plant disease resistance

The sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is responsible for significant crop losses and presents one of the greatest challenges for global agricultural pest management. Management of whitefly populations and associated plant viral diseases is hindered by widespread whitefly resistance to chemical insecticides. An alternative control approach involves the use of insect-specific neurotoxins, but these require delivery from the whitefly gut into the haemocoel. Here we demonstrate that the coat protein (CP) of a begomovirus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, is sufficient for delivery of fused proteins into the whitefly haemocoel without virion assembly...

Malaria is a global health problem that causes 1.5-2.7 million deaths worldwide each year. Resistance to antimalarial drugs in malaria parasites and to insecticides in vectors is one of the most serious issues in the fight against the disease. Moreover, the lack of an effective vaccine against malaria is still a major concern. Recent developments in nanotechnology have resulted in new prospects for the fight against malaria, especially by obtaining metal nanoparticles (NPs) that are less toxic, highly biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and less expensive...

The rise of multidrug resistance among microorganisms, where they develop resistance against formerly efficacious drugs, has led to increased disease prevalence and mortality rates, posing a growing challenge. Globally, antibiotic resistance has made a significant impact, causing millions of fatalities each year. Endophytic fungi have gained considerable attention in research due to their potential to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites, including natural substances with antimicrobial capabilities...

Bacterial blight (BB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae ( Xoo ), is a widespread and destructive disease in rice production. Previously, we cloned an executor R gene, Xa7 , which confers durable and broad-spectrum resistance to BB. Here, we further confirmed that the transcription activator-like effector (TALE) AvrXa7 in Xoo strains could directly bind to the effector-binding element (EBE) in the promoter of the Xa7 gene. Other executor R genes ( Xa7 , Xa10 , Xa23 , and Xa27 ) driven by the promoter of the Xa7 gene could be activated by AvrXa7 and trigger the hypersensitive response (HR) in tobacco leaves...

BACKGROUND: Leaf rust (LR) is among the most destructive fungal diseases of rye (Secale cereale L.). Despite intensive research using various analytical and methodological approaches, such as quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, candidate gene expression analysis, and transcriptome sequencing, the genetic basis of the rye immune response to LR remains unclear. RESULTS: A genome-wide association study was employed to detect QTLs controlling the immune response to LR of rye...

BACKGROUND: Developing and enriching genetic resources plays important role in the crop improvement. The flag leaf affects plant architecture and contributes to the grain yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The genetic improvement of flag leaf traits faces problems such as a limited genetic basis. Among the various genetic resources of wheat, Thinopyrum intermedium has been utilized as a valuable resource in genetic improvement due to its disease resistance, large spikes, large leaves, and multiple flowers...

AIMS: We aimed to develop an effective bacterial combination that can combat F. oxysporum infection in watermelon using in vitro and pot experiments. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 53 strains of Bacillus and 4 strains of Pseudomonas were screened. Pseudomonas strains P3 and P4 and Bacillus strains XY-2-3, XY-13, and GJ-1-15 exhibited good antagonistic effects against F. oxysporum. P3 and P4 were identified as P. chlororaphis and P. fluorescens, respectively. XY-2-3 and GJ-1-15 were identified as B...

Acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs) are mainly involved in acyl-CoA ester binding and trafficking in eukaryotic cells, and they function in lipid metabolism, membrane biosynthesis, cellular signaling, stress response, disease resistance, and other biological activities in plants. However, the roles of ACBP family members in Medicago remain unclear. In this study, a total of eight ACBP genes were identified in the genome of Medicago truncatula and Medicago sativa, and they were clustered into four sub-families (Class I-IV)...

OsICS1 but not OsICS1-L mediates the rice response to Xoo inoculation, with its overexpression increasing resistance against this pathogen. OsICS1 but not OsICS-L is directly upregulated by OsWRKY6. Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple crop for about half of the global population and is particularly important in the diets of people living in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. This crop is continually threatened by bacterial leaf blight disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which drastically reduces yields; therefore, it is needed to elucidate the plant's resistance mechanisms against Xoo...

Ubiquitination-mediated protein degradation is integral to plant immunity, with E3 ubiquitin ligases acting as key factors in this process. Here, we report the functions of OsATL32, a plasma membrane-localized Arabidopsis Tóxicos En Levadura (ATL)-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, in rice (Oryza sativa) immunity and its associated regulatory network. We found that the expression of OsATL32 is downregulated in both compatible and incompatible interactions between rice and the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae...

