La décontamination microbienne est sujet majeur de préoccupation du secteur agroalimentaire. Des nouvelles technologies physiques de décontamination, dites athermiques, sont d’un emploi croissant. La Lumière Pulsée, utilisée pour décontaminer les surfaces et les liquides clairs, en fait partie. Elle utilise des flashes de lumière blanche riches en UV, et délivrés en moins d'une milliseconde. La plupart des traitements par lumière pulsée sont définis dans la littérature par des paramètres spécifiques à l'équipement utilisé. Le but de cette étude a été dans un premier temps de caractériser le traitement par lumière pulsée par les grandeurs physiques appropriées (fluence, tension aux bornes de la lampe, etc…), en reliant une dose de lumière à niveau de décontamination microbienne. L'équipement pilote de la société CLARANOR a révélé des réduction logarithmiques allant jusqu'à plus de 5 unités sur des spores de B. subtilis, et de plusieurs autres espèces de bactéries sporulées, avec des fluences inférieures à 1,5 J/cm², appliquée en un seul flash La mise au point d'une méthode d'inoculation par spray à permis d'évaluer l'efficacité décontaminante de la lumière sur différentes surfaces, y compris des hydrophobes, par pulvérisation des microorganismes en couches formées d’une seule épaisseur de cellules. L'application de la technologie sur des surfaces inertes comme le polystyrène a montré une décontamination notamment sur des spores de B. subtilis, et d'A. niger, supérieures à 4 cycles logarithmiques en utilisant des fluences inférieures à 1 J/cm². L'influence des facteurs liés au système d'éclairage a montré une importance capitale des longueurs d'onde UV, mais ne permettent pas de réduire l'efficacité à la seule action de la dose UV-C. L'efficacité de la technologie a permis de réaliser une étude concernant la décontamination de sirop de sucre dans une optique d'application industrielle. Une réduction supérieure à 3 cycles logarithmiques de spores d'A. acidoterrestris dans du sirop de saccharose a été obtenue en flux continu, sur une épaisseur de 10 mm de liquide / Microbial decontamination is a major concern in the food industry. Non-thermal physical technologies are increasingly used. Pulsed Light used to decontaminate surfaces and clear liquids is one of these new technologies. Pulsed Light uses intense flashes of white light rich in UV, delivered in less than one millisecond. Most of treatments are characterised in the literature using parameters which are specific to the equipment. The aim of this study was firstly to characterise the PL treatment in expressing a log reduction as a function of the dose received by the microorganism. The pulsed light pilot of the CLARANOR company allowed a high decontamination of B. subtilis spores and other sporulating bacterial species, with more than 5 log reductions at fluences lower than 1.5 J/cm², obtained in only one flash. The development of a spray inoculation method was made to evaluate the decontamination efficiency on different surfaces, including hydrophobic surfaces, with a monolayer inoculation. The Pulsed light efficiency on inert surfaces such as polystyrene lead to high decontaminations including B. subtilis and A. niger spores, with more than 4 log reductions using fluences lower than 1 J/cm² in both cases. The influence of the physical factors of the light showed that UV wavelengths are essential for the decontamination, but the efficiency is not totally explained by the action of the UV-C dose. The efficiency of pulsed light allowed to study sugar syrup decontamination, in view of industrial application. Three log reductions of A. acidoterrestris spores were obtained in 10 mm thickness sugar syrup, using a flow-through system

