Development of sporeless/low sporing strains of Pleurotus through mutation

Summary The sporophores of Pleurotus are gymnocarpous and continuously release spores in the atmosphere causing respiratory allergies like hay fever and farmer’s lung disease among workers. The allergy is caused by the antigens present on the walls of the spores. Apart from this, during commercial production, these spores settle on the fruit bodies, germinate and form a velvety film which gives an unpleasant appearance to the mushrooms. The spores emitted may include new genotypes likely to attack wood or trees. Spore allergy is one of the most important limiting factors for the large scale cultivation of this species. Different approaches are being adopted at IIHR for the production of commercial sporeless/low-sporing strains of Pleurotus to alleviate the spore allergy problem. Attempts were made during the present investigation to produce sporeless or low-sporing mutants through u.v. mutation. Mutation of the mycelium did not yield the desired results. Mutation of the spores of Pleurotus sajor-caju yielded an extremely low-sporing mutant after 75 min exposure. The character has been found to be stable for more than 10 generations of subculturing.     

The next step in biology: A periodic table?

Systems biology is an approach to explain the behaviour of a system in relation to its individual components. Synthetic biology uses key hierarchical and modular concepts of systems biology to engineer novel biological systems. In my opinion the next step in biology is to use molecule-to-phenotype data using these approaches and integrate them in the form a periodic table. A periodic table in biology would provide chassis to classify, systematize and compare diversity of component properties vis-a-vis system behaviour. Using periodic table it could be possible to compute higher-level interactions from component properties. This paper examines the concept of building a bio-periodic table using protein fold as the fundamental unit.     

Formative effects of morphactin on the shoot apical meristem of flax (linum usitatissimum L.).

The effect of a morphactin -- CF1 -- (2-chloro-9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carbocylic acid-methyl ester) on the morphogenesis of shoot apical meristem was studied on L. usitatissimum L. at three levels of supply. CF1 at 10 and 100 parts/10(6) induced repeated gamophylly resembling a concentric cupulate structure. GA3 superimposed at two levels viz. 10 and 100 parts/10(6) did not reverse this effect. The effect of CF1 is dose-dependent and reversal to normal behaviour occurs when the effect of CF1 wears off.     

Contrasting effects of 5 alpha- and 5 beta-pregnane-3,20-dione on the motor activity of ovariectomized rats

While progesterone metabolites have long been known to be potent anesthetics in pharmacological doses, there is no available information as to their effects on behaviour at physiological levels. In this study, 5 alpha- and 5 beta-pregnanediones in silastic capsules were implanted in ovariectomized rats. Approximately 4 mg/kg/day was absorbed over a 24-day period. Rats receiving 5 beta-pregnanedione had decreased motor activity (58% control, P less than or equal to 0.001) while those receiving the 5 alpha-isomer had increased activity (143% control, P = 0.01). These studies suggest that these progesterone metabolites may be responsible for some behavioural changes.     

Effects of starvation,chilling, and injury on endocrine gland function in Galleria mellonella

Starvation, chilling, and injury of last instar Galleria mellonella larvae typically elicit extra larval molts or a delay in pupation. The primary sites of action and the nature of the signals by which these treatments affect development are not known. However, since the connections of the brain to the nerve cord are crucial for the effects of starvation and chilling, these signals apparently affect the brain-centered program of developmental regulation via the nerve cord. Chilling, and occasionally starvation, cause extra larval molts in last instar larvae treated prior to the nervous inhibition of their corpora allata; release of a cerebral allatotropin, which stimulates the production of juvenile hormone, appears to be involved in this effect. After this time, a delay in pupation is the principal effect of starvation and chilling, and is apparently due to a temporal inhibition of the release of the prothoracicotropic hormone. Chilling also appears to inhibit unstimulated ecdysteroid production by the prothoracic glands. The effect of injury is not mediated by the nerve cord, but appears to involve an inhibitory humoral factor that affects either the brain or the prothoracic glands themselves. Injury also stimulates juvenile hormone production, an effect which is enhanced when the brain is separated from the nerve cord and which is evidenced by a delay of ecdysis and the occasional retention of some larval features in the ecdysed insects. None of the effects of these various treatments on the brain and the endocrine glands persist when the brains or glands are implanted into untreated hosts.     

Synthesis of 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-l-serine (xylosylserine) andO-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1-4)-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-l-serine (galactosylxylosylserine) and use of the synthetic products for detection of galactosyltransferase I activity in rat liver

3-O-β-d-Xylopyranosyl-l-serine (xylosylserine) was synthesized by the following three-step procedure: 1) 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-α-d-xylopyranosyl bromide (benzobromoxylose) was condensed withN-carbobenzoxy-l-serine benzyl ester using the silver triflate-collidine complex as promoter; 2) theN-carbobenzoxy and benzyl ester groups in the resultant glycoside were cleaved by transfer hydrogenation with palladium black as catalyst and ammonium formate as hydrogen donor; and 3) the benzoyl groups were removed with methanolic ammonia. Xylosylserine was obtained in an overall yield of 70%. O-β-d-Galactopyranosyl-(1-4)-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1-3)-l-serine (galactosylxylosylserine) was also synthesized by this methodology and was characterized by 2-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy techniques. The two serine glycosides (xylosylserine and galactosylxylosylserine) were used in detection and partial purification of galactosyltransferase I (UDP-d-galactose:d-xylose galactosyltransferase) from adult rat liver.     

Use of the cytokinesis-block method for the analysis of micronuclei in V79 Chinese hamster lung cells: results with mitomycin C and cyclophosphamide

The cytochalasin B (CYB)-blocked binucleated cell assay has been explored to analyze micronuclei and cell cycle kinetics using 2 known mutagenic carcinogens in V79 Chinese hamster lung cells. To determine the optimum time to obtain the maximum number of binucleated cells for micronucleus analysis, duplicate cultures of exponentially growing cells were treated with 3 micrograms/ml CYB for varying durations (8-48 h). A peak appearance of binucleated cells at 16 h in the presence of CYB suggested this as an optimum time for micronucleus analysis in binucleated V79 cells. To evaluate the capacity for induction of micronuclei in V79 cells, 2 mutagenic carcinogens, mitomycin C (0.125-1.0 micrograms/ml) and cyclophosphamide (2-12 micrograms/ml) were tested in duplicate cultures. Mitomycin C, a direct-acting alkylating agent, caused approximately an 18-fold increase in micronucleus frequency over controls at the highest concentration tested (1.0 micrograms/ml), and this increase occurred in a dose-related manner (r = 0.92). The concentrations of mitomycin C tested also caused a significant dose-related cell cycle delay, thus suggesting cytotoxicity to V79 cells. Cyclophosphamide, an indirect-acting alkylating agent, requiring the presence of S9 mix, caused approximately a 17-fold increase in micronucleus frequency over controls at the highest tested concentration (12 micrograms/ml), with a clear dose response (r = 0.99). The various concentrations of cyclophosphamide also caused cytotoxicity in a dose-related fashion. Thus, this study demonstrates the usefulness of the cytokinesis-block method in V79 cells as a possible screen to analyze micronucleus induction and cytotoxicity. Because this approach is much less labor intensive than conducting a structural chromosomal analysis, this assay has great potential both as an initial screen for clastogenic activity and as a tool for investigating the underlying mechanisms for clastogenicity.