Inhibitory and toxic effects of extracellular self-DNA in litter: a mechanism for negative plant-soil feedbacks?

Plant-soil negative feedback (NF) is recognized as an important factor affecting plant communities. The objectives of this work were to assess the effects of litter phytotoxicity and autotoxicity on root proliferation, and to test the hypothesis that DNA is a driver of litter autotoxicity and plant-soil NF. The inhibitory effect of decomposed litter was studied in different bioassays.

The HIV-1 Pr55 gag polyprotein binds to plastidial membranes and leads to severe impairment of chloroplast biogenesis and seedling lethality in transplastomic tobacco plants.

Chloroplast genetic engineering has long been recognised as a powerful technology to produce recombinant proteins. To date, however, little attention has been given to the causes of pleiotropic effects reported, in some cases, as consequence of the expression of foreign proteins in transgenic plastids. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic alterations observed in transplastomic tobacco plants accumulating the Pr55(gag) polyprotein of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1).

First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus Subgroup IA Isolate Infecting Yucca aloifolia in Italy.

Yucca aloifolia L. (Spanish bayonet), family Asparagaceae, is the type species of the genus Yucca. It is native to Mexico and the West Indies and is appreciated worldwide as an ornamental plant.

First Report of Tomato apical stunt viroid in Tomato in Italy.

During a survey conducted in October 2013 in tomato greenhouses in Diano Marina (Imola Province, northwest Italy), in a single greenhouse, unusual disease symptoms were observed in four out 1,400 (~0.3%) of tomato plants cv. Ingrid, grafted on 'Beaufort' rootstock.

Efficiency to reach age of puberty and behaviour of buffalo heifers (Bubalus bubalis) kept on pasture or in confinement.

In order to evaluate the influence of rearing system (free-ranging (FR) v. confinement (C)) on buffalo heifer efficiency to reach age of puberty and on behavioural and immune functions, two experiments were conducted from September 2010 to October 2011. In Experiment I, 32 subjects aged 8 to 9 months at the start of experiment were used.

A novel fungal metabolite with beneficial properties for agricultural applications.

Trichoderma are ubiquitous soil fungi that include species widely used as biocontrol agents in agriculture. Many isolates are known to secrete several secondary metabolites with different biological activities towards plants and other microbes. Harzianic acid (HA) is a T.

Speciation via floral heterochrony and presumed mycorrhizal host switching of endemic butterfly orchids on the Azorean archipelago.

• Premise of the study: Most orchid species native to the Macaronesian islands reflect immigration from western Europe or North Africa followed by anagenesis. The only putative exception is the butterfly orchids (Platanthera) of the Azores, where three species apparently reflect at least one cladogenetic speciation event. This multidisciplinary study explores the origin, speciation, phenotypic, and genotypic cohesion of these Azorean species and their mainland relatives.

Milking behaviour of buffalo cows: entrance order and side preference in the milking parlour.

On two farms, three milking groups of buffalo cows were used to assess the consistency of entrance order and the preference for one side of the milking parlour. On Farm 1 (F1) all animals were primiparous (n=57). On Farm 2, three primiparous, 16 secondiparous and 36 multiparous cows (range 1-8) constituted group F2G1; whereas group F2G2 had 12 primiparous, 10 secondiparous and 14 multiparous cows (range 1-10).

Transgene-induced pleiotropic effects in transplastomic plants.

Since the first demonstration of stable transgene integration in the plastid genome (plastome) of higher plants, plastid transformation has been used for a wide range of purposes, including basic studies as well as biotechnological applications, showing that transplastomic plants are an effective system to produce recombinant proteins. Compared to nuclear transformation, the main advantages of this technology are the high and stable production level of proteins as well as the natural containment of transgenes. To date, more than 100 transgenes have been successfully expressed in plant chloroplasts.

Araujia sericifera New Host of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Italy.

Araujia sericifera Brot. (Fam. Apocynaceae) is an evergreen climbing plant native of South America, originally introduced in Europe as an ornamental.

Dieback and Wilting Caused by Tomato spotted wilt virus in Arctotis × hybrida in Italy.

In winter 2012, some potted plants of African daisy (Arctotis × hybrida L., family Asteraceae) cv. Hannah, propagated by rooted stem cuttings and cultivated for commercial purposes in a greenhouse located at Albenga (Liguria region, Italy), were noticed for a rapid dieback, generalized reddening, following by an irreversible wilting.

Virus-like particles produced in plants as potential vaccines.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) have been produced as candidate vaccines in plants virtually since the introduction of biofarming. Even today, VLPs remain the best candidates for safe, immunogenic, efficacious and inexpensive vaccines. Well-characterized human animal viruses such as HBV, HCV, HIV and HPV, rotaviruses, norovirus, foot and mouth disease viruses and even influenza virus proteins have all been successfully investigated for VLP formation.

Genome-wide analysis of histone modifiers in tomato: gaining an insight into their developmental roles.

Background: Histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) including acetylation and methylation have been recognized as playing a crucial role in epigenetic regulation of plant growth and development. Although Solanum lycopersicum is a dicot model plant as well as an important crop, systematic analysis and expression profiling of histone modifier genes (HMs) in tomato are sketchy.

Results: Based on recently released tomato whole-genome sequences, we identified in silico 32 histone acetyltransferases (HATs), 15 histone deacetylases (HDACs), 52 histone methytransferases (HMTs) and 26 histone demethylases (HDMs), and compared them with those detected in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa) orthologs.