Comment les cellules établissent leurs formes et organisations internes est un problème biologique fondamental. Au cours de cette thèse, j’ai étudié le développement de la forme cellulaire et de la polarité chez la cellule de levure fissipare. Ces études sont fondées sur l’exploration de la façon dont les petites spores symétriques de levures se développent et s’organisent pour briser la symétrie pour la définition de leur tout premier axe de polarité. Dans une première partie, j’ai étudié les couplages entre la mécanique de surface de la paroi cellulaire des spores et la stabilité de domaines de polarité de Cdc42 qui contrôlent les aspects spatio-temporelles de la brisure de symétrie de ces spores. Dans une seconde partie, j’ai étudié les mécanismes par lesquels ces domaines de polarité contrôlent leur taille et l'adapte à la géométrie de la cellule, un processus vraisemblablement pertinents pour comprendre comment des domaines fonctionnels corticaux s’adaptent à la taille des cellules. Globalement, ces nouvelles recherches focalisant sur la façon dont les cellules développent dynamiquement leur forme et polarité de novo, permettent de mettre en évidence des couplages complexes dans la morphogenèse qui ne peuvent pas être testés en regardant les cellules à « l’état stationnaire» ou avec des outils génétiques. / How cells establish their proper shapes and organization is a fundamental biological problem. In this thesis, I investigated the dynamic development of cellular form and polarity in the rod-shape fission yeast cell. These studies are based on monitoring how small symmetric fission yeast spores grow and self-organize to break symmetry for the definition of their very first polarity axis. In a first part, I studied interplays between surface mechanics of the spore cell wall and the stability of Cdc42-based polarity domains which control spatio-temporal aspects of spore symmetry breaking. In a second part, I studied mechanisms by which these polarity domains control their width and adapt it to cell surface geometry, a process likely relevant to understand how functional cortical domains scale to cell size. Overall these novel investigations focusing on how cells dynamically develop their form and polarity de novo highlight complex feedbacks in morphogenesis that cannot be evidenced by looking at cells at “steady state” or with genetics.

Comment les cellules établissent leurs formes et organisations internes est un problème biologique fondamental. Au cours de cette thèse, j’ai étudié le développement de la forme cellulaire et de la polarité chez la cellule de levure fissipare. Ces études sont fondées sur l’exploration de la façon dont les petites spores symétriques de levures se développent et s’organisent pour briser la symétrie pour la définition de leur tout premier axe de polarité. Dans une première partie, j’ai étudié les couplages entre la mécanique de surface de la paroi cellulaire des spores et la stabilité de domaines de polarité de Cdc42 qui contrôlent les aspects spatio-temporelles de la brisure de symétrie de ces spores. Dans une seconde partie, j’ai étudié les mécanismes par lesquels ces domaines de polarité contrôlent leur taille et l'adapte à la géométrie de la cellule, un processus vraisemblablement pertinents pour comprendre comment des domaines fonctionnels corticaux s’adaptent à la taille des cellules. Globalement, ces nouvelles recherches focalisant sur la façon dont les cellules développent dynamiquement leur forme et polarité de novo, permettent de mettre en évidence des couplages complexes dans la morphogenèse qui ne peuvent pas être testés en regardant les cellules à « l’état stationnaire» ou avec des outils génétiques. / How cells establish their proper shapes and organization is a fundamental biological problem. In this thesis, I investigated the dynamic development of cellular form and polarity in the rod-shape fission yeast cell. These studies are based on monitoring how small symmetric fission yeast spores grow and self-organize to break symmetry for the definition of their very first polarity axis. In a first part, I studied interplays between surface mechanics of the spore cell wall and the stability of Cdc42-based polarity domains which control spatio-temporal aspects of spore symmetry breaking. In a second part, I studied mechanisms by which these polarity domains control their width and adapt it to cell surface geometry, a process likely relevant to understand how functional cortical domains scale to cell size. Overall these novel investigations focusing on how cells dynamically develop their form and polarity de novo highlight complex feedbacks in morphogenesis that cannot be evidenced by looking at cells at “steady state” or with genetics.

