Sample records for banana tissue culture

  1. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin as an endophyte in tissue culture banana (Musa spp.).

    PubMed

    Akello, Juliet; Dubois, Thomas; Gold, Clifford S; Coyne, Daniel; Nakavuma, Jessica; Paparu, Pamela

    2007-09-01

    Beauveria bassiana is considered a virulent pathogen against the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus. However, current field application techniques for effective control against this pest remain a limitation and an alternative method for effective field application needs to be investigated. Three screenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the ability of B. bassiana to form an endophytic relationship with tissue culture banana (Musa spp.) plants and to evaluate the plants for possible harmful effects resulting from this relationship. Three Ugandan strains of B. bassiana (G41, S204 and WA) were applied by dipping the roots and rhizome in a conidial suspension, by injecting a conidial suspension into the plant rhizome and by growing the plants in sterile soil mixed with B. bassiana-colonized rice substrate. Four weeks after inoculation, plant growth parameters were determined and plant tissue colonization assessed through re-isolation of B. bassiana. All B. bassiana strains were able to colonize banana plant roots, rhizomes and pseudostem bases. Dipping plants in a conidial suspension achieved the highest colonization with no negative effect on plant growth or survival. Beauveria bassiana strain G41 was the best colonizer (up to 68%, 79% and 41% in roots, rhizome and pseudostem base, respectively) when plants were dipped. This study demonstrated that, depending on strain and inoculation method, B. bassiana can form an endophytic relationship with tissue culture banana plants, causing no harmful effects and might provide an alternative method for biological control of C. sordidus.

  2. Olfactory responses of banana weevil predators to volatiles from banana pseudostem tissue and synthetic pheromone.

    PubMed

    Tinzaara, W; Gold, C S; Dicke, M; van Huis, A

    2005-07-01

    As a response to attack by herbivores, plants can emit a variety of volatile substances that attract natural enemies of these insect pests. Predators of the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) such as Dactylosternum abdominale (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) and Pheidole megacephala (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), are normally found in association with weevil-infested rotten pseudostems and harvested stumps. We investigated whether these predators are attracted to such environments in response to volatiles produced by the host plant, by the weevil, or by the weevil plant complex. We evaluated predator responses towards volatiles from banana pseudostem tissue (synomones) and the synthetic banana weevil aggregation pheromone Cosmolure+ in a two-choice olfactometer. The beetle D. abdominale was attracted to fermenting banana pseudostem tissue and Cosmolure+, whereas the ant P. megacephala was attracted only to fermented pseudostem tissue. Both predators were attracted to banana pseudostem tissue that had been damaged by weevil larvae irrespective of weevil presence. Adding pheromone did not enhance predator response to volatiles from pseudostem tissue fed on by weevils. The numbers of both predators recovered with pseudostem traps in the field from banana mats with a pheromone trap were similar to those in pseudostem traps at different distance ranges from the pheromone. Our study shows that the generalist predators D. abdominale and P. megacephala use volatiles from fermented banana pseudostem tissue as the major chemical cue when searching for prey.

  3. Comparative Digital Gene Expression Analysis of Tissue-Cultured Plantlets of Highly Resistant and Susceptible Banana Cultivars in Response to Fusarium oxysporum

    PubMed Central

    Niu, Yuqing; Hu, Bei; Li, Xiaoquan; Chen, Houbin; Šamaj, Jozef; Xu, Chunxiang

    2018-01-01

    Banana Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) is one of the most destructive soil-borne diseases. In this study, young tissue-cultured plantlets of banana (Musa spp. AAA) cultivars differing in Foc susceptibility were used to reveal their differential responses to this pathogen using digital gene expression (DGE). Data were evaluated by various bioinformatic tools (Venn diagrams, gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses) and immunofluorescence labelling method to support the identification of gene candidates determining the resistance of banana against Foc. Interestingly, we have identified MaWRKY50 as an important gene involved in both constitutive and induced resistance. We also identified new genes involved in the resistance of banana to Foc, including several other transcription factors (TFs), pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and some genes related to the plant cell wall biosynthesis or degradation (e.g., pectinesterases, β-glucosidases, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase and endoglucanase). The resistant banana cultivar shows activation of PR-3 and PR-4 genes as well as formation of different constitutive cell barriers to restrict spreading of the pathogen. These data suggest new mechanisms of banana resistance to Foc. PMID:29364855

  4. Phenylphenalenones Accumulate in Plant Tissues of Two Banana Cultivars in Response to Herbivory by the Banana Weevil and Banana Stem Weevil.

    PubMed

    Hölscher, Dirk; Buerkert, Andreas; Schneider, Bernd

    2016-08-25

    Phenylphenalenone-type compounds accumulated in the tissues of two banana cultivars-Musa acuminata cv. "Grande Naine" (AAA) and Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla cv. "Bluggoe" (ABB)-when these were fed on by the banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus (Germ.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)) and the banana stem weevil (Odoiporus longicollis (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)). The chemical constituents of the banana material were separated by means of chromatographic techniques and identified by NMR spectroscopy. One new compound, 2-methoxy-4-phenylphenalen-1-one, was found exclusively in the corm material of "Bluggoe" that had been fed on by the weevils.

  5. Phenylphenalenones Accumulate in Plant Tissues of Two Banana Cultivars in Response to Herbivory by the Banana Weevil and Banana Stem Weevil

    PubMed Central

    Hölscher, Dirk; Buerkert, Andreas; Schneider, Bernd

    2016-01-01

    Phenylphenalenone-type compounds accumulated in the tissues of two banana cultivars—Musa acuminata cv. “Grande Naine” (AAA) and Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla cv. “Bluggoe” (ABB)—when these were fed on by the banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus (Germ.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)) and the banana stem weevil (Odoiporus longicollis (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)). The chemical constituents of the banana material were separated by means of chromatographic techniques and identified by NMR spectroscopy. One new compound, 2-methoxy-4-phenylphenalen-1-one, was found exclusively in the corm material of “Bluggoe” that had been fed on by the weevils. PMID:27571112

  6. Screenhouse and field persistence of nonpathogenic endophytic Fusarium oxysporum in Musa tissue culture plants.

    PubMed

    Paparu, Pamela; Dubois, Thomas; Gold, Clifford S; Niere, Björn; Adipala, Ekwamu; Coyne, Daniel

    2008-04-01

    Two major biotic constraints to highland cooking banana (Musa spp., genome group AAA-EA) production in Uganda are the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus and the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis. Endophytic Fusarium oxysporum strains inoculated into tissue culture banana plantlets have shown control of the banana weevil and the nematode. We conducted screenhouse and field experiments to investigate persistence in the roots and rhizome of two endophytic Fusarium oxysporum strains, V2w2 and III4w1, inoculated into tissue-culture banana plantlets of highland cooking banana cultivars Kibuzi and Nabusa. Re-isolation of F. oxysporum showed that endophyte colonization decreased faster from the rhizomes than from the roots of inoculated plants, both in the screenhouse and in the field. Whereas rhizome colonization by F. oxysporum decreased in the screenhouse (4-16 weeks after inoculation), root colonization did not. However, in the field (17-33 weeks after inoculation), a decrease was observed in both rhizome and root colonization. The results show a better persistence in the roots than rhizomes of endophytic F. oxysporum strains V2w2 and III4w1.

  7. Gelling agents and culture vessels affect in vitro multiplication of banana plantlets.

    PubMed

    Kaçar, Y A; Biçen, B; Varol, I; Mendi, Y Y; Serçe, S; Cetiner, S

    2010-03-09

    Agar is the most commonly used gelling agent in media for plant tissue culture. Because of the high price of tissue-culture-grade agar, attempts have been made to identify suitable alternatives. The type of culture vessel and lid also affects the gaseous composition inside the vessel as well as light penetration. In turn, the vessel affects growth parameters, such as shoot elongation, proliferation and fresh weight, as well as hyperhydric degradation processes. We examined the effects of different culture vessels, including commercial glass jars, magenta boxes, and disposable containers, as well as different gelling agents (agar-agar, Agargel, Phytagel, and plant agar) on the micropropagation of Dwarf Cavendish bananas in an effort to find a combination that yields large numbers of high-quality seedlings. The different culture vessels did not significantly affect seedling culture success. The medium significantly affected shoot weight. Phytagel resulted in the highest shoot weight (overall mean = 2.4 g), while agar, Agargel and plant agar resulted in 1.7, 2.2 and 2.2 g, respectively. Disposable container/Phytagel and Magenta/Agargel combinations yielded the highest shoot weights (2.9 and 3.0 g, respectively). Mean shoot length increased progressively with subculture (four subcultures were made). The highest mean shoot length was obtained with Phytagel and Agargel media (6.4 and 6.3 cm, respectively). Shoot number was significantly affected by medium only at subculture 4. Overall, the highest mean shoot length was obtained with the Magenta/Agargel combination (8.5 cm). Phytagel and plant agar gave higher mean shoot number than agar and Agargel (2.1, 2.1 and 1.7 and 1.9, respectively). The costs of the media and of the culture vessels need to be taken into account for final choice of the banana shoot culture system.

  8. Continous application of bioorganic fertilizer induced resilient culturable bacteria community associated with banana Fusarium wilt suppression

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Lin; Ruan, Yunze; Tao, Chengyuan; Li, Rong; Shen, Qirong

    2016-01-01

    Fusarium wilt of banana always drives farmers to find new land for banana cultivation due to the comeback of the disease after a few cropping years. A novel idea for solving this problem is the continuous application of bioorganic fertilizer (BIO), which should be practiced from the beginning of banana planting. In this study, BIO was applied in newly reclaimed fields to pre-control banana Fusarium wilt and the culturable rhizobacteria community were evaluated using Biolog Ecoplates and culture-dependent denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (CD-DGGE). The results showed that BIO application significantly reduced disease incidences and increased crop yields, respectivly. And the stabilized general bacterial metabolic potential, especially for the utilization of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and phenolic compounds, was induced by BIO application. DGGE profiles demonstrated that resilient community structure of culturable rhizobacteria with higher richness and diversity were observed in BIO treated soils. Morever, enriched culturable bacteria affiliated with Firmicutes, Gammaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria were also detected. In total, continuous application of BIO effectively suppressed Fusarium wilt disease by stabilizing culturable bacterial metabolic potential and community structure. This study revealed a new method to control Fusarium wilt of banana for long term banana cultivation. PMID:27306096

  9. Continous application of bioorganic fertilizer induced resilient culturable bacteria community associated with banana Fusarium wilt suppression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Lin; Ruan, Yunze; Tao, Chengyuan; Li, Rong; Shen, Qirong

    2016-06-01

    Fusarium wilt of banana always drives farmers to find new land for banana cultivation due to the comeback of the disease after a few cropping years. A novel idea for solving this problem is the continuous application of bioorganic fertilizer (BIO), which should be practiced from the beginning of banana planting. In this study, BIO was applied in newly reclaimed fields to pre-control banana Fusarium wilt and the culturable rhizobacteria community were evaluated using Biolog Ecoplates and culture-dependent denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (CD-DGGE). The results showed that BIO application significantly reduced disease incidences and increased crop yields, respectivly. And the stabilized general bacterial metabolic potential, especially for the utilization of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and phenolic compounds, was induced by BIO application. DGGE profiles demonstrated that resilient community structure of culturable rhizobacteria with higher richness and diversity were observed in BIO treated soils. Morever, enriched culturable bacteria affiliated with Firmicutes, Gammaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria were also detected. In total, continuous application of BIO effectively suppressed Fusarium wilt disease by stabilizing culturable bacterial metabolic potential and community structure. This study revealed a new method to control Fusarium wilt of banana for long term banana cultivation.

  10. Evaluation of Information and Communication Technology Utilization by Small Holder Banana Farmers in Gatanga District, Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mwombe, Simon O. L.; Mugivane, Fred I.; Adolwa, Ivan S.; Nderitu, John H.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The study was carried out to identify information communication technologies (ICTs) used in production and marketing of bananas, to determine factors influencing intensity of use of ICT tools and to assess whether use of ICT has a significant influence on adoption of tissue culture bananas by small-scale banana farmers in Gatanga…

  11. Tobacco arabinogalactan protein NtEPc can promote banana (Musa AAA) somatic embryogenesis.

    PubMed

    Shu, H; Xu, L; Li, Z; Li, J; Jin, Z; Chang, S

    2014-12-01

    Banana is an important tropical fruit worldwide. Parthenocarpy and female sterility made it impossible to improve banana varieties through common hybridization. Genetic transformation for banana improvement is imperative. But the low rate that banana embryogenic callus was induced made the transformation cannot be performed in many laboratories. Finding ways to promote banana somatic embryogenesis is critical for banana genetic transformation. After tobacco arabinogalactan protein gene NtEPc was transformed into Escherichia coli (DE3), the recombinant protein was purified and filter-sterilized. A series of the sterilized protein was added into tissue culture medium. It was found that the number of banana immature male flowers developing embryogenic calli increased significantly in the presence of NtEPc protein compared with the effect of the control medium. Among the treatments, explants cultured on medium containing 10 mg/l of NtEPc protein had the highest chance to develop embryogenic calli. The percentage of lines that developed embryogenic calli on this medium was about 12.5 %. These demonstrated that NtEPc protein can be used to promote banana embryogenesis. This is the first paper that reported that foreign arabinogalactan protein (AGP) could be used to improve banana somatic embryogenesis.

  12. Strategy to increase Barangan Banana production in Kabupaten Deli Serdang

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adhany, I.; Chalil, D.; Ginting, R.

    2018-02-01

    This study was conducted to analyze internal and external factors in increasing Barangan Banana production in Kabupaten Deli Serdang. Samples were determined by snowball sampling technique and purposive sampling method. Using SWOT analysis method, this study found that there were 6 internal strategic factors and 9 external strategic factors. Among that strategic factors, support for production facilities appears as the most important internal strategic factor, while the demand for Barangan Banana. as the most important external strategic factor. Based on the importance and existing condition of these strategic factors, using support for production facilities and realization of supporting facilities with farming experience are the strategies covering strength-opportunity (SO), organizing mentoring to meet the demand for Barangan Banana are the strategies covering weakness-opportunity (WO), making use of funding support and subsidies to widen the land, using tissue culture seeds and facilities and infrastructures are the strategies covering strength-threat (ST), increas the funding support to widen the land, the use of tissue culture seeds and facilities and infrastructures are the strategies covering weakness-threat (WT) are discussed and proposed to increase Barangan Banana productivity in Kabupaten Deli Serdang.

  13. Differential feedback regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in pulp and peel tissues of banana fruit.

    PubMed

    Inaba, Akitsugu; Liu, Xuejun; Yokotani, Naoki; Yamane, Miki; Lu, Wang-Jin; Nakano, Ryohei; Kubo, Yasutaka

    2007-01-01

    The feedback regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in banana [Musa sp. (AAA group, Cavendish subgroup) cv. Grand Nain] fruit was investigated in an attempt to clarify the opposite effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an ethylene action inhibitor, before and after the onset of ripening. 1-MCP pre-treatment completely prevented the ripening-induced effect of propylene in pre-climacteric banana fruit, whereas treatment after the onset of ripening stimulated ethylene production. In pre-climacteric fruit, higher concentrations of propylene suppressed ethylene production more strongly, despite their earlier ethylene-inducing effect. Exposure of the fruit ripened by propylene to 1-MCP increased ethylene production concomitantly with an increase in 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase activity and ACC content, and prevented a transient decrease in MA-ACS1 transcripts in the pulp tissues. In contrast, in the peel of ripening fruit, 1-MCP prevented the increase in ethylene production and subsequently the ripening process by reduction of the increase in MA-ACS1 and MA-ACO1 transcripts and of ACC synthase and ACC oxidase activities. These results suggest that ethylene biosynthesis in ripening banana fruit may be controlled negatively in the pulp tissue and positively in the peel tissue. This differential regulation by ethylene in pulp and peel tissues was also observed for MA-PL, MA-Exp, and MA-MADS genes.

  14. Production of haploids from anther culture of banana [Musa balbisiana (BB)].

    PubMed

    Assani, A; Bakry, F; Kerbellec, F; Haïcour, R; Wenzel, G; Foroughi-Wehr, B

    2003-02-01

    We report here, for the first time, the production of haploid plants of banana Musa balbisiana (BB). Callus was induced from anthers in which the majority of the microspores were at the uninucleate stage. The frequency of callus induction was 77%. Callus proliferation usually preceded embryo formation. About 8% of the anthers developed androgenic embryos. Of the 147 plantlets obtained, 41 were haploids (n=x=11). The frequency of haploid production depended on genotypes used: 18 haploid plants were produced from genotype Pisang klutuk, 12 from Pisang batu, seven from Pisang klutuk wulung and four from Tani. The frequency of regeneration was 1.1%, which was based on the total number of anthers cultured. Diploid plants (2n=2x=22) were also observed in the regenerated plants. The haploid banana plants that were developed will be important material for the improvement of banana through breeding programmes.

  15. Effect of utilization of tomato extract and foliar fertilizer as media on shoots multiplication of banana cv Ambon in vitro

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bidhari, L. A.; Purwanto, E.; Yunus, A.

    2018-03-01

    The good quality banana seeds are still difficult to obtain. There are two ways to provide seeds, namely conventional and tissue culture (in vitro). Tomato extract contains natural ZPT or phytohormone which can be utilized in modification of banana tissue culture media. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of media types and tomato extracts in various concentrations for multiplication of banana cv. Ambon in vitro. The study was conducted from October - December 2016 at the Tissue Culture Laboratory of Horticulture Seed Center, Salaman, Magelang. The experimental design used was completely randomized design with two treatment factors. The firs factor was media type with the addition of foliar fertilizer, the second factor was modification of tomato extract with 4 levels. The results showed that the different of the treated media treatment did not affect the emerge of leaf and leaf length, the number of roots and root length. The emerge of the leaves of all treatments occurred at 6 days after planting with the highest average length was obtained in MS treatment with a combination of tomato extract 50 ml/l (10.3 cm). The use of MS medium with a combination of tomato extract 50 ml/l generated the average root number 15.5 with a root lengths 7.5 cm. Substitution of MS medium with tomato extract and foliar fertilizer did not show better results compared to the use of MS media in the multiplication of banana shoots in tissue culture.

  16. Micropropagation of banana.

    PubMed

    Kaçar, Yıldız Aka; Faber, Ben

    2012-01-01

    Banana (Musa spp. AAA) is propagated vegetatively and can be rapidly and efficiently propagated by micropropagation. Conventional micropropagation techniques, however, may be too costly for commercial purposes. Our laboratory has found that depending on the combination of culture vessel and gelling agent more economic methods can be chosen for successfully micropropagating banana.

  17. [Effects of continuous application of bio-organic fertilizer on banana production and cultural microflora of bulk soil in orchard with serious disease incidence].

    PubMed

    Zhong, Shu-tang; Shen, Zong-zhuan; Sun, Yi-fei; Lyu, Na-na; Ruan, Yun-ze; Li, Rong; Shen, Qi-rong

    2015-02-01

    A field experiment was conducted for two years to investigate the effects of different fertilization applications on the suppression of banana fusarium wilt disease, crop yield, fruit quality and culturable microflora in a banana orchard which has been monocultured with banana for 12 years and suffered serious banana fusarium wilt disease. The fertilizers included chemical fertilizer (CF), cow manure compost (CM), pig manure compost (PM) and bio-organic fertilizer (BIO). The banana soil microflora was invested using plate-counting method and culture-dependent polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis method (CD PCR-DGGE). Results showed that, compared with the other treatments, 2-year consecutive application of BIO significantly reduced the banana fusarium wilt disease incidence, and improved the banana mass per tree, crop yield, total soluble sugar content and the ratio of total soluble sugar to titratable acidity of fruits (sugar/acid ratio). Moreover, the analysis of culturable microflora showed that BIO application significantly increased the soil microbial biomass, soil culturable bacteria, bacillus and actinomycetes, and the ratio of bacteria to fungi (B/F) , while decreased the Fusarium oxysporum. Based on the CD PCR-DGGE results, the BIO application significantly altered the soil culturable bacterial structure and showed highest richness and diversity after 2 years of BIO application. The phylogenetic analysis of the selected bands showed that BIO application enriched the soil with the species of Paenibacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., uncultured Verrucomicrobia sp. and Bacillus aryabhattai, and depressed the species of Ralstonia sp., Chryseobacterium gleum, Fluviicola taffensis, Enterobacter sp. and Bacillus megaterium. These results confirmed that the continuous application of BIO effectively controlled the fusarium wilt disease, improved the crop yield and fruit quality, and modulated the soil culturable microflora under field

  18. Banana peel culture as an indigenous medium for easy identification of late-sporulation human fungal pathogens.

    PubMed

    Kindo, A J; Tupaki-Sreepurna, A; Yuvaraj, M

    2016-01-01

    Fungi are increasing in incidence as human pathogens and newer and rarer species are continuously being encountered. Identifying these species from growth on regular culture media may be challenging due to the absence of typical features. An indigenous and cheap medium, similar to the natural substrate of these fungi, was standardised in our laboratory as an aid to species identification in a conventional laboratory setting. Ripe banana peel pieces, sterilised in an autoclave at 121°C temperature and 15 lbs pressure for 15 min promoted good growth of hyphae and pycnidia or acervuli in coelomycetes, flabelliform and medusoid fruiting bodies of basidiomycetes and fruit bodies such as cleistothecium in ascomycetes. The growth from the primary isolation medium was taken and inoculated onto the pieces of double-autoclaved ripe banana peel pieces in a sterile glass Petri dish with some moisture (sprinkles of sterile distilled water). A few sterile coverslips were placed randomly inside the Petri dish for the growing fungus to stick on to it. The plates were kept at room temperature and left undisturbed for 15-20 days. At a time, one coverslip was taken out and placed on a slide with lactophenol cotton blue and focused under the microscope to look for fruit bodies. Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Macrophomina phaseolina, Nigrospora sphaerica, Chaetomium murorum, Nattrassia mangiferae and Schizophyllum commune were identified by characteristic features from growth on banana peel culture. Banana peel culture is a cheap and effective medium resembling the natural substrate of fungi and is useful for promoting characteristic reproductive structures that aid identification.

  19. Contamination of Bananas with Beauvericin and Fusaric Acid Produced by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

    PubMed Central

    Kuang, Ruibin; Yang, Qiaosong; Hu, Chunhua; Sheng, Ou; Zhang, Sheng; Ma, Lijun; Wei, Yuerong; Yang, Jing; Liu, Siwen; Biswas, Manosh Kumar; Viljoen, Altus; Yi, Ganjun

    2013-01-01

    Background Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most destructive diseases of banana. Toxins produced by Foc have been proposed to play an important role during the pathogenic process. The objectives of this study were to investigate the contamination of banana with toxins produced by Foc, and to elucidate their role in pathogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings Twenty isolates of Foc representing races 1 and 4 were isolated from diseased bananas in five Chinese provinces. Two toxins were consistently associated with Foc, fusaric acid (FA) and beauvericin (BEA). Cytotoxicity of the two toxins on banana protoplast was determined using the Alamar Blue assay. The virulence of 20 Foc isolates was further tested by inoculating tissue culture banana plantlets, and the contents of toxins determined in banana roots, pseudostems and leaves. Virulence of Foc isolates correlated well with toxin deposition in the host plant. To determine the natural occurrence of the two toxins in banana plants with Fusarium wilt symptoms, samples were collected before harvest from the pseudostems, fruit and leaves from 10 Pisang Awak ‘Guangfen #1’ and 10 Cavendish ‘Brazilian’ plants. Fusaric acid and BEA were detected in all the tissues, including the fruits. Conclusions/Signficance The current study provides the first investigation of toxins produced by Foc in banana. The toxins produced by Foc, and their levels of contamination of banana fruits, however, were too low to be of concern to human and animal health. Rather, these toxins appear to contribute to the pathogenicity of the fungus during infection of banana plants. PMID:23922960

  20. Differential accumulation of β-carotene and tissue specific expression of phytoene synthase (MaPsy) gene in banana (Musa sp) cultivars.

    PubMed

    Dhandapani, R; Singh, V P; Arora, A; Bhattacharya, R C; Rajendran, Ambika

    2017-12-01

    An experiment was conducted with twelve major Indian banana cultivars to investigate the molecular relationship between the differential accumulation of β-carotene in peel and pulp of the banana fruit and carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes. The high performance liquid chromatography showed that all banana cultivars accumulated two-three fold more β-carotene in non-edible portion of the banana fruit. However, Nendran , a famous orange fleshed cultivar of South India, had high β-carotene content (1362 µg/100 g) in edible pulp. The gene encoding Musa accuminata phytoene synthase ( MaPsy ) was successfully amplified using a pair of degenerate primers designed from Oncidium orchid. The deduced amino acid sequences shared a high level of identity to phytoene synthase gene from other plants. Gene expression analysis confirmed the presence of two isoforms ( MaPsy1 and MaPsy2 ) of MaPsy gene in banana fruits. Presence of two isoforms of MaPsy gene in peel and one in pulp confirmed the differential accumulation of β-carotene in banana fruits. However, Nendran accumulated more β-carotene in edible pulp due to presence of both the isoforms of MaPsy gene. Thus, carotenoid accumulation is a tissue specific process strongly dependent on differential expression pattern of two isoforms of MaPsy gene in banana.

  1. The role of community engagement in the adoption of new agricultural biotechnologies by farmers: the case of the Africa harvest tissue-culture banana in Kenya.

    PubMed

    Bandewar, Sunita V S; Wambugu, Florence; Richardson, Emma; Lavery, James V

    2017-03-13

    The tissue culture banana (TCB) is a biotechnological agricultural innovation that has been adopted widely in commercial banana production. In 2003, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AH) initiated a TCB program that was explicitly developed for smallholder farmers in Kenya to help them adopt the TCB as a scalable agricultural business opportunity. At the heart of the challenge of encouraging more widespread adoption of the TCB is the question: what is the best way to introduce the TCB technology, and all its attendant practices and opportunities, to smallholder farmers. In essence, a challenge of community or stakeholder engagement (CE). In this paper, we report the results of a case study of the CE strategies employed by AH to introduce TCB agricultural practices to small-hold farmers in Kenya, and their impact on the uptake of the TCB, and on the nature of the relationship between AH and the relevant community of farmers and other stakeholders. We identified six specific features of CE in the AH TCB project that were critical to its effectiveness: (1) adopting an empirical, "evidence-based" approach; (2) building on existing social networks; (3) facilitating farmer-to-farmer engagement; (4) focusing engagement on farmer groups; (5) strengthening relationships of trust through collaborative experiential learning; and (6) helping farmers to "learn the marketing game". We discuss the implications of AH's "values-based" approach to engagement, and how these guiding values functioned as "design constraints" for the key features of their CE strategy. And we highlight the importance of attention to the human dimensions of complex partnerships as a key determinant of successful CE. Our findings suggest new ways of conceptualizing the relationship between CE and the design and delivery of new technologies for global health and global development.

  2. Characterization and isolation of a T-DNA tagged banana promoter active during in vitro culture and low temperature stress.

    PubMed

    Santos, Efrén; Remy, Serge; Thiry, Els; Windelinckx, Saskia; Swennen, Rony; Sági, László

    2009-06-24

    Next-generation transgenic plants will require a more precise regulation of transgene expression, preferably under the control of native promoters. A genome-wide T-DNA tagging strategy was therefore performed for the identification and characterization of novel banana promoters. Embryogenic cell suspensions of a plantain-type banana were transformed with a promoterless, codon-optimized luciferase (luc+) gene and low temperature-responsive luciferase activation was monitored in real time. Around 16,000 transgenic cell colonies were screened for baseline luciferase activity at room temperature 2 months after transformation. After discarding positive colonies, cultures were re-screened in real-time at 26 degrees C followed by a gradual decrease to 8 degrees C. The baseline activation frequency was 0.98%, while the frequency of low temperature-responsive luciferase activity was 0.61% in the same population of cell cultures. Transgenic colonies with luciferase activity responsive to low temperature were regenerated to plantlets and luciferase expression patterns monitored during different regeneration stages. Twenty four banana DNA sequences flanking the right T-DNA borders in seven independent lines were cloned via PCR walking. RT-PCR analysis in one line containing five inserts allowed the identification of the sequence that had activated luciferase expression under low temperature stress in a developmentally regulated manner. This activating sequence was fused to the uidA reporter gene and back-transformed into a commercial dessert banana cultivar, in which its original expression pattern was confirmed. This promoter tagging and real-time screening platform proved valuable for the identification of novel promoters and genes in banana and for monitoring expression patterns throughout in vitro development and low temperature treatment. Combination of PCR walking techniques was efficient for the isolation of candidate promoters even in a multicopy T-DNA line

  3. The influence of crop management on banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) populations and yield of highland cooking banana (cv. Atwalira) in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Rukazambuga, N D T M; Gold, C S; Gowen, S R; Ragama, P

    2002-10-01

    A field study was undertaken in Uganda using highland cooking banana (cv. Atwalira) to test the hypothesis that bananas grown under stressed conditions are more susceptible to attack by Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar). Four banana treatments were employed to create different levels of host-plant vitality: (1) high stress: intercrop with finger millet; (2) moderate stress: monoculture without soil amendments; (3) low stress: monoculture with manure; (4) high vigour: monoculture with continuous mulch and manure. Adult C. sordidus were released at the base of banana mats 11 months after planting and populations were monitored for three years using mark and recapture methods. Cosmopolites sordidus density was greatest in the mulched plots which may have reflected increased longevity and/or longer tenure time in moist soils. Lowest C. sordidus numbers were found in intercropped banana. Damage, estimated as percentage corm tissue consumed by larvae, was similar among treatments. However, the total amount of tissue consumed was greater in mulched banana than in other systems. Plants supporting the heaviest levels of C. sordidus damage displayed bunch size reductions of 40-55%. Banana yield losses ranged from 14-20% per plot with similar levels in the intercropped and mulched systems. Yield reductions, reported as t ha-1, were twice as high in the mulched system as in the intercrop. The results from this study indicate that C. sordidus problems are not confined to stressed banana systems or those with low levels of management, but that the weevil can also attain pest status in well-managed and productive banana stands.

  4. Proteome changes in banana fruit peel tissue in response to ethylene and high-temperature treatments.

    PubMed

    Du, Lina; Song, Jun; Forney, Charles; Palmer, Leslie Campbell; Fillmore, Sherry; Zhang, ZhaoQi

    2016-01-01

    Banana (Musa AAA group) is one of the most consumed fruits in the world due to its flavor and nutritional value. As a typical climacteric fruit, banana responds to ethylene treatment, which induces rapid changes of color, flavor (aroma and taste), sweetness and nutritional composition. It has also been reported that ripening bananas at temperatures above 24 °C inhibits chlorophyll breakdown and color formation but increases the rate of senescence. To gain fundamental knowledge about the effects of high temperature and ethylene on banana ripening, a quantitative proteomic study employing multiplex peptide stable isotope dimethyl labeling was conducted. In this study, green (immature) untreated banana fruit were subjected to treatment with 10 μL L(-1) of ethylene for 24 h. After ethylene treatment, treated and untreated fruit were stored at 20 or 30 °C for 24 h. Fruit peel tissues were then sampled after 0 and 1 day of storage, and peel color and chlorophyll fluorescence were evaluated. Quantitative proteomic analysis was conducted on the fruit peels after 1 day of storage. In total, 413 common proteins were identified and quantified from two biological replicates. Among these proteins, 91 changed significantly in response to ethylene and high-temperature treatments. Cluster analysis on these 91 proteins identified 7 groups of changed proteins. Ethylene treatment and storage at 20 °C induced 40 proteins that are correlated with pathogen resistance, cell wall metabolism, ethylene biosynthesis, allergens and ribosomal proteins, and it repressed 36 proteins that are associated with fatty acid and lipid metabolism, redox-oxidative responses, and protein biosynthesis and modification. Ethylene treatment and storage at 30 °C induced 32 proteins, which were mainly similar to those in group 1 but also included 8 proteins in group 3 (identified as chitinase, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 1, cysteine synthase, villin-2, leucine-transfer RNA ligase, CP47

  5. Proteome changes in banana fruit peel tissue in response to ethylene and high-temperature treatments

    PubMed Central

    Du, Lina; Song, Jun; Forney, Charles; Palmer, Leslie Campbell; Fillmore, Sherry; Zhang, ZhaoQi

    2016-01-01

    Banana (Musa AAA group) is one of the most consumed fruits in the world due to its flavor and nutritional value. As a typical climacteric fruit, banana responds to ethylene treatment, which induces rapid changes of color, flavor (aroma and taste), sweetness and nutritional composition. It has also been reported that ripening bananas at temperatures above 24 °C inhibits chlorophyll breakdown and color formation but increases the rate of senescence. To gain fundamental knowledge about the effects of high temperature and ethylene on banana ripening, a quantitative proteomic study employing multiplex peptide stable isotope dimethyl labeling was conducted. In this study, green (immature) untreated banana fruit were subjected to treatment with 10 μL L−1 of ethylene for 24 h. After ethylene treatment, treated and untreated fruit were stored at 20 or 30 °C for 24 h. Fruit peel tissues were then sampled after 0 and 1 day of storage, and peel color and chlorophyll fluorescence were evaluated. Quantitative proteomic analysis was conducted on the fruit peels after 1 day of storage. In total, 413 common proteins were identified and quantified from two biological replicates. Among these proteins, 91 changed significantly in response to ethylene and high-temperature treatments. Cluster analysis on these 91 proteins identified 7 groups of changed proteins. Ethylene treatment and storage at 20 °C induced 40 proteins that are correlated with pathogen resistance, cell wall metabolism, ethylene biosynthesis, allergens and ribosomal proteins, and it repressed 36 proteins that are associated with fatty acid and lipid metabolism, redox–oxidative responses, and protein biosynthesis and modification. Ethylene treatment and storage at 30 °C induced 32 proteins, which were mainly similar to those in group 1 but also included 8 proteins in group 3 (identified as chitinase, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 1, cysteine synthase, villin-2, leucine-transfer RNA ligase, CP47

  6. Biology, etiology, and control of virus diseases of banana and plantain.

    PubMed

    Kumar, P Lava; Selvarajan, Ramasamy; Iskra-Caruana, Marie-Line; Chabannes, Matthieu; Hanna, Rachid

    2015-01-01

    Banana and plantain (Musa spp.), produced in 10.3 million ha in the tropics, are among the world's top 10 food crops. They are vegetatively propagated using suckers or tissue culture plants and grown almost as perennial plantations. These are prone to the accumulation of pests and pathogens, especially viruses which contribute to yield reduction and are also barriers to the international exchange of germplasm. The most economically important viruses of banana and plantain are Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), a complex of banana streak viruses (BSVs) and Banana bract mosaic virus (BBrMV). BBTV is known to cause the most serious economic losses in the "Old World," contributing to a yield reduction of up to 100% and responsible for a dramatic reduction in cropping area. The BSVs exist as episomal and endogenous forms are known to be worldwide in distribution. In India and the Philippines, BBrMV is known to be economically important but recently the virus was discovered in Colombia and Costa Rica, thus signaling its spread into the "New World." Banana and plantain are also known to be susceptible to five other viruses of minor significance, such as Abaca mosaic virus, Abaca bunchy top virus, Banana mild mosaic virus, Banana virus X, and Cucumber mosaic virus. Studies over the past 100 years have contributed to important knowledge on disease biology, distribution, and spread. Research during the last 25 years have led to a better understanding of the virus-vector-host interactions, virus diversity, disease etiology, and epidemiology. In addition, new diagnostic tools were developed which were used for surveillance and the certification of planting material. Due to a lack of durable host resistance in the Musa spp., phytosanitary measures and the use of virus-free planting material are the major methods of virus control. The state of knowledge on BBTV, BBrMV, and BSVs, and other minor viruses, disease spread, and control are summarized in this review. © 2015 Elsevier Inc

  7. Live cell imaging reveals extensive intracellular cytoplasmic colonization of banana by normally non-cultivable endophytic bacteria.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Pious; Sekhar, Aparna Chandra

    2014-01-01

    It is generally believed that endophytic microorganisms are intercellular inhabitants present in either cultivable or non-cultivable form primarily as root colonizers. The objective of this study was to determine whether the actively mobile micro-particles observed in the intracellular matrix of fresh tissue sections of banana included endophytic bacteria. Tissue sections (50-100 µm) from apical leaf sheaths of surface-disinfected suckers (cv. Grand Naine) displayed 'Brownian motion'-reminiscent abundant motile micro-particles under bright-field and phase-contrast (×1000), which appeared similar in size and motility to the pure cultures of endophytes previously isolated from banana. Observations on callus, embryonic cells and protoplasts with intact cell wall/plasma membrane confirmed their cytoplasmic nature. The motility of these entities reduced or ceased upon tissue fixation or staining with safranin/crystal violet (0.5 % w/v), but continued uninterrupted following treatment with actin-disrupting drugs, ruling out the possibility of micro-organelles like peroxisomes. Staining with 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) confirmed them to be live bacteria with similar observations after dilute safranin (0.005 %) treatment. Tissue staining with SYTO-9 coupled with epi-fluorescence or confocal laser scanning microscopy showed bacterial colonization along the peri-space between cell wall and plasma membrane initially. SYTO-9 counterstaining on TTC- or safranin-treated tissue and those subjected to enzymatic permeabilization revealed the cytoplasmic bacteria. These included organisms moving freely in the cytoplasm and those adhering to the nuclear envelope or vacuoles and the intravacuolar colonizers. The observations appeared ubiquitous to different genomes and genotypes of banana. Plating the tissue homogenate on nutrient media seldom yielded colony growth. This study, supported largely by live cell video-imaging, demonstrates enormous intracellular

  8. Live cell imaging reveals extensive intracellular cytoplasmic colonization of banana by normally non-cultivable endophytic bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, Pious; Sekhar, Aparna Chandra

    2014-01-01

    It is generally believed that endophytic microorganisms are intercellular inhabitants present in either cultivable or non-cultivable form primarily as root colonizers. The objective of this study was to determine whether the actively mobile micro-particles observed in the intracellular matrix of fresh tissue sections of banana included endophytic bacteria. Tissue sections (50–100 µm) from apical leaf sheaths of surface-disinfected suckers (cv. Grand Naine) displayed ‘Brownian motion’-reminiscent abundant motile micro-particles under bright-field and phase-contrast (×1000), which appeared similar in size and motility to the pure cultures of endophytes previously isolated from banana. Observations on callus, embryonic cells and protoplasts with intact cell wall/plasma membrane confirmed their cytoplasmic nature. The motility of these entities reduced or ceased upon tissue fixation or staining with safranin/crystal violet (0.5 % w/v), but continued uninterrupted following treatment with actin-disrupting drugs, ruling out the possibility of micro-organelles like peroxisomes. Staining with 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) confirmed them to be live bacteria with similar observations after dilute safranin (0.005 %) treatment. Tissue staining with SYTO-9 coupled with epi-fluorescence or confocal laser scanning microscopy showed bacterial colonization along the peri-space between cell wall and plasma membrane initially. SYTO-9 counterstaining on TTC- or safranin-treated tissue and those subjected to enzymatic permeabilization revealed the cytoplasmic bacteria. These included organisms moving freely in the cytoplasm and those adhering to the nuclear envelope or vacuoles and the intravacuolar colonizers. The observations appeared ubiquitous to different genomes and genotypes of banana. Plating the tissue homogenate on nutrient media seldom yielded colony growth. This study, supported largely by live cell video-imaging, demonstrates enormous intracellular

  9. Genome-wide identification and expression profiling reveal tissue-specific expression and differentially-regulated genes involved in gibberellin metabolism between Williams banana and its dwarf mutant.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jingjing; Xie, Jianghui; Duan, Yajie; Hu, Huigang; Hu, Yulin; Li, Weiming

    2016-05-27

    Dwarfism is one of the most valuable traits in banana breeding because semi-dwarf cultivars show good resistance to damage by wind and rain. Moreover, these cultivars present advantages of convenient cultivation, management, and so on. We obtained a dwarf mutant '8818-1' through EMS (ethyl methane sulphonate) mutagenesis of Williams banana 8818 (Musa spp. AAA group). Our research have shown that gibberellins (GAs) content in 8818-1 false stems was significantly lower than that in its parent 8818 and the dwarf type of 8818-1 could be restored by application of exogenous GA3. Although GA exerts important impacts on the 8818-1 dwarf type, our understanding of the regulation of GA metabolism during banana dwarf mutant development remains limited. Genome-wide screening revealed 36 candidate GA metabolism genes were systematically identified for the first time; these genes included 3 MaCPS, 2 MaKS, 1 MaKO, 2 MaKAO, 10 MaGA20ox, 4 MaGA3ox, and 14 MaGA2ox genes. Phylogenetic tree and conserved protein domain analyses showed sequence conservation and divergence. GA metabolism genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns. Early GA biosynthesis genes were constitutively expressed but presented differential regulation in different tissues in Williams banana. GA oxidase family genes were mainly transcribed in young fruits, thus suggesting that young fruits were the most active tissue involved in GA metabolism, followed by leaves, bracts, and finally approximately mature fruits. Expression patterns between 8818 and 8818-1 revealed that MaGA20ox4, MaGA20ox5, and MaGA20ox7 of the MaGA20ox gene family and MaGA2ox7, MaGA2ox12, and MaGA2ox14 of the MaGA2ox gene family exhibited significant differential expression and high-expression levels in false stems. These genes are likely to be responsible for the regulation of GAs content in 8818-1 false stems. Overall, phylogenetic evolution, tissue specificity and differential expression analyses of GA metabolism genes can provide a

  10. 21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. (a) Identification. Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

  11. 21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. (a) Identification. Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

  12. 21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. (a) Identification. Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

  13. Characterisation of colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose of banana.

    PubMed

    Zakaria, Latiffah; Sahak, Shamsiah; Zakaria, Maziah; Salleh, Baharuddin

    2009-12-01

    A total of 13 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from different banana cultivars (Musa spp.) with symptoms of anthracnose. Colletotrichum isolates from anthracnose of guava (Psidium guajava) and water apple (Syzygium aqueum) were also included in this study. Based on cultural and morphological characteristics, isolates from banana and guava were identified as Colletotrichum musae and from water apple as Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes. Isolates of C. musae from banana and guava had similar banding patterns in a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with four random primers, and they clustered together in a UPGMA analysis. C. gloeosporiodes from water apple was clustered in a separate cluster. Based on the present study, C. musae was frequently isolated from anthracnose of different banana cultivars and the RAPD banding patterns of C. musae isolates were highly similar but showed intraspecific variations.

  14. Differential gene expression in ripening banana fruit.

    PubMed Central

    Clendennen, S K; May, G D

    1997-01-01

    During banana (Musa acuminata L.) fruit ripening ethylene production triggers a developmental cascade that is accompanied by a massive conversion of starch to sugars, an associated burst of respiratory activity, and an increase in protein synthesis. Differential screening of cDNA libraries representing banana pulp at ripening stages 1 and 3 has led to the isolation of 11 nonredundant groups of differentially expressed mRNAs. Identification of these transcripts by partial sequence analysis indicates that two of the mRNAs encode proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, whereas others encode proteins thought to be associated with pathogenesis, senescence, or stress responses in plants. Their relative abundance in the pulp and tissue-specific distribution in greenhouse-grown banana plants were determined by northern-blot analyses. The relative abundance of transcripts encoding starch synthase, granule-bound starch synthase, chitinase, lectin, and a type-2 metallothionein decreased in pulp during ripening. Transcripts encoding endochitinase, beta-1,3-glucanase, a thaumatin-like protein, ascorbate peroxidase, metallothionein, and a putative senescence-related protein increased early in ripening. The elucidation of the molecular events associated with banana ripening will facilitate a better understanding and control of these processes, and will allow us to attain our long-term goal of producing candidate oral vaccines in transgenic banana plants. PMID:9342866

  15. 21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... cell culture processing applications. 876.5885 Section 876.5885 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. (a) Identification. Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

  16. Characterisation of Colletotrichum Species Associated with Anthracnose of Banana

    PubMed Central

    Zakaria, Latiffah; Sahak, Shamsiah; Zakaria, Maziah; Salleh, Baharuddin

    2009-01-01

    A total of 13 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from different banana cultivars (Musa spp.) with symptoms of anthracnose. Colletotrichum isolates from anthracnose of guava (Psidium guajava) and water apple (Syzygium aqueum) were also included in this study. Based on cultural and morphological characteristics, isolates from banana and guava were identified as Colletotrichum musae and from water apple as Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes. Isolates of C. musae from banana and guava had similar banding patterns in a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with four random primers, and they clustered together in a UPGMA analysis. C. gloeosporiodes from water apple was clustered in a separate cluster. Based on the present study, C. musae was frequently isolated from anthracnose of different banana cultivars and the RAPD banding patterns of C. musae isolates were highly similar but showed intraspecific variations. PMID:24575184

  17. Expression of three sHSP genes involved in heat pretreatment-induced chilling tolerance in banana fruit.

    PubMed

    He, Li-hong; Chen, Jian-ye; Kuang, Jian-fei; Lu, Wang-jin

    2012-07-01

    Banana fruit is highly susceptible to chilling injury. In previous research it was shown that heat pretreatment of banana fruit at 38 °C for 3 days before storage at a chilling temperature of 8 °C for 12 days prevented increases in visible chilling injury index, electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content and also decreases in lightness and chroma, indicating that heat pretreatment could effectively alleviate chilling injury of banana fruit. However, little is known about the role of small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) in postharvest chilling tolerance of banana fruit. In the present study, three cytosolic sHSP expression profiles in peel and pulp tissues of banana fruit during heat pretreatment and subsequent chilled storage (8 °C) were investigated in relation to heat pretreatment-induced chilling tolerance. Three full-length cDNAs of cytosolic sHSP genes, including two class I sHSP (CI sHSP) and one class II sHSP (CII sHSP) cDNAs, named Ma-CI sHSP1, Ma-CI sHSP2 and Ma-CII sHSP3 respectively, were isolated and characterised from harvested banana fruit. Accumulation of Ma-CI sHSP1 mRNA transcripts in peel and pulp tissues and Ma-CII sHSP3 mRNA transcripts in peel tissue increased during heat pretreatment. Expression of all three Ma-sHSP genes in peel and pulp tissues was induced during subsequent chilled storage. Furthermore, Ma-CI sHSP1 and Ma-CII sHSP3 mRNA transcripts in pulp tissue and Ma-CI sHSP2 mRNA transcripts in peel and pulp tissues were obviously enhanced by heat pretreatment at days 6 and 9 of subsequent chilled storage. These results suggested that heat pretreatment enhanced the expression of Ma-sHSPs, which might be involved in heat pretreatment-induced chilling tolerance of banana fruit. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

  18. Banana Ovate Family Protein MaOFP1 and MADS-Box Protein MuMADS1 Antagonistically Regulated Banana Fruit Ripening

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Wei; Miao, Hongxia; Zhang, Jianbin; Jia, Caihong; Wang, Zhuo; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2015-01-01

    The ovate family protein named MaOFP1 was identified in banana (Musa acuminata L.AAA) fruit by a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) method using the banana MADS-box gene MuMADS1 as bait and a 2 day postharvest (DPH) banana fruit cDNA library as prey. The interaction between MuMADS1 and MaOFP1 was further confirmed by Y2H and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) methods, which showed that the MuMADS1 K domain interacted with MaOFP1. Real-time quantitative PCR evaluation of MuMADS1 and MaOFP1 expression patterns in banana showed that they are highly expressed in 0 DPH fruit, but present in low levels in the stem, which suggests that simultaneous but different expression patterns exist for both MuMADS1 and MaOFP1 in different tissues and developing fruits. Meanwhile, MuMADS1 and MaOFP1 expression was highly stimulated and greatly suppressed, respectively, by exogenous ethylene. In contrast, MaOFP1 expression was highly stimulated while MuMADS1 was greatly suppressed by the ethylene competitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). These results indicate that MuMADS1 and MaOFP1 are antagonistically regulated by ethylene and might play important roles in postharvest banana fruit ripening. PMID:25886169

  19. Fermentation of Foc TR4-infected bananas and Trichoderma spp.

    PubMed

    Yang, J; Li, B; Liu, S W; Biswas, M K; Liu, S; Wei, Y R; Zuo, C W; Deng, G M; Kuang, R B; Hu, C H; Yi, G J; Li, C Y

    2016-10-17

    Fusarium wilt (also known as Panama disease) is one of the most destructive banana diseases, and greatly hampers the global production of bananas. Consequently, it has been very detrimental to the Chinese banana industry. An infected plant is one of the major causes of the spread of Fusarium wilt to nearby regions. It is essential to develop an efficient and environmentally sustainable disease control method to restrict the spread of Fusarium wilt. We isolated Trichoderma spp from the rhizosphere soil, roots, and pseudostems of banana plants that showed Fusarium wilt symptoms in the infected areas. Their cellulase activities were measured by endoglucanase activity, β-glucosidase activity, and filter paper activity assays. Safety analyses of the Trichoderma isolates were conducted by inoculating them into banana plantlets. The antagonistic effects of the Trichoderma spp on the Fusarium pathogen Foc tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4) were tested by the dual culture technique. Four isolates that had high cellulase activity, no observable pathogenicity to banana plants, and high antagonistic capability were identified. The isolates were used to biodegrade diseased banana plants infected with GFP-tagged Foc TR4, and the compost was tested for biological control of the infectious agent; the results showed that the fermentation suppressed the incidence of wilt and killed the pathogen. This study indicates that Trichoderma isolates have the potential to eliminate the transmission of Foc TR4, and may be developed into an environmentally sustainable treatment for controlling Fusarium wilt in banana plants.

  20. Lipophilic extracts from banana fruit residues: a source of valuable phytosterols.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Lúcia; Freire, Carmen S R; Silvestre, Armando J D; Cordeiro, Nereida

    2008-10-22

    The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of unripe pulp and peel of banana fruit 'Dwarf Cavendish' was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fatty acids, sterols, and steryl esters are the major families of lipophilic components present in banana tissues, followed by diacylglycerols, steryl glucosides, long chain fatty alcohols, and aromatic compounds. Fatty acids are more abundant in the banana pulp (29-90% of the total amount of lipophilic extract), with linoleic, linolenic, and oleic acids as the major compounds of this family. In banana peel, sterols represent about 49-71% of the lipophilic extract with two triterpenic ketones (31-norcyclolaudenone and cycloeucalenone) as the major components. The detection of high amounts of steryl esters (469-24405 mg/kg) and diacylglycerols (119-878 mg/kg), mainly present in the banana peel extract, explains the increase in the abundance of fatty acids and sterols after alkaline hydrolysis. Several steryl glucosides were also found in significative amounts (273-888 mg/kg), particularly in banana pulp (888 mg/kg). The high content of sterols (and their derivatives) in the 'Dwarf Cavendish' fruit can open new strategies for the valorization of the banana residues as a potential source of high-value phytochemicals with nutraceutical and functional food additive applications.

  1. Production of bioethanol using agricultural waste: Banana pseudo stem

    PubMed Central

    Ingale, Snehal; Joshi, Sanket J.; Gupte, Akshaya

    2014-01-01

    India is amongst the largest banana (Musa acuminata) producing countries and thus banana pseudo stem is commonly available agricultural waste to be used as lignocellulosic substrate. Present study focuses on exploitation of banana pseudo stem as a source for bioethanol production from the sugars released due to different chemical and biological pretreatments. Two fungal strains Aspergillus ellipticus and Aspergillus fumigatus reported to be producing cellulolytic enzymes on sugarcane bagasse were used under co-culture fermentation on banana pseudo stem to degrade holocellulose and facilitate maximum release of reducing sugars. The hydrolysate obtained after alkali and microbial treatments was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM 3570 to produce ethanol. Fermentation of cellulosic hydrolysate (4.1 g%) gave maximum ethanol (17.1 g/L) with yield (84%) and productivity (0.024 g%/h) after 72 h. Some critical aspects of fungal pretreatment for saccharification of cellulosic substrate using A. ellipticus and A. fumigatus for ethanol production by S. cerevisiae NCIM 3570 have been explored in this study. It was observed that pretreated banana pseudo stem can be economically utilized as a cheaper substrate for ethanol production. PMID:25477922

  2. Fluorescent chlorophyll catabolites in bananas light up blue halos of cell death

    PubMed Central

    Moser, Simone; Müller, Thomas; Holzinger, Andreas; Lütz, Cornelius; Jockusch, Steffen; Turro, Nicholas J.; Kräutler, Bernhard

    2009-01-01

    Breakdown of chlorophyll is a major contributor to the diagnostic color changes in fall leaves, and in ripening apples and pears, where it commonly provides colorless, nonfluorescent tetrapyrroles. In contrast, in ripening bananas (Musa acuminata) chlorophylls fade to give unique fluorescent catabolites (FCCs), causing yellow bananas to glow blue, when observed under UV light. Here, we demonstrate the capacity of the blue fluorescent chlorophyll catabolites to signal symptoms of programmed cell death in a plant. We report on studies of bright blue luminescent rings on the peel of very ripe bananas, which arise as halos around necrotic areas in ‘senescence associated’ dark spots. These dark spots appear naturally on the peel of ripe bananas and occur in the vicinity of stomata. Wavelength, space, and time resolved fluorescence measurements allowed the luminescent areas to be monitored on whole bananas. Our studies revealed an accumulation of FCCs in luminescent rings, within senescing cells undergoing the transition to dead tissue, as was observable by morphological textural cellular changes. FCCs typically are short lived intermediates of chlorophyll breakdown. In some plants, FCCs are uniquely persistent, as is seen in bananas, and can thus be used as luminescent in vivo markers in tissue undergoing senescence. While FCCs still remain to be tested for their own hypothetical physiological role in plants, they may help fill the demand for specific endogenous molecular reporters in noninvasive assays of plant senescence. Thus, they allow for in vivo studies, which provide insights into critical stages preceding cell death. PMID:19805212

  3. Let's Go Bananas.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Helen; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Presents a hands-on primary science unit of activities designed to teach students concepts about bananas. Real bananas are used as students investigate and use the process skills of observation, measurement, and communication. Using bananas as a theme, science, mathematics, social studies, music, and writing are integrated into the curriculum of…

  4. Production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes by monoculture and co-culture of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus under SSF of banana peels.

    PubMed

    Rehman, Shazia; Aslam, Hina; Ahmad, Aqeel; Khan, Shakeel Ahmed; Sohail, Muhammad

    2014-01-01

    Filamentous fungi are considered to be the most important group of microorganisms for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE), in solid state fermentations. In this study, two fungal strains Aspergillus niger MS23 and Aspergillus terreus MS105 were screened for plant CWDE such as amylase, pectinase, xylanase and cellulases (β-glucosidase, endoglucanase and filterpaperase) using a novel substrate, Banana Peels (BP) for SSF process. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to use BP as SSF substrate for plant CWDE production by co-culture of fungal strains. The titers of pectinase were significantly improved in co-culture compared to mono-culture. Furthermore, the enzyme preparations obtained from monoculture and co-culture were used to study the hydrolysis of BP along with some crude and purified substrates. It was observed that the enzymatic hydrolysis of different crude and purified substrates accomplished after 26 h of incubation, where pectin was maximally hydrolyzed by the enzyme preparations of mono and co-culture. Along with purified substrates, crude materials were also proved to be efficiently degraded by the cocktail of the CWDE. These results demonstrated that banana peels may be a potential substrate in solid-state fermentation for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes to be used for improving various biotechnological and industrial processes.

  5. Production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes by monoculture and co-culture of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus under SSF of banana peels

    PubMed Central

    Rehman, Shazia; Aslam, Hina; Ahmad, Aqeel; Khan, Shakeel Ahmed; Sohail, Muhammad

    2014-01-01

    Filamentous fungi are considered to be the most important group of microorganisms for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE), in solid state fermentations. In this study, two fungal strains Aspergillus niger MS23 and Aspergillus terreus MS105 were screened for plant CWDE such as amylase, pectinase, xylanase and cellulases (β-glucosidase, endoglucanase and filterpaperase) using a novel substrate, Banana Peels (BP) for SSF process. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to use BP as SSF substrate for plant CWDE production by co-culture of fungal strains. The titers of pectinase were significantly improved in co-culture compared to mono-culture. Furthermore, the enzyme preparations obtained from monoculture and co-culture were used to study the hydrolysis of BP along with some crude and purified substrates. It was observed that the enzymatic hydrolysis of different crude and purified substrates accomplished after 26 h of incubation, where pectin was maximally hydrolyzed by the enzyme preparations of mono and co-culture. Along with purified substrates, crude materials were also proved to be efficiently degraded by the cocktail of the CWDE. These results demonstrated that banana peels may be a potential substrate in solid-state fermentation for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes to be used for improving various biotechnological and industrial processes. PMID:25763058

  6. A novel amperometric biosensor based on banana peel (Musa cavendish) tissue homogenate for determination of phenolic compounds.

    PubMed

    Ozcan, Hakki Mevlut; Sagiroglu, Ayten

    2010-08-01

    In this study the biosensor was constructed by immobilizing tissue homogenate of banana peel onto a glassy carbon electrode surface. Effects of immobilization materials amounts, effects of pH, buffer concentration and temperature on biosensor response were studied. In addition, the detection ranges of 13 phenolic compounds were obtained with the help of the calibration graphs. Storage stability, repeatability of the biosensor, inhibitory effect and sample applications were also investigated. A typical calibration curve for the sensor revealed a linear range of 10-80 microM catechol. In reproducibility studies, variation coefficient and standard deviation were calculated as 2.69%, 1.44 x 10(-3) microM, respectively.

  7. Cultured normal mammalian tissue and process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor); Prewett, Tacey L. (Inventor); Wolf, David A. (Inventor); Spaulding, Glenn F. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    Normal mammalian tissue and the culturing process has been developed for the three groups of organ, structural and blood tissue. The cells are grown in vitro under microgravity culture conditions and form three dimensional cell aggregates with normal cell function. The microgravity culture conditions may be microgravity or simulated microgravity created in a horizontal rotating wall culture vessel.

  8. Ecuadorian Banana Farms Should Consider Organic Banana with Low Price Risks in Their Land-Use Portfolios

    PubMed Central

    Castro, Luz Maria; Calvas, Baltazar; Knoke, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Organic farming is a more environmentally friendly form of land use than conventional agriculture. However, recent studies point out production tradeoffs that often prevent the adoption of such practices by farmers. Our study shows with the example of organic banana production in Ecuador that economic tradeoffs depend much on the approach of the analysis. We test, if organic banana should be included in economic land-use portfolios, which indicate how much of the land is provided for which type of land-use. We use time series data for productivity and prices over 30 years to compute the economic return (as annualized net present value) and its volatility (with standard deviation as risk measure) for eight crops to derive land-use portfolios for different levels of risk, which maximize economic return. We find that organic banana is included in land-use portfolios for almost every level of accepted risk with proportions from 1% to maximally 32%, even if the same high uncertainty as for conventional banana is simulated for organic banana. A more realistic, lower simulated price risk increased the proportion of organic banana substantially to up to 57% and increased annual economic returns by up to US$ 187 per ha. Under an assumed integration of both markets, for organic and conventional banana, simulated by an increased coefficient of correlation of economic return from organic and conventional banana (ρ up to +0.7), organic banana holds significant portions in the land-use portfolios tested only, if a low price risk of organic banana is considered. We conclude that uncertainty is a key issue for the adoption of organic banana. As historic data support a low price risk for organic banana compared to conventional banana, Ecuadorian farmers should consider organic banana as an advantageous land-use option in their land-use portfolios. PMID:25799506

  9. Ecuadorian banana farms should consider organic banana with low price risks in their land-use portfolios.

    PubMed

    Castro, Luz Maria; Calvas, Baltazar; Knoke, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Organic farming is a more environmentally friendly form of land use than conventional agriculture. However, recent studies point out production tradeoffs that often prevent the adoption of such practices by farmers. Our study shows with the example of organic banana production in Ecuador that economic tradeoffs depend much on the approach of the analysis. We test, if organic banana should be included in economic land-use portfolios, which indicate how much of the land is provided for which type of land-use. We use time series data for productivity and prices over 30 years to compute the economic return (as annualized net present value) and its volatility (with standard deviation as risk measure) for eight crops to derive land-use portfolios for different levels of risk, which maximize economic return. We find that organic banana is included in land-use portfolios for almost every level of accepted risk with proportions from 1% to maximally 32%, even if the same high uncertainty as for conventional banana is simulated for organic banana. A more realistic, lower simulated price risk increased the proportion of organic banana substantially to up to 57% and increased annual economic returns by up to US$ 187 per ha. Under an assumed integration of both markets, for organic and conventional banana, simulated by an increased coefficient of correlation of economic return from organic and conventional banana (ρ up to +0.7), organic banana holds significant portions in the land-use portfolios tested only, if a low price risk of organic banana is considered. We conclude that uncertainty is a key issue for the adoption of organic banana. As historic data support a low price risk for organic banana compared to conventional banana, Ecuadorian farmers should consider organic banana as an advantageous land-use option in their land-use portfolios.

  10. The Banana Genome Hub

    PubMed Central

    Droc, Gaëtan; Larivière, Delphine; Guignon, Valentin; Yahiaoui, Nabila; This, Dominique; Garsmeur, Olivier; Dereeper, Alexis; Hamelin, Chantal; Argout, Xavier; Dufayard, Jean-François; Lengelle, Juliette; Baurens, Franc-Christophe; Cenci, Alberto; Pitollat, Bertrand; D’Hont, Angélique; Ruiz, Manuel; Rouard, Mathieu; Bocs, Stéphanie

    2013-01-01

    Banana is one of the world’s favorite fruits and one of the most important crops for developing countries. The banana reference genome sequence (Musa acuminata) was recently released. Given the taxonomic position of Musa, the completed genomic sequence has particular comparative value to provide fresh insights about the evolution of the monocotyledons. The study of the banana genome has been enhanced by a number of tools and resources that allows harnessing its sequence. First, we set up essential tools such as a Community Annotation System, phylogenomics resources and metabolic pathways. Then, to support post-genomic efforts, we improved banana existing systems (e.g. web front end, query builder), we integrated available Musa data into generic systems (e.g. markers and genetic maps, synteny blocks), we have made interoperable with the banana hub, other existing systems containing Musa data (e.g. transcriptomics, rice reference genome, workflow manager) and finally, we generated new results from sequence analyses (e.g. SNP and polymorphism analysis). Several uses cases illustrate how the Banana Genome Hub can be used to study gene families. Overall, with this collaborative effort, we discuss the importance of the interoperability toward data integration between existing information systems. Database URL: http://banana-genome.cirad.fr/ PMID:23707967

  11. Optical metabolic imaging of live tissue cultures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walsh, Alex J.; Cook, Rebecca S.; Arteaga, Carlos L.; Skala, Melissa C.

    2013-02-01

    The fluorescence properties, both intensity and fluorescence lifetime, of NADH and FAD, two coenzymes of metabolism, are sensitive, high resolution measures of cellular metabolism. However, often in vivo measurements of tissue are not feasible. In this study, we investigate the stability over time of two-photon auto-fluorescence imaging of NADH and FAD in live-cultured tissues. Our results demonstrate that cultured tissues remain viable for at least several days post excision. Furthermore, the optical redox ratio, NADH fluorescence lifetime, and FAD fluorescence lifetime do not significantly change in the cultured tissues over time. With these findings, we demonstrate the potential of sustained tissue culture techniques for optical metabolic imaging.

  12. Singlet Molecular Oxygen Generation by Light-Activated DHN-Melanin of the Fungal Pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis in Black Sigatoka Disease of Bananas

    PubMed Central

    Beltrán-García, Miguel J.; Prado, Fernanda M.; Oliveira, Marilene S.; Ortiz-Mendoza, David; Scalfo, Alexsandra C.; Pessoa, Adalberto; Medeiros, Marisa H. G.; White, James F.; Di Mascio, Paolo

    2014-01-01

    In pathogenic fungi, melanin contributes to virulence, allowing tissue invasion and inactivation of the plant defence system, but has never been implicated as a factor for host cell death, or as a light-activated phytotoxin. Our research shows that melanin synthesized by the fungal banana pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis acts as a virulence factor through the photogeneration of singlet molecular oxygen O2 (1Δg). Using analytical tools, including elemental analysis, ultraviolet/infrared absorption spectrophometry and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis, we characterized both pigment content in mycelia and secreted to the culture media as 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin type compound. This is sole melanin-type in M. fijiensis. Isolated melanins irradiated with a Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm produced monomol light emission at 1270 nm, confirming generation of O2 (1Δg), a highly reactive oxygen specie (ROS) that causes cellular death by reacting with all cellular macromolecules. Intermediary polyketides accumulated in culture media by using tricyclazole and pyroquilon (two inhibitors of DHN-melanin synthesis) were identified by ESI-HPLC-MS/MS. Additionally, irradiation at 532 nm of that mixture of compounds and whole melanized mycelium also generated O2 (1Δg). A pigmented-strain generated more O2 (1Δg) than a strain with low melanin content. Banana leaves of cultivar Cavendish, naturally infected with different stages of black Sigatoka disease, were collected from field. Direct staining of the naturally infected leaf tissues showed the presence of melanin that was positively correlated to the disease stage. We also found hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) but we cannot distinguish the source. Our results suggest that O2 (1Δg) photogenerated by DHN-melanin may be involved in the destructive effects of Mycosphaerella fijiensis on banana leaf tissues. Further studies are needed to fully evaluate contributions of melanin-mediated ROS to microbial pathogenesis. PMID:24646830

  13. Mammalian Cell Tissue Culture Techniques.

    PubMed

    Phelan, Katy; May, Kristin M

    2016-06-01

    Cultured tissues and cells are used extensively in physiological and pharmacological studies. In vitro cultures provide a means of examining cells and tissues without the complex interactions that would be present if the whole organism were studied. A number of special skills are required in order to preserve the structure, function, behavior, and biology of cells in culture. This unit describes the basic skills required to maintain and preserve cell cultures: maintaining aseptic technique, preparing media with the appropriate characteristics, passaging, freezing and storage, recovering frozen stocks, and counting viable cells. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  14. Plant Tissue Culture in a Bag.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beck, Mike

    2000-01-01

    Describes the use of an oven bag as a sterile chamber for culture initiation and tissue transfer. Plant tissue culture is an ideal tool for introducing students to plants, cloning, and experimental design. Includes materials, methods, discussion, and conclusion sections. (SAH)

  15. Pathogen propagation in cultured three-dimensional tissue mass

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolf, David A. (Inventor); Spaulding, Glenn F. (Inventor); Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A process for propagating a pathogen in a three-dimensional tissue mass cultured at microgravity conditions in a culture vessel containing culture media and a culture matrix is provided. The three-dimensional tissue mass is inoculated with a pathogen and pathogen replication in the cells of the tissue mass achieved.

  16. Molecular cloning and characterisation of banana fruit polyphenol oxidase.

    PubMed

    Gooding, P S; Bird, C; Robinson, S P

    2001-09-01

    Polyphenol oxidase (PPO; EC 1.10.3.2) is the enzyme thought to be responsible for browning in banana [Musa cavendishii (AAA group, Cavendish subgroup) cv. Williams] fruit. Banana flesh was high in PPO activity throughout growth and ripening. Peel showed high levels of activity early in development but activity declined until ripening started and then remained constant. PPO activity in fruit was not substantially induced after wounding or treatment with 5-methyl jasmonate. Banana flowers and unexpanded leaf roll had high PPO activities with lower activities observed in mature leaves, roots and stem. Four different PPO cDNA clones were amplified from banana fruit (BPO1, BPO11, BPO34 and BPO35). Full-length cDNA and genomic clones were isolated for the most abundant sequence (BPO1) and the genomic clone was found to contain an 85-bp intron. Introns have not been previously found in PPO genes. Northern analysis revealed the presence of BPO1 mRNA in banana flesh early in development but little BPO1 mRNA was detected at the same stage in banana peel. BPO11 transcript was only detected in very young flesh and there was no detectable expression of BPO34 or BPO35 in developing fruit samples. PPO transcripts were also low throughout ripening in both flesh and peel. BPO1 transcripts were readily detected in flowers, stem, roots and leaf roll samples but were not detected in mature leaves. BPO11 showed a similar pattern of expression to BPO1 in these tissues but transcript levels were much lower. BPO34 and BPO35 mRNAs were only detected at a low level in flowers and roots and BPO34 transcript was detected in mature leaves, the only clone to do so. The results suggest that browning of banana fruit during ripening results from release of pre-existing PPO enzyme, which is synthesised very early in fruit development.

  17. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analyses of Aquaporin Gene Family during Development and Abiotic Stress in Banana

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Wei; Hou, Xiaowan; Huang, Chao; Yan, Yan; Tie, Weiwei; Ding, Zehong; Wei, Yunxie; Liu, Juhua; Miao, Hongxia; Lu, Zhiwei; Li, Meiying; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2015-01-01

    Aquaporins (AQPs) function to selectively control the flow of water and other small molecules through biological membranes, playing crucial roles in various biological processes. However, little information is available on the AQP gene family in bananas. In this study, we identified 47 banana AQP genes based on the banana genome sequence. Evolutionary analysis of AQPs from banana, Arabidopsis, poplar, and rice indicated that banana AQPs (MaAQPs) were clustered into four subfamilies. Conserved motif analysis showed that all banana AQPs contained the typical AQP-like or major intrinsic protein (MIP) domain. Gene structure analysis suggested the majority of MaAQPs had two to four introns with a highly specific number and length for each subfamily. Expression analysis of MaAQP genes during fruit development and postharvest ripening showed that some MaAQP genes exhibited high expression levels during these stages, indicating the involvement of MaAQP genes in banana fruit development and ripening. Additionally, some MaAQP genes showed strong induction after stress treatment and therefore, may represent potential candidates for improving banana resistance to abiotic stress. Taken together, this study identified some excellent tissue-specific, fruit development- and ripening-dependent, and abiotic stress-responsive candidate MaAQP genes, which could lay a solid foundation for genetic improvement of banana cultivars. PMID:26307965

  18. Natural Radioactivity in Bananas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zagatto, V. A. B.; Medina, N. H.; Okuno, E.; Umisedo, N. K.

    2008-08-01

    The content of 40K natural radionuclide in bananas (Musa sapientum) from the Vale do Ribeira region, São Paulo, Brazil, has been measured. We have collected several samples of bananas prata and nanica, its peels, leaves, and also different soils where the banana tree was planted, such as soil with a standard amount of fertilizer, the fertilizer itself and also soil without fertilizer for comparison. We have used the gamma-ray spectroscopy technique with a NaI(T1) crystal inside a 12 cm thick lead shield to detect the gamma-radiation. The results indicate that only part of the available potassium is absorbed by the plant, which is mainly concentrated in the banana peel.

  19. Cultivation Versus Molecular Analysis of Banana (Musa sp.) Shoot-Tip Tissue Reveals Enormous Diversity of Normally Uncultivable Endophytic Bacteria.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Pious; Sekhar, Aparna Chandra

    2017-05-01

    The interior of plants constitutes a unique environment for microorganisms with various organisms inhabiting as endophytes. Unlike subterranean plant parts, aboveground parts are relatively less explored for endophytic microbial diversity. We employed a combination of cultivation and molecular approaches to study the endophytic bacterial diversity in banana shoot-tips. Cultivable bacteria from 20 sucker shoot-tips of cv. Grand Naine included 37 strains under 16 genera and three phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes). 16S rRNA gene-ribotyping approach on 799f and 1492r PCR-amplicons to avoid plant organelle sequences was ineffective showing limited bacterial diversity. 16S rRNA metagene profiling targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable region after filtering out the chloroplast (74.2 %), mitochondrial (22.9 %), and unknown sequences (1.1 %) revealed enormous bacterial diversity. Proteobacteria formed the predominant phylum (64 %) succeeded by Firmicutes (12.1 %), Actinobacteria (9.5 %), Bacteroidetes (6.4 %), Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, and minor shares (<1 %) of 14 phyla including several candidate phyla besides the domain Euryarchaeota (0.2 %). Microbiome analysis of single shoot-tips through 16S rRNA V3 region profiling showed similar taxonomic richness and diversity and was less affected by plant sequence interferences. DNA extraction kit ominously influenced the phylogenetic diversity. The study has revealed vast diversity of normally uncultivable endophytic bacteria prevailing in banana shoot-tips (20 phyla, 46 classes) with about 2.6 % of the deciphered 269 genera and 1.5 % of the 656 observed species from the same source of shoot-tips attained through cultivation. The predominant genera included several agriculturally important bacteria. The study reveals an immense ecosystem of endophytic bacteria in banana shoot tissues endorsing the earlier documentation of intracellular "Cytobacts" and "Peribacts" with possible roles in plant

  20. In vitro digestibility of banana starch cookies.

    PubMed

    Bello-Pérez, Luis A; Sáyago-Ayerdi, Sonia G; Méndez-Montealvo, Guadalupe; Tovar, Juscelino

    2004-01-01

    Banana starch was isolated and used for preparation of two types of cookies. Chemical composition and digestibility tests were carried out on banana starch and the food products, and these results were compared with corn starch. Ash, protein, and fat levels in banana starch were higher than in corn starch. The high ash amount in banana starch could be due to the potassium content present in this fruit. Proximal analysis was similar between products prepared with banana starch and those based on corn starch. The available starch content of the banana starch preparation was 60% (dmb). The cookies had lower available starch than the starches while banana starch had lower susceptibility to the in vitro alpha-amylolysis reaction. Banana starch and its products had higher resistant starch levels than those made with corn starch.

