Genitourinary syndrome of menopause exploring the history, updates and treatment

The biological factors and physiological functions fundamental to the female anatomy delineate the complexity of reproductive phenomenon in this population. When women experience menopausal transition, genital, sexual, and urinary signs and symptoms materialize often. These longstanding signs and symptoms, presently referred to as the genitourinary syndrome (GUS) of menopause, a relatively new term, impact their quality of life and sexual health with the emergence of vulvovaginal and urogenital atrophy, typical of irritation, soreness, dryness, dyspareunia, and itching. Despite its prevalence, GUS of menopause often goes unreported due to embarrassment, leading to underdiagnoses, diminished intervention, and under-treatment. Moreover, the rising life expectancy is also emerging as a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of GUS of menopause, directly affecting women's health. While there are notable awareness, education, and healthcare frameworks in place aimed at addressing the unique needs of menopausal women, there is a need to explore further GUS� prevalence, pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment to understand, diagnose, and effectively manage this condition.

Research on the Technology for Enzymatic Preparation of Scutellarein / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves glucuronic hydrolase(sbsl GUS)was used to enzymatically hydrolyze scutellarin in Erigeron breviscapus(Vant.)Hand.Mazz.to prepare scutellarein,and the high-purity scutellarein was obtained through separation and purification.Methods Orthogonal experiments were used to optimize the process parameters for the extraction of Erigeron breviscapus(Vant.)Hand.Mazz..Using the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis conversion of scutellarin as the index,the amount of enzyme,pH,temperature,time and antioxidant were investigated,and the preparation process parameters of scutellarein were optimized.Ethanol extraction,activated carbon decolorization,and fractional crystallization were used to purify the crude extract.Results The extraction process was determined to be:segments of Erigeron breviscapus were decocted twice with 10 times water for 1 hour each time.The preparation process of scutellarein was as follows:the amount of sbsl GUS extract and Erigeron breviscapus decoction was 1∶10 based on crude drugs,0.5%sodium metabisulfite was added,pH value was about 6.0,the temperature was about 45℃,and the time was 20 hours.The crude extract of scutellarein with the content more than 60%was obtained.The crude extract was purified by fractional crystallization,refluxed with 80%ethanol,decolorized with activated carbon,concentrated and crystallized,and the scutellarein extract with content more than 85%was obtained.Conclusion sbsl GUS enzymatic hydrolysis technology,which was used to prepare scutellarein,is simple and feasible.This study provides a new way for the manufacture of scutellarein.

Construction of ATMT System for Clonostachys rosea and Its Conditional Optimization of Colonization into Glycyrrhiza uralensis Seeds / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation （ATMT） of Clonostachys rosea， an endophytic fungus of Glycyrrhiza uralensis seeds， was established and optimized， and orthogonal test was designed to optimize the colonization conditions of C. rosea for G. uralensis seeds， so as to lay foundation for the development of biofertilizer and the breeding of high-quality G. uralensis. MethodThe conditions of ATMT were optimized from three aspects， including the concentration of acetosyringone， co-culture time and the concentration of conidia of recipient fungi. Then， high-quality transformants were selected. Orthogonal test was used to optimize the colonization conditions by taking co-culture temperature， co-culture time and spore concentration as factors and colonization rate as index. ResultWhen spore concentration was 1×107 cfu·mL-1， acetosyringone concentration was 150 μmol·L-1 and the co-culture time was 60 h， the transformation efficiency of C. rosea was the highest， which was 135 transformants per 1×107 recipient fungal spores. The accuracy and stability of the transformations were tested by cloning the marker gene green fluorescent protein （GFP） and β-glucuronidase （GUS） staining. When co-culture temperature was 25 ℃， co-culture time was 36 h and the spore concentration was 1×106 cfu·mL-1， the colonizing rate for C. rosea back dyeing into G. uralensis seeds by seed soaking method was the highest， which was 71.11%. ConclusionThis study successfully establishes stable and efficient technical systems not only of ATMT in C. rosea， but also of colonization of the transformants into G. uralensis seeds， which can lay a foundation for the development of biofertilizer of G. uralensis.

