Insight into TaWRKYs transcription factors role during wheat growth and Septoria defense.

Triticum aestivum is the major food source in many parts of the world, providing approximately 20% of calories consumed by humans. The pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici that causes Septoria Tritici Blotch (STB), is currently the main threat to wheat production, with an average yield loss of 20%. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms that underpin the Septoria-wheat interaction will be crucial for generating new control strategies against STB. WRKY transcription factors are important components of signaling in plants, regulating many molecular mechanisms in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Published data demonstrate that there are at least 3 wheat WRKYs (TaWRKY) that show altered expression upon Septoria infection. The hormone jasmonic acid (JA) plays key role in biotic stress response, but also in a diverse array of plant processes including development, reproduction, and response to abiotic stress. Most of our understanding of the JA signaling pathway derives from the dicot model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, while corresponding knowledge in wheat is somewhat limited. Via bioinformatics analysis we identified TaWRKY10 and TaWRKY13 genes in wheat and validated the role of two of them during Septoria infection response. Moreover we have been able to demonstrate that TaWRKY10 is a key component of the JA signalling pathway. We specifically identified its role and downstream targets, as well as 6 putative regulators of its transcription. TaWRKY10 acting at the JA perception level couples growth and immunity. As growth and immunity are inversely correlated, investigating the molecular basis of their correlation could lead to the discovery of novel breeding tools

Bioaccumulation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Chlorinated Pesticides by the Asiatic Clam <i>Corbicula fluminea</i>; Its Use as Sentinel Organism in the Rio de la Plata Estuary, Argentina

Individual PCBs and chlorinated pesticides (CHLPs) were determined in water, suspended particles (SPM), sediments, and Asiatic clams to study their bioaccumulation kinetics and evaluate the usefulness of the clams as sentinel organisms. Bioaccumulation depended on the routes of uptake and bioavailability determined by compound hydrophobicity. CHLPs were mainly present in the dissolved phase, showed a positive correlation between the bivalve-water BAFs and Kow's and reached steady-state levels before 70 days in a caging experience. These facts reflect an efficient water-gill partitioning process. In contrast, PCBs were only detected in the SPM, showed essentiaIIy Kow, independent bivaIve-sediment and bivalve-SPM BAFs with the lowest values for superhydrophobic heptachlorobiphenyls 174,180, and 170, and did not reach steady-state levels during a 140-day exposure period. This suggests that the uptake was hindered by their stronger affinity for SPM and the interference of steric factors during intestine absorption. Corbicula fluminea are reliable sentinel organisms and showed clear geographical trends along 150 km of the Rlo de La Plata coast: a progressive decrease of PCB levels and more degraded patterns dominated by recalcitrant congeners, i.e., 153, were observed with increasing distance from the major La PIata-Buenos Aires urban center. A size-related trend overlapped with this spatial gradient: older clams usually showed higher levels and a more degraded PCB signature. CHLPs showed less clear geographical trends due to the presence of multiple sources. CHLP patterns showed a strong dominance of chlordan e - re la ted com po u n ds, pa rti c u I a rly transchlordane which was 2-5 times more abundant than the cis isomer. On a temporal scale, from 1986 to 1993, Asiatic clams presented sustained PCB levels but showed a significant decrease of chlordane and DDT, which suggests reduced inputs in recent years.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Guidelines for the monitoring of Rosalia alpina

Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large longhorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) which is protected by the Habitats Directive and which typically inhabits beech forests characterised by the presence of mature, dead (or moribund) and sun-exposed trees. A revision of the current knowledge on systematics, ecology and conservation of R. alpina is reported. The research was carried out as part of the LIFE MIPP project which aims to find a standard monitoring method for saproxylic beetles protected in Europe. For monitoring this species, different methods were tested and compared in two areas of the Apennines, utilising wild trees, logs and tripods (artificially built with beech woods), all potentially suitable for the reproduction of the species. Even if all methods succeeded in the survey of the target species, these results showed that the use of wild trees outperformed other methods. Indeed, the use of wild trees allowed more adults to be observed and required less intensive labour. However, monitoring the rosalia longicorn on wild trees has the main disadvantage that they can hardly be considered “standard sampling units”, as each tree may be differently attractive to adults. Our results demonstrated that the most important factors influencing the attraction of single trunks were wood volume, sun-exposure and decay stage. Based on the results obtained during the project LIFE MIPP, as well as on a literature review, a standard monitoring method for R. alpina was developed