  1. Natural Radioactivity in Bananas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zagatto, V. A. B.; Medina, N. H.; Okuno, E.

    The content of {sup 40}K natural radionuclide in bananas (Musa sapientum) from the Vale do Ribeira region, Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been measured. We have collected several samples of bananas prata and nanica, its peels, leaves, and also different soils where the banana tree was planted, such as soil with a standard amount of fertilizer, the fertilizer itself and also soil without fertilizer for comparison. We have used the gamma-ray spectroscopy technique with a NaI(T1) crystal inside a 12 cm thick lead shield to detect the gamma-radiation. The results indicate that only part of the available potassium is absorbed bymore » the plant, which is mainly concentrated in the banana peel.« less

  2. Laboratory Workflow Analysis of Culture of Periprosthetic Tissues in Blood Culture Bottles.

    PubMed

    Peel, Trisha N; Sedarski, John A; Dylla, Brenda L; Shannon, Samantha K; Amirahmadi, Fazlollaah; Hughes, John G; Cheng, Allen C; Patel, Robin

    2017-09-01

    Culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens in blood culture bottles is more sensitive than conventional techniques, but the impact on laboratory workflow has yet to be addressed. Herein, we examined the impact of culture of periprosthetic tissues in blood culture bottles on laboratory workflow and cost. The workflow was process mapped, decision tree models were constructed using probabilities of positive and negative cultures drawn from our published study (T. N. Peel, B. L. Dylla, J. G. Hughes, D. T. Lynch, K. E. Greenwood-Quaintance, A. C. Cheng, J. N. Mandrekar, and R. Patel, mBio 7:e01776-15, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01776-15), and the processing times and resource costs from the laboratory staff time viewpoint were used to compare periprosthetic tissues culture processes using conventional techniques with culture in blood culture bottles. Sensitivity analysis was performed using various rates of positive cultures. Annualized labor savings were estimated based on salary costs from the U.S. Labor Bureau for Laboratory staff. The model demonstrated a 60.1% reduction in mean total staff time with the adoption of tissue inoculation into blood culture bottles compared to conventional techniques (mean ± standard deviation, 30.7 ± 27.6 versus 77.0 ± 35.3 h per month, respectively; P < 0.001). The estimated annualized labor cost savings of culture using blood culture bottles was $10,876.83 (±$337.16). Sensitivity analysis was performed using various rates of culture positivity (5 to 50%). Culture in blood culture bottles was cost-effective, based on the estimated labor cost savings of $2,132.71 for each percent increase in test accuracy. In conclusion, culture of periprosthetic tissue in blood culture bottles is not only more accurate than but is also cost-saving compared to conventional culture methods. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  3. Extraction and Assembly of Tissue-Derived Gels for Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering

    PubMed Central

    Uriel, Shiri; Labay, Edwardine; Francis-Sedlak, Megan; Moya, Monica L.; Weichselbaum, Ralph R.; Ervin, Natalia; Cankova, Zdravka

    2009-01-01

    Interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) play an important role in regulating cell function. Cells cultured in, or on, three-dimensional ECM recapitulate similar features to those found in vivo that are not present in traditional two-dimensional culture. In addition, both natural and synthetic materials containing ECM components have shown promise in a number of tissue engineering applications. Current materials available for cell culture and tissue engineering do not adequately reflect the diversity of ECM composition between tissues. In this paper, a method is presented for extracting solutions of proteins and glycoproteins from soft tissues and inducing assembly of these proteins into gels. The extracts contain ECM proteins specific to the tissue source with low levels of intracellular molecules. Gels formed from the tissue-derived extracts have nanostructure similar to ECM in vivo and can be used to culture cells as both a thin substrate coating and a thick gel. This technique could be used to assemble hydrogels with varying composition depending upon the tissue source, hydrogels for three-dimensional culture, as scaffolds for tissue engineering therapies, and to study cell–matrix interactions. PMID:19115821

  4. Determination of thiamethoxam residues in banana stem and fruit through LC-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Suganthi, A; Nikita, S A; Kousika, J; Bhuvaneswari, K; Sridharan, S

    2018-04-18

    An analytical method based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy/mass spectroscopy was developed and validated for the determination of thiamethoxam residues in banana fruit and stem tissue samples. In this study, Waters Alliance LC and Acquity TQD were used with an electrospray ionization interface in the positive ion mode. An isocratic flow of 0.5% HCOOH in water and 0.05% HCOOH in CH 3 CN was used for separation. Thiamethoxam residue was extracted from the samples using CH 3 CN and a dispersive solid-phase extraction method was used for subsequent cleanup. Linearity studies were conducted between 0.001 and 0.1 μg mL -1 of standard solution with three replicates for each concentration. Satisfactory recoveries (107.21 to 115.16% and 90.94 to 109.22%) and high precision (relative standard deviations of 3.71 to 12.83% and 3.24 to 10.78%) were obtained for the banana stem and banana fruit matrix, respectively. The lower limits of detection and quantification achieved were 0.002 and 0.008 μg g -1 for banana stem and 0.001and 0.005 μg g -1 for banana fruit, respectively. The developed method was used to analyze the banana stem and fruit samples collected from thiamethoxam-treated fields and stems from the local market.

  5. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) detection of dwarf off-types in micropropagated Cavendish (Musa spp. AAA) bananas.

    PubMed

    Damasco, O P; Graham, G C; Henry, R J; Adkins, S W; Smiths, M K; Godwin, I D

    1996-11-01

    A RAPD marker specific to the dwarf off-type (hereafter known as dwarf) from micropropagation of Cavendish banana (Musa spp. AAA) cultivars New Guinea Cavendish and Williams was identified following an analysis of 57 normal (true-to-type) and 59 dwarf plants generated from several different micropropagation events. Sixty-six random decamer primers were used in the initial screen, of which 19 (28.8%) revealed polymorphisms between normal and dwarf plants. Primer OPJ-04 (5'-CCGAACACGG-3') was found to amplify an approx. 1.5 kb band which was consistently present in all normal but absent in all dwarf plants of both cultivars. Reliable detection of dwarf plants was achieved using this marker, providing the only available means ofin vitro detection of dwarfs. The use of this marker could facilitate early detection and elimination of dwarfs from batches of micropropagated bananas, and may be a useful tool in determining what factors in the tissue culture process lead to this off type production.Other micropropagation-induced RAPD polymorphisms were observed but were not associated with the dwarf trait.

  6. Traditional Banana Diversity in Oceania: An Endangered Heritage.

    PubMed

    Kagy, Valérie; Wong, Maurice; Vandenbroucke, Henri; Jenny, Christophe; Dubois, Cécile; Ollivier, Anthony; Cardi, Céline; Mournet, Pierre; Tuia, Valérie; Roux, Nicolas; Doležel, Jaroslav; Perrier, Xavier

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to understand the genetic diversity of traditional Oceanian starchy bananas in order to propose an efficient conservation strategy for these endangered varieties. SSR and DArT molecular markers are used to characterize a large sample of Pacific accessions, from New Guinea to Tahiti and Hawaii. All Pacific starchy bananas are shown of New Guinea origin, by interspecific hybridization between Musa acuminata (AA genome), more precisely its local subspecies M. acuminata ssp. banksii, and M. balbisiana (BB genome) generating triploid AAB Pacific starchy bananas. These AAB genotypes do not form a subgroup sensu stricto and genetic markers differentiate two subgroups across the three morphotypes usually identified: Iholena versus Popoulu and Maoli. The Popoulu/Maoli accessions, even if morphologically diverse throughout the Pacific, cluster in the same genetic subgroup. However, the subgroup is not strictly monophyletic and several close, but different genotypes are linked to the dominant genotype. One of the related genotypes is specific to New Caledonia (NC), with morphotypes close to Maoli, but with some primitive characters. It is concluded that the diffusion of Pacific starchy AAB bananas results from a series of introductions of triploids originating in New Guinea area from several sexual recombination events implying different genotypes of M. acuminata ssp. banksii. This scheme of multiple waves from the New Guinea zone is consistent with the archaeological data for peopling of the Pacific. The present geographic distribution suggests that a greater diversity must have existed in the past. Its erosion finds parallels with the erosion of cultural traditions, inexorably declining in most of the Polynesian or Melanesian Islands. Symmetrically, diversity hot spots appear linked to the local persistence of traditions: Maoli in New Caledonian Kanak traditions or Iholena in a few Polynesian islands. These results will contribute to optimizing the

  7. Going Bananas over The Rainforest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curriculum Review, 2005

    2005-01-01

    With a market of nearly $5 billion a year, the banana is the world's most popular fruit, and the most important food crop after rice, wheat, and maize. Banana businesses are economic pillars in many tropical countries, providing millions of jobs for rural residents. But, for much of its history, the banana industry was notorious for destructive…

  8. Genome-wide Expression Analysis and Metabolite Profiling Elucidate Transcriptional Regulation of Flavonoid Biosynthesis and Modulation under Abiotic Stresses in Banana

    PubMed Central

    Pandey, Ashutosh; Alok, Anshu; Lakhwani, Deepika; Singh, Jagdeep; Asif, Mehar H.; Trivedi, Prabodh K.

    2016-01-01

    Flavonoid biosynthesis is largely regulated at the transcriptional level due to the modulated expression of genes related to the phenylpropanoid pathway in plants. Although accumulation of different flavonoids has been reported in banana, a staple fruit crop, no detailed information is available on regulation of the biosynthesis in this important plant. We carried out genome-wide analysis of banana (Musa acuminata, AAA genome) and identified 28 genes belonging to 9 gene families associated with flavonoid biosynthesis. Expression analysis suggested spatial and temporal regulation of the identified genes in different tissues of banana. Analysis revealed enhanced expression of genes related to flavonol and proanthocyanidin (PA) biosynthesis in peel and pulp at the early developmental stages of fruit. Genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were highly expressed during banana fruit ripening. In general, higher accumulation of metabolites was observed in the peel as compared to pulp tissue. A correlation between expression of genes and metabolite content was observed at the early stage of fruit development. Furthermore, this study also suggests regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis, at transcriptional level, under light and dark exposures as well as methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatment in banana. PMID:27539368

  9. Genome-wide Expression Analysis and Metabolite Profiling Elucidate Transcriptional Regulation of Flavonoid Biosynthesis and Modulation under Abiotic Stresses in Banana.

    PubMed

    Pandey, Ashutosh; Alok, Anshu; Lakhwani, Deepika; Singh, Jagdeep; Asif, Mehar H; Trivedi, Prabodh K

    2016-08-19

    Flavonoid biosynthesis is largely regulated at the transcriptional level due to the modulated expression of genes related to the phenylpropanoid pathway in plants. Although accumulation of different flavonoids has been reported in banana, a staple fruit crop, no detailed information is available on regulation of the biosynthesis in this important plant. We carried out genome-wide analysis of banana (Musa acuminata, AAA genome) and identified 28 genes belonging to 9 gene families associated with flavonoid biosynthesis. Expression analysis suggested spatial and temporal regulation of the identified genes in different tissues of banana. Analysis revealed enhanced expression of genes related to flavonol and proanthocyanidin (PA) biosynthesis in peel and pulp at the early developmental stages of fruit. Genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were highly expressed during banana fruit ripening. In general, higher accumulation of metabolites was observed in the peel as compared to pulp tissue. A correlation between expression of genes and metabolite content was observed at the early stage of fruit development. Furthermore, this study also suggests regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis, at transcriptional level, under light and dark exposures as well as methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatment in banana.

  10. Combating the Sigatoka disease complex on banana

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Banana is the fourth most important staple food in the world behind rice, wheat and maize, with more than 100 million tons produced annually. Although the majority of bananas produced are consumed locally, banana export is a multi-billion dollar business. Bananas are grown in more than 100 countri...

  11. Development of germ-free plants and tissue culture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Venketeswaran, S.

    1973-01-01

    The botanical program is reported for experiments performed at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. Papers prepared during this program are listed. The studies reported include: tissues cultured on various mediums, nutritional studies, preparation of plant cultures for Apollo 15, and pine tissue cultures.

  12. Effect of lunar materials on plant tissue culture.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walkinshaw, C. H.; Venketeswaran, S.; Baur, P. S.; Croley, T. E.; Scholes, V. E.; Weete, J. D.; Halliwell, R. S.; Hall, R. H.

    1973-01-01

    Lunar material collected during the Apollo 11, 12, 14, and 15 missions has been used to treat 12 species of higher plant tissue cultures. Biochemical and morphological studies have been conducted on several of these species. Tobacco tissue cultures treated with 0.22 g of lunar material exhibited increased greening more complex chloroplasts, less cytoplasmic vacuolation and greater vesiculation. Pine tissue cultures reacted to treatment by an increased deposition of tannin-like materials. The percentage of dry weight and soluble protein was increased in cultures treated with either lunar or terrestrial rock materials.

  13. EIN3-like gene expression during fruit ripening of Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata cv. Grande naine).

    PubMed

    Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Didier; Hubert, Olivier; Fils-Lycaon, Bernard; Chillet, Marc; Baurens, Franc-Christophe

    2008-06-01

    Ethylene signal transduction initiates with ethylene binding at receptor proteins and terminates in a transcription cascade involving the EIN3/EIL transcription factors. Here, we have isolated four cDNAs homologs of the Arabidopsis EIN3/EIN3-like gene, MA-EILs (Musa acuminata ethylene insensitive 3-like) from banana fruit. Sequence comparison with other banana EIL gene already registered in the database led us to conclude that, at this day, at least five different genes namely MA-EIL1, MA-EIL2/AB266318, MA-EIL3/AB266319, MA-EIL4/AB266320 and AB266321 exist in banana. Phylogenetic analyses included all banana EIL genes within a same cluster consisting of rice OsEILs, a monocotyledonous plant as banana. However, MA-EIL1, MA-EIL2/AB266318, MA-EIL4/AB266320 and AB266321 on one side, and MA-EIL3/AB266319 on the other side, belong to two distant subclusters. MA-EIL mRNAs were detected in all examined banana tissues but at lower level in peel than in pulp. According to tissues, MA-EIL genes were differentially regulated by ripening and ethylene in mature green fruit and wounding in old and young leaves. MA-EIL2/AB266318 was the unique ripening- and ethylene-induced gene; MA-EIL1, MA-EIL4/Ab266320 and AB266321 genes were downregulated, while MA-EIL3/AB266319 presented an unusual pattern of expression. Interestingly, a marked change was observed mainly in MA-EIL1 and MA-EIL3/Ab266319 mRNA accumulation concomitantly with changes in ethylene responsiveness of fruit. Upon wounding, the main effect was observed in MA-EIL4/AB266320 and AB266321 mRNA levels, which presented a markedly increase in both young and old leaves, respectively. Data presented in this study suggest the importance of a transcriptionally step control in the regulation of EIL genes during banana fruit ripening.

  14. Evaluation of wound healing activity of extracts of plantain banana (Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca) in rats.

    PubMed

    Agarwal, P K; Singh, A; Gaurav, K; Goel, Shalini; Khanna, H D; Goel, R K

    2009-01-01

    Plantain banana (M. sapientum var. paradisiaca, MS) has been shown to possess ulcer healing activity. The present work with plantain banana was undertaken with the premise that the drug promoting ulcer healing could have effect on wound healing also. Wound healing activity of MS was studied in terms of (i) percent wound contraction, epithelization period and scar area; (ii) wound breaking strength and (iii) on granulation tissue antioxidant status [estimation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH), free radical (lipid peroxidation, an indicator of tissue damage) and connective tissue formation and maturation (hexuronic acid, hydroxyproline and hexosamine levels)] in excision, incision and dead space wound models respectively. The rats were given graded doses (50-200 mg/kg/day) of aqueous (MSW) and methanolic (MSE) extracts of MS orally for a period of 10-21 days depending upon the type of study. Both extracts (100 mg/kg) when studied for incision and dead space wounds parameters, increased wound breaking strength and levels of hydroxyproline, hexuronic acid, hexosamine, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione in the granulation tissue and decreased percentage of wound area, scar area and lipid peroxidation when compared with the control group. Both the extracts showed good safety profile. Plantain banana thus, favoured wound healing which could be due to its antioxidant effect and on various wound healing biochemical parameters.

  15. Phenalenone-type phytoalexins mediate resistance of banana plants (Musa spp.) to the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis.

    PubMed

    Hölscher, Dirk; Dhakshinamoorthy, Suganthagunthalam; Alexandrov, Theodore; Becker, Michael; Bretschneider, Tom; Buerkert, Andreas; Crecelius, Anna C; De Waele, Dirk; Elsen, Annemie; Heckel, David G; Heklau, Heike; Hertweck, Christian; Kai, Marco; Knop, Katrin; Krafft, Christoph; Maddula, Ravi K; Matthäus, Christian; Popp, Jürgen; Schneider, Bernd; Schubert, Ulrich S; Sikora, Richard A; Svatoš, Aleš; Swennen, Rony L

    2014-01-07

    The global yield of bananas-one of the most important food crops-is severely hampered by parasites, such as nematodes, which cause yield losses up to 75%. Plant-nematode interactions of two banana cultivars differing in susceptibility to Radopholus similis were investigated by combining the conventional and spatially resolved analytical techniques (1)H NMR spectroscopy, matrix-free UV-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging, and Raman microspectroscopy. This innovative combination of analytical techniques was applied to isolate, identify, and locate the banana-specific type of phytoalexins, phenylphenalenones, in the R. similis-caused lesions of the plants. The striking antinematode activity of the phenylphenalenone anigorufone, its ingestion by the nematode, and its subsequent localization in lipid droplets within the nematode is reported. The importance of varying local concentrations of these specialized metabolites in infected plant tissues, their involvement in the plant's defense system, and derived strategies for improving banana resistance are highlighted.

  16. Walnut tissue culture: research and field applications

    Treesearch

    2004-01-01

    Vitrotech Biotecnologia Vegetal began researching propagating Juglans regia (English walnut) and various Juglans hybrids by tissue culture in 1993 and has operated on a commercial scale since 1996. Since this time, more than one and a half million walnuts of different species have been propagated and field planted. Tissue cultured...

  17. Tissue Culture in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pellis, Neal R.; Duray, Paul H.; Hatfill, Steven J.

    1997-01-01

    Attempts to simulate normal tissue micro-environments in vitro have been thwarted by the complexity and plasticity of the extracellular matrix, which is important in regulating cytoskeletal and nuclear matrix proteins. Gravity is one of the problems, tending to separate components that should be kept together. For space shuttle experiments, NASA engineers devised a double-walled rotating bioreactor, which is proving to be a useful tissue culture device on earth as well as in space.

  18. Biotransformations with plant tissue cultures.

    PubMed

    Carew, D P; Bainbridge, T

    1976-01-01

    Suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus, Apocynum cannabinum and Conium maculatum were examined for their capacity to transform aniline, anisole, acetanilide, benzoic acid and coumarin. None of the cultures transformed acetanilide but each produced acetanilide when fed aniline. All three cultures converted benzoic acid to its para-hydroxy derivative. Coumarin was selectively hydroxylated at the 7-position by Catharanthus and Conium and anisole was O-demethylated only by older Catharanthus tissue.

  19. Traditional Banana Diversity in Oceania: An Endangered Heritage

    PubMed Central

    Kagy, Valérie; Wong, Maurice; Vandenbroucke, Henri; Jenny, Christophe; Dubois, Cécile; Ollivier, Anthony; Cardi, Céline; Mournet, Pierre; Tuia, Valérie; Roux, Nicolas; Doležel, Jaroslav; Perrier, Xavier

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to understand the genetic diversity of traditional Oceanian starchy bananas in order to propose an efficient conservation strategy for these endangered varieties. SSR and DArT molecular markers are used to characterize a large sample of Pacific accessions, from New Guinea to Tahiti and Hawaii. All Pacific starchy bananas are shown of New Guinea origin, by interspecific hybridization between Musa acuminata (AA genome), more precisely its local subspecies M. acuminata ssp. banksii, and M. balbisiana (BB genome) generating triploid AAB Pacific starchy bananas. These AAB genotypes do not form a subgroup sensu stricto and genetic markers differentiate two subgroups across the three morphotypes usually identified: Iholena versus Popoulu and Maoli. The Popoulu/Maoli accessions, even if morphologically diverse throughout the Pacific, cluster in the same genetic subgroup. However, the subgroup is not strictly monophyletic and several close, but different genotypes are linked to the dominant genotype. One of the related genotypes is specific to New Caledonia (NC), with morphotypes close to Maoli, but with some primitive characters. It is concluded that the diffusion of Pacific starchy AAB bananas results from a series of introductions of triploids originating in New Guinea area from several sexual recombination events implying different genotypes of M. acuminata ssp. banksii. This scheme of multiple waves from the New Guinea zone is consistent with the archaeological data for peopling of the Pacific. The present geographic distribution suggests that a greater diversity must have existed in the past. Its erosion finds parallels with the erosion of cultural traditions, inexorably declining in most of the Polynesian or Melanesian Islands. Symmetrically, diversity hot spots appear linked to the local persistence of traditions: Maoli in New Caledonian Kanak traditions or Iholena in a few Polynesian islands. These results will contribute to optimizing the

  20. Three Dimensional Optic Tissue Culture and Process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    OConnor, Kim C. (Inventor); Spaulding, Glenn F. (Inventor); Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor); Aten, Laurie A. (Inventor); Francis, Karen M. (Inventor); Caldwell, Delmar R. (Inventor); Prewett, Tacey L. (Inventor); Fitzgerald, Wendy S. (Inventor)

    1999-01-01

    A process for artificially producing three-dimensional optic tissue has been developed. The optic cells are cultured in a bioireactor at low shear conditions. The tissue forms as normal, functional tissue grows with tissue organization and extracellular matrix formation.

  1. Comparison of tissue deterioration of ripening banana fruit (Musa spp., AAA group, Cavendish subgroup) under chilling and non-chilling temperatures.

    PubMed

    Ramírez-Sánchez, Maricruz; Huber, Donald J; Vallejos, Carlos E

    2018-03-08

    In fleshy fruits, induced programmed cell death (PCD) has been observed in heat-treated tomato, and in ethylene-treated and low-temperature exposure in immature cucumber. No other fleshy fruit has been evaluated for chilling-injury-induced PCD, especially mature fruit with full ripening capacity. The purpose of this research was to identify and evaluate the presence of PCD processes during the development of low-temperature-induced physiopathy of banana fruit. Exposure of fruit to 5 °C for 4 days induced degradative processes similar to those occurring during ripening and overripening of non-chilled fruit. Nuclease from banana peel showed activity in both DNA substrates and RNA substrates. No exclusive low-temperature-induced proteases and nucleases were observed. DNA of chilled peel showed earlier signs of degradation and higher levels of DNA tailing during overripening. This study shows that exposure to low temperatures did not induce a pattern of degradative processes that differed from that occurring during ripening and overripening of non-chilled fruit. DNA showed earlier signs of degradation and higher levels of DNA tailing. Nuclease activity analysis showed bifunctionality in both chilled and non-chilled tissue and no chilling-exclusive protease and nuclease. Fleshy fruit might use their available resources on degradative processes and adjust them depending on environmental conditions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Microfluidic perfusion culture system for multilayer artery tissue models.

    PubMed

    Yamagishi, Yuka; Masuda, Taisuke; Matsusaki, Michiya; Akashi, Mitsuru; Yokoyama, Utako; Arai, Fumihito

    2014-11-01

    We described an assembly technique and perfusion culture system for constructing artery tissue models. This technique differed from previous studies in that it does not require a solid biodegradable scaffold; therefore, using sheet-like tissues, this technique allowed the facile fabrication of tubular tissues can be used as model. The fabricated artery tissue models had a multilayer structure. The assembly technique and perfusion culture system were applicable to many different sizes of fabricated arteries. The shape of the fabricated artery tissue models was maintained by the perfusion culture system; furthermore, the system reproduced the in vivo environment and allowed mechanical stimulation of the arteries. The multilayer structure of the artery tissue model was observed using fluorescent dyes. The equivalent Young's modulus was measured by applying internal pressure to the multilayer tubular tissues. The aim of this study was to determine whether fabricated artery tissue models maintained their mechanical properties with developing. We demonstrated both the rapid fabrication of multilayer tubular tissues that can be used as model arteries and the measurement of their equivalent Young's modulus in a suitable perfusion culture environment.

  3. Three dimensional optic tissue culture and process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spaulding, Glenn F. (Inventor); Prewett, Tacey L. (Inventor); Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor); Francis, Karen M. (Inventor); Cardwell, Delmar R. (Inventor); Oconnor, Kim (Inventor); Fitzgerald, Wendy S. (Inventor); Aten, Laurie A. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    A process for artificially producing three-dimensional optic tissue has been developed. The optic cells are cultured in a bioreactor at low shear conditions. The tissue forms normal, functional tissue organization and extracellular matrix.

  4. Phenotyping bananas for drought resistance

    PubMed Central

    Ravi, Iyyakkutty; Uma, Subbaraya; Vaganan, Muthu Mayil; Mustaffa, Mohamed M.

    2012-01-01

    Drought has emerged as one of the major constraints in banana production. Its effects are pronounced substantially in the tropics and sub-tropics of the world due to climate change. Bananas are quite sensitive to drought; however, genotypes with “B” genome are more tolerant to abiotic stresses than those solely based on “A” genome. In particular, bananas with “ABB” genomes are more tolerant to drought and other abiotic stresses than other genotypes. A good phenotyping plan is a prerequisite for any improvement program for targeted traits. In the present article, known drought tolerant traits of other crop plants are validated in bananas with different genomic backgrounds and presented. Since, banana is recalcitrant to breeding, strategies for making hybrids between different genomic backgrounds are also discussed. Stomatal conductance, cell membrane stability (CMS), leaf emergence rate, rate of leaf senescence, RWC, and bunch yield under soil moisture deficit stress are some of the traits associated with drought tolerance. Among these stress bunch yield under drought should be given top priority for phenotyping. In the light of recently released Musa genome draft sequence, the molecular breeders may have interest in developing molecular markers for drought resistance. PMID:23443573

  5. 21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

  6. 21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

  7. 21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

  8. 21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

  9. 21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

  10. Short-term culture of adult bovine ovarian tissues: chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) vs. traditional in vitro culture systems.

    PubMed

    Beck, Kylie; Singh, Jaswant; Dar, Mohammad Arshud; Anzar, Muhammad

    2018-03-09

    A suitable culture system is important for follicle growth in adult bovine ovarian tissue. This study aimed to assess the avian chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) for short-term culture of adult bovine ovarian tissues compared with a traditional in vitro culture system. Ovarian cortical tissues (1-2 mm 3 ), collected from slaughtered adult cows, were randomly assigned to control, CAM or in vitro culture groups. In the control group, ovarian tissues were fixed with paraformaldehyde without culture. In CAM and in vitro culture groups, the ovarian tissues were cultured for up to 5 days and then fixed. Ovarian tissues were examined on culture days 0, 1, 3 and 5 for angiogenesis, follicle morphology and growth. In all groups, primordial and growing (healthy and atretic) follicle densities were determined. In the CAM culture, the avian blood vessel density increased (p < 0.01) over time with a decline (p < 0.001) in the bovine blood vessel density. Healthy primordial, atretic primordial and healthy growing follicle densities were higher (p < 0.05) in CAM-cultured ovarian tissues than in vitro-cultured tissues. Regardless of the culture system, the density of healthy primordial follicles decreased (p < 0.001) over time with an increase in healthy growing follicles on day 3 (p < 0.01) and an increase in atretic (primordial and growing) follicles during the 5-day culture period (p < 0.001). The proportions of healthy primordial and atretic growing follicles were also affected by culture day (p < 0.001). The CAM culture in chick embryos supported the bovine ovarian tissue grafts for 3 days demonstrating that CAM can be used as a satisfactory short-term culture system to assess ovarian tissue health, and to study follicle activation and development.

  11. Banana orchard inventory using IRS LISS sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishant, Nilay; Upadhayay, Gargi; Vyas, S. P.; Manjunath, K. R.

    2016-04-01

    Banana is one of the major crops of India with increasing export potential. It is important to estimate the production and acreage of the crop. Thus, the present study was carried out to evolve a suitable methodology for estimating banana acreage. Area estimation methodology was devised around the fact that unlike other crops, the time of plantation of banana is different for different farmers as per their local practices or conditions. Thus in order to capture the peak signatures, biowindow of 6 months was considered, its NDVI pattern studied and the optimum two months were considered when banana could be distinguished from other competing crops. The final area of banana for the particular growing cycle was computed by integrating the areas of these two months using LISS III data with spatial resolution of 23m. Estimated banana acreage in the three districts were 11857Ha, 15202ha and 11373Ha for Bharuch, Anand and Vadodara respectively with corresponding accuracy of 91.8%, 90% and 88.16%. Study further compared the use of LISS IV data of 5.8m spatial resolution for estimation of banana using object based as well as per-pixel classification and the results were compared with statistical reports for both the approaches. In the current paper we depict the various methodologies to accurately estimate the banana acreage.

  12. Application of Hanging Drop Technique for Kidney Tissue Culture.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shaohui; Wang, Ximing; Boone, Jasmine; Wie, Jin; Yip, Kay-Pong; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Lei; Liu, Ruisheng

    2017-01-01

    The hanging drop technique is a well-established method used in culture of animal tissues. However, this method has not been used in adult kidney tissue culture yet. This study was to explore the feasibility of using this technique for culturing adult kidney cortex to study the time course of RNA viability in the tubules and vasculature, as well as the tissue structural integrity. In each Petri dish with the plate covered with sterile buffer, a section of mouse renal cortex was cultured within a drop of DMEM culture medium on the inner surface of the lip facing downward. The tissue were then harvested at each specific time points for Real-time PCR analysis and histological studies. The results showed that the mRNA level of most Na+ related transporters and cotransporters were stably maintained within 6 hours in culture, and that the mRNA level of most receptors found in the vasculature and glomeruli were stably maintained for up to 9 days in culture. Paraffin sections of the cultured renal cortex indicated that the tubules began to lose tubular integrity after 6 hours, but the glomeruli and vasculatures were still recognizable up to 9 days in culture. We concluded that adult kidney tissue culture by hanging drop method can be used to study gene expressions in vasculature and glomeruli. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Statistical differentiation of bananas according to their mineral composition.

    PubMed

    Forster, Markus Paul; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Elena; Martín, Jacinto Darias; Díaz Romero, Carlos

    2002-10-09

    The concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn were determined in banana cultivars Gran enana and Pequeña enana cultivated in Tenerife and in cv. Gran enana bananas from Ecuador. The mineral concentrations in the bananas from Tenerife and from Ecuador were clearly different. The cultivar did not influence the mineral concentrations except in the case of Fe. Variations according to cultivation method (greenhouse and outdoors) and farming style (conventional and organic) in the mineral concentrations in the bananas from Tenerife were observed. The mineral concentrations in the internal part of the banana were higher than those in the middle and external parts. Representation of double log correlations K-Mg and Zn-Mn tended to separate the banana samples according to origin. Applying factor and cluster analysis, the bananas from Ecuador were well separated from the bananas produced in Tenerife, and therefore, these are useful tools for differentiating the origin of bananas.

  14. The use of animal tissues alongside human tissue: Cultural and ethical considerations.

    PubMed

    Kaw, Anu; Jones, D Gareth; Zhang, Ming

    2016-01-01

    Teaching and research facilities often use cadaveric material alongside animal tissues, although there appear to be differences in the way we handle, treat, and dispose of human cadaveric material compared to animal tissue. This study sought to analyze cultural and ethical considerations and provides policy recommendations on the use of animal tissues alongside human tissue. The status of human and animal remains and the respect because of human and animal tissues were compared and analyzed from ethical, legal, and cultural perspectives. The use of animal organs and tissues is carried out within the context of understanding human anatomy and function. Consequently, the interests of human donors are to be pre-eminent in any policies that are enunciated, so that if any donors find the presence of animal remains unacceptable, the latter should not be employed. The major differences appear to lie in differences in our perceptions of their respective intrinsic and instrumental values. Animals are considered to have lesser intrinsic value and greater instrumental value than humans. These differences stem from the role played by culture and ethical considerations, and are manifested in the resulting legal frameworks. In light of this discussion, six policy recommendations are proposed, encompassing the nature of consent, respect for animal tissues as well as human remains, and appropriate separation of both sets of tissues in preparation and display. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Identification and evaluation of two diagnostic markers linked to Fusarium wilt resistance (race 4) in banana (Musa spp.).

    PubMed

    Wang, Wei; Hu, Yulin; Sun, Dequan; Staehelin, Christian; Xin, Dawei; Xie, Jianghui

    2012-01-01

    Fusarium wilt caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (FOC4) results in vascular tissue damage and ultimately death of banana (Musa spp.) plants. Somaclonal variants of in vitro micropropagated banana can hamper success in propagation of genotypes resistant to FOC4. Early identification of FOC4 resistance in micropropagated banana plantlets is difficult, however. In this study, we identified sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers of banana associated with resistance to FOC4. Using pooled DNA from resistant or susceptible genotypes and 500 arbitrary 10-mer oligonucleotide primers, 24 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) products were identified. Two of these RAPD markers were successfully converted to SCAR markers, called ScaU1001 (GenBank accession number HQ613949) and ScaS0901 (GenBank accession number HQ613950). ScaS0901 and ScaU1001 could be amplified in FOC4-resistant banana genotypes ("Williams 8818-1" and Goldfinger), but not in five tested banana cultivars susceptible to FOC4. The two SCAR markers were then used to identify a somaclonal variant of the genotype "Williams 8818-1", which lost resistance to FOC4. Hence, the identified SCAR markers can be applied for a rapid quality control of FOC4-resistant banana plantlets immediately after the in vitro micropropagation stage. Furthermore, ScaU1001 and ScaS0901 will facilitate marker-assisted selection of new banana cultivars resistant to FOC4.

  16. Study Progress on Tissue Culture of Maize Mature Embryo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Hongzhen; Cheng, Jun; Cheng, Yanping; Zhou, Xioafu

    It has been paid more and more attention on maize tissue culture as it is a basic work in maize genetic transformation, especially huge breakthrough has been made in maize tissue culture utilizing mature embryos as explants in the recent years. This paper reviewed the study progress on maize tissue culture and plant regeneration utilizing mature embryos as explants from callus induction, subculture, plant regeneration and browning reduction and so on.

  17. Adipose tissue-organotypic culture system as a promising model for studying adipose tissue biology and regeneration

    PubMed Central

    Uchihashi, Kazuyoshi; Aoki, Shigehisa; Sonoda, Emiko; Yamasaki, Fumio; Piao, Meihua; Ootani, Akifumi; Yonemitsu, Nobuhisa; Sugihara, Hajime

    2009-01-01

    Adipose tissue consists of mature adipocytes, preadipocytes and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but a culture system for analyzing their cell types within the tissue has not been established. We have recently developed “adipose tissue-organotypic culture system” that maintains unilocular structure, proliferative ability and functions of mature adipocytes for a long term, using three-dimensional collagen gel culture of the tissue fragments. In this system, both preadipocytes and MSCs regenerate actively at the peripheral zone of the fragments. Our method will open up a new way for studying both multiple cell types within adipose tissue and the cell-based mechanisms of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Thus, it seems to be a promising model for investigating adipose tissue biology and regeneration. In this article, we introduce adipose tissue-organotypic culture, and propose two theories regarding the mechanism of tissue regeneration that occurs specifically at peripheral zone of tissue fragments in vitro. PMID:19794899

  18. The role of silicon in plant tissue culture

    PubMed Central

    Sivanesan, Iyyakkannu; Park, Se Won

    2014-01-01

    Growth and morphogenesis of in vitro cultures of plant cells, tissues, and organs are greatly influenced by the composition of the culture medium. Mineral nutrients are necessary for the growth and development of plants. Several morpho-physiological disorders such as hooked leaves, hyperhydricity, fasciation, and shoot tip necrosis are often associated with the concentration of inorganic nutrient in the tissue culture medium. Silicon (Si) is the most abundant mineral element in the soil. The application of Si has been demonstrated to be beneficial for growth, development and yield of various plants and to alleviate various stresses including nutrient imbalance. Addition of Si to the tissue culture medium improves organogenesis, embryogenesis, growth traits, morphological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics of leaves, enhances tolerance to low temperature and salinity, protects cells and against metal toxicity, prevents oxidative phenolic browning and reduces the incidence of hyperhydricity in various plants. Therefore, Si possesses considerable potential for application in a wide range of plant tissue culture studies such as cryopreservation, organogenesis, micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis and secondary metabolites production. PMID:25374578

  19. Advances in tissue engineering through stem cell-based co-culture.

    PubMed

    Paschos, Nikolaos K; Brown, Wendy E; Eswaramoorthy, Rajalakshmanan; Hu, Jerry C; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A

    2015-05-01

    Stem cells are the future in tissue engineering and regeneration. In a co-culture, stem cells not only provide a target cell source with multipotent differentiation capacity, but can also act as assisting cells that promote tissue homeostasis, metabolism, growth and repair. Their incorporation into co-culture systems seems to be important in the creation of complex tissues or organs. In this review, critical aspects of stem cell use in co-culture systems are discussed. Direct and indirect co-culture methodologies used in tissue engineering are described, along with various characteristics of cellular interactions in these systems. Direct cell-cell contact, cell-extracellular matrix interaction and signalling via soluble factors are presented. The advantages of stem cell co-culture strategies and their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are portrayed through specific examples for several tissues, including orthopaedic soft tissues, bone, heart, vasculature, lung, kidney, liver and nerve. A concise review of the progress and the lessons learned are provided, with a focus on recent developments and their implications. It is hoped that knowledge developed from one tissue can be translated to other tissues. Finally, we address challenges in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that can potentially be overcome via employing strategies for stem cell co-culture use. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Study on tissue culture for Gelidium seedling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pei, Lu-Qing; Luo, Qi-Jun; Fei, Zhi-Qing; Ma, Bin

    1996-06-01

    As seedling culture is a crucial factor for successful cultivation of Gelidium, the authors researched tissue culture technology for producing seedlings. The morphogeny and experimental ecology were observed and studied fully in 2 5 mm isolated tissue fragments. Regeneration, appearance of branching creepers and attaching structure and new erect seedlings production and development were studied. Fragments were sown on bamboo slice and vinylon rope. The seedlings were cultured 20 30 days indoor, then cultured in the sea, where the density of erect seedlings was 3 19 seedlings/cm2, growth rate was 3.84% day. The frond arising from seedlings directly was up to 10 cm per year. The ecological conditions for regenerated seedlings are similar to the natural ones. The regenerated seedlings are suitable for raft culture in various sea areas.

  1. Oxygen and tissue culture affect placental gene expression.

    PubMed

    Brew, O; Sullivan, M H F

    2017-07-01

    Placental explant culture is an important model for studying placental development and functions. We investigated the differences in placental gene expression in response to tissue culture, atmospheric and physiologic oxygen concentrations. Placental explants were collected from normal term (38-39 weeks of gestation) placentae with no previous uterine contractile activity. Placental transcriptomic expressions were evaluated with GeneChip ® Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix). We uncovered sub-sets of genes that regulate response to stress, induction of apoptosis programmed cell death, mis-regulation of cell growth, proliferation, cell morphogenesis, tissue viability, and protection from apoptosis in cultured placental explants. We also identified a sub-set of genes with highly unstable pattern of expression after exposure to tissue culture. Tissue culture irrespective of oxygen concentration induced dichotomous increase in significant gene expression and increased enrichment of significant pathways and transcription factor targets (TFTs) including HIF1A. The effect was exacerbated by culture at atmospheric oxygen concentration, where further up-regulation of TFTs including PPARA, CEBPD, HOXA9 and down-regulated TFTs such as JUND/FOS suggest intrinsic heightened key biological and metabolic mechanisms such as glucose use, lipid biosynthesis, protein metabolism; apoptosis, inflammatory responses; and diminished trophoblast proliferation, differentiation, invasion, regeneration, and viability. These findings demonstrate that gene expression patterns differ between pre-culture and cultured explants, and the gene expression of explants cultured at atmospheric oxygen concentration favours stressed, pro-inflammatory and increased apoptotic transcriptomic response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Banana Gold: Problem or Solution?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joseph, Garnet

    1992-01-01

    Since 1955, the British banana industry has dominated the lives of the Caribs and other peoples in Dominica. Banana growing supplants other economic activities, including local food production; toxic chemicals and fertilizers pollute the land; community is dwindling; suicide is common; and child labor diminishes school attendance. (SV)

  3. Xylem specific activation of 5' upstream regulatory region of two NAC transcription factors (MusaVND6 and MusaVND7) in banana is regulated by SNBE-like sites.

    PubMed

    Negi, Sanjana; Tak, Himanshu; Ganapathi, T R

    2018-01-01

    Deposition of secondary cell wall in the xylem elements is controlled by a subgroup of NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) family, known as vascular-related NAC transcription factors (VNDs). In the present study, we analyzed the 5' upstream regulatory region of two banana NAC transcription factors (MusaVND6 and MusaVND7) for tissue specific expression and presence of 19-bp secondary-wall NAC binding element (SNBE)-like motifs. Transgenic banana plants of Musa cultivar Rasthali harboring either PMusaVND7::GUS or PMusaVND6::GUS showed specific GUS (β-D-Glucuronidase) activity in cells of the xylem tissue. Approximately 1.2kb promoter region of either MusaVND6 or MusaVND7 showed presence of at least two SNBE-like motifs. This 1.2kb promoter region was retarded in a gel shift assay by three banana VND protein (VND1,VND2 and VND3). The banana VND1-VND3 could also retard the mobility of isolated SNBE-like motifs of MusaVND6 or MusaVND7 in a gel shift assay. Transcript levels of MusaVND6 and MusaVND7 were elevated in transgenic banana overexpressing either banana VND1, VND2 or VND3. Present study suggested a probable regulation of banana VND6 and VND7 expression through direct interaction of banana VND1- VND3 with SNBE-like motifs. Our study also indicated two promoter elements for possible utilization in cell wall modifications in plants especially banana, which is being recently considered as a potential biofuel crop.

  4. Ion exchanger from chemically modified banana leaves.

    PubMed

    El-Gendy, Ahmed A; Mohamed, Samar H; Abd-Elkader, Amal H

    2013-07-25

    Cation exchangers from chemically modified banana leaves have been prepared. Banana leaves were treated with different molarities of KMnO4 and cross linked with epichlorohydrin and their effect on metal ion adsorption was investigated. Phosphorylation of chemically modified banana leaves was also studied. The metal ion uptake by these modified banana leaves was clarified. Effect of different varieties, e.g. activation of produced cation exchanger, concentration of metal ions was also investigated. Characterization of the prepared ion exchangers by using infrared and thermal analysis was also taken in consideration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Molecular Characterisation of Endophytic Fungi from Roots of Wild Banana (Musa acuminata)

    PubMed Central

    Zakaria, Latiffah; Jamil, Muhamad Izham Muhamad; Anuar, Intan Sakinah Mohd

    2016-01-01

    Endophytic fungi inhabit apparently healthy plant tissues and are prevalent in terrestrial plants, especially root tissues, which harbour a wide assemblage of fungal endophytes. Therefore, this study focused on the isolation and characterisation of endophytic fungi from the roots of wild banana (Musa acuminata). A total of 31 isolates of endophytic fungi were isolated from 80 root fragments. The endophytic fungi were initially sorted according to morphological characteristics and identified using the sequences of the translation elongation factor-1α (TEF-1α) gene of Fusarium spp. and the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions of other fungi. The most common fungal isolates were species of the genus Fusarium, which were identified as F. proliferatum, Fusarium sp., F. solani species complex, and F. oxysporum. Other isolated endophytic fungi included Curvularia lunata, Trichoderma atroviride, Calonectria gracilis, Rhizoctonia solani, Bionectria ochroleuca, and Stromatoneurospora phoenix (Xylariceae). Several of the fungal genera, such as Fusarium, Trichoderma, Rhizoctonia, and Xylariceae, are among the common fungal endophytes reported in plants. This study showed that the roots of wild banana harbour a diverse group of endophytic fungi. PMID:27019688

  6. Molecular characterization of banana bunchy top virus isolate from Sri Lanka and its genetic relationship with other isolates.

    PubMed

    Wickramaarachchi, W A R T; Shankarappa, K S; Rangaswamy, K T; Maruthi, M N; Rajapakse, R G A S; Ghosh, Saptarshi

    2016-06-01

    Bunchy top disease of banana caused by Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV, genus Babuvirus family Nanoviridae) is one of the most important constraints in production of banana in the different parts of the world. Six genomic DNA components of BBTV isolate from Kandy, Sri Lanka (BBTV-K) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers using total DNA extracted from banana tissues showing typical symptoms of bunchy top disease. The amplicons were of expected size of 1.0-1.1 kb, which were cloned and sequenced. Analysis of sequence data revealed the presence of six DNA components; DNA-R, DNA-U3, DNA-S, DNA-N, DNA-M and DNA-C for Sri Lanka isolate. Comparisons of sequence data of DNA components followed by the phylogenetic analysis, grouped Sri Lanka-(Kandy) isolate in the Pacific Indian Oceans (PIO) group. Sri Lanka-(Kandy) isolate of BBTV is classified a new member of PIO group based on analysis of six components of the virus.

  7. Specimen Sample Preservation for Cell and Tissue Cultures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meeker, Gabrielle; Ronzana, Karolyn; Schibner, Karen; Evans, Robert

    1996-01-01

    The era of the International Space Station with its longer duration missions will pose unique challenges to microgravity life sciences research. The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) is responsible for addressing these challenges and defining the science requirements necessary to conduct life science research on-board the International Space Station. Space Station will support a wide range of cell and tissue culture experiments for durations of 1 to 30 days. Space Shuttle flights to bring experimental samples back to Earth for analyses will only occur every 90 days. Therefore, samples may have to be retained for periods up to 60 days. This presents a new challenge in fresh specimen sample storage for cell biology. Fresh specimen samples are defined as samples that are preserved by means other than fixation and cryopreservation. The challenge of long-term storage of fresh specimen samples includes the need to suspend or inhibit proliferation and metabolism pending return to Earth-based laboratories. With this challenge being unique to space research, there have not been any ground based studies performed to address this issue. It was decided hy SSBRP that experiment support studies to address the following issues were needed: Fixative Solution Management; Media Storage Conditions; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Mammalian Cell/Tissue Cultures; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Plant Cell/Tissue Cultures; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Aquatic Cell/Tissue Cultures; and Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Microbial Cell/Tissue Cultures. The objective of these studies was to derive a set of conditions and recommendations that can be used in a long duration microgravity environment such as Space Station that will permit extended storage of cell and tissue culture specimens in a state consistent with zero or minimal growth, while at the same time maintaining their stability and viability.

  8. Xylem specific activation of 5’ upstream regulatory region of two NAC transcription factors (MusaVND6 and MusaVND7) in banana is regulated by SNBE-like sites

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Deposition of secondary cell wall in the xylem elements is controlled by a subgroup of NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) family, known as vascular-related NAC transcription factors (VNDs). In the present study, we analyzed the 5’ upstream regulatory region of two banana NAC transcription factors (MusaVND6 and MusaVND7) for tissue specific expression and presence of 19-bp secondary-wall NAC binding element (SNBE)-like motifs. Transgenic banana plants of Musa cultivar Rasthali harboring either PMusaVND7::GUS or PMusaVND6::GUS showed specific GUS (β-D-Glucuronidase) activity in cells of the xylem tissue. Approximately 1.2kb promoter region of either MusaVND6 or MusaVND7 showed presence of at least two SNBE-like motifs. This 1.2kb promoter region was retarded in a gel shift assay by three banana VND protein (VND1,VND2 and VND3). The banana VND1-VND3 could also retard the mobility of isolated SNBE-like motifs of MusaVND6 or MusaVND7 in a gel shift assay. Transcript levels of MusaVND6 and MusaVND7 were elevated in transgenic banana overexpressing either banana VND1, VND2 or VND3. Present study suggested a probable regulation of banana VND6 and VND7 expression through direct interaction of banana VND1- VND3 with SNBE-like motifs. Our study also indicated two promoter elements for possible utilization in cell wall modifications in plants especially banana, which is being recently considered as a potential biofuel crop. PMID:29438404

  9. Inducible Transposition of a Heat-Activated Retrotransposon in Tissue Culture.

    PubMed

    Masuta, Yukari; Nozawa, Kosuke; Takagi, Hiroki; Yaegashi, Hiroki; Tanaka, Keisuke; Ito, Tasuku; Saito, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Hisato; Matsunaga, Wataru; Masuda, Seiji; Kato, Atsushi; Ito, Hidetaka

    2017-02-01

    A transposition of a heat-activated retrotransposon named ONSEN required compromise of a small RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation that includes RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) machinery after heat treatment. In the current study, we analyzed the transcriptional and transpositional activation of ONSEN to better understand the underlying molecular mechanism involved in the maintenance and/or induction of transposon activation in plant tissue culture. We found the transposition of heat-primed ONSEN during tissue culture independently of RdDM mutation. The heat activation of ONSEN transcripts was not significantly up-regulated in tissue culture compared with that in heat-stressed seedlings, indicating that the transposition of ONSEN was regulated independently of the transcript level. RdDM-related genes were up-regulated by heat stress in both tissue culture and seedlings. The level of DNA methylation of ONSEN did not show any change in tissue culture, and the amount of ONSEN-derived small RNAs was not affected by heat stress. The results indicated that the transposition of ONSEN was regulated by an alternative mechanism in addition to the RdDM-mediated epigenetic regulation in tissue culture. We applied the tissue culture-induced transposition of ONSEN to Japanese radish, an important breeding species of the family Brassicaceae. Several new insertions were detected in a regenerated plant derived from heat-stressed tissues and its self-fertilized progeny, revealing the possibility of molecular breeding without genetic modification. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. [Chromosome variability in the tissue culture of rare Gentiana species].

    PubMed

    Tvardovs'ka, M O; Strashniuk, N M; Mel'nyk, V M; Adonin, V I; Kunakh, V A

    2008-01-01

    Cytogenetic analysis of plants and tissue culture of Gentiana lutea, G. punctata, G. acaulis has been carried out. Culturing in vitro was found to result in the changes of chromosome number in the calluses of the species involved. Species specificity for variation of the cultured cell genomes was shown. Contribution of the original plant genotypes to the cytogenetic structure of the tissue culture was established. Gentiana callus tissues (except for in vitro culture of G. punctata, derived from plant of Breskul'ska population) were found to exhibit modal class with the cells of diploid and nearly diploid chromosome sets.

  11. Cryopreservation of banana's cv Grand Naine in vitro rhizomes.

    PubMed

    Londe, Luciana C N; Vendrame, Wagner A; Sanaei, Massy; Oliveira, Alexandre B DE

    2018-01-01

    The preservation of banana genetic material is usually performed through seedlings. However, most banana cultivars do not produce seed and are propagated vegetatively. Therefore, cryopreservation is a feasible technique that allows the preservation of banana genotypes indefinitely. For the success of cryopreservation protocols, the selection of cryoprotectants and pre-freezing techniques are important factor. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the effects of different cryoprotectants with and without 1% phloroglucinol and pre-cooling periods on the development of a protocol for cryopreservation of in vitro rhizomes ofMusa accuminata(AAA) cv Grand Naine banana. The addition of 1% phloroglucinol to the cryoprotective solutions, such as PVS2 enhanced recovery of cryopreserved banana rhizomes. In addition, pre-cooling of explants in ice for 3 hours in PVS2 + 1% of phloroglucinol allowed efficient cryopreservation of banana rhizomes, followed by successful recovery and regeneration of in vitro shoots of banana cv Grand Naine.

  12. Characterization of human myoblast cultures for tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Stern-Straeter, Jens; Bran, Gregor; Riedel, Frank; Sauter, Alexander; Hörmann, Karl; Goessler, Ulrich Reinhart

    2008-01-01

    Skeletal muscle tissue engineering, a promising specialty, aims at the reconstruction of skeletal muscle loss. In vitro tissue engineering attempts to achieve this goal by creating differentiated, functional muscle tissue through a process in which stem cells are extracted from the patient, e.g. by muscle biopsies, expanded and differentiated in a controlled environment, and subsequently re-implanted. A prerequisite for this undertaking is the ability to cultivate and differentiate human skeletal muscle cell cultures. Evidently, optimal culture conditions must be investigated for later clinical utilization. We therefore analysed the proliferation of human cells in different environments and evaluated the differentiation potential of different culture media. It was shown that human myoblasts have a higher rate of proliferation in the alamarBlue assay when cultured on gelatin-coated culture flasks rather than polystyrene-coated flasks. We also demonstrated that myoblasts treated with a culture medium with a high concentration of growth factors [growth medium (GM)] showed a higher proliferation compared to cultures treated with a culture medium with lower amounts of growth factors [differentiation medium (DM)]. Differentiation of human myoblast cell cultures treated with GM and DM was analysed until day 16 and myogenesis was verified by expression of MyoD, myogenin, alpha-sarcomeric actin and myosin heavy chain by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical staining for desmin, Myf-5 and alpha-sarcomeric actin was performed to verify the myogenic phenotype of extracted satellite cells and to prove the maturation of cells. Cultures treated with DM showed positive staining for alpha-sarcomeric actin. Notably, markers of differentiation were also detected in cultures treated with GM, but there was no formation of myotubes. In the enzymatic assay of creatine phosphokinase, cultures treated with DM showed a higher activity, evidencing a higher degree of differentiation

  13. Evaluation of different protein extraction methods for banana (Musa spp.) root proteome analysis by two-dimensional electrophoresis.

    PubMed

    Vaganan, M Mayil; Sarumathi, S; Nandakumar, A; Ravi, I; Mustaffa, M M

    2015-02-01

    Four protocols viz., the trichloroacetic acid-acetone (TCA), phenol-ammonium acetate (PAA), phenol/SDS-ammonium acetate (PSA) and trisbase-acetone (TBA) were evaluated with modifications for protein extraction from banana (Grand Naine) roots, considered as recalcitrant tissues for proteomic analysis. The two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) separated proteins were compared based on protein yield, number of resolved proteins, sum of spot quantity, average spot intensity and proteins resolved in 4-7 pI range. The PAA protocol yielded more proteins (0.89 mg/g of tissues) and protein spots (584) in 2-DE gel than TCA and other protocols. Also, the PAA protocol was superior in terms of sum of total spot quantity and average spot intensity than TCA and other protocols, suggesting phenol as extractant and ammonium acetate as precipitant of proteins were the most suitable for banana rooteomics analysis by 2-DE. In addition, 1:3 ratios of root tissue to extraction buffer and overnight protein precipitation were most efficient to obtain maximum protein yield.

  14. The auxin response factor gene family in banana: genome-wide identification and expression analyses during development, ripening, and abiotic stress

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Wei; Zuo, Jiao; Hou, Xiaowan; Yan, Yan; Wei, Yunxie; Liu, Juhua; Li, Meiying; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2015-01-01

    Auxin signaling regulates various auxin-responsive genes via two types of transcriptional regulators, Auxin Response Factors (ARF) and Aux/IAA. ARF transcription factors act as critical components of auxin signaling that play important roles in modulating various biological processes. However, limited information about this gene family in fruit crops is currently available. Herein, 47 ARF genes were identified in banana based on its genome sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of the ARFs from banana, rice, and Arabidopsis suggested that the ARFs could be divided into four subgroups, among which most ARFs from the banana showed a closer relationship with those from rice than those from Arabidopsis. Conserved motif analysis showed that all identified MaARFs had typical DNA-binding and ARF domains, but 12 members lacked the dimerization domain. Gene structure analysis showed that the number of exons in MaARF genes ranged from 5 to 21, suggesting large variation amongst banana ARF genes. The comprehensive expression profiles of MaARF genes yielded useful information about their involvement in diverse tissues, different stages of fruit development and ripening, and responses to abiotic stresses in different varieties. Interaction networks and co-expression assays indicated the strong transcriptional response of banana ARFs and ARF-mediated networks in early fruit development for different varieties. Our systematic analysis of MaARFs revealed robust tissue-specific, development-dependent, and abiotic stress-responsive candidate MaARF genes for further functional assays in planta. These findings could lead to potential applications in the genetic improvement of banana cultivars, and yield new insights into the complexity of the control of MaARF gene expression at the transcriptional level. Finally, they support the hypothesis that ARFs are a crucial component of the auxin signaling pathway, which regulates a wide range of physiological processes. PMID:26442055

  15. Constitutive and stress-inducible overexpression of a native aquaporin gene (MusaPIP2;6) in transgenic banana plants signals its pivotal role in salt tolerance.

    PubMed

    Sreedharan, Shareena; Shekhawat, Upendra K Singh; Ganapathi, Thumballi R

    2015-05-01

    High soil salinity constitutes a major abiotic stress and an important limiting factor in cultivation of crop plants worldwide. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a aquaporin gene, MusaPIP2;6 which is involved in salt stress signaling in banana. MusaPIP2;6 was firstly identified based on comparative analysis of stressed and non-stressed banana tissue derived EST data sets and later overexpression in transgenic banana plants was performed to study its tangible functions in banana plants. The overexpression of MusaPIP2;6 in transgenic banana plants using constitutive or inducible promoter led to higher salt tolerance as compared to equivalent untransformed control plants. Cellular localization assay performed using transiently transformed onion peel cells indicated that MusaPIP2;6 protein tagged with green fluorescent protein was translocated to the plasma membrane. MusaPIP2;6-overexpressing banana plants displayed better photosynthetic efficiency and lower membrane damage under salt stress conditions. Our results suggest that MusaPIP2;6 is involved in salt stress signaling and tolerance in banana.

  16. Plant Tissue Culture Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Robert Alan

    Plant tissue culture has developed into a valid botanical discipline and is considered a key area of biotechnology, but it has not been a key component of the science curriculum because of the expensive and technical nature of research in this area. This manual presents a number of activities that are relatively easy to prepare and perform. The…

  17. The effects of compost prepared from waste material of banana plants on the nutrient contents of banana leaves.

    PubMed

    Doran, Ilhan; Sen, Bahtiyar; Kaya, Zülküf

    2003-10-01

    In this study, the possible utilization of removed shoots and plant parts of banana as compost after fruit harvest were investigated. Three doses (15-30-45 kg plan(-1)) of the compost prepared from the clone of Dwarf Cavendish banana were compared with Farmyard manure (50 kg plant(-1), Mineral fertilizers (180 g N + 150 g P + 335 g K plant(-1)) and Farmyard manure + Mineral fertilizers (25 kg FM + 180 g N + 150 g P + 335 g K plant(-1)) which determined positive effects on the nutrient contents of banana leaves. The banana plants were grown under a heated glasshouse and in a soil with physical and chemical properties suitable for banana growing. The contents of N, P, K and Mg in compost and in farmyard manure were found to be similar. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents of leaves in all applications except control, and Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu contents in all applications were determined between optimum levels of reference values. There were positive correlations among some nutrient contents of leaves, growth, yield and fruit quality characteristics. Farmyard manure, Farmyard manure + Mineral fertilizers and 45 kg plant(-1) of compost increased the nutrient contents of banana leaves. According to obtained results, 45 kg plant(-1) of compost was determined more suitable in terms of economical production and organic farming than the other fertiliser types.

  18. Association between culture results of corneal scrapings and culture and histopathology results of corneal tissues in therapeutic keratoplasty.

    PubMed

    Das, Sujata; Sharma, Savitri; Priyadarshini, Omega; Sahu, Srikant K; Kar, Sarita; Vemuganti, Geeta K

    2011-09-01

    To correlate the culture results of corneal scrapings with culture and histopathology results of corneal tissues in therapeutic keratoplasty. A retrospective analysis of the culture results of corneal scrapings and corneal tissues of eyes that received therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty at a tertiary eye care center between December 2006 and November 2008 was conducted. As per the preferred practice, those cases that did not respond to appropriate antimicrobial therapy and/or presented with a large infiltrate/perforation received therapeutic keratoplasty. The microbiology and histopathology findings of the corneal tissues were compared. Thirty-eight therapeutic keratoplasties were performed on 36 patients. Although all cases had histopathology and culture of the corneal tissue, corneal scrapings were not performed in 4 cases. Corneal scrapings and corneal tissues were culture-positive in 76% (26 of 34) and 60% (23 of 38) of cases, respectively. In 8 cases, the corneal scrapings and corneal tissues yielded identical organisms, whereas different organisms grew in 4 cases. In 6 cases, the corneal tissues were culture-positive but the corneal scrapings were sterile. In 20 cases, the corneal tissues were culture-positive for fungus and also showed fungal filaments in their corresponding histopathology specimens. Corneal tissue culture can provide additional information in cases undergoing therapeutic keratoplasty. It helps to determine the management of patients after keratoplasty.

  19. Heritable Epigenomic Changes to the Maize Methylome Resulting from Tissue Culture.

    PubMed

    Han, Zhaoxue; Crisp, Peter A; Stelpflug, Scott; Kaeppler, Shawn M; Li, Qing; Springer, Nathan M

    2018-05-30

    DNA methylation can contribute to the maintenance of genome integrity and regulation of gene expression. In most situations, DNA methylation patterns are inherited quite stably. However, changes in DNA methylation can occur at some loci as a result of tissue culture resulting in somaclonal variation. To investigate heritable epigenetic changes as a consequence of tissue culture, a sequence-capture bisulfite sequencing approach was implemented to monitor context-specific DNA methylation patterns in ∼15Mb of the maize genome for a population of plants that had been regenerated from tissue culture. Plants that have been regenerated from tissue culture exhibit gains and losses of DNA methylation at a subset of genomic regions. There was evidence for a high rate of homozygous changes to DNA methylation levels that occur consistently in multiple independent tissue culture lines suggesting that some loci are either targeted or hotspots for epigenetic variation. The consistent changes inherited following tissue culture include both gains and losses of DNA methylation and can affect CG, CHG or both contexts within a region. Only a subset of the tissue culture changes observed in callus plants are observed in the primary regnerants but the majority of DNA methylation changes present in primary regenerants are passed onto offspring. This study provides insights into the susceptibility of some loci and potential mechanisms that could contribute to altered DNA methylation and epigenetic state that occur during tissue culture in plant species. Copyright © 2018, Genetics.

  20. Trends in the use of tissue culture in forest improvement

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haissig, B.E.; Nelson, N.D.; Kidd, G.H.

    1987-01-01

    We have analyzed and described the problems and potentials of using tissue culture in micropropagation and biotechnologies related to forest improvement. Trends in forest management concepts, commerical micropropagation, and tissue culture biotechnologies are discussed. Our analysis suggests that tissue culture will contribute significantly to the improvement of forests through exploitation of existing genotypes and production of new, commercially valuble genotypes. Such changes may significantly influence worldwide management decisions in forestry. 97 references.

  1. Pasta with unripe banana flour: physical, texture, and preference study.

    PubMed

    Agama-Acevedo, Edith; Islas-Hernandez, José J; Osorio-Díaz, Perla; Rendón-Villalobos, Rodolfo; Utrilla-Coello, Rubí G; Angulo, Ofelia; Bello-Pérez, Luis A

    2009-08-01

    Banana is a starchy food that contains a high proportion of undigestible compounds such as resistant starch and nonstarch polysaccharides. Products with low glycemic response such as pasta are considered favorable to health. The objective of this study was to use unripe banana flour to make spaghetti with low-carbohydrates digestibility and evaluate its physical and texture characteristics, as well as consumer preference. Formulations with 100% durum wheat semolina (control) and formulations with 3 semolina: banana flour ratios (85: 15, 70: 30, and 55: 45) were prepared for spaghetti processing. The use of banana flour decreased the lightness and diameter of cooked spaghetti, and increased the water absorption of the product. Hardness and elasticity of spaghetti were not affected by banana flour, but adhesiveness and chewiness increased as the banana flour level in the blend rose. Spaghettis prepared in the laboratory (control and those with banana flour) did not show differences in preference by consumers. In general, the preference of spaghettis with different banana flour level was similar. The addition of a source of undigestible carbohydrates (banana flour) to spaghetti is possible without affecting the consumer preference.

  2. Physical and biochemical properties of green banana flour.

    PubMed

    Suntharalingam, S; Ravindran, G

    1993-01-01

    Banana flour prepared from two cooking banana varieties, namely 'Alukehel' and 'Monthan', were evaluated for their physical and biochemical characteristics. The yields of flour averaged 31.3% for 'Alukehel' and 25.5% for 'Monthan'. The pH of the flour ranged from 5.4 to 5.7. The bulk density and particle size distribution were also measured. The average chemical composition (% dry matter) of the flours were as follows: crude protein, 3.2; crude fat, 1.3; ash, 3.7; neutral detergent fiber, 8.9; acid detergent fiber, 3.8; cellulose, 3.1; lignin, 1.0 and hemicellulose, 5.0. Carbohydrate composition indicated the flour to contain 2.8% soluble sugars, 70.0% starch and 12.0% non-starch polysaccharides. Potassium is the predominant mineral in banana flour. Fresh green banana is a good source of vitamin C, but almost 65% is lost during the preparation of flour. Oxalate content (1.1-1.6%) of banana flour is probably nutritionally insignificant. The overall results are suggestive of the potential of green bananas as a source of flour.

  3. Three-Dimensional Magnetic Levitation Culture System Simulating White Adipose Tissue.

    PubMed

    Tseng, Hubert; Daquinag, Alexes C; Souza, Glauco R; Kolonin, Mikhail G

    2018-01-01

    White adipose tissue (WAT) has attracted interest for tissue engineering and cell-based therapies as an abundant source of adipose stem/stromal cells (ASC). However, technical challenges in WAT cell culture have limited its applications in regenerative medicine. Traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models, which are essentially monolayers of cells on glass or plastic substrates, inadequately represent tissue architecture, biochemical concentration gradients, substrate stiffness, and most importantly for WAT research, cell phenotypic heterogeneity. Physiological cell culture platforms for WAT modeling must recapitulate the native diversity of cell types and their coordination within the organ. For this purpose, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) model using magnetic levitation. Here, we describe our protocol that we successfully employed to build adipose tissue organoids (adipospheres) that preserve the heterogeneity of the constituent cell types in vitro. We demonstrate the capacity of assembling adipospheres from multiple cell types, including ASCs, endohtelial cells, and leukocytes that recreate tissue organization. These adipospheres mimicked WAT organogenesis in that they enabled the formation of vessel-like endothelial structures with lumens and differentiation of unilocular adipocytes. Altogether, magnetic levitation is a cell culture platform that recreates tissue structure, function, and heterogeneity in vitro, and serves as a foundation for high-throughput WAT tissue culture and analysis.

  4. Microwave sterilization of plastic tissue culture vessels for reuse.

    PubMed

    Sanborn, M R; Wan, S K; Bulard, R

    1982-10-01

    A simple protocol has been developed for recycling plastic tissue culture vessels. The killing properties of microwaves were used to decontaminate plastic tissue culture vessels for reuse. Nine bacterial cultures, four gram-negative and five gram-positive genera, including two Bacillus species, were used to artificially contaminate tissue culture vessels. The microwaves produced by a "home-type" microwave oven (2.45 gHz) were able to decontaminate the vessels with a 3-min exposure. The same exposure time was also used to completely inactivate the following three test viruses: polio type 1, parainfluenza type 1 (Sendai), and bacteriophage T4. The recycling procedure did not reduce the attachment and proliferation of the following cell types: primary chicken and turkey embryo, HEp-2, Vero, BGMK, and MK-2.

  5. Co-culture systems-based strategies for articular cartilage tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yu; Guo, Weimin; Wang, Mingjie; Hao, Chunxiang; Lu, Liang; Gao, Shuang; Zhang, Xueliang; Li, Xu; Chen, Mingxue; Li, Penghao; Jiang, Peng; Lu, Shibi; Liu, Shuyun; Guo, Quanyi

    2018-03-01

    Cartilage engineering facilitates repair and regeneration of damaged cartilage using engineered tissue that restores the functional properties of the impaired joint. The seed cells used most frequently in tissue engineering, are chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. Seed cells activity plays a key role in the regeneration of functional cartilage tissue. However, seed cells undergo undesirable changes after in vitro processing procedures, such as degeneration of cartilage cells and induced hypertrophy of mesenchymal stem cells, which hinder cartilage tissue engineering. Compared to monoculture, which does not mimic the in vivo cellular environment, co-culture technology provides a more realistic microenvironment in terms of various physical, chemical, and biological factors. Co-culture technology is used in cartilage tissue engineering to overcome obstacles related to the degeneration of seed cells, and shows promise for cartilage regeneration and repair. In this review, we focus first on existing co-culture systems for cartilage tissue engineering and related fields, and discuss the conditions and mechanisms thereof. This is followed by methods for optimizing seed cell co-culture conditions to generate functional neo-cartilage tissue, which will lead to a new era in cartilage tissue engineering. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Identification of an Endophytic Antifungal Bacterial Strain Isolated from the Rubber Tree and Its Application in the Biological Control of Banana Fusarium Wilt

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Xuepiao; Zheng, Peng; Zhang, Jiaming

    2015-01-01

    Banana Fusarium wilt (also known as Panama disease) is one of the most disastrous plant diseases. Effective control methods are still under exploring. The endophytic bacterial strain ITBB B5-1 was isolated from the rubber tree, and identified as Serratia marcescens by morphological, biochemical, and phylogenetic analyses. This strain exhibited a high potential for biological control against the banana Fusarium disease. Visual agar plate assay showed that ITBB B5-1 restricted the mycelial growth of the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (FOC4). Microscopic observation revealed that the cell wall of the FOC4 mycelium close to the co-cultured bacterium was partially decomposed, and the conidial formation was prohibited. The inhibition ratio of the culture fluid of ITBB B5-1 against the pathogenic fungus was 95.4% as estimated by tip culture assay. Chitinase and glucanase activity was detected in the culture fluid, and the highest activity was obtained at Day 2 and Day 3 of incubation for chitinase and glucanase, respectively. The filtrated cell-free culture fluid degraded the cell wall of FOC4 mycelium. These results indicated that chitinase and glucanase were involved in the antifungal mechanism of ITBB B5-1. The potted banana plants that were inoculated with ITBB B5-1 before infection with FOC4 showed 78.7% reduction in the disease severity index in the green house experiments. In the field trials, ITBB B5-1 showed a control effect of approximately 70.0% against the disease. Therefore, the endophytic bacterial strain ITBB B5-1 could be applied in the biological control of banana Fusarium wilt. PMID:26133557

  7. Improved Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection by Culturing Periprosthetic Tissue Specimens in Blood Culture Bottles

    PubMed Central

    Peel, Trisha N.; Dylla, Brenda L.; Hughes, John G.; Lynch, David T.; Greenwood-Quaintance, Kerryl E.; Cheng, Allen C.; Mandrekar, Jayawant N.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Despite known low sensitivity, culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens on agars and in broths is routine. Culture of periprosthetic tissue samples in blood culture bottles (BCBs) is potentially more convenient, but it has been evaluated in a limited way and has not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of inoculation of periprosthetic tissue specimens into blood culture bottles with standard agar and thioglycolate broth culture, applying Bayesian latent class modeling (LCM) in addition to applying the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria for prosthetic joint infection. This prospective cohort study was conducted over a 9-month period (August 2013 to April 2014) at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and included all consecutive patients undergoing revision arthroplasty. Overall, 369 subjects were studied; 117 (32%) met IDSA criteria for prosthetic joint infection, and 82% had late chronic infection. Applying LCM, inoculation of tissues into BCBs was associated with a 47% improvement in sensitivity compared to the sensitivity of conventional agar and broth cultures (92.1 versus 62.6%, respectively); this magnitude of change was similar when IDSA criteria were applied (60.7 versus 44.4%, respectively; P = 0.003). The time to microorganism detection was shorter with BCBs than with standard media (P < 0.0001), with aerobic and anaerobic BCBs yielding positive results within a median of 21 and 23 h, respectively. Results of our study demonstrate that the semiautomated method of periprosthetic tissue culture in blood culture bottles is more sensitive than and as specific as agar and thioglycolate broth cultures and yields results faster. PMID:26733067

  8. Climatic Forcing on Black Sigatoka Disease of Banana Crops in Urabá, Colombia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ochoa, A.; Álvarez, P.; Poveda, G.; Buriticá, P.; Mira, J.

