A survey of the genus Festuca L. (Poaceae) in Italy. Festuca gamisansii Kerguélen subsp. aethaliae,subsp. nova

ABSTRACT

Festuca gamisansii subsp. aethaliae, endemic to the Isle of Elba (Tuscan Archipelago) is described. The morphological, anatomical, karyological, ecological and chorological characteristics of the species are given. The main characteristics distinguishing F. gamisansii subsp. aethaliae from F. gamisansii subsp. gamisansii occurring in Corsica are also summarized.     

Geobacillus thermodenitrificans subsp. calidus, subsp. nov., a thermophilic and α-glucosidase producing bacterium isolated from Kizilcahamam, Turkey

An α-glucosidase producing, thermophilic, facultatively anaerobic, and endospore-forming, motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain F84b(T) was isolated from a high temperature well-pipeline sediment sample in Kizilcahamam, Turkey. The growth occurred at temperatures, pH and salinities ranging from 45 to 69oC (optimum 60oC), 7.0 to 8.5 (optimum 8.0) and 0 to 5% (w/v) (optimum 3.5%), respectively. Strain F84b(T) was able to grow on a wide range of carbon sources. Starch and tyrosine utilization, amylase, catalase and oxidase activities, nitrate reduction, and gas production from nitrate were all positive. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 49.6 mol%. The menaquinone content was MK-7. The dominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C17:0, iso-C15:0, and C16:0. In phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain F84b(T) showed high sequence similarity to Geobacillus thermodenitrificans (99.8%) and to Geobacillus subterraneus (99.3%) with DNA hybridization values of 74.3% and 29.1%, respectively. In addition, the Rep-PCR and the intergenic 16S-23S rRNA gene fingerprinting profiles differentiated strain F84b(T) from the Geobacillus species studied. The results obtained from the physiological and biochemical characters, the menaquinone contents, the borderline DNA-DNA hybridization homology, and the genomic fingerprinting patterns had allowed phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic differentiation of strain F84b(T) from G. thermodenitrificans. Therefore, strain F84b(T) is assigned to be a new subspecies of G. thermodenitrificans, for which the name Geobacillus thermodenitrificans subsp. calidus, subsp. nov. is proposed (The type strain F84b(T) = DSM 22629(T) = NCIMB 14582(T)).     

飞蝗新亚种——西藏飞蝗Locusta migratoria tibetensis subsp. n.

一、前言 飞蝗属(Locusta L.)目前在全世界巳知1种莲同本新亚种共7个亚种,即东亚飞蝗(Locusta migratoria manilensis Meyen)、亚洲飞蝗(L.migratoria migratoria L.)、西藏飞蝗(L.migratoria tibetensis subsp.n.)、俄罗斯飞蝗(L.migratoria rossica Uv.et Zolt.)、地中海飞蝗(L.migratoria gallica Rem.)、非洲飞蝗(L.migratoria migratorioides Reiche     

Effects of Roundup(®) and glyphosate on three food microorganisms: Geotrichum candidum, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus

Use of many pesticide products poses the problem of their effects on environment and health. Amongst them, the effects of glyphosate with its adjuvants and its by-products are regularly discussed. The aim of the present study was to shed light on the real impact on biodiversity and ecosystems of Roundup^?, a major herbicide used worldwide, and the glyphosate it contains, by the study of their effects on growth and viability of microbial models, namely, on three food microorganisms (Geotrichum candidum, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) widely used as starters in traditional and industrial dairy technologies. The presented results evidence that Roundup^? has an inhibitory effect on microbial growth and a microbicide effect at lower concentrations than those recommended in agriculture. Interestingly, glyphosate at these levels has no significant effect on the three studied microorganisms. Our work is consistent with previous studies which demonstrated that the toxic effect of glyphosate was amplified by its formulation adjuvants on different human cells and other eukaryotic models. Moreover, these results should be considered in the understanding of the loss of microbiodiversity and microbial concentration observed in raw milk for many years.     

How accurately can we detect Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection?

Mycobacteria have thwarted detection by scientists for centuries. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is one of the most fastidious of the Mycobacteriaceae, and has been implicated in both animal and human diseases. In domestic livestock, M. paratuberculosis has been associated with Johne's disease, which given its increasing incidence, is currently a cause for concern, due to the potential for M. paratuberculosis to enter our food chain. In addition, a tenuous link has been reported between M. paratuberculosis and Crohn's disease, however evidence to support this link is hampered by the lack of accurate methodologies for detection of M. paratuberculosis in humans. This review compares the sensitivity and specificity of traditional and more recent techniques to the culture and molecular detection of M. paratuberculosis. While serology and culture are popular choices for the livestock industry they have not produced useful data for human infection. Although the advent of molecular biology has enabled faster diagnosis of M. paratuberculosis in human infection, there is currently no gold standard such as culture on which to validate these findings. Even with DNA/RNA detection methods, there is the ever present issue of the genetic relatedness of M. paratuberculosis to other mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium avium complex, some of which also infect humans with very different pathological outcomes. Recent developments in this field include more rapid methods of M. paratuberculosis culture as well as the development of more accurate and sensitive PCR assays. The application of these techniques should offer a greater insight as to the role of M. paratuberculosis in human gastrointestinal diseases.     