Construction and function of a root-specific promoter SRSP / 生物工程学报

The responsibility of root is absorbing water and nutrients, it is an important plant tissue, but easily to be affected by biotic and abiotic stresses, affecting crop growth and yield. The design of a synthetic root-specific promoter provides candidate promoters for the functional analysis and efficient expression of stress-related genes in crop roots. In this study, a synthetic root-specific module (pro-SRS) was designed using tandem four-copies of root specific cis-acting elements (OSE1ROOTNODULE, OSE2ROOTNODULE, SP8BFIBSP8AIB, and ROOTMOTIFAPOX1), and fused with minimal promoter from the CaMV 35S promoter to synthesize an artificially synthetic SRSP promoter. The SRSP promoter was cloned in pCAMBIA2300.1 by replacing CaMV 35S promoter so as to drive GUS expression. The constructs with SRSP promoter were transformed in tobacco by Agrobacterium-mediated method. SRSP promoter conferred root-specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants through Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analysis and GUS histochemical staining analysis. It is indicated that the repeated arrangement of cis-acting elements can realize the expected function of the promoter. This study laid a theoretical foundation for the rational design of tissue-specific promoters.

Development and optimization of an intergeneric conjugation system and analysis of promoter activity in Streptomyces rimosus M527 / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

An efficient genetic transformation system and suitable promoters are essential prerequisites for gene expression studies and genetic engineering in streptomycetes. In this study, firstly, a genetic transformation system based on intergeneric conjugation was developed in Streptomyces rimosus M527, a bacterial strain which exhibits strong antagonistic activity against a broad range of plant-pathogenic fungi. Some experimental parameters involved in this procedure were optimized, including the conjugative media, ratio of donor to recipient, heat shock temperature, and incubation time of mixed culture. Under the optimal conditions, a maximal conjugation frequency of 3.05×10-5 per recipient was obtained. Subsequently, based on the above developed and optimized transformation system, the synthetic promoters SPL-21 and SPL-57, a native promoter potrB, and a constitutive promoter permE" commonly used for gene expression in streptomycetes were selected and their activity was analyzed using gusA as a reporter gene in S. rimosus M527. Among the four tested promoters, SPL-21 exhibited the strongest expression activity and gave rise to a 2.2-fold increase in (3-glucuronidase (GUS) activity compared with the control promoter permE*. Promoter SPL-57 showed activity comparable to that of permE*. Promoter potrB, which showed the lowest activity, showed a 50% decrease in GUS activity compared with the control permE*. The transformation system developed in this study and the tested promotors provide a basis for the further modification of S. rimosus M527.

Development and optimization of an intergeneric conjugation system and analysis of promoter activity in Streptomyces rimosus M527 / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

An efficient genetic transformation system and suitable promoters are essential prerequisites for gene expression studies and genetic engineering in streptomycetes. In this study, firstly, a genetic transformation system based on intergeneric conjugation was developed in Streptomyces rimosus M527, a bacterial strain which exhibits strong antagonistic activity against a broad range of plant-pathogenic fungi. Some experimental parameters involved in this procedure were optimized, including the conjugative media, ratio of donor to recipient, heat shock temperature, and incubation time of mixed culture. Under the optimal conditions, a maximal conjugation frequency of 3.05×10-5 per recipient was obtained. Subsequently, based on the above developed and optimized transformation system, the synthetic promoters SPL-21 and SPL-57, a native promoter potrB, and a constitutive promoter permE* commonly used for gene expression in streptomycetes were selected and their activity was analyzed using gusA as a reporter gene in S. rimosus M527. Among the four tested promoters, SPL-21 exhibited the strongest expression activity and gave rise to a 2.2-fold increase in β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity compared with the control promoter permE*. Promoter SPL-57 showed activity comparable to that of permE*. Promoter potrB, which showed the lowest activity, showed a 50% decrease in GUS activity compared with the control permE*. The transformation system developed in this study and the tested promotors provide a basis for the further modification of S. rimosus M527.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Assay of the Gus Gene Expression in Sugar Beet

Modification of transformation systems with a set of markers is almost used to confirm whether the transgene has been successfully transmitted to the host cells. Transient expression technique is a fast and simple way to analyze promoter expression. This method is not affected by the position of the transgene in the target genome. In the present study, the gus reporter gene directed by the CaMV 35S promoter and the nptII selectable gene were used for optimization of transformation event in sugar beet. The results demonstrated the activity of β-glucuronidase in the Agrobacterium cells showing suppressed expression of the prokaryotic reporter gene. The function of the pCAMBIA2301 vector was assessed through inoculation of shoot apex with Agrobacterium. The results demonstrated that cells adjacent to the main vein of leave reared from tissue cultured apical meristems were suitable for transformation and regeneration. The highest shoot regeneration was achieved for tissue-cultured leaf explants grown in the presence of BA, IBA and TDZ media. In this study, an improved protocol for regeneration and genetic engineering of a sugar beet genotype was described using the tested vector. Analysis of GUS Histochemical and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the T0 generation plants demonstrated that the tested vector enables the expression of the gus gene in the transgenic plants that was an evidence of transient expression.

