Analysis of a Secreted Aspartic Peptidase Disruption Mutant of Glomerella cingulata

Peptidases have been implicated in the pathogenicity of fungi that cause disease in plants. Expression of the secreted aspartic peptidase gene (gcsap), of a Glomerella cingulata isolate pathogenic on apples, is induced during appressorium formation. To determine whether the secreted aspartic peptidase (GcSAP) is essential to pathogenicity, gcsap was disrupted using a vector containing a 637 bp fragment of genomic DNA that encodes the sequence spanning the two active site aspartic acid (Asp) residues. To ensure that the truncated gcsap gene products could not have residual peptidase activity the codons for the active site residues Asp¹¹² and Asp²⁹⁷ were both mutated to histidine residues. Both PCR and Southern analysis confirmed disruption of gcsap. Neither gcsap mRNA nor GcSAP activity was detected in the disruption mutant. Pathogenicity tests on fruit from three apple cultivars showed that GcSAP was not required for pathogenicity. The disruption mutant grew on medium containing protein as the sole source of nitrogen because G. cingulata secretes a previously undetected peptidase(s). A serine peptidase that had a pH optimum between pH 7.0 and 8.0 and a K _m of 0.25 mM for the synthetic substrate succinyl-Ala–Ala–Pro–Phe-p-nitroanilide was identified.     

Towards developing resistance to chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing using multiplexed gRNAs

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Mastreviruses are an emerging group of viruses transmitted by leafhoppers and infect both monocot and dicot plants. Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus...     

An analysis of the effects of water stress on leaf growth and yield of three barley cultivars

The main objective of the study was to evaluate the sensitivity of Iraqi local barley cultivar (Black) to soil water deficit as compared to other barley cultivars, namely: CM-72 and Arivat. The local cultivar proved to be susceptible during germination and emergence, but it developed resistance during the vegetative growth and yield formation stages. Growth analysis of individual leaves clearly showed that Black barley produced leaves of long growth duration which could affect the growth processes especially cell division. Thus, the reduction in the number of cells composing those leaves was small in the cultivar Black. Leaf growth rates as soil matric potential decreased, were reduced considerably, although, no clear trends were observed between cultivars. On the other hand, the smaller cell volume of local cultivar may have a role in its ability to tolerate water deficit. Some evidence that the local cultivar is post-flowering resistant is discussed.     

Investigation on hydrostatic resistance and thermal performance of layered waterproof breathable fabrics

Waterproof breathable layered fabrics allow water vapor passing through, but resist liquid water to pass. This ability of the fabrics to protect rain and snow water while allowing sweat vapor to evaporate from inside to outside atmosphere, leads them to be used as outdoor sportswear or protective clothing. The big challenge of enhanced hydrostatic resistance of these fabrics with proper breathability and thermal comfort has widened the research scope. This study presents an experimental investigation on hydrostatic resistance and thermal behavior of layered waterproof breathable fabrics. Six different types of hydrophobic and hydrophilic membrane laminated layered fabrics were evaluated by varying different fabric parameters in the experiment. Hydrostatic resistance and water vapor permeability of the laminated fabrics were measured by SDL ATLAS Hydrostatic Head Tester and PERMETEST respectively. Thermal properties were evaluated by ALAMBETA instrument. Moreover, FX-3300 air permeability tester was used to measure air permeability which represents the porosity of the fabrics and computer based See System software was used for water contact angle measurement on the outer fabric surface in order to determine the hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. This experiment clearly discusses the influence of different fabric characteristics and parameters on hydrostatic resistance and thermal properties of the breathable laminated fabrics. The results show that fabric material composition, density, thickness, and hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes have significant effects on hydrostatic resistance, breathability and thermal properties of different laminated fabrics.     

