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MBio Jul 2024Dimorphism is known among the etiologic agents of endemic mycoses as well as in filamentous . Under appropriate thermal conditions, mononuclear yeast forms alternate...
Dimorphism is known among the etiologic agents of endemic mycoses as well as in filamentous . Under appropriate thermal conditions, mononuclear yeast forms alternate with multi-nucleate hyphae. Here, we describe a dimorphic mucoralean fungus obtained from the sputum of a patient with Burkitt lymphoma and ongoing graft-versus-host reactions. The fungus is described as sp. nov. Laboratory studies were performed to simulate temperature-dependent dimorphism, with two environmental strains and as controls. Both strains could be induced to form multinucleate arthrospores and subsequent yeast-like cells . Multilateral yeast cells emerge in all three at elevated temperatures. This morphological transformation appears to occur at body temperature since the yeast-like cells were observed in the lungs of our immunocompromised patient. The microscopic appearance of the yeast-like cells in the clinical samples is easily confused with that of . The ecological role of yeast forms in is discussed.IMPORTANCEMucormycosis is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality in susceptible patients. Accurate diagnosis is required for timely clinical management since antifungal susceptibility differs between species. Irregular hyphal elements are usually taken as the hallmark of mucormycosis, but here, we show that some species may also produce yeast-like cells, potentially being mistaken for or . We demonstrate that the dimorphic transition is common in species and can be driven by many factors. The multi-nucleate yeast-like cells provide an effective parameter to distinguish mucoralean infections from similar yeast-like species in clinical samples.
PubMed: 38953355
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00144-24 -
MBio Jul 2024Metabolism in host cells can be modulated after viral infection, favoring viral survival or clearance. Here, we report that lipid droplet (LD) synthesis in host cells...
Metabolism in host cells can be modulated after viral infection, favoring viral survival or clearance. Here, we report that lipid droplet (LD) synthesis in host cells can be modulated by yin yang 1 (YY1) after porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection, resulting in active antiviral activity. As a ubiquitously distributed transcription factor, there was increased expression of YY1 upon PRRSV infection both and . YY1 silencing promoted the replication of PRRSV, whereas YY1 overexpression inhibited PRRSV replication. PRRSV infection led to a marked increase in LDs, while YY1 knockout inhibited LD synthesis, and YY1 overexpression enhanced LD accumulation, indicating that YY1 reprograms PRRSV infection-induced intracellular LD synthesis. We also showed that the viral components do not colocalize with LDs during PRRSV infection, and the effect of exogenously induced LD synthesis on PRRSV replication is nearly lethal. Moreover, we demonstrated that YY1 affects the synthesis of LDs by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism genes. YY1 negatively regulates the expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) to weaken the fatty acid synthesis pathway and positively regulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) to promote the synthesis of LDs, thus inhibiting PRRSV replication. These novel findings indicate that YY1 plays a crucial role in regulating PRRSV replication by reprogramming LD synthesis. Therefore, our study provides a novel mechanism of host resistance to PRRSV and suggests potential new antiviral strategies against PRRSV infection.IMPORTANCEPorcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) has caused incalculable economic damage to the global pig industry since it was first discovered in the 1980s. However, conventional vaccines do not provide satisfactory protection. It is well known that viruses are parasitic pathogens, and the completion of their replication life cycle is highly dependent on host cells. A better understanding of host resistance to PRRSV infection is essential for developing safe and effective strategies to control PRRSV. Here, we report a crucial host antiviral molecule, yin yang 1 (YY1), which is induced to be expressed upon PRRSV infection and subsequently inhibits virus replication by reprogramming lipid droplet (LD) synthesis through transcriptional regulation. Our work provides a novel antiviral mechanism against PRRSV infection and suggests that targeting YY1 could be a new strategy for controlling PRRSV.
PubMed: 38953350
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01549-24 -
Microbiology Resource Announcements Jul 2024The bacterium is a known muscle food spoiler. Here, the complete genome sequence of the type strain, DSM 20171, is reported. Prediction of prophages and genomic...
