It also generates compensatory liver regeneration and DNA hypermethylation in some genes. Anti-oxidative therapy prevents HCC without attenuating apoptosis, regeneration and methylation status. Disclosures: Tetsuo Takehara – Grant/Research Support: Chugai Pharmaceutical

Co., MSD K.K. The following people have nothing to disclose: Hayato Hikita, Tomohide find more Tatsumi, Yoshinobu Saito, Satoshi Tanaka, Satoshi Shimizu, Wei Li, Ryotaro Sakamori, Takuya Miyagi, Naoki Hiramatsu [Background] Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered a pivotal target for the eradication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We recently reported that CSC markers EpCAM and CD90 are independently expressed in primary HCCs and cell lines and that CD90+ cells share features of metastatic vascular endothelial cells and express the vascular endothelial marker CD105, a co-receptor of transforming growth factor beta (Yamashita T, et al Hepatology 2013). In this study, we evaluated the effect of cytotoxic reagents on the expression of CD1 05 in human HCC. [Methods] Primary HCC cells obtained from surgically resected specimens and EpCAM+ CD90- cell lines Huh1 and Huh7 were treated with 5-FU or epirubicin in vitro. Gene and protein expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR and fluorescence-activated

cell sorting (FACS). Expression of CD105 in primary HCC was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or immunofluorescence (IF). The relation between CD105 expression status and HCC prognosis was analyzed using microarray data of 244 HCC cases HSP inhibitor and by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. [Results] 5-FU or epirubicin treatment resulted in the generation of CD90+ and CD1 05+ cells in vitro in Huh1 and Huh7 cells originally containing no CD90+ or CD105+ cells, with enrichment of EpCAM+ cells. IF analysis validated the de novo generation of CD1 05+ cells medchemexpress with activation of ENG encoding CD105 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program regulators SNAI1 and SNAI2 evaluated by qRT-PCR analysis. IHC

analysis indicated that CD105+ cells were morphologically identical to the vascular endothelial cells in untreated primary HCCs. However, surgically resected specimens after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) clearly indicated that the CD1 05+ cancer cells survived at the periphery of the tumor. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that HCCs abundantly expressing ENG showed poor prognosis after surgery with statistical significance (P = 0.02). [Conclusions] Vascular endothelial marker CD105 is not only expressed in CD90+ mesenchymal cancer cells but is also activated after chemotherapy and TACE in EpCAM+ epithelial cancer cells accompanied by the activation of EMT regulators SNAI1 and SNAI2. CD105 may be good marker for the evaluation of EMT and could be useful for evaluating prognosis in HCC patients who receive surgery. Disclosures: Mariko Yoshida – Grant/Research Support: Bayer Shuichi Kaneko – Grant/Research Support: MDS, Co., Inc, Chugai Pharma., Co.

, 2012), multiple sclerosis (Henry et al., 2011), traumatic brain injury (Bornhofen & McDonald, 2008), Alzheimer’s disease (McCade, Savage, & Naismith, 2011), and Parkinson’s disease (Gray & Tickle-Degnen, 2010). While the Ekman 60 Faces Test has proven very useful in

clinical practice, it also has some limitations. First, a ceiling effect is present for the emotion happiness (mean performance of 9.9 from a maximum of 10 in healthy participants). Near-ceiling performances for recognition of this emotion are commonly found (see, e.g., Suzuki, Hoshino, & Shigemasu, 2006), as happy faces are easy to recognize in the absence of other positive emotions as possible distractors. However, although ceiling performances do not affect a test’s specificity, they do reduce a test’s sensitivity, which may be problematic in clinical practice. Second, only full-blown emotional

expressions are presented in the Ekman 60 Faces Test. It could selleck chemicals llc be argued that presenting facial expressions at lower intensities Selleckchem CDK inhibitor would promote the detection of more subtle performance differences. Third, the stimuli are static photographs. It has been suggested that dynamic presentation of facial expressions (i.e., a neutral face gradually unfolding into an emotional expression) would, to a greater extent, resemble facial expression in everyday communication (Kamachi et al., 2001). Furthermore, movement is an important aspect of the perception of facial expressions that may even affect the accuracy of the perception (see Fiorentini & Viviani, 2011, for a discussion). To overcome these shortcomings, the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT) was developed, in which dynamically morphed facial expressions of the six basic emotions are presented at different levels of intensities (Montagne, Kessels, De Haan, & Perrett, 2007). This paradigm (sometimes

