Heterozygous loss-of-function variants in DOCK4 cause neurodevelopmental delay and microcephaly.

Neurons form the basic anatomical and functional structure of the nervous system, and defects in neuronal differentiation or formation of neurites are associated with various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Dynamic changes in the cytoskeleton are essential for this process, which is, inter alia, controlled by the dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (DOCK4) through the activation of RAC1. Here, we clinically describe 7 individuals (6 males and one female) with variants in DOCK4 and overlapping phenotype of mild to severe global developmental delay. Additional symptoms include coordination or gait abnormalities, microcephaly, nonspecific brain malformations, hypotonia and seizures. Four individuals carry missense variants (three of them detected de novo) and three individuals carry null variants (two of them maternally inherited). Molecular modeling of the heterozygous missense variants suggests that the majority of them affect the globular structure of DOCK4. In vitro functional expression studies in transfected Neuro-2A cells showed that all missense variants impaired neurite outgrowth. Furthermore, Dock4 knockout Neuro-2A cells also exhibited defects in promoting neurite outgrowth. Our results, including clinical, molecular and functional data, suggest that loss-of-function variants in DOCK4 probable cause a variable spectrum of a novel neurodevelopmental disorder with microcephaly.

Virome analysis of irrigation water sources provides extensive insights into the diversity and distribution of plant viruses in agroecosystems.

Plant viruses pose a significant threat to agriculture. Several are stable outside their hosts, can enter water bodies and remain infective for prolonged periods of time. Even though the quality of irrigation water is of increasing importance in the context of plant health, the presence of plant viruses in irrigation waters is understudied. In this study, we conducted a large-scale high-throughput sequencing (HTS)-based virome analysis of irrigation and surface water sources to obtain complete information about the abundance and diversity of plant viruses in such waters. We detected nucleic acids of plant viruses from 20 families, discovered several novel plant viruses from economically important taxa, like Tobamovirus and observed the influence of the water source on the present virome. By comparing viromes of water and surrounding plants, we observed presence of plant viruses in both compartments, especially in cases of large-scale outbreaks, such as that of tomato mosaic virus. Moreover, we demonstrated that water virome data can extensively inform us about the distribution and diversity of plant viruses for which only limited information is available from plants. Overall, the results of the study provided extensive insights into the virome of irrigation waters from the perspective of plant health. It also suggested that an HTS-based water virome surveillance system could be used to detect potential plant disease outbreaks and to survey the distribution and diversity of plant viruses in the ecosystem.

Diversity, distribution and host plants of armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in Espírito Santo, Brazil / Diversidade, distribuição e plantas hospedeiras de cochonilhas escama (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) no Espírito Santo, Brasil

Abstract: Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), are phytophagous species that occur in major biogeographic regions of the world. Because of the importance of diaspidids as pests, there is widespread interest in countries that export and import unprocessed agricultural products in increased knowledge of this group which includes invasive and quarantine pests of great economic concern. The diversity, geographic distribution, and host of diaspidids were studied from November 2002 to December 2018 in 34 municipalities in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Forty species of Diaspididae from 27 genera were collected and identified. The species Acutaspis perseae (Comstock), A. umbonifera (Newstead), Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock), Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman), Lepidosaphes gloverii (Packard), Morganella longispina (Morgan), Mycetaspis apicata (Newstead), and Thysanofiorinia nephelii (Maskel) were found for the first time in Espírito Santo. The plant families Myrtaceae, Moraceae, Arecaceae, Asparagaceae, and Rutaceae had the greatest number of host plant species of armored scale. Fifty-seven new host associations were observed for 25 species of diaspidids and 11 diaspidid species were recorded for the first time from nine families of plants. Selenaspidus articulatus (Morgan) was the most polyphagous species observed with 17 host plant species from 12 families, followed by Pseudaonidia trilobitiformis (Green), and Parlatoria proteus (Curtis). With these new records, 41 species and 28 genera of Diaspididae have been recorded in Espírito Santo.

