higher than that of some other natural and synthetic QSIs which act at a mM range or lower. Our work also revealed that pure hormones affected the QS-regulated reporter gene of P. aeruginosa when RhlR or LasR was expressed in E. coli in the presence of the appropriate AHL. CI-1011 Moreover, molecular modeling confirmed the competitive hormone-binding capacity of the two AHL-sensors LasR and TraR, suggesting that the AHL-LuxR sensors are targets of the discovered QSIs. This mechanism of action is frequently encountered among QSIs. Such a putative cross-talk between QS and hormonal signalling was hypothesized in prospective reviews by Rumbaugh and Hughes and Sperandio and in a paper reporting docking-type screening of QSIs, but, to our knowledge, was never experimentally observed in vitro until this report. Finally, the hypothesis rose about QSI-activity of sexual hormones in vivo because the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa is detectable in several tissues and organs of hospitalized patients and healthy women, and can thus come into contact with sexual hormones. A major argument against this hypothesis is that QSI activity of hormones was observed at 2 mM while, in serum, concentrations of hormones such as estradiol reach up to 0.4�C1.6 nM in healthy women and 2�C18 nM during fertilizing protocols. However, the debate remains still unclosed because clinical and environmental Pseudomonas isolates are known for their capacity to import, bind and biodegrade human hormones, including estrogens, via MCE Company ML-128 proteins and pathways that are still poorly-characterized. These hormone-modifying capabilities would contribute to underestimate the QSI-efficiency of hormones in our in vitro assay. The outermost wax layer protects plants from many types of biotic and abiotic stresses, such as drought, phytophagous insects, pathogens, solar radiation, and freezing temperatures. One of the most important roles of the cuticle is to limit transpiration to reduce water loss and this provides a key mechanism for plant survival in water-limited environments, such as deserts, high mountains, saline-alkali lands, and coastal ecosystems. Worldwide, bread wheat is one of the most important food sources for human beings. The wheat leaf, stem and, in some cases, spike surfaces are coa
