The use of molecular-genetic and phytopathological methods to identify genes for effective leaf rust resistance in Aegilops accessions

Background. Identification of effective genes for disease resistance in resistant plant samples is the most important step toward recommending them for breeding. There are three main methods for such identification: hybridological analysis, phytopathological test, and DNA marking. The method of PCR markers is widely used in Russia to identify resistance genes in wheat relatives, including the genus Aegilops L. for resistance to leaf rust. From a theoretical viewpoint, the presence of a certain amplification fragment can hardly be interpreted as a definite proof of the presence of a resistance gene: during the species evolution, recombinations and mutations could occur, resulting in disturbance of the fragment’s presence and phenotypic expression of its connection with resistance. The purpose of this work was a comparison between molecular-genetic and phytopathological methods to identify leaf rust resistance genes Lr9 and Lr41 in three Aegilops species.Materials and methods. We identified leaf rust resistance genes Lr9 and Lr41 in forty Aegilops accessions using PCR with J13 and GDM35 primers, respectively. In the phytopathological test, the seedlings were infected with the pathogen population (avirulent to Lr9 and Lr41 genes) and the fungus clones virulent to the wheat line with the Lr9 gene.Results and conclusions. According to the data of molecular marking, the Lr41 gene was present in twelve Ae. tauschii Coss. accessions; Lr9 in four Ae. umbellulata Zhuk. accessions and four of Ae. biuncialis Vis. All accessions of Ae. tauschii, two of Ae. umbellulata, and three of Ae. biuncialis, possessing effective resistance genes according to the molecular testing, were susceptible to the pathogen population. For three Ae. umbellulata accessions resistant to the population, where DNA marking failed to identify an Lr9 gene, the presence of this gene was shown by a phytopathological test. Thus, there were significant differences in the postulation of effective Lr9 and Lr41 leaf rust resistance genes in Aegilops accessions after a phytopatological test and the use of DNA markers

Inheritance of effective juvenile leaf rust resistance in six accessions of Aegilops speltoides Tausch

Background. Leaf rust (causal agent: Puccinia triticina Erikss.) is a serious disease of bread wheat in all crop-growing regions. An environmentally safe and economically profitable method to protect plants is cultivation of resistant varieties. Their development requires searching for the forms carrying new genes of resistance. Despite the fact that more than 70 Lr genes have been described, only two (Lr39(41) and Lr47) are effective in the seedling stage over all the territory of the Russian Federation. Thus, expanding the set of effective leaf rust resistance genes is a high-priority task. An important source of such genes are wild relatives of Triticum aestivum L., including Aegilops L. species. Knowing genetic control of resistance in newly identified forms will help to avoid the transfer of the same alien resistance genes onto bread wheat. Materials and methods. Inheritance of effective juvenile leaf rust resistance was studied in 6 accessions of Ae. speltoides Tausch from the VIR collection. Crossings were carried out in the field of Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR (St. Petersburg). Genetic control of resistance to the disease was analyzed in the following accessions of Ae. speltoides: k-1000 (Turkey), k-1015 (Afghanistan), k-1593 (Iraq), k-2279 (Iran), k-2753 and k-2819 (unknown origin). Results and conclusions. The analysis of segregation for seedling resistance to leaf rust in F2 и F3 from the crosses between the 6 studied accessions and the susceptible Ae. speltoides accession k-1596 showed that each of them possessed one dominant resistance gene. The absence of susceptible plants in hybrid populations from the crosses between resistant accessions testified to a tight linkage or, more likely, the identity of their genes associated with resistance. The identified resistance gene cannot be identical to Lr28, Lr35, Lr36 and Lr51, earlier introgressed into the T. aestivum genome from Ae. speltoides. Before the introgression of the newly identified gene, it is necessary to study its identity to Lr47 using the phytopathological test; the use of molecular markers for this purpose is little informative

Effective resistance to powdery mildew in Aegilops L. accessions

Background. Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal) is widespread and harmful in all regions of bread wheat cultivation. Severe development of powdery mildew leads to a decrease in the number and weight of grains. Growing resistant cultivars is the most environmentally friendly and economically profitable method to protect wheat from the disease. Development of such cultivars requires a search for new donors of effective genes controlling the resistance. To expand the genetic diversity of wheat for resistance to B. graminis, wild relatives of Triticum aestivum L., including Aegilops L. spp., are widely used. The aim of this work was to characterize seven Aegilops spp. for effective seedling and adult plant resistance to powdery mildew.Materials and methods. The material of the study consisted of 437 accessions representing 7 Aegilops spp. (Ae. speltoides Tausch, Ae. caudata L., Ae. biuncialis Vis., Ae. tauschii Coss., Ae. cylindrica Host, Ae. crassa Boiss. and Ae. ventricosa Tausch) from the collection of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR, St. Petersburg). Juvenile resistance was studied when the seedlings were inoculated with the agent of powdery mildew under controlled laboratory conditions; the adult plant resistance, after artificial inoculation of the plants and under natural infection in the fields of Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR. Complex populations of the B. graminis agent were used for inoculation. The types of response to infection were scored 10 days after inoculation according to a conventional scale.Results and conclusions. As a result of the tests, susceptibility to powdery mildew was shown in all Aegilops accessions of the D-genome group; all the studied representatives of Ae. speltoides, Ae. caudata and Ae. biuncialis were highly resistant to powdery mildew

