Complete Genome Sequence of Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-1458, a Potential Biocontrol Agent for Tomato Wilt

ABSTRACT An avirulent strain of Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-1458 was isolated from a living tomato. Here, we report the complete R. solanacearum FJAT-1458 genome sequence of 6,059,899 bp and 5,241 genes. This bacterial strain is a potential candidate as a biocontrol agent in the form of a plant vaccine for bacterial wilt.

Vector construction to enhance GP5 antigen expression of virus PRRS in plant cells

Plant vaccine is a new tool to enrich available vaccine resources for protection of human and animal health. Plant vaccine offers several advantages over current conventional vaccines, including that storage and transportationare convenient after lyophilization, production costs are low, and the contamination of mammalian pathogens is avoided. However, the low expression of foreign genes in plant still exists that limits the application of this kind of vaccine. Presently, plant virus-based expression vectors represent a technology that enables high levels of recombination proteins to be produced efficiently in plant cells. In this study, a modified TMV-based vector to elevate glycoprotein GP5 of PRRSV in plant cells without negative effects in the development of plant cells was developed. Gene encoded GP5 was replaced CP of TMV and the whole was regulated by the heat shock protein Hsp 18.2 promoter. Transgenic BY-2 cells carrying pHsp-TMV-GP5 showed the normal development compared to the ones harbouring pCB-35S-TMV-GP5. The results showed that the Hsp-TMV-GP5 construct do not have a negative effect on viability of transgenic plant cells. A further study will be carried out to investigate the expression of GP5 in stable transgenic plant cells to confirm the benefit of the modified expression vector in development of rapid and cost-effective antigens in plant cell suspension culture.

Generation of the Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus E0 Protein in TransgenicAstragalusand Its Immunogenicity in Sika Deer

The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a single-stranded RNA virus, can cause fatal diarrhea syndrome, respiratory problems, and reproductive disorders in herds. Over the past few years, it has become clear that the BVDV infection rates are increasing and it is likely that an effective vaccine for BVDV will be needed. In this study, transgenicAstragaluswas used as an alternative productive platform for the expression of glycoprotein E0. The immunogenicity of glycoprotein E0 expressed in transgenicAstragaluswas detected in deer. The presence of pBI121-E0 was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), transcription was verified by reverse transcription- (RT-) PCR, and recombinant protein expression was confirmed by ELISA and Western blot analyses. Deer that were immunized subcutaneously with the transgenic plant vaccine developed specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against BVDV. This study provides a new method for a protein with weak immunogenicity to be used as part of a transgenic plant vaccine.

Induction of Defense-Related Enzymes in Banana Plants: Effect of Live and Dead Pathogenic Strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the response of banana (Grand Naine variety) plants when interacting with dead or live pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, a causative agent of Panama disease. Response of plants was evaluated in terms of induction of defense-related marker enzyme activity, namely, peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), -1,3 glucanase, chitinase, and phenolics. Plant's interaction with live pathogen resulted in early induction of defense to restrain penetration as well as antimicrobial productions. However, pathogen overcame the defense of plant and caused disease. Interaction with dead pathogen resulted in escalating defense response in plants. Later on plants inoculated with dead pathogen showed resistance to even forced inoculation of live pathogen. Results obtained in the present study suggest that dead pathogen was able to mount defense response in plants and provide resistance to Panama disease upon subsequent exposure. Therefore, preparation from dead pathogen could be a potential candidate as a biocontrol agent or plant vaccine to combat Panama disease.