Sequences homologous to a potato cathepsin D inhibitor cDNA, p749, were identified in the genomic DNA of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and of two non-tuber-bearing potato species (Solanum etuberosum and S. brevidens) by means of Southern blot analysis. The expression of these p749 genes in leaves was induced at the RNA level in response to wounding. High levels of p749 transcripts were detec...

Sweet potato is grown extensively from tropical to temperate regions and is an important food crop worldwide. In this study, we established detection methods for 17 major sweet potato viruses using single and multiplex RT-PCR assays. To investigate the current incidence of viral diseases, we collected 154 samples of various sweet potato cultivars showing virus-like symptoms from 40 fields in 10...

This study describes the effects of bounce, brake, and roll behavior of a bus toward its leaf spring suspension systems. Parabolic leaf springs are designed based on vertical deflection and stress; however, loads are practically derived from various modes especially under harsh road drives or emergency braking. Parabolic leaf springs must sustain these loads without failing to ensure bus and pa...

A full-length cDNA copy of the genome of Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) was introduced into the genome of tobacco and potato plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transgenic lines were obtained in which the transgene was readily detected by PCR with DNA extracted from T(1) tobacco seedlings and clonally multiplied potato plants. PLRV-specific genomic and sub- genomic RNAs, ...

The putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of potato leafroll luteovirus (PLRV) is expressed by -1 ribosomal frameshifting in the region where the open reading frames (ORF) of proteins 2a and 2b overlap. The signal responsible for efficient frameshift is composed of the slippery site UUUAAAU followed by a sequence that has the potential to adopt two alternative folding patterns, either a structu...

Solanesol is a high value 45-carbon, unsaturated, all-trans-nonaprenol isoprenoid. Recently solanesol has received particular attention because of its utility, both in its own right and as a precursor in the production of numerous compounds used in the treatment of disease states. Solanesol is found mainly in solanaceous crops such as potato, tomato, tobacco and pepper where it accumulates in t...

The potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zeller) is the primary insect pest of cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in tropical and subtropical regions, causing both foliar and tuber damage. In contrast, the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) is the most important insect pest in the northern potato production latitudes. The codon-modified Bacillus thuringiensis Bt-...

The common assumption in potato virus epidemiology is that all daughter tubers produced by plants coming from infected mother tubers (secondary infection) will become infected via systemic translocation of the virus during growth. We hypothesize that depending on the prevalent environmental conditions, only a portion of the daughter tubers of a plant that is secondarily infected by viruses may ...