In French and German vineyards, Botrytis cinerea isolates with multiple fungicide resistance phenotypes have been observed with increasing frequencies. Multidrug resistance (MDR) results from ...mutations that lead to constitutive overexpression of genes encoding drug efflux transporters. In MDR2 and MDR3 strains, overexpression of the major facilitator superfamiliy transporter gene mfsM2 has been found to result from a rearrangement in the mfsM2 promoter (type A), caused by insertion of a retroelement (RE)-derived sequence. Here, we report the discovery of another, similar RE-induced rearrangement of the mfsM2 promoter (type B) in a subpopulation of French MDR2 isolates. MDR2 isolates harboring either type A or type B mutations in mfsM2 show the same resistance phenotypes and similar levels of mfsM2 overexpression. RE sequences similar to those in mfsM2 were found in low copy numbers in other but not all B. cinerea strains analyzed, including non-MDR2 strains. Population genetic analyses support the hypothesis that the two rearrangement mutations have only occurred once, and are responsible for the appearance and subsequent spread of all known MDR2 and MDR3 strains in French and German wine-growing regions.
Les entérovirus sont des virus à acide ribonucléique de la famille des picornavirus. Ils peuvent être responsables d’infections graves en période néonatale à type de méningo-encéphalites, d’hépatites ...ou de myocardites. La myocardite néonatale à entérovirus est une entité rare et de pronostic péjoratif malgré les progrès de la prise en charge thérapeutique. Nous rapportons le cas d’un nouveau-né de 14j hospitalisé en réanimation pour choc cardiogénique. Le diagnostic de myocardite à entérovirus ainsi que le suivi ont pu être guidés par l’imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM). Nous rapportons le détail de cette observation et discutons l’apport de l’IRM dans la myocardite de l’enfant.
Enteroviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses of the picornavirus family. In the neonatal period, enterovirus can cause severe meningo-encephalitis, sepsis syndrome, hepatitis, or myocarditis. Neonatal enterovirus myocarditis remains a rare but severe cause of neonatal cardiac failure whose prognosis remains poor. Herein, we report the case of neonatal enterovirus myocarditis in a 14-day-old infant transferred to our intensive care unit for cardiogenic shock. Diagnosis and follow-up were confirmed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We provide a detailed clinical, biological, and cardiac imaging description with specific comments on MRI diagnosis of myocarditis.
Botrytis cinerea isolates (n = 122) were collected from strawberry fields located in northern Greece during a 3-year period (2008-10) and tested for their sensitivity to the succinate dehydrogenase ...inhibitor boscalid. Sensitivity measurements showed three distinct phenotypes consisting of isolates highly sensitive (fungicide concentration causing inhibition of germ tube growth by 50% EC50 values of 0.05 to 0.21 micrograms ml-1), moderately resistant (EC50 values of 1.37 to 7.79 micrograms ml-1), or highly resistant (EC50 values of >50 micrograms ml-1) to boscalid. Sequence analysis of the sdhB gene revealed five mutations leading to amino acid substitutions in the SdhB subunit in isolates moderately resistant and highly resistant to boscalid. Three moderately resistant isolates showed a nucleotide change from A to T at codon 230, resulting in an asparagine to isoleucine (N230I) substitution. Several moderately resistant isolates showed a nucleotide change from C to T at codon 272, resulting in a substitution from histidine to arginine (H272R) whereas, in another set of isolates, a nucleotide change from A to G was found at the same codon, leading to a substitution from histidine to tyrosine (H272Y). One highly resistant isolate had a nucleotide change from A to T at codon 272, leading to a substitution from histidine to leucine (H272L), whereas, in three other highly resistant isolates, a double nucleotide change from CC to TT was observed at codon 225, resulting in a substitution from proline to phenylalanine (P225F). To facilitate rapid detection of these mutations associated with resistance to boscalid, a primer-introduced restriction analysis polymerase chain reaction was developed. The method was successfully applied to the moderately and highly resistant subpopulations and showed that the H272R mutation was predominant with relative frequencies of 28.5, 37.5, and 30% during 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. In contrast, the H272L mutation was detected at a frequency of 2.5% only in the 2009 population, whereas the P225F mutation was detected at a frequency of 7.5% only in the 2010 population.
The grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea causes losses of commercially important fruits, vegetables and ornamentals worldwide. Fungicide treatments are effective for disease control, but bear the risk ...of resistance development. The major resistance mechanism in fungi is target protein modification resulting in reduced drug binding. Multiple drug resistance (MDR) caused by increased efflux activity is common in human pathogenic microbes, but rarely described for plant pathogens. Annual monitoring for fungicide resistance in field isolates from fungicide-treated vineyards in France and Germany revealed a rapidly increasing appearance of B. cinerea field populations with three distinct MDR phenotypes. All MDR strains showed increased fungicide efflux activity and overexpression of efflux transporter genes. Similar to clinical MDR isolates of Candida yeasts that are due to transcription factor mutations, all MDR1 strains were shown to harbor activating mutations in a transcription factor (Mrr1) that controls the gene encoding ABC transporter AtrB. MDR2 strains had undergone a unique rearrangement in the promoter region of the major facilitator superfamily transporter gene mfsM2, induced by insertion of a retrotransposon-derived sequence. MDR2 strains carrying the same rearranged mfsM2 allele have probably migrated from French to German wine-growing regions. The roles of atrB, mrr1 and mfsM2 were proven by the phenotypes of knock-out and overexpression mutants. As confirmed by sexual crosses, combinations of mrr1 and mfsM2 mutations lead to MDR3 strains with higher broad-spectrum resistance. An MDR3 strain was shown in field experiments to be selected against sensitive strains by fungicide treatments. Our data document for the first time the rising prevalence, spread and molecular basis of MDR populations in a major plant pathogen in agricultural environments. These populations will increase the risk of grey mould rot and hamper the effectiveness of current strategies for fungicide resistance management.
