Effects of auxin and jasmonates on 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase gene expression during ripening of apple fruit

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and oxidase activities, their gene expression, and ethylene production in apple fruit [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. Var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.] treated with a synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxy-propionic acid (2,4-DP) and n-propyl dihydrojasmonate (PDJ), a jasmonic acid derivative, has been investigated to clarify the action of auxin and jasmonates on ethylene production. The fruit was harvested at 103 d after full bloom (preclimacteric). The expression of MdACS4 messenger RNA (mRNA) at 48 and 96 h after treatment was higher in fruit treated with 2,4-DP than in the untreated control, but those of MdACS1 and MdACO1 were not affected by treatment. The ethylene production in 2,4-DP-treated fruit increased at 96 h after treatment. In contrast, expression of mRNAs hybridized with MdACS1 and MdACO1 probes in the skin of PDJ-treated fruit were higher than those in the untreated control. In addition, ACC synthase activity and ethylene production also increased after treatment. These results show that the ethylene production rate may differ with the kind of genes which were stimulated by auxin or jasmonates.     

NADPH-dependent ferrireductase produced by white-rot fungusPhanerochaete sordida YK-624

An intracellular, soluble ferrireductase thought to be involved in the reduction of manganese dioxide by white-rot fungusPhanerochaete sordida YK-624 was purified for the first time. Two isoenzymes, NAD(P)H-dependent and NADPH-dependent, respectively, were detected by hydrophobic chromatography. The NADPH-dependent ferrireductase was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation, hydrophobic interaction, gel permeation, and anion-exchange chromatography. The purified protein, which is monomeric, has a molecular mass of 35 kDa (determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and pl 5.1 (determined by isoelectric focusing). The purified protein did not use cellobiose as an electron donor. The purified protein reduced Fe(III)-nitrilotriacetate complex, Mn(III)-malonate complex, methoxy-p-benzoquinone, and cytochrome c; veratraldehyde, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, phenazine methosulfate, and plumbagin could not be reduced. Particularly, the protein showed the highest reducing rate for Fe(III)-organic acid complexes, such as Fe(III)-nitrilotriacetate, among these electron acceptors.     

Progeny derived from Thanatephorus cucumeris (Rhizoctonia solani) AG-2-2 IV isolates on sugar beet foliage show more clonal diversity in somatic compatibility grouping than those from roots and petioles

Twenty-nine isolates of Thanatephorus cucumeris (Rhizoctonia solani) AG-2-2 IV were collected from the roots, petioles, and leaves of diseased sugar beets in Hokkaido, Japan. We examined the genetic variation of the field isolates using somatic compatibility grouping of progeny (cultured isolates derived from induced basidiospores) based on analysis of hyphal anastomosis reactions (i.e., hyphal perfect fusion) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). The number of somatic compatibility groups (SCGs) of single basidiospore isolates was strongly correlated with the host plant tissue from which the parental isolates were obtained. Parental isolates from roots and petioles tended to be genetically heterogeneous and generated plural SCGs, whereas isolates (except for two non-self-anastomosing isolates) from leaves tended to be homogeneous and generated a single SCG. Heterogeneous sibling basidiospore isolates yielded homogeneous progeny within a few generations. These findings were supported by the results of ISSR analysis, which showed that the homogeneous isolates generated progeny with the same genotype, whereas heterogeneous isolates generated progeny with different genotypes. However, like SCGs, ISSR genotypes of heterogeneous progeny tended to be homogeneous within two or three generations. Additionally, we examined clonal diversity during the basidiospore infection process over a 2-year period. A heterogeneous isolate generated a large number of progeny SCGs, thereby increasing clonal diversity. In contrast, progeny SCGs were almost all the same in a homogeneous isolate plot with a few exceptions. These results indicate that infection of T. cucumeris basidiospores play a role in the clonal diversity of AG-2-2 IV isolates, as indicated by progeny SCGs in the field.     

Potential Anti-Atherosclerotic Properties of Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring red carotenoid pigment classified as a xanthophyll, found in microalgae and seafood such as salmon, trout, and shrimp. This review focuses on astaxanthin as a bioactive compound and outlines the evidence associated with its potential role in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Astaxanthin has a unique molecular structure that is responsible for its powerful antioxidant activities by quenching singlet oxygen and scavenging free radicals. Astaxanthin has been reported to inhibit low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and adiponectin levels in clinical studies. Accumulating evidence suggests that astaxanthin could exert preventive actions against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) via its potential to improve oxidative stress, inflammation, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism. In addition to identifying mechanisms of astaxanthin bioactivity by basic research, much more epidemiological and clinical evidence linking reduced CVD risk with dietary astaxanthin intake is needed.     

Individual detection of genetically modified maize varieties in non-identity-preserved maize samples

In many countries, the labeling of grains and feed- and foodstuffs is mandatory if the genetically modified organism (GMO) content exceeds a certain level of approved GM varieties. The GMO content in a maize sample containing the combined-trait (stacked) GM maize as determined by the currently available methodology is likely to be overestimated. However, there has been little information in the literature on the mixing level and varieties of stacked GM maize in real sample grains. For the first time, the GMO content of non-identity-preserved (non-IP) maize samples imported from the United States has been successfully determined by using a previously developed individual kernel detection system coupled to a multiplex qualitative PCR method followed by multichannel capillary gel electrophoresis system analysis. To clarify the GMO content in the maize samples imported from the United States, determine how many stacked GM traits are contained therein, and which GM trait varieties frequently appeared in 2005, the GMO content (percent) on a kernel basis and the varieties of the GM kernels in the non-IP maize samples imported from the United States were investigated using the individual kernel analysis system. The average (+/-standard deviation) of the GMO contents on a kernel basis in five non-IP sample lots was determined to be 51.0+/-21.6%, the percentage of a single GM trait grains was 39%, and the percentage of the stacked GM trait grains was 12%. The MON810 grains and NK603 grains were the most frequent varieties in the single GM traits. The most frequent stacked GM traits were the MON810xNK603 grains. In addition, the present study would provide the answer and impact for the quantification of GM maize content in the GM maize kernels on labeling regulation.