Search

It is mandatory to assess the allergenic potential of genetically modified (GM) crops before their commercialization. Recently, a transgene [Calcineurin B-like (CBL) protein] has been introduced into tobacco plant to make the crop salt resistance. Therefore, it was felt necessary to assess the allergenic potential of the cbl gene product, which was introduced and expressed in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) plant and compared the allergenic effects with the wild-type (WT) counterpart. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that there was no significant sequence homology with known allergens. Also, no difference between the protein digestibility profiles of GM and WT tobacco was found. Rapid digestion of CBL protein (Mol Wt 35 kDa) by simulated gastric fluid (SGF) indicated reduced chances of this protein to induce allergenicity. In addition, BALB/c mice sensitized by intraperitoneal administration of WT and GM tobacco protein showed comparable levels of clinical score, specific IgE, IgG1, histamine level, similar effect on different organs as well as IgE binding proteins. These findings indicate that insertion of cbl gene in tobacco did not cause any additional allergic risk to consumer and the GM and native tobacco proteins behave similarly in both in vitro and in vivo situations even after genetic modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A molecular mechanism to ensure signaling specificity is a scaffold. REPRESSION OF SHOOT GROWTH (RSG) is a tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) transcription factor that is involved in gibberellin feedback regulation. The 14-3-3 proteins negatively regulate RSG by sequestering it in the cytoplasm in response to gibberellins. The N. tabacum Ca2+-dependent protein kinase NtCDPK1 was identified as an RSG kinase that promotes 14-3-3 binding of RSG by phosphorylation of RSG. CDPKs are unique sensor responders of Ca2+ that are only found in plants and some protozoans. Here, we report a scaffolding function of CDPK. 14-3-3 proteins bound to NtCDPK1 by a new mode. Autophosphorylation of NtCDPK1 was necessary for the formation of the binding between NtCDPK1 and 14-3-3 but not for its maintenance. NtCDPK1 formed a heterotrimer with RSG and 14-3-3. Furthermore, we found that NtCDPK1 transfers 14-3-3 to RSG after phosphorylation of RSG and that RSG dissociates from NtCDPK1 as a complex with 14-3-3. These results suggest that NtCDPK1 is an interesting scaffolding kinase that increases the specificity and efficiency of signaling by coupling catalysis with scaffolding on the same protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biogenesis of the cytochrome b6f complex in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) seems to be restricted to young leaves, suggesting a high lifetime of the complex. To directly determine its lifetime, we employed an ethanol-inducible RNA interference (RNAi) approach targeted against the essential nuclear-encoded Rieske protein (PetC) and the small M subunit (PetM), whose function in higher plants is unknown. Young expanding leaves of both PetM and PetC RNAi transformants bleached rapidly and developed necroses, while mature leaves, whose photosynthetic apparatus was fully assembled before RNAi induction, stayed green. In line with these phenotypes, cytochrome b6f complex accumulation and linear electron transport capacity were strongly repressed in young leaves of both RNAi transformants, showing that the M subunit is as essential for cytochrome b6f complex accumulation as the Rieske protein. In mature leaves, all photosynthetic parameters were indistinguishable from the wild type even after 14 d of induction. As RNAi repression of PetM and PetC was highly efficient in both young and mature leaves, these data indicate a lifetime of the cytochrome b6f complex of at least 1 week. The switch-off of cytochrome b6f complex biogenesis in mature leaves may represent part of the first dedicated step of the leaf senescence program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycopene s-cyclase (s-LCY) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of a-branch carotenoids through the cyclization of lycopene. Two cDNA molecules encoding s-LCY (designated Nts-LCY1 and Nts-LCY2) were cloned from Nicotiana tabacum. Nte-LCY1 and Nts-LCY2 are encoded by two distinct genes with different evolutionary origins, one originating from the tobacco progenitor, Nicotiana sylvestris, and the other originating from Nicotiana tomentosiformis. The two coding regions are 97% identical at the nucleotide level and 95% identical at the amino acid level. Transcripts of Nts-LCY were detectable in both vegetative and reproductive organs, with a relatively higher level of expression in leaves than in other tissues. Subcellular localization experiments using an Nts-LCY1-GFP fusion protein demonstrated that mature Nts-LCY1 protein is localized within the chloroplast in Bright Yellow 2 suspension cells. Under low-temperature and low-irradiation stress, Nte-LCY transcript levels substantially increased relative to control plants. Tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-mediated silencing of s-LCY in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in an increase of β-branch carotenoids and a reduction in the levels of a-branch carotenoids. Meanwhile, transcripts of related genes in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway observably increased, with the exception of β-OHase in the TRV-s-lcy line. Suppression of s-LCY expression was also found to alleviate photoinhibition of Potosystem II in virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) plants under low-temperature and low-irradiation stress. Our results provide insight into the regulatory role of s-LCY in plant carotenoid biosynthesis and suggest a role for s-LCY in positively modulating low temperature stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for the detection of 3,4,5 -trihydroxy benzoic acid in tobacco essence and flavor was developed by using high performance liquid chromatography. After oscillate-extraction by ethanol,the samples were separated by a C18 column (100 mm x 3. 9 mm,5 µm), using methanol and 0. 05% phosphoric acid (6 : 94) as mobile phases by isocratic elution,and detected by diode array detector with the wavelength of 272 nm. The experimental results showed that: within the range of 0. 1 ~ 10. 0 mg/L,the linear correlation coefficient for 3, 4, 5-trihydroxy benzoic acid was 0. 999 4, the low detection limit was 1.01 (jLg/g, the recovery was 93. 1% ~ 103. 2%,the RSD <5% ( n = 5 ). The method was sensitive, accurate and easy-controlled, and it was suitable for quantitive determination of 3,4,5-trihydroxy benzoic acid in different types of tobacco essence and flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very few soil quality indicators include disease-suppressiveness criteria. We assessed whether 64 16 S rRNA microarray probes whose signals correlated with tobacco black root rot suppressiveness in greenhouse analysis could also discriminate suppressive from conducive soils under field conditions. Rhizobacterial communities of tobacco and wheat sampled in 2 years from four farmers' fields of contrasted suppressiveness status were compared. The 64 previously identified indicator probes correctly classified 72% of 29 field samples, with nine probes for A zospirillum, G luconacetobacter, S phingomonadaceae, P lanctomycetes, M ycoplasma, L actobacillus crispatus and T hermodesulforhabdus providing the best prediction. The whole probe set (1033 probes) revealed strong effects of plant, field location and year on rhizobacterial community composition, and a smaller (7% variance) but significant effect of soil suppressiveness status. Seventeen additional probes correlating with suppressiveness status in the field (noticeably for A grobacterium, M ethylobacterium, O chrobactrum) were selected, and combined with the nine others, they improved correct sample classification from 72% to 79% (100% tobacco and 63% wheat samples). Pseudomonas probes were not informative in the field, even those targeting biocontrol pseudomonads producing 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol, nor was quantitative polymerase chain reaction for 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-synthesis