Elevated CO alters soybean physiology and defense responses, and has disparate effects on susceptibility to diverse microbial pathogens.

Increasing atmospheric CO levels have a variety of effects that can influence plant responses to microbial pathogens. However, these responses are varied, and it is challenging to predict how elevated CO (eCO) will affect a particular plant-pathogen interaction. We investigated how eCO may influence disease development and responses to diverse pathogens in the major oilseed crop, soybean.

GmHSP40.1, a nuclear-localized soybean J domain protein, participates in regulation of flowering time through interacting with EMF1 and JMJ14.

Heat shock protein 40s (HSP40s) are a group of J domain proteins (JDPs), which serve as co-chaperones for heat shock protein 70s. We previously reported that over-expression of a soybean class C JDP, GmHSP40.1, in Arabidopsis activated defense responses.

Use of the Puccinia sorghi haustorial transcriptome to identify and characterize AvrRp1-D recognized by the maize Rp1-D resistance protein.

The common rust disease of maize is caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia sorghi. The maize Rp1-D allele imparts resistance against the P. sorghi IN2 isolate by initiating a defense response that includes a rapid localized programmed cell death process, the hypersensitive response (HR).

The Soybean Gene Encodes a TIR-NBS-LRR Protein that Confers Resistance to .

Soybean rust is an economically significant disease caused by the fungus that negatively impacts soybean ( [L.] Merr.) production throughout the world.

The melon resistance gene pair: Correlated spatial expression and interaction with a viral protein.

The head-to-head oriented pair of melon resistance genes, and , control resistance to races 0 and 2 and papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), respectively. They encode, via several RNA splice variants, TIR-NBS-LRR proteins, and Prv has a C-terminal extra domain with a second NBS homologous sequence. In other systems, paired R-proteins were shown to operate by "labor division," with one protein having an extra integrated domain that directly binds the pathogen's Avr factor, and the second protein executing the defense response.

Application of a U-Net Neural Network to the Maize Pathosystem.

Computer vision approaches to analyze plant disease data can be both faster and more reliable than traditional, manual methods. However, the requirement of manually annotating training data for the majority of machine learning applications can present a challenge for pipeline development. Here, we describe a machine learning approach to quantify incidence on maize leaves utilizing U-Net convolutional neural network models.

Soybean-Phakopsora pachyrhizi interactions: towards the development of next-generation disease-resistant plants.

Soybean rust (SBR), caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a devastating foliar disease threatening soybean production. To date, no commercial cultivars conferring durable resistance to SBR are available. The development of long-lasting SBR resistance has been hindered by the lack of understanding of this complex pathosystem, encompassing challenges posed by intricate genetic structures in both the host and pathogen, leading to a gap in the knowledge of gene-for-gene interactions between soybean and P.

Insights into Effector-Effector Interactions.

The multifaceted role of pathogen-encoded effectors in plant-pathogen interactions is complex and not fully understood. Effectors operate within intricate host environments, interacting with host proteins and other effectors to modulate virulence. The complex interplay between effectors raises the concept of metaeffectors, wherein some effectors regulate the activity of others.

Plant Virus Sensor for the Rapid Detection of Bean Pod Mottle Virus Using Virus-Specific Nanocavities.

This study presents a miniaturized sensor for rapid, selective, and sensitive detection of bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) in soybean plants. The sensor employs molecularly imprinted polymer technology to generate BPMV-specific nanocavities in porous polypyrrole. Leveraging the porous structure, high surface reactivity, and electron transfer properties of polypyrrole, the sensor achieves a sensitivity of 143 μA ng mL cm, a concentration range of 0.

Foxtail mosaic virus: A tool for gene function analysis in maize and other monocots.

Many plant viruses have been engineered into vectors for use in functional genomics studies, expression of heterologous proteins, and, most recently, gene editing applications. The use of viral vectors overcomes bottlenecks associated with mutagenesis and transgenesis approaches often implemented for analysis of gene function. There are several engineered viruses that are demonstrated or suggested to be useful in maize through proof-of-concept studies.

"I loved it, absolutely loved it" a qualitative study exploring what student podiatrists learn volunteering as part of an interprofessional medical team at a marathon.

Background: Final year podiatry students volunteer annually as part of the wider interprofessional medical team at both the Brighton and London Marathon race events, supervised by qualified podiatrists, allied health professionals and physicians. Volunteering has been reported to be a positive experience for all participants and a way of developing a range of professional, transferable, and where appropriate, clinical skills. We sought to explore the lived experience of 25 students who volunteered at one of these events and aimed to: i) examine the experiential learning reported by students while volunteering in a dynamic and demanding clinical field environment; ii) determine whether there were elements of learning that could be translated to the traditional teaching environment in a pre-registration podiatry course.

Metagenomic identification of novel viruses of maize and teosinte in North America.

Background: Maize-infecting viruses are known to inflict significant agronomic yield loss throughout the world annually. Identification of known or novel causal agents of disease prior to outbreak is imperative to preserve food security via future crop protection efforts. Toward this goal, a large-scale metagenomic approach utilizing high throughput sequencing (HTS) was employed to identify novel viruses with the potential to contribute to yield loss of graminaceous species, particularly maize, in North America.

Detection and discovery of plant viruses in soybean by metagenomic sequencing.

