Adhesion of conidia and germlings of the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana to solid surfaces

Soon after coming in contact with its host, the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana produces an extracellular material that appears to be important for adhering conidia and germlings to the host surface. To further understand this step of the infection, the adhesion of B. sorokiniana to artificial solid surfaces was examined. On a hydrophobic (polystyrene) surface adhesion occurred in two stages, the first by conidia and the second by germlings. Conidial adhesion occurred shortly (0-1 h) after hydration. The conidia were easily detached by increasing the shear force and including detergents in the washing buffer. As conidia were hydrophobic, these observations indicate that conidial adhesion to polystyrene is due to weak, hydrophobic interaction. The second stage of adhesion was accompanied by conidial germination and occurred 1-2 h after hydration and contact with the surface. Concomitant with the delayed adhesion, the fungus produced an extracellular matrix (ECM). The adhesion of germlings was firm and surface-unspecific since they adhered to both hydrophobic and hydrophilic (glass) surfaces, Except for strong bases, hydrochloric acid and broad-specificity proteases (including Pronase E), none of the hydrolytic enzymes, electrolyte solutions, ionic and hydrophobic detergents and organic solvents removed germlings from the solid surfaces. The adhesion of germlings incubated in the presence of the protein glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin or the lectins Con A (Concanavalin A) and GNA (from Galanthus nivalis) was significantly reduced, which indicates the involvement of surface glycoproteins in this process. The surface proteins of germlings were labelled with I-125, extracted and analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. This revealed about 40 surface proteins over a wide pH range (4-10) with molecular masses between 10 and 100 kDa

Analysis of proteins in the extracellular matrix of the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana using 2-D gel electrophoresis and MS/MS

A method was developed for isolating and sequencing proteins present in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of germlings and hyphae of filamentous fungi, Surface proteins of the cereal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana were labelled with a membrane impermeable biotinylating agent and extracted using a glycine-HCl buffer. Extracted proteins were purified by affinity binding to streptavidin-conjugated magnetic beads or by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Four of the biotinylated proteins from the ECM of B. sorokiniana were isolated, in gel digested with trypsin and partly sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. No significant sequence similarities to proteins in databases were obtained. (C) 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights, reserved

Analysis of proteins in the extracellular matrix of the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana using 2-D gel electrophoresis and MS/MS

A method was developed for isolating and sequencing proteins present in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of germlings and hyphae of filamentous fungi, Surface proteins of the cereal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana were labelled with a membrane impermeable biotinylating agent and extracted using a glycine-HCl buffer. Extracted proteins were purified by affinity binding to streptavidin-conjugated magnetic beads or by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Four of the biotinylated proteins from the ECM of B. sorokiniana were isolated, in gel digested with trypsin and partly sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. No significant sequence similarities to proteins in databases were obtained. (C) 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights, reserved

Relationship between production of the phytotoxin prehelminthosporol and virulence in isolates of the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana

A gas chromatographic method was developed to quantify the phytotoxin prehelminthosporol, which is a sesquiterpene metabolite of the plant pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. The toxin was extracted from mycelium or culture filtrates, pre-cleaned using solid phase extraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography as a trimethylsilyl-derivative. The detection limit of the method was 5 ng mul(-)1 (signal to noise ratio 4 : 1) which corresponds to ca. 15 ng prehelminthosporol per mg dry weight of mycelium or 15 ng prehelminthosporol per ml culture filtrate. The total amount of prehelminthosporol (mycelium plus culture filtrate) increased with cultivation time when examined in six isolates of B. sorokiniana after 6, 9, 12 and 15 days of incubation. The screening experiment of 17 isolates for prehelminthosporol production after 8 days of incubation revealed significant differences in the toxin production between the isolates. The isolates with low toxin production had lower virulence towards barley roots compared to those with higher production of the toxin. However, the virulence did not increase with prehelminthosporol level among the high producing isolates. Prehelminthosporol was also analyzed in a number of related Bipolaris and Drechslera species. In addition to B. sorokiniana, three out of six Bipolaris species (B. setariae, B. zeicola, B. victoriae) produced prehelminthosporol, which indicates that ability to produce prehelminthosporol is conserved among closely-related Bipolaris species

FINANCIALIZATION: CURSE OR SALVATION? THE CASE OF LATVIA, A SMALL AND POST- TRANSITION ECONOMY

he role of financial sector has increased significantly since the 1980s, introducing a new term or phenomenon i.e. the financialization of the economy. There is still some imprecision about the nature and dynamics of financialization, including its impact on the economy. The main task of the financial sector is to allocate funds for its most productive use, while ensuring sustainable development. Recent studies show that excessive financial deepening negatively impacts the economies of developed countries, but is this true for post-transition economies? The aim of this paper is to look into the relationship between financialization and the state of a small and post-transition economy, the Latvian economy. Using a European database and methodological framework we analyze this relationship in Latvia between 1999Q1 and 2017Q4. In our study, we apply the standard Vector Auto-Regressive model (VAR). Our research results do not indicate that financialization causes significant changes in the state of the Latvian economy. The interpretation of this result is related to the degree of financial deepening in Latvi

Relationship between production of the phytotoxin prehelminthosporol and virulence in isolates of the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana

A gas chromatographic method was developed to quantify the phytotoxin prehelminthosporol, which is a sesquiterpene metabolite of the plant pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. The toxin was extracted from mycelium or culture filtrates, pre-cleaned using solid phase extraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography as a trimethylsilyl-derivative. The detection limit of the method was 5 ng mul(-)1 (signal to noise ratio 4 : 1) which corresponds to ca. 15 ng prehelminthosporol per mg dry weight of mycelium or 15 ng prehelminthosporol per ml culture filtrate. The total amount of prehelminthosporol (mycelium plus culture filtrate) increased with cultivation time when examined in six isolates of B. sorokiniana after 6, 9, 12 and 15 days of incubation. The screening experiment of 17 isolates for prehelminthosporol production after 8 days of incubation revealed significant differences in the toxin production between the isolates. The isolates with low toxin production had lower virulence towards barley roots compared to those with higher production of the toxin. However, the virulence did not increase with prehelminthosporol level among the high producing isolates. Prehelminthosporol was also analyzed in a number of related Bipolaris and Drechslera species. In addition to B. sorokiniana, three out of six Bipolaris species (B. setariae, B. zeicola, B. victoriae) produced prehelminthosporol, which indicates that ability to produce prehelminthosporol is conserved among closely-related Bipolaris species