gene phlD. This study shows that a subset of 16 S rRNA probes targeting diverse rhizobacteria can be useful as suppressiveness indicators under field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promotes the development of regulatory science to ensure that a strong evidence base informs all of its regulatory activities related to the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products as well as public education about tobacco product constituents and effects. Toward that end, the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) provides funding for research studies with scientific aims that fall within its defined regulatory authority. However, given their traditional biomedical focus on basic and applied research, some researchers may not understand the principles of regulatory science or the types of studies CTP funds. Regulatory Science and Research: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the definition of regulatory science as a distinct scientific discipline, explore the role of tobacco regulatory science in order to help researchers understand the parameters and types of research that can be funded by CTP, and describe the types of research efforts that will inform FDA’s public health framework for tobacco product regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Several kinds of cigarette tobacco were analyzed to determine contents of essential elements, natural and artificial radioactivity. The contents of essential elements and radionuclides were determined by WDXRF and gamma spectrometry, respectively. Samples were analyzed by WDXRF technique for the following elements: Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Sr and In in cigarette tobaccos. In the contents of essential elements, the mean amounts of K (48.891%) and Ca (38.358%) have the highest contents in the cigarette tobaccos. The radionuclide activity concentrations of 137Cs, 238U, 232Th, 40K and 90Sr were measured in cigarette tobaccos. According to radioactivity concentration results, 238U ranged between 0.549 and 6.181Bq/kg; 232Th between 0.160 and 3.748Bq/kg; 137Cs between 0.023 and 2.355Bq/kg; 90Sr between 0.019 and 2.305Bq/kg and 40K between 2.894 and 56.333Bq/kg. It was concluded that the annual effective dose due to inhalation for adults (smokers) for 238U varied from 4.97 to 55.94μSv/y (average 28.04μSv/y), while for 232Th from 12.48 to 292.41μSv/y (average 138.65μSv/y) and for 40K from 18.97 to 370.45nSv/y (average 139.83nSv/y). The annual effective dose from 137Cs and 90Sr of Chernobyl origin varied from 0.70 to 71.29nSv/y (average 29.86nSv/y) and from 9.49 to 1150.93nSv/y (average 415.29nSv/y), respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Tobacco and alcohol are the most widely used psychoactive substances. Most of the studies show close relationship between the use of alcohol and smoking. In general population, smokers are more likely to drink than non-smokers. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 alcohol dependents who were taking treatment at two selected de-addiction centres. This study utilised the following measures: (a) socio-demographic data sheet, (b) alcohol and smoking history data sheet, (c) alcohol dependence scale, and (d) Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence. Results: There was a significant correlation between age of onset of smoking with age of onset of alcohol intake, years of alcohol dependence with years of smoking dependence, mean days of drinking with mean days of smoking, and average consumption of alcohol per day with number of cigarettes smoked per day. Conclusion: Alcohol use and smoking are correlated; the link between alcohol and tobacco has important implications for those in the field of alcohol treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To investigate the effects of different loading methods on tobacco leaf quality. [Method] With tobacco comb, tobacco clamp, and tobacco basket, color, phenolic compounds and their antioxidant capacity of flue-cured tobacco leaves were studied. [Result] The results showed that L*, a* and b* values of tobacco leaves packaged by tobacco clamp and comb were higher than those of tobacco basket and no significant differences were found beween values of a* and b*, however, between L* and h values, remarkable differences existed among three loading methods. Total phenolic content and chlorogenic acid content of tobacco leaves loaded by tobacco comb kept the highest, followed by smoke clamp and tobacco basket (P<0.05). On the other hand, rutin content showed little differences among treatments. The order of the antioxidant properties, such as DPPH free radical scavenging activity and reducing powder, of tobacco leaves by different loading methods was tobacco comb > tobacco clamp > loose basket and a positive relationship was found of antioxiang property with total phenolic content and chlorogenic acid content. [Conclusion] In view of tobacco leaves quality and antioxidant property, loading method with tobacco comb proved to be a better choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the acreage response of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco to its own price and area under maize crop in three major FCV producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa i.e., Swabi, Mardan, and Charsadda. Data used in the study cover time series data for 1971-2011. The newly developed Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model for cointegration was used to estimate the short-run and long-run elasticities. The study found a long-run price elasticity of 0.33, thereby revealing that FCV acreage response to its own price is relatively inelastic. The short-run acreage response was also low (0.13) and therefore relatively inelastic. This implies that price policy could not be used as the sole instrument to affect area under FCV. The provision of some other non-price incentives may also play a significant role in increasing area under FCV in the study area. The results also show that area under maize crop negatively affect area under FCV, thereby indicating that maize crop could be considered as competing crop to FCV in the study area. The results of this study could help policy makers in identifying important determinants of acreage response of FCV tobacco crop in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to determine the possibility of using the stalks of Virginia tobacco. Special attention was payed to estimation of the energy potential, through prediction of higher heating value (HHV), based on the lignin and ash content. The usage of tobacco stalks will have significant environmental impact: it can solve the problem with the waste, giving the possibility to include it in the total biomass of Serbia, together with other wastes of agricultural production. The results of the research reveal that tobacco waste can be used as raw material for production of proteins and cellulose, and certain amount can be used in energetic purposes, for production of biogas, bio-ethanol, pellets and briquettes, affording environmentally acceptable and energy-valuable products. The fact that there are no written data about the chemical composition of tobacco stalks from the Republic of Serbia gives special significance to this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective look at the past period from 1973 to 2013, the tobacco production marked fluctuations in gradual decline. Also there are perceive fluctuations in the production of wheat, corn and sunflower, in Macedonia, where the production from year to year oscillate with a tendency to a slight reduction in wheat production. The sunflower production is reduced as well there is a slight increase in the production of corn. For better visibility, the labor movement of the crops is shown in absolute terms in the tons, and their annual average yields in kilograms per hectare (kg / ha) by separate cultures through spreadsheets and charts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of tobacco production (yields and planted area) in the region of Pelagonia will be made in this paper. Pelagonia is traditional and largest producer of high-quality tobacco in the Republic of Macedonia. It is especially known for the production of oriental tobacco, which