Soil microbiome interventions for carbon sequestration and climate mitigation.

Mitigating climate change in soil ecosystems involves complex plant and microbial processes regulating carbon pools and flows. Here, we advocate for the use of soil microbiome interventions to help increase soil carbon stocks and curb greenhouse gas emissions from managed soils. Direct interventions include the introduction of microbial strains, consortia, phage, and soil transplants, whereas indirect interventions include managing soil conditions or additives to modulate community composition or its activities.

A bioassay that yields quantifiable symptoms of cucurbit yellow vine disease caused by .

Cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD), which is caused by the gram-negative bacterium and transmitted by squash bugs ( DeGeer), is a devastating disease of cucurbit crops that is emerging rapidly in the eastern half of the U.S. The lack of a robust pathogenicity assay for CYVD in the laboratory has hampered functional tests using genomic sequences to investigate the biology of this phytopathogen.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Analyses Show Cool Virulence Is a Quantitative Trait Not Restricted to "Race 3 Biovar 2".

Most species complex strains cause bacterial wilts in tropical or subtropical zones, but the group known as race 3 biovar 2 (R3bv2) is cool virulent and causes potato brown rot at lower temperatures. R3bv2 has invaded potato-growing regions around the world but is not established in the United States. Phylogenetically, R3bv2 corresponds to a subset of the phylotype IIB clade, but little is known about the distribution of the cool virulence phenotype within phylotype IIB.

Structure and mechanism of the osmoregulated choline transporter BetT.

The choline-glycine betaine pathway plays an important role in bacterial survival in hyperosmotic environments. Osmotic activation of the choline transporter BetT promotes the uptake of external choline for synthesizing the osmoprotective glycine betaine. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of BetT in the apo and choline-bound states.

An atypical 3-ketoacyl ACP synthase III required for acyl homoserine lactone synthesis in pv. B728a.

The last step of the initiation phase of fatty acid biosynthesis in most bacteria is catalyzed by the 3-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III (FabH). pv. strain B728a encodes two FabH homologs, Psyr_3467 and Psyr_3830, which we designated PssFabH1 and PssFabH2, respectively.

First report of cucurbit yellow vine disease caused by on cucurbit crops in Iowa.

Cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD) is caused by , vectored by squash bugs (), and is an emerging disease in many parts of the U.S. CYVD can cause 100% yield losses in cucurbits (Bruton et al.

Light cues induce protective anticipation of environmental water loss in terrestrial bacteria.

The ecological significance of light perception in nonphotosynthetic bacteria remains largely elusive. In terrestrial environments, diurnal oscillations in light are often temporally coupled to other environmental changes, including increased temperature and evaporation. Here, we report that light functions as an anticipatory cue that triggers protective adaptations to tolerate a future rapid loss of environmental water.

Minimally-invasive cardiac surgery: a bibliometric analysis of impact and force to identify key and facilitating advanced training.

Background: The number of citations an article receives is a marker of its scientific influence within a particular specialty. This bibliometric analysis intended to recognise the top 100 cited articles in minimally-invasive cardiac surgery, to determine the fundamental subject areas that have borne considerable influence upon clinical practice and academic knowledge whilst also considering bibliometric scope. This is increasingly relevant in a continually advancing specialty and one where minimally-invasive cardiac procedures have the potential for huge benefits to patient outcomes.

Ornamental tobacco floral nectar is a rich source of antimicrobial peptides.

Although floral nectar is a rich source of nutrients, it is rarely infected by microorganisms. Defense molecules such as proteins have been identified in this fluid, but defense peptides have been largely overlooked. Thus, the aim of this study was to perform an extensive peptidomic analysis of the ornamental tobacco floral nectar to seek peptides involved in nectar defense.

Expression and Functional Analysis of the Type III Secretion System Effector Repertoire of the Xylem Pathogen on Cucurbits.

