Dose-dependent genetic resistance to Azole fungicides found in the apple scab pathogen

The evolution of azole resistance in fungal pathogens presents a major challenge in both crop production and human health. Apple orchards across the world are faced with the emergence of azole fungicide resistance in the apple scab pathogen Venturia inaequalis. Target site point mutations observed in this fungus to date cannot fully explain the reduction in sensitivity to azole fungicides. Here, polygenic resistance to tebuconazole was studied across a population of V. inaequalis. Genotyping by sequencing allowed Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) mapping to identify the genetic components controlling this fungicide resistance. Dose-dependent genetic resistance was identified, with distinct genetic components contributing to fungicide resistance at different exposure levels. A QTL within linkage group seven explained 65% of the variation in the effective dose required to reduce growth by 50% (ED50). This locus was also involved in resistance at lower fungicide doses (ED10). A second QTL in linkage group one was associated with dose-dependent resistance, explaining 34% of variation at low fungicide doses (ED10), but did not contribute to resistance at higher doses (ED50 and ED90). Within QTL regions, non-synonymous mutations were observed in several ATP-Binding Cassette and Major Facilitator SuperFamily transporter genes. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms of fungicide resistance that have evolved in horticultural pathogens. Identification of resistance gene candidates supports the development of molecular diagnostics to inform management practice

Dose-dependent genetic resistance to azole fungicides found in the apple scab pathogen

The evolution of azole resistance in fungal pathogens presents a major challenge in both crop production and human health. Apple orchards across the world are faced with the emergence of azole fungicide resistance in the apple scab pathogen Venturia inaequalis. Target site point mutations observed in this fungus to date cannot fully explain the reduction in sensitivity to azole fungicides. Here, polygenic resistance to tebuconazole was studied across a population of V. inaequalis. Genotyping by sequencing allowed Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) mapping to identify the genetic components controlling this fungicide resistance. Dose-dependent genetic resistance was identified, with distinct genetic components contributing to fungicide resistance at different exposure levels. A QTL within linkage group seven explained 65% of the variation in the effective dose required to reduce growth by 50% (ED50). This locus was also involved in resistance at lower fungicide doses (ED10). A second QTL in linkage group one was associated with dose-dependent resistance, explaining 34% of variation at low fungicide doses (ED10), but did not contribute to resistance at higher doses (ED50 and ED90). Within QTL regions, non-synonymous mutations were observed in several ATP-Binding Cassette and Major Facilitator SuperFamily transporter genes. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms of fungicide resistance that have evolved in horticultural pathogens. Identification of resistance gene candidates supports the development of molecular diagnostics to inform management practices

Scaling-up engineering biology for enhanced environmental solutions

Synthetic biology (SynBio) offers transformative solutions for addressing environmental challenges by engineering organisms capable of degrading pollutants, enhancing carbon sequestration, and valorizing waste (Figure 1). These innovations hold the potential to revolutionize bioremediation strategies, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable environmental management. (1) Advances in SynBio, including automation, precise manipulation of genetic material, (2) and design of semisynthetic organisms with enhanced capabilities, can improve the efficiency of microbes for eliminating pollutants such as hydrocarbons and plastics or extracting valuable resources from the environment. (3) Genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, allows the editing of genomes with unprecedented accuracy, facilitating the development of organisms with desired traits or functions. (4) Furthermore, SynBio encompasses the engineering of metabolic enzymes within organisms, leading to the design of microbial factories capable of degrading complex and persistent chemicals, and converting waste to valuable resources. (5) These advancements also facilitate the manipulation of bacterial social behaviors, offering the capacity for tunable control at the multicellular level and engineered biofilms. (5

A genomic resource for the strawberry powdery mildew pathogen Podosphaera aphanis

Powdery mildew is one of the most economically destructive diseases in protected straw- berry production. Here we present the first genome assembly for Podosphaera aphanis, the causal agent of powdery mildew on strawberry. This obligate-biotrophic fungal pathogen was sampled from a naturally occurring outbreak on Fragaria × ananassa ‘Malling Centenary’ plants grown under cover in the United Kingdom. Assembled reads resolved a 55.6 Mb genome, composed of 12,357 contigs whose annotation led to prediction of 17,239 genes encoding 17,328 proteins. The genome is highly-complete, with 97.5% of conserved single- copy Ascomycete genes shown to be present. This annotated P. aphanis genome provides a molecular resource for further investigation into host−pathogen interactions in the strawberry powdery mildew pathosystem

Doc on the Tok: How BIPOC College Students Perceive Healthcare Professionals' Social Media Content

90% of the U.S. population interacts with health information on social media. While access to this information can be important to those who experience financial, geographical, and logistical barriers to receiving medical care, social media is also a source of health-related misinformation and disinformation that can cause/exacerbate serious harm. One of many proposed initiatives to combat medical misinformation online is for healthcare professionals to create their own channels and disseminate health information based on their professional expertise on platforms like TikTok. But how do users, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who are more likely to experience harm and neglect in medical settings due to systemic racism in the US, perceive the quality of the information healthcare professionals create? This poster paper is the first step in a larger research project to explore this phenomenon in which we: present a preliminary literature review, identify two gaps, and propose a qualitative study to explore BIPOC college students' perceptions of social media content created by healthcare professionals on popular, short-form video platforms.Andrew W. Mellon FoundationPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/193111/1/FletcherDocOnTheTok.pdfDescription of FletcherDocOnTheTok.pdf : Main articleSEL