鸭疫里默氏杆菌流行菌株的分离鉴定及生物学特性

【背景】鸭疫里默氏杆菌(Riemerella anatipestifer,RA)是引起雏鸭、鹅、火鸡等多种家禽、野禽发生传染性浆膜炎的病原,在全世界范围内广泛存在,危害养禽业发展,造成严重的经济损失。【目的】了解国内RA的流行现状,探究该菌的生物学特性,更好地指导防控鸭疫里默氏杆菌病。【方法】对2020-2021年从山东省、河北省、广东省、山西省等地分离的RA疑似菌株进行PCR、生化和血清型鉴定,并根据药物敏感性结果分析耐药现象,根据半数致死量(median lethal dose,LD₅₀)测定结果分析致病力差异。【结果】共鉴定78株RA分离株,其中,血清1型4株、2型21株、10型11株、6型3株、7型17株,1株有交叉凝集现象,21株血清型未定型;药敏结果显示78株分离株对多粘菌素B、磷霉素、克林霉素等的耐药性最强,对头孢拉定、多西环素、呋喃唑酮、氟苯尼考等抗生素最为敏感,并且78株分离株均存在多重耐药性,其中77株耐药5重及以上;动物试验结果显示,RA的分离株致病力普遍较强,而且不同地区分离株、同地区不同分离株之间均存在差异,数株RA分离株的LD₅₀在10⁴-10⁷ CFU不等。【结论】RA在国内流行表现了强致病力及严重耐药情况,本研究结果为更好地预防控制、临床用药及后续致病机制研究提供了参考依据。     

Biodegradation of chlorpyrifos by bacterial consortium isolated from agriculture soil

Organophosphorous pesticides are widely used in agriculture to control major insect pests. Chlorpyrifos is one of the major organophosphorous pesticides which is used to control insects including termites, beetles. The widespread use of these pesticides is hazardous to the environment and also toxic to mammals, thus it is essential to remove the same from the environment. From the chlorpyrifos contaminated soil nine morphologically different bacterial strains, one actinomycete and two fungal strains were isolated. Among those isolates four bacterial strains which were more efficient were developed as consortium. The four bacterial isolates namely Pseudomonas putida (NII 1117), Klebsiella sp., (NII 1118), Pseudomonas stutzeri (NII 1119), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NII 1120) present in the consortia were identified on the basis of 16S rDNA analysis. The intracellular fractions of the consortium exhibited more organophosphorus hydrolase activity (0.171 ± 0.003 U/mL/min). The degradation studies were carried out at neutral pH and temperature 37°C with chlorpyrifos concentration 500 mg L⁻¹. LC-mass spectral analysis showed the presence of metabolites chlopyrifos-oxon and Diethylphosphorothioate. These results highlight an important potential use of this consortium for the cleanup of chlorpyrifos contaminated pesticide waste in the environment.     

Isolation and Phylogenetic Analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xylella fastidiosa</Emphasis> from Its Invasive Alternative Host,Porcelain Berry

A strain of Xylella fastidiosa was isolated from an invasive alternative host species, porcelain berry. Its genetic relationship with strains isolated from a native alternative host, wild grape; a nonnative alternative host, mulberry; and other economically important hosts including cultivated grape, peach, plum, oak, maple and oleander was determined by using sequence analysis of the 16S–23S rRNA intergenic spacer region. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that the porcelain berry strain is most closely related to the wild grape strain. These two strains are more closely related to the oak, peach, and plum strains than to the mulberry and oleander strains. They are separated from the maple and cultivated grape strains. Our data suggest that suppression of porcelain berry, wild grape, and mulberry in the vicinity of susceptible economically important hosts such as oak, peach, and plum may provide an important control measure for diseases caused by X. fastidiosa.     

Separating the Effects of Experience, Size, Egg Load, and Genotype on Host Response in Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

The effects of experience, egg load, and wasp size on the response of four strains of Trichogramma nr. brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to three economically important hosts, Heliothis punctigera (Noctuidae), Phthorimaea opercullela (Gelechiidae), and Sitotroga cereallela (Gelechiidae) were investigated. Experience effects due to rearing host and oviposition were considered in all combinations of host species. Both these effects altered response levels to low-ranked hosts but not to highly preferred hosts. Size was correlated with host response in some strains; larger females took more encounters with a host before accepting it, while egg load was not correlated with number of host encounters. However, egg load, rearing host, and size all affected acceptance of the low-ranked host S. cereallela. Females were more likely to accept this host if they were reared on S. cereallela, had a small size, and had a high egg load. Effects were consistent across strains, although overall acceptance levels differed among strains.     

