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Objectives: Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungus. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is well known in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected population, but in non-HIV-related immunosuppressed patients, risk factors are largely unknown. We studied the characteristics and outcome of patients treated for systemic autoimmune disorders infected with P. jirovecii, aiming to clarify risk stratification to guide prophylaxis. Method: Clinical charts collected between 2010 and 2016 at the University Hospital of Leuven (Belgium) were reviewed. Information on type of systemic disorder, organ involvement, immunosuppressant use, and comorbidity was collected, and laboratory results were consulted. Results: In total, 39 cases of non-HIV PJP were retrieved, 24 of whom had pre-existing pulmonary disease. All were on immunosuppressant medication at the time of infection, the majority (36/39) taking glucocorticoids, with a median dose of 16 mg methylprednisolone over the past 3 months. Of the 39 cases, 21 were admitted to the intensive care unit and mortality reached 35%. Age and pulmonary disease correlated positively and methotrexate use negatively with mortality. When applying current prophylactic strategies to our cohort, 50% of infections could theoretically have been prevented. Conclusion: PJP is a rare but relevant clinical problem when caring for immunosuppressed patients with autoimmune systemic disorders. Pulmonary disease and age are risk factors for acquiring the infection and carry a worse prognosis. More studies are needed to further define prophylactic criteria.

This work focused on the morphological characterization of plantain cultivars collected in the period 2005-2014 in 280 villages across 9 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These cultivars were established in two field collections at the University of Kisangani.Existing descriptors were adapted to better differentiate their variation to address better the taxonomic handicap and the synonymy handicap to improve future research on plantains.Most of the collected cultivars were French plantains (64 out of 98), followed by False Horn (23) and Horn (10) plantains. The bunch type was the main striking difference which allows the quick separation of plantain cultivars into three main types. Other striking differences within plantain were the size of the pseudostem (giant, medium-sized and small-sized) and the bunch orientation (which was generally pendulous or sub-horizontal, and rarely horizontal and erect). These three descriptors were considered as main descriptors. Other descriptors (pseudostem colour, immature fruit peel colour, fruit shape, fruit apex, fruit position, number of hands, fruit size, number of fingers per hand and flower relicts at the fruit apex) allowed the differentiation of one cultivar from another within the same main group of bunch type, pseudostem size or bunch orientation. These descriptors are considered as secondary descriptors. Rare descriptors allowed to differentiate one cultivar from all the others in the subgroup. This approach makes the cultivar description logical and faster because it moves from general to particular characteristics, and it offers a platform for reflections on the Pan-African scale of plantain diversity. Highlights • Adapted descriptors according to the degree of their differentiating performance is feasible in plantain characterization. • The bunch type, the plant size and the bunch orientation allow a quick separation between plantain cultivars. • French plantains are the most numerous in the DR Congo. • The most recorded colour (of the pseudostem of fruit immature peel) is the green.

Career situation of first and presenting author Student for a master or a PhD. Introduction The role of epigenetic factors in the pathophysiology of fibrosis, a hallmark of Systemic Sclerosis, is increasingly explored. DOT1L, the unique H3K79-methyltransferase, methylates histone 3 at the Lysine residue at position 79, thereby regulating gene expression programs. In cartilage and bone, DOT1L has cell-type specific effects on Wnt signaling, a pathway suggested to play an important role in fibrosis. Objectives To study the role of DOT1L in fibrosis. Methods Primary human dermal fibroblasts were treated with DOT1L-inhibitor EPZ-5676 or vehicle and stimulated with TGF-β. Expression of smooth muscle alpha 2 actin (ACTA2) and Wnt target genes was measured by RT-qPCR. Western Blot was done for dimethylated H3K79 and β-catenin. Picrosirius Red staining measured collagen deposition. 5-Bromo-2’-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) labeling for proliferation and flow cytometry with Propidium Iodide for cell cycle analysis was done. Col1a2;Cre-ERT2;DOT1lfl/flmice, injected with tamoxifen to induce a fibroblast-specific DOT1L knockout, were injected subcutaneously with bleomycin or vehicle. Injected skin was analyzed by OH-prolin assay and by histology. Results The DOT1L-inhibitor EPZ-5676 reduced H3K79 dimethylation in all samples. In breast dermal fibroblasts, the induction of ACTA2 with TGF-β was reduced with DOT1L inhibition, while in abdominal dermal fibroblasts this induction was more pronounced. After 48 hours of TGF-β, collagen deposition was higher in DOT1L-inhibited fibroblasts. After 72 hours of TGF-β however, this deposition was comparable with controls. DOT1L inhibition induced canonical Wnt signaling in fibroblasts, with a small increase in active β-catenin and expression of Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1). With DOT1L inhibition, more proliferation of fibroblasts, but also proportionally more cells in the G1/G0 phase and less cells in S and M/G2 phase were seen. In vivo, subcutaneous bleomycin increased murine dermal thickness and skin collagen content. No difference was observed between wild type and mice with a fibroblast-specific deletion of DOT1L. Conclusions In an in vitro model of fibrosis, ACTA2 induction in DOT1L-inhibited human dermal fibroblasts was dependent on the fibroblast origin. DOT1L inhibition resulted in an earlier deposition of collagen, without differences in deposition at the end points. Inhibition of DOT1L induced canonical Wnt signaling and proliferation but also led to a higher proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase. In an in vivo murine model of skin fibrosis, no difference in bleomycin-induced skin thickness and collagen content was found when the DOT1L gene was deleted in fibroblasts. Disclosure of Interest None declared.