Bacterial number and genetic diversity in a permafrost peatland (Western Siberia): Testing a link with organic matter quality and elementary composition of a peat soil profile

Permafrost peatlands, containing a sizable amount of soil organic carbon (OC), play a pivotal role in soil (peat) OC transformation into soluble and volatile forms and greatly contribute to overall natural CO2 and CH4 emissions to the atmosphere under ongoing permafrost thaw and soil OC degradation. Peat microorganisms are largely responsible for the processing of this OC, yet coupled studies of chemical and bacterial parameters in permafrost peatlands are rather limited and geographically biased. Towards testing the possible impact of peat and peat pore water chemical composition on microbial population and diversity, here we present results of a preliminary study of the western Siberia permafrost peatland discontinuous permafrost zone. The quantitative evaluation of microorganisms and determination of microbial diversity along a 100 cm thick peat soil column, which included thawed and frozen peat and bottom mineral horizon, was performed by RT-PCR and 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis, respectively. Bacteria (mainly Proteobac-teria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria) strongly dominated the microbial diversity (99% sequences), with a negligible proportion of archaea (0.3–0.5%). There was a systematic evolution of main taxa according to depth, with a maximum of 65% (Acidobacteria) encountered in the active layer, or permafrost boundary (50–60 cm). We also measured C, N, nutrients and ~50 major and trace elements in peat (19 samples) as well as its pore water and dispersed ice (10 samples), sampled over the same core, and we analyzed organic matter quality in six organic and one mineral horizon of this core. Using multiparametric statistics (PCA), we tested the links between the total microbial number and 16S rRNA diversity and chemical composition of both the solid and fluid phase harboring the microor-ganisms. Under climate warming and permafrost thaw, one can expect a downward movement of the layer of maximal genetic diversity following the active layer thickening. Given a one to two orders of magnitude higher microbial number in the upper (thawed) layers compared to bottom (frozen) layers, an additional 50 cm of peat thawing in western Siberia may sizably increase the total microbial population and biodiversity of active cells

First principle study on electronic structure of ferroelectric PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3

The full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method was used to study the crystal structure and electronic structure properties of PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3 (PFN). The optimized crystal structure, density of states, band structure and electron density distribution have been obtained to understand the ferroelectric behavior of PFN. From the density of states analysis, it is shown that there is a hybridization of Fe d - O p and Nb d - O p in ferroelectric PFN. This is consistent with the calculation of electronic band structure. This hybridization is responsible for the tendency to its ferroelectricity.Comment: 10 page

ДИРОФИЛЯРИОЗ ПЛОТОЯДНЫХ ЖИВОТНЫХ В ЯКУТИИ, СПОСОБ ВЫДЕЛЕНИЯ ИЗ КРОВИ МИКРОФИЛЯРИЙ

The cases of dirofilariosis of carnivorous were registered in Yakutsk (D. repens and D. immitis). A new method of isolation of filarial larvae was developed.Выявлена зараженность плотоядных в г. Якутске D. repens и D. immitis. Разработан новый способ выделения из крови собак микрофилярий без центрифугирования

Эффективность регулятора роста растений Атоник Плюс на картофеле в условиях Московской области

The results of evaluating the effectiveness of the plant growth regulator Atonic Plus on potatoes as a stimulator of development, immunomodulator and protectant of the negative effects of pesticides in the crop protection system in the agro-climatic conditions of the Central region of the Russian Federation (Moscow region) are presented.In the extreme weather conditions of the growing season of 2010, the growth regulator Atonic Plus effectively demonstrated its qualities in the form of the formation of adaptability and anti-stress resistance in potato plants, providing an increase in yield relative to control by 1.8-7.1% and the quality of tubers is not only compared to the control, but also relative to the reference version. The combined use of a growth regulator with a fungicide contributed to an increase in the yield of standard potatoes in early and mid-late potato varieties by 2-2.5 times compared with the control.Представлены результаты оценки эффективности регулятора роста растений Атоник Плюс на картофеле в качестве стимулятора развития, иммуномодулятора и протектанта негативного действия пестицидов в системе защиты культуры в агроклиматических условиях Центрального региона РФ (Московская область). В экстремальных погодных условиях вегетационного периода 2010 года регулятор роста Атоник Плюс эффективно продемонстрировал свои качества в виде формирования у растений картофеля адаптивности и антистрессовой устойчивости, обеспечив прибавку урожая относительно контроля на 1,8-7,1% и качество клубней не только по сравнению с контролем, но и относительно эталонного варианта. Совместное применение регулятора роста с фунгицидом способствовало повышению урожая стандартного картофеля на раннем и среднепозднем сортах картофеля в 2-2,5 раза по сравнению с контролем