Pharmacokinetics of Amoxicillin Trihydrate in Desert Sheep and Nubian Goats

The pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin were studied in five Desert sheep and five Nubian goats after intravenous (i.v.) or intramuscular (i.m.) administration of a single dose of 10 mg/kg body weight. Following i.v. injection, the plasma concentration-versus-time data were best described by a two-compartment open model. The kinetic variables were similar in both species except for the volume of the central compartment (V_c), which was larger in sheep (p<0.05). Following i.m. injection, except for the longer half-life time of absorption in goats (p<0.05), there were no significant differences in other pharmacokinetic parameters between sheep and goats. The route of amoxicillin administration had no significant effect on the terminal elimination half-life in either species. The bioavailability of the drug (F) after i.m. administration was high (>0.90) in both species. These results indicate that the pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin did not differ between sheep and goats; furthermore, because of the high availability and short half-life of absorption, the i.m. route gives similar results to the i.v. route. Therefore, identical intramuscular and intravenous dose regimens should be applicable to both species.     

Integrated pest management of Tuta absoluta: practical implementations across different world regions

Journal of Pest Science - The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato...     

Anti-inflammatory activities of cucurbitacin E isolated from Citrullus lanatus var. citroides: role of reactive nitrogen species and cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibition

The in vivo and in vitro mechanistic anti-inflammatory actions of cucurbitacin E (CE) (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) were examined. The results showed that LPS/INF-γ increased NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, whereas L-NAME and CE curtailed it. CE did not reveal any cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 and WRL-68 cells. CE inhibited both COX enzymes with more selectivity toward COX-2. Intraperitoneal injection of CE significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced rat's paw edema. ORAC and FRAP assays showed that CE is not a potent ROS scavenger. It could be concluded that CE is potentially useful in treating inflammation through the inhibition of COX and RNS but not ROS.     

The Poll Glands of the Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius): Ultrastructural Characteristics

The poll glands of the camel are tubuloalveolar glands. They consist of lobules separated by interlobular connective tissue. Adrenergic axons and blood vessels including fenestrated capillaries are present in the intralobular connective tissue in close proximity to the secretory cells. The prominent features of the secretory cell cytoplasm are many mitochondria, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and many vesicles in various secretory stages.
It is concluded that the secretory cells have apocrine as well as merocrine modes of secretion. The glands may have the ability to uptake hormones and concentrate them. Additional work is needed before considering these glands as steroid-secreting glands.     

The Coronary Arteries of the Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The pattern of distribution of the coronary arteries of the camel was studied by combining dissection and vinyl acetate casts. The results showed that in the camel the right coronary artery supplies the interventricular subsinuosal artery, characteristic of a right coronary pattern. The septal branch that supplied the interventricular septum originated from the paraconal interventricular artery. A muscular bridge was observed crossing each of the paraconal and subsinuosal interventricular arteries in the middle third of the longitudinal grooves.     

Regeneration in sugarcane via somatic embryogenesis and genomic instability in regenerated plants

In the present study, embryogenic calli of sugarcane variety BL4 were induced using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and kinetin in different concentrations and combinations. In contrast to earlier studies, embryogenic callus sectors were identified and isolated microscopically within 1–2 weeks. Subsequently, 51 media formulations were used for regeneration of proliferated embryogenic callus, using MS medium supplemented with three different cytokinins [kinetin, 6-Benzylamino purine (BAP), and thidiazuron (TDZ)] and auxins (IAA/NAA and IBA) in different combination and concentrations. After acclimatization, the genomic DNA of regenerated plants was studied to explore the insertion polymorphism of transposable elements in order to ascertain the variation among somaclones. Though low concentration of kinetin with 2,4-D was found supportive to embryogenic callus development, the highest number of regenerated plantlets was observed using BAP (1 μM), however the plantlets had very low fresh weight (2.2 g). Conversely, TDZ alone supported a significant increase in the number of plantlets regenerated (38–40) with higher fresh weight. The somaclones generated during this study showed considerable positional polymorphism of activator-like transposable elements possibly due to the stress associated with in vitro culture. This study provides a procedure to produce regenerated sugarcane plants from embryogenic callus in a relatively short time.