Life Sciences Commons^™

'Earlibrite' Strawberry, C. K. Chandler, D. E. Legard, David Dunigan, T. E. Crocker, C. A. Sims

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

There is a need in west central Florida and other winter strawberry (Fragaria xananassa Duchesne) production areas for an early ripening cultivar to replace or be an alternative to 'Sweetcharlie' (Chandleretal., 1997a). 'Sweet Charlie' has benefitted the Florida strawberry industry through its relatively high production of fruit early in the season, when market prices are generally high. But the average fruit size is small, and the texture of its fruit is often soft, making shipment and shelf life of 'Sweet Charlie' problematic. 'Earlibrite' strawberry has produced high early-season (December through February) yields of large, flavorful fruit at the Univ. of …

Phycodnaviruses: A Peek At Genetic Diversity, David Dunigan, Lisa Fitzgerald, James L. Van Etten

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

The family Phycodnaviridae encompasses a diverse collection of large icosahedral, dsDNA viruses infecting algae. These viruses have genomes ranging from 160 to 560 kb. The family consists of six genera based initially on host range and supported by sequence comparisons. The family is monophyletic with branches for each genus, but the phycodnaviruses have evolutionary roots that connect with several other families of large DNA viruses, referred to as the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV). The genomes of members in three genera in the Phycodnaviridae have recently been sequenced and the purpose of this manuscript is to summarize these data. The …

Microarray Analysis Of Paramecium Bursaria Chlorella Virus 1 Transcription, Giane M. Yanai-Balser, Garry A. Duncan, James D. Eudy, Dong Wang, Xiao Li, Irina V. Agarkova, David Dunigan, James L. Van Etten

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1), a member of the family Phycodnaviridae, is a large double-stranded DNA, plaque-forming virus that infects the unicellular green alga Chlorella sp. strain NC64A. The 330-kb PBCV-1 genome is predicted to encode 365 proteins and 11 tRNAs. To monitor global transcription during PBCV-1 replication, a microarray containing 50-mer probes to the PBCV-1 365 protein-encoding genes (CDSs) was constructed. Competitive hybridization experiments were conducted by using cDNAs from poly(A)- containing RNAs obtained from cells at seven time points after virus infection. The results led to the following conclusions: (i) the PBCV-1 replication cycle is temporally programmed …

The Chlorella Variabilis Nc64a Genome Reveals Adaptation To Photosymbiosis, Coevolution With Viruses, And Cryptic Sex, Guillaume Blanc, Gary Duncan, Irina Agarkova, Mark Borodovsky, James Gurnon, Alan Kuo, Erika Lindquist, Susan Lucas, Jasmyn Pangilinan, Juergen Polle, Asaf Salamov, Astrid Terry, Takashi Yamada, David Dunigan, Igor Grigoriev, Jean-Michel Claverie, James Van Etten

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Chlorella variabilis NC64A, a unicellular photosynthetic green alga (Trebouxiophyceae), is an intracellular photobiont of Paramecium bursaria and a model system for studying virus/algal interactions. We sequenced its 46-Mb nuclear genome, revealing an expansion of protein families that could have participated in adaptation to symbiosis. NC64A exhibits variations in GC content across its genome that correlate with global expression level, average intron size, and codon usage bias. Although Chlorella species have been assumed to be asexual and nonmotile, the NC64A genome encodes all the known meiosis-specific proteins and a subset of proteins found in flagella. We hypothesize that Chlorella might have …

Fungal Symbiosis From Mutualism To Parasitism: Who Controls The Outcome, Host Or Invader?, Regina S. Redman, David Dunigan, Rusty J. Rodriguez

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

• Plant symbiotic fungi are generally thought to express a single lifestyle that might increase (mutualism), decrease (parasitism), or have no influence (commensalism) on host fitness. However, data are presented here demonstrating that plant pathogenic Colletotrichum species are able to asymptomatically colonize plants and express nonpathogenic lifestyles. • Experiments were conducted in growth chambers and plant colonization was assessed by emergence of fungi from surface sterilized plant tissues. Expression of symbiotic lifestyles was assessed by monitoring the ability of fungi to confer disease resistance, drought tolerance and growth enhancement. • Several pathogenic Colletotrichum species expressed either mutualistic or commensal lifestyles …

‘Strawberry Festival’ Strawberry, C. K. Chandler, D. E. Legard, David Dunigan, T. E. Crocker, C. A. Sims

