<i>APETALA2</i> functions as a temporal factor together with <i>BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2</i> and <i>MADS29</i> to control flower and grain development in barley

Cereal grain develops from fertilised florets. Alterations in floret and grain development greatly influence grain yield and quality. Despite this, little is known about the underlying genetic control of these processes, especially in key temperate cereals such as barley and wheat. Using a combination of near-isogenic mutant comparisons, gene editing and genetic analyses, we reveal that HvAPETALA2 (HvAP2) controls floret organ identity, floret boundaries, and maternal tissue differentiation and elimination during grain development. These new roles of HvAP2 correlate with changes in grain size and HvAP2-dependent expression of specific HvMADS-box genes, including the B-sister gene, HvMADS29 Consistent with this, gene editing demonstrates that HvMADS29 shares roles with HvAP2 in maternal tissue differentiation. We also discovered that a gain-of-function HvAP2 allele masks changes in floret organ identity and grain size due to loss of barley LAXATUM.A/ BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 (HvBOP2) gene function. Taken together, we reveal novel, pleiotropic roles and regulatory interactions for an APETALA2-like gene controlling floret and grain development in a temperate cereal.Jennifer R. Shoesmith, Charles Ugochukwu Solomon, Xiujuan Yang, Laura G. Wilkinson, Scott Sheldrick, Ewan van Eijden ... et al

Acute thrombosis of the superior mesenteric artery in a 39-year-old woman with protein-S deficiency: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Acute thromboembolic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery is a condition with an unfavorable prognosis. Treatment of this condition is focused on early diagnosis, surgical or intravascular restoration of blood flow to the ischemic intestine, surgical resection of the necrotic bowel and supportive intensive care. In this report, we describe a case of a 39-year-old woman who developed a small bowel infarct because of an acute thrombotic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, also involving the splenic artery.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 39-year-old Caucasian woman presented with acute abdominal pain and signs of intestinal occlusion. The patient was given an abdominal computed tomography scan and ultrasonography in association with Doppler ultrasonography, highlighting a thrombosis of the celiac trunk, of the superior mesenteric artery, and of the splenic artery. She immediately underwent an explorative laparotomy, and revascularization was performed by thromboendarterectomy with a Fogarty catheter. In the following postoperative days, she was given a scheduled second and third look, evidencing necrotic jejunal and ileal handles. During all the surgical procedures, we performed intraoperative Doppler ultrasound of the superior mesenteric artery and celiac trunk to control the arterial flow without evidence of a new thrombosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Acute mesenteric ischemia is a rare abdominal emergency that is characterized by a high mortality rate. Generally, acute mesenteric ischemia is due to an impaired blood supply to the intestine caused by thromboembolic phenomena. These phenomena may be associated with a variety of congenital prothrombotic disorders. A prompt diagnosis is a prerequisite for successful treatment. The treatment of choice remains laparotomy and thromboendarterectomy, although some prefer an endovascular approach. A second-look laparotomy could be required to evaluate viable intestinal handles. Some authors support a laparoscopic second-look. The possibility of evaluating the arteriotomy, during a repeated laparotomy with a Doppler ultrasound, is crucial to show a new thrombosis. Although the prognosis of acute mesenteric ischemia due to an acute arterial mesenteric thrombosis remains poor, a prompt diagnosis, aggressive surgical treatment and supportive intensive care unit could improve the outcome for patients with this condition.</p

A highly mutagenised barley (cv. Golden Promise) TILLING population coupled with strategies for screening-by-sequencing

Background:We developed and characterised a highly mutagenised TILLING population of the barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivar Golden Promise. Golden Promise is the 'reference' genotype for barley transformation and a primary objective of using this cultivar was to be able to genetically complement observed mutations directly in order to prove gene function. Importantly, a reference genome assembly of Golden Promise has also recently been developed. As our primary interest was to identify mutations in genes involved in meiosis and recombination, to characterise the population we focused on a set of 46 genes from the literature that are possible meiosis gene candidates. Results:Sequencing 20 plants from the population using whole exome capture revealed that the mutation density in this population is high (one mutation every 154 kb), and consequently even in this small number of plants we identified several interesting mutations. We also recorded some issues with seed availability and germination. We subsequently designed and applied a simple two-dimensional pooling strategy to identify mutations in varying numbers of specific target genes by Illumina short read pooled-amplicon sequencing and subsequent deconvolution. In parallel we assembled a collection of semi-sterile mutants from the population and used a custom exome capture array targeting the 46 candidate meiotic genes to identify potentially causal mutations. Conclusions:We developed a highly mutagenised barley TILLING population in the transformation competent cultivar Golden Promise. We used novel and cost-efficient screening approaches to successfully identify a broad range of potentially deleterious variants that were subsequently validated by Sanger sequencing. These resources combined with a high-quality genome reference sequence opens new possibilities for efficient functional gene validation.Miriam Schreiber, Abdellah Barakate, Nicola Uzrek, Malcolm Macaulay, Adeline Sourdille, Jenny Morris, Pete E. Hedley, Luke Ramsay and Robbie Waug

