Metabolic, biochemical and molecular profiling of Catharanthus roseus flower cultivars and transformed hairy roots for monoterpenoid indole alkaloid accumulation /

Catharanthlls rosellS (L.) G Don is a commercially significant flower species and in addition is the only source of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIA) vinblastine and vincristine, which are key pharmaceutical compounds that are used to combat a number of different cancers. Therefore, procurement of the antineoplastic agents is difficult but essential procedure. Alternatively, CatharanthllS tissue cultures have been investigated as a source of these agents; however they do not produce vindoline, which is an obligate precursor to vinblastine and vincristine. The interest in developing high MIA cultivars of Catharantlws rosellS has prompted metabolic profiling studies to determine the variability of MIA accumulation of existing flowering cultivars, with particular focus on the vindoline component ofthe pathway. Metabolic profiling studies that used high performance liquid chromatography of MIAs from seedlings and young leaf extracts from 50 different flowering cultivars showed that, except for a single low vindoline cultivar (Vinca Mediterranean DP Orchid), they all accumulate similar levels of MIAs. Further enzymatic studies with extracts from young leaves and from developing seedlings showed that the low vindoline cultivar has a IO-fold lower tabersonine-16-hydroxylase activity than those of CatharanthllS rosellS cv Little Delicata. Additionally, studies aimed at metabolic engineering ofvindoline bios}l1thesis in Catharanthus rosellS hairy root cultures have been performed by expressing the last step in vindoline biosynthesis [Dcacetylvindoline-4-0- acetyltransferase (DAT)]. Enzymatic profiling studies with transformed hairy roots have confirmed that over-expressing DAT leads to lines with high levels of O-acetyltransferase activity when compared to non-expressing hairy roots. One particular DA T over111 expressing hairy root culture (line 7) contained 200 times the OAT activity than leaves of control lines. Additional MIA analyses revealed that DAT over-expressing hairy roots have an altered alkaloid profile with significant variation in the accumulation of h6rhammericine. Further analysis of transformed hairy root line 7 suggests a correlation between the expression of OAT activity and h6rhammericine accumulation with root maturation. These studies show that metabolic and selective enzymatic profiling can enhance our ability to search for relevant MIA pathway mutants and that genetic engineering with appropriate pathway genes shows promise as a tool to modify the MIA profile of Catharanthus roseus.

EFFECTS of MINERAL NUTRITION on INTER- and INTRASPECIFIC INTERFERENCE of PEANUT (Arachis hypogaea L.) and HAIRY BEGGARTICKS (Bidens pilosa L.)

The present work was carried out to study the effects of mineral nutrition on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L) cv. IAC Runner-886 and hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa L) growth, when submitted to inter- and intraspecific competition. The treatments consisted of two peanut plants per pot, two hairy beggarticks per pot and one plant of each species per pot. The plants were nourished with Hoagland and Arnon (1950) complete solution, or without potassium, or without phosphorus or without nitrogen. Sixty days after planting, no inter- or intraspecific competition effect on growth characteristics of peanut was verified and nutrition was not a limiting factor to the culture. No interaction between competition and nutrition effects was observed for both species. The weed suffered more negative effects from intraspecific competition and nutrition. The absence of N had a pronounced effect compared to the other elements, resulting in a reduction in all the evaluated characteristics. The deficiency of nutrients and competition affected the weed more than the crop, showing that peanut was more competitive than hairy beggarticks.

Isolation of Staphylococcus epidermidis from inflamed upper respiratory tract of an orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus)

The orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus) is a rodent species common in most parts of South America, and little is known about the pathologies that can afflict it. A specimen was delivered at the Wildlife Research and Medical Center (CEMPAS), School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. The animal showed intense apathy, with purulent secretion in the nasal cavity and fracture of the lumbar spine. Due to the unfavorable prognosis, the porcupine was euthanized and microbiological culture of nasal discharge showed Staphylococcus epidermidis. The antimicrobial resistance test revealed sensitivity to all tested antimicrobials (ampicillin, oxacillin, tetracycline, penicillin G, neomycin, cephalexin, gentamicin, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazol, cefoxitin and cephalothin). This bacterium is part of the nasal flora of humans and other animals, and may cause infection under certain conditions. In the present study, the infection and colonization by S. epidermidis was the probable cause of the inflammatory process. The sensitivity to all tested antimicrobials suggests that this strain has not been previously exposed to such drugs.

