Small-spored Alternaria spp. (section Alternaria) are common pathogens on wild tomato species

The wild relatives of modern tomato crops are native to South America. These plants occur in habitats as different as the Andes and the Atacama Desert and are, to some degree, all susceptible to fungal pathogens of the genus Alternaria. Alternaria is a large genus. On tomatoes, several species cause early blight, leaf spots and other diseases. We collected Alternaria-like infection lesions from the leaves of eight wild tomato species from Chile and Peru. Using molecular barcoding markers, we characterized the pathogens. The infection lesions were caused predominantly by small-spored species of Alternaria of the section Alternaria, like A. alternata, but also by Stemphylium spp., Alternaria spp. from the section Ulocladioides and other related species. Morphological observations and an infection assay confirmed this. Comparative genetic diversity analyses show a larger diversity in this wild system than in studies of cultivated Solanum species. As A. alternata has been reported to be an increasing problem in cultivated tomatoes, investigating the evolutionary potential of this pathogen is not only interesting to scientists studying wild plant pathosystems. It could also inform crop protection and breeding programs to be aware of potential epidemics caused by species still confined to South America.     

Two centuries of spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater fish introductions

Aim

Investigating major freshwater fish flows (translocations) between biogeographic regions and their temporal dynamics and also quantifying spatial patterns and temporal changes in the array of introduced species, and the emergence and distance between major donor and recipient regions.

Location

Global.

Time Period

1800–2020.

Major Taxa Studied

Freshwater fishes.

Methods

We analysed a global dataset on freshwater fish introductions (4241 events of 688 species). Freshwater fish flows were investigated with flow diagrams and χ² tests, while PERMANOVA (permutational multivariate analysis of variance) was used to test the association between species and regions and temporal shifts. Cluster analysis revealed major recipient areas and composition of the introduced species. Finally, changes in distances between donor and recipient sites were tested with PERMANOVA.

Results

The number of introductions between biogeographic regions mirrored the European and North American dominance before World War II (WWII) and the trends in recreational fishing, biocontrol programmes and food production, especially in the Sino-Oriental region, which has a long tradition of aquaculture and fishkeeping. Over the years, the origins and composition of introduced species changed uniquely in each biogeographic region, although the most introduced species are common to every region. Salmonids and other cold-water species were frequently introduced before the 1950s, whereas tropical ornamental and aquaculture species currently prevail. Distances between donor and recipient sites did not vary over the time. After WWII, the Sino-Oriental region consolidated its dominance and the Ethiopian and Neotropical regions emerged as new global donor and recipient regions.

Main Conclusions

Global policy should focus on tropical ornamental and aquaculture species, which could benefit from global warming, especially in the Sino-Oriental region, because it currently dominates freshwater fish species flows, and the Ethiopian and Neotropical regions, because they recently emerged as important global donor and recipient regions of freshwater fish introductions.     

Design and preclinical testing of an anti-CD41 CAR T cell for the treatment of acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia

Acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (AMkL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) representing 5% of all reported cases, and frequently diagnosed in children with Down syndrome. Patients diagnosed with AMkL have low overall survival and have poor outcome to treatment, thus novel therapies such as CAR T cell therapy could represent an alternative in treating AMkL. We investigated the effect of a new CAR T cell which targets CD41, a specific surface antigen for M7-AMkL, against an in vitro model for AMkL, DAMI Luc2 cell line. The performed flow cytometry evaluation highlighted a percentage of 93.8% CAR T cells eGFP-positive and a limited acute effect on lowering the target cell population. However, the interaction between effector and target (E:T) cells, at a low ratio, lowered the cell membrane integrity, and reduced the M7-AMkL cell population after 24 h of co-culture, while the cytotoxic effect was not significant in groups with higher E:T ratio. Our findings suggest that the anti-CD41 CAR T cells are efficient for a limited time spawn and the cytotoxic effect is visible in all experimental groups with low E:T ratio.     

Continuous polyhydroxybutyrate production from biogas in an innovative two-stage bioreactor configuration

Biogas biorefineries have opened up new horizons beyond heat and electricity production in the anaerobic digestion sector. Added-value products such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are environmentally benign and potential candidates to replace conventional plastics, can be generated from biogas. This work investigated the potential of an innovative two-stage growth-accumulation system for the continuous production of biogas-based polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using Methylocystis hirsuta CSC1 as cell factory. The system comprised two turbulent bioreactors in series to enhance methane and oxygen mass transfer: a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a bubble column bioreactor (BCB) with internal gas recirculation. The CSTR was devoted to methanotrophic growth under nitrogen balanced growth conditions and the BCB targeted PHB production under nitrogen limiting conditions. Two different operational approaches under different nitrogen loading rates and dilution rates were investigated. A balanced nitrogen loading rate along with a dilution rate (D) of 0.3 day⁻¹ resulted in the most stable operating conditions and a PHB productivity of ~53 g PHB m⁻³ day⁻¹. However, higher PHB productivities (~127 g PHB m⁻³ day⁻¹) were achieved using nitrogen excess at a D = 0.2 day⁻¹. Overall, the high PHB contents (up to 48% w/w) obtained in the CSTR under theoretically nutrient balanced conditions and the poor process stability challenged the hypothetical advantages conferred by multistage vs single-stage process configurations for long-term PHB production.     

