Yeast populations residing on healthy or botrytis-infected grapes from a vineyard in Attica, Greece

The yeast flora associated with healthy and Botrytis-infected grapes was assessed. Molecular identification methods assigned isolates to six genera and nine species. For the first time Hanseniaspora opuntiae was encountered as an inhabitant of the grape ecosystem. By using DraI, an informative restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern was generated to distinguish H. opuntiae from the closely related organism Hanseniaspora guilliermondii. Botrytis infection resulted in a larger population and greater diversity of yeasts enriched with fermentative or spoilage species.     

The Vineyard Yeast Microbiome,a Mixed Model Microbial Map

Vineyards harbour a wide variety of microorganisms that play a pivotal role in pre- and post-harvest grape quality and will contribute significantly to the final aromatic properties of wine. The aim of the current study was to investigate the spatial distribution of microbial communities within and between individual vineyard management units. For the first time in such a study, we applied the Theory of Sampling (TOS) to sample gapes from adjacent and well established commercial vineyards within the same terroir unit and from several sampling points within each individual vineyard. Cultivation-based and molecular data sets were generated to capture the spatial heterogeneity in microbial populations within and between vineyards and analysed with novel mixed-model networks, which combine sample correlations and microbial community distribution probabilities. The data demonstrate that farming systems have a significant impact on fungal diversity but more importantly that there is significant species heterogeneity between samples in the same vineyard. Cultivation-based methods confirmed that while the same oxidative yeast species dominated in all vineyards, the least treated vineyard displayed significantly higher species richness, including many yeasts with biocontrol potential. The cultivatable yeast population was not fully representative of the more complex populations seen with molecular methods, and only the molecular data allowed discrimination amongst farming practices with multivariate and network analysis methods. Importantly, yeast species distribution is subject to significant intra-vineyard spatial fluctuations and the frequently reported heterogeneity of tank samples of grapes harvested from single vineyards at the same stage of ripeness might therefore, at least in part, be due to the differing microbiota in different sections of the vineyard.     

Phytosociological studies in the Tatoi district (Attica,Greece)

Vegetation formations of Tatoi district (38°07 N–23°47 E) of Attica (Greece) are described. In this district covering an area of 60 Km² 434 taxa were recorded. We document and describe the following:a. Formations of sclerophyll evergreen vegetation (Ceratonio-Pistacietum Lentisci and Andrachno-Quercetum ilicis), b. Formations of needle-woods (Pinus halepensis and Cupressus sempervirens), c. Formations of phrygana (Cistus incanus subsp. creticus and Sarcopoterium spinosum), d. Formation of weeds and e. Formations of the deciduous trees (Platanus orientalis and oak-trees).Abbreviation ACA= Agricultural College of Athens     

Prevalence of obesity in elementary schoolchildren living in Northeast Attica, Greece

Objective: To assess the prevalence of obesity and obesity trend in schoolchildren living in Northeast Attica, Greece. Research Methods and Procedures: Mean (standard deviation) and median weight and BMI were calculated in 4131 (2054 boys and 2077 girls) 6‐ to 11‐year‐old Greek schoolchildren living in Northeast Attica between November 2003 and April 2004. Two hundred thirty‐six (95 boys, 141 girls) immigrant children also participated in the study. The secular trend for obesity was determined comparing our data with those of a similar study performed in 1994. Results: Of boys, 27.8% were overweight, and 12.3% were obese. For girls, the corresponding values were 26.5% for overweight and 9.9% for obesity. There was an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the last 10 years in both sexes. For boys, overweight increased by 4.2% and obesity by 2.9%, whereas, for girls, overweight increased by 3.8% and obesity by 1.6%. Overweight and obesity were less prevalent in the immigrant children compared with their Greek peers. For immigrant boys, overweight was 15.9% and obesity was 7.9%, and for immigrant girls, overweight was 15.2% and obesity was 8.7%. Discussion: Greek schoolchildren living in Northeast Attica present a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and a positive secular change in the prevalence of obesity.     

