Influence of A1 cytoplasmic substitution on the downy-mildew incidence of pearl millet

Large-scale cultivation of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. F₁ hybrids in India has led to increased incidence of downy-mildew (Sclerospora graminicola). There is concern that the A₁ male-sterile cytoplasm used in all the hybrids released so far is responsible for this increase. The influence of A₁ malesterile cytoplasm on downy-mildew incidence in pearl millet was studied by comparing the disease reaction of 40 pairs of F₁ hybrids, each pair carrying respectively a₁ male-sterile and normal B cytoplasm. Mean downy-mildew incidence was similar in the hybrids carrying either A₁ male-sterile or B cytoplasm. The general combining ability of lines with and without A₁ cytoplasm was found to be similar for downy-mildew incidence. These results indicated that in pearl millet A₁ cytoplasm is not associated with increased downymildew incidence. The possible danger of using only one source of cytoplasm has been briefly discussed.     

Screening and molecular dynamics simulation of compounds inhibiting MurB enzyme of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An in-silico approach

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is becoming more and more resistant to drugs and it is a common problem, making current antimicrobials ineffective and highlighting the need for new TB drugs. One of the promising targets for treating MTB is MurB enzymes. This study aimed to identify potential inhibitors of MurB enzymes in M. tuberculosis, as drug resistance among MTB is a significant problem. Attempts are being made to conduct a virtual screening of 30,417 compounds, and thirty-two compounds were chosen for further analysis based on their binding conformations. The selected compounds were assessed for their drug-likeness, pharmacokinetics, and physiochemical characteristics, and seven compounds with binding energy lower than flavin (FAD) were identified. Further, molecular dynamics simulation analysis of these seven compounds found that four of them, namely DB12983, DB15688, ZINC084726167, and ZINC254071113 formed stable complexes with the MurB binding site, exhibiting promising inhibitory activity. These compounds have not been mentioned in any other study, indicating their novelty. The study suggests that these four compounds could be promising candidates for treating MTB, but their effectiveness needs to be validated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Overall, the findings of this study provide new insight into potential drug targets and candidates for combating drug-resistant MTB.     

Drug resistance in rat colon cancer cell lines is associated with minor changes in susceptibility to cytotoxic cells

The development of resistance to anticancer drugs urges the search for different treatment modalities. Several investigators have reported the concomitant development of drug resistance and resistance to natural killer (NK), lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) or monocyte/macrophage cell lysis, while others described unchanged or even increased susceptibility. We investigated this subject in the rat colon carcinoma cell line, CC531-PAR, which is intrinsically multidrug-resistant (MDR), and in three sublines derived from this parental cell line: a cell line with an increased MDR phenotype (CC531-COL), a revertant line from CC531-COL (CC531-REV), which demonstrates enhanced sensitivity to anticancer drugs of the MDR phenotype, and an independently developed cisplatin-resistant line (CC531-CIS). In a 4-h⁵¹Cr-release assay we found no difference in susceptibility to NK cell lysis. No significant differences in lysability by adherent LAK (aLAK) cells were observed in a 4-h assay. In a prolonged 20-h⁵¹Cr-release assay an enhanced sensitivity to aLAK-cell-mediated lysis was observed in the revertant, P-glycoprotein-negative cell line and in the cisplatin-resistant cell line (CC531-CIS). None of the cell lines was completely resistant to lysis by aLAK cells. Therefore, a role for immunotherapy in the treatment of drug-resistant tumors remains a realistic option.     

瓜类刺盘孢诱导物对新疆甜瓜抗病相关酶活性的影响

近年来,应用病毒、细菌、真菌以及病原菌体及其代谢物作为诱导因子,已在多种作物上获得对病害的整体免疫,有些已开始在田间应用。我们也曾应用人工诱导免疫的方法使新疆甜瓜获得对瓜类疫霉病的抗性,但有关植物人工诱导免疫机理的研究,目前国外报道不多,国内尚未见报道。本文以瓜类刺盘孢(Colletotrichum langenarium)培养滤液和菌丝细胞壁作为诱导物,研究了免疫植株相关酶的活性以及可溶性蛋白的变化,探讨了人工诱导免疫的机理。     

Abundance of white lace lerp psyllids on understorey and canopy river red gums and relationships with foliar sugars and tannins

1. Trees present herbivorous insects with the greatest diversity of resources of any plant growth form. Both ontogeny and shading can alter suitability for arboreal insect herbivores. 2. We conducted a longitudinal study of tagged ‘mature’ (>12 months old) Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves to compare the suitability of understorey and canopy trees for the leaf senescence-inducing psyllid, Cardiaspina albitextura. We quantified sugars and tannins as possible predictors of nymphal abundance. 3. Canopy leaves hosted double the number of nymphs as understorey leaves. Variation among individual trees (understorey and canopy) was the most important source of heterogeneity explaining psyllid abundance, although relative leaf age significantly influenced oviposition on canopy leaves. The diversity of foliar sugars was higher among canopy leaves than among understorey leaves. There was significant between-tree diversity in total hydrolysable tannins (HTs) and total condensed tannins (CTs) among understorey trees but not among canopy trees. Heterogeneity among understorey and canopy trees was explained by greater diversity of ellagitannins (HTs) than of CTs. 4. Shading is detrimental to the survival of nymphs on both host types, but sugars are unlikely to explain variation in suitability. Vescalagin (an ellagitannin) was negatively correlated with the abundance of nymphs on both host types.     

A novel tomato spotted wilt virus isolate encoding a noncanonical NSm C118F substitution associated with Sw-5 tomato gene resistance breaking

The nonstructural protein NSm of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) has been identified as the avirulence determinant of the tomato single dominant Sw-5 resistance gene. Although Sw-5 effectiveness has been shown for most TSWV isolates, the emergence of resistance-breaking (RB) isolates has been observed. It is strongly associated with two point mutations (C118Y or T120N) in the NSm viral protein. TSWV-like symptoms were observed in tomato crop cultivars (+Sw-5) in the Baja California peninsula, Mexico, and molecular methods confirmed the presence of TSWV. Sequence analysis of the NSm 118–120 motif and three-dimensional protein modelling exhibited a noncanonical C118F substitution in seven isolates, suggesting that this substitution could emulate the C118Y-related RB phenotype. Furthermore, phylogenetic and molecular analysis of the full-length genome (TSWV-MX) revealed its reassortment-related evolution and confirmed that putative RB-related features are restricted to the NSm protein. Biological and mutational NSm 118 residue assays in tomato (+Sw-5) confirmed the RB nature of TSWV-MX isolate, and the F118 residue plays a critical role in the RB phenotype. The discovery of a novel TSWV-RB Mexican isolate with the presence of C118F substitution highlights a not previously described viral adaptation in the genus Orthotospovirus, and hence, the necessity of further crop monitoring to alert the establishment of novel RB isolates in cultivated tomatoes.     

The need for micrometeorological research of the response of the energy balance of vegetated surfaces to CO2 enrichment

A Penman-Monteith equation has been used to evaluate a change in canopy resistance on the evapotranspiration of a savannah and agricultural area in Botswana. After a short introduction, some problems concerning the K-theory or first order closure are indicated when one uses it for transport modelling within and above a canopy. The Penman-Monteith equation was used to calculate the canopy resistance for a savannah vegetation and sorghum under the same environmental conditions. After that, by changing the stomatal resistance due to an increase of the CO₂ content, the change in the evapotranspiration was estimated.Finally some recommendations for future research are given and an outline of a proposed FACE experiment is presented.