Characterization ofR. fredii QB1130, a strain effective on commercial soybean cultivars

Summary Two rhizobial strains (QB1130 and C3A) from northeast China were identified asRhizobium fredii on the basis of growth rate, media acidification and growth on a wide range of carbon substrates. The strains were shown to be distinct from USDA 191 on the basis of plasmid number and size. Bothnif and commonnod genes were located on the 295 kb plasmid of strains QB1130 and USDA 191, while onlynif genes were identified on this plasmid in C3A. When used to inoculate four commercial soybean (Glycine max) cultivars, one of the strains (C3A) was found to be ineffective, while the other (QB1130) was at least as effective as USDA 191, a strain ofR. fredii reported to be widely effective on North American cultivars of soybean. Further, QB1130 was capable of more effective nodulation of cowpea or the uncultivated soybean line, Peking, than either USDA 191 or the slow-growingBradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 16. Strain QB1130 should be useful for studies directed at improving symbiotic performance in soybean, or for studies of the comparative physiology and genetics of FG and SG strains on a single host.     

Stability of entomopathogenic bacteria, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenorhabdus nematophila</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Photorhabdus luminescens</Emphasis>, during in vitro culture

The entomopathogenic nematode–bacteria complexes Heterorhabditis bacteriophora/Photorhabdus luminescens and Steinernema carpocapsae/Xenorhabdus nematophila are mass produced for use as biological insecticides. Stability of the bacterial partner in culture is essential for maintaining traits important for both biological control and production. Two geographically distinct strains of each bacterial species were isolated from their nematode partners and serially subcultured on in vitro media to assess trait stability. Subculturing resulted in a shift to secondary cell production in one P. luminescens strain and both X. nematophila strains within ten in vitro culture cycles. However, when cell phenotypic variation was controlled in X. nematophila strains by regular selection for primary variants, no trait change was detected in the primary variant after prolonged subculture. When P. luminescens cell phenotypic variation was controlled by selection for primary variants, changes in the primary variant of both strains were noted including reductions in cell and inclusion body size and inclusion body prevalence. Bacterial ability to cause lethal infections following injection into the hemocoel of Tenebrio molitor larvae declined by more than half in primary variants of one P. luminescens strain. Conversely, yield was enhanced, with the subcultured P. luminescens strains showing 53.5 and 75.8% increases in primary cell density. Field adapted traits of primary variant P. luminescens strains tend to deteriorate during in vitro culture as tradeoffs for gains in yield. In vitro producers of the P. luminescens/H. bacteriophora complex must weigh the need for superior bacterial yield against the need to preserve traits important for biological control.     

Generic Criteria for Flabellula,Rugipes and Hyalodiscus,With Descriptions of Species*

SYNOPSIS. Six strains of amoebae isolated from freshwater habitats and having broad, flattened locomotive forms were studied in clonal cultures, with attention to trophic structure, nuclear division, cyst structure in those strains which formed cysts, some aspects of cytochemistry, and other characteristics. Three strains were found to belong to the genus Flabellula, one being identified as F. platypodia (Gläser, 1912) and the other 2 as F. mira Schaeffer, 1926. The new species Rugipes placidus is described. One strain, identified as belonging to the species originally called Amoeba actinophora Auerbach, 1855, is re-described as Hyalodiscus actinophorus, and a similar strain is described as H. actinophorus var. minor n. var. All 3 strains of Flabellula had the unusual type of mitotic figure reported by Gläser for F. platypodia but not previously studied with the Feulgen technic. The genus Rugipes has the mitotic pattern more common to small amoebae and is distinguished from Flabellula partly on that basis. Both strains of Hyalodiscus have division figures of this common type. Of the strains included in this investigation, only R. placidus and H. actinophorus formed cysts in culture. The cysts of neither species were viable after one year at room temperature and humidity. The status of Rugipes as distinct from Flabellula is discussed. The genus Hyalodiscus is interpreted in a manner compatible with the original definition of Hertwig and Lesser and is included within the order Amoebida. The strains of this genus isolated have a doubly contoured, strongly PAS-positive covering over the endoplasmic hump. Some criteria for the taxonomy of amoebae are evaluated in the light of work reported in this and 2 previous papers.     

