Elucidation of the molecular responses during the primary infection of wild blueberry phenotypes with Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi under field conditions

Background Monilinia blight caused by Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi (Reade) Honey (M.vc) is a major disease of wild blueberry that can result in severe crop losses in the absence of an integrated disease management programme. The fungus causes blight in the emerging floral and vegetative buds, but the degree of susceptibility varies among the different wild blueberry phenotypes, ranging from the highly susceptible V. a. f. nigrum to the moderately susceptible V. angustifolium and the least susceptible V. myrtilloides. Results The present study evaluated the defense responses of these major phenotypes during their primary infection (floral buds) with M.vc. The temporal expression profiles of PR genes (PR3 and PR4) and the flavonoid pathway structural genes (CHS, ANS, ANR, DFR and FLS) were analysed. The PR3 and PR4 gene expression profiles revealed that V. myrtilloides responded to M.vc infection by activating the expression of both PR genes. V. a. f. nigrum, on the other hand, failed to activate these genes, while V. angustifolium, exhibited an intermediate response. Our study with the flavonoid pathway genes indicated variability in activation of the genes during post-infection time points with ANS and ANR in V. myrtilloides, FLS in V. angustifolium and no response observed in V. a. f. nigrum. Conclusions Altogether, this study highlights that the degree of phenotype susceptibility is associated with the timely activation of host defense responsive genes. Data obtained in this study provided a starting point for a better understanding of the wild blueberry- M. vaccinii-corymbosi pathosystem.

Subtype specific responses in hKv7.4 and hKv7.5 channels to polyunsaturated fatty acids

The KV7.4 and KV7.5 subtypes of voltage-gated potassium channels are expressed in several tissues where they play a role in physiological processes such as sound amplification in the cochlea and adjusting vascular smooth muscle tone. Therefore, the mechanisms that regulate KV7.4 and KV7.5 channel function are of interest. Here, we study the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on human KV7.4 and KV7.5 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We report that KV7.5 is activated by PUFAs, which shift the V50 of the conductance versus voltage (G(V)) curve towards more negative voltages. This response depends on the charge of the head group as an uncharged PUFA analogue has no effect and a positively charged PUFA analogue induces positive V50 shifts. In contrast, we find that the KV7.4 channel is inhibited by PUFAs, which shift V50 towards more positive voltages. No effect on V50 of KV7.4 is observed by an uncharged or a positively charged PUFA analogue. Oocytes co-expressing KV7.4 and KV7.5 display an intermediate response to PUFAs. Altogether, the KV7.5 channel's response to PUFAs is like that previously observed in KV7.1-7.3 channels, whereas the KV7.4 channel response is opposite, revealing subtype specific responses to PUFAs.

The Prevalence of Ureaplasma Urealyticum and Mycoplasma Hominis Infections in Infertile Patients in the Northeast Region of Romania

Background and objectives: Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and Mycoplasma hominis (MH) are two commensal microorganisms that form the urogenital microbiota. Under a state of dysbiosis, both bacteria cause intrauterine infection. Material and methods: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of UU and MH among four hundred and eleven infertile women. Results: Women between thirty and thirty-five years old were the most affected group, followed by those that were 25 and 30 years old, respectively. Cumulatively, the prevalence of single UU and MH, and coinfection, was 28.46% (n = 117), (n = 2) 0.48%, and 2.91% (n = 12), respectively, with an overall detection rate of 31.87% (n = 131). To assess the associated drug susceptibility, endocervical samples were unequally sent to Regina Maria (n = 281) and Synevo (n = 130) laboratories for further analyses. Pristinamycin (100% vs. 100%) and Josamycin (100% vs. 98.00%) were the most efficient antibiotics in eradicating UU and MH, several others also displaying a high efficiency, among which can be mentioned Doxycycline (98.23%), Minocycline (96.00%), Tetracycline (96.48% vs. 68.00%), and Erythromycin (70.17% vs. 92.00%). Based on antibiograms, Clarithromycin (88.00%), Roxithromycin (88.00%), Levofloxacin (82.00%), and Azithromycin (78.94%) can be further used in treating such infections. On the other hand, Clindamycin (4.00%) and Ciprofloxacin (12.27% vs. 2.00%) are no longer viable because both UU and MH display an intermediate response towards gained resistance. Interestingly, the efficiency of Ofloxacin (22.79% vs. 60.00%) was conflicting, this possibly suggesting a transient stage to a gradual adaptability of these microorganisms to Ofloxacin. Conclusions: The most susceptible age groups in each case were women that were between twenty and forty years old. It can be concluded that four antibiotics can be safely used for treating UU, MH, or dual infections whose efficiency was over 95%.

