Bactrocera dorsalis s.s. is a pestiferous tephritid fruit fly distributed from Pakistan to the Pacific, with the Thai/Malay peninsula its southern limit. Sister pest taxa, B. papayae and B. philippinensis, occur in the southeast Asian archipelago and the Philippines, respectively. The relationship among these species is unclear due to their high molecular and morphological similarity. This study analysed population structure of these three species within a southeast Asian biogeographical context to assess potential dispersal patterns and the validity of their current taxonomic status.

Rapid expansion in the emerging field of synthetic biology has to date mainly focused on the microbial sciences and human health. However, the zeitgeist is that synthetic biology will also shortly deliver major outcomes for agriculture. The primary industries of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, face significant and global challenges; addressing them will be assisted by the sector’s strong history of early adoption of transformative innovation, such as the genetic technologies that underlie synthetic biology. The implementation of synthetic biology within agriculture may, however, be hampered given the industry is dominated by higher plants and mammals, where large and often polyploid genomes and the lack of adequate tools challenge the ability to deliver outcomes in the short term. However, synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field, new techniques in genome design and synthesis, and more efficient molecular tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 may harbor opportunities more broadly than the development of new cultivars and breeds. In particular, the ability to use synthetic biology to engineer biosensors, synthetic speciation, microbial metabolic engineering, mammalian multiplexed CRISPR, novel anti microbials, and projects such as Yeast 2.0 all have significant potential to deliver transformative changes to agriculture in the short, medium and longer term. Specifically, synthetic biology promises to deliver benefits that increase productivity and sustainability across primary industries, underpinning the industry’s prosperity in the face of global challenges.

Background Monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells is a key early event in atherogenesis. Because l -arginine has been shown to reduce atheroma and to decrease monocyte–endothelial cell adhesion in an animal model of atherosclerosis, we studied the effects of l -arginine on human monocyte adhesion to human endothelial cells and endothelial expression of cell adhesion molecules. Methods and Results Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were grown to confluence, then incubated for 24 hours with arginine-deficient media to which was added saline (control), 100 or 1000 μmol/L l -arginine, 100 μmol/L d -arginine, 100 μmol/L N ^G -monomethyl- l -arginine (L-NMMA), or 100 μmol/L l -arginine with 100 μmol/L L-NMMA. Human monocytes obtained by elutriation were incubated for 1 hour with HUVECs, and adhesion was measured by light microscopy. Compared with control, monocyte adhesion was reduced by l -arginine (59±10%, P =.01) and increased by L-NMMA (123±20%, P =.01). Surface expression of cell adhesion molecules by HUVECs was assessed by an ELISA under the above conditions with and without stimulation with interleukin-1β. Expression of ICAM-1 was reduced with both concentrations of l -arginine compared with control in both the basal (43±12%, P <.01), and stimulated (46±15%, P <.01) states, which correlated with decreased levels of mRNA. Expression of VCAM-1 was reduced only in the stimulated state and only in the presence of 1000 μmol/L l -arginine (72±24%, P =.02). Conclusions l -Arginine reduces human monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and decreases expression of certain endothelial cell adhesion molecules.