The genus Musa is not native to Africa. It evolved in tropical Asia, from southwest India eastward to the island of New Guinea. There is a growing circumstantial evidence which suggests that the East African Highland banana and the tropical lowland plantain were cultivated on the African continent since before 1 AD. It is also probable that ABB cooking and AB and AAB dessert cultivars were brought to the continent from India by Arabian traders from 600 AD, and that these were disseminated throughout East Africa. During the colonial era, the main centres of distribution for banana cultivars were botanical gardens, such as Zomba in Malawi, Entebbe in Uganda and Amani in Tanzania. It appears that the very early introductions of Highland banana and plantain arrived in Africa as a relatively clean material without the conspicuous pests and diseases that affect them in Asia. In contrast, several devastating problems now impact the crop in Africa, including nematodes, the borer weevil and diseases, most notably banana bunchy top, banana streak, Sigatoka leaf spots, Xanthomonas wilt and Fusarium wilt. We (a) provide chronological overviews of the first reports/observations of different Musa pests and pathogens/diseases in Africa, (b) highlight specific examples of when a pest or pathogen/disease was introduced via planting materials and (c) give recent examples of how the pests and pathogens spread to new regions via planting materials. In total, these production constraints threaten banana and plantain production throughout the continent and impact those who can ill afford lost production, the small-holder producer. Our intent in this review is to highlight the significance of these problems and the great importance that infested planting materials have played in their development.

Major diseases, including Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, threaten banana production systems worldwide. New sources of genetic resistance are considered necessary in the fight against such diseases. The triangular region of Indonesia taking in Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands and Lesser Sunda Islands was prioritized by the Global Musa Genetic Resources Network, MusaNet for exploration and collecting. It is just east of the 'Wallace Line', which is recognized as a transition zone for flora in southeast Asia, and had been little explored. Bioversity International funded a team of scientists from Indonesia and Australia to make collecting missions in the triangle in October 2012 and February 2013. Suckers and seeds of 35 promising new accessions were collected. About 90% of these are either wild species or diploid cultivars of more direct use to breeding programs. These were morphologically characterized during the collecting missions and included a set of photographs recommended by Bioversity's Taxonomic Advisory Group. Cigar leaf samples were also collected and sent as fresh samples to the International Banana Genotyping Centre in the Czech Republic. Ploidy and DNA (SSR) genotyping determinations from these samples have been invaluable in quickly interpreting and better appreciating what has been discovered. The new accessions have been grown on at Solok field collection, West Sumatra and will be made available by Indonesia to the international community, including breeding programs, for evaluation and utilization. Information on wild Eumusa prompts a rethinking of the phytogeography of Musa acuminata. The variation within the Australimusa species M. lolodensis highlights the need for broader study of this Musa section. French Plantain-like edible AAs and prospects for the generation of African plantains in the region were identified. The mission indicated existence of local edible ABs in eastern Indonesia in association with balbisiana hybrids origins in the region. Further explorations in the region should add to Musa diversity knowledge.

