Occurrence of rocket larkspur witches’ broom caused by “<Emphasis Type="Italic">Candidatus</Emphasis> Phytoplasma asteris” in Japan

In October 2001, a disease of rocket larkspur (Cosolida ambigua (L.) P. W. Ball et Heyw), characterized by witches’ broom, yellows and virescence of flowers, was found in Yakage Town in Okayama Prefecture. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of phytoplasma-like bodies in the phloem of diseased plants. The causal phytoplasma was identified as “Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris” based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and demonstrated to be acquired by the leafhopper Macrosteles striifrons. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession number AB258330.     

Changes in micropores in dry wood with elapsed time in the environment

To investigate the changes in microstructures of wood with elapsed time in the environment, CO₂ adsorption onto dry wood was measured at ice-water temperature (273 K) for samples aged from 0.1 years to over 1000 years. The micropore size distribution was obtained using the Horvath-Kawazoe method. Micropores smaller than 0.6 nm in wood decreased in number with elapsed time in the environment, and a negative correlation was found between cumulative pore volume for pores smaller than 0.6 nm and elapsed time in the environment. Cumulative pore volume in the 1000-year sample was almost half of that in the 0.1- year sample. Micropores smaller than 0.6 nm in wood with a few decades or more of elapsed time increased in number after rewetting and drying. Consequently, microstructures of wood with longer time elapsed in the environment were considered to be more stable, because of longer-term thermal motion and possibly more repeated moisture adsorption and desorption and/or temperature variation in the environment.     

Effects of nereistoxin on the neuroexcitatory action of insecticides

Nereistoxin suppressed the excitatory actions of α- and γ-BHC and HEOD in the central nervous system of Periplaneta americana (L.). However, it did not affect the neurotoxic action of DDT and DBrDT. Since nereistoxin is an acetylcholine antagonist, it is postulated that BHC and HEOD act to produce high level of acetylcholine and the resulting after-discharges, while DDT and DBrDT seem to attack the noncholinergic region of insect nervous system.     

Comparative insecticidal activities and metabolic rates of lindane and its hexadeuterio-analog

Hexadeuterio-lindane(γ-BHC-d₆) was several times as toxic as lindane against the mosquito (Culex pipiens pallens), house fly (Musca domestica), German cockroach (Blattella germanica) and American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). The neuroexcitatory activity of these two compounds did not differ. Lindane was considerably synergized by piperonyl butoxide, but lindane-d₆ was not. A large isotope effect was observed in the in vivo breakdown of lindane-d₆. Thus, the intrinsic toxicities of both compounds are equivalent. The difference in insecticidal activity seems to be due to the different rates of detoxifying biodegradation caused by the kinetic deuterium isotope effect.     

Oxidative metabolism of tetrachlorocyclohexenes,pentachlorocyclohexenes, and hexachlorocyclohexenes with microsomes from rat liver and house fly abdomen

Microsomal mixed-function oxidase systems from rat liver and house fly abdomen effectively metabolized isomers of 3,4,5,6-tetrachlorocyclohexene, 1,3,4,5,6-pentachlorocyclohexene, and 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexene to tetrachlorocyclohexenol isomers, 2,4,5,-trichlorophenol, and 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol, respectively. The $\text{(}\text{346}\text{5}\text{)-isomer}$ of pentachlorocyclohexene gave also an abundant amount of pentachlorocyclohexenol isomers. As the metabolites of ($\text{36}\text{45}$)-, ($\text{35}\text{46}$)-, and $\text{(}\text{34}\text{56}\text{)-hexachlorocyclohexene}$, some compounds such as 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene, and pentachlorobenzene were more abundantly formed, respectively, than 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol. These oxidative metabolic reactions were shown to mainly proceed via “ene-like” hydroxylation accompanied by double bond migration. Inhibition by CO, piperonyl butoxide, and SKF 525-A suggested that the “ene-like” hydroxylating enzyme was cytochrome P-450 dependent. The formation of an isomer of pentachlorocyclohexenol from $\text{(}\text{36}\text{45}\text{)-hexachlorocyclohexene}$ was also observed, and this reaction was activated by SKF 525-A.     

A Cucumber mosaic virus isolated from Momordica charantia L.

Momordica charantia L. plants systemically infected with Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were found in Oita Prefecture. The virus isolated from the host plant was characterized by biological, serological, and molecular biological methods. The purified virus was used to mechanically inoculate the host and produced green mottle, green mosaic, and/or chlorotic spots in the noninoculated upper leaves of the host. The virus was identified as an isolate of CMV containing genomic RNA3 derived from subgroup IA by several lines of evidence based on electron microscopy, serological detection, host range, symptoms, and the entire nucleotide sequence of RNA3.     

Defective Long-distance Transport of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumber mosaic virus </Emphasis>in Radish Is Efficiently Complemented by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Turnip mosaic virus</Emphasis>

A strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-D8) systemically infects Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus), but the Y strain of CMV (CMV-Y) only infects the inoculated leaves. Both of these strains cause severe systemic mosaic on the plants after dual infection with Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Synergistic interactions on long-distance transport of CMV-Y and CMV-D8 with TuMV were analyzed using an immunobinding assay. Direct tissue blots probed with either anti-CMV-Y or anti-TuMV antiserum clearly showed that CMV-Y efficiently spread and accumulated in the tissues of noninoculated upper leaves and roots when co-inoculated with TuMV, and that long-distance movement of CMV-D8 was enhanced by the presence of TuMV. Received 16 September 1999/ Accepted in revised form 5 February 2000     

Oxidative metabolism of lindane and its isomers with microsomes from rat liver and house fly abdomen

Lindane and other hexachlorocyclohexane isomers produced 2,4,6-trichlorophenol as the major oxidative metabolite when incubated in the presence of NADPH under aerobic condition. A mechanism for the formation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol is proposed, which includes direct oxygenation of the cyclohexane ring. The proposed mechanism is supported by data from studies of model chemical reactions of the pentachlorocyclohexanol isomers. Pathways leading to 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, tetrachlorobenzene isomers, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, and tetrachlorophenol isomers are discussed, and are considered to include the route through pentachlorocyclohexene and hexachlorocyclohexene. Reductive dechlorination of lindane under anaerobic condition was observed using microsomes and NADPH.