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Peronospora destructor (Berk.) is an important biotrophic oomycete that causes downy mildew on onion (Allium Cepa L.) worldwide, especially in humid and temperate regions. The disease attacks bulb and seed production of onion, resulting in losses in yield and quality of bulbs. Epidemiological studies have increased our understanding and control of downy mildew on onion; however, little is known about the molecular aspects of P. destructor behavior during infection. Here, we isolated RNA from four samples of sporangia and sporangiophores of P. destructor, which were maintained by spore inoculation onto onions in a growth chamber. We then used an Ion PGM next generation sequencer to acquire and assemble the RNA sequences of P. destructor. By transcriptome shotgun assembly, we obtained 2335 contigs (N50, 884 nucleotides (nt); mean length, 881.6 nt). The data are accessible at NCBI (BioProject PRJNA391849). Our data resource will facilitate further studies of the molecular events during P. destructor infection.

In this study, the use of nano-antennas to improve the response performance of infrared detectors is proposed, and the design and fabrication of antennas that operate in the infrared range is demonstrated. Prototypes of a mid-infrared superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) formed by a twin-slot antenna with a niobium nitride strip were fabricated. When the bolometer was irradiated with mid-infrared (λ = 4.89 μm) pulsed light, responses with clear polarization dependency were observed. When the HEB was biased close to the critical current under mid-infrared pulsed light irradiation, the detector output synchronized with the trigger signal was observed. The output waveforms comprised voltage pulse trains, and the full width at half maximum of the pulse was evaluated to be approximately 0.3 ns.

BackgroundFor the diagnosis of seasonal influenza, clinicians rely on point-of-care testing (POCT) using commercially available kits developed against seasonal influenza viruses. However, POCT has not yet been established for the diagnosis of pandemic influenza A virus (H1N1pdm) infection due to the low sensitivity of the existing kits for H1N1pdm.Methodology/principal findingsAn immunochromatography (IC) test kit was developed based on a monoclonal antibody against H1N1pdm, which does not cross-react with seasonal influenza A or B viruses. The efficacy of this kit (PDM-IC kit) for the diagnosis of H1N1pdm infection was compared with that of an existing kit for the detection of seasonal influenza viruses (SEA-IC kit). Nasal swabs (n = 542) were obtained from patients with flu-like syndrome at 13 clinics in Osaka, Japan during the winter of 2010/2011. Among the 542 samples, randomly selected 332 were further evaluated for viral presence by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The PDM-IC kit versus the SEA-IC kit showed higher sensitivity to and specificity for H1N1pdm, despite several inconsistencies between the two kits or between the kits and RT-PCR. Consequently, greater numbers of false-negative and false-positive cases were documented when the SEA-IC kit was employed. Significant correlation coefficients for sensitivity, specificity, and negative prediction values between the two kits were observed at individual clinics, indicating that the results could be affected by clinic-related techniques for sampling and kit handling. Importantly, many patients (especially influenza-negative cases) were prescribed anti-influenza drugs that were incongruous with their condition, largely due to physician preference for patient responses to questionnaires and patient symptomology, as opposed to actual viral presence.Conclusions/significanceConcomitant use of SEA-IC and PDM-IC kits increased the likelihood of correct influenza diagnosis. Increasing the credibility of POCT is anticipated to decrease the inappropriate dispensing of anti-influenza drugs, thereby minimizing the emergence of drug-resistant H1N1pdm strains.

The durability of the hot electron bolometers (HEBs) mixers was improved by a new process involving fluoride radical etching. The HEB mixers that were fabricated using a relatively thick NbN trips, in this process confirmed that fluoride radical etching caused no damage to etched NbN strips.