with slight variations in the administration 上海皓元 procedure) has been validated in various patient groups, such as Korsakoff’s amnesia (Montagne, Kessels, Wester, & De Haan, 2006), obsessive-compulsive disorder (Montagne et al., 2008), bipolar disorder (Gray et al., 2006), post-traumatic stress disorder (Poljac, Montagne, & De Haan, 2011), amygdalectomy (Ammerlaan, Hendriks, Colon, & Kessels, 2008), Huntington’s diseases (Montagne, Kessels, Kammers, et al., 2006), frontotemporal dementia (Kessels et al., 2007), schizophrenia (Scholten, Aleman, Montagne, & Kahn, 2005), autism spectrum disorder (Law Smith, Montagne, Perrett, Gill, & Gallagher, 2010), social phobia (Montagne, Schutters et al., 2006), depersonalisation disorder (Montagne, Sierra et al., 2007) and stroke (Montagne, Nys, Van Zandvoort, Kappelle, De Haan, & Kessels, 2007). To date, this test could not be used for neuropsychological assessment in clinical practice, but the ERT has recently been made available as part of the computerized DiagnoseIS neuropsychological assessment system (www.diagnoseis.com).

6 Germane to this proposal is the expression and regulation by the master adipogenic transcription

factor peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), which is essential for both adipocyte differentiation7 and HSC quiescence.8, 9 PPARγ promotes storage of intracellular fat including retinyl esters in HSCs7 while suppressing α1(I) collagen promoter by way of inhibition of p300-facilitated NF-I binding.10 As shown for inhibition of adipogenesis, canonical Wnt signaling suppresses the expression and promoter activation of Pparγ in HSC transdifferentiation.11 Necdin, a member of the melanoma antigen family (MAGE) of STI571 research buy proteins, inhibits differentiation of adipocytes12 but promotes that of neurons,13 skeletal, and smooth muscle cells.14, 15 Our recent study demonstrates that Wnt10b, one of canonical Wnts expressed by activated HSCs, is a direct target of necdin and the necdin-Wnt pathway causes HSC transdifferentiation by way of epigenetic repression of Pparγ.16 This epigenetic regulation involves induction and recruitment of the methyl-CpG binding protein MeCP2 to the Pparγ promoter and concomitant H3K27

di- and trimethylation in the 3′ exons of Pparγ, resulting in formation of a repressive chromatin structure CH5424802 price as recently demonstrated by Mann et al.17 Intriguingly, that study also demonstrated MeCP2-mediated induction of EZH2, an H3K27 methyltransferase MCE of the polycomb repressive

complex 2 (PRC2), responsible for H3K27 di- and trimethylation.17 Most recently, this paradigm of the MeCP2-EZH2 regulatory relay has elegantly been characterized in neuronal differentiation where MeCP2-mediated epigenetic repression of miR137 is shown to result in EZH2 induction.18 This epigenetic mechanism of Pparγ repression involving the MeCP2-EZH2 relay identifies potential new therapeutic targets for liver fibrosis. To this end, the present study discovered that the herbal prescription Yang-Gan-Wan (YGW) which has been known for its protective effects on the liver,19 targets and abrogates the MeCP2-EZH2 relay of epigenetic Pparγ repression to reverse activated HSCs to their quiescent phenotype in culture. Our HPLC-MS and NMR analyses coupled with bioassays with primary HSCs identify rosmarinic acid (RA) and baicalin (BC), the active component of Sho-Saiko-To, as the main active phytocompounds of YGW. RA and BC achieve the antifibrotic effect by suppression of canonical Wnt signaling and epigenetic Pparγ derepression. BC, baicalin; ECM, extracellular matrix; HSC, hepatic stellate cell; MMPC, multipotent mesenchymal progenitor cell; PPARγ, peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ; PRC2, polycomb repressive complex 2; RA, rosmarinic acid; YGW, Yang-Gan-Wan. Male C57Bl/6 and collagen α1(I) promoter-GFP (Coll-GFP; kindly provided by Prof. David Brenner of U.C.