Recent reports indicate that phytoliths may provide direct archaeological evidence of banana cultivation. However, archaeologists may, in many places, recover phytoliths generated by banana plants with quite different historical backgrounds. Hence the need for a differentiation among phytoliths produced by specific banana groups. The present paper discusses the morphometric distinction between phytoliths produced by the constitutive diploid species Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Our study suggests that domestication of the banana, which was initiated at the diploid M. acuminata level, does not appear to have influenced phytolith morphometry.

Plantains (Musa spp. AAB) are regarded as the most diverse subgroup of the triploid bananas. Initially they were classified on the basis of morphological characters. New molecular techniques are now being used to explain plantain diversity. Prior to this study no attempt has been made to merge morphological and molecular data in classifying plantains. The objectives of this study were (i) to review the different efforts in plantain taxonomy, (ii) to apply numerical taxonomy to morphological descriptors, and (iii) to evaluate the integration of morphological and molecular data with a common numerical taxonomy method. The results indicate that numerical taxonomy can be an appropriate instrument to compare morphological and molecular data under certain conditions. In the case of plantains, the data sets obtained from morphological and molecular characteristics needs to be quite large. An incomplete match of morphological and molecular data sets could imply that some morphological characters are being influenced by the environment or that the molecular markers have not sampled critical regions of the genome.

Nuclear DNA content and genomic distributions of 5S and 45S rDNA were examined in nineteen diploid accessions of the genus Musa representing its four sections Eumusa, Rhodochlamys, Callimusa and Australimusa, and in Ensete gilletii, which was the outgroup in this study. In the Eumusa (x = 11), 2C DNA content ranged from 1.130 to 1.377 pg, M. balbisiana having the lowest DNA content of all sections. M. beccarii (x = 9), a representative of Callimusa, had the highest 2C nuclear DNA content (1.561 pg). Species belonging to Rhodochlamys (x = 11) and Australimusa (x = 10) had 2C DNA contents ranging from 1.191 to 1.299 pg and from 1.435 to 1.547 pg, respectively. E. gilletii (x = 9) had 2C DNA content of 1.210 pg. The number of 5S rDNA loci in Musa varied from 4 to 8 per diploid cell. While different numbers of 5S rDNA loci were observed within Eumusa and Rhodochlamys, four 5S rDNA loci were observed in all accessions of Australimusa. M. beccarii (Callimusa) and E. gilletii contained 5S rRNA gene clusters on five and six chromosomes, respectively. The number of 45S rDNA loci was conserved within individual sections. Hierarchical cluster analysis of genome size, number of chromosomes and 45S rDNA sites suggested a close relationship between Rhodochlamys and Eumusa; Australimusa was clearly separated as were M. beccarii and E. gilletii. Within the Eumusa-Rhodochlamys group, M. balbisiana, M. schizocarpa and M. ornata formed distinct subgroups, clearly separated from the accessions of M. acuminata, M. mannii, M. laterita and M. velutina, which formed a tight subgroup. The results expand the knowledge of genome size and genomic distribution of ribosomal DNA in Musa and Ensete. They aid in clarification of the taxonomical classification of Musa and show a need to supplement the analyses on the DNA sequence level with cytogenetic studies.

Seeds of Musa balbisiana were soaked in water for five days prior to excision of embryos. Embryos with their longitudinal axis laid flat and half-way embedded on agar-solidified medium produced the highest germination and the most desirable plantlet characteristics. Germination in vitro was 94% within 7 days compared to 50% after 54 days for greenhouse-sown seeds.

In vitro shoot development was slower for apical shoot explants of young oak (Quercus robur L.) seedlings growing on Woody Plant Medium containing activated charcoal than for nodal shoot explants. The rate of in vitro shoot development was slowest in explants taken from seedlings that were undergoing rapid shoot elongation and most rapid in explants taken from seedlings that had stopped elongating and had fully expanded leaves. Maximum rooting was achieved on half-strength Woody Plant Medium containing activated charcoal. Rooting ability was not influenced by explant source.

