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.     

Detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">dubliniensis</Emphasis> in Venezuela

Over the past decades there has been a significant increase in fungal infections caused by Candida species, and continues to be common in immunocompromised individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although Candida albicans remains the fungal species most frequently isolated as an opportunistic oral pathogen, other non-albicans are often identified in this cohort of patients, including C. dubliniensis. This yeast is closely related to and shares many phenotypic characteristics with C. albicans. Colonies of these two species appear morphologically identical when not grown on special media. The shared phenotypic characteristics of C. dubliniensis and C. albicans suggest that many C. dubliniensis isolates may have been misidentified as C. albicans in the past. The present studies aim is to recover and identify C. dubliniensis, and presumptive clinical C. albicans, from the oral cavities of HIV-seropositive individuals, comparing conventional media to obtain a simple, low-cost and reliable identification system for C. dubliniensis. A total of 16 isolates (3,98%) had been obtained from 402 HIV infected individuals with recurrent oropharyngitis and were identified as C. dubliniensis. Out of these C. dubliniensis isolates 19% were resistant, with MICs above 64 μg/ml to fluconazole. This constitutes, to the authors knowledge the first recovery of this organism in Venezuela.     

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     

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.     

Comparative effectiveness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia</Emphasis> sp. containing ACC-deaminase for improving growth and yield of wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) under salt-stressed conditions

Ethylene synthesis is accelerated in response to various environmental stresses like salinity. Ten rhizobacterial strains isolated from wheat rhizosphere taken from different salt affected areas were screened for growth promotion of wheat under axenic conditions at 1, 5, 10 and 15 dS m⁻¹. Three strains, i.e., Pseudomonas putida (N21), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (N39) and Serratia proteamaculans (M35) showing promising performance under axenic conditions were selected for a pot trial at 1.63 (original), 5, 10 and 15 dS m⁻¹. Results showed that inoculation was effective even in the presence of higher salinity levels. P. putida was the most efficient strain compared to the other strains and significantly increased the plant height, root length, grain yield, 100-grain weight and straw yield up to 52, 60, 76, 19 and 67%, respectively, over uninoculated control at 15 dS m⁻¹. Similarly, chlorophyll content and K⁺/Na⁺ of leaves also increased by P. putida over control. It is highly likely that under salinity stress, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid-deaminase activity of these microbial strains might have caused reduction in the synthesis of stress (salt)-induced inhibitory levels of ethylene. The results suggested that these strains could be employed for salinity tolerance in wheat; however, P. putida may have better prospects in stress alleviation/reduction.     

Identification of SNPs and development of functional markers for LMW-GS genes at <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glu-D3</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glu-B3</Emphasis> loci in bread wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.)

Low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) have great effect on wheat processing quality, but were numerous and difficult to dissect by SDS-PAGE. The development of functional markers may be the most effective way for a clear discrimination of different LMW-GS genes. In the present study, three different approaches were used to identify SNPs of different genes at Glu-D3 and Glu-B3 loci in bread wheat for the development of six STS markers (3 for Glu-D3 and 3 for Glu-B3 genes) that were validated with distinguished wheat cultivars. Firstly, seven LMW-GS gene sequences ( AY585350, AY585354, AY585355, AY585356, AY585349, AY585351 and AY585353 ) from Aegilops tauschii, the diploid donor of the D-genome of bread wheat, were chosen to design seven pairs of AS-PCR primers for Glu-D3 genes. By amplifying the corresponding genes from five bread wheat cultivars with different Glu-D3 alleles (a, b, c, d and e) and Ae. tauschii, a primer set, S13F2/S13R1, specific to the gene AY585356, was found to be positive to cultivars with alleles Glu-D3c and d. Nevertheless, the other five pairs of primers designed from AY585350, AY585349, AY585353, AY585354 and AY585355, respectively, did not produce specific PCR products to the cultivars tested. Secondly, all the PCR products from the five primer sets without specific characteristics were sequenced and an SNP from the gene AY585350 was detected in the cultivar Hartog, which resulted in the second STS marker S1F1/S1R3 specific to the allelic variant of AY585350. Thirdly, three Glu-D3 sequences (AB062851, AB062865 and AB062872) and three Glu-B3 sequences (AB062852, AB062853 and AB062860) defined by Ikeda et al. (2002) were chosen to query wheat EST and NR databases, and DNA markers were developed based on the putative SNPs among the sequences. Using this approach, four STS markers were developed and validated with 16-19 bread wheat cultivars. The primer set T1F4/T1R1 was also a Glu-D3 gene-specific marker for AB062872, while T2F2/T2R2, T5F3/T5R1 and T13F4/T13R3 were all Glu-B3 gene specific markers for AB062852, BF293671 and AY831800, respectively. The chromosomal locations of the six markers were verified by amplifying the genomic DNA of Ae. tauschii (DD), T. monococcum (AA) and T. turgidum (AABB) entries, as well as Chinese Spring and its group 1 chromosome nulli-tetrasomic lines. The results are useful to discriminate the corresponding Glu-D3 and Glu-B3 genes in wheat breeding programs.     

