The rice heat shock transcription factor OsHSFC1b increases seed weight, size, and vigor, but its function is disrupted by isoaspartyl modification.

Plant optimizes seed size, weight, vigor, and various other features during seed development, which are important not only for their successful propagation and establishment but also for effective agriculture. Despite several studies conducted, understanding how plants coordinate the regulatory mechanisms to achieve optimal seed size, weight, and vigor remains elusive. Here, our study reveals the role of rice heat shock transcription factor OsHSFC1b in modulating various seed attributes.

Engineered bacteria as an orally administered anti-viral treatment and immunization system.

The emergence of new viral pathogens necessitates innovative antiviral therapies and vaccines. Traditional approaches, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, are often hindered by resistance, limited effectiveness, and high costs. Here, we develop an engineered probiotic-based antiviral platform using Nissle 1917 (EcN), capable of providing both mucosal and systemic immunity via oral administration.

Distinct effects of PTST2b and MRC on starch granule morphogenesis in potato tubers.

The molecular mechanisms underpinning the formation of the large, ellipsoidal starch granules of potato tuber are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate the distinct effects of PROTEIN TARGETING TO STARCH2b (PTST2b) and MYOSIN RESEMBLING CHLOROPLAST PROTEIN (MRC) on tuber starch granule morphology. A gene duplication event in the Solanaceae resulted in two PTST2 paralogs (PTST2a and PTST2b).

A seed-specific DNA-binding with One Finger transcription factor, RPBF, positively regulates galactinol synthase to maintain seed vigour in rice.

Seed vigour and longevity are intricate yet indispensable physiological traits for agricultural crops, as they play a crucial role in facilitating the successful emergence of seedlings and exert a substantial influence on crop productivity. Transcriptional regulation plays an important role in seed development, maturation, and desiccation tolerance, which are important attributes for seed vigour and longevity. Here, we have investigated the regulatory role of the seed-specific DNA-binding with One Finger (DOF) transcription factor and the rice prolamin box binding factor (RPBF) in seed vigour.

PROTEIN L-ISOASPARTYL METHYLTRANSFERASE protects enolase dysfunction by repairing isoaspartyl-induced damage and is positively implicated in agronomically important seed traits.

The protein-repairing enzyme (PRE) PROTEIN L-ISOASPARTYL METHYLTRANSFERASE (PIMT) influences seed vigor by repairing isoaspartyl-mediated protein damage in seeds. However, PIMTs function in other seed traits, and the mechanisms by which PIMT affects such seed traits are still poorly understood. Herein, through molecular, biochemical, and genetic studies using overexpression and RNAi lines in Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that PIMT not only affects seed vigor but also affects seed size and weight by modulating enolase (ENO) activity.

CD4TGFβ cells infiltrated the bursa of Fabricius following IBDV infection, and correlated with a delayed viral clearance, but did not correlate with disease severity, or immunosuppression.

Introduction: Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) causes immunosuppression in chickens. While B-cell destruction is the main cause of humoral immunosuppression, bursal T cells from IBDV-infected birds have been reported to inhibit the mitogenic response of splenocytes, indicating that some T cell subsets in the infected bursa have immunomodulatory activities. CD4CD25TGFβ cells have been recently described in chickens that have immunoregulatory properties and play a role in the pathogenesis of Marek's Disease Virus.

Inhibition of Marek's Disease Virus Replication and Spread by 25-hydroxycholesterol and 27-hydroxycholesterol In Vitro.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes a deadly lymphoproliferative disease in chickens, resulting in huge economic losses in the poultry industry. It has been suggested that MDV suppresses the induction of type I interferons and thus escapes immune control. Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H), a gene that encodes an enzyme that catalyses cholesterol to 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC), is an interferon-stimulating gene (ISG) known to exert antiviral activities.

Initiation of B-type starch granules in wheat endosperm requires the plastidial α-glucan phosphorylase PHS1.

The plastidial α-glucan phosphorylase (PHS1) can elongate and degrade maltooligosaccharides (MOSs), but its exact physiological role in plants is poorly understood. Here, we discover a specialized role of PHS1 in establishing the unique bimodal characteristic of starch granules in wheat (Triticum spp.) endosperm.

The Arabidopsis F-box protein SKP1-INTERACTING PARTNER 31 modulates seed maturation and seed vigor by targeting JASMONATE ZIM DOMAIN proteins independently of jasmonic acid-isoleucine.

F-box proteins have diverse functions in eukaryotic organisms, including plants, mainly targeting proteins for 26S proteasomal degradation. Here, we demonstrate the role of the F-box protein SKP1-INTERACTING PARTNER 31 (SKIP31) from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in regulating late seed maturation events, seed vigor, and viability through biochemical and genetic studies using skip31 mutants and different transgenic lines. We show that SKIP31 is predominantly expressed in seeds and that SKIP31 interacts with JASMONATE ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) proteins, key repressors in jasmonate (JA) signaling, directing their ubiquitination for proteasomal degradation independently of coronatine/jasmonic acid-isoleucine (JA-Ile), in contrast to CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1, which sends JAZs for degradation in a coronatine/JA-Ile dependent manner.

An Engineered Probiotic Platform for Cancer Epitope-Independent Targeted Radionuclide Therapy of Solid Tumors.

Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) is an emerging therapeutic modality for the treatment of various solid cancers. Current approaches rely on the presence of cancer-specific epitopes and receptors against which a radiolabeled ligand is systemically administered to specifically deliver cytotoxic doses of α and β particles to tumors. In this proof-of-concept study, tumor-colonizing Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is utilized to deliver a bacteria-specific radiopharmaceutical to solid tumors in a cancer-epitope independent manner.

Exploring the antimicrobial properties of vaginal against preterm birth-associated bacteria.

The need to develop new treatments to prevent unprompted premature delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy remains pressing and unmet. Bacteria ( species) that promote vaginal health produce biochemical compounds that prevent the growth of microbes such as . Overgrowth of can cause vaginal infection with smelly discharge and increase a woman's risk of sexually transmitted infections and premature delivery.

Methionine sulfoxide reductase B5 plays a key role in preserving seed vigor and longevity in rice (Oryza sativa).

Oxidation of methionine leads to the formation of methionine S-sulfoxide and methionine R-sulfoxide, which can be reverted by two types of methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSR): MSRA and MSRB. Though the role of MSR enzymes has been elucidated in various physiological processes, the regulation and role of MSR in seeds remains poorly understood. In this study, through molecular, biochemical, and genetic studies using seed-specific overexpression and RNAi lines of OsMSRB5 in Oryza sativa, we demonstrate the role of OsMSRB5 in maintaining seed vigor and longevity.

Arabidopsis ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE4 targets PROTEIN L-ISOASPARTYL METHYLTRANSFERASE1 in seed.

Arabidopsis ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE4 (ABI4) positively regulates the protein repairing enzyme (PRE) PROTEIN L-ISOASPARTYL METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (PIMT1) in seed for its implication in seed vigor and longevity. PROTEIN L-ISOASPARTYL METHYLTRANSFERASE (PIMT) is a protein repairing enzyme (PRE) and is implicated in seed vigor and longevity. PIMT has been shown to be induced by ABA, however, its detailed regulation by ABA signaling components is unknown.