Análise de risco de contaminação de águas subterrâneas por resíduos de agrotóxicos no município de Campo Novo do Parecis (MT), Brasil / Risk analysis of groundwater contamination by pesticide residues in Campo Novo do Parecis (MT), Brazil

RESUMO Considerando a possibilidade de que os agrotóxicos utilizados nas principais culturas, como soja, algodão e milho, podem gerar resíduos que contaminam o meio ambiente, faz-se necessária uma análise preliminar sobre a possibilidade de contaminação das águas subterrâneas por resíduos de agrotóxicos utilizados nas principais regiões agrícolas do país. Uma dessas áreas agrícolas se localiza na cidade de Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso, região de estudo deste trabalho. Os principais agrotóxicos aplicados nas diferentes culturas da região foram avaliados quanto às suas propriedades físico-químicas, seus potenciais de contaminação de acordo com critérios da Agência de Proteção Ambiental dos Estados Unidos e pelo índice de vulnerabilidade de águas subterrâneas (GUS). As informações obtidas foram empregadas para avaliar o risco de contaminação das águas subterrâneas. De acordo com os resultados encontrados, a região apresenta risco real de contaminação ambiental por resíduos de agrotóxicos, uma vez que 45,6% dos agrotóxicos comumente empregados na agricultura local são classificados como extremamente tóxicos ou altamente tóxicos. Além disso, vários desses ingredientes aditivos, cerca de 22%, já foram detectados em diferentes compartimentos ambientais de outras regiões do estado de Mato Grosso.

ABSTRACT Considering the possibility that pesticides used in main crops, such as soybeans, cotton and corn, generate toxic residues that contaminate the environment, a preliminary analysis of the possibility of groundwater contamination is necessary in the main agricultural regions in Brazil. One of these agricultural areas is located in Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso, the study area of this work. The main pesticides used in different cultures of this region were evaluated considering their physicochemical properties, their contamination potentials according to criteria of the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States and the groundwater ubiquity score index (GUS). The information obtained was used to assess the risk of groundwater contamination. According to the results, the region presents a real risk of environmental contamination by pesticide residues, since 45.6% of the pesticides commonly used in local agriculture are classified as extremely toxic or highly toxic. In addition, several of these pesticides, about 22%, have been detected in different environmental compartments from other regions of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Construction of an RNAi vector for knockdown of GM-ACS genes in the cotyledonary nodes of soybean

Background: Ethylene plays an important role in the regulation of floral organ development in soybean, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) is a rate-limiting enzyme for ethylene biosynthesis. However, whether ACS also regulates floral organ differentiation in soybean remains unknown. To address this, we constructed an RNAi vector to inhibit ACS expression in cotyledonary nodes. Linear DNA cassettes of RNAi-ACS obtained by PCR were used to transform soybean cotyledonary nodes. Results: In total, 131 of 139 transiently transformed plants acquired herbicide resistance and displayed GUS activities in the new buds. In comparison to untransformed seedling controls, a greater number of flower buds were differentiated at the cotyledonary node; GM-ACS1 mRNA expression levels and ethylene emission in the transformed buds were reduced. Conclusion: These results indicate that the cotyledonary node transient transformation system may be suitable for stable transformation and that the inhibition of ACS expression may be an effective strategy for promoting floral organ differentiation in soybean.

Efficient regeneration and genetic transformation platform applicable to five Musa varieties

Background: Banana (Musa spp.) is an important staple food, economic crop, and nutritional fruit worldwide. Conventional breeding has been seriously hampered by their long generation time, polyploidy, and sterility of most cultivated varieties. Establishment of an efficient regeneration and transformation system for banana is critical to its genetic improvement and functional genomics. Results: In this study, a vigorous and repeatable transformation system for banana using direct organogenesis was developed. The greatest number of shoots per explant for all five Musa varieties was obtained using Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 8.9 µM benzylaminopurine and 9.1 µM thidiazuron. One immature male flower could regenerate 380­456, 310­372, 200­240, 130­156, and 100­130 well-developed shoots in only 240­270 d for Gongjiao, Red banana, Rose banana, Baxi, and Xinglongnaijiao, respectively. Longitudinal sections of buds were transformed through particle bombardment combined with Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using a promoterless ß-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene; the highest transformation efficiency was 9.81% in regenerated Gongjiao plantlets in an optimized selection medium. Transgenic plants were confirmed by a histochemical assay of GUS, polymerase chain reaction, and Southern blot. Conclusions: Our robust transformation platform successfully generated hundreds of transgenic plants. Such a platform will facilitate molecular breeding and functional genomics of banana.

