Pre- and postinvasion defenses both contribute to nonhost resistance in Arabidopsis

Nonhost resistance describes the immunity of an entire plant species against nonadapted pathogen species. We report that Arabidopsis PEN2 restricts pathogen entry of two ascomycete powdery mildew fungi that in nature colonize grass and pea species. The PEN2 glycosyl hydrolase localizes to peroxisomes and acts as a component of an inducible preinvasion resistance mechanism. Postinvasion fungal growth is blocked by a separate resistance layer requiring the EDS1-PAD4-SAG101 signaling complex, which is known to function in basal and resistance (R) gene-triggered immunity. Concurrent impairment of pre- and postinvasion resistance renders Arabidopsis a host for both nonadapted fungi.     

Insight into the origin of common bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.) grown in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of north-western Himalayas

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered as one of the principal grain legume crops grown in north-western Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India. Huge diversity has been observed for this crop in state Jammu and Kashmir. The hilly regions of the state J&K are famous for producing high quality, tasty and highly flavoured beans. In order to characterise this huge diversity and trace the origin of common bean, systematic efforts have been made for the first time in collection, evaluation and characterization of bean collection from Jammu & Kashmir. A set of 428 common bean lines were initially collected/procured and based on cluster analysis using few qualitative traits/site of collection, a diverse set of 96 lines was selected. The PCR assay for phaseolin locus led to the characterization of 96 lines into Meso-american and Andean types. Out of 96 lines tested, 45 possessed “S” type phaseolin and 51 possess “T” type phaseolin. The ITS region of selected local and exotic lines was Sanger sequenced and the sequence analysis of ~ 800 bp long region revealed the presence of 12 SNPs including one promising SNPs showing significant association with phaseolin patterns. The clustering based on ITS sequence data led to the clear cut separation of common bean lines into two distinct clusters based on their phaseolin types. The results of the present study helped to gain insights into the origin of common bean landraces grown in state of J&K, India.     

Transformation of a star into a planet in a millisecond pulsar binary

Millisecond pulsars are thought to be neutron stars that have been spun-up by accretion of matter from a binary companion. Although most are in binary systems, some 30% are solitary, and their origin is therefore mysterious. PSR J1719-1438, a 5.7-millisecond pulsar, was detected in a recent survey with the Parkes 64-meter radio telescope. We show that this pulsar is in a binary system with an orbital period of 2.2 hours. The mass of its companion is near that of Jupiter, but its minimum density of 23 grams per cubic centimeter suggests that it may be an ultralow-mass carbon white dwarf. This system may thus have once been an ultracompact low-mass x-ray binary, where the companion narrowly avoided complete destruction.     

Determination of prevalence,serological diversity,and virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus in ovine footrot with identification of its predominant serotype as a potential vaccine candidate in J&K,India

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, serological diversity, and virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus in footrot lesions of sheep and identification of its predominant serotype as a potential vaccine candidate. The overall prevalence of footrot in sheep was 16.19%, and ranged from 13.69 to 19.71%, respectively. A total of 759 flocks with 22,698 sheep were investigated for footrot and 2374 clinical samples were collected from naturally infected sheep exhibiting footrot lesions. Of the 2374 samples collected, 1446 (60.90%) were positive for D. nodosus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These positive samples when subjected to serogroup-specific multiplex PCR, 1337 (92.46%) samples carried serogroup B, 247 (17.08%) possessed serogroup E, 86 (5.94%) serogroup I, and one (0.069%) serogroup G of D. nodosus. While mixed infection of serogroups B and E was detected in 127 (8.78%), B and I in 46 (3.18%) and B, E, and I in 26 (1.79%) samples, respectively. The serogroup B of D. nodosus was the predominant (92.47%) serogroup affecting sheep population with footrot followed by serogroup E (19.91%) and serogroup I (4.57%), respectively. Virulent status of D. nodosus strains were confirmed by presence of virulence-specific integrase A (intA) gene and the production of thermostable proteases. The intA gene was detected in 709 (72.79%) samples while gelatin gel test carried out on 246 representative isolates all positive for intA gene produced thermostable proteases, confirming their virulence nature. The PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of whole fimA gene of serogroup B revealed the predominance of serotype B5 (82.97%) of serogroup B. This information suggests that serotype B5 is the predominant serotype of D. nodosus associated with severe footrot lesions in sheep in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), India. Hence, this serotype can be a potential vaccine candidate for the effective control and treatment of ovine footrot.

     

Inhibition of entry of HIV-1 in neural cell lines by antibodies against galactosyl ceramide.