Fructans, typically reserve carbohydrates, may also fulfil other more specific roles in plants. It has been convincingly demonstrated that fructan hydrolysis contributes to osmoregulation during flower opening in the monocot species Hemerocallis. We report that a massive breakdown of inulin-type fructans in the petals of Campanula rapunculoides L. (Campanulaceae), associated with flower opening, is accompanied by a strong increase in fructan 1-exohydrolase (1-FEH; EC 3.2.1.153) activity and a decrease in sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyl transferase (1-SST; EC 2.4.1.99) activity. The data strongly suggest that the drastic change in the 1-FEH/1-SST activity ratio causes the degradation of inulin, contributing to the osmotic driving force involved in flower opening. All characterised plant FEHs are believed to be derived from tissues that store fructans as a reserve carbohydrate either temporarily (grasses and cereals) or over a longer term (dicot roots and tubers). Here, we focussed on a physiologically distinct tissue and used a reverse transcriptase?polymerase chain reaction based strategy to clone the 1-FEH cDNA from the Campanula petals. The translated cDNA sequence groups along with other dicot FEHs and heterologous expression revealed that the cDNA encodes a 1-FEH without invertase activity. 1-FEH expression analysis in petals correlates well with 1-FEH activity and inulin degradation patterns in vivo, suggesting that this enzyme fulfils an important role during flower opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Amrubicin is a novel 9-aminoanthracycline. This multicenter phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of amrubicin in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a means to study the function of plasma membrane proteins during cold acclimation, we have isolated a cDNA clone for wpi6 which encodes a putative plasma membrane protein from cold-acclimated winter wheat. The wpi6 gene encodes a putative 5.9 kDa polypeptide with two predicted membrane-spanning domains, the sequence of which shows high sequence similarity with BLT101-family proteins from plants and yeast. Strong induction of wpi6 mRNA was observed during an early stage of cold acclimation in root and shoot tissues of both winter and spring wheat cultivars. In contrast to blt101 in barley, wpi6 mRNA was also induced by drought and salinity stresses, and exogenous application of ABA. Expression of wpi6 in a Δpmp3 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is disturbed in plasma membrane potential due to the lack of a BLT101-family protein, partially complemented NaCl sensitivity of the mutant. Transient expression analysis of a WPI6::GFP fusion protein in onion epidermal cells revealed that WPI6 is localized in the plasma membrane. Taken together, these data suggested that WPI6 may have a protective role in maintaining plasma membrane function during cold acclimation in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of human arthritis. We investigated the potential role of asporin, an extracellular matrix component expressed abundantly in the articular cartilage of individuals with osteoarthritis, in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Here we report a significant association between a polymorphism in the aspartic acid (D) repeat of the gene encoding asporin (ASPN) and osteoarthritis. In two independent populations of individuals with knee osteoarthritis, the D14 allele of ASPN is over-represented relative to the common D13 allele, and its frequency increases with disease severity. The D14 allele is also over-represented in individuals with hip osteoarthritis. Asporin suppresses TGF-ß-mediated expression of the genes aggrecan (AGC1) and type II collagen (COL2A1) and reduced proteoglycan accumulation in an in vitro model of chondrogenesis. The effect on TGF-ßactivity is allele-specific, with the D14 allele resulting in greater inhibition than other alleles. In vitro binding assays showed a direct interaction between asporin and TGF-ß. Taken together, these findings provide another functional link between extracellular matrix proteins, TGF-ßactivity and disease, suggesting new therapeutic strategies for osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental factors influencing sporocarp formation in Typhula ishikariensis were studied under controlled conditions. Sporocarp formation in T. ishikariensis was divided into two stages: stipe elongation from the sclerotium and fertile head development at the tip of the stipe. Factors required for each stage differed. At the stipe elongation stage, low temperature (10°/5°C; day/night) and high humidity were important, but light was not required. In contrast, at the fertile head stage, light and moderate day length (8?h/day) were essential. Fertile heads developed at 46?µEm -2?s -1; and high intensity (137?µEm -2?s -1) did not suppress development. Moreover, adding unsterilized soil to the sea sand medium accelerated sporocarp formation. These findings imply that the sclerotium of T. ishikariensis recognizes several physical factors for sporocarp formation. Sporocarps of T. ishikariensis developed within 4 weeks after incubation under optimal conditions. The sporocarp produced basidiospores, and differential mating incompatibility was confirmed among monokaryons derived from basidiospores produced under artificial conditions. This method should be useful for obtaining monokaryons for genetic studies of T. ishikariensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]