Endophytic actinomycetes from spontaneous plants of Algerian Sahara: indole-3-acetic acid production and tomato plants growth promoting activity

Twenty-seven endophytic actinomycete strains were isolated from five spontaneous plants well adapted to the poor sandy soil and arid climatic conditions of the Algerian Sahara. Morphological and chemotaxonomical analysis indicated that twenty-two isolates belonged to the Streptomyces genus and the remaining five were non- Streptomyces. All endophytic strains were screened for their ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in vitro on a chemically defined medium. Eighteen strains were able to produce IAA and the maximum production occurred with the Streptomyces sp. PT2 strain. The IAA produced was further extracted, partially purified and confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis and phylogenetic studies indicated that strain PT2 was closely related to Streptomyces enissocaecilis NRRL B 16365T, Streptomyces rochei NBRC 12908T and Streptomyces plicatus NBRC 13071T, with 99.52 % similarity. The production of IAA was affected by cultural conditions such as temperature, pH, incubation period and L-tryptophan concentration. The highest level of IAA production (127 lg/ml) was obtained by cultivating the Streptomyces sp. PT2 strain in yeast extract-tryptone broth supplemented with 5 mg L-tryptophan/ ml at pH 7 and incubated on a rotary shaker (200 rpm) at 30°C for 5 days. Twenty-four-hour treatment of tomato cv. Marmande seeds with the supernatant culture of Streptomyces sp. PT2 that contained the crude IAA showed the maximum effect in promoting seed germination and root elongation

A randomized controlled trial of tea tree oil (5%) body wash versus standard body wash to prevent colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in critically ill adults: research protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the past ten years MRSA has become endemic in hospitals and is associated with increased healthcare costs. Critically ill patients are most at risk, in part because of the number of invasive therapies that they require in the intensive care unit (ICU). Washing with 5% tea tree oil (TTO) has been shown to be effective in removing MRSA on the skin. However, to date, no trials have evaluated the potential of TTO body wash to prevent MRSA colonization or infection. In addition, detecting MRSA by usual culture methods is slow. A faster method using a PCR assay has been developed in the laboratory, but requires evaluation in a large number of patients.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This study protocol describes the design of a multicentre, phase II/III prospective open-label randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate whether a concentration of 5% TTO is effective in preventing MRSA colonization in comparison with a standard body wash (Johnsons Baby Softwash) in the ICU. In addition we will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of TTO body wash and assess the effectiveness of the PCR assay in detecting MRSA in critically ill patients. On admission to intensive care, swabs from the nose and groin will be taken to screen for MRSA as per current practice. Patients will be randomly assigned to be washed with the standard body wash or TTO body wash. On discharge from the unit, swabs will be taken again to identify whether there is a difference in MRSA colonization between the two groups.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>If TTO body wash is found to be effective, widespread implementation of such a simple colonization prevention tool has the potential to impact on patient outcomes, healthcare resource use and patient confidence both nationally and internationally.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>[ISRCTN65190967]</p

Preliminary assessment of insecticidal activity of Moroccan actinobacteria isolates against mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata)

Microbial insecticides are considered as the most sustainable and ecologically acceptable means of crop protection. Here we report the ability of some Moroccan actinobacteria isolates to produce larvicidal compounds against the Medfly (Ceratitis capitata Wied.). Thus, actinobacteria isolates were tested for their insecticidal activity through biological and chemical screening. The primary biological screening using the brine shrimp bioassay showed that 12 isolates out of 210 (5.71%) have been found to be highly toxic at the concentration of 100 µg mL-1. Among these, isolates OS46, 37 and B62 were the most toxic with an LC50 of 0.26, 0.34 and 0.84 µg mL-1, respectively. The freeze-dried fermentation of the selected isolates showed moderate to high insecticidal activity against the first instar larvae of C. capitata, and the most important pupation reduction was obtained for isolates 37 and B89 (0 and 6% of pupation, respectively). The chemical screening on thin layer chromatography of the crude extract of the most important isolates using specific insecticide family’s reagents showed a variety of compounds depending on isolate with at least one active spot for each tested specific reagent. Finally, the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity test was carried out in order to assess the possible nature of insecticidal activity of selected isolates. The obtained results show that, except the isolate 37 which probably acts by a different mode of action, all other isolates were active. This finding could have an applicative value for the potentiality of utilizing Moroccan actinobacteria isolates as an alternative to chemical insecticides in pest management mainly against C. capitata. Key words: Moroccan actinobacteria, insecticidal activity, biological screening, chemical screening, &lt;i&gt;Ceratitis capitata&lt;/i&gt