Although the CD4 molecule is the principal cellular receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), several CD4-negative cell lines are susceptible to infection with one or more HIV strains. These findings indicate that there are alternate modes of viral entry, perhaps involving one or more receptor molecules. Antibodies against galactosyl ceramide (galactocerebroside, or GalC) inhibited viral internalization and infection in two CD4-negative cell lines derived from the nervous system: U373-MG and SK-N-MC. Furthermore, recombinant HIV surface glycoprotein gp120 bound to GalC but not to other glycolipids. These results suggest a role for GalC or a highly related molecule in HIV entry into neural cells.     

Potential therapeutic applications of some antinutritional plant secondary metabolites

Plant-based formulations have been used since ancient times as remedial measures against various human and animal ailments. Over the past 20 years interest in traditional medicines has increased considerably in many parts of the world. Whereas modifications in lifestyles, including diet, have had a profound effect on the increased risks of various diseases, there is considerable scientific evidence, both epidemiological and experimental, regarding vegetables and fruits as key features of diets associated with reduced risks of diseases such as cancers and infections. This has led to the use of a number of phytometabolites as anticarcinogenic and cardioprotective agents, promoting a dramatic increase in their consumption as dietary supplements. There are changing perceptions regarding the therapeutic potential of various plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), some of which have also been known to possess certain antinutritional qualities. The knowledge gained at the cellular and molecular levels, and biological activities of PSMs including tannin-polyphenols, saponins, mimosine, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phytates, would be useful in planning for future epidemiological studies and human cancer prevention trials, especially when a large pure dosage is not the option to deliver the active compounds to many tissues. It is well observed that alteration of cell cycle regulatory gene expression is frequently found in tumor tissues or cancer cell lines, and studies have suggested that the herbal-based or plant-originated cell cycle regulators might represent a new set of potential targets for anticancer drugs. The recent upsurge of interest in this area of research and advances made therein indicate that the impact of a number of diseases affecting humans and animals may be lessened, if not prevented, by simple dietary intake of PSMs with putative therapeutic properties.     

Potassium isotherm partitioning based on modified quantity‐intensity relation and potassium buffering characterization of soils of North India

Background : Potassium (K) availability in soil and plant uptake is restrained by the dynamic interactions among the different pools of K. Aims : To understand these interactions, a study was undertaken to assess the quantity–intensity (Q/I) and buffering characteristics of rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) growing soils. Ten contrasting soils were evaluated for K partitioning changes in exchangeable K (ΔEK) and non‐exchangeable K (ΔNEK) pools in the soil‐solution phase and buffering characteristics using a modified version of Q/I approach. Results : The partitioned Q/I isotherms showed strong adsorption with the increase in K concentration ratio (CR^K) and the changes due to ΔEK were higher than changes due to ΔNEK. Total buffering capacity (PBC^K) significantly correlated (r = 0.92, p <0.01) with clay content with a major share contributed by buffering capacity owing to non‐exchangeable K ( ${\mathrm{PBC}}_{\Delta \mathrm{NEK}}^K$) rather than exchangeable K ( ${\mathrm{PBC}}_{\Delta \mathrm{EK}}^K$). The fixation capacity (β) factor, the magnitude of added K converted into a non‐exchangeable pool, ranged from 41 to 63%, whereas release (α) factor, the magnitude of added K converted to the exchangeable pool, ranged from 19 to 36%. Both threshold solution K (CK_r) and threshold exchangeable K (EK_r) values were found to be high in Satran clay loam (S2) and lower in Doon silty clay loam (S3) soils. The equilibrium exchangeable K (EK_o) was found close to minimum exchangeable K (E_min) in Doon silty clay loam (S3) and Babaweyl sandy clay loam (S1) soils and overall E_min constituted about 8.94 to 0.57% of the EK_o. Conclusion : It may be concluded that K Q/I isotherm partitioning provides a valuable insight to assess the dynamic relations. The ratio of α/β (K recharge index) could be used to evaluate the K enrichment capacity of soil to K additions while EK_r and E_min can be potentially useful in the elucidation of exchangeable K as K fertility index especially in soils with poor K fertilizer management.     

BERYLLIUM IN ENVIRONMENTAL AIR,WATER AND SOIL

The study was specifically aimed to obtain concentration of beryllium in various environmental matrices such as air, water and soil in the vicinity of the Beryllium Metal Plant situated at Turbhe, New Bombay. Two analytical techniques – Morin fluorescence method and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry using graphite furnace were standardised for beryllium estimation. The beryllium concentration in the natural matrices studied – air, water and soil were in the range of 0.41–0.43 ng m^-3, 0.01–0.02 ng mL^-1 and 325–767 ng g^-1 respectively.