Changes in microorganisms populations in the soil after fumigation

Soil fumigation with dazomet, metam sodium, chloropicrin and chloropicrin + 1.3 D resulted in significant decrease of fungi and increase of bacteria populations in trials carried out in four farms located in different areas. Depending on the farm and the active substance applied, the fungi population was decreased by 1.4- to 3500-fold in comparison to control. Metam sodium and chloropicrin showed the best efficacy, both of them almost totally eliminated the fungi from the soil environment.The total number of bacteria was increased by the chemical fumigation with all tested products. While the population of fluorescent Pseudomonads in all treated plots increased from 2- to 100-fold, depending on the farm, the number of Bacillus spp. was not changed or decreased compared with non fumigated soil.The nematology analysis of the soil indicated that any chemical fumigant significantly limited the population of plant parasitic nematodes, which number was, anyway, below the damage threshold. However, in most cases dazomet and metam sodium reduced the total number of all nematodes present in the soil.The fumigation with chloropicrin and 1,3 D at dose of 30 g/m2 resulted in an increase of the total number of all nematodes in soil.     

A Radial Glia Gene Marker,Fatty Acid Binding Protein 7 (FABP7), Is Involved in Proliferation and Invasion of Glioblastoma Cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is among the most deadly cancers. A number of studies suggest that a fraction of tumor cells with stem cell features (Glioma Stem-like Cells, GSC) might be responsible for GBM recurrence and aggressiveness. GSC similarly to normal neural stem cells, can form neurospheres (NS) in vitro, and seem to mirror the genetic features of the original tumor better than glioma cells growing adherently in the presence of serum. Using cDNA microarray analysis we identified a number of relevant genes for glioma biology that are differentially expressed in adherent cells and neurospheres derived from the same tumor. Fatty acid-binding protein 7 (FABP7) was identified as one of the most highly expressed genes in NS compared to their adherent counterpart. We found that down-regulation of FABP7 expression in NS by small interfering RNAs significantly reduced cell proliferation and migration. We also evaluated the potential involvement of FABP7 in response to radiotherapy, as this treatment may cause increased tumor infiltration. Migration of irradiated NS was associated to increased expression of FABP7. In agreement with this, in vivo reduced tumorigenicity of GBM cells with down-regulated expression of FABP7 was associated to decreased expression of the migration marker doublecortin. Notably, we observed that PPAR antagonists affect FABP7 expression and decrease the migration capability of NS after irradiation. As a whole, the data emphasize the role of FABP7 expression in GBM migration and provide translational hints on the timing of treatment with anti-FABP7 agents like PPAR antagonists during GBM evolution.     

Potential application of glycerol in the production of plant beneficial microorganisms

Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology - This review highlights the importance of research for development of biofertilizer and biocontrol products based on the use of glycerol for...