Virus–vector Relationships,Host Range,Detection and Sequence Comparison of Chilli leaf curl virus Associated with an Epidemic of Leaf Curl Disease of Chilli in Jodhpur,India

An epidemic of chilli leaf curl disease was recorded in 2004 in Jodhpur, a major chilli‐growing area in Rajasthan, India. Several isolates were efficiently transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), all of which induced severe leaf curl symptoms in chilli. A single whitefly was capable of transmitting the virus, and eight or more whiteflies per plant resulted in 100% transmission. The minimum acquisition access period (AAP) and inoculation access period (IAP) were 180 and 60 min, respectively. The virus persisted in whiteflies for up to 5 days postacquisition. Of 25 species tested, the virus infected only five (Capsicum annuum, Carica papaya, Solanum lycopersicum, Nicotiana tabacum and N. benthamiana). The virus was identified as Chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV), which shared the closest sequence identity (96.1%) with an isolate of ChiLCV from potato in Pakistan and showed sequence diversity up to 12.3% among the ChiLCV isolates reported from India and Pakistan. A betasatellite was identified, which resembled most closely (97.3%) that of Tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite previously reported from chilli and tomato leaf curl in India. The betasatellite was very different from that reported from chilli leaf curl in Pakistan, indicating that different betasatellites are associated with chilli leaf curl in India and Pakistan. We describe here for the first time the virus–vector relationships and host range of ChiLCV.     

甜椒细胞质小分子量热激蛋白基因(CaHSP18)的cDNA克隆与表达

用RT-PCR和RACE-PCR技术,从热激处理的甜椒叶片总RNA中扩增出了细胞质小分子量热激蛋白(sHSP)全长779 bp的cDNA基因序列,包含一个480 bp开放阅读框,编码159个氨基酸.Southern杂交结果表明在甜椒基因组中有该基因的小的多基因家族.Northern结果显示该基因在甜椒根、茎、叶中的表达受热激和低温的诱导.原核表达分析表明该基因在高温以及低温条件下可以提高大肠杆菌的生存能力.     

Studies on the mobilization of a maize transposable family,Ac/Ds, in pepper using In Vivo transient assay system

A maize transposable family, Ac/Ds, has been successfully utilized as a mutagenizing agent not only in monocot but also in dicot. In order to develop insertional mutagenesis system in pepper, the mobility of Ac/Ds has been examined. In this study, the excision of the elements was monitored via transient assay system with protoplasts. Two different systems were developed and compared; one- and two-elements systems. In a one-element system, Ac alone was introduced into cells. As a two-element system, Ac and Ds were cloned into a single vector and were expressed in protoplasts. Our data showed that both Ac and Ds elements were highly mobile in pepper cells. This is the first report suggesting that Ac/Ds mediated gene tagging system could be successfully operated in pepper.     

Origin of Multicellular Pollen and Pollen Embryos in Cultured Anthers of Pepper (Capsicum Annuum)

Anthers of Capsicum annuum L. were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.1 mg l⁻¹ NAA and 0.1 mg l⁻¹ kinetin. Inoculated anthers were subjected to 31 °C and development of microspores in anthers of varying stages was observed cytologically using 4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindol-2HCl (DAPI). Pepper was characterized by a strong asynchrony of pollen development within a single anther. Percentage of pollen at different stages changed with the culture period, and the proportion of dead pollen increased drastically from day 2 after culture. Microspores that were cultured at the late-uninucleate stage followed one of two developmental pathways. In the more common route, the first sporophytic division was asymmetric and produced what appeared to be a typical bicellular pollen. Embryogenic pollen was formed by repeated divisions of the vegetative nucleus. In the second pathway, which occurred in fewer microspores, the first division was symmetric and both nuclei divided repeatedly to form embryogenic pollen. In early-bicellular pollen, sporophytic pollen was produced through division of the vegetative nucleus. In mid-bicellular pollen, the generative nucleus may undergo division to produce two or more sperm-like nuclei. However, division of the generative nucleus alone to form the embryo was never observed. The anther stage optimal for embryo production contained a large proportion (>75%) of early-binucleate pollen. Associations were found among the percentage of early-binucleate pollen, the frequency of embryogenic multinucleate pollen, and the yield of pollen embryos.     

