98%
921
2 minutes
20
By releasing specialized metabolites, plants modify their environment. Whether and how specialized metabolites protect plants against toxic levels of trace elements is not well understood. We evaluated whether benzoxazinoids, which are released into the soil by major cereals, can confer protection against arsenic toxicity. Benzoxazinoid-producing maize plants performed better in arsenic-contaminated soils than benzoxazinoid-deficient mutants in the greenhouse and the field. Adding benzoxazinoids to the soil restored the protective effect, and the effect persisted to the next crop generation via positive plant-soil feedback. Arsenate levels in the soil and total arsenic levels in the roots were lower in the presence of benzoxazinoids. Thus, the protective effect of benzoxazinoids is likely soil-mediated and includes changes in soil arsenic speciation and root accumulation. We conclude that exuded specialized metabolites can enhance protection against toxic trace elements via soil-mediated processes and may thereby stabilize crop productivity in polluted agroecosystems.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10990099 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2314261121 | DOI Listing |
J Anim Sci
September 2025
Centre for Veterinary Systems Transformation and Sustainability, Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1210, Austria.
It is helpful for diagnostic purposes to improve our current knowledge of gut development and serum biochemistry in young piglets. This study investigated serum biochemistry, and gut site-specific patterns of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and expression of genes related to barrier function, innate immune response, antioxidative status and sensing of fatty and bile acids in suckling and newly weaned piglets. The experiment consisted of two replicate batches with 10 litters each.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrief Bioinform
August 2025
College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, No. 1 Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, P. R. China.
Drug-induced hepatotoxicity (DIH), characterized by diverse phenotypes and complex mechanisms, remains a critical challenge in drug discovery. To systematically decode this diversity and complexity, we propose a multi-dimensional computational framework integrating molecular structure analysis with disease pathogenesis exploration, focusing on drug-induced intrahepatic cholestasis (DIIC) as a representative DIH subtype. First, a graph-based modularity maximization algorithm identified DIIC risk genes, forming a DIIC module and eight disease pathogenesis clusters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
September 2025
Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology. Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Purpose: Evidence on the association between visceral obesity and diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains sparse and debatable. We aimed to use three novel indicators, body roundness index (BRI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), to investigate the longitudinal relationship between visceral obesity and DR, and explore the potential metabolic mechanisms.
Methods: In this prospective study based on the UK Biobank (UKB), 14,738 individuals with diabetes free of DR at baseline were included.
J Integr Neurosci
August 2025
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.
There is a growing body of evidence that the interaction between various microbial organisms and the human host can affect various physical and even mental health conditions. Bidirectional communication occurs between the brain and the gut microbiome, referred to as the brain-gut-microbiome axis. During aging, changes occur to the gut microbiome due to various events and factors such as the mode of delivery at birth, exposure to medications (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
September 2025
Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China.
Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that exhibits strong carcinogenic properties and promotes breast cancer (BC) progression. Autophagic flux dysfunction is involved in Cd-induced BC progression, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, it is observed that impaired autophagic flux and metabolic reprogramming are notable features related to Cd-induced proliferation, migration, and invasion in BC cell lines, including T-47D and MCF-7 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF