10 research outputs found
Jasmonic Acid-Induced Changes in Brassica oleracea Affect Oviposition Preference of Two Specialist Herbivores
Jasmonic acid (JA) is a key hormone involved in plant defense responses. The effect of JA treatment of cabbage plants on their acceptability for oviposition by two species of cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae and P. brassicae, was investigated. Both butterfly species laid fewer eggs on leaves of JA-treated plants compared to control plants. We show that this is due to processes in the plant after JA treatment rather than an effect of JA itself. The oviposition preference for control plants is adaptive, as development time from larval hatch until pupation of P. rapae caterpillars was longer on JA-treated plants. Total glucosinolate content in leaf surface extracts was similar for control and treated plants; however, two of the five glucosinolates were present in lower amounts in leaf surface extracts of JA-treated plants. When the butterflies were offered a choice between the purified glucosinolate fraction isolated from leaf surface extracts of JA-treated plants and that from control plants, they did not discriminate. Changes in leaf surface glucosinolate profile, therefore, do not seem to explain the change in oviposition preference of the butterflies after JA treatment, suggesting that as yet unknown infochemicals are involved
AlteraƧƵes metabĆ³licas em plantas de feijĆ£o originadas de sementes microbiolizadas por Pseudomonas sp. e inoculadas com Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli
Effect of Prophylactic Valacyclovir on the Presence of Human Herpesvirus DNA in Saliva of Healthy Individuals after Dental Treatment
Human herpesviruses (HHVs) are ubiquitous pathogens that intermittently reactivate from latency. Transmission is believed to be facilitated by their frequent appearance in saliva. This study sought to understand the factors that influence the appearance of these viruses in saliva by examining the prevalence, pattern, and quantity of all eight HHVs in saliva of immunocompetent adults with a history of recurrent oral herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections following dental treatment and antiviral therapy. Valacyclovir or matched placebo was given (2 g twice on the day of treatment and 1 g twice the following day) to 125 patients in a randomized, double-blind controlled trial. Saliva, collected on the day of dental treatment and 3 and 7 days later, was analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR. At all visits, HHVs coinfected saliva. Over the course of the week, the DNAs of HHV-6 and HHV-7 were detected significantly more often (97% to 99% of patients) than Epstein-Barr virus (EBV; 64.8%), HSV-1 (13.0%), HHV-8 (3.2%), cytomegalovirus (2.4%), HSV-2 (0%), and varicella-zoster virus (0%), irrespective of drug treatment (P < 0.002). Mean genome copy numbers were highest for HSV-1 and HHV-6. Dental treatment did not influence asymptomatic viral shedding patterns. However, valacyclovir treatment resulted in significantly fewer patients shedding EBV at both postoperative visits compared with placebo (P < 0.008). These results suggest that HHVs are simultaneously present in the saliva of healthy adults at levels that could facilitate transmission, and valacyclovir therapy decreases the prevalence of EBV in saliva but has little effect on HHV-6 and HHV-7
Role of Achromobacter xylosoxidans AUM54 in Micropropagation of Endangered Medicinal Plant Naravelia zeylanica (L.) DC
Impact of chitosan seed treatment of fenugreek for management of root rot disease caused by Fusarium solani under in vitro and in vivo conditions
Regulation of the Mucosal Phenotype in Dendritic Cells by PPARĪ³: Role of Tissue Microenvironment
Mucosal DCs play a critical role in tissue homeostasis. Several stimuli can induce a mucosal phenotype; however, molecular pathways that regulate development of mucosal DC function are relatively unknown. This study sought to determine whether PPARĪ³ contributes to the development of the āmucosalā phenotype in mouse DCs. Experiments demonstrated that PPARĪ³ activation in BMDCs induced an immunosuppressive phenotype in which BMDCs had reduced expression of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules, increased ILā10 secretion, and reduced the ability to induce CD4 T cell proliferation. Activation of PPARĪ³ enhanced the ability of BMDC to polarize CD4 T cells toward iTregs and to induce T cell expression of the mucosal homing receptor, CCR9. Activation of PPARĪ³ increased the ability of BMDCs to induce T cellāindependent IgA production in B cells. BMDCs from PPARĪ³ĪDC mice displayed enhanced expression of costimulatory molecules, enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production, and decreased ILā10 synthesis. Contrary to the inflammatory BMDC phenotype in vitro, PPARĪ³ĪDC mice showed no change in the frequency or phenotype of mDC in the colon. In contrast, mDCs in the lungs were increased significantly in PPARĪ³ĪDC mice. A modest increase in colitis severity was observed in DSSātreated PPARĪ³ĪDC mice compared with control. These results indicate that PPARĪ³ activation induces a mucosal phenotype in mDCs and that loss of PPARĪ³ promotes an inflammatory phenotype. However, the intestinal microenvironment in vivo can maintain the mucosal DC phenotype of via PPARĪ³āindependent mechanisms