The pertinent question concerns the primary locus of an exercise-mediated benefit in NAFLD, because this has direct implications for exercise prescription. For example,

if exercise exerts the bulk of its benefit via lowering visceral adiposity, Crizotinib therapies known to effect visceral adipose tissue reduction (including weight loss) would be best advocated in NAFLD. Yet, if enhancement of cardiorespiratory fitness or insulin sensitivity confers substantial hepatic improvements, there are methods of achieving this which are not contingent upon high energy expenditure and/or weight loss. For instance, progressive resistance training is a stimulus for whole-body insulin sensitization43 and carries less time cost than current aerobic exercise guidelines. Sirolimus mouse In this regard, Zelber-Sagi et al. recently noted an inverse relationship between resistance training and NAFLD, which persisted after adjustment for BMI.24 Data from experimental studies involving young, lean cohorts clearly show that exercise training involving repeated (5-8 times) short bursts of cycling exercise (10-30 seconds) increases maximal aerobic power and muscle oxidative enzymes

and lowers plasma triglycerides to an equivalent level to that seen with traditional aerobic exercise training regimes, despite a 70%-90% reduction in energy expenditure and weekly time commitment.57 上海皓元 Such studies are clearly warranted, because lack of time is the principal reason for drop-out from structured exercise programs and the most commonly cited barrier to initiating exercise.27 At present, there is an overall paucity of evidence concerning the benefits of PA as treatment for NAFLD. What is available shows a conclusive benefit of PA when coupled with energy restriction when weight loss is achieved, and it is encouraging for an independent benefit

in the absence of weight loss. Although weight loss remains fundamental, patients should be counseled on the spectrum of benefits conferred by regular PA. Management should include assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness and PA levels, and the setting of lifestyle goals based on adoption of regular exercise, with a focus on the attainment of sustainable PA habits. The dose (intensity and volume) of PA required to reduce liver fat remains unclear. Furthermore, from the present evidence, it is difficult to discern the relative importance of structured exercise and fitness versus less structured PA. This conundrum is borne out in data from cross-sectional research, which shows that both high PA and cardiorespiratory fitness correlate negatively with fatty liver (Tables 2 and 3).

Similarly to human hepatocellular carcinoma, tumors are characterized by a further increase in miR-221 expression and a concomitant inhibition

of its target protein-coding genes (i.e., cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor [Cdkn]1b/p27, Cdkn1c/p57, and B-cell lymphoma 2–modifying factor). To validate the tumor-promoting effect of miR-221, we showed that in vivo delivery of anti-miR-221 Ganetespib mw oligonucleotides leads to a significant reduction of the number and size of tumor nodules. Conclusions: This study not only establishes that miR-221 can promote liver tumorigenicity, but it also establishes a valuable animal model to perform preclinical investigations for the use of anti-miRNA approaches aimed at liver cancer therapy. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:1025–1033) Several studies revealed that the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is deregulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in comparison with non-neoplastic liver tissues, as reviewed recently.1

find more Among these, microRNA-221 (miR-221) emerged as consistently up-regulated. In HCC, miR-221 is up-regulated in approximately 70%-80% of cases.2 Its up-regulation in glioblastoma, pancreatic, kidney, bladder, colon, stomach, prostate, and thyroid cancer strengthened its importance in tumorigenesis.2-11 The hypothesized tumor-promoting activity was supported by functional and molecular evidence. Forced expression of miR-221 in HCC cells could induce an increase in growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities in vitro.2, 10, 12 Conversely, anti-miR-221 oligonucleotides could inhibit in vitro growth 上海皓元 of liver cancer cells.13 Importantly, the promotion of tumor progression in vivo and the shortening of animal survival was observed when miR-221 was introduced into c-myc-immortalized P53−/− liver progenitor cells, which were implanted into irradiated nude mice.13 Surprisingly, the almost identical miR-222 miRNA, which shares the same seed sequence of miR-221, did not accelerate tumorigenesis in this model system. At the molecular

level, miR-221 was shown to affect several cancer pathways by modulating multiple gene targets, which included the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors CDKN1B/p277,11 and CDKN1C/p57,2,10 the pro-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2-modifying factor (BMF),14 the inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN),12 the DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4), a tumor suppressor that modulates kinase activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR),13 the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3).12 From a clinical point of view, it was shown that higher levels of miR-221 in HCC correlated with higher tumor stage and metastasis15 and were associated with multifocal tumors and a shorter time to recurrence after surgical treatment.

