The miR172a-SNB module orchestrates both induced and adult-plant resistance to multiple diseases via MYB30-mediated lignin accumulation in rice.

Plants mount induced resistance and adult-plant resistance against different pathogens throughout the whole growth period. Rice production faces threats from multiple major diseases, including rice blast, sheath blight, and bacterial leaf blight. Here, we report that the miR172a-SNB-MYB30 module regulates both induced and adult-plant resistance to these three major diseases via lignification in rice.

Pyrene-Alkyne-Based Conjugated Porous Polymers with Skeleton Distortion-Mediated ⋅O and O Generation for High-Selectivity Organic Photosynthesis.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in determining photocatalytic reaction pathways, intermediate species, and product selectivity. However, research on ROS regulation in polymer photocatalysts is still in its early stages. Herein, we successfully achieved series of modulations to the skeleton of Pyrene-alkyne-based (Tetraethynylpyrene (TEPY)) conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) by altering the linkers (1,4-dibromobenzene (BE), 4,4'-dibromobiphenyl (IP), and 3,3'-dibromobiphenyl (BP)).

Rice false smut virulence protein subverts host chitin perception and signaling at lemma and palea for floral infection.

The flower-infecting fungus Ustilaginoidea virens causes rice false smut, which is a severe emerging disease threatening rice (Oryza sativa) production worldwide. False smut not only reduces yield, but more importantly produces toxins on grains, posing a great threat to food safety. U.

Identification of NADPH Oxidase Genes Crucial for Rice Multiple Disease Resistance and Yield Traits.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as a group of signaling molecules in rice functioning in regulation of development and stress responses. Respiratory burst oxidase homologues (Rbohs) are key enzymes in generation of ROS. However, the role of the nine Rboh family members was not fully understood in rice multiple disease resistance and yield traits.

Magnaporthe oryzae effector MoSPAB1 directly activates rice Bsr-d1 expression to facilitate pathogenesis.

Fungal pathogens typically use secreted effector proteins to suppress host immune activators to facilitate invasion. However, there is rarely evidence supporting the idea that fungal secretory proteins contribute to pathogenesis by transactivating host genes that suppress defense. We previously found that pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae induces rice Bsr-d1 to facilitate infection and hypothesized that a fungal effector mediates this induction.

Unnatural activities and mechanistic insights of cytochrome P450 PikC gained from site-specific mutagenesis by non-canonical amino acids.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes play important roles in the biosynthesis of macrolide antibiotics by mediating a vast variety of regio- and stereoselective oxidative modifications, thus improving their chemical diversity, biological activities, and pharmaceutical properties. Tremendous efforts have been made on engineering the reactivity and selectivity of these useful biocatalysts. However, the 20 proteinogenic amino acids cannot always satisfy the requirement of site-directed/random mutagenesis and rational protein design of P450 enzymes.

A natural allele of proteasome maturation factor improves rice resistance to multiple pathogens.

Crops with broad-spectrum resistance loci are highly desirable in agricultural production because these loci often confer resistance to most races of a pathogen or multiple pathogen species. Here we discover a natural allele of proteasome maturation factor in rice, UMP1, that confers broad-spectrum resistance to Magnaporthe oryzae, Rhizoctonia solani, Ustilaginoidea virens and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.

Golovinomyces cichoracearum effector-associated nuclear localization of RPW8.2 amplifies its expression to boost immunity in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis RESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW 8.2 (RPW8.2) is specifically induced by the powdery mildew (PM) fungus (Golovinomyces cichoracearum) in the infected epidermal cells to activate immunity.

Overproduction of OsRACK1A, an effector-targeted scaffold protein promoting OsRBOHB-mediated ROS production, confers rice floral resistance to false smut disease without yield penalty.

Grain formation is fundamental for crop yield but is vulnerable to abiotic and biotic stresses. Rice grain production is threatened by the false smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens, which specifically infects rice floral organs, disrupting fertilization and seed formation. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of the U.

miR167d-ARFs Module Regulates Flower Opening and Stigma Size in Rice.

Flower opening and stigma exertion are two critical traits for cross-pollination during seed production of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.). In this study, we demonstrate that the miR167d-ARFs module regulates stigma size and flower opening that is associated with the elongation of stamen filaments and the cell arrangement of lodicules.

