Arabidopsis Tandem Zinc Finger 9, a mitogen activated protein kinase substrate, binds RNA and mediates immunity

Pflanzen erkennen Krankheitserreger über konservierte mikrobielle Strukturen, sogenannte Pathogen-assoziierte molekulare Muster (PAMPs), über Membran-lokalisierte Mustererkennungsrezeptoren (PRRs), wodurch PAMP-vermittelte Immunität (PTI) ausgelöst wird. Dies schließt die phosphorylierungsabhängige Aktivierung des dreistufigen Mitogen-aktivierten Proteinkinase (MAPK) Signalwegs ein. Eines der MPK3- und -6-Substrate, das Tandem-Zink-Finger-Protein 9 (TZF9), ist an der PTI beteiligt, da die tzf9-Mutante eine abgeschwächte Abwehrreaktion zeigt. Es wurde gezeigt, dass TZF9 im Zytoplasma und in den Processing Bodies (PB) lokalisiert ist. TZF9 bindet an 18 Nukleotid-ribohomopolymere (polyG und polyU) RNA-Moleküle und eine 100 Nukleotid-Zufallssonde (Pentaprobe) in Electrophoretic Mobility-Shift-Assays (EMSA). Eine globale Genexpressionsanalyse von Wildtyp (wt) Col-0 im Vergleich zu tzf9 Mutanten zeigte eine Anreicherung von Stress- / Stimuli- responsiven Genen. Auch wurde ein hoher Entkopplungsgrad zwischen Transkriptom und Translatom beobachtet. Eine ähnliche Anzahl von differentiell exprimierten Genen (DEGs) zeigte sowohl in tzf9 als auch in wt nach PAMP-Behandlung einen vergleichbaren Trend. Die Entkopplung in tzf9 war jedoch auf Translationsebene verschoben. Insgesamt wurde gezeigt, dass PAMP-responsive MAPKs die Genexpression post-transkriptionell über TZF9 regulieren könnenPlants recognize pathogens via conserved microbial features called pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) via membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), thereby triggering PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). This includes phosphorylation-dependent activation of the three-tiered mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. One of the MPK3 and -6 substrate, Tandem Zinc finger protein 9 (TZF9) is shown to be involved in PTI as tzf9 mutant shows attenuated defense response. TZF9 was shown to be localized in cytoplasm and processing bodies (PB). TZF9 binds to 18 mer-ribohomopolymers (polyG and polyU) RNA molecules and a 100 mer random probe (Pentaprobe) in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. A global gene expression analysis of wild-type (wt) Col-0 compared to tzf9 mutant showed an enrichment of stress/stimuli responsive genes. Also, a high degree of uncoupling between transcriptome and translatome was observed. A similar number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were coupling in both tzf9 and wt upon PAMP treatment (1 hpi). However, the uncoupling in tzf9 was biased at translational level. Overall, it was shown that PAMP-responsive MAPKs might regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level via TZF9.vorgelegt von Naheed Tabassu

Evaluation of Compatibility, Growth Characteristics, and Yield of Tomato Grafted on Potato ('Pomato')

The aim of this study was to evaluate the grafting compatibility of different varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) scions on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rootstocks to develop a 'pomato' plant. In this study three potato varieties; Diamant (P1), Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3), and two tomato varieties; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) tomato-2 (T1) and BARI tomato-11 (T2) were used to make the grafted combinations T1P1, T1P2, T1P3, T2P1, T2P2 and T2P3, designated G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6, respectively. Tomato seedlings aged 25 (S1) and 35 days (S2) were selected as scions. Graft compatibility was analyzed based on the growth and yield of the pomato plants. The results revealed that varieties and scion age had a significant effect on the pomato fruit and tuber yield. The initiation of flowering was not affected by the various graft combinations; however, plant height, leaf number, branch number, number of clusters per plant, number of fruit per cluster, number of fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, single fruit weight and total fruit yield per plant were higher in G5S1 among the combinations. On the other hand, the number of tubers per plant, single tuber weight, and tuber yield per plant were highest for a few combinations. Overall, it was concluded that Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3) potato were the most compatible for grafting with BARI tomato-11 (T2) at the scion age of 25 days (S1), based on vegetative growth and fruit and tuber yield of pomato plants

Disparities by sex in care-seeking behaviors and treatment outcomes for pneumonia among children admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh.

BackgroundIncidence of community acquired pneumonia is high globally. In Bangladesh, more male children than female children are brought to hospitals for pneumonia. We examined if there was disparities in the severity of illness and outcome by sex among children who were admitted with pneumonia to hospitals in Bangladesh.MethodsHospitalized children, aged 2 to 59 months, meeting a case definition of pneumonia were recruited in seven hospitals following parental consent. At baseline, study doctors obtained socio-demographic characteristics and care seeking behaviors for pneumonia, and then clinical data were collected throughout the hospital stay. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine if the sex of the child had a relationship with either illness severity on admission or outcome in the hospital.ResultsBetween May 2004 and December 2008, 6,856 children, including 35% females, were recruited. A total of 1,371 (19.9%) children had non-severe pneumonia, 4,118 (60.0%) had severe pneumonia, and 1,367 (19.9%) had very severe pneumonia. A higher proportion of hospitalized females had very severe pneumonia as compared to males (21.5% versus 19.1%; P = 0.01), but there was no difference by sex in the proportion of children with severe or non-severe pneumonia. There was no difference by sex observed in the clinical management provided in the hospital, but a greater proportion of females (4.7%) as compared to males (3.6%) died in hospitals (P = 0.04). In multivariate analyses, female sex was associated with very severe pneumonia on admission (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.09-1.47) and fatal outcome in the hospitals (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01-1.71). Death in female children admitted with very severe pneumonia was 4 times higher than that reported in males (OR: 4.37, 95% CI: 3.24-5.89).ConclusionOur data demonstrates a sex-based disparity in the severity of pneumonia and deaths among children admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh, despite no existing disparity by sex in hospital treatment. These findings call for further investigations to explore the determinants of health seeking behavior by parents with children with pneumonia in a community that favors males to females, and to understand the role of differences by sex in childhood pneumonia outcomes in Bangladesh