Musteloids and feloids (Mammalia, Carnivora) from the late Miocene locality of Pikermi (Attica, Greece)

Some relatively rare carnivore remains from Pikermi are studied. The present specimens include Simocyon primigenius(ROTH and WAGNER, 1854), Promeles palaeatticus(WEITHOFER, 1888), Martes woodwardiPILGRIM, 1931, Felis atticaWAGNER, 1857 and Machairodus giganteus(WAGNER, 1848), as well as some postcranial remains that resemble Enhydriodon? latipesPILGRIM, 1931 and are assigned to Mustelidae gen. et spec. indet. Some of these species were not known until now but from their holotypes as M. woodwardi and E.? latipes. Other species such as F. attica and M. giganteus are better known but from relatively scant material. Since the material of the earlier mentioned species comes from Pikermi, their type locality, it is of especial importance and improves our knowledge for the Pikermi carnivores and their relationships to other species. In some cases where the material comes from ossiferous blocks, the accompanying faunal context is discussed.     

Metailurus major Zdansky, 1924 (Carnivora,Mammalia) from the classical locality of Pikermi (Attica,Greece)

The species of Metailurus major has a large geographical extension and is known from localities spread out from West Europe to China. In Greece it is known from the Late Miocene locality of Halmyropotamos in Euboea, while some authors mention it also in Pikermi and Samos in faunal lists only. Two specimens from Pikermi prove its existence in this classical locality.     

Palynological investigation of Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes in the coastal plain of Marathon (Attica, Greece)

The identification of Middle-Late Holocene palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Marathon coastal plain gained great interest in the last decades due to its high environmental and archaeological importance. Palynological analysis of samples from two boreholes and two trenches along a transect in the marshy area of the Marathon coastal plain, enabled the tracing of the vegetation and the main environmental changes for the last ∼6000 cal BP. Pollen data suggest a human disturbed environment with Pinus, Quercus, Juniperus and Ericaceae, while a general trend towards Mediterranean vegetation patterns is observed during the last ∼3000 cal BP. Pollen grains from aquatic and hydrophilous plants, dinoflagellate cysts, algal remains and other palynomorphs were used in order to determine the local depositional environment and its evolution through time.     

Prostrepsiceros and Protragelaphus (Artiodactyla,Mammalia) from the Late Miocene locality of Chomateri (Attica,Greece)

The Late Miocene fossiliferous locality of Chomateri is located close to the classic locality of Pikermi, but unfortunately its faunal context is not sufficiently known. Some fossil remains of spiral-horned antelopes from Chomateri are assigned to Prostrepsiceros rotundicornis and Protragelaphus skouzesi. The co-existence of P. rotundicornis and P. skouzesi is relatively rare in the Late Miocene, but well-documented in Pikermi. Comparisons of the Chomateri material support a middle Turolian age for the Chomateri locality and suggest a close chronological relation to the Pikermi fauna.     

Biodiversity and ITS-RFLP Characterisation of Aspergillus Section Nigri Isolates in Grapes from Four Traditional Grape-Producing Areas in Greece

A study on the occurrence of Aspergillus section Nigri species on grapes from four traditional grape-producing areas in Greece during the 2011/2012 vintage, and their capability to produce OTA was conducted. One hundred and twenty-eight black aspergilli isolates were characterised at the species level initially by the use of morphological criteria in accordance with appropriate keys, followed by molecular characterisation performed with Polymerase Chain Reaction–Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of the 5.8 ribosomal RNA gene Internal Transcribed Spacer region (5.8 rRNA ITS). Restriction enzyme digestion of the ITS amplicons using the HhaI, HinfI and RsaI, endonucleases distinguished eleven different patterns of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), four for each of the HhaI and RsaI digests and three for HinfI. From a total number of 128 individual isolates, 124 were classified into four Aspergillus species corresponding to A. carbonarius, A. tubingensis, A. japonicus and A. ibericus, and the remaining 4 were classified as members of the A. niger aggregate. A. carbonarius and A. tubingensis being the main representative species were equally counted, with higher geographical representation of the former in southern and the latter in northern regions, respectively. All isolates were tested for their ochratoxigenic potential by use of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA), resulting in significant interspecies differences in OTA production.     

