Osmotin and thaumatin from grape: a putative general defense mechanism against pathogenic fungi

ABSTRACT Little information is available concerning the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) and their effect properties on the major fungal pathogens of grape. A systematic study was performed on the effect of total or individual grape proteins on mycelial growth, spore germination, and germ tube growth of Uncinula necator, Phomopsis viticola, and Botrytis cinerea. Two proteins, identified as PR proteins by immunological methods and by N-terminal sequencing as osmotin and thaumatin-like protein, exhibited strong antifungal activities in vitro, blocking the growth of Phomopsis viticola and Botrytis cinerea mycelia. In addition, they inhibited spore germination and germ tube growth of U. necator, Phomopsis viticola, and Botrytis cinerea. The presence of both proteins displayed a synergistic effect. The expression of osmotin and thaumatin-like protein was induced in grapevine leaves and berries infected with U. necator and Phomopsis viticola. Thaumatin previously was thought to occur exclusively in berries. Immunoblot analyses revealed the accumulation of the two PR proteins in infected leaves and berries, supporting a role in vivo in increasing the resistance of grapevine to fungal attack.     

Some aspects of total losses during storage and reconditioning of potato tubers

Summary Total losses during storage and reconditioning of several Polish varieties and strains in comparison with the American varietyKennebec are discussed. Several varieties or strains show such high losses that they are not acceptable for processing after storage. Susceptibility to loss is an attribute which must be taken into account when assessing varieties.     

Effect of synthetic agonists of toll-like receptor 9 on canine lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production in vitro

Synthetic agonists of TLR9 containing novel DNA structures and R'pG (wherein R=1-(2'-deoxy-beta-d-ribofuranosyl)-2-oxo-7-deaza-8-methyl-purine) motifs, referred to as immune modulatory oligonucleotides (IMOs), have been shown to stimulate T(H)-1-type-immune responses and potently reverse allergen-induced T(H)-2 responses to T(H)-1 responses in vitro and in vivo in mice. In order to investigate the immunomodulatory potential of IMOs in dogs, canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy dogs were stimulated with three different IMOs and a control IMO, alone or in combination with concanavalin A (ConA). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used as a positive control for B lymphocyte activation. Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and phenotype staining was used to tag proliferating T and B lymphocytes (CD5(+) and CD21(+)) by flow cytometry. Real-time PCR and ELISA were processed to assay cytokine production of IFN-gamma, IL-10, TGF-beta, IL-6 and IL-10. Like LPS, IMOs alone induced neither proliferation of CD5(+) T cells nor CD21(+) B cells, but both LPS and IMO had the capacity to co-stimulate ConA and induced proliferation of B cells. In combination with ConA, one of the IMOs (IMO1) also induced proliferation of T cells. IMO1 also significantly enhanced the expression of IFN-gamma on the mRNA and protein level in canine PBMC, whereas expression of IL-10, TGF-beta and IL-4 mRNAs was not induced by any of the IMOs. These results indicate that in canine PBMC from healthy dogs, IMO1 was able to induce a T(H)-1 immune response including T- and B-cell proliferation.     

Alterations in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs exposed to ionizing radiation during induced androgenesis

Ionizing radiation (IR) is applied to inactivate nuclear genome in the salmonid eggs to induce androgenetic development. However, it has been considered that doses of IR used to damage maternal chromosomes may also affect morphology of the eggs and decrease their developmental potential. Thus, the main goal of the present research was to assess alterations in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs caused by the high dose of IR administered during androgenesis. In the present research, rainbow trout eggs were irradiated with 350 Gy of X‐rays, inseminated and exposed to the high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) shock to develop as androgenetic doubled haploids (DHs). The distribution of lipid droplets in the irradiated and non‐irradiated rainbow trout eggs, survival rates and morphology of larvae from androgenetic and control groups were compared. It has been observed that non‐irradiated and irradiated eggs exhibited altered distribution of lipid droplets. Most of the eggs before IR treatment displayed rather equal distribution of the oil droplets. In turn, majority of eggs studied after irradiation had coalesced lipid droplets, a pattern found in eggs with reduced quality. Incidences of abnormally developed larvae were more frequently observed among fish that hatched from the irradiated eggs. Observed changes suggest X‐rays applied for the genetic inactivation of rainbow trout eggs may lead to decrease of their developmental competence.     