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Most of the strawberries (Fragaria xananassa Duchesne) produced in Florida are shipped fresh to locations throughout the eastern United States and Canada (Florida Agricultural Statistics [www.nass.usda.gov/ fl]). Therefore, Florida growers need cultivars that produce fruit that are attractive and flavorful, and maintain these qualities during and after long-distance shipment. 'Strawberry Festival' strawberry has produced commercially acceptable yields of firm, attractive, and flavorful fruit in trials at the Univ. of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Dover (GCREC-Dover) and in two commercial fields in west central Florida. It is recommended for trial in areas where strawberries are grown in …

The Genome Of The Polar Eukaryotic Microalga Coccomyxa Subellipsoidea Reveals Traits Of Cold Adaptation, Guillaume Blanc, Irina Agarkova, Jane Grimwood, Alan Kuo, Andrew Brueggeman, David Dunigan, James Gurnon, Istvan Ladunga, Erika Lindquist, Susan Lucas, Jasmyn Pangilinan, Thomas Pröschold, Asaf Salamov, Jeremy Schmutz, Donald Weeks, Takashi Yamada, Alexandre Lomsadze, Mark Borodovsky, Jean-Michel Claverie, Igor Grigoriev, James L. Van Etten

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Background: Little is known about the mechanisms of adaptation of life to the extreme environmental conditions encountered in polar regions. Here we present the genome sequence of a unicellular green alga from the division chlorophyta, Coccomyxa subellipsoidea C-169, which we will hereafter refer to as C-169. This is the first eukaryotic microorganism from a polar environment to have its genome sequenced. Results: The 48.8 Mb genome contained in 20 chromosomes exhibits significant synteny conservation with the chromosomes of its relatives Chlorella variabilis and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The order of the genes is highly reshuffled within synteny blocks, suggesting that intra-chromosomal rearrangements …

Chlorovirus-Mediated Membrane Depolarization Of Chlorella Alters Secondary Active Transport Of Solutes, Irina V. Agarkova, David Dunigan, James R. Gurnon, Timo Greiner, Julia Barres, Gerhard Thiel, James L. Van Etten

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) is the prototype of a family of large, double-stranded DNA, plaque-forming viruses that infect certain eukaryotic chlorella-like green algae from the genus Chlorovirus. PBCV-1 infection results in rapid host membrane depolarization and potassium ion release. One interesting feature of certain chloroviruses is that they code for functional potassium ion-selective channel proteins (Kcv) that are considered responsible for the host membrane depolarization and, as a consequence, the efflux of potassium ions. This report examines the relationship between cellular depolarization and solute uptake. Annotation of the virus host Chlorella strain NC64A genome revealed 482 putative transporter-encoding …

Bcl-2 Family Members Inhibit Oxidative Stress-Induced Programmed Cell Death In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Shao-Rong Chen, David Dunigan, Martin Dickman

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Selected antiapoptotic genes were expressed in baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to evaluate cytoprotective effects during oxidative stress. When exposed to treatments resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including H2O2, menadione, or heat shock, wild-type yeast died and exhibited apoptotic-like characteristics, consistent with previous studies. Yeast strains were generated expressing nematode ced-9, human bcl-2, or chicken bcl-xl genes. These transformants tolerated a range of oxidative stresses, did not display features associated with apoptosis, and remained viable under conditions that were lethal to wildtype yeast. Yeast strains expressing a mutant antiapoptotic gene (bcl-2 Δα 5-6), known to be nonfunctional …

Capping Of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Rna: Analysis Of Viral-Coded Guanylyltransferase-Like Activity, David Dunigan, Milton Zaitlin

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

The 5’ end of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) genomic RNA is capped with 7- methylguanosine. A virus-coded polypeptide with guanylyltransferase activity has been investigated. This enzyme is responsible for forming the 5’→5’ linkage of guanosine 5’-monophosphate to the 5’- diphosphate of an acceptor RNA, thereby forming the cap. A critical step in the mechanism for cap formation in the eukaryotic nucleus is for guanylyltransferase to bind covalently to guanosine 5’- monophosphate with the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate when guanosine 5’- triphosphate is the substrate. The TMV 126-kilodalton protein, which is most probably a component of the TMV replicase, was found to …

Cloning Of Nt.Cviqii Nicking Endonuclease And Its Cognate Methyltransferase: M.Cviqii Methylates Ag Sequence, Siu-Hong Chan, Zhenyu Zhu, David Dunigan, James L. Van Etten, Shuang-Yong Xu

David D Dunigan Ph. D.

