Degradation of diphenyl phthalate by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphingomonas chungbukensis</Emphasis>

More than 80% of diphenyl phthalate (DPP) at 100 mg l⁻¹ was degraded by Sphingomonas chungbukensis KCTC 2955 in a mineral salts medium at pH 7.0 and 30°C within 48 h. The maximum specific degradation rate was 5 mg DPP l⁻¹ h⁻¹. It was rapidly converted to monophenyl phthalate and phthalic acid which were further degraded.     

Decolorization of textile dye by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis> isolated from industrial effluents

The aim of the present work was to observe microbial decolorization and biodegradation of the Direct Violet 51 azo dye by Candida albicans isolated from industrial effluents and study the metabolites formed after degradation. C. albicans was used in the removal of the dye in order to further biosorption and biodegradation at different pH values in aqueous solutions. A comparative study of biodegradation analysis was carried out using UV–vis and FTIR spectroscopy, which revealed significant changes in peak positions when compared to the dye spectrum. Theses changes in dye structure appeared after 72 h at pH 2.50; after 240 h at pH 4.50; and after 280 h at pH 6.50, indicating the different by-products formed during the biodegradation process. Hence, the yeast C. albicans was able to remove the color substance, demonstrating a potential enzymatic capacity to modify the chemical structure of pigments found in industrial effluents.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">briggsae</Emphasis> genome contains active <Emphasis Type="Italic">CbmaT1</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tcb1</Emphasis> transposons

The maT clade of transposons is a group of transposable elements intermediate in sequence and predicted protein structure to mariner and Tc transposons, with a distribution thus far limited to a few invertebrate species. We present evidence, based on searches of publicly available databases, that the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae has several maT-like transposons, which we have designated as CbmaT elements, dispersed throughout its genome. We also describe two additional transposon sequences that probably share their evolutionary history with the CbmaT transposons. One resembles a fold back variant of a CbmaT element, with long (380-bp) inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) that show a high degree (71%) of identity to CbmaT1. The other, which shares only the 26-bp ITR sequences with one of the CbmaT variants, is present in eight nearly identical copies, but does not have a transposase gene and may therefore be cross mobilised by a CbmaT transposase. Using PCR-based mobility assays, we show that CbmaT1 transposons are capable of excising from the C. briggsae genome. CbmaT1 excised approximately 500 times less frequently than Tcb1 in the reference strain AF16, but both CbmaT1 and Tcb1 excised at extremely high frequencies in the HK105 strain. The HK105 strain also exhibited a high frequency of spontaneous induction of unc-22 mutants, suggesting that it may be a mutator strain of C. briggsae.     

In planta transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Notocactus scopa</Emphasis> cv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Soonjung</Emphasis> by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium </Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">tumefaciens</Emphasis>

Notocactus scopa cv. Soonjung was subjected to in planta Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation with vacuum infiltration, pin-pricking, and a combination of the two methods. The pin-pricking combined with vacuum infiltration (20-30 cmHg for 15 min) resulted in a transformation efficiency of 67-100%, and the expression of the uidA and nptII genes was detected in transformed cactus. The established in planta transformation technique generated a transgenic cactus with higher transformation efficiency, shortened selection process, and stable gene expression via asexual reproduction. All of the results showed that the in planta transformation method utilized in the current study provided an efficient and time-saving procedure for the delivery of genes into the cactus genome, and that this technique can be applied to other asexually reproducing succulent plant species.     

Isolation and characterization of phenanthrene-degrading <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphingomonas paucimobilis</Emphasis> strain ZX4

Phenanthrene-degrading bacterium strain ZX4 was isolated from an oil-contaminated soil, and identified as Sphingomonas paucimobilis based on 16S rDNA sequence, cellular fatty acid composition, mol% G + C and Biolog-GN tests. Besides phenanthrene, strain ZX4 could also utilize naphthalene, fluorene and other aromatic compounds. The growth on salicylic acid and catechol showed that the strain degraded phenanthrene via salicylate pathway, while the assay of catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase revealed catechol could be metabolized through meta-cleavage pathway. Three genes, including two of meta-cleavage operon genes and one of GST encoding gene were obtained. The order of genes arrangement was similar to S-type meta-pathway operons. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rDNA sequence and meta-pathway gene both revealed that strain ZX4 is clustered with strains from genus Sphingomonas.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> transposons of the urochordata <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ciona intestinalis</Emphasis>

P transposons belong to the eukaryotic DNA transposons, which are transposed by a cut and paste mechanism using a P-element-coded transposase. They have been detected in Drosophila, and reside as single copies and stable homologous sequences in many vertebrate species. We present the P elements Pcin1, Pcin2 and Pcin3 from Ciona intestinalis, a species of the most primitive chordates, and compare them with those from Ciona savignyi. They showed typical DNA transposon structures, namely terminal inverted repeats and target site duplications. The coding region of Pcin1 consisted of 13 small exons that could be translated into a P-transposon-homologous protein. C. intestinalis and C. savignyi displayed nearly the same phenotype. However, their P elements were highly divergent and the assumed P transposase from C. intestinalis was more closely related to the transposase from Drosophila melanogaster than to the transposase of C. savignyi. The present study showed that P elements with typical features of transposable DNA elements may be found already at the base of the chordate lineage. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Floral development and systematic position of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arillastrum</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allosyncarpia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stockwellia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptopsis</Emphasis> (Myrtaceae)