Strain distribution pattern in AXB and BXA recombinant inbred strains for loci on murine Chromosomes 10, 13, 17, and 18

Strain distribution patterns (SDPs) of selected loci previously mapped to murine Chromosomes (Chrs) 10, 13, 17, and 18 are reported for the AXB, BXA recombinant inbred (RI) strain set derived from the progenitor strains A/J (A) and C57BL/6J (B). The loci included the simple sequence length polymorphisms (D10Nds1, D10Mit2, D10Mit10, D10Mit14, D13Mit3, D13Nds1, D13Mit10, D13Mit13, D13Mit7, D13Mit11, D17Mit18, D17Mit10, D17Mit20, D17Mit3, D17Mit2, D18Mit17, D18Mit9, and D18Mit4), the restriction fragment length polymorphisms Pdea and Csfmr, and the biochemical marker AS-1. These loci were chosen because they map to genomic regions that had few or no genetic markers in the AXB, BXA RI set. Several of these loci also were typed in backcross progeny of matings of the (AXB)F₁ to strain A or B. The strain distribution patterns for chromosomes 10, 13, 17, and 18 are reported, and the gene order and map distances determined from the backcross data. The addition of these markers to the AXB, BXA RI strain set increases the genomic region over which linkage for new markers can be detected.     

The Prevention Effect of Bacillus subtilis on Escherichia coli–Induced Mastitis in Mice by Suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Mastitis, common inflammation of the mammary gland, caused by various factors, is a challenge for the dairy industry. Escherichia coli (E. coli), a...     

Novel Miscanthus hybrids: Modelling productivity on marginal land in Europe using dynamics of canopy development determined by light interception

New biomass crop hybrids for bioeconomic expansion require yield projections to determine their potential for strategic land use planning in the face of global challenges. Our biomass growth simulation incorporates radiation interception and conversion efficiency. Models often use leaf area to predict interception which is demanding to determine accurately, so instead we use low-cost rapid light interception measurements using a simple laboratory-made line ceptometer and relate the dynamics of canopy closure to thermal time, and to measurements of biomass. We apply the model to project the European biomass potentials of new market-ready hybrids for 2020–2030. Field measurements are easier to collect, the calibration is seasonally dynamic and reduces influence of weather variation between field sites. The model obtained is conservative, being calibrated by crops of varying establishment and varying maturity on less productive (marginal) land. This results in conservative projections of miscanthus hybrids for 2020–2030 based on 10% land use conversion of the least (productive) grassland and arable for farm diversification, which show a European potential of 80.7–89.7 Mt year⁻¹ biomass, with potential for 1.2–1.3 EJ year⁻¹ energy and 36.3–40.3 Mt year⁻¹ carbon capture, with seeded Miscanthus sacchariflorus × sinensis displaying highest yield potential. Simulated biomass projections must be viewed in light of the field measurements on less productive land with high soil water deficits. We are attempting to model the results from an ambitious and novel project combining new hybrids across Europe with agronomy which has not been perfected on less productive sites. Nevertheless, at the time of energy sourcing issues, seed-propagated miscanthus hybrids for the upscaled provision of bioenergy offer an alternative source of renewable energy. If European countries provide incentives for growers to invest, seeded hybrids can improve product availability and biomass yields over the current commercial miscanthus variety.     

Effect of different doses of chromium picolinate on protein metabolism in infant rats.

This 12-day study was conducted to evaluate the effects of three different levels of dietary chromium (100, 200, and 500 microg/day) in the form of chromium picolinate (CrPic) on growth and protein use in weaned rats. No significant effect of CrPic on body weight gain, food intake, or food conversion rate was observed. Elevated doses of CrPic seemed to increase muscle mass, either by stimulating protein anabolism by activation of insulin by chromium or by lowering protein degradation. However, these effects had no repercussions on overall growth, suggesting that any anabolic effect of chromium due to the action of insulin was probably marginal.     

Invasion of tissue culture cells by diarrhoeagenic strains of Escherichia coli which lack the enteroinvasive inv gene

Abstract Invasive Escherichia coli strains of certain serotypes invade by the same mechanism as the Shigella sp. It has been proposed that invasion of epithelial cells by EPEC strains may also occur; this is a previously overlooked property. In the present study E. coli strains isolated from patients with diarrhoea or ulcerative colitis, lacking the inv plasmid mediating classical invasion, but hybridizing with probes for different adhesins, were analyzed for their ability to invade HeLa and Caco-2 cells. The majority of strains invaded Caco-2 cells to a higher extent than HeLa cells. Adhesion to Caco-2 cells was a prerequisite for subsequent invasion of the cells but EAF, eae , EAgg and other known virulence factors were not sufficient to mediate invasion. In 8/9 E. coli strains invasion was enhanced after growth under iron restriction. Growth during anaerobic conditions did not influence subsequent invasion by E. coli strains whereas 6/9 strains had their invasive ability significantly decreased after growth in the presence of 1% glucose. The invasive process was inhibited by mannose but not by lactose, fucose or galactose. Our data indicate that strains of E. coli may invade Caco-2 cells by novel mechanisms which require adhesion to the cells but which differ from those of Salmonella sp., Yersinia sp., Shigella sp. and classical enteroinvasive E. coli .