Control and prevention of contact infection of brown rot disease with fosetyl-aluminium,and residue levels in post-harvest-treated citrus fruits

The effect of fosetyl-aluminium on the control and spread of brown rot disease Phytophthora citrophthora in post-harvest citrus fruit was studied in laboratory and semi-commercial experiments. Aqueous solutions of fosetyl-aluminium at 5 to 10 g a.i. litre^?1 controlled the fungus even when applied 3 days after inoculation at 17°C. No mycelia developed on the peel surface of treated fruit. The fungicide exerted a good prophylactic effect on healthy fruit, protecting them during storage from contact inoculation. Fosetyl-aluminium also showed a fungitoxic effect in vitro and in vivo on other fungi which developed in harvested citrus fruits. Residue levels of phosphoric acid in the treated fruit were higher when the fungicide was incorporated in the wax coating the fruit than when applied in aqueous solution, and levels were lower in the pulp than in the peel. It is concluded that fosetyl-aluminium is a suitable commercial post-harvest treatment for control of brown rot in citrus fruits.     

Genetic diversity of Indonesian cauliflower cultivars and their relationships with hybrid cultivars grown in Australia

The objectives of this study were to investigate genetic variation and relationships between Indonesia-, Australian- and European-based cultivars and to evaluate variation within Indonesia cultivars as all cultivars are open-pollinated. Eight cauliflower cultivars collected from three production regions in Indonesia and four F₁ hybrids cultivars grown in Australia were evaluated using RAPD and ISSR markers. DNA polymorphisms generated from 10 polymorphic RAPD primers were used to construct a dendogram using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and to generate a fingerprinting key. ISSR marker analysis using 14 primers were attempted but DNA polymorphisms could not be clearly identified. The RAPD technique indicated that variation occurred both within and between Indonesian cultivars. Comparison between Indonesian-, Australian- and European-based cultivars showed that Indonesian cultivars have unique genotypes and would be good sources of genes for future crop improvement.     

Efficient method of micropropagation and in vitro rooting of teak (Tectona grandis L.) focusing on large-scale industrial plantations

Multiple shoots of high quality were produced in vitro from nodal expiants of Tectona grandis. An average of about 4 shoots/uninodal expiant was obtained within 4 weeks of culture on Murashige and Skoog’s (mMS) medium modified by 50% reduction in NH₄NO₃ concentration, supplemented with benzylaminopurine (1.5 mg L^?1); indole-3-butyric acid (0.01 mg L^?1) and gibberellic acid (0.1 mg L^?1). The latter was applied both in the medium and by soaking the nodal segments for 10 s. in a gibberellic acid solution of 100 mg L^?1. Hundred percent of shoots rooted cultured on modified MS medium containing IBA (0.5 mg L^?1) and putrescine (160 mg L^?1). Putrescine promoted both strong and highly ramified roots and fast growing shoots during the rooting phase, conditioning the plantlets for a good survival and quality. Plantlets were transferred to jiffy pots for a short acclimatization stage in greenhouse where they survived at 100%. This highly reproducible procedure can be adopted for large scale teak propagation.     

Effect of long-term administration of a prostacyclin analogue (beraprost sodium) on myocardial fibrosis in Dahl rats

Beraprost sodium (BPS) is an orally active prostacyclin analogue. The effects of BPS on the heart, including coronary circulation improvement, myocardial and vascular protection and anti-fibrosis effect on myocardium interstitium, have previously been demonstrated. However, the effects of BPS on hemodynamics, cardiac function and myocardial contractility in patients in the hypertrophic phase have not been clarified. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of BPS under long-term administration were investigated using the hypertension model of salt-sensitive Dahl rats. Six-week-old Dahl rats were divided into three groups, an 8% high salt diet group treated with BPS (BPS group), an untreated 8% high salt diet group (HHF group) and an untreated 0.3% low salt diet group (Control group), and observations were conducted until 17 weeks of age. In the BPS and HHF groups, the survival rates after 11 weeks of high salt diet intake were 87.5% and 47.1%, respectively (p<0.05). At 17 weeks of age, the atrial systolic peak velocity/early diastolic peak velocity and heart weight index of the BPS group decreased significantly compared with the HHF group (p<0.05). The HHF group exhibited significantly more severe myocardial fibrosis mainly in the endocardial layer of the left and right ventricles compared with the BPS and Control groups (p<0.05). In the present study, long-term BPS administration preserved diastolic function and prevented myocardial interstitial fibrosis in the non-compensatory phase. The results of the present study suggest that BPS is effective for treatment of hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy.     