The bacterium is a known muscle food spoiler. Here, the complete genome sequence of the type strain, DSM 20171, is reported. Prediction of prophages and genomic islands reveals an unsuspected diversity in this bacterial species that deserves further investigation.
PubMed: 38953337
DOI: 10.1128/mra.00239-24 -
MSphere Jul 2024Ticks, like other obligatory blood-feeding arthropods, rely on endosymbiotic bacteria to supplement their diet with B vitamins lacking in blood. It has been suggested...
UNLABELLED
Ticks, like other obligatory blood-feeding arthropods, rely on endosymbiotic bacteria to supplement their diet with B vitamins lacking in blood. It has been suggested that additional metabolites such as L-proline may be involved in this nutritional symbiosis, but this has yet to be tested. Here, we studied the metabolite-based interaction between the brown dog tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and its like endosymbionts (CLE). We measured amino acid titers and tested the effect of B vitamins and L-proline supplementation on the fitness of CLE-suppressed female ticks, displaying low titers of CLE. We found higher titers of L-proline in the symbiont-hosting organs of unfed ticks and in engorged blood-fed whole ticks. Supplementation of B vitamins increased the hatching rate of CLE-suppressed ticks; this effect appears to be stronger when L-proline is added. Our results indicate that L-proline is produced by CLE, and we suggest that CLE is essential in states of high metabolic demand that affects tick reproductive fitness, such as oogenesis and embryonic development. These findings demonstrate the broader effect of nutritional symbionts on their hosts and may potentially contribute to the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases.
IMPORTANCE
-like endosymbionts (CLE) are essential to the brown dog tick for feeding and reproduction. This symbiosis is based on the supplementation of B vitamins lacking in the blood diet. The involvement of additional metabolites has been suggested, but no experimental evidence is available as yet to confirm a metabolic interaction. Here, we show that B vitamins and L-proline, both of which contribute to tick reproductive fitness, are produced by CLE. These findings demonstrate the importance of symbiont-derived metabolites for the host's persistence and shed light on the complex bacteria-host metabolic interaction, which can be channeled to manipulate and control tick populations.
PubMed: 38953331
DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00693-23 -
Research (Washington, D.C.) 2024The menace of drought has persistently loomed over global crop production, posing a serious threat to agricultural sustainability. Research on drought stress highlights... (Review)
Review
The menace of drought has persistently loomed over global crop production, posing a serious threat to agricultural sustainability. Research on drought stress highlights the important role of the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) in orchestrating plant responses to drought conditions. ABA regulates various drought/dehydration-responsive genes, initiates stomatal closure, and influences cellular responses to drought stress. Additionally, plants employ a phosphate starvation response (PSR) mechanism to manage phosphate (Pi) deficiency, with ABA playing a role in its regulation. However, despite intensive research in these fields, the precise connection among PSRs, drought stress, and ABA signaling still needs to be determined. Recently, PSR-related gene induction has been reported to occur before the induction of ABA-responsive genes under progressive mild drought. Mild drought decreases Pi uptake and contents in plants, triggering PSRs, which play an important role in plant growth during mild drought. Both ABA-responsive and PSR-related gene expression could indicate plant perception of external moisture conditions. Thus, integrating the information regarding their associated gene expression with soil moisture contents and thermographic data can enable timely irrigation optimization to mitigate the effect of drought on crop productivity.
PubMed: 38952996
DOI: 10.34133/research.0405 -
PeerJ 2024Agricultural soils contaminated with heavy metals poison crops and disturb the normal functioning of rhizosphere microbial communities. Different crops and rhizosphere...
