‘Plantibodies’: a flexible approach to design resistance against pathogens     

A. Schots  J. De Boer  A. Schouten  J. Roosien  J. F. Zil Verentant  H. Pomp  L. Bouwman-Smits  H. Overmars  F. J. Gommers  B. Visser  W. J. Stiekema  J. Bakker 《European journal of plant pathology / European Foundation for Plant Pathology》1992,98(2):183-191

Engineering resistance against various diseases and pests is hampered by the lack of suitable genes. To overcome this problem we started a research program aimed at obtaining resistance by transfecting plants with genes encoding monoclonal antibodies against pathogen specific proteins. The idea is that monoclonal antibodies will inhibit the biological activity of molecules that are essential for the pathogenesis. Potato cyst nematodes are chosen as a model and it is thought that monoclonal antibodies are able to block the function of the saliva proteins of this parasite. These proteins are, among others, responsible for the induction of multinucleate transfer cells upon which the nematode feeds. It is well documented that the ability of antibodies to bind molecules is sufficient to inactivate the function of an antigen and in view of the potential of animals to synthesize antibodies to almost any molecular structure, this strategy should be feasible for a wide range of diseases and pests.Antibodies have several desirable features with regard to protein engineering. The antibody (IgG) is a Y-shaped molecule, in which the domains forming the tips of the arms bind to antigen and those forming the stem are responsible for triggering effector functions (Fc fragments) that eliminate the antigen from the animal. Domains carrying the antigen-binding loops (Fv and Fab fragments) can be used separately from the Fc fragments without loss of affinity. The antigen-binding domains can also be endowed with new properties by fusing them to toxins or enzymes. Antibody engineering is also facilitated by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A systematic comparison of the nucleotide sequence of more than 100 antibodies revealed that not only the 3′-ends, but also the 5′-ends of the antibody genes are relatively conserved. We were able to design a small set of primers with restriction sites for forced cloning, which allowed the amplification of genes encoding antibodies specific for the saliva proteins ofGlobodera rostochiensis. Complete heavy and light chain genes as well as single chain Fv fragments (scFv), in which the variable parts of the light (V_L) and heavy chain (V_H) are linked by a peptide, will be transferred to potato plants. A major challenge will be to establish a correct expression of the antibody genes with regard to three dimensional folding, assembly and intracellular location.  相似文献   

Diagnosis and management of Macrorhabdus ornithogaster (formerly megabacteria).     

David Phalen 《Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice》2005,8(2):299-306

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Predicting the spatial distribution of ground flora on large domains using a hierarchical Bayesian model     

Hooten  Mevin B.  Larsen  David R.  Wikle  Christopher K. 《Landscape Ecology》2003,18(5):487-502

Accomodation of important sources of uncertainty in ecological models is essential to realistically predicting ecological processes. The purpose of this project is to develop a robust methodology for modeling natural processes on a landscape while accounting for the variability in a process by utilizing environmental and spatial random effects. A hierarchical Bayesian framework has allowed the simultaneous integration of these effects. This framework naturally assumes variables to be random and the posterior distribution of the model provides probabilistic information about the process. Two species in the genus Desmodium were used as examples to illustrate the utility of the model in Southeast Missouri, USA. In addition, two validation techniques were applied to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the predictions.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Characteristics for Practical Use of Attenuated Isolate UA-Fukushima of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tomato mosaic virus</Emphasis>     

Tsutomu MATSUMOTO  Yuichiro NARA  Hiromitsu FURUYA  Harumi TAKAHASHI  Kiichi TAIRAKO  Hideki YAMAMOTO 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2002,68(4):382-384

L₁₁A-Fukushima (L₁₁A-F) derived from attenuated isolate LuA of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) has the highest ability to cross protect against virulent ToMV among LuA and its derivatives and is stably inherited. Growth, yield, fruit quality and symptom attenuation of inoculated tomato plants did not differ significantly between L₁₁A-F and L₁₁A. The infectivity of progeny viruses in tomato infected with LuA-F was less than 4% of that with virulent ToMV. From these results, L₁₁A-F appears to possess the properties necessary for practical use. To manage L₁₁A-F strictly, a PCR-based assay to detect trace contamination of virulent ToMV in L₁₁A-F preparations was established. Received 10 June 2002/ Accepted in revised form 30 October 2002  相似文献   

Effects of Latent Infection of Stock Plants and Abundance of Thrips on the Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tomato spotted wilt virus </Emphasis>in Chrysanthemum Fields     

Shohei MATSUURA  Shigeru HOSHINO  Hideaki HAYASHI  Tetsuyuki KOHGUCHI  Kyoji HAGIWARA  Toshihiro OMURA 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2002,68(1):99-102

