Weed Management Strategies for Tomato Plasticulture Production in Florida.

Florida is the top producer of fresh market tomatoes in the U.S., with an average production of 0.4 million metric tons. Tomatoes are commercially grown on plastic mulched raised beds in Southwest Florida, the primary production region in the state. Low tomato yield in plasticulture production is often associated with the poor control of nutsedge species. Nutsedge management, therefore, remains a critical production challenge for tomato growers in Florida. Sandy soil in this region promotes herbicide movement after heavy rainfall or irrigation, affecting weed suppression. This will also potentially impact the timely establishment of new tomato transplants and, consequently, the crop vigor if the herbicides get into the root zone. This review aims to present and discuss an overview of available options to safely manage major weeds of tomatoes, including nutsedge species, in plasticulture production. In addition, this review seeks to discuss an approach for utilizing herbicide adjuvants, such as spray deposition agents or oil binding agents, to improve herbicides' efficacy and tomato crop safety by enhancing their retention in plastic mulched raised beds.

RNA interference and crop protection against biotic stresses.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a universal phenomenon of RNA silencing or gene silencing with broader implications in important physiological and developmental processes of most eukaryotes, including plants. Small RNA (sRNA) are the critical drivers of the RNAi machinery that ensures down-regulation of the target genes in a homology-dependent manner and includes small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and micro RNAs (miRNAs). Plant researchers across the globe have exploited the powerful technique of RNAi to execute targeted suppression of desired genes in important crop plants, with an intent to improve crop protection against pathogens and pests for sustainable crop production. Biotic stresses cause severe losses to the agricultural productivity leading to food insecurity for future generations. RNAi has majorly contributed towards the development of designer crops that are resilient towards the various biotic stresses such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, insect pests, and nematodes. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the RNAi-mediated strategies against these biotic stresses, along with new insights on the future directions in research involving RNAi for crop protection.

Validation of a phage display and computational algorithm by mapping a conformational epitope of Bla g 2.

BACKGROUND: Bla g 2, one of the major cockroach allergens, induces a strong IgE response against conformational epitopes, and on reexposure, sensitized individuals often display symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma. The aim of the current study was to perform a test of the efficacy of a modified phage display screening, characterization of selected phages and an automated algorithm, EpiSearch, in locating an important conformational epitope. METHODS: The monoclonal antibody 7C11, which partially inhibits the binding of patient IgE antibodies to Bla g 2, was used to screen a random peptide phage library. After 3 rounds of panning, 32 phage clones were isolated and the amino acid sequences of their peptides were determined. The relative affinity and specificity of the binding of these peptides to 7C11 were tested in ELISAs. The amino acid composition of these peptides was then matched with clusters of residues on the surface of the 3-dimensional (3D) structure of Bla g 2, using our EpiSearch algorithm. RESULTS: The amino acid sequences of the peptides on selected phages differed at only one position, occupied by 1 of 2 negatively charged residues. The two 12-mer sequences bound to 7C11 with similar avidity and specificity. There was good concordance between the residues in the 3D clusters identified from our phage display/computational method with the co-crystal structural analysis. CONCLUSION: Conformational epitopes may be mapped through screening of clones from random peptide phage display libraries and EpiSearch.

The ability of green tea to positively modulate key markers of gastrointestinal function in rats.

The beneficial effects of selenium-containing green tea (Se-GTE, 1.44 mg selenium/kg dry leaves) and China green tea (CH-GTE, 0.13 mg selenium/kg leaves) on the population size of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria and the activity of two microbial enzymes in the caeca of rats have been investigated. Oral gavage of rats with Se-GTE extract for 6 days resulted in a significant increase in caecal counts of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (p < 0.05) while significantly reducing the caecal counts of bacteroides and clostridial bacteria. In contrast, gavaging the rats with CH-GTE extract for 6 days resulted in a slight but not significant increase in the numbers of caecal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria but decreased significantly the numbers of bacteroides (p < 0.05) and clostridia (p < 0.05). In addition, rats gavaged with CH-GTE and Se-GTE showed a 17.2% and 21.3% reduction in the activity of the bacterial enzyme ß-glucuronidase, respectively, when compared with the rats gavaged with water only. ß-glucuronidase is considered to be one of the enzymes that increases the risk for colorectal cancer. Moreover, gavaging rats with these teas resulted in 19% and 25.5% increments in the activity of ß-glucosidase, respectively. In conclusion, Se-GTE showed both bifidogenic and lactogenic effects and the high level of selenium may be behind the superiority of this tea over CH-GTE.

Maternal bisphenol a exposure promotes the development of experimental asthma in mouse pups.

