The phloem unloading pathway remains unclear in fleshy fruits accumulating a high level of soluble sugars. A structural investigation in apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh. cv Golden Delicious) showed that the sieve element-companion cell complex of the sepal bundles feeding the fruit flesh is symplasmically isolated over fruit development. 14 C-autoradiography indicated that the phloem of the sepal bundles was functional for unloading. Confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging of carboxyfluorescein unloading showed that the dye remained confined to the phloem strands of the sepal bundles from the basal to the apical region of the fruit. A 52-kD putative monosaccharide transporter was immunolocalized predominantly in the plasma membrane of both the sieve elements and parenchyma cells and its amount increased during fruit development. A 90-kD plasma membrane H 1 -ATPase was also localized in the plasma membrane of the sieve element-companion cell complex. Studies of [ 14 C]sorbitol unloading suggested that an energy-driven monosaccharide transporter may be functional in phloem unloading. These data provide clear evidence for an apoplasmic phloem unloading pathway in apple fruit and give information on the structural and molecular features involved in this process.The partitioning of sugars in economically important sink organs such as fruits or seeds is governed by several complex physiological processes, including photosynthetic rate, phloem loading in the source leaf, long-distance translocation in the phloem, phloem unloading in sink organs, postphloem transport, and metabolism of imported sugars in sink cells (Oparka, 1990;Patrick, 1997). It is now well accepted that phloem unloading plays a key role in the partitioning of photoassimilate (Fisher and Oparka, 1996;Patrick, 1997;Viola et al., 2001). The process of phloem unloading has been studied extensively over the last 20 years (for review, see Oparka, 1990;Patrick, 1997;Schulz, 1998) but still remains poorly understood. Elucidation of the cellular pathway of phloem unloading is central to this process, because, to a large extent, the unloading path determines the key transport events responsible for assimilate movement from the sieve elements (SEs) to the recipient sink cells (Fisher and Oparka, 1996;Patrick, 1997). A symplasmic phloem unloading pathway predominates in most sink tissues such as vegetative apices (Oparka et al., 1995;Patrick, 1997;Imlau et al., 1999), sink leaves (Roberts et al., 1997;Imlau et al., 1999;Haupt et al., 2001), and potato tubers that represent a typical terminal vegetative storage sink (Oparka and Santa Cruz, 2000;Viola et al., 2001). Symplasmic unloading is also efficient in the maternal tissues of developing seeds that represent a class of terminal reproductive storage sinks (Ellis et al., 1992;Patrick et al., 1995;Wang et al., 1995a;Patrick, 1997), although transfer of solutes to the apoplasm may occur at some point along the postphloem pathway (Patrick, 1997). In some cases, symplasmic unloading also occurs in elongating z...

For this study, we isolated Helicobacter pylori from wastewater by a series of steps beginning with immunomagnetic separation and cell culture. After Gram staining and three standard microbial tests, the 16S rRNA sequences of a total of 23 out of 37 putative H. pylori isolates were verified by PCR. Eleven H. pylori isolates were genotyped and fell into four vacA classes: those with the vacA allelic variants s1a and m1, s1b and m1, s2 and m2, or s2 and m1. Most H. pylori isolates were of the vacA s1a/m1 type, which has been shown to be associated with advanced diseases based on genotyping of H. pylori from gastric cancer patients. These results demonstrated that H. pylori survives in water and may be a potential source of H. pylori transmission, especially where water is not adequately treated.

The acid invertase ( b b b b -fructosidase, EC 3·2·1·26) was localized at subcellular level via immunogold electron microscopy in the phloem-unloading zone of developing apple fruit. The enzyme (immunogold particles) was found to reside predominantly in the cell walls of the sieve element/ companion cell (SE/CC) complex, phloem parenchyma cells and other parenchyma cells. There was almost no gold particle found in cytoplasm and vacuole. This distribution pattern remained unchanged throughout the growing season, but the enzyme numbers varied. The density of immunogold particles increased during fruit development. The immunoblotting of soluble and insoluble acid invertases provided a supporting proof for the assays of immunolocalization. The biochemical analysis showed a predominantly cell-wall-distributed activity of acid invertase that corresponds essentially with its amount distribution. The ultrastructural observations showed that there were numerous plasmodesmata between the parenchyma cells, but almost no plasmodesmium between the SE/CC complex and its surrounding parenchyma cells, practically resulting in the symplasmic isolation of the SE/CC complex. It is therefore suggested that the unloading pathway of sucrose from the SE/CC complex may be predominantly apoplasmic in the developing apple fruit, and that the unloaded sucrose may be hydrolysed by the functional acid invertase localized in the cell wall before it is loaded in sink cells.

Gutierrez et al., 2002; Lu and Myers, 2002). Genetic distances could be as low as 1 to 3%. Research in Austra-Genetic diversity in modern upland cotton cultivars (Gossypium lia, China, and Pakistan obtained similar results (Multani hirsutum L.) is thought to be narrow, thus limiting genetic advance. Robust information on the genetic relatedness among currently grown and Lyon, 1995; Zuo et al., 2000;Rahman et al., 2002). cotton cultivars is lacking. The objectives of the present study were The hypothesized narrow genetic base of upland cotto field test a sample of elite commercial cotton cultivars, including ton germplasm used in breeding has been considered many transgenic cultivars representing the major cottonseed compaas one of the reasons contributing to the lack of progress nies, and to evaluate their genetic divergence using simple sequence in the improvement of cotton cultivars to meet the needs repeat (SSR) markers. Eighty-eight SSR primer pairs were chosen of cotton growers and industry in the USA during the for genotyping that provided 177 SSRs. Jaccard's genetic similarity last 15 yr (Meredith, 2000; Lewis, 2001). A series of coefficients among 24 genotypes ranged from 0.694 to 0.936, with an studies on pedigrees, coefficients of parentage (CPs), average of 0.772, indicating that sufficient genetic diversity does exist and genetic diversity for 260 cotton cultivars released