Methanol-Triggered Turn-On-Type Photoluminescence in L-Cysteinato Palladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes Supported by a Bis(diphenylphosphine) Ligand.

The selective detection of methanol by photoluminescence under environmental conditions has been a great challenge for materials science. Herein, a reversible, turn-on-type photoluminescence triggered by methanol vapor in square-planar palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes, newly prepared from [MCl2(1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane)] and L-cysteine, is reported. Both the "turn-on" and "turn-off" states of the complexes were crystallographically characterized, which revealed the presence of intermolecular OH···O and CH···π interactions between methanol and the complex molecules in the turn-on state. These interactions prevent the vibrational quenching of the luminescence, leading to the turn-on-type luminescence in this system.

A novel rice cytochrome P450 gene, CYP72A31, confers tolerance to acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides in rice and Arabidopsis.

Target-site and non-target-site herbicide tolerance are caused by the prevention of herbicide binding to the target enzyme and the reduction to a nonlethal dose of herbicide reaching the target enzyme, respectively. There is little information on the molecular mechanisms involved in non-target-site herbicide tolerance, although it poses the greater threat in the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds and could potentially be useful for the production of herbicide-tolerant crops because it is often involved in tolerance to multiherbicides. Bispyribac sodium (BS) is an herbicide that inhibits the activity of acetolactate synthase. Rice (Oryza sativa) of the indica variety show BS tolerance, while japonica rice varieties are BS sensitive. Map-based cloning and complementation tests revealed that a novel cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, CYP72A31, is involved in BS tolerance. Interestingly, BS tolerance was correlated with CYP72A31 messenger RNA levels in transgenic plants of rice and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Moreover, Arabidopsis overexpressing CYP72A31 showed tolerance to bensulfuron-methyl (BSM), which belongs to a different class of acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides, suggesting that CYP72A31 can metabolize BS and BSM to a compound with reduced phytotoxicity. On the other hand, we showed that the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP81A6, which has been reported to confer BSM tolerance, is barely involved, if at all, in BS tolerance, suggesting that the CYP72A31 enzyme has different herbicide specificities compared with CYP81A6. Thus, the CYP72A31 gene is a potentially useful genetic resource in the fields of weed control, herbicide development, and molecular breeding in a broad range of crop species.

Selecting genetic transformants of indica and indica-derived rice cultivars using bispyribac sodium and a mutated ALS gene.

Bispyribac sodium (BS), a pyrimidinyl carboxy herbicide, is a well-known inhibitor of acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity. ALS is an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway for branched-chain amino acids. A mutant form of rice ALS (OsmALS [W548L/S627I]) that confers resistance to BS can be used as an in vitro selection marker gene for plant transformation. Since indica and indica-derived cultivars are thought to have lower BS sensitivity than japonica rice, the application of BS as a selectable reagent for genetic transformation in indica and indica-derived cultivars is more challenging than for japonica cultivars. In this study, callus and seedlings of eight different rice cultivars (five indica-derived cultivars, two indica cultivars and one japonica cultivar) were tested for BS sensitivity. Our study indicates for the first time that callus shows a higher sensitivity to BS than seedlings in indica and indica-derived cultivars. We used BS with OsmALS [W548L/S627I] to select transformed calli, and transgenic rice plants from indica and indica-derived cultivars were successfully obtained.

The application of the mutated acetolactate synthase gene from rice as the selectable marker gene in the production of transgenic soybeans.

We investigated selective culturing conditions for the production of transgenic soybeans. In this culturing system, we used the acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide-resistance gene derived from rice (Os-mALS gene) as a selectable marker gene instead of that derived from bacteria, which interfered with the cultivation and practical usage of transgenic crops. T(1) soybeans grown from one regenerated plant after selection of the ALS-targeting pyrimidinyl carboxy (PC) herbicide bispyribac-sodium (BS) exhibited herbicide resistance, and the introduction and expression of the Os-mALS gene were confirmed by genetic analysis. The selective culturing system promoted by BS herbicide, in which the Os-mALS gene was used as a selectable marker, was proved to be applicable to the production of transgenic soybeans, despite the appearance of escaped soybean plants that did not contain the Os-mALS transgene.

