LignicolousHyphomycetes from Czechoslovakia 5.Septonema,Hormiactella andLylea

Three genera of lignicolousHyphomycetes Septonema Corda,Hormiactella Saac. andLylea Morgan-Jones are discussed. Illustrations and determination keys are provided. Five species ofSeptonema—S. fasciculare (Corda) Hughes,S. leptaleum (Ellis & Harkn.) Hughes,S. pinicola Hol.-Jech.,S. secedens Corda andS. laricium Hol.-Jech.—and two species ofHormiactella—H. fusca (Preuss) Sacc. andH. asetosa Hol.-Jech.—have been found in Czechoslovakia. A new speciesS. pseudobinum Hol.-Jech. is described from Romania.Septonema tetracoilum (Corda Hughes is accommodated in the genusLylea Morgan-Jones.     

Observation of algal colonization on Acropora aspera killed by Acanthaster planci

Algae started colonizing branches of the coral Acropora aspera (Dana) killed by the sea star Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus) within less than 24 hours. Two blue-greens ((Microcoleus lyngbyaceus (Crouan) Ag. and Hormothamnion solutum B. & F.)) dominated the early community but became less abundant than a brown ((Giffordia indica (Sonder) Papenfuss & Chihara)) after 26 days.     

D-Amino acid oxidase of Streptomyces coelicolor and the effect of D-amino acids on the bacterium

The homologous gene of D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) in prokaryotic organisms is predominantly found in a group of bacteria called the Actinobacteria. We have analyzed the DAO of the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor and the effect of D-amino acids on this bacterium. When expressed in Escherichia coli, the translated product of the putative dao gene of this bacterium exhibited oxidase activity against neutral and basic D-amino acids, with a higher activity toward D-valine and D-isoleucine, but not to their corresponding L-amino acids. This substrate specificity was largely different from that of the DAO of the actinobacterium Arthrobacter protophormiae. The gene message and DAO activity were constitutively detected in S. coelicolor cells, and unlike eukaryotic DAOs, the presence of a D-amino acid did not significantly induce expression. The D-amino acids that were a good substrate for S. coelicolor DAO inhibited cell growth, delayed morphological development and affected cell morphology, but they did not inhibit biofilm formation. Disruption of the dao gene had no effect on the morphology and morphological development of S. coelicolor cells, the assimilation of D-valine or the sensitivity to growth inhibition by D-valine under the experimental conditions, showing that in this bacterium DAO does not play a significant role in either morphological development or the assimilation and detoxification of D-amino acids.     

Chromosome counts and chromosome morphology of some selected species

In the years 1976–1981 we studied chromosome counts and karyotypic formulae of the following 29 species of plants from 41 localities (of these 6 from Bohemia, 32 from Moravia, 3 from Slovakia):Batrachium baudotii (Godron) F. W. Schultz,Chenopodium rubrum L.,C. polyspermum L.,C. murale L.,C. ficifolium Sm.,C. opulifolium Schrader ex DC. inLam. et DC.,C. strictum Roth [subsp.strictum, subsp.glaucophyllum (Aellen)Aellen inJust etAellen, subsp.striatiforme Uotila],Arenaria grandiflora L.,Illecebrum verticillatum L.,Spergula morisonii Boreau inDuchartre,Spergularia marginata (DC. inLam. et DC.)Kittel S. marina (L.)Griseb.,S. rubra (L.) J. etC. Presl,Silene conica L.,Sisymbrium loeselii L.,S. volgense Bieb. exE. Fourn.,S. orientale L. [subsp. orientale, subsp.macroloma (A. Pomel)Dvo?ák],S. officinale (L.)Scop.,Descurainia sophia (L.)Webb exPrantl inEngler etPrantl,Nasturtium officinale R. Br. inAiton,Barbarea arcuata (Opiz inPresl J. et C.)Reichenb.,Lunaria annua L.,Soldanella montana Willd.,S. carpatica Vierh. inUrban etGraebner,Lotus tenuis Waldst. etKit. exWilld.,L. uliginosus Schkuhr,Trigonella monspeliaca L.,Geranium sibiricum L.,Lactuca tatarica (L.)C. A. Meyer.     