    2012-12-01

    Bananas are widely the most consumed fruit in the world and Colombia is one of the major producers and exporters of bananas worldwide. We analyzed the climatic forcing agents on banana crops in the Urabá region, the largest banana producer in Colombia. Although this crop is harvested continuously throughout the entire year, it exhibits climate driven seasonality. Black Sigatoka Disease (BSD) has been the most important threat for banana production worldwide. BSD attacks plant leaves producing small spots of dead material. When BSD is not treated, it can grow enough to damage the entire leaf, reducing both growth and developmental rates which may result in the loss of the plant. BSD is caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis. This fungus is dispersed by wind with its inoculation occurring when there is water on the leaf. Thus, climatic variables such as wind, relative humidity of air (RH) and leaf wetness duration (LWD) all affect phenological phases of the banana crop (suckering, growing, flowering and harvesting). This study was carried out at the Cenibanano Experimental Plot located in Carepa (Urabá, Colombia) during 2007-2012. We used phytopathologic and weather data from the Cenibanano database along with climatic data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). BSD was diagnosed using the Biological Forecasting method. Results show that rainfall drives both plant and disease development rate. During wet periods the Foliar Emission Rate exceeds rates measured during dry periods. Although wetness is a positive factor for fungal reproduction (and BSD), it also heightens the chance for the plant to create more foliar tissue to fight against BSD. Hence, during wet periods the Severity Index of BSD is reduced in relation to dry periods. This effect was also observed at the inter-annual scale of the El Niño - South Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. During the ENSO warm/cold phase (El Niño/La Niña) rainfall anomalies in Colombia were observed as negative

  9. 33 CFR 117.263 - Banana River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Banana River. 117.263 Section 117.263 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Florida § 117.263 Banana River. (a) The draw of the Mathers (SR...

  10. 33 CFR 117.263 - Banana River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Banana River. 117.263 Section 117.263 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Florida § 117.263 Banana River. (a) The draw of the Mathers (SR...

  11. 33 CFR 117.263 - Banana River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Banana River. 117.263 Section 117.263 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Florida § 117.263 Banana River. (a) The draw of the Mathers (SR...

  12. 33 CFR 117.263 - Banana River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Banana River. 117.263 Section 117.263 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Florida § 117.263 Banana River. (a) The draw of the Mathers (SR...

  13. 33 CFR 117.263 - Banana River.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Banana River. 117.263 Section 117.263 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Florida § 117.263 Banana River. (a) The draw of the Mathers (SR...

  14. I Have a Banana Tree in My Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Patricia A.

    2007-01-01

    When the banana is growing, the broadest part of the banana is located at the bottom, while the tapered end points upward. It appears upside down, however, from the banana tree's perspective, it is growing right side up. The author observes that the students in her classroom labeled by society as "at risk," are also, in a sense, "upside down."…

  15. Dissipation and residue of azoxystrobin in banana under field condition.

    PubMed

    Wang, Siwei; Sun, Haibin; Liu, Yanping

    2013-09-01

    A method was developed for determining azoxystrobin in banana and cultivation soil using gas chromatography. The dissipation and residue of azoxystrobin in banana fields at GAP conditions were investigated. The average recoveries ranged from 80.3 to 96.0 % with relative standard deviations of 2.9 to 7.2 % at three different spiking levels for each matrix. The results indicated that the half-life of azoxystrobin in bananas and soil ranged from 7.5 to 13.5 days in Guangdong and from 8.7 to 12.7 days in Fujian. The dissipation rates of azoxystrobin in banana and soil were almost the same. Terminal residues in banana and banana flesh (0.01 mg/kg) were all below the maximum residue limit (2 mg/kg by Codex Alimentarius Commission and China). The results demonstrated that the safety of using azoxystrobin at the recommended agriculture dosage to protect bananas from diseases.

  16. Zinc and copper tolerance of Agrostis stolonifera L. in tissue culture

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, L.; Antonovics, J.

    1978-03-01

    Callus tissue was induced from shoot meristematic tissue and root tips of a clone of the grass Agrostis stolonifera tolerant to both zinc and copper, and from a control clone tolerant to neither metal. Growth of the callus tissue on media containing zinc and copper showed that tolerance to both metals was maintained in tissue culture. The pattern of metal uptake in tissue culture resembled uptake by whole plants in that tolerant tissue took up more metal than nontolerant tissue. Plants regenerated from callus had the same copper and zinc tolerance as the original parental clones regardless of time ofmore » growth in tissue culture and shoot or root origin of the tissue. The results support previous evidence that metal tolerance is genetically determined and acts at the cellular level.« less

  17. Dynamic Bioreactor Culture of High Volume Engineered Bone Tissue

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen, Bao-Ngoc B.; Ko, Henry; Moriarty, Rebecca A.; Etheridge, Julie M.

    2016-01-01

    Within the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the fabrication of tissue grafts of any significant size—much less a whole organ or tissue—remains a major challenge. Currently, tissue-engineered constructs cultured in vitro have been restrained in size primarily due to the diffusion limit of oxygen and nutrients to the center of these grafts. Previously, we developed a novel tubular perfusion system (TPS) bioreactor, which allows the dynamic culture of bead-encapsulated cells and increases the supply of nutrients to the entire cell population. More interestingly, the versatility of TPS bioreactor allows a large range of engineered tissue volumes to be cultured, including large bone grafts. In this study, we utilized alginate-encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells for the culture of a tissue-engineered bone construct in the size and shape of the superior half of an adult human femur (∼200 cm3), a 20-fold increase over previously reported volumes of in vitro engineered bone grafts. Dynamic culture in TPS bioreactor not only resulted in high cell viability throughout the femur graft, but also showed early signs of stem cell differentiation through increased expression of osteogenic genes and proteins, consistent with our previous models of smaller bone constructs. This first foray into full-scale bone engineering provides the foundation for future clinical applications of bioengineered bone grafts. PMID:26653703

  18. Pesticide use in banana and plantain production and risk perception among local actors in Talamanca, Costa Rica

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barraza, Douglas, E-mail: dbarraza@una.ac.cr; Technology and Agrarian Development Group, Wageningen University; Jansen, Kees

    The Talamanca County in Costa Rica has large-scale banana and small-scale plantain production, probably causing pesticide exposure in indigenous children. We explored to what extent different community actors are aware of children's pesticide hazards and how their awareness related to socio-economical and cultural conditions. Methods comprised eight focus groups with fathers and mothers separately, 27 semi-structured interviews to key actors, and field observations. As a whole, the indigenous plantain farmers and banana plantation workers had some general knowledge of pesticides concerning crop protection, but little on acute health effects, and hardly any on exposure routes and pathways, and chronic effects.more » People expressed vague ideas about pesticide risks. Inter-community differences were related to pesticide technologies used in banana and plantain production, employment status on a multinational plantation versus smallholder status, and gender. Compared to formalized practices on transnational company plantations, where workers reported to feel protected, pesticide handling by plantain smallholders was not perceived as hazardous and therefore no safety precautions were applied. Large-scale monoculture was perceived as one of the most important problems leading to pesticide risks in Talamanca on banana plantations, and also on neighboring small plantain farms extending into large areas. Plantain farmers have adopted use of highly toxic pesticides following banana production, but in conditions of extreme poverty. Aerial spraying in banana plantations was considered by most social actors a major determinant of exposure for the population living nearby these plantations, including vulnerable children. We observed violations of legally established aerial spraying distances. Economic considerations were most mentioned as the underlying reason for the pesticide use: economic needs to obtain the production quantity and quality, and pressure to use pesticides

  19. Variable content and distribution of arabinogalactan proteins in banana (Musa spp.) under low temperature stress.

    PubMed

    Yan, Yonglian; Takáč, Tomáš; Li, Xiaoquan; Chen, Houbin; Wang, Yingying; Xu, Enfeng; Xie, Ling; Su, Zhaohua; Šamaj, Jozef; Xu, Chunxiang

    2015-01-01

    Information on the spatial distribution of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) in plant organs and tissues during plant reactions to low temperature (LT) is limited. In this study, the extracellular distribution of AGPs in banana leaves and roots, and their changes under LT stress were investigated in two genotypes differing in chilling tolerance, by immuno-techniques using 17 monoclonal antibodies against different AGP epitopes. Changes in total classical AGPs in banana leaves were also tested. The results showed that AGP epitopes recognized by JIM4, JIM14, JIM16, and CCRC-M32 antibodies were primarily distributed in leaf veins, while those recognized by JIM8, JIM13, JIM15, and PN16.4B4 antibodies exhibited predominant sclerenchymal localization. Epitopes recognized by LM2, LM14, and MAC207 antibodies were distributed in both epidermal and mesophyll cells. Both genotypes accumulated classical AGPs in leaves under LT treatment, and the chilling tolerant genotype contained higher classical AGPs at each temperature treatment. The abundance of JIM4 and JIM16 epitopes in the chilling-sensitive genotype decreased slightly after LT treatment, and this trend was opposite for the tolerant one. LT induced accumulation of LM2- and LM14-immunoreactive AGPs in the tolerant genotype compared to the sensitive one, especially in phloem and mesophyll cells. These epitopes thus might play important roles in banana LT tolerance. Different AGP components also showed differential distribution patterns in banana roots. In general, banana roots started to accumulate AGPs under LT treatment earlier than leaves. The levels of AGPs recognized by MAC207 and JIM13 antibodies in the control roots of the tolerant genotype were higher than in the chilling sensitive one. Furthermore, the chilling tolerant genotype showed high immuno-reactivity against JIM13 antibody. These results indicate that several AGPs are likely involved in banana tolerance to chilling injury.

  20. Variable content and distribution of arabinogalactan proteins in banana (Musa spp.) under low temperature stress

    PubMed Central

    Yan, Yonglian; Takáč, Tomáš; Li, Xiaoquan; Chen, Houbin; Wang, Yingying; Xu, Enfeng; Xie, Ling; Su, Zhaohua; Šamaj, Jozef; Xu, Chunxiang

    2015-01-01

    Information on the spatial distribution of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) in plant organs and tissues during plant reactions to low temperature (LT) is limited. In this study, the extracellular distribution of AGPs in banana leaves and roots, and their changes under LT stress were investigated in two genotypes differing in chilling tolerance, by immuno-techniques using 17 monoclonal antibodies against different AGP epitopes. Changes in total classical AGPs in banana leaves were also tested. The results showed that AGP epitopes recognized by JIM4, JIM14, JIM16, and CCRC-M32 antibodies were primarily distributed in leaf veins, while those recognized by JIM8, JIM13, JIM15, and PN16.4B4 antibodies exhibited predominant sclerenchymal localization. Epitopes recognized by LM2, LM14, and MAC207 antibodies were distributed in both epidermal and mesophyll cells. Both genotypes accumulated classical AGPs in leaves under LT treatment, and the chilling tolerant genotype contained higher classical AGPs at each temperature treatment. The abundance of JIM4 and JIM16 epitopes in the chilling-sensitive genotype decreased slightly after LT treatment, and this trend was opposite for the tolerant one. LT induced accumulation of LM2- and LM14-immunoreactive AGPs in the tolerant genotype compared to the sensitive one, especially in phloem and mesophyll cells. These epitopes thus might play important roles in banana LT tolerance. Different AGP components also showed differential distribution patterns in banana roots. In general, banana roots started to accumulate AGPs under LT treatment earlier than leaves. The levels of AGPs recognized by MAC207 and JIM13 antibodies in the control roots of the tolerant genotype were higher than in the chilling sensitive one. Furthermore, the chilling tolerant genotype showed high immuno-reactivity against JIM13 antibody. These results indicate that several AGPs are likely involved in banana tolerance to chilling injury. PMID:26074928

  1. Phenalenone-type phytoalexins mediate resistance of banana plants (Musa spp.) to the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis

    PubMed Central

    Hölscher, Dirk; Dhakshinamoorthy, Suganthagunthalam; Alexandrov, Theodore; Becker, Michael; Bretschneider, Tom; Buerkert, Andreas; Crecelius, Anna C.; De Waele, Dirk; Elsen, Annemie; Heckel, David G.; Heklau, Heike; Hertweck, Christian; Kai, Marco; Knop, Katrin; Krafft, Christoph; Maddula, Ravi K.; Matthäus, Christian; Popp, Jürgen; Schneider, Bernd; Schubert, Ulrich S.; Sikora, Richard A.; Svatoš, Aleš; Swennen, Rony L.

    2014-01-01

    The global yield of bananas—one of the most important food crops—is severely hampered by parasites, such as nematodes, which cause yield losses up to 75%. Plant–nematode interactions of two banana cultivars differing in susceptibility to Radopholus similis were investigated by combining the conventional and spatially resolved analytical techniques 1H NMR spectroscopy, matrix-free UV-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging, and Raman microspectroscopy. This innovative combination of analytical techniques was applied to isolate, identify, and locate the banana-specific type of phytoalexins, phenylphenalenones, in the R. similis-caused lesions of the plants. The striking antinematode activity of the phenylphenalenone anigorufone, its ingestion by the nematode, and its subsequent localization in lipid droplets within the nematode is reported. The importance of varying local concentrations of these specialized metabolites in infected plant tissues, their involvement in the plant’s defense system, and derived strategies for improving banana resistance are highlighted. PMID:24324151

  2. Remote quality monitoring in the banana chain

    PubMed Central

    Jedermann, Reiner; Praeger, Ulrike; Geyer, Martin; Lang, Walter

    2014-01-01

    Quality problems occurring during or after sea transportation of bananas in refrigerated containers are mainly caused by insufficient cooling and non-optimal atmospheric conditions, but also by the heat generated by respiration activity. Tools to measure and evaluate these effects can largely help to reduce losses along the banana supply chain. The presented green life model provides a tool to predict the effect of deviating temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 and O2 gas concentrations on the storage stability of bananas. A second thermal model allows evaluation of the cooling efficiency, the effect of changes in packaging and stowage and the amount of respiration heat from the measured temperature curves. Spontaneous ripening causes higher respiration heat and CO2 production rate. The resulting risk for creation of hot spots increases in positions in which the respiration heat exceeds the available cooling capacity. In case studies on the transport of bananas from Costa Rica to Europe, we validated the models and showed how they can be applied to generate automated warning messages for containers with reduced banana green life or with temperature problems and also for remote monitoring of the ripening process inside the container. PMID:24797132

  3. Remote quality monitoring in the banana chain.

    PubMed

    Jedermann, Reiner; Praeger, Ulrike; Geyer, Martin; Lang, Walter

    2014-06-13

    Quality problems occurring during or after sea transportation of bananas in refrigerated containers are mainly caused by insufficient cooling and non-optimal atmospheric conditions, but also by the heat generated by respiration activity. Tools to measure and evaluate these effects can largely help to reduce losses along the banana supply chain. The presented green life model provides a tool to predict the effect of deviating temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 and O2 gas concentrations on the storage stability of bananas. A second thermal model allows evaluation of the cooling efficiency, the effect of changes in packaging and stowage and the amount of respiration heat from the measured temperature curves. Spontaneous ripening causes higher respiration heat and CO2 production rate. The resulting risk for creation of hot spots increases in positions in which the respiration heat exceeds the available cooling capacity. In case studies on the transport of bananas from Costa Rica to Europe, we validated the models and showed how they can be applied to generate automated warning messages for containers with reduced banana green life or with temperature problems and also for remote monitoring of the ripening process inside the container.

  4. Application of Cold Storage for Raja Sere Banana (Musa acuminata colla)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crismas, S. R. S.; Purwanto, Y. A.; Sutrisno

    2018-05-01

    Raja Sere is one of the indigenous banana cultivars in Indonesia. This cultivar has a yellow color when ripen, small size and sweet taste. Traditionally, the growers market this banana cultivar to the market without any treatment to delay the ripening process. Banana fruits are commonly being harvested at the condition of hard green mature. At this condition of hard green mature, banana fruits can be stored for a long-term period. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of cold storage on the quality of raja sere banana that stored at 13°C. Banana fruits cultivar Raja Sere were harvested from local farmer field at the condition of hard green mature (about 14 weeks age after the flower bloom). Fifteen bunches of banana were stored in cold storage with a temperature of 13°C for 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days, respectively. For the control, room temperature storage (28°C) was used. At a storage period, samples of banana fruits ripened in the ripening chamber by injecting 100 ppm of ethylene gas at 25°C for 24 hours. The quality parameters namely respiration rate, hardness, total soluble solids (TSS), change in color, and weight loss were measured. For those banana fruits stored at room temperature, the shelf-life of banana was only reached up to 6 days. For those banana fruits stored in cold storage, the condition of banana fruits was reached up to 12 days. After cold storage and ripening, the third day measurement was the optimal time for bananas to be consumed which indicated by the yellow color (lightness value = 68.51, a* = 4.74 and value b* = 62.63), TSS 24.30 °Brix and hardness 0.48 kgf, weight loss about 7.53-16.45% and CO2 respiration rate of 100.37 mLCO2 / kg.hr.

  5. Catalog of banana (Musa spp.) accessions maintained at the USDA-ARS, Tropical Agriculture Reserach Station

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Banana genetic resources can be found in situ in native habitats in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. Ex situ collections also exist in important tropical regions of the world as well as in vitro cultures at the Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre. Unfortunately, readily avai...

  6. 21 CFR 864.2220 - Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2220 Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components. (a) Identification. Synthetic...

  7. Improved Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection by Culturing Periprosthetic Tissue Specimens in Blood Culture Bottles.

    PubMed

    Peel, Trisha N; Dylla, Brenda L; Hughes, John G; Lynch, David T; Greenwood-Quaintance, Kerryl E; Cheng, Allen C; Mandrekar, Jayawant N; Patel, Robin

    2016-01-05

    Despite known low sensitivity, culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens on agars and in broths is routine. Culture of periprosthetic tissue samples in blood culture bottles (BCBs) is potentially more convenient, but it has been evaluated in a limited way and has not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of inoculation of periprosthetic tissue specimens into blood culture bottles with standard agar and thioglycolate broth culture, applying Bayesian latent class modeling (LCM) in addition to applying the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria for prosthetic joint infection. This prospective cohort study was conducted over a 9-month period (August 2013 to April 2014) at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and included all consecutive patients undergoing revision arthroplasty. Overall, 369 subjects were studied; 117 (32%) met IDSA criteria for prosthetic joint infection, and 82% had late chronic infection. Applying LCM, inoculation of tissues into BCBs was associated with a 47% improvement in sensitivity compared to the sensitivity of conventional agar and broth cultures (92.1 versus 62.6%, respectively); this magnitude of change was similar when IDSA criteria were applied (60.7 versus 44.4%, respectively; P = 0.003). The time to microorganism detection was shorter with BCBs than with standard media (P < 0.0001), with aerobic and anaerobic BCBs yielding positive results within a median of 21 and 23 h, respectively. Results of our study demonstrate that the semiautomated method of periprosthetic tissue culture in blood culture bottles is more sensitive than and as specific as agar and thioglycolate broth cultures and yields results faster. Prosthetic joint infections are a devastating complication of arthroplasty surgery. Despite this, current microbiological techniques to detect and diagnose infections are imperfect. This study examined a new approach to diagnosing infections, through the inoculation of

  8. Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana (Musa spp.) domestication

    PubMed Central

    Perrier, Xavier; De Langhe, Edmond; Donohue, Mark; Lentfer, Carol; Vrydaghs, Luc; Bakry, Frédéric; Carreel, Françoise; Hippolyte, Isabelle; Horry, Jean-Pierre; Jenny, Christophe; Lebot, Vincent; Risterucci, Ange-Marie; Tomekpe, Kodjo; Doutrelepont, Hugues; Ball, Terry; Manwaring, Jason; de Maret, Pierre; Denham, Tim

    2011-01-01

    Original multidisciplinary research hereby clarifies the complex geodomestication pathways that generated the vast range of banana cultivars (cvs). Genetic analyses identify the wild ancestors of modern-day cvs and elucidate several key stages of domestication for different cv groups. Archaeology and linguistics shed light on the historical roles of people in the movement and cultivation of bananas from New Guinea to West Africa during the Holocene. The historical reconstruction of domestication processes is essential for breeding programs seeking to diversify and improve banana cvs for the future. PMID:21730145

  9. Metabolic Profile of Pancreatic Acinar and Islet Tissue in Culture

    PubMed Central

    Suszynski, Thomas M.; Mueller, Kathryn; Gruessner, Angelika C.; Papas, Klearchos K.

    2016-01-01

    The amount and condition of exocrine impurities may affect the quality of islet preparations especially during culture. In this study, the objective was to determine the oxygen demandand viability of islet and acinar tissue post-isolation and whether they change disproportionately while in culture. We compare the OCR normalized to DNA (OCR/DNA, a measure of fractional viability in units nmol/min/mg DNA), and percent change in OCR and DNA recoveries between adult porcine islet and acinar tissue from the same preparation (paired) over a 6-9 days of standard culture. Paired comparisons were done to quantify differences in OCR/DNA between islet and acinar tissue from the same preparation, at specified time points during culture; the mean (± standard error) OCR/DNA was 74.0 (±11.7) units higher for acinar (vs. islet) tissue on the day of isolation (n=16, p<0.0001), but 25.7 (±9.4) units lower after 1 day (n=8, p=0.03), 56.6 (±11.5) units lower after 2 days (n=12, p=0.0004), and 65.9 (±28.7) units lower after 8 days (n=4, p=0.2) in culture. DNA and OCR recoveries decreased at different rates for acinar versus islet tissue over 6-9 days in culture (n=6). DNA recovery decreased to 24±7% for acinar and 75±8% for islets (p=0.002). Similarly, OCR recovery decreased to 16±3% for acinar and remained virtually constant for islets (p=0.005). Differences in the metabolic profile of acinarand islet tissue should be considered when culturing impure islet preparations. OCR-based measurements may help optimize pre-IT culture protocols. PMID:25131082

  10. Overexpression of MusaMYB31, a R2R3 type MYB transcription factor gene indicate its role as a negative regulator of lignin biosynthesis in banana

    PubMed Central

    Ganapathi, T. R.

    2017-01-01

    Lignin and polyphenols are important cellular components biosynthesized through phenylpropanoid pathway. Phenylpropanoid pathway in plants is regulated by some important transcription factors including R2R3 MYB transcription factors. In this study, we report the cloning and functional characterization of a banana R2R3-MYB transcription factor (MusaMYB31) by overexpression in transgenic banana plants and evaluated its potential role in regulating biosynthesis of lignin and polyphenols. Sequence analysis of MusaMYB31 indicated its clustering with members of subgroup 4 (Sg4) of R2R3MYB family which are well known for their role as repressors of lignin biosynthesis. Expression analysis indicated higher expression of MusaMYB31 in corm and root tissue, known for presence of highly lignified tissue than other organs of banana. Overexpression of MusaMYB31 in banana cultivar Rasthali was carried out and four transgenic lines were confirmed by GUS histochemical staining, PCR analysis and Southern blot. Histological and biochemical analysis suggested reduction of cell wall lignin in vascular elements of banana. Transgenic lines showed alteration in transcript levels of general phenylpropanoid pathway genes including lignin biosynthesis pathway genes. Reduction of total polyphenols content in transgenic lines was in line with the observation related to repression of general phenylpropanoid pathway genes. This study suggested the potential role of MusaMYB31 as repressor of lignin and polyphenols biosynthesis in banana. PMID:28234982

  11. 21 CFR 864.2220 - Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and... Products § 864.2220 Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components. (a) Identification. Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components are substances that are composed entirely of defined...

  12. 21 CFR 864.2220 - Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and... Products § 864.2220 Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components. (a) Identification. Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components are substances that are composed entirely of defined...

  13. 21 CFR 864.2220 - Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and... Products § 864.2220 Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components. (a) Identification. Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components are substances that are composed entirely of defined...

  14. Engineering large cartilage tissues using dynamic bioreactor culture at defined oxygen conditions.

    PubMed

    Daly, Andrew C; Sathy, Binulal N; Kelly, Daniel J

    2018-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells maintained in appropriate culture conditions are capable of producing robust cartilage tissue. However, gradients in nutrient availability that arise during three-dimensional culture can result in the development of spatially inhomogeneous cartilage tissues with core regions devoid of matrix. Previous attempts at developing dynamic culture systems to overcome these limitations have reported suppression of mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenesis compared to static conditions. We hypothesize that by modulating oxygen availability during bioreactor culture, it is possible to engineer cartilage tissues of scale. The objective of this study was to determine whether dynamic bioreactor culture, at defined oxygen conditions, could facilitate the development of large, spatially homogeneous cartilage tissues using mesenchymal stem cell laden hydrogels. A dynamic culture regime was directly compared to static conditions for its capacity to support chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells in both small and large alginate hydrogels. The influence of external oxygen tension on the response to the dynamic culture conditions was explored by performing the experiment at 20% O 2 and 3% O 2 . At 20% O 2 , dynamic culture significantly suppressed chondrogenesis in engineered tissues of all sizes. In contrast, at 3% O 2 dynamic culture significantly enhanced the distribution and amount of cartilage matrix components (sulphated glycosaminoglycan and collagen II) in larger constructs compared to static conditions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that dynamic culture regimes that provide adequate nutrient availability and a low oxygen environment can be employed to engineer large homogeneous cartilage tissues. Such culture systems could facilitate the scaling up of cartilage tissue engineering strategies towards clinically relevant dimensions.

  15. NASA Bioreactor tissue culture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    Dr. Lisa E. Freed of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her colleagues have reported that initially disc-like specimens tend to become spherical in space, demonstrating that tissues can grow and differentiate into distinct structures in microgravity. The Mir Increment 3 (Sept. 16, 1996 - Jan. 22, 1997) samples were smaller, more spherical, and mechanically weaker than Earth-grown control samples. These results demonstrate the feasibility of microgravity tissue engineering and may have implications for long human space voyages and for treating musculoskeletal disorders on earth. The work is sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. The bioreactor is managed by the Biotechnology Cell Science Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). NASA-sponsored bioreactor research has been instrumental in helping scientists to better understand normal and cancerous tissue development. In cooperation with the medical community, the bioreactor design is being used to prepare better models of human colon, prostate, breast and ovarian tumors. Cartilage, bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver and kidney are just a few of the normal tissues being cultured in rotating bioreactors by investigators.

  16. Tissue-Culture Method of Cloning Rubber Plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ball, E. A.

    1983-01-01

    Guayule plant, a high-yield rubber plant cloned by tissue-culture method to produce multiple new plants that mature quickly. By adjusting culture medium, excised shoot tip produces up to 50 identical guayule plants. Varying concentration of cytokinin, single excised tip produces either 1 or several (up to 50) new plants.

  17. Bioethanol Production From Banana Stem By Using Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusmiyati; Mustofa, A.; Jumarmi

    2018-05-01

    The rapid growth and development of industries in the world result in a greater energy needs. Some studies show that ethanol can be used as an alternative energy. However, bioethanol production from food raw materials such as sugar and starch has drawback that cause the food crisis. This aim of this study was to convert banana stem into bioethanol. Banana stem contained of 44.6% cellulose, 36.0% hemicellulose and 19.4% lignin. After banana stems were pretreated with acid (H2SO4) and alkaline (NaOH) at a concentration of 2% w/v at 121 °C for 30 minutes, then subsequently the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) were carried out by using mixed cultures of Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma reesei and Zymomonas mobilis at various enzymes ratios of (1:1:1), (1:2:1), (1:2:2), (1:1:2) and various pH (4, 5 and 6) with SSF time for 144 hours and temperature of 30°C. The results show that acid pretreatment showed better results than the alkali pretreatment. After acid pretreatment and alkali pretreatment, lignin content of pretreted banana stem reduced to 15.92% and 16.34%, respectively, cellulose increased to 52.11% and 50.6% respectively, hemicellulose reduced to 28.45% and 28.83%, respectively The SSF showed that pH 5 gave the highest bioethanol. The highest concentration of bioethanol (8.51 g/L) was achieved at the SSF process at pH 5 with a ratio Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma reesei and Zymomonas mobilis enzymes of (1:1:2).

  18. 7 CFR 318.13-22 - Bananas from Hawaii.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...)) by an inspector before or after undergoing irradiation treatment; or (2) The bananas are irradiated... banana moth (Opogona sacchari (Bojen)) before or after undergoing irradiation treatment. (3) Untreated...

  19. 33 CFR 334.570 - Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Banana River near Orsino, Fla... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.570 Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area. (a) The area. That part of Banana River N of the NASA Banana River...

  20. 33 CFR 334.570 - Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Banana River near Orsino, Fla... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.570 Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area. (a) The area. That part of Banana River N of the NASA Banana River...

  1. 33 CFR 334.570 - Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Banana River near Orsino, Fla... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.570 Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area. (a) The area. That part of Banana River N of the NASA Banana River...

  2. 33 CFR 334.570 - Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Banana River near Orsino, Fla... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.570 Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area. (a) The area. That part of Banana River N of the NASA Banana River...

  3. 33 CFR 334.570 - Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Banana River near Orsino, Fla... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.570 Banana River near Orsino, Fla.; restricted area. (a) The area. That part of Banana River N of the NASA Banana River...

  4. Pre-metatarsal skeletal development in tissue culture at unit- and microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Klement, B. J.; Spooner, B. S.

    1994-01-01

    Explant organ culture was used to demonstrate that isolated embryonic mouse pre-metatarsal mesenchyme is capable of undergoing a series of differentiative and morphogenetic developmental events. Mesenchyme differentiation into chondrocytes, and concurrent morphogenetic patterning of the cartilage tissue, and terminal chondrocyte differentiation with subsequent matrix mineralization show that cultured tissue closely parallels in vivo development. Whole mount alizarin red staining of the cultured tissue demonstrates that the extracellular matrix around the hypertrophied chondrocytes is competent to support mineralization. Intensely stained mineralized bands are similar to those formed in pre-metatarsals developing in vivo. We have adapted the culture strategy for experimentation in a reduced gravity environment on the Space Shuttle. Spaceflight culture of pre-metatarsals, which have already initiated chondrogenesis and morphogenetic patterning, results in an increase in cartilage rod size and maintenance of rod shape, compared to controls. Older pre-metatarsal tissue, already terminally differentiated to hypertrophied cartilage, maintained rod structure and cartilage phenotype during spaceflight culture.

  5. Evolution of endogenous sequences of banana streak virus: what can we learn from banana (Musa sp.) evolution?

    PubMed

    Gayral, Philippe; Blondin, Laurence; Guidolin, Olivier; Carreel, Françoise; Hippolyte, Isabelle; Perrier, Xavier; Iskra-Caruana, Marie-Line

    2010-07-01

    Endogenous plant pararetroviruses (EPRVs) are viral sequences of the family Caulimoviridae integrated into the nuclear genome of numerous plant species. The ability of some endogenous sequences of Banana streak viruses (eBSVs) in the genome of banana (Musa sp.) to induce infections just like the virus itself was recently demonstrated (P. Gayral et al., J. Virol. 83:6697-6710, 2008). Although eBSVs probably arose from accidental events, infectious eBSVs constitute an extreme case of parasitism, as well as a newly described strategy for vertical virus transmission in plants. We investigated the early evolutionary stages of infectious eBSV for two distinct BSV species-GF (BSGFV) and Imové (BSImV)-through the study of their distribution, insertion polymorphism, and structure evolution among selected banana genotypes representative of the diversity of 60 wild Musa species and genotypes. To do so, the historical frame of host evolution was analyzed by inferring banana phylogeny from two chloroplast regions-matK and trnL-trnF-as well as from the nuclear genome, using 19 microsatellite loci. We demonstrated that both BSV species integrated recently in banana evolution, circa 640,000 years ago. The two infectious eBSVs were subjected to different selective pressures and showed distinct levels of rearrangement within their final structure. In addition, the molecular phylogenies of integrated and nonintegrated BSVs enabled us to establish the phylogenetic origins of eBSGFV and eBSImV.

  6. Induction of gram-negative bacterial growth by neurochemical containing banana (Musa x paradisiaca) extracts.

    PubMed

    Lyte, M

    1997-09-15

    Bananas contain large quantities of neurochemicals. Extracts from the peel and pulp of bananas in increasing stages of ripening were prepared and evaluated for their ability to modulate the growth of non-pathogenic and pathogenic bacteria. Extracts from the peel, and to a much lesser degree the pulp, increased the growth of Gram-negative bacterial strains Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella flexneri, Enterobacter cloacae and Salmonella typhimurium, as well as two non-pathogenic E. coli strains, in direct relation to the content of norepinephrine and dopamine, but not serotonin. The growth of Gram-positive bacteria was not altered by any of the extracts. Supplementation of vehicle and pulp cultures with norepinephrine or dopamine yielded growth equivalent to peel cultures. Total organic analysis of extracts further demonstrated that the differential effects of peel and pulp on bacterial growth was not nutritionally based, but due to norepinephrine and dopamine. These results suggest that neurochemicals contained within foodstuffs may influence the growth of pathogenic and indigenous bacteria through direct neurochemical-bacterial interactions.

  7. Identification of genes differentially expressed during ripening of banana.

    PubMed

    Manrique-Trujillo, Sandra Mabel; Ramírez-López, Ana Cecilia; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Gómez-Lim, Miguel Angel

    2007-08-01

    The banana (Musa acuminata, subgroup Cavendish 'Grand Nain') is a climacteric fruit of economic importance. A better understanding of the banana ripening process is needed to improve fruit quality and to extend shelf life. Eighty-four up-regulated unigenes were identified by differential screening of a banana fruit cDNA subtraction library at a late ripening stage. The ripening stages in this study were defined according to the peel color index (PCI). Unigene sequences were analyzed with different databases to assign a putative identification. The expression patterns of 36 transcripts confirmed as positive by differential screening were analyzed comparing the PCI 1, PCI 5 and PCI 7 ripening stages. Expression profiles were obtained for unigenes annotated as orcinol O-methyltransferase, putative alcohol dehydrogenase, ubiquitin-protein ligase, chorismate mutase and two unigenes with non-significant matches with any reported sequence. Similar expression profiles were observed in banana pulp and peel. Our results show differential expression of a group of genes involved in processes associated with fruit ripening, such as stress, detoxification, cytoskeleton and biosynthesis of volatile compounds. Some of the identified genes had not been characterized in banana fruit. Besides providing an overview of gene expression programs and metabolic pathways at late stages of banana fruit ripening, this study contributes to increasing the information available on banana fruit ESTs.

  8. Physicochemical, digestibility and structural characteristics of starch isolated from banana cultivars.

    PubMed

    Agama-Acevedo, Edith; Nuñez-Santiago, Maria C; Alvarez-Ramirez, José; Bello-Pérez, Luis A

    2015-06-25

    Banana starches from diverse varieties (Macho, Morado, Valery and Enano Gigante) were studied in their physicochemical, structural and digestibility features. X-ray diffraction indicated that the banana starches present a B-type crystallinity pattern, with slight difference in the crystallinity level. Macho and Enano Gigante starches showed the highest pasting temperatures (79 and 78°C, respectively), whilst Valery and Morado varieties presented a slight breakdown and higher setback than the formers. Morado starch presented the highest solubility value and Valery starch the lowest one. The swelling pattern of the banana starches was in agreement with their pasting profile. All banana starches showed a shear-thinning profile. The resistant starch (RS) fraction was the main fraction in the uncooked banana starches. Morado variety showed the highest amount of slowly digestible starch (SDS) and the lowest RS content reported until now in banana starches. Banana starch cooked samples presented an important amount of SDS and RS. Molecular weight and gyration radius of the four banana starches ranged between 2.88-3.14×10(8)g/mol and 286-302nm, respectively. The chain-length distributions of banana amylopectin showed that B1 chains (DP 13-24) is the main fraction, and an important amount of long chains (DP≥37) are present. The information generated from this study can be useful to determine banana varieties for starch isolation with specific functionality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Banana leaf and glucose mineralization and soil organic matter in microhabitats of banana plantations under long-term pesticide use.

    PubMed

    Blume, Elena; Reichert, José Miguel

    2015-06-01

    Soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity are key components of soil quality and sustainability. In the humid tropics of Costa Rica 3 pesticide regimes were studied-fungicide (low input); fungicide and herbicide (medium input); and fungicide, herbicide, and nematicide (high input)-under continuous banana cultivation for 5 yr (young) or 20 yr (old) in 3 microhabitats-nematicide ring around plants, litter pile of harvested banana, and bare area between litter pile and nematicide ring. Soil samples were incubated sequentially in the laboratory: unamended, amended with glucose, and amended with ground banana leaves. Soil organic matter varied with microhabitat, being greatest in the litter pile, where microbes had the greatest basal respiration with ground banana leaf, whereas microbes in the nematicide ring had the greatest respiration with glucose. These results suggest that soil microbes adapt to specific microhabitats. Young banana plantations had similar SOM compared with old plantations, but the former had greater basal microbial respiration in unamended and in glucose-amended soil and greater first-order mineralization rates in glucose-amended soil, thus indicating soil biological quality decline over time. High pesticide input did not decrease microbial activity or mineralization rate in surface soil. In conclusion, microbial activity in tropical volcanic soil is highly adaptable to organic and inorganic inputs. © 2015 SETAC.

  10. Long-Term Tissue Culture of Adult Brain and Spleen Slices on Nanostructured Scaffolds.

    PubMed

    Kallendrusch, Sonja; Merz, Felicitas; Bechmann, Ingo; Mayr, Stefan G; Zink, Mareike

    2017-05-01

    Long-term tissue culture of adult mammalian organs is a highly promising approach to bridge the gap between single cell cultures and animal experiments, and bears the potential to reduce in vivo studies. Novel biomimetic materials open up new possibilities to maintain the complex tissue structure in vitro; however, survival times of adult tissues ex vivo are still limited to a few days with established state-of-the-art techniques. Here, it is demonstrated that TiO 2 nanotube scaffolds with specific tissue-tailored characteristics can serve as superior substrates for long-term adult brain and spleen tissue culture. High viability of the explants for at least two weeks is achieved and compared to tissues cultured on standard polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes. Histological and immunohistochemical staining and live imaging are used to investigate tissue condition after 5 and 14 d in vitro, while environmental scanning electron microscopy qualifies the interaction with the underlying scaffold. In contrast to tissues cultured on PTFE membranes, enhanced tissue morphology is detected in spleen slices, as well as minor cell death in neuronal tissue, both cultured on nanotube scaffolds. This novel biomimetic tissue model will prove to be useful to address fundamental biological and medical questions from tissue regeneration up to tumor progression and therapeutic approaches. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Banana production systems: identification of alternative systems for more sustainable production.

    PubMed

    Bellamy, Angelina Sanderson

    2013-04-01

    Large-scale, monoculture production systems dependent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, increase yields, but are costly and have deleterious impacts on human health and the environment. This research investigates variations in banana production practices in Costa Rica, to identify alternative systems that combine high productivity and profitability, with reduced reliance on agrochemicals. Farm workers were observed during daily production activities; 39 banana producers and 8 extension workers/researchers were interviewed; and a review of field experiments conducted by the National Banana Corporation between 1997 and 2002 was made. Correspondence analysis showed that there is no structured variation in large-scale banana producers' practices, but two other banana production systems were identified: a small-scale organic system and a small-scale conventional coffee-banana intercropped system. Field-scale research may reveal ways that these practices can be scaled up to achieve a productive and profitable system producing high-quality export bananas with fewer or no pesticides.

  12. Fusaric acid is a crucial factor in the disturbance of leaf water imbalance in Fusarium-infected banana plants.

    PubMed

    Dong, Xian; Ling, Ning; Wang, Min; Shen, Qirong; Guo, Shiwei

    2012-11-01

    Fusarium wilt of banana is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense infection. The initial chlorosis symptoms occur progressively from lower to upper leaves, with wilt symptoms subsequently occurring in the whole plant. To determine the effect of the pathogen infection on the gas exchange characteristics and water content in banana leaves, hydroponic experiments with pathogen inoculation were conducted in a greenhouse. Compared with control plants, infected banana seedlings showed a higher leaf temperature as determined by thermal imaging. Reduced stomatal conductance (g(s)) and transpiration rate (E) in infected plants resulted in lower levels of water loss than in control plants. Water potential in heavily diseased plants (II) was significantly reduced and the E/g(s) ratio was higher than in noninfected plants, indicating the occurrence of uncontrolled water loss not regulated by stomata in diseased plants. As no pathogen colonies were detected from the infected plant leaves, the crude toxin was extracted from the pathogen culture and evaluated about the effect on banana plant to further investigate the probable reason of these physiological changes in Fusarium-infected banana leaf. The phytotoxin fusaric acid (FA) was found in the crude toxin, and both crude toxin and pure FA had similar effects as the pathogen infection on the physiological changes in banana leaf. Additionally, FA was present at all positions in diseased plants and its concentration was positively correlated with the incidence of disease symptoms. Taken together, these observations indicated that FA secreted by the pathogen is an important factor involved in the disturbance of leaf temperature, resulting in uncontrolled leaf water loss and electrolyte leakage due to damaging the cell membrane. In conclusion, FA plays a critical role in accelerating the development of Fusarium wilt in banana plants by acting as a phytotoxin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Radioiodide induces apoptosis in human thyroid tissue in culture.

    PubMed

    Russo, Eleonora; Guerra, Anna; Marotta, Vincenzo; Faggiano, Antongiulio; Colao, Annamaria; Del Vecchio, Silvana; Tonacchera, Massimo; Vitale, Mario

    2013-12-01

    Radioiodide ((131)I) is routinely used for the treatment of toxic adenoma, Graves' disease, and for ablation of thyroid remnant after thyroidectomy in patients with thyroid cancer. The toxic effects of ionizing radiations on living cells can be mediated by a necrotic and/or apoptotic process. The involvement of apoptosis in radiation-induced cell death in the thyrocytes has been questioned. The knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie the thyrocyte death in response to radiations can help to achieve a successful treatment with the lowest (131)I dose. We developed a method to study the effects of (131)I in human thyroid tissue in culture, by which we demonstrated that (131)I induces thyroid cell apoptosis. Human thyroid tissues of about 1 mm(3) were cultured in vitro and cell viability was determined up to 3 weeks by the MTT assay. Radioiodide added to the culture medium was actively taken up by the tissues. The occurrence of apoptosis in the thyrocytes was assessed by measuring the production of a caspase-cleavage fragment of cytokeratin 18 (M30) by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Neither variation of cell number nor spontaneous apoptosis was revealed after 1 week of culture. (131)I added to the culture medium induced a dose-dependent and a time-dependent generation of M30 fragment. The apoptotic process was confirmed by the generation of caspase-3 and PARP cleavage products. These results demonstrate that (131)I induces apoptosis in human thyrocytes. Human thyroid tissue cultures may be useful to investigate the cell death pathways induced by (131)I.

  14. Optimizing Adipose Tissue Extract Isolation with Stirred Suspension Culture.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yan; Yu, Mei; Zhao, Xueyong; Dai, Minjia; Chen, Chang; Tian, Weidong

    2018-05-31

    Adherent culture which is used to collect adipose tissue extract (ATE) previously brings the problem of inhomogeneity and non-repeatability. Here we aim to extract ATE with stirred suspension culture to speed up the extraction process, stabilize the yield and improve consistent potency metrics of ATE. ATE was collected with adherent culture (ATE-A) and stirred suspension culture (ATE-S) separately. Protein yield and composition were detected by SDS-PAGE while cytokines in ATE were determined with ELISA. The adipogenic and angiogenic potential of ATE were compared by Western blot and qPCR. In addition, HE staining and LDH activity assays were used to analyze the cell viability of adipose tissue cultured with different methods. The yield of ATE-S was consistent while ATE-A varied notably. Characterization of the protein composition and exosome-like vesicles (ELVs) indicated no significant difference between ATE-S and ATE-A. The concentrations of cytokines (VEGF, bFGF and IL-6) showed no significant difference while IGF in ATE-S was higher than that in ATE-A. ATE-S showed upregulated adipogenic and angiogenic potential compared to ATE-A. Morever, stirred suspension culture decreased the LDH activity of ATE while increased the number of viable adipocytes and reduced adipose tissue necrosis. Compared with adherent culture, stirred suspension culture is a reliable, time and labor-saving method to collect ATE, which might be used to improve the downstream applications of ATE.

  15. Gastrointestinal Epithelial Organoid Cultures from Postsurgical Tissues.

    PubMed

    Hahn, Soojung; Yoo, Jongman

    2017-08-17

    An organoid is a cellular structure three-dimensionally (3D) cultured from self-organizing stem cells in vitro, which has a cell population, architectures, and organ specific functions like the originating organs. Recent advances in the 3D culture of isolated intestinal crypts or gastric glands have enabled the generation of human gastrointestinal epithelial organoids. Gastrointestinal organoids recapitulate the human in vivo physiology because of all the intestinal epithelial cell types that differentiated and proliferated from tissue resident stem cells. Thus far, gastrointestinal organoids have been extensively used for generating gastrointestinal disease models. This protocol describes the method of isolating a gland or crypt using stomach or colon tissue after surgery and establishing them into gastroids or colonoids.

  16. Tissue culture of surgically prepared temporalis fascia.

    PubMed

    Walby, A P; Kerr, A G; Nevin, N C; Woods, G

    1982-10-01

    Temporalis fascia which is used to graft the tympanic membrane has been shown to be viable in tissue culture by a previous pilot study. This present study reports the effect on the viability of the fascia by scraping loose connective tissue from it and allowing it to dry. Pieces of fascia from 30 patients were each divided in 4 and prepared to give explants, fresh, fresh and scraped, dried, and dried and scraped. The fascia grew from 17 patients when cultured fresh, 5 when fresh and scraped, 1 when dried, and none when dried and scraped. These results are significantly different and show that the fascia is devitilized when prepared by the normal method for use in tympanoplasty.

  17. Development of a new paper based nano-biosensor using the co-catalytic effect of tyrosinase from banana peel tissue (Musa Cavendish) and functionalized silica nanoparticles for voltammetric determination of l-tyrosine.

    PubMed

    Rahimi-Mohseni, Mohadeseh; Raoof, Jahan Bakhsh; Ojani, Reza; Aghajanzadeh, Tahereh A; Bagheri Hashkavayi, Ayemeh

    2018-07-01

    In this paper, a new and facile method for the electrochemical determination of l-tyrosine was designed. First, 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane-functionalized silica nanoparticles were added to a paper disc. Then, the banana peel tissue and the mediator potassium hexacyanoferrate were dropped onto the paper, respectively. The modified paper disc was placed on the top of the graphite screen printed electrode and electrochemical characterization of this biosensor was studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. The effective parameters like pH, banana peel tissue percentage, and the amount of mediator loading were optimized. l-tyrosine measurements were done by differential pulse voltammetry with a little sample (3 μL) for analysis. The biosensor showed a linear response for l-tyrosine in the wide concentration range of 0.05-600 μM and a low detection limit about 0.02 μM because of the co-catalytic effect of enzyme and nanoparticles. The stability of the biosensor and its selectivity were evaluated. This biosensor was applied for the voltammetric determination of l-tyrosine in the blood plasma sample. The results of the practical application study were comparable with the standard method (HPLC). In conclusion, a simple, inexpensive, rapid, sensitive and selective technique was successfully applied to the l-tyrosine analysis of the little samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Establishment of primary cell cultures from fish calcified tissues

    PubMed Central

    Marques, Cátia L.; Rafael, Marta S.; Cancela, M. Leonor

    2007-01-01

    Fishes have been recently recognized as a suitable model organism to study vertebrate physiological processes, in particular skeletal development and tissue mineralization. However, there is a lack of well characterized in vitro cell systems derived from fish calcified tissues. We describe here a protocol that was successfully used to develop the first calcified tissue-derived cell cultures of fish origin. Vertebra and branchial arches collected from young gilthead seabreams were fragmented then submitted to the combined action of collagenase and trypsin to efficiently release cells embedded in the collagenous extracellular matrix. Primary cultures were maintained under standard conditions and spontaneously transformed to form continuous cell lines suitable for studying mechanisms of tissue mineralization in seabream. This simple and inexpensive protocol is also applicable to other calcified tissues and species by adjusting parameters to each particular case. PMID:19002990

  19. Depot-dependent effects of adipose tissue explants on co-cultured hepatocytes.

    PubMed

    Du, Zhen-Yu; Ma, Tao; Lock, Erik-Jan; Hao, Qin; Kristiansen, Karsten; Frøyland, Livar; Madsen, Lise

    2011-01-01

    We have developed an in vitro hepatocyte-adipose tissue explant (ATE) co-culture model enabling examination of the effect of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues on primary rat hepatocytes. Initial analyses of inflammatory marker genes were performed in fractionated epididymal or inguinal adipose tissues. Expressions of inflammation related genes (IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2) were higher in the inguinal than the epididymal ATE. Similarly, expressions of marker genes of macrophage and monocyte (MPEG-1, CD68, F4/80, CD64) were higher in the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) isolated from inguinal ATE than that from epididymal ATE. However, expressions of lipolysis related genes (ATGL, HSL, perilipin-1) were higher in the epididymal adipocytes than inguinal adipocytes. Moreover, secretion of IL-6 and PGE(2) was higher from inguinal ATEs than from epididymal ATEs. There was a trend that the total levels of IL-6, TNF-α and PGE(2) in the media from inguinal ATEs co-cultured with primary rat hepatocytes were higher than that in the media from epididymal ATEs co-cultured with hepatocytes, although the significant difference was only seen in PGE(2). Lipolysis, measured as glycerol release, was similar in the ATEs isolated from inguinal and epididymal adipose tissues when cultured alone, but the glycerol release was higher in the ATEs isolated from epididymal than from inguinal adipose tissue when co-cultured with hepatocytes. Compared to epididymal ATEs, the ATEs from inguinal adipose tissue elicited a stronger cytotoxic response and higher level of insulin resistance in the co-cultured hepatocytes. In conclusion, our results reveal depot-dependent effects of ATEs on co-cultured primary hepatocytes, which in part may be related to a more pronounced infiltration of stromal vascular cells (SVCs), particularly macrophages, in inguinal adipose tissue resulting in stronger responses in terms of hepatotoxicity and insulin-resistance.

  20. Mary Jane Hogue (1883-1962): A pioneer in human brain tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Zottoli, Steven J; Seyfarth, Ernst-August

    2018-05-16

    The ability to maintain human brain explants in tissue culture was a critical step in the use of these cells for the study of central nervous system disorders. Ross G. Harrison (1870-1959) was the first to successfully maintain frog medullary tissue in culture in 1907, but it took another 38 years before successful culture of human brain tissue was accomplished. One of the pioneers in this achievement was Mary Jane Hogue (1883-1962). Hogue was born into a Quaker family in 1883 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and received her undergraduate degree from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Research with the developmental biologist Theodor Boveri (1862-1915) in Würzburg, Germany, resulted in her Ph.D. (1909). Hogue transitioned from studying protozoa to the culture of human brain tissue in the 1940s and 1950s, when she was one of the first to culture cells from human fetal, infant, and adult brain explants. We review Hogue's pioneering contributions to the study of human brain cells in culture, her putative identification of progenitor neuroblast and/or glioblast cells, and her use of the cultures to study the cytopathogenic effects of poliovirus. We also put Hogue's work in perspective by discussing how other women pioneers in tissue culture influenced Hogue and her research.

  1. [Chemical and biological evaluation of ripe banana peel].

    PubMed

    Ranzani, M R; Sturion, G L; Bicudo, M H

    1996-12-01

    Chemical and biological evaluation of ripe banana peel was conducted, aiming its potential use as a source of dietary fiber in human nutrition. Two types of flour were prepared from banana peel: a) untreated (UT), using washed and dried peel; b) treated (SMB), using peel treated with sodium metabisulfite and citric acid, in attempt to minimize the darkening of the flour. As expected, banana peel flour revealed to be an important source of fiber (NDF), corresponding about 32% of its dried weight. The addition of this flour to a basal casein diet lowered its protein digestibility and increased the fecal bulk of the rats, which are the known effects of dietary fiber. However, it did not alter the protein quality, since there was no difference in the PER values of the diets studied; in addition, the growth of the rats fed diets containing banana peel did not differ from those fed control diet. These results suggest the feasibility of technological studies aiming the development of food products with banana peel. Besides, biological assays should be realized in the elucidation of its effects in food intake and biochemical parameters.

  2. Acetylation and characterization of banana (Musa paradisiaca) starch.

    PubMed

    Bello-Pérez, L A; Contreras-Ramos, S M; Jìmenez-Aparicio, A; Paredes-López, O

    2000-01-01

    Banana native starch was acetylated and some of its functional properties were evaluated and compared to corn starch. In general, acetylated banana starch presented higher values in ash, protein and fat than corn acetylated starch. The modified starches had minor tendency to retrogradation assessed as % transmittance of starch pastes. At high temperature acetylated starches presented a water retention capacity similar to their native counterpart. The acetylation considerably increased the solubility of starches, and a similar behavior was found for swelling power. When freeze-thaw stability was studied, acetyl banana starch drained approximately 60% of water in the first and second cycles, but in the third and fourth cycles the percentage of separated water was low. However, acetyl corn starch showed lower freeze-thaw stability than the untreated sample. The modification increased the viscosity of banana starch pastes.

  3. Prospects of banana waste utilization in wastewater treatment: A review.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Tanweer; Danish, Mohammed

    2018-01-15

    This review article explores utilization of banana waste (fruit peels, pseudo-stem, trunks, and leaves) as precursor materials to produce an adsorbent, and its application against environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, organic pollutants, pesticides, and various other gaseous pollutants. In recent past, quite a good number of research articles have been published on the utilization of low-cost adsorbents derived from biomass wastes. The literature survey on banana waste derived adsorbents shown that due to the abundance of banana waste worldwide, it also considered as low-cost adsorbents with promising future application against various environmental pollutants. Furthermore, raw banana biomass can be chemically modified to prepare efficient adsorbent as per requirement; chemical surface functional group modification may enhance the multiple uses of the adsorbent with industrial standard. It was evident from a literature survey that banana waste derived adsorbents have significant removal efficiency against various pollutants. Most of the published articles on banana waste derived adsorbents have been discussed critically, and the conclusion is drawn based on the results reported. Some results with poorly performed experiments were also discussed and pointed out their lacking in reporting. Based on literature survey, the future research prospect on banana wastes has a significant impact on upcoming research strategy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Development of environmental friendly lost circulation material from banana peel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sauki, Arina; Hasan, Nur â.€˜Izzati; Naimi, Fardelen Binti Md; Othman, Nur Hidayati

    2017-12-01

    Loss of expensive mud could lead to major financial problem in executing a drilling project and is one of the biggest problems that need to be tackled during drilling. Synthetic Based Mud (SBM) is the most stable state of the art drilling mud used in current drilling technologies. However, the problem with lost circulation is still inevitable. The focus of this project is to develop a new potential waste material from banana peel in order to combat lost circulation in SBM. Standard industrial Lost Circulation Material (LCM) is used to compare the performance of banana peel as LCM in SBM. The effects of different sizing of banana peels (600 micron, 300 micron and 100 micron) were studied on the rheological and filtration properties of SBM and the bridging performance of banana peel as LCM additive. The tests were conducted using viscometer, HTHP filter press and sand bed tester. Thermal analysis of banana peel was also studied using TGA. According to the results obtained, 300 and 100 micron size of banana peel LCM exhibited an improved bridging performance by 65% as compared to industrial LCM. However, banana peel LCM with the size of 600 micron failed to act as LCM due to the total invasion of mud into the sand bed.

  5. Media Compositions for Three Dimensional Mammalian Tissue Growth Under Microgravity Culture Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    Normal mammalian tissue and the culturing process has been developed for the three groups of organ, structural and blood tissue. The cells are grown in vitro under microgravity culture conditions and form three dimensional cells aggregates with normal cell function. The microgravity culture conditions may be microgravity or simulated microgravity created in a horizontal rotating wall culture vessel.

  6. Media Compositions for Three-Dimensional Mammalian Tissue Growth under Microgravity Culture Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    Normal mammalian tissue and the culturing process has been developed for the three groups of organ, structural and blood tissue.The cells are grown in vitro under microgravity culture conditions and form three dimensional cells aggregates with normal cell function. The microgravity culture conditions may be microgravity or simulated microgravity created in a horizontal rotating wall culture vessel.

  7. Regulation of Banana Phytoene Synthase (MaPSY) Expression, Characterization and Their Modulation under Various Abiotic Stress Conditions

    PubMed Central

    Kaur, Navneet; Pandey, Ashutosh; Shivani; Kumar, Prateek; Pandey, Pankaj; Kesarwani, Atul K.; Mantri, Shrikant S.; Awasthi, Praveen; Tiwari, Siddharth

    2017-01-01

    Phytoene synthase (PSY) is a key regulatory enzyme of carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants. The present study examines the role of PSY in carotenogenesis and stress management in banana. Germplasm screening of 10 Indian cultivars showed that Nendran (3011.94 μg/100 g dry weight) and Rasthali (105.35 μg/100 g dry weight) contained the highest and lowest amounts of β-carotene, respectively in ripe fruit-pulp. Nendran ripe pulp also showed significantly higher antioxidant activity as compared to Rasthali. Meta-analysis of three banana PSY genes (MaPSY1, MaPSY2, and MaPSY3) was performed to identify their structural features, subcellular, and chromosomal localization in banana genome. The distinct expression patterns of MaPSY1, MaPSY2, and MaPSY3 genes were observed in various tissues, and fruit developmental stages of these two contrasting cultivars, suggesting differential regulation of the banana PSY genes. A positive correlation was observed between the expression of MaPSY1 and β-carotene accumulation in the ripe fruit-peel and pulp of Nendran. The presence of stress responsive cis-regulatory motifs in promoter region of MaPSY genes were correlated with the expression pattern during various stress (abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and dark) treatments. The positive modulation of MaPSY1 noticed under abiotic stresses suggested its role in plant physiological functions and defense response. The amino acid sequence analysis of the PSY proteins in contrasting cultivars revealed that all PSY comprises conserved domains related to enzyme activity. Bacterial complementation assay has validated the functional activity of six PSY proteins and among them PSY1 of Nendran (Nen-PSY1) gave the highest activity. These data provide new insights into the regulation of PSY expression in banana by developmental and stress related signals that can be explored in the banana improvement programs. PMID:28421096

  8. Assay of Vitamins and Amino Acids With Cultured Tissue Cells and Antimetabolites

    PubMed Central

    Savchuck, W. B.; Merriman, M. E.; Lockhart, W. L.

    1964-01-01

    A survey of growth responses of tissue-culture cells to vitamins and amino acids was undertaken to explore the potentialities of tissue culture in the assay of growth factors. An antagonist of the nutrient was included in each test system to improve its sensitivity. Addition of an antimetabolite was advantageous in the thiamine and phenylalanine assays. Tissue-culture assays of tryptophan and of phenylalanine supplemented with β-2-thienylalanine compared favorably with microbial assays, and may serve as confirmatory or supplementary test systems. The sensitivity of cultured tissue cells to minute amounts of a variety of physiologically active substances suggests their employment in hormone and toxic compound assays. Images FIG. 7 PMID:14199020

  9. Ammonia-nitrogen sorptional properties of banana peels.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yunnen; Ding, Lichao; Fan, Jingbiao

    2011-04-01

    Using modified banana peel as a biosorbent to treat water containing ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) was studied. Related parameters in the sorptional process, such as chemical modification, pH, and contact time were investigated. The experimental results showed that banana peel modified by 30% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and mesothermal microwaves (NMBPs) can greatly improve the sorption removal for NH4(+)-N. The kinetics study revealed that the sorption behavior better fit the pseudo-second-order equation than the Lagergren first-order equation. Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrum analysis of banana peels and NMBPs before and after NH4(+)-N sorption revealed that the activity of hydroxyl groups at the surface of the banana peels was strengthened after modification, and nitrogenous groups appeared after biosorpting the NH4(+)-N. In the end, metallurgical wastewater containing a low concentration of NH4(+)-N was treated by NMBPs. The initial NH4(+)-N concentration of 138 mg/L was reduced to 13 mg/L in 25 minutes by 4 g/L NMBPs at pH 10.

  10. Discovery of Hyperpolarized Molecular Imaging Biomarkers in a Novel Prostate Tissue Slice Culture Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-01

    start of tissue 2D culture , and 3 and 20 hours post culturing of the TSC’s in the 3D bioreactor (left) and corresponding representative tissue... culture tissue slice 13P spectrum obtained after 20 hours in the 5mm 3D MR compatible tissue culture bioreactor . 5 TSC’s with ≈ 90% viability...hours (≈98%) of being in 3D culture within the MR compatible bioreactor . • We demonstrated that the increased flux from pyruvate to lactate in the

  11. Genome-wide analyses of the bZIP family reveal their involvement in the development, ripening and abiotic stress response in banana

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Wei; Wang, Lianzhe; Tie, Weiwei; Yan, Yan; Ding, Zehong; Liu, Juhua; Li, Meiying; Peng, Ming; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2016-01-01

    The leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors play important roles in multiple biological processes. However, less information is available regarding the bZIP family in the important fruit crop banana. In this study, 121 bZIP transcription factor genes were identified in the banana genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MabZIPs were classified into 11 subfamilies. The majority of MabZIP genes in the same subfamily shared similar gene structures and conserved motifs. The comprehensive transcriptome analysis of two banana genotypes revealed the differential expression patterns of MabZIP genes in different organs, in various stages of fruit development and ripening, and in responses to abiotic stresses, including drought, cold, and salt. Interaction networks and co-expression assays showed that group A MabZIP-mediated networks participated in various stress signaling, which was strongly activated in Musa ABB Pisang Awak. This study provided new insights into the complicated transcriptional control of MabZIP genes and provided robust tissue-specific, development-dependent, and abiotic stress-responsive candidate MabZIP genes for potential applications in the genetic improvement of banana cultivars. PMID:27445085

  12. Discovery of Hyperpolarized Molecular Imaging Biomarkers in a Novel Prostate Tissue Slice Culture Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-01

    research is to optimize an MRS-compatible, 3D Tissue Culture Bioreactor for use with primary human prostate tissue cultures (TSCs) and use it to...Tissue Culture Bioreactor ” to be submitted to the Journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. CONCLUSIONS: We have engineered a robust MR compatible 3D ...loss of structure, function or metabolism within a NMR compatible 3-D tissue culture bioreactor , and that magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of

  13. Aseptic Culture Systems of Radopholus similis for In Vitro Assays on Musa spp. and Arabidopsis thaliana

    PubMed Central

    Elsen, A.; Lens, K.; Nguyet, D. T. M.; Broos, S.; Stoffelen, R.; De Waele, D.

    2001-01-01

    Radopholus similis is one of the most damaging nematodes in bananas. Chemical control is currently the most-used method, but nematode control through genetic improvement is widely encouraged. The objective of this study was to establish an aseptic culture system for R. similis and determine whether R. similis can infect and reproduce on in vitro banana plantlets and in vitro Arabidopsis thaliana. In the study's first part, a suitable aseptic culture system was developed using alfalfa callus. Radopholus similis could penetrate and reproduce in the callus. Six weeks after inoculation with 25 females, the reproduction ratio was 26.3 and all vermiform stages were present. The reproduction ratio increased to 223.2 after 12 weeks. Results of a greenhouse test showed that R. similis did not lose its pathogenicity after culturing on alfalfa callus. In the study's second part, the infection and reproduction of the nematodes cultured on the callus were studied on both in vitro banana plantlets and A. thaliana. Radopholus similis infected and reproduced on both banana and A. thaliana. Furthermore, nematode damage was observed in the root systems of both hosts. These successful infections open new perspectives for rapid in vitro screening for resistance in banana cultivars and anti-nematode proteins expressed in A. thaliana. PMID:19266012

  14. Micromolded Gelatin Hydrogels for Extended Culture of Engineered Cardiac Tissues

    PubMed Central

    McCain, Megan L.; Agarwal, Ashutosh; Nesmith, Haley W.; Nesmith, Alexander P.; Parker, Kevin Kit

    2014-01-01

    Defining the chronic cardiotoxic effects of drugs during preclinical screening is hindered by the relatively short lifetime of functional cardiac tissues in vitro, which are traditionally cultured on synthetic materials that do not recapitulate the cardiac microenvironment. Because collagen is the primary extracellular matrix protein in the heart, we hypothesized that micromolded gelatin hydrogel substrates tuned to mimic the elastic modulus of the heart would extend the lifetime of engineered cardiac tissues by better matching the native chemical and mechanical microenvironment. To measure tissue stress, we used tape casting, micromolding, and laser engraving to fabricate gelatin hydrogel muscular thin film cantilevers. Neonatal rat cardiac myocytes adhered to gelatin hydrogels and formed aligned tissues as defined by the microgrooves. Cardiac tissues could be cultured for over three weeks without declines in contractile stress. Myocytes on gelatin had higher spare respiratory capacity compared to those on fibronectin-coated PDMS, suggesting that improved metabolic function could be contributing to extended culture lifetime. Lastly, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes adhered to micromolded gelatin surfaces and formed aligned tissues that remained functional for four weeks, highlighting their potential for human-relevant chronic studies. PMID:24731714

  15. Optimization of fermentation parameters for production of ethanol from kinnow waste and banana peels by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Naresh; Kalra, K L; Oberoi, Harinder Singh; Bansal, Sunil

    2007-12-01

    A study was taken up to evaluate the role of some fermentation parameters like inoculum concentration, temperature, incubation period and agitation time on ethanol production from kinnow waste and banana peels by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using cellulase and co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae G and Pachysolen tannophilus MTCC 1077. Steam pretreated kinnow waste and banana peels were used as substrate for ethanol production in the ratio 4:6 (kinnow waste: banana peels). Temperature of 30°C, inoculum size of S. cerevisiae G 6% and (v/v) Pachysolen tannophilus MTCC 1077 4% (v/v), incubation period of 48 h and agitation for the first 24 h were found to be best for ethanol production using the combination of two wastes. The pretreated steam exploded biomass after enzymatic saccharification containing 63 gL(-1) reducing sugars was fermented with both hexose and pentose fermenting yeast strains under optimized conditions resulting in ethanol production, yield and fermentation efficiency of 26.84 gL(-1), 0.426 gg (-1) and 83.52 % respectively. This study could establish the effective utilization of kinnow waste and banana peels for bioethanol production using optimized fermentation parameters.

  16. Hollow Fiber Bioreactors for In Vivo-like Mammalian Tissue Culture.

    PubMed

    Storm, Michael P; Sorrell, Ian; Shipley, Rebecca; Regan, Sophie; Luetchford, Kim A; Sathish, Jean; Webb, Steven; Ellis, Marianne J

    2016-05-26

    Tissue culture has been used for over 100 years to study cells and responses ex vivo. The convention of this technique is the growth of anchorage dependent cells on the 2-dimensional surface of tissue culture plastic. More recently, there is a growing body of data demonstrating more in vivo-like behaviors of cells grown in 3-dimensional culture systems. This manuscript describes in detail the set-up and operation of a hollow fiber bioreactor system for the in vivo-like culture of mammalian cells. The hollow fiber bioreactor system delivers media to the cells in a manner akin to the delivery of blood through the capillary networks in vivo. The system is designed to fit onto the shelf of a standard CO2 incubator and is simple enough to be set-up by any competent cell biologist with a good understanding of aseptic technique. The systems utility is demonstrated by culturing the hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2/C3A for 7 days. Further to this and in line with other published reports on the functionality of cells grown in 3-dimensional culture systems the cells are shown to possess increased albumin production (an important hepatic function) when compared to standard 2-dimensional tissue culture.

  17. Yield improvement strategies for the production of secondary metabolites in plant tissue culture: silymarin from Silybum marianum tissue culture.

    PubMed

    AbouZid, S

    2014-01-01

    Plant cell culture can be a potential source for the production of important secondary metabolites. This technology bears many advantages over conventional agricultural methods. The main problem to arrive at a cost-effective process is the low productivity. This is mainly due to lack of differentiation in the cultured cells. Many approaches have been used to maximise the yield of secondary metabolites produced by cultured plant cells. Among these approaches: choosing a plant with a high biosynthetic capacity, obtaining efficient cell line for growth and production of metabolite of interest, manipulating culture conditions, elicitation, metabolic engineering and organ culture. This article gives an overview of the various approaches used to maximise the production of pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites in plant cell cultures. Examples of using these different approaches are shown for the production of silymarin from Silybum marianum tissue culture.

  18. Influence of fungi associated with bananas on nutritional content during storage.

    PubMed

    Odebode, A C; Sanusi, J

    1996-06-01

    Botryodiplodia theobromae, Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Fusarium equiseti were found to be associated with the ripening of bananas and also caused rot during storage. Bananas stored in baskets with ash fire wood ripened 2-3 days earlier than bananas stored in fibre sacks and under constant light. The infected bananas showed a decrease in the quantity of total soluble sugars, protein, lipid, crude fibre, ash, ascorbic acid and mineral elements when compared with the control fruit. Paper chromatographic studies showed the presence of glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose and raffinose in healthy control fruit, while only sucrose appeared during storage in bananas infected with B. theobromae. The total soluble sugar and crude protein contents increased during ripening.

  19. [A method for the primary culture of fibroblasts isolated from human airway granulation tissues].

    PubMed

    Chen, Nan; Zhang, Jie; Xu, Min; Wang, Yu-ling; Pei, Ying-hua

    2013-04-01

    To establish a feasible method to culture primary fibroblasts isolated from human airway granulation tissues, and therefore to provide experimental data for the investigation of the pathogenesis of benign airway stenosis. The granulation tissues were collected from 6 patients during routine bronchoscopy at our department of Beijing Tiantan Hospital from April to June 2011. Primary fibroblasts were obtained by culturing the explanted tissues. Cell growth was observed under inverted microscope. All of these 6 primary cultures were successful. Fibroblast-like cells were observed to migrate from the tissue pieces 3 d after inoculation. After 9-11 d of culture, cells reached to 90% confluence and could be sub-cultured. After passage, the cells were still in a typical elongated spindle-shape and grew well. The cells could be sub-cultured further when they formed a monolayer. Explant culture is a reliable method for culturing primary fibroblasts from human airway granulation tissues.

  20. Preparation of Human Primary Colon Tissue-Derived Organoid Using Air Liquid Interface Culture.

    PubMed

    Usui, Tatsuya; Sakurai, Masashi; Umata, Koji; Yamawaki, Hideyuki; Ohama, Takashi; Sato, Koichi

    2018-02-21

    In vitro analysis of intestinal epithelium has been hindered by a lack of suitable culture systems useful for gastrointestinal research. To overcome the problem, an air liquid interface (ALI) method using a collagen gel was established to culture three-dimensional primary cells containing both primary epithelial and mesenchymal components from mouse gastrointestinal tissues. ALI organoids accurately recapitulate organ structures, multilineage differentiation, and physiology. Since ALI organoids from human tissues have not been produced, we modified the previous protocol for mouse ALI organoid culture to establish the culture system of ALI organoids from normal and tumor colorectal tissues of human patients. The current unit presents a protocol for preparation of the ALI organoid culture from normal and tumor colorectal tissues of human patients. ALI organoid culture from human tissues might be useful for examining not only resistance to chemotherapy in a tumor microenvironment but also toxic effects on organoids. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  1. Stomatal Density and Responsiveness of Banana Fruit Stomates

    PubMed Central

    Johnson, Barbara E.; Brun, W. A.

    1966-01-01

    Determination of stomatal densities of the banana peel (Musa acuminata L. var Hort. Valery) by microscopic observations showed 30 times fewer stomates on fruit epidermis than found on the banana leaf. Observations also showed that peel stomates were not laid down in a linear pattern as on the leaf. It was demonstrated that stomatal responses occurred in banana fruit. Specific conditions of high humidity and light were necessary for stomatal opening: low humidity and darkness were necessary for closure. Responsiveness of the stomates continued for a considerable length of time after the fruit had been severed from the host. Images PMID:16656239

  2. Electromagnetic banana kinetic equation and its applications in tokamaks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaing, K. C.; Chu, M. S.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Seol, J.