Symbiotic organisms may contribute to a host plant's success or failure to grow, its ability to maintain viable populations, and potentially, its probability of establishment and spread outside its native range. Intercellular and intracellular microbial symbionts that are asymptomatic in their plant host during some or all of their life cycle - endophytes - can form mutualistic, commensal, or pathogenic relationships, and sometimes novel associations with alien plants. Fungal endophytes are likely the most common endosymbiont infecting plants, with life-history, morphological, physiological, and plant-symbiotic traits that are distinct from other endophytic guilds...

Powdery mildew disease (PMD) is caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Microsphaera diffusa Cooke & Peck ( M. diffusa ) and results in significant yield losses in soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) crops. By identifying disease-resistant genes and breeding soybean accessions with enhanced resistance, we can effectively mitigate the detrimental impact of PMD on soybeans. We analyzed PMD resistance in a diversity panel of 315 soybean accessions in two locations over 3 years, and candidate genes associated with PMD resistance were identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), haplotype analysis, qRT-PCR, and EMS mutant analysis...

Wastewater analysis can serve as a source of public health information. In recent years, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged and proven useful for the detection of infectious diseases. However, insights from the wastewater treatment plant do not allow for the small-scale differentiation within the sewer system that is needed to analyze the target population under study in more detail. Small-scale WBE offers several advantages, but there has been no systematic overview of its application. The aim of this scoping review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on small-scale WBE for infectious diseases, including methodological considerations for its application...

Sheath blight disease of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA, is a major fungal disease responsible for huge loss to grain yield and quality. The major limitation of achieving persistent and reliable resistance against R. solani is the governance of disease resistance trait by many genes. Therefore, functional characterization of new genes involved in sheath blight resistance is necessary to understand the mechanism of resistance as well as evolving effective strategies to manage the disease through host-plant resistance...

Cassava is one of the most important tuber crops that is used for food, starch and bio-energy. However, cassava is susceptible to a number of diseases, especially cassava bacterial blight (CBB). Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) regulate plant growth and development, as well as stress responses. However, no direct relationships between the enzymes involved in the metabolic enzymes that produce and process these key signaling molecules has been demonstrated. Here, we provide evidence for the interaction between the nitrate reductase 2 (MeNR2) and catalase 1 (MeCAT1) proteins in vitro and in vivo, using yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, respectively...

Plant cell death is regulated in plant-pathogen interactions. While some aspartic proteases (APs) participate in regulating programmed cell death or defense responses, the defense functions of most APs remain largely unknown. Here, we report on a virulence factor, PlPeL8, which is a pectate lyase found in the hemibiotrophic pathogen Peronophythora litchii. Through in vivo and in vitro assays, we confirmed the interaction between PlPeL8 and LcAP1 from litchi, and identified LcAP1 as a positive regulator of plant immunity...

Advances in plant molecular breeding have resulted in the development of new varieties with superior traits, thus improving the crop germplasm. Breeders can screen a large number of accessions without rigorous and time-consuming phenotyping by marker-assisted selection (MAS). Molecular markers are one of the most imperative tools in plant breeding programmes for MAS to develop new cultivars possessing multiple superior traits. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are ideal for MAS due to their low cost, low genotyping error rates, and reproducibility...

Sect. tuberculata plant belongs to the Camellia genus and is named for the "tuberculiform protuberance on the surface of the ovary and fruit". It is a species of great ornamental value and potential medicinal value. However, little has been reported on the metabolites of C. tuberculata seeds. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the metabolites of C. tuberculata seeds based on UPLC/ESI-Q TRAP-MS/MS with extensively targeted metabolomics. A total of 1611 metabolites were identified, including 107 alkaloids, 276 amino acids and derivatives, 283 flavonoids, 86 lignans and coumarins, 181 lipids, 68 nucleotides and derivatives, 101 organic acids, 190 phenolic acids, 10 quinones, 4 steroids, 17 tannins, 111 terpenoids, and 177 other metabolites...

This study aims to investigate the effect of Xixin Decoction on the T helper 17 cell(Th17)/regulatory T cell(Treg) ba-lance of intestinal mucosa and the expression of related transcription factors in the senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8(SAMP8) model. Fifty 14-week male mice of SAMP8 were randomized by the random number table method into model group, probiotics group, and high-, medium-, and low-dose Xixin Decoction groups, with 10 mice in each group. Ten 14-week male mice of senescence-acce-lerated mouse-resistant 1(SAMR1) served as control group...

This study aims to explore the effect of Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Formula(ZGJTQGF) on the lipid metabolism in the db/db mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) via the insulin receptor(INSR)/adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/sterol-regulatory element-binding protein 2(SREBP-2) signaling pathway. Twenty-four db/db mice were randomized into positive drug(metformin, 0.067 g·kg~(-1)) and low-(7.5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) ZGJTQGF groups...