Fungus to the rescue

by Allison Younkins

How one fungus is changing the way we battle pests

The fungus Muscodor albus rarely gets to play the hero-but that could all be changing according to USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.   In February 2010, results from an ARS study regarding the effects of this fungus on a common wheat disease were published in The Canadian Journal of Microbiology. Throughout multiple experiments in recent years, researchers have found that Muscodor albus was effective in eliminating common insect and fungus pests that attack wheat, apples, and grapes.

The super powers of Muscodor albus

This natural fungus could be the answer to eradicating numerous agricultural pests.  But how does this fungus do it?  Instead of physical strength, or even the ability to fly like other superheroes, this fungus emits Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are known to naturally kill pests and other fungi.   The most recent Muscodor experiment tested the fungus’ ability to eliminate another fungus T. tritici, which reduces wheat yield and lowers crop quality.  In laboratory experiments, the VOCs from Muscador killed 100% of the T. tritici spores and prevented the spread of the fungus.  This is just one of numerous experiments regarding Muscodor albus-results show that this fungus is also effective against agricultural villains like potato tuber moths, apple codling moths, and the fungus Botrytis cinerea.

from "Fungal Fumes Clear Out Crop Pests" in the February 2010 issue of Agrictultural Research magazine. Blair Goates, plant pathologist, examines wheat seed after applying a formulation of the biocontrol fungus Muscodor albus, shown in the foreground.

This biocontrol may be the answer for growers and consumers: how fungus is actually better for you

Fungi such as T. tritici are currently controlled in the field by chemical pesticides, which are effective-for now.  Researchers are interested in biocontrol solutions because it is possible that these agricultural scoundrels will become resistant to the chemical pesticides.  This could expose growers to tremendous financial losses because they have “become reliant” on chemical solutions, according to plant pathologist Blair J. Goates, with the ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit.  And while chemical effects on humans and the environment are a constant concern with chemical pesticides, the use of Muscodor albus does not harm humans or animals and leaves little residue on treated plants.  This biocontrol could also benefit organic growers, because currently there is no available natural treatment for these extremely common pests.  While Muscodor albus doesn’t fight crime, it may progress as a useful biocontrol method for a different kind of villain.  Don’t expect this fungus to wear or cape, or even to star in a comic book, but you can expect Muscodor albus to continue making headlines as a potentially powerful biocontrol agent.

Want to learn more?  Check out the resources I used for this blog:

Fungal Fumes Clear Out Crop Pests

Mud volcano (debate) still hot nearly four years later

By Marci Wills,   Feb 19, 2010

When I first heard the highly scientific term “mud volcano” I thought it sounded awfully lame, but those in Indonesia would likely argue otherwise. On May 29, 2006, a mass of boiling mud unexpectedly erupted from beneath the densely populated Sidoarjo district of Java. The “Lusi mud volcano” (a conjunction of Lumpur, the Indonesian word for mud, and Sidoarjo) killed 13 people in 2006 due to ruptured gas pipelines and displaced an estimated 30,000 more. I vaguely remember hearing about this back when I was graduating from high school. So I was rather shocked when I learned this week, in my senior year of college, that the Lusi eruption hasn’t stopped!

The Lusi mud volcano erupting two days after its birth. From Mazzini et al (2007).

Nearly four years later, the mud volcano continues to ooze at an alarming rate of 160,000 cubic meters of 100°C mud every day (enough to fill 50 Olypmic-sized swimming pools!) It covers an area of 7 square kilometers (~3 square miles) up to 20 meters (65 feet) deep. The muck has defeated all efforts to thwart it, including dams, levees, drainage channels, and even attempts at plugging the center with large concrete balls. The volcano shows no signs of slowing, much less stopping, and researchers estimate it could continue to erupt for several decades. Naturally, a lot of people want to know why it happened.

Lusi is one of the largest examples of about 700 recognized mud volcanoes throughout the world. (Although the number varies depending on definition. Do you call a 1 meter high mound that seeps every so often a mud volcano too?) In addition to Indonesia, they are concentrated in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the South Caspian Sea, often in regions associated with petroleum deposits. Mud volcanoes form when a large volume of water, mud, clay and gas becomes trapped underground. These liquid chambers can sit under very high pressures for millions of years until until they suddenly find a pathway to the surface.

