Receptor-like protein-mediated sensing of cysteinerich patterns in plants

Plants deploy pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to detect microbe or damaged-self-derived molecular patterns, thereby responding to biotic stresses. Arabidopsis Lysine-Rich Repeat Receptor Like Protein (LRR-RLP) RLP30 contributes to immunity against the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum by recognizing a so far unknown pattern within Sclerotinia Culture Filtrate Elicitor 1 (SCFE1). Here we identify the RLP30-ligand as a small cysteine-rich protein (SCP) that occurs in many fungi and oomycetes. RLP30 specifically binds SCP and forms a tripartite complex with co-receptor kinases SOBIR1 and BAK1 to mediate signaling. RE02 (Response to VmE02), an LRR-RLP non-homologous to RLP30, mediates SCP recognition in Nicotiana benthamiana. However, RLP30 and RE02 share little sequence similarity and respond to different parts of the native/folded protein. Moreover, some Brassicaceae other than Arabidopsis also respond to a linear SCP peptide instead of the folded protein, suggesting that SCP is an eminent immune target that led to the convergent evolution of distinct immune receptors in plants. Surprisingly, RLP30 shows a second ligand specificity for a SCP nonhomologous protein secreted by bacterial Pseudomonads. Stable and ectopic expression of RLP30 in Nicotiana tabacum thus not only results in quantitatively lower susceptibility to fungal and oomycete pathogens, but also to bacterial infection, demonstrating that detection of immunogenic patterns by Arabidopsis RLP30 is involved in defense against pathogens from three microbial kingdoms. Our study therefore reveals an intricate network of plant immune recognition: a single PRR can monitor immune alerts derived from three microbial kingdoms and distinct immune-sensing mechanisms for one molecular pattern exist in Brassicaceae and Solanaceae. Formerly, pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) on the plant surface and intracellular effector-triggered immunity (ETI) have been regarded as two separate branches of the plant immune system. However, it is now known that both pathways are interconnected and interdependent. As shown for other Arabidopsis RLPs, RLP30-mediated immune signaling depends on the lipase-like proteins EDS1 (enhanced disease susceptibility 1) and PAD4 (phytoalexin-deficient 4) and helper NLR (helper nucleotide-binding LRR receptor, RNL) ADR1, further solidifying the fact that PTI mediated by RLPs requires ETI components in Arabidopsis. However, EDS1 and RNLs are dispensable for SCP-triggered defenses in N. benthamiana, suggesting that the dependence of RLP signaling on EDS1-RNL modules is not conserved in Arabidopsis and N. benthamiana. Instead, the coiled coil-type helper NLR (CNL) NRCs (NLR Required for Cell death) are involved in the hypersensitive cell death induced by SCP and a few other RLP-ligands. In addition, nicotinamide, which inhibits TIR (Toll-interleukin 1 receptor) enzymatic activity, abolishes RLP-mediated cell death in N. benthamiana, implicating that a TNL (TIR-NLR receptor) and its derived small signaling molecules are required for RLP signaling. We thus speculate that a TNL-CNL tandem regulates RLP signaling in N. benthamiana

The Botrytis cinerea Xylanase BcXyl1 Modulates Plant Immunity

Botrytis cinerea is one of the most notorious pathogenic species that causes serious plant diseases and substantial losses in agriculture throughout the world. We identified BcXyl1 from B. cinerea that exhibited xylanase activity. Expression of the BcXyl1 gene was strongly induced in B. cinerea infecting Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato plants, and BcXyl1 deletion strains severely compromised the virulence of B. cinerea. BcXyl1 induced strong cell death in several plants, and cell death activity of BcXyl1 was independent of its xylanase activity. Purified BcXyl1 triggered typically PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) responses and conferred resistance to B. cinerea and TMV in tobacco and tomato plants. A 26-amino acid peptide of BcXyl1 was sufficient for elicitor function. Furthermore, the BcXyl1 death-inducing signal was mediated by the plant LRR receptor-like kinases (RLKs) BAK1 and SOBIR1. Our data suggested that BcXyl1 contributed to B. cinerea virulence and induced plant defense responses

FSD: An Initial Chinese Dataset for Fake Song Detection

Singing voice synthesis and singing voice conversion have significantly advanced, revolutionizing musical experiences. However, the rise of "Deepfake Songs" generated by these technologies raises concerns about authenticity. Unlike Audio DeepFake Detection (ADD), the field of song deepfake detection lacks specialized datasets or methods for song authenticity verification. In this paper, we initially construct a Chinese Fake Song Detection (FSD) dataset to investigate the field of song deepfake detection. The fake songs in the FSD dataset are generated by five state-of-the-art singing voice synthesis and singing voice conversion methods. Our initial experiments on FSD revealed the ineffectiveness of existing speech-trained ADD models for the task of song deepFake detection. Thus, we employ the FSD dataset for the training of ADD models. We subsequently evaluate these models under two scenarios: one with the original songs and another with separated vocal tracks. Experiment results show that song-trained ADD models exhibit a 38.58% reduction in average equal error rate compared to speech-trained ADD models on the FSD test set.Comment: Submitted to ICASSP 202

