Lysosomal storage disease caused by Sida carpinifolia poisoning in goats. (1/63)

A neurologic disease characterized by ataxia, hypermetria, hyperesthesia, and muscle tremors of the head and neck was observed for 2 years in a flock of 28 Anglo-Nubian and Saanen goats on a farm with 5 ha of pasture. Six newborns died during the first week of life, and five abortions were recorded. The predominant plant in the pasture was Sida carpinifolia. The disease was reproduced experimentally in two goats by administration of this plant. Three goats with spontaneous disease and the two experimental animals were euthanatized and necropsied. No significant gross lesions were observed. Fragments of several organs, including the central nervous system, were processed for histopathology. Small fragments of the cerebellar cortex, liver, and pancreas of two spontaneously poisoned goats and two experimentally poisoned goats were processed for electron microscopy. Multiple cytoplasm vacuoles in hepatocytes, acinar pancreatic cells, and neurons, especially Purkinje cells, were the most striking microscopic lesions in the five animals. Ultrastructural changes included membrane-bound vacuoles in hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, acinar pancreatic cells, Purkinje cells, and the small neurons of the granular cell layer of the cerebellum. Paraffin-embedded sections of the cerebellum and pancreas were submitted for lectin histochemical analysis. The vacuoles in different cerebellar and acinar pancreatic cells reacted strongly to the following lectins: Concanavalia ensiformis, Triticum vulgaris, and succinylated Triticum vulgaris. The pattern of staining, analyzed in Purkinje cells and acinar pancreatic cells coincides with results reported for both swainsonine toxicosis and inherited mannosidosis.  (+info)

Complete nucleotide sequence and host range of South African cassava mosaic virus: further evidence for recombination amongst begomoviruses. (2/63)

Complete nucleotide sequences of the DNA-A (2800 nt) and DNA-B (2760 nt) components of a novel cassava-infecting begomovirus, South African cassava mosaic virus (SACMV), were determined and compared with various New World and Old World begomoviruses. SACMV is most closely related to East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV) in both its DNA-A (85% with EACMV-MH and -MK) and -B (90% with EACMV-UG2-Mld and EACMV-UG3-Svr) components; however, percentage sequence similarities of less than 90% in the DNA-A component allowed SACMV to be considered a distinct virus. One significant recombination event spanning the entire AC4 open reading frame was identified; however, there was no evidence of recombination in the DNA-B component. Infectivity of the cloned SACMV genome was demonstrated by successful agroinoculation of cassava and three other plant species (Phaseolus vulgaris, Malva parviflora and Nicotiana benthamiana). This is the first description of successful infection of cassava with a geminivirus using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.  (+info)

DNA forms indicate rolling circle and recombination-dependent replication of Abutilon mosaic virus. (3/63)

Geminiviruses have spread worldwide and have become increasingly important in crop plants during recent decades. Recombination among geminiviruses was one major source of new variants. Geminiviruses replicate via rolling circles, confirmed here by electron microscopic visualization and two-dimensional gel analysis of Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV) DNA. However, only a minority of DNA intermediates are consistent with this model. The majority are compatible with recombination-dependent replication (RDR). During development of naturally infected leaves, viral intermediates compatible with both models appeared simultaneously, whereas agro-infection of leaf discs with AbMV led to an early appearance of RDR forms but no RCR intermediates. Inactivation of viral genes ac2 and ac3 delayed replication, but produced the same DNA types as after wild-type infection, indicating that these genes were not essential for RDR in leaf discs. In conclusion, host factors alone or in combination with the viral AC1 protein are necessary and sufficient for the production of RDR intermediates. The consequences of an inherent geminiviral recombination activity for the use of pathogen-derived resistance traits are discussed.  (+info)

A six-nucleotide segment within the 3' untranslated region of hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus plays an essential role in translational enhancement. (4/63)

RNA plant viruses use various translational regulatory mechanisms to control their gene expression. Translational enhancement of viral mRNAs that leads to higher levels of protein synthesis from specific genes may be essential for the virus to successfully compete for cellular translational machinery. The control elements have yet to be analyzed for members of the genus Carmovirus, a small group of plant viruses with positive-sense RNA genomes. In this study, we examined the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus (HCRSV) genomic RNA (gRNA) and subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) for its role in the translational regulation of viral gene expression. The results showed that the 3' UTR of HCRSV significantly enhanced the translation of several open reading frames on gRNA and sgRNA and a viral gene in a bicistronic construct with an inserted internal ribosome entry site. Through deletion and mutagenesis studies of both the bicistronic construct and full-length gRNA, we demonstrated that a six-nucleotide sequence, GGGCAG, that is complementary to the 3' region of the 18S rRNA and a minimal length of 180 nucleotides are required for the enhancement of translation induced by the 3' UTR.  (+info)

Alicyclobacillus herbarius sp. nov., a novel bacterium containing omega-cycloheptane fatty acids, isolated from herbal tea. (5/63)

