Developmental biochemical information is a vital base for the elucidation of seed physiology and metabolism. However, no data regarding the biochemical profile of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) seed development has been reported thus far. In this study, the biochemical changes in the developing oil palm seed were investigated to study their developmental pattern. The biochemical composition found in the seed differed significantly among the developmental stages. During early seed development, the water, hexose (glucose and fructose), calcium and manganese contents were present in significantly high levels compared to the late developmental stage. Remarkable changes in the biochemical composition were observed at 10 weeks after anthesis (WAA): the dry weight and sucrose content increased significantly, whereas the water content and hexose content declined. The switch from a high to low hexose/sucrose ratio could be used to identify the onset of the maturation phase. At the late stage, dramatic water loss occurred, whereas the content of storage reserves increased progressively. Lauric acid was the most abundant fatty acid found in oil palm seed starting from 10 WAA.
To gain insights on protein changes in fruit setting and growth in oil palm, a comparative proteomic approach was undertaken to study proteome changes during its early development. The variations in the proteome at five early developmental stages were investigated via a gel-based proteomic technique. A total of 129 variant proteins were determined using mass spectrometric analysis, resulting in 80 identifications. The majority of the identified protein species were classified as energy and metabolism, stress response/defence and cell structure during early oil palm development representing potential candidates for the control of final fruit size and composition. Seven prominent protein species were then characterised using real-time polymerase chain reaction to validate the mRNA expression against the protein abundant profiles. Transcript and protein profiles were parallel across the developmental stages, but divergent expression was observed in one protein spot, indicative of possible post-transcriptional events. Our results revealed protein changes in early oil palm fruit development provide valuable information in the understanding of fruit growth and metabolism during early stages that may contribute towards improving agronomic traits. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry approach was used in this study to identify differentially expressed proteins during early oil palm fruit development. A total of 80 protein spots with significant change in abundance were successfully identified and selected genes were analysed using real time PCR to validate their expression. The dynamic changes in oil palm fruit proteome during early development were mostly active in primary and energy metabolism, stress responses, cell structure and protein metabolism. This study reveals the physiological processes during early oil palm fruit development and provides a reference proteome for further improvements in fruit quality traits.
The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has a significant impact on the mental health of the global population. Updates are needed regarding the mental health status among the local population since limited studies were done so far. This research compared the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among HCWs and non-HCWs. We also evaluated the factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms among these 2 groups. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between September to December 2022. Online questionnaire was distributed to HCWs from 2 tertiary government hospitals. Non-HCWs from various occupational fields were recruited randomly. Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) were used to screen for anxiety and depression symptoms respectively. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 28.0. 200 questionnaires were distributed to HCWs and non-HCWs respectively. The response rate was 74.5% from HCWs and 82.5% from non-HCWs (P = .07). A total of 236 individuals (105 HCWs and 131 non-HCWs) were included in the study. Majority were female, married, highly educated and worked more than 8 hours per day. There was no significant difference for the prevalence of anxiety (37.2% vs 44.3%, P = .34) and depression symptoms (37.3% vs 35.1%, P = .75) between HCWs and non-HCWs. Among HCWs, poor workplace support (P = .009) and low income (P = .04) were associated with anxiety symptoms. Younger age (P = .02), single status (P = .01) and poor workplace support (P = .006) were associated with depression symptoms. More non-HCWs with a higher educational level were having anxiety and depression symptoms. Single status (P = .03), working away from home (P = .02), poor family support (P = .03) and quarantine as Covid-19 close contact (P = .04) were also associated with depression symptoms among non-HCWs. There is no significant difference between HCWs and non-HCWs experiencing possible anxiety or depressive symptoms in this study. However, attention should be paid to address associated factors identified among each group to promote good mental health.
Somaclonal variation arises in plants and animals when differentiated somatic cells are induced into a pluripotent state, but the resulting clones differ from each other and from their parents. In agriculture, somaclonal variation has hindered the micropropagation of elite hybrids and genetically modified crops, but the mechanism responsible remains unknown. The oil palm fruit 'mantled' abnormality is a somaclonal variant arising from tissue culture that drastically reduces yield, and has largely halted efforts to clone elite hybrids for oil production. Widely regarded as an epigenetic phenomenon, 'mantling' has defied explanation, but here we identify the MANTLED locus using epigenome-wide association studies of the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis. DNA hypomethylation of a LINE retrotransposon related to rice Karma, in the intron of the homeotic gene DEFICIENS, is common to all mantled clones and is associated with alternative splicing and premature termination. Dense methylation near the Karma splice site (termed the Good Karma epiallele) predicts normal fruit set, whereas hypomethylation (the Bad Karma epiallele) predicts homeotic transformation, parthenocarpy and marked loss of yield. Loss of Karma methylation and of small RNA in tissue culture contributes to the origin of mantled, while restoration in spontaneous revertants accounts for non-Mendelian inheritance. The ability to predict and cull mantling at the plantlet stage will facilitate the introduction of higher performing clones and optimize environmentally sensitive land resources.