Loss and Natural Variations of Blast Fungal Avirulence Genes Breakdown Rice Resistance Genes in the Sichuan Basin of China.

is the causative agent of rice blast, a devastating disease in rice worldwide. Based on the gene-for-gene paradigm, resistance (R) proteins can recognize their cognate avirulence (AVR) effectors to activate effector-triggered immunity. genes have been demonstrated to evolve rapidly, leading to breakdown of the cognate resistance genes.

Blocking Osa-miR1871 enhances rice resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae and yield.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in plant development and defence responses against various stresses. Here, we show that blocking miR1871 improves rice resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae and enhances grain yield simultaneously. The transgenic lines overexpressing miR1871 (OX1871) exhibit compromised resistance, suppressed defence responses and reduced panicle number resulting in slightly decreased yield.

Rice miR1432 Fine-Tunes the Balance of Yield and Blast Disease Resistance via Different Modules.

microRNAs act as fine-tuners in the regulation of plant growth and resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. Here we demonstrate that rice miR1432 fine-tunes yield and blast disease resistance via different modules. Overexpression of miR1432 leads to compromised resistance and decreased yield, whereas blocking miR1432 using a target mimic of miR1432 results in enhanced resistance and yield.

Extracellular vesicle-mediated communication between hepatocytes and natural killer cells promotes hepatocellular tumorigenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently characterized by metabolic and immune remodeling in the tumor microenvironment. We previously discovered that liver-specific deletion of fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), a gluconeogenic enzyme ubiquitously suppressed in HCC tissues, promotes liver tumorigenesis and induces metabolic and immune perturbations closely resembling human HCC. However, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

Blocking miR530 Improves Rice Resistance, Yield, and Maturity.

MicroRNAs fine-tune plant growth and resistance against multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. The trade-off between biomass and resistance can penalize crop yield. In this study, we have shown that rice miR530 regulates blast disease resistance, yield, and growth period.

The Flower-Infecting Fungus Subverts Plant Immunity by Secreting a Chitin-Binding Protein.

is a biotrophic fungal pathogen specifically colonizing rice floral organ and causes false smut disease of rice. This disease has emerged as a serious problem that hinders the application of high-yield rice cultivars, by reducing grain yield and quality as well as introducing mycotoxins. However, the pathogenic mechanisms of are still enigmatic.

MYCN mediates TFRC-dependent ferroptosis and reveals vulnerabilities in neuroblastoma.

MYCN amplification is tightly associated with the poor prognosis of pediatric neuroblastoma (NB). The regulation of NB cell death by MYCN represents an important aspect, as it directly contributes to tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. However, the relationship between MYCN and cell death remains elusive.

Plasma Metabolic Profiling of Pediatric Sepsis in a Chinese Cohort.

Sepsis represents one of the most pressing problems in pediatrics, characterized by pathogenic bacteria invading the blood, growing and multiplying in the blood circulation, and ultimately causing severe infections. Most children with sepsis have a rapid disease onset and frequently exhibit sudden high fever or first chills. Here we performed comprehensive metabolomic profiling of plasma samples collected from pediatric sepsis patients to identify specific metabolic alterations associated with these patients ( = 84, designated as case subjects) as compared to healthy cohorts ( = 59, designated as control subjects).

A natural antisense transcript acts as a negative regulator for the maize drought stress response gene ZmNAC48.

Although plant-specific NAC transcription factors play crucial roles in response to abiotic stress, few reports describe the regulation of NAC genes in maize (Zea mays) by the cis-natural antisense transcripts (cis-NATs). In this study, 521 NAC genes from Gramineae were classified, of which 51 NAC genes contained cis-NATs. ZmNAC48 and cis-NATZmNAC48 co-localized to the same cell nucleus, and both transcripts responded to drought stress.

Comprehensive Insights into the Catalytic Mechanism of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome 3C-Like Protease and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 3C-Like Protease.

Coronavirus 3C-like protease (3CL) is a highly conserved cysteine protease employing a catalytic dyad for its functions. 3CL is essential to the viral life cycle and, therefore, is an attractive target for developing antiviral agents. However, the detailed catalytic mechanism of coronavirus 3CL remains largely unknown.

Crystal Structure of African Swine Fever Virus pS273R Protease and Implications for Inhibitor Design.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs that is responsible for serious economic and production losses. It is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large and complex icosahedral DNA virus of the family. Currently, there is no effective treatment or approved vaccine against the ASFV.

The false smut pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens requires rice stamens for false smut ball formation.

Rice false smut has emerged as a serious grain disease in rice production worldwide. The disease is characterized by the transformation of individual rice florets into false smut balls, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens. To date, little is known about the host factors required for false smut ball formation by U.