Induction of nucellar embryogenesis in nucellar tissue of Citrus aurantifolia for their clonal multiplication

Citrus aurantifolia (lime) has been selected as explant for nucellar embryogenesis. Nucellus is a non-vascularized tissue being true-to-type same as mother plant, meristematic cells have no plasmodesmata connection, no virus can pass through nucellus, thus it seems to be a good material for production of virus freeplantlet.Putrescine at 0.25 or 0.5 mg1-1 and anapthaleneacetic acid at 0.10 mg1-1 supplemented to nutrient formulation were most effective in alleviating cotyledonary proliferation and fasciation while promoting embryo-to-embryo proliferation producing numerous whitish globular embryos were formed. For further development of globular embryos to well-differentiated cotyledonary embryos, additional presence of 2-isopentenyladenine at concentrations of 0.10 or 0.25 mg 1-1 was essential, contrary to incorporation of 0.10 or 0.25 mg 1-1 6benzylaminopurine, which promoted excessive proliferation of cotyledonary structures and their fasciation while zeatin at the same concentrations produced intermediate response. In the optimum treatment containing 0.25 mg l-1 putrescine, 0.10 mg 1-1 isopentenyladenine, 0.10 mg 1-1 indole-3-acetic acid and 100 mg l-1 malt extract, an average 10 well-developed embryos per culture were formed, besides some abnormal cotyledonary structures. Well-developed embryos measuring ca. 2 cm. in length (leaving the root) germinated 100% into plantlets, during 60 days, in the additional presence of amino acid supplement comprising, 5 mg 1-1 each of L-arginine, L-asparagine, L-histidine, L-cysteine, L-lysine and 10 mg l-1 L-glutamine. Such plantlets nurtured in a different medium attained a height of ca. 4 cm in 45 days before they were taken out for ex vitro growth. There was 100% transplant success and the plants grew normally.

Divergence of photosynthetic strategies amongst marine diatoms

Marine phytoplankton, and in particular diatoms, are responsible for almost half of all primary production on Earth. Diatom species thrive from polar to tropical waters and across light environments that are highly complex to relatively benign, and so have evolved highly divergent strategies for regulating light capture and utilization. It is increasingly well established that diatoms have achieved such successful ecosystem dominance by regulating excitation energy available for generating photosynthetic energy via highly flexible light harvesting strategies. However, how different light harvesting strategies and downstream pathways for oxygen production and consumption interact to balance excitation pressure remains unknown. We therefore examined the responses of three diatom taxa adapted to inherently different light climates (estuarine Thalassioisira weissflogii, coastal Thalassiosira pseudonana and oceanic Thalassiosira oceanica) during transient shifts from a moderate to high growth irradiance (85 to 1200 μmol photons m-2 s-1). Transient high light exposure caused T. weissflogii to rapidly downregulate PSII with substantial nonphotochemical quenching, protecting PSII from inactivation or damage, and obviating the need for induction of O2 consuming (light-dependent respiration, LDR) pathways. In contrast, T. oceanica retained high excitation pressure on PSII, but with little change in RCII photochemical turnover, thereby requiring moderate repair activity and greater reliance on LDR. T. pseudonana exhibited an intermediate response compared to the other two diatom species, exhibiting some downregulation and inactivation of PSII, but high repair of PSII and induction of reversible PSII nonphotochemical quenching, with some LDR. Together, these data demonstrate a range of strategies for balancing light harvesting and utilization across diatom species, which reflect their adaptation to sustain photosynthesis under environments with inherently different light regimes.

