Heterologous expression screens in Nicotiana benthamiana identify a candidate effector of the wheat Yellow Rust Pathogen that associates with processing bodies

Rust fungal pathogens of wheat (Triticum spp.) affect crop yields worldwide. The molecular mechanisms underlying the virulence of these pathogens remain elusive, due to the limited availability of suitable molecular genetic research tools. Notably, the inability to perform high-throughput analyses of candidate virulence proteins (also known as effectors) impairs progress. We previously established a pipeline for the fast-forward screens of rust fungal candidate effectors in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. This pipeline involves selecting candidate effectors in silico and performing cell biology and protein-protein interaction assays in planta to gain insight into the putative functions of candidate effectors. In this study, we used this pipeline to identify and characterize sixteen candidate effectors from the wheat yellow rust fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f sp tritici. Nine candidate effectors targeted a specific plant subcellular compartment or protein complex, providing valuable information on their putative functions in plant cells. One candidate effector, PST02549, accumulated in processing bodies (P-bodies), protein complexes involved in mRNA decapping, degradation, and storage. PST02549 also associates with the P-body-resident ENHANCER OF mRNA DECAPPING PROTEIN 4 (EDC4) from N. benthamiana and wheat. We propose that P-bodies are a novel plant cell compartment targeted by pathogen effectors

Sharks That Pass In The Night: Using GIS to Investigate Competition in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway

This is the author's accepted manuscript, also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1617One way the effects of both ecology and environment on species can be observed in the fossil record is as changes in geographical distribution and range size. The prevalence of competitive interactions and species replacements in the fossil record has long been investigated and many evolutionary perspectives, including those of Darwin, have emphasized the importance of competitive interactions that ultimately lead one species to replace another. However, evidence for such phenomena in the fossil record is not always manifest. Here we use new quantitative analytical techniques based on Geographical Information Systems and PaleoGIS tectonic reconstructions to consider this issue in greater detail. The abundant, well-preserved fossil marine vertebrates of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America provide the component data for this study. Statistical analysis of distributional and range size changes in taxa confirms earlier ideas that the relative frequency of competitive replacement in the fossil record is limited to non-existent. It appears that typically, environmental gradients played the primary role in determining species distributions, with competitive interactions playing a more minor role

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

A pivotal role for starch in the reconfiguration of 14C-partitioning and allocation in Arabidopsis thaliana under short-term abiotic stress.

Plant carbon status is optimized for normal growth but is affected by abiotic stress. Here, we used 14C-labeling to provide the first holistic picture of carbon use changes during short-term osmotic, salinity, and cold stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. This could inform on the early mechanisms plants use to survive adverse environment, which is important for efficient agricultural production. We found that carbon allocation from source to sinks, and partitioning into major metabolite pools in the source leaf, sink leaves and roots showed both conserved and divergent responses to the stresses examined. Carbohydrates changed under all abiotic stresses applied; plants re-partitioned 14C to maintain sugar levels under stress, primarily by reducing 14C into the storage compounds in the source leaf, and decreasing 14C into the pools used for growth processes in the roots. Salinity and cold increased 14C-flux into protein, but as the stress progressed, protein degradation increased to produce amino acids, presumably for osmoprotection. Our work also emphasized that stress regulated the carbon channeled into starch, and its metabolic turnover. These stress-induced changes in starch metabolism and sugar export in the source were partly accompanied by transcriptional alteration in the T6P/SnRK1 regulatory pathway that are normally activated by carbon starvation

Etravirine pharmacokinetics in HIV-infected pregnant women

__Background__ The study goal was to describe etravirine pharmacokinetics during pregnancy and postpartum in HIV-infected women. __Methods__ IMPAACT P1026s and PANNA are on-going, non-randomized, open-label, parallel-group, multi-center phase-IV prospective studies in HIV-infected pregnant women. Intensive steady-state 12-h pharmacokinetic profiles were performed from 2nd trimester through postpartum. Etravirine was measured at two labs using validated ultra performance liquid chromatography (detection limits: 0.020 and 0.026 mcg/mL). __Results__ Fifteen women took etravirine 200 mg twice-daily. Etravirine AUC0-12 was higher in the 3rd trimester compared to paired postpartum data by 34% (median 8.3 vs. 5.3 mcg*h/mL, p = 0.068). Etravirine apparent oral clearance was significantly lower in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy compared to paired postpartum data by 52% (median 24 vs. 38 L/h, p = 0.025). The median ratio of cord blood to maternal plasma concentration at delivery was 0.52 (range: 0.19-4.25) and no perinatal transmission occurred. __Conclusion__ Etravirine apparent oral clearance is reduced and exposure increased during the third trimester of pregnancy. Based on prior dose-ranging and safety data, no dose adjustment is necessary for maternal health but the effects of etravirine in utero are unknown. Maternal health and infant outcomes should be closely monitored until further infant safety data are available. __Clinical Trial registration:__ The IMPAACT protocol P1026s and PANNA study are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT00042289 and NCT00825929

Social group size and shelter availability influence individual metabolic traits in a social fish