is the most interesting for the foreign market. In recent years, the production of oriental tobacco in R. Macedonia ranged from 23.200 t in 2009 to 30.273t in 2010, or in average 27.040t. In the period of investigation (2009-2013), the share of the Pelagonia region in the average tobacco production of R. Macedonia was 12.762 tons. The highest production was recorded in the municipalities of Dolneni(4034,2 tons) and Prilep(3124,0tons). The average yield in Pelagonia region ranged from 1122,4kg/ha in 2009 to 1297,4kg/ha in 2013. The highest yield was achieved in municipalities Krusevo-1346,6kg/ha, Dolneni-1341,6 and Mogila-1317,4kg/ha and in the other municipalities the yields were relatively lower. The average area under tobacco in the same period amounted to 9946,8ha, the major part of which belonged to the municipalities of Dolneni (3006,2ha) and Prilep (2472,8 ha). In other municipalities the average area under tobacco was smaller and ranged about 1000 hectares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basmak tobacco is included in Macedonian production of oriental tobacco. This type is distinguished by its high quality raw material, typical for the oriental tobaccos, and is highly demanded in world market. Field trials were conducted in Scientific Tobacco Institute - Prilep from 2009 to 2011 with YK 7 - 4/2 as a check (ø) and three Basmak varietiesMK-1, MB-2 and MB-3. The highest values for dry tobacco yield per stalk and per unit area were recorded in MB-3 variety (11.60 g/stalk and 2140 kg/ha). The Basmak varieties showed higher average purchase price and yield per hectare compared to the check. They also achieved higher gross income, the highest value of which was recorded in MB-3 variety (336 075 denars/ha). The aim of the paper is to give a complete view on productional characteristics of investigated Basmak varieties and to enable their easier implementation in mass production of this tobacco type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were made on the degree of dominance, heterosis and inheritability of chemical composition in Virginia tobacco plants. For that purpose, P1, P2, F1 and F2 populations of six crosses of introduced Virginia tobaccos were studied. It was found that the inheritance of nicotine and sugar contents is overdominat, incompletely dominant or additive, and that of total nitrogen and proteins was overdominant or incompletely dominant. The direction of inheritance is toward the parent with higher levels of investigated trait. Only the inheritance of total nitrogen content is both from the parent with lower values and from those with higher values. There are high values for heritability coefficient of nicotine, suggesting that genetic factor is a crucial determinating factor for this trait. Therefore, the selection of this trait is effective in early generations. The contents of sugar, total nitrogen and protein showed low values of heritability coefficient, suggesting higher efficiency of selection in later generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate in plant tissues when the plant is exposed to stress, causing damage to cell structure and metabolism. Plants have a variety of mechanisms to prevent such damage, including a number of enzymes that scavenge ROS. The impact of specific enzymes, however, is as yet poorly understood. Methodology. The impact on plant tolerance to cold stress of enzymes involved in scavenging ROS was explored by comparing transplastomic tobacco lines overexpressing genes encoding glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and manganese superoxide dismutase, singly or in pairwise combinations, with nontransformed (NT) tobacco. Pivotal results. Chilling to 10°C resulted in less photoinhibition in lines overexpressing GR alone or in combination with GST, compared to NT tobacco, but more photoinhibition in lines overexpressing DHAR alone or in combination with GR. These differences were not, however, reflected in other indicators of stress. When chilled at 4°C, all lines showed similar damage to NT, except under relatively high photosynthetically active radiation, in which case photoinhibition was reduced in all transplastomic lines compared to NT. Growth over several weeks in a greenhouse was inhibited in the transplastomic lines when the duration included transient cool air temperatures. When optimal air temperature was maintained, growth over a similar duration was equal in transplastomics and NT tobacco. Conclusions. These experiments suggest a subtle interaction of enhanced ROS scavenging and tolerance of chilling stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstituted tobacco containing different proportion of tea, by using the coating method, were mixed to tobacco and produce blended tobacco cigarettes. Cigarette smoke was trapped with the smoking machine, the total particulate matter of the mainstream smoke was collected, the filters which contained particulate matter of the smoke was extracted through the simultaneous and extraction method (SDE), and then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using the GC-MS. Compared with the blank control sample, the results showed that the content of harmful components of phenols in cigarette smoke decreased in different degrees, i.e. the total harmful component of 10% and 12% cigarette samples decreased 37. 4% and 36.8% respectively, and its smoking quality was improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of microwave expansion on the surface functional groups of tobacco stem by conventional stem cutting method was studied. The stem was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The FT-IR result showed that: after microwave treatment, the percentage of surface hydroxyl, carboxyl and -- CN increased significantly. There was no significantly different between traditional cut stem and novel cut stem during FT-IR tests. The XPS result showed that phenolic hydroxyl, ether, carboxy were three forms of carbon in microwave expansion stem. The forms of oxygen in all samples were similar, and expanded stem had higher content of hydroxyl than original stem. In addition, there were many nitrogen groups in the surface of the expanded stem molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems such as the difficulty in the utilization of tobacco rods and the lower use rate, the need for more use of the tobacco powder stick. That relationship of petroleum ether extract content, quality of water extract, aroma component and size of tobacco powder were studied. Experiments conducted by mechanically crushing and sieving the tobacco powder stick samples, comparing the proportion of screening material and form, combining with petroleum ether extract content of each substance screening, combining screening to three segments more than 15 projects, 15 to 60 mesh, 60 mesh sieve, each segment to ensure the uniformity of the quality of the screening goods. Then by comparing the three sections of the screening material quality sensory evaluation it was found that the quality of 15 to 60 mesh screening material was the best, followed by 60 mesh screening material, both of which are better than the quality of the tobacco powder stick samples which were not sieved crushed. They may preferably be used in production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum L. variety Samsun NN demonstrated that expression of the CESA3 cellulose synthase gene that contains a point mutation, named ixr1-2, results in greater conversion of plant-derived cellulose to fermentable sugars. The present study was designed to examine the improved enzymatic saccharification efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass of tobacco plants expressing AtCESA3ixr1-2. Three-month-old AtCESA3ixr1-2 transgenic and wild-type tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. variety Samsun NN) were grown in the presence and absence of isoxaben. Biomass obtained from leaf, stem, and root tissues were analyzed for enzymatic saccharification rates. During enzymatic saccharification, 45% and 25% more sugar was released from transgenic leaf and stem samples, respectively, when compared to the wild-type samples. This gain in saccharification efficiency was achieved without chemical or heat pretreatment. Additionally, leaf and stem biomass from transgenic