The predicted repertoire of type III secretion system effectors (T3SEs) in , causal agent of cucurbit bacterial wilt, is much larger than in xylem pathogens in the closely related genera and . The genomes of strains BHKY and SCR3, which represent distinct clades, encode at least 6 clade-specific and 12 shared T3SEs. The strains expressed the majority of the T3SE genes examined in planta.

Characterization of Xanthomonas citri pv. glycines Population Genetics and Virulence in a National Survey of Bacterial Pustule Disease in Korea.

Xanthomonas citri pv. glycines (Xcg) is a major pathogen of soybean (Glycine max) in South Korea, despite the availability of soybean varieties with some resistance. We conducted a nationwide survey of the incidence and severity of bacterial pustule caused by Xcg.

Pan-Genome Analysis of Effectors in Korean Strains of the Soybean Pathogen pv. .

pv. is a major pathogen of soybean in Korea. Here, we analyzed pathogenicity genes based on a comparative genome analysis of five Korean strains and one strain from the United States, 8ra.

The Contributions to Virulence of the Effectors Eop1 and DspE Differ Between Two Clades of Strains.

Strains of causal agent of bacterial wilt of cucurbits, are divided into distinct clades. clade strains wilt spp. but not spp.

A case of endocarditis in a non-immunosuppressed host: the value of 16S PCR for diagnosis.

is a rare cause of endocarditis and is particularly unusual in non-immunosuppressed hosts. It is associated with animal bites, particularly those from dogs. This case describes a healthy 59-year-old woman, with no identifiable risk factors or dog bite history, who presented with fever of unknown origin.

Characterization of Bacteriophage FBB1 Isolated from Spotted Cucumber Beetles that Vector .

the causal pathogen of bacterial wilt of cucurbit crops, is disseminated by cucumber beetles. A bacteriophage, designated FBB1 (u-eattie-eetle-1), was isolated from spotted cucumber beetles () that were collected from a field in which is endemic. FBB1 was classified into the family based on its morphology, which includes an elongated icosahedral head (106 × 82 nm) and a putatively contractile tail (120 nm).

Biological Control and Microbial Ecology Draft Genome Sequence Data of sp. FBE-19, a Bacterium Antagonistic to the Plant Pathogen .

sp. FBE-19 was isolated based on its strong antagonism to the cucurbit bacterial blight pathogen on plates. Members of the genus can promote plant growth under saline conditions and antagonize fungi on plates via chitinolytic activity; however, their production of antibacterial compounds has not been examined.

Seeing the Light: The Roles of Red- and Blue-Light Sensing in Plant Microbes.

Plants collect, concentrate, and conduct light throughout their tissues, thus enhancing light availability to their resident microbes. This review explores the role of photosensing in the biology of plant-associated bacteria and fungi, including the molecular mechanisms of red-light sensing by phytochromes and blue-light sensing by LOV (light-oxygen-voltage) domain proteins in these microbes. Bacteriophytochromes function as major drivers of the bacterial transcriptome and mediate light-regulated suppression of virulence, motility, and conjugation in some phytopathogens and light-regulated induction of the photosynthetic apparatus in a stem-nodulating symbiont.

Mining Halophytes for Plant Growth-Promoting Halotolerant Bacteria to Enhance the Salinity Tolerance of Non-halophytic Crops.

Salinity stress is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. Interest is increasing in the application of PGPRs (plant growth promoting rhizobacteria) to ameliorate stresses such as salinity stress in crop production. The identification of salt-tolerant, or halophilic, PGPRs has the potential to promote saline soil-based agriculture.

pv. syringae B728a Regulates Multiple Stages of Plant Colonization via the Bacteriophytochrome BphP1.

Light may be an important environmental signal for plant-associated bacteria, particularly those that live on leaves. An integrated network of red/far-red- and blue-light-responsive photosensory proteins is known to inhibit swarming motility in the foliar plant pathogen pv. syringae B728a.

Foundational and Translational Research Opportunities to Improve Plant Health.

Reader Comments | Submit a Comment The white paper reports the deliberations of a workshop focused on biotic challenges to plant health held in Washington, D.C. in September 2016.