    2018-03-01

    A banana kinetic equation in tokamaks that includes effects of the finite banana width is derived for the electromagnetic waves with frequencies lower than the gyro-frequency and the bounce frequency of the trapped particles. The radial wavelengths are assumed to be either comparable to or shorter than the banana width, but much wider than the gyro-radius. One of the consequences of the banana kinetics is that the parallel component of the vector potential is not annihilated by the orbit averaging process and appears in the banana kinetic equation. The equation is solved to calculate the neoclassical quasilinear transport fluxes in the superbanana plateau regime caused by electromagnetic waves. The transport fluxes can be used to model electromagnetic wave and the chaotic magnetic field induced thermal particle or energetic alpha particle losses in tokamaks. It is shown that the parallel component of the vector potential enhances losses when it is the sole transport mechanism. In particular, the fact that the drift resonance can cause significant transport losses in the chaotic magnetic field in the hitherto unknown low collisionality regimes is emphasized.

  3. Hydrolysis of alkaline pretreated banana peel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fatmawati, A.; Gunawan, K. Y.; Hadiwijaya, F. A.

    2017-11-01

    Banana peel is one of food wastes that are rich in carbohydrate. This shows its potential as fermentation substrate including bio-ethanol. This paper presented banana peel alkaline pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The pretreatment was intended to prepare banana peel in order to increase hydrolysis performance. The alkaline pretreatment used 10, 20, and 30% w/v NaOH solution and was done at 60, 70 and 80°C for 1 hour. The hydrolysis reaction was conducted using two commercial cellulose enzymes. The reaction time was varied for 3, 5, and 7 days. The best condition for pretreatment process was one conducted using 30% NaOH solution and at 80°C. This condition resulted in cellulose content of 90.27% and acid insoluble lignin content of 2.88%. Seven-day hydrolysis time had exhibited the highest reducing sugar concentration, which was7.2869 g/L.

  4. Intraocular lens bioactivity tested using rabbit corneal tissue cultures.

    PubMed

    Linnola, R J; Salonen, J I; Happonen, R P

    1999-11-01

    To evaluate the effects of different intraocular lens (IOL) materials on epithelial cell growth to test the sandwich theory; i.e., a bioactivity-based explanation of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after cataract surgery. Central Hospital, Vaasa, and Institute of Dentistry and Turku Center for Biomaterials, University of Turku, Finland. Rabbit corneal tissue cultures were set up on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), heparin-surface-modified (HSM) PMMA, silicone, acrylate, and hydrogel IOLs for 1 week. The tissue consisted of intact epithelium and half the thickness of the corneal stroma, which was placed against the IOL. The growth of the epithelium was examined by light microscopy to evaluate the attachment of the corneal explant to the IOL surface. All tissue samples grew well under the culture conditions. When grown on PMMA, HSM PMMA, silicone, and hydrogel, the tissue did not attach to the IOL or the epithelium grew around the explant, suggesting that the attachment of the stroma to the IOL was poor or nonexistent. Some explants on acrylate IOLs attached directly to the IOL surface with no epithelial ingrowth between the stroma and the IOL. This tissue culture method can be used to examine the behavior of corneal tissue in contact with different IOL materials. The results suggest that the acrylate IOL may have bioactive properties. This, with the lens optic's square edge, may hinder lens epithelial cell proliferation and thus prevent PCO.

  5. The potential of prolonged tissue culture to reduce stress generation and retraction in engineered heart valve tissues.

    PubMed

    van Vlimmeren, Marijke A A; Driessen-Mol, Anita; Oomens, Cees W J; Baaijens, Frank P T

    2013-03-01

    In tissue-engineered (TE) heart valves, cell-mediated processes cause tissue compaction during culture and leaflet retraction at time of implantation. We have quantified and correlated stress generation, compaction, retraction, and tissue quality during a prolonged culture period of 8 weeks. Polyglycolic acid/poly-4-hydroxybutyrate strips were seeded with vascular-derived cells and cultured for 4-8 weeks. Compaction in width, generated force, and stress was measured during culture. Retraction in length, generated force, and stress was measured after release of constraints at weeks 4, 6, and 8. Further, the amount of DNA, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), collagen, and collagen cross-links was assessed. During culture, compaction and force generation increased to, respectively, 63.9% ± 0.8% and 43.7 ± 4.3 mN at week 4, after which they remained stable. Stress generation reached 27.7 ± 3.2 kPa at week 4, after which it decreased to ∼8.5 kPa. At release of constraints, tissue retraction was 44.0% ± 3.7% at week 4 and decreased to 29.2% ± 2.8% and 26.1% ± 2.2% at, respectively, 6 and 8 weeks. Generated force (8-16 mN) was lower at week 6 than at weeks 4 and 8. Generated stress decreased from 11.8 ± 0.9 kPa at week 4 to 1.4 ± 0.3 and 2.4 ± 0.4 kPa at, respectively, weeks 6 and 8. The amount of GAGs increased at weeks 6 and 8 compared to week 4 and correlated to the reduced stress and retraction. In summary, prolonged culture resulted in decreased stress generation and retraction, likely as a result of the increased amount of GAGs. These results demonstrate the potential of prolonged tissue culture in developing functional, nonretracting, TE heart valves.

  6. Three-dimensional Tissue Culture Based on Magnetic Cell Levitation

    PubMed Central

    Souza, Glauco R.; Molina, Jennifer R.; Raphael, Robert M.; Ozawa, Michael G.; Stark, Daniel J.; Levin, Carly S.; Bronk, Lawrence F.; Ananta, Jeyarama S.; Mandelin, Jami; Georgescu, Maria-Magdalena; Bankson, James A.; Gelovani, Juri G.

    2015-01-01

    Cell culture is an essential tool for drug discovery, tissue engineering, and stem cell research. Conventional tissue culture produces two-dimensional (2D) cell growth with gene expression, signaling, and morphology that can differ from those in vivo and thus compromise clinical relevancy1–5. Here we report a three-dimensional (3D) culture of cells based on magnetic levitation in the presence of hydrogels containing gold and magnetic iron oxide (MIO) nanoparticles plus filamentous bacteriophage. This methodology allows for control of cell mass geometry and guided, multicellular clustering of different cell types in co-culture through spatial variance of the magnetic field. Moreover, magnetic levitation of human glioblastoma cells demonstrates similar protein expression profiles to those observed in human tumor xenografts. Taken together, these results suggest levitated 3D culture with magnetized phage-based hydrogels more closely recapitulates in vivo protein expression and allows for long-term multi-cellular studies. PMID:20228788

  7. A Troubled Past? Reassessing Ethics in the History of Tissue Culture.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Duncan

    2016-09-01

    Recent books, articles and plays about the 'immortal' HeLa cell line have prompted renewed interest in the history of tissue culture methods that were first employed in 1907 and became common experimental tools during the twentieth century. Many of these sources claim tissue cultures like HeLa had a "troubled past" because medical researchers did not seek informed consent before using tissues in research, contravening a long held desire for self-determination on the part of patients and the public. In this article, I argue these claims are unfair and misleading. No professional guidelines required informed consent for tissue culture during the early and mid twentieth century, and popular sources expressed no concern at the widespread use of human tissues in research. When calls for informed consent did emerge in the 1970s and 1980s, moreover, they reflected specific political changes and often emanated from medical researchers themselves. I conclude by arguing that more balanced histories of tissue culture can make a decisive contribution to public debates today: by refuting a false dichotomy between science and its publics, and showing how ethical concepts such as informed consent arise from a historically specific engagement between professional and social groups.

  8. Recent developments in processing systems for cell and tissue cultures toward therapeutic application.

    PubMed

    Kino-oka, Masahiro; Taya, Masahito

    2009-10-01

    Innovative techniques of cell and tissue processing, based on tissue engineering, have been developed for therapeutic applications. Cell expansion and tissue reconstruction through ex vivo cultures are core processes used to produce engineered tissues with sufficient structural integrity and functionality. In manufacturing, strict management against contamination and human error is compelled due to direct use of un-sterilable products and the laboriousness of culture operations, respectively. Therefore, the development of processing systems for cell and tissue cultures is one of the critical issues for ensuring a stable process and quality of therapeutic products. However, the siting criterion of culture systems to date has not been made clear. This review article classifies some of the known processing systems into 'sealed-chamber' and 'sealed-vessel' culture systems based on the difference in their aseptic spaces, and describes the potential advantages of these systems and current states of culture systems, especially those established by Japanese companies. Moreover, on the basis of the guidelines for isolator systems used in aseptic processing for healthcare products, which are issued by the International Organization for Standardization, the siting criterion of the processing systems for cells and tissue cultures is discussed in perspective of manufacturing therapeutic products in consideration of the regulations according to the Good Manufacturing Practice.

  9. Biochemical and molecular tools reveal two diverse Xanthomonas groups in bananas.

    PubMed

    Adriko, J; Aritua, V; Mortensen, C N; Tushemereirwe, W K; Mulondo, A L; Kubiriba, J; Lund, O S

    2016-02-01

    Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) causing the banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease has been the main xanthomonad associated with bananas in East and Central Africa based on phenotypic and biochemical characteristics. However, biochemical methods cannot effectively distinguish between pathogenic and non-pathogenic xanthomonads. In this study, gram-negative and yellow-pigmented mucoid bacteria were isolated from BXW symptomatic and symptomless bananas collected from different parts of Uganda. Biolog, Xcm-specific (GspDm), Xanthomonas vasicola species-specific (NZ085) and Xanthomonas genus-specific (X1623) primers in PCR, and sequencing of ITS region were used to identify and characterize the isolates. Biolog tests revealed several isolates as xanthomonads. The GspDm and NZ085 primers accurately identified three isolates from diseased bananas as Xcm and these were pathogenic when re-inoculated into bananas. DNA from more isolates than those amplified by GspDm and NZ085 primers were amplified by the X1623 primers implying they are xanthomonads, these were however non-pathogenic on bananas. In the 16-23 ITS sequence based phylogeny, the pathogenic bacteria clustered together with the Xcm reference strain, while the non-pathogenic xanthomonads isolated from both BXW symptomatic and symptomless bananas clustered with group I xanthomonads. The findings reveal dynamic Xanthomonas populations in bananas, which can easily be misrepresented by only using phenotyping and biochemical tests. A combination of tools provides the most accurate identity and characterization of these plant associated bacteria. The interactions between the pathogenic and non-pathogenic xanthomonads in bananas may pave way to understanding effect of microbial interactions on BXW disease development and offer clues to biocontrol of Xcm. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  10. Biomaterials in co-culture systems: towards optimizing tissue integration and cell signaling within scaffolds.

    PubMed

    Battiston, Kyle G; Cheung, Jane W C; Jain, Devika; Santerre, J Paul

    2014-05-01

    Most natural tissues consist of multi-cellular systems made up of two or more cell types. However, some of these tissues may not regenerate themselves following tissue injury or disease without some form of intervention, such as from the use of tissue engineered constructs. Recent studies have increasingly used co-cultures in tissue engineering applications as these systems better model the natural tissues, both physically and biologically. This review aims to identify the challenges of using co-culture systems and to highlight different approaches with respect to the use of biomaterials in the use of such systems. The application of co-culture systems to stimulate a desired biological response and examples of studies within particular tissue engineering disciplines are summarized. A description of different analytical co-culture systems is also discussed and the role of biomaterials in the future of co-culture research are elaborated on. Understanding the complex cell-cell and cell-biomaterial interactions involved in co-culture systems will ultimately lead the field towards biomaterial concepts and designs with specific biochemical, electrical, and mechanical characteristics that are tailored towards the needs of distinct co-culture systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Micromolded gelatin hydrogels for extended culture of engineered cardiac tissues.

    PubMed

    McCain, Megan L; Agarwal, Ashutosh; Nesmith, Haley W; Nesmith, Alexander P; Parker, Kevin Kit

    2014-07-01

    Defining the chronic cardiotoxic effects of drugs during preclinical screening is hindered by the relatively short lifetime of functional cardiac tissues in vitro, which are traditionally cultured on synthetic materials that do not recapitulate the cardiac microenvironment. Because collagen is the primary extracellular matrix protein in the heart, we hypothesized that micromolded gelatin hydrogel substrates tuned to mimic the elastic modulus of the heart would extend the lifetime of engineered cardiac tissues by better matching the native chemical and mechanical microenvironment. To measure tissue stress, we used tape casting, micromolding, and laser engraving to fabricate gelatin hydrogel muscular thin film cantilevers. Neonatal rat cardiac myocytes adhered to gelatin hydrogels and formed aligned tissues as defined by the microgrooves. Cardiac tissues could be cultured for over three weeks without declines in contractile stress. Myocytes on gelatin had higher spare respiratory capacity compared to those on fibronectin-coated PDMS, suggesting that improved metabolic function could be contributing to extended culture lifetime. Lastly, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes adhered to micromolded gelatin surfaces and formed aligned tissues that remained functional for four weeks, highlighting their potential for human-relevant chronic studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Tympanic membrane organ culture using cell culture well inserts engrafted with tympanic membrane tissue explants.

    PubMed

    Liew, Lawrence J; Day, Richard M; Dilley, Rodney J

    2017-03-01

    Tissue engineering approaches using growth factors and various materials for repairing chronic perforations of the tympanic membrane are being developed, but there are surprisingly few relevant tissue culture models available to test new treatments. Here, we present a simple three-dimensional model system based on micro-dissecting the rat tympanic membrane umbo and grafting it into the membrane of a cell culture well insert. Cell outgrowth from the graft produced sufficient cells to populate a membrane of similar surface area to the human tympanic membrane within 2 weeks. Tissue grafts from the annulus region also showed cell outgrowth but were not as productive. The umbo organoid supported substantial cell proliferation and migration under the influence of keratinocyte growth medium. Cells from umbo grafts were enzymatically harvested from the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane for expansion in routine culture and cells could be harvested consecutively from the same graft over multiple cycles. We used harvested cells to test cell migration properties and to engraft a porous silk scaffold material as proof-of-principle for tissue engineering applications. This model is simple enough to be widely adopted for tympanic membrane regeneration studies and has promise as a tissue-equivalent model alternative to animal testing.

  13. Follicle dynamics: visualization and analysis of follicle growth and maturation using murine ovarian tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Murase, Tomohiko; Iwase, Akira; Komatsu, Kouji; Bayasula; Nakamura, Tomoko; Osuka, Satoko; Takikawa, Sachiko; Goto, Maki; Kotani, Tomomi; Kikkawa, Fumitaka

    2018-02-01

    To visualize and analyze follicle development in ovarian tissue culture using physiological concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in order to establish an ovarian tissue culture system that enables efficient in vitro growth of follicles. Ovarian tissues from 4-week-old female ICR mice were sliced and cultured. Images of ovarian tissues in culture were obtained at 24-h or 30-min intervals by using a microscope. The area of each follicle observed in the ovarian tissue slices was tracked and analyzed in association with oocyte maturation. We were able to track the development of each follicle using this culture system. Follicle growth was associated with oocyte maturation. Meiotically matured oocytes (MII) were obtained from 33% of all follicles investigated. Approximately, a quarter of follicles (24%) did not grow and resulted in atresia. Follicle dynamics were successfully visualized and analyzed in murine ovarian tissue culture. We were able to obtain mature oocytes from the fully grown follicles in vitro. This culture system would be helpful for efficient in vitro culturing of ovarian tissues.

  14. Comparative analysis of pigments in red and yellow banana fruit.

    PubMed

    Fu, Xiumin; Cheng, Sihua; Liao, Yinyin; Huang, Bingzhi; Du, Bing; Zeng, Wei; Jiang, Yueming; Duan, Xuewu; Yang, Ziyin

    2018-01-15

    Color is an important characteristic determining the fruit value. Although ripe bananas usually have yellow peels, several banana cultivars have red peels. As details of the pigments in banana fruits are unknown, we investigated these pigments contents and compositions in the peel and pulp of red cultivar 'Hongjiaowang' and yellow cultivar 'Baxijiao' by UPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS and HPLC-PDA techniques. The 'Hongjiaowang' peel color was mainly determined by the presence of anthocyanin-containing epidermal cells. Rutinoside derivatives of cyanidin, peonidin, petunidin, and malvidin were unique to the red peel, and possibly responsible for the red color. 'Hongjiaowang' contained higher total content of carotenoids than 'Baxijiao' in both pulp and peel. Lutein, α-carotene, and β-carotene were main carotenoids, which might play a more important role than flavonoids in producing the yellow banana color owing to the properties and distribution in the fruit. The information will help us understand a complete profile of pigments in banana. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Visually suboptimal bananas: How ripeness affects consumer expectation and perception.

    PubMed

    Symmank, Claudia; Zahn, Susann; Rohm, Harald

    2018-01-01

    One reason for the significant amount of food that is wasted in developed countries is that consumers often expect visually suboptimal food as being less palatable. Using bananas as example, the objective of this study was to determine how appearance affects consumer overall liking, the rating of sensory attributes, purchase intention, and the intended use of bananas. The ripeness degree (RD) of the samples was adjusted to RD 5 (control) and RD 7 (more ripened, visually suboptimal). After preliminary experiments, a total of 233 participants were asked to judge their satisfaction with the intensity of sensory attributes that referred to flavor, taste, and texture using just-about-right scales. Subjects who received peeled samples were asked after tasting, whereas subjects who received unpeeled bananas judged expectation and, after peeling and tasting, perception. Expected overall liking and purchase intention were significantly lower for RD 7 bananas. Purchase intention was still significantly different between RD 5 and RD 7 after tasting, whereas no difference in overall liking was observed. Significant differences between RD 5 and RD 7 were observed when asking participants for their intended use of the bananas. Concerning the sensory attributes, penalty analysis revealed that only the firmness of the RD 7 bananas was still not just-about-right after tasting. The importance that consumers attribute to the shelf-life of food had a pronounced impact on purchase intention of bananas with different ripeness degree. In the case of suboptimal bananas, the results demonstrate a positive relationship between the sensory perception and overall liking and purchase intention. Convincing consumers that visually suboptimal food is still tasty is of high relevance for recommending different ways of communication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Unfolding energetics and stability of banana lectin.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Garima; Sinha, Sharmistha; Surolia, Avadhesha

    2008-08-01

    The unfolding pathway of banana lectin from Musa paradisiaca was determined by isothermal denaturation induced by the chaotrope GdnCl. The unfolding was found to be a reversible process. The data obtained by isothermal denaturation provided information on conformational stability of banana lectin. The high values of DeltaG of unfolding at various temperatures indicated the strength of intersubunit interactions. It was found that banana lectin is a very stable and denatures at high chaotrope concentrations only. The basis of the stability may be attributed to strong hydrogen bonds of the order 2.5-3.1 A at the dimeric interface along with the presence of water bridges. This is perhaps very unique example in proteins where subunit association is not a consequence of the predominance of hydrophobic interactions. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  17. 3D culture models of tissues under tension.

    PubMed

    Eyckmans, Jeroen; Chen, Christopher S

    2017-01-01

    Cells dynamically assemble and organize into complex tissues during development, and the resulting three-dimensional (3D) arrangement of cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix in turn feeds back to regulate cell and tissue function. Recent advances in engineered cultures of cells to model 3D tissues or organoids have begun to capture this dynamic reciprocity between form and function. Here, we describe the underlying principles that have advanced the field, focusing in particular on recent progress in using mechanical constraints to recapitulate the structure and function of musculoskeletal tissues. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  18. Differential characteristics in the chemical composition of bananas from Tenerife (Canary Islands) and Ecuador.

    PubMed

    Forster, Markus Paul; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Elena; Díaz Romero, Carlos

    2002-12-18

    The contents of moisture, protein, ash, ascorbic acid, glucose, fructose, total sugars, and total and insoluble fiber were determined in cultivars of bananas (Gran Enana and Pequeña Enana) harvested in Tenerife and in bananas (Gran Enana) from Ecuador. The chemical compositions in the bananas from Tenerife and from Ecuador were clearly different. The cultivar did not influence the chemical composition, except for insoluble fiber content. Variations of the chemical composition were observed in the bananas from Tenerife according to cultivation method (greenhouse and outdoors), farming style (conventional and organic), and region of production (north and south). A highly significant (r = 0.995) correlation between glucose and fructose was observed. Correlations of ash and protein contents tend to separate the banana samples according to origin. A higher content of protein, ash, and ascorbic acid was observed as the length of the banana decreased. Applying factor analysis, the bananas from Ecuador were well separated from the bananas produced in Tenerife. An almost total differentiation (91.7%) between bananas from Tenerife and bananas from Ecuador was obtained by selecting protein, ash, and ascorbic acid content and applying stepwise discriminant analysis. By selecting the bananas Pequeña Enana and using discriminant analysis, a clear separation of the samples according to the region of production and farming style was observed.

  19. Metabolism of Flavonoids in Novel Banana Germplasm during Fruit Development

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Chen; Hu, Huigang; Hu, Yulin; Xie, Jianghui

    2016-01-01

    Banana is a commercially important fruit, but its flavonoid composition and characteristics has not been well studied in detail. In the present study, the metabolism of flavonoids was investigated in banana pulp during the entire developmental period of fruit. ‘Xiangfen 1,’ a novel flavonoid-rich banana germplasm, was studied with ‘Brazil’ serving as a control. In both varieties, flavonoids were found to exist mainly in free soluble form and quercetin was the predominant flavonoid. The most abundant free soluble flavonoid was cyanidin-3-O-glucoside chloride, and quercetin was the major conjugated soluble and bound flavonoid. Higher content of soluble flavonoids was associated with stronger antioxidant activity compared with the bound flavonoids. Strong correlation was observed between antioxidant activity and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside chloride content, suggesting that cyanidin-3-O-glucoside chloride is one of the major antioxidants in banana. In addition, compared with ‘Brazil,’ ‘Xiangfen 1’ fruit exhibited higher antioxidant activity and had more total flavonoids. These results indicate that soluble flavonoids play a key role in the antioxidant activity of banana, and ‘Xiangfen 1’ banana can be a rich source of natural antioxidants in human diets. PMID:27625665

  20. Culture-Independent Identification of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis in Ovine Tissues: Comparison with Bacterial Culture and Histopathological Lesions

    PubMed Central

    Acharya, Kamal R.; Dhand, Navneet K.; Whittington, Richard J.; Plain, Karren M.

    2017-01-01

    Johne’s disease is a chronic debilitating enteropathy of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Current abattoir surveillance programs detect disease via examination of gross lesions and confirmation by histopathological and/or tissue culture, which is time-consuming and has relatively low sensitivity. This study aimed to investigate whether a high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) test is a viable alternative for tissue testing. Intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes were sourced from sheep experimentally infected with MAP and the DNA extracted using a protocol developed for tissues, comprised enzymatic digestion of the tissue homogenate, chemical and mechanical lysis, and magnetic bead-based DNA purification. The extracted DNA was tested by adapting a previously validated qPCR for fecal samples, and the results were compared with culture and histopathology results of the corresponding tissues. The MAP tissue qPCR confirmed infection in the majority of sheep with gross lesions on postmortem (37/38). Likewise, almost all tissue culture (61/64) or histopathology (52/58) positives were detected with good to moderate agreement (Cohen’s kappa statistic) and no significant difference to the reference tests (McNemar’s Chi-square test). Higher MAP DNA quantities corresponded to animals with more severe histopathology (odds ratio: 1.82; 95% confidence interval: 1.60, 2.07). Culture-independent strain typing on tissue DNA was successfully performed. This MAP tissue qPCR method had a sensitivity equivalent to the reference tests and is thus a viable replacement for gross- and histopathological examination of tissue samples in abattoirs. In addition, the test could be validated for testing tissue samples intended for human consumption. PMID:29312970

  1. Culture-Independent Identification of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis in Ovine Tissues: Comparison with Bacterial Culture and Histopathological Lesions.

    PubMed

    Acharya, Kamal R; Dhand, Navneet K; Whittington, Richard J; Plain, Karren M

    2017-01-01

    Johne's disease is a chronic debilitating enteropathy of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Current abattoir surveillance programs detect disease via examination of gross lesions and confirmation by histopathological and/or tissue culture, which is time-consuming and has relatively low sensitivity. This study aimed to investigate whether a high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) test is a viable alternative for tissue testing. Intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes were sourced from sheep experimentally infected with MAP and the DNA extracted using a protocol developed for tissues, comprised enzymatic digestion of the tissue homogenate, chemical and mechanical lysis, and magnetic bead-based DNA purification. The extracted DNA was tested by adapting a previously validated qPCR for fecal samples, and the results were compared with culture and histopathology results of the corresponding tissues. The MAP tissue qPCR confirmed infection in the majority of sheep with gross lesions on postmortem (37/38). Likewise, almost all tissue culture (61/64) or histopathology (52/58) positives were detected with good to moderate agreement (Cohen's kappa statistic) and no significant difference to the reference tests (McNemar's Chi-square test). Higher MAP DNA quantities corresponded to animals with more severe histopathology (odds ratio: 1.82; 95% confidence interval: 1.60, 2.07). Culture-independent strain typing on tissue DNA was successfully performed. This MAP tissue qPCR method had a sensitivity equivalent to the reference tests and is thus a viable replacement for gross- and histopathological examination of tissue samples in abattoirs. In addition, the test could be validated for testing tissue samples intended for human consumption.

  2. Biomass waste-to-energy valorisation technologies: a review case for banana processing in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Gumisiriza, Robert; Hawumba, Joseph Funa; Okure, Mackay; Hensel, Oliver

    2017-01-01

    Uganda's banana industry is heavily impeded by the lack of cheap, reliable and sustainable energy mainly needed for processing of banana fruit into pulp and subsequent drying into chips before milling into banana flour that has several uses in the bakery industry, among others. Uganda has one of the lowest electricity access levels, estimated at only 2-3% in rural areas where most of the banana growing is located. In addition, most banana farmers have limited financial capacity to access modern solar energy technologies that can generate sufficient energy for industrial processing. Besides energy scarcity and unreliability, banana production, marketing and industrial processing generate large quantities of organic wastes that are disposed of majorly by unregulated dumping in places such as swamps, thereby forming huge putrefying biomass that emit green house gases (methane and carbon dioxide). On the other hand, the energy content of banana waste, if harnessed through appropriate waste-to-energy technologies, would not only solve the energy requirement for processing of banana pulp, but would also offer an additional benefit of avoiding fossil fuels through the use of renewable energy. The potential waste-to-energy technologies that can be used in valorisation of banana waste can be grouped into three: Thermal (Direct combustion and Incineration), Thermo-chemical (Torrefaction, Plasma treatment, Gasification and Pyrolysis) and Biochemical (Composting, Ethanol fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion). However, due to high moisture content of banana waste, direct application of either thermal or thermo-chemical waste-to-energy technologies is challenging. Although, supercritical water gasification does not require drying of feedstock beforehand and can be a promising thermo-chemical technology for gasification of wet biomass such as banana waste, it is an expensive technology that may not be adopted by banana farmers in Uganda. Biochemical conversion technologies are

  3. The role of activated charcoal in plant tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Thomas, T Dennis

    2008-01-01

    Activated charcoal has a very fine network of pores with large inner surface area on which many substances can be adsorbed. Activated charcoal is often used in tissue culture to improve cell growth and development. It plays a critical role in micropropagation, orchid seed germination, somatic embryogenesis, anther culture, synthetic seed production, protoplast culture, rooting, stem elongation, bulb formation etc. The promotary effects of AC on morphogenesis may be mainly due to its irreversible adsorption of inhibitory compounds in the culture medium and substancially decreasing the toxic metabolites, phenolic exudation and brown exudate accumulation. In addition to this activated charcoal is involved in a number of stimulatory and inhibitory activities including the release of substances naturally present in AC which promote growth, alteration and darkening of culture media, and adsorption of vitamins, metal ions and plant growth regulators, including abscisic acid and gaseous ethylene. The effect of AC on growth regulator uptake is still unclear but some workers believe that AC may gradually release certain adsorbed products, such as nutrients and growth regulators which become available to plants. This review focuses on the various roles of activated charcoal in plant tissue culture and the recent developments in this area.

  4. Mathematical modelling of tissue formation in chondrocyte filter cultures.

    PubMed

    Catt, C J; Schuurman, W; Sengers, B G; van Weeren, P R; Dhert, W J A; Please, C P; Malda, J

    2011-12-17

    In the field of cartilage tissue engineering, filter cultures are a frequently used three-dimensional differentiation model. However, understanding of the governing processes of in vitro growth and development of tissue in these models is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to further characterise these processes by means of an approach combining both experimental and applied mathematical methods. A mathematical model was constructed, consisting of partial differential equations predicting the distribution of cells and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), as well as the overall thickness of the tissue. Experimental data was collected to allow comparison with the predictions of the simulation and refinement of the initial models. Healthy mature equine chondrocytes were expanded and subsequently seeded on collagen-coated filters and cultured for up to 7 weeks. Resulting samples were characterised biochemically, as well as histologically. The simulations showed a good representation of the experimentally obtained cell and matrix distribution within the cultures. The mathematical results indicate that the experimental GAG and cell distribution is critically dependent on the rate at which the cell differentiation process takes place, which has important implications for interpreting experimental results. This study demonstrates that large regions of the tissue are inactive in terms of proliferation and growth of the layer. In particular, this would imply that higher seeding densities will not significantly affect the growth rate. A simple mathematical model was developed to predict the observed experimental data and enable interpretation of the principal underlying mechanisms controlling growth-related changes in tissue composition.

  5. Occurrence of free and conjugated 12,13-epoxytrichothecenes and zearalenone in banana fruits infected with Fusarium moniliforme.

    PubMed Central

    Chakrabarti, D K; Ghosal, S

    1986-01-01

    Three recognized 12,13-epoxytrichothecene mycotoxins, trichothecolone, diacetoxyscirpenol, and T-2 toxin, and a hyperestrogenic factor, zearalenone, together with the fatty acid esters of trichothecolone, scirpenetriol, T-2 tetraol, and zearalenone, were isolated from the flask culture extractives of Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon (IMI 225232) as well as from the fruit of banana (Musa sapientum L.) infected with the same fungus in the field and in storage. The total concentrations of these toxins in the naturally infected fruits were quite high (0.8 to 1.0 mg/g of fruit). F. moniliforme infections of banana fruits, being of wide occurrence in the world, could cause serious health problems in humans when the infected fruits are ingested for a prolonged period of time. Images PMID:2937364

  6. Production of immunoglobulins in gingival tissue explant cultures from juvenile periodontitis patients

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hall, E.R.; Falkler, W.A. Jr.; Suzuki, J.B.

    1990-10-01

    B lymphocytes and plasma cells are histologically observed in granulomatous periodontal tissues of juvenile periodontitis (JP) patients. Local immune processes may participate in protective or immunopathologic roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. An in vitro explant culture system was utilized to demonstrate the production of immunoglobulins by diseased JP tissues. Immunodiffusion studies using goat anti-human gamma, alpha, or mu chain serum revealed IgG to be the major immunoglobulin present in 92% of the day 1 supernatant fluids (SF) of the 47 JP gingival tissue explant cultures. IgA was present in 15% of the SF; however, no IgM was detected.more » Staph Protein A isolated 14C-labeled IgG from the SF, when allowed to react with goat anti-human gamma chain serum, formed lines of precipitation. Positive autoradiographs confirmed the biosynthesis of IgG by the explant cultures. The in vitro gingival tissue explant culture system described provides a useful model for the study of localized immunoglobulins produced by diseased tissues of JP patients.« less

  7. Determination of optimum harvest maturity and physico-chemical quality of Rastali banana (Musa AAB Rastali) during fruit ripening.

    PubMed

    Kheng, Tee Yei; Ding, Phebe; Abdul Rahman, Nor Aini

    2012-01-15

    A series of physico-chemical quality (peel and pulp colours, pulp firmness, fruit pH, sugars and acids content, respiration rate and ethylene production) were conducted to study the optimum harvest periods (either week 11 or week 12 after emergence of the first hand) of Rastali banana (Musa AAB Rastali) based on the fruit quality during ripening. Rastali banana fruit exhibited a climacteric rise with the peaks of both CO(2) and ethylene production occurring simultaneously at day 3 after ripening was initiated and declined at day 5 when fruits entered the senescence stage. De-greening was observed in both of the harvesting weeks with peel turned from green to yellow, tissue softening, and fruits became more acidic and sweeter as ripening progressed. Sucrose, fructose and glucose were the main sugars found while malic, citric and succinic acids were the main organic acids found in the fruit. Rastali banana harvested at weeks 11 and 12 can be considered as commercial harvest period when the fruits have developed good organoleptic and quality attributes during ripening. However, Rastali banana fruit at more mature stage of harvest maturity taste slightly sweeter and softer with higher ethylene production which also means the fruits may undergo senescence faster than fruit harvested at week 11. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Broth versus solid agar culture of swab samples of cadaveric allograft musculoskeletal tissue.

    PubMed

    Varettas, Kerry

    2013-12-01

    As part of the donor assessment protocol, bioburden assessment must be performed on allograft musculoskeletal tissue samples collected at the time of tissue retrieval. Swab samples of musculoskeletal tissue allografts from cadaveric donors are received at the microbiology department of the South Eastern Area Laboratory Services (Australia) to determine the presence of bacteria and fungi. This study will review the isolation rate of organisms from solid agar and broth culture of swab samples of cadaveric allograft musculoskeletal tissue over a 6-year period, 2006-2011. Swabs were inoculated onto horse blood agar (anaerobic, 35 °C) and chocolate agar (CO2, 35 °C) and then placed into a cooked meat broth (aerobic, 35 °C). A total of 1,912 swabs from 389 donors were received during the study period. 557 (29.1 %) swabs were culture positive with the isolation of 713 organisms, 249 (34.9 %) from solid agar culture and an additional 464 (65.1 %) from broth culture only. This study has shown that the broth culture of cadaveric allograft musculoskeletal swab samples recovered a greater amount of organisms than solid agar culture. Isolates such as Clostridium species and Staphylococcus aureus would not have been isolated from solid agar culture alone. Broth culture is an essential part of the bioburden assessment protocol of swab samples of cadaveric allograft musculoskeletal tissue in this laboratory.

  9. A Simple Diffraction Experiment Using Banana Stem as a Natural Grating

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aji, Mahardika Prasetya; Karunawan, Jotti; Chasanah, Widyastuti Rochimatun; Nursuhud, Puji Iman; Wiguna, Pradita Ajeng; Sulhadi

    2017-01-01

    A simple diffraction experiment was designed using banana stem as natural grating. Coherent beams of lasers with wavelengths of 632.8 nm and 532 nm that pass through banana stem produce periodic diffraction patterns on a screen. The diffraction experiments were able to measure the distances between the slit of the banana stem, i.e. d = (28.76 ±…

  10. Defining adipose tissue-derived stem cells in tissue and in culture.

    PubMed

    Lin, Ching-Shwun; Xin, Zhong-Cheng; Deng, Chun-Hua; Ning, Hongxiu; Lin, Guiting; Lue, Tom F

    2010-06-01

    Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSC) are routinely isolated from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of homogenized adipose tissue. Similar to other types of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), ADSC remain difficult to define due to the lack of definitive cellular markers. Still, many types of MSC, including ADSC, have been shown to reside in a perivascular location, and increasing evidence shows that both MSC and ADSC may in fact be vascular stem cells (VSC). Locally, these cells differentiate into smooth muscle and endothelial cells that are assembled into newly formed blood vessels during angiogenesis and neovasculogenesis. Additionally, MSC or ADSC can also differentiate into tissue cells such as adipocytes in the adipose tissue. Systematically, MSC or ADSC are recruited to injury sites where they participate in the repair/regeneration of the injured tissue. Due to the vasculature's dynamic capacity for growth and multipotential nature for diversification, VSC in tissue are individually at various stages and on different paths of differentiation. Therefore, when isolated and put in culture, these cells are expected to be heterogeneous in marker expression, renewal capacity, and differentiation potential. Although this heterogeneity of VSC does impose difficulties and cause confusions in basic science studies, its impact on the development of VSC as a therapeutic cell source has not been as apparent, as many preclinical and clinical trials have reported favorable outcomes. With this understanding, ADSC are generally defined as CD34+CD31- although loss of CD34 expression in culture is well documented. In adipose tissue, CD34 is localized to the intima and adventitia of blood vessels but not the media where cells expressing alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) exist. By excluding the intima, which contains the CD34+CD31+ endothelial cells, and the media, which contains the CD34-CD31- smooth muscle cells, it leaves the adventitia as the only possible location for the CD34

  11. Small RNA Profiling of Two Important Cultivars of Banana and Overexpression of miRNA156 in Transgenic Banana Plants

    PubMed Central

    Ganapathi, Thumballi R.

    2015-01-01

    Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding, short RNAs having important roles in regulation of gene expression. Although plant miRNAs have been studied in detail in some model plants, less is known about these miRNAs in important fruit plants like banana. miRNAs have pivotal roles in plant growth and development, and in responses to diverse biotic and abiotic stress stimuli. Here, we have analyzed the small RNA expression profiles of two different economically significant banana cultivars by using high-throughput sequencing technology. We identified a total of 170 and 244 miRNAs in the two libraries respectively derived from cv. Grand Naine and cv. Rasthali leaves. In addition, several cultivar specific microRNAs along with their putative target transcripts were also detected in our studies. To validate our findings regarding the small RNA profiles, we also undertook overexpression of a common microRNA, MusamiRNA156 in transgenic banana plants. The transgenic plants overexpressing the stem-loop sequence derived from MusamiRNA156 gene were stunted in their growth together with peculiar changes in leaf anatomy. These results provide a foundation for further investigations into important physiological and metabolic pathways operational in banana in general and cultivar specific traits in particular. PMID:25962076

  12. Carbohydrate Analysis: Can We Control the Ripening of Bananas?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deal, S. Todd; Farmer, Catherine E.; Cerpovicz, Paul F.

    2002-04-01

    We have developed an experiment for nutritional/introductory biochemistry courses that focuses on carbohydrate analysis--specifically, the carbohydrates found in bananas and the change in carbohydrate composition as the banana ripens. Pairs of students analyze the starch and reducing sugar content of green, ripe, and overripe bananas. Using the techniques and knowledge gained from these analyses, they then investigate the influence of various storage methods on the ripening process. While this experiment was developed for an introductory-level biochemistry lab, it can easily be adapted for use in other laboratory programs that seek to teach the fundamentals of carbohydrate analysis.

  13. Generalized banana-drift transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mynick, H. E.

    1985-10-01

    The theory of tokamak ripple transport in the banana-drift and ripple-plateau is extended in a number of directions. The theory is valid for small values of the toroidal periodicity number n of the perturbation, as well as for the moderate values (n approx. 10 - 20) previously assumed. It is shown that low-n perturbations can produce much greater transport than the larger-n perturbations usually studied. In addition, the ripple perturbation is allowed arbitrary values of poloidal mode number m and frequency omega, making it applicable to the transport induced by MHD modes. Bounce averaging is avoided, so the theory includes the contributions to transport from all harmonics of the bounce frequency, providing a continuous description of the transition from the banana drift to the ripple-plateau regime. The implications of the theory for toroidal rotation in tokamaks are considered.

  14. Phyllosticta musarum Infection-Induced Defences Suppress Anthracnose Disease Caused by Colletotrichum musae in Banana Fruits cv 'Embul'.

    PubMed

    Abayasekara, C L; Adikaram, N K B; Wanigasekara, U W N P; Bandara, B M R

    2013-03-01

    Anthracnose development by Colletotrichum musae was observed to be significantly less in the fruits of the banana cultivar 'Embul' (Mysore, AAB) infected with Phyllosticta musarum than in fruits without such infections. Anthracnose disease originates from quiescent C. musae infections in the immature fruit. P. musarum incites minute, scattered spots, referred to as freckles, in the superficial tissues of immature banana peel which do not expand during maturation or ripening. P. musarum does not appear to have a direct suppressive effect on C. musae as conidia of C. musae germinate on both freckled and non-freckled fruit forming quiescent infections. Our investigations have shown that P. musarum infection induced several defence responses in fruit including the accumulation of five phytoalexins, upregulation of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and cell wall lignification. (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral data of one purified phytoalexin compared closely with 4'-hydroxyanigorufone. Some of the P. musarum-induced defences that retained during ripening, restrict C. musae development at the ripe stage. This paper examines the potential of P. musarum-induced defences, in the control of anthracnose, the most destructive postharvest disease in banana.

  15. Assessment of RNAi-induced silencing in banana (Musa spp.).

    PubMed

    Dang, Tuong Vi T; Windelinckx, Saskia; Henry, Isabelle M; De Coninck, Barbara; Cammue, Bruno P A; Swennen, Rony; Remy, Serge

    2014-09-18

    In plants, RNA- based gene silencing mediated by small RNAs functions at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level to negatively regulate target genes, repetitive sequences, viral RNAs and/or transposon elements. Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) or the RNA interference (RNAi) approach has been achieved in a wide range of plant species for inhibiting the expression of target genes by generating double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). However, to our knowledge, successful RNAi-application to knock-down endogenous genes has not been reported in the important staple food crop banana. Using embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) transformed with ß-glucuronidase (GUS) as a model system, we assessed silencing of gusAINT using three intron-spliced hairpin RNA (ihpRNA) constructs containing gusAINT sequences of 299-nt, 26-nt and 19-nt, respectively. Their silencing potential was analysed in 2 different experimental set-ups. In the first, Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation of banana ECS with a gusAINT containing vector and an ihpRNA construct resulted in a significantly reduced GUS enzyme activity 6-8 days after co-cultivation with either the 299-nt and 19-nt ihpRNA vectors. In the second approach, these ihpRNA constructs were transferred to stable GUS-expressing ECS and their silencing potential was evaluated in the regenerated in vitro plants. In comparison to control plants, transgenic plants transformed with the 299-nt gusAINT targeting sequence showed a 4.5 fold down-regulated gusA mRNA expression level, while GUS enzyme activity was reduced by 9 fold. Histochemical staining of plant tissues confirmed these findings. Northern blotting used to detect the expression of siRNA in the 299-nt ihpRNA vector transgenic in vitro plants revealed a negative relationship between siRNA expression and GUS enzyme activity. In contrast, no reduction in GUS activity or GUS mRNA expression occurred in the regenerated lines transformed with either of the two gusAINT oligo target

  16. Lipophilic phytochemicals from banana fruits of several Musa species.

    PubMed

    Vilela, Carla; Santos, Sónia A O; Villaverde, Juan J; Oliveira, Lúcia; Nunes, Alberto; Cordeiro, Nereida; Freire, Carmen S R; Silvestre, Armando J D

    2014-11-01

    The chemical composition of the lipophilic extract of ripe pulp of banana fruit from several banana cultivars belonging to the Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana species (namely 'Chinese Cavendish', 'Giant Cavendish', 'Dwarf Red', 'Grand Nain', 'Eilon', 'Gruesa', 'Silver', 'Ricasa', 'Williams' and 'Zelig') was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the first time. The banana cultivars showed similar amounts of lipophilic extractives (ca. 0.4% of dry material weight) as well as qualitative chemical compositions. The major groups of compounds identified in these fractions were fatty acids and sterols making up 68.6-84.3% and 11.1-28.0%, respectively, of the total amount of lipophilic components. Smaller amounts of long chain aliphatic alcohols and α-tocopherol were also identified. These results are a relevant contribution for the valorisation of these banana cultivars as sources of valuable phytochemicals (ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids, and sterols) with well-established beneficial nutritional and health effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. A kinetic modeling of chondrocyte culture for manufacture of tissue-engineered cartilage.

    PubMed

    Kino-Oka, Masahiro; Maeda, Yoshikatsu; Yamamoto, Takeyuki; Sugawara, Katsura; Taya, Masahito

    2005-03-01

    For repairing articular cartilage defects, innovative techniques based on tissue engineering have been developed and are now entering into the practical stage of clinical application by means of grafting in vitro cultured products. A variety of natural and artificial materials available for scaffolds, which permit chondrocyte cells to aggregate, have been designed for their ability to promote cell growth and differentiation. From the viewpoint of the manufacturing process for tissue-engineered cartilage, the diverse nature of raw materials (seeding cells) and end products (cultured cartilage) oblige us to design a tailor-made process with less reproducibility, which is an obstacle to establishing a production doctrine based on bioengineering knowledge concerning growth kinetics and modeling as well as designs of bioreactors and culture operations for certification of high product quality. In this article, we review the recent advances in the manufacturing of tissue-engineered cartilage. After outlining the manufacturing processes for tissue-engineered cartilage in the first section, the second and third sections, respectively, describe the three-dimensional culture of chondrocytes with Aterocollagen gel and kinetic model consideration as a tool for evaluating this culture process. In the final section, culture strategy is discussed in terms of the combined processes of monolayer growth (ex vivo chondrocyte cell expansion) and three-dimensional growth (construction of cultured cartilage in the gel).

  18. Lipid composition of slash pine tissue cultures grown with lunar and earth soils

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laseter, J. L.; Weete, J. D.; Baur, P. S.; Walkinshaw, C. H.

    1973-01-01

    Lipid analyses were conducted on slash pine tissues grown in culture in the presence of lunar (Apollo 15) and earth soils. Significant reductions in the total lipids, fatty acids, and sterol components were found in the tissues grown in contact with each of the soils employed when compared to the control. Tissues grown with lunar soil showed the greatest reductions. These results are discussed with respect to previous ultrastructural studies on similarly treated slash pine tissues and lipid analyses on tobacco tissue cultures.

  19. Culture and Sampling of Primary Adipose Tissue in Practical Microfluidic Systems.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Jessica C; Judd, Robert L; Easley, Christopher J

    2017-01-01

    Microfluidic culture of primary adipose tissue allows for reduced sample and reagent volumes as well as constant media perfusion of the cells. By continuously flowing media over the tissue, microfluidic sampling systems can more accurately mimic vascular flow in vivo. Quantitative measurements can be performed on or off chip to provide time-resolved secretion data, furthering insight into the dynamics of the function of adipose tissue. Buoyancy resulting from the large lipid storage capacity in this tissue presents a unique challenge for culture, and it is important to account for this buoyancy during microdevice design. Herein, we describe approaches for microfluidic device fabrication that utilize 3D-printed interface templating to help counteract cell buoyancy. We apply such methods to the culture of both isolated, dispersed primary adipocytes and epididymal adipose explants. To facilitate more widespread adoption of the methodology, the devices presented here are designed for user-friendly operation. Only handheld syringes are needed to control flow, and devices are inexpensive and disposable.

  20. Storage stability of banana chips in polypropylene based nanocomposite packaging films.

    PubMed

    Manikantan, M R; Sharma, Rajiv; Kasturi, R; Varadharaju, N

    2014-11-01

    In this study, polypropylene (PP) based nanocomposite films of 15 different compositions of nanoclay, compatibilizer and thickness were developed and used for packaging and storage of banana chips. The effect of nanocomposite films on the quality characteristics viz. moisture content (MC), water activity (WA), total color difference(TCD), breaking force (BF), free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value(PV), total plate count (TPC) and overall acceptability score of banana chips under ambient condition at every 15 days interval were studied for 120 days. All quality parameters of stored banana chips increased whereas overall acceptability scores decreased during storage. The elevation in FFA, BF and TCD of stored banana chips increased with elapse of storage period as well as with increased proportion of both nanoclay and compatibilizer but decreased by reducing the thickness of film. Among all the packaging materials, the WA of banana chips remained lower than 0.60 i.e. critical limit for microbial growth up to 90 days of storage. The PV of banana chips packaged also remained within the safe limit of 25 meq oxygen kg(-1) throughout the storage period. Among all the nanocomposite films, packaging material having 5 % compatibilizer, 2 % nanoclay & 100 μm thickness (treatment E) and 10 % compatibilizer, 4 % nanoclay & 120 μm thickness (treatment N) showed better stability of measured quality characteristics of banana chips than any other treatment.

  1. Cereal bars produced with banana peel flour: evaluation of acceptability and sensory profile.

    PubMed

    Carvalho, Vania Silva; Conti-Silva, Ana Carolina

    2018-01-01

    A mixture design was used to investigate the effects of banana peel flour, rice flakes and oat flour on sensory acceptability of cereal bars, with subsequent evaluation of sensory profile of products identified as having high acceptability. Regions of greater response for acceptability of the cereal bars, which are dependent on the three investigated components, were found. Although having good acceptability, sensory profiles of cereal bars were different. A cereal bar with the lowest quantity of banana peel flour was described as having a higher amount of rice flakes, chewiness and crispness, while formulations with intermediate and highest quantities of banana peel flour were described by darker color, higher banana aroma and bitter taste. Contrary to expectations, banana flavor of cereal bar with highest quantity of banana peel flour was lower than cereal bars with intermediate quantities. Cereal bars were not different in terms of hardness and adhesiveness and they also had a similar sweet taste and oat flavor. The use of banana peel flour in production of cereal bars is feasible and, even with different sensory profiles, cereal bars with banana peel flour are acceptable, which may favor the development of new products for different market niches. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Origins and Domestication of Cultivated Banana Inferred from Chloroplast and Nuclear Genes

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Cui; Wang, Xin-Feng; Shi, Feng-Xue; Chen, Wen-Na; Ge, Xue-Jun

    2013-01-01

    Background Cultivated bananas are large, vegetatively-propagated members of the genus Musa. More than 1,000 cultivars are grown worldwide and they are major economic and food resources in numerous developing countries. It has been suggested that cultivated bananas originated from the islands of Southeast Asia (ISEA) and have been developed through complex geodomestication pathways. However, the maternal and parental donors of most cultivars are unknown, and the pattern of nucleotide diversity in domesticated banana has not been fully resolved. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied the genetics of 16 cultivated and 18 wild Musa accessions using two single-copy nuclear (granule-bound starch synthase I, GBSS I, also known as Waxy, and alcohol dehydrogenase 1, Adh1) and two chloroplast (maturase K, matK, and the trnL-F gene cluster) genes. The results of phylogenetic analyses showed that all A-genome haplotypes of cultivated bananas were grouped together with those of ISEA subspecies of M. acuminata (A-genome). Similarly, the B- and S-genome haplotypes of cultivated bananas clustered with the wild species M. balbisiana (B-genome) and M. schizocarpa (S-genome), respectively. Notably, it has been shown that distinct haplotypes of each cultivar (A-genome group) were nested together to different ISEA subspecies M. acuminata. Analyses of nucleotide polymorphism in the Waxy and Adh1 genes revealed that, in comparison to the wild relatives, cultivated banana exhibited slightly lower nucleotide diversity both across all sites and specifically at silent sites. However, dramatically reduced nucleotide diversity was found at nonsynonymous sites for cultivated bananas. Conclusions/Significance Our study not only confirmed the origin of cultivated banana as arising from multiple intra- and inter-specific hybridization events, but also showed that cultivated banana may have not suffered a severe genetic bottleneck during the domestication process. Importantly, our findings

  3. Effect of KnockOut serum replacement on germ cell development of immature testis tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Liu, Feng; Cai, Chunhong; Wu, Xin; Cheng, Yanxia; Lin, Tao; Wei, Guanghui; He, Dawei

    2016-01-15

    To compare KnockOut serum replacement (KSR) and fetal bovine serum (FBS) for the development of germ cells. Testicular tissues from Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured for 4 weeks in culture media supplemented with FBS or KSR. Tissue area was measured at the beginning and end of the culturing period. Testicular histology, development of the germ cells, and the diameter of seminiferous tubules were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. After 4 weeks in culture, apoptosis and expression of the stage-specific spermatogenesis marker genes Kit, Sycp3, and Crisp1 were assayed. Tissues cultured in KSR-supplemented media were able to sustain growth and gradually increase seminiferous tubule diameter during the culture period. In addition, spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, and round spermatids were observed after 4 weeks in culture, and reverse transcription-PCR confirmed expression of the marker genes. In comparison, tissues cultured in FBS-supplemented media showed dwindling testicular organization, necrotic seminiferous tubules, and expression of Kit, but inconsistent expression of Sycp3 and Crisp1 KnockOut serum replacement outperforms FBS as a growth media supplements for culturing immature spermatogonial tissue culture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The visual assessment of broth cultures for tissue bank samples.

    PubMed

    Varettas, Kerry

    2017-09-01

    The bioburden screening process of allograft musculoskeletal tissue samples received at the South Eastern Area Laboratory Services includes the routine use of solid agar and cooked meat (CM) broth media. CM has been routinely sub-cultured onto solid agar plates after aerobic incubation at 35 °C. This study will evaluate whether a visual assessment of CM can replace sub-culture by an in vitro inoculation and a prospective study. Eight challenge organisms were serially diluted and inoculated into CM. The average inoculum of 0.5-5.5 CFU produced visible turbidity of CM after 24-h incubation for 7 of the challenge organisms with one organism producing turbidity after 48-h incubation. The prospective study evaluated 222 CM of which 213 were visually clear and no-growth on sub-culture and 9 turbid CM which were culture positive. Broth cultures are an integral part of the bioburden screening process of allograft musculoskeletal tissue and swab samples and visual assessment of CM can replace sub-culture.

  5. Development of a recombinase polymerase amplification assay for the diagnosis of banana bunchy top virus in different banana cultivars.

    PubMed

    Kapoor, Reetika; Srivastava, Nishant; Kumar, Shailender; Saritha, R K; Sharma, Susheel Kumar; Jain, Rakesh Kumar; Baranwal, Virendra Kumar

    2017-09-01

    Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a rapid, isothermal amplification method with high specificity and sensitivity. In this study, an assay was developed and evaluated for the detection of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) in infected banana plants. Three oligonucleotide primer pairs were designed from the replicase initiator protein gene sequences of BBTV to function both in RPA as well as in polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 133 symptomatic as well as asymptomatic banana leaf samples from various cultivars were collected from the different regions of India and evaluated for BBTV infection using the RPA assay. BBTV was efficiently detected using crude leaf sap in RPA and the results obtained were consistent with PCR-based detection using purified DNA as template. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reliable diagnosis of BBTV infection by RPA using crude leaf sap as a template.

  6. Changes in resistant starch from two banana cultivars during postharvest storage.

    PubMed

    Wang, Juan; Tang, Xue Juan; Chen, Ping Sheng; Huang, Hui Hua

    2014-08-01

    Banana resistant starch samples were extracted and isolated from two banana cultivars (Musa AAA group, Cavendish subgroup and Musa ABB group, Pisang Awak subgroup) at seven ripening stages during postharvest storage. The structures of the resistant starch samples were analysed by light microscopy, polarising microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. Physicochemical properties (e.g., water-holding capacity, solubility, swelling power, transparency, starch-iodine absorption spectrum, and Brabender microviscoamylograph profile) were determined. The results revealed significant differences in microstructure and physicochemical characteristics among the banana resistant starch samples during different ripening stages. The results of this study provide valuable information for the potential applications of banana resistant starches. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The core regulatory network of the abscisic acid pathway in banana: genome-wide identification and expression analyses during development, ripening, and abiotic stress.

    PubMed

    Hu, Wei; Yan, Yan; Shi, Haitao; Liu, Juhua; Miao, Hongxia; Tie, Weiwei; Ding, Zehong; Ding, XuPo; Wu, Chunlai; Liu, Yang; Wang, Jiashui; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2017-08-29

    Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling plays a crucial role in developmental and environmental adaptation processes of plants. However, the PYL-PP2C-SnRK2 families that function as the core components of ABA signaling are not well understood in banana. In the present study, 24 PYL, 87 PP2C, and 11 SnRK2 genes were identified from banana, which was further supported by evolutionary relationships, conserved motif and gene structure analyses. The comprehensive transcriptomic analyses showed that banana PYL-PP2C-SnRK2 genes are involved in tissue development, fruit development and ripening, and response to abiotic stress in two cultivated varieties. Moreover, comparative expression analyses of PYL-PP2C-SnRK2 genes between BaXi Jiao (BX) and Fen Jiao (FJ) revealed that PYL-PP2C-SnRK2-mediated ABA signaling might positively regulate banana fruit ripening and tolerance to cold, salt, and osmotic stresses. Finally, interaction networks and co-expression assays demonstrated that the core components of ABA signaling were more active in FJ than in BX in response to abiotic stress, further supporting the crucial role of the genes in tolerance to abiotic stress in banana. This study provides new insights into the complicated transcriptional control of PYL-PP2C-SnRK2 genes, improves the understanding of PYL-PP2C-SnRK2-mediated ABA signaling in the regulation of fruit development, ripening, and response to abiotic stress, and identifies some candidate genes for genetic improvement of banana.

  8. Diversity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Associated with Banana Fruits in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yi-Sheng; Liao, Yu-Jou; Lan, Yi-Shan; Wu, Hui-Chung; Yanagida, Fujitoshi

    2017-04-01

    Banana is a popular fruit worldwide. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) microflora in banana fruits has not been studied in detail. A total of 164 LAB were isolated from banana fruits in Taiwan. These isolates were initially divided into nine groups (r1 to r9) using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Isolates belonging to Lactobacillus plantarum group were further divided into three additional groups using multiplex PCR assay targeting the recA gene. The most common bacterial genera found in banana fruits were Lactobacillus and Weissella. The distribution of LAB indicated that, in most cases, neighboring regions shared common strains, but there were still some differences between regions. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA, rpoA, and pheS gene sequences, two strains included in the genera Lactobacillus were identified as potential novel species or subspecies. In addition, a total 36 isolates were found to have bacteriocin-producing abilities. These results suggest that various LAB are associated with banana fruits in Taiwan. This is the first report describing the distribution and varieties of LAB associated with banana fruits. In addition, one potential novel LAB species was also found in this study.

  9. A human osteoarthritis osteochondral organ culture model for cartilage tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Yeung, P; Zhang, W; Wang, X N; Yan, C H; Chan, B P

    2018-04-01

    In vitro human osteoarthritis (OA)-mimicking models enabling pathophysiological studies and evaluation of emerging therapies such as cartilage tissue engineering are of great importance. We describe the development and characterization of a human OA osteochondral organ culture. We also apply this model for evaluation of the phenotype maintenance of a human MSC derived engineered cartilage, as an example of emerging therapeutics, under long term exposure to the OA-mimicking environment. We also test the sensitivity of the model to a series of external factors and a potential disease-modifying agent, in terms of chondrogenic phenotype maintenance of the engineered cartilage, under OA-mimicking environment. Excised joint tissues from total knee replacement surgeries were carved into numerous miniaturized and standardized osteochondral plugs for subsequent OA organ culture. The organ cultures were characterized in detail before being co-cultured with a tissue engineered cartilage. The chondrogenic phenotype of the tissue engineered cartilage co-cultured in long term up to 8 weeks under this OA-mimicking microenvironment was evaluated. Using the same co-culture model, we also screened for a number of biomimetic environmental factors, including oxygen tension, the presence of serum and the application of compression loading. Finally, we studied the effect of a matrix metalloprotease inhibitor, as an example of potential disease-modifying agents, on the co-cultured engineered cartilage. We demonstrate that cells in the OA organ culture were viable while both the typical chondrogenic phenotype and the characteristic OA phenotype were maintained for long period of time. We then demonstrate that upon co-culture with the OA-mimicking organ culture, the engineered cartilage initially exhibited a more fibrocartilage phenotype but progressively reverted back to the chondrogenic phenotype upon long term co-culture up to 8 weeks. The engineered cartilage was also found to be

  10. Molecular Characterization of Geographically Different Banana bunchy top virus Isolates in India.

    PubMed

    Selvarajan, R; Mary Sheeba, M; Balasubramanian, V; Rajmohan, R; Dhevi, N Lakshmi; Sasireka, T

    2010-10-01

    Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) caused by Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is one of the most devastating diseases of banana and poses a serious threat for cultivars like Hill Banana (Syn: Virupakshi) and Grand Naine in India. In this study, we have cloned and sequenced the complete genome comprised of six DNA components of BBTV infecting Hill Banana grown in lower Pulney hills, Tamil Nadu State, India. The complete genome sequence of this hill banana isolate showed high degree of similarity with the corresponding sequences of BBTV isolates originating from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh State, India, and from Fiji, Egypt, Pakistan, and Australia. In addition, sixteen coat protein (CP) and thirteen replicase genes (Rep) sequences of BBTV isolates collected from different banana growing states of India were cloned and sequenced. The replicase sequences of 13 isolates showed high degree of similarity with that of South Pacific group of BBTV isolates. However, the CP gene of BBTV isolates from Shervroy and Kodaikanal hills of Tamil Nadu showed higher amino acid sequence variability compared to other isolates. Another hill banana isolate from Meghalaya state had 23 nucleotide substitutions in the CP gene but the amino acid sequence was conserved. This is the first report of the characterization of a complete genome of BBTV occurring in the high altitudes of India. Our study revealed that the Indian BBTV isolates with distinct geographical origins belongs to the South Pacific group, except Shervroy and Kodaikanal hill isolates which neither belong to the South Pacific nor the Asian group.

  11. Phylogeny of Banana Streak Virus reveals recent and repetitive endogenization in the genome of its banana host (Musa sp.).

    PubMed

    Gayral, Philippe; Iskra-Caruana, Marie-Line

    2009-07-01

    Banana streak virus (BSV) is a plant dsDNA pararetrovirus (family Caulimoviridae, genus badnavirus). Although integration is not an essential step in the BSV replication cycle, the nuclear genome of banana (Musa sp.) contains BSV endogenous pararetrovirus sequences (BSV EPRVs). Some BSV EPRVs are infectious by reconstituting a functional viral genome. Recent studies revealed a large molecular diversity of episomal BSV viruses (i.e., nonintegrated) while others focused on BSV EPRV sequences only. In this study, the evolutionary history of badnavirus integration in banana was inferred from phylogenetic relationships between BSV and BSV EPRVs. The relative evolution rates and selective pressures (d(N)/d(S) ratio) were also compared between endogenous and episomal viral sequences. At least 27 recent independent integration events occurred after the divergence of three banana species, indicating that viral integration is a recent and frequent phenomenon. Relaxation of selective pressure on badnaviral sequences that experienced neutral evolution after integration in the plant genome was recorded. Additionally, a significant decrease (35%) in the EPRV evolution rate was observed compared to BSV, reflecting the difference in the evolution rate between episomal dsDNA viruses and plant genome. The comparison of our results with the evolution rate of the Musa genome and other reverse-transcribing viruses suggests that EPRVs play an active role in episomal BSV diversity and evolution.

  12. A Well-Controlled Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Culture System with Injection Port for Evaluating Regenerative Therapies.

    PubMed

    Arkesteijn, Irene T M; Mouser, Vivian H M; Mwale, Fackson; van Dijk, Bart G M; Ito, Keita

    2016-05-01

    In vitro evaluation of nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue regeneration would be useful, but current systems for NP culture are not ideal for injections. The aim of this study was to develop a long-term culture system for NP tissue that allows injections of regenerative agents. Bovine caudal NPs were harvested and placed in the newly designed culture system. After equilibration of the tissue to 0.3 MPa the volume was fixed and the tissue was cultured for 28 days. The cell viability and extracellular matrix composition remained unchanged during the culture period and gene expression profiles were similar to those obtained in earlier studies. Furthermore, to test the responsiveness of bovine caudal NPs in the system, samples were cultured for 4 days and injected twice (day 1 and 3) with (1) PBS, (2) Link-N, for regeneration, and (3) TNF-α, for degeneration. It was shown that TNF-α increased COX2 gene expression, whereas no effect of Link-N was detected. In conclusion, the newly designed system allows long-term culture of NP tissue, wherein tissue reactions to injected stimulants can be observed.

  13. Agronomic performance of five banana cultivars under protected cultivation

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Banana has been grown both in open-field and protected cultivation in Turkey. So far protected cultivation is very popular due to the high yield and quality. The objective of the study was to evaluate agronomic performance of five new banana cultivars under plastic greenhouse. ‘MA 13’, ‘Williams’, ‘...

  14. Renal cell carcinoma primary cultures maintain genomic and phenotypic profile of parental tumor tissues.

    PubMed

    Cifola, Ingrid; Bianchi, Cristina; Mangano, Eleonora; Bombelli, Silvia; Frascati, Fabio; Fasoli, Ester; Ferrero, Stefano; Di Stefano, Vitalba; Zipeto, Maria A; Magni, Fulvio; Signorini, Stefano; Battaglia, Cristina; Perego, Roberto A

    2011-06-13

    Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by recurrent copy number alterations (CNAs) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH), which may have potential diagnostic and prognostic applications. Here, we explored whether ccRCC primary cultures, established from surgical tumor specimens, maintain the DNA profile of parental tumor tissues allowing a more confident CNAs and LOH discrimination with respect to the original tissues. We established a collection of 9 phenotypically well-characterized ccRCC primary cell cultures. Using the Affymetrix SNP array technology, we performed the genome-wide copy number (CN) profiling of both cultures and corresponding tumor tissues. Global concordance for each culture/tissue pair was assayed evaluating the correlations between whole-genome CN profiles and SNP allelic calls. CN analysis was performed using the two CNAG v3.0 and Partek software, and comparing results returned by two different algorithms (Hidden Markov Model and Genomic Segmentation). A very good overlap between the CNAs of each culture and corresponding tissue was observed. The finding, reinforced by high whole-genome CN correlations and SNP call concordances, provided evidence that each culture was derived from its corresponding tissue and maintained the genomic alterations of parental tumor. In addition, primary culture DNA profile remained stable for at least 3 weeks, till to third passage. These cultures showed a greater cell homogeneity and enrichment in tumor component than original tissues, thus enabling a better discrimination of CNAs and LOH. Especially for hemizygous deletions, primary cultures presented more evident CN losses, typically accompanied by LOH; differently, in original tissues the intensity of these deletions was weaken by normal cell contamination and LOH calls were missed. ccRCC primary cultures are a reliable in vitro model, well-reproducing original tumor genetics and phenotype, potentially useful for future functional approaches

  15. In vitro culture thawed human ovarian tissue: NIV versus slow freezing method.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Zhun; Wang, Yan; Li, Ling-Ling; Li, Shang-wei

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine if the needle immersed vitrification method (NIV) can improve the growth potential of thawed ovarian tissue in vitro culture. Human ovarian cortical tissues were cryopreserved using NIV and slow freezing method. After 14 days of culture, the preservation outcomes of NIV and slow freezing groups were analyzed histologically using light microscope and apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay. The result showed that the percentage of morphologically abnormal primordial follicles was lower in NIV group than in slow freezing group (P < 0.05). The incidence of TUNEL-positive primordial follicles was lower in NIV group than in slow freezing group (P < 0.05). The study showed that cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue with NIV was effective in improving the growth potential of frozen-thawed ovarian tissue in vitro culture.

  16. Addressing the instability of DNA nanostructures in tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Hahn, Jaeseung; Wickham, Shelley F J; Shih, William M; Perrault, Steven D

    2014-09-23

    DNA nanotechnology is an advanced technique that could contribute diagnostic, therapeutic, and biomedical research devices to nanomedicine. Although such devices are often developed and demonstrated using in vitro tissue culture models, these conditions may not be compatible with DNA nanostructure integrity and function. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sensitivity of 3D DNA nanostructures produced via the origami method to the in vitro tissue culture environment and identify solutions to prevent loss of nanostructure integrity. We examined whether the physiological cation concentrations of cell culture medium and the nucleases present in fetal bovine serum (FBS) used as a medium supplement result in denaturation and digestion, respectively. DNA nanostructure denaturation due to cation depletion was design- and time-dependent, with one of four tested designs remaining intact after 24 h at 37 °C. Adjustment of medium by addition of MgSO4 prevented denaturation. Digestion of nanostructures by FBS nucleases in Mg(2+)-adjusted medium did not appear design-dependent and became significant within 24 h and when medium was supplemented with greater than 5% FBS. We estimated that medium supplemented with 10% FBS contains greater than 256 U/L equivalent of DNase I activity in digestion of DNA nanostructures. Heat inactivation at 75 °C and inclusion of actin protein in medium inactivated and inhibited nuclease activity, respectively. We examined the impact of medium adjustments on cell growth, viability, and phenotype. Adjustment of Mg(2+) to 6 mM did not appear to have a detrimental impact on cells. Heat inactivation was found to be incompatible with in vitro tissue culture, whereas inclusion of actin had no observable effect on growth and viability. In two in vitro assays, immune cell activation and nanoparticle endocytosis, we show that using conditions compatible with cell phenotype and nanostructure integrity is critical for obtaining reliable

  17. Crop improvement and conservation through tissue culture techniques

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Crop improvement through classic breeding and/or genetic engineering methods is possible in the majority of cultivated crops. However, gene manipulations, chromosome duplication, protoplast fusion, bioassays, interspecific cross recovery involve tissue culture techniques. For vegetatively propagated...

  18. Soybean Tissue Culture - Apollo 15 Lunar Material Growth

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1971-10-01

    S71-51315 (1 Oct. 1971) --- A close-up view of soybean tissue culture growing in a synthetic medium and Apollo 15 lunar material. Note the greening occurring in areas in contact with the soil particles.

  19. Expression of Folliculogenesis-Related Genes in Vitrified Human Ovarian Tissue after Two Weeks In Vitro Culture.

    PubMed

    Shams Mofarahe, Zahra; Salehnia, Mojdeh; Ghaffari Novin, Marefat; Ghorbanmehr, Nassim; Fesharaki, Mohammad Gholami

    2017-01-01

    This study was designed to evaluate the effects of vitrification and in vitro culture of human ovarian tissue on the expression of oocytic and follicular cell-related genes. In this experimental study, ovarian tissue samples were obtained from eight transsexual women. Samples were cut into small fragments and were then assigned to vitrified and non-vitrified groups. In each group, some tissue fragments were divided into un-cultured and cultured (in α-MEM medium for 2 weeks) subgroups. The normality of follicles was assessed by morphological observation under a light microscope using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Expression levels of factor in the germ line alpha ( FIGLA ), KIT ligand ( KL ), growth differentiation factor 9 ( GDF-9 ) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor ( FSHR ) genes were quantified in both groups by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the beginning and the end of culture. The percentage of normal follicles was similar between non-cultured vitrified and non-vitrified groups (P>0.05), however, cultured tissues had significantly fewer normal follicles than non-cultured tissues in both vitrified and non-vitrified groups (P<0.05). In both cultured groups the rate of primary and secondary follicles was significantly higher than non-cultured tissues (P<0.05). The expression of all examined genes was not significantly altered in both non-cultured groups. Whiles, in comparison with cultured tissues non-cultured tissues, the expression of FIGLA gene was significantly decreased, KL gene was not changed, GDF-9 and FSHR genes was significantly increased (P<0.05). Human ovarian vitrification following in vitro culture has no impairing effects on follicle normality and development and expression of related-genes. However, in vitro culture condition has deleterious effects on normality of follicles.

  20. Lineage-Specific Evolutionary Histories and Regulation of Major Starch Metabolism Genes during Banana Ripening

    PubMed Central

    Jourda, Cyril; Cardi, Céline; Gibert, Olivier; Giraldo Toro, Andrès; Ricci, Julien; Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Didier; Yahiaoui, Nabila

    2016-01-01

    Starch is the most widespread and abundant storage carbohydrate in plants. It is also a major feature of cultivated bananas as it accumulates to large amounts during banana fruit development before almost complete conversion to soluble sugars during ripening. Little is known about the structure of major gene families involved in banana starch metabolism and their evolution compared to other species. To identify genes involved in banana starch metabolism and investigate their evolutionary history, we analyzed six gene families playing a crucial role in plant starch biosynthesis and degradation: the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases (AGPases), starch synthases (SS), starch branching enzymes (SBE), debranching enzymes (DBE), α-amylases (AMY) and β-amylases (BAM). Using comparative genomics and phylogenetic approaches, these genes were classified into families and sub-families and orthology relationships with functional genes in Eudicots and in grasses were identified. In addition to known ancestral duplications shaping starch metabolism gene families, independent evolution in banana and grasses also occurred through lineage-specific whole genome duplications for specific sub-families of AGPase, SS, SBE, and BAM genes; and through gene-scale duplications for AMY genes. In particular, banana lineage duplications yielded a set of AGPase, SBE and BAM genes that were highly or specifically expressed in banana fruits. Gene expression analysis highlighted a complex transcriptional reprogramming of starch metabolism genes during ripening of banana fruits. A differential regulation of expression between banana gene duplicates was identified for SBE and BAM genes, suggesting that part of starch metabolism regulation in the fruit evolved in the banana lineage. PMID:27994606

  1. Embryonic Explant Culture: Studying Effects of Regulatory Molecules on Gene Expression in Craniofacial Tissues.

    PubMed

    Närhi, Katja

    2017-01-01

    The ex vivo culture of embryonic tissue explants permits the continuous monitoring of growth and morphogenesis at specific embryonic stages. The functions of soluble regulatory molecules can be analyzed by introducing them into culture medium or locally with beads to the tissue. Gene expression in the manipulated tissue explants can be analyzed using in situ hybridization, quantitative PCR, and reporter constructs combined to organ culture to examine the functions of the signaling molecules.

