Cloning and Selective Toxicant-induced Expression of BMR1 and BMR3, Novel ABC Transporter Genes in Botrytis cinerea

Two genes, BMR1 and BMR3, encoding new members of the ABC superfamily in Botrytis cinerea, were cloned and characterized. The topologies of the encoded proteins, BMR1 and BMR3, were both (NBF-TMD₆)₂, similar to most of the toxicant-efflux ABC transporters. These genes had different induced expression patterns after treatment with various toxicants, suggesting they may have different roles in toxicant-resistance. Received 24 September 2002/ Accepted in revised form 2 December 2002     

Induced Resistance to Rice Blast by Antagonistic Bacterium, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens </Emphasis>Strain B2

An antagonistic bacterium, Serratia marcescens strain B2, controlled rice blast after being sprayed onto rice phylloplane, as did the bacterial suspension when poured into rhizosphere soil of rice plants. Three days after root treatment, rice blast conidia were sprayed onto rice foliage. A week after pathogen inoculation, rice blast was suppressed and lesions caused by the pathogen decreased in size. Brown deposits were observed around sites of pathogen infection after root treatment. Induced resistance was not associated with an increase in the activitiy of peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, tyrosine ammonia lyase, β-1,3-glucanase, β-1,4-glycosidase, N-acetylhexosaminidase or chitinase. However, lipoxygenase levels were elevated after the root treatment with strain B2 following inoculation with the pathogen. Strain B2 was not detected in rice foliage after root treatment. These data suggest that strain B2 induced resistance against rice blast caused by Pyricularia oryzae. Received 1 November 2001/ Accepted in revised form 25 January 2002     

Post-traumatic stress disorder in participants of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic control in Miyazaki,Japan, in 2010

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) occurred in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010, and 290,000 animals were culled. This paper describes the mental distress of the volunteers who had been dispatched to Miyazaki for disease control two years after the epidemic. It also assesses risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A participatory appraisal and self-administered questionnaire survey were conducted in 2012 for those who were dispatched to Miyazaki in 2010. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used as an indicator of PTSD, and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Of the 875 respondents, 1.3% had higher IES-R scores than the cut-off point (25), which is suggestive of PTSD. Mental stresses during and soon after FMD control and after two years were described. Four risk factors associated with high IES-R scores were found: transporting culled animals (P<0.01), stress during FMD control (P<0.01) and at the time of the survey (P<0.01), and lack of someone to talk to about FMD-associated stress at the time of the survey (P<0.01). Veterinarians, livestock technicians and clerical officers involved in FMD control still suffer from mental stress two years later. Public services should provide an opportunity for them to consult with mental health specialists. These findings should be used to better prepare workers who deal with infectious diseases of animals, especially when they must be culled. The establishment of a collaborative framework between veterinary and mental health services is recommended.     

Epiphytic lichen diversity in old-growth and managed Picea abies stands in Alpine spruce forests

In the last decades, a large body of literature has grown to evaluate the impact of forest management on epiphytic lichens in boreal coniferous forests. However, information is still lacking on coniferous forests of the Alps. This study compares lichen diversity between spruce forest stands of four successional stages: (1) young, (2) intermediate, (3) mature forests managed for timber production with a rotation cycle of 120–180 years, and (4) old-growth protected forests. The emphasis was placed on the occurrence of nationally rare and calicioid species (lichens and fungi traditionally referred to as Caliciales, known to be indicative of forest age and continuity). For each forest successional stage, four plots were selected. In each plot, 7 spruce individuals were surveyed for epiphytic lichens according to a standardised sampling method. Species richness increased from young to mature stands, while no difference was detected between mature and old-growth stands. This pattern was also confirmed for rare and calicioid species which are, however, more frequent in old-growth stands. Differences in species composition were also found between the different forest successional stages. Mature and old-growth plots slightly overlap, indicating that to some extent comparable lichen assemblages could be found in these stands. A nested pattern of species assemblages was found, old-growth stands hosting most of the species which were also found in stands belonging to the previous forest successional stages. Our results support the hypothesis that the management regime applied to spruce forests of the Italian Alps renders mature stands managed for timber production somewhat similar to old-growth stands as lichen habitat. However, we found a higher complexity in old-growth forests, and many species of conservation concern clearly preferred old-growth stands. In this perspective, a further prolongation of the normal cycle it is likely to be a most favourable conservation-oriented management to be recommended at least within protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, where conservation purposes should receive a high priority.     

Synergistic Antifungal Activity of Chitinolytic Enzymes and Prodigiosin Produced by Biocontrol Bacterium, Serratia marcescens Strain B2 against Gray Mold Pathogen, Botrytis cinerea

Serratia marcescens strain B2 is an effective biocontrol agent against gray mold of cyclamen, caused by Botrytis cinerea Persoon. Strain B2 has strong antifungal activity against B. cinerea in vitro. The culture filtrate was found to contain different types of chitinolytic enzyme activity, including endochitinase and chitobiase activity. Four chitinolytic enzymes were detected among the extracellular proteins of strain B2. Two major enzymes, a 58-kDa endochitinase and a 98-kDa chitobiase, were purified by chromatography and electrofocusing, respectively. Both enzymes inhibited spore germination of B. cinerea. And a red pigment, prodigiosin, extracted and purified from the bacterial cells, also inhibited spore germination. When prodigiosin and the chitinolytic enzymes were applied in concert, a synergistic inhibitory effect was observed. S. marcescens strain B2 has multiple modes of action against the pathogen. Received 14 February 2001/ Accepted in revised form 31 May 2001     