The<Emphasis Type="Italic"> HY2</Emphasis> gene as an efficient marker for transposon excision in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Transposable elements can generate germinal and somatic mutations, and hence represent a powerful tool for the analysis of gene function. Transposons from maize have been adapted to mutagenise the genomes of diverse species. The efficiency of these systems partly relies on the ease with which germinal (i.e. germinally transmitted) or somatic excisions can be detected. Here we describe the use of HY2, a gene that codes for an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the phytochrome chromophore, to monitor the excision of a Ds gene-trap element in Arabidopsis thaliana. Taking advantage of the altered germination and de-etiolation behaviour of a Ds -tagged hy2 mutant, we have designed an efficient protocol for the recovery of germinal revertants, making HY2 the most precocious excision marker available, to the best of our knowledge. In addition, HY2 is also useful for generating visible sectors in photosynthetic tissues, thanks to the somatic instability of this mutable hy2 allele.Communicated by M.-A. Grandbastien     

Wheat containing snowdrop lectin (GNA) does not affect infection of the cereal aphid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Metopolophium</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">dirhodum</Emphasis> by the fungal natural enemy<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pandora neoaphidis</Emphasis>

Studies were carried out to determine if susceptibility of the cereal aphid Metopolophium dirhodum to the fungus Pandora neoaphidis was affected by wheat expressing snowdrop lectin (GNA). Aphid infection did not differ significantly between the transgenic GNA and non-transformed lines (91 and 82%, respectively). Fecundity also did not differ between aphids on the two lines, and was ca. 18 nymphs adult⁻¹. Time to infection was ca. 5 days for M. dirhodum on both lines in two of three assays. Our results indicate that wheat expressing GNA would not compromise the efficacy of P. neoaphidis as a biocontrol agent.     

Regeneration of Three <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphagnum</Emphasis> species

Sphagnum capillifolium var. tenellum, S. magellanicum, and S. recurvum var. brevifolium were regenerated from stem pieces grown in containers to assess their potential for use in peatland restoration projects. The effect of two water levels; peat, peat/sand or peat/clay substrates; and peat decomposition level on the species’ regeneration was evaluated. S. magellanicum attained the greatest cover on the peat or peat/sand mixture using decomposed peat when the growing surface was occasionally inundated. S. recurvum attained the greatest cover grown on the peat or peat/sand mixture using undecomposed peat when the water level was kept below the surface. S. capillifolium showed an affinity for the peat/clay mixture, and overall attained a greater total cover than the other species when grown under the lower water level on all substrate types, with total cover approximately three to five times that of the others. When developing management plans for restoration of mined peatlands, species-specific responses to water level, type and extent of mineral soil mixed with the peat surface, and peat decomposition level should be considered.     