We have investigated the floral ontogeny of Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis (of the eucalypt group, Myrtaceae) using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Several critical characters for establishing relationships between these genera and to the eucalypts have been determined. The absence of compound petaline primordia in Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis excludes these taxa from the eucalypt clade. Post-anthesis circumscissile abscission of the hypanthium above the ovary in Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia is evidence that these three taxa form a monophyletic group; undifferentiated perianth parts and elongated fusiform buds are characters that unite Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis as sister taxa. No floral characters clearly associate Arillastrum with either the eucalypt clade or the clade of Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia.We gratefully acknowledge Clyde Dunlop and Bob Harwood (Northern Territory Herbarium) for collecting specimens of Allosyncarpia, and Bruce Gray (Atherton) for collecting specimens of Stockwellia. The Australian National Herbarium (CANB) kindly lent herbarium specimens of Eucalyptopsis for examination. This research was supported by a University of Melbourne Research Development Grant to Andrew Drinnan.     

Regulation of stipule development by <Emphasis Type="Italic">COCHLEATA</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">STIPULE</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">REDUCED</Emphasis> genes in pea <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis>

Pisum sativum L., the garden pea crop plant, is serving as the unique model for genetic analyses of morphogenetic development of stipule, the lateral organ formed on either side of the junction of leafblade petiole and stem at nodes. The stipule reduced (st) and cochleata (coch) stipule mutations and afila (af), tendril-less (tl), multifoliate-pinna (mfp) and unifoliata-tendrilled acacia (uni-tac) leafblade mutations were variously combined and the recombinant genotypes were quantitatively phenotyped for stipule morphology at both vegetative and reproductive nodes. The observations suggest a role of master regulator to COCH in stipule development. COCH is essential for initiation, growth and development of stipule, represses the UNI-TAC, AF, TL and MFP led leafblade-like morphogenetic pathway for compound stipule and together with ST mediates the developmental pathway for peltate-shaped simple wild-type stipule. It is also shown that stipule is an autonomous lateral organ, like a leafblade and secondary inflorescence.     

Phylogenetic analyses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uromyces viciae-fabae</Emphasis> and its varieties on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lathyrus</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum</Emphasis> in Japan

A pea rust fungus, Uromyces viciae-fabae, has been classified into two varieties, var. viciae-fabae and var. orobi, based on differences in urediniospore wall thickness and putative host specificity in Japan. In principal component analyses, morphological features of urediniospores and teliospores of 94 rust specimens from Vicia, Lathyrus, and Pisum did not show definite host-specific morphological groups. In molecular analyses, 23 Uromyces specimens from Vicia, Lathyrus, and Pisum formed a single genetic clade based on D1/D2 and ITS regions. Four isolates of U. viciae-fabae from V. cracca and V. unijuga could infect and sporulate on P. sativum. These results suggest that U. viciae-fabae populations on different host plants are not biologically differentiated into groups that can be recognized as varieties.Contribution no. 184, Laboratory of Plant Parasitic Mycology, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba, Japan     

Study of tauopathies by comparing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> and human <Emphasis Type="Italic">tau</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>

The microtubule-binding protein tau has been investigated for its contribution to various neurodegenerative disorders. However, the findings from transgenic studies, using the same tau transgene, vary widely among different laboratories. Here, we have investigated the potential mechanisms underlying tauopathies by comparing Drosophila (d-tau) and human (h-tau) tau in a Drosophila model. Overexpression of a single copy of either tau isoform in the retina results in a similar rough eye phenotype. However, co-expression of Par-1 with d-tau leads to lethality, whereas co-expression of Par-1 with h-tau has little effect on the rough eye phenotype. We have found analogous results by comparing larval proteomes. Through genetic screening and proteomic analysis, we have identified some important potential modifiers and tau-associated proteins. These results suggest that the two tau genes differ significantly. This comparison between species-specific isoforms may help to clarify whether the homologous tau genes are conserved. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (30270341; 30630028), the Multidisciplinary Program (Brain and Mind) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Major State Basic Research Program (“973 program”; G2000077800; G2006CB806600; 2006CB911003), the Precedent Project of Important Intersectional Disciplines in the Knowledge Innovation Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJCX1-09-03).     

Decolorization of a dye industry effluent by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus fumigatus</Emphasis> XC6

The strain Aspergillus fumigatus XC6 isolated from mildewing rice straw was evaluated for its ability to decolorize a dye industry effluent. The strain was capable of decolorizing dyes effluent over a pH range 3.0–8.0 with the dyes as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. The optimum pH was 3.0; however, supplemented with either appropriate nitrogen sources (0.2% NH₄Cl or (NH₄)₂SO₄ ) or carbon sources (1.0% sucrose or potato starch), the strain decolorized the effluent completely at the original pH of the dyes effluent. Therefore, A. fumigatus XC6 is an efficient strain for the decolorization of reactive textile dyes effluents, and it might be a practical alternative in dyeing wastewater treatment.     

