Revisiting the use of Iprodione and Trichoderma in the integrated management of onion white rot

The biocontrol properties of Trichoderma species are well documented, but their effectiveness in antagonism of the problematic Sclerotium cepivorum, the causal agent of white rot in Allium species, appears limited with reports of significant control only relating to deliberately-mutated strains of Trichoderma. Our previous studies have indicated the possibility of using selected naturally-occurring strains of the antagonist in the suppression of other diseases; now in vitro and controlled environment in vivo studies have indicated that a degree of control of Onion White Rot is possible, and that the selected antagonist strains can be used in integrated treatments with Iprodione to good effect. The possible value of such treatments is considered in light of other approaches to the suppression of this continuing problem.     

A spatiotemporal characterization of the effect of p53 phosphorylation on its interaction with MDM2

The interaction of p53 and MDM2 is modulated by the phosphorylation of p53. This mechanism is key to activating p53, yet its molecular determinants are not fully understood. To study the spatiotemporal characteristics of this molecular process we carried out Brownian dynamics simulations of the interactions of the MDM2 protein with a p53 peptide in its wild type state and when phosphorylated at Thr18 (pThr18) and Ser20 (pSer20). We found that p53 phosphorylation results in concerted changes in the topology of the interaction landscape in the diffusively bound encounter complex domain. These changes hinder phosphorylated p53 peptides from binding to MDM2 well before reaching the binding site. The underlying mechanism appears to involve shift of the peptide away from the vicinity of the MDM2 protein, peptide reorientation, and reduction in peptide residence time relative to wild-type p53 peptide. pThr18 and pSr20 p53 peptides experience reduction in residence times by factors of 13.6 and 37.5 respectively relative to the wild-type p53 peptide, indicating a greater role for Ser20 phosphorylation in abrogating p53 MDM2 interactions. These detailed insights into the effect of phosphorylation on molecular interactions are not available from conventional experimental and theoretical approaches and open up new avenues that incorporate molecular interaction dynamics, for stabilizing p53 against MDM2, which is a major focus of anticancer drug lead development.     

Ground wētā in vines of the Awatere Valley,Marlborough: biology,density and distribution

The endemic New Zealand ground wētā (Hemiandrus sp. ‘promontorius’) has a Naturally Uncommon conservation status. This is because of the paucity of information on its density and distribution. Here, the biology, density and distribution of a population of this wētā found in and around vineyards in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough was studied. Wētā density was assessed in vineyards, paddocks and shrublands in this valley. Soil moisture, penetration resistance, pH and organic matter were recorded at locations with and without wētā. Wētā density in vineyards was significantly higher than in either paddocks or shrub habitats. In vineyards, the density of this insect was significantly higher under-vines than in the inter-rows. Higher numbers of this wētā were found in moist soils that required lower force to burrow. Females laid an average of 55 eggs between March and April, which hatched in September. These findings highlight the intersection between agriculture and conservation.     

Capitalizing on multi-element interactions through bal-anced nutrition——A pathway to improve nitrogen use efficiency in China,India and North America

A viable option for increasing nitrogen (N) use efficiency and mitigation of negative impacts of N on the environment is to capitalize on multi-element interactions through implementation of nutrient management programs that provide balanced nutrition. Numerous studies have demonstrated the immediate efficacy of this approach in the developing regions like China and India as well as developed countries in North America. Based on 241 site-years of experiments in these countries, the first-year N recovery efficiency (RE) for the conventional or check treatments averaged 21% while the balanced treatments averaged 54% RE, for an average increase of 33% in RE due to balanced nutrition. Effective policies to promote adoption are most likely those that enable site-specific approaches to nutrient management decisions rather than sweeping, nation-wide incentives supporting one nutrient over another. Local farmers, advisers and officials need to be empowered with tools and information to help them define necessary changes in practices to create more balanced nutrient management.     

