The transcriptional regulator BZR1 mediates trade-off between plant innate immunity and growth

The molecular mechanisms underlying the trade-off between plant innate immunity and steroid-mediated growth are controversial. Here, we report that activation of the transcription factor BZR1 is required and sufficient for suppression of immune signaling by brassinosteroids (BR). BZR1 induces the expression of several WRKY transcription factors that negatively control early immune responses. In addition, BZR1 associates with WRKY40 to mediate the antagonism between BR and immune signaling. We reveal that BZR1-mediated inhibition of immunity is particularly relevant when plant fast growth is required, such as during etiolation. Thus, BZR1 acts as an important regulator mediating the trade-off between growth and immunity upon integration of environmental cues

Non-Baryonic Dark Matter - Observational Evidence and Detection Methods

The evidence for the existence of dark matter in the universe is reviewed. A general picture emerges, where both baryonic and non-baryonic dark matter is needed to explain current observations. In particular, a wealth of observational information points to the existence of a non-baryonic component, contributing between around 20 and 40 percent of the critical mass density needed to make the universe geometrically flat on large scales. In addition, an even larger contribution from vacuum energy (or cosmological constant) is indicated by recent observations. To the theoretically favoured particle candidates for non-baryonic dark matter belong axions, supersymmetric particles, and of less importance, massive neutrinos. The theoretical foundation and experimental situation for each of these is reviewed. Direct and indirect methods for detection of supersymmetric dark matter are described in some detail. Present experiments are just reaching the required sensitivity to discover or rule out some of these candidates, and major improvements are planned over the coming years.Comment: Submitted to Reports on Progress in Physics, 59 pages, LaTeX, iopart macro, 14 embedded postscript figure

The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory. VI. The Second-overtone Mode of Cepheid Pulsation From First/Second Overtone (FO/SO) Beat Cepheids

MACHO Project photometry of 45 LMC FO/SO beat Cepheids which pulsate in the first and second overtone (FO and SOo, respectively) has been analysed to determine the lightcurve characteristics for the SO mode of Cepheid pulsation. We predict that singly-periodic SO Cepheids will have nearly sinusoidal lightcurves; that we will only be able to discern SO Cepheids from fundamental (F) and (FO) Cepheids for P <= 1.4 days; and that the SO distribution will overlap the short-period edge of the LMC FO Cepheid period-luminosity relation (when both are plotted as a function of photometric period). We also report the discovery of one SO Cepheid candidate, MACHO*05:03:39.6$-$70:04:32, with a photometric period of 0.775961 +/- 0.000019 days and an instrumental amplitude of 0.047 +/- 0.009 mag in V.Comment: 23 pages, 7 Encapsulated PostScript figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Application of Hansch’s Model to Capsaicinoids and Capsinoids: A Study Using the Quantitative Structure−Activity Relationship. A Novel Method for the Synthesis of Capsinoids

We describe a synthetic approach for two families of compounds, the capsaicinoids and capsinoids, as part of a study of the quantitative relationship between structure and activity

Chaotic Genetic Patchiness in the Highly Valued Atlantic Stalked Barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes from the Iberian Peninsula: Implications for Fisheries Management. Frontiers in Marine Science

The stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes inhabits rocky shores from the Atlantic coasts of Brittany (France) to Senegal. Because of the culinary traditions of southern Europe, stalked barnacles represent an important target species for local fisheries on the Iberian Peninsula. To manage this fishery sustainably, it is therefore important to assess the dynamics of local populations over the Iberian coast, and how they are interconnected at a wider scale using finely tuned genetic markers. In this work, a new enriched library of GT microsatellites for P. pollicipes was prepared and sequenced using Ion TorrentTM Next Gen-Sequencing Technology. 1,423 adults and juveniles were sampled in 15 localities of three geographic regions: southern Portugal, Galicia and Asturias (both in northern Spain). Twenty polymorphic loci arranged in five multiplex PCRs were then tested and validated as new molecular tools to address the spatial and temporal genetic patterns of P. pollicipes. Our results revealed high genetic diversity among adults. However, juveniles were genetically more structured than their adult counterparts, which alternatively displayed much more connectivity among the three studied regions. The lack of spatial genetic heterogeneity in adults may be due to the overlapping of several generations of settlers coming from different geographic origins, which mainly depends on the orientation of residual currents along the coast during reproduction. The genetic differentiation of juveniles may indeed be congruent with Iberian Peninsula hydrodynamics, which can produce chaotic genetic patchiness (CGP) at small temporal scales due to sweepstake reproductive success, collective dispersal and/or self-recruitment. Remarkably, most of the genetic heterogeneity of juveniles found in this work was located in Galicia, which could represent an admixture between distinct metapopulations or an old refuge for the most northern populations. To conclude, high genetic variation in P. pollicipes can lead to the false impression of population panmixia at the Iberian scale by masking more restricted and current-driven larval exchanges between regions. This possibility should be taken into consideration for further specific management and conservation plans for the species over the Iberian Peninsula