A soja é a cultura agrícola com maior extensão de área plantada no Brasil, país que se destaca no cenário mundial como o segundo maior produtor e exportador desta oleaginosa. A ferrugem asiática (FA), causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi, apresenta-se como um dos mais graves problemas fitossanitários da cultura da soja no Brasil, principalmente por não existirem, até o presente momento, cultivares com níveis de resistência satisfatórios. Com o objetivo de melhor se conhecer a biologia de Phakopsora pachyrhizi e alguns fatores relacionados ao processo infeccioso em soja, no presente trabalho foram avaliados: (1) Métodos de preservação de urediniósporos; (2) Influência da descontinuidade do molhamento foliar no processo infeccioso dos urediniósporos; (3) Influência da luminosidade e da superfície foliar no processo infeccioso de urediniósporos de P. pachyrhizi; (4) Influência do estádio fenológico da soja na infecção de P. pachyrhizi. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a desidratação dos esporos proporcionou maior viabilidade destes ao longo do tempo, para todas as condições de armazenamento testadas. No deep freezer foi possível preservar os esporos por até 231 dias, independente da sua condição de hidratação. No ambiente, os esporos não desidratados e desidratados permaneceram viáveis por 16 e 22 dias, respectivamente. A reversão de dormência dos esporos foi efetiva ao empregar hidratação (24h de câmara úmida) seguida ou não por choque térmico (40°C/5 minutos). Em todos os tratamentos onde se aplicou molhamento foliar descontínuo, a severidade de FA foi sempre inferior quando comparada ao molhamento contínuo, principalmente quando a interrupção do molhamento se deu após 4 horas de câmara úmida inicial. A interrupção temporária do molhamento afetou os esporos que haviam germinado, pois os mesmo não foram aptos a infectar após novo período de molhamento. Com relação à luminosidade, os urediniósporos foram aptos a infectar plantas de soja tanto na luz quanto no escuro. Porém, severidade maior foi observada quando se inoculou a superfície adaxial, com posterior incubação das plantas no escuro. Os experimentos in vitro mostraram que, na ausência de luz, houve maior germinação e maior formação de apressórios. O teor de cera epicuticular e o seu aspecto ultra-estrutural não apresentaram diferenças entre as superfícies adaxial e abaxial no cultivar BRS 154. Os cultivares BRS 154 e BRS 258, no estádio fenológico reprodutivo, R5, apresentaram menor severidade em relação aos estádios V3 e R1. O período latente médio (PLM) da FA foi 8 e 9 dias para os cultivares BRS 154 e BRS 258, respectivamente. O PLM não se diferenciou em função do estádio fenológico para ambos cultivares. Quanto à influência da idade da folha na suscetibilidade à FA, a folha 1, considerando-se o sentido base-ápice da planta, mostrou maior suscetibilidade e freqüência de infecção de P. pachyrhizi . Os resultados apresentados são essenciais, tanto por disponibilizarem informações sobre a biologia e epidemiologia do fungo, quanto por servirem como base para novos estudos, nas mais diversas áreas sobre este importante patossistema. / Soybean is the agricultural crop with the largest planted area in Brazil. The country stands out in the world scenario as the second-largest producer and exporter of this oilseed crop. The Asian rust (AR), caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most serious phytosanitary problems of soybean in Brazil, especially because no cultivars exist so far with satisfactory resistance levels. In order to acquire better knowledge about the biology of Phakopsora pachyrhizi and some factors related to its infectious process in soybean, the following were evaluated in the present work: (1) Uredospore preservation methods; (2) Influence of leaf wetness discontinuity on the infectious process of uredospores; (3) Influence of luminosity and leaf surface on the infectious process of P. pachyrhizi uredospores; (4) Influence of phenological stage of soybean on infection by P. pachyrhizi . The results obtained showed that spore dehydration provided greater spore viability with time, in all storage conditions tested. Spores could be preserved for up to 231 days in the deep freezer, regardless of their hydration condition. At room temperature, non-dehydrated and dehydrated spores remained viable for 16 and 22 days, respectively. Spore dormancy reversion was effective when hydration was used (24h in humid chamber), followed or not by thermal shock (40°C/5 minutes). In all treatments where discontinuous leaf wetting was applied, AR severity was always lower when compared with continuous wetting, especially when wetting was interrupted after 4 hours of initial treatment in the humid chamber. Temporary wetness interruption affected spores that had already germinated, as these were not able to infect after a new wetness period. As to luminosity, uredospores were capable of infecting soybean plants both in the light and in the dark. However, higher severity was observed when the adaxial surface was inoculated, with later incubation of the plants in the dark. The in vitro experiments showed that there was greater germination and greater formation of appressoria in the absence of light. Epicuticular wax content and its ultrastructural aspect did not show differences between the adaxial and abaxial surfaces in cultivar BRS 154. At the R5 reproductive phenological stage, cultivars BRS 154 and BRS 258 showed smaller severity in relation to stages V3 and R1. The AR mean latent period (MLP) was 8 and 9 days for cultivars BRS 154 and BRS 258, respectively. MLP differences due to phenological stage were not detected in any of the cultivars. As to the influence of leaf age on AR susceptibility, leaf 1 showed greater susceptibility and frequency of infection by P. pachyrhizi, considering the plant base-apex direction. The results herein presented are essential, either because they make information available on the biology and epidemiology of the fungus, or because they serve as a foundation for new studies on the most diverse areas about this important pathosystem.

