First Report of Peronospora belbahrii on Sweet Basil in Baja California Sur,México

In Baja California Sur, Mexico, a foliar disease occurred on sweet basil which seriously affected its quality and yield. The most common symptoms were yellowing and necrosis on leaves, caused by a downy mycelium growth on the lower leaf surface. Symptomatic leaves from two sampling sites were collected for morphological studies and molecular analysis of pathogen DNA. Based on morphological characteristics (sporangiophore size of 240–530 × 7–11 μm, branches of 5–8 order and a sporangia size of 27–31 × 21–25 μm) and molecular analysis (the GenBank blast of the PCR assays showed unique rDNA sequence data with 99% similarity to P. belbahrii), the pathogen was identified as Peronospora belbahrii, the causal agent of basil downy mildew. This is the first report of P. belbahrii affecting sweet basil in Mexico.     

Long-acting contraceptive agents: norethisterone esters of monoalkenyl and monoalkynyl acids

The synthesis of nine new esters of norethisterone (17 alpha-ethynyl-17 beta-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one) is described, with the esterifying acids bearing an acetylenic or olefinic function in a chain of eight or nine carbon atoms, for evaluation as long-acting contraceptive agents.     

Overexpression of the atypical protein kinase C zeta reduces topoisomerase II catalytic activity,cleavable complexes formation,and drug-induced cytotoxicity in monocytic U937 leukemia cells

In this study, we evaluated the influence of protein kinase C zeta (PKC zeta) on topoisomerase II inhibitor-induced cytotoxicity in monocytic U937 cells. In U937-zeta J and U937-zeta B cells, enforced PKC zeta expression, conferred by stable transfection of PKC zeta cDNA, resulted in total inhibition of VP-16- and mitoxantrone-induced apoptosis and decreased drug-induced cytotoxicity, compared with U937-neo control cells. In PKC zeta-overexpressing cells, drug resistance correlated with decreased VP-16-induced DNA strand breaks and DNA protein cross-links measured by alkaline elution. Kinetoplast decatenation assay revealed that PKC zeta overexpression resulted in reduced global topoisomerase II activity. Moreover, in PKC zeta-overexpressing cells, we found that PKC zeta interacted with both alpha and beta isoforms of topoisomerase II, and these two enzymes were constitutively phosphorylated. However, when human recombinant PKC zeta (rH-PKC zeta) was incubated with purified topoisomerase II isoforms, rH-PKC zeta interacted with topoisomerase II beta but not with topoisomerase II alpha. PKC zeta/topoisomerase II beta interaction resulted in phosphorylation of this enzyme and in decrease of its catalytic activity. Finally, this report shows for the first time that topoisomerase II beta is a substrate for PKC zeta, and that PKC zeta may significantly influence topoisomerase II inhibitor-induced cytotoxicity by altering topoisomerase II beta activity through its kinase function.     

Hydrolysis of triacetin catalyzed by immobilized lipases: effect of the immobilization protocol and experimental conditions on diacetin yield

The effect of the immobilization protocol and some experimental conditions (pH value and presence of acetonitrile) on the regioselective hydrolysis of triacetin to diacetin catalyzed by lipases has been studied. Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) and lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (RML) were immobilized on Sepabeads (commercial available macroporous acrylic supports) activated with glutaraldehyde (covalent immobilization) or octadecyl groups (adsorption via interfacial activation). All the biocatalysts accumulated diacetin. Covalently immobilized RML was more active towards rac-methyl mandelate than the adsorbed RML. However, this covalent RML preparation presented the lowest activity towards triacetin. For this reason, this preparation was discarded as biocatalyst for this reaction. At pH 7, acyl migration occurred giving a mixture of 1,2 and 1,3 diacetin, but at pH 5.5, only 1,2 diacetin was produced. Yields were improved at acidic pH values and in the presence of 20% acetonitrile (to over 95%). RML immobilized on octadecyl Sepabeads was proposed as optimal preparation, mainly due to its higher specific activity. Each enzyme preparation presented very different properties. Moreover, changes in the reaction conditions affected the various immobilized enzymes in a different way.     

Mapping Dominican transnationalism: narrow and broad transnational practices

This article maps the structure for understanding the Dominican transnational field. By transnational field we refer to a web of linkages that affects the lives of Dominicans in their places of residence in every social field. We find that social boundaries of the nation do not coincide with political ones and the degree of participation in transnational exchanges varies. We suggest that the structure of the transnational social field is better understood by establishing and defining broad and narrow transnational social practices.     

Genetic and morphological variation in an ecosystem engineer,Lithophyllum byssoides (Corallinales,Rhodophyta)

Lithophyllum byssoides is a common coralline alga in the intertidal zone of Mediterranean coasts, where it produces biogenic concretions housing a high algal and invertebrate biodiversity. This species is an ecosystem engineer and is considered a target for conservation efforts, but designing effective conservation strategies currently is impossible due to lack of information about its population structure. The morphological and molecular variation of L. byssoides was investigated using morphoanatomy and DNA sequences (psbA and cox2,3) obtained from populations at 15 localities on the Italian and Croatian coasts. Lithophyllum byssoides exhibited a high number of haplotypes (31 psbA haplotypes and 24 cox2,3 haplotypes) in the central Mediterranean. The psbA and cox2,3 phylogenies were congruent and showed seven lineages. For most of these clades, the distribution was limited to one or a few localities, but one of them (clade 7) was widespread across the central Mediterranean, spanning the main biogeographic boundaries recognized in this area. The central Mediterranean populations formed a lineage separate from Atlantic samples; psbA pair‐wise divergences suggested that recognition of Atlantic and Mediterranean L. byssoides as different species may be appropriate. The central Mediterranean haplotype patterns of L. byssoides were interpreted as resulting from past climatic events in the hydrogeological history of the Mediterranean Sea. The high haplotype diversity and the restricted spatial distribution of the seven lineages suggest that individual populations should be managed as independent units.     

