drought, alkaline soils and different levels of grazing. Many ploidy levels have been reported for this species that is also considered to be phenotypically plastic and morphologically variable. Recently a decline in its cover and frequency in th...

An in vitro propagation protocol for Bidens odorata Cav. was developed by culturing nodal stem segments on Murashige and Skoog medium added with cytokinins. The best results were 5.5 ± 0.4 shoots per explant with benzyladenine, and 4.9 ± 0.3 with N6-(2-isopentenyl)-adenine. Their susceptibility to genetic transformation with three strains of Agroba...

Moringa oleifera is the best known species of the Moringaceae family attributed with several medicinal uses and a high nutritional value. This plant is native of the western sub-Himalayan and now is distributed worldwide. The conventional way to propagate Moringa is by seeds, causing its growth to be slow. An alternative to propagate plants in less...

Abstract. The natriuretic peptides (NP) are vertebrate hormones involved in the regulation of ion and water homeostasis in the cell. In plants, natriuretic peptides (PNP) have been identified by molecular and biochemical methods. It has been suggested that PNPs, have similar functions to the PN, since they mediate (1) ion transport through the ce...

El laurel silvestre (Litsea glaucescens) es una de las especies forestales no maderables más importantes en México debido a su uso como condimento y a sus propiedades medicinales. Esto ha causado una sobreexplotación de muchas de las poblaciones de la especie, lo cual, junto a la degradación de su hábitat, la ha puesto en peligro de extinción. En e...

Mexican bay (Litsea glaucescens) is one of the most important non-timber forest species in Mexico due to its use as a condiment and its medicinal properties. This has caused the overexploitation of the populations of the species, which, together with the degradation of its habitat, has put in danger of extinction. In this work the development of an...

Nanostructured materials (NSMs) of silver (Ag@TiO 2 ) and copper (TiO 2 -Cu 2+ ) doped titanium dioxide were synthesized, fully characterized, and evaluated for their antimicrobial efficiency and effects on Arabidopsis thaliana . The NSMs were prepared using an environmentally benign route. The physicochemical properties of the materials were deter...

We evaluated type of stomata, as well as differences in stomatal frequency in three areas of the plant (apical, middle and basal) under two culture conditions (in vitro and ex vitro), in four cactus species (Opuntia ficus-indica, Hylocereus undatus, Escontria chiotilla and Mammillaria petterssonii). We measured stomatal density (SD) and the stomata...

We evaluated type of stomata, as well as differences in stomatal frequency in three areas of the plant (apical, middle and basal) under two culture conditions (in vitro and ex vitro), in four cactus species (Opuntia ficus-indica, Hylocereus undatus, Escontria chiotilla and Mammillaria petterssonii). We measured stomatal density (SD) And the stomata...

Elevated concentrations of cholesterol in plasma are associated with increased risk for heart diseases in humans. Bioactive peptides can be considered as an option to prevent or treat this condition. Currently, there are wide sources of bioactive peptides with hypocholesterolemic activities; however, most researches are focused in bioactive peptide...

Bioinformatics analysis and gene expression studies of four clones of guava cDNA encoding for a polygalacturonase (PG), an acid 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACCo), and two α-expansins (a-Exp) in guava (Psidium guajava L.), is presented here. Using RT-PCR, a partial cDNA fragment of 301 bp (PgPGl) was associated to a PG from mature fru...

In order to provide an alternative to conventional propagation, a protocol was developed for the in vitro multiplication of four Mexican species of Quercus, which are exploited to produce timber and coal and are nowadays threatened. Multiple shoot induction from zygotic embryos of Quercus castanea, Q. eduardii, Q. resinosa and Q. rugosa cultured on...

El laurel silvestre (Litsea glaucescens Kunth) es una especie forestal considerada en peligro de extinción debido a la reducción de sus poblaciones en la colecta inmoderada e ilegal de sus ramas para diferentes usos. En el presente trabajo, se ubicaron y estudiaron algunas poblaciones de laurel silvestre en los estados de Aguascalientes y San Luis...

In order to provide an alternative to conventional propagation, a protocol was developed for the in vitro multiplication of four Mexican species of Quercus, which are exploited to produce timber and coal and are nowadays threatened. Multiple shoot induction from zygotic embryos of Quercus castanea, Q. eduardii, Q. resinosa and Q. rugosa cultured on...

For its traditional uses and its potential for exploitation, the Mexican bay or laurel ( Litsea glaucescens ) is one of the most important non-timber forest species in Mexico. However, the unregulated exploitation to which it is subjected as well as the ignorance of the status that its natural populations keep have put its survival at risk. For thi...

Se evaluó el efecto de aislados de rhizobacterias provenientes de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), en el crecimiento y expresión de proteínas en plantas de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris) y jitomate (Solanum lycopersicon). Se obtuvieron dos diferentes aislados; A y Ab, los cuales se inocularon en semillas de frijol Bayo, Pinto y Negro y de jitomate Bola y...

Rhizobium etli es una α-proteobacteria del suelo perteneciente a la familia de las rhizobacterias encargada de fijar el nitrógeno molecular atmosférico libre en las raíces de plantas leguminosas desarrollando una simbiosis mutualista mediante la formación de nódulos (1). La actividad medular de la fijación biológica de nitrógeno (FBN) durante l...

El presente estudio es el primer reporte sobre la inducción de raíces transformadas por Agrobacterium rhizogenes en Agave salmiana Otto, así como del establecimiento de un hongo micorrízico en las mismas. Para lograr lo anterior se inocularon plantas germinadas in vitro con diferentes concentraciones de bacteria y de acetosiringona en varios sitios...

The present study is the first report on the induction of transformed roots in Agave salmiana Otto using Agrobacterium rhizogenes, as well as of the establishment of a micorrhizic fungus in the same roots. To achieve this, in vitro germinated plants were inoculated with several bacteria and acetosyringone concentrations, in several places (lea, ste...

In this paper are presented structural analysis and expression studies of one genomic clone encoding a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACC oxidase) from papaya. Using RT-PCR amplification of ACC oxidase cDNAs from ripe papaya, a product of 800 bp was obtained, which after sequence analysis was found to code for a protein highly homologou...