Improving protective efficacy of BCG vaccination for wildlife against bovine tuberculosis

Possums are a wildlife vector of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. Vaccination of possums with BCG is being considered as a measure to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis to cattle and deer. Delivery via oral bait is feasible but BCG is degraded in the stomach. The aim was to determine whether ranitidine (Zantac) would reduce gastric acidity and enhance the efficacy of intragastrically administered BCG. A dose of 75 mg reduced gastric acidity for at least 4 h. Thus, possums were vaccinated intragastrically with BCG after receiving 75 mg ranitidine or ranitidine or BCG alone, as controls, before challenge with virulent Mycobacterium bovis. Proliferative responses of blood lymphocytes to M. bovis antigens after vaccination were significantly higher in possums given ranitidine/BCG compared to controls and seven weeks after challenge they had significantly lower lung weights and spleen bacterial counts than ranitidine alone controls. Vaccination with BCG alone only gave a reduction in loss in body weight. Agents that reduce gastric acidity may be useful in formulating BCG for oral bait delivery to wildlife for vaccination against bovine tuberculosis.     

转基因昆虫在害虫防治上的应用前景

对转基因昆虫的发展历史,转基因昆虫的技术要点,特别是载体和标记基因进行了系统阐述,同时对转基因昆虫的应用方向和生物安全性及其管理做了简要介绍。     

Study on the association of the polymorphism at the position -418A/G and -384C/T in the Apo(a) promoter

AIM: To investigate two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the apolipoprotein(a) promoter at positions -418 and -384 and to compare distributing difference of genotype frequencies of single nucleotide among different races and to explore the influencies of them on serum lipid level and their association with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Using PCR-RFLP (BsgI,BfaI) method, we determined genotypes of these two SNPs in 156 unrelated healthy controls of HanZu Chinese and 56 unrelated CHD patients of HanZu Chinese and 56 unrelated African Blacks, then cloned polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products into T-vector and sequenced it by M13 currency primer, correspondingly. RESULTS: (1) There was no polymorphism at position -418A/A and -384C/C in control group. Only one CHD patient's genotype determined was -418G/G, other were -418A/A and -384C/C in CHD patients. (2) Only two African Blacks' genotype determined was -418G/G, other were -418A/A and -384C/C in African Blacks. (3) However, the Apo(a) promoter sequence was in coincident with the sequence publicized in GenBank and the base at positions -418 was adenine (A) and -384 was cytosine (C). CONCLUSION: The mutation frequencies at position -418 and -384 were low in the Chinese Han Population of Hubei and perhaps no single nucleotide polymorphisms was at two positions. No association with serum lipid levels and CHD was observed. There were great variabilities to the SNPs in the Apo(a) promoter among different races.     

Possible phytoplasma transovarial transmission in the psyllids Cacopsylla melanoneura and Cacopsylla pruni

The possible transovarial transmission of two phytoplasmas, ' Candidatus Phytoplasma mali' and ' Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum', through their respective psyllid vectors Cacopsylla melanoneura and Cacopsylla pruni , was investigated. Different life stages of the progeny of infected female psyllids were analysed by PCR detection of phytoplasma DNA. While ' Ca. Phytoplasma mali' could not be detected in any of the C. melanoneura life stages tested, ' Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum' could be detected in eggs, nymphs and newly emerged adults of C. pruni . Infectivity tests using both nymphs and newly emerged adults of C. pruni showed that ' Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum' inherited from infected females can be transmitted to healthy plum plants. Although further validations are required, these findings open up new perspectives on the study of the epidemiology of diseases associated with European stone fruit yellows.     

鸡输卵管生物反应器研究进展

鸡输卵管生物反应器是一种很有市场前景的生产药物蛋白的生物反应器。综述了激素对输卵管细胞和卵清蛋白基因的调控、输卵管组织特异性调控元件的研究、转基因鸡的制作途径、新型逆转录病毒载体在转基因鸡制作上的应用和国内研究现状、最新成果及发展前景等。     

Vegetation Composition and Succession of Abandoned Farmland: Effects of Ecological,Historical and Spatial Factors

In North America, as well as in Europe, the mechanization and the modernization of the agricultural activities had strongly modified the agricultural landscapes. Originating from these transformations of the agricultural environment, abandoned farmlands remain poorly known environments. A holistic approach, including the analysis of ecological, historical and spatial factors, is used in order to understand the dynamics of these environments created by agricultural abandonment in southwestern Québec (Canada). The analysis of 36 abandoned farmlands in the study area reveals the existence of two ecological groups. The first ecological group is composed by abandoned farmlands originating from pasture and at the moment dominated by a spiny shrub vegetation. The second ecological group includes past cultivated field at the moment dominated by either hydric herbaceous and shrub vegetation. Abiotic ecological variables such as slope, surface stoniness, canopy opening and soil pH, as well as land-use history, and age of the abandoned farmlands, are major factors explaining the current state of abandoned farmlands. Succession vector analysis reveals a strong differentiation among abandoned farmlands as to their tree species regeneration. Possible management alternatives, such as reforestation, are proposed in order to integrate those new environments to the modern agricultural landscape.     