  2. Mouse embryonic stem cell culture for generation of three-dimensional retinal and cortical tissues.

    PubMed

    Eiraku, Mototsugu; Sasai, Yoshiki

    2011-12-15

    Generation of compound tissues with complex structures is a major challenge in cell biology. In this article, we describe a protocol for mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) culture for in vitro generation of three-dimensional retinal tissue, comparing it with the culture protocol for cortical tissue generation. Dissociated ESCs are reaggregated in a 96-well plate with reduced cell-plate adhesion and cultured as floating aggregates. Retinal epithelium is efficiently generated when ESC aggregates are cultured in serum-free medium containing extracellular matrix proteins, spontaneously forming hemispherical vesicles and then progressively transforming into a shape reminiscent of the embryonic optic cup in 9-10 d. In long-term culture, the ESC-derived optic cup generates a fully stratified retinal tissue consisting of all major neural retinal components. In contrast, the cortical differentiation culture can be started without exogenous extracellular matrix proteins, and it generates stratified cortical epithelia consisting of four distinct layers in 13 d.

  3. Cell culture in autologous fibrin scaffolds for applications in tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    de la Puente, Pilar; Ludeña, Dolores

    2014-03-10

    In tissue engineering techniques, three-dimensional scaffolds are needed to adjust and guide cell growth and to allow tissue regeneration. The scaffold must be biocompatible, biodegradable and must benefit the interactions between cells and biomaterial. Some natural biomaterials such as fibrin provide a structure similar to the native extracellular matrix containing the cells. Fibrin was first used as a sealant based on pools of commercial fibrinogen. However, the high risk of viral transmission of these pools led to the development of techniques of viral inactivation and elimination and the use of autologous fibrins. In recent decades, fibrin has been used as a release system and three-dimensional scaffold for cell culture. Fibrin scaffolds have been widely used for the culture of different types of cells, and have found several applications in tissue engineering. The structure and development of scaffolds is a key point for cell culture because scaffolds of autologous fibrin offer an important alternative due to their low fibrinogen concentrations, which are more suitable for cell growth. With this review our aim is to follow methods of development, analyze the commercial and autologous fibrins available and assess the possible applications of cell culture in tissue engineering in these three-dimensional structures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Development of Vibrational Culture Model Mimicking Vocal Fold Tissues.

    PubMed

    Kim, Dongjoo; Lim, Jae-Yol; Kwon, Soonjo

    2016-10-01

    The vocal folds (VFs) are connective tissues with complex matrix structures that provide the required mechanical properties for voice generation. VF injury leads to changes in tissue structure and properties, resulting in reduced voice quality. However, injury-induced biochemical changes and repair in scarred VF tissues have not been well characterized to date. To treat scarred VFs, it is essential to understand how physiological characteristics of VFs tissue change in response to external perturbation. In this study, we designed a simple vibrational culture model to mimic vibratory microenvironments observed in vivo. This model consists of a flexible culture plate, three linear actuators, a stereo splitter, and a function generator. Human vocal fold fibroblast (hVFF) monolayers were established on the flexible membrane, to which normal phonatory vibrations were delivered from linear actuators and a function generator. The hVFF monolayers were exposed to the vibrational stresses at a frequency of 205 Hz for 2, 6, and 10 h with maximum displacement of 47.1 μm, followed by a 6 h rest. We then observed the changes in cell morphology, cell viability, and gene expression related to extracellular matrix components. In our dynamic culture device mimicking normal phonatory frequencies, cell proliferation increased and expression of hyaluronic acid synthase 2 was downregulated in response to vibrational stresses. The results presented herein will be useful for evaluating cellular responses following VF injuries in the presence or absence of vibrational stresses.

  5. Effects of cold atmospheric plasma on mucosal tissue culture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Welz, Christian; Becker, Sven; Li, Yang-Fang; Shimizu, Tetsuji; Jeon, Jin; Schwenk-Zieger, Sabina; Thomas, Hubertus M.; Isbary, Georg; Morfill, Gregor E.; Harréus, Ulrich; Zimmermann, Julia L.

    2013-01-01

    Thermal plasmas have been commonly used in medical applications such as plasma ablation and blood coagulation. Newer developments show that plasmas can be generated with ion temperatures close to room temperature: these non-thermal or so-called cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) therefore open up a wide range of further biomedical applications. Based on the understanding of the bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal properties of CAPs, information about the effects of CAP on mucosal cells and tissue is still lacking. Therefore this study focuses on the interaction of CAP with healthy head and neck mucosal cells on a molecular level. To analyse this interaction in detail, fresh tissue samples from healthy nasal and pharyngeal mucosa were harvested during surgery, assembled to a three-dimensional tissue culture model (mini organ cultures) and treated with CAP for different treatment times. Effects on the viability, necrosis induction and mutagenic activity were evaluated with the trypan blue exclusion test, Annexin-V/PI staining and alkaline microgel electrophoresis (comet assay). Trypan blue exclusion test revealed that the CAP treatment significantly decreases the cell viability for all tested treatment times (5, 10, 30, 60 and 120 s p < 0.05), but only a treatment time of 120 s showed a cytotoxic effect as the viability dropped below 90%. Annexin-V/PI staining revealed a significant increase in necrosis in CAP treated pharyngeal tissue cultures for treatment times of 60 and 120 s (p < 0.05). For nasal tissue this effect was already detected for a 30 s treatment (p < 0.05). Comet assay analysis showed no mutagenic effects after exposure to CAP.

  6. Adaptation of plastic surfaces for tissue culture by glow discharge.

    PubMed Central

    Amstein, C F; Hartman, P A

    1975-01-01

    Plastic petri dishes and microtitration plates were electrically charged by a glow discharge unit installed in a vacuum evaporator. Charged and uncharged plates, as well as plates commercially treated for tissue culture, were inoculated with Vero and BHK-21 cell lines; secondary cultures of monkey kidney, chicken lung, canine kidney, and embryonic bovine kidney; and primary chicken embryo fibroblasts and chicken lung cells. All cell cultures grew normally on petri plates charged with the covers open. Growth rate and cell density compared favorably with growth on the commercial tissue culture plates; cell growth was somewhat less dense, however, on plates charged with the covers closed. Charged plates could be sterilized by ultraviolet light and ethylene oxide with no adverse effects on cell growth. Cells inoculated onto plates charged up to 7 months before inoculation grew as well as on freshly charged plates. Images PMID:818106

  7. Phyllosticta musarum Infection-Induced Defences Suppress Anthracnose Disease Caused by Colletotrichum musae in Banana Fruits cv ‘Embul’

    PubMed Central

    Abayasekara, C. L.; Adikaram, N. K. B.; Wanigasekara, U. W. N. P.; Bandara, B. M. R.

    2013-01-01

    Anthracnose development by Colletotrichum musae was observed to be significantly less in the fruits of the banana cultivar ‘Embul’ (Mysore, AAB) infected with Phyllosticta musarum than in fruits without such infections. Anthracnose disease originates from quiescent C. musae infections in the immature fruit. P. musarum incites minute, scattered spots, referred to as freckles, in the superficial tissues of immature banana peel which do not expand during maturation or ripening. P. musarum does not appear to have a direct suppressive effect on C. musae as conidia of C. musae germinate on both freckled and non-freckled fruit forming quiescent infections. Our investigations have shown that P. musarum infection induced several defence responses in fruit including the accumulation of five phytoalexins, upregulation of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and cell wall lignification. 1H and 13C NMR spectral data of one purified phytoalexin compared closely with 4′-hydroxyanigorufone. Some of the P. musarum-induced defences that retained during ripening, restrict C. musae development at the ripe stage. This paper examines the potential of P. musarum-induced defences, in the control of anthracnose, the most destructive postharvest disease in banana. PMID:25288931

  8. Quantification of the tissue-culture induced variation in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

    PubMed Central

    Bednarek, Piotr T; Orłowska, Renata; Koebner, Robert MD; Zimny, Janusz

    2007-01-01

    Background When plant tissue is passaged through in vitro culture, many regenerated plants appear to be no longer clonal copies of their donor genotype. Among the factors that affect this so-called tissue culture induced variation are explant genotype, explant tissue origin, medium composition, and the length of time in culture. Variation is understood to be generated via a combination of genetic and/or epigenetic changes. A lack of any phenotypic variation between regenerants does not necessarily imply a concomitant lack of genetic (or epigenetic) change, and it is therefore of interest to assay the outcomes of tissue culture at the genotypic level. Results A variant of methylation sensitive AFLP, based on the isoschizomeric combinations Acc65I/MseI and KpnI/MseI was applied to analyze, at both the sequence and methylation levels, the outcomes of regeneration from tissue culture in barley. Both sequence mutation and alteration in methylation pattern were detected. Two sets of regenerants from each of five DH donor lines were compared. One set was derived via androgenesis, and the other via somatic embryogenesis, developed from immature embryos. These comparisons delivered a quantitative assessment of the various types of somaclonal variation induced. The average level of variation was 6%, of which almost 1.7% could be accounted for by nucleotide mutation, and the remainder by changes in methylation state. The nucleotide mutation rates and the rate of epimutations were substantially similar between the andro- and embryo-derived sets of regenerants across all the donors. Conclusion We have developed an AFLP based approach that is capable of describing the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the tissue culture-induced variation. We believe that this approach will find particular value in the study of patterns of inheritance of somaclonal variation, since non-heritable variation is of little interest for the improvement of plant species which are sexually

  9. The Effects of Treatments on Batu Banana Flour and Percentage of Wheat Substitution on The Resistant Starch, In Vitro Starch Digestibility Content and Palatability of Cookies Made with Banana (Musa balbisiana Colla) Flour

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ratnasari, D.; Rustanti, N.; Arifan, F.; Afifah, DN

    2018-02-01

    Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common endocrine disease worldwide. Resistant starch is polysaccharide that is recommended for DM patient diets. One of the staple crops containing resistant starch is banana. It is the fourth most important staple crop in the world and critical for food security, best suited plant in warm, frost-free, and coastal climates area. Among banana varieties, Batu bananas (Musa balbisiana Colla) had the highest content of resistant starch (~39%), but its use as a food ingredient is limited. Inclusion of Batu banana flour into cookies manufacturing would both increase the economic value of Batu bananas and provide alternative snacks for DM patients. Here we sought to examine whether cookies made with modified Batu banana flour would be a suitable snack for DM patients. This study used a completely randomized design with two factors: substitution of Batu banana flour (25%, 50%,75%) for wheat-based flour and Batu banana flour treatment methods (no treatment, autoclaving-cooling, autoclaving-cooling-spontaneous fermentation). The resistant starch and in vitro starch digestibility levels were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey test, whereas the acceptance level was analyzed by Friedman and Wilcoxon tests. The content of resistant starch and in vitro starch digestibility of the different treatments ranged from 3.10 to 15.79% and 16.03 to 52.59%, respectively. Both factors differed significantly (p<0.05) with respect to Batu banana flour substitution, but not to processing method (p>0.05). Meanwhile, palatability in terms of color, aroma, texture, and flavor differed significantly among the different treatments and starch contents (p<0.05). Together these results show that Batu banana flour could be a promising ingredient for the production of snacks suitable for consumption by DM patients. Keywords: Batu banana, cookies, resistant starch, in vitro starch digestibility

  10. Microfluidic 3D cell culture: potential application for tissue-based bioassays

    PubMed Central

    Li, XiuJun (James); Valadez, Alejandra V.; Zuo, Peng; Nie, Zhihong

    2014-01-01

    Current fundamental investigations of human biology and the development of therapeutic drugs, commonly rely on two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell culture systems. However, 2D cell culture systems do not accurately recapitulate the structure, function, physiology of living tissues, as well as highly complex and dynamic three-dimensional (3D) environments in vivo. The microfluidic technology can provide micro-scale complex structures and well-controlled parameters to mimic the in vivo environment of cells. The combination of microfluidic technology with 3D cell culture offers great potential for in vivo-like tissue-based applications, such as the emerging organ-on-a-chip system. This article will review recent advances in microfluidic technology for 3D cell culture and their biological applications. PMID:22793034

  11. Biosynthesis of CdS nanoparticles in banana peel extract.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Guang Ju; Li, Shuo Hao; Zhang, Yu Cang; Fu, Yun Zhi

    2014-06-01

    Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by using banana peel extract as a convenient, non-toxic, eco-friendly 'green' capping agent. Cadmium nitrate and sodium sulfide are main reagents. A variety of CdS NPs are prepared through changing reaction conditions (banana extracts, the amount of banana peel extract, solution pH, concentration and reactive temperature). The prepared CdS colloid displays strong fluorescence spectrum. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates the successful formation of CdS NPs. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectrogram indicates the involvement of carboxyl, amine and hydroxyl groups in the formation of CdS NPs. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) result reveals that the average size of the NPs is around 1.48 nm.

  12. A synergistic aggregation pheromone component in the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar 1824 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

    PubMed

    Cerda, H; Mori, K; Nakayama, T; Jaffe, K

    1998-01-01

    Cosmopolites sordidus is an important pest on banana plantations worldwide. The chemistry of the aggregation pheromone of this insect has been recently resolved and here we present the first evidence from field trails that sordidin, a compound from the male released aggregation pheromone, attracts significant number of weevils only if host plant odors are also present. Sordidin attracts few insects when it is presented without the host plant tissue. However, the attractiveness of host plant tissue increases more than tenfold when it is presented simultaneously with sordidin in field traps. We confirm experimentally that sordidin may be used as part of a system for mass trapping and monitoring this insect.

  13. Total soluble solids from banana: evaluation and optimization of extraction parameters.

    PubMed

    Carvalho, Giovani B M; Silva, Daniel P; Santos, Júlio C; Izário Filho, Hélcio J; Vicente, António A; Teixeira, José A; Felipe, Maria das Graças A; Almeida e Silva, João B

    2009-05-01

    Banana, an important component in the diet of the global population, is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. This fruit is also very favorable to industry processes (e.g., fermented beverages) due to its rich content on soluble solids and minerals, with low acidity. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of factors such as banana weight and extraction time during a hot aqueous extraction process on the total soluble solids content of banana. The extract is to be used by the food and beverage industries. The experiments were performed with 105 mL of water, considering the moisture of the ripe banana (65%). Total sugar concentrations were obtained in a beer analyzer and the result expressed in degrees Plato (degrees P, which is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution at 20 degrees C), aiming at facilitating the use of these results by the beverage industries. After previous studies of characterization of the fruit and of ripening performance, a 2(2) full-factorial star design was carried out, and a model was developed to describe the behavior of the dependent variable (total soluble solids) as a function of the factors (banana weight and extraction time), indicating as optimum conditions for extraction 38.5 g of banana at 39.7 min.

  14. Organoid culture systems for prostate epithelial tissue and prostate cancer tissue

    PubMed Central

    Drost, Jarno; Karthaus, Wouter R.; Gao, Dong; Driehuis, Else; Sawyers, Charles L.; Chen, Yu; Clevers, Hans

    2016-01-01

    Summary This protocol describes a recently developed strategy to generate 3D prostate organoid cultures from healthy mouse and human prostate (either bulk or FAC-sorted single luminal and basal cells), metastatic prostate cancer lesions and circulating tumour cells. Organoids derived from healthy material contain the differentiated luminal and basal cell types, whereas organoids derived from prostate cancer tissue mimic the histology of the tumour. The stepwise establishment of these cultures and the fully defined serum-free conditioned medium that is required to sustain organoid growth are outlined. Organoids established using this protocol can be used to study many different aspects of prostate biology, including homeostasis, tumorigenesis and drug discovery. PMID:26797458

  15. Involvement of a banana MADS-box transcription factor gene in ethylene-induced fruit ripening.

    PubMed

    Liu, Juhua; Xu, Biyu; Hu, Lifang; Li, Meiying; Su, Wei; Wu, Jing; Yang, Jinghao; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2009-01-01

    To investigate the regulation of MADS-box genes in banana (Musa acuminata L. AAA group cv. Brazilian) fruit development and postharvest ripening, we isolated from banana fruit a MADS-box gene designated MuMADS1. Amino acid alignment indicated MuMADS1 belongs to the AGAMOUS subfamily, and phylogenetic analysis indicates that this gene is most similar to class D MADS-box genes. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis showed that MuMADS1 is expressed in the stamen and pistil of male and female flowers and in the rhizome, the vegetative reproductive organ of the banana plant. In preharvest banana fruit, MuMADS1 is likely expressed throughout banana fruit development. In postharvest banana ripening, MuMADS1 is associated with ethylene biosynthesis. Expression patterns of MuMADS1 during postharvest ripening as determined by real-time RT-PCR suggest that differential expression of MuMADS1 may not only be induced by ethylene biosynthesis associated with postharvest banana ripening, but also may be induced by exogenous ethylene.

  16. Production of Banana Fiber Yarns for Technical Textile Reinforced Composites

    PubMed Central

    Ortega, Zaida; Morón, Moisés; Monzón, Mario D.; Badalló, Pere; Paz, Rubén

    2016-01-01

    Natural fibers have been used as an alternative to synthetic ones for their greener character; banana fibers have the advantage of coming from an agricultural residue. Fibers have been extracted by mechanical means from banana tree pseudostems, as a strategy to valorize banana crops residues. To increase the mechanical properties of the composite, technical textiles can be used as reinforcement, instead of short fibers. To do so, fibers must be spun and woven. The aim of this paper is to show the viability of using banana fibers to obtain a yarn suitable to be woven, after an enzymatic treatment, which is more environmentally friendly. Extracted long fibers are cut to 50 mm length and then immersed into an enzymatic bath for their refining. Conditions of enzymatic treatment have been optimized to produce a textile grade of banana fibers, which have then been characterized. The optimum treating conditions were found with the use of Biopectinase K (100% related to fiber weight) at 45 °C, pH 4.5 for 6 h, with bath renewal after three hours. The first spinning trials show that these fibers are suitable to be used for the production of yarns. The next step is the weaving process to obtain a technical fabric for composites production. PMID:28773490

  17. First Characterisation of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by Banana Plants.

    PubMed

    Berhal, Chadi; De Clerck, Caroline; Fauconnier, Marie-Laure; Levicek, Carolina; Boullis, Antoine; Kaddes, Amine; Jijakli, Haïssam M; Verheggen, François; Massart, Sébastien

    2017-05-16

    Banana (Musa sp.) ranks fourth in term of worldwide fruit production, and has economical and nutritional key values. The Cavendish cultivars correspond to more than 90% of the production of dessert banana while cooking cultivars are widely consumed locally around the banana belt production area. Many plants, if not all, produce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a means of communication with their environment. Although flower and fruit VOCs have been studied for banana, the VOCs produced by the plant have never been identified despite their importance in plant health and development. A volatile collection methodology was optimized to improve the sensitivity and reproducibility of VOCs analysis from banana plants. We have identified 11 VOCs for the Cavendish, mainly (E,E)-α-farnesene (87.90 ± 11.28 ng/μl), methyl salicylate (33.82 ± 14.29) and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (29.60 ± 11.66), and 14 VOCs for the Pacific Plantain cultivar, mainly (Z,E)-α-farnesene (799.64 ± 503.15), (E,E)-α-farnesene (571.24 ± 381.70) and (E) β ocimene (241.76 ± 158.49). This exploratory study paves the way for an in-depth characterisation of VOCs emitted by Musa plants.

  18. Three-dimensional hydrogel cell culture systems for modeling neural tissue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frampton, John

    Two-dimensional (2-D) neural cell culture systems have served as physiological models for understanding the cellular and molecular events that underlie responses to physical and chemical stimuli, control sensory and motor function, and lead to the development of neurological diseases. However, the development of three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture systems will be essential for the advancement of experimental research in a variety of fields including tissue engineering, chemical transport and delivery, cell growth, and cell-cell communication. In 3-D cell culture, cells are provided with an environment similar to tissue, in which they are surrounded on all sides by other cells, structural molecules and adhesion ligands. Cells grown in 3-D culture systems display morphologies and functions more similar to those observed in vivo, and can be cultured in such a way as to recapitulate the structural organization and biological properties of tissue. This thesis describes a hydrogel-based culture system, capable of supporting the growth and function of several neural cell types in 3-D. Alginate hydrogels were characterized in terms of their biomechanical and biochemical properties and were functionalized by covalent attachment of whole proteins and peptide epitopes. Methods were developed for rapid cross-linking of alginate hydrogels, thus permitting the incorporation of cells into 3-D scaffolds without adversely affecting cell viability or function. A variety of neural cell types were tested including astrocytes, microglia, and neurons. Cells remained viable and functional for longer than two weeks in culture and displayed process outgrowth in 3-D. Cell constructs were created that varied in cell density, type and organization, providing experimental flexibility for studying cell interactions and behavior. In one set of experiments, 3-D glial-endothelial cell co-cultures were used to model blood-brain barrier (BBB) structure and function. This co-culture system was

  19. Inflorescence proliferation for somatic embryogenesis induction and suspension-derived plant regeneration from banana (Musa AAA, cv. 'Dwarf Cavendish') male flowers.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Hernández, Juan Bernardo; Rosell-García, Purificación

    2008-06-01

    Availability of explants with adequate embryogenic competence is one of the most important limitations for the development of regenerable cell suspensions in banana. To increase the number and ease of accessibility to potentially embryogenic explants, a novel methodology is described by which young male flower clusters isolated from adult plants are induced to form new flower buds and proliferate in vitro. Different concentrations of the plant growth regulator thidiazuron (TDZ) induced inflorescence proliferation, which could be maintained over time as a continuous source of young flower buds. Intensity of proliferation was evaluated during successive subcultures. At the third cycle of proliferation, the highest multiplication rate (2.89) was obtained on the medium containing 5 microM TDZ. Newly generated floral tissues were assessed for embryogenic competence, resulting in an average embryogenic frequency of 12.5%. The observed embryogenic capacity, together with the recurrent availability of immature flowers, allowed for the direct initiation of cell suspensions from bulked explant cultures. Regular observation and regeneration tests during the development of suspended cell cultures confirmed their embryogenic condition. Produced embryos successfully matured and germinated to regenerate hundreds of somatic in vitro plants.

  20. The short-term culture of lymphoid tissue from immunized guinea-pigs

    PubMed Central

    Dresser, Ann M.

    1965-01-01

    Lymph node tissue from guinea-pigs immunized against one of several antigens was cultured in different media in order to determine conditions under which maximal amounts of antibody are formed in vitro. The amounts of antibody formed were variable and bore no relation to the level of serum antibody in the tissue donor. Heterologous sera of several origins, when included in the culture medium, varied very markedly in their capacity to support antibody production in vitro. PMID:5847427

  1. Cell and tissue culture of Miscanthus Sacchariflorus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Godovikova, V.A.; Moiseyeva, E.A.; Shumny, V.K.

    1995-11-01

    Since recent time search and introduction of new species of plants have paid attention. More perspective are perennial low maintenance landscape plants from genera Phragmites L. and Miscanthus Anderss. known as high speed growing and great amount of cellulose`s containing. Absence of seeds production and limited distribution area prevent from immediately introduction the plants of this species. The main goal of our investigation is the scientific development of the cell and tissue culture methods to get changing clones, salt and cold tolerant plants and their micropogation. At present there are collection of biovariety represented by subspecies, ecotypes and plant regenerantsmore » of two species - Miscanthus purpurascens (Anders.) and Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.). Successful results have been achieved in screening of culture media, prepared on MS base medium and contained a row of tropic components to protect the explant and callus tissue from oxidation and necrosis. Initially the callus was induced from stem segments, apical and nodular meristem of vegetative shoots of elulalia, growing in hydroponic greenhouse. Morphological and cytologic analysis of plant-regenerants have been done.« less

  2. Drying characteristics and quality of bananas under infrared radiation heating

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Hot air (HA) drying of banana has low drying efficiency and results in undesirable product quality. The objectives of this research were to investigate the feasibility of infrared (IR) heating to improve banana drying rate, evaluate quality of the dried product, and establish models for predicting d...

  3. Determination of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium isolates from banana fruits by capillary gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Jiménez, M; Mateo, R

    1997-08-22

    A method of analysis for trichothecenes (nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, neosolaniol, T-2 tetraol, T-2 and HT-2 toxins), zearalenone and zearalenols, and another method for determination of fumonisin B1 are described and applied to cultures of Fusarium isolated from bananas. Both methods were adapted from different techniques of extraction, clean-up and determination of these mycotoxins. The first method involves extraction with methanol-1% aqueous sodium chloride, clean-up of extracts by partition with hexane and dichloromethane, additional solid reversed-phase clean-up and analysis of two eluates by both high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and capillary gas chromatography. The method for fumonisin B1 implies extraction with aqueous methanol, concentration, clean-up with water and methanol on Amberlite XAD-2 column, formation of a fluorescent 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan derivative and analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Both procedures give good limits of detection and recoveries, and are considered suitable for the detection and quantification of the studied toxins in corn and rice cultures of Fusarium spp. isolated from banana fruits.

  4. Characterization of Polyester Matrix Reinforced with Banana Fibers Thermal Properties by Photoacoustic Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Assis, Foluke S.; Netto, Pedro A.; Margem, Frederico M.; Monteiro, Artur R. P. Junior Sergio N.

    Synthetic fibers are being replaced gradually by natural materials such as lignocellulosic fibers. Compared to synthetic fibers, natural fibers have shown advantages in technical aspects such as environmental and economic. So there is a growing international interest in the use of those fibers. The banana fiber presents significant properties to be studied, but until now few thermal properties on banana fiber as reinforcement of polyester matrix were performed. The present work had as its objective to investigate, by photoacoustic spectroscopy and photothermal techniques the thermal properties of diffusivity, specific heat capacity and conductivity for polyester composites reinforced with banana fibers. In the polyester matrix will be added up to 30% in volume of continuous and aligned banana fibers. These values show that the incorporation of banana fibers in the polyester matrix changes its thermal properties.

  5. Image analysis to evaluate the browning degree of banana (Musa spp.) peel.

    PubMed

    Cho, Jeong-Seok; Lee, Hyeon-Jeong; Park, Jung-Hoon; Sung, Jun-Hyung; Choi, Ji-Young; Moon, Kwang-Deog

    2016-03-01

    Image analysis was applied to examine banana peel browning. The banana samples were divided into 3 treatment groups: no treatment and normal packaging (Cont); CO2 gas exchange packaging (CO); normal packaging with an ethylene generator (ET). We confirmed that the browning of banana peels developed more quickly in the CO group than the other groups based on sensory test and enzyme assay. The G (green) and CIE L(∗), a(∗), and b(∗) values obtained from the image analysis sharply increased or decreased in the CO group. And these colour values showed high correlation coefficients (>0.9) with the sensory test results. CIE L(∗)a(∗)b(∗) values using a colorimeter also showed high correlation coefficients but comparatively lower than those of image analysis. Based on this analysis, browning of the banana occurred more quickly for CO2 gas exchange packaging, and image analysis can be used to evaluate the browning of banana peels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Validation of reference genes for RT-qPCR studies of gene expression in banana fruit under different experimental conditions.

    PubMed

    Chen, Lei; Zhong, Hai-ying; Kuang, Jian-fei; Li, Jian-guo; Lu, Wang-jin; Chen, Jian-ye

    2011-08-01

    Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a sensitive technique for quantifying gene expression, but its success depends on the stability of the reference gene(s) used for data normalization. Only a few studies on validation of reference genes have been conducted in fruit trees and none in banana yet. In the present work, 20 candidate reference genes were selected, and their expression stability in 144 banana samples were evaluated and analyzed using two algorithms, geNorm and NormFinder. The samples consisted of eight sample sets collected under different experimental conditions, including various tissues, developmental stages, postharvest ripening, stresses (chilling, high temperature, and pathogen), and hormone treatments. Our results showed that different suitable reference gene(s) or combination of reference genes for normalization should be selected depending on the experimental conditions. The RPS2 and UBQ2 genes were validated as the most suitable reference genes across all tested samples. More importantly, our data further showed that the widely used reference genes, ACT and GAPDH, were not the most suitable reference genes in many banana sample sets. In addition, the expression of MaEBF1, a gene of interest that plays an important role in regulating fruit ripening, under different experimental conditions was used to further confirm the validated reference genes. Taken together, our results provide guidelines for reference gene(s) selection under different experimental conditions and a foundation for more accurate and widespread use of RT-qPCR in banana.

  7. Pectinase production by Aspergillus niger using banana (Musa balbisiana) peel as substrate and its effect on clarification of banana juice.

    PubMed

    Barman, Sumi; Sit, Nandan; Badwaik, Laxmikant S; Deka, Sankar C

    2015-06-01

    Optimization of substrate concentration, time of incubation and temperature for crude pectinase production from A. niger was carried out using Bhimkol banana (Musa balbisiana) peel as substrate. The crude pectinase produced was partially purified using ethanol and effectiveness of crude and partially purified pectinase was studied for banana juice clarification. The optimum substrate concentration, incubation time and temperature of incubation were 8.07 %, 65.82 h and 32.37 °C respectively, and the polygalacturonase (PG) activity achieved was 6.6 U/ml for crude pectinase. The partially purified enzyme showed more than 3 times of polygalacturonase activity as compared to the crude enzyme. The SDS-PAGE profile showed that the molecular weight of proteins present in the different pectinases varied from 34 to 42 kDa. The study further revealed that highest clarification was achieved when raw banana juice was incubated for 60 min with 2 % concentration of partially purified pectinase and the absorbance obtained was 0.10.

  8. Genome-wide analysis of transcription factors during somatic embryogenesis in banana (Musa spp.) cv. Grand Naine.

    PubMed

    Shivani; Awasthi, Praveen; Sharma, Vikrant; Kaur, Navjot; Kaur, Navneet; Pandey, Pankaj; Tiwari, Siddharth

    2017-01-01

    Transcription factors BABY BOOM (BBM), WUSCHEL (WUS), BSD, LEAFY COTYLEDON (LEC), LEAFY COTYLEDON LIKE (LIL), VIVIPAROUS1 (VP1), CUP SHAPED COTYLEDONS (CUC), BOLITA (BOL), and AGAMOUS LIKE (AGL) play a crucial role in somatic embryogenesis. In this study, we identified eighteen genes of these nine transcription factors families from the banana genome database. All genes were analyzed for their structural features, subcellular, and chromosomal localization. Protein sequence analysis indicated the presence of characteristic conserved domains in these transcription factors. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close evolutionary relationship among most transcription factors of various monocots. The expression patterns of eighteen genes in embryogenic callus containing somatic embryos (precisely isolated by Laser Capture Microdissection), non-embryogenic callus, and cell suspension cultures of banana cultivar Grand Naine were analyzed. The application of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) in the callus induction medium enhanced the expression of MaBBM1, MaBBM2, MaWUS2, and MaVP1 in the embryogenic callus. It suggested 2, 4-D acts as an inducer for the expression of these genes. The higher expression of MaBBM2 and MaWUS2 in embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) as compared to non-embryogenic cells suspension (NECS), suggested that these genes may play a crucial role in banana somatic embryogenesis. MaVP1 showed higher expression in both ECS and NECS, whereas MaLEC2 expression was significantly higher in NECS. It suggests that MaLEC2 has a role in the development of non-embryogenic cells. We postulate that MaBBM2 and MaWUS2 can be served as promising molecular markers for the embryogencity in banana.

  9. Genome-wide analysis of transcription factors during somatic embryogenesis in banana (Musa spp.) cv. Grand Naine

    PubMed Central

    Shivani; Awasthi, Praveen; Sharma, Vikrant; Kaur, Navjot; Kaur, Navneet; Pandey, Pankaj

    2017-01-01

    Transcription factors BABY BOOM (BBM), WUSCHEL (WUS), BSD, LEAFY COTYLEDON (LEC), LEAFY COTYLEDON LIKE (LIL), VIVIPAROUS1 (VP1), CUP SHAPED COTYLEDONS (CUC), BOLITA (BOL), and AGAMOUS LIKE (AGL) play a crucial role in somatic embryogenesis. In this study, we identified eighteen genes of these nine transcription factors families from the banana genome database. All genes were analyzed for their structural features, subcellular, and chromosomal localization. Protein sequence analysis indicated the presence of characteristic conserved domains in these transcription factors. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close evolutionary relationship among most transcription factors of various monocots. The expression patterns of eighteen genes in embryogenic callus containing somatic embryos (precisely isolated by Laser Capture Microdissection), non-embryogenic callus, and cell suspension cultures of banana cultivar Grand Naine were analyzed. The application of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) in the callus induction medium enhanced the expression of MaBBM1, MaBBM2, MaWUS2, and MaVP1 in the embryogenic callus. It suggested 2, 4-D acts as an inducer for the expression of these genes. The higher expression of MaBBM2 and MaWUS2 in embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) as compared to non-embryogenic cells suspension (NECS), suggested that these genes may play a crucial role in banana somatic embryogenesis. MaVP1 showed higher expression in both ECS and NECS, whereas MaLEC2 expression was significantly higher in NECS. It suggests that MaLEC2 has a role in the development of non-embryogenic cells. We postulate that MaBBM2 and MaWUS2 can be served as promising molecular markers for the embryogencity in banana. PMID:28797040

  10. Mouse pancreas tissue slice culture facilitates long-term studies of exocrine and endocrine cell physiology in situ.

    PubMed

    Marciniak, Anja; Selck, Claudia; Friedrich, Betty; Speier, Stephan

    2013-01-01

    Studies on pancreatic cell physiology rely on the investigation of exocrine and endocrine cells in vitro. Particularly, in the case of the exocrine tissue these studies have suffered from a reduced functional viability of acinar cells in culture. As a result not only investigations on dispersed acinar cells and isolated acini were limited in their potential, but also prolonged studies on pancreatic exocrine and endocrine cells in an intact pancreatic tissue environment were unfeasible. To overcome these limitations, we aimed to establish a pancreas tissue slice culture platform to allow long-term studies on exocrine and endocrine cells in the intact pancreatic environment. Mouse pancreas tissue slice morphology was assessed to determine optimal long-term culture settings for intact pancreatic tissue. Utilizing optimized culture conditions, cell specificity and function of exocrine acinar cells and endocrine beta cells were characterized over a culture period of 7 days. We found pancreas tissue slices cultured under optimized conditions to have intact tissue specific morphology for the entire culture period. Amylase positive intact acini were present at all time points of culture and acinar cells displayed a typical strong cell polarity. Amylase release from pancreas tissue slices decreased during culture, but maintained the characteristic bell-shaped dose-response curve to increasing caerulein concentrations and a ca. 4-fold maximal over basal release. Additionally, endocrine beta cell viability and function was well preserved until the end of the observation period. Our results show that the tissue slice culture platform provides unprecedented maintenance of pancreatic tissue specific morphology and function over a culture period for at least 4 days and in part even up to 1 week. This analytical advancement now allows mid -to long-term studies on the cell biology of pancreatic disorder pathogenesis and therapy in an intact surrounding in situ.

  11. Mouse Pancreas Tissue Slice Culture Facilitates Long-Term Studies of Exocrine and Endocrine Cell Physiology in situ

    PubMed Central

    Marciniak, Anja; Selck, Claudia; Friedrich, Betty; Speier, Stephan

    2013-01-01

    Studies on pancreatic cell physiology rely on the investigation of exocrine and endocrine cells in vitro. Particularly, in the case of the exocrine tissue these studies have suffered from a reduced functional viability of acinar cells in culture. As a result not only investigations on dispersed acinar cells and isolated acini were limited in their potential, but also prolonged studies on pancreatic exocrine and endocrine cells in an intact pancreatic tissue environment were unfeasible. To overcome these limitations, we aimed to establish a pancreas tissue slice culture platform to allow long-term studies on exocrine and endocrine cells in the intact pancreatic environment. Mouse pancreas tissue slice morphology was assessed to determine optimal long-term culture settings for intact pancreatic tissue. Utilizing optimized culture conditions, cell specificity and function of exocrine acinar cells and endocrine beta cells were characterized over a culture period of 7 days. We found pancreas tissue slices cultured under optimized conditions to have intact tissue specific morphology for the entire culture period. Amylase positive intact acini were present at all time points of culture and acinar cells displayed a typical strong cell polarity. Amylase release from pancreas tissue slices decreased during culture, but maintained the characteristic bell-shaped dose-response curve to increasing caerulein concentrations and a ca. 4-fold maximal over basal release. Additionally, endocrine beta cell viability and function was well preserved until the end of the observation period. Our results show that the tissue slice culture platform provides unprecedented maintenance of pancreatic tissue specific morphology and function over a culture period for at least 4 days and in part even up to 1 week. This analytical advancement now allows mid -to long-term studies on the cell biology of pancreatic disorder pathogenesis and therapy in an intact surrounding in situ. PMID:24223842

  12. Non-destructive monitoring of viability in an ex vivo organ culture model of osteochondral tissue.

    PubMed

    Elson, K M; Fox, N; Tipper, J L; Kirkham, J; Hall, R M; Fisher, J; Ingham, E

    2015-06-30

    Organ culture is an increasingly important tool in research, with advantages over monolayer cell culture due to the inherent natural environment of tissues. Successful organ cultures must retain cell viability. The aim of this study was to produce viable and non-viable osteochondral organ cultures, to assess the accumulation of soluble markers in the conditioned medium for predicting tissue viability. Porcine femoral osteochondral plugs were cultured for 20 days, with the addition of Triton X-100 on day 6 (to induce necrosis), camptothecin (to induce apoptosis) or no toxic additives. Tissue viability was assessed by the tissue destructive XTT (2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide tetrazolium salt) assay method and LIVE/DEAD® staining of the cartilage at days 0, 6 and 20. Tissue structure was assessed by histological evaluation using haematoxylin & eosin and safranin O. Conditioned medium was assessed every 3-4 days for glucose depletion, and levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (AP), glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Necrotic cultures immediately showed a reduction in glucose consumption, and an immediate increase in LDH, GAG, MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels. Apoptotic cultures showed a delayed reduction in glucose consumption and delayed increase in LDH, a small rise in MMP-2 and MMP-9, but no significant effect on GAGs released into the conditioned medium. The data showed that tissue viability could be monitored by assessing the conditioned medium for the aforementioned markers, negating the need for tissue destructive assays. Physiologically relevant whole- or part-joint organ culture models, necessary for research and pre-clinical assessment of therapies, could be monitored this way, reducing the need to sacrifice tissues to determine viability, and hence reducing the sample numbers necessary.

  13. Effect of LED irradiation on the ripening and nutritional quality of postharvest banana fruit.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jen-Yi; Xu, Fengying; Zhou, Weibiao

    2018-04-24

    With the ability to tailor wavelengths necessary to the photosynthetically active radiation spectrum of plant pigments, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer vast possibilities in horticultural lighting. The influence of LED light irradiation on major postharvest features of banana was investigated. Mature green bananas were treated daily with selected blue (464-474 nm), green (515-525 nm) and red (617-627 nm) LED lights for 8 days, and compared with non-illuminated control. The positive effect of LED lighting on the acceleration of ripening in bananas was greatest for blue, followed by red and green. Under the irradiation of LED lights, faster peel de-greening and flesh softening, and increased ethylene production and respiration rate in bananas were observed during storage. Furthermore, the accumulations of ascorbic acid, total phenols, and total sugars in banana fruit were enhanced by LED light exposure. LED light treatment can induce the ripening of bananas and improve their quality and nutrition potential. These findings might provide new chemical-free strategies to shorten the time to ripen banana after harvest by using LED light source. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  14. Differential transcriptional regulation of banana sucrose phosphate synthase gene in response to ethylene, auxin, wounding, low temperature and different photoperiods during fruit ripening and functional analysis of banana SPS gene promoter.

    PubMed

    Roy Choudhury, Swarup; Roy, Sujit; Das, Ranjan; Sengupta, Dibyendu N

    2008-12-01

    Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) (EC 2.3.1.14) is the key regulatory component in sucrose formation in banana (Musa acuminata subgroup Cavendish, cv Giant governor) fruit during ripening. This report illustrates differential transcriptional responses of banana SPS gene following ethylene, auxin, wounding, low temperature and different photoperiods during ripening in banana fruit. Whereas ethylene strongly stimulated SPS transcript accumulation, auxin and cold treatment only marginally increased the abundance of SPS mRNA level, while wounding negatively regulated SPS gene expression. Conversely, SPS transcript level was distinctly increased by constant exposure to white light. Protein level, enzymatic activity of SPS and sucrose synthesis were substantially increased by ethylene and increased exposure to white light conditions as compared to other treatments. To further study the transcriptional regulation of SPS in banana fruit, the promoter region of SPS gene was cloned and some cis-acting regulatory elements such as a reverse GCC-box ERE, two ARE motifs (TGTCTC), one LTRE (CCGAA), a GAGA-box (GAGA...) and a GATA-box LRE (GATAAG) were identified along with the TATA and CAAT-box. DNA-protein interaction studies using these cis-elements indicated a highly specific cis-trans interaction in the banana nuclear extract. Furthermore, we specifically studied the light responsive characteristics of GATA-box containing synthetic as well as native banana SPS promoter. Transient expression assays using banana SPS promoter have also indicated the functional importance of the SPS promoter in regulating gene expression. Together, these results provide insights into the transcriptional regulation of banana SPS gene in response to phytohormones and other environmental factors during fruit ripening.

  15. Demonstration of the economic feasibility of plant tissue culture for jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) and Euphorbia spp

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sluis, C.

    1980-09-01

    The economic feasibility of plant tissue culture was demonstrated as applied to two plants: jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) and Euphorbia spp. The gopher weed (Euphorbia lathyris) was selected as the species of Euphorbia to research due to the interest in this plant as a potential source of hydrocarbon-like compounds. High yield female selections of jojoba were chosen from native stands and were researched to determine the economic feasibility of mass producing these plants via a tissue culture micropropagation program. The female jojoba selection was successfully mass produced through tissue culture. Modifications in initiation techniques, as well as in multiplication media andmore » rooting parameters, were necessary to apply the tissue culture system, which had been developed for juvenile seedling tissue, to mature jojobas. Since prior attempts at transfer of tissue cultured plantlets were unsuccessful, transfer research was a major part of the project and has resulted in a system for transfer of rooted jojoba plantlets to soil. Euphorbia lathyris was successfully cultured using shoot tip cultures. Media and procedures were established for culture initiation, multiplication of shoots, callus induction and growth, and root initiation. Well-developed root systems were not attained and root initiation percentages should be increased if the system is to become commercially feasible.« less

  16. The banana E2 gene family: Genomic identification, characterization, expression profiling analysis.

    PubMed

    Dong, Chen; Hu, Huigang; Jue, Dengwei; Zhao, Qiufang; Chen, Hongliang; Xie, Jianghui; Jia, Liqiang

    2016-04-01

    The E2 is at the center of a cascade of Ub1 transfers, and it links activation of the Ub1 by E1 to its eventual E3-catalyzed attachment to substrate. Although the genome-wide analysis of this family has been performed in some species, little is known about analysis of E2 genes in banana. In this study, 74 E2 genes of banana were identified and phylogenetically clustered into thirteen subgroups. The predicted banana E2 genes were distributed across all 11 chromosomes at different densities. Additionally, the E2 domain, gene structure and motif compositions were analyzed. The expression of all of the banana E2 genes was analyzed in the root, stem, leaf, flower organs, five stages of fruit development and under abiotic stresses. All of the banana E2 genes, with the exception of few genes in each group, were expressed in at least one of the organs and fruit developments, which indicated that the E2 genes might involve in various aspects of the physiological and developmental processes of the banana. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis identified that 45 E2s under drought and 33 E2s under salt were induced. To the best of our knowledge, this report describes the first genome-wide analysis of the banana E2 gene family, and the results should provide valuable information for understanding the classification, cloning and putative functions of this family. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The third dimension bridges the gap between cell culture and live tissue.

    PubMed

    Pampaloni, Francesco; Reynaud, Emmanuel G; Stelzer, Ernst H K

    2007-10-01

    Moving from cell monolayers to three-dimensional (3D) cultures is motivated by the need to work with cellular models that mimic the functions of living tissues. Essential cellular functions that are present in tissues are missed by 'petri dish'-based cell cultures. This limits their potential to predict the cellular responses of real organisms. However, establishing 3D cultures as a mainstream approach requires the development of standard protocols, new cell lines and quantitative analysis methods, which include well-suited three-dimensional imaging techniques. We believe that 3D cultures will have a strong impact on drug screening and will also decrease the use of laboratory animals, for example, in the context of toxicity assays.

  18. Prediction of textural attributes using color values of banana (Musa sapientum) during ripening.

    PubMed

    Jaiswal, Pranita; Jha, Shyam Narayan; Kaur, Poonam Preet; Bhardwaj, Rishi; Singh, Ashish Kumar; Wadhawan, Vishakha

    2014-06-01

    Banana is an important sub-tropical fruit in international trade. It undergoes significant textural and color transformations during ripening process, which in turn influence the eating quality of the fruit. In present study, color ('L', 'a' and 'b' value) and textural attributes of bananas (peel, fruit and pulp firmness; pulp toughness; stickiness) were studied simultaneously using Hunter Color Lab and Texture Analyser, respectively, during ripening period of 10 days at ambient atmosphere. There was significant effect of ripening period on all the considered textural characteristics and color properties of bananas except color value 'b'. In general, textural descriptors (peel, fruit and pulp firmness; and pulp toughness) decreased during ripening except stickiness, while color values viz 'a' and 'b' increased with ripening barring 'L' value. Among various textural attributes, peel toughness and pulp firmness showed highest correlation (r) with 'a' value of banana peel. In order to predict textural properties using color values of banana, five types of equations (linear/polynomial/exponential/logarithmic/power) were fitted. Among them, polynomial equation was found to be the best fit (highest coefficient of determination, R(2)) for prediction of texture using color properties for bananas. The pulp firmness, peel toughness and pulp toughness showed R(2) above 0.84 with indicating its potentiality of the fitted equations for prediction of textural profile of bananas non-destructively using 'a' value.

  19. Antioxidant and Antihyperglycemic Properties of Three Banana Cultivars (Musa spp.)

    PubMed Central

    Oboh, Ganiyu

    2016-01-01

    Background. This study sought to investigate the antioxidant and antihyperglycemic properties of Musa sapientum (Latundan banana) (MSL), Musa acuminata (Cavendish banana) (MAC), and Musa acuminate (Red Dacca) (MAR). Materials and Methods. The sugar, starch, amylose, and amylopectin contents and glycemic index (GI) of the three banana cultivars were determined. Furthermore, total phenol and vitamin C contents and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects of banana samples were also determined. Results. MAC and MAR had the highest starch, amylose, and amylopectin contents and estimated glycemic index (eGI) with no significant different while MSL had the lowest. Furthermore, MAR (1.07 mg GAE/g) had a higher total phenol content than MAC (0.94 mg GAE/g) and MSL (0.96 mg GAE/g), while there was no significant difference in the vitamin C content. Furthermore, MAR had the highest α-amylase (IC50 = 3.95 mg/mL) inhibitory activity while MAC had the least (IC50 = 4.27 mg/mL). Moreover, MAC and MAR inhibited glucosidase activity better than MSL (IC50 3.47 mg/mL). Conclusion. The low sugar, GI, amylose, and amylopectin contents of the three banana cultivars as well as their α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities could be possible mechanisms and justification for their recommendation in the management of type-2 diabetes. PMID:27872791

  20. Preharvest temperature affects chilling injury in dessert bananas during storage.

    PubMed

    Bugaud, Christophe; Joannès-Dumec, Charlène; Louisor, Jacques; Tixier, Philippe; Salmon, Frédéric

    2016-05-01

    The effect of temperature on chilling injury during fruit growth was studied in a new banana hybrid CIRAD925 in which seasonal variability in chilling susceptibility was observed when fruits were stored at 13 °C. The relationship between the response to chilling (presence/absence) and the temperature during banana fruit growth was examined with a logistic regression model. An explanatory variable XN , P was defined as the mean temperature during a period, expressed in weeks, which began N week(s) after flowering and lasted P week(s). The model was calibrated with 143 bunches with a green life of 30 ± 5 days and validated with 156 bunches grown in six plots under different growing conditions. Chilling injury was best predicted by the mean temperature during the period beginning 1 week after flowering and lasting 5 weeks (X1,5 ). Above a mean temperature of 24.1 °C in the period concerned, banana fruits had a 95% probability of chilling injury at 13 °C. Below a temperature of 23.4 °C, banana fruits only had a 5% probability of chilling injury. The results provide a tool to predict chilling susceptibility in banana fruit whatever the thermal conditions in tropical regions. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  1. Antioxidant and Antihyperglycemic Properties of Three Banana Cultivars (Musa spp.).

    PubMed

    Adedayo, Bukola C; Oboh, Ganiyu; Oyeleye, Sunday I; Olasehinde, Tosin A

    2016-01-01

    Background . This study sought to investigate the antioxidant and antihyperglycemic properties of Musa sapientum (Latundan banana) (MSL), Musa acuminata (Cavendish banana) (MAC), and Musa acuminate (Red Dacca) (MAR). Materials and Methods. The sugar, starch, amylose, and amylopectin contents and glycemic index (GI) of the three banana cultivars were determined. Furthermore, total phenol and vitamin C contents and α -amylase and α -glucosidase inhibitory effects of banana samples were also determined. Results . MAC and MAR had the highest starch, amylose, and amylopectin contents and estimated glycemic index (eGI) with no significant different while MSL had the lowest. Furthermore, MAR (1.07 mg GAE/g) had a higher total phenol content than MAC (0.94 mg GAE/g) and MSL (0.96 mg GAE/g), while there was no significant difference in the vitamin C content. Furthermore, MAR had the highest α -amylase (IC 50 = 3.95 mg/mL) inhibitory activity while MAC had the least (IC 50 = 4.27 mg/mL). Moreover, MAC and MAR inhibited glucosidase activity better than MSL (IC 50 3.47 mg/mL). Conclusion . The low sugar, GI, amylose, and amylopectin contents of the three banana cultivars as well as their α -amylase and α -glucosidase inhibitory activities could be possible mechanisms and justification for their recommendation in the management of type-2 diabetes.

  2. Identification of Stevioside Using Tissue Culture-Derived Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) Leaves

    PubMed Central

    Karim, Md. Ziaul; Uesugi, Daisuke; Nakayama, Noriyuki; Hossain, M. Monzur; Ishihara, Kohji; Hamada, Hiroki

    2015-01-01

    Stevioside is a natural sweetener from Stevia leaf, which is 300 times sweeter than sugar. It helps to reduce blood sugar levels dramatically and thus can be of benefit to diabetic people. Tissue culture is a very potential modern technology that can be used in large-scale disease-free stevia production throughout the year. We successfully produced stevia plant through in vitro culture for identification of stevioside in this experiment. The present study describes a potential method for identification of stevioside from tissue culture-derived stevia leaf. Stevioside in the sample was identified using HPLC by measuring the retention time. The percentage of stevioside content in the leaf samples was found to be 9.6%. This identification method can be used for commercial production and industrialization of stevia through in vitro culture across the world. PMID:28008268

  3. A Ser/Thr protein kinase phosphorylates MA-ACS1 (Musa acuminata 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase 1) during banana fruit ripening.

    PubMed

    Choudhury, Swarup Roy; Roy, Sujit; Sengupta, Dibyendu N

    2012-08-01

    1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis during ripening. ACS isozymes are regulated both transcriptionally and post-translationally. However, in banana, an important climacteric fruit, little is known about post-translational regulation of ACS. Here, we report the post-translational modification of MA-ACS1 (Musa acuminata ACS1), a ripening inducible isozyme in the ACS family, which plays a key role in ethylene biosynthesis during banana fruit ripening. Immunoprecipitation analyses of phospholabeled protein extracts from banana fruit using affinity-purified anti-MA-ACS1 antibody have revealed phosphorylation of MA-ACS1, particularly in ripe fruit tissue. We have identified the induction of a 41-kDa protein kinase activity in pulp at the onset of ripening. The 41-kDa protein kinase has been identified as a putative protein kinase by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. Biochemical analyses using partially purified protein kinase fraction from banana fruit have identified the protein kinase as a Ser/Thr family of protein kinase and its possible involvement in MA-ACS1 phosphorylation during ripening. In vitro phosphorylation analyses using synthetic peptides and site-directed mutagenized recombinant MA-ACS1 have revealed that serine 476 and 479 residues at the C-terminal region of MA-ACS1 are phosphorylated. Overall, this study provides important novel evidence for in vivo phosphorylation of MA-ACS1 at the molecular level as a possible mechanism of post-translational regulation of this key regulatory protein in ethylene signaling pathway in banana fruit during ripening.

  4. Comparative Sensitivity of Tissue Cultures to Rubella Virus: Use of Guinea Pig Cells for Virus Titration

    PubMed Central

    Horta-Barbosa, L.; Warren, Joel

    1969-01-01

    A series of 19 different primary and serial tissue cultures were investigated for their sensitivity to virulent or attenuated rubella virus (RV). Primary guinea pig tissues, a serial passage of baby hamster kidney, and primary human amnion were comparable to African green monkey kidney tissue cultures in their sensitivity. In general, primary human tissues were relatively insusceptible to the Gilchrist strain of RV. RV interfered with the growth of vesicular stomatitis virus. Based on this finding, it was possible to develop an assay method in guinea pig tissue cultures by using VSV as the challenge virus. This system appeared to be comparable in sensitivity to the use of primary monkey kidney tissue cultures for the detection of small amounts of RV and offers the advantages of economy, rapidity, and safety. PMID:4979943

  5. The Locomotion of Mouse Fibroblasts in Tissue Culture

    PubMed Central

    Gail, Mitchell H.; Boone, Charles W.

    1970-01-01

    Time-lapse cinematography was used to investigate the motion of mouse fibroblasts in tissue culture. Observations over successive short time intervals revealed a tendency for the cells to persist in their direction of motion from one 2.5 hr time interval to the next. Over 5.0-hr time intervals, however, the direction of motion appeared random. This fact suggested that D, the diffusion constant of a random walk model, might serve to characterize cellular motility if suitably long observation times were used. We therefore investigated the effect of “persistence” on the pure random walk model, and we found theoretically and confirmed experimentally that the motility of a persisting cell could indeed be characterized by an augmented diffusion constant, D*. A method for determining confidence limits on D* was also developed. Thus a random walk model, modified to comprehend the persistence effect, was found to describe the motion of fibroblasts in tissue culture and to provide a numerical measure of cellular motility. PMID:5531614

  6. Influence of ripeness of banana on the blood glucose and insulin response in type 2 diabetic subjects.

    PubMed

    Hermansen, K; Rasmussen, O; Gregersen, S; Larsen, S

    1992-10-01

    Banana is a popular and tasty fruit which often is restricted in the diet prescribed for diabetic patients owing to the high content of free sugars. However, in under-ripe bananas starch constitutes 80-90% of the carbohydrate content, which as the banana ripens changes into free sugars. To study the effect of ripening on the postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses to banana, 10 type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects consumed three meals, consisting of 120 g under-ripe banana, 120 g over-ripe banana or 40 g white bread on separate days. The mean postprandial blood glucose response area to white bread (181 +/- 45 mmol l-1 x 240 min) was significantly higher compared with under-ripe banana (62 +/- 17 mmol l-1 x 240 min: p < 0.01) and over-ripe banana (106 +/- 17 mmol l-1 x 240 min: p < 0.01). Glycaemic indices of the under-ripe and over-ripe bananas differed (43 +/- 10 and 74 +/- 9: p < 0.01). The mean insulin response areas to the three meals were similar: 6618 +/- 1398 pmol l-1 x 240 min (white bread), 7464 +/- 1800 pmol l-1 x 240 min (under-ripe banana) and 8292 +/- 2406 pmol l-1 x 240 min (over-ripe banana). The low glycaemic response of under-ripe compared with over-ripe bananas may be ascribed to the high starch content, which has previously been found to be only hydrolysed slowly by alfa-amylase in humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  7. Chemical compositions and glycemic responses to banana varieties.

    PubMed

    Hettiaratchi, U P K; Ekanayake, S; Welihinda, J

    2011-06-01

    Chemical compositions and glycemic indices of four varieties of banana (Musa spp.) (kolikuttu-Silk AAB, embul-Mysore AAB, anamalu-Gros Michel AAA, seeni kesel-Pisang Awak ABB) were determined. Silk, Gros Michel, Pisang Awak and Mysore contained the highest percentages of starch (14%), sucrose (38%), free glucose (29%) and fructose (58%) as a percentage of the total available carbohydrate content respectively. Total dietary fiber contents of four varieties ranged from 2.7 to 5.3%. Glycemic indices of Silk, Mysore, Gros Michel and Pisang Awak were 61 ± 5, 61 ± 6, 67 ± 7, 69 ± 9 and can be categorized as low against white bread as the standard. A single banana of the four varieties elicited a low glycemic load. Thus, consumption of a banana from any of these varieties can be recommended as a snack for healthy or diabetic patients who are under dietary management or pharmacological drugs to regulate blood glucose responses in between meals.

  8. Vomiting, abdominal distention and early feeding of banana (Musa paradisiaca) in neonates.

    PubMed

    Wiryo, Hananto; Hakimi, M; Wahab, A Samik; Soeparto, Pitono

    2003-09-01

    The objective of this cohort study was to assess the relationship between banana given as early solid food with the symptoms of intestinal obstruction (SIO) among neonates, in a rural community in West Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Mothers having newborn infants were interviewed and 3,420 neonates were followed for 28 days. Compared with infants who were not given solid food, the relative risk (RR) for infants given food other than banana as early solid food was 1.87, 95% CI 0.48-8.24, p=0.4, while for infants given banana only as early solid food the RR was 9.15, 95% CI 1.96-42.58, p 0.0005. After adjustment for birthweight, colostrum, and breastfeeding, the odds ratio for infants given banana and the appearance of SIO was 2.99, 95% CI 2.65-5.14; p=0.0012. These data indicate that banana given as early solid food is an important risk factor for the appearance of SIO in neonates.

  9. Long term organ culture of human prostate tissue in a NASA-designed rotating wall bioreactor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Margolis, L.; Hatfill, S.; Chuaqui, R.; Vocke, C.; Emmert-Buck, M.; Linehan, W. M.; Duray, P. H.

    1999-01-01

    PURPOSE: To maintain ex vivo integral prostatic tissue including intact stromal and ductal elements using the NASA-designed Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) which maintains colocalized cells in an environment that promotes both three-dimensional cellular interactions together with the uniform mass transfer of nutrients and metabolic wastes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of normal prostate were obtained as a byproduct of transurethral prostatectomy or needle biopsy. Prostatic tissue dissected into small 1 x 1 mm. blocks was cultured in the Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) Bioreactor for various time periods and analyzed using histological, immunochemical, and total cell RNA assays. RESULTS: We report the long term maintenance of benign explanted human prostate tissue grown in simple culture medium, under the simulated microgravity conditions afforded by the RWV bioreactor. Mesenchymal stromal elements including blood vessels and architecturally preserved tubuloglandular acini were maintained for a minimum of 28 days. Cytokeratins, vimentin and TGF-beta2 receptor and ligand were preserved through the entire culture period as revealed by immunocytochemistry. Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) was continuously expressed during the culture period, although somewhat decreased. Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and its transcript were down regulated over time of culture. Prostatic carcinoma cells from the TSU cell line were able to invade RWV-cultured benign prostate tissue explants. CONCLUSIONS: The RWV bioreactor represents an additional new technology for culturing prostate tissue for further investigations concerning the basic physiology and pathobiology of this clinically important tissue.

  10. Prototheca associated with banana.

    PubMed

    Pore, R S

    1985-06-01

    Prototheca stagnora was found to be a habitant of older harvested banana (Musa sapientum) and plantain (M. paradisiaca) stumps while P. wickerhamii colonized fresh Musa sp. stumps and flower bract water of Heliconia sp. While Prototheca sp. were known to habituate woody plants, this is the first evidence that herbaceous plants also serve as habitats.

  11. BANANAS: providing child care services to a multi-ethnic community.

    PubMed

    Vu, Catherine M; Schwartz, Sara L; Austin, Michael J

    2011-01-01

    BANANAS, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that has provided child care resource and referral services for over 35 years. BANANAS emerged as a grassroots effort initiated by a group of female volunteers who sought to build a network of women with children who needed childcare. As the organization developed, its leaders recognized and responded to additional needs, including resource and information sharing, workshops and classes, and political advocacy. Beginning as a collective, BANANAS has grown into a multifaceted service delivery and advocacy nonprofit operating with an annual budget of $12 million. This history of the agency reflects the development of a unique community-based effort, its challenges and rewards, and the multiple successes that this pioneering nonprofit has experienced.

  12. Effect of packaging materials on shelf life and quality of banana cultivars (Musa spp.).

    PubMed

    Hailu, M; Seyoum Workneh, T; Belew, D

    2014-11-01

    This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of packaging materials on the shelf life of three banana cultivars. Four packaging materials, namely, perforated low density polyethylene bag, perforated high density polyethylene bag, dried banana leaf, teff straw and no packaging materials (control) were used with three banana cultivars, locally known as, Poyo, Giant Cavendish and Williams I. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design in a factorial combination with three replications. Physical parameters including weight loss, peel colour, peel thickness, pulp thickness, pulp to peel ratio, pulp firmness, pulp dry matter, decay, loss percent of marketability were assessed every 3 days. Banana remained marketable for 36 days in the high density polyethylene and low density polyethylene bags, and for 18 days in banana leaf and teff straw packaging treatments. Unpackaged fruits remained marketable for 15 days only. Fruits that were not packaged lost their weight by 24.0 % whereas fruits packaged in banana leaf and teff straw became unmarketable with final weight loss of 19.8 % and 20.9 %, respectively. Packaged fruits remained well until 36th days of storage with final weight loss of only 8.2 % and 9.20 %, respectively. Starting from green mature stage, the colour of the banana peel changed to yellow and this process was found to be fast for unpackaged fruits. Packaging maintained the peel and the pulp thickness, firmness, dry matter and pulp to peel ratio was kept lower. Decay loss for unpackaged banana fruits was16 % at the end of date 15, whereas the decay loss of fruits packaged using high density and low density polyethylene bags were 43.0 % and 41.2 %, respectively at the end of the 36th day of the experiment. It can, thus, be concluded that packaging of banana fruits in high density and low density polyethylene bags resulted in longer shelf life and improved quality of the produce followed by packaging in dried banana leaf

  13. Simultaneous application of ethylene and 1-MCP affects banana ripening features during storage.

    PubMed

    Botondi, Rinaldo; De Sanctis, Federica; Bartoloni, Serena; Mencarelli, Fabio

    2014-08-01

    In order to avoid the ripening blocking effect of 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) on bananas when applied before ethylene commercial treatment, 1-MCP in combination with 'CD ethylene' (ethylene-cyclodextrin complex) was used in gas formulations: 300 nmol mol(-1) 1-MCP + 1200, 2400 or 4800 nmol mol(-1) ethylene (ETH). Control bananas received 1-MCP alone or 4800 nmol mol(-1) ethylene alone or no treatment. Treatments were done on overseas shipped bananas, at 14 °C, 90% relative humidity (RH), for 16 h; the bananas were stored under the same atmospheric conditions. After 4 or 12 days the bananas were commercially treated with 500 µmol mol(-1) ethylene. A 300 nmol mol(-1) 1-MCP treatment significantly blocked banana ripening in terms of physiological and technological parameters, inhibiting ethylene production and respiration, despite the commercial ethylene treatment. The application of 300 nmol mol(-1) 1-MCP + 1200 or 2400 nmol mol(-1) ethylene delayed ripening but with a regular pattern. A 300 nmol mol(-1) 1-MCP + 4800 nmol mol(-1) ethylene application did not delay ripening as did 4800 nmol mol(-1) ethylene treatment. The development of black spots was closely associated with advanced ripening/senescence of fruits. The combined 300 nmol mol(-1) 1-MCP + 1200 or 2400 nmol mol(-1) ethylene treatment appears to be a promising treatment to extend banana storage, following overseas shipping. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  14. Relative susceptibility of Musa genotypes to banana bunchy top disease in Cameroon and implication for disease management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) is a serious threat to banana and plantain (Musa spp.) production. BBTD is caused by the Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV, genus Babuvirus) which is spread through infected plant propagules and banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa. A high level of resistance to BBTD in...

  15. Dynamic cell culture on porous biopolymer microcarriers in a spinner flask for bone tissue engineering: a feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Jin, Guang-Zhen; Park, Jeong-Hui; Seo, Seog-Jin; Kim, Hae-Won

    2014-07-01

    Porous microspherical carriers have great promise for cell culture and tissue engineering. Dynamic cultures enable more uniform cell population and effective differentiation than static cultures. Here we applied dynamic spinner flask culture for the loading and multiplication of cells onto porous biopolymer microcarriers. The abilities of the microcarriers to populate cells and to induce osteogenic differentiation were examined and the feasibility of in vivo delivery of the constructs was addressed. Over time, the porous microcarriers enabled cell adhesion and expansion under proper dynamic culture conditions. Osteogenic markers were substantially expressed by the dynamic cell cultures. The cell-cultured microcarriers implanted in the mouse subcutaneous tissue for 4 weeks showed excellent tissue compatibility, with minimal inflammatory signs and significant induction of bone tissues. This first report on dynamic culture of porous biopolymer microcarriers providing an effective tool for bone tissue engineering.

  16. Uniform neural tissue models produced on synthetic hydrogels using standard culture techniques.

    PubMed

    Barry, Christopher; Schmitz, Matthew T; Propson, Nicholas E; Hou, Zhonggang; Zhang, Jue; Nguyen, Bao K; Bolin, Jennifer M; Jiang, Peng; McIntosh, Brian E; Probasco, Mitchell D; Swanson, Scott; Stewart, Ron; Thomson, James A; Schwartz, Michael P; Murphy, William L

    2017-11-01

    The aim of the present study was to test sample reproducibility for model neural tissues formed on synthetic hydrogels. Human embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived precursor cells were cultured on synthetic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels to promote differentiation and self-organization into model neural tissue constructs. Neural progenitor, vascular, and microglial precursor cells were combined on PEG hydrogels to mimic developmental timing, which produced multicomponent neural constructs with 3D neuronal and glial organization, organized vascular networks, and microglia with ramified morphologies. Spearman's rank correlation analysis of global gene expression profiles and a comparison of coefficient of variation for expressed genes demonstrated that replicate neural constructs were highly uniform to at least day 21 for samples from independent experiments. We also demonstrate that model neural tissues formed on PEG hydrogels using a simplified neural differentiation protocol correlated more strongly to in vivo brain development than samples cultured on tissue culture polystyrene surfaces alone. These results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration that 3D cellular models that mimic aspects of human brain development can be produced from human pluripotent stem cells with high sample uniformity between experiments by using standard culture techniques, cryopreserved cell stocks, and a synthetic extracellular matrix. Impact statement Pluripotent stem (PS) cells have been characterized by an inherent ability to self-organize into 3D "organoids" resembling stomach, intestine, liver, kidney, and brain tissues, offering a potentially powerful tool for modeling human development and disease. However, organoid formation must be quantitatively reproducible for applications such as drug and toxicity screening. Here, we report a strategy to produce uniform neural tissue constructs with reproducible global gene expression profiles for replicate samples from multiple

  17. Domestication, Genomics and the Future for Banana

    PubMed Central

    Heslop-Harrison, J. S.; Schwarzacher, Trude

    2007-01-01

    Background Cultivated bananas and plantains are giant herbaceous plants within the genus Musa. They are both sterile and parthenocarpic so the fruit develops without seed. The cultivated hybrids and species are mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 33; a few are diploid or tetraploid), and most have been propagated from mutants found in the wild. With a production of 100 million tons annually, banana is a staple food across the Asian, African and American tropics, with the 15 % that is exported being important to many economies. Scope There are well over a thousand domesticated Musa cultivars and their genetic diversity is high, indicating multiple origins from different wild hybrids between two principle ancestral species. However, the difficulty of genetics and sterility of the crop has meant that the development of new varieties through hybridization, mutation or transformation was not very successful in the 20th century. Knowledge of structural and functional genomics and genes, reproductive physiology, cytogenetics, and comparative genomics with rice, Arabidopsis and other model species has increased our understanding of Musa and its diversity enormously. Conclusions There are major challenges to banana production from virulent diseases, abiotic stresses and new demands for sustainability, quality, transport and yield. Within the genepool of cultivars and wild species there are genetic resistances to many stresses. Genomic approaches are now rapidly advancing in Musa and have the prospect of helping enable banana to maintain and increase its importance as a staple food and cash crop through integration of genetical, evolutionary and structural data, allowing targeted breeding, transformation and efficient use of Musa biodiversity in the future. PMID:17766312

  18. Characterization and expression analysis of a banana gene encoding 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase.

    PubMed

    Huang, P L; Do, Y Y; Huang, F C; Thay, T S; Chang, T W

    1997-04-01

    A cDNA encoding the banana 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase has previously been isolated from a cDNA library that was constructed by extracting poly(A)+ RNA from peels of ripening banana. This cDNA, designated as pMAO2, has 1,199 bp and contains an open reading frame of 318 amino acids. In order to identify ripening-related promoters of the banana ACC oxidase gene, pMAO2 was used as a probe to screen a banana genomic library constructed in the lambda EMBL3 vector. The banana ACC oxidase MAO2 gene has four exons and three introns, with all of the boundaries between these introns and exons sharing a consensus dinucleotide sequence of GT-AG. The expression of MAO2 gene in banana begins after the onset of ripening (stage 2) and continuous into later stages of the ripening process. The accumulation of MAO2 mRNA can be induced by 1 microliter/l exogenous ethylene, and it reached steady state level when 100 microliters/l exogenous ethylene was present.

  19. Biodynamic imaging for phenotypic profiling of three-dimensional tissue culture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Hao; Merrill, Daniel; An, Ran; Turek, John; Matei, Daniela; Nolte, David D.

    2017-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3-D) tissue culture represents a more biologically relevant environment for testing new drugs compared to conventional two-dimensional cancer cell culture models. Biodynamic imaging is a high-content 3-D optical imaging technology based on low-coherence interferometry and digital holography that uses dynamic speckle as high-content image contrast to probe deep inside 3-D tissue. Speckle contrast is shown to be a scaling function of the acquisition time relative to the persistence time of intracellular transport and hence provides a measure of cellular activity. Cellular responses of 3-D multicellular spheroids to paclitaxel are compared among three different growth techniques: rotating bioreactor (BR), hanging-drop (HD), and nonadherent (U-bottom, UB) plate spheroids, compared with ex vivo living tissues. HD spheroids have the most homogeneous tissue, whereas BR spheroids display large sample-to-sample variability as well as spatial heterogeneity. The responses of BR-grown tumor spheroids to paclitaxel are more similar to those of ex vivo biopsies than the responses of spheroids grown using HD or plate methods. The rate of mitosis inhibition by application of taxol is measured through tissue dynamics spectroscopic imaging, demonstrating the ability to monitor antimitotic chemotherapy. These results illustrate the potential use of low-coherence digital holography for 3-D pharmaceutical screening applications.

  20. [Comparative study on alkaloids of tissue-culture seedling and wild plant of Dendrobium huoshanense ].

    PubMed

    Chen, Nai-dong; Gao, Feng; Lin, Xin; Jin, Hui

    2014-06-01

    To compare the composition and content of alkaloid of Dendrobium huoshanense tissue-culture seedling and wild plant. A comparative evaluation on the quality was carried out by HPLC and TLC methods including the composition and the content of alkaloids. Remarkable variation existed in the two kinds of Dendrobium huoshanense. For the tissue-culture plant, only two alkaloids were checked out by both HPLC and TLC while four alkaloids were observed in the wild plant. The alkaloid content of tissue-culture seedling and wild plant was(0. 29 ± 0. 11)%o and(0. 43 ± 0. 15) %o,respectively. Distinguished difference is observed in both composition and content of alkaloids from the annual shoots of different provenances of Dendrobium huoshanense. It suggested that the quality of tissue-culture seedling of Dendrobium huoshanense might be inconsistent with the wild plant. Furthermore, the established alkaloids-knock-out HPLC method would provide a new research tool on quality control of Chinese medicinal materials which contain unknown alkaloids.

