First Report of Branched Broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa) on Celeriac (Apium graveolens) in Eastern France.

Branched broomrape, Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel (syn. Orobanche ramosa L.), is a chlorophyll-lacking, obligate root parasitic plant that infests Brassicaceae, Solanaceae, and legumes (3). In western France, P. ramosa has invaded oilseed rape fields since the 1990s, causing significant yield losses (1). This crop has now become the primary host for the parasite, along with buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.), hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), and tobacco (Nicotania tabacum L.). In September 2013, a field survey indicated that a celeriac (Apium graveolens L. var. Prinlz) crop on clay soil in the Champagne-Ardennes region (48°20'19″ N, 04°01'57″ E, 140 m above sea level, eastern France) was infested with branched broomrape where hemp had been grown 4 years before. The celeriac field was planted to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 2012 in rotation with lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) in 2011. About 2% of the total celeriac field was infested and the estimated yield losses were approximately 25% for this infested area. The host symptoms observed were a slower growth of celeriac, along with leaf chlorosis, lower fruit production, and numerous abortions. The infestation of the celeriac crop was confirmed by verifying the attachment of branched broomrape to the celeriac roots. Broomrape plant heights were between 4.5 and 21 cm. The stems were erect, branched, frail, rather hairy, and bulging. Scale leaves were limited to 4 to 10 mm long, thick, acuminate, alternate scales. The flowers were numerous (between 4 and 51) and were 8.3 to 14.5 mm long. They were borne in the axils of scaly bracts. They had an irregular, curved shape, and a light mauve color. They did not have distinct peduncles and were grouped in rather long floral scapes during advanced flowering. The corolla tube was 10 to 15 mm long and its restricted part stood higher than the divisions of the calyx. It had ciliate, if not hairy, lobes. The calyx was more or less hairy, zygomorphous, with four lobes, and 6 to 8 mm long. Two bracteoles were situated on either side of the calyx. The four stamens observed were didynamous and borne 4 to 5 mm above the corolla base. The dorsifixed bilocularis, longitudinally dehiscent anthers were glabrous or covered with a fine down along sutures. Georges Sallé, (retired) Professor of Botanics at the University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, confirmed the identity of P. ramosa based on morphological characteristics (1). Celeriac infection by branched broomrape was confirmed using a developed assay (2). P. ramosa infecting celeriac roots was described by counting the numbers of individuals having reached ontogenic stages according to Gibot-Leclerc et al. (2). To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting P. ramosa infection on celeriac in eastern France. Since celeriac is produced in rotation with lentils, branched broomrape could pose a serious threat to production of these crops. References: (1) M. Blamey and C. Grey-Wilson. La Flore d'Europe Occidentale. Edition Flammarion, Paris, 2003. (2) S. Gibot-Leclerc et al. Flora 207:512, 2012. (3) M. C. Press and G. K. Phoenix. New Phytol. 166:737, 2005.

[Angiomyolipoma and Lenk syndrome: case report]. / Triada de Lenk como presentación clínica del angiomiolipoma.

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign clonal neoplasm that consists of varying amounts of mature adipose tissue, smooth muscle, and thick-walled vessels. Approximately 20% of AMLs are found in patients with tuberous sclerosis syndrome (TS), an autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by mental retardation, epilepsy, and adenoma sebaceous, a distinctive skin lesion. Massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage from AML, also known as Wunderlich's syndrome, has been found in up to 10% of patients and represents the most significant and feared complication. The presence of even a small amount of fat within a renal lesion on CT scan (confirmed by Hounsfield unit's < or = 10) is considered diagnostic of AML. Intervention should be considered for larger tumors, particularly if the patient is symptomatic, taking into account patient age, comorbidities, and other related factors. A nephron-sparing approach, via either partial nephrectomy or selective embolization, is clearly preferred. We present the case of a fifty-nine-year old patient with an angiomyolipoma and massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage with Lenk syndrome.

Tríada de Lenk como presentación clínica del angiomiolipoma / Angiomyolipoma and Lenk syndrome: case report

El angiomiolipoma (AML) es una neoplasia clonal benigna compuesta por cantidades variables de tejido adiposo maduro, músculo liso y vasos sanguíneos de paredes gruesas. Aproximadamente un 20% de todos los AML, se detectan en pacientes con el Síndrome de la Esclerosis Tuberosa, trastorno autonómico dominante que se asocia a retraso mental, epilepsia, adenoma sebáceo. La presencia de hemorragia retroperitoneal masiva, conocida como Síndrome de Wunderlich se ha documentado en hasta un 10% de los pacientes y representa la complicación más importante y temida de estas lesiones. La TAC identifica las zonas del tejido adiposo, correspondiente a una baja atenuación entre 20-100Hounsfield, dicho coeficiente dependerá del contenido y madurez de la grasa intratumoral y de la presencia o no de hemorragias. En el caso de pacientes con AML pequeños que requieren intervención debido a la presencia de síntomas, en pacientes con ET o AML multicéntricos y en pacientes en quienes la preservación de la función renal reviste particular importancia el enfoque preferido es la cirugía ahorradora de nefronas con nefrectomía parcial o embolizaciòn selectiva. Presentamos un caso de una paciente de 59 años con un angiomiolipoma gigante quién debuta con el Síndrome clínico conocido como Tríada de Lenk (AU)