The ontogenetic basis for floral diversity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agonis</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptospermum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kunzea</Emphasis> (Myrtaceae)

Floral development in three species each of Leptospermum and Kunzea, and one species of Agonis, is described and compared. Differences in the number of stamens and their arrangement in the flower at anthesis are determined by the growth dynamics of the bud. In Leptospermum, early expansion of the bud is predominantly in the axial direction and causes the stamen primordia to be initiated in antepetalous chevrons. In Kunzea, early expansion occurs predominantly in the lateral direction and successive iterations of stamen primordia are inserted alternately at more or less the same level. In both genera, further expansion in the lateral plane spreads the stamens into a ring around the hypanthium. Agonis flexuosa is similar to Leptospermum. Other variable factors include the timing at which stamen initiation commences (earlier in Leptospermum than Kunzea), the duration of stamen initiation (hence the total number of stamens produced – varies within genera), and very late differential expansion that forces stamens into secondary antesepalous groups in A. flexuosa and L. myrsinoides.The authors thank Dr H. Toelken for kindly providing some material and the impetus for this project. This research was supported by Australian Research Council grant AS19131815.     

Parasitism <Emphasis Type="Italic">versus</Emphasis> mutualism in the ant-garden parabiosis between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Camponotus femoratus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crematogaster levior</Emphasis>

Ant-gardens represent a special type of association between ants and epiphytes. Frequently, two ant species can share the same nest in a phenomenon known as ‘parabiosis’, but the exact nature (i.e., mutualistic or parasitic) of this interaction is the subject of debate. We thus attempted to clarify the mutual costs and benefits for each partner (ants and plants) in the Crematogaster levior/Camponotus femoratus ant-garden parabiosis. The ants’ response to experimental foliar damage to the epiphytes and to the host tree as well as their behavior and interactions during prey capture were investigated to see if the purported parasitic status of Cr. levior could be demonstrated in either the ant-ant or in the ant-plant interactions. The results show that both species take part in protecting the epiphytes, refuting the role of Cr. levior as a parasite of the ant-garden mutualism. During capture of large prey Ca. femoratus took advantage from the ability of Cr. levior to discover prey; by following Cr. levior trails Ca. femoratus workers discover the prey in turn and usurp them during agonistic interactions. Nevertheless, the trade-off between the costs and benefits of this association seems then to be favorable to both species because it is known that Cr. levior benefits from Ca. femoratus building the common carton nests and furnishing protection from vertebrates. Consequently, parabiosis can then be defined as the only mutualistic association existing between ant species, at least in ant-gardens. Received 31 August 2006 ; revised 8 December 2006 ; accepted 12 December 2006     

Evolution of Pair-Living in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaner furcifer</Emphasis>

Pair-living evolved several times independently in the primate lineage and most likely for more than one reason. Currently, there are 7 hypotheses regarding the evolution of pair-living in primates. They may explain several but not all cases. I investigated the applicability of the explanations to fork-marked lemurs Phaner furcifer. I used information from a long-term study on 8 fork-marked lemur families in Kirindy Forest to evaluate the hypotheses. Fork-marked lemurs live in uniform dispersed pairs, which share and defend a territory but spend three-quarters of their activity time apart from each other. Unconditional female dominance and lack of permanent close association between pair-partners disqualify most hypotheses. Lack of male parental care and long travel distances in small home ranges disqualify other explanations. I conclude that there is no support a priori for any current pair-living hypothesis and that the newly formulated intersexual-feeding-competition hypothesis best explains the evolution of pair-living in fork-marked lemurs. Accordingly, female range exclusivity evolved first as a consequence of intense feeding competition. Subsequently, indirect feeding competition drove females to accept a single male to share their territory as a defense against feeding competition from males whose ranges unsystematically overlap those of several females. This situation led to pair-living because formation of dispersed one-male-multifemale-units was too costly for males in terms of reduced foraging efficiency.     

Cloning and expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">mel</Emphasis> gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Previous work from our laboratory has shown that most of Bacillus thuringiensis strains possess the ability to produce melanin in the presence of l-tyrosine at elevated temperatures (42 °C). Furthermore, it was shown that the melanin produced by B. thuringiensis was synthesized by the action of tyrosinase, which catalyzed the conversion of l-tyrosine, via l-DOPA, to melanin. In this study, the tyrosinase-encoding gene (mel) from B. thuringiensis 4D11 was cloned using PCR techniques and expressed in Escherichia coli DH5 . A DNA fragment with 1179 bp which contained the intact mel gene in the recombinant plasmid pGEM1179 imparted the ability to synthesize melanin to the E. coli recipient strain. The nucleotide sequence of this DNA fragment revealed an open reading frame of 744 bp, encoding a protein of 248 amino acids. The novel mel gene from B.thuringiensis expressed in E. coli DH5 conferred UV protection on the recipient strain.     