A thermo-acidophilic gram-positive bacterium, strain CP-1T, which grows aerobically at 35-65 degrees C (optimum 55-60 degrees C) and at pH 3.5-6.0 (optimum pH 4.5-5.0), was isolated from a herbal tea made from the dried flowers of hibiscus. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this bacterium was clearly distinguishable from previously described species of the genera Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Strain CP-1T had unique omega-cycloheptane fatty acids as the major membrane lipid component, a characteristic which is peculiar to Alicyclobacillus cycloheptanicus. However, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain CP-1T were different from those of the type strain of A. cycloheptanicus. DNA-DNA hybridization between the type strains of Alicyclobacillus species and Sulfobacillus disulfidooxidans was <20%, indicating that strain CP-1T represents a distinct species. On the basis of these results, the name Alicyclobacillus herbarius is proposed for this organism. The type strain is strain CP-1T (= DSM 13609T = IAM 14883T = NRIC 0477T).  (+info)

Exchange of three amino acids in the coat protein results in efficient whitefly transmission of a nontransmissible Abutilon mosaic virus isolate. (6/63)

Geminiviruses are transmitted in a circulative manner by whiteflies, leafhoppers, or treehoppers. The whitefly species Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) is the vector for members of the genus Begomovirus. The closely related bipartite Central American begomoviruses Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV), Sida golden mosaic virus originating from Costa Rica (SiGMV-CR), and Sida golden mosaic virus originating from Honduras (SiGMV-Hoyv) were used to study transmission by their insect vector. The AbMV isolate is defective in transmission, whereas the two Sida-infecting viruses are readily transmitted by B. tabaci. These three viruses are able to form pseudorecombinant viruses by exchange of genomic components. The pseudorecombinant virus SiGMV-Hoyv A/AbMV B was transmissible, whereas the reciprocal pseudorecombinant virus AbMV A/SiGMV-Hoyv B was not transmitted, indicating that DNA B is not involved in the transmission defect. However, the uptake of the pseudorecombinant virus AbMV A/SiGMV-Hoyv B was much better than AbMV itself, indicating that DNA B or DNA B gene products enhance uptake of viral DNA. Exchange of AbMV coat protein with that of SiGMV-CR resulted in a transmissible chimeric AbMV. Mutagenesis of the AbMV coat protein showed that the exchange of two amino acids, at positions 124 and 149, was sufficient to obtain a whitefly-transmissible AbMV mutant. However, when amino acid 174 was altered in addition to amino acids 124 and 149 AbMV was readily transmitted by B. tabaci. From this we conclude that it is not a concise motif, such as the amino acid triplet, aspartate-alanine-glycine (DAG), involved in aphid transmission of potyviruses, that determines transmissibility of begomoviruses by B. tabaci. Instead it is the composition of the coat protein domain from amino acid 123 to 149, as a minimal transmission domain, with the contribution of amino acids 149 to 174 for efficient transmission.  (+info)

A new isoflavone glycoside from Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertner. (7/63)

From the 80% EtOH extract of the bark of Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertner, a new isoflavone glycoside was isolated along with known isoflavones, vavain and vavain glucoside. The structure was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis as 5-hydroxy-7,4',5'-trimethoxyisoflavone 3'-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside.  (+info)

Carbocyclic fatty acids in plants: biochemical and molecular genetic characterization of cyclopropane fatty acid synthesis of Sterculiafoetida. (8/63)

Fatty acids containing three-member carbocyclic rings are found in bacteria and plants. Bacteria synthesize cyclopropane fatty acids (CPA-FAs) only by the addition of a methylene group from S-adenosylmethionine to the cis-double bond of monoenoic phospholipid-bound fatty acids. In plants CPA-FAs are usually minor components with cyclopropene fatty acids (CPE-FAs) more abundant. Sterculia foetida seed oil contains 65-78% CPE-FAs, principally sterculic acid. To address carbocyclic fatty acid synthesis in plants, a cDNA library was constructed from developing seeds during the period of maximum oil deposition. About 0.4% of 5,300 expressed sequence tags were derived from one gene, which shared similarities to the bacterial CPA-FA synthase. However, the predicted protein is twice as large as the bacterial homolog and represents a fusion of an FAD-containing oxidase at the N terminus and a methyltransferase at the C terminus. Functional analysis of the isolated full-length cDNA was conducted in tobacco suspension cells where its expression resulted in the accumulation of up to 6.2% dihydrosterculate of total fatty acids. In addition, the dihydrosterculate was specifically labeled by [methyl-(14)C]methionine and by [(14)C]oleic acid in the transgenic tobacco cells. In in vitro assay of S. foetida seed extracts, S-adenosylmethionine served as a methylene donor for the synthesis of dihydrosterculate from oleate. Dihydrosterculate accumulated largely in phosphatidylcholine in both systems. Together, a CPA-FA synthase was identified from S. foetida, and the pathway in higher plants that produce carbocyclic fatty acids was defined as by transfer of C(1) units, most likely from S-adenosylmethionine to oleate.  (+info)

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