Although isothiocyanate and indole compounds derived from cruciferous vegetables appear to be structurally unrelated, they are both derived from glucosinolates. These sulfur-containing glycosides are found in the order Capparales, which includes the large family Brassicaceae. The glucosinolate molecule comprises a common glucone moiety and a variable aglucone side-chain, derived from one of sev...

Understanding the mechanisms underlying gene regulation is paramount to comprehend the translation from genotype to phenotype. The two are connected by gene expression, and it is generally thought that variation in transcription factor (TF) function is an important determinant of phenotypic evolution. We analyzed publicly available genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments for 27 TF...

Aphids are among the most serious insect pests of agricultural crops in the world. They often have specific hosts, and the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) is a specialist on Cruciferae. It has previously been described that certain insects contain the enzyme myrosinase (EC 3.2.3.1), which is considered an important defence enzyme of crucifers. Myrosinase was purified to homogeneity from c...

Antimicrobial compounds have critical roles in plant immunity; for example, Arabidopsis thaliana and other crucifers deploy phytoalexins and glucosinolate derivatives in defense against pathogens. The pathogen-responsive MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE3 (MPK3) and MPK6 have essential functions in the induction of camalexin, the major phytoalexin in Arabidopsis. In search of cyanide, a coproduc...

Pieris brassicae is one of the most serious pests of cultivated crucifers in the world. The present experiment is intended to determine the proteolytic digestion of fifth instar larvae and the effects of four cruciferous hosts to P. brassicae nutritional physiology. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, Brassica oleracea var. capitata, Brassica oleracea var. italica and Brassica oleracea var. viridi...

We hypothesized that a parasitoid of an herbivore would be attracted to large rather than small patches of plants that provide food for the herbivore. We conducted experiments to determine whether such parasitoids would be more likely to find and/or less likely to leave large patches of their victims' host plants. We also examined whether prey density (independent of patch size) affects plant f...

The Puccinia monoica complex is an enigmatic group of rust fungi. They are flower mimics, and they greatly reduce host reproduction and survival. These fungi are relatively common, attacking approximately 960 species in 11 genera of crucifers as well as at least five genera of grasses. In modern taxonomic treatments the Puccinia monoica complex is treated as four species that are differentiated...

BACKGROUND The cabbage beetle Colaphellus bowringi Baly is a serious insect pest of crucifers and undergoes reproductive diapause in soil. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms of diapause regulation, insecticide resistance, and other physiological processes is helpful for developing new management strategies for this beetle. However, the lack of genomic information and valid reference g...

It is well known that crucifers have antitumor effects and 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is one of the major bioactive components, and the associated molecular mechanisms in a short-term high-dose manner are widely discussed. However, the antitumor effects of DIM in a long-term low-dose manner in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not been reported yet, as to the potential mechanisms in the human...

In many angiosperms, outcrossing is enforced by genetic self-incompatibility (SI), which allows cells of the pistil to recognize and specifically inhibit "self" pollen. SI is often associated with increased stigma-anther separation, a morphological trait that promotes cross-pollen deposition on the stigma. However, the gene networks responsible for coordinate evolution of these complex outbreed...