A new hairy Leptogium (section Mallotium) from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

The hairs of Leptogium species are complex structures which determine taxonomic groups within the section Mallotium. The hairs composed of cylindrical cells can be short and, when present on the surface, give origin to glass-or velvet-like hairs. Leptogium involutum, collected in Southern Brazil, a new species with velvet-like hairs is described herewith.

Myelography in orange-spined-hairy-dwarf-porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus)

The myelography procedure is reported in an adult of the Sphiggurus villosus (hairy-tree-porcupine) species coming from the wild, in the region of Curitiba/PR. After proceeding with the examination, while the animal was under general anesthesia, there was a dorsal deviation of the contrast in the height of the seventh thoracic vertebra (T-7) caused by compression in the ventral region of the vertebra. This is suggestive of edema caused by intramedullary hemorrhage secondary to trauma suffered by the animal in the wild. Therefore, the use of myelography in Sphiggurus villosus (hairy-tree-porcupine) proved to be quite valid and efficient, presenting the advantages of greater precision to delimit and locate the lesion present in the vertebral column.

Hairy pinnae after orchiectomy and chemotherapy for testicular cancer: acquired localized hypertrichosis of the ears

Acquired localized hypertrichosis has rarely been reported. Here, we describe a patient with localized hypertrichosis of the pinnae that occurred 4 months after orchiectomy and chemotherapy for a testicular carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of an acquired hypertrichosis of the pinnae after cancer therapy. We propose that in our patient either hypogonadism or the hormonal imbalance caused by the cancer therapy led to the development of the hairy pinnae, perhaps alongside a genetic predisposition for hairy ears.

Randomized trial of daily versus weekly administration of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine in patients with hairy cell leukemia: a multicenter phase III trial (SAKK 32/98)

Daily administration of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (Cladribine, CDA) is a standard treatment for hairy cell leukemia, but may cause severe neutropenia and neutropenic fever. This trial compared toxicity and efficacy of weekly versus daily CDA administration. One hundred patients were randomized to receive standard (CDA 0.14 mg/kg/day day 1-5 [Arm A]) or experimental treatment (CDA 0.14 mg/kg/day once weekly for 5 weeks [Arm B]). The primary endpoint was average leukocyte count within 6 weeks from randomization. Secondary endpoints included response rates, other acute hematotoxicity, acute infection rate, hospital admission, remission duration, event-free, and overall survival. There was no significant difference in average leukocyte count. Response rate (complete + partial remission) at week 10 was 78% (95% confidence interval (CI) 64-88%) in Arm A and 68% (95% CI 54-80%) in Arm B (p = 0.13). Best response rates during follow-up were identical (86%) in both arms. No significant difference was found in the rate of grade 3+4 leukocytopenia (94%vs. 84%), grade 3+4 neutropenia (90%vs. 80%), acute infection (44%vs. 40%), hospitalization (38%vs. 34%), and erythrocyte support (22%vs. 30%) within 10 weeks. Overall, these findings indicate that there are no apparent advantages in toxicity and efficacy by giving CDA weekly rather than daily.

Conservation of the Drosophila lateral inhibition pathway in human lung cancer: A hairy-related protein (HES-1) directly represses achaete-scute homolog-1 expression

The achaete-scute genes encode essential transcription factors in normal Drosophila and vertebrate nervous system development. Human achaete-scute homolog-1 (hASH1) is constitutively expressed in a human lung cancer with neuroendocrine (NE) features, small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and is essential for development of the normal pulmonary NE cells that most resemble this neoplasm. Mechanisms regulating achaete-scute homolog expression outside of Drosophila are presently unclear, either in the context of the developing nervous system or in normal or neoplastic cells with NE features. We now provide evidence that the protein hairy-enhancer-of-split-1 (HES-1) acts in a similar manner as its Drosophila homolog, hairy, to transcriptionally repress achaete-scute expression. HES-1 protein is detected at abundant levels in most non-NE human lung cancer cell lines which lack hASH1 but is virtually absent in hASH1-expressing lung cancer cells. Moreover, induction of HES-1 in a SCLC cell line down-regulates endogenous hASH1 gene expression. The repressive effect of HES-1 is directly mediated by binding of the protein to a class C site in the hASH1 promoter. Thus, a key part of the process that determines neural fate in Drosophila is conserved in human lung cancer cells. Furthermore, modulation of this pathway may underlie the constitutive hASH1 expression seen in NE tumors such as SCLC, the most virulent human lung cancer.

Hairy caterpillar pests of crops /

"From the Agricultural journal of India, vol. 1, pt. 3, July 1906."