Monitoring of co-infection virus and virus-like naturally in sweet pepper plant

Eight sweet pepper plant samples showing viral and viral like symptoms were collected from open field and used for detecting viral infections through biological, serological and biochemical methods. DAS-ELISA, DBIA and TPIA have relative effectiveness for detecting parenchymal viruses (CMV, TMV and PVY) and vascular virus (TYLCV), and the DAS-ELISA and TPIA are found more efficient (87.5%) than DBIA (78.1%). The examined leaf samples were found co-infected with different mixed types of viruses including (CMV, TMV, PVY and TYLCV), (CMV, PVY and TYLCV), (TMV, PVY and TYLCV) and (TMV and TYLCV) that enhanced different degrees of severe external symptoms. There are 2 out of 8 samples infected with Phytoplasma sp. by Diene’s stain and PCR using generated 16S rDNA gene primer with expected amplicon size of 680?bp. The co-infections with various viruses and phytoplasma has 12.5% frequency that reduced the levels of protein content, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity quantitatively and qualitatively in 2 samples in comparison with other mixed categories. The sweet pepper plant can be considered as a reservoir for parenchymal and vascular viruses and Phytoplasma sp. due to the synergistic and antagonistic effects causing unusual and unpredictable biological and epidemiological, viral and viral-like via host biochemical effects.     

基于农艺性状指标的山西高粱地方品种核心种质构建

利用1285份山西省高粱地方品种18个农艺性状的历史数据,通过比较不同取样方法、取样比例和聚类方法组合的构建方法,确定了"多次聚类偏离度取样法+15％取样比例+欧氏距离+最长距离法"为山西省高粱地方核心种质构建的方法.192份初选核心种质和所有样本的均值差异百分率、方差差异百分率、极差符合率和变异系数变化率分别为0、8...     

Meta-analysis identifies pleiotropic loci controlling phenotypic trade-offs in sorghum

Community association populations are composed of phenotypically and genetically diverse accessions. Once these populations are genotyped, the resulting marker data can be reused by different groups investigating the genetic basis of different traits. Because the same genotypes are observed and scored for a wide range of traits in different environments, these populations represent a unique resource to investigate pleiotropy. Here, we assembled a set of 234 separate trait datasets for the Sorghum Association Panel, a group of 406 sorghum genotypes widely employed by the sorghum genetics community. Comparison of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted with two independently generated marker sets for this population demonstrate that existing genetic marker sets do not saturate the genome and likely capture only 35–43% of potentially detectable loci controlling variation for traits scored in this population. While limited evidence for pleiotropy was apparent in cross-GWAS comparisons, a multivariate adaptive shrinkage approach recovered both known pleiotropic effects of existing loci and new pleiotropic effects, particularly significant impacts of known dwarfing genes on root architecture. In addition, we identified new loci with pleiotropic effects consistent with known trade-offs in sorghum development. These results demonstrate the potential for mining existing trait datasets from widely used community association populations to enable new discoveries from existing trait datasets as new, denser genetic marker datasets are generated for existing community association populations.     

粗毛栓菌诱变菌株SAH-12漆酶的分离纯化及酶学性质研究

粗毛栓菌Trametes gallica诱变菌株SAH-12是通过紫外诱变选育所得的漆酶高产菌株,Active-PAGE分析表明SAH-12在高氮低碳无机盐培养液(LM3)中至少分泌3种漆酶同工酶(Lac1、Lac2、Lac3)。采用硫酸铵盐析、透析和Sephadex-G75分子筛层析从其培养液中分离纯化得到电泳纯的Lac1,纯化倍数6.54,酶活性回收59.7%。Lac1经SDS-PAGE验证为一条带,其表观分子量为61.5kDa。Lac1为一种糖蛋白,含糖量11.6%,等电点pI4.40,催化氧化底物ABTS的最适反应温度为60℃,最适pH为2.6,Km值为25μmol/L。Lac1在40℃(pH4.0)以下和pH1.5～5.0(28℃)范围内稳定。金属离子Fe2+、Ag+、Hg2+和Cr3+与抑制剂DTT、SDS、EDTA和DMSO对Lac1有抑制作用,其中Fe2+和DTT完全抑制酶活,而Cu2+对酶有明显激活作用,Mn2+、Zn2+对酶活影响不大。Lac1不仅可使一些合成染料明显脱色,而且对苹果汁多酚祛除也有较好效果。40℃用该酶(1U/mL)处理苹果汁5h,其多酚含量可降低40%。     

Expression of a sweet cherry DREB1/CBF ortholog in Arabidopsis confers salt and freezing tolerance

Dehydration responsive element binding protein 1 (DREB1)/C-repeat binding factor (CBF) induces the expression of many stress-inducible genes in Arabidopsis. We have previously reported the identification of three DREB1/ICBF homologs from sweet cherry (Prunus avium). To identify the function of these homologs, one of the genes, CIG-B, was transformed into Arabidopsis. In one of the transgenic plant lines, the DREB1/CBF target gene cor15a was induced in the absence of stress treatment. The cor15a-overexpressing transgenic plant exhibited mild growth retardation and had greater salt and freezing tolerance than did the wild-type and the transgenic lines in which cor15a was not induced. These results suggest that this sweet cherry DREB1/CBF homolog has a function similar to that of DREB1/CBF.     