Colorimetric assay for the in vitro evaluation of Saprolegnia biofilm inhibitors

A quantitative and reproducible 96‐well microtiter method that is easily adaptable for the screening of Saprolegnia biofilm inhibitors is described. As opposed to other methods previously developed for the screening of Saprolegnia inhibitors on spore germination or mycelial growth, this technique is of particular significance as it investigates potential inhibitors against surface‐attached mycelial mats of Saprolegnia spp. (biofilm). In this study, we have investigated the effects of propionic acid (PPA) on reducing the viability of induced Saprolegnia biofilms using colorimetric MTS assay based on the reduction of tetrazolium salts. Viability of Saprolegnia hyphae in treated biofilms was reduced significantly following treatment with different PPA concentrations. The effect was enhanced after combining each of the tested PPA concentrations with 500 mg/L of boric acid (BA). However, the percentage of non‐viable hyphae was still higher in 200 mg L^–1 bronopol‐treated biofilms (positive control) following 6‐ and 12‐hr exposure. Similar results were observed using other recently described fluorescence‐based assays for viability.     

Effects of Pseudoloma neurophilia infection on the brain transcriptome in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Laboratory zebrafish are commonly infected with the intracellular, brain-infecting microsporidian parasite Pseudoloma neurophilia. Chronic P. neurophilia infections induce inflammation in meninges, brain and spinal cord, and have been suggested to affect neural functions since parasite clusters reside inside neurons. However, underlying neural and immunological mechanisms associated with infection have not been explored. Utilizing RNA-sequencing analysis, we found that P. neurophilia infection upregulated 175 and downregulated 45 genes in the zebrafish brain, compared to uninfected controls. Four biological pathways were enriched by the parasite, all of which were associated with immune function. In addition, 14 gene ontology (GO) terms were enriched, eight of which were associated with immune responses and five with circadian rhythm. Surprisingly, no differentially expressed genes or enriched pathways were specific for nervous system function. Upregulated immune-related genes indicate that the host generally show a pro-inflammatory immune response to infection. On the other hand, we found a general downregulation of immune response genes associated with anti-pathogen functions, suggesting an immune evasion strategy by the parasite. The results reported here provide important information on host–parasite interaction and highlight possible pathways for complex effects of parasite infections on zebrafish phenotypes.     

Native and introduced Far Eastern daces,genus Tribolodon,in the Tama River system,Japan, inferred from mitochondrial DNA analysis

Fisheries Science - To investigate the species composition and genetic characteristics of Far Eastern daces, genus Tribolodon, in the Tama River, Japan, partial DNA sequences of the mitochondrial...     

Lupane-type saponins from leaves of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus and their inhibitory activity on pancreatic lipase

Three known saponins, chiisanoside, 11-deoxyisochiisanoside, and isochiisanoside, and one novel saponin, 3,4-seco-4(23),20(29)-lupadiene-3,28-dioic acid 28-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->4)-beta-d-glucopyranosyl (1-->6)-beta-d-glucopyranoside, referred to as sessiloside, were isolated from a hot water extract of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus leaves. All of these saponins were lupane-type triterpene triglycosides, and their concentrations were 4.1, 1.0, 0.5, and 0.4% (w/w) of the total extract, respectively. Sessiloside and chiisanoside inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in vitro, and addition of the saponin-rich fraction to a high-fat diet suppressed the body weight gain of mice. The possibility of application of the lupane-type saponins from A. sessiliflorus leaves to the treatment of obesity is discussed.