Economic analysis of cobia (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rachycentron canadum</Emphasis>) cage culture in large- and small-scale production systems in Brazil

Economic feasibility studies regarding aquaculture systems are relatively scarce, but they are important to potential investors and for the allocation of resources for research and technological development. This study evaluated the economic viability of cobia cage culture from the actual investment and operational costs of a large-scale operation off Recife, northeastern Brazil (industrial system; IS), and a family-run farm located in a near-shore area of Rio de Janeiro (familiar system; FS). The IS had twenty-four 1607 m³ floating cages deployed at a depth of 24 m, while the FS had six 75 m³ wooden cages installed in a sheltered 6- to 7-m-deep area. Analyses of profitability (gross revenue, operational profit, cost price and break-even production) and investment (net present value—NPV; and payback time) were performed. An analysis of sensitivity was also carried out. The IS required an initial investment of approximately US$ 1.5 million dollars and was more sensitive to FCR, selling price and productivity fluctuations than the FS. The FS required a relatively small initial investment (US$ 16,000 dollars), which makes it more flexible to variations in production parameters and market fluctuations. The NPV was positive for both systems, and the payback times were estimated to be 3.88 years for the IS and 2.07 years for the FS. Therefore, given the assumptions of this study, cage culture of cobia in Brazil may be considered economically feasible in offshore production systems and in near-shore, FSs. Governmental support through decreased import taxes is recommended as a way to accelerate the early development of the cage culture of marine fish in Brazil.     

Study on parameterisation of plant tissue microstructure by confocal microscopy for finite elements modelling

This paper reviews three different methods for parameterisation of plant tissues which can be applied to images obtained with a confocal scanning laser microscope to create models for the simulation of the mechanical behaviour of biological cellular structures. Vectorisation, Voronoi tessellation and ellipse tessellation were tested. Potato tuber and carrot parenchyma were chosen as examples. For each method tested, five geometrical parameters were analysed: area, perimeter, orientation, elongation and a local indicator of spatial association of all individual regions which represented cells. The reconstruction accuracy of the original tissue microstructure by each parameterisation method was investigated by the comparison of the geometrical properties of the cells from the segmentation with their virtual equivalents. Linear regression models between the reference and modelled parameters were built. The model performance was expressed in terms of the coefficient of determination (R²), the slope of the regression line and the root mean square errors for prediction (RMSEP). Based on the results, Voronoi tessellation was considered to be inaccurate for tissue modelling. The vectorisation procedure only allowed for reproduction of the general shapes of cells, and the curvature of cell walls was neglected in this method. For both the Voronoi tessellation as well as vectorisation, created cells completely filled the space with no additional gaps and possessed sharp, angular shapes. The best overall reconstruction accuracy was obtained with ellipse tessellation. Models created with this method can be considered as representative equivalents of real tissues in terms of cell area, orientation, perimeter, shape and spatial arrangement.     

Effect of the coupled action of ultrasonic waves and advanced oxidation reaction on the properties of bottom sediments originating from trout culture

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of preliminary ultrasound treatment of bottom sediments, a factor enhancing the reaction of advanced oxidation, on changes in the properties of sediments originating from the intensive aquaculture of rainbow trout. Experiments were conducted on a laboratory scale in model reactors with an active volume of 1.0 L, either under conditions of exposure to the ultrasonic field alone or under conditions of exposure to both the ultrasonic field and a chemical reagent: Fe³⁺/H₂O₂. The results we achieved showed that preliminary ultrasound treatment of bottom sediments increased the advanced oxidation reaction yield and consequently improved the physicochemical properties of the sediments. The highest yield was obtained upon 15‐min ultrasound treatment at a Fenton reagent dosage of 1.5 g Fe³⁺ L^?1 and g H₂O₂ L^?1. These conditions enabled a 43% reduction in the concentrations of organic compounds in the filtrate, shortened the capillary suction time (CST) by 93%, decreased the concentration of volatile substances in the sediments by 13% and decreased the levels of total nitrogen in sediments by 9% and of total phosphorus in the filtrate by 21%, and additionally caused a decrease in the mineral and dry matter content in the sediments.     

Morphological characterization of sweet and sour cherry cultivars in a germplasm bank at Portugal

Nine sweet cherry and eight sour cherry varieties located in a germplasm bank at Fundão, Portugal, were studied from the viewpoint of characterization. Most of them were autochthonous cultivars that have a high risk of extinction since at the present they are markedly minor varieties. Morphological characteristics were evaluated in different organs: crown and trunk of the trees, leaves, flowers and fruits, over a three consecutive years period. Statistical analyses were carried out in order to detect similarities between cultivars as well as the existence of synonymies. Qualitative characteristics of the fruits were scored in order to carry out the multivariate analysis. A dendrogram of the evaluated characters shows the marked differentiation between sour and sweet cherries and suggests the existing synonymies. Conservation of the autochthonous cultivars in the future is highly recommended.