BACKGROUND: We recently reported that various environmental estrogens induce mast cell degranulation and enhance IgE-mediated release of allergic mediators in vitro. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that environmental estrogens would enhance allergic sensitization as well as bronchial inflammation and responsiveness. To test this hypothesis, we exposed fetal and neonatal mice to the common environmental estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) via maternal loading and assessed the pups' response to allergic sensitization and bronchial challenge. METHODS: Female BALB/c mice received 10 microg/mL BPA in their drinking water from 1 week before impregnation to the end of the study. Neonatal mice were given a single 5 microg intraperitoneal dose of ovalbumin (OVA) with aluminum hydroxide on postnatal day 4 and 3% OVA by nebulization for 10 min on days 13, 14, and 15. Forty-eight hours after the last nebulization, we assessed serum IgE antibodies to OVA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness by enumerating eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, whole-body barometric plethysmography, and a forced oscillation technique. RESULTS: Neonates from BPA-exposed mothers responded to this "suboptimal" sensitization with higher serum IgE anti-OVA concentrations compared with those from unexposed mothers (p < 0.05), and eosinophilic inflammation in their airways was significantly greater. Airway responsiveness of the OVA-sensitized neonates from BPA-treated mothers was enhanced compared with those from unexposed mothers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal exposure to BPA enhances allergic sensitization and bronchial inflammation and responsiveness in a susceptible animal model of asthma.

Model of critical diagnostic reasoning: achieving expert clinician performance.

Diagnostic reasoning refers to the analytical processes used to determine patient health problems. While the education curriculum and health care system focus on training nurse clinicians to accurately recognize and rescue clinical situations, assessments of non-expert nurses have yielded less than satisfactory data on diagnostic competency. The contrast between the expert and non-expert nurse clinician raises the important question of how differences in thinking may contribute to a large divergence in accurate diagnostic reasoning. This article recognizes superior organization of one's knowledge base, using prototypes, and quick retrieval of pertinent information, using similarity recognition as two reasons for the expert's superior diagnostic performance. A model of critical diagnostic reasoning, using prototypes and similarity recognition, is proposed and elucidated using case studies. This model serves as a starting point toward bridging the gap between clinical data and accurate problem identification, verification, and management while providing a structure for a knowledge exchange between expert and non-expert clinicians.

Evaluation of molecular basis of cross reactivity between rye and Bermuda grass pollen allergens.

BACKGROUND: Allergenic cross reactivity between the members of the Pooids (Lolium perenne, Phleum pratense, and Poa pratensis) and Chloridoids (Cynodon dactylon and Paspalum notatum) is well established. Studies using crude extracts in the past have demonstrated limited cross reactivity between the Pooids and the Chloridoids suggesting separate diagnosis and therapy. However, little is known regarding the molecular basis for the limited cross reactivity observed between the 2 groups of grasses. The present study was undertaken to gain insights into the molecular basis of cross allergenicity between the major allergens from rye and Bermuda grass pollens. METHODS: Immunoblot inhibition tests were carried out to determine the specificity of the proteins involved in cross reactivity. Crude pollen extract and bacterially expressed and purified recombinant Lol p 1and Lol p 5 from rye grass were subjected to cross inhibition experiments with crude and purified recombinant Cyn d 1 from Bermuda grass using sera from patients allergic to rye grass pollen. RESULTS: The immunoblot inhibition studies revealed a high degree of cross inhibition between the group 1 allergens. In contrast, a complete lack of inhibition was observed between Bermuda grass group 1 allergen rCyn d 1, and rye grass group 5 allergen rLol p 5. Crude rye grass extract strongly inhibited IgE reactivity to Bermuda grass, whereas crude Bermuda grass pollen extract showed a weaker inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that a possible explanation for the limited cross reactivity between the Pooids and Chloridoids may, in part, be due to the absence of group 5 allergen from Chloridoid grasses. This approach of using purified proteins may be applied to better characterize the cross allergenicity patterns between different grass pollen allergens.

Mapping of IgE-binding regions on recombinant Cyn d 1, a major allergen from Bermuda Grass Pollen (BGP).

BACKGROUND: Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon; subfamily Chloridoideae) is an important source of seasonal aeroallergens in warm tropical and sub-tropical areas worldwide. Improved approaches to diagnosis and therapy of allergic diseases require a thorough understanding of the structure and epitopes on the allergen molecule that are crucial for the antigen-antibody interaction. This study describes the localization of the human IgE-binding regions of the major group 1 pollen allergen Cyn d 1 from Bermuda grass. METHODS: A cDNA library was constructed from Bermuda grass pollen (BGP) using a Lambda gt11 expression vector. The gene encoding the Cyn d 1 allergen was isolated by screening the library with a mouse monoclonal antibody raised against grass group 1 allergen. In order to characterize the IgE epitopes on Cyn d 1, seven overlapping fragments and three deletion mutants were cloned and over-expressed in E. coli. The recombinant fragments and deletion mutants were evaluated for their comparative IgE reactivity with sera of non atopic individuals and grass pollen allergic patients by ELISA and a dot-blot assay. RESULTS: Analysis of IgE binding regions by overlapping fragments and deletion mutants identified two major allergenic regions corresponding to amino acids 120-170 and 224-244. Deletion of either or both regions led to a significant reduction in IgE binding, emphasizing the importance of the C-terminal region on Cyn d 1 in epitope-IgE interaction. CONCLUSION: Anti-Cyn d 1 IgE antibodies from allergic human sera recognize two epitopes located at the C-terminal end of the molecule. These data will enable the design of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for BGP hypersensitivity.