DAS-ELISA proved to be reliable enough to detect a latent infection by Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in asymptomatic stock plants of chrysanthemum. A high density of Frankliniella occidentalis, the predominant vector, in the presence of latently infected stock plants resulted in a high incidence of disease in the chrysanthemum production field. The incidence of disease was low when the vector thrips were not abundant in spite of the presence of latently infected stock plants. These results suggest that an infestation of the vector thrips causes severe secondary spread of TSWV originating from latently infected stock plants in chrysanthemum production fields. Received 27 July 2001/ Accepted in revised form 27 November 2001  相似文献   

Distribution of citrus viroids and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apple stem grooving virus</Emphasis> on citrus trees in Japan using multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction     

Takao Ito  Nobuyuki Namba  Tsutae Ito 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2003,69(3):205-207

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Indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aciculosporium take</Emphasis>, a causal agent of witches' broom of bamboo     

Eiji Tanaka  Chihiro Tanaka  Atsushi Ishihara  Yasumasa Kuwahara  Mitsuya Tsuda 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2003,69(1):1-6

 Aciculosporium take (Ascomycota; Clavicipitaceae) is a causal agent of witches' broom of bamboo plants. The symptoms of this disease are believed to be induced by plant hormones, particularly auxins. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was identified in cultures of this fungus in an l-tryptophan-supplemented liquid medium. IAA production was confirmed on 30 isolates of A. take from various hosts and locations at levels up to 1 mg/l. The biosynthetic pathway of IAA in A. take culture was examined by analyzing intermediate products and by feeding experiments. The results showed that the indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway (l-tryptophan → indole-3-pyruvic acid → indole acetaldehyde → IAA) was the dominant pathway in A. take. Received: June 3, 2002 / Accepted: July 25, 2002  相似文献   

Inconspicuous restraint of rice seedling growth by root-infecting fungi in soil of a rice paddy field     

Hiromitsu Furuya  Tsutomu Matsumoto  Shin-ichi Fuji  Hideki Naito 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2003,69(2):115-119

 Rice seedling growth, estimated by plant height and root development and discoloration, was better in pasteurized soil than in unpasteurized soil obtained from a flooded rice field. Rice seedlings also grew better in sterilized soil modified by adding roots harvested from the pasteurized soil than in soil modified by adding roots harvested from the unpasteurized soil. The results demonstrate that seedling growth in the rice field soil was inhibited by soil microorganisms, even though no typical symptoms such as seedling blight or damping-off appeared. Pythium aristosporum is suggested to be involved in the inhibition. Thus, it appears that inconspicuous restraint of rice seedling growth could occur in soils of rice paddy fields. Received: May 20, 2002 / Accepted: October 16, 2002 Acknowledgments The authors thank Dr. T. Ichitani, former professor at Osaka Prefectural University, for providing an isolate of Pythium aristosporum for comparison, and Mr. Mitsuaki Sato of Akita Prefectural College of Agriculture for technical assistance.  相似文献   

Plant Viruses Transmitted by Whiteflies   总被引：18，自引：0，他引：18  

David R. Jones 《European journal of plant pathology / European Foundation for Plant Pathology》2003,109(3):195-219

One-hundred and fourteen virus species are transmitted by whiteflies (family Aleyrodidae). Bemisia tabaci transmits 111 of these species while Trialeurodes vaporariorum and T. abutilonia transmit three species each. B. tabaci and T. vaporariorum are present in the European–Mediterranean region, though the former is restricted in its distribution. Of the whitefly-transmitted virus species, 90% belong to the Begomovirus genus, 6% to the Crinivirus genus and the remaining 4% are in the Closterovirus, Ipomovirus or Carlavirus genera. Other named, whitefly-transmitted viruses that have not yet been ranked as species are also documented. The names, abbreviations and synonyms of the whitefly-transmitted viruses are presented in tabulated form together with details of their whitefly vectors, natural hosts and distribution. Entries are also annotated with references. Whitefly-transmitted viruses affecting plants in the European–Mediterranean region have been highlighted in the text.  相似文献   

Functional heterogeneity in resources within landscapes and herbivore population dynamics     

Norman Owen-Smith 《Landscape Ecology》2004,19(7):761-771

Large mammalian herbivores are notorious for their propensity towards population irruptions and crashes, yet many herbivore populations remain relatively stable. I explore how resource heterogeneity within landscapes dampens population instability, using a metaphysiological modelling approach considering patch state distributions. Resource heterogeneity is functionally stabilizing through spreading consumption away from preferred resources before these become critically depleted. Lower-quality resources act as a buffer against starvation during critical periods of the seasonal cycle. Enriching resource quality is destabilizing, even if patch diversity is maintained, because food quantity then becomes the limitation. The potential consequences of landscape fragmentation are explored using the Serengeti ecosystem, characterised by broadscale resource gradients, as a hypothetical example. Further insights provided by the model are illustrated with specific examples concerning the effects of patch scales and waterpoint distribution. A metaphysiological modelling approach enables the basic consequences of landscape heterogeneity to be distinguished from further effects that may arise from specific patch scales and configurations, without the distracting detail of spatially explicit models.  相似文献