Cold Tolerance of Immature Stages of Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a new fruit fly pest of some fruit types in the north and north eastern areas of South Africa. In order to determine whether existing cold disinfestation treatment schedules for an indigenous fruit fly pest: Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) would be effective for B. dorsalis, cold tolerances of four immature stages of the two species were compared.

H, C and N assignment of stem-loop SL1 from the 5'-UTR of SARS-CoV-2.

The stem-loop (SL1) is the 5'-terminal structural element within the single-stranded SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome. It is formed by nucleotides 7-33 and consists of two short helical segments interrupted by an asymmetric internal loop. This architecture is conserved among Betacoronaviruses.

Exploring the Druggability of Conserved RNA Regulatory Elements in the SARS-CoV-2 Genome.

SARS-CoV-2 contains a positive single-stranded RNA genome of approximately 30 000 nucleotides. Within this genome, 15 RNA elements were identified as conserved between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. By nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we previously determined that these elements fold independently, in line with data from in vivo and ex-vivo structural probing experiments.

H, C, N and P chemical shift assignment for stem-loop 4 from the 5'-UTR of SARS-CoV-2.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the cause of the respiratory disease COVID-19. As of today, therapeutic interventions in severe COVID-19 cases are still not available as no effective therapeutics have been developed so far. Despite the ongoing development of a number of effective vaccines, therapeutics to fight the disease once it has been contracted will still be required.

A Novel, Universally Active C-terminal Protein Degradation Signal Generated by Alternative Splicing.

Proteome integrity is crucial for cellular homeostasis and adaptation to stress conditions such as hypoxia. One mechanism for rapid adaptation of the proteome in response to changing environmental signals is alternative splicing. In addition to generating different protein isoforms, alternative splicing is also capable of controlling total protein levels by the regulated synthesis of non-productive mRNA isoforms.

H, C and N chemical shift assignment of the stem-loop 5a from the 5'-UTR of SARS-CoV-2.

The SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV-2) virus is the causative agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It contains a positive sense single-stranded RNA genome and belongs to the genus of Betacoronaviruses. The 5'- and 3'-genomic ends of the 30 kb SCoV-2 genome are potential antiviral drug targets.

Are Yeast Autolysate Attractants for Ceratitis Species (Diptera: Tephritidae) in South Africa More Attractive and Palatable Than a Currently Used Protein Attractant?

Due to increasing usage of copper fungicides in citrus orchards shortly before the application of protein baits for fruit fly control and the risk of this combination causing fruit phytotoxicity, an investigation of attractants containing higher amounts of yeast autolysate rather than protein hydrolysate was conducted. A commercial yeast autolysate from Australia was less attractive than a South African product HymLure (with a mixture of autolysate and hydrolysate) to three Ceratitis species: Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Ceratitis rosa s.s.

Secondary structure determination of conserved SARS-CoV-2 RNA elements by NMR spectroscopy.

The current pandemic situation caused by the Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2) highlights the need for coordinated research to combat COVID-19. A particularly important aspect is the development of medication. In addition to viral proteins, structured RNA elements represent a potent alternative as drug targets.

Structural basis for the recognition of transiently structured AU-rich elements by Roquin.

Adenylate/uridylate-rich elements (AREs) are the most common cis-regulatory elements in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of mRNAs, where they fine-tune turnover by mediating mRNA decay. They increase plasticity and efficacy of mRNA regulation and are recognized by several ARE-specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Typically, AREs are short linear motifs with a high content of complementary A and U nucleotides and often occur in multiple copies.

High Prevalence of Chronic Respiratory Symptoms among Autorickshaw Drivers of Urban Puducherry, South India.

Context: Auto-rickshaw (three wheelers open cabin type of vehicle) drivers are exposed to traffic air pollution. Studies have demonstrated reduced pulmonary function among drivers. However, limited studies have determined the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among drivers.

Buckling behavior of individual and bundled microtubules.

As the major structural constituent of the cytoskeleton, microtubules (MTs) serve a variety of biological functions that range from facilitating organelle transport to maintaining the mechanical integrity of the cell. Neuronal MTs exhibit a distinct configuration, hexagonally packed bundles of MT filaments, interconnected by MT-associated protein (MAP) tau. Building on our previous work on mechanical response of axonal MT bundles under uniaxial tension, this study is focused on exploring the compression scenarios.

The Cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus-10 years of commercial field use.

In the last 15 years, extensive work on the Cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus (CrleGV) has been conducted in South Africa, initially in the laboratory, but subsequently also in the field. This culminated in the registration of the first CrleGV-based biopesticide in 2004 (hence, the 10 years of commercial use in the field) and the second one three years later. Since 2000, more than 50 field trials have been conducted with CrleGV against the false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, on citrus in South Africa.

Computational modeling of axonal microtubule bundles under tension.

Microtubule bundles cross-linked by tau protein serve a variety of neurological functions including maintaining mechanical integrity of the axon, promoting axonal growth, and facilitating cargo transport. It has been observed that axonal damage in traumatic brain injury leads to bundle disorientation, loss of axonal viability, and cognitive impairment. This study investigates the initial mechanical response of axonal microtubule bundles under uniaxial tension using a discrete bead-spring representation.

Cold treatment of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in oranges using a larval endpoint.

South Africa currently exports fresh citrus (Citrus spp.) fruit to Japan using an in-transit cold treatment protocol of 14 d or 12 d at temperatures <0 degrees C for treatment of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in 'Clementine' mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and other citrus types, respectively. To reduce the risk of chilling injury with this treatment, research was conducted with temperatures >0 degrees C.