甘蔗宿根矮化病病原菌Leifsonia xyli subsp.xyli 基因组学研究进展

综述甘蔗宿根矮化病病原细菌Leifsonia xyli subsp.xyli(Lxx)基因组组成特征、基因组进化、基因组中致病相关基因与寄主适应性等方面的研究进展,并对该病原茵、引起番茄细菌性萎蔫和溃疡的病原细菌、马铃薯环腐病痛原细菌的基因组和致病相关基因进行比较,发现它们存在同源致病基因,如celA、pat1基因,其致病机理可能有相似性.     

A Type III restriction–modification system in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri

The sequenced genome of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri revealed the presence of a Type III restriction–modification system (MmyCI). The methyltransferase (modification) subunit of MmyCI (M.MmyCI) was shown to recognize the sequence 5′-TGAG-3′ and methylate the adenine. The coding region of the methyltransferase gene contains 12 consecutive AG dinucleotide repeats that result in a translational termination at a TAA codon immediately beyond the repeat region. This strain does not have MmyCI activity. A clone was found with 10 AG repeats such that the gene is in frame, and this strain has MmyCI activity, suggesting that the expression of the MmyCI methyltransferase may be phase variable.     

Solubilization of a novel isoflavone glycoside-hydrolyzing β-glucosidase from Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus

A novel isoflavone glycoside-hydrolyzing β-glucosidase produced by Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus IFO 3425 was solubilized by ultrasonic disruption of the cells in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol and sorbitol as stabilizer. The β-glucosidase from L. casei subsp. rhamnosus specifically hydrolyzed soybean isoflavone glycosides, namely, daidzin and genistin, converting them to daidzein and genistein, respectively. By contrast, a commercial preparation of almond emulsin β-glucosidase could not hydrolyze these soybean isoflavone glycosides. The undesirably bitter and astringent isoflavone glycosides in soybean were decomposed for the first time with this novel β-glucosidase, an enzyme which has hitherto been considered difficult to solubilize, produced by a lactic acid bacterium.     

亚沉茶渍亚洲亚种Lecanora subimmersa subsp.asiatica Zahlbr.的订正研究北大核心CSCD

亚沉茶渍亚洲亚种Lecanora subimmersa subsp.asiatica Zahlbr.曾被基于文献研究转隶至平茶渍属(Aspicilia)或处理为亚沉茶渍原亚种L.subimmersa(Fée)Vain.subsp.subimmersa的异名,但模式标本的研究缺乏仍使该变种的概念不清。利用形态学、解剖学和化学等方法对L.subimmersa subsp.asiatica Zahlbr.的模式标本进行了综合研究,发现L.subimmersa subsp.asiatica与滇茶渍[L.oreinoides(Körb.)Hertel&Rambold]的形态特征及次生代谢产物一致,故将L.subimmersa subsp.asiatica作为L.oreinoides的异名处理。依据研究标本,对滇茶渍进行了形态学描述,同时提供了相关形态学图片,澄清了亚沉茶渍亚洲亚种的概念。     

Die Unkraut-Hirse (Panicum miliaceum subsp.ruderale) — neue Tatsachen und Befunde

The Weed-Broomcorn Millet,Panicum miliaceum L. subsp.ruderale (Kitag.)Tzvelev, until now observed only in Asiatic countries, is also present in Austria (C. Europe). Whereas the cultivatedP. miliaceum subsp.miliaceum, devoid of all natural dispersal ability, cannot actively spread, the Weed-Broomcorn Millet can do so successfully and is increasingly infesting fields ofZea mays. Its spikelets disarticulate at maturity below the glumes, and moreover the florets disarticulate above the sterile floret by means of an abscission layer just beneath a swelling body which developes from the upper rachilla segment. All facts and findings are in favour of the assumption that the Weed-Broomcorn Millet is a product of repeated reverse mutations inP. miliaceum subsp.miliaceum.     

La variabilité du niveau du virus de la jaunisse chezAllium ampeloprasum L. subsp.porrum L. (REGEL)

1. 1.
   K?ísCalligypona pellucida FABR. velmi pravděpodobně p?ená?í na pór a kuchyňskou cibuli kmeny virové ?loutenky aster, co? se projevuje p?edev?ím proliferací květenství.     
   
