Rapid sex identification of papaya (Carica papaya) using multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP)

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is established as a cash crop throughout the tropical and subtropical regions due to its easy adaptation to diverse agricultural conditions, high yields, and prompt returns. The sex types of papaya plants are hermaphrodite, male, and female. Among them, hermaphroditic plants are the major type in papaya production, because the fruit has commercial advantages over that of the other sexes. Sex inheritance in papaya is determined by the M and M ^h dominant alleles in males and hermaphrodites, respectively, and a recessive m allele in females. Currently, all hermaphrodite seeds are not available due to the lethality of dominant homozygosity. Therefore, in this study, six male–hermaphrodite-specific markers were developed for a rapid sex identification using multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP) to efficiently and precisely select hermaphroditic individuals in the seedling or early growth stage. The LM1-LAMP assay consisted of two sex-LAMP reactions for amplifying two male-specific markers (T12 and Cpsm90) in one reaction, and showed several advantages in terms of a rapid reaction time (<1 h), isothermal conditions (less equipment required), a high efficiency (0.5 ng of DNA required in the reaction mixture), and an economical reaction system (5 μl in volume). The established method can be easily performed in the field by visual inspection and facilitates the selection of all hermaphroditic individuals in papaya production.     

Effect of papaya (Carica papaya) leaf extract as dietary growth promoter supplement in red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus × Oreochromis niloticus) diet

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the potential use of Carica papaya leaf extract as a supplement to promote growth and improve feed utilization in red hybrid tilapia. Five diets were formulated containing isolipidic (80 g/kg) and isonitrogenic (350 g/kg) levels. All feeds contained similar types and amounts of raw materials but differed in the inclusion of papaya leaf extract (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 g/kg feed). The initial size of fish used was 2.3 ± 0.01 g. Each diet was performed in triplicate tanks, and the feeding period was 12 weeks. Fish fed diet containing 2% papaya leaf extract (PLE) had the highest final weight, 31.14 ± 1.47 g, followed by 1% PLE (27.27 ± 1.75 g). These two diets (1% and 2%) were also showed significant improvements of weight gain, SGR, and feed efficiency of the red hybrid tilapia (p < 0.05). However, papaya leaf extract did not affect the HSI, VSI, PER, digestive enzymes activity, blood composition, and survival rate. Supplementing the diets with papaya leaf extract lowered serum urea. Findings of this research suggest that adding papaya leaf extract to the diet of red hybrid tilapia improves growth and feed efficiency without adversely affecting blood parameters. Therefore, an inclusion level between 1% and 2% of the papaya leaf extract is recommended as a feed additive to promote red hybrid tilapia fry growth.     

Pollinator‐mediated interactions between cultivated papaya and co‐flowering plant species

Many modern crop varieties rely on animal pollination to set fruit and seeds. Intensive crop plantations usually do not provide suitable habitats for pollinators so crop yield may depend on the surrounding vegetation to maintain pollination services. However, little is known about the effect of pollinator‐mediated interactions among co‐flowering plants on crop yield or the underlying mechanisms. Plant reproductive success is complex, involving several pre‐ and post‐pollination events; however, the current literature has mainly focused on pre‐pollination events in natural plant communities. We assessed pollinator sharing and the contribution to pollinator diet in a community of wild and cultivated plants that co‐flower with a focal papaya plantation. In addition, we assessed heterospecific pollen transfer to the stigmatic loads of papaya and its effect on fruit and seed production. We found that papaya shared at least one pollinator species with the majority of the co‐flowering plants. Despite this, heterospecific pollen transfer in cultivated papaya was low in open‐pollinated flowers. Hand‐pollination experiments suggest that heterospecific pollen transfer has no negative effect on fruit production or weight, but does reduce seed production. These results suggest that co‐flowering plants offer valuable floral resources to pollinators that are shared with cultivated papaya with little or no cost in terms of heterospecific pollen transfer. Although HP reduced seed production, a reduced number of seeds per se are not negative, given that from an agronomic perspective the number of seeds does not affect the monetary value of the papaya fruit.     