香蕉林土壤可培养放线菌分离、鉴定及其抑菌活性

【背景】香蕉枯萎病是香蕉的顽固性疾病,制约着香蕉产业的发展,因此,筛选出对香蕉枯萎病菌(尖孢镰刀菌古巴专化型4号生理小种,简称Foc4)具有抑制活性的生防菌株具有重要意义。【目的】分离香蕉林土壤样品中放线菌并进行物种的初步鉴定,测定其对包括香蕉枯萎病致病菌的7种病原菌的拮抗活性,获得高活性菌株,以获得解决香蕉枯萎病的生物防治策略。【方法】采集多份广西地区香蕉林土壤样品,采用超声波等手段对其预处理,设置多种特异性培养基从中分离放线菌资源,对获得的放线菌进行基于16SrRNA基因序列的物种鉴定,以7种病原菌为靶标,采用平板对峙法从中筛选抑菌活性菌株,最后采用菌丝生长速率法对Foc4的抑菌率进行测定。【结果】从香蕉林土壤中分离出138株放线菌均为链霉菌,其中5株为潜在新种,分别为X1085、X1052、X2052、X3059和X4046;筛选出具有抑菌活性的菌株77株,阳性率为55.8%。20株对Foc4具有抑制活性,其中4株拮抗效果明显,抑制率大于80%,菌株X4050的抑菌率高达93.76%。【结论】初步明确了香蕉林土壤中可培养放线菌的物种信息,其中部分放线菌为未知物种,活性分析显示一半...     

Effects of UV-B radiation on growth rates,pigment content and ultrastructure of red (wild type), greenish-brown and green strains of Gracilaria birdiae (Gracilariales,Rhodophyta)

Based on physiological characteristics, we hypothesized that different strains of Gracilaria birdiae from two distinct geographical areas of the Brazilian coast (2500 km apart) would have different responses to long-term exposure to UV-B radiation (UV-B). The locations differ in their environmental conditions: one is a warmer area, Ceará State (CE), closer to the equator; the other is a colder area, Espirito Santo State (ES), closer to the Tropic of Capricorn. To test the hypothesis that the CE population is more resistant to UV-B than the ES population, apical segments of the red (RD_CE, RD_ES), green (GR_CE) and greenish-brown (GB_CE) strains were cultivated in the laboratory under two treatments: control (PAR) and artificial UV-B (PAR + UV-B). Algal performance was evaluated by considering growth rates, pigment content and ultrastructural analysis. Compared with the control, all strains showed a decrease in growth rates after exposure to UV-B. Of all strains, RD_ES showed the greatest sensitivity to UV-B. However, a decrease in growth rate and morphological changes were observed to a lesser extent in the RD_CE strain. Moreover, exposure to UV-B resulted in a decrease in the concentrations of phycobiliproteins in the RD_CE strain. The GB_CE strain showed an increase in phycoerythrin (PE)/allophycocyanin (APC) and phycocyanin (PC)/allophycocyanin (APC) ratios after exposure to UV-B, suggesting this strain had a higher tolerance to the radiation. No differences in the chlorophyll a and carotenoid content were found between the control and UV-B treated samples for all strains. Ultrastructural changes, such as damage to chloroplasts and mitochondria, were present in all strains after exposure to UV-B. In summary, our findings support the hypothesis that the population from Ceará State has adapted to the higher irradiation and is thus more resistant to increased UV-B. Additionally, of the strains tested, the GB_CE and RD_CE strains appear to be more resistant to this radiation.     

Effect of Seed Treatment with Rhizobium leguminosarum on Pythium Damping-off, Seedling Height, Root Nodulation, Root Biomass, Shoot Biomass, and Seed Yield of Pea and Lentil