Chlorella virus NY-2A has a large, highly methylated dsDNA genome (45% of the cytosines are 5-methylcytosine and 37% of the adenines are N6-methyladenine). Here, we report the cloning, expression, and characterization of the NY-2A-encoded CviQII nicking-modification (N-M) system. The nicking endonuclease, Nt.CviQII, recognizes R ↓ AG (R = A or G, ↓ indicating cleavage site) sequences and cleaves the phosphodiester bond 5′ to the adenosine. Because of the difficulty in cloning and expressing the wild-type Nt.CviQII, C-terminal truncation mutants were generated and full-length Nt.CviQII was reconstructed by intein-mediated peptide ligation. The truncation mutants and the reconstructed full-length Nt.CviQII have the …

Beef Cattle Breeding Project Progress Report: Growth-Trait Epds For 1998- And 1999-Born Calves, Abebe T. Hassen, Doyle E. Wilson, Gene H. Rouse, Richard G. Tait Jr.

Richard G. Tait Jr.

The Iowa State University beef cattle breeding project was designed to develop two selection lines of beef cattle for use as a research base to answer questions that influence genetic improvement. The project was started in 1996 and is being conducted at the Rhodes (central Iowa) and McNay (southern Iowa) research and demonstration farms.

Comparison Of Ultrasound And Carcass Measures To Predict The Percentage Of Lean Beef From Four Primal Cuts – A Progress Report, Richard G. Tait Jr., Gene H. Rouse, Doyle E. Wilson

Richard G. Tait Jr.

The objective of this study was to determine how real-time ultrasound (RTU) measurements would compare with carcass measurements to predict the percentage of lean from the four primals (PERL4P). Data were collected on market ready cattle (n=490). Traditional carcass measures collected were: (1) hot carcass weight (HCW); (2) 12–13th rib fat thickness (CFAT); (3) 12–13th rib ribeye area (CREA); and (4) percentage of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (KPH).

Beef Cattle Breeding Project Progress Report: Body Composition Epds Determined From Ultrasound Measures, Doyle E. Wilson, Abebe T. Hassen, Gene H. Rouse, Richard G. Tait Jr.

Richard G. Tait Jr.

The Iowa State University beef cattle breeding project was initiated in 1996, and is being conducted at the Rhodes and McNay Research and Demonstration Farms. The project uses the field data of the American Angus Association (AAA) along with the research resource cattle of the farms to study questions that will enhance the genetic investigations using the field data.

Beef Cattle Breeding Project Progress Report: Growth Trait Epds For 1998-, 1999-, And 2000-Born Calves, Abebe T. Hassen, D. E. Wilson, Gene H. Rouse, Richard G. Tait Jr.

Richard G. Tait Jr.

The Iowa State University beef cattle breeding project was designed to develop two selection lines of beef cattle for use as a research base to answer questions that influence genetic improvement. The project was started in 1996 and is being conducted at Rhodes (central Iowa) and McNay (southern Iowa) research and demonstration farms.

Beef Cattle Breeding Project Progress Report: Body Composition Epd Determined From Ultrasound Measures, D. E. Wilson, Abebe T. Hassen, Gene H. Rouse, Richard G. Tait Jr.

Richard G. Tait Jr.

The Iowa State University beef cattle breeding project was initiated in 1996 and is being conducted at the Rhodes and McNay research and demonstration farms. The project uses the field data of the American Angus Association (AAA) along with the research resource cattle of the farms to study questions that will enhance the genetic investigations using the field data.

Training Grassland Curing Observers, Jude Alexander

Jude Alexander

No abstract provided.

