Over-expression of snakin - 2 and extensin - like protein genes restricts pathogen invasiveness and enhances tolerance to Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis in transgenic tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum )

Two tomato proteins were evaluated by over-expression in transgenic tomato for their ability to confer resistance to Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm). Snakin-2 (SN2) is a cysteine-rich peptide with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity in vitro while extensin-like protein (ELP) is a major cell-wall hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein linked with plant response to pathogen attack and wounding. Tomato plants, cultivar Mountain Fresh, were transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring a binary vector for expression of the full-length SN2 gene or ELP cDNA under the regulation of the CaMV 35S promoter. Molecular characterization of PCR-positive putative T0 transgenic plants by Northern analysis revealed constitutive over-expression of SN2 and ELP mRNA. Junction fragment analysis by Southern blot showed that three of the four SN2 over-expressing T0 lines had single copies of complete T-DNAs while the other line had two complete T-DNA copies. All four ELP over-expressing T0 lines had a single copy T-DNA insertion. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of T1 plants revealed constitutive over-expression of SN2 and ELP. Transgenic lines that accumulated high levels of SN2 or ELP mRNA showed enhanced tolerance to Cmm resulting in a significant delay in the development of wilt symptoms and a reduction in the size of canker lesions compared to non-transformed control plants. Furthermore, in transgenic lines over-expressing SN2 or ELP bacterial populations were significantly lower (100-10,000-fold) than in non-transformed control plants. These results demonstrate that SN2 and ELP over-expression limits Cmm invasiveness suggesting potential in vivo antibacterial activity and possible biotechnological application for these two defense protein

OW-SLR: Overlapping Windows on Semi-Local Region for Image Super-Resolution

There has been considerable progress in implicit neural representation to upscale an image to any arbitrary resolution. However, existing methods are based on defining a function to predict the Red, Green and Blue (RGB) value from just four specific loci. Relying on just four loci is insufficient as it leads to losing fine details from the neighboring region(s). We show that by taking into account the semi-local region leads to an improvement in performance. In this paper, we propose applying a new technique called Overlapping Windows on Semi-Local Region (OW-SLR) to an image to obtain any arbitrary resolution by taking the coordinates of the semi-local region around a point in the latent space. This extracted detail is used to predict the RGB value of a point. We illustrate the technique by applying the algorithm to the Optical Coherence Tomography-Angiography (OCT-A) images and show that it can upscale them to random resolution. This technique outperforms the existing state-of-the-art methods when applied to the OCT500 dataset. OW-SLR provides better results for classifying healthy and diseased retinal images such as diabetic retinopathy and normals from the given set of OCT-A images. The project page is available at https://rishavbb.github.io/ow-slr/index.htm

Resistance to crown gall disease in transgenic grapevine rootstocks containing truncated virE2 of Agrobacterium

A truncated form of the Ti-plasmid virE2 gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains C58 and A6, and A. vitis strain CG450 was transferred and expressed in somatic embryos of grapevine rootstocks 110 Richter (Vitis rupestris×V. berlandieri), 3309 Couderc (V. rupestris×V. riparia) and Teleki 5C (V. berlandieri×V. riparia) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to confer resistance to crown gall disease. Transformation was confirmed in 98% of the 322 lines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the neomycin phosphotransferase II protein and 97% of 295 lines by polymerase chain reaction for the truncated virE2 transgene. Southern blot analysis revealed the insertion of truncated virE2 at one to three loci in a subset of seven transgenic 110 Richter lines. In vitro resistance screening assays based on inoculations of shoot internode sections showed reduced tumorigenicity and very small galls in 23 of 154 transgenic lines. Non-transformed controls had a 100% tumorigenicity rate with very large galls. Disease resistance assay at the whole plant level in the greenhouse revealed seven transgenic lines (3 lines of 110 Richter, 2 lines of 3309 Couderc and 2 lines of Teleki 5C) were resistant to A. tumefaciens strain C58 and A. vitis strains TM4 and CG450 with a substantially reduced percentage of inoculation sites showing gall as compared to controls. No association was found between the level of resistance to crown gall disease and the source Agrobacterium strain of virE2. Taken together, our data showed that resistance to crown gall disease can be achieved by expressing a truncated form of virE2 in grapevine

First Indian report on genome-wide comparison of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli from blood stream infections.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) is becoming endemic in health care settings around the world. Baseline data on virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of specific lineages of E. coli circulating in developing countries like India is currently lacking. METHODS: Whole-genome sequencing was performed for 60 MDR E. coli isolates. The analysis was performed at single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level resolution to identify the presence of their virulence and AMR genes. RESULTS: Genome comparison revealed the presence of ST-131 global MDR and ST410 as emerging-MDR clades of E. coli in India. AMR gene profile for cephalosporin and carbapenem resistance differed between the clades. Genotypes blaCTX-M-15 and blaNDM-5 were common among cephalosporinases and carbapenemases, respectively. For aminoglycoside resistance, rmtB was positive for 31.7% of the isolates, of which 95% were co-harboring carbapenemases. In addition, the FimH types and virulence gene profile positively correlated with the SNP based phylogeny, and also revealed the evolution of MDR clones among the study population with temporal accumulation of SNPs. The predominant clone was ST167 (blaNDM lineage) followed by ST405 (global clone ST131 equivalent) and ST410 (fast spreading high risk clone). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on the whole genome analysis of MDR E. coli lineages circulating in India. Data from this study will provide public health agencies with baseline information on AMR and virulent genes in pathogenic E. coli in the region