Field experiments were conducted in 2004 and 2005 to determine the effects of seed treatment with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae on damping‐off, seedling height, root nodule mass, root biomass, shoot biomass and seed yield of pea and lentil in a field naturally infested with Pythium spp. Compared with the untreated controls, treatment of pea seeds with R. leguminosarum bv. viceae strains R12, R20 or R21 significantly (P < 0.05) reduced incidence of damping‐off, promoted seedling growth and increased root nodule mass, root biomass and shoot biomass. Seed treatments with R12 or R21 also resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in seed yield of pea. The strain R21 was most effective among the four strains of R. leguminosarum bv. viceae tested in peas. Although, the level of disease control by strain R21 was similar to seed treatment with the fungicide Thiram^TM, R21 was more effective in enhancing root nodule production and promoting plant growth. For lentil, treatment of seeds with R. leguminosarum bv. viceae strains R12 or R21 significantly (P < 0.05) reduced incidence of damping‐off compared with the untreated control. All of the four strains of R. leguminosarum bv. viceae tested increased lentil seedling height, root nodule mass and shoot biomass, and all except R20 increased root biomass. Seed yield was higher for the treatments of R12 and R21. The strain R12 was most effective among the four strains of R. leguminosarum bv. viceae tested in lentil. Although, strain R12 was as effective as Thiram^TM for control of damping‐off of lentil, it was more effective than Thiram^TM for the production of root nodules and promotion of plant growth. The study concludes that seed treatment with R. leguminosarum bv. viceae is effective in control of Pythium damping‐off of pea and lentil and that the efficacy of control is strain specific, strain R21 for control of the disease on pea and strain R12 for control of the disease on lentil.     

Host selection and reproductive success of French and Moroccan populations of the parasitoid, Microctonus aethiopoides (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

French and Moroccan populations of the parasitoid Microctonus aethiopoides Loan were studied in the laboratory for their host selection, mating behavior, and reproductive success. The French strain, collected on Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), although capable of parasitizing and producing viable offspring on Sitona weevils, preferred Hypera weevils, its known target host. The Moroccan strain, collected on Sitona discoideus Gyllenhal, exhibited host specificity for Sitona. A partial reproductive isolation was observed between the two strains. Moroccan females mated more frequently with French males than did French females with Moroccan males. The pre-copulation time for mating pairs of opposite strains was significantly longer than that for mating pairs of the same strain. There was no significant difference in copulation time nor in larval and pupal duration between French and Moroccan strains. In summary, the French and Moroccan strains of M. aethiopoides are clearly separable by biological, behavioral, and morphometric traits and the preferred host for Hypera is the French strain and Sitona for the Moroccan strain. Consequently, geographic location and host source become important when considering this parasitoid as a potential biological control agent.     

DNA-DNA hybridization of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata,Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas sulfidophila strains

The genetic relatedness of 21 Rhodopseudomonas strains has been studied by means of DNA-DNA hybridization. All strains included in the study belonged to the subgroup of the genus Rhodopseudomonas which is characterized by a short-rod to coccus morphology, a vesicular intracytoplasmic membrane system and carotenoids of the spheroidene group. Mol percentages guanine + cytosine ranged from 64 to 73, most strains having values between 68 and 72. With few exceptions, the hybridization data obtained were in agreement with the subdivision in three (or possibly four) species on the basis of classical taxonomy. Strain SCJ, formerly considered to be a somewhat atypical R. capsulata strain, is most probably a R. sphaeroides strain and two out of seven strains that were received as R. sulfidophila did not fit in this species on the basis of the hybridization data. The results also showed that two undesignated strains that were previously thought to be related to R. capsulata (Hansen et al. 1975) cannot be assigned to this species and may be representatives of another species. The seven strains that required approximately 2.5% NaCl in the medium and that had been designated R. sulfidophila were found to synthesize far higher levels of bacteriochlorophyll during fully aerobic growth in the dark than the purple bacteria studied thus far.Abbreviations GC guanosine + cytosine - SSC standard saline citrate buffer     

Success evaluation of the biological control of Fusarium wilts of cucumber,banana, and tomato since 2000 and future research strategies

The Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum strains is the most devastating disease of cucumber, banana, and tomato. The biological control of this disease has become an attractive alternative to the chemical fungicides and other conventional control methods. In this review, the research trends and biological control efficiencies (BCE) of different microbial strains since 2000 are reviewed in detail, considering types of microbial genera, inoculum application methods, plant growth medium and conditions, inoculum application with amendments, and co-inoculation of different microbial strains and how those affect the BCE of Fusarium wilt. The data evaluation showed that the BCE of biocontrol agents was higher against the Fusarium wilt of cucumber compared to the Fusarium wilts of banana and tomato. Several biocontrol agents mainly Bacillus, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, nonpathogenic Fusarium, and Penicillium strains were evaluated to control Fusarium wilt, but still this lethal disease could not be controlled completely. We have discussed different reasons of inconsistent results and recommendations for the betterment of BCE in the future. This review provides knowledge of the biotechnology of biological control of Fusarium wilt of cucumber, banana, and tomato in a nut shell that will provide researchers a beginning line to start and to organize and plan research for the future studies.     

