Studio sulla colorazione da antocianidine in alcune specie della flora italiana

Abstract

Flower colour and anthocyanidin pigments in some species of the Italian flora.—The anthocyanidin pigments, cyanidin and peonidin, of Corydalis cava and C. solida have been identified. The chromatic variation of C. cava is due to quantitative variation of the pigments. Only quantitative differences exist between the two species C. cava and C. solida. The pigments are absent in the white flowers.

The pigments of Pulmonaria visianii in all flower ages are delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin. The blueing of flowers with ageing depends on pH; being 5.6 for red, 6.0 for purple and 6.7 for blue flowers.     

Bacterial Endophytic Communities in the Grapevine Depend on Pest Management

Microbial plant endophytes are receiving ever-increasing attention as a result of compelling evidence regarding functional interaction with the host plant. Microbial communities in plants were recently reported to be influenced by numerous environmental and anthropogenic factors, including soil and pest management. In this study we used automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) fingerprinting and pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA to assess the effect of organic production and integrated pest management (IPM) on bacterial endophytic communities in two widespread grapevines cultivars (Merlot and Chardonnay). High levels of the dominant Ralstonia, Burkholderia and Pseudomonas genera were detected in all the samples We found differences in the composition of endophytic communities in grapevines cultivated using organic production and IPM. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to the Mesorhizobium, Caulobacter and Staphylococcus genera were relatively more abundant in plants from organic vineyards, while Ralstonia, Burkholderia and Stenotrophomonas were more abundant in grapevines from IPM vineyards. Minor differences in bacterial endophytic communities were also found in the grapevines of the two cultivars.     

Effects of an Enhanced Human Interaction Program on shelter dogs’ behaviour analysed using a novel nonparametric test

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of introduction and interruption of an Enhanced Human Interaction Program (EHIP) on shelter dogs’ behaviour and welfare and to apply a novel statistical method to analyse the behavioural data. Twenty-two dogs, which were never subjected to similar programs, were studied. The EHIP consisted of walking and petting the dogs for 15 min once a week. Dogs were divided into two groups: dogs participating in the program (EHIP, n = 9) and control dogs receiving no such program but exposed to human visual stimuli (n = 13). EHIP dogs started being walked on day 8 of the study and continued until day 42 when the walking schedule was stopped. Behavioural observations were performed by instantaneous scan sampling every 3 min for 3 h on days 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 36, 38, 42, 57, 59 and 64. Hence three periods were identified: the first in which all the dogs were not walked, the second in which EHIP dogs were walked (subdivided into early interaction and late interaction phase), the third in which all the dogs were not walked. Data were analysed using the inferential multivariate nonparametric methodology called NPC (Nonparametric Combination) Test. EHIP increased the time the dogs were visible from the front of the pen and the time they were tail wagging (p < 0.05). These changes may make the animals more likely to be re-homed. No behavioural sign of stress was recorded when the program was discontinued. These findings lead to conclude that EHIPs may be useful enrichment programs for shelter dogs. Furthermore, the NPC Test proved to be a suitable and powerful statistical tool since it does not need a modelling for dependence among variables and it is not affected by the problem of loss of degrees of freedom when the number of variables is large compared to sample size as was the case in the present study.     

Resilience of the Natural Phyllosphere Microbiota of the Grapevine to Chemical and Biological Pesticides

The phyllosphere is colonized by complex microbial communities, which are adapted to the harsh habitat. Although the role and ecology of nonpathogenic microorganisms of the phyllosphere are only partially understood, leaf microbiota could have a beneficial role in plant growth and health. Pesticides and biocontrol agents are frequently applied to grapevines, but the impact on nontarget microorganisms of the phyllosphere has been marginally considered. In this study, we investigated the effect of a chemical fungicide (penconazole) and a biological control agent (Lysobacter capsici AZ78) on the leaf microbiota of the grapevine at three locations. Amplicons of the 16S rRNA gene and of the internal transcribed spacer were sequenced for bacterial and fungal identification, respectively. Pyrosequencing analysis revealed that the richness and diversity of bacterial and fungal populations were only minimally affected by the chemical and biological treatments tested, and they mainly differed according to grapevine locations. Indigenous microbial communities of the phyllosphere are adapted to environmental and biotic factors in the areas where the grapevines are grown, and they are resilient to the treatments tested. The biocontrol properties of phyllosphere communities against downy mildew differed among grapevine locations and were not affected by treatments, suggesting that biocontrol communities could be improved with agronomic practices to enrich beneficial populations in vineyards.     

Identification by PCR of Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica Serovars Associated with Invasive Infections among Febrile Patients in Mali

Background

In sub-Saharan Africa, non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are emerging as a prominent cause of invasive disease (bacteremia and focal infections such as meningitis) in infants and young children. Importantly, including data from Mali, three serovars, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Dublin, account for the majority of non-typhoidal Salmonella isolated from these patients.