Physiological Characterization of Adaptive Clones in Evolving Populations of the Yeast, SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

Populations of a diploid strain of S. cerevisiae were grown in glucose-limited continuous culture for more than 260 generations. A series of seven sequential adaptive changes were identified by monitoring the frequency of cycloheximide resistance in these populations. Samples were taken from the continuous cultures following each adaptive shift and characterized physiologically to determine (1) the range of phenotypes that can be selected in a precisely defined constant environment and (2) the order and predictability of the occurrence of the adaptive mutations in evolving populations. The clones were characterized with respect to the growth parameters, maximum growth rate, saturation coefficient and yield, as well as for changes in cell size and geometry and rate of glucose uptake. The maximum growth rates of the seven adaptive clones were very similar, but in contrast the saturation coefficients differed substantially. Surprisingly, not all clones showed reductions in the saturation coefficients, in comparison to the immediately preceding clones, as would be predicted from classical continuous culture kinetics. In addition, yield estimates first increased and then decreased for later isolated adaptive clones. In general, the results suggest epistatic interactions between the adaptive clones, consistent with earlier published results. The rate of glucose uptake, as measured by 14C-xylose uptake, increased dramatically after the selection and fixation of seven adaptive clones. Progressive decreases in cell volume and changes in cell geometry, resulting in increased surface area to volume ratios, were also observed in the adaptive clones, but these changes were not always seen in other haploid and diploid yeast populations evolving under the same conditions. Such changes may be easily explainable in terms of the characteristics of the glucose-limited environment. The significance of the results to the evolution of microorganisms under nutrient-limiting conditions is discussed.     

New Phytotoxic Metabolites from Pestalotiopsis sp. HC02, a Fungus Residing in Chondracris rosee Gut

Two new phytotoxic γ‐lactones, pestalotines A and B ( 1 and 2 , resp.), along with 4‐oxo‐4H‐pyran‐3‐acetic acid ( 3 ) and 6‐hydroxyramulosin (=3,4,4a,5,6,7‐hexahydro‐6,8‐dihydroxy‐3‐methyl‐1H‐2‐benzopyran‐1‐one; 4 ), were isolateded from the culture of Pestalotiopsis sp. HC02, a fungus residing in the Chondracris rosee gut. Structures of the new metabolites were elucidated on the basis of their IR, NMR, and MS data. Pestalotines A and B ( 1 and 2 , resp.) significantly inhibited the radical growth of Echinochloa crusgalli with IC₅₀ values of 1.85×10^?4 and 2.50×10^?4 M , respectively, comparable to that of 2‐(2,4‐dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (0.94×10^?4 M ) used as a positive control.     

Growth and Fermentation Characteristics of a Strain of the Wine Yeast Kluyveromyces thermotolerans Isolated in Greece

Summary During the single culture fermentation of grape must K. thermotolerans, strain TH941, isolated in a wine-producing region in northern Greece, reached a very high cell concentration of 8.4 log (c.f.u ml⁻¹), followed by a rapid decline of the viable cells. The yeast produced 9.6 g L-lactic acid l⁻¹ during the growth phase, 7.58% v/v of ethanol and showed a limited degradation of L-malic acid as well as a low production of volatile acidity. In the presence of 3% v/v and 6% v/v of ethanol the K. thermotolerans isolate was able to grow. At 9% v/v of ethanol it could not grow but showed no loss of viability for 10 days.     