Inhibition of Four Inert Powders on the Minimum Ignition Energy of Sucrose Dust

In order to evaluate the effect of inert powder on the ignition sensitivity of sucrose dust, this study investigated the effects of NaHCO3, NaCl, NH4 H2 PO4 and Al(OH)3 on the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of sucrose dust. The results showed that all four different inert powders inhibited the MIE of sucrose dust, and all of them showed a trend that the smaller the particle size of the inert powders, the better the inhibition effect. The inhibition effect was ranked as NaHCO3 > NH4 H2 PO4 > NaCl > Al(OH)3. NaHCO3 and NH4 H2 PO4 had both physical and chemical inhibition effects, which were better compared to NaCl and Al(OH)3, which had only physical inhibition effects. Analysis of the flame images showed that the inert powder slowed down the combustion of the sucrose dust flame and reduced the flame height. No flame appeared in the region of higher inert powder concentration

Clinical efficacy of the combined use of levofloxacin and different courses of isoniazid and rifampicin in the treatment of mild spinal tuberculosis

Purpose: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of the combined use of levofloxacin and different courses of isoniazid and rifampicin in the treatment of mild spinal tuberculosis (TB). Methods: The clinic data of 100 patients with light spinal TB were retrospectively reviewed. A double-blind technique was used to divide the patients into 6-month treatment group (M6 group, n = 32), 12-month treatment group (M12 group, n = 34) and 18-month treatment group (M18 group, n = 34). All patients were given isoniazid and rifampicin, in combination with levofloxacin. The effects of the different treatment courses on mild spinal TB were determined. Results: There were significantly higher post-treatment levels of inflammatory factors in M6 group than in M12 and M18 groups (p < 0.001). Moreover, there were significantly higher Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and larger focus size in M6 group than in M12 and M18 groups (p < 0.05). However, after treatment, M18 group had significantly higher total incidence of adverse reactions than M6 and M12 groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with the short-course treatment, long-course treatment with isoniazid and rifampicin in combination with levofloxacin is more effective in reducing the levels of inflammatory factors and decreasing focus size in patients with mild spinal TB. However, patients given the 18-month treatment tend to develop more adverse reactions. Therefore, 12-month treatment with the combined therapy is a better therapeutic option

Study of Parameters and Theory of Sucrose Dust Explosion

To investigate the parameters of sucrose dust explosion, the minimum ignition energy (MIE) and minimum ignition temperature (MIT) were evaluated. The experiments tested the MIE of sucrose dust under different conditions of dust quantity, ignition delay time (IDT), and powder injection pressure (PIP). The experiments tested the MIT of different particle sizes. The results demonstrate that the MIE of sucrose powder under three conditions was an open-up quadratic polynomial. When the dust quantity, the IDT, and PIP were 0.5 g (417 g/m3), 90 ms, and 150 kPa, respectively, the MIE was 58.9 mJ, 62.6 mJ, and 52.4 mJ. The MIT was positively correlated with the particle size of sucrose dust, and the MIT was 340 °C. At the molecular level, the 'O–H' bonds of the sucrose molecule hydroxyl groups were broken by the discharge of electrodes or high temperature to generate H2. The combustion of H2 caused the explosion to spread to the surrounding sucrose dust and made the deposited dust rise, forming an interlocking explosion. The explosion would not stop until the dust concentration dropped below the lowest explosion limit. The results of this study can provide guidance for sucrose enterprises to prevent dust explosion accident

Visualization balloon occlusion-assisted technique in the treatment of large or giant paraclinoid aneurysms: A study of 17 cases series

ObjectiveAlthough balloon-assisted techniques are valuable in aneurysm clipping, repeated angiography and fluoroscopy are required to understand the location and shape of the balloon. This study investigated the value of visualization balloon occlusion-assisted techniques in aneurysm hybridization procedures.MethodsWe propose a visualization balloon technique that injects methylene blue into the balloon, allowing it to be well visualized under a microscope without repeated angiography. This study retrospects the medical records of 17 large or giant paraclinoid aneurysms treated by a visualization balloon occlusion-assisted technique in a hybrid operating room. Intraoperative surgical techniques, postoperative complications, and immediate and long-term angiographic findings are highlighted.ResultsAll 17 patients had safe and successful aneurysm clipping surgery with complete angiographic occlusion. Under the microscope, the balloon injected with methylene blue is visible through the arterial wall. The position and shape of the balloon can be monitored in real time without repeated angiography and fluoroscopic guidance. Two cases of intraoperative visualization balloon shift and slip into the aneurysm cavity were detected in time, and there were no cases of balloon misclipping or difficult removal. Of 17 patients, four patients (23.5%) experienced short-term complications, including pulmonary infection (11.8%), abducens nerve paralysis (5.9%), and thalamus hemorrhage (5.9%). The rate of vision recovery among patients with previous visual deficits was 70% (7 of 10 patients). The mean follow-up duration was 32.76 months. No aneurysms or neurological deficits recurred among all patients who completed the follow-up.ConclusionOur study indicates that microsurgical clipping with the visualization balloon occlusion-assisted technique seems to be a safe and effective method for patients with large or giant paraclinoid aneurysms to reduce the surgical difficulty and simplify the operation process of microsurgical treatment alone