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign clonal neoplasm that consists of varying amounts of mature adipose tissue, smooth muscle, and thick-walled vessels. Approximately 20% of AMLs are found in patients with tuberous sclerosis syndrome (TS), an autosomaldominant disorder characterized by mental retardation, epilepsy, and adenoma sebaceous, a distinctive skin lesion. Massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage from AML, also known as Wunderlich's syndrome, has been found in up to 10% of patients and represents the most significant and feared complication. The presence of even a small amount of fat within a renal lesion on CT scan (confirmed by Hounsfieldun it’s <=10) is considered diagnostic of AML. Intervention should be considered for larger tumors, particularly if the patient is symptomatic, taking into account patient age, comorbidities, and other related factors. A nephron-sparing approach, via either partial nephrectomy or selective embolization, is clearly preferred. We present the case of a fifty-nine-year old patient with an angiomyolipoma and massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage with Lenk syndrome (AU)

Cooperation of dopachrome conversion factor with phenoloxidase in the eumelanin pathway in haemolymph of Locusta migratoria (Insecta).

Dopachrome Conversion Factor (DCF) was found in the plasma of the locust Locusta migratoria. It has an apparent molecular mass of 85,000. Its K(m) was 0.2 mM at 22 degrees C and pH 7 with L-dopachrome as substrate. It had a high substrate specificity for L-dopachrome, methyl-L-dopachrome and L-dopachrome methyl ester but no activity on the corresponding D-isomers or on dopaminechrome. DCF was devoid of any phenoloxidase activity. Under action of DCF, L-dopachrome was converted into dihydroxyindole, which showed that a decarboxylation occured in the course of reaction. Locust DCF was inhibited by indole-3-propionic acid but not by indole-3- or indole-2-carboxylic acid. It was also inhibited by L-tryptophan in a competitive manner. Inhibition and substrate specificity suggest that a carboxyl group, either free or as a methyl ester, is necessary but not sufficient for enzyme recognition. When purified prophenoloxidase was activated and then added to dihydroxyindole either prepared by chemical synthesis or obtained by action of purified DCF on dopachrome, black pigments with a maximum absorption at 540 nm were generated. Therefore in the eumelanin pathway of locust plasma, phenoloxidase can catalyze the reaction that converts the product generated by DCF.

PMLRAR homodimers: distinct DNA binding properties and heteromeric interactions with RXR.

Fusion proteins (named PMLRAR) between PML and the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) are generated as a result of the t(15;17) chromosomal translocation found in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We show here that PMLRAR proteins exist in solution as stable homodimers whose formation is mediated by a presumptive coiled coil in the PML moiety. In contrast to RAR alpha, which requires heterodimerization with RXR for efficient DNA binding, PMLRAR homodimers can bind to target sequences in the absence of RXR, and the binding pattern of PMLRAR homodimeric complexes to directly repeated motif (DR) response elements with 1-5 bp spacers is different from that of RAR/RXR heterodimeric complexes. We show that the presence of RXR induces the formation of PMLRAR/RXR heteromeric complexes which bind to DNA via one RAR DNA binding domain (DBD) and one RXR DBD, like 'classical' RAR/RXR heterodimers. PMLRAR interaction with RXR occurs in solution and in transfected cultured Cos cells, and PMLRAR is able to sequester RXR efficiently in the cytoplasm, suggesting that dominant 'inactivation' of RXR may be a possible mechanism of action for PMLRAR. Accordingly, we show that PMLRAR can both prevent the binding of the vitamin D3 receptor (VDR) to a target sequence in vitro and inhibit vitamin D3-dependent activation of a VDR-responsive reporter gene in transfected cells. These results suggest that both the distinct DNA binding properties of PMLRAR homodimers and the sequestration of RXR by PMLRARs may contribute to the molecular mechanisms which underlie the pathogenesis of APL. We also report that RXR alpha transcripts are down-regulated by RA-treatment in promyelocytic cells.

Retinoic acid signal transduction pathways.

Complexity in the retinoid signaling system arises from a combination of several forms of retinoic acid which possess differential activities, multiple cytoplasmic binding proteins and nuclear receptors that have distinct ligand specificities and functional properties, and the existence of polymorphic retinoic acid response elements. Additional diversity appears to be generated by heterodimeric interactions between the two classes of nuclear retinoic acid receptors and between retinoic acid receptors and some other members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Thus, a complex array of combinatorial effects is beginning to emerge that may account for the pleiotropic effects of retinoids.