Functional Analysis of an ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Gene in Botrytis cinerea by Gene Disruption

The BMR1 gene encoding an ABC transporter was cloned from Botrytis cinerea. To examine the function of BMR1 in B. cinerea, we isolated BMR1-deficient mutants after gene disruption. Disruption vector pBcDF4 was constructed by replacing the BMR1-coding region with a hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (hph) cassette. The BMR1 disruptants had an increased sensitivity to polyoxin and iprobenfos. Polyoxin and iprobenfos, structurally unrelated compounds, may therefore be substrates of BMR1. Received 18 December 2000/ Accepted in revised form 18 April 2001     

Evaluation of yield and physiological attributes of high-yielding rice varieties under aerobic and flood-irrigated management practices in mid-hills ecosystem

In the valley land of North-East Hill (NEH) ecosystems of India, about 70% area under rice (Oryza sativa L.) is transplanted. Physiological attributes and yield performance of aerobic rice over conventional flood-irrigated rice need to be assessed while promoting water saving technology. A field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam (950 m msl), Meghalaya during rainy seasons of 2006 and 2007 under aerobic and flooded conditions with aerobic rice variety collected from IRRI, Philippines. Some important high-yielding varieties (HYVs) recommended for the region were also included in the study. The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the influence of frequent mid-season drainage as a measure of water saving technique besides inducing the pre-conditioning effect on genotypes to withstand water stress during the subsequent growth period of crop ontogeny, (ii) to compare crop performance between aerobic and flooded rice management practices, and (iii) to identify attributes responsible for the yield gap between aerobic and flooded rice. The results revealed that the yield difference between aerobic (average yield, 1.67 t/ha) and flooded rice (average yield, 2.31 t/ha) ranged from 18.4 to 37.8% (P < 0.05) depending on varieties, highest difference being observed with rice hybrid DRRH 1. Cultivation of rice under aerobic condition resulted in 27.5% yield reduction over flooded rice. Among the yield components assessed, sink size (spikelets per panicle) contributed more to the yield and is considered to be most important factor responsible for yield gap between aerobic and flooded rice. The study suggests that, variety Sahsarang 1 with its moderate values of photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency (WUE) along with higher grain yield seems to be better choice for both stress (aerobic) as well as normal (flooded) condition. Aerobic rice varieties with minimum yield gap compared to flooded rice is the key for success of aerobic rice cultivation.     

Long-term treatment effects of Pueraria mirifica phytoestrogens on parathyroid hormone and calcium levels in aged menopausal cynomolgus monkeys

To determine the effect of Pueraria mirifica (PM) on serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium levels on aged menopausal monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), subjects were treated with 10, 100, or 1,000 mg/day of PM. Blood samples were collected every 5 days for 30, 90, and 60 days during pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment periods, respectively. Sera were assayed for PTH, estradiol, and calcium levels. PM-1,000 had the strongest effect on the decrease in PTH (0.001相似文献   

The effect of photodynamic therapy on squamous cell carcinoma in a murine model: evaluation of time between intralesional injection to laser irradiation

Successful treatment of naturally occurring periocular squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in horses with photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been performed by injecting residual tumor with verteporfin and applying laser irradiation immediately following injection. This study used a murine model to evaluate the influence of time between intralesional injection of verteporfin to laser irradiation on tumor growth inhibition with PDT. Mice were randomized into six groups (n=10/group). Each tumor was injected with either 0.1mg/cm(3) of verteporfin (Tx) or 5% dextrose in water (C). Tx and C groups 1, 2, and 3 were irradiated at 1, 30, and 180min after injection. Wilcoxon-rank sum test (P< or =0.05) was performed to determine the relative change in tumor volume (RCTV) between groups. Statistical significance was demonstrated between treatment groups. Although verteporfin-PDT treated mice in Tx1 and Tx2 demonstrated a lower RCTV compared to C1 and C2 mice, the differences were not statistically significant.     

Probiotic characteristics and aflatoxin B1 binding ability of Debaryomyces hansenii and Kazaschtania exigua from rainbow trout environment

The aim of this study was to evaluate probiotic properties and the aflatoxin B₁ adsorption ability of yeasts isolated from rainbow trout intestine and fish feed to assess their use in the formulation of feed additives. Growth at pH 2, bacterial pathogens inhibition, bacterial pathogens co‐aggregation, autoaggregation, homologous and heterologous inhibition against lactic acid bacteria were evaluated. Moreover, aflatoxin B₁ adsorption was tested. All strains were able to maintain viable (10⁷ cells/ml) at pH 2. All strains isolated from intestine were identified as Kazaschtania exigua, while strains isolated from feed were all identified as Debaryomyces hansenii. Kazaschtania exigua RC035 and RC037 showed the strongest antimicrobial activity while K. exigua RC037 and RC038 were the most efficient co‐aggregating bacterial pathogens. All strains exhibited strong autoaggregation. None of the tested yeast strains showed homologous inhibition towards other yeasts and heterologous inhibition towards lactic acid bacteria strains. Debaryomyces hansenii RC031 demonstrated aflatoxin B₁ adsorption capacity (21%). The results of the present study indicate that select strains of Kazaschtania exigua and D. hansenii showed potential to improve the health of rainbow trout by inhibiting pathogens and binding AFB₁ and their use as probiotics may improve the production of rainbow trout in aquaculture systems.