Endophytes for Improving Ryegrass Performance: Current Status and Future Possibilities

The endophyte N. lolii was introduced naturally into New Zealand and Australia when perennial ryegrass seed was brought into these countries. Although the presence of the endophyte was recognised early in the 19th Century, its effects were only discovered in the early 1980s when it was found that these Wild-type strains of endophyte caused ryegrass staggers, a neuromuscular condition of grazing animals (Fletcher and Harvey 1981), and that they also protected their hosts from the effects of Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis) a serious pest of ryegrass in New Zealand (Prestidge et al. 1982). These endophytes form systemic infections in the above-ground parts of their host plants, have no external stage and are maternally transmit-ted in seed. They produce alkaloids which have effects on herbivores, including sheep, cattle and invertebrates. Although all the alkaloids known to be produced by the endophytes have bioactivity against insects, not all are toxic to livestock. Research in New Zealand has focused on exploiting these endophytes for their natural biological control properties while minimising any effects on livestock

Effects of Storage Conditions on Endophyte and Seed Viability in Pasture Grasses

Several important temperate pasture grasses have co-evolved with mutualistic Epichloë fungal endophytes. These endophytes impart beneficial attributes to their host as they enhance the fitness of the grass when under biotic and abiotic stresses. The asexual species of these fungi (formerly classed as Neotyphodium) are obligate symbionts, and efficiently colonise newly formed tillers and infect seed by direct colonisation of the embryo. These endophytes are strictly seed transmitted. Survival of the fungus in this seed is therefore critical for the dissemination of endophyte-infected seed to grassland farmers. Longevity of endophyte in stored seed is primarily determined by the length of storage, temperature, and relative humidity as this is in equilibrium with seed moisture. Elevated temperature and relative humidity both reduce endophyte viability. The relative importance of each of these environmental parameters is unclear. Longevity may be further modified by grass species, cultivar, seed lot, and endophyte strain. Valuable seed requiring long term storage can utilise controlled storage facilities where temperature is preferably ≤ 5oC and relative humidity ≤ 30% (seed moisture \u3c 8%). For large quantities of commercial seed, moisture barrier packaging can be used

Cloning and expression of feline colony stimulating factor receptor (CSF-1R) and analysis of the species specificity of stimulation by colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) and interleukin-34 (IL-34).

AbstractColony stimulating factor (CSF-1) and its receptor, CSF-1R, have been previously well studied in humans and rodents to dissect the role they play in development of cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system. A second ligand for the CSF-1R, IL-34 has been described in several species. In this study, we have cloned and expressed the feline CSF-1R and examined the responsiveness to CSF-1 and IL-34 from a range of species. The results indicate that pig and human CSF-1 and human IL-34 are equally effective in cats, where both mouse CSF-1 and IL-34 are significantly less active. Recombinant human CSF-1 can be used to generate populations of feline bone marrow and monocyte derived macrophages that can be used to further dissect macrophage-specific gene expression in this species, and to compare it to data derived from mouse, human and pig. These results set the scene for therapeutic use of CSF-1 and IL-34 in cats

Design Evolution of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope Using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) and Lessons Learned

The design of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) continues to evolve as each design cycle is analyzed. In 2012, two Hubble sized (2.4 m diameter) telescopes were donated to NASA from elsewhere in the Federal Government. NASA began investigating potential uses for these telescopes and identified WFIRST as a mission to benefit from these assets. With an updated, deeper, and sharper field of view than previous design iterations with a smaller telescope, the optical designs of the WFIRST instruments were updated and the mechanical and thermal designs evolved around the new optical layout. Beginning with Design Cycle 3, significant analysis efforts yielded a design and model that could be evaluated for Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) purposes for the Wide Field Imager (WFI) and provided the basis for evaluating the high level observatory requirements. Development of the Cycle 3 thermal model provided some valuable analysis lessons learned and established best practices for future design cycles. However, the Cycle 3 design did include some major liens and evolving requirements which were addressed in the Cycle 4 Design. Some of the design changes are driven by requirements changes, while others are optimizations or solutions to liens from previous cycles. Again in Cycle 4, STOP analysis was performed and further insights into the overall design were gained leading to the Cycle 5 design effort currently underway. This paper seeks to capture the thermal design evolution, with focus on major design drivers, key decisions and their rationale, and lessons learned as the design evolved

Corrigendum: Causes and Consequences of Innate Immune Dysfunction in Cirrhosis

In the original article, we neglected to include the funder "Equity Trustees." The funding statement has therefore been revised as follows: "KI, IR, and DH are grateful for research funding support from the Mater Research Foundation and Equity Trustees, Australia." The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated

Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of enteric bacteria in an integrated population of swine and humans

In two longitudinal studies, we examined the transmission dynamics of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an integrated, semi-closed population of humans and swine

Ground and Excited States of Bis‐4‐Methoxybenzyl‐Substituted Diketopyrrolopyrroles: Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Studies

