HopAZ1, a type III effector of Pseudomonas amygdali pv. tabaci,induces a hypersensitive response in tobacco wildfire-resistant Nicotiana tabacum ‘N509’

Pseudomonas amygdali pv. tabaci (formerly Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci; Pta) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes bacterial wildfire disease in Nicotiana tabacum. The pathogen establishes infections by using a type III secretion system to inject type III effector proteins (T3Es) into cells, thereby interfering with the host__s immune system. To counteract the effectors, plants have evolved disease-resistance genes and mechanisms to induce strong resistance on effector recognition. By screening a series of Pta T3E-deficient mutants, we have identified HopAZ1 as the T3E that induces disease resistance in N. tabacum ‘N509’. Inoculation with the Pta ∆hopAZ1 mutant did not induce resistance to Pta in N509. We also found that the Pta ∆hopAZ1 mutant did not induce a hypersensitive response and promoted severe disease symptoms in N509. Furthermore, a C-terminal truncated HopAZ1 abolished HopAZ1-dependent cell death in N509. These results indicate that HopAZ1 is the avirulence factor that induces resistance to Pta by N509.     

The activity of the RGA5 sensor NLR from rice requires binding of its integrated HMA domain to effectors but not HMA domain self-interaction

The rice nucleotide-binding (NB) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain immune receptors (NLRs) RGA4 and RGA5 form a helper NLR/sensor NLR (hNLR/sNLR) pair that specifically recognizes the effectors AVR-Pia and AVR1-CO39 from the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. While RGA4 contains only canonical NLR domains, RGA5 has an additional unconventional heavy metal-associated (HMA) domain integrated after its LRR domain. This RGA5_HMA domain binds the effectors and is crucial for their recognition. Investigation of the three-dimensional structure of the AVR1-CO39/RGA5_HMA complex by X-ray crystallography identified a candidate surface for effector binding in the HMA domain and showed that the HMA domain self-interacts in the absence of effector through the same surface. Here, we investigated the relevance of this HMA homodimerization for RGA5 function and the role of the RGA5_HMA effector-binding and self-interaction surface in effector recognition. By analysing structure-informed point mutations in the RGA5_HMA-binding surface in protein interaction studies and in Nicotiana benthamiana cell death assays, we found that HMA self-interaction does not contribute to RGA5 function. However, the effector-binding surface of RGA5_HMA identified by X-ray crystallography is crucial for both in vitro and in vivo effector binding as well as effector recognition. These results support the current hypothesis that noncanonical integrated domains of NLRs act primarily as effector traps and deepen our understanding of the sNLRs' function within NLR pairs.     

Adaptive divergence between lake and stream populations of an East African cichlid fish

Divergent natural selection acting in different habitats may build up barriers to gene flow and initiate speciation. This speciation continuum can range from weak or no divergence to strong genetic differentiation between populations. Here, we focus on the early phases of adaptive divergence in the East African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni, which occurs in both Lake Tanganyika (LT) and inflowing rivers. We first assessed the population structure and morphological differences in A. burtoni from southern LT. We then focused on four lake–stream systems and quantified body shape, ecologically relevant traits (gill raker and lower pharyngeal jaw) as well as stomach contents. Our study revealed the presence of several divergent lake–stream populations that rest at different stages of the speciation continuum, but show the same morphological and ecological trajectories along the lake–stream gradient. Lake fish have higher bodies, a more superior mouth position, longer gill rakers and more slender pharyngeal jaws, and they show a plant/algae and zooplankton‐biased diet, whereas stream fish feed more on snails, insects and plant seeds. A test for reproductive isolation between closely related lake and stream populations did not detect population‐assortative mating. Analyses of F1 offspring reared under common garden conditions indicate that the detected differences in body shape and gill raker length do not constitute pure plastic responses to different environmental conditions, but also have a genetic basis. Taken together, the A. burtoni lake–stream system constitutes a new model to study the factors that enhance and constrain progress towards speciation in cichlid fishes.     

