Molekulare Diagnostik für den Umweltsektor

Überall dort, wo Lupe und Bestimmungsschlüssel keine Klarheit mehr verschaffen, eröffnen genetische Analysen den Forschenden neue Erkenntnisse und vertiefte Einblicke. Das Institut für Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen, IUNR, nutzt diese Entwicklung mit dem Aufbau der Molekularbiologie im Agrar- und Umweltsektor für institutsinterne Dienstleistungen sowie als F&E-Partner

Botrytis-Resistenzen auf Erdbeeren

Der Wachstumstest 2018 zeigte bei 43 Prozent aller untersuchten Botrytisstämme mehr als fünf Resistenzen auf. Das genetische Resistenzpotenzial bei einjährigen Erdbeerpflanzen lag bei 61 Prozent

Simultaneous detection and identification of pathogenic fungi in wheat using a DNA macroarray

The detection of economically important pathogens is a key element in sustainable wheat production and a prerequisite for crop protection. The objective of the project was to develop a DNA macroarray for fast and cost-effective detection of nine pathogenic fungi in wheat: Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium poae, Microdochium nivale var. majus, Microdochium nivale var. nivale, Puccinia recondita, Septoria tritici, Septoria nodorum and Pyrenophora tritici-repentis. Methodically, a macroarray is similar to a microarray but without the need for expensive equipment. PCR labelled samples of DNA are hybridized to pathogen-specific oligonucleotides (probes) anchored to a solid support. A positive reaction between an amplicon and a perfectly matched oligonucleotide generates a chemiluminescent signal which can be detected by a plate reader. The macroarray is sensitive enough to detect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). Sample analysis is simple, fast, cost-effective, fully automated and suitable for high throughput screening. In this project, the nine wheat pathogens were detected within 6 hours simultaneously in a single sample using between one to four different species-specific probes for each pathogen. Species-specific detector oligonucleotides were designed based on the β-tubulin and/or succinate dehydrogenase region of fungal DNA. The detection limit of the DNA macroarray technique particularly depends on the pathogen-specific oligonucleotides deployed. The necessity for monitoring pathogenic fungi in wheat production and for prediction of crop yield has been recognized for a long time. The DNA macroarray responds very sensitively and has the potential to recognize pathogenic fungi earlier with reference to the cultivation period than a conventional PCR. This means that the DNA macroarray can detect genomic DNA from fungi in a lower potency than the conventional PCR. One benefit of the DNA macroarray for detection of fungal pathogens in wheat is its increased specificity and the other its application to a large number of microorganisms which can be detected in a single assay. This technology has been proven to be relatively cost-effective compared with real-time PCR or microarrays. This project was financially supported by the Commission of Technology and Innovation CTI in Berne, Switzerland

Résistances aux botrytis sur fraise

Im Frühsommer 2017 wurden in einer Machbarkeitsstudie 66 Botrytis-Stämme aus Erdbeerfrüchten isoliert und auf Fungizidresistenzen untersucht. Bei über 50 Prozent aller Stämme konnten fünf oder mehr Resistenzen nachgewiesen werden

Broad diversity of bacteria degrading 17ß-estradiol-3-sulfate isolated from river sediment and biofilm at a wastewater treatment plant discharge

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)Conjugated estrogens, such as 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate (E2-3S), can be released into aquatic environments through wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). There, they are microbiologically degraded into free estrogens, which can have harmful effects on aquatic wildlife. Here, the degradation of E2-3S in environmental samples taken upstream, downstream and at the effluent of a WWTP was assessed. Sediment and biofilm samples were enriched for E2-3S-degrading microorganisms, yielding a broad diversity of bacterial isolates, including known and novel degraders of estrogens. Since E2-3S-degrading bacteria were also isolated in the sample upstream of the WWTP, the WWTP does not influence the ability of the microbial community to degrade E2-3S

Kleinsäuger mit Haarproben zuverlässig bestimmen

Um das Vorkommen der Schweizer Kleinsäugetiere zu untersuchen, müssen diese lebend gefangen und bestimmt werden. Gewisse ähnliche Arten lassen sich jedoch morphologisch nicht genau unterscheiden. Für eine sichere Artbestimmung ist deshalb bei einigen Arten eine DNA-Analyse unumgänglich. Die Entnahme von Haarproben ermöglicht eine für das Tier schnelle und schonende Gewinnung von DNA

Kif13b Regulates PNS and CNS Myelination Through the Dlg1 Scaffold

Microtubule-based kinesin motors have many cellular functions, including the transport of a variety of cargos. However, unconventional roles have recently emerged, and kinesins have also been reported to act as scaffolding proteins and signaling molecules. In this work, we further extend the notion of unconventional functions for kinesin motor proteins, and we propose that Kif13b kinesin acts as a signaling molecule regulating peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) myelination. In this process, positive and negative signals must be tightly coordinated in time and space to orchestrate myelin biogenesis. Here, we report that in Schwann cells Kif13b positively regulates myelination by promoting p38γ mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-mediated phosphorylation and ubiquitination of Discs large 1 (Dlg1), a known brake on myelination, which downregulates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/v-AKT murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) pathway. Interestingly, Kif13b also negatively regulates Dlg1 stability in oligodendrocytes, in which Dlg1, in contrast to Schwann cells, enhances AKT activation and promotes myelination. Thus, our data indicate that Kif13b is a negative regulator of CNS myelination. In summary, we propose a novel function for the Kif13b kinesin in glial cells as a key component of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which controls myelination in both PNS and CNS

Kohlhernie bald mit Schnelltest nachweisbar?

Viele Parzellen sind mit dem Erreger der Fruchtfolgekrankheit Kohlhernie verseucht. Ein neues Verfahren würde eine schnelle Bestimmung der Bodenverseuchung möglich machen. Für Rapsfruchtfolgen wäre es ein Gewinn