Host genotype, soil composition, and geo-climatic factors shape the fonio seed microbiome

Abstract Background Fonio (Digitaria exilis), an orphan millet crop, is the oldest indigenous crop in West Africa. Although the yield is low due to pre-domestication characteristics, the quick maturation time, drought tolerance, and the ability to thrive on poor soils make fonio a climate-smart crop. Being holobionts, plants evolve in close interaction with microbial partners, which is crucial for plant phenology and fitness. As seeds are the bottleneck of vertically transmitting plant microbiota, we proposed to unravel the seed microbiome of the under-domesticated and resilient crop fonio. Our study investigated the bacterial seed endophyte diversity across 126 sequenced fonio accessions from distinct locations in West Africa. We conducted a correlation study of the structures and functions of the seed-associated microbiomes with the native geo-climate and soil structure data. We also performed Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic loci associated with seed endophyte diversity. Result We report that fonio millet has diverse heritable seed endophytic taxa. We analyzed the seed microbiomes of 126 fonio accessions and showed that despite the diversity of microbiomes from distinct geographical locations, all fonio genetic groups share a core microbiome. In addition, we observed that native soil composition, geo-climatic factors, and host genotype correlate with the seed microbiomes. GWAS analysis of genetic loci associated with endophyte seed bacterial diversity identified fonio SNPs associated with genes functioning in embryo development and stress/defense response. Conclusion Analysis of the seed endophyte of the climate-smart crop fonio indicated that despite possessing a heritable core microbiome, native conditions may shape the overall fonio seed microbiomes in different populations. These distinct microbiomes could play important roles in the adaptation of fonio to different environmental conditions. Our study identified the seed microbiome as a potential target for enhancing crop resilience to climate stress in a sustainable way. Video Abstrac

Evaluation of Compatibility, Growth Characteristics, and Yield of Tomato Grafted on Potato (‘Pomato’)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the grafting compatibility of different varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) scions on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rootstocks to develop a ‘pomato’ plant. In this study three potato varieties; Diamant (P1), Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3), and two tomato varieties; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) tomato-2 (T1) and BARI tomato-11 (T2) were used to make the grafted combinations T1P1, T1P2, T1P3, T2P1, T2P2 and T2P3, designated G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6, respectively. Tomato seedlings aged 25 (S1) and 35 days (S2) were selected as scions. Graft compatibility was analyzed based on the growth and yield of the pomato plants. The results revealed that varieties and scion age had a significant effect on the pomato fruit and tuber yield. The initiation of flowering was not affected by the various graft combinations; however, plant height, leaf number, branch number, number of clusters per plant, number of fruit per cluster, number of fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, single fruit weight and total fruit yield per plant were higher in G5S1 among the combinations. On the other hand, the number of tubers per plant, single tuber weight, and tuber yield per plant were highest for a few combinations. Overall, it was concluded that Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3) potato were the most compatible for grafting with BARI tomato-11 (T2) at the scion age of 25 days (S1), based on vegetative growth and fruit and tuber yield of pomato plants

Dynamics of ribosome composition and ribosomal protein phosphorylation in immune signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

International audienceAbstract In plants, the detection of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) induces primary innate immunity by the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). We show here that the MAMP-activated MAPK MPK6 not only modulates defense through transcriptional regulation but also via the ribosomal protein translation machinery. To understand the effects of MPK6 on ribosomes and their constituent ribosomal proteins (RPs), polysomes, monosomes and the phosphorylation status of the RPs, MAMP-treated WT and mpk6 mutant plants were analysed. MAMP-activation induced rapid changes in RP composition of monosomes, polysomes and in the 60S ribosomal subunit in an MPK6-specific manner. Phosphoproteome analysis showed that MAMP-activation of MPK6 regulates the phosphorylation status of the P-stalk ribosomal proteins by phosphorylation of RPP0 and the concomitant dephosphorylation of RPP1 and RPP2. These events coincide with a significant decrease in the abundance of ribosome-bound RPP0s, RPP1s and RPP3s in polysomes. The P-stalk is essential in regulating protein translation by recruiting elongation factors. Accordingly, we found that RPP0C mutant plants are compromised in basal resistance to Pseudomonas syringae infection. These data suggest that MAMP-induced defense also involves MPK6-induced regulation of P-stalk proteins, highlighting a new role of ribosomal regulation in plant innate immunity