Establishment of genetic transformation system for Sophra alopecuroides and deletion analysis of SaLDC promoter / 中国中药杂志

Establishing the genetic transformation system of medicinal plant is important to study their functional genes. Based on the established regeneration system of Sophra alopecuroides, 6 factors of genetic transformation were optimized, that was the concentration of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the infection time, the co-cultivation time of agrobacterium tumefaciensand S.alopecuroides callus, the preculture time of S.alopecuroides callus, the adding method ofacetosyringone (AS) and the concentration of AS, respectively. The results showed that a maximum genetic transformation efficiency of 83.33% was achieved with 15d-precultured of S.alopecuroides callus, which was infected by A600=0.9 A. tumefaciens for 15 minutes and then co-cultivated for 48 hours with 200 μmol•L-1AS. The promoter sequence (1 260 bp) of upstream SaLDC was cloned from S.alopecuroides genomic DNA (gene bank accession number: KY038928). The deletion fragment of SaLDC promoter with different length (310,594,765,924,1 260 bp) were ligated with the GUS reporter gene to form five plant expression vectors named P310,P594,P765,P924,P1260, which were then transferred into S.alopecuroides callus. The GUS transient expression showed that all 5 different deletion fragment of SaLDC promoter can drive the GUS gene expression in S. alopecuroides callus. The SaLDC promoter we cloned has high promoter activity, and they may facilitate its function analysis in the future.

Assessment of Arabidopsis thaliana CENH3 promoter in Brassica juncea for development of haploid inducer lines.

Centromeres are epigenetically specified by the centromeric histone H3 protein (CENH3). The timing and level of expression of CENH3 is tightly regulated to match the demands of the host cell. So far in plants, only CENH3 promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. has been characterized. However, whether CENH3 promoters retain their characteristic mode of regulation in other species remains to be established. In the present study, activity of AtCENH3 promoter was investigated using reporter gene assay in Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. A 1156 bp promoter fragment of AtCENH3 gene (At1g01370) including the first 111 nucleotides of the coding sequence was amplified and cloned into the pORE-R2 binary vector to ensure translation fusion with the uidA coding sequences. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 harbouring the recombinant construct was used to transform B. juncea cv. RLM198 hypocotyl explants. Histochemical assay of T0 and T1 transgenics showed GUS expression in shoot apical meristem, leaf, sepal, flower pedicel and root tip. Intense GUS expression was observed in meristematic tissues, particularly at shoot and root apices. However, mature leaves, flowers, pollen and ovules exhibited very low or no GUS expression. Our results showed that AtCENH3 promoter regulates cognate gene expression in Brassica juncea as it does in A. thaliana, and hence a suitable candidate for developing haploid inducer line in B. juncea.

Chloroplast localization of Cry1Ac and Cry2A protein- an alternative way of insect control in cotton

BACKGROUND: Insects have developed resistance against Bt-transgenic plants. A multi-barrier defense system to weaken their resistance development is now necessary. One such approach is to use fusion protein genes to increase resistance in plants by introducing more Bt genes in combination. The locating the target protein at the point of insect attack will be more effective. It will not mean that the non-green parts of the plants are free of toxic proteins, but it will inflict more damage on the insects because they are at maximum activity in the green parts of plants. RESULTS: Successful cloning was achieved by the amplification of Cry2A, Cry1Ac, and a transit peptide. The appropriate polymerase chain reaction amplification and digested products confirmed that Cry1Ac and Cry2A were successfully cloned in the correct orientation. The appearance of a blue color in sections of infiltrated leaves after 72 hours confirmed the successful expression of the construct in the plant expression system. The overall transformation efficiency was calculated to be 0.7%. The amplification of Cry1Ac-Cry2A and Tp2 showed the successful integration of target genes into the genome of cotton plants. A maximum of 0.673 µg/g tissue of Cry1Ac and 0.568 µg/g tissue of Cry2A was observed in transgenic plants. We obtained 100% mortality in the target insect after 72 hours of feeding the 2nd instar larvae with transgenic plants. The appearance of a yellow color in transgenic cross sections, while absent in the control, through phase contrast microscopy indicated chloroplast localization of the target protein. CONCLUSION: Locating the target protein at the point of insect attack increases insect mortality when compared with that of other transgenic plants. The results of this study will also be of great value from a biosafety point of view.