Modelling C3 Photosynthesis From The Choroplast To The Ecosystem, Andy Vanloocke, Carl J. Bernacchi, Justin E. Bagley, Shawn P. Serbin, Ursula M. Ruiz-Vera, David M. Rosenthal

Andy VanLoocke

First Report Of Fingerprinting Dried Herbal Products Using A Subtractive Diversity Array, Linhai Niu, Nitin Mantri, Hans Wohlmuth, Chunguang Li, Charlie Xue, Edwin Pang

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Introduction Sequence-independent microarrays have never been used to identify and authenticate dried herbal plants. Methods: We report successful fingerprinting of seven species: Leonurus sibiricus, Astragalus membranaceus, Coix lachryma-jobi, Magnolia biondii, Abutilon theophrasti, Physalis alkekengi, and Salvia miltiorrhiza from dried tissues using a sequence-independent microarray, “Subtracted Diversity Array”. Results: Herbal plants could be identified from tissues as they were sold at the clinic. Hierarchical cluster of these species generated using SPSS v.15.0 confirmed to their predicted taxonomical relationships as specified in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II classification system. A polymorphism rate of 40.7% was achieved from the 376 spots used for …

Parvifloranines A And B, Two 11-Carbon Alkaloids From Geijera Parviflora, Qingyao Shou, Linda Banbury, Joshua Smith, Xiaoxiang He, Ashley Dowell, Hans Griesser, Michael Heinrich, Hans Wohlmuth

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Two novel alkaloids (parvifloranines A and B), possessing an unusual 11-carbon skeleton linked with amino acids, were isolated from Geijera parviflora, an endemic Australian Rutaceae. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic measurements including 2D NMR analyses. Parvifloranine A was found to be a mixture of two enantiomers, (S)-1 and (R)-1, in a ratio of 1:4, based on their separation using a chiral column. Parvifloranine B is also believed to be a mixture of enantiomers. Proposed biosynthetic pathways are discussed. Parvifloranine A inhibited the synthesis of nitric oxide in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages with an IC50 value of 23.4 μM.

A Gdna Microarray For Genotyping Salvia Species, Alexandra Olarte, Nitin Mantri, Gregory Nugent, Hans Wohlmuth, Chun Li, Charlie Xue, Edwin Pang

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Salvia is an important genus from the Lamiaceae with approximately 1,000 species. This genus is distributed globally and cultivated for ornamental, culinary, and medicinal uses. We report the construction of the first fingerprinting array for Salvia species enriched with polymorphic and divergent DNA sequences and demonstrate the potential of this array for fingerprinting several economically important members of this genus. In order to generate the Salvia subtracted diversity array (SDA) a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed between a pool of Salvia species and a pool of angiosperms and non-angiosperms to selectively isolate Salvia-specific sequences. A total of 285-subtracted genomic …

Miscanthus Establishment And Overwintering In The Midwest Usa: A Regional Modeling Study Of Crop Residue Management On Critical Minimum Soil Temperatures, Christopher J. Kucharik, Andy Vanloocke, John D. Lenters, Melissa M. Motew

Andy VanLoocke

Phenological Changes To The Chemical Composition And Biologicalactivity Of The Essential Oil From Moroccan Endemic Thyme (Thymusmaroccanus Ball), Chaima Jamali, Ayoub Kasrati, Khalid Bekkouche, Lahcen Hassani, Hans Wohlmuth, David Leach, Abdelaziz Abbad

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

The chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of wild endemic Moroccan Thymus maroccanus at different developmental stages (vegetative, flowering and post-flowering) were evaluated. The yield of essential oils (v/w%) based on dry weight at different stages were: vegetative (2.14%), flowering (leaves: 1.80%; flowers: 3.46%), and post-flowering (leaves: 0.98%; post-flowers: 2.46%). Analysis of the essential oils by GC/MS revealed the presence of 28 components represented mainly by monoterpenes, both oxygenated (59.4–79.4%) and hydrocarbons (14.3–34.2%). The ranges of major constituents were as follow: carvacrol (14.1–77.6%), p-cymene (3.5–7.9%), γ-terpinene (3.8–6.6%) and α-pinene (1.2–7.8%). …

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant And Antimicrobial Activities Of Essential Oil Obtained From Wild And Cultivated Moroccan Thymus Species, Laila El Bouzidi, Chaima Jamali, Khalid Bekkouche, Lahcen Hassanil, Hans Wohlmuth, David Leach, Abdelaziz Abbad

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Thymus broussonetii, Thymus maroccanus and Thymus satureioides, are endemic Moroccan species that are intensively utilized because of their wide ranging medicinal and culinary properties. In an effort to preserve these over-exploited species, the effect of cultivation on the essential oil chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were investigated. The hydrodistilled oils obtained from wild and cultivated thyme species were analyzed by GC–MS. In total, 41 components were identified representing more than 98% of the oils, with carvacrol (26.0–71.6%), borneol (5.0–20.1%), γ-terpinene (4.0–8.9%) and p-cymene (5.2–10.3%) as the main constituents. Similar oil profiles were obtained from wild and cultivated T. maroccanus, …

Current State Of Food Security: Research, Education And Outreach In Burkina Universities, Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof.

