Structural levansucrase gene (lsdA) constitutes a functional locus conserved in the species Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus

Levansucrase (EC 2.4.1.10) was identified as a constitutive exoenzyme in 14 Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus strains recovered from different host plants in diverse geographical regions. The enzyme, consisting of a single 60-kDa polypeptide, hydrolysed sucrose to synthesise oligofructans and levan. Sugar-cane-associated strains of the most abundant genotype (electrophoretic type 1) showed maximal values of levansucrase production. These values were three-fold higher than those of the isolates recovered from coffee plants. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed a high degree of conservation of the levansucrase locus (IsdA) among the 14 strains under study, which represented 11 different G. diazotrophicus genotypes. Targeted disruption of the lsdA gene in four representative strains abolished their ability to grow on sucrose, indicating that the endophytic species G. diazotrophicus utilises plant sucrose via levansucrase.     

CD271 as a marker to identify mesenchymal stem cells from diverse sources before culture

Mesenchymal stem cells, due to their characteristics are ideal candidates for cellular therapy. Currently, in culture these cells are defined by their adherence to plastic, specific surface antigen expression and multipotent differentiation potential. However, the in vivo identification of mesenchymal stem cells, before culture, is not so well established. Pre-culture identification markers would ensure higher purity than that obtained with selection based on adherence to plastic. Up until now, CD271 has been described as the most specific marker for the characterization andpurification of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. This marker has been shown to be specifically expressed by these cells. Thus, CD271 has been proposed as a versatile marker to selectively isolated and expand multipotent mesenchymal stem cells with both immunosuppressive and lymphohematopoietic engraftment-promoting properties. This review focuses on this marker, specifically on identification of mesenchymal stem cells from different tissues. Literature revision suggests that CD271 should not be defined as a universal marker to identify mesenchymal stem cells before culture from different sources. In the case of bone marrow or adipose tissue, CD271 could be considered a quite suitable marker; however this marker seems to be inadequate for the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from other tissues such as umbilical cord blood or wharton’s jelly among others.     

Detection of residual toxin in tissues of ricin-poisoned mice by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoprecipitation

This work aimed to evaluate a method to detect the residual ricin in animal tissues. Immunoprecipitation and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect ricin in the tissues of intoxicated mice. The monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) 4C13 and 3D74 were used to assay the whole ricin molecules via sandwich ELISA. Mab 4C13 was conjugated with Sepharose 4B to capture ricin or ricin A chain by immunoprecipitation. Mice injected intravenously with ricin at the dosage of 5 μg/mouse were killed at different time points after intoxication. The serum, liver, kidney, lung, and intestine were harvested. High levels of ricin were found in serum and liver samples at each poisoning time point by sandwich ELISA, suggesting the possibility of determining ricin intoxication by detecting residual ricin in the serum. However, this method turned out to be ineffective for examining ricin in the kidney, lung, and intestine of poisoned mice. Although the same tissue samples of intoxicated mice were analyzed by immunoprecipitation, positive bands were found. This indicated that some components in the kidney, lung, and intestine could bind with ricin and interfere in its binding activity with the coated antibody. Immunoprecipitation could be used to measure the existence of ricin in these samples.     

UDP‐Api/UDP‐Xyl synthases affect plant development by controlling the content of UDP‐Api to regulate the RG‐II‐borate complex

