Detection of equine X chromosome mosaicism in a mare using an equine X whole chromosome painting probe (WCPP)--a case report

An infertile mare with hypoplastic ovaries was subjected to cytogenetic analysis. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) using the equine X whole chromosome painting probe (WCPP) was carried out on a chromosome preparation obtained from blood lymphocyte culture. The number of analysed spreads was high (235) and in the X chromosome aneuploidy in mosaic form was diagnosed. The karyotype formula was 63,X / 64,XX / 65,XXX. The ratio of the three lines was 15%, 82% and 3%, respectively. The application of the FISH technique with WCPP is discussed.     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Alginate Lyase from a Marine Streptomyces Species Isolated from Seaweed

Alginate, a natural polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, is finding multiple applications in biomedicine via its transformation through chemical, physical, and, increasingly, enzymatic processes. In this study a novel alginate lyase, AlyDS44, was purified and characterized from a marine actinobacterium, Streptomyces luridiscabiei, which was isolated from decomposing seaweed. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 108.6 U/mg, with a molecular weight of 28.6 kDa, and was composed of 260 amino acid residues. AlyDS44 is a bifunctional alginate lyase, active on both polyguluronate and polymannuronate, though it preferentially degrades polyguluronate. The optimal pH of this enzyme is 8.5 and the optimal temperature is 45 °C. It is a salt-tolerant alginate lyase with an optimal activity at 0.6 M NaCl. Metal ions Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Fe²⁺ increased the alginate degrading activity, but it was inhibited in the presence of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The highly conserved regions of its amino acid sequences indicated that AlyDS44 belongs to the polysaccharide lyase family 7. The main breakdown products of the enzyme on alginate were disaccharides, trisaccharides, and tetrasaccharides, which demonstrated that this enzyme acted as an endo-type alginate lyase. AlyDS44 is a novel enzyme, with the potential for efficient production of alginate oligosaccharides with low degrees of polymerization.     

Synergist induced susceptibility of tobacco caterpillar, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spodoptera litura</Emphasis> (Fabricius) from Kerala,India exposed to conventional insecticides

The present study was undertaken to assess the insecticide resistance developed in various field collected population of S. litura and to induce susceptibility by using the synergists. Third-instar larvae collected from three different locations of Kerala viz., Thiruvananthapuram (TVM), Pathanamthitta (PTA) and Alappuzha (ALP) were exposed to conventional insecticides like chlorpyriphos, quinalphos, lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin by leaf dip bioassay and resistance ratios were calculated by using the baseline data generated for respective insecticides using susceptible strain. Resistance ratios recorded were 1965, 840 and 320 against chlorpyriphos, 605, 255 and 59 against quinalphos, 926, 250 and 108 against lambda-cyahlothrin and 2566, 534 and 396 against cypermethrin respectively for TVM, PTA and ALP populations. The effect of selected synergists viz., piperonyl butoxide (PBO), diethyl maleate (DEM) and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) was studied in combination with respective test insecticides against the highly resistant population of S.litura collected from TVM of Kerala. The population was tested with insecticide in combination of the above synergists at different ratios. When PBO, TPP and DEM at ratio of 1:4 were used the synergistic ratio was 8.47, 7.26 and 3.98 for chlorpyriphos, 6.09, 5.26 and 3.05 for quinalphos, 13.37, 4.53 and 7.39 for lambda cyhalothrin and 4.77, 3.36 and 3.40 for cypermethrin respectively. PBO showed highest synergistic activity against both the organophosphates tested followed by DEM and TPP. Highest synergistic activity against synthetic pyrethroids also was shown by PBO, followed by TPP and DEM. The results obtained from the present study revealed that PBO at 1:4 ratio showed higher synergism with the test insecticides against the resistant populations of S.litura and proved to be an effective molecule alternate for breaking the resistance against conventional organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids.     

Effects of light-emitting diode treatments on Brevicoryne brassicae performance mediated by secondary metabolites in Brussels sprouts

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Although short-wavelength light and especially UV radiation can induce resistance in plants against herbivorous insects, the optimal wavelengths, light...     

Identification of Phytophthora spp. isolated from plants and soil samples on strawberry plantations in Poland

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Crown and leather rot of strawberry caused by Phytophthora spp. are major soil diseases of cultivated strawberry...     

Bioremediation of the soil contaminated with petroleum oil products using sewage sludge

ABSTRACT

The remediation technologies of soils contaminated with petroleum products are developed in two main directions: the first one encompasses searching for new effective bioagents and the other one explores the ways to activate those microorganisms present in the soil that are capable of degrading oil. The objective of this research was to determine if it is possible to increase the effectiveness of biodegradation of petroleum products by using chemical additives. The soil was supplemented with additives: CuSO4, MnSO4, KMnO4, H2O2, 5% and 10% chemical industry plants sludge, 5% and 10% Stock Company ‘Klaipedos vanduo’ (SC‘KV’) municipal wastewater treatment plants sludge. The data suggest that all the additives statistically significantly stimulated the degradation of diesel fuel (F = 12.01; p = .001) and black oil (F = 9.93; p = .001) compared with the control. It was determined that diesel fuel was degraded the fastest in samples with KMnO4, where efficiency of degradation was 90%, and 88% efficency in samples with 10% chemical industry plants sludge. Black oil was degraded the best in samples, where KMnO4 was added: efficiency of degradation was up to 63%. In the samples with 10% of sewage sludge from chemical industry plant degradation efficiency was 62%.     

Agrobacterium-mediated Cry1A(b) gene transfer in Punica granatum L. cv. Kandhari Kabuli using different In Vitro regeneration pathways

Three different regeneration systems, viz. regeneration through callus cultures using embryonic explant, direct regeneration using shoot bud/nodal segments as explant and regeneration through cell suspension culture using cotyledonary explant (for the induction of transgenic callus for suspension culture) were evaluated to see their effect on transfer of Cry1A(b) gene to Punica granatum L. cv. Kandhari Kabuli through Agrobacterium mediated transformation. Pre-conditioning and co-cultivation durations had a marked effect on transformation frequency of different explants. Out of different explants used (embryo, shoot bud, and cotyledon) for different regeneration systems cotyledonary explant showed highest putative transformation frequency (13.54%) inducing callus on selective medium for carrying out cell suspension culture to regenerate transgenic shoots. Despite of the highest transformation frequency obtained from the cotyledon explant, the plating efficiency of the transgenic cells generated through the transgenic callus (callus formed from the cotyledonary explant) during cell suspension culture was found to be very low (0.7%). Thus the plating efficiency has also played worth mentioning role in the regeneration of transformants following cell suspension culture. Among the three regeneration systems, regeneration through callus cultures using embryonic explant was found to be best for regeneration of transformants. The highest per cent regeneration of 23.33 was obtained from the putative transgenic embrogenic calli. Successful genetic transformation in the transformed plantlets was confirmed by PCR analysis. The transformation system thus developed is valuable and may be used to produce insect resistant trees.