Agricultural soils contaminated with heavy metals poison crops and disturb the normal functioning of rhizosphere microbial communities. Different crops and rhizosphere microbial communities exhibit different heavy metal resistance mechanisms. Here, indoor pot studies were used to assess the mechanisms of grain and soil rhizosphere microbial communities on chromium (Cr) stress. Millet grain variety 'Jingu 21' () and soil samples were collected prior to control (CK), 6 hours after (Cr_6h), and 6 days following (Cr_6d) Cr stress. Transcriptomic analysis, high-throughput sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used for sample determination and data analysis. Cr stress inhibited the expression of genes related to cell division, and photosynthesis in grain plants while stimulating the expression of genes related to DNA replication and repair, in addition to plant defense systems resist Cr stress. In response to chromium stress, rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal community compositions and diversity changed significantly ( < 0.05). Both bacterial and fungal co-occurrence networks primarily comprised positively correlated edges that would serve to increase community stability. However, bacterial community networks were larger than fungal community networks and were more tightly connected and less modular than fungal networks. The abundances of C/N functional genes exhibited increasing trends with increased Cr exposure. Overall, these results suggest that Cr stress primarily prevented cereal seedlings from completing photosynthesis, cell division, and proliferation while simultaneously triggering plant defense mechanisms to resist the toxic effects of Cr. Soil bacterial and fungal populations exhibited diverse response traits, community-assembly mechanisms, and increased expression of functional genes related to carbon and nitrogen cycling, all of which are likely related to microbial survival during Cr stress. This study provides new insights into resistance mechanisms, microbial community structures, and mechanisms of C/N functional genes responses in cereal plants to heavy metal contaminated agricultural soils. Portions of this text were previously published as part of a preprint (https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2891904/v1).
Topics: Soil Microbiology; Chromium; Rhizosphere; Soil Pollutants; Edible Grain; Stress, Physiological; Fungi; Microbiota; Bacteria
PubMed: 38952992
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17461 -
PeerJ 2024Potato farming is a vital component of food security and the economic stability especially in the under developing countries but it faces many challenges in production,...
Potato farming is a vital component of food security and the economic stability especially in the under developing countries but it faces many challenges in production, blackleg disease caused by () is one of the main reason for damaging crop yield of the potato. Effective management strategies are essential to control these losses and to get sustainable potato crop yield. This study was focused on characterizing the and the investigating new chemical options for its management. The research was involved a systematic survey across the three district of Punjab, Pakistan (Khanewal, Okara, and Multan) to collect samples exhibiting the black leg symptoms. These samples were analyzed in the laboratory where gram-negative bacteria were isolated and identified through biochemical and pathogenicity tests for . DNA sequencing further confirmed these isolates of strains. Six different chemicals were tested to control blackleg problem in both and at different concentrations. experiment, Cordate demonstrated the highest efficacy with a maximum inhibition zones of 17.139 mm, followed by Air One (13.778 mm), Profiler (10.167 mm), Blue Copper (7.7778 mm), Spot Fix (7.6689 mm), and Strider (7.0667 mm). , Cordate maintained its effectiveness with the lowest disease incidence of 14.76%, followed by Blue Copper (17.49%), Air One (16.98%), Spot Fix (20.67%), Profiler (21.45%), Strider (24.99%), and the control group (43.00%). The results highlight Cordate's potential as a most effective chemical against , offering promising role for managing blackleg disease in potato and to improve overall productivity.
Topics: Solanum tuberosum; Pectobacterium; Plant Diseases; Pakistan
PubMed: 38952990
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17518 -
PeerJ 2024This study examined the effects of microbial agents on the enzyme activity, microbial community construction and potential functions of inter-root soil of aubergine ( ×...
BACKGROUND
This study examined the effects of microbial agents on the enzyme activity, microbial community construction and potential functions of inter-root soil of aubergine ( × Duch.). This study also sought to clarify the adaptability of inter-root microorganisms to environmental factors to provide a theoretical basis for the stability of the microbiology of inter-root soil of aubergine and for the ecological preservation of farmland soil.
METHODS
Eggplant inter-root soils treated with (QZ_T1), (QZ_T2), (QZ_T3), (QZ_T4) and (QZ_T5) were used to analyse the effects of different microbial agents on the inter-root soils of aubergine compared to the untreated control group (QZ_CK). The effects of different microbial agents on the characteristics and functions of inter-root soil microbial communities were analysed using 16S rRNA and ITS (internal transcribed spacer region) high-throughput sequencing techniques.