Mortality factors of satin moth,Leucoma salicis [Lep.: Lymantriidae], in aspen forests in Maine

Natural control agents of the satin moth,Leucoma salicis (L.) were examined in 2Populus grandidentata Michaux stands. Highest mortality occurred in overwintering larvae, with the causal agents 2 fungi,Paecilomyces sp. andHirsutella gigantea Petch, a factor causing death symptomatic of a pathogen, the parasiteEupteromalis hemipterus (Walker) and death from unknown causes. Mortality fromPaecilomyces sp. andE. hemipterus was reduced where overwintering sites were covered with burlap cloth. Parasites recovered from larvae and pupae included the braconidsApanteles melanoscelus (Ratzeburg) andMeteorus versicolor (Wesmeal), the ichneumonidCoccygomimus pedalis (Cresson), the tachinidsCompsilura concinnata (Meigen),Carcelia laxifrons Villeneuve,Tachinomyia variata Curran, and the sarcophagidsSarcophaga aldrichi Parker andAgria housei Shewell. Larval and pupal predators included the carabidCalosoma frigidum Kirby, pentatomids, and birds, particularly black-billed cuckoos,Coccyzus erythrophthaimus (Wilson). Eggs were parasitized by the scelionidTelenomus prob.californicus Ashmead and the trichogrammidTrichogramma minutum (Riley). Predators of adult satin moths included the hermit thrush,Hylocichla guttata (Pallas), and pentatomid bugs.     

Hydrolysis of the Leu-Gly bond of phenylazobenzyl-oxycarbonyl-l-Pro-l-Leu-Gly-l-Pro-D-Arg (a substrate of microbial collagenases) by treponemes isolated from the subgingival plaque of periodontitis patients

Cell extracts prepared from several oral treponemes isolated from the subgingival plaque of periodontitis patients showed high enzyme activity toward phenylazobenzyl-oxycarbonyl-l-prolyl-l-leucylglycyl-l-prolyl-d-arginine (a compound used as a substrate for microbial collagenases). One major enzyme hydrolyzing this substrate at the Leu-Gly bond only was partially purified from an unspeciated treponeme (strain US),Treponema denticola ATCC 35405, and 29 different clinical isolates ofT. denticola. TheTreponema US enzyme also hydrolyzed furylacryloyl-l-leucylglycyl-l-prolyl-l-alanine (another substrate of bacterial collagenases) at the Leu-Gly bond. This enzyme also hydrolyzed various collagens and collagen-derived peptides. These treponemal proteases were sensitive to metal chelators andp-chloromercury compounds. The results indicate that human oral treponemes contain enzymes that readily hydrolyze in chromogenic protease substrates the Leu-Gly bond only that is the cleavage site of these substrates also by “true” microbial collagenases.     

Bacidina genus novum familiaeLecideaceae s. lat. (Ascomycetes lichenisati)

The following eleven species currently classified in the generaBacidia s. lat. andCatillaria s. lat. are transferred to the new genusBacidina Vězda gen. n. (Lecideaceae s. lat.):Bacidina apiahica (Müll. Arg.) comb. n.,B. chloroticula (Nyl.)Vězda etPoelt comb. n.,B. egenula (Nyl.) comb. n.,B. inundata (Fr.) comb. n.,B. mirabilis (Vězda) comb. n.,B. neglecta (Vězda) comb.n.,B. pallidocarnea (Müll. Arg.) comb. n.,B. phacodes (Koerb.) comb.n.,B. scutellifera (Vězda) comb.n.,B. vasakii (Vězda) comb.n., andB. ziamensis (Vězda) comb.n.     

Parasites ofSpodoptera exigua,S. eridania [Lep.: Noctuidae] andHerpetogramma bipunctalis [Lep.: Pyralidae] collected fromAmaranthus hybridus in field corn

Three species of lepidopterous larvae were collected fromAmaranthus hybridus L. growing in field corn during 1975 and 1976 at Hastings, Florida.Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) was the predominant species in May.Spodoptera eridania (Cramer) was predominant in June andHerpetogramma bipunctalis (F.) in July and August. Nine native species of parasites, representing theBraconidae, Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae andTachinidae, emerged from these larvae.Meteorus autographae Muesebeck emerged from bothS. exigua andS. eridania. TheTachinidae, Winthemia rufopicta (Bigot),Eucelatori rubentis (Coquillett) andLespensia sp., emerged from mixtures ofS. exigua andS. eridania. Apanteles marginiventris (Cresson),Temelucha sp., andChelonus texanus Cresson emerged from bothS. exigua andH. bipunctalis larvae, andEuplectrus platyhypenae Howard andOphion sp. emerged fromS. eridania. All the species of parasites from the lepidopterous larvae that feed onAmaranthus hybridus are also reported as parasites ofS. frugiperda, a serious pest of corn. Therefore these larvae onA. hybridus may be a source of the parasites found attackingS. frugiperda.     