Homes in Sidoarjo flooded by the mud

Two possible triggers have been identified for the Lusi mud volcano; a magnitude 6.3 earthquake which occurred 2 days earlier on May 27th, 2006, 250 km away in Yogyakarta, and a gas exploration well located only 150 m from the eruption. The drilling firm Lapindo Brantas has desperately refuted claims that poor drilling practices in their well lead to the eruption, while many other independent scientists try to prove them wrong. The resulting debate has seemingly quadrupled research on mud volcanoes, while delaying the establishment of liability and compensation to thousands of people affected.

The dispute culminated just this last month (February, 2010) in two studies from the opposing sides. Nurrochmat Sawolo, senior drilling advisor to Lapindo Brantas, and his colleagues asserted their claims in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, blaming the Yogyakarta earthquake for the eruption. An international team of scientists from the UK, USA, Australia and Indonesia, lead by Michael Davies of the Durham Energy Institute, responded with a paper in the same journal, providing the most definitive evidence yet that the well was the source of the drilling.

The Davies team found that the Yogyakarta earthquake was too small and distant to have triggered the Lusi mud volcano; the forces felt from the earthquake 250 km away in Sidoarjo were less than those felt there normally simply by weather and the tides. They also cite an on-site daily drilling report which states that Lapindo Brantas successfully pumped drilling mud back into the well immediately after the eruption to slow it. “The observation that pumping mud into the hole caused a reduction in eruption rate indicates a direct link between the wellbore and the eruption”, Davies says.

Such definitive evidence that the well caused the Lusi volcano is expected by many to resolve the debate, but what will legally come of the disaster remains to be determined. Either way, Lusi will surely continue to make its own muddy statement for years to come.

The area covered by the Lusi Volcano seen from the air in May, 2009.

Sources:

Sawolo, N., Sutriono, E., Istadi, B.P., and Darmoyo, A.B., 2009, The LUSI mud volcano triggering controversy: was it caused by drilling?: Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 26, p. 1766-1784.

Mazzini, A., Svensen, H., Akhmanov, G.G., Aloisi, G., Planke, S., Malthe-Sørenssen, A., and Istadi, B.P., 2007, Triggering and dynamic evolution of the LUSI mud volcano, Indonesia: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 261, p. 375-388.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/uoc–set021110.php

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211211442.htm

http://www.nce.co.uk/mud-wrestling/5209733.article


Flu to the rescue!

By Shelly Hwang

February 17, 2010

It’s flu season, and with the H1N1 virus being the spotlight of current news and the CDC pushing for nation-wide flu vaccination, people have become terrified of the influenza virus. However, a recent study done by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine (published in the February 18 issue of Cell Host and Microbe) revealed that the stress response caused by the flu actually protects against death by secondary infection by using mice with bacterial infections.

Influenza can damage the lungs but usually does not kill. However, secondary infections such as pneumonia can occur after infection with the influenza virus and are much more deadly. Each year, more than 200,000 U.S. residents are hospitalized for flu-related complications, and about 36,000 Americans die on average per year from complications of the flu (CDC Statistics).

While previous studies on the flu have shown repressing of the immune system, such studies have only studied a single pathogen and focused on local effects of influenza at the site of infection. In reality, organisms are exposed to multiple infectious agents at a time and the effect of influenza on the whole immune system has not been studied.

This study, led by Dr. Rusian Medzhitov from the Department of Immunology, used a mouse model to examine the effects of the lung infection caused by influenza on the immune response to bacterial infection. Surprisingly, the researchers found that the influenza lung infection led to increased production of glucocorticoids (GC), which are produced in response to stress and known to play a key role in regulating inflammation. They found that virus-induced GC production is essential to controlling inflammation, as shown by the death of mice lacking GC’s that were infected by multiple pathogens.

So the next time you find yourself miserable and overwhelmed with the unpleasant flu FACTS symptoms (Fever, Aches, Chills, Tiredness, Sudden symptoms), remember to thank the virus for protecting you from fatal secondary infections.

Press Release

Department of Immunobiology at Yale

Got milk? Vitamin D, a key player in multiple sclerosis

By Kelly Lohr

Drinking milk may do a lot more than just strengthen our bones. A study out of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston recently suggested drinking milk during pregnancy may markedly reduce the chance of the child developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life.