Developing Integrated Disease Management Strategies Against Non-persistently Aphid-borne Viruses: A Model Programme

There is a need to develop integrated disease management strategies that are comprehensive and can protect farmers from the economic hardship that arises when epidemics of non-persistently aphid-borne viruses damage their crops. The aim of this review is to provide a model for future programmes to use when developing such strategies for different combinations of non-persistently aphid-borne viruses and crops. The model programme described is a 15-year study to develop integrated management strategies against two non-persistently aphid-borne viruses causing damaging diseases of lupins and to get them adopted by farmers. The success of the programme depended on an interdisciplinary team approach, obtaining a detailed understanding of the factors favouring virus epidemics, field evaluation for virus resistance, and field experiments that determined the effectiveness of individual control measures. The strategies developed were designed to cause few additional labour demands, and minimal disruption to normal farming operations or extra expense.The programme devised integrated management strategies for the diseases caused by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) in crops of narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) under the conditions of low-input, dryland agriculture in the south-west Australian grainbelt, which has a Mediterranean-type climate. CMV is introduced into lupin crops by sowing virus-infected lupin seed while aphids spread BYMV into the growing crop from adjacent virus-infected, clover-based pastures. Grain yield losses are substantial when virus spread by aphids is sufficient to cause high incidences of infection within crops. The management strategies were gradually improved and expanded as understanding of the epidemiology of viruses in lupins improved and the results of field experiments involving potential control measures became available. The individual measures combined within the integrated management strategy for each virus were: sowing seed stocks with minimal virus contents, sowing cultivars with inherently low seed transmission rates and isolation from neighbouring lupin crops (CMV only); perimeter non-host barriers and avoiding fields with large perimeter : area ratios (BYMV only); nobreak promoting early canopy development, generating high plant densities, adjusting row spacing, direct drilling into retained stubble, sowing early maturing cultivars, maximising weed control and crop rotation (both viruses). Recommendations to apply insecticide were included solely for spraying high value seed crops (CMV only) or virus-infected pastures next to crops (BYMV only). The justification for selection of each individual control measure, its mode of action in either removing or minimising the virus infection source or suppressing virus spread by aphids and the extent to which it has been adopted by farmers is described. The approach used to transfer the strategies to farmers and the need to avoid complacency following the overall success of the work is emphasised. An integrated disease management strategy developed to clean up the lupin breeding programme from seed-borne virus infection and prevent release of infected seed stocks of new cultivars is also described. It can serve as an example of what is needed to tackle seed-borne virus contamination in other plant breeding or selection programmes.     

Identification of potential vectors of the coconut lethal disease phytoplasma

Lethal disease (LD) is a lethal yellowing-type disease of coconuts associated with phytoplasmas in Tanzania, but the insect vector for it has not yet been identified. In this study, the auchenorrynchous insects in LD-infected coconut fields were surveyed to determine potential vectors for the disease. No significant correlation was found between disease incidence and numbers of insects collected from the field, possibly reflecting the unknown incubation period for the disease. However, analysis of more than 5000 individual insects by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using LD-specific primers derived from the phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene, revealed PCR products of the correct size from eight individuals of Diastrombus mkurangai and four of Meenoplus spp. When digested with restriction endonucleases, fragments of the same size as the LD phytoplasma were obtained. No PCR products were detected in any of the other insect species tested. These results implicate D. mkurangai and Meenoplus spp. as probable vectors of the LD phytoplasma.     

RT-PCR克隆广谱抗病基因NPR1及其蛋白表达载体构建

[目的]克隆植物广谱抗病基因NPR1并构建其蛋白表达载体。[方法]提取拟南芥总RNA,设计相关引物,采用反转录PCR方法克隆NPR1基因;利用酶切连接方法,将该基因正向导入蛋白表达载体。[结果]经过相关检验,将NPR1正向插入pMXB10载体中,得到了pMXB10-NPR1蛋白表达载体。[结论]成功构建了包含NPR1的蛋白表达载体。