Redox activities in plasma membrane vesicles isolated from papaya (Carica papaya) leaves

Plasma membrane vesicles were isolated from papaya (Carica papaya) leaf cells by a two-phase partition system. Redox activities of these vesicles were determined by ferricyanide reduction and NADH oxidation. Ferricyanide reductase activity was accompanied by continuous acidification of the medium and was stimulated by fusicoccin. NADH oxidase activity was inhibited by catalase.Abbreviations FC fusicoccin - PCMBS parachloromercuri-benzenesulfonic acid     

Multivariate analysis to determine the genetic distance among backcross papaya (Carica papaya) progenies

Morpho-agronomic and molecular (RAPD and ISSR markers) data were used to evaluate genetic distances between papaya backcross progenies in order to help identify agronomically superior genotypes. Thirty-two papaya progenies were evaluated based on 15 morpho-agronomic characteristics, 20 ISSR and 19 RAPD primers. Manhattan, Jaccard and Gower distances were used to estimate differences based on continuous and binary data and combined analyses, respectively. Except for production, there were significant differences in the continuous variables among the genotypes. The molecular analysis revealed 193 dominant markers (ISSR and RAPD), being 53 polymorphic loci. Among the various clusters that were generated, the one based on a combined analysis of morpho-agronomic and molecular data gave the highest cophenetic correlation (0.72) compared to individual analysis, consistently allocating the progenies into six groups. We found that the Gower algorithm was more coherent in the discrimination of the genotypes, demonstrating that a combination of molecular and agronomic data is valuable for studies of genetic dissimilarity in papaya.     

Field biology and control of Phytophthora parasitica on papaya (Carica papaya) in Hawaii

Epidemic attacks of Phytophthora parasitica on papaya fruits developed during wet, windy weather, but declined rapidly when the weather became dry. During rain, abundant sporangia were liberated from the mycelial mats on infected fruits, but none was trapped in dry air. Collar rots and tree collapse caused by root rot occur irrespective of spray treatments and previous aerial infections on the same tree: they are no more prevalent in blocks with abundant aerial infections than in blocks with none. Basal rots occurred earlier and more frequently on plantings near abandoned diseased fields: they were scattered randomly and appeared before aerial infections. It is suggested that new outbreaks might be initiated from seeds of infected fruit, in which chlamydospores have been found, or from infected nursery seedlings. Drosophila spp. were found to be occasional vectors of sporangia. Control of aerial infections was obtained with maneb, basic copper sulphate, captan or difolatan. Spraying only the upper half of the acropetally developing fruit cluster gave much better control than spraying only the lower fruits.     

Anther culture of papaya (Carica papaya L.)

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) anther containing microspores in tetrad to early-binucleate stages were successfully cultured on 1/2 strength MS salts and vitamins with full strength Na-Fe-EDTA supplemented with 2 mg/l NAA, 1 mg/l BA and 6% sucrose for callus initiation and formation. Highest frequencies of callus induction were obtained when anthers at the uninucleate stage were cultured in the dark. Haploid plantlets and pollen-derived embryoids were obtained from anthers cultured at the uninucleate stage on solidified MS medium containing 3% sucrose without any growth regulators under a low light intensity (1,500 lux). Large quantities of embryoids were obtained when the original embryoids were transferred to MS medium with 3% sucrose and no growth regulators. Cytology of root tips of embryoid-derived plants confirmed the haploid chromosome number of 9 indicating that the embryoids originated from pollen.Abbreviations MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - MAA naphthaleneacetic acid - BA 6-benzyladenine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid     

Structured triacylglycerols resembling human milk fat by transesterification catalyzed by papaya (Carica papaya) latex

