Effects of High-Level Acylsugar-Producing Tomato Lines on the Development of Tomato Psyllids (Hemiptera: Triozidae).

Acylsugars have been shown to provide activity against numerous insect pests of tomatoes. Comparison of acylsugar levels in four tomato plant lines, FA7/AS, FA2/AS, CU071026, and 'Yellow Pear', found that the acylsugar contents in the elevated acylsugar lines were significantly higher than the commercial Yellow Pear (control) tomato plant line. Adult choice tests indicated that the tomato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli, preferred to settle on the Yellow Pear and FA2/AS lines over the line with the highest content of acylsugars, FA7/AS, and the parental line, CU071026. The no-choice test demonstrated that adults laid fewer eggs on the high acylsugar tomato lines than on the control tomato line, Yellow Pear. For all high acylsugar lines, the relative growth index of the psyllid was significantly lower compared with the commercial line, indicating a reduced potential for population growth. Although some tomato psyllids completed their life cycle on the high acylsugar tomato plant lines, the percent survival of psyllids to the adult stage when developing on the high acylsugar lines was significantly less (range = 43.7-57.1%) than on the commercial tomato line (83.8%). All mortality occurred during the early stages of development (egg stage to third instar), which has implications for acquisition and transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, the causal agent of tomato vein greening disease. Therefore, with reduced attractiveness for tomato psyllids and significantly reduced survival, the high-acylsugar tomato plant lines have the potential to be part of an integrated pest management program for this pest

A thrips vector of tomato spotted wilt virus responds to tomato acylsugar chemical diversity with reduced oviposition and virus inoculation.

There is increasing evidence that acylsugars deter insect pests and plant virus vectors, including the western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), vector of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Acylsugars are sugar-polyesters composed of saturated, un-saturated, and variously branched short and long chain fatty acids (FAs) esterified to a glucose (acylglucose) or sucrose (acylsucrose) moiety. We sought to understand how acylsucrose amount and composition of associated FA profiles interacted to mediate resistance to WFT oviposition and TSWV inoculation on tomato leaves. Towards this goal, we examined WFT oviposition and TSWV inoculation behavior on tomato lines bred to exude varying amounts of acylsucrose in association with diverse FA profiles. Our data show that as acylsucrose amounts increased, WFT egg-laying (oviposition) decreased and TSWV inoculation was suppressed. Western flower thrips also responded to FA profiles that included iC4, iC11, nC12 and nC10 FA. These findings support improving acylsugar-mediated resistance against WFT by breeding tomatoes exuding greater amounts of acylsucrose associated with specific FA profiles. We show that increasing acylsucrose amount output by type IV trichomes and selecting for particular FA profiles through advanced breeding profoundly affects WFT behavior in ways that benefit management of WFT as direct pests and as TSWV vectors

The potato R locus codes for dihydroflavonol 4-reductase

The potato R locus is required for the production of red pelargonidin-based anthocyanin pigments in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Red color also requires tissue-specific regulatory genes, such as D (for expression in tuber skin) and F (expression in flowers). A related locus, P, is required for production of blue/purple anthocyanins; P is epistatic to R. We have previously reported that the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase gene (dfr) co-segregates with R. To test directly whether R corresponds to dfr, we placed the allele of dfr associated with red color under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter and introduced it into the potato cultivar Prince Hairy (genotype dddd rrrr P-), which has white tubers and pale blue flowers. Transgenic Prince Hairy tubers remained white, but flower color changed to purple. Three independent transgenic lines, as well as a vector-transformed line, were then crossed with the red-skinned variety Chieftain (genotype D-R-pppp), to establish populations that segregated for D, R, P, and the dfr transgene or empty vector. Markers were used to genotype progeny at D and R. Progeny carrying the empty vector in the genetic background D-rrrr produced white or purple tubers, while progeny with the same genotype and the dfr transgene produced red or purple tubers. HPLC and LC–MS/MS analyses of anthocyanins present in Chieftain and in a red-skinned progeny clone with the dfr transgene in a D-rrrr background revealed no qualitative differences. Thus, dfr can fully complement R, both in terms of tuber color and anthocyanin composition

The potato developer (D) locus encodes an R2R3 MYB transcription factor that regulates expression of multiple anthocyanin structural genes in tuber skin