Identification of early induced genes upon water deficit in potato cell cultures by cDNA-AFLP.

For plant cells in the early phases of water stress exposure, the genes induced under such conditions play a key role in detecting and responding to water deficit. In this study, potato cell suspensions were used as a simplified model system to dissect early molecular changes upon low water potential. In particular, the cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism approach was used to capture genes rapidly activated in potato cell cultures in response to water deficit induced by short-term exposure (up to 1 h) to polyethylene glycol.

First Report of China Rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) as a Host of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Spain.

China rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) is an ornamental plant grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. In June 2011, a China rose plant (sample CV-1) showing bright yellow "aucuba"-type mosaic, mainly at the center of the leaves, was found in a public garden in Caleta de Vélez (Málaga Province, southern Spain).

First Record of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Teucrium fruticans in Italy.

The Teucrium genus (Lamiaceae family) contains ~300 species of evergreen and deciduous shrubs with some species widely used as ornamental plants in rock gardens. During the springs of 2010 and 2011, some plants of Teucrium fruticans L., also known as "tree germander", growing singly in pots in a Ligurian nursery (Savona Province, northern Italy), were noted for a bright yellow calico mosaic on the leaves (~1% of ~2,000 plants inspected exhibited symptoms).

Integration of molecular, ecological, morphological and endosymbiont data for species delimitation within the Pnigalio soemius complex (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).

Integrative taxonomy is a recently developed approach that uses multiple lines of evidence such as molecular, morphological, ecological and geographical data to test species limits, and it stands as one of the most promising approaches to species delimitation in taxonomically difficult groups. The Pnigalio soemius complex (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) represents an interesting taxonomical and ecological study case, as it is characterized by a lack of informative morphological characters, deep mitochondrial divergence, and is susceptible to infection by parthenogenesis-inducing Rickettsia. We tested the effectiveness of an integrative taxonomy approach in delimiting species within the P.

Quinic acids from Aster caucasicus and from transgenic callus expressing a beta-amyrin synthase.

Several different classes of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins and quinic acid derivatives, are found in Aster spp. (Fam. Asteraceae).

Beyond transcription: RNA-binding proteins as emerging regulators of plant response to environmental constraints.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) govern many aspects of RNA metabolism, including pre-mRNA processing, transport, stability/decay and translation. Although relatively few plant RNA-binding proteins have been characterized genetically and biochemically, more than 200 RBP genes have been predicted in Arabidopsis and rice genomes, suggesting that they might serve specific plant functions. Besides their role in normal cellular functions, RBPs are emerging also as an interesting class of proteins involved in a wide range of post-transcriptional regulatory events that are important in providing plants with the ability to respond rapidly to changes in environmental conditions.

Four potato (Solanum tuberosum) ABCG transporters and their expression in response to abiotic factors and Phytophthora infestans infection.

Pleiotropic drug resistant (PDR/ABCG) genes are involved in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work, we cloned, from Solanum tuberosum, four PDR/ABCG transporter genes named StPDR1, StPDR2, StPDR3 and StPDR4, which were differentially expressed in plant tissues and cell cultures. A number of different chemically unrelated compounds were found to regulate the transcript levels of the four genes in cultured cells.

Improvement of plastid transformation efficiency in potato by using vectors with homologous flanking sequences.

Low transformation frequencies limit the use of plastid transformation in potato and other crops. Hence, a breakthrough in chloroplast genetic engineering of agronomically important species is a highly desirable goal. We succeeded in achieving potato transformation efficiency up to one shoot every bombardment using a modified regeneration procedure and novel vectors containing potato flanking sequences for transgene integration by homologous recombination in the Large Single Copy region of the plastome.

Evolution of parallel spindles like genes in plants and highlight of unique domain architecture#.

Background: Polyploidy has long been recognized as playing an important role in plant evolution. In flowering plants, the major route of polyploidization is suggested to be sexual through gametes with somatic chromosome number (2n). Parallel Spindle1 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPS1) was recently demonstrated to control spindle orientation in the 2nd division of meiosis and, when mutated, to induce 2n pollen.

Complete nucleotide sequence of a Spanish isolate of alfalfa mosaic virus: evidence for additional genetic variability.

Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) is a plant virus that is distributed worldwide and can induce necrosis and/or yellow mosaic on a large variety of plant species, including commercially important crops. It is the only virus of the genus Alfamovirus in the family Bromoviridae. AMV isolates can be clustered into two genetic groups that correlate with their geographic origin.

First Record and Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Alfalfa mosaic virus from Lavandula stoechas in Italy.

During spring 2009, lavender plants (Lavandula stoechas L.) showing a bright yellow mosaic of calico type and light stunting were observed in a commercial nursery in Liguria Province in northern Italy. Of 300 plants inspected, ~2% were symptomatic.

Molecular and chemical mechanisms involved in aphid resistance in cultivated tomato.

*An integrated approach has been used to obtain an understanding of the molecular and chemical mechanisms underlying resistance to aphids in cherry-like tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) landraces from the Campania region (southern Italy). The aphid-parasitoid system Macrosiphum euphorbiae-Aphidius ervi was used to describe the levels of resistance against aphids in two tomato accessions (AN5, AN7) exhibiting high yield and quality traits and lacking the tomato Mi gene. *Aphid development and reproduction, flight response by the aphid parasitoid A.