  1. Golden bananas in the field: elevated fruit pro-vitamin A from the expression of a single banana transgene.

    PubMed

    Paul, Jean-Yves; Khanna, Harjeet; Kleidon, Jennifer; Hoang, Phuong; Geijskes, Jason; Daniells, Jeff; Zaplin, Ella; Rosenberg, Yvonne; James, Anthony; Mlalazi, Bulukani; Deo, Pradeep; Arinaitwe, Geofrey; Namanya, Priver; Becker, Douglas; Tindamanyire, James; Tushemereirwe, Wilberforce; Harding, Robert; Dale, James

    2017-04-01

    Vitamin A deficiency remains one of the world's major public health problems despite food fortification and supplements strategies. Biofortification of staple crops with enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A (PVA) offers a sustainable alternative strategy to both food fortification and supplementation. As a proof of concept, PVA-biofortified transgenic Cavendish bananas were generated and field trialed in Australia with the aim of achieving a target level of 20 μg/g of dry weight (dw) β-carotene equivalent (β-CE) in the fruit. Expression of a Fe'i banana-derived phytoene synthase 2a (MtPsy2a) gene resulted in the generation of lines with PVA levels exceeding the target level with one line reaching 55 μg/g dw β-CE. Expression of the maize phytoene synthase 1 (ZmPsy1) gene, used to develop 'Golden Rice 2', also resulted in increased fruit PVA levels although many lines displayed undesirable phenotypes. Constitutive expression of either transgene with the maize polyubiquitin promoter increased PVA accumulation from the earliest stage of fruit development. In contrast, PVA accumulation was restricted to the late stages of fruit development when either the banana 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase or the expansin 1 promoters were used to drive the same transgenes. Wild-type plants with the longest fruit development time had also the highest fruit PVA concentrations. The results from this study suggest that early activation of the rate-limiting enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway and extended fruit maturation time are essential factors to achieve optimal PVA concentrations in banana fruit. © 2016 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Protection of ultrastructure in chilling-stressed banana leaves by salicylic acid*

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Guo-zhang; Wang, Zheng-xun; Xia, Kuai-fei; Sun, Gu-chou

    2007-01-01

    Objective: Chilling tolerance of salicylic acid (SA) in banana seedlings (Musa acuminata cv., Williams 8818) was investigated by changes in ultrastructure in this study. Methods: Light and electron microscope observation. Results: Pretreatment with 0.5 mmol/L SA under normal growth conditions (30/22 °C) by foliar spray and root irrigation resulted in many changes in ultrastructure of banana cells, such as cells separation from palisade parenchymas, the appearance of crevices in cell walls, the swelling of grana and stromal thylakoids, and a reduction in the number of starch granules. These results implied that SA treatment at 30/22 °C could be a type of stress. During 3 d of exposure to 7 °C chilling stress under low light, however, cell ultrastructure of SA-pretreated banana seedlings showed less deterioration than those of control seedlings (distilled water-pretreated). Conclusion: SA could provide some protection for cell structure of chilling-stressed banana seedling. PMID:17444604

  3. Transgenic Cavendish bananas with resistance to Fusarium wilt tropical race 4.

    PubMed

    Dale, James; James, Anthony; Paul, Jean-Yves; Khanna, Harjeet; Smith, Mark; Peraza-Echeverria, Santy; Garcia-Bastidas, Fernando; Kema, Gert; Waterhouse, Peter; Mengersen, Kerrie; Harding, Robert

    2017-11-14

    Banana (Musa spp.) is a staple food for more than 400 million people. Over 40% of world production and virtually all the export trade is based on Cavendish banana. However, Cavendish banana is under threat from a virulent fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (TR4) for which no acceptable resistant replacement has been identified. Here we report the identification of transgenic Cavendish with resistance to TR4. In our 3-year field trial, two lines of transgenic Cavendish, one transformed with RGA2, a gene isolated from a TR4-resistant diploid banana, and the other with a nematode-derived gene, Ced9, remain disease free. Transgene expression in the RGA2 lines is strongly correlated with resistance. Endogenous RGA2 homologs are also present in Cavendish but are expressed tenfold lower than that in our most resistant transgenic line. The expression of these homologs can potentially be elevated through gene editing, to provide non-transgenic resistance.

  4. Plasmid-dependent attachment of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant tissue culture cells.

    PubMed

    Matthysse, A G; Wyman, P M; Holmes, K V

    1978-11-01

    Kinetic, microscopic, and biochemical studies show that virulent Ti (tumor inducing)-plasmid-containing strains of Agrobacterium attach to normal tobacco and carrot tissue culture cells. Kinetic studies showed that virulent strains of A. tumefaciens attach to the plant tissue culture cells in increasing numbers during the first 1 to 2 h of incubation of the bacteria with the plant cells. Five Ti-plasmid-containing virulent Agrobacterium strains showed greater attachment to tobacco cells than did five avirulent strains. Light and scanning electron microscopic observations confirmed that virulent strains showed little attachment. Bacterial attachment was blocked by prior incubation of the plant cells with lipopolysaccharide extracted from A. tumefaciens, but not from A. radiobacter, suggesting that bacterial lipopolysaccharide is one of the components involved in the attachment process. At least one other bacterial product may be required for attachment in tissue culture because the virulent A. tumefaciens NT1, which lacks the Ti plasmid, does not itself attach to tobacco cells, but its lipopolysaccharide does inhibit the attachment of virulent strains.

  5. Plasmid-dependent attachment of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant tissue culture cells.

    PubMed Central

    Matthysse, A G; Wyman, P M; Holmes, K V

    1978-01-01

    Kinetic, microscopic, and biochemical studies show that virulent Ti (tumor inducing)-plasmid-containing strains of Agrobacterium attach to normal tobacco and carrot tissue culture cells. Kinetic studies showed that virulent strains of A. tumefaciens attach to the plant tissue culture cells in increasing numbers during the first 1 to 2 h of incubation of the bacteria with the plant cells. Five Ti-plasmid-containing virulent Agrobacterium strains showed greater attachment to tobacco cells than did five avirulent strains. Light and scanning electron microscopic observations confirmed that virulent strains showed little attachment. Bacterial attachment was blocked by prior incubation of the plant cells with lipopolysaccharide extracted from A. tumefaciens, but not from A. radiobacter, suggesting that bacterial lipopolysaccharide is one of the components involved in the attachment process. At least one other bacterial product may be required for attachment in tissue culture because the virulent A. tumefaciens NT1, which lacks the Ti plasmid, does not itself attach to tobacco cells, but its lipopolysaccharide does inhibit the attachment of virulent strains. Images PMID:730370

  6. Optimization of extraction parameters on the antioxidant properties of banana waste.

    PubMed

    Toh, Pui Yee; Leong, Fei Shan; Chang, Sui Kiat; Khoo, Hock Eng; Yim, Hip Seng

    2016-01-01

    Banana is grown worldwide and consumed as ripe fruit or used for culinary purposes. Peels form about 18-33% of the whole fruit and are discarded as a waste product. With a view to exploiting banana peel as a source of valuable compounds, this study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of different extraction parameters on the antioxidant activities of the industrial by-product of banana waste (peel). Influence of different extraction parameters such as types of solvent, percentages of solvent, and extraction times on total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of mature and green peels of Pisang Abu (PA), Pisang Berangan (PB), and Pisang Mas (PM) were investigated. The best extraction parameters were initially selected based on different percentages of ethanol (0-100% v/v), extraction time (1-5 hr), and extraction temperature (25-60°C) for extraction of antioxidants in the banana peels. Total phenolic content (TPC) was evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent assay while antioxidant activities (AA) of banana peel were accessed by DPPH, ABTS, and β-carotene bleaching (BCB) assays at optimum extraction conditions. Based on different extraction solvents and percentages of solvents used, 70% and 90% of acetone had yielded the highest TPC for the mature and green PA peels, respectively; 90% of ethanol and methanol has yielded the highest TPC for the mature and green PB peels, respectively; while 90% ethanol for the mature and green PM peels. Similar extraction conditions were found for the antioxidant activities for the banana peel assessed using DPPH assay except for green PB peel, which 70% methanol had contributed to the highest AA. Highest TPC and AA were obtained by applying 4, 1, and 2 hrs extraction for the peels of PA, PB and PM, respectively. The best extraction conditions were also used for determination of AAs using ABTS and β-carotene bleaching assays. Therefore, the best extraction conditions used have given the highest TPC and AAs. By

  7. Influence of postmortem time on the outcome of blood cultures among cadaveric tissue donors.

    PubMed

    Saegeman, V; Verhaegen, J; Lismont, D; Verduyckt, B; De Rijdt, T; Ectors, N

    2009-02-01

    Tissue banks provide tissues of human cadaver donors for transplantation. The maximal time limit for tissue retrieval has been set at 24 h postmortem. This study aimed at evaluating the evidence for this limit from a microbiological point of view. The delay of growth in postmortem blood cultures, the identification of the species isolated and clinical/environmental factors were investigated among 100 potential tissue donors. No significant difference was found in the rate of donors with grown blood cultures within (25/65=38%) compared with after (24/65=37%) 24 h of death. Coagulase-negative staphylococci and gastro-intestinal microorganisms were isolated within and after 24 h of death. Two factors--antimicrobial therapy and "delay before body cooling"--were significantly inversely related with donors' blood culture results. From a microbiological point of view, there is no evidence for avoiding tissue retrieval among donors after 24 h of death.

  8. A method for establishing human primary gastric epithelial cell culture from fresh surgical gastric tissues.

    PubMed

    Aziz, Faisal; Yang, Xuesong; Wen, Qingping; Yan, Qiu

    2015-08-01

    At present, biopsy specimens, cancer cell lines and tissues obtained by gastric surgery are used in the study and analysis of gastric cancer, including the molecular mechanisms and proteomics. However, fibroblasts and other tissue components may interfere with these techniques. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a procedure for the isolation of viable human gastric epithelial cells from gastric surgical tissues. A method was developed to culture human gastric epithelial cells using fresh, surgically excised tissues and was evaluated using immunocytochemistry, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and cell viability assays. Low cell growth was observed surrounding the gastric tissue on the seventh day of tissue explant culture. Cell growth subsequently increased, and at 12 days post-explant a high number of pure epithelial cells were detected. The gastric cancer cells exhibited rapid growth with a doubling time of 13-52 h, as compared to normal cells, which had a doubling time of 20-53 h. Immunocytochemical analyses of primary gastric cells revealed positive staining for cytokeratin 18 and 19, which indicated that the culture was comprised of pure epithelial cells and contained no fibroblasts. Furthermore, PAS staining demonstrated that the cultured gastric cells produced neutral mucin. Granulin and carbohydrate antigen 724 staining confirmed the purity of gastric cancer and normal cells in culture. This method of cell culture indicated that the gastric cells in primary culture consisted of mucin-secreting gastric epithelial cells, which may be useful for the study of gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer.

  9. Ripe Banana Flour as a Source of Antioxidants in Layer and Sponge Cakes.

    PubMed

    Segundo, Cristina; Román, Laura; Lobo, Manuel; Martinez, Mario M; Gómez, Manuel

    2017-12-01

    About one-fifth of all bananas harvested become culls that are normally disposed of improperly. However, ripe banana pulp contains significant amounts of fibre and polyphenol compounds as well as a high content of simple sugars (61.06 g/100 g), making it suitable for sucrose replacement in bakery products. This work studied the feasibility of incorporating ripe banana flour (20 and 40% of replacement) in cake formulation. Physical, nutritional and sensory attributes of sponge and layer cakes were evaluated. The inclusion of ripe banana flour generally led to an increased batter consistency that hindered cake expansion, resulting in a slightly lower specific volume and higher hardness. This effect was minimised in layer cakes where differences in volume were only evident with the higher level of replacement. The lower volume and higher hardness contributed to the decline of the acceptability observed in the sensory test. Unlike physical attributes, the banana flour inclusion significantly improved the nutritional properties of the cakes, bringing about an enhancement in dietary fibre, polyphenols and antioxidant capacity (up to a three-fold improvement in antioxidant capacity performance). Therefore, results showed that sugar replacement by ripe banana flour enhanced the nutritional properties of cakes, but attention should be paid to its inclusion level.

  10. Delayed ripening of banana fruit by salicylic acid.

    PubMed

    Srivastava; Dwivedi

    2000-09-08

    Salicylic acid treatment has been found to delay the ripening of banana fruits (Musa acuminata). Fruit softening, pulp:peel ratio, reducing sugar content, invertase and respiration rate have been found to decrease in salicylic acid treated fruits as compared with control ones. The activities of major cell wall degrading enzymes, viz. cellulase, polygalacturonase and xylanase were found to be decreased in presence of salicylic acid. The major enzymatic antioxidants namely, catalase and peroxidase, were also found to be decreased in presence of salicylic acid during banana fruit ripening.

  11. Bioinformatic identification and expression analysis of banana microRNAs and their targets.

    PubMed

    Chai, Juan; Feng, Renjun; Shi, Hourui; Ren, Mengyun; Zhang, Yindong; Wang, Jingyi

    2015-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that play important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNAs or repressing mRNA translation. Thousands of miRNAs have been identified in many plant species, whereas only a limited number of miRNAs have been predicted in M. acuminata (A genome) and M. balbisiana (B genome). Here, previously known plant miRNAs were BLASTed against the Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) and Genomic Survey Sequence (GSS), a database of banana genes. A total of 32 potential miRNAs belonging to 13 miRNAs families were detected using a range of filtering criteria. 244 miRNA:target pairs were subsequently predicted, most of which encode transcription factors or enzymes that participate in the regulation of development, growth, metabolism, and other physiological processes. In order to validate the predicted miRNAs and the mutual relationship between miRNAs and their target genes, qRT-PCR was applied to detect the tissue-specific expression levels of 12 putative miRNAs and 6 target genes in roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits. This study provides some important information about banana pre-miRNAs, mature miRNAs, and miRNA target genes and these findings can be applied to future research of miRNA functions.

  12. Effect of physiological harvest stages on the composition of bioactive compounds in Cavendish bananas*

    PubMed Central

    Bruno Bonnet, Christelle; Hubert, Olivier; Mbeguie-A-Mbeguie, Didier; Pallet, Dominique; Hiol, Abel; Reynes, Max; Poucheret, Patrick

    2013-01-01

    The combined influence of maturation, ripening, and climate on the profile of bioactive compounds was studied in banana (Musa acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine). Their bioactive compounds were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method. The polyphenol content of bananas harvested after 400 degree days remained unchanged during ripening, while bananas harvested after 600 and 900 degree days exhibited a significant polyphenol increase. Although dopamine was the polyphenol with the highest concentration in banana peels during the green developmental stage and ripening, its kinetics differed from the total polyphenol profile. Our results showed that this matrix of choice (maturation, ripening, and climate) may allow selection of the banana (M. acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine) status that will produce optimal concentrations of identified compounds with human health relevance. PMID:23549844

  13. Effect of physiological harvest stages on the composition of bioactive compounds in Cavendish bananas.

    PubMed

    Bruno Bonnet, Christelle; Hubert, Olivier; Mbeguie-A-Mbeguie, Didier; Pallet, Dominique; Hiol, Abel; Reynes, Max; Poucheret, Patrick

    2013-04-01

    The combined influence of maturation, ripening, and climate on the profile of bioactive compounds was studied in banana (Musa acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine). Their bioactive compounds were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method. The polyphenol content of bananas harvested after 400 degree days remained unchanged during ripening, while bananas harvested after 600 and 900 degree days exhibited a significant polyphenol increase. Although dopamine was the polyphenol with the highest concentration in banana peels during the green developmental stage and ripening, its kinetics differed from the total polyphenol profile. Our results showed that this matrix of choice (maturation, ripening, and climate) may allow selection of the banana (M. acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine) status that will produce optimal concentrations of identified compounds with human health relevance.

  14. "Deep-media culture condition" promoted lumen formation of endothelial cells within engineered three-dimensional tissues in vitro.

    PubMed

    Sekiya, Sachiko; Shimizu, Tatsuya; Yamato, Masayuki; Okano, Teruo

    2011-03-01

    In the field of tissue engineering, the induction of microvessels into tissues is an important task because of the need to overcome diffusion limitations of oxygen and nutrients within tissues. Powerful methods to create vessels in engineered tissues are needed for creating real living tissues. In this study, we utilized three-dimensional (3D) highly cell dense tissues fabricated by cell sheet technology. The 3D tissue constructs are close to living-cell dense tissue in vivo. Additionally, creating an endothelial cell (EC) network within tissues promoted neovascularization promptly within the tissue after transplantation in vivo. Compared to the conditions in vivo, however, common in vitro cell culture conditions provide a poor environment for creating lumens within 3D tissue constructs. Therefore, for determining adequate conditions for vascularizing engineered tissue in vitro, our 3D tissue constructs were cultured under a "deep-media culture conditions." Compared to the control conditions, the morphology of ECs showed a visibly strained cytoskeleton, and the density of lumen formation within tissues increased under hydrostatic pressure conditions. Moreover, the increasing expression of vascular endothelial cadherin in the lumens suggested that the vessels were stabilized in the stimulated tissues compared with the control. These findings suggested that deep-media culture conditions improved lumen formation in engineered tissues in vitro.

  15. Deleterious effects of plant cystatins against the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus.

    PubMed

    Kiggundu, Andrew; Muchwezi, Josephine; Van der Vyver, Christell; Viljoen, Altus; Vorster, Juan; Schlüter, Urte; Kunert, Karl; Michaud, Dominique

    2010-02-01

    The general potential of plant cystatins for the development of insect-resistant transgenic plants still remains to be established given the natural ability of several insects to compensate for the loss of digestive cysteine protease activities. Here we assessed the potential of cystatins for the development of banana lines resistant to the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus, a major pest of banana and plantain in Africa. Protease inhibitory assays were conducted with protein and methylcoumarin (MCA) peptide substrates to measure the inhibitory efficiency of different cystatins in vitro, followed by a diet assay with cystatin-infiltrated banana stem disks to monitor the impact of two plant cystatins, oryzacystatin I (OC-I, or OsCYS1) and papaya cystatin (CpCYS1), on the overall growth rate of weevil larvae. As observed earlier for other Coleoptera, banana weevils produce a variety of proteases for dietary protein digestion, including in particular Z-Phe-Arg-MCA-hydrolyzing (cathepsin L-like) and Z-Arg-Arg-MCA-hydrolyzing (cathepsin B-like) proteases active in mildly acidic conditions. Both enzyme populations were sensitive to the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64 and to different plant cystatins including OsCYS1. In line with the broad inhibitory effects of cystatins, OsCYS1 and CpCYS1 caused an important growth delay in young larvae developing for 10 days in cystatin-infiltrated banana stem disks. These promising results, which illustrate the susceptibility of C. sordidus to plant cystatins, are discussed in the light of recent hypotheses suggesting a key role for cathepsin B-like enzymes as a determinant for resistance or susceptibility to plant cystatins in Coleoptera. 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Preventive activity of banana peel polyphenols on CCl4-induced experimental hepatic injury in Kunming mice.

    PubMed

    Wang, Rui; Feng, Xia; Zhu, Kai; Zhao, Xin; Suo, Huayi

    2016-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preventive effects of banana peel polyphenols (BPPs) against hepatic injury. Mice were divide into normal, control, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg banana peel polyphenol and silymarin groups. All the mice except normal mice were induced with hepatic damage using CCl 4 . The serum and tissue levels of mice were determined by a kit and the tissues were further examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. BPPs reduced the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase in a CCl 4 -induced mouse model of hepatic injury. Furthermore, BPPs reduced the levels of malondialdehyde and triglyceride, while increasing glutathione levels in the serum and liver tissues of mice. In addition, the effects of 200 mg/kg treatment were more evident, and these effects were comparable to those of the drug silymarin. Serum levels of the cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon-γ, were reduced in the mice treated with BPPs compared with injury control group mice, and these levels were comparable to those of the normal and silymarin-treated groups. Histopathological examination indicated that BPPs were able to reduce the extent of CCl 4 -induced liver tissue injury and protect the liver cells. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of the inflammation-associated factors cyclooxygenase-2, nitric oxide synthase, TNF-α and IL-1β were reduced in mice treated with BPPs compared with the control group mice. Mice that received 200 mg/kg BPP exhibited reduced expression levels of these factors compared with mice that received 100 mg/kg BPP. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that BPPs exert a good preventive effect against hepatic injury.

  17. Human colon tissue in organ culture: calcium and multi-mineral-induced mucosal differentiation

    PubMed Central

    Dame, Michael K.; Veerapaneni, Indiradevi; Bhagavathula, Narasimharao; Naik, Madhav; Varani, James

    2011-01-01

    We have recently shown that a multi-mineral extract from the marine red algae, Lithothamnion calcareum, suppresses colon polyp formation and inflammation in mice. In the present study, we used intact human colon tissue in organ culture to compare responses initiated by Ca2+ supplementation versus the multi-mineral extract. Normal human colon tissue was treated for 2 d in culture with various concentrations of calcium or the mineral-rich extract. The tissue was then prepared for histology/immunohistochemistry, and the culture supernatants were assayed for levels of type I procollagen and type I collagen. At higher Ca2+ concentrations or with the mineral-rich extract, proliferation of epithelial cells at the base and walls of the mucosal crypts was suppressed, as visualized by reduced Ki67 staining. E-cadherin, a marker of differentiation, was more strongly expressed at the upper third of the crypt and at the luminal surface. Treatment with Ca2+ or with the multi-mineral extract influenced collagen turnover, with decreased procollagen and increased type I collagen. These data suggest that calcium or mineral-rich extract has the capacity to (1) promote differentiation in human colon tissue in organ culture and (2) modulate stromal function as assessed by increased levels of type I collagen. Taken together, these data suggest that human colon tissue in organ culture (supporting in vivo finding in mice) will provide a valuable model for the preclinical assessment of agents that regulate growth and differentiation in the colonic mucosa. PMID:21104039

  18. Synthesis and analysis of acou-physical properties of banana biocomposite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, S. P.; Bhanupriya; Nath, G.

    2018-02-01

    The sound absorbing materials have been developed using various natural fibres which are renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and economic in nature. After the cultivation of banana fruit as its stem which is fibrous in nature has no use, it may use in various scientific applications as like as the preparation of sound absorbing materials. The suitable and proper mixture of the epoxy resin with the banana fibre gives rise to formation of the biocomposite material which is mechanically firm and tough. The EDS and SEM analysis of the sample gives an idea about the formation of closed chain in between banana fibre and epoxy in the molecular level and porous quality. The thermal conductivity gradually decreases with the increase of particle concentration and the electrical conductivity increases in the order of 10-5 which demonstrates the insulating behaviour of the prepared sample. At the higher frequencies there is a reduction of dielectric constant due to the interfacial and orientation polarisation. The intensity of sound decreases in presence of the material and the absorption coefficient rise with increase of frequency. Thus the banana fibre biocomposite material can be used as a sound absorber which behaves as thermally and electrically insulator.

  19. Sheep fed with banana leaf hay reduce ruminal protozoa population.

    PubMed

    Freitas, Cláudio Eduardo Silva; Duarte, Eduardo Robson; Alves, Dorismar David; Martinele, Isabel; D'Agosto, Marta; Cedrola, Franciane; de Moura Freitas, Angélica Alves; Dos Santos Soares, Franklin Delano; Beltran, Makenzi

    2017-04-01

    A ciliate protozoa suppression can reduce methane production increasing the energy efficiency utilization by ruminants. The physicochemical characteristics of rumen fluid and the profile of the rumen protozoa populations were evaluated for sheep fed banana leaf hay in replacement of the Cynodon dactylon cv. vaqueiro hay. A total of 30 male sheep were raised in intensive system during 15 days of adaptation and 63 days of experimental period. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design that included six replicates of five treatments with replacement levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) of the grass vaquero for the banana leaf hay. Samples of fluid were collected directly from the rumen with sterile catheters. Color, odor, viscosity, and the methylene blue reduction potential (MBRP) were evaluated and pH estimated using a digital potentiometer. After decimal dilutions, counts of genus protozoa were performed in Sedgewick Rafter chambers. The averages of pH, MBRP, color, odor, and viscosity were not influenced by the inclusion of the banana leaf hay. However, the total number of protozoa and Entodinium spp. population significantly decreased at 75 and 100% inclusions of banana leaf hay as roughage.

  20. A tissue-like culture system using microstructures: influence of extracellular matrix material on cell adhesion and aggregation.

    PubMed

    Knedlitschek, G; Schneider, F; Gottwald, E; Schaller, T; Eschbach, E; Weibezahn, K F

    1999-02-01

    Special microenvironmental conditions are required to induce and/or maintain specific qualities of differentiated cells. An important parameter is the three-dimensional tissue architecture that cannot be reproduced in conventional monolayer systems. Advanced tissue culture systems will meet many of these demands, but may reach their limits, especially when gradients of specific substances over distinct tissue layers must be established for long-term culture. These limitations may be overcome by incorporating microstructures into tissue-like culture systems. The microstructured cell support presented consists of a flat array of 625 cubic microcontainers with porous bottoms, in which cells can be supplied with specific media from both sides of the tissue layer. Permanent cell lines and primary rat hepatocytes have been used to test the culture system. In order to define reproducible conditions for tissue formation and for cell adherence to the structure, several ECM (extracellular matrix) components were tested for coating of microstructured substrata. The described tissue culture system offers great flexibility in adapting the cell support to specific needs.

  1. Green banana pasta: an alternative for gluten-free diets.

    PubMed

    Zandonadi, Renata Puppin; Botelho, Raquel Braz Assunção; Gandolfi, Lenora; Ginani, Janini Selva; Montenegro, Flávio Martins; Pratesi, Riccardo

    2012-07-01

    The objective of this study was to develop and analyze a gluten-free pasta made with green banana flour. The study was divided into five steps: preparation/selection, chemical, sensory, technological, and statistical analysis. The modified sample presented greater acceptance (84.5% for celiac individuals and 61.2% for nonceliac) than standard samples (53.6% for nonceliac individuals). There was no significant difference between the modified and the standard samples in terms of appearance, aroma, flavor, and overall quality. The modified pastas presented approximately 98% less lipids. Green bananas are considered a subproduct of low commercial value with little industrial use. The possibility of developing gluten-free products with green banana flour can expand the product supply for people with celiac disease and contribute to a more diverse diet. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. In vitro plant tissue culture: means for production of biological active compounds.

    PubMed

    Espinosa-Leal, Claudia A; Puente-Garza, César A; García-Lara, Silverio

    2018-05-07

    Plant tissue culture as an important tool for the continuous production of active compounds including secondary metabolites and engineered molecules. Novel methods (gene editing, abiotic stress) can improve the technique. Humans have a long history of reliance on plants for a supply of food, shelter and, most importantly, medicine. Current-day pharmaceuticals are typically based on plant-derived metabolites, with new products being discovered constantly. Nevertheless, the consistent and uniform supply of plant pharmaceuticals has often been compromised. One alternative for the production of important plant active compounds is in vitro plant tissue culture, as it assures independence from geographical conditions by eliminating the need to rely on wild plants. Plant transformation also allows the further use of plants for the production of engineered compounds, such as vaccines and multiple pharmaceuticals. This review summarizes the important bioactive compounds currently produced by plant tissue culture and the fundamental methods and plants employed for their production.

  3. An Air-Liquid Interface Culture System for 3D Organoid Culture of Diverse Primary Gastrointestinal Tissues.

    PubMed

    Li, Xingnan; Ootani, Akifumi; Kuo, Calvin

    2016-01-01

    Conventional in vitro analysis of gastrointestinal epithelium usually relies on two-dimensional (2D) culture of epithelial cell lines as monolayer on impermeable surfaces. However, the lack of context of differentiation and tissue architecture in 2D culture can hinder the faithful recapitulation of the phenotypic and morphological characteristics of native epithelium. Here, we describe a robust long-term three-dimensional (3D) culture methodology for gastrointestinal culture, which incorporates both epithelial and mesenchymal/stromal components into a collagen-based air-liquid interface 3D culture system. This system allows vigorously expansion of primary gastrointestinal epithelium for over 60 days as organoids with both proliferation and multilineage differentiation, indicating successful long-term intestinal culture within a microenvironment accurately recapitulating the stem cell niche.

  4. Three-dimensional culture in a microgravity bioreactor improves the engraftment efficiency of hepatic tissue constructs in mice.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shichang; Zhang, Bo; Chen, Xia; Chen, Li; Wang, Zhengguo; Wang, Yingjie

    2014-12-01

    Tissue-engineered liver using primary hepatocytes has been considered a valuable new therapeutic modality as an alternative to whole organ liver transplantation for different liver diseases. The development of clinically feasible liver tissue engineering approaches, however, has been hampered by the poor engraftment efficiency of hepatocytes. We developed a three-dimensional (3D) culture system using a microgravity bioreactor (MB), biodegradable scaffolds and growth-factor-reduced Matrigel to construct a tissue-engineered liver for transplantation into the peritoneal cavity of non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient mice. The number of viable cells in the hepatic tissue constructs was stably maintained in the 3D MB culture system. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and zonula occludens-1 expression revealed that neonatal mouse liver cells were reorganized to form tissue-like structures during MB culture. Significantly upregulated hepatic functions (albumin secretion, urea production and cytochrome P450 activity) were observed in the MB culture group. Post-transplantation analysis indicated that the engraftment efficiency of the hepatic tissue constructs prepared in MB cultures was higher than that of those prepared in the static cultures. Higher level of hepatic function in the implants was confirmed by the expression of albumin. These findings suggest that 3D MB culture systems may offer an improved method for creating tissue-engineered liver because of the higher engraftment efficiency and the reduction of the initial cell function loss.

  5. Resistant starch in Micronesian banana cultivars offers health benefits.

    PubMed

    Thakorlal, J; Perera, C O; Smith, B; Englberger, L; Lorens, A

    2010-04-01

    Resistant Starch (RS) is a type of starch that is resistant to starch hydrolyzing enzymes in the stomach and thus behaves more like dietary fibre. RS has been shown to have beneficial effects in disease prevention including modulation of glycaemic index diabetes, cholesterol lowering capability and weight management, which are critically important for many people in the Federated States of Micronesia. Green bananas are known to contain substantial concentrations of RS and are a common part of the Micronesian diet. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the RS content in banana cultivars from Pohnpei, Micronesia: Daiwang, Inahsio, Karat, Utin Kerenis and Utin Ruk, for which no such information was available. Utin Kerenis, Inahsio and Utin Ruk were found to contain the highest amounts of RS. The fate of RS after incorporation into a food product (i.e., pancakes) was also studied and a significant reduction in the RS content was found for each cultivar after cooking. Microscopy of the banana samples indicated that the overall morphology of the cultivars was similar. In conclusion, green banana, including these varieties, should be promoted in Micronesia and other places for their rich RS content and related health benefits including diabetes control. Further research is needed to more clearly determine the effects of cooking and food processing on RS.

  6. Effect of the degree of substitution of octenyl succinic anhydride-banana starch on emulsion stability.

    PubMed

    Bello-Pérez, Luis A; Bello-Flores, Christopher A; Nuñez-Santiago, María del Carmen; Coronel-Aguilera, Claudia P; Alvarez-Ramirez, J

    2015-11-05

    Banana starch was esterified with octenylsuccinic anhydride (OSA) at different degree substitution (DS) and used to stabilize emulsions. Morphology, emulsion stability, emulsification index, rheological properties and particle size distribution of the emulsions were tested. Emulsions dyed with Solvent Red 26 showed affinity for the oil phase. Backscattering light showed three regions in the emulsion where the emulsified region was present. Starch concentration had higher effect in the emulsification index (EI) than the DS used in the study because similar values were found with OSA-banana and native starches. However, OSA-banana presented greater stability of the emulsified region. Rheological tests in emulsions with OSA-banana showed G'>G" values and low dependence of G' with the frequency, indicating a dominant elastic response to shear. When emulsions were prepared under high-pressure conditions, the emulsions with OSA-banana starch with different DS showed a bimodal distribution of particle size. The emulsion with OSA-banana starch and the low DS showed similar mean droplet diameter than its native counterpart. In contrast, the highest DS led to the highest mean droplet diameter. It is concluded that OSA-banana starch with DS can be used to stabilize specific emulsion types. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Iron absorption in raw and cooked bananas: A field study using stable isotopes in women

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Banana is a staple food in many regions with high iron deficiency and may be a potential vehicle for iron fortification. However, iron absorption from bananas is not known. The objective of this study was to evaluate total iron absorption from raw and cooked bananas. Thirty women (34.9 +/- 6.6 years...

  8. Control of cell growth on 3D-printed cell culture platforms for tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Tan, Zhikai; Liu, Tong; Zhong, Juchang; Yang, Yikun; Tan, Weihong

    2017-12-01

    Biocompatible tissue growth has excellent prospects for tissue engineering. These tissues are built over scaffolds, which can influence aspects such as cell adhesion, proliferation rate, morphology, and differentiation. However, the ideal 3D biological structure has not been developed yet. Here, we applied the electro-hydrodynamic jet (E-jet) 3D printing technology using poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid, PLGA) solution to print varied culture platforms for engineered tissue structures. The effects of different parameters (electrical voltage, plotting speed, and needle sizes) on the outcome were investigated. We compared the biological compatibility of the 3D printed culture platforms with that of random fibers. Finally, we used the 3D-printed PLGA platforms to culture fibroblasts, the main cellular components of loose connective tissue. The results show that the E-jet printed platforms could guide and improve cell growth. These highly aligned fibers were able to support cellular alignment and proliferation. Cell angle was consistent with the direction of the fibers, and cells cultured on these fibers showed a much faster migration, potentially enhancing wound healing performance. Thus, the potential of this technology for 3D biological printing is large. This process can be used to grow biological scaffolds for the engineering of tissues. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 3281-3292, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Biodynamic imaging for phenotypic profiling of three-dimensional tissue culture

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Hao; Merrill, Daniel; An, Ran; Turek, John; Matei, Daniela; Nolte, David D.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract. Three-dimensional (3-D) tissue culture represents a more biologically relevant environment for testing new drugs compared to conventional two-dimensional cancer cell culture models. Biodynamic imaging is a high-content 3-D optical imaging technology based on low-coherence interferometry and digital holography that uses dynamic speckle as high-content image contrast to probe deep inside 3-D tissue. Speckle contrast is shown to be a scaling function of the acquisition time relative to the persistence time of intracellular transport and hence provides a measure of cellular activity. Cellular responses of 3-D multicellular spheroids to paclitaxel are compared among three different growth techniques: rotating bioreactor (BR), hanging-drop (HD), and nonadherent (U-bottom, UB) plate spheroids, compared with ex vivo living tissues. HD spheroids have the most homogeneous tissue, whereas BR spheroids display large sample-to-sample variability as well as spatial heterogeneity. The responses of BR-grown tumor spheroids to paclitaxel are more similar to those of ex vivo biopsies than the responses of spheroids grown using HD or plate methods. The rate of mitosis inhibition by application of taxol is measured through tissue dynamics spectroscopic imaging, demonstrating the ability to monitor antimitotic chemotherapy. These results illustrate the potential use of low-coherence digital holography for 3-D pharmaceutical screening applications. PMID:28301634

  10. Quarantine security of bananas at harvest maturity against Mediterranean and Oriental fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii.

    PubMed

    Armstrong, J W

    2001-02-01

    Culled bananas (dwarf 'Brazilian', 'Grand Nain', 'Valery', and 'Williams') sampled from packing houses on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu identified specific "faults" that were at risk from oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), infestation. Faults at risk included bunches with precociously ripened bananas, or bananas with tip rot, fused fingers, or damage that compromised skin integrity to permit fruit fly oviposition into fruit flesh. No Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), or melon fly, B. cucurbitae (Coquillett), infestations were found in culled banana samples. Field infestation tests indicated that mature green bananas were not susceptible to fruit fly infestation for up to 1 wk past the scheduled harvest date when attached to the plant or within 24 h after harvest. Recommendations for exporting mature green bananas from Hawaii without risk of fruit fly infestation are provided. The research reported herein resulted in a USDA-APHIS protocol for exporting mature green bananas from Hawaii.

  11. A study on effect of ATH on Euphorbia coagulum modified polyester banana fiber composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumari, Sanju; Rai, Bhuvneshwar; Kumar, Gulshan

    2018-02-01

    Fiber reinforced polymer composites are used for building and structural applications due to their high strength. In conventional composites both the binder and the reinforcing fibers are synthetic or either one of the material is natural. In the present study coagulum of Euphorbia royleana has been used for replacing polyester resinas binder in polyester banana composite. Euphorbia coagulum (driedlatex) is rich in resinous mass (60-80%), which are terpenes and polyisoprene (10-20%). Effect of varying percentage of coagulum content on various physico-mechanical properties of polyester-banana composites has been studied. Since banana fiber is sensitive to water due to presence of polar group, banana composite undergoes delamination and deterioration under humid condition. Alkali treated banana fiber along with coagulum content has improved overall mechanical properties and reduction in water absorption. The best physico-mechanical properties have been achieved on replacing 40% of polyester resin by coagulum. An increase of 50% in bending strength, 30% bending modulus and 45% impact strength as well as 68% decrease in water absorption was observed. Incorporation of 20% ATH as flame retardant in coagulum modified banana polyester composite enhanced limiting oxygen index from 20.6 to 26.8% and smoke density reduced up to 40%. This study presents the possibility of utilization of renewable materials for environmental friendly composite development as well as to find out alternative feedstock for petroleum products. Developed Euphorbia latex modified banana polyester composites can have potential utility in hardboard, partition panel, plywood and automotive etc.

  12. Global Transcriptomic Analysis of Targeted Silencing of Two Paralogous ACC Oxidase Genes in Banana

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Yan; Kuan, Chi; Chiu, Chien-Hsiang; Chen, Xiao-Jing; Do, Yi-Yin; Huang, Pung-Ling

    2016-01-01

    Among 18 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase homologous genes existing in the banana genome there are two genes, Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, that participate in banana fruit ripening. To better understand the physiological functions of Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, two hairpin-type siRNA expression vectors targeting both the Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 were constructed and incorporated into the banana genome by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The generation of Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 RNAi transgenic banana plants was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. To gain insights into the functional diversity and complexity between Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, transcriptome sequencing of banana fruits using the Illumina next-generation sequencer was performed. A total of 32,093,976 reads, assembled into 88,031 unigenes for 123,617 transcripts were obtained. Significantly enriched Gene Oncology (GO) terms and the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with GO annotation were ‘catalytic activity’ (1327, 56.4%), ‘heme binding’ (65, 2.76%), ‘tetrapyrrole binding’ (66, 2.81%), and ‘oxidoreductase activity’ (287, 12.21%). Real-time RT-PCR was further performed with mRNAs from both peel and pulp of banana fruits in Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 RNAi transgenic plants. The results showed that expression levels of genes related to ethylene signaling in ripening banana fruits were strongly influenced by the expression of genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis. PMID:27681726

  13. A High-Throughput Regeneration and Transformation Platform for Production of Genetically Modified Banana.

    PubMed

    Tripathi, Jaindra N; Oduor, Richard O; Tripathi, Leena

    2015-01-01

    Banana (Musa spp.) is an important staple food as well as cash crop in tropical and subtropical countries. Various bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases and pests such as nematodes are major constraints in its production and are currently destabilizing the banana production in sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic engineering is a complementary option used for incorporating useful traits in banana to bypass the long generation time, polyploidy, and sterility of most of the cultivated varieties. A robust transformation protocol for farmer preferred varieties is crucial for banana genomics and improvement. A robust and reproducible system for genetic transformation of banana using embryogenic cell suspensions (ECS) has been developed in this study. Two different types of explants (immature male flowers and multiple buds) were tested for their ability to develop ECS in several varieties of banana locally grown in Africa. ECS of banana varieties "Cavendish Williams" and "Gros Michel" were developed using multiple buds, whereas ECS of "Sukali Ndiizi" was developed using immature male flowers. Regeneration efficiency of ECS was about 20,000-50,000 plantlets per ml of settled cell volume (SCV) depending on variety. ECS of three different varieties were transformed through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using gusA reporter gene and 20-70 independent transgenic events per ml SCV of ECS were regenerated on selective medium. The presence and integration of gusA gene in transgenic plants was confirmed by PCR, dot blot, and Southern blot analysis and expression by histochemical GUS assays. The robust transformation platform was successfully used to generate hundreds of transgenic lines with disease resistance. Such a platform will facilitate the transfer of technologies to national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Africa.

  14. Air Exposure Induced Characteristics of Dry Eye in Conjunctival Tissue Culture

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Hui; Qu, Yangluowa; Geng, Zhixin; Li, Cheng; Wu, Huping; Dong, Nuo; Liu, Zuguo; Li, Wei

    2014-01-01

    There are several animal models illustrating dry eye pathophysiology. Current study would like to establish an ex vivo tissue culture model for characterizing dry eye. Human conjunctival explants were cultured under airlift or submerged conditions for up to 2 weeks, and only airlifted conjunctival cultures underwent increased epithelial stratification. Starting on day 4, the suprabasal cells displayed decreased K19 expression whereas K10 keratin became evident in airlift group. Pax6 nuclear expression attenuated already at 2 days, while its perinuclear and cytoplasmic expression gradually increased. MUC5AC and MUC19 expression dramatically decreased whereas the full thickness MUC4 and MUC16 expression pattern disappeared soon after initiating the airlift condition. Real time PCR showed K16, K10 and MUC16 gene up-regulated while K19, MUC5AC, MUC19 and MUC4 down-regulated on day 8 and day 14. On day 2 was the appearance of apoptotic epithelial and stromal cells appeared. The Wnt signaling pathway was transiently activated from day 2 to day 10. The inflammatory mediators IL-1β, TNF-α, and MMP-9 were detected in the conditioned media after 6 to 8 days. In conclusion, airlifted conjunctival tissue cultures demonstrated Wnt signaling pathway activation, coupled with squamous metaplasia, mucin pattern alteration, apoptosis and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokine expression. These changes mimic the pathohistological alterations described in dry eye. This correspondence suggests that insight into the pathophysiology of dry eye may be aided through the use of airlifted conjunctival tissue cultures. PMID:24498087

  15. Molecular characterization of Banana streak virus isolate from Musa Acuminata in China.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Jun; Wang, Jian-Hua; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Zhi-Xin

    2011-12-01

    Banana streak virus (BSV), a member of genus Badnavirus, is a causal agent of banana streak disease throughout the world. The genetic diversity of BSVs from different regions of banana plantations has previously been investigated, but there are relatively few reports of the genetic characteristic of episomal (non-integrated) BSV genomes isolated from China. Here, the complete genome, a total of 7722bp (GenBank accession number DQ092436), of an isolate of Banana streak virus (BSV) on cultivar Cavendish (BSAcYNV) in Yunnan, China was determined. The genome organises in the typical manner of badnaviruses. The intergenic region of genomic DNA contains a large stem-loop, which may contribute to the ribosome shift into the following open reading frames (ORFs). The coding region of BSAcYNV consists of three overlapping ORFs, ORF1 with a non-AUG start codon and ORF2 encoding two small proteins are individually involved in viral movement and ORF3 encodes a polyprotein. Besides the complete genome, a defective genome lacking the whole RNA leader region and a majority of ORF1 and which encompasses 6525bp was also isolated and sequenced from this BSV DNA reservoir in infected banana plants. Sequence analyses showed that BSAcYNV has closest similarity in terms of genome organization and the coding assignments with an BSV isolate from Vietnam (BSAcVNV). The corresponding coding regions shared identities of 88% and -95% at nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis also indicated BSAcYNV shared the closest geographical evolutionary relationship to BSAcVNV among sequenced banana streak badnaviruses.

  16. Potential of Bacillus spp produces siderophores insuppressing thewilt disease of banana plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kesaulya, H.; Hasinu, J. V.; Tuhumury, G. NC

    2018-01-01

    In nature, different types of siderophore such as hydroxymate, catecholets and carboxylate, are produced by different bacteria. Bacillus spp were isolated from potato rhizospheric soil can produce siderophore of both catecholets and salicylate type with different concentrations. Various strains of Bacillus spp were tested for pathogen inhibition capability in a dual culture manner. The test results showed the ability of inhibition of pathogen isolated from banana wilt disease. From the result tested were found Bacillus niabensis Strain PT-32-1, Bacillus subtilis Strain SWI16b, Bacillus subtilis Strain HPC21, Bacillus mojavensis Strain JCEN3, and Bacillus subtilis Strain HPC24 showed different capabilities in suppressing pathogen.

  17. Phosphate fertilization changes the characteristics of 'Maçã' banana starch.

    PubMed

    Mesquita, Camila de Barros; Garcia, Émerson Loli; Bolfarini, Ana Carolina Batista; Leonel, Sarita; Franco, Célia Maria L; Leonel, Magali

    2018-06-01

    The unripe banana has been studied as a potential source of starch for use in various applications. Considering the importance of phosphorus in the biosynthesis of the starch and also the interference of this mineral in starch properties, in this study it was evaluated the effect of rates of phosphate fertilizer applied in the cultivation of 'Maçã' banana on the characteristics of the starch. Starches extracted from fruits from different treatments were analyzed for morphological characteristics, X-ray diffraction pattern, relative crystallinity, granule size, amylose, resistant starch and phosphorus levels, as well as, for pasting and thermal properties. Results showed that the phosphate fertilization has interference on the characteristics of the banana starch led to increase of phosphorus content and size of the granules, reduction of crystallinity and resistant starch content, decrease of viscosity peak, breakdown, final viscosity, setback, transitions temperatures and enthalpy. These changes caused by phosphate fertilizer conditions can be increase the applications of the 'Maçã' banana starch. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Nanocomposites of rice and banana flours blend with montmorillonite: partial characterization.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Marín, María L; Bello-Pérez, Luis A; Yee-Madeira, Hernani; Zhong, Qixin; González-Soto, Rosalía A

    2013-10-01

    Rice and banana flours are inexpensive starchy materials that can form films with more improved properties than those made with their starch because flour and starch present different hydrophobicity. Montmorillonite (MMT) can be used to further improve the properties of starch-based films, which has not received much research attention for starchy flours. The aim of this work was to evaluate the mechanical and barrier properties of nanocomposite films of banana and rice flours as matrix material with addition of MMT as a nanofiller. MMT was modified using citric acid to produce intercalated structures, as verified by the X-ray diffraction pattern. The intercalated MMT was blended with flour slurries, and films were prepared by casting. Nanocomposite films of banana and rice flours presented an increase in the tensile at break and elongation percentage, respectively, more than their respective control films without MMT. This study showed that banana and rice flours could be alternative raw materials to use in making nanocomposite films. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Pathogen and biological contamination management in plant tissue culture: phytopathogens, vitro pathogens, and vitro pests.

    PubMed

    Cassells, Alan C

    2012-01-01

    The ability to establish and grow plant cell, organ, and tissue cultures has been widely exploited for basic and applied research, and for the commercial production of plants (micro-propagation). Regardless of whether the application is for research or commerce, it is essential that the cultures be established in vitro free of biological contamination and be maintained as aseptic cultures during manipulation, growth, and storage. The risks from microbial contamination are spurious experimental results due to the effects of latent contaminants or losses of valuable experimental or commercial cultures. Much of the emphasis in culture contamination management historically focussed on the elimination of phytopathogens and the maintenance of cultures free from laboratory contamination by environmental bacteria, fungi (collectively referred to as "vitro pathogens", i.e. pathogens or environmental micro-organisms which cause culture losses), and micro-arthropods ("vitro pests"). Microbial contamination of plant tissue cultures is due to the high nutrient availability in the almost universally used Murashige and Skoog (Physiol Plant 15:473-497, 1962) basal medium or variants of it. In recent years, it has been shown that many plants, especially perennials, are at least locally endophytically colonized intercellularly by bacteria. The latter, and intracellular pathogenic bacteria and viruses/viroids, may pass latently into culture and be spread horizontally and vertically in cultures. Growth of some potentially cultivable endophytes may be suppressed by the high salt and sugar content of the Murashige and Skoog basal medium and suboptimal temperatures for their growth in plant tissue growth rooms. The management of contamination in tissue culture involves three stages: disease screening (syn. disease indexing) of the stock plants with disease and endophyte elimination where detected; establishment and pathogen and contaminant screening of established initial cultures

  20. Effects of Green Banana Flour on the Physical, Chemical and Sensory Properties of Ice Cream.

    PubMed

    Yangılar, Filiz

    2015-09-01

    In the present study, possible effects of the addition of banana flour at different mass fractions (1 and 2%) are investigated on physical (overrun, viscosity), chemical (dry matter, fat and ash content, acidity, pH, water and oil holding capacity and colour), mineral content (Ca, K, Na, P, S, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni) and sensory properties of ice cream. Fibre--rich banana pieces were found to contain 66.8 g per 100 g of total dietary fibre, 58.6 g per 100 g of which were insoluble dietary fibre, while 8.2 g per 100 g were soluble dietary fibre. It can be concluded from these results that banana is a valuable dietary fibre source which can be used in food production. Flour obtained from green banana pulp and peel was found to have significant (p<0.05) effect on the chemical composition of ice creams. Sulphur content increased while calcium content decreased in ice cream depending on banana flour content. Sensory results indicated that ice cream sample containing 2% of green banana pulp flour received the highest score from panellists.

  1. Hyperkalemia and hyperdopaminemia induced by an obsessive eating of banana in an anorexia nervosa adolescent.

    PubMed

    Tazoe, Mami; Narita, Masaaki; Sakuta, Ryoichi; Nagai, Toshiro; Narita, Naoko

    2007-07-01

    Banana is known as a dopamine-rich and potassium-rich food, however no previous data regarding biochemical or psychological alteration induced by excess intake of banana has been reported. We have experienced an adolescent female case of Anorexia nervosa (AN) who denied eating anything but maximum 20 bananas and less than 500 ml mineral water per day for more than two years. During the period of massive banana eating habit, she showed increase of serum potassium (from 4.7 mEq/l to 6.1 mEq/l) and whole blood dopamine (from 11 ng/ml to 210 ng/ml; normal range 0.5-6.2 ng/ml), and obvious dysthymia that is inexplicable only by the pathology of AN. When the patient resumed other food ingestion after 26 months of obsessive and restricted eating of banana, the abnormalities in her blood data and her psychological state were all corrected toward normal. We conclude that in this case, the obsessive and restricted habit of banana ingestion resulted in hyperkalemia, hyperdopaminemia, and psychological change.

  2. Effect of chitosan coating and bamboo FSC (fruit storage chamber) to expand banana shelf life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pratiwi, Aksarani'Sa; Dwivany, Fenny M.; Larasati, Dwinita; Islamia, Hana Cahya; Martien, Ronny

    2015-09-01

    Chitosan has been widely used as fruit preserver and proven to extend the shelf life of many fruits, such as banana. However, banana producers and many industries in Indonesia still facing storage problems which may lead to mechanical damage of the fruits and ripening acceleration. Therefore, we have designed food storage chamber (FSC) based on bamboo material. Bamboo was selected because of material abundance in Indonesia, economically effective, and not causing an autocatalytic reaction to the ethylene gas produced by the banana. In this research, Cavendish banana that has reached the maturity level of mature green were coated with 1% chitosan and placed inside the FSC. As control treatments, uncoated banana was also placed inside the FSC as well as uncoated banana that were placed at open space. All of the treatments were placed at 25°C temperature and observed for 9 days. Water produced by respiration was reduced by the addition of charcoal inside a fabric pouch. The result showed that treatment using FSC and chitosan can delay ripening process.

  3. Identification of Genes Encoding Granule-Bound Starch Synthase Involved in Amylose Metabolism in Banana Fruit

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Weixin; Xu, Biyu; Jin, Zhiqiang

    2014-01-01

    Granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) is responsible for amylose synthesis, but the role of GBSS genes and their encoded proteins remains poorly understood in banana. In this study, amylose content and GBSS activity gradually increased during development of the banana fruit, and decreased during storage of the mature fruit. GBSS protein in banana starch granules was approximately 55.0 kDa. The protein was up-regulated expression during development while it was down-regulated expression during storage. Six genes, designated as MaGBSSI-1, MaGBSSI-2, MaGBSSI-3, MaGBSSI-4, MaGBSSII-1, and MaGBSSII-2, were cloned and characterized from banana fruit. Among the six genes, the expression pattern of MaGBSSI-3 was the most consistent with the changes in amylose content, GBSS enzyme activity, GBSS protein levels, and the quantity or size of starch granules in banana fruit. These results suggest that MaGBSSI-3 might regulate amylose metabolism by affecting the variation of GBSS levels and the quantity or size of starch granules in banana fruit during development or storage. PMID:24505384

  4. Hyperspectral Surface Analysis for Ripeness Estimation and Quick UV-C Surface Treatments for Preservation of Bananas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, W.; Yang, Zh.; Chen, Zh.; Liu, J.; Wang, W. Ch.; Zheng, W. Yu.

    2016-05-01

    This study aimed to determine the ripeness of bananas using hyperspectral surface analysis and how a rapid UV-C (ultraviolet-C light) surface treatment could reduce decay. The surface of the banana fruit and its stages of maturity were studied using a hyperspectral imaging technique in the visible and near infrared (370-1000 nm) regions. The vselected color ratios from these spectral images were used for classifying the whole banana into immature, ripe, half-ripe and overripe stages. By using a BP neural network, models based on the wavelengths were developed to predict quality attributes. The mean discrimination rate was 98.17%. The surface of the fresh bananas was treated with UV-C at dosages from 15-55 μW/cm2. The visual qualities with or without UV-C treatment were compared using the image, the chromatic aberration test, the firmness test and the area of black spot on the banana skin. The results showed that high dosages of UV-C damaged the banana skin, while low dosages were more efficient at delaying changes in the relative brightness of the skin. The maximum UV-C treatment dose for satisfactory banana preservation was between 21 and 24 μW/cm2. These results could help to improve the visual quality of bananas and to classify their ripeness more easily.

  5. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and the climacteric in bananas.

    PubMed

    Ball, K L; ap Rees, T

    1988-11-15

    This work was done to test the view that there is a marked rise in the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate during the climacteric of the fruit of banana (Musa cavendishii Lamb ex. Paxton). Bananas were ripened in the dark in a continuous stream of air in the absence of exogenous ethylene. CO2 production and the contents of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and sucrose were monitored over a 15-day period. A range of extraction procedures for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate were compared. Recovery of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate added to samples of unripe fruit varied from poor to unmeasurable. Recoveries from samples of ripe fruit were high. It is argued that this differential recovery of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate undermines claims that the amount of this compound increases at the climacteric. When recoveries are taken into account, our data suggest that there is no major change in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content during the onset of the climacteric in bananas.

  6. Banana NAC transcription factor MusaNAC042 is positively associated with drought and salinity tolerance.

    PubMed

    Tak, Himanshu; Negi, Sanjana; Ganapathi, T R

    2017-03-01

    Banana is an important fruit crop and its yield is hampered by multiple abiotic stress conditions encountered during its growth. The NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) transcription factors are involved in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we studied the induction of banana NAC042 transcription factor in drought and high salinity conditions and its overexpression in transgenic banana to improve drought and salinity tolerance. MusaNAC042 expression was positively associated with stress conditions like salinity and drought and it encoded a nuclear localized protein. Transgenic lines of banana cultivar Rasthali overexpressing MusaNAC042 were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of banana embryogenic cells and T-DNA insertion was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis. Our results using leaf disc assay indicated that transgenic banana lines were able to tolerate drought and high salinity stress better than the control plants and retained higher level of total chlorophyll and lower level of MDA content (malondialdehyde). Transgenic lines analyzed for salinity (250 mM NaCl) and drought (Soil gravimetric water content 0.15) tolerance showed higher proline content, better Fv/Fm ratio, and lower levels of MDA content than control suggesting that MusaNAC042 may be involved in responses to higher salinity and drought stresses in banana. Expression of several abiotic stress-related genes like those coding for CBF/DREB, LEA, and WRKY factors was altered in transgenic lines indicating that MusaNAC042 is an efficient modulator of abiotic stress response in banana.

  7. Nanocomposites based on banana starch reinforced with cellulose nanofibers isolated from banana peels.

    PubMed

    Pelissari, Franciele Maria; Andrade-Mahecha, Margarita María; Sobral, Paulo José do Amaral; Menegalli, Florencia Cecilia

    2017-11-01

    Cellulose nanofibers were isolated from banana peel using a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments with different number of passages through the high-pressure homogenizer (0, 3, 5, and 7 passages). New nanocomposites were then prepared from a mixed suspension of banana starch and cellulose nanofibers using the casting method and the effect of the addition of these nanofibers on the properties of the resulting nanocomposites was investigated. The cellulose nanofibers homogeneously dispersed in the starch matrix increased the glass transition temperature, due to the strong intermolecular interactions occurring between the starch and cellulose. The nanocomposites exhibited significantly increased the tensile strength, Young's modulus, water-resistance, opacity, and crystallinity as the number of passages through the homogenizer augmented. However, a more drastic mechanical treatment (seven passages) caused defects in nanofibers, deteriorating the nanocomposite properties. The most suitable mechanical treatment condition for the preparation of cellulose nanofibers and the corresponding nanocomposite was five passages through the high-pressure homogenizer. In general, the cellulose nanofibers improved the features of the starch-based material and are potentially applicable as reinforcing elements in a variety of polymer composites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Bacterial Diseases of Bananas and Enset: Current State of Knowledge and Integrated Approaches Toward Sustainable Management

    PubMed Central

    Blomme, Guy; Dita, Miguel; Jacobsen, Kim Sarah; Pérez Vicente, Luis; Molina, Agustin; Ocimati, Walter; Poussier, Stephane; Prior, Philippe

    2017-01-01

    Bacterial diseases of bananas and enset have not received, until recently, an equal amount of attention compared to other major threats to banana production such as the fungal diseases black leaf streak (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense). However, bacteria cause significant impacts on bananas globally and management practices are not always well known or adopted by farmers. Bacterial diseases in bananas and enset can be divided into three groups: (1) Ralstonia-associated diseases (Moko/Bugtok disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and banana blood disease caused by R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis); (2) Xanthomonas wilt of banana and enset, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum and (3) Erwinia-associated diseases (bacterial head rot or tip-over disease Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora and E. chrysanthemi), bacterial rhizome and pseudostem wet rot (Dickeya paradisiaca formerly E. chrysanthemi pv. paradisiaca). Other bacterial diseases of less widespread importance include: bacterial wilt of abaca, Javanese vascular wilt and bacterial fingertip rot (probably caused by Ralstonia spp., unconfirmed). This review describes global distribution, symptoms, pathogenic diversity, epidemiology and the state of the art for sustainable disease management of the major bacterial wilts currently affecting banana and enset. PMID:28785275

  9. Malate synthase gene expression during fruit ripening of Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata cv. Williams).

    PubMed

    Pua, Eng-Chong; Chandramouli, Sumana; Han, Ping; Liu, Pei

    2003-01-01

    Malate synthase (MS) is a key enzyme responsible for malic acid synthesis in the glyoxylate cycle, which functions to convert stored lipids to carbohydrates, by catalysing the glyoxylate condensation reaction with acetyl-CoA in the peroxisome. In this study, the cloning of an MS cDNA, designated MaMS-1, from the banana fruit is reported. MaMS-1 was 1801 bp in length encoding a single polypeptide of 556 amino acid residues. Sequence analysis revealed that MaMS-1 possessed the conserved catalytic domain and a putative peroxisomal targeting signal SK(I/L) at the carboxyl terminal. MaMS-1 also shared an extensive sequence homology (79-81.3%) with other plant MS homologues. Southern analysis indicated that MS might be present as multiple members in the banana genome. In Northern analysis, MaMS-1 was expressed specifically in ripening fruit tissue and transcripts were not detected in other organs such as roots, pseudostem, leaves, ovary, male flower, and in fruit at different stages of development. However, the transcript abundance in fruit was affected by stage of ripening, during which transcript was barely detectable at the early stage of ripening (FG and TY), but the level increased markedly in MG and in other fruits at advanced ripening stages. Furthermore, MaMS-1 expression in FG fruit could be stimulated by treatment with 1 microl l(-1) exogenous ethylene, but the stimulatory effect was abolished by the application of an ethylene inhibitor, norbornadiene. Results of this study clearly show that MS expression in banana fruit is temporally regulated during ripening and is ethylene-inducible.

  10. The Tissue Culture Laboratory of Dr. George Otto Gey 60 yrs ago as recalled by a former student.

    PubMed

    Ambrose, Charles T

    2017-05-01

    George Otto Gey was a pioneer in tissue culture, having introduced the roller drum, the HeLa cell line, and the use of human fetal cord serum and beef embryo extract. During his career (1920s-1960s), the field of tissue culture was in its infancy and not yet dependent upon commercial biological supply houses. While the early techniques of cell culture have been greatly improved upon, of historical interest may be personal observations of the Gey Tissue Culture Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Medical School, as recalled by a medical student working there in the 1950s. Dr. Gey served as a founding member and executive of the Tissue Culture Commission (TCC) and became the first president of the Tissue Culture Association (TCA).

  11. A simple protocol for protein extraction of recalcitrant fruit tissues suitable for 2-DE and MS analysis.

    PubMed

    Song, Jun; Braun, Gordon; Bevis, Eric; Doncaster, Kristen

    2006-08-01

    Fruit tissues are considered recalcitrant plant tissue for proteomic analysis. Three phenol-free protein extraction procedures for 2-DE were compared and evaluated on apple fruit proteins. Incorporation of hot SDS buffer, extraction with TCA/acetone precipitation was found to be the most effective protocol. The results from SDS-PAGE and 2-DE analysis showed high quality proteins. More than 500 apple polypeptides were separated on a small scale 2-DE gel. The successful protocol was further tested on banana fruit, in which 504 and 386 proteins were detected in peel and flesh tissues, respectively. To demonstrate the quality of the extracted proteins, several protein spots from apple and banana peels were cut from 2-DE gels, analyzed by MS and have been tentatively identified. The protocol described in this study is a simple procedure which could be routinely used in proteomic studies of many types of recalcitrant fruit tissues.

  12. Investigations on Thermal Conductivities of Jute and Banana Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pujari, Satish; Ramakrishna, Avasarala; Balaram Padal, Korabu Tulasi

    2017-04-01

    The Jute and Banana fibers are used as reinforcement in epoxy resin matrix for making partially green biodegradable material composite via hand lay-up technique. The thermal conductivity of the jute fiber epoxy composites and banana fiber epoxy composites at different volume fraction of the fiber is determined experimentally by using guarded heat flow meter method. The experimental results had shown that thermal conductivity of the composites decrease with an increase in the fiber content. Experimental results are compared with theoretical models (Series model, Hashin model and Maxwell model) to describe the variation of the thermal conductivity versus the volume fraction of the fiber. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed. Thermal conductivity of Banana fiber composite is less when compared to that of Jute composite which indicates banana is a good insulator and also the developed composites can be used as insulating materials in building, automotive industry and in steam pipes to save energy by reducing rate of heat transfer.

  13. Variability of ribosomal RNA genes in Rauwolfia species: parallelism between tissue culture-induced rearrangements and interspecies polymorphism.

    PubMed

    Andreev, I O; Spiridonova, K V; Solovyan, V T; Kunakh, V A

    2005-01-01

    An analysis of 18S-25S and 5S rRNA genes in intact plants and cultured tissues of some Rauwolfia species was performed to compare these sequences variability occurred as a result of the species evolution in nature and that induced by tissue culture. The restriction fragment length polymorphism of 18S-25S and 5S rDNA was found both in intact plants of various Rauwolfia species and in long-term Rauwolfia serpentina tissue cultures. In addition, changes in the amount of 18S-25S rRNA genes were observed in long-term R. serpentina tissue cultures. The results demonstrate that rDNA variability observed in intact plants as well as in long-term cultures is attributed to differences in the same regions of ribosomal RNA genes.

  14. Developing hazelnut tissue culture medium free of ion confounding

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The general approach for tissue culture medium optimization is to use salts as factors in experimental design and analysis. However, using salts as factors leads to ion confounding, making it difficult to detect the effects of individual ions on particular growth responses. This study focused on tes...

  15. Frozen and fresh ovarian tissue require different culture media to promote in vitro development of bovine preantral follicles.

    PubMed

    Castro, Simone Vieira; Carvalho, Adeline Andrade; Silva, Cleidson Manoel Gomes; Santos, Francielli Weber; Campello, Cláudio Cabral; de Figueiredo, José Ricardo; Rodrigues, Ana Paula Ribeiro

    2014-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different media in the in vitro culture of bovine preantral follicles that were used either fresh or following slow freezing treatment. Frozen and fresh noncultured or cultured ovarian fragments were processed for histological, viability, and cell proliferation analyses. For cryopreservation, a solution containing 1.5 M ethylene glycol was frozen in a programmable biological freezer. After thawing, a portion of the samples was destined for frozen controls. The remainder were cultured in vitro for 5 days in three media: α-MEM, McCoy, or M199. Samples from these culture media were collected on days 1 and 5 for quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and for hormonal assays. In fresh-cultured tissues, the percentage of morphologically normal follicles was significantly higher when cultured in M199 compared to that in the other media. In frozen-cultured tissues, McCoy medium was significantly superior to the other media, and was the only treatment that helped in maintaining the viability similar to fresh and frozen controls. Upon quantification of the nucleolus organizer region, we observed greater proliferation of granulosa cells in the frozen-cultured tissues with McCoy medium, and lesser proliferation in fresh-cultured tissues only with α-MEM. In frozen-cultured tissues, ROS levels were highest at day 1 and progressively reduced during culture, independent of the media used. In conclusion, under the conditions used in this study, the M199 and McCoy media are recommended for the culture of follicles derived from fresh and frozen ovarian tissues, respectively.

  16. Identification and expression analysis of four 14-3-3 genes during fruit ripening in banana (Musa acuminata L. AAA group, cv. Brazilian).

    PubMed

    Li, Mei-Ying; Xu, Bi-Yu; Liu, Ju-Hua; Yang, Xiao-Liang; Zhang, Jian-Bin; Jia, Cai-Hong; Ren, Li-Cheng; Jin, Zhi-Qiang

    2012-02-01

    To investigate the regulation of 14-3-3 proteins in banana (Musa acuminata L. AAA group, cv. Brazilian) fruit postharvest ripening, four cDNAs encoding 14-3-3 proteins were isolated from banana and designated as Ma-14-3-3a, Ma-14-3-3c, Ma-14-3-3e, and Ma-14-3-3i, respectively. Amino acid sequence alignment showed that the four 14-3-3 proteins shared a highly conserved core structure and variable C-terminal as well as N-terminal regions with 14-3-3 proteins from other plant species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the four 14-3-3 genes belong to the non-ε groups. They were differentially and specifically expressed in various tissues. Real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that these four genes function differentially during banana fruit postharvest ripening. Three genes, Ma-14-3-3a, Ma-14-3-3c, and Ma-14-3-3e, were significantly induced by exogenous ethylene treatment. However, gene function differed in naturally ripened fruits. Ethylene could induce Ma-14-3-3c expression during postharvest ripening, but expression patterns of Ma-14-3-3a and Ma-14-3-3e suggest that these two genes appear to be involved in regulating ethylene biosynthesis during fruit ripening. No obvious relationship emerged between Ma-14-3-3i expression in naturally ripened and 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene)-treated fruit groups during fruit ripening. These results indicate that the 14-3-3 proteins might be involved in various regulatory processes of banana fruit ripening. Further studies will mainly focus on revealing the detailed biological mechanisms of these four 14-3-3 genes in regulating banana fruit postharvest ripening.

  17. Banana-Associated Microbial Communities in Uganda Are Highly Diverse but Dominated by Enterobacteriaceae

    PubMed Central

    Rossmann, Bettina; Müller, Henry; Smalla, Kornelia; Mpiira, Samuel; Tumuhairwe, John Baptist; Staver, Charles

    2012-01-01

    Bananas are among the most widely consumed foods in the world. In Uganda, the country with the second largest banana production in the world, bananas are the most important staple food. The objective of this study was to analyze banana-associated microorganisms and to select efficient antagonists against fungal pathogens which are responsible for substantial yield losses. We studied the structure and function of microbial communities (endosphere, rhizosphere, and soil) obtained from three different traditional farms in Uganda by cultivation-independent (PCR-SSCP fingerprints of 16S rRNA/ITS genes, pyrosequencing of enterobacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments, quantitative PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization coupled with confocal laser scanning microscopy, and PCR-based detection of broad-host-range plasmids and sulfonamide resistance genes) and cultivation-dependent methods. The results showed microhabitat-specific microbial communities that were significant across sites and treatments. Furthermore, all microhabitats contained a high number and broad spectrum of indigenous antagonists toward identified fungal pathogens. While bacterial antagonists were found to be enriched in banana plants, fungal antagonists were less abundant and mainly found in soil. The banana stem endosphere was the habitat with the highest bacterial counts (up to 109 gene copy numbers g−1). Here, enterics were found to be enhanced in abundance and diversity; they provided one-third of the bacteria and were identified by pyrosequencing with 14 genera, including not only potential human (Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella, and Yersinia spp.) and plant (Pectobacterium spp.) pathogens but also disease-suppressive bacteria (Serratia spp.). The dominant role of enterics can be explained by the permanent nature and vegetative propagation of banana and the amendments of human, as well as animal, manure in these traditional cultivations. PMID:22562988

  18. A High-Throughput Regeneration and Transformation Platform for Production of Genetically Modified Banana

    PubMed Central

    Tripathi, Jaindra N.; Oduor, Richard O.; Tripathi, Leena

    2015-01-01

    Banana (Musa spp.) is an important staple food as well as cash crop in tropical and subtropical countries. Various bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases and pests such as nematodes are major constraints in its production and are currently destabilizing the banana production in sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic engineering is a complementary option used for incorporating useful traits in banana to bypass the long generation time, polyploidy, and sterility of most of the cultivated varieties. A robust transformation protocol for farmer preferred varieties is crucial for banana genomics and improvement. A robust and reproducible system for genetic transformation of banana using embryogenic cell suspensions (ECS) has been developed in this study. Two different types of explants (immature male flowers and multiple buds) were tested for their ability to develop ECS in several varieties of banana locally grown in Africa. ECS of banana varieties “Cavendish Williams” and “Gros Michel” were developed using multiple buds, whereas ECS of “Sukali Ndiizi” was developed using immature male flowers. Regeneration efficiency of ECS was about 20,000–50,000 plantlets per ml of settled cell volume (SCV) depending on variety. ECS of three different varieties were transformed through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using gusA reporter gene and 20–70 independent transgenic events per ml SCV of ECS were regenerated on selective medium. The presence and integration of gusA gene in transgenic plants was confirmed by PCR, dot blot, and Southern blot analysis and expression by histochemical GUS assays. The robust transformation platform was successfully used to generate hundreds of transgenic lines with disease resistance. Such a platform will facilitate the transfer of technologies to national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Africa. PMID:26635849

  19. Using Tissue Culture To Investigate Plant Cell Differentiation and Dedifferentiation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozzone, Donna M.

    1997-01-01

    Describes an experimental project that uses plant tissue culture techniques to examine cell differentiation in the carrot. Allows students to gain experience in some important techniques and to explore fundamental questions about cell differentiation. (DDR)

  20. Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Periprosthetic Tissue Culture in Blood Culture Bottles to That of Prosthesis Sonication Fluid Culture for Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) by Use of Bayesian Latent Class Modeling and IDSA PJI Criteria for Classification.

