From the underground parts of Glehnia littoralis FR. Schmidt ex Miquel (Umbelliferae), 26 compounds, including two new lignan glycosides [giehlinosides A (1) and B (2)], a new neolignan glycoside [glehlinoside C (3)], and a new phenylpropanoid glycoside 14-[beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxyl-3-methoxypropiophenone (4)1, were obtained and their structures were determined by a...

The MADS-domain transcription factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE plays a key role as a repressor of the transition to flowering and as a regulator of early floral development in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). However, no flowering-time repressors have been functionally identified in the model legume Medicago truncatula (Medicago). In this study, phylogenetic analysis of two closely-related MtSV...

Aloe littoralis Baker (Asphodelaceae family) is a well known plant in southern parts of Iran. Because of its use in Iranian folk medicine as a wound-healing agent, the present study was carried out to investigate anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities of this plant in Wistar rats. A. littoralis raw mucilaginous gel (ALRMG) and also two gel formulations prepared from the raw mucilaginous...

To validate the potential as added-value resources of Asteraceae and Labiatae species of Argentinean semi-arid lands, we have selected 13 of their major terpenoids belonging to several chemical classes and tested their insect antifeedant and toxic activity on the herbivorous insects Spodoptera littoralis and Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The antifeedant effects of the test compounds were structure...

In response to insect herbivory, Arabidopsis plants activate the synthesis of the phytohormone jasmonate-isoleucine, which binds to a complex consisting of the receptor COI1 and JAZ repressors. Upon proteasome-mediated JAZ degradation, basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors (TFs) MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 become activated and this results in the expression of defense genes. Although the jasmon...

We studied the parasitism by larvae of the chigger mite Eutrombicula alfreddugesi on the lizard community of Restinga de Jurubatiba, Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil. We investigated the patterns of infestation (prevalence and intensity) of chigger mites in four sympatric lizards: Tropidurus torquatus, Mabuya agilis, M. macrorhyncha and Cnemidophorus littoralis. All lizards collected w...

The parasitoid Chelonus inanitus (Braconidae, Hymenoptera) oviposits into eggs of Spodoptera littoralis (Noctuidae, Lepidoptera) and, along with the egg, also injects polydnaviruses and venom, which are prerequisites for successful parasitoid development. The parasitoid larva develops within the embryonic and larval stages of the host, which enters metamorphosis precociously and arrests develop...

Medicago truncatula is a model legume forage crop native to the arid and semi-arid environments of the Mediterranean. Given its drought-adapted nature, it is an ideal candidate to study the molecular and biochemical mechanisms conferring drought resistance in plants. Medicago plants were subjected to a progressive drought stress over 14 d of water withholding followed by rewatering under contro...