Background: Viruses negatively impact soybean production by causing diseases that affect yield and seed quality. Newly emerging or re-emerging viruses can also threaten soybean production because current control measures may not be effective against them. Furthermore, detection and characterization of new plant viruses requires major efforts when no sequence or antibody-based resources are available.

Characterization of a foxtail mosaic virus vector for gene silencing and analysis of innate immune responses in Sorghum bicolor.

Sorghum is vulnerable to many biotic and abiotic stresses, which cause considerable yield losses globally. Efforts to genetically characterize beneficial sorghum traits, including disease resistance, plant architecture, and tolerance to abiotic stresses, are ongoing. One challenge faced by sorghum researchers is its recalcitrance to transformation, which has slowed gene validation efforts and utilization for cultivar development.

Impacts of RNA Mobility Signals on Virus Induced Somatic and Germline Gene Editing.

Viral vectors are being engineered to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 components systemically in plants to induce somatic or heritable site-specific mutations. It is hypothesized that RNA mobility signals facilitate entry of viruses or single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) into the shoot apical meristem where germline mutations can occur. Our objective was to understand the impact of RNA mobility signals on virus-induced somatic and germline gene editing in and .

A Effector Suppresses PAMP-Triggered Immunity and Interacts with a Soybean Glucan Endo-1,3-β-Glucosidase to Promote Virulence.

Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus , is one of the most important diseases affecting soybean production in tropical areas. During infection, secretes proteins from haustoria that are transferred into plant cells to promote virulence. To date, only one candidate effector protein has been characterized in detail to understand the mechanism by which it suppresses plant defenses to enhance infection.

Maize FERONIA-like receptor genes are involved in the response of multiple disease resistance in maize.

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are key modulators of diverse cellular processes such as development and sensing the extracellular environment. FERONIA, a member of the CrRLK1L subfamily, acts as a pleiotropic regulator of plant immune responses, but little is known about how maize FERONIA-like receptors (FLRs) function in responding to the major foliar diseases of maize such as northern corn leaf blight (NLB), northern corn leaf spot (NLS), anthracnose stalk rot (ASR), and southern corn leaf blight (SLB). Here, we identified three ZmFLR homologous proteins that showed cell membrane localization.

Host-Induced Gene Silencing of a Using Bean Pod Mottle Virus as a Vehicle Reduces Disease on Soybean.

A lack of complete resistance in the current germplasm complicates the management of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by in soybean. In this study, we used bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) as a vehicle to down-regulate expression of a key enzyme in the production of an important virulence factor in , oxalic acid (OA). Specifically, we targeted a gene encoding oxaloacetate acetylhydrolase (), because deletion mutants are OA deficient and non-pathogenic on soybean.

Podiatry as a career in the UK - what attracts Generation Z? A qualitative exploration with university and college students.

Background: Training for a career in podiatry is reported to provide graduates with excellent employability, alongside professional autonomy and suitable renumeration. Yet, there has been an ongoing decline in the number of those applying to study the subject. There is limited literature associated with this topic and we sought to explore the factors that attract 'generation Z' (those born 1995-2010) to a potential career in podiatry.

GmNF-YC4-2 Increases Protein, Exhibits Broad Disease Resistance and Expedites Maturity in Soybean.

The NF-Y gene family is a highly conserved set of transcription factors. The functional transcription factor complex is made up of a trimer between NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC proteins. While mammals typically have one gene for each subunit, plants often have multigene families for each subunit which contributes to a wide variety of combinations and functions.

A sugarcane mosaic virus vector for rapid in planta screening of proteins that inhibit the growth of insect herbivores.

Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) is a notorious pest that threatens maize production worldwide. Current control measures involve the use of chemical insecticides and transgenic maize expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins. Although additional transgenes have confirmed insecticidal activity, limited research has been conducted in maize, at least partially due to the technical difficulty of maize transformation.

Direct Agroinoculation of Maize Seedlings by Injection with Recombinant Foxtail Mosaic Virus and Sugarcane Mosaic Virus Infectious Clones.

Agrobacterium-based inoculation approaches are widely used for introducing viral vectors into plant tissues. This study details a protocol for the injection of maize seedlings near meristematic tissue with Agrobacterium carrying a viral vector. Recombinant foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) clones engineered for gene silencing and gene expression were used to optimize this method, and its use was expanded to include a recombinant sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) engineered for gene expression.

CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing Using Egg Cell-Specific Promoters in Arabidopsis and Soybean.

CRISPR/Cas9-based systems are efficient genome editing tools in a variety of plant species including soybean. Most of the gene edits in soybean plants are somatic and non-transmissible when Cas9 is expressed under control of constitutive promoters. Tremendous effort, therefore, must be spent to identify the inheritable edits occurring at lower frequencies in plants of successive generations.

Protein expression and gene editing in monocots using foxtail mosaic virus vectors.

Plant viruses can be engineered to carry sequences that direct silencing of target host genes, expression of heterologous proteins, or editing of host genes. A set of foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vectors was developed that can be used for transient gene expression and single guide RNA delivery for Cas9-mediated gene editing in maize, , and . This was accomplished by duplicating the FoMV capsid protein subgenomic promoter, abolishing the unnecessary open reading frame 5A, and inserting a cloning site containing unique restriction endonuclease cleavage sites immediately after the duplicated promoter.