Methods

We have extended a previously developed series of polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) based on O serogrouping and H typing to identify Salmonella Typhimurium and variants (mostly I 4,[5],12:i:-), Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Dublin. We also designed primers to detect Salmonella Stanleyville, a serovar found in West Africa. Another PCR was used to differentiate diphasic Salmonella Typhimurium and monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium from other O serogroup B, H:i serovars. We used these PCRs to blind-test 327 Salmonella serogroup B and D isolates that were obtained from the blood cultures of febrile patients in Bamako, Mali.

Principal Findings

We have shown that when used in conjunction with our previously described O-serogrouping PCR, our PCRs are 100% sensitive and specific in identifying Salmonella Typhimurium and variants, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Dublin and Salmonella Stanleyville. When we attempted to differentiate 171 Salmonella Typhimurium (I 4,[ 5],12:i:1,2) strains from 52 monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium (I 4,[5],12:i:-) strains, we were able to correctly identify 170 of the Salmonella Typhimurium and 51 of the Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- strains.

Conclusion

We have described a simple yet effective PCR method to support surveillance of the incidence of invasive disease caused by NTS in developing countries.     

Cell-specific expression of tryptophan decarboxylase and 10-hydroxygeraniol oxidoreductase,key genes involved in camptothecin biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Camptotheca acuminata</Emphasis> Decne (Nyssaceae)

Background  

Camptotheca acuminata is a major natural source of the terpenoid indole alkaloid camptothecin (CPT). At present, little is known about the cellular distribution of the biosynthesis of CPT, which would be useful knowledge for developing new strategies and technologies for improving alkaloid production.     

The capsid protein of beak and feather disease virus binds to the viral DNA and is responsible for transporting the replication-associated protein into the nucleus

Circoviruses lack an autonomous DNA polymerase and are dependent on the replication machinery of the host cell for de novo DNA synthesis. Accordingly, the viral DNA needs to cross both the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope before replication can occur. Here we report on the subcellular distribution of the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) capsid protein (CP) and replication-associated protein (Rep) expressed via recombinant baculoviruses in an insect cell system and test the hypothesis that the CP is responsible for transporting the viral genome, as well as Rep, across the nuclear envelope. The intracellular localization of the BFDV CP was found to be directed by three partially overlapping bipartite nuclear localization signals (NLSs) situated between residues 16 and 56 at the N terminus of the protein. Moreover, a DNA binding region was also mapped to the N terminus of the protein and falls within the region containing the three putative NLSs. The ability of CP to bind DNA, coupled with the karyophilic nature of this protein, strongly suggests that it may be responsible for nuclear targeting of the viral genome. Interestingly, whereas Rep expressed on its own in insect cells is restricted to the cytoplasm, coexpression with CP alters the subcellular localization of Rep to the nucleus, strongly suggesting that an interaction with CP facilitates movement of Rep into the nucleus.     

Recombination patterns in aphthoviruses mirror those found in other picornaviruses

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is thought to evolve largely through genetic drift driven by the inherently error-prone nature of its RNA polymerase. There is, however, increasing evidence that recombination is an important mechanism in the evolution of these and other related picornoviruses. Here, we use an extensive set of recombination detection methods to identify 86 unique potential recombination events among 125 publicly available FMDV complete genome sequences. The large number of events detected between members of different serotypes suggests that horizontal flow of sequences among the serotypes is relatively common and does not incur severe fitness costs. Interestingly, the distribution of recombination breakpoints was found to be largely nonrandom. Whereas there are clear breakpoint cold spots within the structural genes, two statistically significant hot spots precisely separate these from the nonstructural genes. Very similar breakpoint distributions were found for other picornovirus species in the genera Enterovirus and Teschovirus. Our results suggest that genome regions encoding the structural proteins of both FMDV and other picornaviruses are functionally interchangeable modules, supporting recent proposals that the structural and nonstructural coding regions of the picornaviruses are evolving largely independently of one another.     

A simple method for large-scale purification of plasma-derived apo-transferrin

We investigated and optimized a purification process, suitable for industrial scale, to obtain pharmaceutical grade apo-Tf (apo-transferrin), preserving its physiological properties and functions. Apo-Tf was obtained from fraction IV subfraction 1 and IV subfraction 4 (fraction IV-1,4), a waste product of the Cohn fractionation process, performing a single chromatographic run and two viral inactivation/removal steps. The structural integrity and the biological activity of the final product were extensively tested. The yield of apo-Tf produced was 80% on laboratory scale and 90% in scale-up lots, and the purity was higher than 95%. The purified protein preserves iron- and receptor-binding activities and shows a normal glycosylation pattern. The single chromatographic step process presented here provides an efficient means to prepare commercial quantities of the protein. The final product is sterile and two viral inactivation/removal steps were introduced into the process.     

Discovery of a new series of 5-HT1A receptor agonists

Starting from compounds previously identified as α₁-adrenoceptor antagonists that were also found to bind to the 5-HT_1A receptor, in an attempt to separate the two activities, a new series of 5-HT_1A receptor agonists was identified and shown to have high potency and/or high selectivity. Of these, compound 13, which combines high selectivity (5-HT_1A/α₁ = 151) and good agonist potency (pD₂ = 7.82; E_max = 76), was found to be the most interesting.