Antirrhinum majus DEFICIENS (DEF) and Arabidopsis thaliana APETALA3 (AP3) MADS box proteins are required to specify petal and stamen identity. Sampling of DEF/AP3 homologs revealed two types of DEF/AP3 proteins, euAP3 and TOMATO MADS BOX GENE6 (TM6), within core eudicots, and we show functional divergence in Petunia hybrida euAP3 and TM6 proteins. Petunia DEF (also known as GREEN PETALS [GP]) i...

Regulatory mechanisms controlling basic aspects of floral morphogenesis seem to be highly conserved among plant species. The class B organ identity genes, which are required to establish the identity of organs in the second (petals) and third (stamens) floral whorls, are a good example of such conservation. This work compares the function of two similar class B genes in the same genetic backgro...

Background: Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been shown as a good radiosensitizer. In combination with radiotherapy, several studies with orthovoltage X-rays have shown considerable dose enhancement effects. This paper reports the dose enhancement factor (DEF) due to GNPs in 18 megavoltage (MV) beams. Materials and Methods: Different geometrical 50-nm GNPs configurations at a concentrati...

APETALA3 (AP3)/DEFICIENS (DEF) is a MADS-box transcription factor that is involved in establishing the identity of petal and stamen floral organs. The AP3/DEF gene lineage has been extensively examined throughout the angiosperms in order to better understand its role in floral diversity and evolution. As a result, a large number of cloned AP3/DEF orthologues are available, which can be used for...

DEFICIENS (DEF) and GLOBOSA (GLO) function in petal and stamen organ identity in Antirrhinum and are orthologs of APETALA3 and PISTILLATA in Arabidopsis. These genes are known as B-function genes for their role in the ABC genetic model of floral organ identity. Phylogenetic analyses show that DEF and GLO are closely related paralogs, having originated from a gene duplication event after the sep...

Susceptibility to spinosad (Success®/Tracer®) of beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) from the southern U.S.A. and Southeast Asia was determined through exposure of third instar larvae to dipped cotton leaves. LC50 values of field populations ranged from 0.6 to 14 μg spinosad/ml. Field populations were 3.0 to 70-fold less susceptible to spinosad than was a susceptible reference population. The lea...