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

Burkina Faso is a Sahelian West African country. Current population is about 16 millions and 43.9 % live below the poverty line. Burkina Faso is classified as both a least developed country and a low-income, food-deficit country. The nutritional quality is poor (1830 against 2000 Kcal/person/day). Food insecurity affects 50 % of households, and is increasing in the urban areas. However, Burkina Faso is one of the country that respect the 2003 Maputo’s declaration’s call to invest at least 10 percent of the budget in agriculture, in order to increase agricultural production and attain food self-sufficiency. Several training programs dealing …

Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Induces Chronic Kidney Injury Via Pro-Fibrotic Pathways, Ken Wojcikowski, Hans Wohlmuth, David Johnson, Glenda Gobe

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Dioscorea villosa (wild yam) rhizome extract is a medicinal herb that is commonly used to treat symptoms of menopause and rheumatoid arthritis. We had evidence from previous in vitro experiments that this extract is toxic and pro-fibrotic in renal cells and aimed to test whether this occurs in vivo. Sprague-Dawley rats received 0.79 g/kg/d D. villosa extract in their food or no treatment over 7, 14 and 28d (n = 4 per group). Kidney and liver tissues were collected for protein extraction and Western immunoblots or fixed for special histologic stains, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and microscopy. Collagen deposition was assessed using …

The Vertebrate Fauna Of The Upper Permian Of Niger. Iv. Nigerpeton Ricqlesi (Temnospondyli: Cochleosauridae), And The Edopoid Colonization Of Gondwana, J. Sebastien Steyer, Ross Damiani, Christian A. Sidor, F. Robin O’Keefe, Hans C.E. Larsson, Abdoulaye Maga, Oumarou Ide

F. Robin O’Keefe

We describe the edopoid temnospondyl Nigerpeton ricqlesi from the Upper Permian Moradi Formation of northern Niger on the basis of two partial skulls and tentatively associated postcranial material. This crocodile-like taxon displays several edopoid characters states such as a long prenarial region with enlarged premaxillae, elongated vomers, large, posteriorly tapering choanae, and a jugal that broadens anteriorly. Nigerpeton possesses a unique carnivorous dentition. It is autapomorphic in its possession of an extremely elongate snout bearing a maxillary bulge that accommodates three hypertrophied caniniform teeth, inner premaxillary tusks, and anterior paired fenestrae, which pierce the skull roof. In addition, both the …

Future Carbon Dioxide Concentration Decreases Canopy Evapotranspiration And Soil Water Depletion By Field-Grown Maize, Andy Vanloocke, Mir Zaman Houssain, Matthew H. Siebers, Ursula M. Ruiz-Vera, R. J. Cody Markelz, Andrew D. B. Leakey, Donald R. Orr, Carl J. Bernacchi

Andy VanLoocke

Govindaraj., M, K. N. Rai, P. Shanmugasundaram, S. L. Dwivedi, K. L. Sahrawat, Ar Muthaiah, And A. S. Rao. 2012. Combining Ability And Heterosis For Grain Iron And Zinc Density In Pearl Millet. Crop Science 53 (2): 507-517 Https://Www.Crops.Org/Publications/Cs/Abstracts/53/2/507, Mahalingam Govindaraj

Mahalingam Govindaraj

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is an important staple food crop in the semiarid tropical regions of Asia and Africa. As part of a major initiative to improve its grain Fe and Zn densities, two sets of line × tester studies were conducted. Results showed that the underlying physiological processes determining the grain Fe and Zn densities were largely under additive genetic control, and Fe and Zn densities of the inbred lines per se and their general combining ability (GCA) were positively and highly significantly correlated. This would imply that recurrent selection can be effectively used to improve …

Body Composition Changes In Bulls From Weaning Age To Yearling Age: Muscle Fat Deposition, Gene H. Rouse, Richard G. Tait Jr., M. Anderson, Abebe Hassen

Richard G. Tait Jr.

With the advent of real-time ultrasound, repeated measures of body composition changes, such as fat cover, rib eye area, and percentage intramuscular fat have greatly added to our understanding of beef cattle growth and development.