‘Plantibodies’: a flexible approach to design resistance against pathogens

Engineering resistance against various diseases and pests is hampered by the lack of suitable genes. To overcome this problem we started a research program aimed at obtaining resistance by transfecting plants with genes encoding monoclonal antibodies against pathogen specific proteins. The idea is that monoclonal antibodies will inhibit the biological activity of molecules that are essential for the pathogenesis. Potato cyst nematodes are chosen as a model and it is thought that monoclonal antibodies are able to block the function of the saliva proteins of this parasite. These proteins are, among others, responsible for the induction of multinucleate transfer cells upon which the nematode feeds. It is well documented that the ability of antibodies to bind molecules is sufficient to inactivate the function of an antigen and in view of the potential of animals to synthesize antibodies to almost any molecular structure, this strategy should be feasible for a wide range of diseases and pests.Antibodies have several desirable features with regard to protein engineering. The antibody (IgG) is a Y-shaped molecule, in which the domains forming the tips of the arms bind to antigen and those forming the stem are responsible for triggering effector functions (Fc fragments) that eliminate the antigen from the animal. Domains carrying the antigen-binding loops (Fv and Fab fragments) can be used separately from the Fc fragments without loss of affinity. The antigen-binding domains can also be endowed with new properties by fusing them to toxins or enzymes. Antibody engineering is also facilitated by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A systematic comparison of the nucleotide sequence of more than 100 antibodies revealed that not only the 3′-ends, but also the 5′-ends of the antibody genes are relatively conserved. We were able to design a small set of primers with restriction sites for forced cloning, which allowed the amplification of genes encoding antibodies specific for the saliva proteins ofGlobodera rostochiensis. Complete heavy and light chain genes as well as single chain Fv fragments (scFv), in which the variable parts of the light (V_L) and heavy chain (V_H) are linked by a peptide, will be transferred to potato plants. A major challenge will be to establish a correct expression of the antibody genes with regard to three dimensional folding, assembly and intracellular location.     

黄瓜全雌性基因连锁的AFLP和SCAR分子标记

 本研究以全雌品种‘戴多星’自交系和弱雌品种‘北京截头’自交系为双亲杂交获得F₁ ,然后得到F₂ 性型分离群体, 利用分离群体分组分析法(Bulked Segregant Analysis, BSA) 构建全雌和弱雌两个基因池, 筛选了64对AFLP选择性引物EcoR I-NN +Mse I-NNN组合, 发现EcoR I-TG +Mse I-CAC引物组合在全雌基因池中扩增出一条分子量为234 bp的特异带。经F₂ 代单株验证, 该特异条带能在全雌单株中稳定出现。以MAP MAKER (Version 310) 软件分析, 该标记与全雌性位点的连锁距离在617 cM。命名该连锁标记为TG/CAC₂₃₄。将该特异条带回收、克隆、测序, 设计特异SCAR引物, 再对F₂ 代单株基因组DNA进行扩增, 仅在全雌单株中扩增出1条分子量为166 bp 的特异带, 表明已成功地将与黄瓜全雌性连锁的AFLP标记转化为操作简便、表现稳定的SCAR标记, 该标记命名为SA₁₆₆。     

苹果抗病虫育种研究概况

抗病虫育种已成为许多苹果生产国苹果育种的主要目标.选育抗病虫苹果新品种可以降低生产成本,同时也可以满足生产绿色果品的需要.20世纪80年代以来,随着世界环保呼声渐高,苹果抗病虫育种研究日益受到重视,并取得了一定进展.但在我国苹果抗病虫育种研究甚少,仅在方法上进行一些探索,本文概述苹果抗病虫育种研究.     

蜂花粉营养液的营养成分分析

蜂花粉营养液以油菜花粉和蜂蜜为原料,经过先进的生产工艺制备而成.本文主要对其营养成分进行了分析,该营养液的营养成分搭配合理,含有17种氨基酸,其中包括8种必需氨基酸,氨基酸总量为575.2 mg/100mL;钙31.90 mg/100mL、钾77.46 mg/100mL、钠6.16 mg/100mL、镁19.12 mg/100mL、锌0.14 mg/100mL、铁0.14 mg/100mL、锰0.13 mg/100mL、铜0.053 mg/100mL;尼克酸0.24 mg/100mL、维生素B2 0.01mg/100mL、维生素B6 0.74 mg/100mL、维生素C 0.75 mg/100mL.     

犬胚胎移植手术路径研究性试验

犬胚胎移植手术路径的确定是移植能否成功的关键。我们选择了12例自然发情的母犬，分为供体组和受体组，每组6头。通过生物检测镜确定排卵时间，用腹腔镜观察卵巢黄体发育情况，同时于交配后第9、11、13天剖腹探查，确定冲卵时间。结果于交配后第11天冲洗供体犬左侧子宫角，保留右侧子宫角的两例犬受孕，移植给2头受体犬左侧子宫角。     

Effects of Latent Infection of Stock Plants and Abundance of Thrips on the Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tomato spotted wilt virus </Emphasis>in Chrysanthemum Fields

DAS-ELISA proved to be reliable enough to detect a latent infection by Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in asymptomatic stock plants of chrysanthemum. A high density of Frankliniella occidentalis, the predominant vector, in the presence of latently infected stock plants resulted in a high incidence of disease in the chrysanthemum production field. The incidence of disease was low when the vector thrips were not abundant in spite of the presence of latently infected stock plants. These results suggest that an infestation of the vector thrips causes severe secondary spread of TSWV originating from latently infected stock plants in chrysanthemum production fields. Received 27 July 2001/ Accepted in revised form 27 November 2001     

Indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aciculosporium take</Emphasis>, a causal agent of witches' broom of bamboo

 Aciculosporium take (Ascomycota; Clavicipitaceae) is a causal agent of witches' broom of bamboo plants. The symptoms of this disease are believed to be induced by plant hormones, particularly auxins. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was identified in cultures of this fungus in an l-tryptophan-supplemented liquid medium. IAA production was confirmed on 30 isolates of A. take from various hosts and locations at levels up to 1 mg/l. The biosynthetic pathway of IAA in A. take culture was examined by analyzing intermediate products and by feeding experiments. The results showed that the indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway (l-tryptophan → indole-3-pyruvic acid → indole acetaldehyde → IAA) was the dominant pathway in A. take. Received: June 3, 2002 / Accepted: July 25, 2002     

Inconspicuous restraint of rice seedling growth by root-infecting fungi in soil of a rice paddy field

 Rice seedling growth, estimated by plant height and root development and discoloration, was better in pasteurized soil than in unpasteurized soil obtained from a flooded rice field. Rice seedlings also grew better in sterilized soil modified by adding roots harvested from the pasteurized soil than in soil modified by adding roots harvested from the unpasteurized soil. The results demonstrate that seedling growth in the rice field soil was inhibited by soil microorganisms, even though no typical symptoms such as seedling blight or damping-off appeared. Pythium aristosporum is suggested to be involved in the inhibition. Thus, it appears that inconspicuous restraint of rice seedling growth could occur in soils of rice paddy fields. Received: May 20, 2002 / Accepted: October 16, 2002 Acknowledgments The authors thank Dr. T. Ichitani, former professor at Osaka Prefectural University, for providing an isolate of Pythium aristosporum for comparison, and Mr. Mitsuaki Sato of Akita Prefectural College of Agriculture for technical assistance.