Sl‐lncRNA15492 interacts with Sl‐miR482a and affects Solanum lycopersicum immunity against Phytophthora infestans

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the resistance of plants to infection by pathogens via interactions with microRNAs (miRNAs). Long non‐coding RNAs are cleaved by miRNAs to produce phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs), which, as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), function as decoys for mature miRNAs, thus inhibiting their expression, and contain pre‐miRNA sequences to produce mature miRNAs. However, whether lncRNAs and miRNAs mediate other molecular mechanisms during plant resistance to pathogens is unknown. In this study, as a positive regulator, Sl‐lncRNA15492 from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Zaofen No. 2) plants affected tomato resistance to Phytophthora infestans. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments and RNA ligase‐mediated 5′‐amplification of cDNA ends (RLM‐5′ RACE) also revealed that Sl‐miR482a was negatively involved in tomato resistance by targeting Sl‐NBS‐LRR genes and that silencing of Sl‐NBS‐LRR1 decreased tomato resistance. Sl‐lncRNA15492 inhibited the expression of mature Sl‐miR482a, whose precursor was located within the antisense sequence of Sl‐lncRNA15492. Further degradome analysis and additional RLM‐5′ RACE experiments verified that mature Sl‐miR482a could also cleave Sl‐lncRNA15492. These results provide a mechanism by which lncRNAs might inhibit precursor miRNA expression through antisense strands of lncRNAs, and demonstrate that Sl‐lncRNA15492 and Sl‐miR482a mutually inhibit the maintenance of Sl‐NBS‐LRR1 homeostasis during tomato resistance to P. infestans.     

Regulation of ovule initiation by gibberellins and brassinosteroids in tomato and Arabidopsis: two plant species,two molecular mechanisms

Ovule primordia formation is a complex developmental process with a strong impact on the production of seeds. In Arabidopsis this process is controlled by a gene network, including components of the signalling pathways of auxin, brassinosteroids (BRs) and cytokinins. Recently, we have shown that gibberellins (GAs) also play an important role in ovule primordia initiation, inhibiting ovule formation in both Arabidopsis and tomato. Here we reveal that BRs also participate in the control of ovule initiation in tomato, by promoting an increase on ovule primordia formation. Moreover, molecular and genetic analyses of the co‐regulation by GAs and BRs of the control of ovule initiation indicate that two different mechanisms occur in tomato and Arabidopsis. In tomato, GAs act downstream of BRs. BRs regulate ovule number through the downregulation of GA biosynthesis, which provokes stabilization of DELLA proteins that will finally promote ovule primordia initiation. In contrast, in Arabidopsis both GAs and BRs regulate ovule number independently of the activity levels of the other hormone. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that different molecular mechanisms could operate in different plant species to regulate identical developmental processes even, as for ovule primordia initiation, if the same set of hormones trigger similar responses, adding a new level of complexity.     

Population studies of the wild tomato species Solanum chilense reveal geographically structured major gene-mediated pathogen resistance

Natural plant populations encounter strong pathogen pressure and defence-associated genes are known to be under selection dependent on the pressure by the pathogens. Here, we use populations of the wild tomato Solanum chilense to investigate natural resistance against Cladosporium fulvum, a well-known ascomycete pathogen of domesticated tomatoes. Host populations used are from distinct geographical origins and share a defined evolutionary history. We show that distinct populations of S. chilense differ in resistance against the pathogen. Screening for major resistance gene-mediated pathogen recognition throughout the whole species showed clear geographical differences between populations and complete loss of pathogen recognition in the south of the species range. In addition, we observed high complexity in a homologues of Cladosporium resistance (Hcr) locus, underlying the recognition of C. fulvum, in central and northern populations. Our findings show that major gene-mediated recognition specificity is diverse in a natural plant-pathosystem. We place major gene resistance in a geographical context that also defined the evolutionary history of that species. Data suggest that the underlying loci are more complex than previously anticipated, with small-scale gene recombination being possibly responsible for maintaining balanced polymorphisms in the populations that experience pathogen pressure.     

