Detection of smoking-related covalent DNA adducts in human placenta

The presence of covalent DNA chemical addition products (adducts) in human term placentas was investigated by recently developed immunologic and 32P-postlabeling assays. DNA from placental specimens of smokers showed a small but not statistically significant increase in adduct levels when tested by antibodies to DNA modified with a benzo[a]pyrene dihydrodiol epoxide (BPDE-I), the ultimate carcinogenic derivative of benzo[a]pyrene. The postlabeling assay detected several modified nucleotides, one of which (adduct 1) strongly related to maternal smoking during pregnancy. This adduct was present in placental tissue from 16 of 17 smokers, but only 3 of 14 nonsmokers. Among smokers, levels of adduct 1 in general were only weakly related to questionnaire and biochemical measures of the intensity of smoking exposures, which suggests modulation by individual susceptibility factors. The adduct seemed to be derived from an aromatic carcinogen, but it may not result from several of the most intensely studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or aromatic amines in tobacco smoke. The data show the association of cigarette smoking with covalent damage to human DNA in vivo.     

Botryosphaeriaceae species causing canker and dieback of English walnut (Juglans regia) in Italy

English walnut (Juglans regia) is an important nut crop worldwide and is currently considered emerging in Italy. Botryosphaeriaceae fungi cause symptoms including cankers, discoloration and dieback, and several species are reported across the world on walnut. In this study, symptomatic trees from an orchard in Southern Italy showing branch dieback, cankers, wood discoloration and gummosis were surveyed. Three different fungi from the Botryosphaeriaceae were consistently isolated from symptomatic tissues. Representative isolates were characterized using morphological and molecular approaches based on conidial morphology, optimum growth temperature and the comparison of DNA sequence data from the ITS, tef1‐α and tub2 loci. Three species were identified: Botryosphaeria dothidea, Neofusicoccum mediterraneum and Neofusicoccum parvum. Pathogenicity tests on detached fruits and potted plants showed that all three species were pathogenic. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these Botryosphaeriaceae species causing canker and dieback on English walnut in Italy.