Vitamin D can be found in dairy, fatty fish, and supplements. Exposure to sunlight also produces this helpful vitamin.

Lead by Fariba Mirzaei, MD, the study examined over 35,000 female nurses whose mothers had completed questionnaires recording their diets during their pregnancies with their now-grown daughters.  The work occurred over a 16-year period, during which 199 women developed MS.

MS is a degenerative disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The symptoms vary, ranging from numbness in the arms and legs to paralysis and loss of vision. Unfortunately for its sufferers, the progress and severity of MS are often unpredictable. The neurons in our body are partially covered in a fatty substance called myelin in order to insulates the cells and  to allow them to transmit signals quickly. If the myelin is damaged, these signals can be delayed. MS results in the destruction of this insulating myelin in the CNS. This breakdown is thought to be caused by the body’s immune system attacking the myelin sheath.

Normal and damaged myelin in neurons.

The researchers lead by Dr. Mirzaei found that the risk of MS was lower in women whose mothers had high milk or vitamin D diets during pregnancy. Women whose mothers drank four glasses of milk per day had a 56% less chance of developing MS than those whose mothers drank less than three glasses per month. In general, women in the top 20% of vitamin D intake had a 45% less chance of having a child develop MS than those in the bottom 20% of vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D can come in many forms including fatty fish, milk and dairy products, and exposure to sunlight. Supplements could also be used to counter vitamin deficits in the diet. This study serves as evidence of a growing role for vitamin D in the pathology of MS. Prevention may play an important part in the disease, perhaps starting as early as pregnancy.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/716913

Making new connections: Stem cells as treatment for ALS

By Kelly Lohr

The motor cortex in the human brain is mapped to match specific body parts. Body parts with more devoted cortex area are generally more sensitive or have finer motor control.

              Imagine slowly losing control of your muscles, first with a few twitches in your arms and legs or a slurred word here or there. Muscle failure will continue until it eventually stops your ability to move, speak, and breathe.  This is the life of a patient suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.  Currently, there is little treatment for the rapid course of this disease, but James Weimann, PhD, of Stanford Medical School provides a new hope.

            Weimann is part of a team of neuroscientists using transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells to replace damaged cells in young animals.  This finding is the first of its kind in that the stem cells can be directed to take on the jobs of specific brain cells while also making the correct connections with other cells. Weimann’s cells transmit information from the cortex, the neural tissue that is outermost part the mammalian brain, specifically areas needed for motor function.

             Up until this point, the issue of stem cell transplantation in the brain was making the proper neuronal connections.  As an adult organism, creating the accurate connections in the nervous is extremely complex.  During development, superfluous neural connections deteriorate with lack of use. Only the pathways with the most activity remain in adulthood.  The chemical or physical signals that once lead the way in development are no longer present.  Without such cues, it is difficult for neurons to reach their target areas. For example, the stem cells created in Weimann’s lab must make connections with motor cortex in order to be an effective treatment for disorders like ALS or a traumatic brain injury.  Incorrect connections could result in further erratic brain function.

A step in the processing of human embryonic stem cells.

           While Weimann’s work holds a lot of potential for further progress and treatments, the studies have involved transplantation in young animal models.  Since the majority of neurodegeneration takes place in older adults, the next step will be to explore stem cell transplantation in adult animals.  Weimann and his team are hopeful that these newest findings will soon be used in treatment of neurons that are lost or damaged due to spinal cord injuries or diseases like ALS.

The key to locking up cancer

Sara Braniecki

Structure of TGF-B

In the current issue of Nature Cell Biology, a team of researchers led by Philip Howe from the Department of Cancer Biology at the Lerner Research Institute explain how they worked backwards to discover the protein that triggers cancer cells to be released from the original tumor, thus giving rise to new tumors.  Knowing this can lead to the development of drugs that contain cancer to one location, making it more efficiently treatable.

The researchers already knew that a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation (EMT) was important for cells on the surface of a tumor to transform into cells that are able to grow a new tumor elsewhere in the body.  The researchers worked backwards through the EMT process to find out what initiates it.  The researchers discovered that a protein called disabled-2 (Dab2) activated the EMT process and Dab2’s formation was triggered by transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b).