Cytotaxonomic study ofTragopogon L. in czechoslovakia

Karyotypes ofTragopogon orientalis L. subsp.orientalis, T orientalis L. subsp.leiocarpos (Sauter)Trnka,T. pratensis L.,T. minor Miller,T. dubius Scop. subsp.dubius andT. dubius Scop. subsp.major (Jacq.)Vollmann were studied. The occurrence in Slovakia ofT. pratensis was karyologically proved.     

The parasitoid complex of three noctuids [Lep.] in a northern Florida cropping system: Seasonal occurrence,parasitization, alternate hosts,and influence of host-habitat

Parasitoids of the cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), the soybean looper,Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and the tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens (F.) were characterized in a 3.2-ha model of a north Florida (U.S.A.) cropping system (including tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), soybeans (Glycine max (L.)Merr. and 18 other crops) not treated with chemical pesticides. The study was for a 2 yr-period; a minimum of three 0.0004-ha sections of row, or 0.0001-ha sections in broadcast or drilled crops were sampled weekly. In addition, sweeps with a net and some other sampling techniques were used in some crops.Litomastix truncatella (Dalman),Meteorus autographae Muesebeck, andVoria ruralis Fallen were the most important larval parasitoids recovered from cabbage loopers;Trichogramma spp. were by far the major egg parasitoid. Parasitization of eggs and larvae in crucifers (Brassica oleracea L.) ranged from 0 to 55% and 0 to 100%, respectively, and was generally highest during the spring and fall. Parasitization of cabbage looper immatures was highest in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Parasitism by the parasitoid complex for the soybean looper larvae was high but eggs in soybeans were seldomly attacked by parasitoids. Tobacco budworm eggs were rarely parasitized in tobacco but were frequently parasitized in tomatoes and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.)Medik). Parasitization of tobacco budworm larvae in tobacco was usually over 50% and was mostly byCardiochiles nigriceps Viereck; fewC. nigriceps were found from the other plants.     

Parasites of rice stemborers in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo)

Observations on parasites were made during a study of the following rice stem-borers in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo):Tryporyza incertulas (Walker),T. innotata (Walker),Chilo suppressalis (Walker)C. auricilia (Dudgeon), andSeamia inferens (Walker). Egg-parasitism was often high, but that of the larval and pupal stages generally very low. Between 40–80% of theTryporyza eggs were parasitised byTelenomus rowani (Gahan), while 30–50% were attacked byTetrastichus schoenobii Ferrière. About 40–90% of the eggs ofChilo were parasitised byTrichogramma? japonicum Ashmead and 5–26% byTelenomus dignus (Gahan). Only 0.4–3% of theTryporyza larvae were parasitised by a Braconid,Rhaconotus schoenobivorus (Rohwer), whileBracon chinensis Szepligeti attacked 0.2–0.7% of the larvae ofC. suppressalis. Parasitism ofSesamia larvae byApanteles flavipes Cameron was equally low, never exceeding 2%. Pupal parasitism was somewhat higher.Tetrastichus israeli (Mani & Kurian) attacked 8% and 18% of the pupae ofC. suppressalis andS. inferens, respectively, while the Ichneumonid,Xanthopimpla stemmator (Thunberg) attacked up to 3% of the pupae of the former species. The immature stages of some of these parasites are described.     

