The seed-specific transactivator, ABI3, induces oleosin gene expression.

A microspore-derived cell suspension culture of Brassica napus was used as a host for expression studies involving seed oleosin genes. The suspension culture was previously shown to display biochemistry and gene expression typical of zygotic embryos. Using a biolistic, transient expression approach we demonstrate that the seed-specific activator ABI3 promotes oleosin gene expression in these cultures.

Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae infection in domestic cats from The Philippines.

One hundred seven domestic cats from The Philippines were serologically tested to establish the prevalence of Bartonella infection. A subset of 31 of these cats also had whole blood collected to tentatively isolate Bartonella strains. Bartonella henselae and B.

Transient expression and oil body targeting of an Arabidopsis oleosin-GUS reporter fusion protein in a range of oilseed embryos.

An Arabidopsis oleosin gene including 860 bp of promoter as well as coding sequence was fused to the reporter, β-glucuronidase (GUS). In transient expression assays following particle bombardment, the Arabidopsis gene in both transcriptional and translational fusions with GUS was functional in a range of oilseed embryos as determined histochemically and fluorimetrically. Significantly, upon homogenization and separation into cytoplasmic and oil body fractions, the complete oleosin-GUS fusion was found to be targeted to the oil bodies in all of the heterologous species tested including canola, flax, soybean, sunflower, safflower, cotton, castor bean, coriander as well as the monocot, corn.

Role of the proline knot motif in oleosin endoplasmic reticulum topology and oil body targeting.

An Arabidopsis oleosin was used as a model to study oleosin topology and targeting to oil bodies. Oleosin mRNA was in vitro translated with canine microsomes in a range of truncated forms. This allowed proteinase K mapping of the membrane topology.

RAPD and RFLP mapping of the bacterial blight resistance gene xa-13 in rice.

Bacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most serious diseases of rice. The recessive gene xa-13 confers resistance to Philippine race 6 of Xoo. To tag xa-13 with molecular markers, RAPD analysis was conducted with the combined use of near-isogenic lines and bulked segregant analysis.