Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroki Irieda, Yoshitaka Takano
Summary: This study reveals the defense-related role of atypical small chloroplasts in plant leaves against fungal invasion, by positioning immune components to achieve antifungal nonhost resistance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhiyuan Ji, Wei Guo, Xifeng Chen, Chunlian Wang, Kaijun Zhao
Summary: Executor (E) genes are a new type of plant resistance genes that activate expression and trigger hypersensitive response (HR) in plants by trapping TALEs released by pathogens. Utilizing E gene resistance plays a significant role in disease resistance breeding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Isabel M. L. Saur, Ralph Panstruga, Paul Schulze-Lefert
Summary: The immune systems of animals and plants use NLRs to detect pathogens, leading to immune responses and cell death. Plant NLRs recognize diversified virulence factors, triggering the formation of active complexes. The activation of NLRs in plants and animals follows a common principle with different modes of recognition and immune signaling pathways.
NATURE REVIEWS IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hailun Liu, Yuge Li, Yilong Hu, Yuhua Yang, Wenbin Zhang, Ming He, Xiaoming Li, Chunyu Zhang, Fanjiang Kong, Xu Liu, Xingliang Hou
Summary: EIJ1 acts as a negative regulator of plant immunity by interacting with EDS1 and inhibiting pathogen-triggered trafficking of EDS1 to the nucleus. As disease progresses, EIJ1 is degraded, allowing EDS1 to accumulate in the nucleus for enhanced resistance. The avirulent strain Pst DC3000 (AvrRps4) induces rapid degradation of EIJ1 to abolish its repressive effect during effector-triggered immunity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuankun Yang, Christina E. Steidele, Clemens Roessner, Birgit Loeffelhardt, Dagmar Kolb, Thomas Leisen, Weiguo Zhang, Christina Ludwig, Georg Felix, Michael F. Seidl, Annette Becker, Thorsten Nuernberger, Matthias Hahn, Bertolt Gust, Harald Gross, Ralph Hueckelhoven, Andrea A. Gust
Summary: Plants have evolved pattern-recognition receptors to perceive pathogens. Small cysteine-rich proteins are important immune targets that led to convergent evolution of distinct immune receptors in plants.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Li-Hung Chen, Stjepan K. Kracun, Karen S. Nissen, Jozef Mravec, Bodil Jorgensen, John Labavitch, Ioannis Stergiopoulos
Summary: Gene duplication in the Avr4 effector family led to the emergence of a new paralog, Avr4-2, which interacts with pectin in plant cell walls, disrupting Ca2+-mediated cross-linking and weakening the plant cell wall structure. This enhances the activity of pathogen secreted endo-polygalacturonases.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ryotaro Oyama, Harumichi Ishigame, Hiroki Tanaka, Naho Tateshita, Moeko Itazawa, Ryosuke Imai, Naomasa Nishiumi, Jun-ichi Kishikawa, Takayuki Kato, Jessica Anindita, Yoshifumi Nishikawa, Masatoshi Maeki, Manabu Tokeshi, Kota Tange, Yuta Nakai, Yu Sakurai, Takaharu Okada, Hidetaka Akita
Summary: RNA vaccines based on lipid nanoparticles with enhanced capability for inducing cellular immunity have shown promising results in both tumor models and infection models. In this study, an ionizable lipid with a vitamin E scaffold was used to develop RNA vaccines that successfully induced antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell responses and conferred protection against lethal infection. Additionally, conventional dendritic cells were found to be essential for the induction of CD8(+) T cell responses.
Review
Cell Biology
Taiane N. Souza, Alessandro F. Valdez, Juliana Rizzo, Daniel Zamith-Miranda, Allan Jefferson Guimaraes, Joshua D. Nosanchuk, Leonardo Nimrichter
Summary: Lipid microdomains are ordered regions of the plasma membrane enriched in specific components, playing important roles in host-pathogen interactions. Fungi interfere with infection outcomes by disrupting the dynamics of host cell membrane microdomains. Pathogenic fungi exploit lipid microdomains to invade and survive in host cells.
CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Marcello Iriti, Sara Vitalini
Summary: Innate immunity is a common trait in animals and plants, with plants also having a complex defense system against pests and pathogens. There is growing interest in using environmentally friendly inducers to stimulate plant immune systems, which can benefit consumer health and environmental protection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Minhang Yuan, Zeyu Jiang, Guozhi Bi, Kinya Nomura, Menghui Liu, Yiping Wang, Boying Cai, Jian-Min Zhou, Sheng Yang He, Xiu-Fang Xin
Summary: The plant immune system consists of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), which are activated by different mechanisms and involve distinct signaling cascades. PTI is triggered by microbial patterns via cell surface receptors, while ETI is activated by pathogen effector proteins via intracellular receptors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xinhang Zheng, Anfei Fang, Shanshan Qiu, Guosheng Zhao, Jiyang Wang, Shanzhi Wang, Junjun Wei, Han Gao, Jiyun Yang, Baohui Mou, Fuhao Cui, Jie Zhang, Jun Liu, Wenxian Sun
Summary: The small secreted cysteine-rich effector 6 in Ustilaginoidea virens is a novel MAP kinase tyrosine phosphatase that suppresses rice immunity by interacting with and dephosphorylating OsMPK6, leading to enhanced pathogen infection. This study reveals a previously unidentified fungal infection strategy.
