The meristem-associated endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 reprograms development and stress responses of pine seedlings

Microbes living in plant tissues-endophytes-are mainly studied in crop plants where they typically colonize the root apoplast. Trees-a large carbon source with a high capacity for photosynthesis-provide a variety of niches for endophytic colonization. We have earlier identified a new type of plant-endophyte interaction in buds of adult Scots pine, where Methylorubrum species live inside the meristematic cells. The endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 significantly increases needle and root growth of pine seedlings without producing plant hormones, but by aggregating around host nuclei. Here, we studied gene expression and metabolites of the pine host induced by M. extorquens DSM13060 infection. Malic acid was produced by pine to potentially boost M. extorquens colonization and interaction. Based on gene expression, the endosymbiont activated the auxin- and ethylene (ET)-associated hormonal pathways through induction of CUL1 and HYL1, and suppressed salicylic and abscisic acid signaling of pine. Infection by the endosymbiont had an effect on pine meristem and leaf development through activation of GLP1-7 and ALE2, and suppressed flowering, root hair and lateral root formation by downregulation of AGL8, plantacyanin, GASA7, COW1 and RALFL34. Despite of systemic infection of pine seedlings by the endosymbiont, the pine genes CUL1, ETR2, ERF3, HYL, GLP1-7 and CYP71 were highly expressed in the shoot apical meristem, rarely in needles and not in stem or root tissues. Low expression of MERI5, CLH2, EULS3 and high quantities of ononitol suggest that endosymbiont promotes viability and protects pine seedlings against abiotic stress. Our results indicate that the endosymbiont positively affects host development and stress tolerance through mechanisms previously unknown for endophytic bacteria, manipulation of plant hormone signaling pathways, downregulation of senescence and cell death-associated genes and induction of ononitol biosynthesis.Peer reviewe

Digitaalisuuden hyödyntäminen Hyria säätiön nuorten palveluissa: Digitaalisen nuorisotyön nykytila ja työn mahdollisuudet tulevaisuudessa

Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää digitaalisen nuorisotyön nykytila Hyria säätiön nuorten toimialan palveluissa. Tarkoituksena oli tutkia, kuinka digitaalinen nuorisotyö näyttäytyy tällä hetkellä sekä millaisia mahdollisuuksia sillä nähdään olevan tulevaisuudessa. Opinnäytetyön teoreettisena viitekehyksenä toimivat käsitteet, digitalisaatio, digitaalinen nuorisotyö ja nuorisotyö, aikaisemmat tutkimukset digitaalisesta nuorisotyöstä sekä alan kirjallisuus että verkkojulkaisut. Tutkimus tuotti määrällistä tietoa digitaalisen nuorisotyön nykytilasta sekä tulevaisuuden näkymistä. Tutkimuksen kohderyhmänä olivat Hyria säätiön nuorten palveluiden toimialan työntekijät sekä palveluita käyttävät nuoret. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin kahden standardoidun verkkokyselyn avulla kevään 2021 aikana. Kyselyissä tutkittiin digitaalista nuorisotyötä välineenä, sisältönä ja toimintana. Tutkimustulokset analysoitiin kuvailevaa tilastoanalyysia ja laadullista sisällönanalyysia hyödyntäen. Tuloksista ilmeni, että työntekijät suhtautuivat digitaaliseen nuorisotyöhön pääosin myönteisesti. Työntekijät hyödynsivät digitaalisuutta melko monipuolisesti ja toteuttivat erilaisia toimintamuotoja melko kattavasti. Käytössä olevia sovelluksia ja palveluita hyödynnettiin eniten yhteydenpitoon. Työvälineenä työntekijät hyödynsivät eniten älypuhelinta ja tietokonetta. Työntekijät hyödynsivät työssään pitkälti samoja sovelluksia ja palveluita, kuin nuoret vapaa-ajalla. Työntekijöiden digitaalinen osaaminen näyttäytyi kokonaisuutena melko hyvänä. Heikoimpana osaamisen osa-alueena, työntekijät kokivat omat ohjelmointitaitonsa. Nuorten digitaalisen median- ja teknologian hallintataidot näyttäytyivät keskivertona. Tuloksista ilmeni, että yhdenvertaisuus ja osallisuus toteutuivat Hyria säätiön digitaalisissa palveluissa. Palveluiden kehittämisen näkökulmasta, nuoret toivoivat tulevaisuuden toimintoihin ja sisältöihin uudenajan teknologioiden hyödyntämistä. Lisäksi tutkimustuloksista ilmeni tarve kehittämissuunnitelmalle. Työntekijät kokivat, että tulevaisuudessa olisi tärkeää luoda yhteinen käsitys siitä, mitä digitaalinen nuorisotyö on, määritellä digitaaliselle työlle tavoitteet ja sopia vastuunjaosta

