Germinability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia sativa</Emphasis> L. seeds After 10 Years of Storage in a Base Collection

The germinability of the Vicia sativa L. seed samples in the base collection at the Centro de Recursos Fitogenéticos (Spain) was controlled in 1986 and 1996. The mean germination of the collection, assessed by One-Sample T Test, was higher than 85%, suggesting its viability was properly maintained along the period. However, changes in germination along the same period assessed by Paired-Samples T Test showed a slight decrease in its global germinability. More data on the viability of stored seeds worldwide – including communication of unpublished data – are needed. Viability assays should be performed according to standard, internationally coordinated protocols and statistical analysis, within an adequate documentation system that assures the integrity of accession information.     

钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达的影响

本研究以波尔山羊为实验动物,旨在观察钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达的影响。选用63头健康波尔山羊随机分成7组,每组3个重复,选用七钼酸铵([(NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O])作为实验钼源,氯化镉(Cd Cl2)作为实验镉源,按每kg山羊体质量添加钼、镉对照组(Mo 0 mg/kg+Cd 0 mg/kg),低镉低钼组(Mo 15mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),低镉中钼组(Mo 30 mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),低镉高钼组(Mo 45 mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),高镉低钼组(Mo 15 mg/kg+Cd 1.0 mg/kg),高镉中钼组(Mo 30 mg/kg+Cd 1.0 mg/kg),高镉高钼组(Mo 45 mg/kg+Cd1.0 mg/kg),实验期50 d。并于当天、第25、50天每组各剖杀3头山羊取肾组织进行相关实验,观察不同剂量钼、镉对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达等的影响。结果显示,与对照组相比,在实验第25、50天时,实验组山羊肾脏bcl-2 mRNA表达量下降(P0.01),bax mRNA、caspase-3 mRNA和cytc mRNA表达量上升(P0.05或P0.01);山羊钼镉联合胁迫导致肾线粒体抗氧化功能降低、自由基含量升高,导致细胞促凋亡基因表达量上升,抗凋亡基因的表达量下降,提示钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏有明显损伤。     

Note: A comparison of molecular diagnostic procedures for the detection of aster yellows phytoplasmas (16Sr-I) in leafhopper vectors

Different molecular procedures were compared for the detection of aster yellows phytoplasmas (AYP) in the leafhopper vectorsMacrosteles quadripunctulatus (Kirschbaum),Euscelidius variegatus (Kirschbaum) andEuscelis incisus (Kirschbaum). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with universal and group-specific primers designed on the 16S-rDNA sequence was most sensitive in nested assays. A dot-blot procedure with an oligoprobe designed on the 16S-rDNA was less sensitive and consistent to detect phytoplasmas in total insect DNA, but consistently detected amplicons from direct PCR. The dot-blot assay with a probe based on a phytoplasma plasmid sequence detected AYP in most vector specimens and did not react with DNAs from leafhoppers infected by flavescence dorée and psyllids infected by apple proliferation phytoplasmas. This last assay is almost devoid of contamination risks, faster and cheaper compared to PCR, therefore it has to be preferred for field-scale analysis of leafhopper populations. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Feb. 24, 2004.     

An in vitro study of hematopoietic progenitor cells from peripheral blood of rabbits

The purpose of this study was to isolate and cultivate a subpopulation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from the peripheral blood of rabbits, which are frequently used in veterinary research as an animal model. Pluripotent stem cells, as described in human beings, are fibroblast-like cells that exhibit a CD34 marker, specific from other hematopoietic stem cells. Commonly used human commercial media has been researched for culturing rabbit PSCs. These findings allow us to contemplate the direct application of this simple and standardized methodology in several areas of study, such as of the pharmacological effect of many drugs on hematopoietic cells, veterinary practice, and even the study of new strategies in cellular therapy for some human diseases.     

Molecular characterization of Pseudomonas syringae isolates from fruit trees and raspberry in Serbia

Infection of fruit trees by Pseudomonas syringae is a potentially serious problem that may limit the establishment and sustained productivity of pome and stone fruit orchards in Serbia. To estimate possible diversity of Pseudomonas syringae fruit trees strains, we collected a set of strains in several areas of Serbia. The samples were taken from infected orchards with raspberry, plum, cherry, sour cherry, peach, pear and apple trees. Genetic diversity of P. syringae strains isolated from fruit trees was determined by using SpeI macrorestriction analysis of genomic DNAs by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and REP-PCR. Molecular analysis showed that most of isolates had unique profiles, with the exception of isolates from plum and cherry that displayed profiles identical to each other and similar to P. syringae pv. morsprunorum. The study presented here clearly demonstrates the discriminative power of molecular techniques in enabling a detailed analysis of the genetic variations between strains of P. syringae from different pome and stone fruit hosts in Serbia.     

RADIX: rhizoslide platform allowing high throughput digital image analysis of root system expansion

Background

Phenotyping of genotype-by-environment interactions in the root-zone is of major importance for crop improvement as the spatial distribution of a plant’s root system is crucial for a plant to access water and nutrient resources of the soil. However, so far it is unclear to what extent genetic variations in root system responses to spatially varying soil resources can be utilized for breeding applications. Among others, one limiting factor is the absence of phenotyping platforms allowing the analysis of such interactions.

Results

We developed a system that is able to (a) monitor root and shoot growth synchronously, (b) investigate their dynamic responses and (c) analyse the effect of heterogeneous N distribution to parts of the root system in a split-nutrient setup with a throughput (200 individual maize plants at once) sufficient for mapping of quantitative trait loci or for screens of multiple environmental factors. In a test trial, 24 maize genotypes were grown under split nitrogen conditions and the response of shoot and root growth was investigated. An almost double elongation rate of crown and lateral roots was observed under high N for all genotypes. The intensity of genotype-specific responses varied strongly. For example, elongation of crown roots differed almost two times between the fastest and slowest growing genotype. A stronger selective root placement in the high-N compartment was related to an increased shoot development indicating that early vigour might be related to a more intense foraging behaviour.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, RADIX is the only system currently existing which allows studying the differential response of crown roots to split-nutrient application to quantify foraging behaviour in genome mapping or selection experiments. In doing so, changes in root and shoot development and the connection to plant performance can be investigated.