Dispersal, especially long-distance dispersal, is an important component in many disciplines within biology. Many species are passively dispersed by wind, not least spore-dispersed organisms. In this thesis I investigated the dispersal capacity of bryophytes by studying the colonization patterns from local scales (100 m) to landscape scales (20 km). The dispersal distances were measured from a known source (up to 600 m away) or inferred from a connectivity measure (1–20 km). I introduced acidic clay to measure the colonization rates over one season of a pioneer moss, Discelium nudum (I–III). I also investigated which vascular plants and bryophytes that had colonized limed mires approximately 20–30 years after the first disturbance (IV). Discelium effectively colonized new disturbed substrates over one season. Most spores were deposited up to 50 meters from a source but the relationship between local colonization rates and connectivity increased with distance up to 20 km (I–III). Also calcicolous wetland bryophyte species were good colonizers over similar distances, while vascular plants in the same environment colonized less frequently. Common bryophytes that produce spores frequently were more effective colonizers, while no effect of spore size was detected (IV). A mechanistic model that take into account meteorological parameters to simulate the trajectories for spores of Discelium nudum fitted rather well to the observed colonization pattern, especially if spore release thresholds in wind variation and humidity were accounted for (III). This thesis conclude that bryophytes in open habitats can disperse effectively across landscapes given that the regional spore source is large enough (i.e. are common in the region and produce spores abundantly). For spore-dispersed organisms in open landscapes I suggest that it is often the colonization phase and not the transport that is the main bottle-neck for maintaining populations across landscapes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papesr were unpublished and had  a status as follows: Paper 2: Epubl ahead of print; Paper 3: Manuscript; Paper 4: Manuscript</p>

A soja é a cultura agrícola com maior extensão de área plantada no Brasil, país que se destaca no cenário mundial como o segundo maior produtor e exportador desta oleaginosa. A ferrugem asiática (FA), causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi, apresenta-se como um dos mais graves problemas fitossanitários da cultura da soja no Brasil, principalmente por não existirem, até o presente momento, cultivares com níveis de resistência satisfatórios. Com o objetivo de melhor se conhecer a biologia de Phakopsora pachyrhizi e alguns fatores relacionados ao processo infeccioso em soja, no presente trabalho foram avaliados: (1) Métodos de preservação de urediniósporos; (2) Influência da descontinuidade do molhamento foliar no processo infeccioso dos urediniósporos; (3) Influência da luminosidade e da superfície foliar no processo infeccioso de urediniósporos de P. pachyrhizi; (4) Influência do estádio fenológico da soja na infecção de P. pachyrhizi. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a desidratação dos esporos proporcionou maior viabilidade destes ao longo do tempo, para todas as condições de armazenamento testadas. No deep freezer foi possível preservar os esporos por até 231 dias, independente da sua condição de hidratação. No ambiente, os esporos não desidratados e desidratados permaneceram viáveis por 16 e 22 dias, respectivamente. A reversão de dormência dos esporos foi efetiva ao empregar hidratação (24h de câmara úmida) seguida ou não por choque térmico (40&#176;C/5 minutos). Em todos os tratamentos onde se aplicou molhamento foliar descontínuo, a severidade de FA foi sempre inferior quando comparada ao molhamento contínuo, principalmente quando a interrupção do molhamento se deu após 4 horas de câmara úmida inicial. A interrupção temporária do molhamento afetou os esporos que haviam germinado, pois os mesmo não foram aptos a infectar após novo período de molhamento. Com relação à luminosidade, os urediniósporos foram aptos a infectar plantas de soja