Heritability and interactions of yield and growth traits were assessed in Hevea brasiliensis using full-sib progenies and clonal populations. Using parent-offspring regression, annual mean rubber yield (ARY) and summer yield (SY) showed moderate to high heritability (ARY, h2 =34–56%; SY, h2 =36–52%). Among the yield components, girth exhibited low to moderate heritability (h2 =17–36%) while bra...

A distinct protein specifically recognized by its strong interaction with Hevea latex lectin (HLL) was detected in the aqueous C-serum fraction of centrifuged fresh latex. This C-serum lectin binding protein (CS-HLLBP) exhibited strong inhibition of HLL-induced hemagglutination. The CS-HLLBP was purified to homogeneity by a protocol that included ammonium sulfate fractionation, size exclusion a...

Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) self-rooting juvenile clones (JCs) are promising planting materials for rubber production. In a comparative trial between self-rooting JCs and donor clones (DCs), self-rooting JCs exhibited better performance in rubber yield. To study the molecular mechanism associated with higher rubber yield in self-rooting JCs, we sequenced and comparatively analyzed the late...

Ethylene is commonly used as a latex stimulant of Hevea brasiliensis by application of ethephon (chloro-2-ethylphosphonic acid); however, the molecular mechanism by which ethylene increases latex production is not clear. To better understand the effects of ethylene stimulation on the laticiferous cells of rubber trees, a latex expressed sequence tag (EST)-based complementary DNA microarray cont...

The enrichment and isolation of thermophilic bacteria capable of rubber [poly(cis-1,4-isoprene)] degradation revealed eight different strains exhibiting both currently known strategies used by rubber-degrading mesophilic bacteria. Taxonomic characterization of these isolates by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated closest relationships to Actinomadura nitritigenes, Nocardia farcinica, a...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Natural rubber latex is the most important occupational allergen among medical workers, and remains a significant occupational health issue in Taiwan. We conducted this large-scale hospital-based screening study to understand the incidence of latex allergy and latex sensitization among medical workers in Taiwan over the past 5 years. METHODS 1253 medical workers were en...

In this study, we show the proof of concept for the production of defined oligo-isoprenoids with terminal functional groups that can be used as starting materials for various purposes including the synthesis of isoprenoid-based plastics. To this end, we used three types of rubber oxygenases for the enzymatic cleavage of rubber [poly(cis-1,4-isoprene)]. Two enzymes, rubber oxygenase RoxAXsp and ...