The human L-pipecolic acid oxidase is similar to bacterial monomeric sarcosine oxidases rather than D-amino acid oxidases

L-Pipecolic acid oxidase activity is deficient in patients with peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs). Because its role, if any, in these disorders is unknown, the authors cloned the human gene to order to further study its functions. BLAST search of the translated sequence showed greatest homology to Bacillus sp. NS-129 monomeric sarcosine oxidase. The purified enzyme could use either L-pipecolic acid or sarcosine as a substrate. No homology was found to the peroxisomal D-amino acid oxidases. A further comparison of L-pipecolic acid oxidase to the two D-amino acid oxidases in peroxisomes showed that the proteins differed in many ways. First, both D-amino acid oxidase and L-pipecolic acid oxidase showed no enzyme activity in liver from Zell-weger syndrome patients; D-aspartate oxidase activity was unchanged from control levels. Although all were targeted to peroxisomes, their targeting signals differed. No L-pipecolic acid oxidase was found in brain or other tissues outside of liver and kidney. The D-amino acid oxidases were similarly and more widely distributed. Finally, although D-amino acid degradation is limited to peroxisomes in mammals, L-pipecolic acid can be oxidized in either mitochondria or peroxisomes, or both.     

The effect of prey density on the functional and numerical reponses of three species of predatory mites

Functional and numerical responses of the predators:Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot,Metaseiulus occidentalis (Nesbitt), andAmblyseius chilenensis (Dosse) [Acarina, Phytoseiidae] were observed at prey (Tetranychus urticae Koch [Acarina, Tetranychidae]) densities up to 300 prey/6.45 cm². Neither functional nor numerical response curves revealed any prey-predator interference effects, i.e.: the dome-shaped response curves (Holling, 1961), did not occur.     

Parasitism ofPhthorimaea operculella [Lep.: Gelechiidae] larvae in Queensland

Parasitism ofPhthorimaea operculella (Zeller) larvae on potato foliage was examined intensively in the Lockyer Valley, south-eastern Queensland from 1975–78 and extensively from other hosts and areas of Queensland. The % parasitism in the Lockyer Valley exceeded 50% in 29 of the 36 collections. The parasite species were dominated by the introducedCopidosoma desantisi Annecke & Mynhardt (Encyrtidae) andOrgilus lepidus Muesebeck (Braconidae) which together accounted for 92.6% of parasite numbers recorded. In more northern areas of Queensland, the dominant parasite species found was the introducedApanteles subandinus Blanchard (Braconidae). Other hymenopterous parasites found wereMicrochelonus curvimaculatus Cameron (Braconidae), Elasmus funereus Riek (Elasmidae) andTemelucha minuta (Morley) (Ichneumonidae).     

Metabolic engineering Corynebacterium glutamicum for the l-lysine production by increasing the flux into l-lysine biosynthetic pathway

The experiments presented here were based on the conclusions of our previous results. In order to avoid introduction of expression plasmid and to balance the NADH/NAD ratio, the NADH biosynthetic enzyme, i.e., NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH), was replaced by NADP-dependent GADPH, which was used to biosynthesize NADPH rather than NADH. The results indicated that the NADH/NAD ratio significantly decreased, and glucose consumption and l-lysine production drastically improved. Moreover, increasing the flux through l-lysine biosynthetic pathway and disruption of ilvN and hom, which involve in the branched amino acid and l-methionine biosynthesis, further improved l-lysine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Compared to the original strain C. glutamicum Lys5, the l-lysine production and glucose conversion efficiency (α) were enhanced to 81.0 ± 6.59 mM and 36.45 % by the resulting strain C. glutamicum Lys5-8 in shake flask. In addition, the by-products (i.e., l-threonine, l-methionine and l-valine) were significantly decreased as results of genetic modification in homoserine dehydrogenase (HSD) and acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS). In fed-batch fermentation, C. glutamicum Lys5-8 began to produce l-lysine at post-exponential growth phase and continuously increased over 36 h to a final titer of 896 ± 33.41 mM. The l-lysine productivity was 2.73 g l^?1 h^?1 and the α was 47.06 % after 48 h. However, the attenuation of MurE was not beneficial to increase the l-lysine production because of decreasing the cell growth. Based on the above-mentioned results, we get the following conclusions: cofactor NADPH, precursor, the flux through l-lysine biosynthetic pathway and DCW are beneficial to improve l-lysine production in C. glutamicum.     

Further karyological studies of the Mongolian flora

The paper gives the chromosome number for 50 species of the Mongolian flora. Some of the counts appear to be the first findings for the species. They are:Draba eriopoda Turcz. exLedeb. 2n=16,Lychnis sibirica L. 2n=24,Papaver pseudocanescens M. Popov 2n=42,Thymus baicalensis Serg. 2n=28 andViola gmeliniana Schultes 2n=24.     

