Morphological characterization of the IVIA persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) germplasm collection by multivariate analysis

Diospyros kaki Thunb. originated in Eastern Asia, as evidenced of its culture in China as early as several centuries B.C. In the seventh century, persimmon was introduced to Japan and later, in the fourteenth century to Korea. There is no information about persimmon culture in Europe until the seventeenth century, with the spread over the world occurring in the eighteenth century. The genus Diospyros contains more than 400 species, with levels of ploidy ranging from diploid (2n = 2x = 30) up to nonaploid (2n = 9x = 135). The primary economic crop species is Diospyros kaki Thunb., which is mainly hexaploid (2n = 6x = 90) and includes hundreds of cultivars. Although a relatively recent introduction in Europe, the species has adapted well, and the genetic diversity have been expanded with culture and selection for the past 200 years in the Mediterranean basin. These locally adapted cultivars were evaluated with cultivars from Asian origin in a germplasm collection established at IVIA in Valencia, Spain. In this paper 27 cultivars from the IVIA collection were studied by multivariate analysis, and 37 variables were analyzed using a Principal Components Analysis and cluster analysis following the method UPGMA. Studies on correlations and significance among variables identified the most relevant ones, and thus provided information for a future core collection.     

Inhibition of telomerase in canine cancer cells following telomestatin treatment

Telomere shortening in normal somatic cells has been proposed as a major barrier to unlimited cellular proliferation. Telomerase is an enzyme capable of maintaining telomere length, and thus bypassing this barrier. In human beings, telomerase activity is restricted to cancer cells and cells of stem or germ cell lineages. Dogs represent a potentially useful clinical model for the development of telomerase‐based therapies because telomerase activity is also restricted to cancer cells and stem cells in this species. We examined the ability of telomestatin to inhibit telomerase activity in telomerase‐positive D17 and CMT7 canine cancer cell lines. At a concentration of 2 μM, telomestatin treatment resulted in a decrease in telomerase activity, telomere shortening, growth inhibition and apoptosis in telomerase‐positive cancer cells. These effects were not seen in telomerase‐negative skin fibroblasts or negative controls. These results confirm that telomestatin specifically inhibits telomerase activity in canine cancer cells and strengthens the usefulness of dogs as a model for testing telomerase‐based therapies.     

Tuta absoluta,a South American pest of tomato now in the EPPO region: biology,distribution and damage

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is an invasive pest of tomato native to South America, where it is responsible for extensive damage. It rapidly spread into several European countries, becoming a key pest. Knowledge of its main biological traits can be used to develop effective plant protection management strategies. It is a multivoltine species with a homodynamous behaviour, and the length of its life cycle depends on environmental conditions, particularly temperature. The larvae feed and develop inside tomato leaves, stems and fruits throughout the entire growing cycle. The adults have crepuscular habits, and in Mediterranean conditions they can be easily detected throughout the year. Damage is directly related to the reduction of plants' photosynthetic capacity and of production levels in both protected and open‐field tomato crops; indirect damage can be also caused by secondary infections, with pathogens developing on the infested plant and fruit tissues.     

A molecular marker linked to the Prv1 gene that confers resistance to Papaya ringspot virus-type W in melon

Papaya ringspot virus‐type W (PRSV‐W) is the most prevalent and important viral pathogen of cucurbits in Brazil. It can be effectively controlled by the incorporation of genetic resistance into susceptible melon cultivars. The present study identified amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) markers linked to the PRSV‐W resistance Prv¹ allele. The susceptible yellow‐fleshed melon‐breeding line AF426^prv1 and its nearly isogenic‐resistant line AF426^Prv1, which carries the Prv¹ allele resident in the Indian cantaloupe U.S. Plant Introduction (PI) 180280, were screened for AFLP marker polymorphisms. Of 30 251 AFLP loci, only three were polymorphic between the nearly isogenic lines. Segregation analyses for these three polymorphic markers and the Prv¹ allele using a BC₁ population of 197 plants indicated close linkage (0.5% recombination frequency) between marker EK190 (HindIII‐CGA and MseI‐GTG; 190 bp) and Prv¹. Thus, EK190 might be a useful marker in breeding programmes aiming to develop melon cultivars resistant to PRSV‐W. The other two markers are closely linked to each other, but distantly linked to Prv¹.     

Dose-titration studies of ivermectin against experimental Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala infections

Dose-titration trials of ivermectin were conducted on pups with dual experimental infections of 4th-stage larvae or adult Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala. Ivermectin was administered orally or subcutaneously at dosages of 0.006, 0.012, or 0.024 mg/kg of body weight. Maximal or near maximal (greater than or equal to 96% to 100%) anthelmintic effect was observed for both stages of development for each hookworm species by either route of administration at a dosage of 0.024 mg/kg. Responses for all of the aforementioned categories were linearly related to increasing log dosage of ivermectin, with common slopes (regression coefficients). Regression analysis also provided estimates of the minimal dosages required to produce maximal reduction in worm burden for each stage, species, and route of administration. The estimated ivermectin dosages for maximal efficacy ranged from a low of 0.014 mg/kg for adult A caninum by oral treatment to 0.044 mg/kg for 4th-stage larvae of U stenocephala by oral treatment.