tanto na luz quanto no escuro. Porém, severidade maior foi observada quando se inoculou a superfície adaxial, com posterior incubação das plantas no escuro. Os experimentos in vitro mostraram que, na ausência de luz, houve maior germinação e maior formação de apressórios. O teor de cera epicuticular e o seu aspecto ultra-estrutural não apresentaram diferenças entre as superfícies adaxial e abaxial no cultivar BRS 154. Os cultivares BRS 154 e BRS 258, no estádio fenológico reprodutivo, R5, apresentaram menor severidade em relação aos estádios V3 e R1. O período latente médio (PLM) da FA foi 8 e 9 dias para os cultivares BRS 154 e BRS 258, respectivamente. O PLM não se diferenciou em função do estádio fenológico para ambos cultivares. Quanto à influência da idade da folha na suscetibilidade à FA, a folha 1, considerando-se o sentido base-ápice da planta, mostrou maior suscetibilidade e freqüência de infecção de P. pachyrhizi . Os resultados apresentados são essenciais, tanto por disponibilizarem informações sobre a biologia e epidemiologia do fungo, quanto por servirem como base para novos estudos, nas mais diversas áreas sobre este importante patossistema. / Soybean is the agricultural crop with the largest planted area in Brazil. The country stands out in the world scenario as the second-largest producer and exporter of this oilseed crop. The Asian rust (AR), caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most serious phytosanitary problems of soybean in Brazil, especially because no cultivars exist so far with satisfactory resistance levels. In order to acquire better knowledge about the biology of Phakopsora pachyrhizi and some factors related to its infectious process in soybean, the following were evaluated in the present work: (1) Uredospore preservation methods; (2) Influence of leaf wetness discontinuity on the infectious process of uredospores; (3) Influence of luminosity and leaf surface on the infectious process of P. pachyrhizi uredospores; (4) Influence of phenological stage of soybean on infection by P. pachyrhizi . The results obtained showed that spore dehydration provided greater spore viability with time, in all storage conditions tested. Spores could be preserved for up to 231 days in the deep freezer, regardless of their hydration condition. At room temperature, non-dehydrated and dehydrated spores remained viable for 16 and 22 days, respectively. Spore dormancy reversion was effective when hydration was used (24h in humid chamber), followed or not by thermal shock (40&#176;C/5 minutes). In all treatments where discontinuous leaf wetting was applied, AR severity was always lower when compared with continuous wetting, especially when wetting was interrupted after 4 hours of initial treatment in the humid chamber. Temporary wetness interruption affected spores that had already germinated, as these were not able to infect after a new wetness period. As to luminosity, uredospores were capable of infecting soybean plants both in the light and in the dark. However, higher severity was observed when the adaxial surface was inoculated, with later incubation of the plants in the dark. The in vitro experiments showed that there was greater germination and greater formation of appressoria in the absence of light. Epicuticular wax content and its ultrastructural aspect did not show differences between the adaxial and abaxial surfaces in cultivar BRS 154. At the R5 reproductive phenological stage, cultivars BRS 154 and BRS 258 showed smaller severity in relation to stages V3 and R1. The AR mean latent period (MLP) was 8 and 9 days for cultivars BRS 154 and BRS 258, respectively. MLP differences due to phenological stage were not detected in any of the cultivars. As to the influence of leaf age on AR susceptibility, leaf 1 showed greater susceptibility and frequency of infection by P. pachyrhizi, considering the plant base-apex direction. The results herein presented are essential, either because they make information available on the biology and epidemiology of the fungus, or because they serve as a foundation for new studies on the most diverse areas about this important pathosystem.

