A high-throughput forward genetic screen identifies genes required for virulence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 on Arabidopsis.

Successful pathogenesis requires a number of coordinated processes whose genetic bases remain to be fully characterized. We utilized a high-throughput, liquid media-based assay to screen transposon disruptants of the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 to identify genes required for virulence on Arabidopsis.

Functional alteration of PARL contributes to mitochondrial dysregulation in Parkinson's disease.

Molecular genetics has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease by the discovery of rare, inherited mutations in gene products that associate with the mitochondria. Mutations in PTEN-induced kinase-1 (PINK1), which encodes a mitochondrial kinase, and PARKIN, encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase, are the most frequent causes of recessive Parkinson's disease. Recent functional studies have revealed that PINK1 recruits PARKIN to mitochondria to initiate mitophagy, an important autophagic quality control mechanism that rids the cell of damaged mitochondria.