CPR5-mediated nucleo-cytoplasmic localization of IAA12 and IAA19 controls lateral root development during abiotic stress.

Plasticity of the root system architecture (RSA) is essential in enabling plants to cope with various environmental stresses and is mainly controlled by the phytohormone auxin. Lateral root development is a major determinant of RSA. Abiotic stresses reduce auxin signaling output, inhibiting lateral root development; however, how abiotic stress translates into a lower auxin signaling output is not fully understood.

JULGI-mediated increment in phloem transport capacity relates to fruit yield in tomato.

The continuous growth of the global population and the increase in the amount of arid land has severely constrained agricultural crop production. To solve this problem, many researchers have attempted to increase productivity through the efficient distribution of energy; however, the direct relationship between the plant vasculature, specifically phloem development, and crop yield is not well established. Here, we demonstrate that an optimum increase in phloem-transportation capacity by reducing SIJUL expression leads to improved sink strength in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.

HIGH CROSSOVER RATE1 encodes PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE X1 and restricts meiotic crossovers in Arabidopsis.

Meiotic crossovers are tightly restricted in most eukaryotes, despite an excess of initiating DNA double-strand breaks. The majority of plant crossovers are dependent on class I interfering repair, with a minority formed via the class II pathway. Class II repair is limited by anti-recombination pathways; however, similar pathways repressing class I crossovers have not been identified.

DeepTetrad: high-throughput image analysis of meiotic tetrads by deep learning in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Meiotic crossovers facilitate chromosome segregation and create new combinations of alleles in gametes. Crossover frequency varies along chromosomes and crossover interference limits the coincidence of closely spaced crossovers. Crossovers can be measured by observing the inheritance of linked transgenes expressing different colors of fluorescent protein in Arabidopsis pollen tetrads.

Emerging roles of RNA-binding proteins in plant development.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) influence the fate of target RNAs via direct interactions. During transcription, RBPs and interacting partners are recruited to and modify transcripts, after which they may also participate in critical steps to generate functional RNA. RBP-RNA interactions govern post-transcriptional processing of RNA, consequently regulating gene expression in a spatio-temporal manner.

In vivo action of RNA G-quadruplex in phloem development.

Phloem network integrates cellular energy status into post-embryonic growth, and development by tight regulation of carbon allocation. Phloem development involves complicated coordination of cell fate determination, cell division, and terminal differentiation into sieve elements (SEs), functional conduit. All of these processes must be tightly coordinated, for optimization of systemic connection between source supplies and sink demands throughout plant life cycle, that has substantial impact on crop productivity.

Translational control of phloem development by RNA G-quadruplex-JULGI determines plant sink strength.

The emergence of a plant vascular system was a prerequisite for the colonization of land; however, it is unclear how the photosynthate transporting system was established during plant evolution. Here, we identify a novel translational regulatory module for phloem development involving the zinc-finger protein JULGI (JUL) and its targets, the 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) of the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1-LIKE4/5 (SMXL4/5) mRNAs, which is exclusively conserved in vascular plants. JUL directly binds and induces an RNA G-quadruplex in the 5' UTR of SMXL4/5, which are key promoters of phloem differentiation.

Nucleosomes and DNA methylation shape meiotic DSB frequency in transposons and gene regulatory regions.

Meiotic recombination initiates from DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) generated by SPO11 topoisomerase-like complexes. Meiotic DSB frequency varies extensively along eukaryotic chromosomes, with hotspots controlled by chromatin and DNA sequence. To map meiotic DSBs throughout a plant genome, we purified and sequenced SPO11-1-oligonucleotides.

Red wines and flavonoids diminish Staphylococcus aureus virulence with anti-biofilm and anti-hemolytic activities.

The emergence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus presents a worldwide problem that requires non-antibiotic strategies. This study investigated the anti-biofilm and anti-hemolytic activities of four red wines and two white wines against three S. aureus strains.

Coumarins reduce biofilm formation and the virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

E. coli O157:H7 is the most common cause of hemorrhagic colitis, and no effective therapy exists for E. coli O157:H7 infection.

Thermoresponsive oligomers reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofouling and virulence.

Thermoresponsive polymers have potential biomedical applications for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Here, two thermoresponsive oligomers were synthesized, viz. oligo(N-isopropylacrylamide) (ONIPAM) and oligo(N-vinylcaprolactam) (OVCL), and their anti-biofouling abilities investigated against enterohemorrhagic E.

Diverse plant extracts and trans-resveratrol inhibit biofilm formation and swarming of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC) is a worldwide problem. Of the 498 plant extracts screened against EHEC, 16 inhibited the formation of biofilm of EHEC by >85% without inhibiting the growth of planktonic cells, and 14 plant extracts reduced the swarming motility of EHEC. The most active extract, Carex dimorpholepis, decreased swimming and swarming motilities and curli formation.

Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilm formation by plant metabolite ε-viniferin.

Pathogenic biofilms are associated with persistent infection due to their high resistances to diverse antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infects plants, animals, and humans and is a major cause of nosocomial diseases in patients with cystic fibrosis. In the present study, the antibiofilm abilities of 522 plant extracts against P.

Anti-biofilm activities of quercetin and tannic acid against Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections because of its resistance to diverse antibiotics. The formation of a biofilm is one of the mechanisms of drug resistance in S. aureus.

Indole and 7-benzyloxyindole attenuate the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus.

Human pathogens can readily develop drug resistance due to the long-term use of antibiotics that mostly inhibit bacterial growth. Unlike antibiotics, antivirulence compounds diminish bacterial virulence without affecting cell viability and thus, may not lead to drug resistance. Staphylococcus aureus is a major agent of nosocomial infections and produces diverse virulence factors, such as the yellow carotenoid staphyloxanthin, which promotes resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the host immune system.