Resumo: As cochonilhas escama (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), são espécies fitófagas que ocorrem nas principais regiões biogeográficas do mundo. Devido à importância dos diaspidídeos como pragas, existe um amplo interesse nos países que exportam e importam produtos agrícolas não processados no aumento do conhecimento desse grupo, o que inclui pragas invasoras e quarentenárias de grande importância econômica. A diversidade, distribuição geográfica e hospedeiros de diaspidídeos foram estudadas de novembro de 2002 a dezembro de 2018 em 34 municípios do estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. Quarenta espécies de Diaspididae de 27 gêneros foram coletadas e identificadas. As espécies Acutaspis perseae (Comstock), A. umbonifera (Newstead), Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock), Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman), Lepidosaphes gloverii (Packard), Morganella longispina (Morgan), Mycetaspis apicata (Newstead) e Thysanofiorinia nephelii (Maskel) foram encontradas pela primeira vez no Espírito Santo. Cinquenta e sete novas associações de hospedeiros foram observadas, em um total de 25 espécies de diaspidídeos; estes incluem 13 novos registros de famílias em um total de 11 espécies de diaspidídeos e nove famílias de plantas. Myrtaceae, Moraceae e Arecaceae foram as famílias botânicas com o maior número de espécies de diaspidídeos observadas. Selenaspidus articulatus (Morgan) foi a espécie mais polífaga, com 17 espécies de plantas hospedeiras de 12 famílias observadas, seguida por Pseudaonidia trilobitiformis (Green) e Parlatoria proteus (Curtis). Com esses novos registros, 41 espécies e 28 gêneros de Diaspididae foram registrados no Espírito Santo.

An allometric model to estimate total leaf area of banana plants of the cultivar Vitória (AAAB) / Um modelo alométrico para estimativa da área foliar total de bananeiras da cultivar Vitória (AAAB)

The plants physiological processes such as transpiration and photosynthetic efficiency are directly related to leaf area, which is difficult to quantify in a nondestructive manner. To generate a model to estimate the total leaf area of plants of banana cv. Vitória, simple and multiple linear regressions utilizing the length and width of the third leaf, the product of length and width of the third leaf, and the total number of leaves of 'Vitória' plants, were tested. The data to develop the model were obtained from 'Vitória' banana plants from different edafoclimatic conditions and management. The best performance of the model was obtained using stepwise multiple regression with r2=0.93 and r2= 0.94. Validation of the model resulted in an r2 of 0.74.

Processos fisiológicos das plantas como transpiração e eficiência fotossintética estão diretamente relacionados à área foliar, a qual é difícil quantificar de forma não destrutiva. Para gerar um modelo para estimar a área foliar total de plantas da cv. Vitória, foram testadas regressões lineares simples e múltiplas utilizando comprimento e largura da terceira folha, o produto comprimento e largura da terceira folha e número total de folhas. Os dados para desenvolver o modelo foram obtidos de cultivos com diferentes condições edafoclimáticas e de manejo. O melhor modelo foi obtido por meio de regressão múltipla stepwise com r2 = 0,93 e r2 = 0,94. A validação do modelo resultou em r2 de 0,74.

Antagonistic activity of bacteria from wild honey against Colletotrichum musae, and testing of wild honey as biopesticide spray to control banana anthracnose

Anthracnose is a foliar and fruit disease caused by Colletotrichum spp. affecting a wide range of crops. Infection occurs early followed by quiescence in fruits, such as in banana, where chemical-based pesticides are used as a dependable fungal control for many years. There is an increasing need for a safe control and as implicated in the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 (RA 10068) in the Philippines. This scenario drove the use of alternative pest control such as the use of biologicals and natural products. In this study, seven bacteria were isolated from wild honey, produced by Apis mellifera, wherein four (BC2, BC3, BC6 and BC7) were found to be an effective antagonist against Colletotrichum musae in in vitro conditions. These bacteria were identified to belong to the genus Lactobacillus spp. (BC2, BC3, BC7) and Bacillus spp. (BC6) based on sugar utilization tests, morphological and cultural growth in PDPA. For the in vivo test, different dilutions of wild honey were used and it was found out that lower concentrations were effective as biopesticide spray to prevent anthracnose infection. Lastly, we report herewith the first isolation of bacteria with biological control potential from wild honey, and to apply the raw or natural product as biopesticide in postharvest fruits.

Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, and Monophlebidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of Espírito Santo, Brazil / Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, e Monophlebidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) do Espírito Santo, Brasil

New plant hosts are recorded for nine scale insect species recently collected in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and eleven scale insect species are recorded for the first time from the state: Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, Coccus longulus (Douglas), Coccus viridis (Green), Eucalymnatus tesselatus (Signoret), Pseudokermes sp., Saissetia coffeae (Walker), Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi Gimpel & Miller, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), Icerya purchasi Maskell, and Icerya genistae Hempel. This is also the first record of Co. longulus in Brazil. Information on the host plants and geographic distribution of the 26 species of scale insects of the families Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, and Monophlebidae, currently known from Espírito Santo is provided.

