UV-B antagonises shade avoidance and increases levels of the flavonoid quercetin in coriander (Coriandrum sativum).

Despite controlling a diverse array of regulatory processes in plants, UV-B wavelengths (280-315 nm) are attenuated by common greenhouse materials such as glass and polycarbonate and are therefore depleted in many commercial growing environments. In this study, we analysed the architecture, pigment accumulation and antioxidant capacity of coriander (Coriandrum sativum, also known as cilantro) plants grown with and without supplementary UV-B (1.5 µmol m s).

Observation of a novel Babesia spp. in Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in Australia.

The roles and epidemiological features of tick-borne protozoans are not well elicited in wildlife. Babesia spp. are documented in many domestic animals, including cattle, horses, pigs, dogs and cats.

Rapid measurement of antituberculosis drug activity in vitro and in macrophages using bioluminescence.

Objectives: Tuberculosis drug development is hampered by the slow growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bioluminescence, light produced by an enzymatic reaction, constitutes a rapid and highly sensitive measurement of cell metabolic function that can be used as an indirect marker of cell viability in drug screening assays. The aim of this work was to validate and standardize the use of luminescent M.

Attenuation of virulence in an apicomplexan hemoparasite results in reduced genome diversity at the population level.

Background: Virulence acquisition and loss is a dynamic adaptation of pathogens to thrive in changing milieus. We investigated the mechanisms of virulence loss at the whole genome level using Babesia bovis as a model apicomplexan in which genetically related attenuated parasites can be reliably derived from virulent parental strains in the natural host. We expected virulence loss to be accompanied by consistent changes at the gene level, and that such changes would be shared among attenuated parasites of diverse geographic and genetic background.

Optimisation of bioluminescent reporters for use with mycobacteria.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, still represents a major public health threat in many countries. Bioluminescence, the production of light by luciferase-catalyzed reactions, is a versatile reporter technology with multiple applications both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) represents one of its most outstanding uses by allowing the non-invasive localization of luciferase-expressing cells within a live animal.

Viability assays of intra-erythrocytic organisms using fluorescent dyes.

Three intra-erythrocytic tick fever organisms of cattle (Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma centrale) were subjected to a range of stressors, including heat, storage over time, specific chemotherapy and cryopreservation. Various stains, both alone and in combination, were used in an attempt to assess viability of these organisms before and after the stressors were applied. Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) stained live Babesia spp.

New insights into the altered adhesive and mechanical properties of red blood cells parasitized by Babesia bovis.

Sequestration of parasite-infected red blood cells (RBCs) in the microvasculature is an important pathological feature of both bovine babesiosis caused by Babesia bovis and human malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Surprisingly, when compared with malaria, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this abnormal circulatory behaviour for RBCs infected with B. bovis have been relatively ignored.