The relative growth of internal organs in light and heavy breeds

1. The relative weights of the gastrointestinal segments and of some other internal organs from light and heavy breed chicks from hatching to 21 days of age were compared.

2. The relative weight of the duodenum and jejunum was higher in the light breed than in the heavy one, the reverse relationship was found for the ileum and caecum.

3. The relative growth of the pancreas, heart, cerebrum and cerebellum was greater in the light breed.     

Trichoderma Biocontrol of Colletotrichum acutatum and Botrytis cinerea and Survival in Strawberry

Trichoderma isolates are known for their ability to control plant pathogens. It has been shown that various isolates of Trichoderma, including T. harzianum isolate T-39 from the commercial biological control product TRICHODEX, were effective in controlling anthracnose (Colletotrichum acutatum) and grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) in strawberry, under controlled and greenhouse conditions. Three selected Trichoderma strains, namely T-39, T-161 and T-166, were evaluated in large-scale experiments using different timing application and dosage rates for reduction of strawberry anthracnose and grey mould. All possible combinations of single, double or triple mixtures of Trichoderma strains, applied at 0.4% and 0.8% concentrations, and at 7 or 10 day intervals, resulted in reduction of anthracnose severity; the higher concentration (0.8%) was superior in control whether used with single isolates or as a result of combined application of two isolates, each at 0.4%. Only a few treatments resulted in significant control of grey mould. Isolates T-39 applied at 0.4% at 2 day intervals, T-166 at 0.4%, or T-161 combined with T-39 at 0.4% were as effective as the chemical fungicide fenhexamide. The survival dynamics of populations of the Trichoderma isolates (T-39, T-105, T-161 and T-166) applied separately was determined by dilution plating and isolates in the mixtures calculated according to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using repeat motif primers. The biocontrol isolates were identified to the respective species T. harzianum (T-39), T. hamatum (T-105), T. atroviride (T-161) and T. longibrachiatum (T-166), according to internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis.     

Fear of predation slows plant-litter decomposition

Aboveground consumers are believed to affect ecosystem functioning by regulating the quantity and quality of plant litter entering the soil. We uncovered a pathway whereby terrestrial predators regulate ecosystem processes via indirect control over soil community function. Grasshopper herbivores stressed by spider predators have a higher body carbon-to-nitrogen ratio than do grasshoppers raised without spiders. This change in elemental content does not slow grasshopper decomposition but perturbs belowground community function, decelerating the subsequent decomposition of plant litter. This legacy effect of predation on soil community function appears to be regulated by the amount of herbivore protein entering the soil.     

Erwinia amylovora populations resistant to oxolinic acid in Israel: prevalence, persistence and fitness

Oxolinic acid (OA) has been the only bactericide used against fire blight in pear and quince orchards in Israel since 1998. OA-resistant Erwinia amylovora strains (Ea-OA^R) were detected in several orchards in two restricted areas in the northern Galilee region during 1999–2001. In the following years, resistant strains could not be detected in some of these locations. Documenting the fate of Ea-OA^R strains in commercial orchards at eight sites in northern Israel during 2000/03 revealed that the resistant population appeared irrespective of the number of sprays applied and the severity of the disease. The persistence of the Ea-OA^R populations varied from site to site, ranging from 4 to 20 months; these differences could be attributed to the fire blight management activities of growers. Comparative studies on the fitness of Ea-OA^R and E. amylovora strains sensitive to OA (Ea-OA^S) were conducted in vitro and in planta using two strains of each group. In four of the six comparisons, disease incidence on detached blossoms inoculated with Ea-OA^S was significantly higher than that on blossoms inoculated with Ea-OA^R. In two experiments conducted on 8-year-old pear trees grown under netting, the colonization of Ea-OA^S in blossoms, annual shoots and perennial spurs was significantly higher than that of the Ea-OA^R. In two experiments conducted on 2-year-old trees grown under netting in an experimental station, the incidence of shoots exhibiting fire blight symptoms and the rate of symptom progress within the branches were significantly higher in trees inoculated with Ea-OA^S than in those inoculated with Ea-OA^R. The results of this study suggest that OA-resistant E. amylovora strains have lower fitness than wild-type strains. These findings may have implications for fire blight management.     

Genetic diversity and pathogenic variability among isolates of colletotrichum species from strawberry

ABSTRACT Ninety-five isolates of Colletotrichum including 81 isolates of C. acutatum (62 from strawberry) and 14 isolates of C. gloeosporioides (13 from strawberry) were characterized by various molecular methods and pathogenicity tests. Results based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymorphism and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 sequence data provided clear genetic evidence of two subgroups in C. acutatum. The first subgroup, characterized as CA-clonal, included only isolates from strawberry and exhibited identical RAPD patterns and nearly identical ITS2 sequence analysis. A larger genetic group, CA-variable, included isolates from various hosts and exhibited variable RAPD patterns and divergent ITS2 sequence analysis. Within the C. acutatum population isolated from strawberry, the CA-clonal group is prevalent in Europe (54 isolates of 62). A subset of European C. acutatum isolates isolated from strawberry and representing the CA-clonal and CA-variable groups was assigned to two pathogenicity groups. No correlation could be drawn between genetic and pathogenicity groups. On the basis of molecular data, it is proposed that the CA-clonal subgroup contains closely related, highly virulent C. acutatum isolates that may have developed host specialization to strawberry. C. gloeosporioides isolates from Europe, which were rarely observed were either slightly or nonpathogenic on strawberry. The absence of correlation between genetic polymorphism and geographical origin in Colletotrichum spp. suggests a worldwide dissemination of isolates, probably through international plant exchanges.     