Structured triacylglycerols resembling human milk fat, that contain palmitoyl (16:0) moieties predominantly at the sn-2- position of the glycerol backbone and oleoyl (18:1) and linoleoyl (18:2) moieties at the sn-1,3-positions, have been prepared by regiospecific transesterification of tripalmitin with fatty acids of low-erucic rapeseed oil using a plant lipase – papaya latex – and for comparison Lipozyme, as biocatalyst. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Possible antagonism of (Z)‐2‐hexenyl (E)‐3‐hexenoate against the attractiveness of (E)‐2‐hexenyl (Z)‐3‐hexenoate to Ooencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Ooencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is an egg parasitoid of bean bug Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) which is a major pest of beans. Females of O. nezarae are attracted to (E)‐2‐hexenyl (Z)‐3‐hexenoate (EZ), one of the components of aggregation pheromone of R. pedestris. Effects of three isomers (ZE, EE and ZZ) of EZ on the attractiveness of O. nezarae were tested using electroantennography (EAG) and field bioassays. EAG analyses revealed that the response of O. nezarae to ZE was significantly higher than those to air, hexane and two other isomers, even though the response was lower than that to EZ. ZE affected the attractiveness of EZ dose‐dependently in the field. Addition of ZE (100 mg) to EZ (10 mg) caused a significant reduction in the catches of O. nezarae females. Single or binary addition of two other isomers (EE and ZZ) to EZ could not decrease or increase significantly the number of O. nezarae catches of EZ. Even though addition of ZZ (10, 50 or 100 mg) to EZ (10 mg) caused dose‐dependent reduction in the number of O. nezarae female catches, the reductions were not significantly different from that of EZ. EZ and its three isomers were not attractive to O. nezarae males at all.     

Effect of papaya (Carica papaya) leaf extract as dietary growth promoter supplement in red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus × Oreochromis niloticus) diet

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the potential use of Carica papaya leaf extract as a supplement to promote growth and improve feed utilization in red hybrid tilapia. Five diets were formulated containing isolipidic (80 g/kg) and isonitrogenic (350 g/kg) levels. All feeds contained similar types and amounts of raw materials but differed in the inclusion of papaya leaf extract (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 g/kg feed). The initial size of fish used was 2.3 ± 0.01 g. Each diet was performed in triplicate tanks, and the feeding period was 12 weeks. Fish fed diet containing 2% papaya leaf extract (PLE) had the highest final weight, 31.14 ± 1.47 g, followed by 1% PLE (27.27 ± 1.75 g). These two diets (1% and 2%) were also showed significant improvements of weight gain, SGR, and feed efficiency of the red hybrid tilapia (p < 0.05). However, papaya leaf extract did not affect the HSI, VSI, PER, digestive enzymes activity, blood composition, and survival rate. Supplementing the diets with papaya leaf extract lowered serum urea. Findings of this research suggest that adding papaya leaf extract to the diet of red hybrid tilapia improves growth and feed efficiency without adversely affecting blood parameters. Therefore, an inclusion level between 1% and 2% of the papaya leaf extract is recommended as a feed additive to promote red hybrid tilapia fry growth.     

Pichia cecembensis sp. nov. isolated from a papaya fruit (Carica papaya L., Caricaceae)

The ascogenous yeast YS16T was isolated from a decaying papaya fruit. Phenotypic traits such as multilateral budding, spheroidal or elongate shape, pseudohyphae formation, asci with one or more ascospores, ability to ferment d-glucose, inability to assimilate nitrate and the presence of Q7 ubiquinone suggest its affiliation to the genus Pichia. The nearest phylogenetic neighbor, based on D1/D2 domain sequence of the 26S rRNA gene and ITS region sequence, was identified as Issatchenkia orientalis (NRRL Y-5396T, a synonym of Pichia kudriavzevii) with similarities of 98.2% and 97% respectively. In addition to the difference in the D1/D2 and ITS region sequence, YS16T differs from I. orientalis with respect to a number of phenotypic traits. However, in the phylogenetic analysis, YS16T showed close relatedness to the P. membranifaciens clade. Thus, it is proposed to assign the status of a new species to YS16T, for which the name P. cecembensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of P. cecembensis sp. nov. is YS16T (=NRRL Y-27985T=JCM 13873T=CBS 10445T).     

Lateral bud culture of papaya (Carica papaya L.) for clonal propagation

Lateral buds may be preferred to shoot tips for in vitro propagation of papaya because of its unbranched nature. Proliferating shoot cultures from lateral buds appeared extremely compact with shortened internodes and leaf lamina of the cytokinin level (BAP 2 M) reported for multiple shoot production from shoot tips. ZEA (4 M) and 2iP (8 M) although reduced the proliferation rate, resulted in better growth of the shoot from lateral bud. Rooting was observed with IBA 20 M but plantlets so produced remained stunted.     

