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The use of Solanum aethiopicum as the female parent with S. melongena led to the development of a cytoplasmic-genic male sterility system (CGMS) in eggplant. The male sterility was complete and expressed as rudimentary anthers with no pollen grains. Ten backcross progenies of male sterile lines in diverse genetic backgrounds of S. melongena were characterised after BC7 generation for 14 horticultural traits. It was observed that male sterile lines and their respective maintainer parents were isogenic for all the traits, except stamen size and days to 50% flowering. The fertility of male sterile lines was restored after hybridising with plants derived from an S. melongena × S. aethiopicum cross. The fertility restoration was governed by a single dominant gene. The maternal cytoplasm of S. aethiopicum in male sterile lines and of S. melongena in maintainers and restorers was confirmed with mitochondria and chloroplast DNA-specific molecular markers. Further, to assess the heterotic potential, 10 cytoplasmic male sterility lines were crossed with three restorers to develop 30 F1 hybrids, out of which D−67A × R−6 and D−104A × R−6 were found consistently better than the standard check for yield plant−1 over two years. In this manuscript a comprehensive study on development and utilisation of an alloplasmic CGMS system in eggplant has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Vaccination effectively reduces invasive disease and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae . However, waning antibody titers and the ability of revaccination to boost titers in older adults have been concerns. A study to describe antibody persistence after vaccination with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and response to revaccination 5 years after the initial dose was conducted. Methods Pneumococcal vaccine–naive subjects aged 50–59 years were randomized and vaccinated with PCV13 plus trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine concomitantly or 1 month apart, then revaccinated with PCV13 five years later. Antipneumococcal polysaccharide opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) geometric mean titers (GMTs) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) were determined before and approximately 1 month after each vaccination. Targeted local reactions and systemic events were collected for 14 days, adverse events (AEs) for 1 month, and serious AEs (SAEs) for 6 months after each vaccination. Results Of 1116 randomized subjects, 727 were revaccinated at year 5. Between the time of initial vaccination and revaccination, OPA GMTs and IgG GMCs declined but remained higher than levels before initial vaccination for 12 of the 13 vaccine serotypes. One month after revaccination, OPA GMTs and IgG GMCs were comparable with, or higher than, levels observed 1 month after initial vaccination for most vaccine serotypes. Local reactions were mostly mild. AEs were reported by <5% and SAEs by <1% of subjects at 1 and 6 months after revaccination, respectively. No SAEs were vaccine-related. Conclusions Revaccination of adults ≥50 years with PCV13 five years after primary vaccination was safe and immunogenic. Additionally, antibody titers were maintained for at least 5 years after vaccination. The vaccine stimulated a memory response as shown by enhanced responses that were maintained or enhanced by revaccination. ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT00521586. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: FluMist® is a live-attenuated, trivalent influenza vaccine (LAIV) recently approved for intranasal administration. To demonstrate genetic stability during manufacture of the vaccine viruses in LAIV and a similar vaccine in development (CAIV-T), full genome consensus sequences were determined at multiple manufacturing stages for four influenza type A and five type B strains. The critical cold-adapted (ca), temperature-sensitive (ts) and attenuated (att) mutations were preserved in the virus manufacturing intermediates. Moreover, sequence identity was observed for all vaccine intermediates of the same strain. Minor sequence differences were noted in the shared gene segments of the vaccine viruses and their common progenitor master donor virus (MDV) and several of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes contained nucleotide differences when compared to the wild-type parent. Nonetheless, all vaccine viruses retained the ca, ts, and att phenotypes. Thus, genetic and phenotypic stability of the vaccine viruses is maintained during the manufacture of LAIV/CAIV-T vaccines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interspecific hybridization with 'Satputia' (bisexual and cluster bearing) can be highly useful for the introgression of cluster bearing, high yield and gynoecism in sponge gourd (monoecious and solitary bearing). However, the occurrence of self-pollination in closed flowers and anthesis of two species at different time intervals creates hindrance in interspecific hybridization. The present investigation highlighted that the reciprocal interspecific cross (Satputia × sponge gourd) is more successful for development of F 1 hybrid and its further utilization in development of segregating generations. Pre-anthesis emasculation (28 h before anthesis) of Satputia buds in the evening and pollination with sponge gourd (PSG-9) in the morning on the day of anthesis resulted in high fruit set. Interspecific hybrids were monoecious and morphologically intermediate for most of the vegetative, flower and fruit traits. The seed of hybrid vines was vigorous than both the parents with respect to size and weight. Ample pollen production, pollen viability and high fruit set on selfing confirmed the fertility status of vines. Although pollen size was less than both the parents, but the pollen density improved in F 1 vines. Fertile hybrids could be easily used to generate F 2 and BC 1 P 2 and TCH segregating generations. In F 2 generation, gynoecious, adroecious, andromonoecoius, monoecious and cluster bearing vines of variable length and fruit size were observed. In back cross and triple cross generations, most of the vines were monoecious except a few adroecious and gynoecious with improved fruit size, vine growth and bearing capacity. Backcross and triple cross with sponge gourd displayed a shift towards this species.