Hop stunt viroid infection induces heterochromatin reorganization.

Viroids are pathogenic noncoding RNAs that completely rely on their host molecular machinery to accomplish their life cycle. Several interactions between viroids and their host molecular machinery have been identified, including interference with epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Despite this, whether viroids influence changes in other epigenetic marks such as histone modifications remained unknown.

Rice rhizobiome engineering for climate change mitigation.

The year 2023 was the warmest year since 1850. Greenhouse gases, including CO and methane, played a significant role in increasing global warming. Among these gases, methane has a 25-fold greater impact on global warming than CO.

Is There Evidence to Support Probiotic Use for Healthy People?

Probiotics are typically marketed as foods and dietary supplements, categories for products intended to maintain health in generally healthy populations and which, unlike drugs, cannot claim to treat or cure disease. This review addresses the existing evidence that probiotics are beneficial to healthy people. Our approach was to perform a descriptive review of efficacy evidence that probiotics can prevent urinary, vaginal, gastrointestinal, and respiratory infections, and improve risk factors associated with cardiovascular health or reduce antibiotic use.

Epigenetic and transcriptional consequences in the endosperm of chemically induced transposon mobilization in Arabidopsis.

Genomic imprinting, an epigenetic phenomenon leading to parent-of-origin-specific gene expression, has independently evolved in the endosperm of flowering plants and the placenta of mammals-tissues crucial for nurturing embryos. While transposable elements (TEs) frequently colocalize with imprinted genes and are implicated in imprinting establishment, direct investigations of the impact of de novo TE transposition on genomic imprinting remain scarce. In this study, we explored the effects of chemically induced transposition of the Copia element ONSEN on genomic imprinting in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ProEnd: A Comprehensive Database for Identifying HbYX Motif-Containing Proteins Across the Tree of Life.

The proteasome plays a crucial role in cellular homeostasis by degrading misfolded, damaged, or unnecessary proteins. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of proteasome activity is vital, particularly the interaction with activators containing the hydrophobic-tyrosine-any amino acid (HbYX) motif. Here, we present ProEnd, a comprehensive database designed to identify and catalog HbYX motif-containing proteins across the tree of life.

subsp. BG-L47 boosts growth and activity of DSM 17938 and its extracellular membrane vesicles.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to identify a strain that improves the performance of DSM 17938. Initial tests showed that subsp. strains boosted the growth of DSM 17938 during like conditions.

RoPod, a customizable toolkit for non-invasive root imaging, reveals cell type-specific dynamics of plant autophagy.

Arabidopsis root is a classic model system in plant cell and molecular biology. The sensitivity of plant roots to local environmental perturbation challenges data reproducibility and incentivizes further optimization of imaging and phenotyping tools. Here we present RoPod, an easy-to-use toolkit for low-stress live time-lapse imaging of Arabidopsis roots.

Parental conflict driven regulation of endosperm cellularization by a family of Auxin Response Factors.

The endosperm is a reproductive tissue supporting embryo development. In most flowering plants, the initial divisions of endosperm nuclei are not succeeded by cellularization; this process occurs only after a specific number of mitotic cycles have taken place. The timing of cellularization significantly influences seed viability and size.

Protein Detection and Localization in Plant Cells Using Spot-Tagging.

Fluorescent labelling of proteins enables the determination of their spatiotemporal localization but, sometimes, it can perturb their activity, native localization, and functionality. Spot-tag is a12-amino acid peptide recognized by a single-domain nanobody and could potentially resolve the issues associated with large fluorescence tags due to its small size. Here, using as an example the microtubule motor CENTROMERIC PROTEIN E-RELATED KINESIN 7.

Convergence and molecular evolution of floral fragrance after independent transitions to self-fertilization.

Studying the independent evolution of similar traits provides valuable insights into the ecological and genetic factors driving phenotypic evolution. The transition from outcrossing to self-fertilization is common in plant evolution and is often associated with a reduction in floral attractive features such as display size, chemical signals, and pollinator rewards. These changes are believed to result from the reallocation of the resources used for building attractive flowers, as the need to attract pollinators decreases.

Leveraging existing 16S rRNA gene surveys to decipher microbial signatures and dysbiosis in cervical carcinogenesis.

The presence of dysbiotic cervicovaginal microbiota has been observed to be linked to the persistent development of cervical carcinogenesis mediated by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Nevertheless, the characteristics of the cervical microbiome in individuals diagnosed with cervical cancer (CC) are still not well understood. Comprehensive analysis was conducted by re-analyzing the cervical 16S rRNA sequencing datasets of a total of 507 samples from six previously published studies.

Nitrate transporter protein NPF5.12 and major latex-like protein MLP6 are important defense factors against Verticillium longisporum.