Estudios de transformación genética en arveja voluble cultivar Santa Isabel / Genetic transformation study in climbing pea Santa Isabel cultivar

Se probaron diferentes alternativas de transformación genética en arveja cultivar "Santa Isabel" con el fin de estudiar los factores que afectan el proceso. Se emplearon los métodos de infiltración mediante vacío, infección directa de explantes, transformación de polen, y microinyección de ovarios. La prueba histoquímica de expresión gus fue escogida como método de análisis en la determinación de transformantes positivos. Con las metodologías empleadas se detectaron puntos azules en el tejido vegetal, lo cual indica la expresión transitoria del transgen en los explantes utilizados. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que la transformación genética en arveja cultivada en Colombia puede ser utilizada para la introducción de genes de interés como apoyo a los procesos de mejoramiento genético.

Different genetic transformation alternatives were tested in pea, "Santa Isabel" cultivar, with the purpose of studying the factors that affect the process. The methods of infiltration with vacuum, direct infection of the explants, pollen transformation and ovary microinjection were used. The hystochemical test of the gus expression was chosen as analysis method in the determination of positive transformants. With the used methodologies, blue spots in the plant tissue were detected, which indicates transient expression of the transgene in utilized explants. The obtained results suggest that the genetic transformation in pea genotypes planted in Colombia can be utilized for the introduction of genes of interest as support to genetic improvement.

Establishment of Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation System in Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) by Culture of Leaf Segments for Functional Analysis of ASG-1, an Apomixis- Specific Gene.

Aims: In order to do the functional analysis of apomixis-specific gene (ASG-1), which was isolated from apomictic guineagrass, the sweet potato was used to establish an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. Study Design: At first, plant regeneration was achieved from the culture of leaf segments of sweet potato. Based on it, a binary vector pSMA35H2-NG for transformation of ASG-1 was used for establishment of a suitable procedure for plant regeneration of transformants. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Environmental and Horticultural Science, Minami Kyushu University, between June 2009 and December 2012. Methodology: The leaf segments were used for somatic embryogenesis and plantlets regeneration. For the preliminary transformation, a GUS gene set in pSMA35H2-NG was introduced into the Agrobacterium strain GV3101/PMP9, and the Agrobacterium was used to infect the callus derived from leaf segments of sweet potato “Miyazakibeni” and the callus derived from seeds of rice “Nipponbare”. For the plasmid construction, the GUS was replaced by ASG-1, named as pSMA35H2/ASG1. The resultant plasmid was mobilized into Agrobacterium strain GV3101/PMP9 for transformation. For detection of ASG-1, DNAs of the transgenic plantlets were used for PCR, using the primers designed according to ASG-1 and hygromycin, respectively. Results: 1) When the leaf segments were sterilized with sodium hypochlorite solution of 0.3% and 0.4% for 15 min, 100% of surviving rates was achieved. And the segments cultured on Murashige and Skoog (1962) gave 100% of callus formation rates. 2) When the calli were placed onto Komamine and Nomura (1998) medium for differentiation, somatic embryogenesis was obtained with white color and grain-like tissue, and plantlets with multiple shoot-like tissues were obtained from the somatic embryo. 3) For the preliminary transformation, the calli showed GUS blue spots gradually on the surface. 4) When the pSMA35H2/ASG1 was used to the transformation of the embryogenic calli, the plantlets were developed through multiple shoots. 5) The specific bands of ASG-1 and hygromycin were observed from the PCR products of the plantlets’ DNAs, respectively. Conclusion: Overall the above results, the procedure using the binary vector pSMA35H2/ASG1 containing ASG-1 revealed, as the first case, that Agrobacteriummediated transformation system in sweet potato was established using the culture of leaf segments in this study.