AtCESA3ixr1-2 requires a reduced amount of enzyme for saccharification compared to biomass from wild-type plants. From a practical standpoint, a similar strategy could be employed to introduce the mutated CESA into energy crops like poplar and switchgrass to improve the efficiency of biomass conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cell-free protein synthesis is a rapid and efficient method for the production of recombinant proteins. Usage of prokaryotic cell-free extracts often leads to non-functional proteins. Eukaryotic counterparts such as wheat germ extract (WGE) and rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RLL) may improve solubility and promote the correct folding of eukaryotic multi-domain proteins that are difficult to express in bacteria. However, the preparation of WGEs is complex and time-consuming, whereas RLLs suffer from low yields. Here we report the development of a novel cell-free system based on tobacco Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) cells harvested in the exponential growth phase. Results The highly-productive BY-2 lysate (BYL) can be prepared quickly within 4-5 h, compared to 4-5 d for WGE. The efficiency of the BYL was tested using three model proteins: enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) and two versions of luciferase. The added mRNA was optimized by testing different 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). The protein yield in batch and dialysis reactions using BYL was much higher than that of a commercial Promega WGE preparation, achieving a maximum yield of 80 μg/mL of eYFP and 100 μg/mL of luciferase, compared to only 45 μg/mL of eYFP and 35 μg/mL of luciferase in WGEs. In dialysis reactions, the BYL yielded about 400 μg/mL eYFP, representing up to 50% more of the target protein than the Promega WGE, and equivalent to the amount using 5Prime WGE system. Conclusions Due to the high yield and the short preparation time the BYL represents a remarkable improvement over current eukaryotic cell-free systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NtCOI1, a tobacco orthologue of the Arabidopsis jasmonate co-receptor COI1, was shown to regulate primary carbohydrate metabolism in both reproductive and vegetative organs of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. TN90.Jasmonate (JA) plays an important role in regulating plant male fertility and secondary metabolism, but its role in regulating primary metabolism remains unclear. The F-box protein CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1) is a critical component of the JA receptor, and mediates JA-signalling by targeting JASMONATE ZIM-domain (JAZ) proteins for proteasomal degradation in response to JA perception. Here, we found that RNA interference-mediated knockdown of NtCOI1 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. TN90) recapitulated many previously observed phenotypes in coi1 mutants, including male sterility, JA insensitivity, and loss of floral anthocyanin production. It also affected starch metabolism in the pollen, anther wall, and floral nectary, leading to pollen abortion and loss of floral nectar. Transcript levels of genes encoding starch metabolism enzymes were significantly altered in the pollen, anther wall, and floral nectary of NtCOI1-silenced tobacco. Changes in leaf primary metabolism were also observed in the NtCOI1-silenced tobacco. The expression of NtMYB305, an orthologue of MYB305 previously identified as a flavonoid metabolic regulator in Antirrhinum majus flowers and as a floral-nectar regulator mediating starch synthesis in ornamental tobacco, was extremely downregulated in NtCOI1-silenced tobacco. These findings suggest that NtCOI1 functions upstream of NtMYB305 and plays a fundamental role in coordinating plant primary carbohydrate metabolism and correlative physiological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Harpin proteins stimulate hypersensitive response (HR) in plants. However, the mechanism by which HR is regulated is not clear. The role of the auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), in the control of harpin-stimulated HR was investigated. IAA was used to inhibit HR that was stimulated by purified fusion harpin protein in tobacco. Semi-quantitative PCR and qRT-PCR were employed to detect the expression of HR related genes. IAA at 100 μM reversed harpin-induced HR which was inhibited by 500 μM 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA). Semi-quantitative PCR and qRT-PCR showed the combined application of 100 μM IAA and harpin protein from Xanthomonas oryzae enhanced the expression of HR marker gene, hsr203J, but weakened the expression of the disease-defense gene, chia5. TIBA also decreased the expression of hsr203J but increased the expression of chia5. Thus, the auxin can reverse harpin-induced HR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate-ammonium (N-A) and ammonium-nitrate (A-N) transition experiments were performed with tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, cv Gatersleben) plants to study whether the increased expression of ammonium assimilation-related genes found under short-term boron (B) deficiency is maintained when the nitrogen source changes. Asparagine synthetase (AS), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and glutamine synthetase (GS) gene overexpressions in roots under B deprivation were detected in both nitrogen transitions, althoughGSand, especially,ASup-regulations were observed earlier in the ammonium-nitrate transition. Transcript levels were inversely correlated with hexose contents after 24 h of B deprivation. Our results suggest that tobacco roots respond to short-term B deficiency by increasing the expression ofAS,GDHandGSgenes irrespectively of the nitrogen source. A hypothetical model to explain these results is proposed and discussed. Thus, the combined action of these enzymes would avoid the accumulation of ammonia and help maintain the activity of the tricarboxylic acid cycle when tobacco roots are affected by B deficiency, the plant organ that first senses this stress. Therefore, under B deficiency, they would act as an ammonium detoxifying mechanism, being a complement to the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase (GS/GOGAT) pathway. We propose that the protective role of these enzymes could be extended to changing nitrogen-supply conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Tobacco hairy roots were engineered to express geraniol synthase. [•] A detailed metabolite analysis of transgenic hairy root cultures was performed. [•] Generated hairy roots contained geraniol derivatives in six major glycoside forms. [•] Total geraniol accumulation was as high as 204.3μg/g DW in engineered hairy roots. [•] A scale-up to a 20L wave bioreactor was developed containing mg amounts of geraniol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The experiment was carried out in the Tobacco Experimental Station of San Juan y Martinez, Pinar del Rio, in the period 2008/2010 with the objective of determining the effect of different levels of moisture in the soil in plants tobacco dark variety “Corojo 2006" cultivated shade grown. A design of blocks was used at random with four repetitions and five treatments (70-80-75; 70-75-75; 70-70-65 and 70-65-65)% of the field capacity in the different periods of development of the cultivation and a treatment in unirrigated land, being evaluated the height and diameter of the shaft, the longitude, the width, the dry mass, the elasticity, combustibility, content of nicotine and nitrogen of the central leaf of the plant, the total yield and in classes. When the level of moisture in the soil stayed to 70-80-75% for the development phases the biggest values they were reached for the height and diameter of the shaft, as well as for the longitude, width and dry mass. The biggest yield in layers for the wrapper of export and total it was reached with 70-75-75% of moisture of the soil. The contents of nicotine, nitrogen and the elasticity of the tobacco increase in presence of a stress hydric in the soil, while the combustibility of the leaf was considered excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Innovación Tecnológica is the property of Instituto de Informacion Cientifica y