Diagnose of Indigenous Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Communities Associated to Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis and var. sylvestris.

Cynara cardunculus L. is a perennial species with high potential for bioenergy production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis (AMF) is probably the terrestrial symbiosis most extended on earth.

Short-term chromium (VI) exposure increases phosphorus uptake by the extraradical mycelium of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833.

Hexavalent chromium is a potent carcinogen, while phosphorus is an essential nutrient. The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the uptake of P is well known and was also reported, at low levels, for Cr. However, it is unclear whether the uptake of Cr can impact the short-term uptake dynamics of P since both elements have a similar chemical structure and may thus potentially compete with each other during the uptake process.

Interferon-β gene transfer induces a strong cytotoxic bystander effect on melanoma cells.

A local gene therapy scheme for the delivery of type I interferons could be an alternative for the treatment of melanoma. We evaluated the cytotoxic effects of interferon-β (IFNβ) gene lipofection on tumor cell lines derived from three human cutaneous and four canine mucosal melanomas. The cytotoxicity of human IFNβ gene lipofection resulted higher or equivalent to that of the corresponding addition of the recombinant protein (rhIFNβ) to human cells.