Development of a novel streamlined workflow (AACRE) and database (inCREDBle) for genomic analysis of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales.

In response to the threat of increasing antimicrobial resistance, we must increase the amount of available high-quality genomic data gathered on antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To this end, we developed an integrated pipeline for high-throughput long-read sequencing, assembly, annotation and analysis of bacterial isolates and used it to generate a large genomic data set of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) isolates collected in Spain. The set of 461 isolates were sequenced with a combination of both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) DNA sequencing technologies in order to provide genomic context for chromosomal loci and, most importantly, structural resolution of plasmids, important determinants for transmission of antimicrobial resistance.

The Genome Sequence of the Octocoral - A Key Resource To Study the Impact of Climate Change in the Mediterranean.

The octocoral, , is a habitat-forming anthozoan with a key ecological role in rocky benthic and biodiversity-rich communities in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic. Shallow populations of in the North-Western Mediterranean are severely affected by warming-induced mass mortality events (MMEs). These MMEs have differentially impacted individuals and populations of (, varied levels of tissue necrosis and mortality rates) over thousands of kilometers of coastal areas.

The fungal sesquiterpenoid pyrenophoric acid B uses the plant ABA biosynthetic pathway to inhibit seed germination.

Pyrenophoric acid (P-Acid), P-Acid B, and P-Acid C are three phytotoxic sesquiterpenoids produced by the ascomycete seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda, a fungus proposed as a mycoherbicide for biocontrol of cheatgrass, an extremely invasive weed. When tested in cheatgrass bioassays, these metabolites were able to delay seed germination, with P-Acid B being the most active compound. Here, we have investigated the cross-kingdom activity of P-Acid B and its mode of action, and found that it activates the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway in order to inhibit seedling establishment.

Root hydrotropism is controlled via a cortex-specific growth mechanism.

Plants can acclimate by using tropisms to link the direction of growth to environmental conditions. Hydrotropism allows roots to forage for water, a process known to depend on abscisic acid (ABA) but whose molecular and cellular basis remains unclear. Here we show that hydrotropism still occurs in roots after laser ablation removed the meristem and root cap.

Hydrotropism: Analysis of the Root Response to a Moisture Gradient.

Hydrotropism is a genuine response of roots to a moisture gradient to avoid drought. An experimental system for the induction of hydrotropic root response in petri dishes was designed by pioneering groups in the field. This system uses split agar plates containing an osmolyte only in a region of the plate in order to generate a water potential gradient.

Calcium-dependent oligomerization of CAR proteins at cell membrane modulates ABA signaling.

Regulation of ion transport in plants is essential for cell function. Abiotic stress unbalances cell ion homeostasis, and plants tend to readjust it, regulating membrane transporters and channels. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the second messenger Ca(2+) are central in such processes, as they are involved in the regulation of protein kinases and phosphatases that control ion transport activity in response to environmental stimuli.

C2-domain abscisic acid-related proteins mediate the interaction of PYR/PYL/RCAR abscisic acid receptors with the plasma membrane and regulate abscisic acid sensitivity in Arabidopsis.

Membrane-delimited abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction plays a critical role in early ABA signaling, but the molecular mechanisms linking core signaling components to the plasma membrane are unclear. We show that transient calcium-dependent interactions of PYR/PYL ABA receptors with membranes are mediated through a 10-member family of C2-domain ABA-related (CAR) proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, we found that PYL4 interacted in an ABA-independent manner with CAR1 in both the plasma membrane and nucleus of plant cells.

ABI1 and PP2CA phosphatases are negative regulators of Snf1-related protein kinase1 signaling in Arabidopsis.

Plant survival under environmental stress requires the integration of multiple signaling pathways into a coordinated response, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this integration are poorly understood. Stress-derived energy deprivation activates the Snf1-related protein kinases1 (SnRK1s), triggering a vast transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming that restores homeostasis and promotes tolerance to adverse conditions. Here, we show that two clade A type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs), established repressors of the abscisic acid (ABA) hormonal pathway, interact with the SnRK1 catalytic subunit causing its dephosphorylation and inactivation.

The PYL4 A194T mutant uncovers a key role of PYR1-LIKE4/PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2CA interaction for abscisic acid signaling and plant drought resistance.

