A microbiological assay for host-specific fungal polyketide toxins

Genetic analysis of biosynthetic pathways for fungal secondary metabolites depends on availability of efficient and dependable assays for the end products. Some fungal plant pathogens produce secondary metabolites called host-specific toxins. Until recently, all bioassays for these toxins required use of whole plants or plant parts (Yoder 1981 In: Toxins in Plant Disease, Durbin ed., pp. 45-78). Since host-specific toxins, by definition, affect only plants that are susceptible to the toxin-producing fungus, other plants, animals and microorganisms are not sensitive and therefore cannot be used in bioassays

Zinc modulates GABAB binding in rat brain

The effects of ZnCl2 on [3H]GABA binding to GABAA and GABAB binding sites were investigated using receptor autoradiography. At concentrations exceeding 100 [mu]M, zinc non-competitively inhibited GABAB binding in a dose dependent fashion. GABAA binding was not inhibited significantly by zinc eliminating the possibility of a non-specific effect of zinc. Increased calcium concentrations up to 10 MM enhanced total GABAB binding but did not prevent zinc induced inhibition of GABAB binding, indicating a separate site of action for these cations at the GABAB binding site. In some regions, zinc modulates GABAB binding in a biphasic manner as concentrations of 10-100 [mu]M zinc significantly enhanced GABAB binding in the hippocampus and the molecular layer of the cerebellum but not in the thalamus. These results provide further evidence for a neuromodulatory role for zinc in the central nervous system.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29723/1/0000057.pd

GABAB binding sites in early adult and aging rat brain

The effect of aging on GABAB binding was investigated in rat brain. Receptor autoradiography was used to investigate both GABAB and GABAA binding at 2 months, 3 months, 13 months, and 23 months. GABAB binding decreases significantly between 2 months and 23 months of age, as does GABAA binding, with was investigated in rat brain. Receptor autoradiography was used to investigate both GABAB and GABAA binding at 2 months, 3 months, 13 months, and 23 months. GABAB binding decreases significantly between 2 months and 23 months of age, as does GABAA binding, with greatest decrease between 2 and 3 months. The decrease in GABAB binding appears to be due to a decrease in binding site affinity rather than a decrease in receptor density. The noncompetitive GABAB antagonist zinc, the competitive GABAB antagonist CGP 35348, and the guanyl nucleotide analogue GTP-[gamma]-S all inhibit GABAB binding identically in 2 month and 23 month brain. These data indicate subtle age-related changes in the GABAB binding in early adult life but little change with senescence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31228/1/0000130.pd

Development of exchange lists for M editerranean and H ealthy E ating D iets: implementation in an intervention trial

Background There has been little research published on the adaptation of diabetic exchange list diet approaches for the design of intervention diets in health research despite their clinical utility. The exchange list approach can provide clear and precise guidance on multiple dietary changes simultaneously. The present study aimed to develop exchange list diets for M editerranean and H ealthy E ating, and to evaluate adherence, dietary intakes and markers of health risks with each counselling approach in 120 subjects at increased risk for developing colon cancer. Methods A randomised clinical trial was implemented in the USA involving telephone counselling. The M editerranean diet had 10 dietary goals targeting increases in mono‐unsaturated fats, n ‐3 fats, whole grains and the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables. The Healthy Eating diet had five dietary goals that were based on the US H ealthy P eople 2010 recommendations. Results Dietary compliance was similar in both diet arms, with 82–88% of goals being met at 6 months, although subjects took more time to achieve the M editerranean goals than the H ealthy E ating goals. The relatively modest fruit and vegetable goals in the Healthy Eating arm were exceeded, resulting in fruit and vegetable intakes of approximately eight servings per day in each arm after 6 months. A significant ( P  < 0.05) weight loss and a decrease in serum C ‐reactive protein concentrations were observed in the overweight/obese subgroup of subjects in the M editerranean arm in the absence of weight loss goals. Conclusions Counselling for the M editerranean diet may be useful for both improving diet quality and for achieving a modest weight loss in overweight or obese individuals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108685/1/jhn12158.pd

Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan : ASC software quality engineering practices Version 3.0.

The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in the US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency (DOE/NNSA) Quality Criteria, Revision 10 (QC-1) as 'conformance to customer requirements and expectations'. This quality plan defines the SNL ASC Program software quality engineering (SQE) practices and provides a mapping of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirement (CPR) 001.3.6; 'Corporate Software Engineering Excellence'. This plan also identifies ASC management's and the software project teams responsibilities in implementing the software quality practices and in assessing progress towards achieving their software quality goals. This SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitments to improving software products by applying cost-effective SQE practices. This plan enumerates the SQE practices that comprise the development of SNL ASC's software products and explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices

Multiple Scale Reorganization of Electrostatic Complexes of PolyStyrene Sulfonate and Lysozyme

We report on a SANS investigation into the potential for these structural reorganization of complexes composed of lysozyme and small PSS chains of opposite charge if the physicochemical conditions of the solutions are changed after their formation. Mixtures of solutions of lysozyme and PSS with high matter content and with an introduced charge ratio [-]/[+]intro close to the electrostatic stoichiometry, lead to suspensions that are macroscopically stable. They are composed at local scale of dense globular primary complexes of radius ~ 100 {\AA}; at a higher scale they are organized fractally with a dimension 2.1. We first show that the dilution of the solution of complexes, all other physicochemical parameters remaining constant, induces a macroscopic destabilization of the solutions but does not modify the structure of the complexes at submicronic scales. This suggests that the colloidal stability of the complexes can be explained by the interlocking of the fractal aggregates in a network at high concentration: dilution does not break the local aggregate structure but it does destroy the network. We show, secondly, that the addition of salt does not change the almost frozen inner structure of the cores of the primary complexes, although it does encourage growth of the complexes; these coalesce into larger complexes as salt has partially screened the electrostatic repulsions between two primary complexes. These larger primary complexes remain aggregated with a fractal dimension of 2.1. Thirdly, we show that the addition of PSS chains up to [-]/[+]intro ~ 20, after the formation of the primary complex with a [-]/[+]intro close to 1, only slightly changes the inner structure of the primary complexes. Moreover, in contrast to the synthesis achieved in the one-step mixing procedure where the proteins are unfolded for a range of [-]/[+]intro, the native conformation of the proteins is preserved inside the frozen core

101 Dothideomycetes genomes: A test case for predicting lifestyles and emergence of pathogens.

Dothideomycetes is the largest class of kingdom Fungi and comprises an incredible diversity of lifestyles, many of which have evolved multiple times. Plant pathogens represent a major ecological niche of the class Dothideomycetes and they are known to infect most major food crops and feedstocks for biomass and biofuel production. Studying the ecology and evolution of Dothideomycetes has significant implications for our fundamental understanding of fungal evolution, their adaptation to stress and host specificity, and practical implications with regard to the effects of climate change and on the food, feed, and livestock elements of the agro-economy. In this study, we present the first large-scale, whole-genome comparison of 101 Dothideomycetes introducing 55 newly sequenced species. The availability of whole-genome data produced a high-confidence phylogeny leading to reclassification of 25 organisms, provided a clearer picture of the relationships among the various families, and indicated that pathogenicity evolved multiple times within this class. We also identified gene family expansions and contractions across the Dothideomycetes phylogeny linked to ecological niches providing insights into genome evolution and adaptation across this group. Using machine-learning methods we classified fungi into lifestyle classes with &gt;95&nbsp;% accuracy and identified a small number of gene families that positively correlated with these distinctions. This can become a valuable tool for genome-based prediction of species lifestyle, especially for rarely seen and poorly studied species