Field study reveals core plant microbiota and relative importance of their drivers.

Harnessing plant microbiota can assist in sustainably increasing primary productivity to meet growing global demands for food and biofuel. However, development of rational microbiome-based approaches for improving crop yield and productivity is currently hindered by a lack of understanding of the major biotic and abiotic factors shaping the crop microbiome under relevant field conditions. We examined bacterial and fungal communities associated with both aerial (leaves, stalks) and belowground (roots, soil) compartments of four commercial sugarcane varieties (Saccharum spp.

Harnessing Host-Vector Microbiome for Sustainable Plant Disease Management of Phloem-Limited Bacteria.

Plant health and productivity is strongly influenced by their intimate interaction with deleterious and beneficial organisms, including microbes, and insects. Of the various plant diseases, insect-vectored diseases are of particular interest, including those caused by obligate parasites affecting plant phloem such as (.) Phytoplasma species and several species of Liberibacter.

Glycoconjugates in human milk: protecting infants from disease.

Breastfeeding is known to have many health benefits for a newborn. Not only does human milk provide an excellent source of nutrition, it also contains components that protect against infection from a wide range of pathogens. Some of the protective properties of human milk can be attributed to the immunoglobulins.

Stress effects caused by the expression of a mutant cellobiohydrolase I and proteasome inhibition in Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30.

Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 is used widely as an expression host for various gene products. We have explored cellular effects caused by the expression of a mutant form of cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI), the major secreted protein of T. reesei using biochemical and transcriptomic analyses and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Secretome of the Coprophilous Fungus Doratomyces stemonitis C8, Isolated from Koala Feces.

Coprophilous fungi inhabit herbivore feces, secreting enzymes to degrade the most recalcitrant parts of plant biomass that have resisted the digestive process. Consequently, the secretomes of coprophilous fungi have high potential to contain novel and efficient plant cell wall degrading enzymes of biotechnological interest. We have used one-dimensional and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS), and quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (Q-TOF LC-MS/MS) to identify proteins from the secretome of the coprophilous fungus Doratomyces stemonitis C8 (EU551185) isolated from koala feces.

Fungal proteins with mannanase activity identified directly from a Congo Red stained zymogram by mass spectrometry.

Secreted fungal proteins with mannanase activity were identified by mass spectrometry of bands excised from a Congo Red stained zymogram containing locust bean gum as substrate. This technique circumvents the need to locate corresponding bands on a parallel gel without substrate and provides good accuracy in targeting proteins for identification.

Rapid purification method for the 26S proteasome from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei.

We have developed a fast and simple two column chromatographic method for the purification of the 26S proteasome from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei that simplifies the overall procedure and reduces the purification time from 5 to 2.5 days. The combination of only the anionic exchange POROS HQ column (Applied Biosystems) together with a size exclusion column has not been used previously for proteasome purification.

Proteome mapping of the Trichoderma reesei 20S proteasome.

The 26S proteasome, a multicatalytic protease comprising the catalytic 20S core particle and the 19S regulatory particle has a crucial role in cellular protein quality control. We have used a chromatography-based approach to purify and map the protein content of the 20S core particle from the industrially-exploited filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. There are no previous reports on the isolation or proteomic mapping of the proteasome from any filamentous fungus.

Improved 2-DE of microorganisms after acidic extraction.

2-DE separations of protein extracts sometimes have problems with poor resolution and streaking. This problem is particularly apparent with microorganisms, most notably those with a large cell wall. Here we describe a novel, rapid protocol for the extraction of microorganisms in acidic conditions, leading to increased resolution and 2-D gel quality.

New urinary EPO drug testing method using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Unlabelled: We present a two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) method for the detection of the drug, recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in urine and its separation from endogenous erythropoietin (HuEPO). This method involves a one-step acetonitrile precipitation of the proteins in urine, addition of an internal standard, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D PAGE), a single Western blot and chemiluminescent immunodetection.

Results: The 2DE method separates HuEPO and rHuEPO isoforms by both iso-electric point and molecular mass.

Proteomic response of the biological control fungus Trichoderma atroviride to growth on the cell walls of Rhizoctonia solani.

Trichoderma atroviride has a natural ability to parasitise phytopathogenic fungi such as Rhizoctonia solani and Botrytis cinerea, therefore providing an environmentally sound alternative to chemical fungicides in the management of these pathogens. Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to display cellular protein patterns of T. atroviride (T.

Fungal proteomics: initial mapping of biological control strain Trichoderma harzianum.

Trichoderma harzianum is a soil-borne filamentous fungus that exhibits biological control properties. T. harzianum can prevent the growth of pathogenic fungi on many types of plant crops, providing a chemically benign alternative to fungicidal agents currently on the market.

Fungal proteomics: mapping the mitochondrial proteins of a Trichoderma harzianum strain applied for biological control.

Mitochondria are essential for cellular functions across organisms. A proteomic approach was taken to separate and identify mitochondrial proteins from a strain of Trichoderma harzianum with well established biocontrol properties. We optimized a method for the preparation of a sample enriched with mitochondria by ensuring efficient cell lysis and including several washing steps to minimize cytoplasmic contamination.