Pathogenesis of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Soybean (Glycine max) and Expression of Chimeric Rabies Peptide in Virus-Infected Soybean Plants

ABSTRACT Infection of soybean (Glycine max) plants inoculated with particles of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AlMV) isolate 425 at 12 days after germination was monitored throughout the life cycle of the plant (vegetative growth, flowering, seed formation, and seed maturation) by western blot analysis of tissue samples. At 8 to 10 days after inoculation, the upper uninoculated leaves showed symptoms of virus infection and accumulation of viral coat protein (CP). Virus CP was detectable in leaves, stem, roots, seedpods, and seed coat up to 45 days postinoculation (dpi), but only in the seedpod and seed coat at 65 dpi. No virus accumulation was detected in embryos and cotyledons at any time during infection, and no seed transmission of virus was observed. Soybean plants inoculated with recombinant AlMV passaged from upper uninoculated leaves of infected plants showed accumulation of full-length chimeric AlMV CP containing rabies antigen in systemically infected leaves and seed coat. These results suggest the potential usefulness of plants and plant viruses as vehicles for producing proteins of biomedical importance in a safe and inexpensive manner. Moreover, even the soybean seed coat, treated as waste tissue during conventional processing for oil and other products, may be utilized for the expression of value-added proteins.     

The genetic variability,inheritance and inter-relationships of ascorbic acid, β-carotene,phenol and anthocyanin content in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.)

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is rich source of dietary antioxidants, minerals and nutrients. Dietary antioxidants have been known as beneficial for enhancing the fitness, preventing certain diseases and even mitigating the effects of ageing. The objectives of the present study were to determine variability and inheritance of antioxidants, to identify antioxidant rich and productive genotypes, and to suggest suitable breeding approaches. The genotypes, namely Ofra, Chandler, Festival and Camarosa showed higher concentrations of dietary antioxidants and therefore could be useful in future breeding. Results indicate that the effect of the genotypes on antioxidant contents is stronger than that of the environment. The high heritability (>80%) and low genetic advance as percentage of mean (<40%) for ascorbic acid and β-carotene contents could be improved by heterosis breeding. However, selection and hybridization would be effective tools to enhance the phenols and anthocyanin content, and yield potential as these traits showed high heritability (>80%) and high genetic advance as percentage of mean (>40%). Positive direct effect on fruit yield was highest for phenol content (0.609) which is also fairly close to its correlation coefficient (0.765) indicating that a direct selection based on phenol content would be most effective and that the phenol content could be used as a reliable biochemical marker to identify the productive genotypes having higher amounts of dietary antioxidants. The information could also be used for developing antioxidant rich cultivars, i.e. ‘Breeding Strawberry for High Antioxidants’.     

Effect of concentration and addition method of glycerol on the quality of cryopreserved mithun (Bos frontalis) spermatozoa

The effect of concentration and addition method of glycerol on the quality of cryopreserved mithun (Bos frontalis) spermatozoa was investigated. Semen samples were collected from five healthy mithun bulls through rectal massage method and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. The samples were diluted in Tris–egg yolk–glycerol extender, equilibrated for 4 h at 4 °C and loaded into 0.50‐ml straws. The straws were then frozen in liquid nitrogen vapour for 10 min and finally plunged into liquid nitrogen for storage. The required amount of glycerol was added into the diluted samples either in a single dose (3%, 4%, 5%, 6% or 7%; added at 37 °C immediately before equilibration) or in split doses (5%, 6% or 7%; the total amount was divided into four equal parts, and a part was added at 37 °C immediately before equilibration, and the remaining parts were added subsequently at 1, 2 and 3 h of equilibration at 4 °C). In the single‐dose addition method, following freeze‐thawing, greater (p < 0.05) motility (%) and proportion of live spermatozoa with intact acrosome (LSIA, %) in 5% glycerol (40.6 ± 1.7 and 43.4 ± 1.8 respectively) and lesser (p < 0.05) total morphological abnormalities (%) in 5% (14.1 ± 0.8) and 6% (13.7 ± 1.0) glycerol were observed compared to the other glycerol concentrations. In the split‐dose addition method, following freeze‐thawing, greater (p < 0.05) motility (%) and LSIA proportion (%) were found in 5% (50.2 ± 1.9 and 53.3 ± 1.8 respectively) compared to 6% or 7% glycerol, but the total morphological abnormalities were not different among the glycerol concentrations. In addition, in all the glycerol concentrations, better (p < 0.05) post‐freeze‐thaw motility and LSIA proportions were observed when glycerol was added in split doses compared to a single dose. In conclusion, Tris–egg yolk extender with 5% glycerol added in split doses was found most suitable for cryopreserving mithun sperm.     

