New clades of viruses infecting the obligatory biotroph representing distinct evolutionary trajectory for viruses infecting oomycetes.

Recent advances in high throughput sequencing (HTS) approaches allowed a broad exploration of viromes from different fungal hosts, unveiling a great diversity of mycoviruses with interesting evolutionary features. The word mycovirus historically applies also to viruses infecting oomycetes but most studies are on viruses infecting fungi, with less mycoviruses found and characterized in oomycetes, particularly in the obligatory biotrophs. We, here, describe the first virome associated to , the causal agent of lettuce downy mildew, which is an important biotrophic pathogen for lettuce production and a model system for the molecular aspects of the plant-oomycetes interactions.

(De)Activation (Ir)Reversibly or Degradation: Dynamics of Post-Translational Protein Modifications in Plants.

The increasing dynamic functions of post-translational modifications (PTMs) within protein molecules present outstanding challenges for plant biology even at this present day. Protein PTMs are among the first and fastest plant responses to changes in the environment, indicating that the mechanisms and dynamics of PTMs are an essential area of plant biology. Besides being key players in signaling, PTMs play vital roles in gene expression, gene, and protein localization, protein stability and interactions, as well as enzyme kinetics.

Identification and Molecular Characterization of Novel Mycoviruses in and Non- Yeasts of Oenological Interest.

Wine yeasts can be natural hosts for dsRNA, ssRNA viruses and retrotransposon elements. In this study, high-throughput RNA sequencing combined with bioinformatic analyses unveiled the virome associated to 16 and 8 non- strains of oenological interest. Results showed the presence of six viruses and two satellite dsRNAs from four different families, two of which- and -were not reported before in yeasts, as well as two ORFan contigs of viral origin.

Molecular Characterization and Taxonomic Assignment of Three Phage Isolates from a Collection Infecting pv. and pv. from Northern Italy.

Bacterial kiwifruit vine disease (  pv. , Psa) and halo blight of bean ( pv. , Pph) are routinely treated with copper, leading to environmental pollution and bacterial copper resistance.

The Rac-GAP alpha2-Chimaerin Signals via CRMP2 and Stathmins in the Development of the Ocular Motor System.

A precise sequence of axon guidance events is required for the development of the ocular motor system. Three cranial nerves grow toward, and connect with, six extraocular muscles in a stereotyped pattern, to control eye movements. The signaling protein alpha2-chimaerin (α2-CHN) plays a pivotal role in the formation of the ocular motor system; mutations in , encoding α2-CHN, cause the human eye movement disorder Duane Retraction Syndrome (DRS).

The virome from a collection of endomycorrhizal fungi reveals new viral taxa with unprecedented genome organization.

Mutualistic plant-associated fungi are recognized as important drivers in plant evolution, diversity, and health. The discovery that mycoviruses can take part and play important roles in symbiotic tripartite interactions has prompted us to study the viromes associated with a collection of ericoid and orchid mycorrhizal (ERM and ORM, respectively) fungi. Our study, based on high-throughput sequencing of transcriptomes (RNAseq) from fungal isolates grown in axenic cultures, revealed in both ERM and ORM fungi the presence of new mycoviruses closely related to already classified virus taxa, but also new viruses that expand the boundaries of characterized RNA virus diversity to previously undescribed evolutionary trajectories.

Soil Fungal Communities Investigated by Metabarcoding Within Simulated Forensic Burial Contexts.

Decomposition of animal bodies in the burial environment plays a key role in the biochemistry of the soil, altering the balance of the local microbial populations present before the introduction of the carcass. Despite the growing number of studies on decomposition and soil bacterial populations, less is known on its effects on fungal communities. Shifts in the fungal populations at different post-mortem intervals (PMIs) could provide insights for PMI estimation and clarify the role that specific fungal taxa have at specific decomposition stages.

New Viral Sequences Identified in the Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma Vector .

The leafhopper is the primary vector of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma (FDp) in European vineyards. Flavescence dorée is one of the most severely damaging diseases of and, consequently, a major threat to grape and wine production in several European countries. Control measures are compulsory, but they mainly involve large-scale insecticide treatments, with detrimental impacts on the environment.

TPLATE Recruitment Reveals Endocytic Dynamics at Sites of Symbiotic Interface Assembly in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Interactions.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis between soil fungi and the majority of plants is based on a mutualistic exchange of organic and inorganic nutrients. This takes place inside root cortical cells that harbor an arbuscule: a highly branched intracellular fungal hypha enveloped by an extension of the host cell membrane-the perifungal membrane-which outlines a specialized symbiotic interface compartment. The perifungal membrane develops around each intracellular hypha as the symbiotic fungus proceeds across the root tissues; its biogenesis is the result of an extensive exocytic process and shows a few similarities with cell plate insertion which occurs at the end of somatic cytokinesis.

