Expressed sequence tags of the peanut pod nematode Ditylenchus africanus: the first transcriptome analysis of an Anguini...
Tolerance of plastic-encapsulated Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to chemical stress
Published in Extremophiles
Pseudomonas putida dried in the presence of hydroxyectoine or trehalose can withstand exposure to organic solvents and therefore can be encapsulated inside plastics such as polystyrene. Here we show that P. putida in a plastic-encapsulated dried tablet exhibits remarkable tolerance to chemical stress, comparable to that of spores of Bacillus subtil...
The continuing conundrum of the LEA proteins
Published in Naturwissenschaften
Research into late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins has been ongoing for more than 20 years but, although there is a strong association of LEA proteins with abiotic stress tolerance particularly dehydration and cold stress, for most of that time, their function has been entirely obscure. After their initial discovery in plant seeds, three majo...
Dehydration-inducible changes in expression of two aquaporins in the sleeping chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki
Published in BBA - Biomembranes
Aquaporin, AQP, is a channel protein that allows water to permeate across cell membranes. Larvae of the sleeping chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki, can withstand complete dehydration by entering anhydrobiosis, a state of suspended animation; however, the mechanism by which water flows out of the larval body during dehydration is still unclear. W...
Dehydration-induced expression of LEA proteins in an anhydrobiotic chironomid
Published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are associated with desiccation tolerance in anhydrobiotic organisms. The larvae of an African chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki, are able to withstand almost complete desiccation during which they enter a state of suspended animation. Here, we developed an EST database from desiccating larvae and isola...
The environmental physiology of Antarctic terrestrial nematodes: a review
Published in Journal of Comparative Physiology B
The environmental physiology of terrestrial Antarctic nematodes is reviewed with an emphasis on their cold-tolerance strategies. These nematodes are living in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and face a variety of stresses, including low temperatures and desiccation. Their diversity is low and declines with latitude. They show resistan...
Arbutin inhibits PLA 2 in partially hydrated model systems
Published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)/Lipids and Lipid Metabolism
Arbutin is a glycosylated hydroquinone found at high concentrations in certain plants capable of surviving extreme and sustained dehydration. In this paper, we examine a potential role of this molecule in anhydrobiosis. We have studied its effects on the physical properties of phospholipids and on preservation of liposomes during drying. Arbutin de...
Post-anhydrobiotic viability ofpratylenchus thornei andmerlinius brevidens
Published in Phytoparasitica
After natural desiccation in the field, anhydrobiotic populations ofPratylenchus thornei Sher & Allen andMerlinius brevidens (Allen) Sidiqqi were treated in three different ways: some were kept dry to maintain nematodes in the anhydrobiotic stage; some were rehydrated and then allowed to dry again to induce a new desiccation cycle; and some were re...
