Since their discovery in 2004, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been characterized as a fundamental host innate immune defense against various pathogens. Released in response to infectious and pro-inflammatory stimuli, NETs can immobilize invading pathogens within a fibrous matrix consisting of DNA, histones, and antimicrobial peptides. Conversely, excessive or dysregulated NET releas...

very different extracellular and intracellular lifestyles. Thus, it was astounding that all of these R genes encode United Kingdom a limited set of products with related structural features. The cloning of R genes continues apace and has recently been augmented by isolation of other key signal transPlants are sessile organisms and lack a circulating, so-duction components. Additionally, the las...

A staggering diversity of endophytic fungi associate with healthy plants in nature, but it is usually unclear whether these represent stochastic encounters or provide host fitness benefits. Although most characterized species of the fungal genus Colletotrichum are destructive pathogens, we show here that C. tofieldiae (Ct) is an endemic endophyte in natural Arabidopsis thaliana populations in c...

the parasitoid trichogramma brassicae bezdenko is used for inundative releases in biological control programs against lepidopteran pests in agro-ecosystems. age-specific functional responses of t. brassicae to different egg densities (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 80) of sterilized eggs of ephestia kuehniella at 23±1°c, 60±5% rh, and 16:8 h (l:d photoperiod ) were studied. e. kuehniella densities ...

rearing methods for bracon hebetor (say) (hym., braconidae) were investigated in the series of laboratory experiments designed to enhance the yield of the mass rearing of this parasitoid for biological control of lepidopteran field and stored product pests. in these experiments, the effects of parasitoid and host densities on fertility and sex ratio of b. hebetor were assessed. in parasitoid de...

Symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous in tropical forests. AMF play a role in the forest carbon cycle because they can increase nutrient acquisition and biomass of host plants, but also incur a carbon cost to the plant. Through their interactions with their host plants they have the potential to affect how plants respond to environmental perturbation such as global warming...

Plant roots and shoots harbor complex bacterial communities. Early seed and plantlet colonization plays a key role in determining which bacterial populations will successfully invade plant tissues, yet the mechanisms enabling plants to select for beneficial rather than harmful populations are largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate a role of oxalate as a determinant in this selection pro...