Cyperus Tubers Protect Meloidogyne incognita from 1,3-Dichloropropene

Meloidogyne incognita-infected and noninfected tubers of yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) were treated with 56 L/ha 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) in microplots and subsequently examined for tuber and nematode viability in the greenhouse using a chile pepper (Capsicum annuum) bioassay system. The study was conducted three times. Nutsedge tuber viability and M. incognita harbored in both yellow and purple nutsedge tubers were unaffected by 1,3-D treatment. Nematode reproduction on nutsedges and associated chile pepper plants varied among years, possibly due to differing levels of tuber infection or soil temperature, but was not affected by fumigation. The presence of M. incognita resulted in greater yellow nutsedge tuber germination and reproduction. The efficacy of 1,3-D for management of M. incognita in chile pepper production is likely to be reduced when nutsedges are present in high numbers, reinforcing the importance of managing these weeds and nematodes simultaneously.     

Intraspecific variation in Radopholus similis isolates assessed with restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA cistron.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region of 19 isolates of Radopholus similis yielded significant diversity, both among isolates and within some individuals. Restriction fragment length polymorphism with HaeIII, AluI and Tru9I yielded two sets of patterns. Digestion with RsaI revealed one or two supernumerary bands in single nematodes from five isolates, and sequencing confirmed microheterogeneity in four of these. Phylogenetic analysis grouped most isolates closely together, except for the five isolates with additional bands for RsaI. Our data reveal more population structure than previously found and lend further support to the synonymy of R. similis and 'Radopholus citrophilus'.     

Cold-storage of mixed inoculum of Glomus intraradices enhances root colonization,phosphorus status and growth of hot pepper

Growth response of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus intraradices Schenck and Smith was evaluated in a greenhouse study. Three treatments in a soil-based medium amended with rock phosphate were: (1) control (CON), (2) inoculation of G. intraradices as a freshly prepared soil mixture of spores, hyphae and colonized roots of Sorghum vulgare (FM), and (3) inoculation of the fungus as cold-stored mixed inoculum (CM). Colonization at 14 weeks after inoculation with CM was 42.5%, but was significantly lower with FM (14.5%). Inoculation with G. intraradices as FM and CM increased growth of pepper, and total phosphorus and nitrogen uptake in shoots and roots compared with the CON treatment. Inoculation with CM resulted in significant increases in plant dry weight and chlorophyll concentration compared to the FM and CON treatments. Acid phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere was generally increased by AM fungal treatments. Highest acid phosphatase activity occurred at 14 weeks after inoculation with CM. Alkaline phosphatase activity in the CM treatment was significantly higher compared to that in CON and FM treatments throughout the growth period. Thus, cold storage of mixed inoculum enhanced colonization and growth-promoting activity of G. intraradices compared to freshly prepared inoculum.     

Single point mutation on the gene encoding dysbindin results in recognition deficits

The dystrobrevin‐binding protein 1 (DTNBP1) gene is a candidate risk factor for schizophrenia and has been associated with cognitive ability in both patient populations and healthy controls. DTNBP1 encodes dysbindin protein, which is localized to synaptic sites and is reduced in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of patients with schizophrenia, indicating a potential role in schizophrenia etiology. Most studies of dysbindin function have focused on the sandy (sdy) mice that lack dysbindin protein and have a wide range of abnormalities. In this study, we examined dysbindin salt and pepper (spp) mice that possess a single point mutation on the Dtnbp1 gene predicted to reduce, but not eliminate, dysbindin expression. By western blot analysis, we found that spp homozygous (spp ?/?) mutants had reduced dysbindin and synaptosomal‐associated protein 25 (SNAP‐25) in the prefrontal cortex, but unaltered levels in hippocampus. Behaviorally, spp mutants performed comparably to controls on a wide range of tasks assessing locomotion, anxiety, spatial recognition and working memory. However, spp ?/? mice had selective deficits in tasks measuring novel object recognition and social novelty recognition. Our results indicate that reduced dysbindin and SNAP‐25 protein in the prefrontal cortex of spp ?/? is associated with selective impairments in recognition processing. These spp mice may prove useful as a novel mouse model to study cognitive deficits linked to dysbindin alterations. Our findings also suggest that aspects of recognition memory may be specifically influenced by DTNBP1 single nucleotide polymorphisms or risk haplotypes in humans and this connection should be further investigated.