    PubMed

    Yan, Qun; Karau, Melissa J; Greenwood-Quaintance, Kerryl E; Mandrekar, Jayawant N; Osmon, Douglas R; Abdel, Matthew P; Patel, Robin

    2018-06-01

    We have previously demonstrated that culturing periprosthetic tissue in blood culture bottles (BCBs) improves sensitivity compared to conventional agar and broth culture methods for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). We have also shown that prosthesis sonication culture improves sensitivity compared to periprosthetic tissue culture using conventional agar and broth methods. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of tissue culture in BCBs (subsequently referred to as tissue culture) to prosthesis sonication culture (subsequently referred to as sonicate fluid culture). We studied 229 subjects who underwent arthroplasty revision or resection surgery between March 2016 and October 2017 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Using the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) PJI diagnostic criteria (omitting culture criteria) as the gold standard, the sensitivity of tissue culture was similar to that of the sonicate fluid culture (66.4% versus 73.1%, P = 0.07) but was significantly lower than that of the two tests combined (66.4% versus 76.9%, P < 0.001). Using Bayesian latent class modeling, which assumes no gold standard for PJI diagnosis, the sensitivity of tissue culture was slightly lower than that of sonicate fluid culture (86.3% versus 88.7%) and much lower than that of the two tests combined (86.3% versus 99.1%). In conclusion, tissue culture in BCBs reached sensitivity similar to that of prosthesis sonicate fluid culture for diagnosis of PJI, but the two tests combined had the highest sensitivity without compromising specificity. The combination of tissue culture in BCBs and sonicate fluid culture is recommended to achieve the highest level of microbiological diagnosis of PJI. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  1. Comparison of In Vitro- and Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM)-Culture Systems for Cryopreserved Medulla-Contained Human Ovarian Tissue

    PubMed Central

    Isachenko, Vladimir; Mallmann, Peter; Petrunkina, Anna M.; Rahimi, Gohar; Nawroth, Frank; Hancke, Katharina; Felberbaum, Ricardo; Genze, Felicitas; Damjanoski, Ilija; Isachenko, Evgenia

    2012-01-01

    At present, there are three ways to determine effectively the quality of the cryopreservation procedure using ovarian tissue before the re-implantation treatment: evaluation of follicles after post-thawing xenotransplantation to SCID mouse, in-vitro culture in a large volume of culture medium under constant agitation and culture on embryonic chorio-allantoic membrane within a hen's eggs. The aim of this study was to compare the two methods, culture in vitro and culture on embryonic chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of cryopreserved human ovarian medulla-contained and medulla-free cortex. Ovarian fragments were divided into small pieces (1.5–2.0×1.0–1.2×0.8–1.5) of two types, cortex with medulla and medulla-free cortex, frozen, thawed and randomly divided into the following four groups. Group 1: medulla-free cortex cultured in vitro for 8 days in large volume of medium with mechanical agitation, Group 2: medulla-containing cortex cultured in vitro, Group 3: medulla-free cortex cultured in CAM-system for 5 days, Group 4: medulla-containing cortex cultured in CAM-system. The efficacy of the tissue culture was evaluated by the development of follicles and by intensiveness of angiogenesis in the tissue (von Willebrand factor and Desmin). For Group 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively 85%, 85%, 87% and 84% of the follicles were morphologically normal (P>0.1). The immunohistochemical analysis showed that angiogenesis detected by von Willebrand factor was lower in groups 1 and 3 (medulla-free cortex). Neo-vascularisation (by Desmin) was observed only in ovarian tissue of Group 4 (medulla-contained cortex after CAM-culture). It appears that the presence of medulla in ovarian pieces is beneficial for post-thaw development of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue. For medical practice it is recommended for evaluation of post-warming ovarian tissue to use the CAM-system as a valuable alternative to xenotransplantation and for cryopreservation of these tissues to prepare ovarian

  2. [18S-25S rDNA variation in tissue culture of some Gentiana L. species].

    PubMed

    Mel'nyk, V M; Andrieiev, I O; Spiridonova, K V; Strashniuk, N M; Kunakh, V A

    2007-01-01

    18S-25S rDNA of intact plants and tissue cultures of G. acaulis, G. punctata and G. lutea have been investigated by using blot-hybridization. The decrease of rDNA amount was found in the callus cultures as compared with the plants. In contrast to other species, G. lutea showed intragenome heterogeneity of rRNA genes as well as qualitative rDNA changes in tissue culture, in particular appearance of altered repeats. The relationship between the peculiarities of rRNA gene structure and their rearrangements in in vitro culture was suggested.

  3. Cryopreservation of testicular tissue before long-term testicular cell culture does not alter in vitro cell dynamics.

    PubMed

    Baert, Yoni; Braye, Aude; Struijk, Robin B; van Pelt, Ans M M; Goossens, Ellen

    2015-11-01

    To assess whether testicular cell dynamics are altered during long-term culture after testicular tissue cryopreservation. Experimental basic science study. Reproductive biology laboratory. Testicular tissue with normal spermatogenesis was obtained from six donors. None. Detection and comparison of testicular cells from fresh and frozen tissues during long-term culture. Human testicular cells derived from fresh (n = 3) and cryopreserved (n = 3) tissues were cultured for 2 months and analyzed with quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence. Spermatogonia including spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) were reliably detected by combining VASA, a germ cell marker, with UCHL1, a marker expressed by spermatogonia. The established markers STAR, ACTA2, and SOX9 were used to analyze the presence of Leydig cells, peritubular myoid cells, and Sertoli cells, respectively. No obvious differences were found between the cultures initiated from fresh or cryopreserved tissues. Single or small groups of SSCs (VASA(+)/UCHL1(+)) were detected in considerable amounts up to 1 month of culture, but infrequently after 2 months. SSCs were found attached to the feeder monolayer, which expressed markers for Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, and peritubular myoid cells. In addition, VASA(-)/UCHL1(+) cells, most likely originating from the interstitium, also contributed to this monolayer. Apart from Sertoli cells, all somatic cell types could be detected throughout the culture period. Testicular tissue can be cryopreserved before long-term culture without modifying its outcome, which encourages implementation of testicular tissue banking for fertility preservation. However, because of the limited numbers of SSCs available after 2 months, further exploration and optimization of the culture system is needed. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Macroporous Hydrogel Scaffolds for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering.

    PubMed

    Fan, Changjiang; Wang, Dong-An

    2017-10-01

    Hydrogels have been promising candidate scaffolds for cell delivery and tissue engineering due to their tissue-like physical properties and capability for homogeneous cell loading. However, the encapsulated cells are generally entrapped and constrained in the submicron- or nanosized gel networks, seriously limiting cell growth and tissue formation. Meanwhile, the spatially confined settlement inhibits attachment and spreading of anchorage-dependent cells, leading to their apoptosis. In recent years, macroporous hydrogels have attracted increasing attention in use as cell delivery vehicles and tissue engineering scaffolds. The introduction of macropores within gel scaffolds not only improves their permeability for better nutrient transport but also creates space/interface for cell adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition. Herein, we will first review the development of macroporous gel scaffolds and outline the impact of macropores on cell behaviors. In the first part, the advantages and challenges of hydrogels as three-dimensional (3D) cell culture scaffolds will be described. In the second part, the fabrication of various macroporous hydrogels will be presented. Third, the enhancement of cell activities within macroporous gel scaffolds will be discussed. Finally, several crucial factors that are envisaged to propel the improvement of macroporous gel scaffolds are proposed for 3D cell culture and tissue engineering.

  5. Effects of Green Banana Flour on the Physical, Chemical and Sensory Properties of Ice Cream

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Summary In the present study, possible effects of the addition of banana flour at different mass fractions (1 and 2%) are investigated on physical (overrun, viscosity), chemical (dry matter, fat and ash content, acidity, pH, water and oil holding capacity and colour), mineral content (Ca, K, Na, P, S, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni) and sensory properties of ice cream. Fibre--rich banana pieces were found to contain 66.8 g per 100 g of total dietary fibre, 58.6 g per 100 g of which were insoluble dietary fibre, while 8.2 g per 100 g were soluble dietary fibre. It can be concluded from these results that banana is a valuable dietary fibre source which can be used in food production. Flour obtained from green banana pulp and peel was found to have significant (p<0.05) effect on the chemical composition of ice creams. Sulphur content increased while calcium content decreased in ice cream depending on banana flour content. Sensory results indicated that ice cream sample containing 2% of green banana pulp flour received the highest score from panellists. PMID:27904363

  6. [Latex and banana allergies in children with myelomeningocele in the city of Rio de Janeiro].

    PubMed

    Machado, Marta; Sant'anna, Clemax; Aires, Vera; Rodrigues, Pedro Paulo; Pinheiro, Maria Fernanda; Teixeira, Marisa

    2004-01-01

    Recently, latex type I hypersensibility reactions were frequently described, mainly in children with myelomeningocele (MMC), which maintain earlier intimate and frequent contact with latex products. Allergic food cross-reactions are well known for many years. Nowadays, latex allergy is frequently associated with food allergies to avocado, banana, kiwi, grapefruit, papaya, chestnut and peach. The objective of this study consisted in identifying the number of patients with myelomeningocele (MMC) and banana-latex clinico-laboratorial sensitization. Questionnaires were applied to 33 children with MMC and blood was collected from 30 to perform latex IgE (RAST Pharmacia), and from 29 to banana IgE. Specific IgE equal or above class I was considered positive. Four children related histories of latex contact urticaria, and one child related a history of urticaria and diarrhea with banana. 14/30 (46.6%) were latex IgE positive, and 4/29 (13.7%) to banana. There was no statistically significant association between variables. We identified high prevalence of latex and banana allergies in patients with MMC and we need more studies to analyze the prevalence of food-latex allergic cross-reactions in children with MMC.

  7. Antioxidant activity of banana flavonoids.

    PubMed

    Vijayakumar, S; Presannakumar, G; Vijayalakshmi, N R

    2008-06-01

    The antioxidant activity of flavonoids from banana (Musa paradisiaca) was studied in rats fed normal as well as high fat diets. Concentrations of peroxidation products namely malondialdehyde, hydroperoxides and conjugated diens were significantly decreased whereas the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were enhanced significantly. Concentrations of glutathione were also elevated in the treated animals.

  8. Bioinformatic Identification and Expression Analysis of Banana MicroRNAs and Their Targets

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Hourui; Ren, Mengyun; Zhang, Yindong; Wang, Jingyi

    2015-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that play important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNAs or repressing mRNA translation. Thousands of miRNAs have been identified in many plant species, whereas only a limited number of miRNAs have been predicted in M. acuminata (A genome) and M. balbisiana (B genome). Here, previously known plant miRNAs were BLASTed against the Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) and Genomic Survey Sequence (GSS), a database of banana genes. A total of 32 potential miRNAs belonging to 13 miRNAs families were detected using a range of filtering criteria. 244 miRNA:target pairs were subsequently predicted, most of which encode transcription factors or enzymes that participate in the regulation of development, growth, metabolism, and other physiological processes. In order to validate the predicted miRNAs and the mutual relationship between miRNAs and their target genes, qRT-PCR was applied to detect the tissue-specific expression levels of 12 putative miRNAs and 6 target genes in roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits. This study provides some important information about banana pre-miRNAs, mature miRNAs, and miRNA target genes and these findings can be applied to future research of miRNA functions. PMID:25856313

  9. Lemongrass-Incorporated Tissue Conditioner Against Candida albicans Culture

    PubMed Central

    Amornvit, Pokpong; Srithavaj, Theerathavaj

    2014-01-01

    Background: Tissue conditioner is applied popularly with dental prosthesis during wound healing process but it becomes a reservoir of oral microbiota, especially Candida species after long-term usage. Several antifungal drugs have been mixed with this material to control fungal level. In this study, lemongrass essential oil was added into COE-COMFORT tissue conditioner before being determined for anti-Candida efficacy. Materials and Methods: Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil was primarily determined for antifungal activity against C. albicans American type culture collection (ATCC) 10231 and MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value by agar disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods, respectively. COE-COMFORT tissue conditioner was prepared as recommended by the manufacturer after a fixed volume of the oil at its MIC or higher concentrations were mixed thoroughly in its liquid part. Antifungal efficacy of the tissue conditioner with/without herb was finally analyzed. Results: Lemongrass essential oil displayed potent antifungal activity against C. albicans ATCC 10231and its MIC value was 0.06% (v/v). Dissimilarly, the tissue conditioner containing the oil at MIC level did not cease the growth of the tested fungus. Both reference and clinical isolates of C. albicans were completely inhibited after exposed to the tissue conditioner containing at least 0.25% (v/v) of the oil (approximately 4-time MIC). The tissue conditioner without herb or with nystatin was employed as negative or positive control, respectively. Conclusion: COE-COMFORT tissue conditioner supplemented with lemongrass essential oil obviously demonstrated another desirable property as in vitro anti-Candida efficacy to minimize the risk of getting Candidal infection. PMID:25177638

  10. Aspergillus Hyphae in Infected Tissue: Evidence of Physiologic Adaptation and Effect on Culture Recovery

    PubMed Central

    Tarrand, Jeffrey J.; Han, Xiang Y.; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P.; May, Gregory S.

    2005-01-01

    Microbiologic cultures of fungi are routinely incubated at ambient temperatures in room air, and the rate of recovery of Aspergillus species from clinical specimens is poor. Failure of current culture methods to mimic the physiologic temperature and low-oxygen environment found in hypha-laden infected tissue may underlie this poor recovery. Experiments were performed to compare the recovery of Aspergillus spp. incubated at 35°C in 6% O2-10% CO2 with that at 25°C in room air. The samples tested included Aspergillus-infected tissue specimens from a dog model and human autopsies, experimental anaerobically stressed Aspergillus inocula, and 10,062 consecutive clinical specimens. Culture at 35°C in 6% O2-10% CO2 significantly enhanced the recovery of Aspergillus spp. from the infected autopsy tissue samples. Incubation at 35°C alone resulted in approximately 10-fold-improved culture recovery from the experimentally stressed hyphae, and the 6% O2-10% CO2 atmosphere independently favored growth under temperature-matched conditions. Finally, incubation at 35°C (in room air) improved the overall recovery of Aspergillus spp. from clinical specimens by 31%. Culture at 35°C in a microaerobic atmosphere significantly enhances the recovery of Aspergillus spp. from various sources. Aspergillus hyphae growing in infected tissue appear to be adapted to the physiologic temperature and hypoxic milieu. PMID:15634998

  11. Aspergillus hyphae in infected tissue: evidence of physiologic adaptation and effect on culture recovery.

    PubMed

    Tarrand, Jeffrey J; Han, Xiang Y; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P; May, Gregory S

    2005-01-01

    Microbiologic cultures of fungi are routinely incubated at ambient temperatures in room air, and the rate of recovery of Aspergillus species from clinical specimens is poor. Failure of current culture methods to mimic the physiologic temperature and low-oxygen environment found in hypha-laden infected tissue may underlie this poor recovery. Experiments were performed to compare the recovery of Aspergillus spp. incubated at 35 degrees C in 6% O(2)-10% CO(2) with that at 25 degrees C in room air. The samples tested included Aspergillus-infected tissue specimens from a dog model and human autopsies, experimental anaerobically stressed Aspergillus inocula, and 10,062 consecutive clinical specimens. Culture at 35 degrees C in 6% O(2)-10% CO(2) significantly enhanced the recovery of Aspergillus spp. from the infected autopsy tissue samples. Incubation at 35 degrees C alone resulted in approximately 10-fold-improved culture recovery from the experimentally stressed hyphae, and the 6% O(2)-10% CO(2) atmosphere independently favored growth under temperature-matched conditions. Finally, incubation at 35 degrees C (in room air) improved the overall recovery of Aspergillus spp. from clinical specimens by 31%. Culture at 35 degrees C in a microaerobic atmosphere significantly enhances the recovery of Aspergillus spp. from various sources. Aspergillus hyphae growing in infected tissue appear to be adapted to the physiologic temperature and hypoxic milieu.

  12. Soluble Starch Synthase III-1 in Amylopectin Metabolism of Banana Fruit: Characterization, Expression, Enzyme Activity, and Functional Analyses

    PubMed Central

    Miao, Hongxia; Sun, Peiguang; Liu, Qing; Jia, Caihong; Liu, Juhua; Hu, Wei; Jin, Zhiqiang; Xu, Biyu

    2017-01-01

    Soluble starch synthase (SS) is one of the key enzymes involved in amylopectin biosynthesis in plants. However, no information is currently available about this gene family in the important fruit crop banana. Herein, we characterized the function of MaSSIII-1 in amylopectin metabolism of banana fruit and described the putative role of the other MaSS family members. Firstly, starch granules, starch and amylopectin content were found to increase during banana fruit development, but decline during storage. The SS activity started to increase later than amylopectin and starch content. Secondly, four putative SS genes were cloned and characterized from banana fruit. Among them, MaSSIII-1 showed the highest expression in banana pulp during fruit development at transcriptional levels. Further Western blot analysis suggested that the protein was gradually increased during banana fruit development, but drastically reduced during storage. This expression pattern was highly consistent with changes in starch granules, amylopectin content, and SS activity at the late phase of banana fruit development. Lastly, overexpression of MaSSIII-1 in tomato plants distinctly changed the morphology of starch granules and significantly increased the total starch accumulation, amylopectin content, and SS activity at mature-green stage in comparison to wild-type. The findings demonstrated that MaSSIII-1 is a key gene expressed in banana fruit and responsible for the active amylopectin biosynthesis, this is the first report in a fresh fruit species. Such a finding may enable the development of molecular markers for banana breeding and genetic improvement of nutritional value and functional properties of banana fruit. PMID:28424724

  13. Hydrodynamic effects on cells in agitated tissue culture reactors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cherry, R. S.; Papoutsakis, E. T.

    1986-01-01

    The mechanisms by which hydrodynamic forces can affect cells grown on microcarrier beads in agitated cell culture reactors were investigated by analyzing the motion of microcarriers relative to the surrounding fluid, to each other, and to moving or stationary solid surfaces. It was found that harmful effects on cell cultures that have been previously attributed to shear can be better explained as the effects of turbulence (of a size scale comparable to the microcarriers or the spacing between them) or collisions. The primary mechanisms of cell damage involve direct interaction between microcarriers and turbulent eddies, collisions between microcarriers in turbulent flow, and collisions against the impeller or other solid surfaces. The implications of these analytical results for the design of tissue culture reactors are discussed.

  14. Metamorphosis of mesothelial cells with active horizontal motility in tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Nagai, Hirotaka; Chew, Shan Hwu; Okazaki, Yasumasa; Funahashi, Satomi; Namba, Takashi; Kato, Takuya; Enomoto, Atsushi; Jiang, Li; Akatsuka, Shinya; Toyokuni, Shinya

    2013-01-01

    Mesothelial cells, which have diverse roles in physiology and pathology, constitute the mesothelium along with connective tissue and the basement membrane; the mesothelium serves to shield the somatic cavities. After mesothelial injury, mesothelial cells undergo tissue recovery. However, the mechanism of mesothelial regeneration remains poorly understood. In this study, we used confocal time-lapse microscopy to demonstrate that transformed mesothelial cells (MeT5A) and mouse peritoneal mesothelial cells can randomly migrate between cells in cell culture and in ex vivo tissue culture, respectively. Moreover, peritoneal mesothelial cells changed their morphology from a flattened shape to a cuboidal one prior to the migration. Conversely, MDCKII epithelial cells forming tight cell-cell contacts with one another do not alter the arrangement of adjacent cells during movement. Our evidence complements the current hypotheses of mesothelial regeneration and suggests that certain types of differentiated mesothelial cells undergo morphological changes before initiating migration to repair injured sites.

  15. Socioeconomic Importance of the Banana Tree (Musa Spp.) in the Guinean Highland Savannah Agroforests

    PubMed Central

    Mapongmetsem, Pierre Marie; Nkongmeneck, Bernard Aloys; Gubbuk, Hamide

    2012-01-01

    Home gardens are defined as less complex agroforests which look like and function as natural forest ecosystems but are integrated into agricultural management systems located around houses. Investigations were carried out in 187 households. The aim of the study was to identify the different types of banana home gardens existing in the periurban zone of Ngaoundere town. The results showed that the majority of home gardens in the area were very young (less than 15 years old) and very small in size (less than 1 ha). Eleven types of home gardens were found in the periurban area of Ngaoundere town. The different home garden types showed important variations in all their structural characteristics. Two local species of banana are cultivated in the systems, Musa sinensis and Musa paradisiaca. The total banana production is 3.57 tons per year. The total quantity of banana consumed in the periurban zone was 3.54 tons (93.5%) whereas 1.01 tons were sold in local or urban markets. The main banana producers belonged to home gardens 2, 4, 7, and 9. The quantity of banana offered to relatives was more than what the farmers received from others. Farmers, rely on agroforests because the flow of their products helps them consolidate friendship and conserve biodiversity at the same time. PMID:22629136

  16. Socioeconomic importance of the banana tree (Musa spp.) in the Guinean Highland Savannah agroforests.

    PubMed

    Mapongmetsem, Pierre Marie; Nkongmeneck, Bernard Aloys; Gubbuk, Hamide

    2012-01-01

    Home gardens are defined as less complex agroforests which look like and function as natural forest ecosystems but are integrated into agricultural management systems located around houses. Investigations were carried out in 187 households. The aim of the study was to identify the different types of banana home gardens existing in the periurban zone of Ngaoundere town. The results showed that the majority of home gardens in the area were very young (less than 15 years old) and very small in size (less than 1 ha). Eleven types of home gardens were found in the periurban area of Ngaoundere town. The different home garden types showed important variations in all their structural characteristics. Two local species of banana are cultivated in the systems, Musa sinensis and Musa paradisiaca. The total banana production is 3.57 tons per year. The total quantity of banana consumed in the periurban zone was 3.54 tons (93.5%) whereas 1.01 tons were sold in local or urban markets. The main banana producers belonged to home gardens 2, 4, 7, and 9. The quantity of banana offered to relatives was more than what the farmers received from others. Farmers, rely on agroforests because the flow of their products helps them consolidate friendship and conserve biodiversity at the same time.

  17. Space Curvature and the "Heavy Banana 'Paradox.'"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gruber, Ronald P.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Two ways to visually enhance the concept of space curvature are described. Viewing space curvature as a meterstick contraction and the heavy banana "paradox" are discussed. The meterstick contraction is mathematically explained. (KR)

  18. The Draft Genome Sequence of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the Black Sigatoka Pathogen of Banana

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Mycosphaerella fijiensis is a fungal pathogen of banana and the causal agent of the devastating Black Sigatoka or black leaf streak disease. Its control requires weekly fungicide applications when bananas are grown under disease-conducive conditions, which mostly represent precarious tropical enviro...

  19. Dietary fibre components and pectin chemical features of peels during ripening in banana and plantain varieties.

    PubMed

    Happi Emaga, Thomas; Robert, Christelle; Ronkart, Sébastien N; Wathelet, Bernard; Paquot, Michel

    2008-07-01

    The effects of the ripeness stage of banana (Musa AAA) and plantain (Musa AAB) peels on neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, pectin contents, and pectin chemical features were studied. Plantain peels contained a higher amount of lignin but had a lower hemicellulose content than banana peels. A sequential extraction of pectins showed that acid extraction was the most efficient to isolate banana peel pectins, whereas an ammonium oxalate extraction was more appropriate for plantain peels. In all the stages of maturation, the pectin content in banana peels was higher compared to plantain peels. Moreover, the galacturonic acid and methoxy group contents in banana peels were higher than in plantain peels. The average molecular weights of the extracted pectins were in the range of 132.6-573.8 kDa and were not dependant on peel variety, while the stage of maturation did not affect the dietary fibre yields and the composition in pectic polysaccharides in a consistent manner. This study has showed that banana peels are a potential source of dietary fibres and pectins.

  20. Use of Banana (Musa acuminata Colla AAA) Peel Extract as an Antioxidant Source in Orange Juices.

    PubMed

    Ortiz, Lucía; Dorta, Eva; Gloria Lobo, M; González-Mendoza, L Antonio; Díaz, Carlos; González, Mónica

    2017-03-01

    Using banana peel extract as an antioxidant in freshly squeezed orange juices and juices from concentrate was evaluated. Free radical scavenging capacity increased by adding banana peel extracts to both types of orange juice. In addition, remarkable increases in antioxidant capacity using 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical were observed when equal or greater than 5 mg of banana peel extract per ml of freshly squeezed juice was added. No clear effects were observed in the capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Adding 5 mg banana peel extract per ml of orange juice did not substantially modify the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of either type of juice. However, undesirable changes in the sensory characteristics (in-mouth sensations and colour) were detected when equal or greater than 10 mg banana peel extract per ml of orange juice was added. These results confirm that banana peel is a promising natural additive that increases the capacity to scavenge free radicals of orange juice with acceptable sensory and physicochemical characteristics for the consumer.

  1. Repetitive part of the banana (Musa acuminata) genome investigated by low-depth 454 sequencing.

    PubMed

    Hribová, Eva; Neumann, Pavel; Matsumoto, Takashi; Roux, Nicolas; Macas, Jirí; Dolezel, Jaroslav

    2010-09-16

    Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are grown in more than a hundred tropical and subtropical countries and provide staple food for hundreds of millions of people. They are seed-sterile crops propagated clonally and this makes them vulnerable to a rapid spread of devastating diseases and at the same time hampers breeding improved cultivars. Although the socio-economic importance of bananas and plantains cannot be overestimated, they remain outside the focus of major research programs. This slows down the study of nuclear genome and the development of molecular tools to facilitate banana improvement. In this work, we report on the first thorough characterization of the repeat component of the banana (M. acuminata cv. 'Calcutta 4') genome. Analysis of almost 100 Mb of sequence data (0.15× genome coverage) permitted partial sequence reconstruction and characterization of repetitive DNA, making up about 30% of the genome. The results showed that the banana repeats are predominantly made of various types of Ty1/copia and Ty3/gypsy retroelements representing 16 and 7% of the genome respectively. On the other hand, DNA transposons were found to be rare. In addition to new families of transposable elements, two new satellite repeats were discovered and found useful as cytogenetic markers. To help in banana sequence annotation, a specific Musa repeat database was created, and its utility was demonstrated by analyzing the repeat composition of 62 genomic BAC clones. A low-depth 454 sequencing of banana nuclear genome provided the largest amount of DNA sequence data available until now for Musa and permitted reconstruction of most of the major types of DNA repeats. The information obtained in this study improves the knowledge of the long-range organization of banana chromosomes, and provides sequence resources needed for repeat masking and annotation during the Musa genome sequencing project. It also provides sequence data for isolation of DNA markers to be used in genetic

  2. Repetitive part of the banana (Musa acuminata) genome investigated by low-depth 454 sequencing

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are grown in more than a hundred tropical and subtropical countries and provide staple food for hundreds of millions of people. They are seed-sterile crops propagated clonally and this makes them vulnerable to a rapid spread of devastating diseases and at the same time hampers breeding improved cultivars. Although the socio-economic importance of bananas and plantains cannot be overestimated, they remain outside the focus of major research programs. This slows down the study of nuclear genome and the development of molecular tools to facilitate banana improvement. Results In this work, we report on the first thorough characterization of the repeat component of the banana (M. acuminata cv. 'Calcutta 4') genome. Analysis of almost 100 Mb of sequence data (0.15× genome coverage) permitted partial sequence reconstruction and characterization of repetitive DNA, making up about 30% of the genome. The results showed that the banana repeats are predominantly made of various types of Ty1/copia and Ty3/gypsy retroelements representing 16 and 7% of the genome respectively. On the other hand, DNA transposons were found to be rare. In addition to new families of transposable elements, two new satellite repeats were discovered and found useful as cytogenetic markers. To help in banana sequence annotation, a specific Musa repeat database was created, and its utility was demonstrated by analyzing the repeat composition of 62 genomic BAC clones. Conclusion A low-depth 454 sequencing of banana nuclear genome provided the largest amount of DNA sequence data available until now for Musa and permitted reconstruction of most of the major types of DNA repeats. The information obtained in this study improves the knowledge of the long-range organization of banana chromosomes, and provides sequence resources needed for repeat masking and annotation during the Musa genome sequencing project. It also provides sequence data for isolation of DNA

  3. Effects of Apollo 12 lunar material on lipid levels of tobacco tissue and slash pine cultures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weete, J. D.

    1972-01-01

    Investigations of the lipid components of pine tissues (Pinus elloitii) are discussed, emphasizing fatty acids and steroids. The response by slash pine tissue cultures to growth in contact with Apollo lunar soil, earth basalt, and Iowa soil is studied. Tissue cultures of tobacco grown for 12 weeks in contact with lunar material from Apollo 12 flight contained 21 to 35 percent more total pigment than control tissues. No differences were noted in the fresh or dry weight of the experimental and control samples.

  4. Formation of three-dimensional fetal myocardial tissue cultures from rat for long-term cultivation.

    PubMed

    Just, Lothar; Kürsten, Anne; Borth-Bruhns, Thomas; Lindenmaier, Werner; Rohde, Manfred; Dittmar, Kurt; Bader, Augustinus

    2006-08-01

    Three-dimensional cardiomyocyte cultures offer new possibilities for the analysis of cardiac cell differentiation, spatial cellular arrangement, and time-specific gene expression in a tissue-like environment. We present a new method for generating homogenous and robust cardiomyocyte tissue cultures with good long-term viability. Ventricular heart cells prepared from fetal rats at embryonic day 13 were cultured in a scaffold-free two-step process. To optimize the cell culture model, several digestion protocols and culture conditions were tested. After digestion of fetal cardiac ventricles, the resultant cell suspension of isolated cardiocytes was shaken to initialize cell aggregate formation. In the second step, these three-dimensional cell aggregates were transferred onto a microporous membrane to allow further microstructure formation. Autonomously beating cultures possessed more than 25 cell layers and a homogenous distribution of cardiomyocytes without central necrosis after 8 weeks in vitro. The cardiomyocytes showed contractile elements, desmosomes, and gap junctions analyzed by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The beat frequency could be modulated by adrenergic agonist and antagonist. Adenoviral green fluorescent protein transfer into cardiomyocytes was possible and highly effective. This three-dimensional tissue model proved to be useful for studying cell-cell interactions and cell differentiation processes in a three-dimensional cell arrangement.

  5. Extrusion and characterization of thermoplastic starch sheets from "macho" banana.

    PubMed

    Alanís-López, P; Pérez-González, J; Rendón-Villalobos, R; Jiménez-Pérez, A; Solorza-Feria, J

    2011-08-01

    Starch isolated from macho banana was oxidized by using 2.5% and 3.5% (w/w) of sodium hypochlorite. Native and oxidized starches with glycerol were processed using a conical twin screw extruder to obtain thermoplastic laminates or sheets, which were partially characterized. Oxidized banana starches presented higher moisture and total starch but lower ash, protein, lipids, and apparent amylose content than the native starch. Micrographs of sheets from oxidized starches showed wrinkles and cavities presumably caused by the plasticizer, but with less free glycerol and unplasticized starch granules than those from native starch. Sheets from oxidized starch showed a notorious increase in all thermal parameters (To, Tp, and ΔH), mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation at break, and elasticity), and solubility. Banana starch X-ray diffraction patterns corresponded to a mixture of the A- and B-type polymorphs, with apparently slightly higher crystallinity in oxidized specimens than in native starch. A similar trend was observed in the corresponding sheets. Due to the pollution problem caused by the conventional plastics, there has been a renewed interest in biodegradable sheets, because they may have the potential to replace conventional packaging materials. Banana starch might be an interesting raw material to be used as edible sheet, coating or in food packaging, and preservation, because it is biodegradable, cheap, innocuous, and abundant. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

  6. Apollo 12 lunar material - Effects on lipid levels of tobacco tissue cultures.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weete, J. D.; Walkinshaw, C. H.; Laseter, J. L.

    1972-01-01

    Tobacco tissue cultures grown in contact with lunar material from Apollo 12, for a 12-week period, resulted in fluctuations of both the relative and absolute concentrations of endogenous sterols and fatty acids. The experimental tissues contained higher concentrations of sterols than the controls did. The ratio of campesterol to stigmasterol was greater than 1 in control tissues, but less than 1 in the experimental tissues after 3 weeks. High relative concentrations (17.1 to 22.2 per cent) of an unidentified compound or compounds were found only in control tissues that were 3 to 9 weeks of age.

  7. Co-culture with infrapatellar fat pad differentially stimulates proteoglycan synthesis and accumulation in cartilage and meniscus tissues.

    PubMed

    Nishimuta, James F; Bendernagel, Monica F; Levenston, Marc E

    2017-09-01

    Although osteoarthritis is widely viewed as a disease of the whole joint, relatively few studies have focused on interactions among joint tissues in joint homeostasis and degeneration. In particular, few studies have examined the effects of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) on cartilaginous tissues. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that co-culture with healthy IFP would induce degradation of cartilage and meniscus tissues. Bovine articular cartilage, meniscus, and IFP were cultured isolated or as cartilage-fat or meniscus-fat co-cultures for up to 14 days. Conditioned media were assayed for sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content, nitrite content, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, and explants were assayed for sGAG and DNA contents. Co-cultures exhibited increased cumulative sGAG release and sGAG release rates for both cartilage and meniscus, and the cartilage (but not meniscus) exhibited a substantial synergistic effect of co-culture (sGAG release in co-culture was significantly greater than the summed release from isolated cartilage and fat). Fat co-culture did not significantly alter the sGAG content of either cartilage or meniscus explants, indicating that IFP co-culture stimulated net sGAG production by cartilage. Nitrite release was increased relative to isolated tissue controls in co-cultured meniscus, but not the cartilage, with no synergistic effect of co-culture. Interestingly, MMP-2 production was decreased by co-culture for both cartilage and meniscus. This study demonstrates that healthy IFP may modulate joint homeostasis by stimulating sGAG production in cartilage. Counter to our hypothesis, healthy IFP did not promote degradation of either cartilage or meniscus tissues.

  8. Optimization of banana trunk-activated carbon production for methylene blue-contaminated water treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Danish, Mohammed; Ahmad, Tanweer; Nadhari, W. N. A. W.; Ahmad, Mehraj; Khanday, Waheed Ahmad; Ziyang, Lou; Pin, Zhou

    2018-03-01

    This experiment was run to characterize the banana trunk-activated carbon through methylene blue dye adsorption property. The H3PO4 chemical activating agent was used to produce activated carbons from the banana trunk. A small rotatable central composite design of response surface methodology was adopted to prepare chemically (H3PO4) activated carbon from banana trunk. Three operating variables such as activation time (50-120 min), activation temperature (450-850 °C), and activating agent concentration (1.5-7.0 mol/L) play a significant role in the adsorption capacities ( q) of activated carbons against methylene blue dye. The results implied that the maximum adsorption capacity of fixed dosage (4.0 g/L) banana trunk-activated carbon was achieved at the activation time of 51 min, the activation temperature of 774 °C, and H3PO4 concentration of 5.09 mol/L. At optimum conditions of preparation, the obtained banana trunk-activated carbon has adsorption capacity 64.66 mg/g against methylene blue. Among the prepared activated carbons run number 3 (prepared with central values of the operating variables) was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction.

  9. Kinetic study on ferulic acid production from banana stem waste via mechanical extraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zainol, Norazwina; Masngut, Nasratun; Khairi Jusup, Muhamad

    2018-04-01

    Banana is the tropical plants associated with lots of medicinal properties. It has been reported to be a potential source of phenolic compounds such as ferulic acid (FA). FA has excellent antioxidant properties higher than vitamin C and E. FA also have a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidant activities and anti-microbial activities. This paper presents an experimental and kinetic study on ferulic acid (FA) production from banana stem waste (BSW) via mechanical extraction. The objective of this research is to determine the kinetic parameters in the ferulic acid production. The banana stem waste was randomly collected from the local banana plantation in Felda Lepar Hilir, Pahang. The banana stem juice was mechanically extracted by using sugarcane press machine (KR3176) and further analyzed in high performance liquid chromatography. The differential and integral method was applied to determine the kinetic parameter of the extraction process and the data obtained were fitted into the 0th, 1st and 2nd order of extraction process. Based on the results, the kinetic parameter and R2 value from were 0.05 and 0.93, respectively. It was determined that the 0th kinetic order fitted the reaction processes to best represent the mechanical extraction.

  10. Specification of embryonic stem cell-derived tissues into eye fields by Wnt signaling using rostral diencephalic tissue-inducing culture.

    PubMed

    Sakakura, Eriko; Eiraku, Mototsugu; Takata, Nozomu

    2016-08-01

    The eyes are subdivided from the rostral diencephalon in early development. How the neuroectoderm regulates this subdivision, however, is largely unknown. Taking advantage of embryonic stem cell (ESC) culture using a Rax reporter line to monitor rostral diencephalon formation, we found that ESC-derived tissues at day 7 grown in Glasgow Minimum Expression Media (GMEM) containing knockout serum replacement (KSR) exhibited higher levels of expression of axin2, a Wnt target gene, than those grown in chemically defined medium (CDM). Surprisingly, Wnt agonist facilitated eye field-like tissue specification in CDM. In contrast, the addition of Wnt antagonist diminished eye field tissue formation in GMEM+KSR. Furthermore, the morphological formation of the eye tissue anlage, including the optic vesicle, was accompanied by Wnt signaling activation. Additionally, using CDM culture, we developed an efficient method for generating Rax+/Chx10+ retinal progenitors, which could become fully stratified retina. Here we provide a new avenue for exploring the mechanisms of eye field specification in vitro. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Organ and tissue donation in migrants: advanced course for cross-cultural mediators.

    PubMed

    Potenza, R; Guermani, A; Grosso, M; Fossarello, L; Fontaneto, C; Casciola, A; Donadio, P P

    2013-09-01

    Between 2004 and 2010 in Piedmont (Italy Northern Region) 1556 brain-death situations were reported, including 113 (7.3%) in migrants as potential organ and tissue donors. The health staff often has to face migrants, who show great cultural differences and language difficulties. The Molinette Hospital Customer Care Service, the Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency (RPC), and the Cross-Cultural Mediators Association (CMA) organized a special course for intercultural mediators, to decrease misunderstandings between the health staff and the migrants' families and to improve professional communication. In 2011, 28 cultural-linguistic mediators representing different groups of migrants in Piemonte took part in a specific course. Over a 5 month period they were informed about emotional and communicative aspects, proper to the moment of death, as well as organ donation as an intercultural field, the professional role of the mediator, the clinical and forensic aspects of brain death and donation, and the psychological aspects of organ donation. The course was organized by cultural-linguistic mediators of the CMA, the staff of the RPC and the teachers at Turin University. The list of the 21 mediators who passed the final exam was given to organ and tissue donation hospital co-ordinators in Piedmont, so that if necessary, they could obtain the cooperation of these qualified people. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Cytotoxicity analysis of alendronate on cultured endothelial cells and subcutaneous tissue. a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Moreira, Maria Stella; Katayama, Emilio; Bombana, Antonio Carlos; Marques, Márcia Martins

    2005-12-01

    The use of alendronate, a bisphosphonate which is able to inhibit bone resorption, in order to prevent dental root resorption after tooth replantation would be of clinical relevance. However, this drug must be biocompatible to the periapical tissues. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of an alendronate paste in polyethyleneglycol (2 g ml(-1)) on endothelial cells in culture (in vitro) and on rat subcutaneous tissue (in vivo). For the in vitro study the paste was applied on round glass coverslips that were immersed into confluent cell cultures (clone Cips). The cell viability percentages of these cultures were obtained 0, 6 and 12 h after contact with the substance. As control, cultures that received plain coverslips were used. This analysis was carried out in triplicate using the Trypan blue dye exclusion assay. For the in vivo study the paste was introduced into polyethylene tubes that were placed into the rat subcutaneous tissue. The rats were killed 7 and 14 days later; then, the tissue sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin were analyzed. In vitro, the alendronate caused a significant decrease in the cell viability in 6 h (P < 0.05) and 12 h (P < 0.01), when compared with the control cultures. In vivo the tissue response was exuberant and similar at the two experimental times. There was a necrosis in a comprehensive area in contact with the open end of the tube. Presence of micro-abscesses and intense inflammatory infiltrate in the hypoderm permeating the muscle fibers and fat lobules were observed. In conclusion, the alendronate paste in polyethylene glycol as used showed to be highly cytotoxic in vitro as well as in vivo.

  13. Tissue Culture as a Source of Replicates in Nonmodel Plants: Variation in Cold Response in Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea.

    PubMed

    Kenta, Tanaka; Edwards, Jessica E M; Butlin, Roger K; Burke, Terry; Quick, W Paul; Urwin, Peter; Davey, Matthew P

    2016-12-07

    While genotype-environment interaction is increasingly receiving attention by ecologists and evolutionary biologists, such studies need genetically homogeneous replicates-a challenging hurdle in outcrossing plants. This could be potentially overcome by using tissue culture techniques. However, plants regenerated from tissue culture may show aberrant phenotypes and "somaclonal" variation. Here, we examined somaclonal variation due to tissue culturing using the response to cold treatment of photosynthetic efficiency (chlorophyll fluorescence measurements for F v /F m , F v '/F m ', and Φ PSII , representing maximum efficiency of photosynthesis for dark- and light-adapted leaves, and the actual electron transport operating efficiency, respectively, which are reliable indicators of photoinhibition and damage to the photosynthetic electron transport system). We compared this to variation among half-sibling seedlings from three different families of Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea Somaclonal variation was limited, and we could detect within-family variation in change in chlorophyll fluorescence due to cold shock successfully with the help of tissue-culture derived replicates. Icelandic and Norwegian families exhibited higher chlorophyll fluorescence, suggesting higher performance after cold shock, than a Swedish family. Although the main effect of tissue culture on F v /F m , F v '/F m ', and Φ PSII was small, there were significant interactions between tissue culture and family, suggesting that the effect of tissue culture is genotype-specific. Tissue-cultured plantlets were less affected by cold treatment than seedlings, but to a different extent in each family. These interactive effects, however, were comparable to, or much smaller than the single effect of family. These results suggest that tissue culture is a useful method for obtaining genetically homogenous replicates for studying genotype-environment interaction related to adaptively-relevant phenotypes, such

  14. Radiosensitivity of different tissues from carrot root at different phases of growth in culture

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Degani, N.; Pickholtz, D.

    1980-09-01

    The present work compares the effect of ..gamma..-radiation dose and time in culture on the growth of cambium and phloem carrot (Daucus carota) root explants. It was found that the phloem is more radiosensitive than the cambium and that both tissues were more radiosensitive when irradiated on excision at the G/sub 1/ phase rather than at the end of the lag phase on the ninth day of growth in culture when cells were predominantly at the G/sub 2/ phase. The nuclear volumes of cells from both tissues were similar but were larger at the end of the more radioresistant lagmore » phase than those of the G/sub 1/ phase on excision. However, nuclear volume could not account for the differences in radiosensitivity between either the tissues or irradiation times in culture.« less

  15. [Banana peel: a possible source of infection in the treatment of nipple fissures].

    PubMed

    Novak, Franz Reis; de Almeida, João Aprígio Guerra; de Souza e Silva, Rosana

    2003-01-01

    To study the microbiology of banana peel being sold in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in an attempt to determine the possibility that the peel may represent a source of infection for women who use it to treat nipple fissures. The following microorganisms were studied in 20 banana peel samples: mesophiles, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, lipolytic and proteolytic microorganisms, molds and yeasts, lactic bacteria, and coagulase-positive staphylococcus. The microbiological analyses revealed the occurrence of several typical groups of microorganisms, with the following distribution of positive results being detected in banana peel samples: mesophiles, 100%; total coliforms, 20%; coagulase-positive staphylococcus, 25%; molds and yeasts, 30%; proteolytic microorganisms, 70%; lipolytic microorganisms, 30%, and lactic bacteria, 95%. Fecal coliforms and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were not isolated. The results show the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in levels which could compromise the microbiological quality of the banana peel. Its use for the treatment of nipple fissures can initiate an infectious process.

  16. Glioma tissue obtained by modern ultrasonic aspiration with a simple sterile suction trap for primary cell culture and pathological evaluation.

    PubMed

    Schroeteler, Juliane; Reeker, Ralf; Suero Molina, Eric; Brokinkel, Benjamin; Holling, Markus; Grauer, Oliver M; Senner, Volker; Stummer, Walter; Ewelt, Christian

    2014-01-01

    Ultrasonic aspiration is widely used in the resection of brain tumors. Nevertheless, tumor tissue fragments obtained by ultrasonic aspiration are usually discarded. In this study, we demonstrate that these fragments are possible sources of material for histopathological study and tissue culture and compare their microscopic features and viability in tissue culture of cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator tissue fragments. Brain tumor tissue collected by ultrasonic aspiration (CUSA EXcel®; Integra Radionics Inc.) in a simple sterile suction trap during resection was processed for primary cell culture. Cell viability and immunohistological markers were measured by the WST-1 test, microscopy and immunofluorescent evaluation. Six gliomas are presented to demonstrate that these tissue fragments show good preservation of histological detail and tissue viability in culture. Utilization of this material may facilitate pathological interpretation by providing a more representative sample of tumor histology as well as an adequate and sterile biosource of material for tissue culture studies.

  17. Physicochemical properties of flakes made from three varieties of banana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ratnawati, Lia; Afifah, Nok

    2017-11-01

    Ripe and unripe banana flour from three varieties of banana (Kepok, Raja and Ambon) were used to make a flake. This study aims to determine the physicochemical properties of flakes made from three types of banana varieties. The moisture, ash, protein, fat and carbohydrate content of flakes ranged from 1.01 to 4.40%, 2.40 to 2.99%, 7.38 to 9.19%, 4.71 to 8.32 % and 77.78 to 82.65%, respectively. WAI, WSI and TDF values of flakes ranged from 1.81 to 2.11 g/g, 34.54 to 52.64% and 8.64 to 10.04%, respectively. Values of hardness and fracturability were ranging from 346.65 to 563.50 g and 15.16 to 17.62 mm. The colour parameter values are lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of flakes ranged from 42.56 to 55.82, 3.34 to 6.60 and 3.99 to 13.09, respectively.

  18. Effects of reactive oxygen species on cellular wall disassembly of banana fruit during ripening.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Guiping; Duan, Xuewu; Shi, John; Lu, Wangjin; Luo, Yunbo; Jiang, Weibo; Jiang, Yueming

    2008-07-15

    Fruit softening is generally attributed to cell wall disassembly. Experiments were conducted to investigate effects of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) on in vitro cellular wall disassembly of harvested banana fruit. The alcohol-extracted insoluble residue (AEIR) was obtained from the pulp tissues of banana fruit at various ripening stages and then used to examine the disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides in the presence of superoxide anion (O2(-)), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or hydroxyl radical (OH) and their scavengers. The presence of OH accelerated significantly disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides in terms of the increase in contents of total sugars released and uronic acid, and the decrease in molecular mass of soluble polysaccharides, using gel permeation chromatography. However, the treatment with H2O2 or O2(-) showed no significant effect on the disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides. Furthermore, the degradation of the de-esterified AEIR was more susceptible to OH attack than the esterified AEIR. In addition, the effect of OH could be inhibited in the presence of OH scavenger. This study suggests that disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides could be initiated by OH as the solublisation of the polysaccharides increased, which, in turn, accelerated fruit softening. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Effect of banana pulp and peel flour on physicochemical properties and in vitro starch digestibility of yellow alkaline noodles.

    PubMed

    Ramli, Saifullah; Alkarkhi, Abbas F M; Shin Yong, Yeoh; Min-Tze, Liong; Easa, Azhar Mat

    2009-01-01

    The present study describes the utilization of banana--Cavendish (Musa acuminata L., cv cavendshii) and Dream (Musa acuminata colla. AAA, cv 'Berangan')--pulp and peel flours as functional ingredients in yellow alkaline noodles. Noodles were prepared by partial substitution of wheat flour with ripe banana pulp or peel flours. In most cases, the starch hydrolysis index, predicted glycaemic index (pGI) and physicochemical properties of cooked noodles were affected by banana flour addition. In general, the pGI values of cooked noodles were in the order; banana peel noodles < banana pulp noodles < control noodles. Since the peel flour was higher in total dietary fibre but lower in resistant starch contents than the pulp flour, the low pGI of banana peel noodles was mainly due to its high dietary fibre content. In conclusion, banana pulp and peel flour could be useful for controlling starch hydrolysis of yellow noodles, even though some physicochemical properties of the noodles were altered.

  20. How-To-Do-It: Using Cauliflower to Demonstrate Plant Tissue Culture.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haldeman, Janice H.; Ellis, Jane P.

    1988-01-01

    Presents techniques used for disinfestation of plant material, preparation of equipment and media, and laboratory procedures for tissue culture using cauliflower. Details methods for preparing solutions and plant propagation by cloning. (CW)

  1. Love Is Like a Squished Banana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Stephen

    1976-01-01

    An unemployed poet obtained a CETA public service job as a teacher's aide in Marin County, California, where he has guided elementary children's imaginative projects. His experiences are described. He has published a volume of the children's verse under the title "Love Is Like a Squished Banana." (AJ)

  2. Pineapple juice and its fractions in enzymatic browning inhibition of banana [Musa (AAA group) Gros Michel].

    PubMed

    Chaisakdanugull, Chitsuda; Theerakulkait, Chockchai; Wrolstad, Ronald E

    2007-05-16

    The effectiveness of pineapple juice in enzymatic browning inhibition was evaluated on the cut surface of banana slices. After storage of banana slices at 15 degrees C for 3 days, pineapple juice showed browning inhibition to a similar extent as 8 mM ascorbic acid but less than 4 mM sodium metabisulfite. Fractionation of pineapple juice by a solid-phase C18 cartridge revealed that the directly eluted fraction (DE fraction) inhibited banana polyphenol oxidase (PPO) about 100% when compared to the control. The DE fraction also showed more inhibitory effect than 8 mM ascorbic acid in enzymatic browning inhibition of banana puree during storage at 5 degrees C for 24 h. Further identification of the DE fraction by fractionation with ion exchange chromatography and confirmation using model systems indicated that malic acid and citric acid play an important role in the enzymatic browning inhibition of banana PPO.

  3. Xanthan gum: an economical substitute for agar in plant tissue culture media.

    PubMed

    Jain, R; Babbar, S B

    2006-03-01

    Xanthan gum, a microbial desiccation-resistant polysaccharide prepared commercially by aerobic submerged fermentation from Xanthomonas campestris, has been successfully used as a solidifying agent for plant tissue culture media. Its suitability as a substitute to agar was demonstrated for in vitro seed germination, caulogenesis and rhizogenesis of Albizzia lebbeck, androgenesis in anther cultures of Datura innoxia, and somatic embryogenesis in callus cultures of Calliandra tweedii. Culture media used for eliciting these morphogenic responses were gelled with either 1% xanthan gum or 0.9% agar. Xanthan gum, like agar, supported all these responses.

  4. "The Rotten Banana" Fires Back: The Story of a Danish Discourse of "Inclusive" Rurality in the Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winther, Malene Brandt; Svendsen, Gunnar Lind Haase

    2012-01-01

    The popularity of a particular term--the Rotten Banana--has paralleled the one-sided centralisation of public services since the Danish Municipal Reform of 2007. The Rotten Banana denotes peripheral Denmark, which takes a geographically curved form that resembles a banana, and it symbolises the belief that rural areas are backward and (too)…

  5. Expression of a ripening-related cytochrome P450 cDNA in Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata cv. Williams).

    PubMed

    Pua, Eng-Chong; Lee, Yi-Chuan

    2003-02-13

    As part of a study to understand the molecular basis of fruit ripening, this study reports the isolation and characterization of a banana cytochrome P450 (P450) cDNA, designated as MAP450-1, which was associated with fruit ripening of banana. MAP450-1 encoded a single polypeptide of 507 amino acid residues that shared an overall identity of 27-45% with that of several plant P450s, among which MAP450-1 was most related phylogenetically to the avocado P450 CYP71A1. The polypeptide that possessed residue domains conserved in all P450s was classified as CYP71N1. Expression of CYP71N1 varied greatly between banana organs. Transcripts were detected only in peel and pulp of the ripening fruit and not in unripe fruit tissues at all developmental stages or other organs (root, leaf, ovary and flower). During ripening, transcripts were barely detectable in pre-climacteric and climacteric fruits but, as ripening progressed, they began to accumulate and reached a maximum in post-climacteric fruits. CYP71N1 expression in pre-climacteric fruit could be upregulated by exogenous application of ethylene (1-5 ppm) and treatment of overripe fruit with exogenous sucrose (50-300 mM) but not glucose downregulated the expression. These results indicate that P450s may not play a role in fruit development and its expression is associated with ripening, which may be regulated, in part, by ethylene and/or sucrose, at the transcript level.

  6. A Study on the Morphological and PhysicoChemical Characteristics of Five Cooking Bananas

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Field evaluation of five banana clones was carried out at the National Germplasm Repository in Miami, Florida, USA from July 2006 to July 2008. Bananas (Musa acuminata Colla [AA, AAA]; Musa x paradisiaca Colla (ABB, AAAB, AABB), are one of the worlds most important food crops. Five clones of cookin...

  7. (2R,5S)-Theaspirane Identified as the Kairomone for the Banana Weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus, from Attractive Senesced Leaves of the Host Banana, Musa spp.

    PubMed

    Abagale, Samson A; Woodcock, Christine M; Hooper, Antony M; Caulfield, John C; Withall, David; Chamberlain, Keith; Acquaah, Samuel O; Van Emden, Helmut; Braimah, Haruna; Pickett, John A; Birkett, Michael A

    2018-04-12

    The principal active component produced by highly attractive senesced host banana leaves, Musa spp., for the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus, is shown by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAG), coupled GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), chemical synthesis and coupled enantioselective (chiral) GC-EAG to be (2R,5S)-theaspirane. In laboratory behaviour tests, the synthetic compound is as attractive as natural host leaf material and presents a new opportunity for pest control. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Prevention of pink-pigmented methylotrophic bacteria (Methylohacterium mesophilicum) contamination of plant tissue cultures.

    PubMed

    Chanprame, S; Todd, J J; Widholm, J M

    1996-12-01

    Pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria (PPFMs) have been found on the surfaces of leaves of most plants tested. We found PPFMs on the leaf surfaces of all 40 plants (38 species) tested and on soybean pods by pressing onto AMS medium with methanol as the sole carbon source. The abundance ranged from 0.5 colony forming unit (cfu) /cm(2) to 69.4 cfu/cm(2) on the leaf surfaces. PPFMs were found in homogenized leaf tissues of only 4 of the species after surface disinfestation with 1.05% sodium hypochlorite and were rarely found in cultures initiated from surface disinfested Datura innoxia leaves or inside surface disinfested soybean pods. Of 20 antibiotics tested for PPFM growth inhibition, rifampicin was the most effective and of seven others which also inhibited PPFM growth, cefotaxime should be the most useful due to the expected low plant cell toxicity. These antibiotics could be used in concert with common surface sterilization procedures to prevent the introduction or to eliminate PPFM bacteria in tissue cultures. Thus, while PPFMs are present on the surfaces of most plant tissues, surface disinfestation alone can effectively remove them so that uncontaminated tissue cultures can be initiated in most cases.

  9. Long-term culture of human liver tissue with advanced hepatic functions.

    PubMed

    Ng, Soon Seng; Xiong, Anming; Nguyen, Khanh; Masek, Marilyn; No, Da Yoon; Elazar, Menashe; Shteyer, Eyal; Winters, Mark A; Voedisch, Amy; Shaw, Kate; Rashid, Sheikh Tamir; Frank, Curtis W; Cho, Nam Joon; Glenn, Jeffrey S

    2017-06-02

    A major challenge for studying authentic liver cell function and cell replacement therapies is that primary human hepatocytes rapidly lose their advanced function in conventional, 2-dimensional culture platforms. Here, we describe the fabrication of 3-dimensional hexagonally arrayed lobular human liver tissues inspired by the liver's natural architecture. The engineered liver tissues exhibit key features of advanced differentiation, such as human-specific cytochrome P450-mediated drug metabolism and the ability to support efficient infection with patient-derived inoculums of hepatitis C virus. The tissues permit the assessment of antiviral agents and maintain their advanced functions for over 5 months in culture. This extended functionality enabled the prediction of a fatal human-specific hepatotoxicity caused by fialuridine (FIAU), which had escaped detection by preclinical models and short-term clinical studies. The results obtained with the engineered human liver tissue in this study provide proof-of-concept determination of human-specific drug metabolism, demonstrate the ability to support infection with human hepatitis virus derived from an infected patient and subsequent antiviral drug testing against said infection, and facilitate detection of human-specific drug hepatotoxicity associated with late-onset liver failure. Looking forward, the scalability and biocompatibility of the scaffold are also ideal for future cell replacement therapeutic strategies.

  10. Three-dimensional spheroid culture targeting versatile tissue bioassays using a PDMS-based hanging drop array.

    PubMed

    Kuo, Ching-Te; Wang, Jong-Yueh; Lin, Yu-Fen; Wo, Andrew M; Chen, Benjamin P C; Lee, Hsinyu

    2017-06-29

    Biomaterial-based tissue culture platforms have emerged as useful tools to mimic in vivo physiological microenvironments in experimental cell biology and clinical studies. We describe herein a three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture platform using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based hanging drop array (PDMS-HDA) methodology. Multicellular spheroids can be achieved within 24 h and further boosted by incorporating collagen fibrils in PDMS-HDA. In addition, the spheroids generated from different human tumor cells exhibited distinct sensitivities toward drug chemotherapeutic agents and radiation as compared with two-dimensional (2D) cultures that often lack in vivo-like biological insights. We also demonstrated that multicellular spheroids may enable key hallmarks of tissue-based bioassays, including drug screening, tumor dissemination, cell co-culture, and tumor invasion. Taken together, these results offer new opportunities not only to achieve the active control of 3D multicellular spheroids on demand, but also to establish a rapid and cost-effective platform to study anti-cancer therapeutics and tumor microenvironments.

  11. The expression of genes involved in myometrial contractility changes during ex situ culture of pregnant human uterine smooth muscle tissue.

    PubMed

    Ilicic, Marina; Butler, Trent; Zakar, Tamas; Paul, Jonathan W

    2017-01-01

    Ex situ analyses of human myometrial tissue has been used to investigate the regulation of uterine quiescence and transition to a contractile phenotype. Following concerns about the validity of cultured primary cells, we examined whether myometrial tissue undergoes culture-induced changes ex situ that may affect the validity of in vitro models. To determine whether human myometrial tissue undergoes culture-induced changes ex situ in Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) expression. Additionally, to determine whether culture conditions approaching the in vivo environment influence the expression of these key genes. Term non-laboring human myometrial tissues were cultured in the presence of specific treatments, including; serum supplementation, progesterone and estrogen, cAMP, PMA, stretch or NF-κB inhibitors. ESR1, PTGS2 and OXTR mRNA abundance after 48 h culture was determined using quantitative RT-PCR. Myometrial tissue in culture exhibited culture-induced up-regulation of ESR1 and PTGS2 and down-regulation of OXTR mRNA expression. Progesterone prevented culture-induced increase in ESR1 expression. Estrogen further up-regulated PTGS2 expression. Stretch had no direct effect, but blocked the effects of progesterone and estrogen on ESR1 and PTGS2 expression. cAMP had no effect whereas PMA further up-regulated PTGS2 expression and prevented decline of OXTR expression. Human myometrial tissue in culture undergoes culture-induced gene expression changes consistent with transition toward a laboring phenotype. Changes in ESR1, PTGS2 and OXTR expression could not be controlled simultaneously. Until optimal culture conditions are determined, results of in vitro experiments with myometrial tissues should be interpreted with caution.

  12. Improved tolerance toward fungal diseases in transgenic Cavendish banana (Musa spp. AAA group) cv. Grand Nain.

    PubMed

    Vishnevetsky, Jane; White, Thomas L; Palmateer, Aaron J; Flaishman, Moshe; Cohen, Yuval; Elad, Yigal; Velcheva, Margarita; Hanania, Uri; Sahar, Nachman; Dgani, Oded; Perl, Avihai

    2011-02-01

    The most devastating disease currently threatening to destroy the banana industry worldwide is undoubtedly Sigatoka Leaf spot disease caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis. In this study, we developed a transformation system for banana and expressed the endochitinase gene ThEn-42 from Trichoderma harzianum together with the grape stilbene synthase (StSy) gene in transgenic banana plants under the control of the 35S promoter and the inducible PR-10 promoter, respectively. The superoxide dismutase gene Cu,Zn-SOD from tomato, under control of the ubiquitin promoter, was added to this cassette to improve scavenging of free radicals generated during fungal attack. A 4-year field trial demonstrated several transgenic banana lines with improved tolerance to Sigatoka. As the genes conferring Sigatoka tolerance may have a wide range of anti-fungal activities we also inoculated the regenerated banana plants with Botrytis cinerea. The best transgenic lines exhibiting Sigatoka tolerance were also found to have tolerance to B. cinerea in laboratory assays.

  13. A Method to Preclude Moisture Condensation in Plated Tissue Cultures

    Treesearch

    Alex M. Diner

    1992-01-01

    Excessive condensate normally accumulates in in vitro-illuminated petri dishes containing plant tissue cultures, causing avariety of problems. A dark-colored rubber net-mesh placed over the petri dishes prevented such condensation, even when charcoal-supplemented media are used under high light intensity in a growth chamber.

  14. Studies on physico-chemical changes during artificial ripening of banana (Musa sp) variety 'Robusta'.

    PubMed

    Kulkarni, Shyamrao Gururao; Kudachikar, V B; Keshava Prakash, M N

    2011-12-01

    Banana (Musa sp var 'Robusta') fruits harvested at 75-80% maturity were dip treated with different concentrations of ethrel (250-1,000 ppm) solution for 5 min. Ethrel at 500 ppm induced uniform ripening without impairing taste and flavour of banana. Untreated control banana fruits remained shriveled, green and failed to ripen evenly even after 8 days of storage. Fruits treated with 500 ppm of ethrel ripened well in 6 days at 20 ± 1 °C. Changes in total soluble solids, acidity, total sugars and total carotenoids showed increasing trends up to 6 days during ripening whereas fruit shear force values, pulp pH and total chlorophyll in peel showed decreasing trends. Sensory quality of ethrel treated banana fruits (fully ripe) were excellent with respect to external colour, taste, flavour and overall quality.

  15. Effective protection of monkeys against death from street virus by post-exposure administration of tissue-culture rabies vaccine

    PubMed Central

    Sikes, R. K.; Cleary, W. F.; Koprowski, H.; Wiktor, T. J.; Kaplan, M. M.

    1971-01-01

    Three series of experiments on rabies vaccines were carried out on rhesus monkeys using suckling-mouse-brain vaccine, rabbit-brain vaccine, duck-embryo vaccine, and purified, concentrated tissue-culture vaccine. The latter was prepared in a human diploid cell strain and inactivated with β-propiolactone, and consisted of tissue-culture fluid concentrated 200-fold with a final infectivity titre of 109.8 plaque-forming units per ml before inactivation. In the first two series of experiments, several vaccines were tested for relative immunogenicity on a pre-exposure basis. In the third series, a successful model was developed in which a single inoculation of the tissue-culture vaccine administered after exposure to rabies virus, with or without accompanying standard doses of antirabies serum, was evaluated as a method of prevention. A single dose of the tissue-culture vaccine protected 7 out of 8 monkeys from death by street virus. Homologous or heterologous antirabies serum alone gave poor results. The results indicate great promise for prophylaxis in man with one dose, or perhaps a few doses, of highly concentrated, purified tissue-culture vaccine. PMID:5004004

  16. Improved tissue culture conditions for the emerging C4 model Panicum hallii.

    PubMed

    Grant, Joshua N; Burris, Jason N; Stewart, C Neal; Lenaghan, Scott C

    2017-04-27

    Panicum hallii Vasey (Hall's panicgrass) is a compact, perennial C 4 grass in the family Poaceae, which has potential to enable bioenergy research for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Unlike P. hallii, switchgrass has a large genome, allopolyploidy, self-incompatibility, a long life cycle, and large stature-all suboptimal traits for rapid genetics research. Herein we improved tissue culture methodologies for two inbred P. hallii populations: FIL2 and HAL2, to enable further development of P. hallii as a model C 4 plant. The optimal seed-derived callus induction medium was determined to be Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 40 mg L -1 L-cysteine, 300 mg L -1 L-proline, 3% sucrose, 1 g L -1 casein hydrolysate, 3 mg L -1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and 45 μg L -1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), which resulted in callus induction of 51 ± 29% for FIL2 and 81 ± 19% for HAL2. The optimal inflorescence-derived callus induction was observed on MP medium (MS medium supplemented with 2 g L -1 L-proline, 3% maltose, 5 mg L -1 2,4-D, and 500 μg L -1 BAP), resulting in callus induction of 100 ± 0.0% for FIL2 and 84 ± 2.4% for HAL2. Shoot regeneration rates of 11.5 ± 0.8 shoots/gram for FIL2 and 11.3 ± 0.6 shoots/gram for HAL2 were achieved using seed-induced callus, whereas shoot regeneration rates of 26.2 ± 2.6 shoots/gram for FIL2 and 29.3 ± 3.6 shoots/gram for HAL2 were achieved from inflorescence-induced callus. Further, cell suspension cultures of P. hallii were established from seed-derived callus, providing faster generation of callus tissue compared with culture using solidified media (1.41-fold increase for FIL2 and 3.00-fold increase for HAL2). Aside from abbreviated tissue culture times from callus induction to plant regeneration for HAL2, we noted no apparent differences between FIL2 and HAL2 populations in tissue culture performance. For both populations, the cell suspension cultures

  17. Co-extrusion of food grains-banana pulp for nutritious snacks: optimization of process variables.

    PubMed

    Mridula, D; Sethi, Swati; Tushir, Surya; Bhadwal, Sheetal; Gupta, R K; Nanda, S K

    2017-08-01

    Present study was undertaken to optimize the process conditions for development of food grains (maize, defatted soy flour, sesame seed)-banana based nutritious expanded snacks using extrusion processing. Experiments were designed using Box-Behnken design with banana pulp (8-24 g), screw speed (300-350 rpm) and feed moisture (14-16% w.b.). Seven responses viz. expansion ratio (ER), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), protein, minerals, iron and sensory acceptability were considered for optimizing independent parameters. ER, BD, WAI, protein content, total minerals, iron content, and overall acceptability ranged 2.69-3.36, 153.43-238.83 kg/m 3 , 4.56-4.88 g/g, 15.19-15.52%, 2.06-2.27%, 4.39-4.67 mg/100 g (w.b.) and 6.76-7.36, respectively. ER was significantly affected by all three process variables while BD was influenced by banana pulp and screw speed only. Studied process variables did not affected colour quality except 'a' value with banana pulp and screw speed. Banana pulp had positive correlation with water solubility index, total minerals and iron content and negative with WAI, protein and overall acceptability. Based upon multiple response analysis, optimized conditions were 8 g banana pulp, 350 rpm screw speed and 14% feed moisture indicating the protein, calorie, iron content and overall sensory acceptability in sample as 15.46%, 401 kcal/100 g, 4.48 mg/100 g and 7.6 respectively.

  18. Effect of Fetal Mouse Lung Tissue Co-Culture on In Vitro Maturation of Mouse Immature Oocytes.

    PubMed

    Belbasi, Masomeh; Jorsaraei, Seyed Gholam Ali; Gholamitabar Tabari, Maryam; Khanbabaei, Ramzan

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the fetal mouse lung tissue co-culture on in vitro maturation (IVM) of mouse immature oocytes. In this experimental study, germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes from ovaries of a group of 25 female mice, 6-8 weeks of age, were dissected after being stimulated by 7.5 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) through an intraperitoneal (IP) injection. The fetal lung tissues were then prepared and cultured individually. A total number of 300 oocytes were cultured in the following three groups for 24 hours: control group (n=100) containing only base medium, group I (n=100) containing base medium co-cultured with 11.5- to 12.5-day old fetal mouse lung tissues, and group II (n=100) containing base medium co-cultured with 12.5- to 13.5-day old fetal mouse lung tissues. The proportion of GV and metaphase І (MI) oocytes matured into MІІ oocytes were compared among the three groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Correlation test were also used to evaluate the successful rate of IVM oocytes. The proportions of GV oocytes reaching MІІ stage were 46, 65, and 56%, in control, I and II groups, respectively (P<0.05). The percentage of the oocytes remaining at the GV stage were higher in control group as compared with two treatment groups (P<0.05). This study indicated that fetal mouse lung tissue co-culture method increased the percentage of GV oocytes reaching MII stage. Copyright© by Royan Institute. All rights reserved.

  19. 7 CFR 318.13-22 - Bananas from Hawaii.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... (Opogona sacchari (Bojen)) by an inspector before or after undergoing irradiation treatment; or (2) The... irradiation treatment. (3) Untreated bananas from Hawaii may be moved interstate for treatment on the mainland...

  20. 7 CFR 318.13-22 - Bananas from Hawaii.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... (Opogona sacchari (Bojen)) by an inspector before or after undergoing irradiation treatment; or (2) The... irradiation treatment. (3) Untreated bananas from Hawaii may be moved interstate for treatment on the mainland...

  1. 7 CFR 318.13-22 - Bananas from Hawaii.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (Opogona sacchari (Bojen)) by an inspector before or after undergoing irradiation treatment; or (2) The... irradiation treatment. (3) Untreated bananas from Hawaii may be moved interstate for treatment on the mainland...

  2. 7 CFR 318.13-22 - Bananas from Hawaii.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... (Opogona sacchari (Bojen)) by an inspector before or after undergoing irradiation treatment; or (2) The... irradiation treatment. (3) Untreated bananas from Hawaii may be moved interstate for treatment on the mainland...

  3. Impact assessment of repeated exposure of organotypic 3D bronchial and nasal tissue culture models to whole cigarette smoke.

    PubMed

    Kuehn, Diana; Majeed, Shoaib; Guedj, Emmanuel; Dulize, Remi; Baumer, Karine; Iskandar, Anita; Boue, Stephanie; Martin, Florian; Kostadinova, Radina; Mathis, Carole; Ivanov, Nikolai V; Frentzel, Stefan; Hoeng, Julia; Peitsch, Manuel C

    2015-02-12

    Cigarette smoke (CS) has a major impact on lung biology and may result in the development of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung cancer. To understand the underlying mechanisms of disease development, it would be important to examine the impact of CS exposure directly on lung tissues. However, this approach is difficult to implement in epidemiological studies because lung tissue sampling is complex and invasive. Alternatively, tissue culture models can facilitate the assessment of exposure impacts on the lung tissue. Submerged 2D cell cultures, such as normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cell cultures, have traditionally been used for this purpose. However, they cannot be exposed directly to smoke in a similar manner to the in vivo exposure situation. Recently developed 3D tissue culture models better reflect the in vivo situation because they can be cultured at the air-liquid interface (ALI). Their basal sides are immersed in the culture medium; whereas, their apical sides are exposed to air. Moreover, organotypic tissue cultures that contain different type of cells, better represent the physiology of the tissue in vivo. In this work, the utilization of an in vitro exposure system to expose human organotypic bronchial and nasal tissue models to mainstream CS is demonstrated. Ciliary beating frequency and the activity of cytochrome P450s (CYP) 1A1/1B1 were measured to assess functional impacts of CS on the tissues. Furthermore, to examine CS-induced alterations at the molecular level, gene expression profiles were generated from the tissues following exposure. A slight increase in CYP1A1/1B1 activity was observed in CS-exposed tissues compared with air-exposed tissues. A network-and transcriptomics-based systems biology approach was sufficiently robust to demonstrate CS-induced alterations of xenobiotic metabolism that were similar to those observed in the bronchial and nasal epithelial cells obtained from smokers.

  4. Application of Proteomics for the Investigation of the Effect of Initial pH on Pathogenic Mechanisms of Fusarium proliferatum on Banana Fruit.

    PubMed

    Li, Taotao; Wu, Qixian; Wang, Yong; John, Afiya; Qu, Hongxia; Gong, Liang; Duan, Xuewu; Zhu, Hong; Yun, Ze; Jiang, Yueming

    2017-01-01

    Fusarium proliferatum is an important pathogen and causes a great economic loss to fruit industry. Environmental pH-value plays a regulatory role in fungi pathogenicity, however, the mechanism needs further exploration. In this study, F. proliferatum was cultured under two initial pH conditions of 5 and 10. No obvious difference was observed in the growth rate of F. proliferatum between two pH-values. F. proliferatum cultured under both pH conditions infected banana fruit successfully, and smaller lesion diameter was presented on banana fruit inoculated with pH 10-cultured fungi. Proteomic approach based on two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to investigate the changes in secretome of this fungus between pH 5 and 10. A total of 39 differential spots were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Compared to pH 5 condition, proteins related to cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) and proteolysis were significantly down-regulated at pH 10, while proteins related to oxidation-reduction process and transport were significantly up-regulated under pH 10 condition. Our results suggested that the downregulation of CWDEs and other virulence proteins in the pH 10-cultured F. proliferatum severely decreased its pathogenicity, compared to pH 5-cultured fungi. However, the alkaline environment did not cause a complete loss of the pathogenic ability of F. proliferatum , probably due to the upregulation of the oxidation-reduction related proteins at pH 10, which may partially compensate its pathogenic ability.

  5. Banana fluxes in the plateau regime for a nonaxisymmetrically confined plasma

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Balescu, R.; Fantechi, S.