Novas plantas hospedeiras foram registradas para nove espécies de cochonilhas coletadas recentemente no Estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil, e onze espécies de cochonilhas são registradas pela primeira vez no Estado: Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, Coccus longulus (Douglas), Coccus viridis (Green), Eucalymnatus tesselatus (Signoret), Pseudokermes sp., Saissetia coffeae (Walker), Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi Gimpel & Miller, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), Icerya purchasi Maskell, e Icerya genistae Hempel. Co. longulus é registrada pela primeira vez no Brasil. É disponibilizada a informação das plantas hospedeiras e a distribuição geográfica de 26 espécies de cochonilhas das famílias Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, e Monophlebidae atualmente conhecidas no Estado do Espírito Santo.

Collembola (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) communities in the soil of papaya orchards managed with conventional and integrated production in Espírito Santo, Brazil / Comunidades de Collembola (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) do solo em pomares de mamão com sistemas de produção integrada e convencional no Espírito Santo, Brasil

Collembola have significant influences on soil microorganisms and fertility but information on these ecologically important arthropods is lacking, especially in agricultural and tropical environments. This research was conducted to identify Collembola species present in the soil of papaya orchards in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and to compare the effect of conventional and integrated production on Collembola in this Neotropical environment. Soil samples (4.8 cm diameter, 10 cm deep) were collected in February, May, August and November 2003, from papaya orchards managed with conventional production (including pesticide application based on little or no pest monitoring or consideration of environmental impact) and integrated production (including selective pesticide application only when necessary based on regular pest monitoring) in one experimental site with three treatments (conventional; integrated with drip irrigation; integrated with microsprinkler irrigation) and four commercial orchards (two with conventional and two with integrated production). Berlese-Tullgren funnels were used to extract Collembola from the soil samples. Averaged over the sampling dates, collembolan densities of the orchards ranged from 14023 to 56001 Collembola per m². In the experimental site, the species Willemia brevispina, Folsomina cf. onychiurina, Folsomides cf. centralis, Folsomides parvulus, Cyphoderus cf. similis, and Neelus cf. minimus were more abundant with integrated versus conventional production. However, this difference was not apparent in commercial orchards sampled. Results indicate that relatively high populations and diverse communities of Collembola occur in the soil of papaya orchards in Espírito Santo but no collembolan species were found to be consistent biological indicators of conventional or integrated production. The species Acherontiella colotlipana, Willemia brevispina, Brachystomella agrosa, Friesea sublimis, Pseudostachia sp.1, Mesaphorura...

Este trabalho estudou a influência da Produção Convencional em comparação ao de Produção Integrada, sobre os colêmbolos no Estado do Espírito Santo, com ênfase na identificação das espécies e na determinação da densidade dos colêmbolos no solo. A pesquisa foi feita em pomares de mamão nos municípios de Sooretama (pomares experimentais na Fazenda Experimental de Sooretama, INCAPER) e Linhares (pomares comerciais). Na Fazenda Experimental de Sooretama foram realizadas avaliações em um experimento com os sistemas de produção convencional, e o outro com produção integrada. Foram coletadas quatro amostras de solo de cada tratamento (produção convencional com irrigação por aspersão; produção integrada com irrigação por gotejo; produção integrada com irrigação por microaspersão), nos meses de fevereiro, maio, agosto e novembro de 2003. Em Linhares, foram avaliados dois pomares comercias com sistemas de produção convencional e dois com produção integrada, sendo coletadas três amostras por pomar, da mesma forma e nos meses descritos no experimento de Sooretama. Para a extração dos colêmbolos das amostras de solo foram usados os funis de Berlese-Tullgren. A quantidade média dos colêmbolos nos pomares variou de 14023 a 56001 colêmbolos por m². Nos pomares experimentais em Sooretama algumas espécies foram mais numerosas nos pomares de produção integrada em comparação com o pomar que utilizou o sistema de produção convencional. Esta diferença, no entanto, não foi aparente nos pomares comercias de produção integrada em comparação com os pomares comercias que utilizam o sistema convencional. Os resultados iniciais indicam que as populações de colêmbolos são relativamente elevadas em pomares de mamão no Espírito Santo e com ocorrência de diversas comunidades. São registradas pela primeira vez as ocorrências das espécies Willemia brevispina, Brachystomella agrosa, Pseudostachia sp.1, Mesaphorura amazonica, Arlea sp.1, Salina sp.1, e Sphaeridia cf. pumilis...