Tecnologica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to comprehensively evaluate the quality of tobacco grown on different soil type and soil texture, this study collected 149 soil samples including 5 soil types and 8 kinds of soil texture and the corresponding 149 Yunyan No.85 (C3F) tobacco leaf samples in Bijie tobacco-growing areas, and carried out comparative analysis on 10 chemical components of tobacco leaf. Then multi-objective decision-making method based on entropy weight was adopted to comprehensively evaluate these chemical components. The results showed that among 10 chemical component indicators the differences among 6 indicators were extremely significant among soil types, 5 indicators had extremely significant differences among soil textures, and one indicator was significantly different. Each chemical component indicator had different expression among soil type and doil texture. The result of comprehensive evaluation indicated that the expressions of 5 soil types were purple soil>yellow soil > yellow brown soil> lime soil soil>fluvo-aquic soil; the expression of 8 species of soil textures were powder soil> sticky soil> clay> silty clay >loam clay> loam> sticky silty loam> sandy clay loam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectopic expression in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum v. Xanthi) of the export protein AtHMA4 (responsible in Arabidopsis for the control of Zn/Cd root to shoot translocation) resulted in decreased Cd uptake/accumulation in roots and shoots. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms underlying this Cd-dependent phenotype to help predict the consequences of transgene expression for potential phytoremediation/biofortification-based strategies. Microarray analysis was performed to identify metal homeostasis genes that were differentially expressed in roots of Cd-exposed AtHMA4-expressing tobacco relative to the wild type. It was established that down-regulation of genes known to mediate Cd uptake was not responsible for reduced Cd uptake/accumulation in AtHMA4 transformants. The transcript levels of NtIRT1 and NtZIP1 were higher in transgenic plants, indicating an induction of the Fe and Zn deficiency status due to AtHMA4 expression. Interestingly, upon exposure to Cd, genes involved in cell wall lignification (NtHCT, NtOMET, and NtPrx11a) were up-regulated in transformants. Microscopic analysis of roots demonstrated that expression of AtHMA4 caused an induction of cell wall lignification in the external cell layers that was accompanied by enhanced H2O2 accumulation. Further study showed that the concentration of other elements (B, Co, Cu, Ni, Mo, and Zn) was reduced in AtHMA4 transformants in the presence of Cd. In conclusion, due to ectopic expression of 35S::AtHMA4, the physical apoplastic barrier within the external cell layer developed, which is likely to be responsible for the reduction of Cd uptake/accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of the study is to explore tobacco and alcohol consumption amongst Roma adolescents, indicating any differences according to gender and geographical area (Andalusia, Madrid and the Basque Country). It was made a transversal study via a school survey comprising 569 Roma adolescents, registered in Secondary Education and ranging from 12 to 18 years of age. The data was collected between January and June 2011. The variables were: socio-demographic, religious beliefs, practice of sports, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and consumption context (peers, partner, and parents). The main results were that 16.2% of Roma adolescents smoked daily and drunk five or more alcoholic drinks (binge drinking) on the last occasion. Smoking on a daily basis was associated to being a boy, a parent that smokes, a partner that smokes and friends that smoke. Being a boy, getting drunk and having been to a botellón (social drinking in the street) increase the likelihood of binge drinking. Sports and religious factors were not associated to daily smoking or binge drinking. Therefore the Roma adolescent boys are at greater risk than girls of smoking daily and binge drinking, there being gender differences in intensive tobacco and alcohol consumption, but not in the general use of these substances. A smoking parent is associated to a greater risk of Roma boys smoking, and going to a botellón or getting drunk is associated to a greater risk of binge drinking. It is necessary to bear in mind the ethnic variable in educative socio-sanitary interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to elucidate the influence of deficient phosphorus stress on tobacco glucose metabolism and nutrition uptake, Shapei test was designed with T1 ( 1 mmol/L Pi ) and T2 ( 0 .1 mmol/L Pi ) treatments taking Yunyan 87 as experiment material. The contents of sugar, starch, nutritional elements at different parts of tobacco plant, and the activities of sugar metabolism related enzymes were detected under deficient phosphorus stress. Besides, the key sugar metabolism genes ( SUTl, INV, AGPase ) and the expression differences of high affinity nutrients transport protein family genes ( PT1, PT2, HAKİ, IRT1 ) were also analyzed. The results showed that starch and sugar contents increased remarkably in roots and above-ground parts under Pi deficiency condition. Under deficient phosphorus stress the contents of K and Fe increased in tobaco roots and above-ground parts, Mg content reduced. But there was not much difference in Ca content. K and Fe accumulation might be caused by the increase quantity of high affinity potassium transporters ( HAKİ ) and Iron regulate transporter genes ( IRT1 ) . This study has provided theoretical basis for studying the interaction between phosphorus and other nutrient elements in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] This study aimed to compare the effects of low-temperature low-humidity tobacco flue-curing technology, moderate-temperature moderate-humidity tobacco flue-curing technology and moderate-temperature high-humidity tobacco flue-curing technology on submicroscopic structure of flue-cured tobacco leaves to provide theoretical basis for tobacco flue-curing. [Method] Middle leaves of tobacco cultivar K326 were collected in Pengshui County of Chongqing City for flue-curing experiment using three flue-curing technologies. Leaf samples were collected regularly in the flue-curing process, to investigate the submicroscopic structure of flue-cured tobacco leaves. [Result] Morphology changes and structural rupture of chloroplasts occurred at different time during three flue-curing processes. In low-temperature low-humidity flue-curing process, morphology changes and structural rupture of chloroplasts occurred late but rapidly; in moderate-temperature moderate-humidity flue-curing process and moderate-temperature high-humidity flue-curing process, morphology changes and structural rupture of chloroplasts occurred early but slowly. Among these three flue-curing processes, the speed of changes in mitochondria morphology, cristae number and membrane rupture presented an upward order of low-temperature low-humidity flue-curing process < moderate-temperature high-humidity flue-curing process < moderate-temperature moderate-humidity flue-curing process. In low-temperature low-humidity flue-curing process, starch granules in chloroplasts ruptured after flue-curing for 36-48 h; in moderate-temperature moderate-humidity flue-curing process, starch granules in chloroplasts ruptured after flue-curing for 24-36 h; in moderate-temperature high-humidity flue-curing process, starch granules in chloroplasts ruptured after flue-curing for 12 -24 h. [Conclusion] Using low-temperature low-humidity flue-curing technology could prolong the maintenance duration of the submicroscopic structure integrity of flue-cured tobacco leaves, which was conducive to fully decomposing and transforming substances in tobacco leaves and obtaining high-quality flue-cured tobacco leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial degradation of plant cell walls is a central component of the carbon cycle and is of increasing importance in environmentally significant industries. Plant cell wall-degrading enzymes have a complex molecular architecture consisting of catalytic modules