Biological control of tomato collar rot induced by <i>Sclerotium rolfsii</i> using <i>Trichoderma</i> species isolated in Bangladesh

<p>This study evaluated three <i>Trichoderma</i> strains (<i>T. harzianum</i> TR05, <i>T. virens</i> TR06 and <i>T. asperellum</i> TR08) originating from Bangladesh as potential biological control agents against collar rot of tomato under greenhouse conditions. After seed treatment with TR05, a disease incidence of collar rot (5.36%) was lower than for TR06 (34.2%) and TR08 (20.8%). Germination percentage of tomato was highest for TR05 (90.3%). In soil treatment, inoculation with TR08 resulted in the lowest disease incidence (9.78%), and the disease incidence was statistically no different from that for TR05 (16.4%). Thus, TR05 and TR08 have potential as biological control agents of collar rot in tomato.</p

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community of wheat under long-term mineral and organic amendments in semi-arid Mediterranean Turkey

<p>A minimal amount of information is currently available concerning arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal associations with crops in semi-arid zones on Leptosols in Turkey. Therefore, using molecular ecological techniques, we studied the effects of different management practices (without fertilization, chemical fertilization, farmyard manure, and plant compost amendments) on AM fungal communities associated with wheat roots. Experiments were conducted in a field established in 1996 in southern Mediterranean Turkey where soil productivity is low owing to unfavorable climatic effects and soil characteristics. We determined 201 partial sequences of AM fungal nuclear ribosomal large subunit genes. The higher AM fungal richness was found in the control treatment without fertilization and plant compost treatments compared with the chemical fertilization and farmyard manure treatments. Clones related to <i>Rhizophagus</i> were found in all treatments and accounted for 37% of the total AM fungal clones, whereas those of <i>Funneliformis</i> were dominant under chemical fertilization. Redundancy analysis based on the frequency of operational taxonomic units revealed that AM fungal communities were divided into three groups, namely, the control treatment, the chemical fertilization treatment, and the organic treatments (farmyard manure and plant compost treatments). Although different organic amendments supported relatively similar AM fungal communities, plant compost induced higher AM fungal richness than farmyard manure fertilization.</p

Effects of mogrol on the cell viability of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

<p>3T3-L1 cells were incubated in the presence the indicated concentrations of mogrol for 8 days. Medium with mogrol was exchanged every two days. After incubation with 5% AlamarBlue dye for 4 h, the cell viabilities were determined. Data represent the mean ± SD of a representative of three independent experiments with four replicates. No statistically significant differences were observed for the comparison with cells in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar) using one way ANOVA with Dunnett’s post-hoc test.</p

Effects of mogrol and its glycosides on lipid accumulation by 3T3-L1 cells during differentiation.

<p>3T3-L1 cells were differentiated in the presence of mogrol (20 μM) or its glycosides (20 μM) for 8 days. (A) Representative images of Oil Red O staining derived from three independent experiments. (B,C) Mean ± SD cellular TG levels derived from a representative of independent experiments. Error bars indicate the SD of three replicates. *<i>p</i> < 0.05 for the comparison with cells differentiated in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar), one way ANOVA and Dunnett’s post-hoc testing.</p

Effects of mogrol on the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

<p>3T3-L1 cells were differentiated in the presence of mogrol (20 μM) from days 0–1 or from days 4–7, with cell lysates were prepared on days 1 and 7, respectively. The cell lysates were analyzed by Western blotting with anti-phosphorylated-AMPK (p-AMPK) or anti-AMPK antibodies. Data are representative of four independent experiments with similar results. The band intensity of phosphorylated AMPK was expressed relative to the band intensity of total AMPK. Error bars indicate the SD (n = 4); *<i>p</i> < 0.05 for the comparison with cells differentiated in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar), one way ANOVA with Dunnett’s post-hoc test.</p

Chemical structures of mogrol and its glycosides isolated from <i>S</i>. <i>grosvenorii</i> fruit.

<p>Glc represents the β-D-glucopyranosyl group.</p

Effects of mogrol on CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) expression and cAMP response element (CRE)-mediated transcription.

<p>(A) On day 0, 3T3-L1 cells were pretreated with 20 μM mogrol for 30 min, and cells were stimulated by insulin, dexamethasone (DEX), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) for the indicated time-periods. Total RNA was extracted from the cells and the expression of C/EBPβ relative to that of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was analyzed by real-time PCR. Different letters mean statistically significant differences, determined by one way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (B) Two days before day 0, 3T3-L1 cells were transfected with p4xCRE-TATA-Luc and pGL4.74[hRluc/TK]. On day 0, the medium was exchanged to differentiation medium and the cells were stimulated with 0.5 mM IBMX for 24 h prior to the determination of luciferase activities. *<i>p</i> < 0.05 for the comparison with cells differentiated in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar), one way ANOVA with Dunnett’s post-hoc test. Data indicate the mean ± SD and are representative of three independent experiments with similar results. Error bars represents the SD of three (A) or four (B) replicates. (C) On day 0, cells that had been pretreated with mogrol or AICAR for 30 min in differentiation medium were stimulated by differentiation initiators for 5 min. The cell lysates were then analyzed for cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) or phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) by Western blotting. Photographs are representative of four independent experiments with similar results. The band intensity of phosphorylated CREB was expressed relative to the band intensity of total CREB. Error bars represent the SD of four independent experiments; *<i>p</i> < 0.05 for the comparison with cells differentiated in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar), one way ANOVA with Dunnett’s post-hoc test.</p

Effects of mogrol during the different stages of 3T3-L1 differentiation.

<p>3T3-L1 cells were differentiated for 8 days and 20 μM mogrol was only added at the indicated stages of cell differentiation. The amounts of (A) triglyceride (TG), (B) DNA, and (C) glycerol-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity were determined. Data represent the mean ± SD of a representative result of three independent experiments. Error bars indicate the SD of three (A, C) or six (B) replicates. *<i>p</i> < 0.05 for the comparison with cells differentiated in the absence of mogrol (solid black bar), one way ANOVA with Dunnett’s post-hoc test.</p

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining of liver tissues.

A-D) Positively stained hepatocytes are observed in 3-month-old male (A) and female (B) TSOD mice and 9-month-old male (C) and female (D) db/db mice (original magnification ×400). E) The number of positively stained hepatocytes is significantly higher in 3-month-old male TSOD mice than in females (one-tailed t-test), but there is no significant sex difference in 9-month-old TSOD mice. F) For db/db mice, there is no significant sex difference in both age groups.</p

Serum FGF21 levels.

(XLSX)</p