Proteomic and Targeted Lipidomic Analyses of Fluid and Rigid Rubber Particle Membrane Domains in Guayule.

Rubber (-1,4-polyisoprene) is produced in cytosolic unilamellar vesicles called rubber particles (RPs), and the protein complex responsible for this synthesis, the rubber transferase (RTase), is embedded in, or tethered to, the membranes of these RPs. Solubilized enzyme activity is very difficult to achieve because the polymerization of highly hydrophilic substrates into hydrophobic polymers requires a polar/non-polar interface and a hydrophobic compartment. Using guayule () as a model rubber-producing species, we optimized methods to isolate RP unilamellear membranes and then a subset of membrane microdomains (detergent-resistant membranes) likely to contain protein complexes such as RTase.

Comparative genome analyses of four rice-infecting Rhizoctonia solani isolates reveal extensive enrichment of homogalacturonan modification genes.

Background: Plant pathogenic isolates of Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 1-intraspecific group IA (AG1-IA) infect a wide range of crops causing diseases such as rice sheath blight (ShB). ShB has become a serious disease in rice production worldwide. Additional genome sequences of the rice-infecting R.

Effects of maternal dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and methionine during late gestation on fetal growth, DNA methylation, and mRNA relative expression of genes associated with the inflammatory response, lipid metabolism and DNA methylation in placenta and offspring's liver in sheep.

Background: Omega-3 PUFA or methionine (Met) supply during gestation alters offspring physiology. However, the effect of both nutrients on fetal development has not been explored. Our objective was to determine the effects of supplementation of these two nutrients during late gestation on fetal growth, DNA methylation, and mRNA expression of genes associated with the inflammatory response, and DNA methylation.

Silencing ATG6 and PI3K accelerates petal senescence and reduces flower number and shoot biomass in petunia.

Petal senescence is a form of developmental programmed cell death (PCD) that is regulated by internal and environmental signals. Autophagy, a metabolic pathway that regulates intercellular nutrient recycling, is thought to play an important role in the regulation of petal senescence-associated PCD. To characterize the function of two central autophagy genes in petal senescence, we down-regulated Autophagy Gene 6 (PhATG6) and Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PhPI3K) using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in Petunia × hybrida.

Human sapovirus propagation in human cell lines supplemented with bile acids.

Human sapoviruses (HuSaVs) cause acute gastroenteritis similar to human noroviruses. Although HuSaVs were discovered four decades ago, no HuSaV has been grown in vitro, which has significantly impeded the understanding of viral biology and the development of antiviral strategies. In this study, we identified two susceptible human cell lines, that originated from testis and duodenum, that support HuSaV replication and found that replication requires bile acids.

Inactivation of the Levansucrase Gene in Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 365 Diminishes Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis during 2,3-Butanediol Fermentation.

The formation of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) during 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) fermentation by increases medium viscosity, which in turn presents considerable technical and economic challenges to 2,3-BD downstream processing. To eliminate EPS production during 2,3-BD fermentation, we used homologous recombination to disable the EPS biosynthetic pathway in The gene which encodes levansucrase, the major enzyme responsible for EPS biosynthesis in , was successfully disrupted. The levansucrase null mutant produced 2.

Exogenous abscisic acid enhances physiological, metabolic, and transcriptional cold acclimation responses in greenhouse-grown grapevines.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the freezing tolerance (FT) of grapevine was enhanced by foliar application of exogenous abscisic acid (exo-ABA), a treatment which might be incorporated into cultural practices to mitigate cold damage in vineyards. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of this response, a two-year (2017 and 2018) study was conducted to characterize the effects of exo-ABA on greenhouse-grown 'Cabernet franc' grapevine. In control grapevines, both physiological (deeper dormancy) and biochemical (sugar accumulation in buds) changes occurred, indicating that grapevines initiated cold acclimation in the greenhouse.

Amino acid-based compound activates atypical PKC and leptin receptor pathways to improve glycemia and anxiety like behavior in diabetic mice.