Development of simple and efficient in Planta transformation method for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. Shiranekomugi) seeds were soaked in water at 22 degrees C for 1 d. Thereafter, the embryo of the soaked seeds was inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens by piercing a region of the embryonic apical meristem with a needle that had been dipped in an A. tumefaciens inoculum. The inoculated seeds were incubated at 22 degrees C for 2 d and sterilized by cefotaxime (Claforan) (1000 ppm water solution) treatment and then vernalized at 5 degrees C for 25 d. Finally, the seedlings were grown to maturation (T(0) plants) and allowed to pollinate naturally for seed setting (T(1) plants) in pots under nonsterile condition. To examine the transformation by various means, four different strains of A. tumefaciens were used for transformation. The following five lines of evidence proved the transformation: altered phenotype and its transmittance to the next generation, resistance of T(1) seed germination to geneticin or hygromycin B, the detection of a transgene in T(1) plants by PCR analysis and Southern hybridization and the rescue of the plasmid consisting of the integrated T-DNA and flanking wheat genome DNA from T(1) plants. The transformation efficiency of T(1) plants, which were transformed using different A. tumefaciens strains, was estimated to be 33% by PCR analysis, 75% by Southern hybridization and 40% by plasmid rescue.

Development of simple and efficient in planta transformation method for rice (Oryza sativa L.) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Seeds of rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Koshihikari) were soaked in water for 2 d. Thereafter, the embryo containing an apical meristem was inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens by piercing a site of the husk overlying the embryonic apical meristem with a needle that had been dipped in an A. tumefaciens inoculum. The inoculated seeds were then grown to maturation (T0 plants) and allowed to pollinate naturally to set seeds (T1 plants) in pots under nonsterile conditions. To examine the transformation by various means, three different strains of A. tumefaciens were used for transformation: an M-21 mutant, which is an avirulent mutant with a Tn5 insertion in the iaaM gene, and two LBA4404 strains each with a different binary vector. Five different lines of evidence were demonstrated the transformation: the altered phenotype and its inheritance by the next generation, histochemical detection of beta-glucuronidase, resistance to hygromycin B, detection of the transgene by PCR and rescue of a plasmid consisting of the integrated T-DNA and the flanking rice genome DNA. Transformation efficiency of T1 plants was estimated to be 40% and 43% by PCR and a histochemical assay of beta-glucuronidase, respectively.

Topographic hot spot before descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty is associated with postoperative hyperopic shift.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate topographic "hot spots" on the anterior corneal surface before Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and their effects on postoperative visual acuity and hyperopic shift. METHODS: Twenty-seven eyes of 27 patients with bullous keratopathy, who underwent DSAEK were studied. We defined a hot spot as a focal area with relatively high refractive power on the anterior corneal surface in eyes with bullous keratopathy. Refractive spherical equivalent, keratometric value, and corneal topography were retrospectively evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). RESULTS: Hot spots were identified in 11 eyes (42.3%) before DSAEK and disappeared in 9 eyes of these eyes (81.8%) at 6 months after DSAEK. AS-OCT revealed focal epithelial thickening in the same areas as the hot spots. There was no significant difference in the postoperative visual acuity between eyes with and without hot spots (P > 0.05). The keratometric value of the anterior corneal surface significantly flattened from 45.7 ± 2.7 diopters (D) before DSAEK to 44.2 ± 2.7 D 1 month after DSAEK in eyes with hot spots (P = 0.01), whereas in eyes without hot spots, there were no significant differences in the keratometric values before and after DSAEK. At 6 months, the refractive change was +1.1 ± 1.3 D in eyes with hot spots and -0.2 ± 0.6 D in eyes without hot spots (P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: In eyes with focal epithelial thickening, topographic hot spots on the anterior corneal surface were observed using AS-OCT. The hot spots disappeared after DSAEK and had no influence on the postoperative visual acuity.

Diagnosis of dehydratase inhibitors in melanin biosynthesis inhibitor (MBI-D) resistance by primer-introduced restriction enzyme analysis in scytalone dehydratase gene of Magnaporthe grisea.

We have established a simple diagnosis method for rice blast fungus resistant to MBI-D. This involves the preparation of PCR templates directly from the lesions in combination with primer-introduced restriction enzyme analysis PCR (PIRA-PCR).

Mechanism of resistance to carpropamid in Magnaporthe grisea.

The inhibitory activity of carpropamid on scytalone dehydratase (SDH) extracted from a carpropamid-resistant strain of Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr was dramatically reduced in comparison with that on SDH extracted from the sensitive strain. A single-point mutation (G to A) located at the upstream region (233 bp downstream from the ATG codon) resulting in a one-amino-acid substitution (valine [GTG] 75 to methionine [ATG]: V75M) was found in the resistant strain. To examine whether the V75M mutation is the primary reason for decreasing the sensitivity of SDH to carpropamid, the SDH cDNAs of both the sensitive and the resistant strain were cloned into a GST-fused protein expression vector-system. The recombinant SDHs of both strains exhibited the same sensitivities to carpropamid as those extracted from the mycelia of the respective strains. These data clearly revealed that the V75M mutation causes the low sensitivities of the SDHs of the carpropamid-resistant strains, and strongly suggests that the V75M mutation confers resistance of these strains to carpropamid.

Immunohistochemical detection of P-glycoprotein (PGP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) in canine cutaneous mast cell tumors.