Review
Plant Sciences
Lila Cadiou, Francois Brunisholz, Stella Cesari, Thomas Kroj
Summary: The specific recognition of pathogen effectors by NLRs is crucial for plant immunity, and creating NLRs with new recognition specificities can greatly enhance crop resistance against diseases. Recent breakthroughs in the structure and molecular activity of NLRs have allowed for structure-guided modifications to extend or change effector recognition specificities. These findings hold great promise for the development of customized NLRs in molecular plant pathology.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Zhiyuan You, Hongbo Chi
Summary: Dendritic cells (DCs) are innate immune cells that link innate and adaptive immunity. Lipid metabolism plays a crucial role in regulating DC function, including de novo fatty acid synthesis, fatty acid beta oxidation, lipid storage, and cholesterol efflux. Dysregulation of lipid metabolism can impair DC function in the tumor microenvironment.
IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Matthias Jost, Megan A. Outram, Kathy Dibley, Jianping Zhang, Ming Luo, Michael Ayliffe
Summary: The deployment of disease resistance genes is an economical and environmentally friendly method of crop protection. Polygenic resistance is considered the most durable, but combining and maintaining these genes has been a laborious process. However, the application of resistance transgene stacks (RTGSs) has overcome these difficulties and enhanced resistance durability. Genomic advances have played a key role in the development of RTGS, which has potential applicability in other agricultural crop species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Elizabeth Pacheco Batista Fontes, Ruan Maloni Teixeira, Rosa Lozano-Duran
Summary: Plants have developed multilayered molecular defense strategies to combat pathogens, but some mechanisms may be hidden by the immune-suppressing functions from co-evolving pathogens. Recent studies on begomovirus-host interactions have provided insights into how suppressed plant antiviral mechanisms offer a dynamic view of evolving pressures in the immune system, and the crosstalk between host antiviral defenses and antibacterial immunity.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Imane El Fartassi, Alice E. Milne, Rafiq El Alami, Maryam Rafiqi, Kirsty L. Hassall, Toby W. Waine, Joanna Zawadzka, Alhousseine Diarra, Ron Corstanje
Summary: Farmers face the challenge of increasing production while also improving sustainability and resilience. Understanding key factors influencing farming practices is crucial for determining farmers' adaptive capacity. The study investigated management practices, decision-making factors, and constraints to adoption of strategies for increasing farming resilience. Economic incentives and technical support were found to be necessary to enhance farmers' adaptive capacity in arid and semi-arid regions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Le Tao, Guangyue Yang, Tiantian Sun, Jie Tao, Chan Zhu, Huimin Yu, Yalan Cheng, Zongguo Yang, Mingyi Xu, Yuefeng Jiang, Wei Zhang, Zhiyi Wang, Wenting Ma, Liu Wu, Dongying Xue, Dongxue Wang, Wentao Yang, Yongjuan Zhao, Shane Horsefield, Bostjan Kobe, Zhe Zhang, Zongxiang Tang, Qigen Li, Qiwei Zhai, Steven Dooley, Ekihiro Seki, Ping Liu, Jianrong Xu, Hongzhuan Chen, Cheng Liu
Summary: This study discovered the presence of TRPV1 in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and investigated its function in this cell type and liver fibrosis. TRPV1's expression is associated with liver fibrosis and its antifibrotic properties are attributed to the prevention of HSC activation. This finding could be a potential therapeutic strategy against liver fibrosis.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Junmin Liang, Yuanjie Li, Peter N. Dodds, Melania Figueroa, Jana Sperschneider, Shiling Han, Clement K. M. Tsui, Keyu Zhang, Leifu Li, Zhanhong Ma, Lei Cai
Summary: This study presents a pipeline using HiFi reads and Hi-C data to assemble the genome of the fungal pathogen Puccinia polysora f.sp. zeae, achieving haplotype-phased and chromosome-level assembly. The high-quality assembly provides valuable genomic resources for future studies on disease management and the evolution of P. polysora.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carl L. McCombe, Ann-Maree Catanzariti, Julian R. Greenwood, Anna M. Desai, Megan A. Outram, Daniel S. Yu, Daniel J. Ericsson, Steven E. Brenner, Peter N. Dodds, Bostjan Kobe, David A. Jones, Simon J. Williams
Summary: To infect plants, pathogenic fungi secrete small proteins called effectors. AvrM14 is an Nudix hydrolase effector from the flax rust fungus, and it has been found to have catalytic activity that can impact plant immunity. In vitro assays and in planta expression experiments were conducted to study the enzymatic activity and function of AvrM14.