Differences in glucose uptake in peripheral and neural tissues account for the reduced efficacy of insulin in nervous tissues. Herein, we report the design of short peptides, referred as amino acid compounds (AAC) with and without a modified side chain moiety. At nanomolar concentrations, a candidate therapeutic molecule, AAC2, containing a 7-(diethylamino) coumarin-3-carboxamide side-chain improved glucose control in human peripheral adipocytes and the endothelial brain barrier cells by activation of insulin-insensitive glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1).

Association between prepartum metabolic status and resumption of postpartum ovulation in dairy cows.

Cows transitioning from late gestation to early lactation experience an increase in energy demands, which lead to a negative energy balance (NEB) because the greater energy requirement is not fully synchronized with the intake of dry matter. In this context, there is an increase in plasma NEFA and ghrelin concentrations and a decrease in plasma insulin and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) concentrations. This situation could have a negative impact on the return to cyclicity because some of these variables have been associated with reduced GnRH and LH pulsatility (high NEFA and low insulin concentrations).

Chromosomal integration of aldo-keto-reductase and short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase genes in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 enhanced tolerance to lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds.

In situ detoxification of lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds is an economical strategy for the fermentation of lignocellulose-derived sugars to fuels and chemicals. In this study, we investigated homologous integration and constitutive expression of Cbei_3974 and Cbei_3904, which encode aldo-keto reductase and previously annotated short chain dehydrogenase/reductase, respectively, in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 (Cb), resulting in two strains: Cb_3974 and Cb_3904. Expression of Cbei_3974 led to 2-fold increase in furfural detoxification relative to Cb_3904 and Cb_wild type.

Intranasal delivery of influenza antigen by nanoparticles, but not NKT-cell adjuvant differentially induces the expression of B-cell activation factors in mice and swine.

Intranasal vaccination of pigs with poly lactic-co-glycolic acid and polyanhydride nanoparticles delivered inactivated influenza virus provides cross-reactive T-cell response, but not antibody response, resulting in incomplete protection and no reduction in nasal virus shedding. Expression of BAFF and Th2 transcription factor GATA-3 were downregulated in lungs of pigs vaccinated with influenza nanovaccine, but in mice it upregulated the expression of BAFF and cytokine TGFβ in cervical lymph nodes. However, the intranasal iNKT cell adjuvant, α-Galctosylceramide upregulates the expression of BAFF in pig lungs.

Development of a high-throughput assay for rapid screening of butanologenic strains.

We report a Thermotoga hypogea (Th) alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-dependent spectrophotometric assay for quantifying the amount of butanol in growth media, an advance that will facilitate rapid high-throughput screening of hypo- and hyper-butanol-producing strains of solventogenic Clostridium species. While a colorimetric nitroblue tetrazolium chloride-based assay for quantitating butanol in acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation broth has been described previously, we determined that Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) ADH used in this earlier study exhibits approximately 13-fold lower catalytic efficiency towards butanol than ethanol. Any Sc ADH-dependent assay for primary quantitation of butanol in an ethanol-butanol mixture is therefore subject to "ethanol interference".

Protein Malnutrition Alters Tryptophan and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Homeostasis and Adaptive Immune Responses in Human Rotavirus-Infected Gnotobiotic Pigs with Human Infant Fecal Microbiota Transplant.

Malnutrition leads to increased morbidity and is evident in almost half of all deaths in children under the age of 5 years. Mortality due to rotavirus diarrhea is common in developing countries where malnutrition is prevalent; however, the relationship between malnutrition and rotavirus infection remains unclear. In this study, gnotobiotic pigs transplanted with the fecal microbiota of a healthy 2-month-old infant were fed protein-sufficient or -deficient diets and infected with virulent human rotavirus (HRV).

CBF2A-CBF4B genomic region copy numbers alongside the circadian clock play key regulatory mechanisms driving expression of FR-H2 CBFs.

The C-Repeat Binding Factors (CBFs) are DNA-binding transcriptional activators that were identified using Arabidopsis thaliana. In barley, Hordeum vulgare, a cluster of CBF genes reside at FROST RESISTANCE-H2, one of two loci having major effects on winter-hardiness. FR-H2 was revealed in a population derived from the winter barley 'Nure' and the spring barley 'Trèmois'.

