Agroecological basis for the design of biotechnological traps based on Isaria fumosorosea for the biological control of Bemisia tabaci in strawberry crops

Isaria fumosorosea is an entomopathogenic fungus that is used as a control alternative for nymphs and adults of Bemisia tabaci. Currently there are some commercial products, however, in greenhouse or field, these do not reach the levels of control as in the laboratory because the viability of the spores decreases as a result of the conditions of application of these products in situ. The objective of this work is to implement, through agroecological data, a system of biotechnological traps based on I. fumosorosea to increase the control efficiency mainly of adults of B. tabaci in strawberry greenhouses. One way to quantify the degree of infestation of a crop is the use of yellow traps, likewise to determine the spatial distribution of adults. The Taylor method [(1984). Assessing and interpreting the spatial distributions of insect populations. Annual Reviews of Entomology, 29, 321–357) was used in five different strawberry cultivation models, finding aggregate and regular distributions. Finally, once the crop model with the highest degree of infestation was selected, the designed traps were tested and mortalities were obtained between 50% and 90% in both the laboratory and the greenhouse. The biotechnological traps based on I. fumosorosea both in the laboratory and in the greenhouse had statistically the same effect as those used under the traditional method used in the field that is aspersion; therefore, this alternative method of application can be a tool important for the biological control of this pest.     

Differential parameters between cytosolic 2‐Cys peroxiredoxins,PRDX1 and PRDX2

Peroxiredoxins are thiol‐dependent peroxidases that function in peroxide detoxification and H₂O₂ induced signaling. Among the six isoforms expressed in humans, PRDX1 and PRDX2 share 97% sequence similarity, 77% sequence identity including the active site, subcellular localization (cytosolic) but they hold different biological functions albeit associated with their peroxidase activity. Using recombinant human PRDX1 and PRDX2, the kinetics of oxidation and hyperoxidation with H₂O₂ and peroxynitrite were followed by intrinsic fluorescence. At pH 7.4, the peroxidatic cysteine of both isoforms reacts nearly tenfold faster with H₂O₂ than with peroxynitrite, and both reactions are orders of magnitude faster than with most protein thiols. For both isoforms, the sulfenic acids formed are in turn oxidized by H₂O₂ with rate constants of ca 2 × 10³ M^?1 s^?1 and by peroxynitrous acid significantly faster. As previously observed, a crucial difference between PRDX1 and PRDX2 is on the resolution step of the catalytic cycle, the rate of disulfide formation (11 s^?1 for PRDX1, 0.2 s^?1 for PRDX2, independent of the oxidant) which correlates with their different sensitivity to hyperoxidation. This kinetic pause opens different pathways on redox signaling for these isoforms. The longer lifetime of PRDX2 sulfenic acid allows it to react with other protein thiols to translate the signal via an intermediate mixed disulfide (involving its peroxidatic cysteine), whereas PRDX1 continues the cycle forming disulfide involving its resolving cysteine to function as a redox relay. In addition, the presence of C83 on PRDX1 imparts a difference on peroxidase activity upon peroxynitrite exposure that needs further study.     

Fasting-Mimicking Diet Modulates Microbiota and Promotes Intestinal Regeneration to Reduce Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathology

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Virulence potential and genetic diversity of Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas veronii, and Aeromonas hydrophila clinical isolates from Mexico and Spain: a comparative study

A comparative study of 109 Aeromonas clinical isolates belonging to the 3 species most frequently isolated from patients with diarrhea in Mexico and Spain was performed to investigate the distribution of 3 prominent toxin genes and the gene encoding flagellin of lateral flagella; 4 well-established virulence factors in the genus Aeromonas. The aerolysin-hemolysin toxin genes were the most prevalent, being present in 89% of the total isolates. The ast toxin gene was conspicuously absent from the Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas veronii groups but was present in 91% of the Aeromonas hydrophila isolates. Both the alt toxin gene and the lafA flagellin gene also had a low incidence in A. caviae and A. veronii. Differences in the prevalence of alt and lafA were observed between isolates from Mexico and Spain, confirming genus heterogeneity according to geographic location. Carriage of multiple toxin genes was primarily restricted to A. hydrophila isolates, suggesting that A. caviae and A. veronii isolates circulating in Mexico and Spain possess a limited array of virulence genes. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenetic consensus - polymerase chain reaction showed that the Aeromonas populations sampled lack dominant clones and were genetically heterogeneous, with A. caviae being the most diverse species. Further surveys of virulence determinants in genetically heterogeneous populations of Aeromonas isolates circulating worldwide are required to enhance the understanding of their capacity to cause disease.     

PERK-dependent compartmentalization of ERAD and unfolded protein response machineries during ER stress

Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the ER membrane kinases PERK and IRE1 leading to the unfolded protein response (UPR). We show here that UPR activation triggers PERK and IRE1 segregation from BiP and their sorting with misfolded proteins to the ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), a pericentriolar compartment that we had identified previously. PERK phosphorylates translation factor eIF2alpha, which then accumulates on the cytosolic side of the ERQC. Dominant negative PERK or eIF2alpha(S51A) mutants prevent the compartmentalization, whereas eIF2alpha(S51D) mutant, which mimics constitutive phosphorylation, promotes it. This suggests a feedback loop where eIF2alpha phosphorylation causes pericentriolar concentration at the ERQC, which in turn amplifies the UPR. ER-associated degradation (ERAD) is an UPR-dependent process; we also find that ERAD components (Sec61beta, HRD1, p97/VCP, ubiquitin) are recruited to the ERQC, making it a likely site for retrotranslocation. In addition, we show that autophagy, suggested to play a role in elimination of aggregated proteins, is unrelated to protein accumulation in the ERQC.     