Antibiotic production by strains of Gliocladium virens and its relation to the biocontrol of cotton seedling diseases

Strains of the fungal antagonist Gliocladium virens were separated into two distinct groups on the basis of secondary metabolite production in vitro. Strains of the ‘P’ group produced the antibiotics gliovirin and heptelidic acid but not the antibiotic gliotoxin and its companion, dimethylgliotoxin. Strains of the ‘Q’ group produced gliotoxin and dimethylgliotoxin but not gliovirin or heptelidic acid. Strains from both groups produced the antibiotic viridin and phytotoxin viridiol. Gliovirin was very inhibitory to Pythium ultimum but had no activity against Rhizoctonia solani, and strains that produce it were more effective seed treatment biocontrol agents of disease incited by P. ultimum. Conversely, gliotoxin was more active against R. solani than against P. ultimum, and strains that produced it were more effective seed treatments for controlling disease incited by R. solani. These results indicate that the antibiotic profiles of strains should be considered when screening strains for biocontrol efficacy, and that it may be necessary to treat seeds with a combination of strains in order to broaden the disease control spectrum.     

Multiplicative interaction between the two major mechanisms of permethrin resistance,kdr and cytochrome P450‐monooxygenase detoxification,in mosquitoes

Epistasis is the nonadditive interaction between different loci which contribute to a phenotype. Epistasis between independent loci conferring insecticide resistance is important to investigate as this phenomenon can shape the rate that resistance evolves and can dictate the level of resistance in the field. The evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes is a growing and world‐wide problem. The two major mechanisms that confer resistance to permethrin in Culex mosquitoes are target site insensitivity (i.e. kdr) and enhanced detoxification by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Using three strains of mosquitoes, and crosses between these strains, we assessed the relative contribution of the two independent loci conferring permethrin resistance, individually and when present together. We found that for all genotype combinations tested, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus exhibited multiplicative interactions between kdr and P450 detoxification, whether the resistance alleles were homozygous or heterozygous. These results provide a basis for further analysis of the evolution and maintenance of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.     

Influence of soil factors and cultural practice on biological control of sheath blight of rice with antagonistic bacteria

Fluorescent and nonfluorescent strains of bacteria isolated from rice rhizospheres on the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) farm were evaluated for in vitro antibiosis towards the sheath blight (ShB) pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, and for suppression of ShB in detached rice leaves. Efficient strains were located on the basis of consistent performance in two laboratory tests. Among nine efficient strains, 3 strains were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, 5 strains were tentatively identified as Bacillus spp. and one strain was identified as Enterobacter. In three greenhouse tests lowland rice soils with optimum pH for rice growth (pH 5.5–6.5), acidic pH (pH 5.0) and boron toxicity were found more suitable for biological control of ShB and, less frequently, also yield increases than were alkaline (pH 6.9) and zinc-deficient soils. Bacterial treatments afforded significant ShB reductions in 3 field experiments, but no significant yield increases resulted. In direct-seeded rice best performances by bacterial treatments in terms of ShB suppression were 66 and 98% during DS 1988 and WS 1988, respectively, which were comparable to or better than the performance of validamycin (a fungicide routinely used for ShB control) which afforded 42 and 63% disease suppression, respectively, in the same experiments. Although bacterial treatments caused ShB reductions both in direct-seeded and transplanted rice crops, disease control was more pronounced in direct-seeded than in transplanted crops. These results indicate that carefully selected strains of bacterial antagonists have the potential for ShB suppression in rice at least in areas where direct-seeding is practised.     

EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS OF OVIPOSITION PREFERENCE IN SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLIES

