735 research outputs found
Gene expression profiling of Spodoptera frugiperda hemocytes and fat body using cDNA microarray reveals polydnavirus-associated variations in lepidopteran host genes transcript levels
BACKGROUND: Genomic approaches provide unique opportunities to study interactions of insects with their pathogens. We developed a cDNA microarray to analyze the gene transcription profile of the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera frugiperda in response to injection of the polydnavirus HdIV associated with the ichneumonid wasp Hyposoter didymator. Polydnaviruses are associated with parasitic ichneumonoid wasps and are required for their development within the lepidopteran host, in which they act as potent immunosuppressive pathogens. In this study, we analyzed transcriptional variations in the two main effectors of the insect immune response, the hemocytes and the fat body, after injection of filter-purified HdIV. RESULTS: Results show that 24 hours post-injection, about 4% of the 1750 arrayed host genes display changes in their transcript levels with a large proportion (76%) showing a decrease. As a comparison, in S. frugiperda fat body, after injection of the pathogenic JcDNV densovirus, 8 genes display significant changes in their transcript level. They differ from the 7 affected by HdIV and, as opposed to HdIV injection, are all up-regulated. Interestingly, several of the genes that are modulated by HdIV injection have been shown to be involved in lepidopteran innate immunity. Levels of transcripts related to calreticulin, prophenoloxidase-activating enzyme, immulectin-2 and a novel lepidopteran scavenger receptor are decreased in hemocytes of HdIV-injected caterpillars. This was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR analysis but not observed after injection of heat-inactivated HdIV. Conversely, an increased level of transcripts was found for a galactose-binding lectin and, surprisingly, for the prophenoloxidase subunits. The results obtained suggest that HdIV injection affects transcript levels of genes encoding different components of the host immune response (non-self recognition, humoral and cellular responses). CONCLUSION: This analysis of the host-polydnavirus interactions by a microarray approach indicates that the presence of HdIV induces, directly or indirectly, variations in transcript levels of specific host genes, changes that could be responsible in part for the alterations observed in the parasitized host physiology. Development of such global approaches will allow a better understanding of the strategies employed by parasites to manipulate their host physiology, and will permit the identification of potential targets of the immunosuppressive polydnaviruses
A possible hadronic excess in psi(2S) decay and rho-pi puzzle
We examine the so-called rho-pi puzzle of the psi(2S) decay by incorporating
two inputs: One is the relative phase between the one-photon and the gluon
decay amplitude, and the other is a possible anomaly in the inclusive
nonelectromagnetic decay rate of psi(2S). We propose the possibility that in
the psi(2S) decay a hadronic decay process of long distance origin is important
in addition to the short-distance decay process. The amplitude of this
additional process should nearly cancel the three-gluon amplitude in the
exclusive psi(2S)---> 1-0- and turn the sum dominantly real in contrast to the
J/psi decay. We present general consequences of this mechanism and then briefly
look into two models which possibly explain the course of this additional
amplitude.Comment: 14 pages, 2 Tables, and 3 eps figures. Replaces the original version
with a minor change in the title and inclusion of more references. The
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Viral susceptibility across host species is largely independent of dietary protein to carbohydrate ratios
This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record Data Repository:
mcmcglmm_data_diet.csv. figshare. Dataset.
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13079465.v1The likelihood of a successful host shift of a parasite to a novel host species can be influenced by environmental factors that can act on both the host and parasite. Changes in nutritional resource availability have been shown to alter pathogen susceptibility and the outcome of infection in a range of systems. Here we examined how dietary protein to carbohydrate altered susceptibility in a large cross infection experiment. We infected 27 species of Drosophilidae with an RNA virus on three food types of differing protein to carbohydrate ratios. We then measured how viral load and mortality across species was affected by changes in diet. We found that changes in the protein:carbohydrate in the diet did not alter the outcomes of infection, with strong positive inter‐species correlations in both viral load and mortality across diets, suggesting no species by diet interaction. Mortality and viral load were strongly positively correlated, and this association was consistent across diets. This suggests changes in diet may give consistent outcomes across host species, and may not be universally important in determining host susceptibility to pathogens.Wellcome TrustRoyal Societ
Tri-meson-mixing of -- and -- in the light-cone quark model
The radiative transition form factors of the pseudoscalar mesons {,
, } and the vector mesons {, , } are restudied
with -- and -- in tri-meson-mixing
pattern, which is described by tri-mixing matrices in the light-cone
constituent quark model. The experimental transition decay widths are better
reproduced with tri-meson-mixing than previous results in a two-mixing-angle
scenario of only two-meson - mixing and - mixing.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, final version to appear in EPJ
Improved measurement of the branching ratio of J/psi-->K_S K_L
The branching ratio of J/psi-->K_S K_L is measured with improved precision to
be B(J/psi-->K_S K_L) = (1.82\pm 0.04\pm 0.13)\times 10^{-4}. using J/psi data
collected with the Beijing Spectrometer (BESII) at the Beijing
Electron-Positron Collider. This result is used to test the perturbative QCD
``12%'' rule between psi(2S) and J/psi decays and to investigate the relative
phase between the three-gluon and one-photon annihilation amplitudes in J/psi
decays.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Search for the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) in gamma gamma collisions
Data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 have been used to search for gamma
gamma production of the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) via their
decay to pi+pi-. No signal is observed and upper limits to the product of gamma
gamma width and pi+pi- branching ratio of the f0(1500) and the fJ(1710) have
been measured to be Gamma_(gamma gamma -> f0(1500)). BR(f0(1500)->pi+pi-) <
0.31 keV and Gamma_(gamma gamma -> fJ(1710)). BR(fJ(1710)->pi+pi-) < 0.55 keV
at 95% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Search for supersymmetry with a dominant R-parity violating LQDbar couplings in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130GeV to 172 GeV
A search for pair-production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption
that R-parity is violated via a dominant LQDbar coupling has been performed
using the data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV.
The observed candidate events in the data are in agreement with the Standard
Model expectation. This result is translated into lower limits on the masses of
charginos, neutralinos, sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks. For instance, for
m_0=500 GeV/c^2 and tan(beta)=sqrt(2) charginos with masses smaller than 81
GeV/c^2 and neutralinos with masses smaller than 29 GeV/c^2 are excluded at the
95% confidence level for any generation structure of the LQDbar coupling.Comment: 32 pages, 30 figure
Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g
About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years
1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard
Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing
angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events
and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is
found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, and , limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st
-meson production in proton-proton collisions
The production of -mesons in proton-proton collisions is investigated
within a relativistic meson-exchange model of hadronic interactions. The
experimental prerequisites for extracting the coupling strength from
this reaction are discussed. In the absence of a sufficient set of data, which
would enable an accurate determination of the coupling strength, we
perform a combined analysis, based on some reasonable assumptions, of the
existing data for both - and -meson production. We find that the
recent data from the DISTO collaboration on the angular distribution of the
meson indicate that the coupling constant is small. The
analysis yields values for that are compatible with the OZI rule.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.
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