Phenotypic Switching of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptococcus neoformans</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptococcus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">gattii</Emphasis>

Microorganisms that live in fluctuating environments must constantly adapt their behavior to survive. The host constitutes an important microenvironment in opportunistic and primary fungal pathogens like Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) and Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii). In clonal populations, adaptation may be achieved through the generation of diversity. For fungi phenotype switching constitutes a mechanism that allows them to change rapidly. Both C. neoformans and C. gattii undergo phenotypic switching, which allows them to be successful pathogens and cause persistent disease. Similar to other encapsulated microbes that exhibit phenotypic variation, phenotypic switching in Cryptococcus changes the polysaccharide capsule. Most importantly, in animal models phenotypic switching affects virulence and can change the outcome of infection. Virulence changes because C. neoformans and C. gattii switch variants elicit different inflammatory responses in the host. This altered host response can also affect the response to antifungal therapy and in some cases may even promote the selection of switch variants. This review highlights the similarity and differences between phenotypic switching in C. neoformans and C. gattii, the two dominant species that cause cryptococcosis in humans.     

Mutational analysis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">gum</Emphasis> gene cluster required for xanthan biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis> pv <Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis>

Genome sequence analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae has revealed a cluster of 12 ORFs that are closely related to the gum gene cluster of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. The gum gene cluster of X. oryzae encodes proteins involved in xanthan production; however, there is little experimental evidence supporting this. In this study, biochemical analyses of xanthan produced by a defined set of X. oryzae gum mutant strains allowed us to preliminarily assign functions to most of the gum gene products: biosynthesis of the pentasaccharide repeating unit for GumD, GumM, GumH, GumK, and GumI, xanthan polymerization and transport for GumB, GumC, GumE, and GumJ, and modification of the pentasaccharide repeating unit for GumF, GumG, and GumL. In addition, we found that the exopolysaccharides are essential but not specific for the virulence of X. oryzae. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Sang-Yoon Kim and Jeong-Gu Kim contributed equally to this work.     

Life cycle of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uromyces appendiculatus</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">azukicola</Emphasis> on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vigna angularis</Emphasis>

Field observations and inoculation experiments revealed that Uromyces appendiculatus var. azukicola has an autoecious and macrocyclic life cycle and produces spermogonia, aecia, uredinia, and telia on Vigna angularis var. angularis and V. angularis var. nipponensis. From inoculation experiments, it was suggested that this rust fungus has different host relationships from other varieties. Morphological examinations revealed that the characteristics of urediniospores and teliospores are different among varieties, although aeciospores are morphologically similar to each other.Contribution no. 182, Laboratory of Plant Parasitic Mycology, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba, Japan     

Quantitative study of interactions between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oenococcus </Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">oeni</Emphasis> strains

This study examines the interactions that occur between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Oenococcus oeni strains during the process of winemaking. Various yeast/bacteria pairs were studied by applying a sequential fermentation strategy which simulated the natural winemaking process. First, four yeast strains were tested in the presence of one bacterial strain leading to the inhibition of the bacterial component. The extent of inhibition varied widely from one pair to another and closely depended on the specific yeast strain chosen. Inhibition was correlated to weak bacterial growth rather than a reduction in the bacterial malolactic activity. Three of the four yeast strains were then grown with another bacteria strain. Contrary to the first results, this led to the bacterial stimulation, thus highlighting the importance of the bacteria strain. The biochemical profile of the four yeast fermented media exhibited slight variations in ethanol, SO(2) and fatty acids produced as well as assimilable consumed nitrogen. These parameters were not the only factors responsible for the malolactic fermentation inhibition observed with the first bacteria strain. The stimulation of the second has not been reported before in such conditions and remains unexplained.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</Emphasis> can Overgrow <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum kahawae</Emphasis> on Green Coffee Berries First Inoculated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. kahawae</Emphasis>

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is a weak pathogen of coffee that infects ripe berries at dark red stage causing necrotic lesions, but only penetrates up to the second superficial layers of the pericarp at the rose and pink stages. C. kahawae, the causal agent of coffee berry disease (CBD) and responsible for 70–80% of crop loss, infects berries at any stage of development. When green berries are first inoculated with C. kahawae and then at 2, 72 or 96 h later with C. gloeosporioides, the necrotic lesions were significantly larger than in the controls, and were much more evident when the berries were incubated at the optimum growth temperature of 28 °C for C. gloeosporioides. Isolations from the lesions induced by the first inoculations with C. kahawae followed by inoculation with C. gloeosporioides revealed that all or most of the time the recovered isolates of the latter. Thus, C. gloeosporioides can overwhelm C. kahawae under conditions of higher environmental temperature and humidity and may enhance the CBD infection process under field conditions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Funastrum rupicola</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apocynaceae:</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">Asclepiadoideae</Emphasis>), a new species from Bolivia

Summary   Funastrum rupicola Goyder, a new species of Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae from Bolivia, is described and illustrated. The conservation status of this species is assessed.