Flumequine Uptake and the Aquatic Duckweed,Lemna minor L.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - Phytotoxicity of Flumequine (F) on the aquatic duckweed, Lemna minor L., and plant drug uptake were evaluated by a simple ecotoxicological test. Flumequine, at...     

Identification of virgin olive oil from different cultivars by analysis of DNA microsatellites

DNA analysis enables genome fingerprinting with consequent identification of different individuals. In the agro-food industry, this can have interesting applications for the identification of species and cultivars of both raw materials and processed food. In this investigation, the efficiency of DNA microsatellite analysis in identifying virgin olive oils from different cultivars was evaluated. Ten virgin oils were obtained in the laboratory from olives of 10 different cultivars and the DNA extracted from the cell residues, recovered by oil centrifugation, was used as a template with seven different primer pairs of microsatellite sequences. The electrophoretic patterns showed an adequate level of amplification and were identical to those obtained from leaves and drupes of the same cultivar. By analyzing all the patterns obtained, the smallest number of microsatellites able to distinguish the examined oils was established and an identification key for the different oils was developed.     

以PCR鉴定转基因植株的微量DNA提取方法

报道了将ＤｒＭａｒｃＺａｂｅａｕ的ＡＦＬＰ（ＡｍｐｌｉｆｉｅｄＦｒａｇｍｅｎｔＬｅｎｇｔｈＰｏｌｙｍｏｒ－ｐｈｉｓｍ）技术中的ＤＮＡ提取方法用于以ＰＣＲ（ＰｏｌｙｍｅｒａｓｅＣｈａｉｎＲｅａｃｔｉｏｎ）技术鉴定转基因植物——拟南芥、烟草和芜菁中。该方法需约１ｈ可完成植物ＤＮＡ的提取，样品用量仅为３０～１００ｍｇ，产量可达３０～８０μｇ／ｇ．粗提ＤＮＡ（溶于１０μＬＴＥ缓冲液）不必经过纯化，用ＴＥ缓冲液稀释５～１０倍即可直接用于ＰＣＲ分析。在拟南芥、烟草和芜菁转基因植物鉴定中应用表明这一方法是目前以ＰＣＲ法鉴定转基因植株Ｔ１代单株幼苗的一种简便、快速、有效的方法。     

Ethnobotanical knowledge of the Istro-Romanians of Zejane in Croatia

An ethno-pharmacognostic survey was carried out in one of the smallest ethnic and linguistic groups in Europe: the Istro-Romanians of the village of Zejane (in Croatia), which has a population of approximately 140 persons, mainly elderly. Using an intensive field participant observation methodology, we recorded about 60 remedies of the local folk pharmacopoeia, and mainly derived from plants. Among them, the uncommon traditions to use homemade vinegar from wild apple (Malus sylvestris) and Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas) for diverse medical purposes, and houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum) against ear pains have been briefly discussed.     

Classification of Italian honeys by 2D HR-NMR

The importance of honey has been recently increased because of its nutrient and therapeutic effects, but the adulteration of honey in terms of botanical origin has increased, too. The floral origin of honeys is usually determined using melisso-palynological analysis and organoleptic characteristics, but the application of these techniques requires some expertise. A number of papers have confirmed the possibility of characterizing honey samples by selected chemical parameters. In this study high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-NMR) and multivariate statistical analysis methods were used to identify and classify honeys of five different floral sources. The 71 honey samples (robinia, chestnut, citrus, eucalyptus, polyfloral) were analyzed by HR-NMR using both 1H NMR and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation spectroscopy (HMBC). Spectral data were analyzed by application of unsupervised and supervised pattern recognition and multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and general discriminant analysis (GDA). The use of 1H-(13)C HMBC coupled with appropriate statistical analysis seems to be an efficient technique for the classification of honeys.     

