SnRK2.10 kinase differentially modulates expression of hub WRKY transcription factors genes under salinity and oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

In nature, all living organisms must continuously sense their surroundings and react to the occurring changes. In the cell, the information about these changes is transmitted to all cellular compartments, including the nucleus, by multiple phosphorylation cascades. Sucrose Non-Fermenting 1 Related Protein Kinases (SnRK2s) are plant-specific enzymes widely distributed across the plant kingdom and key players controlling abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and ABA independent signaling pathways in the plant response to osmotic stress and salinity. The main deleterious effects of salinity comprise water deficiency stress, disturbances in ion balance, and the accompanying appearance of oxidative stress. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated at the early stages of salt stress are involved in triggering intracellular signaling required for the fast stress response and modulation of gene expression. Here we established in Arabidopsis thaliana that salt stress or induction of ROS accumulation by treatment of plants with H2 O 2 or methyl viologen (MV) induces the expression of several genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) from the WRKY DNA-Binding Protein (WRKY) family. Their induction by salinity was dependent on SnRK2.10, an ABA non-activated kinase, as it was strongly reduced in snrk2.10 mutants. The effect of ROS was clearly dependent on their source. Following the H2 O 2 treatment, SnRK2.10 was activated in wild-type (wt) plants and the induction of the WRKY TFs expression was only moderate and was enhanced in snrk2.10 lines. In contrast, MV did not activate SnRK2.10 and the WRKY induction was very strong and was similar in wt and snrk2.10 plants. A bioinformatic analysis indicated that the WRKY33, WRKY40, WRKY46, and WRKY75 transcription factors have a similar target range comprising numerous stress-responsive protein kinases. Our resultsindicate that the stress-related functioning of SnRK2.10 is fine-tuned by the source and intracellular distribution of ROS and the co-occurrence of other stress factors

Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study

International audienceBackground: Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF).Methods: This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Forced expiratory volume in one second percent predicted (ppFEV 1 ) and body mass index (BMI) twelve months prior to and following a diagnosis of COVID-19 were recorded. Change in mean ppFEV 1 and BMI were compared using a t-test. A linear mixed-effects model was used to estimate change over time and to compare the rate of change before and after infection.Results: A total of 6,500 cases of COVID-19 in pwCF from 33 countries were included for analysis. The mean difference in ppFEV 1 pre-and post-infection was 1.4 %, (95 % CI 1.1, 1.7). In those not on modulators, the difference in rate of change pre-and post-infection was 1.34 %, (95 % CI -0.88, 3.56) per year (p = 0.24) and -0.74 % (-1.89, 0.41) per year (p = 0.21) for those on elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor. No clinically significant change was noted in BMI or BMI percentile before and after COVID-19 infection.Conclusions: No clinically meaningful impact on lung function and BMI trajectory in the year following infection with COVID-19 was identified. This work highlights the ability of the global CF community to unify and address critical issues facing pwCF