Morphology of Hydatellaceae, an anomalous aquatic family recently recognized as an early-divergent angiosperm lineage

© 2007 Botanical Society of America, Inc.The family Hydatellaceae was recently reassigned to the early-divergent angiosperm order Nymphaeales rather than the monocot order Poales. This dramatic taxonomic adjustment allows comparison with other early-divergent angiosperms, both extant and extinct. Hydatellaceae possess some monocot-like features that could represent adaptations to an aquatic habit. Ecophysiological parallels can also be drawn from fossil taxa that are known from small achene-like diaspores, as in Hydatellaceae. Reproductive units of Hydatellaceae consist of perianthlike bracts enclosing several pistils and/or stamens. In species with bisexual reproductive units, a single unit resembles an "inside-out" flower, in which stamens are surrounded by carpels that are initiated centrifugally. Furthermore, involucre development in Trithuria submersa, with delayed growth of second whorl bracts, resembles similar delayed development of the second perianth whorl in Cabomba. Several hypotheses on the homologies of reproductive units in Hydatellaceae are explored. Currently, the most plausible interpretation is that each reproductive unit represents an aggregation of reduced unisexual apetalous flowers, which are thus very different from flowers of Nymphaeales. Each pistil in Hydatellaceae is morphologically and developmentally consistent with a solitary ascidiate carpel. However, ascidiate carpel development, consistent with placement in Nymphaeales, is closely similar to pseudomonomerous pistil development as in Poaes.Paula J. Rudall, Dmitry D. Sokoloff, Margarita V. Remizowa, John G. Conran, Jerrold I. Davis, Terry D. Macfarlane and Dennis W. Stevenso

ЛОКАЛЬНЫЕ И СИСТЕМНЫЕ ЭФФЕКТЫ ИМПЛАНТАТОВ ГИАЛУРОНОВОЙ КИСЛОТЫ ПРИ КОРРЕКЦИИ ВОЗРАСТНЫХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ КОЖИ

Local and system influence the Repleri gel implants on the base of hyaluronic acid used to correct age-related changes in skin has been studied. Human stromal stem cells with CD44 membrane receptor to hyaluronic acid migrates in vitro into gel structure and maturates morphologically in fibroblast-like forms stained positively with acid phosphatase. Repleri gels implantation in the group of women with local and system age-related changes in homeostasis has positive local effect connected with full deletion of nasolabial fold in facial skin. Repleri gels injection has been decreasing during 1 year the system indices of real biological age as compared with chronological (passport) one. Lipoproteins and aspartate aminotransferase concentrations diminished statistically in women blood. An effect revealed may be considered as potential way of anti-age therapy of not only skin but parenchymal organs. At the same time, a long-term control of homeostasis distant indices in women with serious changes in parenchymal organs is necessary after local Repleri gels injection because of organism’s hormonal reactions.Изучено локальное и системное влияние гелевых имплантатов Repleri на основе гиалуроновой кислоты, применяемой для коррекции возрастных изменений кожи. Стромальные стволовые клетки человека, несущие рецептор CD44 к гиалуроновой кислоте, мигрируют in vitro в структуру геля и морфологически созревают в фибробластоподобные формы, позитивно окрашивающиеся на кислую фосфатазу. Имплантация гелей Repleri в группе женщин с локальными и системными возрастными изменениями гомеостаза дает положительный местный эстетический эффект, связанный с полным сглаживанием носогубной складки кожи лица. Введение гелей Repleri в течение 1 года снижало системные показатели реального биологического возраста в сравнении с хронологическим (паспортным). В крови пациенток статистически значимо уменьшались концентрации липопротеинов и аспартатаминотрансферазы. Обнаруженный эффект можно рассматривать в качестве потенциального способа антивозрастной терапии не только кожи, но и паренхиматозных органов. В то же время в связи с гормональными реакциями организма после местного назначения гелей Repleri требуется длительный контроль системных показателей гомеостаза у женщин с серьезными изменениями внутренних органов

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)