Because abscisic acid (ABA) is recognized as the critical hormonal regulator of plant stress physiology, elucidating its signaling pathway has raised promise for application in agriculture, for instance through genetic engineering of ABA receptors. PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS ABA receptors interact with high affinity and inhibit clade A phosphatases type-2C (PP2Cs) in an ABA-dependent manner. We generated an allele library composed of 10,000 mutant clones of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PYL4 and selected mutations that promoted ABA-independent interaction with PP2CA/ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE3.

PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1-LIKE8 plays an important role for the regulation of abscisic acid signaling in root.

Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling plays a critical role in regulating root growth and root system architecture. ABA-mediated growth promotion and root tropic response under water stress are key responses for plant survival under limiting water conditions. In this work, we have explored the role of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS for root ABA signaling.

Arabidopsis PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors play a major role in quantitative regulation of stomatal aperture and transcriptional response to abscisic acid.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key hormone for plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. Perception of ABA through four types of receptors has been reported. We show here that impairment of ABA perception through the PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS (RCAR) branch reduces vegetative growth and seed production and leads to a severe open stomata and ABA-insensitive phenotype, even though other branches for ABA perception remain functional.

Selective inhibition of clade A phosphatases type 2C by PYR/PYL/RCAR abscisic acid receptors.

Clade A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2Cs) are negative regulators of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling that are inhibited in an ABA-dependent manner by PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS (RCAR) intracellular receptors. We provide genetic evidence that a previously uncharacterized member of this PP2C family in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), At5g59220, is a negative regulator of osmotic stress and ABA signaling and that this function was only apparent when double loss-of-function mutants with pp2ca-1/ahg3 were generated. At5g59220-green fluorescent protein and its close relative PP2CA-green fluorescent protein showed a predominant nuclear localization; however, hemagglutinin-tagged versions were also localized to cytosol and microsomal pellets.

Structural insights into PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors and PP2Cs.

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an essential function in plant physiology since it is required for biotic and abiotic stress responses as well as control of plant growth and development. A new family of soluble ABA receptors, named PYR/PYL/RCAR, has emerged as ABA sensors able to inhibit the activity of specific protein phosphatases type-2C (PP2Cs) in an ABA-dependent manner. The structural and functional mechanism by which ABA is perceived by these receptors and consequently leads to inhibition of the PP2Cs has been recently elucidated.

News on ABA transport, protein degradation, and ABFs/WRKYs in ABA signaling.

The recent identification of abscisic acid (ABA) transporters provides an important insight into the delivery of ABA from the vascular system and its uptake by target cells. A putative connection with PYR/PYL receptors is envisaged, linking ABA uptake and intracellular perception by a fast and efficient mechanism. Downstream signaling of the core pathway involves regulation of ABA-responsive element binding factors (ABFs/AREBs) through phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and sumoylation in the case of ABI5.

Modulation of abscisic acid signaling in vivo by an engineered receptor-insensitive protein phosphatase type 2C allele.

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in the control of the stress response and the regulation of plant growth and development. ABA binding to PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS intracellular receptors leads to inhibition of key negative regulators of ABA signaling, i.e.

In vitro reconstitution of an abscisic acid signalling pathway.

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates the expression of many genes in plants; it has critical functions in stress resistance and in growth and development. Several proteins have been reported to function as ABA receptors, and many more are known to be involved in ABA signalling. However, the identities of ABA receptors remain controversial and the mechanism of signalling from perception to downstream gene expression is unclear.

The abscisic acid receptor PYR1 in complex with abscisic acid.

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has a central role in coordinating the adaptive response in situations of decreased water availability as well as the regulation of plant growth and development. Recently, a 14-member family of intracellular ABA receptors, named PYR/PYL/RCAR, has been identified. These proteins inhibit in an ABA-dependent manner the activity of a family of key negative regulators of the ABA signalling pathway: the group-A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2Cs).

Modulation of drought resistance by the abscisic acid receptor PYL5 through inhibition of clade A PP2Cs.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key phytohormone involved in adaption to environmental stress and regulation of plant development. Clade A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2Cs), such as HAB1, are key negative regulators of ABA signaling in Arabidopsis. To obtain further insight into regulation of HAB1 function by ABA, we have screened for HAB1-interacting partners using a yeast two-hybrid approach.