Lucien Bonaparte

Colección Muruai

COVID-19 in rheumatic diseases in Italy: first results from the Italian registry of the Italian Society for Rheumatology (CONTROL-19)

OBJECTIVES: Italy was one of the first countries significantly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. The Italian Society for Rheumatology promptly launched a retrospective and anonymised data collection to monitor COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), the CONTROL-19 surveillance database, which is part of the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance. METHODS: CONTROL-19 includes patients with RMDs and proven severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) updated until May 3rd 2020. In this analysis, only molecular diagnoses were included. The data collection covered demographic data, medical history (general and RMD-related), treatments and COVID-19 related features, treatments, and outcome. In this paper, we report the first descriptive data from the CONTROL-19 registry. RESULTS: The population of the first 232 patients (36% males) consisted mainly of elderly patients (mean age 62.2 years), who used corticosteroids (51.7%), and suffered from multi-morbidity (median comorbidities 2). Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent disease (34.1%), followed by spondyloarthritis (26.3%), connective tissue disease (21.1%) and vasculitis (11.2%). Most cases had an active disease (69.4%). Clinical presentation of COVID-19 was typical, with systemic symptoms (fever and asthenia) and respiratory symptoms. The overall outcome was severe, with high frequencies of hospitalisation (69.8%), respiratory support oxygen (55.7%), non-invasive ventilation (20.9%) or mechanical ventilation (7.5%), and 19% of deaths. Male patients typically manifested a worse prognosis. Immunomodulatory treatments were not significantly associated with an increased risk of intensive care unit admission/mechanical ventilation/death. CONCLUSIONS: Although the report mainly includes the most severe cases, its temporal and spatial trend supports the validity of the national surveillance system. More complete data are being acquired in order to both test the hypothesis that RMD patients may have a different outcome from that of the general population and determine the safety of immunomodulatory treatments

The Ankrd2, Cdkn1c and Calcyclin genes are under the control of MyoD during myogenic differentiation

Skeletal muscle development requires the coordinated expression of numerous transcription factors to control the specification of the muscle fate in mesodermal cells and the differentiation of the committed myoblasts into functional contractile fibers. The bHLH transcription factor MyoD plays a key role in these processes, since its forced expression is sufficient to induce the myogenesis in a variety of non-muscle cells in culture. Consistent with this observation, the majority of skeletal muscle genes require MyoD to activate their own transcription. In order to identify novel MyoD-target genes we generated C2C12 MyoD-silenced clones, and used a muscle-specific cDNA microarray to study the induced modifications of the transcriptional profile. Gene expression was analyzed at three different stages in differentiating MyoD(-)C2C12 myoblasts. These microarray data sets identified many additional uncharacterized downstream MyoD transcripts that may play important functions in muscle cel

Protected areas and insect conservation in Italy: questioning the effectiveness of Natura 2000 network for saproxylic beetles in Italy.