Article
Plant Sciences
Linhong Teng, Miao Liang, Chenghui Wang, Yan Li, Jonathan M. Urbach, Bostjan Kobe, Qikun Xing, Wentao Han, Naihao Ye
Summary: A study investigated NB-ARC genes in brown algae and provided insights into the domain organization and evolutionary history of the encoded proteins. The results show that brown algae possess an ancient NB-ARC-tetratricopeptide repeat (NB-TPR) domain architecture and have TPRs with distinct origins. The study also reveals that more independent gene gains than losses have occurred during brown algal evolution, and tandem duplication has played a major role in the expansion of NB-ARC genes. These findings enhance our understanding of the evolutionary history and exon shuffling mechanisms of the candidate innate immune repertoire of brown algae.
Review
Plant Sciences
Natsumi Maruta, Mitchell Sorbello, Bryan Y. J. Lim, Helen Y. McGuinness, Yun Shi, Thomas Ve, Bostjan Kobe
Summary: TIR domains are widely present in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes, often associated with immune functions. In plants, they are found in several proteins, including NLRs, NLR-like proteins, and TIR-only proteins. They are also found in effector proteins from phytopathogenic bacteria that suppress host immunity. TIR domains in plants and bacteria act as enzymes, cleaving NAD+ and other nucleotides. In dicot plants, TIR-derived signaling molecules activate downstream immune signaling proteins, EDS1 family proteins, and helper NLRs. Recent research has provided significant insights into the mechanism and signaling pathway of TIR domains.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Helen Y. McGuinness, Weixi Gu, Yun Shi, Bostjan Kobe, Thomas Ve
Summary: Axon degeneration is an early feature of many neurodegenerative disorders and is regulated by the NAD(+) metabolome. The pro-neurodegenerative NADase SARM1 triggers axon destruction, making it a potential therapeutic target. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the molecular players involved in the SARM1-dependent axon degeneration program, as well as how SARM1 is regulated and activated in injured or diseased neurons.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jian Chen, Ming Luo, Phillip Hands, Vivien Rolland, Jianping Zhang, Zhao Li, Megan Outram, Peter Dodds, Michael Ayliffe
Summary: A split GAL4 RUBY assay has been developed to macroscopically visualize protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in plant leaves in real time. This assay involves fusing candidate interacting protein partners to specific domains of transcription factors and transiently expressing them in Nicotiana benthamina leaves. PPIs result in the activation of a RUBY reporter gene and the production of the visually detectable metabolite betalain.
Article
Plant Sciences
Maud Bernoux, Jian Chen, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Kim Newell, Jian Hu, Laurent Deslandes, Peter Dodds
Summary: Recent research has uncovered the activation mechanism of plant intracellular immune receptors, known as NLRs, in triggering immune responses upon pathogen effector recognition. The activation of TNLs induces receptor oligomerization and close proximity of the TIR domain, leading to TIR enzymatic activity. Signaling molecules produced by the TIR domain bind to EDS1 family proteins, which in turn activate downstream NLRs, resulting in immune responses and cell death. Understanding the subcellular localization requirements of TNLs and signaling partners is crucial for comprehending early NLR signaling.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam M. Bayless, Sisi Chen, Sam C. Ogden, Xiaoyan Xu, John D. Sidda, Mohammad K. Manik, Sulin Li, Bostjan Kobe, Thomas Ve, Lijiang Song, Murray Grant, Li Wan, Marc T. Nishimura
Summary: TIR domain proteins play important roles in cell death and immunity. Both plants and bacteria use TIR domains to produce cADPR isomers as potential immune signaling molecules. This study demonstrates the conservation and functional overlap of cADPR isomers produced by plant and prokaryotic TIRs, and clarifies the activation mechanism of the Thoeris system by plant TIRs. The findings highlight the distinct signaling requirements and diversity of small-molecule products generated by TIRs across kingdoms.
Article
Microbiology
Joanna E. Musik, Jessica Poole, Christopher J. Day, Thomas Haselhorst, Freda E. -C. Jen, Thomas Ve, Veronika Masic, Michael P. Jennings, Yaramah M. Zalucki
Summary: This study designed 11 peptides to mimic signal peptides that are inefficiently cleaved by LepB. The binding affinity and inhibitory potential of these peptides against LepB were assessed. It was found that the tryptophan residue in the signal peptide inhibited the cleavage of the peptide by LepB, and replacing this residue with alanine improved the cleavage efficiency.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Mycology
Maryam Rafiqi, Chatchai Kosawang, Jessica A. Peers, Lukas Jelonek, Helene Yvanne, Mark McMullan, Lene R. Nielsen
Summary: Tree diseases pose a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Discovery of pathogens in natural habitats is crucial for understanding and managing these diseases. Ash dieback, caused by the non-native fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is a major concern for common ash trees in Europe. This study identifies the pathogenic potential of three related Hymenoscyphus species and emphasizes the importance of pathogen surveillance in environmental landscapes. The results highlight the need for identifying new pathogens and including them in screening for disease management and the long-term survival of ash trees in Europe.