   

Chemical differences in volatiles between Melittis melissophyllum L. subsp. melissophyllum and subsp. albida (Guss) P. W. Ball (Lamiaceae) determined by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC/FID and GC/MS

Melittis melissophyllum (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb, typical of woody places, occurring in Italy with two subspecies, i.e., melissophyllum and albida. So far, the classification of these two taxa was only based on morphology, i.e., the presence of glandular trichomes, the dimension of the leaves, and the number of teeth on each side as the main discriminant characters. To find marker compounds to chemically discriminate the subsp. melissophyllum with respect to the subsp. albida, a solid-phase microextraction SPME analysis coupled with GC/FID (=flame ionization detector) and GC/MS was carried out. SPME proved to be a chemotaxonomically useful technique that permitted a clearly differentiation of the two subspecies at headspace level. The subsp. melissophyllum was characterized by high amount of the mushroom alcohol oct-1-en-3-ol and the phenolic coumarin, whilst the subsp. albida exhibited a high content in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, α-pinene, sabinene, and (E)-caryophyllene being the major compounds. Multivariate chemometric techniques, such as cluster analysis (CA) and principal-component analysis (PCA), were used to support chemical data and characterize the population according to the taxonomy. In addition, the micromorphology and distribution of glandular trichomes of both subspecies were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Evolution of female sexuality in the maize ear (Zea mays L. subsp.mays—Gramineae)

The discovery of staminodes within the female inflorescences, or “ears,” of some Mexican maize races, and of feminized male inflorescences in annual Mexican teosinte, provides additional support for the theory that the ears of maize evolved from the male primary lateral branch tassels of teosinte by sexual transmutation, and that teosinte is the wild ancestor of maize.     

Purification and characterization of the catabolic α-acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris

The -acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris was purified to homogeneity in SDS-PAGE. The enzyme is a trimer of 3×55,000 Da. It was unstable but could be preserved by addition of pyruvate and thiamine pyrophosphate in the buffer. The enzyme exhibits Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and K _m for pyruvate is 10 mM. Three intermediates in glucose metabolism (ATP, 3-phosphoglycerate, and phosphoenolpyruvate) exhibit a noncompetitive inhibition towards the enzyme. This enzyme does not require any divalent metal ion for activity. The -acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris is not inhibited by the branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine), is FAD independent, and displays an optimal activity at pH 5.3. Therefore, it can be concluded that the purified enzyme belongs to the catabolic -acetolactate synthases, involved in the 2,3-butanediol pathway but not in branchedchain amino acids biosynthesis.     

Zur Blütenmorphologie und Bestäubungsökologie vonVeratrum album subsp.lobelianum (Bernh.)Rchb.

Zusammenfassung BeiVeratrum album subsp.lobelianum (Bernh.)Rchb. wurden im Gebirge Krkonoe (Riesengebirge) Blütenbau, Blütedauer und Blühverlauf studiert; besondere Berücksichtigung fanden dabei Vorkommen von Zwitterblüten und eingeschlechtlichen Blüten, Bau des Nektariums, Art und Weise der Nektarsekretion, Funktionsdauer der Narbe und Absinken der Keimfähigkeit des Pollens während der Anthese.Die Blütedauer der Zwitterblüten läßt eine deutliche Abhängigkeit von der Höhe ü. d. M. erkennen.Die (im Gegensatz zuVeratrum nigrum L.) weniger ausgeprägte Dichogamie erlaubt nur, ein männliches und ein Zwitterstadium der Blüte zu unterscheiden.Künstliche Bestäubungsversuche zeigten, daßV. album subsp.lobelianum weitgehend selbstfertil ist.Als regelmäßige Blumenbesucher und hauptsächlichste Bestäuber vonV. album susp.lobelianum wurden im obgenannten Gebirge 15 Dipteren-Arten (der Besucherzahl nach vorherrschend Aasfliegen) festgestellt, die ausgiebig Nachbar- und Fremdbestäubung (Geitonogamie, Allogamie), weniger schon Selbstbestäubung (Autogamie) bewirken.Die experimentelle Analyse des Blumenbesuches dieser Fliegen-Arten im Freiland ergab, daß ihre Fernanlockung durch den spezifischen Duft erfolgt, wobei die optische Wirkung der Blüten (Farbe, Form, Glanz der Nektarschicht) entbehrlich erscheint. Veratrum album susp.lobelianum kann bis zu einem gewissen Grade als aasblumig und ihre Blüte als Täuschblume bezeichnet werden.     

European hares in Chile: a different lagomorph reservoir for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis?