Different leguminous pre-crops increased yield of succeeding cereals in two consecutive years

Leguminous pre-crops are an important source of green manure in organic crop rotations for improving soil fertility and achieving high yields of cereals. We aimed to study the potential of various leguminous species, other than the traditionally cultivated red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), as green manure pre-crops for subsequent cereals. The use of different legume species enables to exploit advantages of specific legumes in organic cereal production. In order to test the legumes as pre-crops for cereals, we carried out trials located in the temperate climate zone of northeast Europe (58°44′59.41″ N, 26°24′54.02″ E). We sowed the following perennial legumes as pre-crops: red clover, alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum L.) and Washington lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl.), biennial white sweet clover (Melilotus albus Medik.) and annual Alexandria clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.). Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) was used as a control. The leguminous pre-crops were followed by three spring cereals (barley, oat and spring wheat) and two winter cereals (rye and winter wheat). We tested the first-year after-effect (all cereals) and second-year after-effect (only barley and oat) of pre-crops on the grain yield of cereals. Perennial and biennial legume species produced the highest dry matter yield and contained the highest amount of nutrients, especially nitrogen, compared to annual species. All subsequent cereals produced significant extra yields after each leguminous pre-crop in the following two years, although the effect was smaller in the second year. The most suitable pre-crops for spring cereals were red and alsike clover followed by lupine, whereas the best pre-crops for winter cereals were sweet clover and annual clovers. Our results show the potential of various leguminous pre-crop species as valuable sources of green manure in organic crop rotation.     

Facilitated cross-species transmission of prions in extraneural tissue

Prions are infectious pathogens essentially composed of PrP(Sc), an abnormally folded form of the host-encoded prion protein PrP(C). Constrained steric interactions between PrP(Sc) and PrP(C) are thought to provide prions with species specificity and to control cross-species transmission into other host populations, including humans. We compared the ability of brain and lymphoid tissues from ovine and human PrP transgenic mice to replicate foreign, inefficiently transmitted prions. Lymphoid tissue was consistently more permissive than the brain to prions such as those causing chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Furthermore, when the transmission barrier was overcome through strain shifting in the brain, a distinct agent propagated in the spleen, which retained the ability to infect the original host. Thus, prion cross-species transmission efficacy can exhibit a marked tissue dependence.     

Red blood cell transfusions in cats: 126 cases (1999)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of and reasons for RBC transfusions, incidence of acute transfusion reactions, prevalence of blood types, volume of blood administered, change in PCV, and clinical outcome in cats. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 126 cats that received RBC transfusions. PROCEDURE: Medical records of cats that received whole blood or packed RBC transfusions were reviewed for signalment, blood type, pre- and post-transfusion PCV, volume of blood product administered, clinical diagnosis and cause of anemia, clinical signs of acute transfusion reactions, and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Mean volume of whole blood administered i.v. was 172 mL/kg (7.8 mL/lb) versus 9.3 mL/kg (4.2 mL/lb) for packed RBCs. Ninety-four percent of cats had blood type A. Mean increase in PCV among all cats was 6%. Fifty-two percent of cats had anemia attributed to blood loss, 10% had anemia attributed to hemolysis, and 38% had anemia attributed to erythropoietic failure. Acute transfusion reactions occurred in 11 cats. Sixty percent of cats survived until discharge. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: RBC transfusions resulted in an increase in PCV in cats with all causes of anemia in this study. The rate of death was greater than in cats that did not receive transfusions, but seriousness of the underlying disease in the 2 groups may not be comparable. Death rate of cats that received transfusions was not attributable to a high rate of transfusion reactions. Results confirm that pretransfusion blood typing or crossmatching is required to minimize the risk of adverse reactions.     

Attempts to eliminate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candidatus</Emphasis> phytoplasma phoenicium from infected Lebanese almond varieties by tissue culture techniques combined or not with thermotherapy

Elimination of Candidatus phytoplasma phoenicium from two infected Lebanese varieties of almond by using different tissue culture techniques is reported. Except for the oxytetracycline therapy which totally inhibited the development of explants, stem cutting cultures associated with thermotherapy, shoot tip cultures associated or not with thermotherapy, and shoot tip micrografting were all suitable, either for shoot regeneration or for elimination of phytoplasma from the two varieties. However, stem cutting culture coupled with thermotherapy seemed to be the most effective for regeneration of phytoplasma-free plantlets.     

African origin of modern humans in East Asia: a tale of 12,000 Y chromosomes

To test the hypotheses of modern human origin in East Asia, we sampled 12,127 male individuals from 163 populations and typed for three Y chromosome biallelic markers (YAP, M89, and M130). All the individuals carried a mutation at one of the three sites. These three mutations (YAP+, M89T, and M130T) coalesce to another mutation (M168T), which originated in Africa about 35,000 to 89,000 years ago. Therefore, the data do not support even a minimal in situ hominid contribution in the origin of anatomically modern humans in East Asia.