Fifty-four canine cutaneous mast cell tumors were evaluated immunohistochemically for the expression of P-glycoprotein (PGP) and multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP). All tumors examined were graded according to the histological malignancy. ranging from grade I to III. The expression of PGP was confirmed in 15% (8/54) of whole, 33% (5/15) of grade I, 10% (3/31) of grade II, and 0% (0/8) of grade III tumors. The expression of MRP was found in 18% (10/54) of whole, 26% (4/15) of grade I, 19% (6/31) of grade II, and 0% (0/8) of grade III tumors. The cases positive to at least one of these 2 multidrug markers were 26%, 47%, 23% and 0% of whole and grade I to III tumors, respectively. These results indicate that at least 26% of canine cutaneous mast cell tumors express PGP and/or MRP and that these tumors may be resistant to several anti-cancer drugs.

Selection of transgenic rice plants using a herbicide tolerant form of the acetolactate synthase gene.

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) is an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway for branched-chain amino acids, and bispyribac-sodium (BS), a pyrimidinyl carboxy herbicide, is a well-known inhibitor of ALS activity. However, it appears that a mutated form of rice ALS [OsmALS (W548L/S627I)] confers resistance to BS. We succeeded in using OsmALS with native OsALS promoter and terminator region for a selection marker of rice transformation. Because this selection marker cassette is originally from the rice endogenous genome, it can be expected to be publicly acceptable.

Selectable tolerance to herbicides by mutated acetolactate synthase genes integrated into the chloroplast genome of tobacco.

Strategies employed for the production of genetically modified (GM) crops are premised on (1) the avoidance of gene transfer in the field; (2) the use of genes derived from edible organisms such as plants; (3) preventing the appearance of herbicide-resistant weeds; and (4) maintaining transgenes without obstructing plant cell propagation. To this end, we developed a novel vector system for chloroplast transformation with acetolactate synthase (ALS). ALS catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of the branched amino acids, and its enzymatic activity is inhibited by certain classes of herbicides. We generated a series of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutated ALS (mALS) genes and introduced constructs with mALS and the aminoglycoside 3'-adenyltransferase gene (aadA) into the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) chloroplast genome by particle bombardment. Transplastomic plants were selected using their resistance to spectinomycin. The effects of herbicides on transplastomic mALS activity were examined by a colorimetric assay using the leaves of transplastomic plants. We found that transplastomic G121A, A122V, and P197S plants were specifically tolerant to pyrimidinylcarboxylate, imidazolinon, and sulfonylurea/pyrimidinylcarboxylate herbicides, respectively. Transplastomic plants possessing mALSs were able to grow in the presence of various herbicides, thus affirming the relationship between mALSs and the associated resistance to herbicides. Our results show that mALS genes integrated into the chloroplast genome are useful sustainable markers that function to exclude plants other than those that are GM while maintaining transplastomic crops. This investigation suggests that the resistance management of weeds in the field amid growing GM crops is possible using (1) a series of mALSs that confer specific resistance to herbicides and (2) a strategy that employs herbicide rotation.

A novel mutated acetolactate synthase gene conferring specific resistance to pyrimidinyl carboxy herbicides in rice.

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) is the first common enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of branched-chain amino acids. Mutations of specific amino acids in ALS have been known to confer resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides such as sulfonylureas and pyrimidinyl carboxy (PC) herbicides. However, mutations conferring exclusive resistance to PC have not yet been reported to date. We selected PC resistant rice calli, which were derived from anther culture, using one of the PCs, bispyribac-sodium (BS), as a selection agent. Two lines of BS-resistant plants carrying a novel mutation, the 95th Glycine to Alanine (G95A), in ALS were obtained. In vitro ALS activity assay indicated that the recombinant protein of G95A-mutated ALS (ALS-G95A) conferred highly specific resistance to PC herbicides. In order to determine if the ALS-G95A gene could be used as a selection marker for rice transformation, the ALS-G95A gene was connected to ubiquitin promoter and introduced into rice. PC resistant plants containing integrated ALS-G95A gene were obtained after selection with BS as a selection agent. In conclusion, novel G95A mutated ALS gene confers highly specific resistant to PC-herbicides and can be used as a selection marker.

Reduced contamination by the Fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone in maize kernels through genetic modification with a detoxification gene.

