Genome-Wide Identification of Transcriptional Units Up-Regulated in Response to Plant Tissues From a Crop-Host and a Weed-Host .

is a Gram-negative bacterium able to cause disease symptoms on a variety of crop and ornamental plants worldwide. Weeds including (bittersweet nightshade) growing near agricultural fields have been reported to support populations of soft rot bacteria in natural settings. However, little is known about the specific interaction of with such weed plants that may contribute to its success as an agricultural pathogen.

Characterization of Bacteriophage vB-EcoS-95, Isolated From Urban Sewage and Revealing Extremely Rapid Lytic Development.

Morphological, biological, and genetic characteristics of a virulent phage, named vB-EcoS-95, is reported. This phage was isolated from urban sewage. It was found to infect some strains giving clear plaques.

Biodiversity of bacteriophages: morphological and biological properties of a large group of phages isolated from urban sewage.

A large scale analysis presented in this article focuses on biological and physiological variety of bacteriophages. A collection of 83 bacteriophages, isolated from urban sewage and able to propagate in cells of different bacterial hosts, has been obtained (60 infecting Escherichia coli, 10 infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 4 infecting Salmonella enterica, 3 infecting Staphylococcus sciuri, and 6 infecting Enterococcus faecalis). High biological diversity of the collection is indicated by its characteristics, both morphological (electron microscopic analyses) and biological (host range, plaque size and morphology, growth at various temperatures, thermal inactivation, sensitivity to low and high pH, sensitivity to osmotic stress, survivability upon treatment with organic solvents and detergents), and further supported by hierarchical cluster analysis.

Selective inhibition of cancer cells' proliferation by compounds included in extracts from Baltic Sea cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria are a rich source of biologically active compounds used in pharmacology and biotechnology. Due to their high capacity of adaptation, which is reflected in the production of diverse metabolites, including toxins, these microorganisms are able to inhabit very different environments. In this work, water and ethanol extracts from 11 cyanobacterial strains derived from the Baltic Sea (Microcystis, Synechocystis, Leptolyngbya, Pseudanabaena, Lyngbya, Phormidium, Nodularia and Anabaena genera) were screened for anticancer activity.

Metamorphic changes in abdominal spines of Forcipomyia nigra pupae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Pupae of Forcipomyia nigra biting midges bear double rows of dorsal and lateral spines. Their arrangement corresponds to the distribution of larval mechanosensory setae. They are serrated simple cuticular structures with tubercles but, in contrast to larval secretory mechanoreceptors, they are not innervated and do not exhibit any pores.

Isolation and Characterization of Phages Infecting Bacillus subtilis.

Bacteriophages have been suggested as an alternative approach to reduce the amount of pathogens in various applications. Bacteriophages of various specificity and virulence were isolated as a means of controlling food-borne pathogens. We studied the interaction of bacteriophages with Bacillus species, which are very often persistent in industrial applications such as food production due to their antibiotic resistance and spore formation.

Diversity of tailed phages in Baltic Sea sediment: large number of siphoviruses with extremely long tails.

We present the first attempt at quantitative analysis of morphological diversity of tailed viruses obtained from marine sediments without ultracentrifugation or enrichment on specific host strains. Sandy mud samples were collected in the Gulf of Gdańsk in the spring, autumn and winter. VLPs were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy.

Morphology and histology of secretory setae in terrestrial larvae of biting midges of the genus Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Apneustic larvae of the genus Forcipomyia possess unique secretory setae located on the dorsal surface along the body in two rows, one pair on each thoracic and abdominal segment and two pairs on the head. Morphological and histological studies of secretory setae in fourth instar larvae of Forcipomyia nigra (Winnertz) and Forcipomyia nigrans Remm indicate they are modified mechanoreceptors (sensilla trichodea) in which the trichogen cell is a glandular cell producing a hygroscopic secretion. The cytoplasm of the glandular trichogen cell fills the lumen of a secretory seta, which shows one or more pores on the apex.