Italian weedy rice—A case of de‐domestication?

Weedy rice is a representative of the extensive group of feral weeds that derive from crops, but has returned to the lifestyle of a wild species. These weeds develop either from a hybridization of crops with wild relatives (exoferality), or by mutation of crops to weedy forms (endoferality). Due to the close relation of weed and crop, the methods for weed‐targeted containment are limited to date. A deeper understanding of the development of such weeds might help to design more efficient and sustainable approaches for weed management. Weedy rice poses a serious threat to rice yields worldwide. It is widely accepted that weedy rice has originated independently in different regions all over the world. However, details of its evolution have remained elusive. In the current study, we investigated the history of weedy rice in northern Italy, the most important rice‐growing area in Europe. Our approach was to analyze genes related to weedy traits (SD1, sh4, Rc) in weedy rice accessions compared to cultivars, and to integrate these results with phenotypic and physiological data, as well as historical information about rice farming in Italy. We arrive at a working model for the timeline of evolution of weedy rice in Italy indicating that both exoferality and endoferality acted as forces driving the development of the diverse weedy rice populations found in the region today. Models of weed evolution can help to predict the direction which weed development might take and to develop new, sustainable methods to control feral weeds.     

Carbohydrate based meningococcal vaccines: past and present overview

Glycoconjugate Journal - Neisseria meningitidis is a major cause of bacterial meningitidis worldwide. Children less than five years and adolescents are particularly affected. Nearly all invasive...     

A review on interplay between small RNAs and oxidative stress in cancer progression

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Oxidative stress has been known to be the underlying cause in many instances of cancer development. The new aspect of cancer genesis that has caught the...     

Biocontrol Activity and Plant Growth Promotion Exerted by Aureobasidium pullulans Strains

The most common leguminous plants’ diseases are caused by soil-borne pathogens leading to important economic losses worldwide. Strains L1 and L8, belonging to Aureobasidium pullulans species, were tested in vitro and in vivo as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Rhizoctonia solani (Rs1) (AG-4) and as plant growth promoters (PGPs). The non-volatile metabolites produced by L1 and L8 strains inhibited the pathogen mycelial growth by 87.9% on average, with no significant differences between the two strains. The lower pathogen diametric growth inhibition was displayed by both yeasts’ volatile metabolites (VOCs) that significantly reduced the colony growth of R. solani, and similarly to the control, with an average of 10.5%. By in vivo assay, L1 and L8 strains showed the ability to control the pathogen virulence probably through the biofilm formation around the bean and soybean plant roots, as confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The spectroscopic analysis highlighted the composition of non-volatile compounds: complex carbohydrates (pullulan), degrading enzymes, siderophores and antifungals (aureobasidins). Moreover, the ability of L1 and L8 strains to stimulate the bean and soybean plant roots, stems, and leaves growth was investigated, showing that these yeasts could have an application not only as BCAs but also as plant growth biostimulator.

     

Increased kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio in the serum of patients infected with SARS-CoV2: An observational cohort study.

Immune dysregulation is a hallmark of patients infected by SARS-CoV2 and the balance between immune reactivity and tolerance is a key determinant of all stages of infection, including the excessive inflammatory state causing the acute respiratory distress syndrome. The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan (Trp) metabolism is activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and drives mechanisms of immune tolerance. We examined the state of activation of the KP by measuring the Kyn:Trp ratio in the serum of healthy subjects (n = 239), and SARS-CoV2-negative (n = 305) and -positive patients (n = 89). Patients were recruited at the Emergency Room of St. Andrea Hospital (Rome, Italy). Kyn and Trp serum levels were assessed by HPLC/MS-MS. Compared to healthy controls, both SARS-CoV2-negative and -positive patients showed an increase in the Kyn:Trp ratio. The increase was larger in SARS-CoV2-positive patients, with a significant difference between SARS-CoV2-positive and -negative patients. In addition, the increase was more prominent in males, and positively correlated with age and severity of SARS-CoV2 infection, categorized as follows: 1 = no need for intensive care unit (ICU); 2 ≤ 3 weeks spent in ICU; 3 ≥ 3 weeks spent in ICU; and 4 = death. The highest Kyn:Trp values were found in SARS-CoV2-positive patients with severe lymphopenia. These findings suggest that the Kyn:Trp ratio reflects the level of inflammation associated with SARS-CoV2 infection, and, therefore, might represent a valuable biomarker for therapeutic intervention.     