Immune Cell Infiltrate and Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

Purpose: To examine and compare the prognostic value of immune cell score (ICS) and Klintrup–Mäkinen (KM) grade in gastric cancer. Methods: Gastric adenocarcinoma tissues from samples of 741 patients surgically treated in two hospitals in Finland were assessed for ICS and KM grade. Cox regression with adjustment for confounders provided hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. Subgroup analyses were performed in intestinal and diffuse type subgroups. The primary outcome was 5-year overall survival. Results: High ICS was associated to longer 5-year survival (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.94), compared to low ICS. The difference was significant in intestinal type subgroup (adjusted HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.36–0.81) but not in diffuse type subgroup (adjusted HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.58–1.46). High KM grade was an independent prognostic factor for longer 5-year overall survival (adjusted HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45–0.77) in both intestinal (adjusted HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.85) and diffuse subgroups (adjusted HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31–0.86). ICS and KM grade were moderately correlated (ρ = 0.425). When both immune cell score and KM grade were included in the regression analysis, only KM grade remained prognostic. Conclusions: Both ICS and KM grade are prognostic factors in gastric adenocarcinoma, but immunohistochemistry-based ICS might not have additional prognostic value over hematoxylin–eosin-based KM grade

The meristem-associated endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 reprograms development and stress responses of pine seedlings

Abstract Microbes living in plant tissues—endophytes—are mainly studied in crop plants where they typically colonize the root apoplast. Trees—a large carbon source with a high capacity for photosynthesis—provide a variety of niches for endophytic colonization. We have earlier identified a new type of plant–endophyte interaction in buds of adult Scots pine, where Methylorubrum species live inside the meristematic cells. The endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 significantly increases needle and root growth of pine seedlings without producing plant hormones, but by aggregating around host nuclei. Here, we studied gene expression and metabolites of the pine host induced by M. extorquens DSM13060 infection. Malic acid was produced by pine to potentially boost M. extorquens colonization and interaction. Based on gene expression, the endosymbiont activated the auxin- and ethylene (ET)-associated hormonal pathways through induction of CUL1 and HYL1, and suppressed salicylic and abscisic acid signaling of pine. Infection by the endosymbiont had an effect on pine meristem and leaf development through activation of GLP1–7 and ALE2, and suppressed flowering, root hair and lateral root formation by downregulation of AGL8, plantacyanin, GASA7, COW1 and RALFL34. Despite of systemic infection of pine seedlings by the endosymbiont, the pine genes CUL1, ETR2, ERF3, HYL, GLP1–7 and CYP71 were highly expressed in the shoot apical meristem, rarely in needles and not in stem or root tissues. Low expression of MERI5, CLH2, EULS3 and high quantities of ononitol suggest that endosymbiont promotes viability and protects pine seedlings against abiotic stress. Our results indicate that the endosymbiont positively affects host development and stress tolerance through mechanisms previously unknown for endophytic bacteria, manipulation of plant hormone signaling pathways, downregulation of senescence and cell death-associated genes and induction of ononitol biosynthesis

Different endophyte communities colonize buds of sprouts compared with mature trees of mountain birch recovered from moth herbivory

Abstract Plant meristems were previously thought to be sterile. Today, meristem-associated shoot endophytes are mainly reported as contaminants from plant tissue cultures, the number of observed species being very low. However, the few strains characterized have the capacity for infecting host cells and affecting plant growth and development. Here we studied the communities of endophytic bacteria in the buds of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii (N. I. Orlova) Hämet-Ahti) exposed to winter moth (Operophtera brumata L.) herbivory, to identify differences between sprouts and branches of mature birch trees. Mountain birch of the high subarctic is cyclically exposed to winter moth and produces sprouts to generate new trees as a survival mechanism. The majority (54%) of operational taxonomic units belonged to Xanthomonadaceae and Pseudomonales of Proteobacteria. Most of the observed species were classified as Xanthomonas (28%). Sprout buds had the highest diversity, containing approximately three times more species, and significantly more (43%) Pseudomonas species than the mature trees (14%). Our results demonstrate that endophytic communities of buds are richer than previously thought. We suggest that the meristem-associated endophytes should be studied further for a possible role in sprouting and aiding regeneration of trees