Up to now, global conservation priorities are far from incorporating megadiverse invertebrate taxa. Thus, an important emerging field in biological conservation is how we might manage landscape to preserve insects. In this study, we analyze the efficacy of Italian reserve network for protecting multiple saproxylic beetles, considering both nationally designated areas and Natura 2000 sites. We selected 150 species inhabiting the Italian territory from the European Red List for saproxylic beetles, on the basis of distribution data availability. For each species, a vulnerability score was assigned according to their Red List status, and the species’ distributions data were used to perform an irreplaceability analysis. Our analyses show that conservation targets based on geographic range extent are achieved for only 7% of the considered species. We find that 13 species are not represented in any protected area: among these, two click beetle species (Elateridae) are listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened categories (i.e. Ampedus quadrisignatus EN and Ampedus brunnicornis VU). Our analyses on protected area effectiveness for the conservation of saproxylic beetles showed that nationally designated protected areas are more irreplaceable than a random selection of cells. Surprisingly, the addition of Natura 2000 sites did not improve the species representation. Moreover, these reserves include sites that are not more irreplaceable than a random selection of cells. We identify some currently unprotected areas that protection could prevent from future extinctions and ensure a favorable conservation status of saproxylic beetles. In particular, we find an important stronghold for beetle conservation, which obtained a high irreplaceability score, in the Adige river basin. We recommend the designation of new reserves in this area to complement the existing network and to help guarantee invertebrate saproxylic fauna protection

SUMO Conjugation to BZR1 Enables Brassinosteroid Signaling to Integrate Environmental Cues to Shape Plant Growth

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in plant development, but little is known of mechanisms that integrate environmental cues into BR signaling. Conjugation to the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is emerging as an important mechanism to transduce environmental cues into cellular signaling. In this study, we show that SUMOylation of BZR1, a key transcription factor of BR signaling, provides a conduit for environmental influence to modulate growth during stress. SUMOylation stabilizes BZR1 in the nucleus by inhibiting its interaction with BIN2 kinase. During salt stress, Arabidopsis plants arrest growth through deSUMOylation of BZR1 in the cytoplasm by promoting the accumulation of the BZR1 targeting SUMO protease, ULP1a. ULP1a mutants are salt tolerant and insensitive to the BR inhibitor, brassinazole. BR treatment stimulates ULP1a degradation, allowing SUMOylated BZR1 to accumulate and promote growth. This study uncovers a mechanism for integrating environmental cues into BR signaling to shape growth

Unraveling prevalence of homoacetogenesis and methanogenesis pathways due to inhibitors addition

Three inhibitors targeting different microorganisms, both from Archaea and Bacteria domains, were evaluated for their effect on CO2 biomethanation: sodium ionophore III (ETH2120), carbon monoxide (CO), and sodium 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES). This study examines how these compounds affect the anaerobic digestion microbiome in a biogas upgrading process. While archaea were observed in all experiments, methane was produced only when adding ETH2120 or CO, not when adding BES, suggesting archaea were in an inactivated state. Methane was produced mainly via methylotrophic methanogenesis from methylamines. Acetate was produced at all conditions, but a slight reduction on acetate production (along with an enhancement on CH4 production) was observed when applying 20 kPa of CO. Effects on CO2 biomethanation were difficult to observe since the inoculum used was from a real biogas upgrading reactor, being this a complex environmental sample. Nevertheless, it must be mentioned that all compounds had effects on the microbial community composition

Venous and arterial thromboembolic risk of Janus kinase inhibitors: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Objective Preliminary data led licencing authorities to alert clinicians of an increased venous thrombotic risk associated to the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (JAKi). We performed a systematic review to estimate the risk of venous and arterial thrombosis associated to JAKi for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on JAKi in patients with IMIDs were identified by the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases until October 2021. Risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane criteria. The beta-binomial model was applied to calculate pooled odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% CI. The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42022324143. Results We have included one phase I, 21 phase II, three phase II-III and 36 phase III RCTs for a total of 19 443 patients in the JAKi group and 6354 in the control group. Thirty-one (unweighted rate 0.16%; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.21) events were reported in the JAKi group and 20 (unweighted rate 0.22%; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.32) in the control group in a mean follow-up of 16.8 weeks. IMID patients treated with JAKi did not have an increased thromboembolic risk compared with those treated with placebo (OR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.43, 1.56). No statistically different results were seen in subanalyses for each investigated IMID, drug and dosage. Conclusion JAKi do not increase thromboembolic risk compared with placebo in IMID patients enrolled in selected RCTs