Antagonistic effects of soil bacteria onFusarium oxysporum Schlecht f. sp.dianthi (Prill and Del.) Snyd. and Hans

Summary Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.dianthi, pathogenic on carnation plants is very sensitive toBacillus subtilis M51 inhibition.Fusarium oxysporum disease (fusariosis) is prevented for a period of two months after treatment of plants withBacillus subtilis M51. The persistence ofB. subtilis M51, marked for selenomycin resistance (MZ51) and inoculated on the roots of carnation cuttings was studied. Soil used was two types: naturally infested withFusarium oxysporum and free from this pathogen. Bacterial cells presence on the roots was detected by direct plating and the presence of the pathogen in the roots was investigated by histological assays. Evidence gathered by these procedures suggest that plant protection is dependent on the physical presence ofB. subtilis M51 cells on the roots.     

Studies on cytochrome c. XI. Circular dichroism studies on synthetic peptides related to the C-terminal region of baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c

Circular dichroism studies on synthetic peptides related to the C-terminal region of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c were carried out and compared with conformational studies on horse cytochrome c fragments. Evidence is presented for a weaker predisposition for ordered structure in the former peptides when compared with the corresponding region in horse cytochrome c. These findings agree with theoretical predictions and with observations that yeast and other mammalian type cytochromes c differ in several minor respects.     

Intracellular ribonucleoprotein complexes of visna virus are infectious.

Sheep choroid plexus cells infected with visna virus produce intracytoplasmic viral ribonucleoprotein complexes with sedimentation values of 120S to 200S and buoyant densities of 1.29 to 1.32 g/cm3. These ribonucleoprotein complexes display an endogenous RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity and contain all of the species of RNA associated with polysomes. An analysis of the polypeptides present in the ribonucleoproteins allowed us to identify the mature internal virion core proteins and their precursor, Pr55gag, as well as the glycosylated envelope precursor gPr150env and small amounts of mature glycoprotein gp135. Ultracentrifugation-purified ribonucleoproteins could infect sheep choroid plexus cells and led to a normal lytic cycle with virus production. Our results suggest that visna virus can propagate by means of intracellular infectious particles.     

Relation between structure and function in some partially synthetic ribonucleases S'. Enzymic and spectroscopic investigation on [Orn10, Asn14]-RNase S' and 1epsilon, 7epsilon, 10delta-triguanidino-[Orn10, Asn14]-RNase S'.

Some analogues have been prepared of S-peptide, the peptide obtained together with S-protein from subtilisn-modified beef pancreatic R Nase A. The syntheses are described of [Orn10, Asn14]-S-peptide and 1epsilon, 7epsilon, 10delta-triguanidino-[Orn10, Asn14]-S-peptide. The S-peptide analogues are able to activate S-protein at the level of the parent [Orn10]-S-peptide and 1epsilon, 7epsilon-diguanidino-S-peptide respectively, although at high peptide-to-protein molar ratios. After their recombination with S-protein the buried character of Tyr-25 was restored, as judged from difference absorption and circular dichroism spectra in the near-ultraviolet region. These findings indicate that the asparaginyl residue is a possible naturally occurring substituent in the R Nase A sequences whose state of amidation in position 14 has not yet been defined.     

Protamines. II. Circular dichroism study of the three main components of clupeine.

The three main components YI, YII, and Z of clupeine, a protamine from herring, have been purified and characterized. The conformational preferences of clupeines have been examined as a funciton of pH, temperature, added salts, and presence of structure-disrupting agents and helix-supporting solvents using circular dichroism. It was found that these small basic proteins assume predominantly an unordered conformation in aqueous solution. Addition of counter ions, in particular perchlorate, and 2-chloroethanol induces in various amounts the onset of the right-handed alpha-helical conformation. Urea favors the statistical coil state. It was also demonstrated that in the 0.1--4.0 . 10(-1) M range, in contrast to clupeines YI and Z, the circular dichroic properties of the YII component do not seem to be sensitive to the addition of mono- and diphosphate.     

Antagonistic effects of soil bacteria onFusarium oxysporum Schlecht f.sp.dianthii (Prill and Del.) Snyd. and Hans.

Summary Thirty two bacteria antagonistic to a number of phytopathogenic fungi were isolated from soil samples. One bacterial strain, designated as M 51, appeared to be particularly active towardsF. oxysporum f. sp.dianthii, in vitro andin vivo and it was inhibitoryin vitro to three otherFusarium spp. used. Tests to find if there was protection against fusarium wilt were carried out by three different methods of inoculation of the cuttings: a) dipping of cuttings for ten minutes in bacterial suspension; b) spraying of suspension on perlite where the rooted cuttings were planted; c) spraying the greenhouse bench rooting boxes, where the non-rooted cuttings were planted, with bacterial suspension. Following this all the cuttings were transplanted into soil naturally highly infested withFusarium oxysporum f. sp.dianthii (3000 units/g). Good protection against fusarium wilt was obtained for cuttings inoculated by method (b). However protection decreased gradually about 60 days after they were transplanted; both control and inoculated cuttings showed a comparable mortality rate. Method of inoculation and the development of the protective effect are discussed.