TA-repeat length was determined by 3130xl sequencer and Gene Mapper software. Results: Only 27 patients (1.7%) showed variant genotypes between rs8099917 and other SNPs. The strong Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) in IL28B gene was confirmed by Japanese healthy controls. In 24 of these 27 patients, genotypes at rs8099917 were homozygous for the major allele (IFN-sensitive); however other buy SAHA HDAC IL28B SNPs were heterozygous (IFN-resistant). Three of these 27 patients were heterozygous at rs8099917, and other loci were minor allele

(IFN-resistant). Moreover, 26 of the discordant patients (96%) showed a TA repeat length of n = 10, which was predicted to decrease the transcription activity of IL28B. We found that 10 of 16discordant patients (62%) who received PegIFN/RBV showed an NVR, however 7 discordant patients who received PegIFN/RBV/TVR achieved an SVR Conclusions: The discordance Akt inhibitor at rs8099917 and other IL28B SNPs reduce the transcriptional activity in correlation with a low number of (TA)n and affect the effectiveness of PegIFN/RBV, but not PegIFN/RBV/ TVR. IFN response and (TA)n-dinucleotide repeat in the discordance of IL28B SNPs (n=24 rs 8099917:TT/IFN-sentive) N.D.: not diganotic of IFN resopnse Disclosures: The following people have nothing to disclose: Masaaki Korenaga, Masaya Sugiyama, Yoshihiko Aoki, Keiko Korenaga, Yoko Yamagiwa, Masatoshi Imamura, Nao Nishida, Kazumoto Murata,

Tatsuya Kanto, Naohiko Masaki, Masashi Mizokami BACKGROUND: Sofosbuvir (SOF) and simeprevir (SIM) were recently approved for

use with peginterferon and ribavirin. When 上海皓元 combined without peginterferon, these agents have shown high efficacy in a small Phase 2 trial. However real-world data, particularly in patients with cirrhosis, are lacking. AIMS: To assess the safety and efficacy of SOF + SIM ± rib-avirin (RBV) in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: All patients with HCV cirrhosis who started SOF+SIM±RBV from January 2014 at Toronto Western Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital were included. Changes in laboratory values were evaluated over time and adverse events (AEs) were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (21M, 9F) started therapy: median age 57 (34-78), mean BMI 24.8 (18-30.3 kg/m2), median HCV RNA 6.0 (5.1-6.9 logIU/mL), genotype 1a(50%), 1b(37%), 1(10%), 4(3%). The mean liver stiffness measurement was 16.8±8.3 KPa, median MELD score was 7.1 (5-18) and median Child-Pugh (CP) score was 5 (5-9), with 9 patients with a MELD score above 10 and 11 patients with CP B cirrhosis. The mean platelet count was 94±41k/μL, 18 (60%) had a platelet count below 100k/μL and 4 had ascites at baseline. Nine (30%) received RBV. Median treatment duration is 8 weeks to date and 10 patients have completed therapy. HCV RNA was rapidly suppressed in all patients. By week 4, HCV RNA was <15 IU/mL in all and undetectable in 18 (60%). There was no viral breakthrough on treatment.

Contrary to more widely used gene addition paradigms, gene repair restores gene function within the context of all endogenous regulatory elements, thereby eliminating potential problems with inadequate or inappropriate expression. Different vehicles have been utilized for performing gene repair including single-strand oligonucleotides,7–9 triplex-forming oligonucleotides,10 RNA-DNA hybrids,11, 12 small fragment DNA, and AAV.13–15 Of these, AAV has emerged as the most

promising. Numerous in vitro studies have shown AAV capable of correcting various types of mutations (insertions, deletions, substitutions) learn more by vector-mediated homologous recombination.16, 17 AAV vectors engineered to perform gene repair have the ability to target multiple different genomic loci, show both targeted and stable expression through integration, and have an increased number of applicable human diseases.18 Single-stranded AAV genomes modulate gene repair by integrating site-specifically via homologous recombination and targeting only the disease-causing mutation for replacement with wild-type sequence.19 Gene repair is best suited to correct point-mutation–based

diseases that need only one or few nucleotides corrected to restore normal gene expression. This is key, because point mutations are the most frequent genetic abnormality and source of acquired genetic disease.20 To demonstrate targeted hepatic gene repair in vivo for a clinically pertinent medchemexpress disease gene, a hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HTI) mouse model (Fah5981SB) Maraviroc nmr was used. HTI is a fatal genetic disease caused by deficiency of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH), the terminal enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway.21 When