Maize is subject to ear rot caused by toxigenic Aspergillus and Fusarium species, resulting in contamination with aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, and zearalenone (ZEN). The trichothecene group and ZEN mycotoxins are produced by the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. A transgenic detoxification system for the elimination of ZEN was previously developed using an egfp::zhd101 gene (gfzhd101), encoding an enhanced green fluorescent protein fused to a ZEN-degrading enzyme. In this study, we produced a transgenic maize line expressing an intact copy of gfzhd101 and examined the feasibility of transgene-mediated detoxification in the kernels. ZEN-degrading activity has been detected in transgenic kernels during seed maturation (for a period of 6 weeks after pollination). The level of detoxification activity was unaltered after an additional storage period of 16 weeks at 6 degrees C. When the seeds were artificially contaminated by immersion in a ZEN solution for 48 h at 28 degrees C, the total amount of the mycotoxin in the transgenic seeds was uniformly reduced to less than 1/10 of that in the wild type. The ZEN in the transgenic maize kernels was also efficiently decontaminated under conditions of lower water activity (aw) and temperature; e.g., 16.9 microg of ZEN was removed per gram of seed within 48 h at an aw of 0.90 at 20 degrees C. F. graminearum infection assays demonstrated an absence of ZEN in the transgenic maize seeds, while the mycotoxin accumulated in wild-type kernels under the same conditions. Transgene-mediated detoxification may offer simple solutions to the problems of mycotoxin contamination in maize.

Molecular breeding of a novel herbicide-tolerant rice by gene targeting.

We have previously reported the production of a rice cell line tolerant to the acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide bispyribac (BS), and demonstrated that the BS-tolerant phenotype was due to a double mutation in the rice ALS gene. We further indicated that while changing either of the two amino acids (W548 L or S627I) individually resulted in a BS-tolerant phenotype, conversion of both amino acids simultaneously conferred increased tolerance to BS. As the BS-tolerant cell line had lost the ability to regenerate during two years of tissue culture selection, we attempted to introduce these two point mutations into the rice ALS gene via gene targeting (GT). Using our highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system in rice, we were able to regenerate 66 independent GT rice plants from 1500 calli. Furthermore, two-thirds of these plants harbored the two point mutations exclusively, without any insertion of foreign DNA such as border sequences of T-DNA. The GT plants obtained in the present study are therefore equivalent to non-GM herbicide-tolerant rice plants generated by conventional breeding approaches that depend on spontaneous mutations. Surprisingly, GT rice homozygous for the modified ALS locus showed hyper-tolerance to BS when compared to BS-tolerant plants produced by a conventional transgenic system; ALS enzymatic activity in plants homozygous for the mutated ALS gene was inhibited only by extremely high concentrations of BS. These results indicate that our GT method has successfully created novel herbicide-tolerant rice plants that are superior to those produced by conventional mutation breeding protocols or transgenic technology.

A model transgenic cereal plant with detoxification activity for the estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by the necrotrophic cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. This mycotoxin is detoxified by ZHD101, a lactonohydrolase from Clonostachys rosea, or EGFP:ZHD101, its fusion to the C-terminus of an enhanced green fluorescence protein. We previously showed that egfp:zhd101 is efficiently expressed in T(0) leaves of rice. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of in planta detoxification of the mycotoxin using progeny. When protein extract from T(1) leaves was incubated with ZEN, the amount of the toxin decreased significantly as measured by HPLC. ZEN degradation activity was also detected in vivo in transgenic T(2) seeds. These results suggest that zhd101 can be exploited as an efficient and cost-effective system for protection of important cereals that are more susceptible to the pathogen (e.g., wheat and maize) from contamination with the estrogenic mycotoxin.

Application of fluidized hot-melt granulation (FHMG) for the preparation of granules for tableting; properties of granules and tablets prepared by FHMG.

The objective of this study was to investigate the properties of granules and tablets prepared by a novel Fluidized Hot-Melt Granulation (FHMG) technique. Macrogol 6000 (polyethylene glycol 6000, PEG 6000), macrogol 20000 (polyethylene glycol 20000, PEG 20000), and glyceryl monostearate (GMS) were used as binders with different levels of viscosity and water solubility. The properties of both granules and tablets were compared with those obtained using the Standard Tablet Formulation (STF, lactose/corn starch/hydroxypropylcellulose/ magnesium stearate: 66/30/3.5/0.5) for fluidized-bed granulation, which is widely used for wet granulation. To obtain suitable flowability as granules for tabletting, the content of the melting material should be approximately 10 w/w%. The rate of increase in the mean diameter of the granules during FHMG was affected by both the melting temperature and the viscosity of the melting material used in the granules. The compression properties of granules prepared by FHMG were also investigated, demonstrating that these granules had a high pressure transmittance. The hardness and the disintegration time of tablets obtained from granules prepared by FHMG were influenced by the properties of the melting material, such as its compaction behavior, solubility, and wettability. No significant differences of hardness were observed when compared to STF tablets. Tablets prepared from FHMG granules disintegrated within 15 min, whereas the STF tablets showed faster disintegration. It was also demonstrated that the hardness and disintegration time of tablets prepared from FHMG granules were not affected by the tablet porosity. Therefore, tablets with a constant quality may be obtainable under a wide range of compression forces. The results of this study suggested that FHMG is a useful method of preparing granules for tableting without using any solvents or water.