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Plant diseases caused by Phytophthora species are serious threats to agriculture and the natural environment. Genome sequencing has revealed the lack of a gene for canonical phospholipase C (PLC), an enzyme that was hitherto thought to be ubiquitous in eukaryotes. PLC acts in the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5–bisphosphate (PtdIns‐4,5‐P2), a membrane‐bound phospholipid critical for signal initiation in many cellular processes. Previous studies have not provided evidence of endogenous PtdIns‐4,5‐P2 in Phytophthora and, in the absence of canonical PLC, argued for redundancy or loss in the PLC pathway in Phytophthora. Using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, we have detected endogenous PtdIns‐4,5‐P2 in Phytophthora cinnamomi. This is the first identification of the phospholipid in the genus, and is significant because it indicates that the signal transduction pathway of the PLC product, inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3), may have been retained in Phytophthora incorporating an as‐yet unidentified homolog or analog of PLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As industrial ecology (IE) solidifies conceptually and methodologically, and as it gains visibility and legitimacy in academia, industry, and government, it is important that the IE community periodically evaluate the status of its emerging institutional arrangements. At the same time, industrial ecologists should assess the political relations developing between the field and the larger world. We analyze four institutional criteria: professional legitimacy, viable clientele, entrepreneurial acumen, and occupational opportunities, as well as a more controversial fifth measure—political relevance. Drawing a comparison with the field of ecology, we argue that efforts to foster IE institutionally can, ironically, conflict with the objective of seeing IE become "the science and engineering of sustainability." The article concludes by reflecting on the importance of this kind of critical appraisal and on why many observers of the field remain hopeful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]