First Report of Laurel Wilt Caused by (previously ) on Northern Spicebush in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Laurel wilt (LW) is a vascular disease caused by the fungus (previously ) and transmitted by its primary vector, the redbay ambrosia beetle (, RAB), both of which were first detected in the United States (US) in 2002, likely introduced from their native range in Asia (Fraedrich et al. 2008; Harrington et al. 2008).

New species () from the USA and Taiwan associated with ambrosia beetles and plant hosts.

() is a genus of more than 20 ophiostomatoid fungi commonly occurring in symbioses with wood-boring ambrosia beetles. We examined ambrosia beetles and plant hosts in the USA and Taiwan for the presence of these mycosymbionts and found 22 isolates representing known and undescribed lineages in . From 28S rDNA and β-tubulin sequences, we generated a molecular phylogeny of and observed morphological features of seven cultures representing undescribed lineages in .

Geographic variation in mycangial communities of Xyleborus glabratus.

Factors that influence fungal communities in ambrosia beetle mycangia are poorly understood. The beetle that is responsible for spreading laurel wilt in SE USA, Xyleborus glabratrus, was examined at three sites along a 500 km N-S transect in Florida, each populated by host trees in the Lauraceae. Fungal phenotypes were quantified in mycangia of individual females that were collected from a site in Miami-Dade County (MDC), 25.

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Lays the Foundation for Progress in Preservation of Valuable Microbial Resources.

The U.S. Culture Collection Network was formed in 2012 by a group of culture collection scientists and stakeholders in order to continue the progress established previously through efforts of an ad hoc group.

Phylogeny of ambrosia beetle symbionts in the genus Raffaelea.

The genus Raffaelea was established in 1965 when the type species, Raffaelea ambrosia, a symbiont of Platypus ambrosia beetles was described. Since then, many additional ambrosia beetle symbionts have been added to the genus, including the important tree pathogens Raffaelea quercivora, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, and Raffaelea lauricola, causal agents of Japanese and Korean oak wilt and laurel wilt, respectively. The discovery of new and the dispersal of described species of Raffaelea to new areas, where they can become invasive, presents challenges for diagnosticians as well as plant protection and quarantine efforts.

Development of Multilocus PCR Assays for Raffaelea lauricola, Causal Agent of Laurel Wilt Disease.

Laurel wilt, caused by the fungus Raffaelea lauricola, is an exotic disease that affects members of the Lauraceae plant family in the southeastern United States. The disease is spreading rapidly in native forests and is now found in commercial avocado groves in south Florida, where an accurate diagnostic method would improve disease management. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on amplifying the ribosomal small-subunit DNA, with a detection limit of 0.

First Report of Diplodia quercivora Causing Shoot Dieback and Branch Cankers on Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) in the United States.

In September 2010, live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill.) trees in an Alachua County, FL, shopping center parking lot were observed with shoot dieback and cankers on small branches. Isolations were made from canker margins by surface sterilizing tissue in 2.

Structure-function insights of membrane and soluble proteins revealed by electron crystallography.

Electron crystallography is emerging as an important method in solving protein structures. While it has found extensive applications in the understanding of membrane protein structure and function at a wide range of resolutions, from revealing oligomeric arrangements to atomic models, electron crystallography has also provided invaluable information on the soluble α/β-tubulin which could not be obtained by any other method to date. Examples of critical insights from selected structures of membrane proteins as well as α/β-tubulin are described here, demonstrating the vast potential of electron crystallography that is first beginning to unfold.

Screening for two-dimensional crystals by transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples.

Structural studies of soluble and membrane proteins by electron crystallography include several critical steps. While the two-dimensional (2D) crystallization arguably may be described as the major bottleneck of electron crystallography, the screening by transmission electron microscopy (EM) to identify 2D crystals requires great care as well as practice. Both sample preparation and EM are skills that are relatively easily acquired, compared to the identification of the first ordered arrays.

Two-dimensional crystallization of membrane proteins by reconstitution through dialysis.

Studies of membrane proteins by two-dimensional (2D) crystallization and electron crystallography have provided crucial information on the structure and function of a rapidly growing number of these intricate proteins within a close-to-native lipid bilayer. Here we provide protocols for planning and executing 2D crystallization trials by detergent removal through dialysis, including the preparation of phospholipids and the dialysis setup. General factors to be considered, such as the protein preparation, solubilizing detergent, lipid for reconstitution, and buffer conditions are discussed.

Laurel Wilt, Caused by Raffaelea lauricola, is Confirmed in Miami-Dade County, Center of Florida's Commercial Avocado Production.

Laurel wilt, caused by Raffaelea lauricola, threatens native and nonnative species in the Lauraceae in the southeastern United States, including the important commercial crop, avocado, Persea americana (2,4). Although the pathogen's vector, Xyleborus glabratus, was detected in Miami-Dade County, FL in January 2010, laurel wilt had not been reported (4). In February 2011, symptoms of the disease were observed on native swampbay, P.

First Report of Diplodia corticola Causing Branch Cankers on Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) in Florida.

Numerous cankers on small branches showing dieback were observed on live oak (Quercus virginiana) trees in September 2010 in Marion County, FL. Approximately 24 12-year-old landscape trees planted on a farm displayed symptoms. Samples were collected from six of the symptomatic trees and returned to the laboratory for processing.

N-formylkynurenine as a marker of high light stress in photosynthesis.

Photosystem II (PSII) is the membrane protein complex that catalyzes the photo-induced oxidation of water at a manganese-calcium active site. Light-dependent damage and repair occur in PSII under conditions of high light stress. The core reaction center complex is composed of the D1, D2, CP43, and CP47 intrinsic polypeptides.

Assessing two-dimensional crystallization trials of small membrane proteins for structural biology studies by electron crystallography.

Electron crystallography has evolved as a method that can be used either alternatively or in combination with three-dimensional crystallization and X-ray crystallography to study structure-function questions of membrane proteins, as well as soluble proteins. Screening for two-dimensional (2D) crystals by transmission electron microscopy (EM) is the critical step in finding, optimizing, and selecting samples for high-resolution data collection by cryo-EM. Here we describe the fundamental steps in identifying both large and ordered, as well as small 2D arrays, that can potentially supply critical information for optimization of crystallization conditions.

First Report of Laurel Wilt Disease Caused by Raffaelea lauricola on Sassafras in Florida and South Carolina.

Laurel wilt disease, caused by Raffaelea lauricola (T.C. Harr.

First Report of Laurel Wilt Disease Caused by a Raffaelea sp. on Avocado in Florida.

Laurel wilt is a vascular disease of redbay (Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng.) and other plants in the family Lauraceae in the southeastern United States.

Pectin induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells: correlation of apoptotic function with pectin structure.

Treatment options for androgen-independent prostate cancer cells are limited. Therefore, it is critical to identify agents that induce death of both androgen-responsive and androgen-insensitive cells. Here we demonstrate that a product of plant cell walls, pectin, is capable of inducing apoptosis in androgen-responsive (LNCaP) and androgen-independent (LNCaP C4-2) human prostate cancer cells.