Pectobacterium species are necrotrophic bacterial pathogens that cause soft rot diseases in potatoes and several other crops worldwide. Gene expression data identified Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum budB, which encodes the α-acetolactate synthase enzyme in the 2,3-butanediol pathway, as more highly expressed in potato tubers than potato stems. This pathway is of interest because ...

The bacterium 'Dickeya solani', an aggressive biovar 3 variant of Dickeya dianthicola, causes rotting and blackleg in potato. To control this pathogen using bacteriophage therapy, we isolated and characterized two closely related and specific bacteriophages, vB_DsoM_LIMEstone1 and vB_DsoM_LIMEstone2. The LIMEstone phages have a T4-related genome organization and share DNA similarity with Salmon...

Soluble starch synthase I (SSSI) cDNA was isolated from taro (Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta) by RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends reaction. The transcript of this single-copy gene is 2340 bp and encodes 642 amino acids protein containing a putative transit peptide of 54 residues. Recombinant SSSI protein displayed both primer-dependent and primer-independent activities of starch ...

We studied bacterial isolates 15M and 16M from calla lily tubers showing soft rot in commercial plantations in Poland. Colony morphology differed from that of known agents of bacterial soft rot of this plant. The use of Microgen Bacillus ID system allowed to identify both isolates as Paenibacillus polymyxa. This was confirmed by sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments. The isolates showed ...

To clarify the effects of storage temperature on potato components and acrylamide in chips, tubers from five cultivars were stored at various temperatures (2, 6, 8, 10, and 18 degrees C) for 18 weeks, and the contents of sugars, free amino acids in tubers, and acrylamide in chips after frying were analyzed. At temperatures lower than 8 degrees C, the contents of reducing sugars increased marked...

The major isoform of starch synthase from the soluble fraction of developing potato tubers has been purified and used to prepare an antibody and isolate a cDNA. The protein is 140 kD, and it is distinctly different in predicted primary amino acid sequence from other isoforms of the enzyme thus far described. Immunoinhibition and immunoblotting experiments and analysis of tubers in which activit...

A quantitative human dietary risk assessment was conducted using the glycoalkaloid concentrations measured from tubers of plants defoliated by Colorado potato beetles and undefoliated (control). There was a significantly greater production of glycoalkaloids for defoliated plants compared to control plants for both skin and inner tissue of tubers. The dietary risk posed to different human subgro...

Chlorophytum borivilianum is commonly known as safed musli and is sold all over the world for its medicinal values. Tubers of this plant are used to cure reproductive disorders and studies indicate that saponins are the main compounds that are responsible for its therapeutic values. In the present investigation, saponin content and type of saponins in the tubers (without peels), peels of tubers...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multi-systemic disorder that involves primarily CNS, skin, kidney and heart. The aim of this study is to determine whether seizures type, interictal EEGs and tubers burden in MRI are correlated to seizure and intellectual outcome, and to identify the clinical risk factors for mental retardation and developing autism in these patien...

Amarkand tubers are routinely consumed by Indian tribes as food and medicine. Some species from genus Eulophia (Orchidaceae) and Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoraceae) are referred as Amarkand. Their different local names and location specific availability lead to ambiguity in identification and incorrect selection of a particular species as medicine. Present study is focused to find out their p...