Characterization of colletotrichum isolates from tamarillo, passiflora, and mango in Colombia and identification of a unique species from the genus

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to identify the species of Colletotrichum infecting tamarillo, mango, and passiflora in Colombia and to assess whether cross-infection between host species is occurring. Isolates of Colletotrichum spp. from tamarillo (n = 54), passiflora (n = 26), and mango (n = 15) were characterized by various molecular methods and by morphological criteria. Morphological characterization grouped the tamarillo isolates as C. acutatum and the passiflora and mango isolates as C. gloeosporioides. Species-specific primer analysis was reliable and confirmed grouping of the tamarillo isolates (besides Tom-6) as C. acutatum and the mango isolates (besides Man-76) as C. gloeosporioides. However, DNA of the passiflora isolates was not amplified by either C. acutatum- or C. gloeosporioides-specific primers, but reacted with a new primer, Col1, designed according to the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 region of these isolates. Isolates Tom-6 and Man-76 also reacted positively with the Col1 primer. All the isolates reacting with the C. acutatum- and C. gloeosporioides-specific primers failed to react with primer Col1. Isolate Pass-35 from passiflora did not react with any of the taxon-specific primers. Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (ap-PCR), random amplified polymerase DNA (RAPD)-PCR, and A+T-rich DNA analyses delineated representative isolates into subgroups within the designated species. Molecular analyses indicated that the C. acutatum tamarillo isolates were uniform or clonal, whereas the C. gloeosporioides mango isolates and Colletotrichum passiflora isolates were heterogeneous. Likewise, sequence analysis of the complete ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) region identified certain isolates to their respective species: tamarillo isolates as C. acutatum; mango isolates as C. gloeosporioides; passiflora, Tom-6, and Man-76 isolates as a Colletotrichum sp. as yet undefined; and the Pass-35 isolate as an additional undefined Colletot-richum sp. Molecular analyses of the population of Colletotrichum isolates from passiflora, Tom-6 from tamarillo, and Man-76 from mango indicate that this population may not be host specific.     

Primary structure and functional activity of a phosphatidylinositol-glycan-specific phospholipase D

A phosphatidylinositol-glycan-specific phospholipase D (PI-G PLD) that specifically hydrolyzes the inositol phosphate linkage in proteins anchored by phosphatidylinositol-glycans (PI-Gs) has recently been purified from human and bovine sera. The primary structure of bovine PI-G PLD has now been determined and the functional activity of the enzyme has been studied. Expression of PI-G PLD complementary DNA in COS cells produced a protein that specifically hydrolyzed the inositol phosphate linkage of the PI-G anchor. Cotransfection of PI-G PLD with a PI-G-anchored protein resulted in the secretion of the PI-G-anchored protein. The results suggest that the expression of PI-G PLD may influence the expression and location of PI-G-anchored proteins.     

Isolation of the gene for a glycophorin-binding protein implicated in erythrocyte invasion by a malaria parasite

Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal of the malarial parasites that infect humans, undergoes three cycles of development in its vertebrate host and elicits stage-specific immune responses. This stage specificity of the immune response has made it difficult to isolate antigens that would be useful in developing a vaccine against malaria. A complementary DNA clone for a glycophorin-binding protein of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites has been isolated and characterized. The protein interacts with glycophorin, the erythrocyte receptor, during invasion of the host cell by the parasite. Antigenic determinants of this protein expressed in Escherichia coli have been used to produce antibodies to a glycophorin-binding protein. The antibodies show schizont-specific immunofluorescence and react with the merozoite protein. The primary sequence of these determinants reveals a 150-nucleotide tandem-repeating sequence coding for a 50-amino-acid repeat. The characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum glycophorin-binding protein represents one approach toward designing serologic agents to block the parasite's development in the vertebrate host.     

Mechanism of Na+/H+ antiporting

Na+/H+ antiporters are central to cellular salt and pH homeostasis. The structure of Escherichia coli NhaA was recently determined, but its mechanisms of transport and pH regulation remain elusive. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of NhaA that, with existing experimental data, enabled us to propose an atomically detailed model of antiporter function. Three conserved aspartates are key to our proposed mechanism: Asp164 (D164) is the Na+-binding site, D163 controls the alternating accessibility of this binding site to the cytoplasm or periplasm, and D133 is crucial for pH regulation. Consistent with experimental stoichiometry, two protons are required to transport a single Na+ ion: D163 protonates to reveal the Na+-binding site to the periplasm, and subsequent protonation of D164 releases Na+. Additional mutagenesis experiments further validated the model.