27 research outputs found
Genetic variability of Brazilian phytoplasma and spiroplasma isolated from maize plants
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Biosynthesis of metal-binding polypeptides and their precursors in response to cadmium in Datura innoxia
Metal-tolerant Datura innoxia cells synthesize large amounts of a class of metal-binding polypeptides, poly({gamma}-glutamylcysteinyl) glycines (({gamma}-EC){sub n}G, n=2-5), when exposed to Cd. These polypeptides have a high affinity for Cd (2) and certain other metal ions and are thought to play a role in metal tolerance in higher plants. ({gamma}-EC){sub n}G is biosynthetically derived from glutathione. Therefore, the response of Datura cells to Cd must include an increase in production of glutathione and its precursors, since cells rapidly accumulate very high concentrations of these metal-binding polypeptides. The biosynthesis of ({gamma}-EC){sub n}Gs, glutathione, and cysteine in response to Cd exposure is described. The physiological significance of the synthesis of these polypeptides and their precursors and its relevance to Cd tolerance and metal homeostasis are discussed. 34 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab
Note: A comparison of molecular diagnostic procedures for the detection of aster yellows phytoplasmas (16Sr-I) in leafhopper vectors
The desert of Tataouine: an extreme environment that hosts a wide diversity of microorganisms and radiotolerant bacteria
Assessment of upward movement of rain splash using a fluorescent tracer method and its application to the epidemiology of cereal pathogens
Heat diffusion: thermodynamic depth complexity of networks
In this paper we use the Birkhoff–von Neumann decomposition of the diffusion kernel to compute a polytopal measure of graph complexity. We decompose the diffusion kernel into a series of weighted Birkhoff combinations and compute the entropy associated with the weighting proportions (polytopal complexity). The maximum entropy Birkhoff combination can be expressed in terms of matrix permanents. This allows us to introduce a phase-transition principle that links our definition of polytopal complexity to the heat flowing through the network at a given diffusion time. The result is an efficiently computed complexity measure, which we refer to as flow complexity. Moreover, the flow complexity measure allows us to analyze graphs and networks in terms of the thermodynamic depth. We compare our method with three alternative methods described in the literature (Estrada's heterogeneity index, the Laplacian energy, and the von Neumann entropy). Our study is based on 217 protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks including histidine kinases from several species of bacteria. We find a correlation between structural complexity and phylogeny (more evolved species have statistically more complex PPIs). Although our methods outperform the alternatives, we find similarities with Estrada's heterogeneity index in terms of network size independence and predictive power.F.E. and M.L. are funded by Project No. TIN2008-04416 of the Spanish Government. E.R.H. is funded by the EU FET Project SIMBAD and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award