Transgenic expression of the dicotyledonous pattern recognition receptor EFR in rice leads to ligand-dependent activation of defense responses

Plant plasma membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect extracellular pathogen-associated molecules. PRRs such as Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21 are taxonomically restricted and are absent from most plant genomes. Here we show that rice plants expressing EFR or the chimeric receptor EFR::XA21, containing the EFR ectodomain and the XA21 intracellular domain, sense both Escherichia coli- and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)-derived elf18 peptides at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Treatment of EFR and EFR::XA21 rice leaf tissue with elf18 leads to MAP kinase activation, reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression. Although expression of EFR does not lead to robust enhanced resistance to fully virulent Xoo isolates, it does lead to quantitatively enhanced resistance to weakly virulent Xoo isolates. EFR interacts with OsSERK2 and the XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), two key components of the rice XA21-mediated immune response. Rice-EFR plants silenced for OsSERK2, or overexpressing rice XB24 are compromised in elf18-induced reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression indicating that these proteins are also important for EFR-mediated signaling in transgenic rice. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential feasibility of enhancing disease resistance in rice and possibly other monocotyledonous crop species by expression of dicotyledonous PRRs. Our results also suggest that Arabidopsis EFR utilizes at least a subset of the known endogenous rice XA21 signaling components

MACHO Project Limits on Black Hole Dark Matter in the 1-30 Solar Mass Range

We report on a search for long duration microlensing events towards the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find none, and therefore put limits on the contribution of high mass objects to the Galactic dark matter. At 95% confidence level we exclude objects in the mass range 0.3 solar masses to 30.0 solar masses from contributing more than 4 times 10^11 solar masses to the Galactic halo. Combined with earlier results, this means that objects with masses under 30 solar masses cannot make up the entire dark matter halo if the halo is of typical size. For a typical dark halo, objects with masses under 10 solar masses contribute less than 40% of the dark matter.Comment: 6 pages, latex with 3 postscript figures, submitted to ApJ Letter

The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: XII. Three Cepheid Variables in Eclipsing Binaries

We present a method for solving the lightcurve of an eclipsing binary system which contains a Cepheid variable as one of its components as well as the solutions for three eclipsing Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). A geometric model is constructed in which the component stars are assumed to be spherical and on circular orbits. The emergent system flux is computed as a function of time, with the intrinsic variations in temperature and radius of the Cepheid treated self-consistently. Fitting the adopted model to photometric observations, incorporating data from multiple bandpasses, yields a single parameter set best describing the system. This method is applied to three eclipsing Cepheid systems from the MACHO Project LMC database: MACHO ID's 6.6454.5, 78.6338.24 and 81.8997.87. A best-fit value is obtained for each system's orbital period and inclination and for the relative radius, color and limb-darkening coefficients of each star. Pulsation periods and parameterizations of the intrinsic color variations of the Cepheids are also obtained and the amplitude of the radial pulsation of each Cepheid is measured directly. The system 6.6454.5 is found to contain a 4.97-day Cepheid, which cannot be definitely classified as Type I or Type II, with an unexpectedly brighter companion. The system 78.6338.24 consists of a 17.7-day, W Vir Class Type II Cepheid with a smaller, dimmer companion. The system 81.8997.87 contains an intermediate-mass, 2.03-day overtone Cepheid with a dimmer, red giant secondary.Comment: 35 pages, 14 tables, 6 figures, web address for photometry included, minor changes to abstract and author list, comments and references added to sections 3 and 5, accepted for publication in ApJ, direct scientific correspondence to D. Lepischak and D.L. Welc

Analysis of the Peptidoglycan Hydrolase Complement of Lactobacillus casei and Characterization of the Major γ-D-Glutamyl-L-Lysyl-Endopeptidase

Peptidoglycan (PG) is the major component of Gram positive bacteria cell wall and is essential for bacterial integrity and shape. Bacteria synthesize PG hydrolases (PGHs) which are able to cleave bonds in their own PG and play major roles in PG remodelling required for bacterial growth and division. Our aim was to identify the main PGHs in Lactobacillus casei BL23, a lactic acid bacterium with probiotic properties