Lygodium microphyllum, native to the Old World tropics, has invaded central and southern Florida, destroying native habitats, reducing biodiversity and altering fire regimes. Prescribed fire, one of several methods used to manage L. microphyllum infestations, reduces fern biomass over large areas, but its effects on spore viability are unknown. To provide tools to evaluate whether fire-dispersed spores are viable, this research determined how heat affects spore viability. Spores were exposed to temperatures of 50°C to 300°C for durations of 5 seconds to 1 hour, then allowed to germinate on agar in petri plates. Percent germination was assayed after two weeks. Temperatures of 50°C had little effect; 300°C killed spores for all durations. Results indicate that while viability of unburnt spores decreases with increasing temperature and duration of heat exposure, spores are killed when exposed to relatively low temperatures compared to those in fires.

Comment les cellules établissent leurs formes et organisations internes est un problème biologique fondamental. Au cours de cette thèse, j’ai étudié le développement de la forme cellulaire et de la polarité chez la cellule de levure fissipare. Ces études sont fondées sur l’exploration de la façon dont les petites spores symétriques de levures se développent et s’organisent pour briser la symétrie pour la définition de leur tout premier axe de polarité. Dans une première partie, j’ai étudié les couplages entre la mécanique de surface de la paroi cellulaire des spores et la stabilité de domaines de polarité de Cdc42 qui contrôlent les aspects spatio-temporelles de la brisure de symétrie de ces spores. Dans une seconde partie, j’ai étudié les mécanismes par lesquels ces domaines de polarité contrôlent leur taille et l'adapte à la géométrie de la cellule, un processus vraisemblablement pertinents pour comprendre comment des domaines fonctionnels corticaux s’adaptent à la taille des cellules. Globalement, ces nouvelles recherches focalisant sur la façon dont les cellules développent dynamiquement leur forme et polarité de novo, permettent de mettre en évidence des couplages complexes dans la morphogenèse qui ne peuvent pas être testés en regardant les cellules à « l’état stationnaire» ou avec des outils génétiques. / How cells establish their proper shapes and organization is a fundamental biological problem. In this thesis, I investigated the dynamic development of cellular form and polarity in the rod-shape fission yeast cell. These studies are based on monitoring how small symmetric fission yeast spores grow and self-organize to break symmetry for the definition of their very first polarity axis. In a first part, I studied interplays between surface mechanics of the spore cell wall and the stability of Cdc42-based polarity domains which control spatio-temporal aspects of spore symmetry breaking. In a second part, I studied mechanisms by which these polarity domains control their width and adapt it to cell surface geometry, a process likely relevant to understand how functional cortical domains scale to cell size. Overall these novel investigations focusing on how cells dynamically develop their form and polarity de novo highlight complex feedbacks in morphogenesis that cannot be evidenced by looking at cells at “steady state” or with genetics.

<p>Bacterial endospores have been a topic of research interest over the last several decades given their high resistance to ultraviolet (UV) damage. Unlike vegetative bacterial cells, which form cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs) as the major product upon UV irradiation, endospore bacteria form a spore photoproduct (5-(<em>R</em>-thyminyl)-5,6-dihydrothymine or SP) as the major product. Vegetative bacteria cells are subject to regular cell activities and processes such as division and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication, which are prone to damage from UV exposure. However, in endospores, which have a largely anhydrous inner environment, the DNA remains dormant when bound to spore-specific small acid-soluble proteins (SASP) and dipicolinic acid, making spores highly resistant to radiation, heat, desiccation, and chemical harm. During spore germination, SP lesions in DNA are repaired by a distinctive repair enzyme, spore photoproduct lyase (SPL). In this thesis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to (i) examine how the formation of the SP lesion in DNA affects the global and local structural properties of duplex DNA and (ii) study how this lesion is recognized and repaired in endospore. The first part of this work was focused on designing and developing a structurally and dynamically stable model for dinucleotide SP molecule (TpT), which was subsequently used as an SP patch incorporated into duplex DNA. Computationally, this requires modifications of the bond and nonbonded force field parameters. The stability of the patch and developed parameters was tested via solution-phase MD