Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of the Bifurcaria bifurcata Epiphytic Bacteria

Surface-associated marine bacteria are an interesting source of new secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of epiphytic bacteria from the marine brown alga, Bifurcaria bifurcata, and the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bacteria extracts. The identification of epiphytic bacteria was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacteria extracts were obtained with methanol and dichloromethane (1:1) extraction. The antioxidant activity of extracts was performed by quantification of total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Antimicrobial activities were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. A total of 39 Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria were isolated and 33 were identified as Vibrio sp. (48.72%), Alteromonas sp. (12.82%), Shewanella sp. (12.26%), Serratia sp. (2.56%), Citricoccus sp. (2.56%), Cellulophaga sp. (2.56%), Ruegeria sp. (2.56%) and Staphylococcus sp. (2.56%). Six (15.38%) of the 39 bacteria Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria presented less than a 90% Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) match, and some of those could be new. The highest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity (against B. subtilis) was exhibited by strain 16 (Shewanella sp.). Several strains also presented high antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, mainly belonging to Alteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. There were no positive results against fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. Bifurcaria bifurcata epiphytic bacteria were revealed to be excellent sources of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.     

The self-incompatible RNase S-alleles of Brazilian apple cultivars

Apple plants are self-incompatible because a genetic mechanism allows the female reproductive organ to recognize and reject self-pollen or pollen from genetic related individuals and allows non-self pollen to effect fertilization. Thus, there are implications to both breeding strategies and orchard management for fruit production. The purpose of this study was to identify and to characterize the S-RNase alleles of the gametophytic incompatibility among apple cultivars developed in Brazil, seeking to give support for choosing right combinations of parent in the apple breeding programs. It also sought to identify correct combinations of scion/pollinator cultivars of commercial apple orchards. A total of 16 specific S-RNase alleles primers were tested against DNA extracted from 12 Brazilian cultivars and their parents. The molecular analysis confronted to the reference cultivars, showed that the cultivars Daiane, Imperatriz and Princesa have the same incompatibility S3 and S5 alleles, while ‘Lisgala’ showed the alleles S2 and S5; ‘Suprema’, S1 and S9; ‘Catarina’, S1 and S19; ‘Joaquina’ and ‘Fred Hough’, S5 and S19; ‘Baronesa’, S3 and S9; ‘Duquesa’, S2 and S3. For ‘Primícia’ and ‘Condessa’ it was only possible to identify one of the S-alleles, namely S24 and S2, respectively, with the second allele remaining to be identified. Progeny test indicated the Mendelian inheritance for RNase alleles. Results of this study will be helpful to judiciously choose parents in apple breeding programs to improve compatibility.     

Modelling carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a bare soil with and without straw incorporation

Incorporating straw into the ploughed layer of soil affects the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen. A precise quantification of its short‐term effect in agricultural fields is difficult because biological and physical processes interact and take place simultaneously. As an alternative to experimentation, investigations have turned to simulations using mechanistic models, and we have taken this approach. The goal of our study was to test a mechanistic and one‐dimensional model of transport and biotransformation (PASTIS) against a data set obtained in a field experiment in northern France. We tested carbon and nitrogen dynamics by measuring C mineralization rates, the rates of gross immobilization and mineralization of N (using ¹⁵N tracing), and inorganic pools of N in the soil profile during 1 year in a bare soil with or without addition of wheat straw. Most of the model parameters were determined in independent experiments. We estimated the biological parameters from incubation experiments in the laboratory. The simulated results were in good agreement with experimental data, particularly for gross N rates. Hypotheses concerning the pathway of microbial assimilation and the dependence of decomposition on the size of the biomass were tested. The simulated net N immobilization due to addition of straw (8000 kg dry matter ha^?1) reached a maximum of 64 kg N ha^?1 after 2 months, whereas the observed value was 66 kg N ha^?1. The model indicated that after 13 months the incorporation of straw had reduced the net amount of nitrogen mineralized by 13% and the amount of leached nitrate by 27%. The sensitivity analysis to the depth of straw incorporation indicated that the deeper was the incorporation the less was the leaching and the mineralization of nitrogen.     

Leukocyte response and phagocytic activity in Nile tilapia experimentally infected with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enterococcus</Emphasis> sp.

This study evaluated the total and differential leukocyte counting and the phagocytic activity in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus experimentally injected with Enterococcus sp. in the swim bladder. Fish were distributed in four treatments in triplicates of non-injected fish, fish injected with 1 ml of sterile saline solution 0.65%, and fish injected with 1 × 10³ and 1 × 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU) of Enterococcus diluted in 1 ml sterile saline. Twenty-four hours after injection, the fish were anesthetized and the blood collected for white blood cell (WBC) counts, differential counting of WBC, and phagocytic activity of blood leukocytes. The increased numbers of WBC and lymphocytes were followed by decreased number of monocyte after infection. The percentages of phagocytic activities in the blood were 55.3 and 55.9%, respectively, in tilapia injected with 1 × 10³ and 1 × 10⁶ CFU/ml.