Synthetic glycolipid-based TLR4 antagonists negatively regulate TRIF-dependent TLR4 signalling in human macrophages

TLRs, including TLR4, play a crucial role in inflammatory-based diseases, and TLR4 has been identified as a therapeutic target for pharmacological intervention. In previous studies, we investigated the potential of FP7, a novel synthetic glycolipid active as a TLR4 antagonist, to inhibit haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic MyD88-dependent TLR4 pro-inflammatory signalling. The main aim of this study was to investigate the action of FP7 and its derivative FP12 on MyD88-independent TLR4 signalling in THP-1 derived macrophages. Western blotting, Ab array and ELISA approaches were used to explore the effect of FP7 and FP12 on TRIF-dependent TLR4 functional activity in response to LPS and other endogenous TLR4 ligands in THP-1 macrophages. A different kinetic in the inhibition of endotoxin-driven TBK1, IRF3 and STAT1 phosphorylation was observed using different LPS chemotypes. Following activation of TLR4 by LPS, data revealed that FP7 and FP12 inhibited TBK1, IRF3 and STAT1 phosphorylation which was associated with down-regulation IFN-β and IP-10. Specific blockage of the IFN type one receptor showed that these novel molecules inhibited TRIF-dependent TLR4 signalling via IFN-β pathways. These results add novel information on the mechanism of action of monosaccharide FP derivatives. The inhibition of the TRIF-dependent pathway in human macrophages suggests potential therapeutic uses for these novel TLR4 antagonists in pharmacological interventions on inflammatory diseases.     

Integrated Phenotypic-Genotypic Analysis of Candidate Probiotic Weissella Cibaria Strains Isolated from Dairy Cows in Kuwait

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Probiotics represent a possible strategy for controlling intestinal infections in livestock. Members of the Weissella genus are increasingly being studied...     

Synaptic dendritic activity modulates the single synaptic event

Synaptic transmission is the key system for the information transfer and elaboration among neurons. Nevertheless, a synapse is not a standing alone structure but it is a part of a population of synapses inputting the information from several neurons on a specific area of the dendritic tree of a single neuron. This population consists of excitatory and inhibitory synapses the inputs of which drive the postsynaptic membrane potential in the depolarizing (excitatory synapses) or depolarizing (inhibitory synapses) direction modulating in such a way the postsynaptic membrane potential. The postsynaptic response of a single synapse depends on several biophysical factors the most important of which is the value of the membrane potential at which the response occurs. The concurrence in a specific time window of inputs by several synapses located in a specific area of the dendritic tree can, consequently, modulate the membrane potential such to severely influence the single postsynaptic response. The degree of modulation operated by the synaptic population depends on the number of synapses active, on the relative proportion between excitatory and inbibitory synapses belonging to the population and on their specific mean firing frequencies. In the present paper we show results obtained by the simulation of the activity of a single Glutamatergic excitatory synapse under the influence of two different populations composed of the same proportion of excitatory and inhibitory synapses but having two different sizes (total number of synapses). The most relevant conclusion of the present simulations is that the information transferred by the single synapse is not and independent simple transition between a pre- and a postsynaptic neuron but is the result of the cooperation of all the synapses which concurrently try to transfer the information to the postsynaptic neuron in a given time window. This cooperativeness is mainly operated by a simple mechanism of modulation of the postsynaptic membrane potential which influences the amplitude of the different components forming the postsynaptic excitatory response.