Field of Dreams: Restitution of Pollinator Services in Restored Bird‐Pollinated Plant Populations

Ecosystem functionality is an increasingly important objective of ecological restoration. Despite this, a few studies have rigorously assessed reproductive functionality within restored plant populations, and it is largely assumed that pollinators follow restoration of plant communities—“build it and they will come.” Here, we applied an ecological genetic approach to determine the impact of spatial separation on mating in Banksia menziesii (Proteaceae), a dominant bird‐pollinated species of Banksia woodlands of Western Australia. All plants at three post‐mining restored sites (n = 72 [13 years old], n = 21 [8 years old], and n = 20 [9 years old]), as well as a sample from an adjacent natural reference site (n = 42), were genotyped at nine microsatellite loci. Seed set, mating system parameters, realized pollen dispersal through the assignment of paternity to seed, and avian pollinator species composition, abundance and behavior, were assessed. All patches displayed equivalent heterozygosity (H_e = 0.53–0.59) and very weak genetic divergence (F_ST ≤ 0.01). Seed of plants within restored sites showed complete outcrossing and relatively high seed set, 26% of which were sired by pollen donors located beyond the local patch. Similar abundance and movement of nectar‐feeding birds was observed in restored and natural sites, despite lower bird species diversity in the restored site, where a smaller, less aggressive species was dominant. Our results demonstrate the restitution of wide outcrossing in these restored Banksia patches within an active mine‐site, and suggest that restored bird‐pollinated Banksia populations are resilient to human impacts, due largely to their generalist pollinator requirements and highly‐mobile avian pollinators.     

Effect of prenatal arsenic exposure on DNA methylation and leukocyte subpopulations in cord blood

Prenatal arsenic exposure is associated with increased risk of disease in adulthood. This has led to considerable interest in arsenic’s ability to disrupt fetal programming. Many studies report that arsenic exposure alters DNA methylation in whole blood but these studies did not adjust for cell mixture. In this study, we examined the relationship between arsenic in maternal drinking water collected ≤ 16 weeks gestational age and DNA methylation in cord blood (n = 44) adjusting for leukocyte-tagged differentially methylated regions. DNA methylation was quantified using the Infinium HumanMethylation 450 BeadChip array. Recursively partitioned mixture modeling examined the relationship between arsenic and methylation at 473,844 CpG sites. Median arsenic concentration in water was 12 µg/L (range < 1- 510 µg/L). Log₁₀ arsenic was associated with altered DNA methylation across the epigenome (P = 0.002); however, adjusting for leukocyte distributions attenuated this association (P = 0.013). We also observed that arsenic had a strong effect on the distribution of leukocytes in cord blood. In adjusted models, every log₁₀ increase in maternal drinking water arsenic exposure was estimated to increase CD8+ T cells by 7.4% (P = 0.0004) and decrease in CD4+ T cells by 9.2% (P = 0.0002). These results show that prenatal exposure to arsenic had an exposure-dependent effect on specific T cell subpopulations in cord blood and altered DNA methylation in cord blood. Future research is needed to determine if these small changes in DNA methylation alter gene expression or are associated with adverse health effects.     

Cholecystokinin from the entorhinal cortex enables neural plasticity in the auditory cortex

Patients with damage to the medial temporal lobe show deficits in forming new declarative memories but can still recall older memories, suggesting that the medial temporal lobe is necessary for encoding memories in the neocortex. Here, we found that cortical projection neurons in the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices were mostly immunopositive for cholecystokinin (CCK). Local infusion of CCK in the auditory cortex of anesthetized rats induced plastic changes that enabled cortical neurons to potentiate their responses or to start responding to an auditory stimulus that was paired with a tone that robustly triggered action potentials. CCK infusion also enabled auditory neurons to start responding to a light stimulus that was paired with a noise burst. In vivo intracellular recordings in the auditory cortex showed that synaptic strength was potentiated after two pairings of presynaptic and postsynaptic activity in the presence of CCK. Infusion of a CCK_B antagonist in the auditory cortex prevented the formation of a visuo-auditory association in awake rats. Finally, activation of the entorhinal cortex potentiated neuronal responses in the auditory cortex, which was suppressed by infusion of a CCK_B antagonist. Together, these findings suggest that the medial temporal lobe influences neocortical plasticity via CCK-positive cortical projection neurons in the entorhinal cortex.     

