Sources for Heat-Stable Resistance to Southern Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in Solanum lycopersicum

Southern root-knot nematode （Meloidogyne incognita） is a major problem in vegetable production in China due to the expansion of plastic tunnel and solar greenhouse. Using resistant cultivars is an effective approach to control the disease. Nine genes, Mi-1 to Mi-9, have been reported and only Mi-1 has been successfully used in tomato breeding. However, Mi-1 is inactive at a temperature above 28~C. In order to identify sources for heat-stable resistance to southern root-knot nematode, 53 genotypes of tomato （Solarium spp.） were inoculated with an isolate of M. incognita in the growth chamber at 28 or 32℃ for initial screening. 28 lines had less than 25 galls and were considered as resistant candidates. The top 60% （16 in total） of resistant candidates obtained from each temperature were subject to re-evaluation at 32~C using the same nematode isolate. Three lines ZN17, ZN 48, and LA0385 showed heat-stable resistance with an average of 10 galls or less per plant. LA0385 is a wild species, while ZNI7 and ZN48 are elite breeding lines. These lines were grown in a greenhouse for two seasons, and also showed high resistance with less than 10 galls per plant. Thus they were considered as good sources for breeding resistance to southern root-knot nematode in tomato.

DETECTION OF GENES FOR HEAT-STABLE ENTEROTOXIN IN ESCHERICHIA COLI BY BIOTINYLATED ST-DNA PROBES

Reference strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), non-enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (non-ETEC), enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC), and other enteropathogenic bacteria were used to prove the reliability of BIO-ST-DNA probe hybridization. In addition, 417 strains of E. coli isolated from children with diarrheal diseases in Shanxi Children's Hospital were examined for BIO-ST-DNA probe hybridization. In the test, BIO-ST-DNA hybridization was compared with suckling mouse assay in identifying ST-ETEC. The results obtained by both methods showed no significant difference. It was found that identification of ST-ETEC using hybridization is a simple, sensitive and more practical method.

Effect of PyC Interface Thickness on the Heat-stability of Cansas-ⅡSiC_(f)/SiC Composites

The effect of the pyrolytic carbon(PyC)interface thickness on the heat-stability of CansasⅡSiC_(f)/SiC composites under Ar up to 1500℃was studied in detail.After the heat treatment at 1500℃for 50 h,the interface bonding strength of the thin interface(about 200 nm)decreases from 74.4 to 20.1 MPa(73.0%),while that of the thick interface(about 2μm)declines from 7.3 to 3.2 MPa(52.7%).At the same time,the decline fraction of strength of the composites with the thin interface is 12.1%,less than that with the thick interface(42.0%).The fiber strength also decreases after heat treatment,which may be due to the significant growth ofβ-SiC grains and critical defects.The different heat-stability of the interface with the thin and thick thickness might be related to the inconsistency of the degree of the graphitization of PyC.Compared with the composites with the thick interface,the composites with the thin interface remained higher tensile strength after heat treatment due to the better interface bonding strength.The interface with strong bonding strength could protect the fiber by postponing the decomposition of amorphous phases SiC_(x)O_(y) and hindering the generation of fiber defects.

Guanylyl cyclase C signaling axis and colon cancer prevention

Colorectal cancer(CRC) is a major cause of cancerrelated mortality and morbidity worldwide. While improved treatments have enhanced overall patient outcome, disease burden encompassing quality of life, cost of care, and patient survival has seen little benefit. Consequently, additional advances in CRC treatments remain important, with an emphasis on preventative measures. Guanylyl cyclase C(GUCY2C), a transmembrane receptor expressed on intestinal epithelial cells, plays an important role in orchestrating intestinal homeostatic mechanisms. These effects are mediated by the endogenous hormones guanylin(GUCA2A) and uroguanylin(GUCA2B), which bind and activate GUCY2 C to regulate proliferation, metabolism and barrier function in intestine. Recent studies have demonstrated a link between GUCY2 C silencing and intestinal dysfunction, including tumorigenesis. Indeed, GUCY2 C silencing by the near universal loss of its paracrine hormone ligands increases colon cancer susceptibility in animals and humans. GUCY2C's role as a tumor suppressor has opened the door to a new paradigm for CRC prevention by hormone replacement therapy using synthetic hormone analogs, such as the FDA-approved oral GUCY2 C ligand linaclotide(Linzess^(TM)). Here we review the known contributions of the GUCY2 C signaling axis to CRC, and relate them to a novel clinical strategy targeting tumor chemoprevention.

Virulence properties of a peptide hemolysin produced by Enterococcus faecalis

The characterization and prevalence of virulence factors associated with enterococcal invasiveness and severity of disease are important areas to be investigated. Recently, we described the production of a heat-stable hemolysin by clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis cultived in BHI-GA (BHI with glucose and L-arginine). Now, we purified the hemolysin from the culture supernatant by ultra-filtration (PM-10 membrane) and ethanol extraction followed by chromatography in a mBondapak C18 and Superdex Peptide columns. The hemolytic activity was not affected by the proteolytic enzymes. Cholesterol, phospholipids, EDTA and also bivalent ions did not inhibit the hemolytic activity. Among the various carbohydrates, only dextran 4 protected the erythrocytes against lyse. Scanning electron microscopy showed that lyse of erythrocytes occured at once after the exposure to the hemolysin. The mito-chondrial activity and the cell membrane integrity were significantly affected by the hemolysis, within 20 min of exposure and caused apoptosis after 12 h incubation, 51.92% in HeLa and 68% in HEp-2 cells, analyzed by flow cytometry. These results suggest that the heat-stable pore forming hemolysin might be a putative virulence factor in enterococci infections.

THE SYNTHESIS OF URUSHIOL TITANIUM CHELATE POLYMERS AND THEIR STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

The synthetic method and structural characteristics of urushiol-titanium chelates (UT) and urushiol-titanium chelate polymer for anticorrosive coatings have been studied.Two kinds of coating films made from UT polymer show excellent physico-mechanical properties and possess good chemical resistance to strong acids and alkalis, many kinds of salt solutions and organic solvents, stable at high temperature.

CD24 aggravates acute liver injury in autoimmune hepatitis by promoting IFN-γ production by CD4^(+) T cells

The T-cell-mediated immune response is implicated in many clinical hepatic injuries, such as autoimmune hepatitis and acute virus hepatitis. CD24 is widely expressed by different immune cells and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. However, the role of CD24 in T-cell-mediated liver injury has not been elucidated until now. Here we showed that CD24 deficiency protects mice from concanavalin A (ConA)-induced fulminant liver injury by reducing serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels. CD24 expression by hepatic T cells was markedly increased following ConA challenge. Moreover, decreased IFN-γ production by hepatic CD4^(+) T cells in CD24-deficient mice was detected, which was correlated with downregulated phosphorylation of STAT1 in hepatic tissue. In vitro experiments also supported the conclusion that CD24 deficiency impaired IFN-γ production by CD4^(+) T cells following ConA, CD3/CD28 and phorbol myristate acetate/ionomycin stimulation. Our study suggests that CD24 deficiency confers hepatoprotection by decreasing CD4^(+) T-cell-dependent IFN-γ production in vivo, which suggests that CD24 might be a potential target molecule for reducing clinical hepatitis.