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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Lacking Helper Component-Proteinase Is Competent To Produce Disease Synergism In Double Infections With Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, Drake C. Stenger, Brock A. Young, Feng Qu, Thomas Jack Morris, Roy French Oct 2007

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Lacking Helper Component-Proteinase Is Competent To Produce Disease Synergism In Double Infections With Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, Drake C. Stenger, Brock A. Young, Feng Qu, Thomas Jack Morris, Roy French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The tritimovirus Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and the machlomovirus Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) each cause systemic chlorosis in infected maize plants. Infection of maize with both viruses produces corn lethal necrosis disease (CLND). Here, we report that complete deletion of the WSMV helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) coding region had no effect on induction of CLND symptoms following coinoculation of maize with WSMV and MCMV. We further demonstrated that elevation of virus titers in double infections, relative to single infections, also was independent of WSMV HC-Pro. Thus, unlike potyvirus HC-Pro, WSMV HC-Pro was dispensable for disease synergism. Because disease synergism …


Pseudomonas Avr And Hop Proteins, Their Encoding Nucleic Acids, And Use Thereof, James R. Alfano, Alan Collmer, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider May 2007

Pseudomonas Avr And Hop Proteins, Their Encoding Nucleic Acids, And Use Thereof, James R. Alfano, Alan Collmer, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid moleculues which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The various nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant, make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, modify a metabolic pathway in …


Association Of Ergot Alkaloids With Conidiation In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Christine M. Coyle, Shawn C. Kenaley, William R. Rittenour, Daniel G. Panaccione Jan 2007

Association Of Ergot Alkaloids With Conidiation In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Christine M. Coyle, Shawn C. Kenaley, William R. Rittenour, Daniel G. Panaccione

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that affect the nervous and reproductive systems of exposed individuals through interactions with monoamine receptors. They have been studied more widely in ergot fungi and grass endophytes but also are found in Aspergillus fumigatus, an opportunistic human pathogen that reproduces and disseminates exclusively through conidia. The ergot alkaloids festuclavine and fumigaclavines A, B and C are present in or on conidia of A. fumigatus. Cultures of the fungus that are free of conidia are difficult to obtain, obscuring comparisons of conidia versus vegetative hyphae as sources of the ergot alkaloids. To create conidiation-deficient strains of A. …


Expression Analysis Of Rice Defense-Related Genes In Turfgrass In Response To Magnaporthe Grisea, Young-Ki Jo, Guo-Liang Wang, Michael J. Boehm Jan 2007

Expression Analysis Of Rice Defense-Related Genes In Turfgrass In Response To Magnaporthe Grisea, Young-Ki Jo, Guo-Liang Wang, Michael J. Boehm

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Magnaporthe grisea (anamorph = Pyricularia grisea) causes blast on rice (Oryza sativa) and gray leaf spot on turfgrass. Gray leaf spot is a serious disease on St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Virulence assays performed in this study revealed that M. grisea collected from rice could also cause disease on St. Augustinegrass and tall fescue. One rice isolate, Che86061, caused similar disease reactions on susceptible cultivars of rice and St. Augustinegrass and an incompatible interaction on resistant cultivars of both species. To explore whether …


Genetic Diversity In Populations Of Xanthomonas Campestris Pv. Campestris In Cruciferous Weeds In Central Coastal California, A. Ignatov, A. Sechler, E. L. Schuenzel, I. Agarkova, B. Oliver, A. K. Vidaver, N. W. Schaad Jan 2007

Genetic Diversity In Populations Of Xanthomonas Campestris Pv. Campestris In Cruciferous Weeds In Central Coastal California, A. Ignatov, A. Sechler, E. L. Schuenzel, I. Agarkova, B. Oliver, A. K. Vidaver, N. W. Schaad

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (X. campestris) infects a large number of cruciferous plants, including weeds. California has one of the largest and most diverse populations of wild cruciferous plants in the world. Although considerable information is available on the genetic diversity of X. campestris in commercial crop plants, nothing is known about the diversity in strains infecting weeds. To assess the genetic diversity among strains of X. campestris in weeds in noncultivated and cultivated areas, strains of the pathogen were isolated from populations of cruciferous weeds growing in coastal valley crop-production sites and from remote nonproduction sites along the …