Plant defense responses to the soil-borne fungus Verticillium longisporum causing stem stripe disease on oilseed rape (Brassica napus) are poorly understood. In this study, a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) using the Arabidopsis accessions Sei-0 and Can-0 was established. Composite interval mapping, transcriptome data, and T-DNA mutant screening identified the NITRATE/PEPTIDE TRANSPORTER FAMILY 5.

Flowering plant reproduction.

Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, emerged approximately 150 to 200 million years ago. Since then, they have undergone rapid and extensive expansion, now encompassing around 90% of all land plant species. The remarkable diversification of this group has been a subject of in-depth investigations, and several evolutionary innovations have been proposed to account for their success.

SARS-CoV-2 remodels the landscape of small non-coding RNAs with infection time and symptom severity.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has significantly impacted global health, stressing the necessity of basic understanding of the host response to this viral infection. In this study, we investigated how SARS-CoV-2 remodels the landscape of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) from a large collection of nasopharyngeal swab samples taken at various time points from patients with distinct symptom severity. High-throughput RNA sequencing analysis revealed a global alteration of the sncRNA landscape, with abundance peaks related to species of 21-23 and 32-33 nucleotides.

An Overview of Mycorrhiza in Pines: Research, Species, and Applications.

In the latest literature, climate models show that the conditions for pines, spruces, larches, and birches will deteriorate significantly. In Poland, as well as in other European countries, there are already signs of the decline of these species. This review article deals with the symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants, which can hardly be overestimated, using the example of pine trees.

The super-pangenome of Populus unveils genomic facets for its adaptation and diversification in widespread forest trees.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms and links between genome evolution and adaptive innovations stands as a key goal in evolutionary studies. Poplars, among the world's most widely distributed and cultivated trees, exhibit extensive phenotypic diversity and environmental adaptability. In this study, we present a genus-level super-pangenome comprising 19 Populus genomes, revealing the likely pivotal role of private genes in facilitating local environmental and climate adaptation.

Fungal Communities Associated with Siricid Wood Wasps: Focus on , , and .

We investigated the diversity and occurrence of wood wasps in Lithuania and determined communities of associated fungi. Trapping of wood wasps resulted in three different species, including , , and . Fungal culturing from adult females of mainly resulted in fungi from the genera and .

Long-term Dynamics of Fungal Communities Inhabiting Decaying Stumps of Quercus robur.

We studied the diversity, composition, and long-term dynamics of wood-inhabiting fungi in Quercus robur stumps left after commercial tree harvesting in Lithuania. Sampling of wood was carried out at three sites and from stumps, which were 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-year-old. DNA was isolated from wood samples and fungal communities analyzed using high-throughput sequencing.

SPIRO - the automated Petri plate imaging platform designed by biologists, for biologists.

Phenotyping of model organisms grown on Petri plates is often carried out manually, despite the procedures being time-consuming and laborious. The main reason for this is the limited availability of automated phenotyping facilities, whereas constructing a custom automated solution can be a daunting task for biologists. Here, we describe SPIRO, the Smart Plate Imaging Robot, an automated platform that acquires time-lapse photographs of up to four vertically oriented Petri plates in a single experiment, corresponding to 192 seedlings for a typical root growth assay and up to 2500 seeds for a germination assay.

Polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale improve obesity-induced insulin resistance through the gut microbiota and the SOCS3-mediated insulin receptor substrate-1 signaling pathway.

Background: Obesity induces insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, impacting human health. The relationship between obesity, gut microbiota, and regulatory mechanisms has been studied extensively. Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, potentially reduces insulin resistance.

Genomic, phenotypic, and clinical safety of Limosilactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 4659.

Evaluating the safety of probiotic microorganisms is an important part of the development of probiotic products. In this study, we have performed a systematic safety assessment of Limosilactobacillus reuteri American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) PTA 4659 based on genome analysis, antibiotic susceptibility testing, phenotypic characterization, and a human clinical safety study. Genome sequence analysis showed that the strain is free from virulence and antibiotic resistance genes.

A proxitome-RNA-capture approach reveals that processing bodies repress coregulated hub genes.

Cellular condensates are usually ribonucleoprotein assemblies with liquid- or solid-like properties. Because these subcellular structures lack a delineating membrane, determining their compositions is difficult. Here we describe a proximity-biotinylation approach for capturing the RNAs of the condensates known as processing bodies (PBs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).

Calmodulin regulates protease versus co-chaperone activity of a metacaspase.

Metacaspases are ancestral homologs of caspases that can either promote cell death or confer cytoprotection. Furthermore, yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) metacaspase Mca1 possesses dual biochemical activity: proteolytic activity causing cell death and cytoprotective, co-chaperone-like activity retarding replicative aging. The molecular mechanism favoring one activity of Mca1 over another remains elusive.