Entretien avec Ully Pickard

À l’occasion d’un entretien-témoignage pour un documentaire sur Jacques Becker, nous avions rencontré Ully Pickard, assistant de production ou assistant-réalisateur qui avait travaillé avec Jacques Becker (Casque d’or), Robert Siodmak, Max Ophuls, René Clément, Luis Buñuel (pour des films produits en France), et qui au moment de cet entretien était toujours le collaborateur du producteur Serge Silbermann. Parlant de la flexibilité de Becker et de sa faculté d’adaptation aux conditions de tour..

Sex Pheromone of Cocoa Pod Borer, Conopomorpha cramerella: Field Activity Evaluation of Pheromone Formulations in an Indonesia Plantation

The previously identified female sex pheromone of cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was re-evaluated for male attraction using six different pheromone formulations in Indonesian cocoa plantations. In a dose-response experiment, the 0.1 mg pheromone load was significantly more attractive to male CPB than the lower doses tested. Additionally, during the first four-week trapping period, USDA (Beltsville, MD, USA) lures containing 0.1 mg of synthetic pheromone blend exhibited significantly better attraction than the commercial lure obtained from Alpha Scents, Inc. (Canby, OR, USA) with the same pheromone load (0.1 mg). Although the 1.0 mg lure did not show any higher attraction than the 0.1 mg lure during the first month, it was significantly attractive for CPB males with the same weekly average capture efficacy for the whole twenty-seven weeks in field conditions in 2018. A long-life pheromone lure can be particularly useful in monitoring large-scale cocoa farms

Albert Capellani, allers et retours

En 1914, Albert Capellani est au sommet de sa carrière. Il est un des premiers metteurs en scène français à entreprendre des longs métrages après avoir réalisé environ 80 films de courts métrages de une à trois bobines. Il est reconnu comme un metteur en scène talentueux. Le 5 juillet 1912 sort à l’Omnia Pathé Les Mystères de Paris qui fait sensation avec une durée de 90 minutes projeté en une seule séance. Le 3 janvier 1913, dans la même salle de cinéma, sont projetés les premier et deuxième..

Mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) species associated with cacao mild mosaic virus and evidence of virus acquisition

Theobroma cacao is affected by viruses on every continent where the crop is cultivated, with the most well-known ones belonging to the Badnavirus genus. One of these, cacao mild mosaic virus (CaMMV), is present in the Americas, and is transmitted by several species of Pseudococcidae (mealybugs). To determine which species are associated with virus-affected cacao plants in North America, and to assess their potential as vectors, mealybugs (n = 166) were collected from infected trees in Florida, and identified using COI, ITS2, and 28S markers. The species present were Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi (38%; n = 63), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (34.3%; n = 57), Pseudococcus comstocki (15.7%; n = 26), and Ferrisia virgata (12%; n = 20). Virus acquisition was assessed by testing mealybug DNA (0.8 ng) using a nested PCR that amplified a 500 bp fragment of the movement protein–coat protein region of CaMMV. Virus sequences were obtained from 34.6 to 43.1% of the insects tested; however, acquisition did not differ among species, X2 (3, N = 166) = 0.56, p < 0.91. This study identified two new mealybug species, P. jackbeardsleyi and M. hirsutus, as potential vectors of CaMMV. This information is essential for understanding the infection cycle of CaMMV and developing effective management strategies

Development of a Kairomone-Based Attractant as a Monitoring Tool for the Cocoa Pod Borer, Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

The cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella, is a major economic pest of cocoa, Theobroma cacao, in Southeast Asia. CPB monitoring programs currently use a costly synthetic pheromone lure attractive to males. Field trapping experiments demonstrating an effective plant-based alternative are presented in this study. Five lychee-based products were compared for their attractiveness to CPB males. The organic lychee flavor extract (OLFE), the most attractive product, captured significantly more CPB as a 1 mL vial formulation than unbaited traps, while being competitive with the commercial pheromone lures. Additional experiments show that a 20 mL membrane OLFE lure was most effective, attracting significantly more CPB than the pheromone. When the kairomone and pheromone lures were combined, no additive or synergistic effects were observed. Concentrating the OLFE product (OLFEc) using a rotary evaporator increased the lure attractiveness to field longevity for up to 28 weeks; in contrast, pheromone lures were effective for approximately 4 weeks. The 20 mL concentrated OLFE membrane lures should provide a cheaper and more efficient monitoring tool for CPB than the current commercial pheromone lures

Shp-2 Is Dispensable for Establishing T Cell Exhaustion and for PD-1 Signaling In Vivo.