Response Of Soybean Cultivars To Bean Pod Mottle Virus Infection, Amy D. Ziems, Loren J. Giesler, George L. Graef, Margaret G. Redinbaugh, Jean L. Vacha, Sueann Berry, Laurence V. Madden, Anne E. Dorrance Jan 2007

Response Of Soybean Cultivars To Bean Pod Mottle Virus Infection, Amy D. Ziems, Loren J. Giesler, George L. Graef, Margaret G. Redinbaugh, Jean L. Vacha, Sueann Berry, Laurence V. Madden, Anne E. Dorrance

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) has become increasingly common in soybean throughout the north-central region of the United States. Yield loss assessments on southern soybean germplasm have reported reductions ranging from 3 to 52%. Currently, no soybean cultivars have been identified with resistance to BPMV. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of BPMV infection on soybean cultivars representing a broad range of northern soybean germplasm by comparing inoculated and noninoculated soybean plants in paired row studies. In all, 30 and 24 cultivars were evaluated in Nebraska (NE) in which soybean plants were inoculated at the V3 …


Free-Living Dorylaimid Nematodes From Nature Reserves In Costa Rica. The Genus Pachydorylaimus Siddiqi, 1983, A. Esquivel, P. Guerrero, R. Peña-Santiago, Thomas O. Powers Jan 2007

Free-Living Dorylaimid Nematodes From Nature Reserves In Costa Rica. The Genus Pachydorylaimus Siddiqi, 1983, A. Esquivel, P. Guerrero, R. Peña-Santiago, Thomas O. Powers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A taxonomic study of three species, two known and one new, belonging to the genus Pachydorylaimus Siddiqi, 1983 from natural areas in Costa Rica is presented. Pachydorylaimus holovachovi sp. n. is described and can be distinguished by its body 0.90-1.00 mm long, lip region 14-17 μm wide, odontostyle 13-15 μm long, odontophore morphology with differentiated hyaline spindle-shaped area surrounding its junction to pharyngeal lining but lacking distinct basal flanges, total stylet length 35- 44 μm, pars refringens vaginae absent, V = 43-47, female tail straight and tapering to an acute tip (57- 78 μm, c = 12.5-15.8, c’ = 2.0-3.0), …


Basa Regulates Cell Wall Organization And Asexual/Sexual Sporulation Ratio In Aspergillus Nidulans, Shaojie Li, Dapeng Bao, Gary Yuen, Steven D. Harris, Ana M. Calvo Jan 2007

Basa Regulates Cell Wall Organization And Asexual/Sexual Sporulation Ratio In Aspergillus Nidulans, Shaojie Li, Dapeng Bao, Gary Yuen, Steven D. Harris, Ana M. Calvo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Sphingolipid C4 hydroxylase catalyzes the conversion of dihydrosphingosine to phytosphingosine. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sur2 is essential for sphingolipid C4 hydroxylation activity but not essential for normal growth. Here we demonstrate that the Aspergillus nidulans Sur2 homolog BasA is also required for phytosphingosine biosynthesis but is also essential for viability. We previously reported that a point missense mutation in basA resulted in aberrant cell wall thickening. Here our data suggest that accumulation of dihydrosphingosine is responsible for this phenotype. In addition, two different mutations in basA consistently accelerated the transition from asexual development to sexual development compared to the wild-type …


Regulation Of Hyphal Morphogenesis By Cdc42 And Rac1 Homologues In Aspergillus Nidulans, Aleksandra Virag, Maurice P. Lee, Haoyu Si, Steven D. Harris Jan 2007

Regulation Of Hyphal Morphogenesis By Cdc42 And Rac1 Homologues In Aspergillus Nidulans, Aleksandra Virag, Maurice P. Lee, Haoyu Si, Steven D. Harris

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The ability of filamentous fungi to form hyphae requires the establishment and maintenance of a stable polarity axis. Based on studies in yeasts and animals, the GTPases Cdc42 and Rac1 are presumed to play a central role in organizing the morphogenetic machinery to enable axis formation and stabilization. Here, we report that Cdc42 (ModA) and Rac1 (RacA) share an overlapping function required for polarity establishment in Aspergillus nidulans. Nevertheless, Cdc42 appears to have a more important role in hyphal morphogenesis in that it alone is required for the timely formation of lateral branches. In addition, we provide genetic evidence …