Background and objectives Fibrosis is the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue. It disturbs cell, tissue and organ homeostasis, leading to severe disease manifestations in various disorders. Transcriptional regulation of genes and pathways with pro- or anti-fibrotic effects is therefore a therapeutic target. DOT1-like histone H3 methyltransferase (DOT1L) is the only known H3K79 methyltransferase. It functions as a positive mediator of gene transcription, of DNA repair, as a regulator of the cell cycle, and has been associated with Wnt signalling. Our aim is to study the role of DOT1L in downstream events associated with pro-fibrotic cascades, hypothesising that it may act as an epigenetic masterswitch in the fibrotic process. Materials and methods MRC5 cells (a human fetal lung fibroblast cell line) were cultured for up to 22 days with 0 and 3µM of EPZ04777 (DOT1L inhibitor). During that period, the cells were stimulated at different time-ponts, with 0 to 5 ng/mL TGFβ 1 for 24 h. We performed mRNA and protein expression analysis. Total RNA was extracted from cell lysates and reverse-transcribed, and gene expression levels were quantified with real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Expression was normalised to Hprt and subsequently normalised to the vehicle condition using the comparative cycle threshold method (ΔΔCT). Total cell lysates were homogenised in Cell Extraction Buffer and proteins were analysed by immunoblot, including assessment of the H3K79 methylation status. Results Long-term treatment progressively decreases the methylation status of H3K79. Upon stimulation with TGFβ1, MRC5 cells show upregulation of type I Collagen mRNA expression and collagen deposition. Moreover, αSMA mRNA expression is also increased, indicating a fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation. TGFβ1 stimulation also increased DOT1L expression and activity in the absence of EPZ04777, as shown by qPCR and H3K79 methylation status. Upon treatment with EPZ04777, we also observed an increase in collagen and αSMA expression, suggesting that loss of DOT1L activity results in pro-fibrotic changes in lung fibroblasts. Conclusions DOT1L has homeostatic effects in the healthy lung fibroblast, since its inhibition triggers a pro-fibrotic transcriptional response. Its upregulation by TGFβ1 could represent a regulatory feedback loop that requires further investigation.

Callus obtained in vitro from stem internode tissue was used to investigate the possibilities for accelerated vegetative propagation of Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. and Lycopersicum peruvianum (L). The results of different tests with phytohormones pointed to a high endogenous auxin level in the original stem explants of L. peruvianum. In L. esculentum shoots were obtained when high amounts of zeatin or coconut-milk were applied. Explants of CCC-pretreated (2 chloroethyl trimethyl-ammonium chloride) tomato plantlets showed a significant increase in shoot formation as compared to the untreated ones. Callus tissue that was more than 2 years old and had been used in 30 transfers still had the capacity to produce normal shoots and roots. More than 200 resulting plants were observed in glasshouse conditions for possible genetic variations. No striking deviations from the original phenotype occurred. Seeds harvested from the fruits of self-fertilized flowers on these plants were sown under normal growth conditions. Some plants of one particular cultivar showed signs of accentuated vegetative development.

Numerous buds are obtained directly on petiole or internode expiants of Euphorbia pulcherrima « Paul Mikkelsen » cultured in vitro. It is also possible to establish a caulogenetic callus starting from internode expiants. Especially cytokinins seem to play an important role in the organisation of these phenomena. Subsequent rooting of shooted buds is possible.

De Langhe E. La taxonomie du bananier plantain en Afrique Équatoriale . In: Journal d'agriculture tropicale et de botanique appliquée, vol. 8, n°10-11, Octobre-novembre 1961. pp. 417-449.

Immature rice (Oryza sativa, L) embryos isolated about 12 days post anthesis are fully able to develop into young seedlings when cultured in vitro. Concomitantly, they rapidly loose their lectin synthesis activity. Abscisic acid added to the nutrient medium prevents precocious germination of the immature embryos and simultaneously strongly promotes lectin biosynthesis activity. Similarly, abscisic acid keeps mature embryos grown in a nutrient medium in a dormant state and maintains their lectin synthesis activity, whereas control embryos rapidly germinate but also quickly loose their lectin synthesis activity. It appears, therefore, that rice lectin is typically synthesized in embryos which are kept in a dornant state.

Brussels chicory or witloof chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a typical West-European vegetable. The culture of witloof is twofold. During spring and summer the plant produces a rosette of green leaves (Fig. 1) and a large, fleshy tap root in the field. These roots are harvested by the end of the summer. In autumn and winter the harvested roots, stripped of their green leaves, are forced in complete darkness through warmth and humidity to give the final edible product, a white yellowish, etiolated head (hence the Flemish name witloof, meaning literally white foliage). The leaves of the head are folded tightly over each other giving the vegetable a cylindrical shape with a conical tip (Fig. 2).