a FAH deficiency exists, toxic metabolites such as fumarylacetoacetate accumulate in hepatocytes and renal proximal tubules causing death in a cell-autonomous manner.22 Toxic metabolite accumulation can be blocked by 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC) administration, a pharmacological inhibitor that blocks the pathway upstream of FAH.23 The Fah5981SB mouse is ideal to study gene repair, because it is point-mutation–based and fully recapitulates the human disease on an accelerated time scale. Strong positive selection for FAH+ cells in the HTI mouse liver has been demonstrated24 and was exploited for in vivo selection of corrected hepatocytes following gene repair. In this system, when AAV vectors containing genomic Fah sequence (hereafter referred to as AAV-Fah) are administered to Fah5981SB mice, only corrected FAH-positive (FAH+) hepatocytes that have undergone integration by homologous recombination can survive and repopulate the liver. The outcome is formation of corrected FAH+ nodules and loss of unintegrated episomal vector genomes.

The cells were counted under 40× objective magnification. PMN percentage was determined under 100× magnification of microscope after Giemsa staining. In addition, appropriate biochemical tests (glucose, protein, albumin, lactic dehydrogenase, and sugar) and cytology were performed as indicated. One hundred and thirty-six specimens (56%) were sent for bacterial culture. Of these, all specimens from symptomatic patients

were sent for culture. Due to the format of the RXDX-106 in vivo study that focusing only on PMN cell count and its activity but not focusing on the number of bacterascites patients, we therefore elected not to culture the specimens from the asymptomatic cirrhotics. Ten milliliters of ascitic fluid were injected into blood culture bottle (Versa TREK TM REDOX 1TM, TREK diagnostic system, Cleveland, OH). The blood culture bottles were placed in a culture system (Versa TREK and ESPé II system). Negative culture was read after day seventh. Our diagnostic criteria for SBP was defined as PMN cell count in ascitic fluid of more than FK506 datasheet 250/mm3, with the absence of an intra-abdominal source of infection and after exclusion of other causes for an elevated PMN in ascitic fluid such as tuberculosis,

peritoneal carcinomatosis, secondary peritonitis or pancreatitis. The technique for reading has been described elsewhere.8–13 The colorimetric scale of 1+ or more from reagent strip was MCE公司 considered as positive test.8–13 The zero or trace scale from reagent strip was considered as a negative test. All patients with SBP defined by any technique were administered with an intravenous injection

of ceftriaxone 1 g/24 h or ciprofloxacin 400 mg/12 h for at least 5 days, regardless of the positivity of ascitic fluid culture. In those who did not respond to the initial agent, the regimen was changed accordingly depending on the culture sensitivity or judgment of clinicians. Continuous data were expressed as the mean±standard error of the mean or medians and ranges as appropriate. Categorical data were expressed as the number of subjects (and percentage) with a specified condition or clinical variable. Student t-test was used to compare the PMN value from each test with cell count by manual method which was referred as a gold standard. All tests were two-sided, and the chosen level of significance was P < 0.05. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of all tests were calculated. McNemar’s test; non-parametric test was used for matched-pairs of categorical data. The calculations were performed with SPSS statistical software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. A total of 250 paracenteses from 143 patients were performed. Baseline characteristics of patients are shown in Table 1. Mean age was 59.3 ± 12.

As a control, polyclonal antibody to actin (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was used. After washing with TBS-T, the membranes were respectively incubated with secondary antibody of goat antimouse (for HCV core or NS3),

goat antirat (for hA3G or HA), or goat antirabbit (for actin) (ZSGB-BIO, China) at room temperature for 1 hour. Protein signal was detected using Immobilon Western Chemiluminescent HRP Substrate (Millipore) with Alpha Innotech Focus and Image Acquisition (Alpha Innotech). Density scanning was done for semiquantification. The Huh7.5 cells at a density of 3 × 104 cells/cm2 were seeded into 24-well plates with a 13-mm diameter coverslip. After 6 hours incubation, cells were infected with HCV viral stock (45 IU per cell) and simultaneously treated with