Induction of Freeze-sensitive Mutants from a Freeze-tolerant Yeast,Torulaspora delbrueckii

Freeze-sensitive strains of yeast were induced from a freeze-tolerant yeast Torulaspora delbrueckii by incubation with ethyl-methane sulfonate as a mutagen. A maximum ratio of mutation was attained by the incubation at 30°C for 75min. One-hundred and fifty strains of freeze-sensitive yeast were selected by plating-culture for the first screening. The freeze-tolerance ratio of each strain was examined based on the fermentative activity before and after freezing in liquid medium and dough. Strain 60B3 showed the highest freeze-sensitivity in a pre-fermented frozen dough (pre-fermented at 30°C for 2h, and frozen at ?20°C for 7 days) among eight strains finally selected.     

Fritillaria rixii (Liliaceae), a new species from Euboea, Greece

A new Fritillaria species, F rixii , with yellow flowers is described from the island Euboea, Greece. Comparison on some metric variables revealed that the species is closer morphologically to F. drenowskii Degen. & Stoj. and very different from F. euboeica Rix, although the new taxon is connected with the latter through some intermediate forms.     

Lallemantia, an imported or introduced oil plant in Bronze Age northern Greece

This paper reports on seeds of Lallemantia (Lamiaceae) found at Bronze Age sites in northern Greece. At several of these sites, the seeds were found in significant concentrations in storage contexts, suggesting that they were deliberately stored for use by the inhabitants. Oil from the seeds of Lallemantia can be used for a variety of purposes, including food, lighting and medicine. This genus is not native to Greece, the nearest modern occurrences of Lallemantia species being in Anatolia from where they extend further east as far as Iran, or beyond. To date, it has not been found in Neolithic deposits in Greece, despite significant archaeobotanical research, especially in northern Greece. This suggests that it first appeared in Greece in the early Bronze Age, and indicates long distance contacts with communities to the east or north at this time. It is difficult to establish whether its continued use indicates that seeds of this genus were repeatedly brought into Greece throughout the Bronze Age or that the genus was introduced in the early Bronze Age and then locally cultivated. The presence of seeds, however, may suggest that Lallemantia was locally cultivated, as it would have been possible to import it in the form of oil. The appearance of a new import or introduction at this time adds to the evidence for external contact during the Bronze Age. Lallemantia may have been part of a group of oil producing taxa which became significant during the Bronze Age in northern Greece paralleling the increased importance of the olive in southern Greece.     

Draft Genome Sequence of Rahnella aquatilis Strain HX2, a Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacterium Isolated from Vineyard Soil in Beijing,China

Rahnella aquatilis strain HX2 is a plant growth-promoting, disease-suppressive rhizobacterium that was isolated from a vineyard soil in Beijing, China. Here, we report the genome sequence of this strain, which provides a valuable resource for future research examining the mechanisms of traits associated with plant growth promotion and biocontrol.     

The Frequencies of the Serum Amyloid A2 Alleles in Healthy (Turkish,Azerbaijani, and Kazakh) Populations

The Amyloid A1 (AA1) and A2 (AA2) proteins, which result from proteolytic cleavage of the Serum Amyloid A1 (SAA1) and A2 (SAA2) proteins, are major protein components of the Amyloid A deposits found in secondary amyloidosis. This study determines frequency of serum amyloid A2 alleles (α, β) in healthy Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh subjects. Two hundred Turkish, sixty-five Azerbaijani and sixty-five Kazakh healthy individuals were studied by previously described the PCR-RFLP methods. Our data revealed that the frequencies of the α and β alleles at the SAA2 locus in the Turkish healthy population were different when compared to those in Azerbaijani and Kazakh healthy populations (P = 0.014 and 0.02), respectively. In contrast, the difference between α and β alleles at the SAA2 locus was not different in both Kazakh and Azerbaijani healthy populations (P = 0.882).From Genetika, Vol. 41, No. 7, 2005, pp. 986–989.Original English Text Copyright © 2005 by Hakki Tastan, Ozlem Osmanagaoglu, Ayla Tuzun.The text was submitted by the authors in English.