Two-dimensional tension tests in plant biomechanics--sweet cherry fruit skin as a model system

Splitting of fruits is a function of two-dimensional tension caused by different growth rates of tissues and turgor, especially water uptake shortly before harvest. In order to analyse the mechanical properties of spheroid plant material close to stress-strain conditions in vivo, a new hydraulic two-dimensional testing device was set up. Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit skin was chosen as a model system. The recorded pressure-deflection curves were non-linear, with a considerable initial "lag phase" and a distinct increasing end part. Taking into account the special geometry, these curves could be modelled with a newly developed analytical approach based on linear elastic material behaviour. The results demonstrated good correlation if a modulus of elasticity ranging from 160 to 250 MPa for the cherry fruit skin was chosen. In addition, a mean strength value of 47 MPa was calculated based on the theory of thin shells and spheres. The results are compared with mechanical data found for fruits and other plant material. In order to test the theoretical approach, two- and one-dimensional tension tests were performed on packaging PE foil, revealing a mean modulus of 171 MPa in bi-axial tension, and 193 and 242 MPa in uni-axial tension, depending on the test speed. The results demonstrate that it seems to be feasible to use this method to analyse the two-dimensional stress-strain conditions of spheroid plant materials such as cherry fruit skins. It may be applied as a tool for crop testing to elucidate the mechanical basis of cracking susceptibility of fruits.     

Enhanced plasma ghrelin levels in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Human saliva, which contains nitrite, is normally mixed with gastric juice, which contains ascorbic acid (AA). When saliva was mixed with an acidic buffer in the presence of 0.1 mM AA, rapid nitric oxide formation and oxygen uptake were observed. The oxygen uptake was due to the oxidation of nitric oxide, which was formed by AA-dependent reduction of nitrite under acidic conditions, by molecular oxygen. A salivary component SCN⁻ enhanced the nitric oxide formation and oxygen uptake by the AA/nitrite system. The oxygen uptake by the AA/nitrite/SCN⁻ system was also observed in an acidic buffer solution. These results suggest that oxygen is normally taken up in the stomach when saliva and gastric juice are mixed.     

Molecular characterization of bla(IMP-5), a new integron-borne metallo-beta-lactamase gene from an Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial isolate in Portugal

Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) of citrus is caused by Colletotrichum acutatum. PFD isolates infect flower petals, induce abscission of small fruit and can cause severe yield loss on most citrus cultivars. Isolates from Key lime anthracnose (KLA) cause that disease on the Mexican lime, but also cause PFD on sweet orange. Both PFD and KLA isolates exhibited resistance to the common selection agents including hygromycin, bialaphos, benomyl and geneticin/G418. A genetic transformation system was developed for C. acutatum to confer resistance to sulfonylurea (chlorimuron ethyl) by expressing an acetolactate synthase gene (sur) cassette from Magnaporthe grisea. The protocol was tested on 11 different KLA and PFD isolates. The transformation frequencies were highly variable among isolates and among experiments (0-17.9 per microg circular DNA using 10(7) protoplasts). Southern blot analysis of transformants indicated that the plasmid vector was randomly integrated in multiple copies into the genome of C. acutatum. Addition of restriction enzymes or use of a vector with homologous sequences did not change the transformation frequencies, but tended to reduce the number integrated. Over 97% of the transformants retained the sulfonylurea resistance phenotype under non-selective conditions. Of 300 transformants tested, three were unable to cause necrotic lesions on detached Key lime leaves. The transformation method opens up opportunities for the genetic manipulation of C. acutatum.     

Study of trace element correlations with drought tolerance in different sorghum genotypes using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique

Drought-tolerant and drought-susceptible genotypes of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Monech) were analyzed by the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique to study the correlation of trace elements with drought-tolerance capacities. Samples prepared from mature seeds, young seedlings, and old plants were analyzed using a ¹⁰⁹Cd radioisotope source and a Si(Li) semiconductor detector of resolution 170 eV for 5.9-keV MnK{ie255-1} X-rays. Elements such as K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb and Sr and Y were found to be present in varying concentrations in different samples. The trace element profile studied in the seeds of 11 genotypes and in seedlings (young and old) of 4 sorghum genotypes showed considerable variation. The genotype Arfa Gadamak (AG) showed a distinct presence of a high level of Zn in its young seedling. It was observed that in most of the genotypes (seeds), K and Fe concentrations were more in the tolerant genotype as compared to the susceptible type. The concentration of Fe decreased with maturity in the tolerant group and it increased with maturity in the susceptible group.     

Degradation of crude oil in the rhizosphere of Sorghum bicolor

Dissipation of petroleum contaminants in the rhizosphere is likely the result of enhanced microbial degradation. Plant roots may encourage rhizosphere microbial activity through exudation of nutrients and by providing channels for increased water flow and gas diffusion. Phytoremediation of crude oil in soil was examined in this study using carefully selected plant species monitored over specific plant growth stages. Four sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) genotypes with differing root characteristics and levels of exudation were established in a sandy loam soil contaminated with 2700 mg crude oil/kg soil. Soils were sampled at three stages of plant growth: five leaf, flowering, and maturity. All vegetated treatments were associated with higher remediation efficiency, resulting in significantly lower total petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations than unvegetated controls. A relationship between root exudation and bioremediation efficiency was not apparent for these genotypes, although the presence of all sorghum genotypes resulted in significant removal of crude oil from the impacted soil.