simulations for the SP lesion incorporated within the B-DNA dodecamer duplex (PDB 463B). The second part involved applying the new SP patch to simulate the crystallographic structure of the DNA oligomer containing SP lesions. Solution-phase MD simulations were performed for the SP-containing DNA oligomers (modeled based on PDB 4M94) and compared to the simulations of the native structure (PDB 4M95). Our analysis of the MD trajectories revealed a range of SP-induced structural and dynamical changes, including the weakened hydrogen bonds at the SP sites, increased DNA bending, and distinct conformational stability and distribution. In the third part of this thesis project, we carried out MD simulations of SP-containing DNA bound with SASPs to examine how the DNA interacts differently with SASP in the presence and absence of the SP lesion. The simulation results suggested decreased electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions between SASP and the damaged DNA at the SP site compared to the undamaged DNA-protein complex. In addition, decreased helicity percentage was observed in the SASPs that directly interact with the SP lesion. The last part of this this thesis work focused on the SP-dimer flipping mechanism, as the lesion is likely flipped out to its extrahelical state to be recognized and repaired by SPL. Using steered molecular dynamic (SMD) simulations and a pseudo-dihedral angle reaction coordinate, we obtained possible SP flipping pathways both in the presence and absence of SASP. Collectively, these simulation results lend new perspectives toward understanding the unique behavior of the SP lesion within the DNA duplex and the nucleoprotein complex. They also provide new insights into how the SP lesion is efficiently recognized and repaired during spore germination.</p>

The optimisation of spore production by the potential fungal biological control agent for aphids, Erynia neoaphidis Remaudiere and Hennebert (Zygomycetes: Entomophthoraceae) was studied. The fungus was able to grow in semi-defined Frynia medium (SDEM) containing glucose, yeast extract, mycological peptone, and 0.02% oleic acid buffered to a pH 6. Oleic acid was fungicidal at 0.1 % (v/v) while 0.02% (v/v) oleic acid was the optimum for radial grovvth. Plugs cut 5-10 mm from the margin ofa colony produced more conidia than plugs cut 13-20 mm from the colony margin. Renewed grovvth continued through two subcultures on solid SDEM lacking yeast extract (SDEML YE), and SDEM lacking mycological peptone (SDEMLMP). The continued growth was attributed to the carry over of nutrient in the inoculum. Growth was supported on SDEMNH4S04 when ammonium sulphate was used as the nitrogen source instead of mycological peptone suggesting that the fungus could obtain the growth factors it required from yeast extract. When chitin was added to SDEM in insoluble powder form instead ofglucose (SDEMC 1 & SDEMC2), the absence of a clearing zone around the developing colony suggested that chitin was not metabolised by E. neoaphidis. Biomass grown on SEMA and on SDEMDG (containing double the original concentration ofglucose 3 2grl), resulted in production of fewer conidia oflarger volume compared to SDEMDMP containing double and half the original concentration of mycological peptone (SDEMHP), SDEM containing halfthe original concentration ofglucose (SDEMHG). Increasing the glucose to double the original concentration resulted to an increase in biomass. Erynia neoaphidis grown on aphid cadavers produced many, smaller conidia. Mycelial mats harvested from biomass grown in fed-batch liquid fermenter culture in SDEMDG at the end ofthe exponential phase and placed on water agar discharged conidia at a rate of 6,700 conidia mm -2 h-1which persisted for approximately 3 days. When E. neoaphidis was subcultured onto SDEM from SEMA medium, the colony growth rate increased on the second subculture on SDEM where more lipases and aminopeptidases were detected at higher concentrations using the API ZYM system. This shows that attenuation might have taken place by either a phenotypic or genotypic (eg mutation) change or both when E. neoaphidis was grown on SDEM from SEMA medium. Growth in GASP medium resulted in the production of more biomass and a delay in the onset of decline phase compared to cultures grown in SDEM. Fewer enzymes were detected at a lower concentration in cultures grown in GASP compared to cultures grown in SDEM, this difference might be more likely to relate to the balance of nutrients and the fact that GASP medium is more similar in composition to the nutrients found in the haemocoel of an aphid. Based on this research. It is recommend that E. neoaphidis be grown in SDEM liquid cultures containing 32 grl glucose instead of 16 grl glucose. Biomass for field applications should be harvested at the end ofthe exponential growth and mycelial mats made. The mycelial mats should be maintained at high relative humidity and can be expected to discharge conidia for 3 days.