Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jemal Ali, Manda Yu, Li-Kang Sung, Yee-Wai Cheung, Erh-Min Lai
Summary: A study reveals that the GxxxG motif in bacteria can disrupt the target cell membrane, allowing the delivery of toxic effectors. This finding contributes to a better understanding of the attack mechanism of Type VI secretion systems.
Article
Microbiology
Sophie A. Howard, R. Christopher D. Furniss, Dora Bonini, Himani Amin, Patricia Paracuellos, David Zlotkin, Tiago R. D. Costa, Asaf Levy, Despoina A. I. Mavridou, Alain Filloux
Summary: The T6SS is a bacterial nanoscale weapon that delivers toxins into prey and plays a key role in the arms race between organisms. By using Hcp as bait, researchers identified uncharacterized toxins and investigated the role of Hcp in the T6SS mechanism.
Article
Plant Sciences
Antonio Calabuig-Serna, Ricardo Mir, Rosa Porcel, Jose M. Segui-Simarro
Summary: Brassica napus is a species of high agronomic interest commonly used for studying various processes, including microspore embryogenesis. DH4079 and DH12075 lines, with high and low embryogenic response respectively, are ideal for investigating the mechanisms controlling embryogenesis induction. This study examined the genetic transformation ability of DH4079 plants and compared it with the already studied DH12075 plants. Results showed that DH12075 plants responded to genetic transformation, while DH4079 plants remained recalcitrant, failing to produce any regenerant. The study also tested transient transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes, where only DH12075 showed a response. These findings indicate that DH4079 is recalcitrant to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.
Article
Microbiology
Nathaly Andrea Montenegro Benavides, Alejandro Alvarez B, Mario L. Arrieta-Ortiz, Luis Miguel Rodriguez-R, David Botero, Javier Felipe Tabima, Luisa Castiblanco, Cesar Trujillo, Silvia Restrepo, Adriana Bernal
Summary: This study analyzed the evolution of the T6SS in the genus Xanthomonas and evaluated its importance for virulence in Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis. Results showed that certain proteins are required for maximal aggressiveness and motility in Xpm, suggesting the importance of the T6SS for adaptation of Xanthomonas to their hosts. Overall, the T6SS of Xpm was found to significantly contribute to virulence and motility in this study.
Article
Microbiology
Si-Chong Wang, Ai-Ping Chen, Shu-Jen Chou, Chih-Horng Kuo, Erh-Min Lai
Summary: The T6SS is used by proteobacteria to secrete effector proteins and influence bacterial competition or pathogenesis. In this study, the researchers demonstrated that the T6SS affects disease occurrence and the composition of the microbial community in crown galls.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Holger Spiegel, Greta Noelke, Harry Thangaraj, Stefan Schillberg
Summary: Recombinant expression using Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation (ATT) is a robust and versatile method for rapid protein production in plants. Plants have the ability to efficiently synthesize complex folded proteins with post-translational modifications, making them superior to microbial expression hosts. ATT requires lower skills and equipment compared to mammalian cell cultures, making it suitable for research and development purposes. However, the technology is not widely used outside the plant research community. The design of an ATT kit for educational and commercial purposes faces challenges related to regulatory and legal aspects.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Meiqiu Xu, Qidi Zhang, Solairaj Dhanasekaran, Esa Abiso Godana, Xiaoyun Zhang, Qiya Yang, Lina Zhao, Hongyin Zhang
Summary: This study confirms the crucial role of the necrosis-inducing protein (NIP) in the growth, hyphal production, and pathogenicity of P. expansum in pears.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alireza Abbasi, Meysam Malekpour, Sajjad Sobhanverdi
Summary: The study found that the AtEXPA18 gene can improve plant growth and morphological traits under drought stress in transgenic tobacco plants, as well as increase cytokinin content. The expansion of transgenic cells was notably higher compared to non-transgenic cells.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nisit Watthanasakphuban, Luan Van Nguyen, Yu-Shen Cheng, Pau-Loke Show, Malinee Sriariyanun, Mattheos Koffas, Kittipong Rattanaporn
Summary: The Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system is a fast and efficient method for expressing recombinant proteins in plants. However, the high cost of Agrobacterium suspension production limits its application on an industrial scale. This study found that using sugarcane molasses as a low-cost carbon and nitrogen source can significantly reduce the production cost, without the need for antibiotic supplementation.
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mark Reglinski, Laura Monlezun, Sarah J. Coulthurst
Summary: In this study, a novel accessory component required for optimal T6SS activity in Serratia marcescens, called TagV, was identified. TagV promotes T6SS firing by binding to peptidoglycan, in contrast to TssJ. Homologues of tagV were found in other bacterial genera, suggesting that the accessory function of TagV is not specific to S. marcescens.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Manda Yu, Yi-Chieh Wang, Ching-Jou Huang, Lay-Sun Ma, Erh-Min Lai
Summary: The T6SS in Agrobacterium tumefaciens can enhance antibacterial activity under carbon starvation or disrupted peptidoglycan in recipient cells. The Tae effector provides a growth advantage based on the target cell's growth status, while the Tde effector dominates during carbon starvation. Combining Tae and other effectors could increase competitiveness in changing environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Isobel Dodds, Changlong Chen, Pierre Buscaill, Renier A. L. van Der Hoorn
Summary: Nicotiana benthamiana is increasingly used for transient gene expression but the expression is low in fully developed plants. The perception of cold shock protein (CSP) is thought to be the cause. This study demonstrates that silencing NbCORE in older plants increases GFP fluorescence and protein production, allowing for more efficient protein expression.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Monica Prias-Blanco, Timothy M. Chappell, Emily F. Freed, Eudald Illa-Berenguer, Carrie A. Eckert, Wayne A. Parrott
Summary: Auxotrophic strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens play an important role in the development of efficient transformation systems, especially for crops that are historically difficult to transform. The use of auxotrophic strains reduces bacterial overgrowth and the need for antibiotics.
TRANSGENIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joel S. Bloch, Alan John, Runyu Mao, Somnath Mukherjee, Jeremy Boilevin, Rossitza N. Irobalieva, Tamis Darbre, Nichollas E. Scott, Jean-Louis Reymond, Anthony A. Kossiakoff, Ethan D. Goddard-Borger, Kaspar P. Locher
Summary: C-linked glycosylation is essential for the trafficking, folding, and function of secretory and transmembrane proteins involved in cellular communication processes. Cryogenic-electron microscopy structures of Caenorhabditis elegans CMT reveal how the CMT recognizes the glycosylation sequon and triggers conformational activation of the donor substrate, enabling C-glycosylation of proteins. These findings have implications for understanding human diseases and potential therapeutic targeting of specific CMT paralogs.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoyun Zhang, Jochen Spiegel, Sergio Martinez Cuesta, Santosh Adhikari, Shankar Balasubramanian
Summary: The CMPP strategy allows for the investigation of DNA G-quadruplex (G4) interactions with proteins in native chromatin. This approach enables the identification of G4-interacting proteins in live cells, providing a chemical strategy to study molecular interactions in cellular chromatin.
Article
Microbiology
Philip Moeller, Philip Busch, Beate Sauerbrei, Alexander Kraus, Konrad U. Foerstner, Tuan-Nan Wen, Aaron Overloeper, Erh-Min Lai, Franz Narberhaus
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chih-Feng Wu, Mary Nia M. Santos, Shu-Ting Cho, Hsing-Hua Chang, Yi-Ming Tsai, Delaney A. Smith, Chih-Horng Kuo, Jeff H. Chang, Erh-Min Lai
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chih-Feng Wu, Yun-Wei Lien, Devanand Bondage, Jer-Sheng Lin, Martin Pilhofer, Yu-Ling Shih, Jeff H. Chang, Erh-Min Lai
Article
Microbiology
Hsiao-Han Lin, Manda Yu, Manoj Kumar Sriramoju, Shang-Te Danny Hsu, Chi-Te Liu, Erh-Min Lai
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Mary Nia M. Santos, Shu-Ting Cho, Chih-Feng Wu, Chun-Ju Chang, Chih-Horng Kuo, Erh-Min Lai
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Sarah Wettstadt, Erh-Min Lai, Alain Filloux
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Chih-Feng Wu, Alexandra J. Weisberg, Edward W. Davis, Lin Chou, Surtaz Khan, Erh-Min Lai, Chih-Horng Kuo, Jeff H. Chang
Summary: The T6SS is used by many Gram-negative bacteria for interbacterial competition, with diverse strains of agrobacteria showing different patterns of T6SS expression and enrichment in specific sets of T6SS loci. Diversification is driven by the reshuffling of entire loci and fragments, but constrained by the maintenance of specific gene subtypes.
Article
Microbiology
Cuong Hoang, Chibbhi K. Bhaskar, Lay-Sun Ma
Summary: The study identified the vp1 gene of Ustilago maydis as an important regulator of fungal pathogenicity and colonization in maize. Through various methods, Vp1 was characterized, revealing its crucial role in virulence promotion. The study also demonstrated that Vp1 orthologs from related smut fungi failed to complement the virulence function of U. maydis Vp1, hinting at a specialized function acquired through sequence divergence.
Article
Biology
Lin Chou, Yu-Chen Lin, Mindia Haryono, Mary Nia M. Santos, Shu-Ting Cho, Alexandra J. Weisberg, Chih-Feng Wu, Jeff H. Chang, Erh-Min Lai, Chih-Horng Kuo
Summary: This study focused on the Agrobacterium tumefaciens species complex, revealing its genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns. The research demonstrated that a phylogeny-guided sampling scheme combined with high-quality assemblies is a cost-effective approach for evolutionary genomics analysis. Additionally, the study identified novel diversity in key genes related to pathogenicity and interbacterial competition, providing insights into the evolution of species complexes.
Article
Microbiology
Lay-Sun Ma, Wei-Lun Tsai, Florensia Ariani Damei, Raviraj M. Kalunke, Meng-Yun Xu, Yu-Han Lin, Hui-Chun Lee
Summary: Maize secretory protein AFP1 inhibits the growth and germination of the biotrophic fungus U. maydis by binding to its surface and interfering with enzyme activity of chitin deacetylases. AFP1 also exhibits inhibitory activity against S. cerevisiae by interacting with cell surface glycoproteins.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yu-Han Lin, Meng-Yun Xu, Chuan-Chih Hsu, Florensia Ariani Damei, Hui-Chun Lee, Wei-Lun Tsai, Cuong V. Hoang, Yin-Ru Chiang, Lay-Sun Ma
Summary: This study reveals the role of fungal PR-1-like proteins in countering plant defense, and how Ustilago maydis utilizes plant proteases to promote fungal virulence.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Manda Yu, Yi-Chieh Wang, Ching-Jou Huang, Lay-Sun Ma, Erh-Min Lai
Summary: The T6SS in Agrobacterium tumefaciens can enhance antibacterial activity under carbon starvation or disrupted peptidoglycan in recipient cells. The Tae effector provides a growth advantage based on the target cell's growth status, while the Tde effector dominates during carbon starvation. Combining Tae and other effectors could increase competitiveness in changing environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Hsiao-Han Lin, Alain Filloux, Erh-Min Lai
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
C. F. Chien, E. M. Lai
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2019)
Article
Biology
Hsiao-Han Lin, Erh-Min Lai