Author Correction: Identification of a novel cAMP dependent protein kinase A phosphorylation site on the human cardiac calcium channel

The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the spelling of the author A. Harvey Millar, which was incorrectly given as Harvey A. Millar. This has now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article and in the Supplementary Information

Enhancing crop yields through improvements in the efficiency of photosynthesis and respiration

Published online January 2023The rate with which crop yields per hectare increase each year is plateauing at the same time that human population growth and other factors increase food demand. Increasing yield potential (Yp) of crops is vital to address these challenges. In this review, we explore a component of Yp that has yet to be optimised – that being improvements in the efficiency with which light energy is converted into biomass (ϵc) via modifications to CO2 fixed per unit quantum of light (α), efficiency of respiratory ATP production (ϵprod) and efficiency of ATP use (ϵuse). For α, targets include changes in photoprotective machinery, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase kinetics and photorespiratory pathways. There is also potential for ϵprod to be increased via targeted changes to the expression of the alternative oxidase and mitochondrial uncoupling pathways. Similarly, there are possibilities to improve ϵuse via changes to the ATP costs of phloem loading, nutrient uptake, futile cycles and/or protein/membrane turnover. Recently developed high-throughput measurements of respiration can serve as a proxy for the cumulative energy cost of these processes. There are thus exciting opportunities to use our growing knowledge of factors influencing the efficiency of photosynthesis and respiration to create a step-change in yield potential of globally important crops.Andres Garcia, Oorbessy Gaju, Andrew F. Bowerman, Sally A. Buck, John R. Evans, Robert T. Furbank, Matthew Gilliham, A. Harvey Millar, Barry J. Pogson, Matthew P. Reynolds, Yong-Ling Ruan, Nicolas L. Taylor, Stephen D. Tyerman, and Owen K. Atki

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Systems biology for crop improvement

In recent years, generation of large-scale data from genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, epigenome, and others, has become routine in several plant species. Most of these datasets in different crop species, however, were studied independently and as a result, full insight could not be gained on the molecular basis of complex traits and biological networks. A systems biology approach involving integration of multiple omics data, modeling, and prediction of the cellular functions is required to understand the flow of biological information that underlies complex traits. In this context, systems biology with multiomics data integration is crucial and allows a holistic understanding of the dynamic system with the different levels of biological organization interacting with external environment for a phenotypic expression. Here, we present recent progress made in the area of various omics studies—integrative and systems biology approaches with a special focus on application to crop improvement. We have also discussed the challenges and opportunities in multiomics data integration, modeling, and understanding of the biology of complex traits underpinning yield and stress tolerance in major cereals and legumes

Increased wheat protein content via introgression of an HMW glutenin selectively reshapes the grain proteome

Introgression of a high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) allele, 1Ay21∗, into commercial wheat cultivars increased overall grain protein content and bread-making quality, but the role of proteins beyond this HMW-GS itself was unknown. In addition to increased abundance of 1Ay HMW-GS, 115 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were discovered between three cultivars and corresponding introgressed near-isogenic lines. Functional category analysis showed that the DAPs were predominantly other storage proteins and proteins involved in protein synthesis, protein folding, protein degradation, stress response, and grain development. Nearly half the genes encoding the DAPs showed strong coexpression patterns during grain development. Promoters of these genes are enriched in elements associated with transcription initiation and light response, indicating a potential connection between these cis-elements and grain protein accumulation. A model of how this HMW-GS enhances the abundance of machinery for protein synthesis and maturation during grain filling is proposed. This analysis not only provides insights into how introgression of the 1Ay21∗ improves grain protein content but also directs selection of protein candidates for future wheat quality breeding programs

Expression and kinetics of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase in nitrogen-fixing nodules of soybean roots

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