A PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for identification of cry1I-type genes from Bacillus thuringiensis was established by designing a pair of universal primers based on the conserved regions of the genes to amplify 1,548-bp cry1I-type gene fragments. Amplification products were digested with the Bsp119I and BanI enzymes, and four kinds of known cry1I-type genes were successfully identified. The results showed that cry1I-type genes appeared in 95 of 115 B. thuringiensis isolates and 7 of 13 standard strains. A novel cry1I-type gene was found in one standard strain and six isolates. The novel cry1I gene was cloned from B. thuringiensis isolate Btc007 and subcloned into vector pET-21b. Then it was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The expressed product was shown to be toxic to the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), and soybean pod borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella). However, it was not toxic to the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), or elm leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta aenescens) in bioassays. Subsequently, the Cry protein encoded by this novel cry gene was designated Cry1Ie1 by the B. thuringiensis ␦-endotoxin nomenclature committee.Crystal proteins from the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis are toxic to a wide variety of insects that are economically important as pests. Many different genes encoding the B. thuringiensis endotoxin have been isolated and characterized. The genes have been classified as cry1 to cry40, cyt1, and cyt2 and are ranked according to their homology (10, 21; see also the B. thuringiensis toxin nomenclature website at http://www.biols.susx.ac.uk/home/Neil_Crickmore /Bt/). Cry1 proteins that are active against lepidopteran insects are produced as crystalline parasporal inclusions during sporulation. Generally, the crystals are composed of protoxins of approximately 130 kDa, but cry1I-type genes are usually silent genes capable of encoding a protein of about 81 kDa in B. thuringiensis strains (9,13,21,24). We decided to screen B. thuringiensis isolates for cry1I genes with the aim of finding novel cry1I genes, which could encode insecticidal proteins toxic to insensitive or resistant insect pests.This screening approach included the development of an analysis protocol based on PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). PCR-based methods have been developed to detect different cry genes from B. thuringiensis strains (1-8, 11, 13, 15, 17, 23). More than 80 primer pairs have been designed to identify entire groups and individual cry genes (19). Several specific primers and probes for Southern blotting were designed to detect cry1I-type genes. A wide distribution of cry1I-type genes among many different B. thuringiensis strains has been reported (13,22,25). However, the list of cry genes is increasing, and novel PCR primers are needed in order to identify some of the recently described genes (5).The present study establishes a PCR-RFLP method for identify...

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In the present study, anthocyanins were extracted from rambutan pericarp tissue (RPT) with 80% ethanol and 1% acetic acid. The crude extracts were chromatographically purified using a silica gel column and an Amberlite XAD-7 resin column. After purification, the total anthocyanin content in the extracts was about 181.3 mg/100 g of fresh RPT. The extracts were stable under low pH conditions (pH 1 and 3). However, the extracts of rambutan anthocyanins (RAcy) degraded at higher temperature. Further, assays of the reducing power, the activity against lipid peroxidation and the ability to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals showed that the RAcy extracts possessed antioxidant activity, indicating that RPT is a good source of natural antioxidants. It can be utilized as health-beneficial compounds rather than just be discarded as agricultural waste.

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Nucleolar proteins play important roles in plant cytology, growth, and development. Fibrillarin2 is a nucleolar protein of Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana). Its cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and inserted into expression vector pEarley101 labeled with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). The fusion protein was localized in the nucleolus and Cajal body of leaf epidermal cells of N. benthamiana. The N. benthamiana fibrillarin2 (NbFib2) protein has three functional domains (i.e., glycine and arginine rich domain, RNA-binding domain, and α-helical domain) and a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in C-terminal. The protein 3D structure analysis predicted that NbFib2 is an α/β protein. In addition, the virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) approach was used to determine the function of NbFib2. Our results showed that symptoms including growth retardation, organ deformation, chlorosis, and necrosis appeared in NbFib2-silenced N. benthamiana.

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Nigrospora oryzae is an important phytopathogenic fungus with a broad host range. Here, we report an annotated draft of the genome of N. oryzae field strain GZL1 collected from maize assembled from PacBio and Illumina sequencing reads. The assembly we obtained has 15 scaffolds with an N50 length of 4,037,616 bp. The resulting GZL1 draft genome is 43,214,190 bp, with GC content of 58.19%. The completeness of GZL1 genome assembly is 99.30%. This study is the first report of the genome sequence of N. oryzae, which can facilitate future study of the genetic variation and pathogenic mechanism of this important fungal pathogen.

The application of flowering plants is the basis of urban forest construction. A newly-found flowering hyperaccumulator is crucial for remediating urban contaminated soil sustainably by cadmium (Cd). This study evaluated growth responses, Cd uptake and bioaccumulation characteristics of seven urban flowering plants. Based on growth responses of these plants, Calendula officinalis L. showed high tolerance to at least 100 mg kg−1 Cd, in terms of significant increase in biomass and with no obvious changes in height. After 60 d exposure to 100 mg kg−1 Cd, the accumulated Cd in shoots of the plant reached 279.51 ± 13.67 μg g−1 DW, which is above the critical value defined for a hyperaccumulator (100 μg g−1 DW for Cd). Meanwhile, the plant could accumulate Cd to as much as 926.68 ± 29.11 μg g−1 DW in root and 1206.19 ± 23.06 μg g−1 DW in plant, and had higher Cd uptake and bioaccumulation values. According to these traits, it is shown that Calendula officinalis L. can become a potential Cd-hyperaccumulator for phytoremediation. By contrast, Dianthus caryophyllus L. is very sensitive to Cd stress in terms of significantly decreased biomass, height and Cd uptake, indicating the plant is considered as a Cd-bioindicator.