Models of the evolution of host shifts and speciation in phytophagous insects are often built upon the assumption that host selection is under simple genetic control, perhaps even a single locus. The genetic basis for differences in host-plant preference by ovipositing insects was investigated using two closely related species of swallowtail butterfly, Papilio oregonius and P. zelicaon, which differ in the plant families on which females oviposit. Both species had been shown previously to vary within populations in host selection. A combination of analyses using reciprocal interspecific crosses and isofemale strains within populations indicated that oviposition preference in these species is determined significantly by one or more loci on the X chromosome, which female Lepidoptera inherit only paternally. Hence, preferences in hybrid females tended toward the paternal species. This is the first insect group for which partial control of oviposition preference has been localized onto a particular chromosome. In addition, one or more loci on another chromosome(s) appear to contribute to preference, as indicated by the partially intermediate preferences of some hybrid crosses. The overall differences in preference in the reciprocal interspecific hybrids were restricted to differences in the distribution of eggs laid among the local host plants of these two Papilio species; the reciprocal crosses did not differ in the small percentage of eggs laid on a novel potential host species. The variation in host selection found among the isofemale strains reinforces earlier results for these strains, indicating that there is genetic variation in host selection within these populations. Overall, the results indicate that the evolution of oviposition preference in these species involves genetic changes at two or more chromosomes with the X chromosome playing an important role in determining preference.     

Genotypic diversity in Oenococcus oeni by high-density microarray comparative genome hybridization and whole genome sequencing

Many bacteria display substantial intra-specific genomic diversity that produces significant phenotypic variation between strains of the same species. Understanding the genetic basis of these strain-specific phenotypes is especially important for industrial microorganisms where these characters match individual strains to specific industrial processes. Oenococcus oeni, a bacterium used during winemaking, is one such industrial species where large numbers of strains show significant differences in commercially important industrial phenotypes. To ascertain the basis of these phenotypic differences, the genomic content of ten wine strains of O. oeni were mapped by array-based comparative genome hybridization (aCGH). These strains comprised a genomically diverse group in which large sections of the reference genome were often absent from individual strains. To place the aCGH results in context, whole genome sequence was obtained for one of these strains and compared with two previously sequenced, unrelated strains. While the three strains shared a core group of conserved ORFs, up to 10% of the coding potential of any one strain was specific to that isolate. The genome of O. oeni is therefore likely to be much larger than that present in any single strain and it is these strain-specific regions that are likely to be responsible for differences in industrial phenotypes.     

Novel strains of Bacillus,isolated from compost and compost-amended soils,as biological control agents against soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi

A stepwise screening strategy made it possible to identify five new Bacillus spp. strains for biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia minor and Fusarium solani. In vitro and in vivo biocontrol activity and M13-PCR DNA-fingerprinting led to the selection of these valuable biological control agents (BCAs) from a wide collection of over 250 candidates. At the end of this selection, the highest potential antagonists were identified at species level by 16S-rRNA gene sequence analysis, and results assigned them to Bacillus subtilis group as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens- and Bacillus methylotrophicus-related strains. In the current study, spore-forming bacteria provided substantial biocontrol of telluric diseases on cress and other different host plants. The strains named 15S and 09C were effective in disease control on Brassica oleracea/R. solani pathosystem, whereas Sclerotinia drop of lettuce was reduced by treatments with the strains 17S and 08C. Finally, the strains 17S and 12S were equally effective to control potato Fusarium rot. The evident zone of inhibition seen in dual culture plates suggested antibiosis-like antagonisms as the main mechanisms used by these bacterial isolates in interaction with the pathogens. Additionally, the API-ZYM method revealed constitutive activity of certain extracellular enzymes that could be involved in plant fortification. Bacillus strains isolated from compost and compost-amended soils are promising BCAs that have potential for practical application as biofungicides.     

Antheridiol, RNA polymerase II and sexual development in the aquatic fungus, Achlya

The fungus, Achlya, is one of the most primitive eukaryotes known to secrete and respond to diffusible steroid sex hormones (pheromones). Antheridiol, which is produced by female strains of Achlya induces male strains to differentiate male sex organs. Induction of male strains with antheridiol elicits several changes in macromolecular synthesis including a quantitative enhancement in the synthesis of poly adenylated messenger RNA. We have examined whether this quantitative change is due to the regulation of RNA polymerase II. The level of polymerase increases as a response to the pheromone. This was examined using two different approaches, one of which included an extremely sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Furthermore, the specific activities of polymerase II preparations isolated from pheromone-stimulated cultures was significantly higher than the specific activities of enzyme preparations isolated from control. A comparison of the polypeptide subunit composition of polymerase II preparations isolated from both pheromone-treated and control cultures on SDS polyacrylamide gels indicated no qualitative differences. Apparent differences in the stoichiometry of two specific subunits were reproducibly observed. The subunits of 140,000 and of 69,000 stained much more intensely in RNA polymerase II preparations isolated from 4h antheridiol-treated cultures.