Mechanical transmission of beet yellows virus toChenopodium quinoa Willd. andChenopodium foliosum (Moench) Asch.

Beet yellows virus (BYV) was mechanically transmitted by sap from sugar-beet plants, infected with BYV, to the plants ofChenopodium quinoa Willd. and ofChenopodium foliosum (Moench) Asch. Mechanical transmission of BYV to the plants ofTetragonia expansa Murr. failed. Infectious material was homogenized in phosphate buffer with veronal and EDTA, pH 7–8. Experimental plants were darkened three days before infection and kept at a temperature of 5°C. Plants ofC. quinoa Willd. were decapitated. Back transmissions fromC. quinoa Willd. andC. foliosum (Moench) Asch. infected with BYV, to sugar-beet plants were carried out by the aveidMyzus persicae Sulz. These transmissions were positive. Filamentous particles of BYV, of an average length 1275 nm, were found in plants ofC. quinoa Willd. andC. Foliosum (Moench) Asch., infected with BYV.     

The kinetic analysis of the substrate specificity of motif 5 in a HAD hydrolase-type phosphosugar phosphatase of Arabidopsis thaliana

The Arabidopsis thaliana gene AtSgpp (locus tag At2g38740), encodes a protein whose sequence motifs and expected structure reveal that it belongs to the HAD hydrolases subfamily I, with the C1-type cap domain (Caparrós-Martín et al. in Planta 237:943–954, 2013). In the presence of Mg²⁺ ions, the enzyme has a phosphatase activity over a wide range of phosphosugar substrates. AtSgpp promiscuity is preferentially detectable on d-ribose-5-phosphate, 2-deoxy-d-ribose-5-phosphate, 2-deoxy-d-glucose-6-phosphate, d-mannose-6-phosphate, d-fructose-1-phosphate, d-glucose-6-phosphate, dl-glycerol-3-phosphate, and d-fructose-6-phosphate. Site-directed mutagenesis analysis of the putative signature sequence motif-5 (IAGKH), which defines its specific chemistry, brings to light the active-site residues Ala-69 and His-72. Mutation A69M, changes the pH dependence of AtSgpp catalysis, and mutant protein AtSgpp-H72K was inactive in phosphomonoester dephosphorylation. It was also observed that substitutions I68M and K71R slightly affect the substrate specificity, while the replacement of the entire motif for that of homologous dl-glycerol-3-phosphatase AtGpp (MMGRK) does not switch AtSgpp activity to the specific targeting for dl-glycerol-3-phosphate.     

Survey and distribution ofCybocephalidae [Coleoptera] in Israel

Nine species ofCybocephalus were found in a survey conducted throughout Israel:C. micans (Reitter),C. nigriceps nigriceps (J. Sahiberg),C. nigriceps sinister Endrödy-Younga,C. aegyptiacus Endrödy-Younga,C. mediterraneus Endrödy-Younga,C. pullus Endrödy-Younga,C. fodori minor Endrödy-Younga,C. membranaceus (Reitter) andCybocephalus sp. n.C. micans andC.n. nigriceps are the most prevalent: the former in the Coastal Plain on citrus and the latter in the Arava region on date palms. In most cases the population density of the predator appeared to be related to that of the prey. Armoured scale insects(Homoptera: Diaspididae) were the main prey ofCybocephalus.     

The establishment of two parasites of the diamond-back mothPlutella xylostella [Lep.: Plutellidae] in Trinidad,W.I.

The diamond-back moth,Plutella xylostella (L.) is a major pest of cruciferous crops in Trinidad, West Indies. Pesticides are applied as a control measure but it is now resistant to several of them. Indigenous parasitesApanteles aciculatus (Ashm.),Apanteles sp. (glomeratus group),Spilochalcis hirtifemora (Ashm.) andTrichogramma brasiliensis (Ashm.) are unable to exert economic control.Apanteles plutellae (Kurdj.) andTetrastichus sokolowskii Kurdj. were introduced and are now well established. It is recommended to introduce additional parasitesMacromalon sp. andThyraeella collaris (Grav.) in order to obtain complete biological control.