Inferring the Significance of the Polyamine Metabolism in the Phytopathogenic Bacteria Pseudomonas syringae: A Meta-Analysis Approach

To succeed in plant invasion, phytopathogenic bacteria rely on virulence mechanisms to subvert plant immunity and create favorable conditions for growth. This process requires a precise regulation in the production of important proteins and metabolites. Among them, the family of compounds known as polyamines have attracted considerable attention as they are involved in important cellular processes, but it is not known yet how phytopathogenic bacteria regulate polyamine homeostasis in the plant environment. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis of publicly available transcriptomic data from experiments conducted on bacteria to begin delving into this topic and better understand the regulation of polyamine metabolism and its links to pathogenicity. We focused our research on Pseudomonas syringae, an important phytopathogen that causes disease in many economically valuable plant species. Our analysis discovered that polyamine synthesis, as well as general gene expression activation and energy production are induced in the early stages of the disease. On the contrary, synthesis of these compounds is inhibited whereas its transport is upregulated later in the process, which correlates with the induction of virulence genes and the metabolism of nitrogen and carboxylic acids. We also found that activation of plant defense mechanisms affects bacterial polyamine synthesis to some extent, which could reduce bacterial cell fitness in the plant environment. Furthermore, data suggest that a proper bacterial response to oxidative conditions requires a decrease in polyamine production. The implications of these findings are discussed.Fil: Solmi, Leandro. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; ArgentinaFil: Rosli, Hernan Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Pombo, Marina Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Stalder, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Franco Rubén. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; ArgentinaFil: Romero, Fernando Matias. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Oscar Adolfo. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; ArgentinaFil: Gárriz, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto Tecnologico de Chascomus.; Argentin

Breeding strategies and programmes

This section serves as an update of the overview of the state of the art in genetic improvement methods presented in the first report on The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (first SoW-AnGR) (FAO, 2007a).1 The importance of appropriate breeding strategies and programmes is highlighted throughout the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (FAO, 2007b), particularly in Strategic Priority Area 2, Sustainable Use and Development. The material presented in the first SoW-AnGR included an overview of the “context for genetic improvement”, which described both the factors influencing the objectives of breeding programmes (market demands, wider societal concerns about the nature and impacts of livestock production, the need to provide animals suitable for a diverse range of production environments, growing recognition of the importance of maintaining genetic diversity in livestock populations, etc.) and the latest scientific and technological developments in the field. This was followed by a description of the various activities or “elements” that make up a breeding programme and then by a review of the current state of breeding programmes by production system (high input vs. low input) and by species. Much of this material remains relevant. While the livestock sector is continuously evolving (see Part 2), the challenges that breeding programmes have to contend with remain broadly similar to those that existed at the time the first SoW-AnGR was prepared (2005/2006). Similarly, the basic constituent elements of a typical breeding programme have not changed

Skipper-CCD Sensors for the Oscura Experiment: Requirements and Preliminary Tests

Oscura is a proposed multi-kg skipper-CCD experiment designed for a dark matter (DM) direct detection search that will reach unprecedented sensitivity to sub-GeV DM-electron interactions with its 10 kg detector array. Oscura is planning to operate at SNOLAB with 2070 m overburden, and aims to reach a background goal of less than one event in each electron bin in the 2-10 electron ionization-signal region for the full 30 kg-year exposure, with a radiation background rate of 0.01 dru. In order to achieve this goal, Oscura must address each potential source of background events, including instrumental backgrounds. In this work, we discuss the main instrumental background sources and the strategy to control them, establishing a set of constraints on the sensors' performance parameters. We present results from the tests of the first fabricated Oscura prototype sensors, evaluate their performance in the context of the established constraints and estimate the Oscura instrumental background based on these results

Early Science with the Oscura Integration Test

Oscura is a planned light-dark matter search experiment using Skipper-CCDs with a total active mass of 10 kg. As part of the detector development, the collaboration plans to build the Oscura Integration Test (OIT), an engineering test experiment with 10% of the Oscura's total mass. Here we discuss the early science opportunities with the OIT to search for millicharged particles (mCPs) using the NuMI beam at Fermilab. mCPs would be produced at low energies through photon-mediated processes from decays of scalar, pseudoscalar, and vector mesons, or direct Drell-Yan productions. Estimates show that the OIT would be a world-leading probe for low-mass mCPs.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure

Personalized therapy for mycophenolate:Consensus report by the international association of therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical toxicology

When mycophenolic acid (MPA) was originally marketed for immunosuppressive therapy, fixed doses were recommended by the manufacturer. Awareness of the potential for a more personalized dosing has led to development of methods to estimate MPA area under the curve based on the measurement of drug concentrations in only a few samples. This approach is feasible in the clinical routine and has proven successful in terms of correlation with outcome. However, the search for superior correlates has continued, and numerous studies in search of biomarkers that could better predict the perfect dosage for the individual patient have been published. As it was considered timely for an updated and comprehensive presentation of consensus on the status for personalized treatment with MPA, this report was prepared following an initiative from members of the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology (IATDMCT). Topics included are the criteria for analytics, methods to estimate exposure including pharmacometrics, the potential influence of pharmacogenetics, development of biomarkers, and the practical aspects of implementation of target concentration intervention. For selected topics with sufficient evidence, such as the application of limited sampling strategies for MPA area under the curve, graded recommendations on target ranges are presented. To provide a comprehensive review, this report also includes updates on the status of potential biomarkers including those which may be promising but with a low level of evidence. In view of the fact that there are very few new immunosuppressive drugs under development for the transplant field, it is likely that MPA will continue to be prescribed on a large scale in the upcoming years. Discontinuation of therapy due to adverse effects is relatively common, increasing the risk for late rejections, which may contribute to graft loss. Therefore, the continued search for innovative methods to better personalize MPA dosage is warranted.</p

K2 Observations of SN 2018oh Reveal a Two-Component Rising Light Curve for a Type Ia Supernova

We present an exquisite, 30-min cadence Kepler (K2) light curve of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2018oh (ASASSN-18bt), starting weeks before explosion, covering the moment of explosion and the subsequent rise, and continuing past peak brightness. These data are supplemented by multi-color Pan-STARRS1 and CTIO 4-m DECam observations obtained within hours of explosion. The K2 light curve has an unusual two-component shape, where the flux rises with a steep linear gradient for the first few days, followed by a quadratic rise as seen for typical SNe Ia. This "flux excess" relative to canonical SN Ia behavior is confirmed in our $i$-band light curve, and furthermore, SN 2018oh is especially blue during the early epochs. The flux excess peaks 2.14$\pm0.04$ days after explosion, has a FWHM of 3.12$\pm0.04$ days, a blackbody temperature of $T=17,500^{+11,500}_{-9,000}$ K, a peak luminosity of $4.3\pm0.2\times10^{37}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$, and a total integrated energy of $1.27\pm0.01\times10^{43}\,{\rm erg}$. We compare SN 2018oh to several models that may provide additional heating at early times, including collision with a companion and a shallow concentration of radioactive nickel. While all of these models generally reproduce the early K2 light curve shape, we slightly favor a companion interaction, at a distance of $\sim$$2\times10^{12}\,{\rm cm}$ based on our early color measurements, although the exact distance depends on the uncertain viewing angle. Additional confirmation of a companion interaction in future modeling and observations of SN 2018oh would provide strong support for a single-degenerate progenitor system

Seeing Double: ASASSN-18bt Exhibits a Two-component Rise in the Early-time K2 Light