RN-5 or IMB-26. The Epigenetics Compound Library cells were incubated for another 96 hours this website and then washed twice with ice-cold phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), fixed in paraformaldehyde for 10 minutes, and permeabilized with PBS containing 0.25% Triton X-100 for 5 minutes. Cells were next blocked in TBS containing 5% bovine serum albumin (BSA)/0.1% Tween-20, followed by an overnight treatment with anti-hA3G and anti-HCV core antibodies at 4°C. After 3 washes in TBS with 0.1% Tween-20, cells were probed with goat antirat Cy3 (Beyotime) and goat antimouse Dylight488 (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, West Grove, PA) at room temperature for 1 hour. Then the slides were washed 3 times. Cell nuclei were counterstained with Hoechst 33342 (Beyotime) for

5 minutes at room temperature. Slides were mounted with antifade mounting medium and visualized using a Leica TCS SP2 laser scanning spectral confocal microscope. CEM-SS cells that are null of endogenous expression of hA3G was used as negative control. Male and female Kunming mice (4 weeks, weight 18 ± 1.0 g) were purchased from the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China). They were fed with regular rodent chow and housed in an air-conditioned room. The mice were randomly divided into five groups with 10 mice each (five male plus five female). RN-5 was given once intraperitoneally (0, 62.5, 125, 250, or 500 mg/kg) or orally (0, 125, 250, 500, or 1,000 mg/kg). Body weight as well as survival was monitored. Blood samples were taken for liver and kidney function MCE公司 examination after 7 days treatment. The 0.3% carboxymethylcellulose sodium was used as solvent for oral administration and 0.9% saline with 3% Tween-80 was for intraperitoneal injection. We first examined whether addition of external hA3G would reduce HCV replication in the Huh7.5 cells. To introduce hA3G, HCV-infected Huh7.5 cells were transfected with hA3G expression vectors fusing HA tag at the C-terminus.16 As shown in Fig. 1A, with a dose-dependent increase of the expression of external hA3G-HA or total intracellular hA3G in the HCV-infected Huh7.5 cells, the intracellular HCV replication decreased.

The least aggressive fungus was R. solani. In artificial inoculations of onion, seedling survival was significantly affected by all fungi. The most pathogenic fungus was F. proliferatum w and the least were isolates of F. oxysporum (II and III). All fungi were successfully re-isolated from the inoculated plants. “
“During spring and summer of 2011, a survey was undertaken on some palm groves in

selleck kinase inhibitor the Kerman province (south-eastern Iran) to determine the fungal pathogens associated with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) decline diseases. Samples were taken from date palm trees showing yellowing, wilting and dieback symptoms. Isolations were made from symptomatic tissues on malt extract agar (MEA) supplemented with 100 mg/l streptomycin sulphate (MEAS). Two species of Phaeoacremonium, Phaeoacremonium aleophilum and Pm. parasiticum, MI-503 ic50 and two species of Botryosphaeriaceae, Botryosphaeria

dothidea andDiplodia mutila, were isolated from affected trees and identified on the basis of morphological, cultural and molecular characteristics. Pathogenicity tests were performed on date palm (4-year-old potted plants) under greenhouse conditions. Based on the pathogenicity tests, Pm. aleophilum was the most virulent and caused the longest lesions. This is the first report of Pm. aleophilum and B. dothidea and their pathogenicity on date palm tree. “
“Ornamental plants of Celosia argentea L. and Celosia spicata L. displaying typical phytoplasma-induced MCE symptoms were observed in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, south-eastern Brazil. Our aim was to identify the possible phytoplasma involved. PCR revealed the association of phytoplasma

with diseased plants of both species. Based on actual and virtual RFLP analysis and phylogenetic analysis, the phytoplasma was characterized as a member of the 16SrIII-J subgroup. Transmission of the pathogen by dodder supported the evidence that the symptoms observed in naturally diseased plants were induced by a phytoplasma. Our results show that C. spicata is a new host for phytoplasma and that this is the first report of a 16SrXIII-J phytoplasma infecting plants of C. argentea and C. spicata in Brazil. “
“Antibodies are important for the study of pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), an important antiviral agent against many plant, animal and human viruses. As PAP is expressed only at a low level in pokeweed plants (Phytolacca americana L.), it is complex and time-consuming to extract PAP from pokeweed plants for antibody preparation. Here, we describe an antigen-designed method according to the amino acid sequence that translated from PAP gene cleaving the C-terminus toxic region and N-terminus signal peptide (Genbank No. AF338910); the two peptides, DC15: DISGTERQDVETTLC and CR15: CRYPTLESKAGVKSR, were synthesized for generation of antibodies. The design strategy enabled straightforward antigen production and antibody generation.