The blast pathogen effector AVR-Pik binds and stabilizes rice heavy metal-associated (HMA) proteins to co-opt their function in immunity.

Intracellular nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing (NLR) receptors play crucial roles in immunity across multiple domains of life. In plants, a subset of NLRs contain noncanonical integrated domains that are thought to have evolved from host targets of pathogen effectors to serve as pathogen baits. However, the functions of host proteins with similarity to NLR integrated domains and the extent to which they are targeted by pathogen effectors remain largely unknown.

A disease resistance protein triggers oligomerization of its NLR helper into a hexameric resistosome to mediate innate immunity.

NRCs are essential helper NLR (nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat) proteins that execute immune responses triggered by sensor NLRs. The resting state of NbNRC2 was recently shown to be a homodimer, but the sensor-activated state remains unclear. Using cryo-EM, we determined the structure of sensor-activated NbNRC2, which forms a hexameric inflammasome-like resistosome.

Factors influencing adherence to Physical Exercise in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review focusing on Exercise over General Physical Activity.

Background: While the barriers and facilitators of physical activity adherence are well-defined, there is a limited number of studies focusing specifically on exercise adherence, which is crucial to identify in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) due to its known disease-modifying effect.

Objective: To investigate the factors affecting adherence to physical exercise in MS patients.

Methods: Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases up to the current date.

Activation of plant immunity through conversion of a helper NLR homodimer into a resistosome.

Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins can engage in complex interactions to detect pathogens and execute a robust immune response via downstream helper NLRs. However, the biochemical mechanisms of helper NLR activation by upstream sensor NLRs remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the coiled-coil helper NLR NRC2 from Nicotiana benthamiana accumulates in vivo as a homodimer that converts into a higher-order oligomer upon activation by its upstream virus disease resistance protein Rx.

A pathogen effector co-opts a host RabGAP protein to remodel pathogen interface and subvert defense-related secretion.

Pathogens have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate host cell membrane dynamics, a crucial adaptation to survive in hostile environments shaped by innate immune responses. Plant-derived membrane interfaces, engulfing invasive hyphal projections of fungal and oomycete pathogens, are prominent junctures dictating infection outcomes. Understanding how pathogens transform these host-pathogen interfaces to their advantage remains a key biological question.

Reduction of Phytophthora palmivora plant root infection in weak electric fields.

The global food security crisis is partly caused by significant crop losses due to pests and pathogens, leading to economic burdens. Phytophthora palmivora, an oomycete pathogen, affects many plantation crops and costs over USD 1 billion each year. Unfortunately, there is currently no prevention plan in place, highlighting the urgent need for an effective solution.

Guidelines for naming and studying plasma membrane domains in plants.

Biological membranes play a crucial role in actively hosting, modulating and coordinating a wide range of molecular events essential for cellular function. Membranes are organized into diverse domains giving rise to dynamic molecular patchworks. However, the very definition of membrane domains has been the subject of continuous debate.

Effective degradation of bentazone by two-dimensional and three-phase, three-dimensional electro-oxidation system: kinetic studies and optimization using ANN.

Bentazone is a broad-leaved weed-specific herbicide in the pesticide industry. This study focused on removing bentazone from water using three different methods: a two and three-dimensional electro-oxidation process (2D/EOP and 3D/EOP) with a fluid-type reactor arrangement using tetraethylenepentamine-loaded particle electrodes and an adsorption method. Additionally, we analysed the effects of two types of supporting electrolytes  (NaSO and NaCl) on the degradation process.

Leveraging machine learning to unravel the impact of cadmium stress on goji berry micropropagation.

This study investigates the influence of cadmium (Cd) stress on the micropropagation of Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum L.) across three distinct genotypes (ERU, NQ1, NQ7), employing an array of machine learning (ML) algorithms, including Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), Gaussian Process (GP), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). The primary motivation is to elucidate genotype-specific responses to Cd stress, which poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity and food safety due to its toxicity.

Plant-on-a-chip: continuous, soilless electrochemical monitoring of salt uptake and tolerance among different genotypes of tomato.

Tomatoes (), a high-value crop, exhibit a unique relationship with salt, where increased levels of NaCl can enhance flavor, aroma and nutritional quality but can cause oxidative damage and reduce yields. A drive for larger, better-looking tomatoes has reduced the importance of salt sensitivity, a concern considering that the sodium content of agricultural land is increasing over time. Currently, there are no simple ways of comparing salt tolerance between plants, where a holistic approach looking at [Na] throughout the plant typically involves destructive, single time point measurements or expensive imaging techniques.

A RabGAP negatively regulates plant autophagy and immune trafficking.

