Wine biotechnology in South Africa: towards a systems approach to wine science

The wine industry in South Africa is over three centuries old and over the last decade has reemerged as a significant competitor in world wine markets. The Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT) was established in partnership with the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University to foster basic fundamental research in the wine sciences leading to applications in the broader wine and grapevine industries. This review focuses on the different research programmes of the Institute (grapevine, yeast and bacteria biotechnology programmes, and chemical-analytical research), commercialisation activities (SunBio) and new initiatives to integrate the various research disciplines. An important focus of future research is the Wine Science Research Niche Area programme, which connects the different research thrusts of the IWBT and of several research partners in viticulture, oenology, food science and chemistry. This 'Functional Wine-omics' programme uses a systems biology approach to wine-related organisms. The data generated within the programme will be integrated with other data sets from viticulture, oenology, analytical chemistry and the sensory sciences through chemometrics and other statistical tools. The aim of the programme is to model aspects of the wine making process, from the vineyard to the finished product.     

Altered Dopamine Receptor and Dopamine Transporter Binding and Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Expression Following Perinatal NMDA Receptor Blockade

This study examined how perinatal phencyclidine (PCP) treatment would affect dopamine D2 receptor and dopamine transporter (DAT) binding at different stages after treatment cessation. Female rat pups received injections of PCP (10 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline on postnatal day (PN)7, 9 and 11. D2 receptor and transporter binding was examined at four time-points (PN12, 18, 32 and 96) following injections. PCP treatment altered D2 receptor binding throughout development, with a final end-point of 22-33% decreased binding at adulthood in the nucleus accumbens and caudate putamen (P < 0.01), accompanied by a small but significant increase in DAT binding in the caudate putamen. Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA expression was also significantly increased by 25% (P < 0.05) in the ventral tegmental area of adult rats, suggesting that this model may produce a long-term increase in dopamine output. This study demonstrates that early insult to the brain from NMDA receptor hypofunction alters the dopaminergic system at different stages of development.     

Autoantibodies in cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis

The pathogenesis of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA) involves injury, an immune/inflammatory response and fibrosis. The cause of the injury is unknown, but the identification of serum autoantibodies makes an autoimmune aetiology attractive. The core study on which this commentary is based used novel cloning and serum screening technologies in order to identify new public and private autoantibodies in sera from 12 patients with CFA. Largely negative conclusions were drawn from that study. However, we suggest that the prevalence of autoantibodies may have been underestimated, that the study was timely and that this approach is worth pursuing further.     

A cDNA from grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), which shows homology to AGAMOUS and SHATTERPROOF,is not only expressed in flowers but also throughout berry development

An AGAMOUS/SHATTERPROOF homologue (Vvmads1) was isolated from grapevine by differential display between berry and leaf mRNA. The predicted protein sequence of the full-length clone shows a high degree of homology to PLENA (77% identity) and to SHP1 and SHP2 (75% and 74% identity respectively), and is grouped with AGAMOUS/PLENA homologues when the conserved MADS and K domains are compared. Vvmads1 is expressed only in the later stages of flower development and throughout berry development, although expression is reduced after ripening commenced. When Vvmads1 was over-expressed in tobacco, the resulting plants display altered morphologies in the outer two floral whorls. In the most extreme cases, the inner whorls were surrounded by a carpelloid structure created by the modified sepals. Within these sepals were petals which had been split into sections and which were attached at the base of the flower by structures with the appearance of filaments. The results of this study suggest that Vvmads1 has a regulatory role in flower development before fertilisation and a role in fruit development after fertilisation.     

Surfactant gene polymorphisms and interstitial lung diseases

Pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of phospholipids and proteins, which is present in the alveolar lining fluid and is essential for normal lung function. Alterations in surfactant composition have been reported in several interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). Furthermore, a mutation in the surfactant protein C gene that results in complete absence of the protein has been shown to be associated with familial ILD. The role of surfactant in lung disease is therefore drawing increasing attention following the elucidation of the genetic basis underlying its surface expression and the proof of surfactant abnormalities in ILD.     

Polystomatidae (Monogenea) of southern African Anura: Polystoma claudecombesi n. sp. parasitic in Rana angolensis Bocage

Polystoma claudecombesi is described as a new species of the Polystomatidae (Monogenea) parasitic in the urinary bladder of the anuran host Rana angolensis. This parasite was collected at three localities in South Africa, namely Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve in Natal province, Witsieshoek Mountain Resort in the north-eastern Orange Free State and Bovenste Oog in the province of Transvaal. It is the largest African polystome described to date. Prevalence at Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve was 4.0% and 2.7% in two successive years, with a mean intensity of 1.0 (n=25 and 36, respectively). One of the two R. angolensis from Witsieshoek was infected with 5 parasites. The diversity and distribution of southern African polystomes is also discussed.