Decreased expression of fructosyltransferase genes in asparagus roots may contribute to efficient fructan degradation during asparagus spear harvesting.

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) accumulates inulin and inulin neoseries-type fructans in root, which are synthesized by three fructosyltransferases-sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST, EC 2.4.

RNA sequence analysis data of maintained on onions.

(Berk.) is an important biotrophic oomycete that causes downy mildew on onion ( L.) worldwide, especially in humid and temperate regions.

Characterization of coherence-or-power selectable operation of an external-cavity semiconductor diode laser.

The properties of the coherence-or-power selectable operation of an external-cavity semiconductor diode laser through the control of intracavity polarization states have been characterized in detail. In our technique, a diffraction grating and a reflector functioned as a polarization-dependent output coupler, such that the portion of light fed back to the gain medium was readily controlled by rotating the intracavity polarization axis, which resulted in the selectable operation of either a high degree of coherence or a high power for the laser output. We could continuously sweep the correlation widths over a range of approximately one order of magnitude, as well as four-fold output powers by simply rotating the intracavity half-wave plate.

Effects of carbon sources and amines on induction of trichothecene production by Fusarium asiaticum in liquid culture.

Fusarium asiaticum infects cereal crops and produces trichothecenes such as deoxynivalenol and nivalenol. To determine the trichothecene induction mechanism, effects of carbon sources on the production of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol (3ADON), and 4-acetyl nivalenol (4ANIV) were examined in liquid cultures incubated with various strains. Sucrose supported significantly higher levels of acetylated trichothecene production in all strains than did the other carbon sources.

Comparative study of transgenic Brachypodium distachyon expressing sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferases from wheat and timothy grass with different enzymatic properties.

Fructans can act as cryoprotectants and contribute to freezing tolerance in plant species, such as in members of the grass subfamily Pooideae that includes Triticeae species and forage grasses. To elucidate the relationship of freezing tolerance, carbohydrate composition and degree of polymerization (DP) of fructans, we generated transgenic plants in the model grass species Brachypodium distachyon that expressed cDNAs for sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferases (6-SFTs) with different enzymatic properties: one cDNA encoded PpFT1 from timothy grass (Phleum pratense), an enzyme that produces high-DP levans; a second cDNA encoded wft1 from wheat (Triticum aestivum), an enzyme that produces low-DP levans. Transgenic lines expressing PpFT1 and wft1 showed retarded growth; this effect was particularly notable in the PpFT1 transgenic lines.

Reliability of a newly-developed immunochromatography diagnostic kit for pandemic influenza A/H1N1pdm virus: implications for drug administration.

Background: For the diagnosis of seasonal influenza, clinicians rely on point-of-care testing (POCT) using commercially available kits developed against seasonal influenza viruses. However, POCT has not yet been established for the diagnosis of pandemic influenza A virus (H1N1pdm) infection due to the low sensitivity of the existing kits for H1N1pdm.

Methodology/principal Findings: An immunochromatography (IC) test kit was developed based on a monoclonal antibody against H1N1pdm, which does not cross-react with seasonal influenza A or B viruses.

Graminan breakdown by fructan exohydrolase induced in winter wheat inoculated with snow mold.

Fructan structures vary widely among plant species. Graminan-type fructans, extensions of sucrose through β-(2,6)-linked fructosyl units with branches of β-(2,1)-linked fructosyl units, accumulate in tissues of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) during cold hardening and are metabolized under persistent snow cover. Snow molds such as Typhula ishikariensis and Microdochium nivale opportunistically infect wheat under snow cover.

Changes in nitrogen assimilation, metabolism, and growth in transgenic rice plants expressing a fungal NADP(H)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA).

In plants, glutamine synthetase (GS) is the enzyme that is mainly responsible for the assimilation of ammonium. Conversely, in microorganisms such as bacteria and Ascomycota, NADP(H)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and GS both have important roles in ammonium assimilation. Here, we report the changes in nitrogen assimilation, metabolism, growth, and grain yield of rice plants caused by an ectopic expression of NADP(H)-GDH (gdhA) from the fungus Aspergillus niger in the cytoplasm.

Sclerotia of Typhula ishikariensis biotype B (Typhulaceae) from archaeological sites (4000 to 400 BP) in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Despite their close association with human activities, plant pathogenic fungi have rarely been found in archaeological excavations. We report here that a fungus was closely associated with human activities even in prehistoric times. Sclerotium-like objects were found at historical sites (4000 to 400 BP) on the island of Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Creating S-type characteristics in the F-type enzyme fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase of Triticum aestivum L.

Invertases cleave sucrose in glucose and fructose, using water as an acceptor. Fructosyltransferases catalyse the transfer of a fructosyl residue between sucrose and/or fructan molecules. Plant fructosyltransferases (FTs) evolved from vacuolar invertases by small mutational changes, leading to differences in substrate specificity.

Cloning and functional analysis of a fructosyltransferase cDNA for synthesis of highly polymerized levans in timothy (Phleum pratense L.).

Variation in the structures of plant fructans and their degree of polymerization (DP) can be explained as the result of diverse combinations of fructosyltransferases (FTs) with different properties. Although FT genes have been isolated in a range of plant species, sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferase (6-SFT) cDNAs have only been functionally characterized in a few species such as wheat. A novel FT cDNA possessing 6-SFT activity has been identified and characterized from the temperate forage grass, timothy (Phleum pratense L.