Plants rely on autophagy and membrane trafficking to tolerate stress, combat infections, and maintain cellular homeostasis. However, the molecular interplay between autophagy and membrane trafficking is poorly understood. Using an AI-assisted approach, we identified Rab3GAP-like (Rab3GAPL) as a key membrane trafficking node that controls plant autophagy negatively.

Interferons dominate damage and activity in juvenile scleroderma.

Objectives: Juvenile scleroderma is a heterogeneous group of diseases associated with sclerotic skin lesions, grouped as juvenile systemic sclerosis and juvenile localized scleroderma. This study aims to measure the cytokine and chemokine levels involved in interferon (IFN) signalling in patients with juvenile scleroderma and determine their correlation with disease severity.

Methods: Twenty-nine juvenile localized scleroderma, five juvenile systemic sclerosis, and nine healthy controls were included in the study.

Tricuspid repair: short and long-term results of suture annuloplasty techniques and rigid and flexible ring annuloplasty techniques.

Background: Functional tricuspid regurgitation may arise from left heart valve diseases or other factors. If not addressed concurrently with primary surgical intervention, it may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality rates during the postoperative period. This study investigates the impact of various repair techniques on crucial factors such as systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP), tricuspid valve regurgitation, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional capacity class in the postoperative period.

Parallel, Continuous Monitoring and Quantification of Programmed Cell Death in Plant Tissue.

Accurate quantification of hypersensitive response (HR) programmed cell death is imperative for understanding plant defense mechanisms and developing disease-resistant crop varieties. Here, a phenotyping platform for rapid, continuous-time, and quantitative assessment of HR is demonstrated: Parallel Automated Spectroscopy Tool for Electrolyte Leakage (PASTEL). Compared to traditional HR assays, PASTEL significantly improves temporal resolution and has high sensitivity, facilitating detection of microscopic levels of cell death.

Border Control: Manipulation of the Host-Pathogen Interface by Perihaustorial Oomycete Effectors.

Filamentous plant pathogens, including fungi and oomycetes, cause some of the most devastating plant diseases. These organisms serve as ideal models for understanding the intricate molecular interplay between plants and the invading pathogens. Filamentous pathogens secrete effector proteins via haustoria, specialized structures for infection and nutrient uptake, to suppress the plant immune response and to reprogram plant metabolism.

Enhanced germination and electrotactic behaviour ofzoospores in weak electric fields.

Soil-dwelling microorganisms use a variety of chemical and physical signals to navigate their environment. Plant roots produce endogenous electric fields which result in characteristic current profiles. Such electrical signatures are hypothesised to be used by pathogens and symbionts to track and colonise plant roots.

Disrupted epithelial permeability as a predictor of severe COVID-19 development.

Background: An impaired epithelial barrier integrity in the gastrointestinal tract is important to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. Accordingly, we assessed the potential of biomarkers of epithelial barrier dysfunction as predictive of severe COVID-19.

Methods: Levels of bacterial DNA and zonulin family peptides (ZFP) as markers of bacterial translocation and intestinal permeability and a total of 180 immune and inflammatory proteins were analyzed from the sera of 328 COVID-19 patients and 49 healthy controls.

Traffic Control: Subversion of Plant Membrane Trafficking by Pathogens.

Membrane trafficking pathways play a prominent role in plant immunity. The endomembrane transport system coordinates membrane-bound cellular organelles to ensure that immunological components are utilized effectively during pathogen resistance. Adapted pathogens and pests have evolved to interfere with aspects of membrane transport systems to subvert plant immunity.

The wheels of destruction: Plant NLR immune receptors are mobile and structurally dynamic disease resistance proteins.

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins are intracellular immune receptors that restrict plant invasion by pathogens. Most NLRs operate in intricate networks to detect pathogen effectors in a robust and efficient manner. NLRs are not static sensors; rather, they exhibit remarkable mobility and structural plasticity during the innate immune response.

Resurrection of plant disease resistance proteins via helper NLR bioengineering.

Parasites counteract host immunity by suppressing helper nucleotide binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins that function as central nodes in immune receptor networks. Understanding the mechanisms of immunosuppression can lead to strategies for bioengineering disease resistance. Here, we show that a cyst nematode virulence effector binds and inhibits oligomerization of the helper NLR protein NRC2 by physically preventing intramolecular rearrangements required for activation.

Continuous monitoring of chemical signals in plants under stress.

Time is an often-neglected variable in biological research. Plants respond to biotic and abiotic stressors with a range of chemical signals, but as plants are non-equilibrium systems, single-point measurements often cannot provide sufficient temporal resolution to capture these time-dependent signals. In this article, we critically review the advances in continuous monitoring of chemical signals in living plants under stress.