    1990-09-01

    The banana (or banana-plateau) fluxes, related to the generalized stresses {l angle}{bold B}{center dot}{del}{center dot}{pi}{sup {alpha}({ital n})}{r angle}, {l angle}{bold B}{sub {ital T}}{center dot}{del}{center dot}{pi}{sup {alpha}({ital n})}{r angle} have been determined in the plateau regime, for a plasma confined by a toroidal magnetic field of arbitrary geometry. The complete set of transport coefficients for both the parallel'' (ambipolar) and toroidal'' (nonambipolar) banana fluxes was obtained in the 13-moment (13M) approximation, going beyond the previously known expressions in the nonaxisymmetric case. The main emphasis is laid on the structure of the transport matrix and of its coefficients. It is shown thatmore » the Onsager symmetry of this matrix partly breaks down (for the mixed electron--ion coefficients) in a nonaxisymmetrically confined plasma.« less

  6. Anaerobic Cultures from Preserved Tissues of Baby Mammoth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pikuta, Elena V.; Hoover, Richard B.; Fisher, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Microbiological analysis of several cold-preserved tissue samples from the Siberian baby mammoth known as Lyuba revealed a number of culturable bacterial strains that were grown on anaerobic media at 4 C. Lactic acid produced by LAB (lactic acid bacteria) group, usually by members of the genera Carnobacterium and Lactosphera, appears to be a wonderful preservative that prevents other bacteria from over-dominating a system. Permafrost and lactic acid preserved the body of this one-month old baby mammoth and kept it in exceptionally good condition, resulting in this mammoth being the most complete such specimen ever recovered. The diversity of novel anaerobic isolates was expressed on morphological, physiological and phylogenetic levels. Here we discuss the specifics of the isolation of new strains, differentiation from trivial contamination, and preliminary results for the characterization of cultures.

  7. The gene expression profile of non-cultured, highly purified human adipose tissue pericytes: Transcriptomic evidence that pericytes are stem cells in human adipose tissue

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Silva Meirelles, Lindolfo da, E-mail: lindolfomeirelles@gmail.com; Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, PPGBioSaúde, Lutheran University of Brazil, Av. Farroupilha 8001, 92425-900 Canoas, RS; Deus Wagatsuma, Virgínia Mara de

    Pericytes (PCs) are a subset of perivascular cells that can give rise to mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) when culture-expanded, and are postulated to give rise to MSC-like cells during tissue repair in vivo. PCs have been suggested to behave as stem cells (SCs) in situ in animal models, although evidence for this role in humans is lacking. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomes of highly purified, non-cultured adipose tissue (AT)-derived PCs (ATPCs) to detect gene expression changes that occur as they acquire MSC characteristics in vitro, and evaluated the hypothesis that human ATPCs exhibit a gene expression profile compatible with anmore » AT SC phenotype. The results showed ATPCs are non-proliferative and express genes characteristic not only of PCs, but also of AT stem/progenitor cells. Additional analyses defined a gene expression signature for ATPCs, and revealed putative novel ATPC markers. Almost all AT stem/progenitor cell genes differentially expressed by ATPCs were not expressed by ATMSCs or culture-expanded ATPCs. Genes expressed by ATMSCs but not by ATPCs were also identified. These findings strengthen the hypothesis that PCs are SCs in vascularized tissues, highlight gene expression changes they undergo as they assume an MSC phenotype, and provide new insights into PC biology. - Highlights: • Non-cultured adipose tissue-derived human pericytes (ncATPCs) exhibit a distinctive gene expression signature. • ncATPCs express key adipose tissue stem cell genes previously described in vivo in mice. • ncATPCs express message for anti-proliferative and antiangiogenic molecules. • Most ncATPC-specific transcripts are absent in culture-expanded pericytes or ATMSCs • Gene expression changes ncATPCs undergo as they acquire a cultured ATMSC phenotype are pointed out.« less

  8. On-chip clearing of arrays of 3-D cell cultures and micro-tissues.

    PubMed

    Grist, S M; Nasseri, S S; Poon, T; Roskelley, C; Cheung, K C

    2016-07-01

    Three-dimensional (3-D) cell cultures are beneficial models for mimicking the complexities of in vivo tissues, especially in tumour studies where transport limitations can complicate response to cancer drugs. 3-D optical microscopy techniques are less involved than traditional embedding and sectioning, but are impeded by optical scattering properties of the tissues. Confocal and even two-photon microscopy limit sample imaging to approximately 100-200 μm depth, which is insufficient to image hypoxic spheroid cores. Optical clearing methods have permitted high-depth imaging of tissues without physical sectioning, but they are difficult to implement for smaller 3-D cultures due to sample loss in solution exchange. In this work, we demonstrate a microfluidic platform for high-throughput on-chip optical clearing of breast cancer spheroids using the SeeDB, Clear(T2), and ScaleSQ clearing methods. Although all three methods are able to effectively clear the spheroids, we find that SeeDB and ScaleSQ more effectively clear the sample than Clear(T2); however, SeeDB induces green autofluorescence while ScaleS causes sample expansion. Our unique on-chip implementation permits clearing arrays of 3-D cultures using perfusion while monitoring the 3-D cultures throughout the process, enabling visualization of the clearing endpoint as well as monitoring of transient changes that could induce image artefacts. Our microfluidic device is compatible with on-chip 3-D cell culture, permitting the use of on-chip clearing at the endpoint after monitoring the same spheroids during their culture. This on-chip method has the potential to improve readout from 3-D cultures, facilitating their use in cell-based assays for high-content drug screening and other applications.

  9. Activity, cloning, and expression of an isoamylase-type starch-debranching enzyme from banana fruit.

    PubMed

    Bierhals, Jacqueline Dettmann; Lajolo, Franco Maria; Cordenunsi, Beatriz Rosana; Oliveira do Nascimento, João Roberto

    2004-12-01

    Unripe bananas have a high content of starch (almost 20%) that is metabolized during fruit ripening with a concomitant synthesis of soluble sugars. Since starch granules are composed of amylose and amylopectin, several enzymes have to be involved in its mobilization during banana ripening, with a necessary participation of one starch-debranching enzyme (DBE) to hydrolyze the alpha-1,6-branches of amylopectin. Banana DBE seems to be an isoamylase-type enzyme, as indicated by substrate specificity and the cloning of a 1575 bp cDNA, similar to the isoamylase sequences from potato, Arabdopsis, and maize. The assays for DBE indicated only minor changes in activity during ripening, and the results of the northern and western blots with antiserum against the recombinant banana isoamylase were in agreement with the steady-state level of activity, since no significant changes in gene expression were observed. The high activity on beta-limit dextrin and the similarity to the potato isoform 3 suggest that during banana ripening the hydrolysis of alpha-1,6-linkage of amylopectin results from the activity of a pre-existing isoamylase-type debranching enzyme in coordination with other amylolitic enzymes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of activity and expression of a DBE from a fruit.

  10. Application of Tissue Culture and Transformation Techniques in Model Species Brachypodium distachyon.

    PubMed

    Sogutmaz Ozdemir, Bahar; Budak, Hikmet

    2018-01-01

    Brachypodium distachyon has recently emerged as a model plant species for the grass family (Poaceae) that includes major cereal crops and forage grasses. One of the important traits of a model species is its capacity to be transformed and ease of growing both in tissue culture and in greenhouse conditions. Hence, plant transformation technology is crucial for improvements in agricultural studies, both for the study of new genes and in the production of new transgenic plant species. In this chapter, we review an efficient tissue culture and two different transformation systems for Brachypodium using most commonly preferred gene transfer techniques in plant species, microprojectile bombardment method (biolistics) and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.In plant transformation studies, frequently used explant materials are immature embryos due to their higher transformation efficiencies and regeneration capacity. However, mature embryos are available throughout the year in contrast to immature embryos. We explain a tissue culture protocol for Brachypodium using mature embryos with the selected inbred lines from our collection. Embryogenic calluses obtained from mature embryos are used to transform Brachypodium with both plant transformation techniques that are revised according to previously studied protocols applied in the grasses, such as applying vacuum infiltration, different wounding effects, modification in inoculation and cocultivation steps or optimization of bombardment parameters.

  11. In vitro differentiation of rat spermatogonia into round spermatids in tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Reda, A; Hou, M; Winton, T R; Chapin, R E; Söder, O; Stukenborg, J-B

    2016-09-01

    Do the organ culture conditions, previously defined for in vitro murine male germ cell differentiation, also result in differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting specific markers for haploid germ cells? We demonstrated the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic cells in vitro, with emphasis on exhibiting, protein markers described for round spermatids. Full spermatogenesis in vitro from immature germ cells using an organ culture technique in mice was first reported 5 years ago. However, no studies reporting the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting the characteristic protein expression profile or into functional sperm have been reported. Organ culture of testicular fragments of 5 days postpartum (dpp) neonatal rats was performed for up to 52 days. Evaluation of microscopic morphology, testosterone levels, mRNA and protein expression as measured by RT-qPCR and immunostaining were conducted to monitor germ cell differentiation in vitro. Potential effects of melatonin, Glutamax® medium, retinoic acid and the presence of epidydimal fat tissue on the spermatogenic process were evaluated. A minimum of three biological replicates were performed for all experiments presented in this study. One-way ANOVA, ANOVA on ranks and student's t-test were applied to perform the statistical analysis. Male germ cells, present in testicular tissue pieces grown from 5 dpp rats, exhibited positive protein expression for Acrosin and Crem (cAMP (cyclic adenosine mono phosphate) response element modulator) after 52 days of culture in vitro. Intra-testicular testosterone production could be observed after 3 days of culture, while when epididymal fat tissue was added, spontaneous contractility of cultured seminiferous tubules could be observed after 21 days. However, no supportive effect of the supplementation with any factor or the co-culturing with epididymal fat tissue on germ cell differentiation in

  12. The presence of concanavalin A and canatoxin in Canavalia ensiformis DC tissue culture.

    PubMed

    Sato, A; Barcellos, G B; Riedel, E C; Carneiro, J A; Carlini, C R; Esquibel, M A

    1993-02-01

    Isolated embryos, cotyledons and embryos plusa fragment of cotyledon from seeds of Canavalia ensiformis (jack bean) were cultured in vitro. Concanavalin A and canatoxin cross-reactive material were detected by double immunodiffusion tests. Canatoxin was detectable until 30 days in cultures of embryos, embryos plus cotyledons and hypocotyls. Concanavalin A was also present in all cultures being detected until 90 days in cultures treated with 6-benzylaminopurine. No concanavalin A was detected in root cultures. Concanavalin A was present in cell suspensions until 45 days of culture; the culture medium contained neither concanavalin A nor canatoxin. Tissue cultures thus can produce Con A and CNTX and will be an important research tool for studying the biosynthesis of such substances.

  13. Proteomics of Fusarium oxysporum race 1 and race 4 reveals enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and ion transport that might play important roles in banana Fusarium wilt.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yong; Yi, Xiaoping; Peng, Ming; Zeng, Huicai; Wang, Dan; Li, Bo; Tong, Zheng; Chang, Lili; Jin, Xiang; Wang, Xuchu

    2014-01-01

    Banana Fusarium wilt is a soil-spread fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum. In China, the main virulence fungi in banana are F. oxysporum race 1 (F1, weak virulence) and race 4 (F4, strong virulence). To date, no proteomic analyses have compared the two races, but the difference in virulence between F1 and F4 might result from their differentially expressed proteins. Here we report the first comparative proteomics of F1 and F4 cultured under various conditions, and finally identify 99 protein species, which represent 59 unique proteins. These proteins are mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, post-translational modification, energy production, and inorganic ion transport. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that among the 46 proteins identified from F4 were several enzymes that might be important for virulence. Reverse transcription PCR analysis of the genes for 15 of the 56 proteins revealed that their transcriptional patterns were similar to their protein expression patterns. Taken together, these data suggest that proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism and ion transport may be important in the pathogenesis of banana Fusarium wilt. Some enzymes such as catalase-peroxidase, galactosidase and chitinase might contribute to the strong virulence of F4. Overexpression or knockout of the genes for the F4-specific proteins will help us to further understand the molecular mechanism of Fusarium-induced banana wilt.

  14. The banana (Musa acuminata) genome and the evolution of monocotyledonous plants.

    PubMed

    D'Hont, Angélique; Denoeud, France; Aury, Jean-Marc; Baurens, Franc-Christophe; Carreel, Françoise; Garsmeur, Olivier; Noel, Benjamin; Bocs, Stéphanie; Droc, Gaëtan; Rouard, Mathieu; Da Silva, Corinne; Jabbari, Kamel; Cardi, Céline; Poulain, Julie; Souquet, Marlène; Labadie, Karine; Jourda, Cyril; Lengellé, Juliette; Rodier-Goud, Marguerite; Alberti, Adriana; Bernard, Maria; Correa, Margot; Ayyampalayam, Saravanaraj; Mckain, Michael R; Leebens-Mack, Jim; Burgess, Diane; Freeling, Mike; Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Didier; Chabannes, Matthieu; Wicker, Thomas; Panaud, Olivier; Barbosa, Jose; Hribova, Eva; Heslop-Harrison, Pat; Habas, Rémy; Rivallan, Ronan; Francois, Philippe; Poiron, Claire; Kilian, Andrzej; Burthia, Dheema; Jenny, Christophe; Bakry, Frédéric; Brown, Spencer; Guignon, Valentin; Kema, Gert; Dita, Miguel; Waalwijk, Cees; Joseph, Steeve; Dievart, Anne; Jaillon, Olivier; Leclercq, Julie; Argout, Xavier; Lyons, Eric; Almeida, Ana; Jeridi, Mouna; Dolezel, Jaroslav; Roux, Nicolas; Risterucci, Ange-Marie; Weissenbach, Jean; Ruiz, Manuel; Glaszmann, Jean-Christophe; Quétier, Francis; Yahiaoui, Nabila; Wincker, Patrick

    2012-08-09

    Bananas (Musa spp.), including dessert and cooking types, are giant perennial monocotyledonous herbs of the order Zingiberales, a sister group to the well-studied Poales, which include cereals. Bananas are vital for food security in many tropical and subtropical countries and the most popular fruit in industrialized countries. The Musa domestication process started some 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. It involved hybridizations between diverse species and subspecies, fostered by human migrations, and selection of diploid and triploid seedless, parthenocarpic hybrids thereafter widely dispersed by vegetative propagation. Half of the current production relies on somaclones derived from a single triploid genotype (Cavendish). Pests and diseases have gradually become adapted, representing an imminent danger for global banana production. Here we describe the draft sequence of the 523-megabase genome of a Musa acuminata doubled-haploid genotype, providing a crucial stepping-stone for genetic improvement of banana. We detected three rounds of whole-genome duplications in the Musa lineage, independently of those previously described in the Poales lineage and the one we detected in the Arecales lineage. This first monocotyledon high-continuity whole-genome sequence reported outside Poales represents an essential bridge for comparative genome analysis in plants. As such, it clarifies commelinid-monocotyledon phylogenetic relationships, reveals Poaceae-specific features and has led to the discovery of conserved non-coding sequences predating monocotyledon-eudicotyledon divergence.

  15. Evidence for the presence of a female produced sex pheromone in the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Behavior-modifying chemicals such as pheromones and kairomones have great potential in pest management. Studies reported here investigated chemical cues involved in mating and aggregation behavior of banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus, a major insect pest of banana in every country where bananas a...

  16. Tissue-culture investigations into mechanisms of biomass enhancement. Annual report, June 1984-July 1985

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nabors, M.W.

    1985-07-01

    The cost effectiveness of biogas production can be considerably improved by producing cultivars of sorghum and Napier grass with increased biomass and tolerance to common soil stresses such as salinity and drought. In addition, increased fertilizer efficiency of plants used for biomass is also desired. Tissue-culture methodologies provide a means for generating improved sorghum and Napier grass cultivars and for selecting cells and plants with tolerance to salinity, drought, and low levels of applied nitrogen fertilizer. To this end, tissue cultures of sorghum and Napier grass were established. Media were devised to enhance high-frequency, long-term plant production from these cultures.more » Existing methods were considerably improved and the first plant regeneration techniques from callus cultures of sweet sorghum were devised. Over 1000 plants were regenerated from callus cultures during the first year. These are being used in biomass production assays. Tissue culture selection for salt tolerance has been initiated using high levels of NaCl or hydroxyproline in the medium. Sodium chloride stress represents direct selection; hydroxyproline stress selects cells with increased levels of proline, an amino acid known to be associated with salt tolerance. Selection for cell variants efficient in reducing nitrate are planned; cells will be grown in the presence of chlorate, a nitrate analogue. Selections are carried out on either solid or liquid media. Cell suspension systems, allowing more efficient selection, are being developed for all cultivars under study.« less

  17. [Effective productions of plant secondary metabolites having antitumor activity by plant cell and tissue cultures].

    PubMed

    Taniguchi, Shoko

    2005-06-01

    Methods for the effective production of plant secondary metabolites with antitumor activity using plant cell and tissue cultures were developed. The factors in tannin productivity were investigated using culture strains producing different types of hydrolyzable tannins, i.e., gallotannins (mixture of galloylglucoses), ellagi-, and dehydroellagitannins. Production of ellagi- and dehydroellagitannins was affected by the concentrations and ratio of nitrogen sources in the medium. The formation of oligomeric ellagitannins in shoots of Oenothera tetraptera was correlated with the differentiation of tissues. Cultured cells of Eriobotrya japonica producing ursane- and oleanane-type triterpenes with antitumor activities were also established.

  18. Evaluation of different methods of protein extraction and identification of differentially expressed proteins upon ethylene-induced early-ripening in banana peels.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li-Li; Feng, Ren-Jun; Zhang, Yin-Dong

    2012-08-15

    Banana peels (Musa spp.) are a good example of a plant tissue where protein extraction is challenging due to the abundance of interfering metabolites. Sample preparation is a critical step in proteomic research and is critical for good results. We sought to evaluate three methods of protein extraction: trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone precipitation, phenol extraction, and TCA precipitation. We found that a modified phenol extraction protocol was the most optimal method. SDS-PAGE and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) demonstrated good protein separation and distinct spots of high quality protein. Approximately 300 and 550 protein spots were detected on 2-DE gels at pH values of 3-10 and 4-7, respectively. Several spots were excised from the 2-DE gels and identified by mass spectrometry. The protein spots identified were found to be involved in glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the biosynthesis of ethylene. Several of the identified proteins may play important roles in banana ripening. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

  19. Diagnostic utility of melanin production by fungi: study on tissue sections and culture smears with Masson-Fontana stain.

    PubMed

    Sundaram, Challa; Shantveer, G Uppin; Umabala, Pamidi; Lakshmi, Vemu

    2014-01-01

    Dematiaceous fungi appear brown in tissue section due to melanin in their cell walls. When the brown color is not seen on routine H and E and culture is not available, differentiation of dematiaceous fungi from other fungi is difficult on morphology alone. To study if melanin production by dematiaceous fungi can help differentiate them from other types of fungi. Fifty tissue sections of various fungal infections and 13 smears from cultures of different species of fungi were stained with Masson Fontana stain to assess melanin production. The tissue sections included biopsies from 26 culture-proven fungi and 24 biopsies of filamentous fungi diagnosed on morphology alone with no culture confirmation. All culture-proven dematiaceous fungi and Zygomycetes showed strong positivity in sections and culture smears. Aspergillus sp showed variable positivity and intensity. Cryptococcus neoformans showed strong positivity in tissue sections and culture smears. Tissue sections of septate filamentous fungi (9/15), Zygomycetes (4/5), and fungi with both hyphal and yeast morphology (4/4) showed positivity for melanin. The septate filamentous fungi negative for melanin were from biopsy samples of fungal sinusitis including both allergic and invasive fungal sinusitis and colonizing fungal balls. Melanin is produced by both dematiaceous and non-dematiaceous fungi. Masson-Fontana stain cannot reliably differentiate dematiaceous fungi from other filamentous fungi like Aspergillus sp; however, absence of melanin in the hyphae may be used to rule out dematiaceous fungi from other filamentous fungi. In the differential diagnosis of yeast fungi, Cryptococcus sp can be differentiated from Candida sp by Masson-Fontana stain in tissue sections.

  20. Inhibitory effect of mitomycin C on proliferation of primary cultured fibroblasts from human airway granulation tissues.

    PubMed

    Chen, Nan; Zhang, Jie; Xu, Min; Wang, Yu Ling; Pei, Ying Hua

    2013-01-01

    Airway granulation tissue and scar formation pose a challenge because of the high incidence of recurrence after treatment. As an emerging treatment modality, topical application of mitomycin C has potential value in delaying the recurrence of airway obstruction. Several animal and clinical studies have already proven its feasibility and efficacy. However, the ideal dosage has still not been determined. To establish a novel method for culturing primary fibroblasts isolated from human airway granulation tissue, and to investigate the dose-effect of mitomycin C on the fibroblast proliferation in vitro, so as to provide an experimental reference for clinical practitioners. Granulation tissues were collected during the routine bronchoscopy at our department. The primary fibroblasts were obtained by culturing the explanted tissues. The cells were treated with different concentrations of mitomycin C (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 mg/ml) for 5 min followed by additional 48-hour culture before an MTT assay was performed to measure cell viability. MTT assay showed that mitomycin C reduced cell viability at all tested concentrations. The inhibitory ratios were 10.26, 26.77, 32.88, 64.91 and 80.45% for cells treated with mitomycin C at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 mg/ml, respectively. Explant culture is a reliable method for culturing primary fibroblasts from human airway granulation tissue, and mitomycin C can inhibit proliferation of the fibroblasts in vitro. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Agroforestry leads to shifts within the gammaproteobacterial microbiome of banana plants cultivated in Central America

    PubMed Central

    Köberl, Martina; Dita, Miguel; Martinuz, Alfonso; Staver, Charles; Berg, Gabriele

    2015-01-01

    Bananas (Musa spp.) belong to the most important global food commodities, and their cultivation represents the world's largest monoculture. Although the plant-associated microbiome has substantial influence on plant growth and health, there is a lack of knowledge of the banana microbiome and its influencing factors. We studied the impact of (i) biogeography, and (ii) agroforestry on the banana-associated gammaproteobacterial microbiome analyzing plants grown in smallholder farms in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Profiles of 16S rRNA genes revealed high abundances of Pseudomonadales, Enterobacteriales, Xanthomonadales, and Legionellales. An extraordinary high diversity of the gammaproteobacterial microbiota was observed within the endophytic microenvironments (endorhiza and pseudostem), which was similar in both countries. Enterobacteria were identified as dominant group of above-ground plant parts (pseudostem and leaves). Neither biogeography nor agroforestry showed a statistically significant impact on the gammaproteobacterial banana microbiome in general. However, indicator species for each microenvironment and country, as well as for plants grown in Coffea intercropping systems with and without agri-silvicultural production of different Fabaceae trees (Inga spp. in Nicaragua and Erythrina poeppigiana in Costa Rica) could be identified. For example, banana plants grown in agroforestry systems were characterized by an increase of potential plant-beneficial bacteria, like Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas, and on the other side by a decrease of Erwinia. Hence, this study could show that as a result of legume-based agroforestry the indigenous banana-associated gammaproteobacterial community noticeably shifted. PMID:25717322

  2. Agroforestry leads to shifts within the gammaproteobacterial microbiome of banana plants cultivated in Central America.

    PubMed

    Köberl, Martina; Dita, Miguel; Martinuz, Alfonso; Staver, Charles; Berg, Gabriele

    2015-01-01

    Bananas (Musa spp.) belong to the most important global food commodities, and their cultivation represents the world's largest monoculture. Although the plant-associated microbiome has substantial influence on plant growth and health, there is a lack of knowledge of the banana microbiome and its influencing factors. We studied the impact of (i) biogeography, and (ii) agroforestry on the banana-associated gammaproteobacterial microbiome analyzing plants grown in smallholder farms in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Profiles of 16S rRNA genes revealed high abundances of Pseudomonadales, Enterobacteriales, Xanthomonadales, and Legionellales. An extraordinary high diversity of the gammaproteobacterial microbiota was observed within the endophytic microenvironments (endorhiza and pseudostem), which was similar in both countries. Enterobacteria were identified as dominant group of above-ground plant parts (pseudostem and leaves). Neither biogeography nor agroforestry showed a statistically significant impact on the gammaproteobacterial banana microbiome in general. However, indicator species for each microenvironment and country, as well as for plants grown in Coffea intercropping systems with and without agri-silvicultural production of different Fabaceae trees (Inga spp. in Nicaragua and Erythrina poeppigiana in Costa Rica) could be identified. For example, banana plants grown in agroforestry systems were characterized by an increase of potential plant-beneficial bacteria, like Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas, and on the other side by a decrease of Erwinia. Hence, this study could show that as a result of legume-based agroforestry the indigenous banana-associated gammaproteobacterial community noticeably shifted.

  3. The antagonistic effect of Banana bunchy top virus multifunctional protein B4 against Fusarium oxysporum.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Jun; Coates, Christopher J; Mao, Qianzhuo; Wu, Zujian; Xie, Lianhui

    2016-06-01

    The viral-induced banana bunchy top disease and the fungal-induced banana blight are two major causes of concern for industrial scale production of bananas. Banana blight is particularly troublesome, affecting ∼80% of crops worldwide. Strict guidelines and protocols are in place in order to ameliorate the effects of this devastating disease, yet little success has been achieved. From the data presented here, we have found that Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV)-infected bananas are more resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). BBTV appears to be antagonistic towards Foc, thus improving the survivability of plants against blight. The BBTV suppressor of RNA silencing, namely protein B4, displays fungicidal properties in vitro. Furthermore, transgenic tomatoes expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged protein B4 demonstrate enhanced resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol). Differential gene expression analysis indicates that increased numbers of photogenesis-related gene transcripts are present in dark-green leaves of B4-GFP-modified tomato plants relative to those found in WT plants. Conversely, the transcript abundance of immunity-related genes is substantially lower in transgenic tomatoes compared with WT plants, suggesting that plant defences may be influenced by protein B4. This viral-fungal interaction provides new insights into microbial community dynamics within a single host and has potential commercial value for the breeding of transgenic resistance to Fusarium-related blight/wilt. © 2016 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

  4. Practical Instruction in Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics for Sandwich Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, D. C.; Bishun, N. P.

    1973-01-01

    Describes the training and practical techniques taught to students involved in a sandwich course at the Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics Unit of the Marie Curie Memorial Foundation, Surrey, England. Students spend a minimum of six months involved in the sandwich course before returning to university for a final academic year. (JR)

  5. Organotypic culture of human bone marrow adipose tissue.

    PubMed

    Uchihashi, Kazuyoshi; Aoki, Shigehisa; Shigematsu, Masamori; Kamochi, Noriyuki; Sonoda, Emiko; Soejima, Hidenobu; Fukudome, Kenji; Sugihara, Hajime; Hotokebuchi, Takao; Toda, Shuji

    2010-04-01

    The precise role of bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in the marrow remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was therefore to describe a novel method for studying BMAT using 3-D collagen gel culture of BMAT fragments, immunohistochemistry, ELISA and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Mature adipocytes and CD45+ leukocytes were retained for >3 weeks. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) including a small number of lipid-laden preadipocytes and CD44+/CD105+ mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells, developed from BMAT. Dexamethasone (10 micromol/L), but not insulin (20 mU/mL), significantly increased the number of preadipocytes. Dexamethasone and insulin also promoted leptin production and gene expression in BMAT. Adiponectin production by BMAT was <0.8 ng/mL under all culture conditions. Dexamethasone promoted adiponectin gene expression, while insulin inhibited it. This finding suggests that dexamethasone, but not insulin, may serve as a powerful adipogenic factor for BMAT, in which adiponectin protein secretion is normally very low, and that BMAT may exhibit a different phenotype from that of the visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. BMAT-osteoblast interactions were also examined, and it was found that osteoblasts inhibited the development of BMSC and reduced leptin production, while BMAT inhibited the growth and differentiation of osteoblasts. The present novel method proved to be useful for the study of BMAT biology.

  6. Expansion of banana (Musa acuminata) gene families involved in ethylene biosynthesis and signalling after lineage-specific whole-genome duplications.

    PubMed

    Jourda, Cyril; Cardi, Céline; Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Didier; Bocs, Stéphanie; Garsmeur, Olivier; D'Hont, Angélique; Yahiaoui, Nabila

    2014-05-01

    Whole-genome duplications (WGDs) are widespread in plants, and three lineage-specific WGDs occurred in the banana (Musa acuminata) genome. Here, we analysed the impact of WGDs on the evolution of banana gene families involved in ethylene biosynthesis and signalling, a key pathway for banana fruit ripening. Banana ethylene pathway genes were identified using comparative genomics approaches and their duplication modes and expression profiles were analysed. Seven out of 10 banana ethylene gene families evolved through WGD and four of them (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS), ethylene-insensitive 3-like (EIL), ethylene-insensitive 3-binding F-box (EBF) and ethylene response factor (ERF)) were preferentially retained. Banana orthologues of AtEIN3 and AtEIL1, two major genes for ethylene signalling in Arabidopsis, were particularly expanded. This expansion was paralleled by that of EBF genes which are responsible for control of EIL protein levels. Gene expression profiles in banana fruits suggested functional redundancy for several MaEBF and MaEIL genes derived from WGD and subfunctionalization for some of them. We propose that EIL and EBF genes were co-retained after WGD in banana to maintain balanced control of EIL protein levels and thus avoid detrimental effects of constitutive ethylene signalling. In the course of evolution, subfunctionalization was favoured to promote finer control of ethylene signalling. © 2014 CIRAD New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

  7. Banana (Musa spp) from peel to pulp: ethnopharmacology, source of bioactive compounds and its relevance for human health.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Aline; Maraschin, Marcelo

    2015-02-03

    Banana is a fruit with nutritional properties and also with acclaimed therapeutic uses, cultivated widely throughout the tropics as source of food and income for people. Banana peel is known by its local and traditional use to promote wound healing mainly from burns and to help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses, as depression. This review critically assessed the phytochemical properties and biological activities of Musa spp fruit pulp and peel. A survey on the literature on banana (Musa spp, Musaceae) covering its botanical classification and nomenclature, as well as the local and traditional use of its pulp and peel was performed. Besides, the current state of art on banana fruit pulp and peel as interesting complex matrices sources of high-value compounds from secondary metabolism was also approached. Dessert bananas and plantains are systematic classified into four sections, Eumusa, Rhodochlamys, Australimusa, and Callimusa, according to the number of chromosomes. The fruits differ only in their ploidy arrangement and a single scientific name can be given to all the edible bananas, i.e., Musa spp. The chemical composition of banana's peel and pulp comprise mostly carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and biogenic amines. The biological potential of those biomasses is directly related to their chemical composition, particularly as pro-vitamin A supplementation, as potential antioxidants attributed to their phenolic constituents, as well as in the treatment of Parkinson's disease considering their contents in l-dopa and dopamine. Banana's pulp and peel can be used as natural sources of antioxidants and pro-vitamin A due to their contents in carotenoids, phenolics, and amine compounds, for instance. For the development of a phytomedicine or even an allopathic medicine, e.g., banana fruit pulp and peel could be of interest as raw materials riches in beneficial bioactive compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Culture of domestic cat ovarian tissue in vitro and in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane.

    PubMed

    Vilela, J M V; Leonel, E C R; D'Oliveira, L; Paiva, R E G; Miranda-Vilela, A L; Amorim, C A; Pic-Taylor, A; Lucci, C M

    2016-10-15

    In vitro culture and transplantation procedures are essential protocols employed in the evaluation of ovarian follicle survival and development. Culture in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chick embryos is an intermediate method that provides important follicle development information and has not been tested for cat ovaries to date. The aim of this study was to investigate if in vitro and CAM culture could be used as short-term systems to study cat ovarian tissue development. The ovaries of eight cats were dissected into 3-mm(3) cubes, cultured in vitro and in CAM for up to 5 days, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Gomori trichrome. Cell proliferation was analyzed using anti-Ki67. Possible differences among groups were investigated by analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Bonferroni correction. The T-test or Wilcoxon test was used to verify differences between the CAM and IVC. Results revealed that 87.5% of all follicles were primordial during culture. The percentage of primordial follicles in the morphologically normal follicles (MNF) pool was always higher than 80%, with the exception of Day 3 of CAM culture, but the number of MNF reduced significantly from Day 0 (600 out of 777 follicles) to Day 5 in the CAM (91 out of 171) and IVC (296 out of 686). The number of primordial follicles in 1 mm(3) in Days 2, 3, and 5 in the CAM was significantly lower than that in the control (Day 0). No cellular proliferation was observed in culture. Vascularization occurred in the CAM culture, but with no association to follicular viability. In addition, both methods showed an increase in connective tissue during culture. Although no significant differences were observed in the percentage of MNF, there was a reduction in the total number of follicles, both for IVC and CAM-cultured ovarian tissue. Furthermore, anti-Ki67 did not stain any follicle after Day 0 in IVC or in CAM culture. Neither system was capable of promoting follicle growth and

  9. Simplifying the extracellular matrix for 3-D cell culture and tissue engineering: a pragmatic approach.

    PubMed

    Prestwich, Glenn D

    2007-08-15

    The common technique of growing cells on tissue culture plastic (TCP) is gradually being supplanted by methods for culturing cells in two-dimensions (2-D) on matrices with more appropriate physical and biological properties or by encapsulation of cells in three-dimensions (3-D). The universal acceptance of the new 3-D paradigm is currently constrained by the lack of a biocompatible material in the marketplace that offers ease of use, experimental flexibility, and a seamless transition from in vitro to in vivo applications. In this Prospect, I argue that the standard for 3-D cell culture should be bio-inspired, biomimetic materials that can be used "as is" in drug discovery, toxicology, cell banking, and ultimately in medicine. Such biomaterials must therefore be highly reproducible, manufacturable, approvable, and affordable. To obtain integrated, functional, multicellular systems that recapitulate tissues and organs, the needs of the true end-users-physicians and patients-must dictate the key design criteria. Herein I describe the development of one such material that meets these requirements: a covalently crosslinked, biodegradable, simplified mimic of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that permits 3-D culture of cells in vitro and enables tissue formation in vivo. In contrast to materials that were designed for in vitro cell culture and then found unsuitable for clinical use, these semi-synthetic hyaluronan-derived materials were developed for in vivo tissue repair, and are now being re-engineered for in vitro applications in research.

  10. Optimisation of low temperature extraction of banana juice using commercial pectinase.

    PubMed

    Sagu, Sorel Tchewonpi; Nso, Emmanuel Jong; Karmakar, Sankha; De, Sirshendu

    2014-05-15

    The objective of this work was to develop a process with optimum conditions for banana juice. The procedure involves hydrolyzing the banana pulp by commercial pectinase followed by cloth filtration. Response surface methodology with Doehlert design was utilised to optimize the process parameters. The temperature of incubation (30-60 °C), time of reaction (20-120 min) and concentration of pectinase (0.01-0.05% v/w) were the independent variables and viscosity, clarity, alcohol insoluble solids (AIS), total polyphenol and protein concentration were the responses. Total soluble sugar, pH, conductivity, calcium, sodium and potassium concentration in the juice were also evaluated. The results showed reduction of AIS and viscosity with reaction time and pectinase concentration and reduction of polyphenol and protein concentration with temperature. Using numerical optimization, the optimum conditions for the enzymatic extraction of banana juice were estimated. Depectinization kinetics was also studied at optimum temperature and variation of kinetic constants with enzyme dose was evaluated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Cell culture-based tissue engineering as an alternative to bone grafts in implant dentistry: a literature review.

    PubMed

    Boeckel, Daniel Gonçalves; Shinkai, Rosemary Sadami Arai; Grossi, Márcio Lima; Teixeira, Eduardo Rolim

    2012-09-01

    Several biomaterials and techniques for bone grafting have been described in the literature for atresic bone tissue replacement caused by edentulism, surgical resectioning, and traumas. A new technique involves tissue engineering, a promising option to replace bone tissue and solve problems associated with morbidity of autogenous grafting. This literature review aims to describe tissue-engineering techniques using ex vivo cell culture as an alternative to repair bone maxillary atresias and discuss the concepts and potentials of bone regeneration through cell culture techniques as an option for restorative maxillofacial surgery.

  12. The bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of ethanol and ethyl ecetate extracts of Candi Banana (Musa paradisiaca)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laeliocattleya, R. A.; Estiasih, T.; Griselda, G.; Muchlisyiyah, J.

    2018-03-01

    Banana has various benefits for health. One local variety of banana is candi banana (Musa paradisiaca). The aim of this research was to study the content of the bioactive compounds of phenolics, flavonoids, tannin, carotenoids and the antioxidant activity of extract ethanol and ethyl acetate of candi banana. Powdered candi banana was extracted using ethanol and ethyl acetate in an ultrasonic bath. The results showed that the content of phenolics, flavonoids, tannin and carotenoids in ethanol extract were 58.76 ± 3.19 mg/kg, 416.08 ± 18.79 mg/kg, 209.83 ± 15.87 mg/kg and 74.55 ± 4.31 mg/kg, respectively. The content of phenolics, flavonoids, tannin and carotenoids in ethyl acetate extract were 0.83 ± 0.12 mg/kg, 4.31 ± 0.66 mg/kg, 49.97 ± 2.43 mg/kg and 304.40 ± 16.62 mg/kg. While the antioxidant activity (IC50) of ethanol extract and ethyl acetate were 3374.13 ± 123.46 ppm and 40318.19 ± 1014.90 ppm. This research showed that type of solvents of ethanol and ethyl acetate affected the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of candi banana. The antioxidant activity of ethanol extract was higher than that of ethyl acetate extract. It showed that ethanol was a better solvent than ethyl acetate to extract bioactive compounds in candi banana.

  13. Plasma glucose and insulin responses to bananas of varying ripeness in persons with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Ercan, N; Nuttall, F Q; Gannon, M C; Lane, J T; Burmeister, L A; Westphal, S A

    1993-12-01

    With progressive ripeness there is a decrease in starch and an increase in free sugar content of bananas. The starch also is considered to be poorly digestible. Therefore, we decided to study plasma glucose, serum insulin, C-peptide, and plasma glucagon responses to bananas with increasing degrees of ripeness. Seven male subjects with untreated noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ingested 50 g carbohydrate as bananas of stage 4 (more yellow than green), 5 (yellow with green tip), 6 (all yellow), and 7 (yellow flecked with brown) ripeness. They also received 50 glucose on two occasions for comparative purposes. On a separate occasion water only was given as a control. The area responses were quantified by determining incremental areas using the water control as baseline. The mean glucose area following the 50 g glucose meals was 15.1 +/- 1.9 mM.h. After the ingestion of bananas of 4, 5, 6 and 7 ripeness the glucose area response was 42, 41, 51 and 48% of that after glucose ingestion, respectively. The insulin area response following glucose meals was 888 pM.h. Responses to 4, 5, 6 and 7 bananas were 85, 70, 61, 85%, respectively, of that following glucose ingestion. C-peptide data were similar to the insulin data. The glucagon area response was negative after glucose ingestion but was positive following banana ingestion. In summary, the glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon area responses varied little with ripeness of the bananas.

  14. Physicochemical and Microbial Properties of the Korean Traditional Rice Wine, Makgeolli, Supplemented with Banana during Fermentation.

    PubMed

    Kim, Eunkyung; Chang, Yoon Hyuk; Ko, Jae Youn; Jeong, Yoonhwa

    2013-09-01

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial properties of the Korean traditional rice wine Makgeolli, supplemented with banana during 6 day fermentation. The alcohol contents of the control and banana Makgeolli were 17.0 and 16.5%, respectively. The pH values decreased while total acidity, total soluble solids, and color values increased throughout the fermentation process. An increase in microorganism counts throughout the 6-day fermentation period was noted in all samples. The major free sugar and organic acid detected in all samples were glucose and succinic acid, respectively. There were 39 volatile compounds detected in the control and banana Makgeolli. The major ester detected was ethyl acetate (20.037 and 22.604% for the control and banana Makgeolli, respectively). The major alcohol compounds detected were 3-methylbutanol (20.933%) and 3-methyl-1-butanol (34.325%) in the control. 2-mtehyl-1-propanol (22.289%) and 3-methyl-1-butanol (39.851%) were the highest alcohol compounds detected in the banana Makgeolli.

  15. Optimization of orodispersible and conventional tablets using simplex lattice design: Relationship among excipients and banana extract.

    PubMed

    Duangjit, Sureewan; Kraisit, Pakorn

    2018-08-01

    The objective of this study was focused on the optimization of the pharmaceutical excipients and banana extract in the preparation of orally disintegrating banana extract tablets (OD-BET) and conventional banana extract tablets (CO-BET) using a simplex lattice design. Various ratios of banana extract (BE), dibasic calcium phosphate (DCP) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were used to prepare banana extract tablets (BET). The results indicated that the optimal OD-BET and CO-BET consisted of BE: DCP: MCC at 10.0, 88.8, 1.2, 10.0, 83.8: and 6.2, respectively. AFM demonstrated that the surface of BET with BE + MCC was smooth and compacted when compared to BET with BE + DCP + MCC and BE + DCP. FTIR and XRD showed a correlation in the results and indicated that no interaction of each ingredient occurred in the process of BET formulation. Therefore, the experimental design is potentially useful in formulated OD-BET and CO-BET by using only one design simultaneously. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Physicochemical and Microbial Properties of the Korean Traditional Rice Wine, Makgeolli, Supplemented with Banana during Fermentation

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Eunkyung; Chang, Yoon Hyuk; Ko, Jae Youn; Jeong, Yoonhwa

    2013-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial properties of the Korean traditional rice wine Makgeolli, supplemented with banana during 6 day fermentation. The alcohol contents of the control and banana Makgeolli were 17.0 and 16.5%, respectively. The pH values decreased while total acidity, total soluble solids, and color values increased throughout the fermentation process. An increase in microorganism counts throughout the 6-day fermentation period was noted in all samples. The major free sugar and organic acid detected in all samples were glucose and succinic acid, respectively. There were 39 volatile compounds detected in the control and banana Makgeolli. The major ester detected was ethyl acetate (20.037 and 22.604% for the control and banana Makgeolli, respectively). The major alcohol compounds detected were 3-methylbutanol (20.933%) and 3-methyl-1-butanol (34.325%) in the control. 2-mtehyl-1-propanol (22.289%) and 3-methyl-1-butanol (39.851%) were the highest alcohol compounds detected in the banana Makgeolli. PMID:24471133

  17. Effects of Hydrostatic Loading on a Self-Aggregating, Suspension Culture-Derived Cartilage Tissue Analog.

    PubMed

    Kraft, Jeffrey J; Jeong, Changhoon; Novotny, John E; Seacrist, Thomas; Chan, Gilbert; Domzalski, Marcin; Turka, Christina M; Richardson, Dean W; Dodge, George R

    2011-07-01

    Many approaches are being taken to generate cartilage replacement materials. The goal of this study was to use a self-aggregating suspension culture model of chondrocytes with mechanical preconditioning. Our model differs from others in that it is based on a scaffold-less, self-aggregating culture model that produces a cartilage tissue analog that has been shown to share many similarities with the natural cartilage phenotype. Owing to the known loaded environment under which chondrocytes function in vivo, we hypothesized that applying force to the suspension culture-derived chondrocyte biomass would improve its cartilage-like characteristics and provide a new model for engineering cartilage tissue analogs. In this study, we used a specialized hydrostatic pressure bioreactor system to apply mechanical forces during the growth phase to improve biochemical and biophysical properties of the biomaterial formed. We demonstrated that using this high-density suspension culture, a biomaterial more consistent with the hyaline cartilage phenotype was produced without any foreign material added. Unpassaged chondrocytes responded to a physiologically relevant hydrostatic load by significantly increasing gene expression of critical cartilage molecule collagen and aggrecan along with other cartilage relevant genes, CD44, perlecan, decorin, COMP, and iNOS. This study describes a self-aggregating bioreactor model without foreign material or scaffold in which chondrocytes form a cartilage tissue analog with many features similar to native cartilage. This study represents a promising scaffold-less, methodological advancement in cartilage tissue engineering with potential translational applications to cartilage repair.

  18. Phenolics and essential mineral profile of organic acid pretreated unripe banana flour.

    PubMed

    Anyasi, Tonna A; Jideani, Afam I O; Mchau, Godwin R A

    2018-02-01

    Banana fruit (Musa spp) though rich in essential minerals, has also been implicated for the presence of phytochemicals which nonetheless beneficial, can also act as mineral inhibitors when in forms such as phenolic compounds, phytates and tannins. This study assayed the essential macro and trace minerals as well as phenolic compounds present in unripe banana flour (UBF) obtained from the pulp of four different cultivars. Unripe banana flour was processed by oven drying in a forced air oven dryer at 70°C upon pretreatment with ascorbic, citric and lactic acid. Organic acid pretreatment was done separately on each unripe banana cultivar at concentrations of 10, 15 and 20g/L. Phenolic compounds were profiled using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry electrospray ion (LC-MS-ESI) while essential minerals were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) respectively. Results of LC-MS-ESI assay of phenolics revealed the presence of flavonoids: epicatechin and myricetin 3-O-rhamnosyl-glucoside in varying concentrations in UBF. Essential mineral profile indicated that Zinc had the least occurrence of 3.55mg/kg (p<0.05), while potassium was the most abundant mineral at 14746.73mg/kg in UBF of all four banana cultivars. Correlation between phenolic compounds and essential minerals using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient test revealed weak and inverse association between flavonoids and most macro and trace minerals present in UBF samples. Organic acid pretreatment thus exhibited little effect on phenolics and essential minerals of UBF samples, though, inhibitory influence of phenolic compounds was recorded on essential minerals. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  19. Tissue culture of three species of Laurencia complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Songdong; Wu, Xunjian; Yan, Binlun; He, Lihong

    2010-05-01

    To establish a micropropagation system of three Laurencia complex species ( Laurencia okamurai, Laurencia tristicha, and Chondrophycus undulatus) by tissue culture techniques, we studied the regeneration characteristics and optimal culture conditions of axenic algal fragments cultured on solid medium and in liquid medium. Regeneration structures were observed and counted regularly under a reverse microscope to investigate the regeneration process, polarity and optimal illumination, and temperature and salinity levels. The results show that in most cultures of the three species, we obtained bud regeneration on solidified medium with 0.5% agar and in liquid medium. Rhizoid-like regeneration was filamentous and developed from the lower cut surface of fragments in L. okamurai, but was discoid and developed from the apical back side of bud regeneration in L. tristicha and C. undulatus. Regeneration polarity was localized to the apical part of algal fronds in all three species, and on fragments cut from the basal part of algae buds could develop from both the upper and the lower cut surfaces. Buds could develop from both the medullary and the cortical portions in L. okamurai and C. undulatus, while in L. tristicha, buds only emerged from the cortex. The optimal culture conditions for L. okamurai were 4 500 lx, 20°C and 35 (salinity); for C. undulatus, 4 500 lx, 20°C and 30; and for L. tristicha, 4 500 lx, 25°C and 30.

  20. Cellulose nanomaterials emulsion coatings for controlling physiological activity, modifying surface morphology, and enhancing storability of postharvest bananas (Musa acuminate).

    PubMed

    Deng, Zilong; Jung, Jooyeoun; Simonsen, John; Zhao, Yanyun

    2017-10-01

    Cellulose nanomaterials (CNs)-incorporated emulsion coatings with improved moisture barrier, wettability and surface adhesion onto fruit surfaces were developed for controlling postharvest physiological activity and enhancing storability of bananas during ambient storage. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based emulsion coating (CNFC: 0.3% CNF/1% oleic acid/1% sucrose ester fatty acid (w/w wet base)) had low contact angle, high spread coefficient onto banana surfaces, and lower surface tension (ST, 25.4mN/m) than the critical ST (35.2mN/m) of banana peels, and exhibited good wettability onto banana surfaces. CNFC coating delayed the ethylene biosynthesis pathway and reduced ethylene and CO 2 production, thus delaying fruit ripening. As the result, CNFC coating minimized chlorophyll degradation, weight loss, and firmness of bananas while ensuring the properly fruit ripening during 10d of ambient storage. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of CNF based emulsion coatings for improving the storability of postharvest bananas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Detection of antimicrobial activity of banana peel (Musa paradisiaca L.) on Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: An in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Kapadia, Suraj Premal; Pudakalkatti, Pushpa S; Shivanaikar, Sachin

    2015-01-01

    Banana is used widely because of its nutritional values. In past, there are studies that show banana plant parts, and their fruits can be used to treat the human diseases. Banana peel is a part of banana fruit that also has the antibacterial activity against microorganisms but has not been studied extensively. Since, there are no studies that relate the antibacterial activity of banana peel against periodontal pathogens. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the antimicrobial activity of banana peel extract on Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans). Standard strains of P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans were used in this study which was obtained from the in-house bacterial bank of Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology at Maratha Mandal's Nathajirao G. Halgekar Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre. The banana peel extract was prepared, and the antibacterial activity was assessed using well agar diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration was assessed using serial broth dilution method. In the current study, both the tested microorganisms showed antibacterial activity. In well diffusion method, P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans showed 15 mm and 12 mm inhibition zone against an alcoholic extract of banana peel, respectively. In serial broth dilution method P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans were sensitive until 31.25 μg/ml dilutions. From results of the study, it is suggested that an alcoholic extract of banana peel has antimicrobial activity against P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans.

  2. Anaerobic cultures from preserved tissues of baby mammoth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pikuta, Elena V.; Fisher, Daniel; Hoover, Richard B.

    2011-10-01

    Microbiological analysis of several cold-preserved tissue samples from the Siberian baby mammoth known as Lyuba revealed a number of culturable bacterial strains that were grown on anaerobic media at 3 oC. Lactic acid produced by LAB (lactic acid bacteria) group, usually by members of the genera Carnobacterium and Lactosphera, appears to be a wonderful preservative that keeps other bacteria from colonizing a system. Permafrost and lactic acid preserved the body of this one month-old baby mammoth and kept it in exceptionally good condition, resulting in this mammoth being the most complete sample of the species ever recovered. The diversity of novel psychrophilic anaerobic isolates was expressed on morphological, physiological and phylogenetic levels. Here, we discuss the specifics of the isolation of new psychrophilic strains, differentiation from trivial contamination, and preliminary results for characterization of the cultures.

  3. Development of native and modified banana starch nanoparticles as vehicles for curcumin.

    PubMed

    Acevedo-Guevara, Leonardo; Nieto-Suaza, Leonardo; Sanchez, Leidy T; Pinzon, Magda I; Villa, Cristian C

    2018-05-01

    In recent years, starch nanoparticles have been of great interest for drug delivery due to their relatively easy synthesis, biocompatibility, and vast amount of botanical sources. Native and acetylated starch obtained from green bananas were used for synthesis of curcumin-loaded starch nanoparticles. Mean particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and curcumin release in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids were studied. Both nanosystems showed sizes lower than 250 nm and encapsulation efficiency above 80%, with acetylated banana starch nanoparticles having the capacity to encapsulate more curcumin molecules. Both FTIR and XRD analyses showed that starch acetylation allows stronger hydrogen bond interaction between curcumin and the starch matrix, thus, higher encapsulation efficiency. Finally, curcumin release studies showed that acetylated banana starch nanoparticles allowed more controlled release, probably due to their stronger hydrogen bond interaction with curcumin. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Differentiation between cooking bananas and dessert bananas. 1. Morphological and compositional characterization of cultivated Colombian Musaceae (Musa sp.) in relation to consumer preferences.

    PubMed

    Gibert, Olivier; Dufour, Dominique; Giraldo, Andrés; Sánchez, Teresa; Reynes, Max; Pain, Jean-Pierre; González, Alonso; Fernández, Alejandro; Díaz, Alberto

    2009-09-09

    The morphological, physical, and chemical characteristics of 23 unripe cultivated varieties of Colombian Musaceae were assessed. Fresh pulp dry matter helped to discriminate the following consumption subgroups: FHIA dessert hybrids (hydes: 24.6%) < dessert bananas (des: 29.4%) < nonplantain cooking bananas (cook: 32.0%) < FHIA cooking hybrids (hycook: 34.2%) < plantains (pl: 41.1%). Banana flour starch content on dry basis (db) varied from 74.2 to 88.2% among the varieties, with: pl: 86.5% > cook and hycook: 84% > des: 81.9% > hydes: 79.7% (p banana and FHIA groups with 7.9, 13.6, and 15.6 mEq H(+)/100 g db, respectively (p

  5. Diagnostic performance of swab PCR as an alternative to tissue culture methods for diagnosing infections associated with fracture fixation devices.

    PubMed

    Omar, Mohamed; Suero, Eduardo M; Liodakis, Emmanouil; Reichling, Moritz; Guenther, Daniel; Decker, Sebastian; Stiesch, Meike; Krettek, Christian; Eberhard, Jörg

    2016-07-01

    Molecular procedures could potentially improve diagnoses of orthopaedic implant-related infections, but are not yet clinically implemented. Analysis of sonication fluid shows the highest sensitivity for diagnosing implant infections in cases of revision surgery with implant removal. However, there remains controversy regarding the best method for obtaining specimens in cases of revision surgery with implant retention. Tissue culture is the most common diagnostic method for pathogen identification in such cases. Here we aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of swab PCR analysis compared to tissue culture from patients undergoing revision surgery of fracture fixation devices. We prospectively investigated 62 consecutive subjects who underwent revision surgery of fracture fixation devices during a two-year period. Tissue samples were collected for cultures, and swabs from the implant surface were obtained for 16S rRNA PCR analysis. Subjects were classified as having an implant-related infection if (1) they presented with a sinus tract or open wound in communication with the implant; or (2) purulence was encountered intraoperatively; or (3) two out of three tissue cultures tested positive for the presence of the same pathogen. Tissue culture and swab PCR results from the subjects were used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the ROC curve (AUC) for identifying an orthopaedic implant-related infection. Orthopaedic implant-related infections were detected in 51 subjects. Tissue culture identified infections in 47 cases, and swab PCR in 35 cases. Among the 11 aseptic cases, tissue culture was positive in 2 cases and swab PCR in 4 cases. Tissue culture showed a significantly higher area under the ROC curve for diagnosing infection (AUC=0.89; 95% CI, 0.67-0.96) compared to swab PCR (AUC=0.66; 95% CI, 0.46-0.80) (p=0.033). Compared to swab PCR, tissue culture showed better

  6. A theory of the helical ripple-induced stochastic behavior of fast toroidal bananas in torsatrons and heliotrons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smirnova, M. S.

    2001-05-01

    A theory of the helical ripple-induced stochastic behavior of fast toroidal bananas in torsatrons and heliotrons [K. Uo, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 16, 1380 (1961)] is developed. It is supplemented by an analysis of the structure of the secondary magnetic wells along field lines. Conditions, under which these wells are suppressed in torsatrons-heliotrons by poloidally modulated helical field ripple, are found. It is shown that inside the secondary magnetic well-free region, favorable conditions exist for a transition of fast toroidal bananas to stochastic trajectories. The analytical estimation for the value of an additional radial jump of a banana particle near its turning point, induced by the helical field ripple effect, is derived. It is found to be similar to the corresponding banana radial jump in a tokamak with the toroidal field ripple. Critical values of the helical field ripple dangerous from the viewpoint of a banana transition to stochastic behavior are estimated.

  7. Predicting the Benefits of Banana Bunchy Top Virus Exclusion from Commercial Plantations in Australia

    PubMed Central

    Cook, David C.; Liu, Shuang; Edwards, Jacqueline; Villalta, Oscar N.; Aurambout, Jean-Philippe; Kriticos, Darren J.; Drenth, Andre; De Barro, Paul J.

    2012-01-01

    Benefit cost analysis is a tried and tested analytical framework that can clearly communicate likely net changes in producer welfare from investment decisions to diverse stakeholder audiences. However, in a plant biosecurity context, it is often difficult to predict policy benefits over time due to complex biophysical interactions between invasive species, their hosts, and the environment. In this paper, we demonstrate how a break-even style benefit cost analysis remains highly relevant to biosecurity decision-makers using the example of banana bunchy top virus, a plant pathogen targeted for eradication from banana growing regions of Australia. We develop an analytical approach using a stratified diffusion spread model to simulate the likely benefits of exclusion of this virus from commercial banana plantations over time relative to a nil management scenario in which no surveillance or containment activities take place. Using Monte Carlo simulation to generate a range of possible future incursion scenarios, we predict the exclusion benefits of the disease will avoid Aus$15.9-27.0 million in annual losses for the banana industry. For these exclusion benefits to be reduced to zero would require a bunchy top re-establishment event in commercial banana plantations three years in every four. Sensitivity analysis indicates that exclusion benefits can be greatly enhanced through improvements in disease surveillance and incursion response. PMID:22879960

  8. In vitro colonic fermentation and glycemic response of different kinds of unripe banana flour.

    PubMed

    Menezes, Elizabete Wenzel; Dan, Milana C T; Cardenette, Giselli H L; Goñi, Isabel; Bello-Pérez, Luis Arturo; Lajolo, Franco M

    2010-12-01

    This work aimed to study the in vitro colonic fermentation profile of unavailable carbohydrates of two different kinds of unripe banana flour and to evaluate their postprandial glycemic responses. The unripe banana mass (UBM), obtained from the cooked pulp of unripe bananas (Musa acuminata, Nanicão variety), and the unripe banana starch (UBS), obtained from isolated starch of unripe banana, plantain type (Musa paradisiaca) in natura, were studied. The fermentability of the flours was evaluated by different parameters, using rat inoculum, as well as the glycemic response produced after the ingestion by healthy volunteers. The flours presented high concentration of unavailable carbohydrates, which varied in the content of resistant starch, dietary fiber and indigestible fraction (IF). The in vitro colonic fermentation of the flours was high, 98% for the UBS and 75% for the UBM when expressed by the total amount of SCFA such as acetate, butyrate and propionate in relation to lactulose. The increase in the area under the glycemic curve after ingestion of the flours was 90% lower for the UBS and 40% lower for the UBM than the increase produced after bread intake. These characteristics highlight the potential of UBM and UBS as functional ingredients. However, in vivo studies are necessary in order to evaluate the possible benefit effects of the fermentation on intestinal health.

  9. Mapping the cellular and molecular heterogeneity of normal and malignant breast tissues and cultured cell lines

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Introduction Normal and neoplastic breast tissues are comprised of heterogeneous populations of epithelial cells exhibiting various degrees of maturation and differentiation. While cultured cell lines have been derived from both normal and malignant tissues, it remains unclear to what extent they retain similar levels of differentiation and heterogeneity as that found within breast tissues. Methods We used 12 reduction mammoplasty tissues, 15 primary breast cancer tissues, and 20 human breast epithelial cell lines (16 cancer lines, 4 normal lines) to perform flow cytometry for CD44, CD24, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), and CD49f expression, as well as immunohistochemistry, and in vivo tumor xenograft formation studies to extensively analyze the molecular and cellular characteristics of breast epithelial cell lineages. Results Human breast tissues contain four distinguishable epithelial differentiation states (two luminal phenotypes and two basal phenotypes) that differ on the basis of CD24, EpCAM and CD49f expression. Primary human breast cancer tissues also contain these four cellular states, but in altered proportions compared to normal tissues. In contrast, cultured cancer cell lines are enriched for rare basal and mesenchymal epithelial phenotypes, which are normally present in small numbers within human tissues. Similarly, cultured normal human mammary epithelial cell lines are enriched for rare basal and mesenchymal phenotypes that represent a minor fraction of cells within reduction mammoplasty tissues. Furthermore, although normal human mammary epithelial cell lines exhibit features of bi-potent progenitor cells they are unable to differentiate into mature luminal breast epithelial cells under standard culture conditions. Conclusions As a group breast cancer cell lines represent the heterogeneity of human breast tumors, but individually they exhibit increased lineage-restricted profiles that fall short of truly representing the intratumoral

  10. Banana peel extract mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Bankar, Ashok; Joshi, Bhagyashree; Kumar, Ameeta Ravi; Zinjarde, Smita

    2010-10-01

    Gold nanoparticles were synthesized by using banana peel extract (BPE) as a simple, non-toxic, eco-friendly 'green material'. The boiled, crushed, acetone precipitated, air-dried peel powder was used to reduce chloroauric acid. A variety of nanoparticles were formed when the reaction conditions were altered with respect to pH, BPE content, chloroauric acid concentration and temperature of incubation. The reaction mixtures displayed vivid colors and UV-vis spectra characteristic of gold nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies revealed that the average size of the nanoparticles under standard synthetic conditions was around 300nm. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) confirmed these results. A coffee ring phenomenon, led to the aggregation of the nanoparticles into microcubes and microwire networks towards the periphery of the air-dried samples. X-ray diffraction studies of the samples revealed spectra that were characteristic for gold. Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated the involvement of carboxyl, amine and hydroxyl groups in the synthetic process. The BPE mediated nanoparticles displayed efficient antimicrobial activity towards most of the tested fungal and bacterial cultures.

  11. Detection of DNA methylation changes in micropropagated banana plants using methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP).

    PubMed

    Peraza-Echeverria, S; Herrera-Valencia, V A.; Kay, A -J.

    2001-07-01

    The extent of DNA methylation polymorphisms was evaluated in micropropagated banana (Musa AAA cv. 'Grand Naine') derived from either the vegetative apex of the sucker or the floral apex of the male inflorescence using the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique. In all, 465 fragments, each representing a recognition site cleaved by either or both of the isoschizomers were amplified using eight combinations of primers. A total of 107 sites (23%) were found to be methylated at cytosine in the genome of micropropagated banana plants. In plants micropropagated from the male inflorescence explant 14 (3%) DNA methylation events were polymorphic, while plants micropropagated from the sucker explant produced 8 (1.7%) polymorphisms. No DNA methylation polymorphisms were detected in conventionally propagated banana plants. These results demonstrated the usefulness of MSAP to detect DNA methylation events in micropropagated banana plants and indicate that DNA methylation polymorphisms are associated with micropropagation.

  12. Microfluidic transwell inserts for generation of tissue culture-friendly gradients in well plates

    PubMed Central

    Sip, Christopher G.; Bhattacharjee, Nirveek; Folch, Albert

    2015-01-01

    Gradients of biochemical molecules play a key role in many physiological processes such as axon growth, tissue morphogenesis, and trans-epithelium nutrient transport, as well as in pathophysiological phenomena such as wound healing, immune response, bacterial invasion, and cancer metastasis. In this paper, we report a microfluidic transwell insert for generating quantifiable concentration gradients in a user-friendly and modular format that is compatible with conventional cell cultures and with tissue explant cultures. The device is simply inserted into a standard 6-well plate, where it hangs self-supported at a distance of ~250 μm above the cell culture surface. The gradient is created by small microflows from the device, through an integrated track-etched porous membrane, into the cell culture well. The microfluidic transwell can deliver stable, quantifiable gradients over a large area with extremely low fluid shear stress to dissociated cells or tissue explants cultured independently on the surface of a 6-well plate. We used finite-element modeling to describe the porous membrane flow and molecular transport and to predict gradients generated by the device. Using the device, we applied a gradient of the chemotactic peptide N-Formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) to a large population of HL-60 cells (a neutrophil cell line) and directly observed the migration with time-lapse microscopy. On quantification of the chemotactic response with an automated tracking algorithm, we found 74% of the cells moving towards the gradient. Additionally, the modular design and low fluid shear stress made it possible to apply gradients of growth factors and second messengers to mouse retinal explant cultures. With a simplified interface and well-defined gradients, the microfluidic transwell device has potential for broad applications to gradient-sensing biology. PMID:24225908

  13. 33 CFR 334.560 - Banana River at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.; restricted area.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Banana River at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.; restricted area. 334.560 Section 334.560 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.560 Banana...

  14. Increased NIH 3T3 fibroblast functions on cell culture dishes which mimic the nanometer fibers of natural tissues.

    PubMed

    Bhardwaj, Garima; Webster, Thomas J

    2015-01-01

    Traditional flat tissue cell culture dishes have consisted of polystyrene treated with plasma gases for growing, subculturing, and studying cell behavior in vitro. However, increasingly it has been observed that mimicking natural tissue properties (such as chemistry, three-dimensional structure, mechanical properties, etc) in vitro can lead to a better correlation of in vitro to in vivo cellular functions. The following studies compared traditional NIH 3T3 fibroblasts' functions on XanoMatrix scaffolds to standard tissue culture polystyrene. Results found significantly greater fibroblast adhesion and proliferation on XanoMatrix cell culture dishes which mimic the nanoscale geometry of natural tissue fibers with true, tortuous fiber beds creating a robust, consistent, and versatile growth platform. In this manner, this study supports that cell culture dishes which mimic features of natural tissues should be continually studied for a wide range of applications in which mimicking natural cellular functions are important.

  15. A comparison between energy transfer and atmospheric turbulent exchanges over alpine meadow and banana plantation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ding, Zhangwei; Ma, Yaoming; Wen, Zhiping; Ma, Weiqiang; Chen, Shiji

    2017-07-01

    Banana plantation and alpine meadow ecosystems in southern China and the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are unique in the underlying surfaces they exhibit. In this study, we used eddy covariance and a micrometeorological tower to examine the characteristics of land surface energy exchanges over a banana plantation in southern China and an alpine meadow in the Tibetan Plateau from May 2010 to August 2012. The results showed that the diurnal and seasonal variations in upward shortwave radiation flux and surface soil heat flux were larger over the alpine meadow than over the banana plantation surface. Dominant energy partitioning varied with season. Latent heat flux was the main consumer of net radiation flux in the growing season, whereas sensible heat flux was the main consumer during other periods. The Monin-Obukhov similarity theory was employed for comparative purposes, using sonic anemometer observations of flow over the surfaces of banana plantations in the humid southern China monsoon region and the semi-arid areas of the TP, and was found to be applicable. Over banana plantation and alpine meadow areas, the average surface albedo and surface aerodynamic roughness lengths under neutral atmospheric conditions were ˜0.128 and 0.47 m, and ˜0.223 and 0.01 m, respectively. During the measuring period, the mean annual bulk transfer coefficients for momentum and sensible heat were 1.47 × 10-2 and 7.13 × 10-3, and 2.91 × 10-3 and 1.96 × 10-3, for banana plantation and alpine meadow areas, respectively.

  16. Application of Nutrient Enriched Biochar to Grow Bananas at the Plantation Scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nzengung, Valentine

    2017-04-01

    The majority of soils in Cameroon consist of varying laterites derived from granites. The lateritic soils are generally depleted in nutrients. The most fertile soils in Cameroon are young soils that have formed from volcanic rocks of the Cameroon volcanic line (CVL). The richer volcanic soils which are found in the southwest region and the western regions are used to grow the major cash crops, including cocoa, coffee, rubber, banana, tea, and palm fruits. The government owned Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) and private commercial farmers in the country have resorted to the heavy use of imported agrochemicals to mitigate the serious and persistent soil fertility challenges. Cameroon is the third largest biomass producer in Africa. This means that Cameroon has a high biomass production potential. Among the many types of biomass available for biochar production in Cameroon, empty fruit bunches (EFB) from the many palm oil plantations offer one of the largest concentration of biomass. CDC alone produces over 200,000 tons of EFB biomass each year. The corporation uses less than half of the EFB it produces in its palm oil processing mills for mulching. The remaining EFB are disposed by open burning leading to significant air pollution. In 2015, we entered into a collaborative understanding with CDC to dispose some of its EFB by pyrolysis to produce biochar. The produced biochar is enriched with natural plant nutrients obtained from animal waste (poultry chicken manure) and volcanic lava dust from the 2001 eruption of Mount Cameroon. The biochar, chicken litter and volcanic rock dust is aged for 14 - 21 days to produce a 100% natural soil enhancer commercialized under the name "QwikGro". The QwikGro is undergoing field evaluation on three hectares of banana plantation owned by CDC. The field trial began in June 2016. Of the three hectares, one hectare of the bananas was planted using 100% (only) QwikGro, the second hectare was planted with 50% QwikGro and received

  17. In vitro differentiation of rat spermatogonia into round spermatids in tissue culture

    PubMed Central

    Reda, A.; Hou, M.; Winton, T.R.; Chapin, R.E.; Söder, O.; Stukenborg, J.-B.

    2016-01-01

    STUDY QUESTION Do the organ culture conditions, previously defined for in vitro murine male germ cell differentiation, also result in differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting specific markers for haploid germ cells? SUMMARY ANSWER We demonstrated the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic cells in vitro, with emphasis on exhibiting, protein markers described for round spermatids. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Full spermatogenesis in vitro from immature germ cells using an organ culture technique in mice was first reported 5 years ago. However, no studies reporting the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting the characteristic protein expression profile or into functional sperm have been reported. STUDY DESIGN, SAMPLES/MATERIALS, METHODS Organ culture of testicular fragments of 5 days postpartum (dpp) neonatal rats was performed for up to 52 days. Evaluation of microscopic morphology, testosterone levels, mRNA and protein expression as measured by RT-qPCR and immunostaining were conducted to monitor germ cell differentiation in vitro. Potential effects of melatonin, Glutamax® medium, retinoic acid and the presence of epidydimal fat tissue on the spermatogenic process were evaluated. A minimum of three biological replicates were performed for all experiments presented in this study. One-way ANOVA, ANOVA on ranks and student's t-test were applied to perform the statistical analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Male germ cells, present in testicular tissue pieces grown from 5 dpp rats, exhibited positive protein expression for Acrosin and Crem (cAMP (cyclic adenosine mono phosphate) response element modulator) after 52 days of culture in vitro. Intra-testicular testosterone production could be observed after 3 days of culture, while when epididymal fat tissue was added, spontaneous contractility of cultured seminiferous tubules could be observed after 21 days. However, no

  18. Susceptibility of Tissue Cultures of Canine Origin to Viruses

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1965-08-01

    importance. It was realized that dogs may harbor other than the common- ly recognized rabies, distemper and infectious canine hepatitis viruses. Proper... CANINE ORIGIN TO VIRUSES S......... . i Albuquerque, New Mexico by FRANK F. PINDAK AND WILLIAM E. CLAPPER August 1965 DISTRIBUTON STATEMENTA Approved...TID-4500 (43rd Ed.) SUSCEPTIBILITY OF TISSUE CULTURES OF CANINE ORIGIN TO VIRUSES by Frank F. Pindak and William E. Clapper Submitted as a Technical

  19. Studies on mould growth and biomass production using waste banana peel.

    PubMed

    Essien, J P; Akpan, E J; Essien, E P

    2005-09-01

    Hyphomycetous (Aspergillus fumigatus) and Phycomycetous (Mucor hiemalis) moulds were cultivated in vitro at room temperature (28 + 20 degrees C) to examined their growth and biomass production on waste banana peel agar (BPA) and broth (BPB) using commercial malt extract agar (MEA) and broth (MEB) as control. The moulds grew comparatively well on banana peel substrates. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in radial growth rates was observed between moulds cultivated on PBA and MEA, although growth rates on MEA were slightly better. Slight variations in sizes of asexual spores and reproductive hyphae were also observed between moulds grown on MEA and BPA. Smaller conidia and sporangiospores, and shorter aerial hyphae (conidiophores and sporangiophores) were noticed in moulds grown on BPA than on MEA. The biomass weight of the test moulds obtained after one month of incubation with BPB were only about 1.8 mg and 1.4 mg less than values recorded for A. fumigatus and M. hiemalis respectively, grown on MEB. The impressive performance of the moulds on banana peel substrate may be attributed to the rich nutrient (particularly the crude protein 7.8% and crude fat 11.6% contents) composition of banana peels. The value of this agricultural waste can therefore be increased by its use not only in the manufacture of mycological medium but also in the production of valuable microfungal biomass which is rich in protein and fatty acids.

  20. Hyaline Cartilage Tissue Is Formed through the Co-culture of Passaged Human Chondrocytes and Primary Bovine Chondrocytes

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, Drew W.; Ahmed, Nazish; Hayes, Anthony J.; Ferguson, Peter; Gross, Allan E.; Caterson, Bruce

    2012-01-01

    To circumvent the problem of a sufficient number of cells for cartilage engineering, the authors previously developed a two-stage culture system to redifferentiate monolayer culture-expanded dedifferentiated human articular chondrocytes by co-culture with primary bovine chondrocytes (bP0). The aim of this study was to analyze the composition of the cartilage tissue formed in stage 1 and compare it with bP0 grown alone to determine the optimal length of the co-culture stage of the system. Biochemical data show that extracellular matrix accumulation was evident after 2 weeks of co-culture, which was 1 week behind the bP0 control culture. By 3 to 4 weeks, the amounts of accumulated proteoglycans and collagens were comparable. Expression of chondrogenic genes, Sox 9, aggrecan, and collagen type II, was also at similar levels by week 3 of culture. Immunohistochemical staining of both co-culture and control tissues showed accumulation of type II collagen, aggrecan, biglycan, decorin, and chondroitin sulfate in appropriate zonal distributions. These data indicate that co-cultured cells form cartilaginous tissue that starts to resemble that formed by bP0 after 3 weeks, suggesting that the optimal time to terminate the co-culture stage, isolate the now redifferentiated cells, and start stage 2 is just after 3 weeks. PMID:22610463