Particle inflow gun-mediated transformation of multiple-shoot clumps in rhodes grass (Chloris gayana).

Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) is one of the most important warm-season forage grasses. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical parts of the world and is mostly used for grazing and hay production. We have established a particle-bombardment transformation protocol for rhodes grass using multiple-shoot clumps (MSCs) as the target tissue.

Effects of different carbon sources on trichothecene production and Tri gene expression by Fusarium graminearum in liquid culture.

Fusarium head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum is a disease of cereal crops that not only reduces crop yield and quality but also results in contamination with trichothecenes such as nivalenol and deoxynivalenol (DON). To analyze the trichothecene induction mechanism, effects of 12 carbon sources on the production of DON and 3-acetyldexynivalenol (3ADON) were examined in liquid cultures incubated with nine strains of 3ADON-producing F. graminearum.

Purification, cloning and functional differences of a third fructan 1-exohydrolase (1-FEHw3) from wheat (Triticum aestivum).

A third fructan exohydrolase isoform (1-FEHw3) was purified from wheat stems by a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, ConA affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. Homogeneity of the preparation was indicated by the presence of a single band (70 kDa) after SDS-PAGE. The enzyme hydrolyzed mainly beta2-1 linkages in fructans and was inhibited by sucrose.

Genetic engineering of rice capable of synthesizing fructans and enhancing chilling tolerance.

Fructans are water-soluble fructose oligomers and polymers that are based on sucrose, and have been implicated in protecting plants against water stress. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is highly sensitive to chilling temperatures, and is not able to synthesize fructans.

Fructan 1-exohydrolase is associated with flower opening in Campanula rapunculoides.

Fructans, typically reserve carbohydrates, may also fulfil other more specific roles in plants. It has been convincingly demonstrated that fructan hydrolysis contributes to osmoregulation during flower opening in the monocot species Hemerocallis. We report that a massive breakdown of inulin-type fructans in the petals of Campanula rapunculoides L.

Multicenter phase II study of amrubicin, 9-amino-anthracycline, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (Study 1): West Japan Thoracic Oncology Group (WJTOG) trial.

Purpose: Amrubicin is a novel 9-aminoanthracycline. This multicenter phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of amrubicin in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Sixty-one previously untreated patients with stage III or IV NSCLC were entered this study.

Molecular characterization of a cold-induced plasma membrane protein gene from wheat.

As a means to study the function of plasma membrane proteins during cold acclimation, we have isolated a cDNA clone for wpi6 which encodes a putative plasma membrane protein from cold-acclimated winter wheat. The wpi6 gene encodes a putative 5.9 kDa polypeptide with two predicted membrane-spanning domains, the sequence of which shows high sequence similarity with BLT101-family proteins from plants and yeast.

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of a novel 6&1-FEH from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) preferentially degrading small graminans like bifurcose.

Like barley and other cereals, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accumulates branched graminan-type fructans containing both beta-(2,1) and beta-(2,6) fructosyl linkages, mainly with a quite low degree of polymerization (DP). 1&6-kestotetraose (bifurcose) is the major fructan oligosaccharide accumulating in crown tissues and leaves of cereals exposed to chilling.

Fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase, a key enzyme for biosynthesis of graminan oligomers in hardened wheat.

Fructans play important roles not only as a carbon source for survival under persistent snow cover but also as agents that protect against various stresses in overwintering plants. Complex fructans having both beta-(2,1)- and beta-(2,6)-linked fructosyl units accumulate in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during cold hardening.

Cloning, characterization and functional analysis of novel 6-kestose exohydrolases (6-KEHs) from wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Cereals accumulate graminan-type fructans which are subject to stress-related degradation by fructan 1-exohydrolases (1-FEHs) and fructan 6-exohydrolases (6-FEHs). To find new FEH genes related to freezing tolerance, a cold-hardened wheat crown cDNA library was screened. Here we report the cloning, purification and characterization of two novel 6-kestosidase (6-KEH) isoenzymes from wheat crowns (Triticum aestivum).

Molecular characterization and expression of a cDNA encoding fructan:fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase from asparagus (Asparagus officinalis).

* Fructan:fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT) catalyses a transfructosylation from fructooligosaccharides to C6 of the glucose residue of sucrose or fructooligosacchrides. In asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), 6G-FFT is important for the synthesis of inulin neoseries fructan. Here, we report the isolation and functional analysis of the gene encoding asparagus 6G-FFT.

An aspartic acid repeat polymorphism in asporin inhibits chondrogenesis and increases susceptibility to osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of human arthritis. We investigated the potential role of asporin, an extracellular matrix component expressed abundantly in the articular cartilage of individuals with osteoarthritis, in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Here we report a significant association between a polymorphism in the aspartic acid (D) repeat of the gene encoding asporin (ASPN) and osteoarthritis.

A mini exon in the sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase gene of wheat.

We previously reported the cloning of a wheat sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) cDNA, designated wft2. Wft2 proteins have fructosyltransferase enzyme activity and initiate fructan synthesis (Biosci. Biotechnol.

Internal fixation for osteochondritis dissecans of the knee.

Eight knees of seven patients with osteochondritis dissecans of the knee underwent internal fixation of the fragments. The affected location was the medial femoral condyle in four knees, the lateral femoral condyle in one knee and the patellar groove in three knees. At the time of surgery, patient age ranged from 13 to 20 years (mean 16.