Neonatal collapse: diagnosis of myocarditis Leroch, M; Grisel, C; Crucis Armangaud, A ...
Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Société française de pédiatrie
20, Issue:
9
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Enteroviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses of the picornavirus family. In the neonatal period, enterovirus can cause severe meningo-encephalitis, sepsis syndrome, hepatitis, or myocarditis. ...Neonatal enterovirus myocarditis remains a rare but severe cause of neonatal cardiac failure whose prognosis remains poor. Herein, we report the case of neonatal enterovirus myocarditis in a 14-day-old infant transferred to our intensive care unit for cardiogenic shock. Diagnosis and follow-up were confirmed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We provide a detailed clinical, biological, and cardiac imaging description with specific comments on MRI diagnosis of myocarditis.
The carrier Endoplasmic Reticulum Adenylate Transporter1 (ER-ANT1) resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and acts as an ATP/ADP antiporter. Mutant plants lacking ER-ANT1 exhibit a dwarf ...phenotype and their seeds contain reduced protein and lipid contents. In this study, we describe a further surprising metabolic peculiarity of the er-ant1 mutants. Interestingly, Gly levels in leaves are immensely enhanced (26×) when compared with that of wild-type plants. Gly accumulation is caused by significantly decreased mitochondrial glycine decarboxylase (GDC) activity. Reduced GDC activity in mutant plants was attributed to oxidative posttranslational protein modification induced by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). GDC activity is crucial for photorespiration; accordingly, morphological and physiological defects in er-ant1 plants were nearly completely abolished by application of high environmental CO 2 concentrations. The latter observation demonstrates that the absence of ER-ANT1 activity mainly affects photorespiration (maybe solely GDC), whereas basic cellular metabolism remains largely unchanged. Since ER-ANT1 homologs are restricted to higher plants, it is tempting to speculate that this carrier fulfils a plant-specific function directly or indirectly controlling cellular ROS production. The observation that ER-ANT1 activity is associated with cellular ROS levels reveals an unexpected and critical physiological connection between the ER and other organelles in plants.
Expressive crime contrasts with instrumental crime in that delinquents do not seek material benefits. Law breakers are motivated by the desire to 'make a statement', possibly against majority ...attitudes in the society. Fighting expressive crime is complicated by this fact in that increasing intervention may have counter effects. In this article, I present a model of expressive crime. Delinquents are motivated to perform the illegal action because it transmits a signal. If the punishment associated with the crime affects the value of this signal positively, an increase in punishment may serve as defiance, and not as deterrence. Accordingly, the number of law violations may increase if those defied outnumber the deterred. Throughout the analysis, I refer to the case of graffiti spraying in Germany. It has been argued that this case offers an example for an increase in law violations after an increase in available punishment. This claim is discussed with reference to available data. Implications for other forms of expressive crime are drawn.
Homologs of BT1 (the Brittle1 protein) are found to be phylogenetically related to the mitochondrial carrier family and appear to occur in both mono- and dicotyledonous plants. Whereas BT1 from ...cereals is probably involved in the transport of ADP-glucose, which is essential for starch metabolism in endosperm plastids, BT1 from a noncereal plant, Solanum tuberosum (StBT1), catalyzes an adenine nucleotide uniport when functionally integrated into the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Import studies into intact Escherichia coli cells harboring StBT1 revealed a narrow substrate spectrum with similar affinities for AMP, ADP, and ATP of about 300–400 μm. Transiently expressed StBT1-green fluorescent protein fusion protein in tobacco leaf protoplasts showed a plastidic localization of the StBT1. In vitro synthesized radioactively labeled StBT1 was targeted to the envelope membranes of isolated spinach chloroplasts. Furthermore, we showed by real time reverse transcription-PCR a ubiquitous expression pattern of the StBT1 in autotrophic and heterotrophic potato tissues. We therefore propose that StBT1 is a plastidic adenine nucleotide uniporter used to provide the cytosol and other compartments with adenine nucleotides exclusively synthesized inside plastids.
Efficiency and justice revisited Holler, Manfred J.; Leroch, Martin
European Journal of Political Economy,
09/2010, Volume:
26, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
At first sight, modern economics and justice seem not to fit together. Whereas the former primarily deals with individual self-interest and extrinsic incentives, the latter deals with ...other-regardingness and intrinsic social motives. However, recent findings, mainly from the field of experimental economics, reintroduce aspects of justice into economic modeling. Other theories, evolutionary models for instance, take up the key findings and apply the economic rationale in order to find out why human traits which apparently run counter to individual self-interest may have survived. In this introductory note we date this discussion back to the days of Adam Smith and argue that he already set the basis for such a discussion. Apparently, Smith was well aware that principles of justice and the market may, at times, be contradictory. However, he also found that both served a common purpose, or so we will argue. We further aim at bringing together Smith's classical position with recent ideas, for instance Binmore's theory of justice, and see whether the one can be fruitful for the other.
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