High energy ion beam irradiation of Co NiFe Co Cu multilayers Effects on the structural, transport and magnetic properties

The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of 593 MeVAu irradiation using two different projectile charges, namely Au30 and Au46.3 on the structural, transport and magnetization properties of Co NiFe Co Cu multilayers. X Ray diffraction and extended X ray absorption fine structures measurements show no significant structural change for as deposited and irradiated multilayers. On the other hand, the magnetoresistance amplitude decreases with the ion fluence but it is insensitive to the projectile charge state. The correlation between changes in the magnetoresistance and remanent magnetization suggests that the main effect responsible for the decrease of the magnetoresistance is the creation of ferromagnetic pinholes. These results are discussed on basis of the electronic thermal spike model and nuclear cascades theory and show similarities to the effects observed at low energy ion beam irradiatio

Host-interactor screens of Phytophthora infestans RXLR proteins reveal vesicle trafficking as a major effector-targeted process

Pathogens modulate plant cell structure and function by secreting effectors into host tissues. Effectors typically function by associating with host molecules and modulating their activities. This study aimed to identify the host processes targeted by the RXLR class of host-translocated effectors of the potato blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. To this end, we performed an in planta protein-protein interaction screen by transiently expressing P. infestans RXLR effectors in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves followed by co-immunoprecipitation and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. This screen generated an effector-host protein interactome matrix of 59 P. infestans RXLR effectors x 586 N. benthamiana proteins. Classification of the host interactors into putative functional categories revealed over 35 biological processes possibly targeted by P. infestans. We further characterized the PexRD12/31 family of RXLR-WY effectors, which associate and co-localize with components of the vesicle trafficking machinery. One member of this family, PexRD31, increased the number of FYVE positive vesicles in N. benthamiana cells. FYVE positive vesicles also accumulated in leaf cells near P. infestans hyphae, indicating that the pathogen may enhance endosomal trafficking during infection. This interactome data set will serve as a useful resource for functional studies of P. infestans effectors and of effector-targeted host processes

Abscisic Acid Insensitive 4 transcription factor is an important player in the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) feeding.

Plants growing in constantly changeable environmental conditions are compelled to evolve regulatory mechanisms to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. Effective defence to invaders is largely connected with phytohormone regulation, resulting in the production of numerous defensive proteins and specialized metabolites. In our work, we elucidated the role of the Abscisic Acid Insensitive 4 (ABI4) transcription factor in the plant response to the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM). This polyphagous mite is one of the most destructive herbivores, which sucks mesophyll cells of numerous crop and wild plants. Compared to the wild-type (Col-0) Arabidopsis thaliana plants, the abi4 mutant demonstrated increased susceptibility to TSSM, reflected as enhanced female fecundity and greater frequency of mite leaf damage after trypan blue staining. Because ABI4 is regarded as an important player in the plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signalling process, we investigated the plastid envelope membrane dynamics using stroma-associated fluorescent marker. Our results indicated a clear increase in the number of stroma-filled tubular structures deriving from the plastid membrane (stromules) in the close proximity of the site of mite leaf damage, highlighting the importance of chloroplast-derived signals in the response to TSSM feeding activity

Direct evidence for projectile charge state dependent crater formation due to fast ions

We report on craters formed by individual 3 MeV u Auqini ions of selected incident charge states qini penetrating thin layers of poly methyl methacrylate . Holes and raised regions are formed around the region of the impact, with sizes that depend strongly and differently on qini. Variation of qini, of the film thickness and of the angle of incidence allows us to extract information about the depth of origin contributing to different crater feature