Novel mutant phenotypes of a dark-germinating mutant<Emphasis Type="Italic"> dkg1</Emphasis> in the fern<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Ceratopteris richardii</Emphasis>

The mutant dark-germinating 1 (dkg1) of the fern Ceratopteris richardii was originally characterized by two phenotypes, germination in the dark and inhibition of germination by light. In this work, we examined whether other phenotypes are present in the gametophytic generation of the dkg1 mutant. Although dkg1 prothalli grown in darkness were elongated as in the case of the wild type, some developmental processes were found to proceed even in complete darkness: (1) the apical and subapical zones developed largely by forming a lateral meristem; (2) asymmetric cell division for rhizoid differentiation occurred in the subapical elongation zone; (3) an archegonium was formed in the proximity of the meristem; and (4) chloroplast relocation could occur without de novo protein synthesis. Furthermore, these processes were shown to be under the control of phytochrome in the wild-type gametophytes on the basis of red/far-red reversibility. These results indicate that the DKG1 gene is pleiotropic and is involved in several phytochrome-mediated responses in the gametophyte development of C. richardii.     

Cellular expression of C<Subscript>3</Subscript> and C<Subscript>4</Subscript> photosynthetic enzymes in the amphibious sedge<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Eleocharis retroflexa</Emphasis> ssp.<Emphasis Type="Italic"> chaetaria</Emphasis>

The amphibious leafless sedge Eleocharis retroflexa ssp. chaetaria expresses C₄-like biochemical characteristics in both the terrestrial and submerged forms. Culms of the terrestrial form have Kranz anatomy, whereas those of the submerged form have Kranz-like anatomy combined with anatomical features of aquatic plant leaves. We examined the immunolocalization of C₃ and C₄ enzymes in culms of the two forms. In both forms, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase; pyruvate, Pi dikinase; and NAD-malic enzyme were compartmentalized between the mesophyll (M) and Kranz cells, but their levels were somewhat reduced in the submerged form. In the terrestrial form, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) occurred mainly in the Kranz cells, and weakly in the M chloroplasts. In the submerged form, the rubisco occurred at higher levels in the M cells than in the terrestrial form. In both forms, the C₄ pattern of enzyme expression was clearer in the M cells adjacent to Kranz cells than in distant M cells. During the transition from terrestrial to submerged conditions, the enzyme expression pattern changed in submerged mature culms that had been formed in air before submergence, and matched that in culms newly developed underwater. It seems that effects of both environmental and developmental factors overlap in the C₄ pattern expression in this plant.     

Genotyping of somatic hybrids between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Festuca arundinacea</Emphasis> Schreb. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.

In order to genotype hybrid genomes of distant asymmetric somatic hybrids, we synthesized hybrid calli and plants via PEG-mediated protoplast fusion between recipient tall fescue (Festuca. arundinacea Schreb.) and donor wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Seventeen and 25 putative hybrid clones were produced from the fusion combinations I and II, each with the donor wheat protoplast treated by UV light for 30 s and 1 min, respectively. Isozyme and RAPD profiles confirmed that ten hybrid clones were obtained from combination I and 19 from combination II. Out of the 29 hybrids, 12 regenerated hybrid plants with tall fescue phenotype. Composition and methylation-variation of the nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes of some hybrids, either with or without regenerative ability, were compared by genomic in situ hybridization, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and DNA methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism. Our results indicated that these selected hybrids all contained introgressed nuclear and cytoplasmic DNA as well as obvious methylation variations compared to both parents. However, there were no differences either in nuclear/cytoplasmic DNA or methylation degree between the regenerable and non-regenerable hybrid clones. We conclude that both regeneration complementation and genetic material balance are crucial for hybrid plant regeneration.