A dominant allele at the D locus (also known as I in diploid potato) is required for the synthesis of red and purple anthocyanin pigments in tuber skin. It has previously been reported that D maps to a region of chromosome 10 that harbors one or more homologs of Petuniaan2, an R2R3 MYB transcription factor that coordinately regulates the expression of multiple anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in the floral limb. To test whether D acts similarly in tuber skin, RT-PCR was used to evaluate the expression of flavanone 3-hydroxylase (f3h), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (dfr) and flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (f3′5′h). All three genes were expressed in the periderm of red- and purple-skinned clones, while dfr and f3′5′h were not expressed, and f3h was only weakly expressed, in white-skinned clones. A potato cDNA clone with similarity to an2 was isolated from an expression library prepared from red tuber skin, and an assay developed to distinguish the two alleles of this gene in a diploid potato clone known to be heterozygous Dd. One allele was observed to cosegregate with pigmented skin in an F1 population of 136 individuals. This allele was expressed in tuber skin of red- and purple-colored progeny, but not in white tubers, while other parental alleles were not expressed in white or colored tubers. The allele was placed under the control of a doubled 35S promoter and transformed into the light red-colored cultivar Désirée, the white-skinned cultivar Bintje, and two white diploid clones known to lack the functional allele of D. Transformants accumulated pigment in tuber skin, as well as in other tissues, including young foliage, flower petals, and tuber flesh

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Differential and Synergistic Functionality of Acylsugars in Suppressing Oviposition by Insect Herbivores.

Acylsugars are secondary metabolites exuded from type IV glandular trichomes that provide broad-spectrum insect suppression for Solanum pennellii Correll, a wild relative of cultivated tomato. Acylsugars produced by different S. pennellii accessions vary by sugar moieties (glucose or sucrose) and fatty acid side chains (lengths and branching patterns). Our objective was to determine which acylsugar compositions more effectively suppressed oviposition of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Middle East--Asia Minor 1 Group), tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), and western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). We extracted and characterized acylsugars from four S. pennellii accessions with different compositions, as well as from an acylsugar-producing tomato breeding line. We also fractionated the acylsugars of one S. pennellii accession to examine the effects of its components. Effects of acylsugars on oviposition were evaluated by administering a range of doses to oviposition sites of adult whiteflies and thrips in non-choice and choice bioassays, respectively. The acylsugars from S. pennellii accessions and the tomato breeding line demonstrated differential functionality in their ability to alter the distribution of whitefly oviposition and suppress oviposition on acylsugar treated substrates. Tobacco thrips were sensitive to all compositions while western flower thrips and whiteflies were more sensitive to acylsugars from a subset of S. pennellii accessions. It follows that acylsugars could thus mediate plant-enemy interactions in such a way as to affect evolution of host specialization, resistance specificity, and potentially host differentiation or local adaptation. The acylsugars from S. pennellii LA1376 were separated by polarity into two fractions that differed sharply for their sugar moieties and fatty acid side chains. These fractions had different efficacies, with neither having activity approaching that of the original exudate. When these two fractions were recombined, the effect on both whiteflies and thrips exceeded the sum of the two fractions' effects, and was similar to that of the original exudate. These results suggest that increasing diversity of components within a mixture may increase suppression through synergistic interactions. This study demonstrates the potential for composition-specific deployment of acylsugars for herbivore oviposition suppression, either through in planta production by tomato lines, or as biocides applied by a foliar spray

A thrips vector of tomato spotted wilt virus responds to tomato acylsugar chemical diversity with reduced oviposition and virus inoculation.

There is increasing evidence that acylsugars deter insect pests and plant virus vectors, including the western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), vector of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Acylsugars are sugar-polyesters composed of saturated, un-saturated, and variously branched short and long chain fatty acids (FAs) esterified to a glucose (acylglucose) or sucrose (acylsucrose) moiety. We sought to understand how acylsucrose amount and composition of associated FA profiles interacted to mediate resistance to WFT oviposition and TSWV inoculation on tomato leaves. Towards this goal, we examined WFT oviposition and TSWV inoculation behavior on tomato lines bred to exude varying amounts of acylsucrose in association with diverse FA profiles. Our data show that as acylsucrose amounts increased, WFT egg-laying (oviposition) decreased and TSWV inoculation was suppressed. Western flower thrips also responded to FA profiles that included iC4, iC11, nC12 and nC10 FA. These findings support improving acylsugar-mediated resistance against WFT by breeding tomatoes exuding greater amounts of acylsucrose associated with specific FA profiles. We show that increasing acylsucrose amount output by type IV trichomes and selecting for particular FA profiles through advanced breeding profoundly affects WFT behavior in ways that benefit management of WFT as direct pests and as TSWV vectors