A series of symmetrically bis‐4‐methoxybenzyl (4MB) N‐substituted 1,4‐diketopyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole (DPP) derivatives have been synthesized. The 4MB unit makes the DPP core soluble, and shows subtle modification of up to 0.2 eV in ground and excited states of the core when compared with related alkyl derivatives. Absorption and emission spectroscopy, as well as electrochemical and computational methods have been employed to prove the importance of the peripheral aryl units on the donor/ acceptor properties of the molecules. The 4MB products are highly fluorescent (quantum yields approaching 100 % in solution), with a unique distribution of frontier states shown by spectroelectrochemistry. The solid‐state fluorescence correlates with the X‐ray crystal structures of the compounds, a Stokes shift of approximately 80 nm is seen for two of the compounds. The frontier energy levels show that this subtle substitutional change could be of future use in molecular energy level tailoring in these, and related, materials for organic (opto)electronics

Expression analysis of G Protein-coupled receptors in mouse macrophages

Background. Monocytes and macrophages express an extensive repertoire of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) that regulate inflammation and immunity. In this study we performed a systematic micro-array analysis of GPCR expression in primary mouse macrophages to identify family members that are either enriched in macrophages compared to a panel of other cell types, or are regulated by an inflammatory stimulus, the bacterial product lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results. Several members of the P2RY family had striking expression patterns in macrophages; P2ry6 mRNA was essentially expressed in a macrophage-specific fashion, whilst P2ry1 and P2ry5 mRNA levels were strongly down-regulated by LPS. Expression of several other GPCRs was either restricted to macrophages (e.g. Gpr84) or to both macrophages and neural tissues (e.g. P2ry12, Gpr85). The GPCR repertoire expressed by bone marrow-derived macrophages and thioglycollate- elicited peritoneal macrophages had some commonality, but there were also several GPCRs preferentially expressed by either cell population. Conclusion. The constitutive or regulated expression in macrophages of several GPCRs identified in this study has not previously been described. Future studies on such GPCRs and their agonists are likely to provide important insights into macrophage biology, as well as novel inflammatory pathways that could be future targets for drug discovery

The Quantity Theory of Money is Valid. The New Keynesians are Wrong!

We test the quantity theory of money (QTM) using a novel approach and a large new sample. We do not follow the usual approach of first differentiating the logarithm of the Cambridge equation to obtain an equation relating the growth rate of real GDP, the growth rate of money and inflation. These variables must then again be ‘integrated’ by averaging in order to obtain stable relationships. Instead we suggest a much simpler procedure for testing directly the stability of the coefficient of the Cambridge equation. For 125 countries and post-war data we find the coefficient to be surprisingly stable. We do not select for high inflation episodes as was done in most empirical studies; inflation rates do not even appear in our data set. Much work supporting the QTM has been done by economic historians and at the University of Chicago by Milton Friedman and his associates. The QTM was a foundation stone of the monetarist revolution. Subsequently belief in it waned. The currently dominant New Keynesian School, implicitly or explicitly denies the validity of the QTM. We survey this history and argue that the QTM is valid and New Keynesians are wrong

A QTL analysis of host plant effects on fungal endophyte biomass and alkaloid expression in perennial ryegrass.

The association between perennial ryegrass (Loliumperenne L.) and its Epichloë fungal endophyte symbiont, Epichloëfestucae var. lolii, supports the persistence of ryegrass-based pastures principally by producing bioactive alkaloid compounds that deter invertebrate herbivory. The host plant genotype affects endophyte trait expression, and elucidation of the underlying genetic mechanisms would enhance understanding of the symbiosis and support improvement of inplanta endophyte performance through plant breeding. Rapid metabolite profiling and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify endophyte alkaloids and mycelial mass (MM) in leaves harvested, in consecutive autumns, from an F1 mapping population hosting standard toxic endophyte. Co-aligned quantitative trait loci (QTL) on linkage groups (LG)2, LG4 and LG7 for MM and concentrations of alkaloids peramine and ergovaline confirmed host plant effects on both MM and alkaloid level and inferred the effect on alkaloids was modulated through the quantity of endophyte present in the leaf tissue. For ergovaline, host regulation independent of endophyte concentration was also indicated, by the presence of MM-independent ergovaline QTL on LG4 and LG7. Partitioning of host genetic influence between MM-dependent and MM-independent mechanisms was also observed for the alkaloid N-formylloline (NFL), in a second mapping population harbouring a tall fescue-sourced endophyte. Single-marker analysis on repeated MM and NFL measures identified marker-trait associations at nine genome locations, four affecting both NFL and MM but five influencing NFL concentration alone. Co-occurrence of QTL on LG3, LG4 and LG7 in both mapping populations is evidence for host regulatory loci effective across genetic backgrounds and independent of endophyte variant. Variation at these loci may be exploited using marker-assisted breeding to improve endophyte trait expression in different host population × endophyte combinations