Immune cell infiltrate and prognosis in gastric cancer

Abstract Purpose: To examine and compare the prognostic value of immune cell score (ICS) and Klintrup–Mäkinen (KM) grade in gastric cancer. Methods: Gastric adenocarcinoma tissues from samples of 741 patients surgically treated in two hospitals in Finland were assessed for ICS and KM grade. Cox regression with adjustment for confounders provided hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. Subgroup analyses were performed in intestinal and diffuse type subgroups. The primary outcome was 5-year overall survival. Results: High ICS was associated to longer 5-year survival (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.94), compared to low ICS. The difference was significant in intestinal type subgroup (adjusted HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.36–0.81) but not in diffuse type subgroup (adjusted HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.58–1.46). High KM grade was an independent prognostic factor for longer 5-year overall survival (adjusted HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45–0.77) in both intestinal (adjusted HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.85) and diffuse subgroups (adjusted HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31–0.86). ICS and KM grade were moderately correlated (ρ = 0.425). When both immune cell score and KM grade were included in the regression analysis, only KM grade remained prognostic. Conclusions: Both ICS and KM grade are prognostic factors in gastric adenocarcinoma, but immunohistochemistry-based ICS might not have additional prognostic value over hematoxylin–eosin-based KM grade

Peptic ulcer risk.

<p>Active peptic ulcer risk in comparison with the non-ulcer dyspepsia patients in logistic regression models.</p><p>¹Versus +896/+1196 heterozygous and homozygous mutants</p><p>²Odds ratio</p><p>³95% confidence interval</p><p>⁴Stepwise forward (likelihood ratio criteria) model with <i>TLR4</i> polymorphisms, <i>cagA</i> positivity, smoking, age and sex as covariates.</p><p>Peptic ulcer risk.</p

Dot diagram of gastrin-17 serum level distributions in the <i>TLR4</i> +896/+1196 genotypes with median value lines.

<p>P-values are calculated with Mann-Whitney U test.</p

<i>Toll-Like Receptor 4</i> Wild Type Homozygozity of Polymorphisms +896 and +1196 Is Associated with High Gastrin Serum Levels and Peptic Ulcer Risk

<div><p>Toll-like receptor 4 is a part of the innate immune system and recognizes <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> lipopolysaccharide. The goal of this study was to analyze the role of <i>Toll-like receptor 4</i> polymorphisms +896 (rs4986790) and +1196 (rs4986791) in the pathogenesis of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> related gastroduodenal diseases in relation to gastric secretion and inflammation. <i>Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphisms</i>, serum gastrin-17 and pepsinogen I and II concentrations were determined, and gastroscopies with histopathological analyses were performed to 216 dyspeptic patients. As genotype controls, 179 controls and 61 gastric cancer patients were studied. In our study, the <i>Toll-like receptor 4</i> +896 and +1196 polymorphisms were in total linkage disequilibrium. The homozygous wild types displayed higher gastrin-17 serum concentrations than the mutants (p = 0.001) and this effect was independent of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>. The homozygous wild types also displayed an increased risk for peptic ulcers (OR: 4.390). <i>Toll-like receptor 4</i> genotypes did not show any association with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> positivity or the features of gastric inflammation. Toll-like receptor 4 expression was seen in gastrin and somatostatin expressing cells of antral mucosa by immunohistochemistry. Our results suggest a role for Toll-like receptor 4 in gastric acid regulation and that the <i>Toll-like receptor 4</i> +896 and +1196 wild type homozygozity increases peptic ulcer risk via gastrin secretion.</p></div

<i>TLR4</i> genotypes and gastric histology.

<p>Variables are based on the Sydney system. Both non-ulcer dyspepsia and ulcer patients were included in analysis. Mean values are indicated.</p><p>¹Heterozygotes and homozygotes</p><p>²Mann-Whitney U test</p><p><i>TLR4</i> genotypes and gastric histology.</p