Role of secondary metabolites in the biocontrol activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas corrugata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas mediterranea</Emphasis>

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causal agent of Camellia oleifera anthracnose, mainly infecting fruits and leaves. The fungus secretes degrading enzymes to destroy the cuticle of aerial plant parts and help infect the host successfully. To validate whether a cutinase gene (CglCUT1) was required for cutinase activity and pathogenicity of C. gloeosporioides, the CglCUT1 gene was cloned and analyzed. The characterization of CglCUT1 predicted protein suggests that the cloned DNA encoded a cutinase in C. gloeosporioides affecting C. oleifera. The CglCUT1 showed a high homology to those from C. gloeosporioides causing papaya anthracnose and C. capsici causing pepper anthracnose, as well as those of other ascomycetes. The whole CglCUT1 gene was knocked-out and the knockout mutant (?CglCUT39) was subsequently complemented using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. The knockout transformants exhibited significant decreases in cutinase activity and virulence compared with the wild-type strain. The complemented transformants of the disrupted transformant ?CglCUT39 showed a significant increase in cutinase activity and virulence compared with the disrupted transformant ?CglCUT39. This study suggests that the CglCUT1 gene has a positive effect on fungal virulence of the hemibiotrophic C. gloeosporioides on C. oleifera.     

Role of membrane phospholipids and glycolipids in cell-to-cell fusion by VSV

To identify membrane components of CER cells interacting with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) during fusion at acidic pH (fusion from without, FFWO) two different approaches have been used, i.e. (i) treating the whole cells with enzymes and (ii) testing the ability of isolated membrane molecules to interfere with FFWO. Phospholipase A₂ and C digestion of cells greatly reduced syncytia formation, pointing towards the involvement of lipid structures as target sites for VSV. Cell susceptibility to FFWO was also reduced after neuraminidase, β-galactosidase or periodate treatment, suggesting that carbohydrate residues may participate in a complex receptor structure required for virus fusion. When membrane molecules were examined separately for their ability to inhibit viral FFWO, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingomyelin, cholesterol and GM3 ganglioside were found to be active, confirming the role of membrane lipid moiety in the cell surface structures involved in the early phases of VSV infection.     

An integrated geochemical and mineralogical approach for the evaluation of arsenic mobility in mining soils

Purpose  

The assessment of risk related to the presence of potentially toxic elements in soils is strictly related to the knowledge of their form and mobility. These relevant properties depend on the complex interactions of the elements of concern with the soil particles that generally cannot be addressed by a single technique. This study presents an integrated approach implementing geochemical and mineralogical investigation techniques on samples from a former mining area (Tolfa Mountains district, northern Latium, Italy), where exploiting activities occurred until the recent past. In particular, the As total concentration and the As distribution in solid phases is studied with the aim to evaluate the possibility of environmental pollution and consequent risks for the health of people living in the area and possibly affected in case of significant mobilization of this toxic element.     

Risk assessment of endocrine-active compounds in feeds

As a key element of the 'farm-to-fork' approach, an assessment of the safety of feed components should consider major long-term toxicological hazards, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In this review, attention is given to endocrine-modulating trace elements (such as iodine and trivalent chromium) and their potentially sensitive subgroups as nutritional feed additives from the standpoint of farm animal safety and consumer exposure. Feedstuffs can be a major vehicle for persistent EDCs, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, and potential risks include fish farming and ruminants grazing in polluted areas. Limited data still exist on the feed-to-food transfer of other EDCs, such as brominated flame retardants. EDCs of vegetable origin (e.g. zearalenone and isothiocyanates) can have a greater adverse impact on farm animals than environmental xenobiotics but the risk of carry-over to consumers appears low. Topics for further research are suggested, including the need for more refined exposure data, characterization of biomarkers for long-term effects, xenobiotic-nutrient interactions and the search for novel feed ingredients that are less vulnerable to contamination.     

Administration of Bacillus coagulans in calves: recovery from faecal samples and evaluation of functional aspects of spores

An investigation was carried out into the recovery from calf faeces of Bacillus coagulans spores added to the feed as probiotic. For this purpose, Bacillus coagulans spores (9 log₁₀ CFU g^?1) were given daily to 10 calves during the whole farming periods; another 10 calves acted as controls. Throughout the trial the faecal spore counts were significantly (P?<?0.01) higher in the treated group than in the controls (averaging 2.1?×?10⁵ vs 3.7?×?10⁴?CFU g^?1). Bacterial cells were recovered from faecal samples and ribotyping matched the strain isolated from faecal sample to the clone administered to the animals. In addition, the recovered cells were found to maintain their functionality aspects of acid production, survival in artificial gastric juice and in the presence of bile, and attachment to human intestinal epithelial cells. The results further elucidate the fate of spore formers administered to calves, and this will help in the development of new species-specific nutritional strategies.