叶面喷施亚精胺对高温胁迫下番茄叶绿素合成代谢的影响

以设施番茄栽培品种‘金棚朝冠’幼苗为试验材料,研究叶面喷施0.25 mmol·L~(-1)亚精胺(Spd)对高温胁迫下(38℃/28℃,昼/夜)番茄幼苗生长及叶绿素合成过程中前体物质含量、关键酶活性和叶绿素含量的影响,探讨Spd缓解番茄高温胁迫伤害的生理机制。结果表明:(1)高温胁迫显著抑制了番茄幼苗的生长,叶面喷施Spd可有效缓解高温胁迫对番茄幼苗地上部生长的抑制作用,但对于地下部的生长无显著缓解作用。(2)高温胁迫下番茄叶片叶绿素合成前体物质δ-氨基酮戊酸(ALA)和胆色素原(PBG)的含量显著提高,而尿卟啉原Ⅲ(UroⅢ)、原卟啉Ⅸ(ProtoⅨ)、镁-原卟啉Ⅸ(Mg-protoⅨ)和原叶绿素酸(Pchl)的含量显著降低,证明叶绿素前体由PBG向UroⅢ的转化受阻,导致叶绿素a(Chla)、总叶绿素(Chlt)含量和Chla/Chlb显著降低。(3)叶面喷施Spd能增强高温胁迫下胆色素原脱氨酶(PBGD)活性,有效缓解了高温胁迫对PBG到UroⅢ转化的阻碍作用,促进PBG之后叶绿素合成前体物质的合成,Chla含量和Chla/Chlb显著增加。研究发现,高温胁迫显著抑制番茄幼苗的生长,叶面喷施Spd可通过显著增强PBGD活性来缓解由PBG向UroⅢ的受阻程度,促进高温胁迫下番茄叶片的叶绿素前体合成,提高叶绿素含量和番茄植株的生长量,减轻高温胁迫对番茄幼苗生长的伤害。     

Novel PCG Analysis Method for Discriminating Between Abnormal and Normal Heart Sounds

A novel approach for separation among normal and heart murmurs sounds based on Phonocardiogram (PCG) analysis is introduced in this paper. The purpose of this work is to find the appropriate algorithm able to detect heart failures. Different features have been extracted from time and frequency domains. After the normalization step, the Principal Component Analysis algorithm is used for data reduction and compression. Support Vectors Machine (SVM), and k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) classifiers were used with different kernels and number of neighbors in the classification step. Simulation results obtained from different databases are compared. The developed system gave good results when applied to different datasets. The accuracy of 96%, and 100% for the first, and the second dataset respectively were obtained. The algorithm shows its effectiveness in separation between normal and pathological cases.     

<i>In vitro</i> Antibacterial Activity of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Ethanolic Extract against Tomato Phytopathogenic Bacteria

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the world’s most important vegetable crops. Still, phytopathogenic bacteria affect the yield and quality of tomato cultivation, like Agrobacterium tumefeciens (At), Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm), Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst), Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs), and Xanthomonas axonopodis (Xa). Synthetic chemical products are used mostly on disease plant control, but overuse generates resistance to bacterial control. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of the ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves against At, Cmm, Pst, Rs, and Xa, as well as information about this plant species’ chemical composition. Antibacterial activity against pathogens observed by microplate technique, phytochemical screening, and FTIR analysis revealed different bio-active compounds on ethanolic extracts with antibacterial activity. The growth inhibition rate ranged between 0.08% and 99.94%. The inhibitory concentration, IC50, required to inhibit 50% of At, Cmm, Pst, Rs, and Xa bacterial growth, was 276.67, 350.48, 277.85, 351.49, and 283.22 mg/L, respectively. Inhibition of phytopathogen bacteria’s growth increased as the concentrations of the extract also increased. Moringa oleifera extract can be recommended as a potent bio-bactericide.     

Unwrapping the phase portrait features of adventitious crackle for auscultation and classification: a machine learning approach

Journal of Biological Physics - The paper delves into the plausibility of applying fractal, spectral, and nonlinear time series analyses for lung auscultation. The thirty-five sound signals of...     

A gene silencing of V‐ATPase subunit A interferes with survival and development of the tomato leafminer,Tuta absoluta

RNA interference (RNAi) technology is not only considered as a tool to analyze gene function, but it is also potentially considered as a strategy to develop novel biopesticide. In the current study, a double‐stranded RNA specific to v‐ATPase subunit A of the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick; Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), was orally administered. A gradual decrease in the expression of the gene was observed from Day 1 to 3 and resulted in significant larval mortality. These results suggest that v‐ATPases A can be considered as a promising target gene by RNAi technology to be used in the management of the tomato leafminer.