Spatiotemporal persistence of multiple, diverse clades and toxins of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Diphtheria is a respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Although the development of a toxin-based vaccine in the 1930s has allowed a high level of control over the disease, cases have increased in recent years. Here, we describe the genomic variation of 502 C. diphtheriae isolates across 16 countries and territories over 122 years. We generate a core gene phylogeny and determine the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and variation within the tox gene of 291 tox+ isolates. Numerous, highly diverse clusters of C. diphtheriae are observed across the phylogeny, each containing isolates from multiple countries, regions and time of isolation. The number of antimicrobial resistance genes, as well as the breadth of antibiotic resistance, is substantially greater in the last decade than ever before. We identified and analysed 18 tox gene variants, with mutations estimated to be of medium to high structural impact

Physical activity patterns and gestational diabetes outcomes – The wings project

AbstractObjectiveTo compare physical activity (PA) patterns in pregnant woman with and without gestational diabetes (GDM) and to assess the effects of an exercise intervention on change in PA patterns, blood glucose levels and pregnancy outcomes in GDM women.MethodsFor the first objective, PA patterns were studied in 795 pregnant women with and without GDM. For the second objective, the Women in India with Gestational Diabetes Strategy-Model of Care (WINGS-MOC) intervention were evaluated in 151 women out of 189 with GDM. PA was assessed using a validated questionnaire and a pedometer. Changes in PA patterns, glycemic parameters and neonatal outcomes were evaluated.ResultsOverall, only 10% of pregnant women performed recommended levels of PA. Women with GDM were significantly more sedentary compared to those without GDM (86.2 vs. 61.2%, p<0.001). After the MOC was implemented in women with GDM, there was a significant improvement in PA and a decrease in sedentary behaviour amongst women (before MOC, moderate activity: 15.2%, sedentary: 84.8% vs. after MOC-moderate: 26.5%, sedentary: 73.5%; p<0.001), and an increase in their daily step count from 2206/day to 2476/day (p<0.001). Fasting 1 and 2-h postprandial glucose values significantly decreased (p<0.001 for all). Sedentary behaviour was associated with a fourfold higher risk (p=0.02), and recreational walking with 70% decreased risk, of adverse neonatal outcomes (p=0.04) after adjusting for potential confounders.ConclusionsPA levels are inadequate amongst this group of pregnant women studied i.e. those with and without GDM. However, a low-cost, culturally appropriate MOC can bring about significant improvements in PA in women with GDM. These changes are associated with improved glycemic control and reduction in adverse neonatal outcomes

White rice, brown rice and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Intake of white rice has been associated with elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), while studies on brown rice are conflicting. To inform dietary guidance, we synthesised the evidence on white rice and brown rice with T2D risk. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched through November 2021. Eligibility criteria Prospective cohort studies of white and brown rice intake on T2D risk (≥1 year), and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing brown rice with white rice on cardiometabolic risk factors (≥2 weeks). Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted by the primary reviewer and two additional reviewers. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models and reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for prospective cohort studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCTs. Strength of the meta-evidence was assessed using NutriGrade. Results Nineteen articles were included: 8 cohort studies providing 18 estimates (white rice: 15 estimates, 25 956 cases, n=5 77 426; brown rice: 3 estimates, 10 507 cases, n=1 97 228) and 11 RCTs (n=1034). In cohort studies, white rice was associated with higher risk of T2D (pooled RR, 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.32) comparing extreme categories. At intakes above ~300 g/day, a dose–response was observed (each 158 g/day serving was associated with 13% (11%–15%) higher risk of T2D). Intake of brown rice was associated with lower risk of T2D (pooled RR, 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81 to 0.97) comparing extreme categories. Each 50 g/day serving of brown rice was associated with 13% (6%–20%) lower risk of T2D. Cohort studies were considered to be of good or fair quality. RCTs showed an increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (0.06 mmol/L; 0.00 to 0.11 mmol/L) in the brown compared with white rice group. No other significant differences in risk factors were observed. The majority of RCTs were found to have some concern for risk of bias. Overall strength of the meta-evidence was moderate for cohort studies and moderate and low for RCTs. Conclusion Intake of white rice was associated with higher risk of T2D, while intake of brown rice was associated with lower risk. Findings from substitution trials on cardiometabolic risk factors were inconsistent