Excess of de novo deleterious mutations in genes associated with glutamatergic systems in nonsyndromic intellectual disability

Little is known about the genetics of nonsyndromic intellectual disability (NSID). We hypothesized that de novo mutations (DNMs) in synaptic genes explain an important fraction of sporadic NSID cases. In order to investigate this possibility, we sequenced 197 genes encoding glutamate receptors and a large subset of their known interacting proteins in 95 sporadic cases of NSID. We found 11 DNMs, including ten potentially deleterious mutations (three nonsense, two splicing, one frameshift, four missense) and one neutral mutation (silent) in eight different genes. Calculation of point-substitution DNM rates per functional and neutral site showed significant excess of functional DNMs compared to neutral ones. De novo truncating and/or splicing mutations in SYNGAP1, STXBP1, and SHANK3 were found in six patients and are likely to be pathogenic. De novo missense mutations were found in KIF1A, GRIN1, CACNG2, and EPB41L1. Functional studies showed that all these missense mutations affect protein function in cell culture systems, suggesting that they may be pathogenic. Sequencing these four genes in 50 additional sporadic cases of NSID identified a second DNM in GRIN1 (c.1679_1681dup/p.Ser560dup). This mutation also affects protein function, consistent with structural predictions. None of these mutations or any other DNMs were identified in these genes in 285 healthy controls. This study highlights the importance of the glutamate receptor complexes in NSID and further supports the role of DNMs in this disorder.     

Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation and ubiquitination of a G protein alpha subunit

A diverse array of external stimuli, including most hormones and neurotransmitters, bind to cell surface receptors that activate G proteins. Mating pheromones in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae activate G protein-coupled receptors and initiate events leading to cell cycle arrest in G(1) phase. Here, we show that the Gα subunit (Gpa1) is phosphorylated and ubiquitinated in response to changes in the cell cycle. We systematically screened 109 gene deletion strains representing the non-essential yeast kinome and identified a single kinase gene, ELM1, as necessary and sufficient for Gpa1 phosphorylation. Elm1 is expressed in a cell cycle-dependent manner, primarily at S and G(2)/M. Accordingly, phosphorylation of Gpa1 in G(2)/M phase leads to polyubiquitination in G(1) phase. These findings demonstrate that Gpa1 is dynamically regulated. More broadly, they reveal how G proteins can simultaneously regulate, and become regulated by, progression through the cell cycle.     

Neural changes following remediation in adult developmental dyslexia

Brain imaging studies have explored the neural mechanisms of recovery in adults following acquired disorders and, more recently, childhood developmental disorders. However, the neural systems underlying adult rehabilitation of neurobiologically based learning disabilities remain unexplored, despite their high incidence. Here we characterize the differences in brain activity during a phonological manipulation task before and after a behavioral intervention in adults with developmental dyslexia. Phonologically targeted training resulted in performance improvements in tutored compared to nontutored dyslexics, and these gains were associated with signal increases in bilateral parietal and right perisylvian cortices. Our findings demonstrate that behavioral changes in tutored dyslexic adults are associated with (1) increased activity in those left-hemisphere regions engaged by normal readers and (2) compensatory activity in the right perisylvian cortex. Hence, behavioral plasticity in adult developmental dyslexia involves two distinct neural mechanisms, each of which has previously been observed either for remediation of developmental or acquired reading disorders.     

Toad radiation reveals into-India dispersal as a source of endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot

Background  

High taxonomic level endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot has been typically attributed to the subcontinent's geological history of long-term isolation. Subsequent out of – and into India dispersal of species after accretion to the Eurasian mainland is therefore often seen as a biogeographic factor that 'diluted' the composition of previously isolated Indian biota. However, few molecular studies have focussed on into-India dispersal as a possible source of endemism on the subcontinent. Using c. 6000 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, we investigated the evolutionary history and biogeography of true toads (Bufonidae), a group that colonized the Indian Subcontinent after the Indo-Asia collision.