Rhamnogalacturonan‐II (RG‐II) is structurally the most complex glycan in higher plants, containing 13 different sugars and 21 distinct glycosidic linkages. Two monomeric RG‐II molecules can form an RG‐II‐borate diester dimer through the two apiosyl (Api) residues of side chain A to regulate cross‐linking of pectin in the cell wall. But the relationship of Api biosynthesis and RG‐II dimer is still unclear. In this study we investigated the two homologous UDP‐D‐apiose/UDP‐D‐xylose synthases (AXSs) in Arabidopsis thaliana that synthesize UDP‐D‐apiose (UDP‐Api). Both AXSs are ubiquitously expressed, while AXS2 has higher overall expression than AXS1 in the tissues analyzed. The homozygous axs double mutant is lethal, while heterozygous axs1/+ axs2 and axs1 axs2/+ mutants display intermediate phenotypes. The axs1/+ axs2 mutant plants are unable to set seed and die. By contrast, the axs1 axs2/+ mutant plants exhibit loss of shoot and root apical dominance. UDP‐Api content in axs1 axs2/+ mutants is decreased by 83%. The cell wall of axs1 axs2/+ mutant plants is thicker and contains less RG‐II‐borate complex than wild‐type Col‐0 plants. Taken together, these results provide direct evidence of the importance of AXSs for UDP‐Api and RG‐II‐borate complex formation in plant growth and development.     

安徽烟草病毒类型及优势种初步研究

1978年,烟草病毒病在安徽烟区流行,导致凤阳县烟叶总产损失92.3％,引起了普遍震惊。1981—1984年作者对来自16个县、市552个病毒材料,经生物测定、血清反应、电镜观察,初步分离出CMV、TMV、PVY和PVX四种病毒。它们分别约占检测总数的82.79％、4.53％、2.54％和0.36％,其中CMV与长期视为优势种的TMV比值为18.3,除此,尚有约占检测总数9.8％的CMV和TMV、CMV和PVY复合侵染,以及不明类型的毒株。通过对田间烟草以及其他植物花叶病株的实际检测,进一步表明:CMV在烟区分布范围极广、出现频次最多,已形成了复杂的循环侵染系统,成为近期内烟草病毒病持续流行危害的首要毒原。     

The high diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lotus corniculatus</Emphasis> endosymbionts in soils of northwest Spain

The diversity of rhizobia that establish symbiosis with Lotus corniculatus has scarcely been studied. Several species of Mesorhizobium are endosymbionts of this legume, including Mesorhizobium loti, the type species of this genus. We analysed the genetic diversity of strains nodulating Lotus corniculatus in Northwest Spain and ten different RAPD patterns were identified among 22 isolates. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the isolated strains belong to four divergent phylogenetic groups within the genus Mesorhizobium. These phylogenetic groups are widely distributed worldwide and the strains nodulate L. corniculatus in several countries of Europe, America and Asia. Three of the groups include the currently described Mesorhizobium species M. loti, M. erdmanii and M. jarvisii which are L. corniculatus endosymbionts. An analysis of the recA and atpD genes showed that our strains belong to several clusters, one of them very closely related to M. jarvisii and the remanining ones phylogenetically divergent from all currently described Mesorhizobium species. Some of these clusters include L. corniculatus nodulating strains isolated in Europe, America and Asia, although the recA and atpD genes have been sequenced in only a few L. corniculatus endosymbionts. The results of this study revealed great phylogenetic diversity of strains nodulating L. corniculatus, allowing us to predict that even more diversity will be discovered as further ecosystems are investigated.     

Disease-associated prion protein oligomers inhibit the 26S proteasome

The mechanism of cell death in prion disease is unknown but is associated with the production of a misfolded conformer of the prion protein. We report that disease-associated prion protein specifically inhibits the proteolytic beta subunits of the 26S proteasome. Using reporter substrates, fluorogenic peptides, and an activity probe for the beta subunits, this inhibitory effect was demonstrated in pure 26S proteasome and three different cell lines. By challenge with recombinant prion and other amyloidogenic proteins, we demonstrate that only the prion protein in a nonnative beta sheet conformation inhibits the 26S proteasome at stoichiometric concentrations. Preincubation with an antibody specific for aggregation intermediates abrogates this inhibition, consistent with an oligomeric species mediating this effect. We also present evidence for a direct relationship between prion neuropathology and impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in prion-infected UPS-reporter mice. Together, these data suggest a mechanism for intracellular neurotoxicity mediated by oligomers of misfolded prion protein.