Large-scale dissociations between views of objects, scenes, and reachable-scale environments in visual cortex

Space-related processing recruits a network of brain regions separate from those recruited in object processing. This dissociation has largely been explored by contrasting views of navigable-scale spaces to views of close-up, isolated objects. However, in naturalistic visual experience, we encounter spaces intermediate to these extremes, like the tops of desks and kitchen counters, which are not navigable but typically contain multiple objects. How are such reachable-scale views represented in the brain? In three human functional neuroimaging experiments, we find evidence for a large-scale dissociation of reachable-scale views from both navigable scene views and close-up object views. Three brain regions were identified that showed a systematic response preference to reachable views, located in the posterior collateral sulcus, the inferior parietal sulcus, and superior parietal lobule. Subsequent analyses suggest that these three regions may be especially sensitive to the presence of multiple objects. Further, in all classic scene and object regions, reachable-scale views dissociated from both objects and scenes with an intermediate response magnitude. Taken together, these results establish that reachable-scale environments have a distinct representational signature from both scene and object views in visual cortex.

Pathogenicity and virulence of Ugandan isolates of common bacterial blight disease pathogen

Breeding for resistance is a major component in the integrated management of common bacterial disease of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Use of less virulent strains or strains with attenuated virulence may lead to selection of resistant genotypes with intermediate response, when exposed to more virulent strains of the pathogen. The objective of this study to identify and characterise Ugandan isolates of common bacterial blight disease-causing pathogens for virulence. Bacteria were isolated from leaf samples collected from districts of Kabale, Masaka, Bukomansimbi, Mubende, Mbale, Bulambuli and Apac, all in Uganda, during the first season of 2016. The bacteria were tested for pathogenicity, as well as virulence on both breeding and local varieties. The study identified three most virulent isolates, namely MBL020, KAB-3 and BUL-14, all belonging to Xathomonas citri pv fuscans. These isolates are very similar to those previously identified from Uganda (NCPB 670 and NCCPB 1402) more than 50 years ago. The study further revealed that NAROBEAN1, NAROBEAN 2, NAROBEAN 4, VAX 3, VAX5 and NE 2- 14- 8 had better resistance compared to other tested genotypes. Key words: Phaseolus vulgaris, Uganda, virulent strains

Post-randomization Biomarker Effect Modification Analysis in an HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial

While the HVTN 505 trial showed no overall efficacy of the tested vaccine to prevent HIV infection over placebo, markers measuring immune response to vaccination were strongly correlated with infection. This finding generated the hypothesis that some marker-defined vaccinated subgroups were partially protected whereas others had their risk increased. This hypothesis can be assessed using the principal stratification framework (Frangakis and Rubin, 2002) for studying treatment effect modification by an intermediate response variable, using methods in the sub-field of principal surrogate (PS) analysis that studies multiple principal strata. Unfortunately, available methods for PS analysis require an augmented study design not available in HVTN 505, and make untestable structural risk assumptions, motivating a need for more robust PS methods. Fortunately, another sub-field of principal stratification, survivor average causal effect (SACE) analysis (Rubin, 2006) – which studies effects in a single principal stratum – provides many methods not requiring an augmented design and making fewer assumptions. We show how, for a binary intermediate response variable, methods developed for SACE analysis can be adapted to PS analysis, providing new and more robust PS methods. Application to HVTN 505 supports that the vaccine partially protected individuals with vaccine-induced T-cells expressing certain combinations of functions.

CO476 corn inbred line

CO476 is an early-medium maturity (76 days to flowering) mostly stiff stalk (BSSS) yellow flint inbred which combines well with a stiff stalk B14 type and iodent type testers in many different locations. CO476 possesses moderate resistance to gibberella ear rot both in the inbred and in hybrid combinations. It has intermediate response to common smut, fusarium stalk rot, northern corn leaf blight, common rust and Goss’s wilt.

CO475 corn inbred line

CO475 is an early-medium maturity (75 days to flowering) mostly Iodent yellow semi-dent inbred which combines well with several testers in many different locations. It has moderate resistance to gibberella ear rot (both the inbred and in hybrid combinations) and intermediate response to smut, fusarium stalk rot, northern leaf blight, eyespot, rust, and goss’s wilt.