Group living is widespread among animal species and yields both costs and benefits. Presence of conspecifics can restrict or enhance the expression of individual behaviour, and the recent social environment is thought to affect behavioural responses in later contexts, even when individuals are alone. However, little is known about how social group size influences the expression of individual physiological traits, including metabolic rates. There is some evidence that shoaling can reduce fish metabolic rates but this variable may be affected by habitat conditions such as shelter availability via density-dependent processes. We investigated how social group size and shelter availability influence Eurasian minnow Phoxinus phoxinus metabolic rates estimated by respirometry. Respirometry trials were conducted on fish in isolation before and after they were housed for three weeks in a social treatment consisting in a specific group size (n = 4 or 8) and shelter availability (presence or absence of plant shelter in the experimental tank). Plant shelter was placed over respirometers for half of the duration of the respirometry trials, allowing estimation of minimum day-time and night-time metabolic rates in both conditions (in the presence or absence of plant shelter). Standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), and aerobic scope (AS) were also estimated over the entire trial. Minimum day-time and night-time metabolic rates estimated while in presence of plant shelter were lower than when estimated in absence of plant shelter, both before and after individuals were housed in their social treatment. After the social treatment, SMR were higher for fish that were held in groups of four as compared to that of fish held in groups of eight while MMR showed no difference. Plant shelter availability during the social treatments did not influence SMR or MMR. Our results suggest that social group size may directly influence energy demands of individuals, highlighting the importance of understanding the role of group size on variations in physiological traits associated with energy expenditure

BIOPROSPECÇÃO DE ÓLEOS ESSENCIAIS COM POTENCIAL PARA FORMULAÇÕES FARMACÊUTICAS

BIOPROSPECTING OF ESSENTIAL OILS WITH POTENTIAL FOR PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS. Essential oils derived from aromatic plants have garnered significant attention for their therapeutic and medicinal properties. Among these, α-thujone and β-thujone stand out due to their notable biological effects. This study aimed to assess native and exotic aromatic plants as potential sources of these bioactive compounds. Based on the literature, five plant species were selected: Artemisia absinthium (Asteraceae), Hyptis marrubioides (Lamiaceae), Salvia officinalis (Lamiaceae), Tanacetum vulgare (Asteraceae), and Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae), resulting in the analysis of 19 samples. The plant leaves were dried, and their essential oils were extracted and evaluated for yield and chemical composition. The oil yields ranged from 0.15 to 1.57%. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified 82 major volatile constituents, with particular emphasis on α-thujone and β-thujone. Among the species studied, H. marrubioides (62.7%) and T. occidentalis (76.4%) exhibited the highest relative concentrations of α-thujone, while A. absinthium was especially rich in β-thujone (63.91%). Overall, α-thujone and β-thujone were detected in four samples from three species, underscoring their potential as valuable sources of these bioactive compounds. Notably, the native species H. marrubioides demonstrated an essential oil composition comparable to that of T. occidentalis in terms of thujone content, further supporting its viability for industrial and pharmacological applications

Use of threshold electrolyte concentration analysis to determine salinity and sodicity limit of irrigation water

This research studied threshold electrolyte concentration (TEC) of irrigation water and its effect on the infiltration rate of two contrasting soils from Pernambuco state, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the Soil Chemistry and Salinity Laboratory of Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. Each soil was packed in five Buchner funnels, where one funnel from each soil was submitted to treatment with solution of electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 or 8.0 dS m-1. For each funnel containing soil, an increasing ratio of NaCl to CaCl2 was applied in a treatment solution to achieve 10 increasing values of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 0 to 100. These solutions were applied through a Mariotte bottle, with a constant hydraulic head of ~2 cm (pressure potential). After a liter of solution had drained, in the flux was collected for a known time interval, until steady state was reached. Darcy's equation was used to calculate saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and a mathematical model used to calculate the TEC as a 20% reduction in Ksat. By increasing SAR similar behavior was noted between the two soils, whereby Ksat decreased, although the relative decrease in Ksat was greater for SAR of 100 in the soil with higher clay content

Perinatal health outcomes of international migrant women in Brazil: A nationwide data linkage study of the CIDACS birth cohort (2011–2018)

Background: We investigated perinatal outcomes among live births from international migrant and local-born mothers in a cohort of low-income individuals in Brazil.// Methods: We linked nationwide birth registries to mortality records and socioeconomic data from the CIDACS Birth Cohort and studied singleton live births of women aged 10–49 years from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2018. We used logistic regressions to investigate differences in antenatal care, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal (i.e., ≤28 days) mortality among international migrants compared to non-migrants in Brazil; and explored the interaction between migration, race/ethnicity and living in international border municipalities.// Results: We studied 10,279,011 live births, of which 9469 (0.1 %) were born to international migrants. Migrant women were more likely than their Brazilian-born counterparts to have a previous foetal loss (ORadj: 1.16, 1.11–1.22), a delayed start of antenatal care (i.e., beyond 1st trimester) (1.22, 95%CI:1.16–1.28), a newborn who is large for gestational age (1.29, 1.22–1.36), or a newborn with congenital anomalies (1.37, 1.14–1.65). Conversely, migrant women were less likely to deliver prematurely (0.89, 0.82–0.95) or have a low birth weight infant (0.74, 0.68–0.81). There were no differences in neonatal mortality rates between migrants and non-migrants. Our analyses also showed that, when disparities in perinatal outcomes were present, disparities were mostly concentrated among indigenous mothers in international borders and among live births of Black mothers in non-borders.// Conclusion: Although live births of international migrants generally have lower rates of adverse birth outcomes, our results suggest that indigenous and Black migrant mothers may face disproportionate barriers to accessing antenatal care