中枢神经系统感染患者脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1表达的研究

目的探讨中枢神经系统感染患者脑脊液和血清中MMP-2(基质金属蛋白2)、MMP-9(基质金属蛋白9)、MCP-1(单核细胞趋化蛋白-1)表达的意义。方法选取2012年12月至2014年5月我院收治的中枢神经系统感染患者60例,其中结核性脑膜炎组(TBM组)、化脓性脑膜炎组(PM组)、真菌性脑膜炎组(CM组)和病毒性脑膜炎组(VM组)各15例;另外选取同期健康体检者15例作为对照组。治疗前、治疗后检测5组患者脑脊液常规及生化,采用ELISA法检测其脑脊液及血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1的表达,并对患者进行格拉斯哥昏迷评分(GCS),分析其内在联系。结果治疗前、治疗后TBM组、PM组、CM组和VM组的脑脊液细胞数、蛋白水平均高于对照组,且TBM组、PM组的脑脊液细胞数、蛋白水平均高于CM组和VM组(P0.05);治疗前、治疗后TBM组、PM组、CM组和VM组的脑脊液糖水平、GCS评分低于对照组,治疗前TBM组、PM组、CM组、VM组的脑脊液氯化物水平低于对照组(P0.05);治疗后四组与对照组在脑脊液氯化物水平以及GCS评分等方面的差异无统计学意义(P0.05);治疗前、治疗后TBM组、PM组、CM组、VM组的脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1水平均显著高于对照组,且治疗前TBM组、PM组的脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1水平均显著高于CM组、VM组以及对照组(P0.05);治疗后PM组、CM组、VM组的脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1水平的差异无统计学意义(P0.05);经Pearson进行相关性分析,BM组、PM组、CM组以及VM组的脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1表达均与GCS评分负相关(相关系数r=-0.859~-0.574,P0.05)。结论中枢神经系统感染患者脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1表达均与GCS评分相关,动态检测脑脊液和血清中MMP-2、MMP-9、MCP-1表达均对中枢神经系统感染的诊断和判断预后有积极意义。     

中枢神经系统疾病脑脊液中免疫球蛋白与IL-6的表达与意义

目的:检测中枢神经系统疾病患者脑脊液中免疫球蛋白与IL-6的表达情况并探讨其临床意义。方法:采用罗氏C6000仪器通过免疫发光法检测和比较本院收治的30例正常人、61例脑炎患者、51例头痛患者、30例肌无力患者以及35例脑梗死患者的脑脊液中IgAcsf、IgMcsf、IgGcsf、AIbcsf与IL-6的表达。结果:除头痛患者外,其他中枢神经系统疾病患者的脑脊液中IgAcsf、IgMcsf、IgGcsf、AIbcsf蛋白的表达量均高于正常人群,且脑炎患者与肌无力患者的脑脊液中IgAcsf、IgMcsf蛋白的表达量均高于头痛患者,脑梗死患者的脑脊液中IgMcsf、IgGcsf蛋白的表达量高于头痛患者,肌无力患者的脑脊液中IgGcsf蛋白的表达量高于头痛患者,脑梗死患者的脑脊液中IL-6蛋白的表达量明显高于脑炎、头痛和肌无力患者,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:脑脊液中免疫球蛋白、IL-6的表达异常与中枢神经系统感染性疾病的发生有关,且在不同种类的中枢神经系统疾病之间存在差异,可能有助于预防、治疗和诊断中枢神经系统疾病。     

经皮椎弓根空心螺钉微创椎体间融合治疗腰椎间盘突出的临床效果分析

目的：探究经皮椎弓根空心螺钉微创椎体间融合治疗腰椎间盘突出的临床效果及安全性。方法：病例来源于我院2009 年12 月~2013 年12 月收治的确诊为腰椎间盘突出症的病患174 例,依据随机数字表法将其均分为观察组与对照组,每组87 例。其 中,观察组施行Quadrant微创通道经皮椎弓根空心螺钉椎间融合术,对照组施行经后入路开放性椎间融合术。评估和比较两组病 患术前和随访结束时的视觉模拟评分系统(VAS)疼痛评分与Oswestry 功能障碍指数(ODI)的变化及术后并发症的发生情况。结 果：观察组治疗前、出院时及随访一年时的VAS 评分与ODI指数与对照组比较差异均不显著(P>0.05)。观察组手术切口长度、术 后住院时间及术中出血量均明显优于对照组(P<0.01),而其手术所需时间明显长于对照组(P<0.01)。对照组患者术后出现20 例神 经根损伤(22.99%),3 例椎间隙感染(3.45%),其并发症总发生率为(26.44%),而观察组患者术后仅出现3 例神经根损伤,发生率为 3.45%,显著低于对照组(P<0.01)。结论：经皮椎弓根空心螺钉微创椎体间融合治疗的临床效果肯定,能减少对病患的创伤,控制术 后并发症的发生,具有较高的临床应用价值。