Identification of interleukin‐16 (IL‐16) and interleukin‐17D (IL‐17D) genes from Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus)

Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) represents an ancient Actinopterygian lineage that are termed “living fossils”. Many diseases have been found in Dabry's sturgeon. In the present study, genes encoding interleukin (IL)‐16 and IL‐17D in Dabry's sturgeon were identified by RNA‐sequencing. Phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that they clustered together with the corresponding pro‐IL‐16 proteins and IL‐17D proteins from other fish. Sequence analysis revealed that IL‐17D protein was more conserved than pro‐IL‐16. Dabry's sturgeon pro‐IL‐16 contains four putative PDZ domains and do not include signal peptides, while IL‐17D only possesses signal peptides (1–25 aa). The expression patterns of IL‐16 and IL‐17D genes were investigated in Dabry's sturgeon to reveal their functions in disease. The expression level of IL‐16 showed no significant changes in embryos; however, the high expression level of IL‐17D at 0–14 hpf (hours post fertilization) implied the existence of maternal expression in the oocyte and an association with embryonic development. Tissue distribution analysis revealed that IL‐16 and IL‐17D proteins have potential functions in immune and non‐immune tissue compartments. IL‐16 and IL‐17D had different fold changes in primary spleen leukocytes after polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration, which suggested that IL‐16 has a stronger antiviral capability compared with its antibacterial response, and IL‐17D has a stronger antibacterial capability compared with its antiviral response. IL‐16 showed an earlier response to virus compared with IL‐17D, and IL‐17D showed earlier and shorter response to bacteria compared with IL‐16. Our findings suggested the roles of IL‐16 and IL‐17D in Dabry's sturgeon, and provided the theoretical basis for the prevention and control of diseases of Dabry's sturgeon.     

White‐ and blue‐light‐emitting dysprosium(III) and terbium(III)‐doped gadolinium titanate phosphors

Here we report the synthesis and structural, morphological, and photoluminescence analysis of white‐ and blue‐light‐emitting Dy³⁺‐ and Tm³⁺‐doped Gd₂Ti₂O₇ nanophosphors. Single‐phase cubic Gd₂Ti₂O₇ nanopowders consist of compact, dense aggregates of nanoparticles with an average size of ~25 nm for Dy³⁺‐doped and ~50 nm for Tm³⁺‐doped samples. The photoluminescence results indicated that ultraviolet (UV) light excitation of the Dy³⁺‐doped sample resulted in direct generation of white light, while a dominant yellow emission was obtained under blue‐light excitation. Intense blue light was obtained for Tm³⁺‐doped Gd₂Ti₂O₇ under UV excitation suggesting that this material could be used as a blue phosphor.     

超声波辅助农杆菌介导CP基因转化番木瓜（Carioca papaya L.）的有效方法

本研究探索了通过农杆菌介导,超声波辅助处理,转化番木瓜胚性愈伤组织,获得转基因植株的有效方法。分别将含有日本PLDMV外壳蛋白基因(PTi-Epj-TL-PLDMV)和含有台湾PRSV菌株、美国夏威夷PRSV菌株、泰国PRSV菌株及日本PLDMV菌株的多元外壳蛋白基因编码序列(PT—NP—YKT)插入双元栽体质粒pGA482G,借助于农杆菌系LBA4404将双元载体上的外壳蛋白基因和新霉素磷酸转移酶基因(nptⅡ)转移到番木瓜品种Sunset的胚性愈伤组织中,从而获得抗卡那霉素的转化再生植株。试验着重在转化方法上进行探索。结果表明,农杆菌过夜培养后,用高渗透压培养液(1／2MS 6％蔗糖 1％葡萄糖,pH5．7)调整至光密度OD600nm=15-0．20,然后用该菌液感染材料30min,其间辅以超声波处理,可以大大提高转化效率。用15ml无菌离心管装载胚性愈伤材料进行15s的超声波处理,在80块被转化的胚性愈伤中获得21个CP基因G转化系(26．3％),而在对照处理64块胚性愈伤中仅获得1个转化系(1．6％);在经过15s的超声波处理48块被转化的胚性愈伤中获得8个CP基因B转化系(16．7％),而在对照处理25块胚性愈伤中未出现转化系。上述操作方法用在两种CP基因转化上均表现出相似的效果。试验还表明：120mg／L是卡那霉素抗性筛选的最佳浓度。抗性筛选9个月后,在421块胚性愈伤组织中产生了42个抗卡那霉素的转化系。所获得的转基因植株分别用PCR和Southern印迹杂交进行了鉴定。