Expressão transiente do gene uidA em explantes foliares de Eucalyptus saligna Sm. transformado via Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Transient expression of uidA gene in leaf explants of Eucalyptus saligna Sm. transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a influência do pré-cultivo de explantes foliares e do meio de cultura na ressuspensão de Agrobacterium tumefaciens para infecção dos explantes. Os meios MS/2 (50% da concentração de sais) e MS N/2 (50% da concentração de NH4NO3 e KNO3) + PGR (1,0µM de TDZ (thidiazuron) + 0,1 µM de ANA (ácido naftalenoacético)) foram testados na ressuspensão da bactéria para infecção dos explantes. O pré-cultivo consistiu da manutenção dos explantes em meio de cultura para formação de calos (MS N/2 + PGR) durante um dia, sendo o tratamento sem pré-cultivo consistituído dos explantes após a excissão dos mesmos. Os explantes foram mantidos no escuro a 25 ± 2ºC mediante a utilização de plástico preto. O delineamento usado foi o inteiramente casualisado com 20 explantes. Os experimentos foram repetidos duas vezes. O meio MS/2 promoveu resultados superiores (22,4%) comparado ao meio MS N/2 + PGR (14,5%) para a percentagem de área com expressão do gene uidA. Aos 7 dias de cultivo em meio seletivo, a percentagem de área expressando o gene uidA foi 1,6 no MS/2 e 0% para o MS N/2 + PGR. O pré-cultivo produziu resultados superiores aos encontrados sem pré-cultivo, atingindo 31,4% de expressão transiente e no tratamento sem pré-cultivo 2,1%. Após 7 dias de cultivo em meio seletivo, a percentagem de área de expressão dos explantes do tratamento com pré-cultivo permaneceu 4,8% e 0% para o tratamento sem pré-cultivo. Os resultados indicam que o précultivo e ressuspensão da bactéria em meio MS/2 aumentaram a eficiência da expressão transiente do gene uidA em explantes foliares de E. saligna.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of the pre-culture of leaf explants and the effect of the culture medium for the Agrobacterium tumefaciens resuspension to the explant infection. The media, MS/2 (half strength) and MS N/2 (10.3 mM NH4NO3 and 9.4 mM KNO3) + PGR (1.0 µM TDZ (thidiazuron) and 0.1 µM NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid)) were tested for the bacteria resuspension. The pre-culture consisted of the maintenance of the explants on culture medium for callus formation (MS N/2+PGR) during one day and the treatment without pre-culture consisted of the use of the explants after the excision of the same ones. At the end of the co-culture, the MS/2 promoted results superiors to the MS N/2+PGR, and the area percentage that presented expression of the gene uidA was of 22.4% compared at 14.5%. To the 7 days of culture on a medium with kanamycin, the area percentage expressing the gene uidA was 1.6 in MS/2 and 0% for the MS N/2+PGR. At the end of the co-culture, the pre-culture produced results superiors to the found in the treatment without pre-culture, reaching 31.4% of expression and in the treatment without pre-culture 2.1%. After 7 days of culture on a medium with kanamycin, the area percentage of explant expression of the treatment with pre-culture stayed 4.8% and 0% for the treatment without pre-culture. The results indicate that the pre-culture and the bacteria resuspension in MS/2 increase the efficiency of the transient expression of the gene uidA in leaf explants of E. saligna.

Isolation and expression characteristic of cyp71av1 promoter from Artemisia annua / 中草药

Objective: Trying to find the ways to enhance the expression of cyp71av1 gene encoding cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase which is a key enzyme in artemisinin biosynthesis pathway accelerating the artemisinin synthesis, the promoter of cyp71av1 was isolated and characterized. Methods: 5′ untranslated regions of cyp71av1 were isolated from Artemisia annua with thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR. For functional characterization, the isolated fragments were fused with β-glucuronidase GUS reporter gene and introduced into Nicotiana tabacum by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The GUS expression regulated by 5′ untranslated regions of cyp71av1 in transgenic N. tabacum under the normal or stressed conditions were detected by histochemical staining and quantitative spectrophotometry assay. Results: Two DNA fragments upstream of cyp71av1 coding sequence, a long fragment and a truncated fragment, were isolated from A. annua and introduced into N. tabacum respectively. Histochemical staining showed that two isolated fragments confered stable GUS expression in transgenic plants, and no significant difference was found between the two fragments on the GUS activity. The quantitative results also showed that the GUS activity in transgenic tobacco plants treated by dehydration, low-temperature (4 °C), and ultraviolet irradiation were 1.4 to 2.7 folds higher than that in the controls. Conclusion: It suggests that the isolated fragments has promoter activity and may be responsive to adverse environmental stresses.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-transient genetic transformation of Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq. ) leaf explants