Ramf: An Open-Source R Package for Statistical Analysis and Display of Quantitative Root Colonization by Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi.

Data analysis and graphical representation form an essential part of scientific research dissemination. The life-science community is moving towards a more transparent presentation of single data points or data distributions and away from mean values displayed as bar charts. To facilitate transparent data display to the mycorrhiza community, we present "Ramf" an open-source R package for statistical analysis and preparation of a variety of publication-ready plots, custom-made for analyzing and displaying quantitative root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi or any kind of data to be displayed in the same format.

Extreme Diversity of Mycoviruses Present in Isolates of AG2-2 LP From From Brazil.

, in Brazil, is commonly infected by () in humid and cool weather conditions. Eight isolates of , previously identified as belonging to the AG2-2 LP anastomosis group, isolated from samples from large path symptoms, were collected from three counties in São Paulo state (Brazil) and investigated for the presence of mycoviruses. After detection of double-strand RNA (dsRNA) in all samples, RNA_Seq analysis of ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA from cultivated mycelia was performed.

Arbuscular cell invasion coincides with extracellular vesicles and membrane tubules.

During establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses, fungal hyphae invade root cells producing transient tree-like structures, the arbuscules, where exchange of photosynthates for soil minerals occurs. Arbuscule formation and collapse lead to rapid production and degradation of plant and fungal membranes, their spatiotemporal dynamics directly influencing nutrient exchange. We determined the ultra-structural details of both membrane surfaces and the interstitial apoplastic matrix by transmission electron microscopy tomography during growth and senescence of Rhizophagus irregularis arbuscules in rice.

Early Responses to Severe Drought Stress in the Cell Suspension Culture Proteome.

Abiotic stresses are considered the most deleterious factor affecting growth and development of plants worldwide. Such stresses are largely unavoidable and trigger adaptive responses affecting different cellular processes and target different compartments. Shotgun proteomic and mass spectrometry-based approaches offer an opportunity to elucidate the response of the proteome to abiotic stresses.

Powering the ABC multidrug exporter LmrA: How nucleotides embrace the ion-motive force.

LmrA is a bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug exporter that uses metabolic energy to transport ions, cytotoxic drugs, and lipids. Voltage clamping in a Port-a-Patch was used to monitor electrical currents associated with the transport of monovalent cationic HEPES by single-LmrA transporters and ensembles of transporters. In these experiments, one proton and one chloride ion are effluxed together with each HEPES ion out of the inner compartment, whereas two sodium ions are transported into this compartment.

Ectopic activation of cortical cell division during the accommodation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs) between plants and soil fungi are widespread symbioses with a major role in soil nutrient uptake. In this study we investigated the induction of root cortical cell division during AM colonization by combining morphometric and gene expression analyses with promoter activation and protein localization studies of the cell-plate-associated exocytic marker TPLATE. Our results show that TPLATE promoter is activated in colonized cells of the root cortex where we also observed the appearance of cells that are half the size of the surrounding cells.

Native soils with their microbiotas elicit a state of alert in tomato plants.

Several studies have investigated soil microbial biodiversity, but understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant responses to soil microbiota remains in its infancy. Here, we focused on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), testing the hypothesis that plants grown on native soils display different responses to soil microbiotas. Using transcriptomics, proteomics, and biochemistry, we describe the responses of two tomato genotypes (susceptible or resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f.

Efficient 3-Hydroxybutyrate Production by Quiescent Escherichia coli Microbial Cell Factories is Facilitated by Indole-Induced Proteomic and Metabolomic Changes.

The authors show that quiescent (Q-Cell) Escherichia coli cultures can maintain metabolic activity in the absence of growth for up to 24 h, leading to four times greater specific productivity of a model metabolite, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), than a control. Q-cells can be created by using the proton ionophore indole to halt cell division of an hns mutant strain. This uncouples metabolism from cell growth and allows for more efficient use of carbon feedstocks because less metabolic effort is diverted to surplus biomass production.

Soil metaproteomics reveals an inter-kingdom stress response to the presence of black truffles.

For some truffle species of the Tuber genus, the symbiotic phase is often associated with the presence of an area of scant vegetation, commonly known as the brûlé, around the host tree. Previous metagenomics studies have identified the microorganisms present inside and outside the brûlé of a Tuber melanosporum truffle-ground, but the molecular mechanisms that operate in this ecological niche remain to be clarified. To elucidate the metabolic pathways present in the brûlé, we conducted a metaproteomics analysis on the soil of a characterized truffle-ground and cross-referenced the resulting proteins with a database we constructed, incorporating the metagenomics data for the organisms previously identified in this soil.