The EMT process is often what leads to death in patients with breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and colon-rectal cancers.  With the information these researchers have discovered about cancer cells, researchers can now begin to create drugs to stop EMT and stop cancer from spreadings.  This information could also lead to understanding how other diseases progress and can be contained.

Further Information.

Abby Larson

Abby Larson is a senior biology major at Dickinson College with a focus in pre-medical studies.  She is a member of the Dickinson Women’s Lacrosse team and is highly involved in other activities on campus, including Delta Nu and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.  Her involvement on the lacrosse team along with her major in biology has led her to be interested in exercise science, and she is pursuing her interests in a year after graduation through a medical or graduate degree.

Wyoming Might Be The First State To Tax Wind Energy

Dan Conant

Quite contrary to nation wide trends of states supporting alternative energy growth and competition for development, Wyoming might become the first state in the nation to tax wind energy.  Supporters of this tax reference that the energy resource rich state (natural gas, coal, and uranium) already has taxes in all other areas of energy and that wind power should not be any different special.  If this bill passes, it will be interesting to see if other states follow suit, and how this might affect wind power growth nation wide. 

Like many states in these economic times, Wyoming is looking to find more income to battle deficits and to avoid debt.  Nationwide, many states are broadening their tax bases while re-budgeting for this upcoming year.  However, alternative energy sources are usually not pursued by states while imposing new taxes.  Because alternative energy is such a booming industry right now states often offer incentives to attract alternative energy investors because of the money, cleanliness, and other benefits associated with ‘green’ energy. 

The proposed tax would be 3$ per megawatt hour excise tax on commercial wind energy generation, which comes out to be about a five percent tax on the wind energy generated.  It is estimated that this tax would generate about 11.5 million dollars per year in income for the state and the counties that the wind turbines/farms would be in.  This bill is very important for Wyoming because it has the 12th highest potential for wind power generation in the nation.  Even some supporters of this bill are wary of how it should end up, because they understand that wind development could become non-existent in Wyoming if the state becomes too greedy with its proposed tax.  This is because wind turbines are very expensive, at roughly two million dollars a piece, the cost of creating a wind farm is pricey.  Because of the initial high start-up cost as well as the sales tax and property tax for the turbines and the land they would be located on, developers and investors could very easily be scared away from Wyoming as a whole.  This bill is certainly being watched carefully by various groups and organizations across the country, because the passing of a bill like this could produce big changes nationwide for alternative energy developments.

Information for this posting was gathered from this news article.

Uncovering a Missing Piece to the Puzzle

by Kristen Kocher

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, have recently uncovered that the behavioral disorder, autism, is linked to abnormal brain development caused by Fragile X syndrome. Providing a critical clue into this puzzling disease, this research has begun to demystify the complexities of autism.

To begin unlocking the mysteries of autism, Professor Peter Kind at the University of Edinburgh, began research in an attempt to locate the differences between a normal brain and a brain with Fragile X. Through the use of a mouse model, certain sensory regions of the brain were found to react differently to stimuli, such as touch. Kind and his team believe that these differences may be found in other regions of the brain, which would aid in explaining the effects of Fragile X in patients. This discrepancy, it was also found, is caused by certain irregularities in brain development caused by the Fragile X mutation. Further studies by Kind and his associates also showed that abnormal brain development occurs during development in the womb. The identification of this window of time in which autistic brain development occurs may provide a more tangible and effective option for treatment methods to combat the disease.

Fragile X syndrome affects approximately one in every 4,000 males and one in every 8,000 females around the world and is the leading cause of autism. In terms of genetics, Fragile X is caused by a mutation within a gene sequence of the X chromosome. Autism presents itself in early childhood and is usually identified in a child that slow speak and does not interact with others. Compulsive, ritualistic, self-injury behavior are also characteristic of autism. As a result, this condition severely inhibits an affected individual’s ability to communicate with the outside world, causing numerous social, language and behavioral problems.

In the past, autism has proved difficult to study because it affects the inner workings of the brain without having any visible pathogenesis. In addition, those affected by Fragile X/autism are unable to reveal hints about the disease because they are unable to communicate with others. Therefore, without a fundamental understanding of the disease, treatment and therapy options are extremely limited, making autism a frustrating condition for the individual, the family, and the doctor. However, thanks to the research of Professor Kind and his team, the autism puzzle is one piece closer to being solved.

Original Press Release

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