Identification, replication, and fine-mapping of Loci associated with adult height in individuals of african ancestry

Adult height is a classic polygenic trait of high heritability (h ² ∼0.8). More than 180 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identified mostly in populations of European descent, are associated with height. These variants convey modest effects and explain ∼10% of the variance in height. Discovery efforts in other populations, while limited, have revealed loci for height not previously implicated in individuals of European ancestry. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association (GWA) results for adult height in 20,427 individuals of African ancestry with replication in up to 16,436 African Americans. We found two novel height loci (Xp22-rs12393627, P = 3.4×10⁻¹² and 2p14-rs4315565, P = 1.2×10⁻⁸). As a group, height associations discovered in European-ancestry samples replicate in individuals of African ancestry (P = 1.7×10⁻⁴ for overall replication). Fine-mapping of the European height loci in African-ancestry individuals showed an enrichment of SNPs that are associated with expression of nearby genes when compared to the index European height SNPs (P<0.01). Our results highlight the utility of genetic studies in non-European populations to understand the etiology of complex human diseases and traits.     

Bronchodilator Responsiveness and Reported Respiratory Symptoms in an Adult Population

Background

The relationship between patient-reported symptoms and objective measures of lung function is poorly understood.

Aim

To determine the association between responsiveness to bronchodilator and respiratory symptoms in random population samples.

Methods

4669 people aged 40 years and older from 8 sites in Canada completed interviewer-administered respiratory questionnaires and performed spirometry before and after administration of 200 ug of inhaled salbutamol. The effect of anthropometric variables, smoking exposure and doctor-diagnosed asthma (DDA) on bronchodilator responsiveness in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) and in forced vital capacity (FVC) were evaluated. Multiple logistic regression was used to test for association between quintiles of increasing changes in FEV₁ and in FVC after bronchodilator and several respiratory symptoms.

Results

Determinants of bronchodilator change in FEV₁ and FVC included age, DDA, smoking, respiratory drug use and female gender [p<0.005 to p<0.0001 ]. In subjects without doctor-diagnosed asthma or COPD, bronchodilator response in FEV₁ was associated with wheezing [p for trend<0.0001], while bronchodilator response for FVC was associated with breathlessness. [p for trend <0.0001].

Conclusions

Bronchodilator responsiveness in FEV₁ or FVC are associated with different respiratory symptoms in the community. Both flow and volume bronchodilator responses are useful parameters which together can be predictive of both wheezing and breathlessness in the general population.     

Growth of Quailbush in Acidic, Metalliferous Desert Mine Tailings: Effect of Azospirillum brasilense Sp6 on Biomass Production and Rhizosphere Community Structure

Mine tailing deposits in semiarid and arid environments frequently remain devoid of vegetation due to the toxicity of the substrate and the absence of a diverse soil microbial community capable of supporting seed germination and plant growth. The contribution of the plant growth promoting bacterium (PGPB) Azospirillum brasilense Sp6 to the growth of quailbush in compost-amended, moderately acidic, high-metal content mine tailings using an irrigation-based reclamation strategy was examined along with its influence on the rhizosphere bacterial community. Sp6 inoculation resulted in a significant (2.2-fold) increase in plant biomass production. The data suggest that the inoculum successfully colonized the root surface and persisted throughout the 60-day experiment in both the rhizosphere, as demonstrated by excision and sequencing of the appropriate denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) band, and the rhizoplane, as indicated by fluorescent in situ hybridization of root surfaces. Changes in rhizosphere community structure in response to Sp6 inoculation were evaluated after 15, 30, and 60 days using DGGE analysis of 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction amplicons. A comparison of DGGE profiles using canonical correspondence analysis revealed a significant treatment effect (Sp6-inoculated vs. uninoculated plants vs. unplanted) on bacterial community structure at 15, 30, and 60 days (p?<?0.05). These data indicate that in an extremely stressed environment such as acid mine tailings, an inoculated plant growth promoting bacterium not only can persist and stimulate plant growth but also can directly or indirectly influence rhizobacterial community development.     

Interspecies and intergenus transferability of barley and wheat D-genome microsatellite markers

A selection of 147 wheat D-genome and 130 barley genomic simple sequence repeat (gSSR) markers were screened for their utility in Hordeum chilense, as an alien donor genome for cereal breeding. Fifty-eight wheat D-genome and 71 barley PCR primer pairs consistently amplified products from H. chilense. Nineteen wheat D-genome and 20 barley gSSR markers were polymorphic and allowed wide genome coverage of the H. chilense genome. Twenty-three of the wheat D-genome and 11 barley PCR primer pairs were suitable for studying the introgressions of H. chilense into wheat, amplifying H. chilense products of distinct size. In 88% of the markers tested, H. chilense products were maintained in the expected homeologous linkage group, as revealed by the analysis of wheat/H. chilense addition lines. Twenty-nine microsatellite markers (eight gSSRs and 21 expressed sequence tags-SSRs) uniformly distributed across the genome were tested for their utility in genetic diversity analysis within the species. Three genetic clusters are reported, in accordance with previous morphological and amplified fragment length polymorphism data. These results show that it is possible to discriminate the three previously established germplasm groups with microsatellite markers. The reported markers represent a valuable resource for the genetic characterisation of H. chilense, for the analysis of its genetic variability, and as a tool for wheat introgression. This is the first intraspecific study in a collection of H. chilense germplasm using microsatellite markers.