An extremophile is an organism that is able to live in extreme environments, i.e., environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, pressure, radiation, salinity, or pH level.
Vigna is a genus of plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. It includes some well-known cultivated species, including many types of beans. Some are former members of the genus Phaseolus. According to Hortus Third, Vigna differs from Phaseolus in biochemistry and pollen structure, and in details of the style and stipules.
L-Gulonolactone oxidase is an enzyme that produces vitamin C. It is expressed in most mammals, but is non-functional in Haplorrhini, in some bats, and in guinea pigs. It catalyzes the reaction of L-gulono-1,4-lactone with oxygen to form L-xylo-hex-3-gulonolactone (2-keto-gulono-γ-lactone) and hydrogen peroxide. It uses FAD as a cofactor. The L-xylo-hex-3-gulonolactone then converts to ascorbic acid spontaneously, without enzymatic action. The structure of L-gulonolactone oxidase in rats helps identify characteristics of this enzyme.
Farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), also known as farnesyl diphosphate (FDP), is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of terpenes and terpenoids such as sterols and carotenoids. It is also used in the synthesis of CoQ, as well as dehydrodolichol diphosphate.
Alex George's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia was the first modern-day arrangement for that genus. First published in 1981 in the classic monograph The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae), it superseded the arrangement of George Bentham, which had stood for over a hundred years. It was overturned in 1996 by Kevin Thiele and Pauline Ladiges, but restored by George in 1999. A recent publication by Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele suggests that it will soon be overturned again.
Cakile maritima, sea rocket or European searocket, is a common plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae. It is widespread in Europe, North Africa and western Asia, especially on coastlines. It can now be found in many other areas of the world where it has been introduced. It is present on the west and east coasts of North America, where it has the potential to become an invasive species. This is an annual plant which grows in clumps or mounds in the sand on beaches and bluffs. The shiny leaves are fleshy, green and tinted with purple or magenta, and long-lobed. It has white to light purple flowers and sculpted, segmented, corky brown fruits one to three centimetres long. The fruits float and are water-dispersed.
Aesculetin is a derivative of coumarin. It is a natural lactone that derives from the intramolecular cyclization of a cinnamic acid derivative.
Edestin, is a highly-digestible, hexameric legumin protein with six subunits, and a seed storage protein, with a molecular weight of 310 kDa. This protein is primarily found in hemp seeds. Edestin is a globular protein as opposed to fibrous protein (structural).
Antarctica is one of the most physically and chemically extreme terrestrial environments to be inhabited by lifeforms. The largest plants are mosses, and the largest animals that do not leave the continent are a few species of insects.
In molecular biology mir-367 microRNA is a short RNA molecule. MicroRNAs function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by several mechanisms.
24-Epibrassinolide is a type of brassinosteroid, a natural occurring plant hormone. It was first discovered 1979 as a growth promoting substance in rape pollen, and was subsequently discovered in many other plant organs. 24-Epibrassinolide is essential for proper plant development growth and development, is involved in the regulation of cell elongation and division, and has been shown to improve plant functions in salt- and nickel-stressed environments, as well as increasing enzyme activity. It is sold commercially as a white powder for use in plant culture.
Monochoria korsakowii is a species of annual flowering plant in the water hyacinth family known by several common names, including heartleaf false pickerelweed and oval-leafed pondweed. It is found in lakes, ponds, swamps, and rice paddy fields.
TNNI3 interacting kinase is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNNI3K gene.
Sharon Anita Robinson is an Antarctic researcher known for her work on climate change and bryophytes.
Campylopus is a genus of 180 species of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the family Leucobryaceae. The name comes from the Greek campylos, meaning curved, and pous, meaning foot, referring to the setae which curve downwards.
Mount Rittmann is a volcano in Antarctica. Discovered in 1988–1989 by an Italian expedition, it was named after the volcanologist Alfred Rittmann (1893–1980). It features a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) or 8 by 5 kilometres wide caldera which crops out from underneath the Aviator Glacier. The volcano was active during the Pliocene and into the Holocene, including large explosive eruptions; a major eruption occurred in 1254 CE and deposited tephra over much of Antarctica. Currently, the volcano is classified as dormant.
Pohlia is a genus of mosses in the family Mniaceae, found on all continents including Antarctica. Some of its species are native to multiple continents. The center of diversity is the Northern Hemisphere.
CYP303A1 is an insect gene belongs to the cytochrome P450 family, first found in Drosophila melanogaster, highly expressed in pupal stage. Its ortholog also found in Locusta migratoria.
Syntrichia caninervis, also known as steppe screw moss, is a desert moss species distributed throughout the world. As an extremophile, it is able to withstand desiccation under dry conditions with little access to water and is commonly found in hypolithic communities. It makes use of a novel adaptation to the desert environment to harvest and collect water sources such as dew, fog, snow, and rain, using tiny hairs instead of roots. In laboratory experiments, S. caninervis has shown the ability to survive in a simulated Martian environment.