On 2018 February 4.41, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) discovered ASASSN-18bt in the K2 Campaign 16 field. With a redshift of z = 0.01098 and a peak apparent magnitude of B max = 14.31, ASASSN-18bt is the nearest and brightest SNe Ia yet observed by the Kepler spacecraft. Here we present the discovery of ASASSN-18bt, the K2 light curve, and prediscovery data from ASAS-SN and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. The K2 early-time light curve has an unprecedented 30-minute cadence and photometric precision for an SN Ia light curve, and it unambiguously shows a ~4 day nearly linear phase followed by a steeper rise. Thus, ASASSN-18bt joins a growing list of SNe Ia whose early light curves are not well described by a single power law. We show that a double-power-law model fits the data reasonably well, hinting that two physical processes must be responsible for the observed rise. However, we find that current models of the interaction with a nondegenerate companion predict an abrupt rise and cannot adequately explain the initial, slower linear phase. Instead, we find that existing published models with shallow 56Ni are able to span the observed behavior and, with tuning, may be able to reproduce the ASASSN-18bt light curve. Regardless, more theoretical work is needed to satisfactorily model this and other early-time SNe Ia light curves. Finally, we use Swift X-ray nondetections to constrain the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) at much larger distances and lower densities than possible with the optical light curve. For a constant-density CSM, these nondetections constrain ρ < 4.5 × 105 cm−3 at a radius of 4 × 1015 cm from the progenitor star. Assuming a wind-like environment, we place mass loss limits of for v w = 100 km s−1, ruling out some symbiotic progenitor systems. This work highlights the power of well-sampled early-time data and the need for immediate multiband, high-cadence follow-up for progress in understanding SNe Ia

Photometric and Spectroscopic Properties of Type Ia Supernova 2018oh with Early Excess Emission from the Kepler 2 Observations

Supernova (SN) 2018oh (ASASSN-18bt) is the first spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) observed in the Kepler field. The Kepler data revealed an excess emission in its early light curve, allowing us to place interesting constraints on its progenitor system. Here we present extensive optical, ultraviolet, and near-infrared photometry, as well as dense sampling of optical spectra, for this object. SN 2018oh is relatively normal in its photometric evolution, with a rise time of 18.3 ± 0.3 days and Δm 15(B) = 0.96 ± 0.03 mag, but it seems to have bluer B − V colors. We construct the "UVOIR" bolometric light curve having a peak luminosity of 1.49 × 1043 erg s−1, from which we derive a nickel mass as 0.55 ± 0.04 M ⊙ by fitting radiation diffusion models powered by centrally located 56Ni. Note that the moment when nickel-powered luminosity starts to emerge is +3.85 days after the first light in the Kepler data, suggesting other origins of the early-time emission, e.g., mixing of 56Ni to outer layers of the ejecta or interaction between the ejecta and nearby circumstellar material or a nondegenerate companion star. The spectral evolution of SN 2018oh is similar to that of a normal SN Ia but is characterized by prominent and persistent carbon absorption features. The C ii features can be detected from the early phases to about 3 weeks after the maximum light, representing the latest detection of carbon ever recorded in an SN Ia. This indicates that a considerable amount of unburned carbon exists in the ejecta of SN 2018oh and may mix into deeper layers

Breeding strategies and programmes

This section serves as an update of the overview of the state of the art in genetic improvement methods presented in the first report on The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (first SoW-AnGR) (FAO, 2007a).1 The importance of appropriate breeding strategies and programmes is highlighted throughout the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (FAO, 2007b), particularly in Strategic Priority Area 2, Sustainable Use and Development. The material presented in the first SoW-AnGR included an overview of the “context for genetic improvement”, which described both the factors influencing the objectives of breeding programmes (market demands, wider societal concerns about the nature and impacts of livestock production, the need to provide animals suitable for a diverse range of production environments, growing recognition of the importance of maintaining genetic diversity in livestock populations, etc.) and the latest scientific and technological developments in the field. This was followed by a description of the various activities or “elements” that make up a breeding programme and then by a review of the current state of breeding programmes by production system (high input vs. low input) and by species. Much of this material remains relevant. While the livestock sector is continuously evolving (see Part 2), the challenges that breeding programmes have to contend with remain broadly similar to those that existed at the time the first SoW-AnGR was prepared (2005/2006). Similarly, the basic constituent elements of a typical breeding programme have not changed.This report is published as FAO. 2015. Part 4: THE STATE OF THE ART, Section C: Breeding strategies and programmes In: The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, edited by B.D. Scherf & D. Pilling. FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Assessments. Rome. Posted with permission.</p