Microbiological interactions with cold plasma

There is a diverse range of microbiological challenges facing the food, healthcare and clinical sectors. The increasing and pervasive resistance to broad‐spectrum antibiotics and health‐related concerns with many biocidal agents drives research for novel and complementary antimicrobial approaches. Biofilms display increased mechanical and antimicrobial stability and are the subject of extensive research. Cold plasmas (CP) have rapidly evolved as a technology for microbial decontamination, wound healing and cancer treatment, owing to the chemical and bio‐active radicals generated known collectively as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This review outlines the basics of CP technology and discusses the interactions with a range of microbiological targets. Advances in mechanistic insights are presented and applications to food and clinical issues are discussed. The possibility of tailoring CP to control specific microbiological challenges is apparent. This review focuses on microbiological issues in relation to food‐ and healthcare‐associated human infections, the role of CP in their elimination and the current status of plasma mechanisms of action.     

Consolidated ethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke tubers at elevated temperature by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> engineered with inulinase expression through cell surface display

Ethanol fermentation from Jerusalem artichoke tubers was performed at elevated temperatures by the consolidated bioprocessing strategy using Saccharomyces cerevisiae MK01 expressing inulinase through cell surface display. No significant difference was observed in yeast growth when temperature was controlled at 38 and 40 °C, respectively, but inulinase activity with yeast cells was substantially enhanced at 40 °C. As a result, enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin was facilitated and ethanol production was improved with 89.3 g/L ethanol produced within 72 h from 198.2 g/L total inulin sugars consumed. Similar results were also observed in ethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke tubers with 85.2 g/L ethanol produced within 72 h from 185.7 g/L total sugars consumed. On the other hand, capital investment on cooling facilities and energy consumption for running the facilities would be saved, since regular cooling water instead of chill water could be used to cool down the fermentation system.     

Frequency of a natural truncated allele of <Emphasis Type="Italic">MdMLO19</Emphasis> in the germplasm of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Malus domestica</Emphasis>

Podosphaera leucotricha is the causal agent of powdery mildew (PM) in apple. To reduce the amount of fungicides required to control this pathogen, the development of resistant apple cultivars should become a priority. Resistance to PM was achieved in various crops by knocking out specific members of the MLO gene family that are responsible for PM susceptibility (S-genes). In apple, the knockdown of MdMLO19 resulted in PM resistance. However, since gene silencing technologies such as RNAi are perceived unfavorably in Europe, a different approach that exploits this type of resistance is needed. This work evaluates the presence of non-functional naturally occurring alleles of MdMLO19 in apple germplasm. The screening of the re-sequencing data of 63 apple individuals led to the identification of 627 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five MLO genes (MdMLO5, MdMLO7, MdMLO11, MdMLO18, and MdMLO19), 127 of which were located in exons. The T-1201 insertion of a single nucleotide in MdMLO19 caused the formation of an early stop codon, resulting in a truncated protein lacking 185 amino acids, including the calmodulin-binding domain. The presence of the insertion was evaluated in 115 individuals. It was heterozygous in 64 and homozygous in 25. Twelve of the 25 individuals carrying the insertion in homozygosity were susceptible to PM. After barley, pea, cucumber, and tomato, apple would be the fifth species for which a natural non-functional mlo allele has been found.     

Molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci for three kernel-related traits in maize using a double haploid population

Kernel size and kernel weight are important factors possibly involved in the determination of grain yield in maize, so identifying the genetic basis of kernel-related traits provides insights into the breeding of high-yield maize varieties. Kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW) and hundred kernel weight (HKW) were evaluated in three various planting conditions for the 240 field-grown double haploid (DH) lines derived from the single-cross hybrid Xianyu335. Variations in KL, KW and HKW were observed among DH lines, and all three traits showed a broad sense heritability of 76%. A total of 964 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the MaizeSNP3072 chip was utilised to create a high-density genetic map of 1546.4 cM and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Using composite interval mapping, a total of five, seven and five QTLs have been mapped for KL, KW and HKW, respectively. qkl1-2 and qkl4-1 explained 17.8% and 14.2% of the phenotypic variation in KL, respectively, and the other three QTLs contributed 3.2–4.0%. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) of seven QTLs responsible for KW ranged from 3.3 to 9.5%. Three QTLs for HKW, qhkw1, qhkw5 and qhkw10 each explained more than 10% of the phenotypic variation, and qhkw4 and qhkw9 accounted for 3.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Due to their detection in multiple planting environments, the loci mapped here appear to be potential targets for the improvement of maize grain yield.