Resistance to pathogens in terpene down-regulated orange fruits inversely correlates with the accumulation of D-limonene in peel oil glands

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are secondary metabolites acting as a language for the communication of plants with the environment. In orange fruits, the monoterpene D-limonene accumulates at very high levels in oil glands from the peel. Drastic down-regulation of D-limonene synthase gene expression in the peel of transgenic oranges harboring a D-limonene synthase transgene in antisense (AS) configuration altered the monoterpene profile in oil glands, mainly resulting in reduced accumulation of D-limonene. This led to fruit resistance against Penicillium digitatum (Pd), Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) and other specialized pathogens. Here, we analyze resistance to pathogens in independent AS and empty vector (EV) lines, which have low, medium or high D-limonene concentrations and show that the level of resistance is inversely related to the accumulation of D-limonene in orange peels, thus explaining the need of high D-limonene accumulation in mature oranges in nature for the efficient attraction of specialized microorganism frugivores.     

RASPA: molecular simulation software for adsorption and diffusion in flexible nanoporous materials

A new software package, RASPA, for simulating adsorption and diffusion of molecules in flexible nanoporous materials is presented. The code implements the latest state-of-the-art algorithms for molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo (MC) in various ensembles including symplectic/measure-preserving integrators, Ewald summation, configurational-bias MC, continuous fractional component MC, reactive MC and Baker's minimisation. We show example applications of RASPA in computing coexistence properties, adsorption isotherms for single and multiple components, self- and collective diffusivities, reaction systems and visualisation. The software is released under the GNU General Public License.     

New Type of Papillomavirus and Novel Circular Single Stranded DNA Virus Discovered in Urban Rattus norvegicus Using Circular DNA Enrichment and Metagenomics

Rattus norvegicus (R. norvegicus) are ubiquitous and their presence has several effects on the human populations in our urban areas on a global scale. Both historically and presently, this close interaction has facilitated the dissemination of many pathogens to humans, making screening for potentially zoonotic and emerging viruses in rats highly relevant. We have investigated faecal samples from R. norvegicus collected from urban areas using a protocol based on metagenomic enrichment of circular DNA genomes and subsequent sequencing. We found a new type of papillomavirus, with a L1 region 82% identical to that of the known R. norvegicus Papillomavirus 2. Additionally, we found 20 different circular replication associated protein (Rep)-encoding single stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) virus-like genomes, one of which has homology to the replication-associated gene of Beak and feather disease virus. Papillomaviruses are a group of viruses known for their carcinogenic potential, and although they are known to infect several different vertebrates, they are mainly studied and characterised in humans. CRESS-DNA viruses are found in many different environments and tissue types. Both papillomaviruses and CRESS-DNA viruses are known to have pathogenic potential and screening for novel and known viruses in R. norvegicus could help identify viruses with pathogenic potential.     

Insecticidal and Repellent Activity of Siparuna guianensis Aubl. (Negramina) against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus

This study investigated the toxic effects of essential oils isolated from Siparuna guianensis against Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus (eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult) and Aedes albopictus (C6/36) cells. The oviposition-deterring activity, egg viability, and repellence activity in the presence of different essential oils concentrations were determined. The essential oils showed high toxicity to all developmental stages of A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus. Furthermore, the oils also showed high repellent activity towards the adult stage of mosquitoes (0.025 to 0.550 μg/cm2 skin conferred 100% repellence up to 120 min) and in contact with cultured insect cells (C6/36) induced death possibly by necrosis. The results presented in this work show the potential of S. guianensis essential oils for the development of an alternative and effective method for the natural control of mosquitoes in homes and urban areas.     

Evidence for kinetic and immunologic heterogeneity of dihydrofolate reductase in L1210 leukemia cells.

Two species of DHFR were identified in wild-type L1210 murine leukemia cells by analysis of the kinetics of the binding of MTX and dissociation of the MTX-enzyme complex at pH 5.0 and pH 7.2. The two forms of DHFR were also distinguished by immunoinhibition of the binding of MTX and the catalytic reduction of FH2 to FH4 using an antiserum raised to the purified high affinity form of DHFR. The Ka for the binding of MTX by the low affinity form of the enzyme is 4.5 x 10(7) M-1, substantially lower than the reported Ka for the binding of this drug by the high affinity enzyme. The low affinity form of the enzyme catalyzed the reduction of FH2 to FH4 at a rate slower than the high affinity form of DHFR.