Identification and molecular characterization of the nicotianamine synthase gene family in bread wheat

Nicotianamine (NA) is a non‐protein amino acid involved in fundamental aspects of metal uptake, transport and homeostasis in all plants and constitutes the biosynthetic precursor of mugineic acid family phytosiderophores (MAs) in graminaceous plant species. Nicotianamine synthase (NAS) genes, which encode enzymes that synthesize NA from S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM), are differentially regulated by iron (Fe) status in most plant species and plant genomes have been found to contain anywhere from 1 to 9 NAS genes. This study describes the identification of 21 NAS genes in the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genome and their phylogenetic classification into two distinct clades. The TaNAS genes are highly expressed during germination, seedling growth and reproductive development. Fourteen of the clade I NAS genes were up‐regulated in root tissues under conditions of Fe deficiency. Protein sequence analyses revealed the presence of endocytosis motifs in all of the wheat NAS proteins as well as chloroplast, mitochondrial and secretory transit peptide signals in four proteins. These results greatly expand our knowledge of NAS gene families in graminaceous plant species as well as the genetics underlying Fe nutrition in bread wheat.     

Biosensitive element in the form of immobilized luminescent photobacteria for detecting ecotoxicants in aqueous flow‐through systems

We demonstrated the possibility of long‐term and efficient application of a biosensitive element (BE) in the form of Photobacterium phosphoreum photobacteria immobilized in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cryogel for detecting various ecotoxicants ( Zn ^{2 +} , Cu ^{2 +} , Hg ^{2 +} , Pb ^{2 +} , 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,6‐dimethylphenol, pentachlorophenol, coumaphos, malathion, chlorpyrifos and methyl parathion) in flow‐through media. The range of detectable concentrations of ecotoxicants was determined at 1 × 10 ^?8 to 1 × 10 ^?4 M for heavy metal ions and at 1 × 10 ^?8 to 1 × 10 ^?5 M for phenol derivatives and organophosphorus pesticides. Immobilized cells of photobacteria quantitatively reacted with these ecotoxicants; cell sensitivity exhibited no flow rate dependence in the range from 45 to 180 mL/h. At a constant concentration of ecotoxicant in the flow, the bioluminescence quenching profile of immobilized cells demonstrated an integral response. The BE could remain in a flow‐through medium for at least 10 days while retaining 95% of luminescent activity in the absence of ecotoxicants. The BE tested in this work was demonstrated to have a long shelf life (> 60 weeks) at ?80°C without changes in the baseline level of bioluminescence. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 Clade 2.3.2.1c virus in migratory birds, 2014–2015

A novel Clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1 reassortant virus caused several outbreaks in wild birds in some regions of China from late 2014 to 2015. Based on the genetic and phylogenetic analyses, the viruses possess a stable gene constellation with a Clade 2.3.2.1c HA, a H9N2-derived PB2 gene and the other six genes of Asian H5N1-origin. The Clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1 reassortants displayed a high genetic relationship to a human H5N1 strain (A/Alberta/01/2014). Further analysis showed that similar viruses have been circulating in wild birds in China, Russia, Dubai (Western Asia), Bulgaria and Romania (Europe), as well as domestic poultry in some regions of Africa. The affected areas include the Central Asian, East Asian-Australasian, West Asian-East African, and Black Sea/Mediterranean flyways. These results show that the novel Clade 2.3.2.1c reassortant viruses are circulating worldwide and may have gained a selective advantage in migratory birds, thus posing a serious threat to wild birds and potentially humans.

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Mitotic phosphatase activity is required for MCC maintenance during the spindle checkpoint

The spindle checkpoint prevents activation of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) until all chromosomes are correctly attached to the mitotic spindle. Early in mitosis, the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) inactivates the APC/C by binding the APC/C activating protein CDC20 until the chromosomes are properly aligned and attached to the mitotic spindle, at which point MCC disassembly releases CDC20 to activate the APC/C. Once the APC/C is activated, it targets cyclin B and securin for degradation, and the cell progresses into anaphase. While phosphorylation is known to drive many of the events during the checkpoint, the precise molecular mechanisms regulating spindle checkpoint maintenance and inactivation are still poorly understood. We sought to determine the role of mitotic phosphatases during the spindle checkpoint. To address this question, we treated spindle checkpoint-arrested cells with various phosphatase inhibitors and examined the effect on the MCC and APC/C activation. Using this approach we found that 2 phosphatase inhibitors, calyculin A and okadaic acid (1 μM), caused MCC dissociation and APC/C activation leading to cyclin A and B degradation in spindle checkpoint-arrested cells. Although the cells were able to degrade cyclin B, they did not exit mitosis as evidenced by high levels of Cdk1 substrate phosphorylation and chromosome condensation. Our results provide the first evidence that phosphatases are essential for maintenance of the MCC during operation of the spindle checkpoint.     