In chronic infection and cancer, T cells acquire a dysfunctional state characterized by the expression of inhibitory receptors. In vitro studies implicated the phosphatase Shp-2 downstream of these receptors, including PD-1. However, whether Shp-2 is responsible in vivo for such dysfunctional responses remains elusive. To address this, we generated T cell-specific Shp-2-deficient mice. These mice did not show differences in controlling chronic viral infections. In this context, Shp-2-deleted CD8 &lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; T lymphocytes expanded moderately better but were less polyfunctional than control cells. Mice with Shp-2-deficient T cells also showed no significant improvement in controlling immunogenic tumors and responded similarly to controls to α-PD-1 treatment. We therefore showed that Shp-2 is dispensable in T cells for globally establishing exhaustion and for PD-1 signaling in vivo. These results reveal the existence of redundant mechanisms downstream of inhibitory receptors and represent the foundation for defining these relevant molecular events

Host switching in a generalist parasitoid: Contrasting transient and transgenerational costs associated with novel and original host species

Parasitoids face challenges by switching between host species that influence survival and fitness, determine their role in structuring communities, influence species invasions, and affect their importance as biocontrol agents. In the generalist parasitoid, Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), we investigated the costs in encapsulation, survival, and body size on juveniles when adult parasitoids switched from their original host, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidotera, Pyralidae) to a novel host, Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae), over multiple generations. Switching had an initial survival cost for juvenile parasitoids in the novel host, but increased survival occurred within two generations. Conversely, mortality in the original host increased. Body size, a proxy for fecundity, also increased with the number of generations in the novel host species, reflecting adaptation or maternal effects due to the larger size of the novel host, and therefore greater resources available to the developing parasitoid. Switching to a novel host appears to have initial costs for a parasitoid, even when the novel host may be better quality, but the costs rapidly diminish. We predict that the net cost of switching to a novel host for parasitoids will be complex and will depend on the initial reduction in fitness from parasitizing a novel host versus local adaptations against parasitoids in the original host

Two Arabidopsis late pollen transcripts are detected in cytoplasmic granules

Many of mRNAs synthesized during pollen development are translated after germination, and we hypothesize that they are stored in cytoplasmic granules. We analyzed the cellular localization of the SKS14 and AT59 Arabidopsis mRNAs, which are orthologues of the tobacco NTP303 and tomato LAT59 pollen mRNAs, respectively, by artificially labeling the transcripts with a MS2-GFP chimera. A MATLAB-automated image analysis helped to identify the presence of cytoplasmic SKS14 and AT59 mRNA granules in mature pollen grains. These mRNA granules partially colocalized with VCS and DCP1, two processing body (PB) proteins. Finally, we found a temporal correlation between SKS14 protein accumulation and the disappearance of SKS14 mRNA granules during pollen germination. These results contribute to unveil a mechanism for translational regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana pollen.Fil: Scarpin, Maria Regina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular ; ArgentinaFil: Sigaut, Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Temprana, Silvio Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Boccaccio, Graciela Lidia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Pietrasanta, Lia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Muschietti, Jorge Prometeo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular ; Argentin

Shp-2 is dispensable for establishing T cell exhaustion and for PD-1 signaling in vivo

In chronic infection and cancer, T cells acquire a dysfunctional state characterized by the expression of inhibitory receptors. In vitro studies implicated the phosphatase Shp-2 downstream of these receptors, including PD-1. However, whether Shp-2 is responsible in vivo for such dysfunctional responses remains elusive. To address this, we generated T cell- specific Shp-2-deficient mice. These mice did not show differences in controlling chronic viral infections. In this context, Shp-2-deleted CD8+ T lymphocytes expanded moderately better but were less polyfunctional than control cells. Mice with Shp-2-deficient T cells also showed no significant improvement in controlling immunogenic tumors and responded similarly to controls to α-PD-1 treatment. We therefore showed that Shp-2 is dispensable in T cells for globally establishing exhaustion and for PD-1 signaling in vivo. These results reveal the existence of redundant mechanisms downstream of inhibitory receptors and represent the foundation for defining these relevant molecular events