Autophagy and Bacterial infections.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular process that is prominent during bacterial infections. In this review article, we discuss how direct pathogen clearance via xenophagy and regulation of inflammatory products represent dual functions of autophagy that coordinate an effective antimicrobial response. We detail the molecular mechanisms of xenophagy, including signals that indicate the presence of an intracellular pathogen and autophagy receptor-mediated cargo targeting, while highlighting pathogen counterstrategies, such as bacterial effector proteins that inhibit autophagy initiation or exploit autophagic membranes for replication.

Treatment with the Bifidobacterium longum Strain DSM 32947 Increases Bone Mineral Density in Female Mice.

Previous studies have shown that the gut microbiota regulates bone mass and that certain strains of Bifidobacterium longum prevent bone loss in ovariectomized (ovx) mice. A novel strain of Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum subsp.

Lab to field: Challenges and opportunities for plant biology.

Plant-microbe research offers many choices of model and strain and whether a field-first or lab-first approach is best. However, differences between laboratory studies, offering control and repeatability, versus field experiments, revealing ecological relevance and environmental effects, should not be seen as failure but motivate further inquiry and allow complementary discovery.

Can the nutritional geometric framework unveil how macronutrients in pollen shape solitary bee foraging and survival?

The nutritional geometric framework (NGF) hypothesizes that animals forage to achieve specific macronutrient ratios. Pollen, the primary source of protein and lipids for bees, varies in nutritional content across plant species. Studies suggest some bumblebee species forage based on species-specific macronutrient preferences, regardless of floral traits.

Stress delays the bloom: ROS sustains condensates to protect the tomato meristem.

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Huang et al. identify how tomato plants use heat-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) to modulate flowering. Using genetics, gene editing, and imaging, the authors demonstrate that ROS prolong the TERMINATING FLOWER (TMF) phase separation, delaying flowering while extending vegetative growth.

Whole-genome duplication increases genetic diversity and load in outcrossing .

Genetic variation underpins evolutionary change, but mutation accumulation increases genetic load. Various factors affect the extent of load, such as population size and breeding system, but other important determinants remain unexplored. In particular, whole-genome duplication (WGD)-a pervasive macromutation occurring broadly across Eukaryotes-remains poorly understood in terms of its impact on neutral and selective processes within populations.

Coupling Affinity Purification with Proximity Labeling in Arabidopsis: The APEAL Approach.

Capturing interactions in transient protein assemblies is a challenging task. We introduce an approach named APEAL (Tandemly Coupled Affinity Purification with Proximity-dEpendent LigAtion) for determining both transient and stable protein assemblies in Arabidopsis and other plants. APEAL exploits TurboID, a biotin ligase variant that operates efficiently at "plant-friendly" temperatures.

Gaining insights into epigenetic memories through artificial intelligence and omics science in plants.

Plants exhibit remarkable abilities to learn, communicate, memorize, and develop stimulus-dependent decision-making circuits. Unlike animals, plant memory is uniquely rooted in cellular, molecular, and biochemical networks, lacking specialized organs for these functions. Consequently, plants can effectively learn and respond to diverse challenges, becoming used to recurring signals.

Comparative analysis of distinct phenotyping methods for assessing wheat resistance and pathogen virulence among Fusarium species causing head blight disease.

Developing disease-resistant crops is a critical strategy for reducing chemical treatments and mitigating plant disease outbreaks, particularly amid global environmental changes. Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by a complex of Fusarium species, is one of the most devastating cereal diseases, leading to significant economic losses and contamination of grain with harmful mycotoxins that threaten global cereal production and human health. The high variability in virulence within the complex of Fusarium spp and the lack of efficient high-throughput screening methods have impeded the development of resistant cultivars and made large-scale virulence testing labor-intensive and time-consuming.

A non-destructive, fast, inexpensive, non-toxic chelating resin-based DNA extraction protocol for insect voucher specimens and associated microbiomes.

Identifying a DNA extraction method that yields high quantity and quality DNA is a crucial component of molecular ecological studies; and the best suited method can vary greatly depending on research priorities. Here, we propose a nondestructive extraction method for insect museum vouchers aimed at analyzing gut-associated microbiomes. The leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus (Kirschbaum) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) associated with the bacterial plant pathogen Flavescence dorée phytoplasma, a member of the genus 'Candidatus Phytoplasma' (Mollicutes: Acholeplasmataceae), was used as an experimental model.

Biochemical and functional properties of vesicles from planktonic and biofilm phenotypes of Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 is among the world's most studied probiotic strains and has been shown to provide several health benefits for the host. We have previously shown that the cell-free supernatant of L. reuteri DSM 17938 possesses antimicrobial activity and contains several bioactive compounds.

The burning glass effect of water droplets triggers a high light-induced calcium response in the chloroplast stroma.

Plants rely on water and light for photosynthesis, but water droplets on leaves can focus light into high-intensity spots, risking photodamage. Excessive light can impair growth or induce cell death, making it essential for plants to detect and respond to light fluctuations. While Ca signaling has been linked to high light (HL) acclimation, the subcellular dynamics remain unclear.