Most of the pepper species of the genus Capsicum have been recalcitrant to efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated stable or transient, genetic transformation. In the present work, we optimized a protocol for transient transformation of the Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) through the standardization of several experimental factors. These included the age of the plants, the temperature, the length of co-cultivation, the application of a negative (vacuum) and/or a positive (infiltration) pressure, along with micro injection, the use of acetosyringone during the bacterial culturing, and modification of the pH during the GUS assay to eliminate the endogenous beta-glucuronidase activity. The standardized protocol, which yielded nearly 55 percent fully transformed leaf explants, was used to successfully mobilize two empty binary vectors (pCAMBIA2301 and pCAMex), as well as the C. chinense cDNAs encoding the pathogenesis-related protein 10 and esterase, respectively.

Quantitative transient GUS expression in J-104 rice calli through manipulation of in vitro culture conditions

This paper purposes suitable conditions for callus induction and co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens of J-104 rice cultivar. It was evaluated the effect of different concentrations of 2.4-D and agar, and the inclusion of L-proline and L-glutamine in callus culture medium. The use of 2.5 mg/L 2.4-D and 0.8% agar allowed the highest percentage of embryogenic calli. Callus formation was improved considerably with 500 mg/L of L-proline and L-glutamine in the culture medium. Different factors were studied throughout co-cultivation of calli with A. tumefaciens: inoculation time, co-cultivation temperature, concentration of acetosyringone and co-cultivation period. Transient GUS expression was quantified by fluorometry in all co-cultivated calli. The best results were obtained with the following conditions: 10 min as inoculation time, 100µM acetosyringone in co-cultivation medium, temperature of 20ºC, and 3 days as co-cultivation period.

Se describen las condiciones óptimas para la callogénesis y cocultivo de callos con Agrobacterium tume-faciens de la variedad de arroz J-104. Se determinó el efecto de diferentes concentraciones de 2.4-D, agar y de L-prolina y L-glutamina en el medio de cultivo de callos. El uso de 2,5 mg/L de 2.4-D y 0,8% de agar permitió lograr el porcentaje más alto de callos embriogénicos. La formación de callos fue mejorada considerablemente con la adición de 500 mg/L de L-prolina e igual concentración de L-glutamina en el medio de cultivo. Se estudiaron diferentes factores en el cocultivo de los callos con A. tumefaciens: tiempo de inoculación, concentración de acetosiringona, temperatura y tiempo de cocultivo. Para comparar el efecto de cada factor sobre la expresión GUS se cuantificó la actividad transitoria mediante fluorimetría. Los valores más altos de actividad fluorimétrica fueron obtenidos con las siguientes condiciones: 10 min de inoculación, 100µM de acetosiringona en el medio de cocultivo y 3 días de cocultivo a 20 ºC.

Avaliação do potencial de contaminação de águas superficiais e subterrâneas por pesticidas aplicados na agricultura do Baixo Jaguaribe, CE / Assessment of surface and groundwater potential contamination by agricultural pesticides applied in the region of Baixo Jaguaribe, CE, Brazil

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o potencial de contaminação de águas superficiais e subterrâneas por atividades de agricultura irrigada do Baixo Jaguaribe, Ceará. A análise foi realizada mediante critérios da Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), índice de GUS e método de GOSS. Esses critérios baseiam-se em propriedades físico-químicas dos princípios ativos de cada agrotóxico. Neste estudo, foram avaliados os principais produtos aplicados nas culturas irrigadas no Baixo Jaguaribe, através de levantamento realizado na própria região. Por meio da comparação entre os modelos, alguns pesticidas apresentaram potencial de contaminação em águas superficiais e subterrâneas, sendo necessário o monitoramento constante dos níveis desses resíduos.

This study evaluated the potential of contamination of surface water and groundwater in the irrigated agriculture of Baixo Jaguaribe, in Ceara state, Brazil. The analysis was performed based on the criteria of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the index of GUS and method of GOSS. These indexes have been based on physical and chemical properties of the active ingredients of each pesticide. The present paper assessed the main products, which are applied on crops in the irrigated agriculture of Baixo Jaguaribe, through survey in the region. The comparison between the models showed some potential for pesticide contamination in surface water and groundwater, and requires the constant monitoring of levels waste.