Very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are the major acyl groups of sphingomyelins and ceramides in the head of mammalian spermatozoa

Very long-chain (C24 to C34) polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA) are important constituents of sphingomyelin (SM) and ceramide (Cer) in testicular germ cells. In the present paper we focused on the SM and Cer and their fatty acids in spermatozoa and their main regions, heads and tails. In bull and ram spermatozoa, SM was the third most abundant phospholipid and VLCPUFA were the major acyl groups ( approximately 70%) of SM and Cer. In rat epididymal spermatozoa the SM/Cer ratio was low in the absence of and could be maintained high in the presence of the cation chelator EDTA, added to the medium used for sperm isolation. This fact points to the occurrence of an active divalent cation-dependent sphingomyelinase. Bull and rat sperm had an uneven head-tail distribution of phospholipid, with virtually all the VLCPUFA-rich SM located at the head, the lower SM content in the rat being determined by the lower sperm head/tail size ratio. Most of the SM from bull sperm heads was readily solubilized with 1% Triton X-100 at 4 degrees C. The detergent-soluble SM fraction was richer in VLCPUFA than the nonsoluble fraction and richer in saturated fatty acids. Cer was produced at the expense of SM, thus decreasing severalfold the SM/Cer ratio in rat spermatozoa incubated for 2 h in presence of the sperm-capacitating agents, calcium, bicarbonate, and albumin. The generation of Cer from SM in the sperm head surface may be an early step among the biochemical and biophysical changes known to take place in the spermatozoon in the physiological events preceding fertilization.     

Mechanisms of leukemogenesis induced by bovine leukemia virus: prospects for novel anti-retroviral therapies in human

In 1871, the observation of yellowish nodules in the enlarged spleen of a cow was considered to be the first reported case of bovine leukemia. The etiological agent of this lymphoproliferative disease, bovine leukemia virus (BLV), belongs to the deltaretrovirus genus which also includes the related human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). This review summarizes current knowledge of this viral system, which is important as a model for leukemogenesis. Recently, the BLV model has also cast light onto novel prospects for therapies of HTLV induced diseases, for which no satisfactory treatment exists so far.     

Ozone in Spain's national parks and protected forests

In general, it is difficult to measure air pollutant concentrations in remote areas, as they are mostly national parks and protected areas. Passive samplers provide an accurate and inexpensive method for measuring cumulative exposures of different air pollutants. They have been used to collect ozone data in both laboratory and field at different geographical scales. The objective of the present study is to fill the knowledge gap regarding air quality in remote areas of Spain, such as national parks and protected areas. Because there were no systematic data sets on the main air pollutants that could affect these areas, an air quality measurement network was established between 2001 and 2004 on 19 locations inside Spanish national parks and protected areas. The data collected suggest that ozone levels in mountainous areas are high enough to affect sensitive vegetation. Most of the locations registered moderate-to-high ozone levels, with important interannual variability. Altitudinal ozone gradients were observed in most of the parks with complex topography due to the establishment of local circulations that incorporate polluted air masses from polluted airsheds or even long-range transport (i.e., Canary Islands). Different latitude-dependent, yearly cycles were also observed, showing two, one, or no clear peaks depending on the region. These findings extend to the most southerly locations, except in the Canary Islands, where pollution transported from other regions in the upper transport layers probably led to the high concentrations observed.     

Kluyveromyces lactis sexual pheromones. Gene structures and cellular responses to alpha-factor

The Kluyveromyces lactis genes for sexual pheromones have been analyzed. The alpha-factor gene encodes a predicted polypeptide of 187 amino acid residues containing four tridecapeptide repeats (WSWITLRPGQPIF). A nucleotide blast search of the entire K. lactis genome sequence allowed the identification of the nonannotated putative a-pheromone gene that encodes a predicted protein of 33 residues containing one copy of the dodecapeptide a-factor (WIIPGFVWVPQC). The role of the K. lactis structural genes KlMFalpha1 and KlMFA1 in mating has been investigated by the construction of disruption mutations that totally eliminate gene functions. Mutants of both alleles showed sex-dependent sterility, indicating that these are single-copy genes and essential for mating. MATalpha, Klsst2 mutants, which, by analogy to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are defective in Galpha-GTPase activity, showed increased sensitivity to synthetic alpha-factor and increased capacity to mate. Additionally, Klbar1 mutants (putatively defective in alpha-pheromone proteolysis) showed delay in mating but sensitivity to alpha-pheromone. From these results, it can be deduced that the K. lactis MATa cell produces the homolog of the S. cerevisiaealpha-pheromone, whereas the MATalpha cell produces the a-pheromone.