RESULTS
The bacterial diversity index and fungal diversity index of the aubergine inter-root soil increased significantly with the application of microbial fungicides; gas exchange parameters and soil enzyme activities also increased. The structural and functional composition of the bacterial and fungal communities in the aubergine inter-root soil changed after fungicide treatment compared to the control, with a decrease in the abundance of phytopathogenic fungi and an increase in the abundance of beneficial fungi in the soil. Enhancement of key community functions, reduction of pathogenic fungi, modulation of environmental factors and improved functional stability of microbial communities were important factors contributing to the microbial stability of fungicide-treated aubergine inter-root soils.
Topics: Soil Microbiology; Fungicides, Industrial; Photosynthesis; Microbiota; Solanum melongena; Plant Roots; Soil; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 38952982
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17620 -
PeerJ 2024FAR1/FHY3 transcription factors are derived from transposase, which play important roles in light signal transduction, growth and development, and response to stress by...
BACKGROUND
FAR1/FHY3 transcription factors are derived from transposase, which play important roles in light signal transduction, growth and development, and response to stress by regulating downstream gene expression. Although many FAR1/FHY3 members have been identified in various species, the genes in maize are not well characterized and their function in drought are unknown.
METHOD
The FAR1/FHY3 family in the maize genome was identified using PlantTFDB, Pfam, Smart, and NCBI-CDD websites. In order to investigate the evolution and functions of FAR1 genes in maize, the information of protein sequences, chromosome localization, subcellular localization, conserved motifs, evolutionary relationships and tissue expression patterns were analyzed by bioinformatics, and the expression patterns under drought stress were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
RESULTS
A total of 24 ZmFAR members in maize genome, which can be divided into five subfamilies, with large differences in protein and gene structures among subfamilies. The promoter regions of contain abundant abiotic stress-responsive and hormone-respovensive -elements. Among them, drought-responsive -elements are quite abundant. were expressed in all tissues detected, but the expression level varies widely. The expression of were mostly down-regulated in primary roots, seminal roots, lateral roots, and mesocotyls under water deficit. Most were down-regulated in root after PEG-simulated drought stress.
CONCLUSIONS
We performed a genome-wide and systematic identification of genes in maize. And most were down-regulated in root after drought stress. These results indicate that FAR1/FHY3 transcription factors have important roles in drought stress response, which can lay a foundation for further analysis of the functions of in response to drought stress.
Topics: Zea mays; Droughts; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Proteins; Stress, Physiological; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 38952979
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17684 -
PeerJ 2024The bioaccessibility of tannins as antioxidants in meat is essential to maximise their effectiveness in protecting the product. This property determines the amount of...
The bioaccessibility of tannins as antioxidants in meat is essential to maximise their effectiveness in protecting the product. This property determines the amount of tannins available to interact with meat components, inhibiting lipid and protein oxidation and, consequently, prolonging shelf life and preserving the sensory quality of the product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioaccessibility of condensed tannins (CT) from extract (AME) and their effect on the physico-chemical characteristics of fattened lamb meat. Thirty-six Dorset × Hampshire lambs (3 months old and 20.8 ± 3.3 kg live weight) were used. The lambs were distributed equally ( = 9) into four treatments: T1, T2, T3 and T4, which included a basal diet plus 0%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75% of CT from AME, respectively. At the end of the fattening period, bioaccessibility was evaluated, the animals were slaughtered and a sample of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle was collected to assess colour, lipid oxidation, cooking weight loss and shear force on days 1, 4, 7 and 14 of shelf-life, in samples preserved at -20 °C. In addition, the long chain fatty acid profile was analysed. A completely randomised design was used, and the means were compared with Tukey's test ( < 0.05). The mean lightness (L*), yellowness (b*) and hue (H*) values were higher for T3 and T4. The addition of CT did not affect ( > 0.05) redness (a*), cooking weight loss (CWL) or shear force (SF). T4 decreased ( < 0.05) stearic acid and increased cis-9 trans-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Bioaccessibility was higher in the supplemented groups (T1 < T2, T3 and T4). In conclusion, supplementing CT from AME in the diet of lambs did not reduce lipid oxidation, but T3 or T4 improved some aspects of meat colour and CLA deposition.
Topics: Animals; Sheep; Proanthocyanidins; Antioxidants; Biological Availability; Red Meat; Meat; Cooking; Plant Extracts; Muscle, Skeletal
PubMed: 38952978
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17572