Microbiome Composition and Function Drives Wound-Healing Impairment in the Female Genital Tract

The mechanism(s) by which bacterial communities impact susceptibility to infectious diseases, such as HIV, and maintain female genital tract (FGT) health are poorly understood. Evaluation of FGT bacteria has predominantly been limited to studies of species abundance, but not bacterial function. We therefore sought to examine the relationship of bacterial community composition and function with mucosal epithelial barrier health in the context of bacterial vaginosis (BV) using metaproteomic, metagenomic, and in vitro approaches. We found highly diverse bacterial communities dominated by Gardnerella vaginalis associated with host epithelial barrier disruption and enhanced immune activation, and low diversity communities dominated by Lactobacillus species that associated with lower Nugent scores, reduced pH, and expression of host mucosal proteins important for maintaining epithelial integrity. Importantly, proteomic signatures of disrupted epithelial integrity associated with G. vaginalis-dominated communities in the absence of clinical BV diagnosis. Because traditional clinical assessments did not capture this, it likely represents a larger underrepresented phenomenon in populations with high prevalence of G. vaginalis. We finally demonstrated that soluble products derived from G. vaginalis inhibited wound healing, while those derived from L. iners did not, providing insight into functional mechanisms by which FGT bacterial communities affect epithelial barrier integrity.     

Evaluation of metabolomics profiles of grain from maize hybrids derived from near-isogenic GM positive and negative segregant inbreds demonstrates that observed differences cannot be attributed unequivocally to the GM trait

Introduction

Past studies on plant metabolomes have highlighted the influence of growing environments and varietal differences in variation of levels of metabolites yet there remains continued interest in evaluating the effect of genetic modification (GM).

Objectives

Here we test the hypothesis that metabolomics differences in grain from maize hybrids derived from a series of GM (NK603, herbicide tolerance) inbreds and corresponding negative segregants can arise from residual genetic variation associated with backcrossing and that the effect of insertion of the GM trait is negligible.

Methods

Four NK603-positive and negative segregant inbred males were crossed with two different females (testers). The resultant hybrids, as well as conventional comparator hybrids, were then grown at three replicated field sites in Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska during the 2013 season. Metabolomics data acquisition using gas chromatography–time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC–TOF-MS) allowed the measurement of 367 unique metabolite features in harvested grain, of which 153 were identified with small molecule standards. Multivariate analyses of these data included multi-block principal component analysis and ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis. Univariate analyses of all 153 identified metabolites was conducted based on significance testing (α = 0.05), effect size evaluation (assessing magnitudes of differences), and variance component analysis.

Results

Results demonstrated that the largest effects on metabolomic variation were associated with different growing locations and the female tester. They further demonstrated that differences observed between GM and non-GM comparators, even in stringent tests utilizing near-isogenic positive and negative segregants, can simply reflect minor genomic differences associated with conventional back-crossing practices.

Conclusion

The effect of GM on metabolomics variation was determined to be negligible and supports that there is no scientific rationale for prioritizing GM as a source of variation.

     

Diverse mechanisms of metaeffector activity in an intracellular bacterial pathogen,Legionella pneumophila

Pathogens deliver complex arsenals of translocated effector proteins to host cells during infection, but the extent to which these proteins are regulated once inside the eukaryotic cell remains poorly defined. Among all bacterial pathogens, Legionella pneumophila maintains the largest known set of translocated substrates, delivering over 300 proteins to the host cell via its Type IVB, Icm/Dot translocation system. Backed by a few notable examples of effector–effector regulation in L. pneumophila, we sought to define the extent of this phenomenon through a systematic analysis of effector–effector functional interaction. We used Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an established proxy for the eukaryotic host, to query > 108,000 pairwise genetic interactions between two compatible expression libraries of ~330 L. pneumophila‐translocated substrates. While capturing all known examples of effector–effector suppression, we identify fourteen novel translocated substrates that suppress the activity of other bacterial effectors and one pair with synergistic activities. In at least nine instances, this regulation is direct—a hallmark of an emerging class of proteins called metaeffectors, or “effectors of effectors”. Through detailed structural and functional analysis, we show that metaeffector activity derives from a diverse range of mechanisms, shapes evolution, and can be used to reveal important aspects of each cognate effector's function. Metaeffectors, along with other, indirect, forms of effector–effector modulation, may be a common feature of many intracellular pathogens—with unrealized potential to inform our understanding of how pathogens regulate their interactions with the host cell.