Ruminants are the principal host for infection by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), the cause of Johne's disease. Based on studies of a Map-infected population of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Scotland, lagomorphs as a broad taxonomic order were proposed as potential nonruminant reservoirs for Map. To determine whether a different lagomorph species may serve as a wildlife reservoir, we investigated Map infection in European hares (Lepus europaeus) sharing habitat with known Map-infected dairy cattle in southern Chile. Fecal, mesenteric lymph node, and ileal samples were aseptically collected from 385 wild hares for liquid culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction identification of acid-fast isolates. All tissue samples were also acid-fast stained and examined microscopically. We isolated Map from at least one tissue from 48 hares (12.6%) and fecal samples from 16 hares (4.2%). No Map was found in tissues of eight of the fecal-culture-positive hares. Histologically, all tissues from all hares were within normal limits, and no acid-fast organisms were observed in any sample. Active infection, implying amplification of the organism secondary to resultant disease, was not evident. With this report Map isolations on a population versus incidental detection have now been made from two lagomorph species. However, although the rabbit population studied in Scotland appears to function as a Map reservoir, the hares studied in Chile appear to be a dead-end host, serving only as potential mechanical vectors for the organism.     

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 α-fucosidases are active on fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 utilizes several small-mass neutral human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), several of which are fucosylated. Whereas previous studies focused on endpoint consumption, a temporal glycan consumption profile revealed a time-dependent effect. Specifically, among preferred HMOs, tetraose was favored early in fermentation, with other oligosaccharides consumed slightly later. In order to utilize fucosylated oligosaccharides, ATCC 15697 possesses several fucosidases, implicating GH29 and GH95 α-L-fucosidases in a gene cluster dedicated to HMO metabolism. Evaluation of the biochemical kinetics demonstrated that ATCC 15697 expresses three fucosidases with a high turnover rate. Moreover, several ATCC 15697 fucosidases are active on the linkages inherent to the HMO molecule. Finally, the HMO cluster GH29 α-L-fucosidase possesses a crystal structure that is similar to previously characterized fucosidases.     

药用植物三叶木通(Akebia trifoliata subsp.trifoliata)野生资源的地理分布与调查

野生三叶木通广泛分布于华中、黄河流域以及秦岭地区,具有极高的药用价值,应用前景广阔.由于过度采收造成野生三叶木通资源的急剧下降.利用样方调查的方法,在野生三叶木通集中分布的秦岭和中条山等地对其地理分布和资源状况进行了调查.结果发现,野生三叶木通的密度以及单株和单位面积根、茎、叶的平均重量在不同地区表现出很大的差异.在陕西省镇安县,野生三叶木通具有最大的总储藏量、总年允收量和单位面积总重,分别为2 014.28 kg/hm2、437.3 kg和201.43g/m2.根据三叶木通主产区各省份的森林面积,全国主产区总蕴藏量有223 805.65万t,年允收量有6 209.19万t.需要加强对三叶木通植物野生资源的保护力度,实现野生药用植物资源可持续开发利用的最终目的.     

Comparison of bovine β-casein hydrolysis by PI and PIII-type proteinases from Lactobacillus lactis subsp. cremoris

Summary The action of the cell-wall-associated proteinases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains H2 and SK112 on bovine -casein was compared. The proteinase from the H2 strain was characterised as a P_I-type proteinase since it did not hydrolyse _s1-casein and the initial trifluoroacetic acid-soluble products of -casein hydrolysis were identical to those previously identified as hydrolysis products of P_I-type lactococcal proteinase action. The time-course of product formation by the proteinase from the H2 strain indicated that the bonds Tyr₁₉₃-Gln₁₉₄ and Gln₁₈₂-Arg₁₈₃ were the first to be hydrolysed. Cleavage of the bonds Gln₁₇₅-Lys₁₇₆, Ser₁₆₈-Lys₁₆₉, Ser₁₆₆-Gln₁₆₇ and Leu₁₆₃-Ser₁₆₄ was also very rapid. Four of the five bonds in -casein most susceptible to hydrolysis by the P_III-type proteinase from strain SK112 were different from those cleaved by the P_I-type proteinase, initial hydrolysis being at the sites Tyr₁₉₃-Gln₁₉₄, Leu₁₉₂-Tyr₁₉₃, Asp₄₃-Glu₄₄, Gln₄₆-Asp₄₇ and Phe₅₂-Ala₅₃. Early hydrolysis at the three sites in the N-terminal region of -casein, leading to cleavage of the N-terminal phosphopeptide and rapid precipitation of the residual fragment, represents a marked contrast to the action of P_I-type proteinases where cleavage at sites in the N-terminal region occurs only very slowly. Offprint requests to: G. G. Pritchard