Autophagy in plants.

Autophagy is a process of cellular self-eating, which allows organisms to eliminate and recycle unwanted components and damaged organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. It is an important process in the development of eukaryotic organisms. Autophagy plays a critical role in many physiological processes in plants such as nutrient remobilization, cell death, immunity, and abiotic stress responses.

Four guidelines to identify bona fide protease-substrate pairs.

Plant proteases are an important class of enzymes, with proposed involvement in various aspects of the plant life cycle. However, pinpointing authentic protease-substrate interactions remains challenging, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of the biological function of proteases. Moreover, a structured set of guidelines to validate protease substrates is lacking.

Review: Strategies for limiting dietary cadmium in cereals.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal, which in some production areas reaches levels above allowed limits in cereals. Thus, reducing its concentration in cereals is crucial for mitigating health risks and complying with food safety regulations. This review evaluates strategies to reduce Cd accumulation in cereal grains by mitigating soil Cd contamination and its bioavailability to plants.

Same with less: a method to reduce destructive sampling to estimate nitrogen use efficiency components using allometric relationships in spring wheat ().

Enhancing nitrogen (N) use efficiency is important for a sustainable food production. Measuring shoot biomass and N pool across growth stages is critical to calculate N use efficiency, but relies on slow, costly and destructive sampling. This paper presents a non-destructive allometric approach developed for cereals; in this study, we assessed wheat (Triticum aestivum ) for crop shoot biomass and N pool.

Uncovered diversity of infectious circular RNAs: A new paradigm for the minimal parasites?

Infectious circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been considered as biological oddities only occurring in plants, with limited exceptions. However, a great diversity of viroid-like circRNAs has been recently uncovered by the high-throughput exploration of transcriptomic data of geographically and ecologically diverse niches. In my opinion, this suggests a change in basic assumptions regarding our knowledge about these minimal parasites.

The Soilborne Fungus and Its Interactions with the Brassicaceous Hosts.

, a soilborne fungal species, is the causative agent of Verticillium stripe disease in species and represents a notable threat to agricultural production, particularly in regions where oilseed rape is a major crop, including Europe, North America, and Asia. The microsclerotia of this pathogen can persist in the soil for extended periods, with a potential lifespan of up to a decade, thereby posing a substantial challenge for the complete eradication of the pathogen from infested soil. The genome of is amphidiploid and resulted from the hybridization of (D genotypes) and an unidentified species (A1 genotype).

Sexual selection drives the speciation of lineages with contrasting mating systems.

Repeated shifts in ecological strategies often lead to consistent speciation patterns across phylogenies. One example is the transition from outcrossing to self-fertilization in plants, which generally results in the reproductive isolation of the incipient selfing lineages. However, the evolutionary mechanisms driving their speciation remain poorly understood.

Pan-Genome Analysis Reveals Local Adaptation to Climate Driven by Introgression in Oak Species.

The genetic base of local adaptation has been extensively studied in natural populations. However, a comprehensive genome-wide perspective on the contribution of structural variants (SVs) and adaptive introgression to local adaptation remains limited. In this study, we performed de novo assembly and annotation of 22 representative accessions of Quercus variabilis, identifying a total of 543,372 SVs.

In Vitro Elimination of Highly Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria by the Lactic Acid Bacterial Drug Candidate ILP100.

Introduction: Multidrug resistance (MDR) has been identified in wound bacterial isolates from Ukrainian war victims treated in Ukraine and across Europe. ILP100, a drug candidate for the treatment of skin wounds, is composed of a Limosilactobacillus reuteri expressing human chemokine CXCL12. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of ILP100 were tested on MDR bacteria isolated from wounds of Ukrainian war victims.

Lack of AtMC1 catalytic activity triggers autoimmunity dependent on NLR stability.

Plants utilize cell surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors to detect non-self and elicit robust immune responses. Fine-tuning the homeostasis of these receptors is critical to prevent their hyperactivation. Here, we show that Arabidopsis plants lacking metacaspase 1 (AtMC1) display autoimmunity dependent on immune signalling components downstream of NLR and PRR activation.

SUMO style defense: How post-translational modification via SUMO conjugation promotes plant defense.

SUMOylation is a reversible post-translational modification that contributes to various biological processes in plants. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Zhang et al. show that covalent attachment of SUMO to PROPEP proteins promotes their proteolytic cleavage by metacaspase to release small signaling peptides (plant elictor peptides [PEPs]), triggering the release of the mature peptide in response to cell wall damage.

Therapeutic Value of Lactobacillus gasseri 345A in Chronic Constipation.

Background: Chronic constipation is a prevalent, burdensome gastrointestinal disorder whose etiology and pathophysiology remain poorly understood. Differences in the composition of the intestinal microbiota have been shown between constipated patients and healthy people. Data indicate that these microbial differences contribute to the disorder.