and, frequently, multiple non-catalytic carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs). It is currently unclear whether the specificities of the CBMs or the topology of the catalytic modules are the primary drivers for the specificity of these enzymes against plant cell walls. Here, we have evaluated the relationship between CBM specificity and their capacity to enhance the activity of GH5 and GH26 mannanases and CE2 esterases against intact plant cell walls. The data show that cellulose and mannan binding CBMs have the greatest impact on the removal of mannan from tobacco and Physcomitrella cell walls, respectively. Although the action of the GH5 mannanase was independent of the context of mannan in tobacco cell walls, a significant proportion of the polysaccharide was inaccessible to the GH26 enzyme. The recalcitrant mannan, however, was fully accessible to the GH26 mannanase appended to a cellulose binding CBM. Although CE2 esterases display similar specificities against acetylated substrates in vitro, only CjCE2C was active against acetylated mannan in Physcomitrella. Appending a mannan binding CBM27 to CjCE2C potentiated its activity against Physcomitrella walls, whereas a xylan binding CBM reduced the capacity of esterases to deacetylate xylan in tobacco walls. This work provides insight into the biological significance for the complex array of hydrolytic enzymes expressed by plant cell wall-degrading microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IMPORTANCE Tobacco is a leading global disease risk factor. Understanding national trends in prevalence and consumption is critical for prioritizing action and evaluating tobacco control progress. OBJECTIVE TO estimate the prevalence of daily smoking by age and sex and the number of cigarettes per smoker per day for 187 countries from 1980 to 2012. DESIGN Nationally representative sources that measured tobacco use (n = 2102 country-years of data) were systematically identified. Survey data that did not report daily tobacco smoking were adjusted using the average relationship between different definitions. Age-sex-country-year observations (n = 38 315) were synthesized using spatial-temporal gaussian process regression to model prevalence estimates by age, sex, country, and year. Data on consumption of cigarettes were used to generate estimates of cigarettes per smoker per day. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Modeled age-standardized prevalence of daily tobacco smoking by age, sex, country, and year; cigarettes per smoker per day by country and year. RESULTS Global modeled age-standardized prevalence of daily tobacco smoking in the population older than 15 years decreased from 41.2% (95% uncertainty interval [Ul], 40.0%-42.6%) in 1980 to 31.1% (95% UI, 30.2%-32.0%; P < .001) in 2012 for men and from 10.6% (95% UI, 10.2%-11.1%) to 6.2% (95% UI, 6.0%-6.4%; P < .001) for women. Global modeled prevalence declined at a faster rate from 1996 to 2006 (mean annualized rate of decline, 1.7%; 95% UI, 1.5%-1.9%) compared with the subsequent period (mean annualized rate of decline, 0.9%; 95% UI, 0.5%-1.3%; P = .003). Despite the decline in modeled prevalence, the number of daily smokers increased from 721 million (95% UI, 700 million-742 million) in 1980 to 967 million (95% UI, 944 million-989 million; P < .001) in 2012. Modeled prevalence rates exhibited substantial variation across age, sex, and countries, with rates below 5% for women in some African countries to more than 55% for men in Timor-Leste and Indonesia. The number of cigarettes per smoker per day also varied widely across countries and was not correlated with modeled prevalence. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Since 1980, large reductions in the estimated prevalence of daily smoking were observed at the global level for both men and women, but because of population growth, the number of smokers increased significantly. As tobacco remains a threat to the health of the world's population, intensified efforts to control its use are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We examined the positive and negative subjective feelings associated with initial tobacco and cannabis use as well as the role of these experiences in regular use. Additionally, we investigated the effect of the first substance experienced on initial subjective experiences and later regular use. Methods: Baseline data from a representative sample of young Swiss men were obtained from an ongoing Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors, which includes 2,321 lifetime tobacco and cannabis users. We assessed the age of first tobacco and cannabis use along with the subjective experiences associated with initial use. Additionally, subjective experiences related to regular use of both substances were analyzed. Results: The initial subjective experiences were divided into positive and negative for each substance, and we found that the feelings associated with first use of tobacco and cannabis were similar. Moreover, the participants who used cannabis before tobacco reported fewer negative experiences associated with first tobacco use, whereas the participants who initially used tobacco reported more negative experiences related to first cannabis use. Also, we identified that regular use was encouraged by positive experiences and that negative experiences were more adverse for regular use of cannabis compared with tobacco. Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicate that similar subjective experiences were associated with the first use of tobacco and cannabis. Also, the use of cannabis before tobacco, which occurred in only a minority of users, had the potential to enhance the effects of initial tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: The rate of smokeless tobacco use in India is 20%; its use causes serious health problems, and no trial has assessed behavioral or pharmacological treatments for this public health concern. This trial evaluated varenicline for treating smokeless tobacco dependence in India. Methods: This was a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of varenicline (12 weeks, 1mg, twice per day) with 237 smokeless tobacco users in India. All participants received behavioral counseling. Outcomes included self-reported and biochemically verified abstinence at the end of treatment (EOT), lapse and recovery events, safety, and medication adherence. Results: Self-reported EOT abstinence was significantly greater for varenicline (43%) versus placebo (31%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2–4.2, p = .009). Biochemically confirmed EOT abstinence was greater for varenicline versus placebo (25.2% vs. 19.5%), but this was not statistically different (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.84–3.1, p = .15). Compared with placebo, varenicline did not reduce the risk for a lapse (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.69–1.1, p = .14), but it did increase the likelihood of recovery to abstinence (HR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.02–1.4, p = .02). Greater adherence increased EOT cessation rates for varenicline (39% vs. 18%, p = .003) but not for placebo (28% vs. 14%, p = .06). There were no significant differences between varenicline and placebo in rate of side effects, serious adverse events, hypertension, or stopping or reducing medication. Conclusions: Varenicline is safe for treating smokeless tobacco dependence in India, and further examination of this medication for this important public health problem is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Dynamic presentation of oriental and semi-oriental tobacco production in some Balkan countries and data on the share of some tobacco types in the world and in R. Macedonia are presented in this paper. Tobacco production is traditional activity in some Balkan countries, which also play important role in world trade with this crop. In some periods the production of oriental and semi-oriental tobaccos showed a downward trend. The average production in the countries that produce and export these tobaccos in the period 2008 - 2012 was 143.360 tons, which is 57.91% of the world production. In the Republic of Macedonia, however, tobacco production shows an upward tendency, as a result of the reduced subsidies in Greece and the shift of Greek farmers to other crops. Republic of Macedonia is one of the five leading countries - producers and exporters of oriental and semi-oriental tobaccos. For that reason, the government should continue to subsidize tobacco production in the country, which plays an important role in world trade with these tobaccos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degustational properties of tobacco are one of the most important parameters that determine the quality of tobacco in smoking. Investigations of these properties were performed in 2009 and 2010 on six varieties of the oriental type Prilep: P-23 Ø, P 12-2/1, NS-72, P-66-9/7, P-79-94 and Prilep Basma 82. The best average results regarding the investigated properties were obtained in the check variety P-23 ( 73.34 points ). Common opinion of the Taste panel is that all investigated varieties show good degustational properties that are typical for oriental tobacco, but P-23 and P 12-2/1 are the most prominent among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigation was carried out in 2010 and 2011 with 7 Virginia varieties and male sterile hybrid varieties and lines in the region of Prilep. American fertile variety K-326 was used as a check. The following traits were analyzed during the growing season: time of flowering, length and width of the 5th, 10th and 15th leaf, stalk height and number of leaves. In most of these traits the male sterile hybrids proved to be superior to the fertile genotypes, with small advantage of the hybrid V-88/09 CMS F1. The obtained results can help the producers to make decision which genotype to use in the start of the production cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were carried out with five autochthonous tobacco varieties of the types Prilep (P 10-3/2 and P 12-2/1), Djebel (Dj № 1) and Yaka (YK 7-4/2 and KY), to study their quantitative traits: height of the stalk with inflorescence, number of leaves and dry mass yield per stalk. The trial was set up in the Experimental field of Tobacco Institute-Prilep in 2011 and 2012, in randomized block design with four replications. Traditional cultural practices were applied for realization of the experiment. The aim of investigations was to evaluate the variability of the above quantitative traits typical for the autochthonous varieties by the use of biometric analysis and to give directions for their maintenance in future. The significant differences observed among the traits of investigated varieties indicate that they are different cultivars. No significant differences were observed between the two years of investigation, which is an indication of highly heritable traits. Statistical parameters of variability are low, which is an indication of stable and homozygous genotypes, adapted to agro-ecological conditions of the region. Results on the standard deviation and variability coefficient were lower in 2012, because the seed sawn in this crop was obtained from one stalk for each variant isolated in 2011. The lowest statistical data on variability of stalk height and leaf number in both years were recorded in the varieties of Prilep tobacco, and for dry mass yield in the Yaka variety KY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals in cigarettes were determined considering that the number of smokers of both sexes is growing. Besides air, water, food raw materials, foodstuff, dietary supplements, the human body can accumulate heavy metals from tobacco. Tobacco samples from Romanian and Ukrainian market were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The results showed that the Romanian samples have lower content of heavy metal than the Ukrainian samples. Tolerable weekly intake of cadmium was over in the case of two samples for minimum and maximum consumption and in the case of three samples for maximum consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco addiction is a major cause of preventable death worldwide. Thus, efforts to eliminate its use have the potential of producing significant health benefits. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking among people in the age range of 15 to 64. The specific objective of this meta-analysis was to provide valid data that policy makers can use to make evidence-based decisions. Methods: To determine the prevalence of smoking among the adult population in northwest Iran, we used reports published by the surveillance system used to assess the risk factors for non-communicable diseases in different provinces in northwest Iran for the years 2004 and 2006-2009. Several variables were extracted, including the years of study, gender, ages, and smoking prevalence. Based on the heterogeneity of the results, we used fixed or random effects models to estimate the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking. The analyses were performed using Stata 11 software. Results: A total of 28,436 subjects (14,248 males and 14,188 females) in five age groups, i.e., 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64, were interviewed. Meta-analysis in men showed that, across the age groups, the lowest prevalence was 22.9%, the highest prevalence was 26.5%, and the average prevalence was 24.7%. Among women, the lowest prevalence was 0.3%, the highest prevalence was 0.8%, and the average prevalence was 0.5%. Conclusion: We found that approximately one-fourth of males in the age range of 15-64 in northwest Iran smoked cigarettes daily. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of addiction to tobacco in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the distribution characteristics of phosphorus contents of 107 flue-cured tobacco leaf samples from domestic main tobacco areas and Zimbabwe, and analyzed the relationships between phosphorus contents and routine chemical components. The results indicated that: CD the phosphorus content of domestic main tobacco areas ranged from 0.25% to 0.66% with the mean of (0.43 ±0.08) %, the phosphorus content of Zimbabwe ranged from 0.45% to 0.67% with the mean of (0.53 ± 0.05) %; (2) the order of the phosphorus contents in flue-cured tobacco leaves among different areas was Zimbabwe (0.53%) > Southeast tobacco area (0.49%) > the upper and middle Yangtze River tobacco area (0.45%) > Southwest tobacco area (0.42%) > the Yellow and Huai River tobacco area (0.41%) > North tobacco area (0.39%), and the differences among these areas reached extremely significant level; (3) the phosphorus contents increased with the rise of stalk position, and there was no significant difference among different positions; (4) the phosphorus content in flue-cured tobacco leaf had significant or extremely significant positive correlation with nicotine, potassium and chlorine contents, and had extremely negative correlation with total sugar, reducing sugar content and nitrogen/nicotine, sugar/nicotine, but had no significant correlation with total nitrogen and potassium/chlorine; (5) the clustering results based on the phosphorus contents and harmonic character evaluation of the chemical components at different phosphorus content levels showed that the flue-cured tobacco leaves with medium and high phosphorus content clusters had proper chemical components, better harmony among indexes and high available value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The M2e peptide of the H5N1 A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/2005 avian influenza virus was successfully synthesized in transgenic tobacco plants. The amino-terminal segment of the M2 protein, comprised of 22, 30, or 43 amino acids, including the M2e peptide (M122, M130, and M143 variants, respectively), was translationally fused with the N-terminus of β-glucuronidase in the pBI121 plant expression vector. The nucleotide sequence of the target fragment was synthesized by ligation from synthetic oligonucleotides; its codon composition was adapted for expression in plants. Tobacco plants were successfully transformed with the obtained vectors (pBIM122, pBIM130, and pBIM143, respectively). In the plants transformed with pBIM143, the Ml43-β-glucuronidase fusion protein was not produced, probably due to the presence of the M2 protein transmembrane domain (25-43 aa of M2) in this construct. In the pBIM122- and pBIMl30-transformed plants, the target M2e