Investigation of relationship between 2,3-butanediol toxicity and production during growth of Paenibacillus polymyxa.

Understanding the capacity of Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 365 to tolerate increasing concentrations of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) is critical to engineering a 2,3-BD-overproducing strain. Hence, we investigated the response of P. polymyxa to high 2,3-BD concentrations.

Use of Cupriavidus basilensis-aided bioabatement to enhance fermentation of acid-pretreated biomass hydrolysates by Clostridium beijerinckii.

Lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitors (LDMICs) prevent efficient fermentation of Miscanthus giganteus (MG) hydrolysates to fuels and chemicals. To address this problem, we explored detoxification of pretreated MG biomass by Cupriavidus basilensis ATCC(®)BAA-699 prior to enzymatic saccharification. We document three key findings from our test of this strategy to alleviate LDMIC-mediated toxicity on Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 during fermentation of MG hydrolysates.

Development of a porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-like-particle-based vaccine and evaluation of its immunogenicity in pigs.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a leading cause of economic burden to the pork industry worldwide. The routinely used modified live PRRS virus vaccine (PRRS-MLV) induces clinical protection, but it has safety concerns. Therefore, in an attempt to develop a safe and protective inactivated PRRSV vaccine, we generated PRRS-virus-like-particles (PRRS-VLPs) containing the viral surface proteins GP5-GP4-GP3-GP2a-M or GP5-M using a novel baculovirus expression system.

Unorthodox methods for enhancing solvent production in solventogenic Clostridium species.

While production of biofuels from renewable resources is currently receiving increased attention globally, concerns on availability and sustainability of cheap substrates for their production are growing as well. Lignocellulose-derived sugars (LDS) remain underutilized and merit consideration as a key feedstock. Among other obstacles such as low yield and low solvent titer, mitigation of stresses stemming from lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds (LDMICs) that severely impair cell growth and solvent production is a major area of research interest.

Generating Within-Plant Spatial Distributions of an Insect Herbivore Based on Aggregation Patterns and Per-Node Infestation Probabilities.

Most predator-prey models extrapolate functional responses from small-scale experiments assuming spatially uniform within-plant predator-prey interactions. However, some predators focus their search in certain plant regions, and herbivores tend to select leaves to balance their nutrient uptake and exposure to plant defenses. Individual-based models that account for heterogeneous within-plant predator-prey interactions can be used to scale-up functional responses, but they would require the generation of explicit prey spatial distributions within-plant architecture models.

Identification, purification and characterization of furfural transforming enzymes from Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052.

Generation of microbial inhibitory compounds such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a formidable roadblock to fermentation of lignocellulose-derived sugars to butanol. Bioabatement offers a cost effective strategy to circumvent this challenge. Although Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 can transform 2-3 g/L of furfural and HMF to their less toxic alcohols, higher concentrations present in biomass hydrolysates are intractable to microbial transformation.

Molecular interactions and immune responses between Maize fine streak virus and the leafhopper vector Graminella nigrifrons through differential expression and RNA interference.

Graminella nigrifrons is the only known vector for Maize fine streak virus (MFSV). In this study, we used real-time quantitative PCR to compare the expression profiles of transcripts that putatively function in the insect immune response: four peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRP-SB1, -SD, -LC and LB), Toll, spaetzle, defensin, Dicer-2 (Dcr-2), Argonaut-2 (Ago-2) and Arsenic resistance protein 2 (Ars-2). Except for PGRP-LB and defensin, transcripts involved in humoral pathways were significantly suppressed in G.

Evaluation of industrial dairy waste (milk dust powder) for acetone-butanol-ethanol production by solventogenic Clostridium species.

Readily available inexpensive substrate with high product yield is the key to restoring acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation to economic competitiveness. Lactose-replete cheese whey tends to favor the production of butanol over acetone. In the current study, we investigated the fermentability of milk dust powder with high lactose content, for ABE production by Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium beijerinckii.