peptide was expressed as a component of the Ml22-β-glucuronidase and M130-β-glucuronidase fusion proteins, respectively, as was detected by Western blot analysis. These proteins were detected as bands of the expected size without apparent degradation. As a result, the M2e peptide of the H5N1 avian influenza virus was successfully synthesized for the first time in nuclear-transformed transgenic plants. The results obtained in this study will be used for developing a transgenic plant-based edible antiinfluenza vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco is a complex chemical matrix. The analysis of trace alkaline flavors in tobacco is very difficult because of the limited peak capacity of monodimensional GC. In the present study, a home-assembled twin-oven GC- GC- MS system, with MS detection in both dimensions, has been applied to the analysis of 20 alkaline volatiles in a variety of cut-tobacco samples. By transferring nine and six heart-cuts from the first apolar column to the second polar column in two separate runs, the potential mutual interference of adjacent isomeric targets and the complex matrix could be removed. For comparative purposes, a systematic comparison of both quantification and qualification results for the cut-tobacco sample as quality control was conducted between GC- GC- MS and GC- MS. The results showed that GC- GC- MS provided higher accuracy in peak assignment and quantification. And in GC- MS, the interferences of co-elution had caused both low matched similarity in peak assignment and false-negative/-positive results in quantification for some targets. Advantages of the developed GC- GC- MS method in the analysis of alkaline flavors are its high resolving power, reliability, and simplicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small redox molecule that acts as a signal in different physiological and stress-related processes in plants. Recent evidence suggests that the biological activity of NO is also mediated by S-nitrosylation, a well-known redox-based posttranslational protein modification. Here, we show that during programmed cell death (PCD), induced by both heat shock (HS) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright Yellow-2 cells, ml increase in S-nitrosylating agents occurred. NO increased in both experimentally induced PCDs, although with different intensities. In H2O2-treated cells, the increase in NO was lower than in cells exposed to HS. However, a simultaneous increase in S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), another NO source for S-nitrosylation, occurred in H2O2-treated cells, while a decrease in this metabolite was evident after HS. Consistently, different levels of activity and expression of GSNO reductase, the enzyme responsible for GSNO removal, were found in cells subjected to the two different PCD-inducing stimuli: low in H2O2-treated cells and high in the heat-shocked ones. Irrespective of the type of S-nitrosylating agent, S-nitrosylated proteins formed upon exposure to both of the PCD-inducing stimuli. Interestingly, cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (cAPX), a key enzyme controlling H2O2 levels in plants, was found to be S-nitrosylated at the onset of both PCDs. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that S-nitrosylation of cAPX was responsible for the rapid decrease in its activity. The possibility that S-nitrosylation induces cAPX ubiquitination and degradation and acts as part of the signaling pathway leading to PCD is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Besides tobacco and alcohol, dietary habits may have a relevant role in oral cavity and pharyngeal (OCP) cancer.Methods:We analysed the role of selected food groups and nutrients on OCP cancer in a case-control study carried out between 1997 and 2009 in Italy and Switzerland. This included 768 incident, histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma cases and 2078 hospital controls. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using logistic regression models including terms for tobacco, alcohol and other relevant covariates.Results:Significant inverse trends in risk were observed for all vegetables (OR=0.19, for the highest vs the lowest consumption) and all fruits (OR=0.39), whereas significant direct associations were found for milk and dairy products (OR=1.50), eggs (OR=1.71), red meat (OR=1.55), potatoes (OR=1.85) and desserts (OR=1.68), although trends in risk were significant only for potatoes and desserts. With reference to nutrients, significant inverse relations were observed for vegetable protein (OR=0.45, for the highest vs the lowest quintile), vegetable fat (OR=0.54), polyunsaturated fatty acids (OR=0.53), α-carotene (OR=0.51), β-carotene (OR=0.28), β-cryptoxanthin (OR=0.37), lutein and zeazanthin (OR=0.34), vitamin E (OR=0.26), vitamin C (OR=0.40) and total folate (OR=0.34), whereas direct ones were observed for animal protein (OR=1.57), animal fat (OR=2.47), saturated fatty acids (OR=2.18), cholesterol (OR=2.29) and retinol (OR=1.88). Combinations of low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and high consumption of meat with high tobacco and alcohol, led to 10- to over 20-fold excess risk of OCP cancer.Conclusion:Our study confirms and further quantifies that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and poor in meat and products of animal origin has a favourable role against OCP cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The K-domain of a blueberry-derived SOC1 -like gene promotes flowering in tobacco without negatively impacting yield, demonstrating potential for manipulation of flowering time in horticultural crops. Abstract: The SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 ( SOC1) and SOC1-likes, belonging to the MIKC (type II) MADS-box gene subfamily, are major floral activators and integrators of plant flowering. Both MADS-domains and K (Keratin)-domains are highly conserved in MIKC-type MADS proteins. While there are many reports on overexpression of intact MIKC-type MADS-box genes, few studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of the K-domains. In this report, a 474-bp K-domain of Vaccinium SOC1-like ( VcSOC1- K) was cloned from the cDNA library of the northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Functional analysis of the VcSOC1- K was conducted by ectopically expressing of 35S: VcSOC1- K in tobacco. Reverse transcription PCR confirmed expression of the VcSOC1- K in T plants. Phenotypically, T transgenic plants (10 T plants/event) flowered sooner after seeding, and were shorter with fewer leaves at the time of flowering, than nontransgenic plants; but seed pod production of transgenic plants was not significantly affected. These results demonstrate that overexpression of the K-domain of a MIKC-type MADS-box gene alone is sufficient to promote early flowering and more importantly without affecting seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A persistent emphasis on the negative biomedical effects of cigarette smoking effectively glosses over the affectual-sensual and social wellbeing that smoking can enable. In addition, while tobacco research has recently been more attuned to the stigmatizing affects brought about by smoking de-normalization efforts, a lot less attention has been placed on how smokers negotiate these feelings of stigmatization so as to restore their personal spaces of wellbeing. In this paper, I situate my investigation of smoking geographies in the burgeoning literature on enabling spaces which focuses on how places co-constitute our ability to act/affect in empowering ways. By deploying qualitative research methods such as in-depth interviews, I argue that an acknowledgment of how smoking spaces in Singapore can be enabling along affectual, sensorial and social registers is long overdue. While it is not my purpose to systematically downplay the damaging health effects that smoking can engender, a focus on enabling smoking spaces emphasizes the role of smokers as creative agents capable of (re)fashioning their own holistic and subjective versions of wellbeing. In so doing, I hope to contribute to the existing research on smoking spaces and a recent profusion of work on relational geographies of affect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]