XopM, An FFAT Motif-Containing Type III Effector Protein From Xanthomonas, Suppresses MTI Responses at the Plant Plasma Membrane.

Many gram-negative pathogenic bacteria use type III effector proteins (T3Es) as essential virulence factors to suppress host immunity and to cause disease. However, in many cases the molecular function of T3Es remains unknown. The plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv.

Season-dependent variation in the contents of glucosinolates and S-methyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide and their hydrolysis in Brassica oleracea.

Brassica vegetables contain glucosinolates and S-methyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide, which can be enzymatically hydrolyzed to form bioactive compounds. Glucosinolate hydrolysis can result in formation of health-promoting isothiocyanates, however, often less desirable nitriles and epithionitriles are formed due to presence of specifier proteins. Also, S-methyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide yields beneficial volatile organosulfur compounds (VOSC), such as S-methyl methanethiosulfinate.

Glucosinolate profile and specifier protein activity determine the glucosinolate hydrolysis product formation in kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) in a tissue-specific way.

Glucosinolates, commonly found in Brassica vegetables, are hydrolyzed by myrosinase to form bioactive isothiocyanates, unless specifier proteins redirect the degradation to less bioactive nitriles and epithionitriles. Here, the tissue-specific impact of specifier proteins on the outcome of glucosinolate hydrolysis in nine kohlrabi tissues was investigated. Glucosinolates and their hydrolysis product profiles, epithiospecifier protein and myrosinase activity, and protein abundance patterns of key glucosinolate biosynthesis, transport and hydrolysis enzymes were determined and correlated to the metabolites in the kohlrabi tissues.

Seasonal and circadian rhythms of clerodane diterpenes and glycosylated flavonoids in two varieties of Sw. (Salicaceae).

Sw. (Salicaceae) is noted for its morphological and chemical plasticity and pharmacological properties. The present study investigates two of its varieties: var.

Selenium Enhances Growth, Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity in Brassica Oleracea Var. Italica.

Selenium is a micronutrient element that is beneficial for the growth and development of plants. It has antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties that are essential for human and animal health. Low-consumption mineral elements such as selenium can be included in the diet from various sources.

The Effect of Individual Attitude toward Healthy Nutrition on Adherence to a High-UFA and High-Protein Diet: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Unlabelled: Despite beneficial cardiovascular effects, substantial long-term modulation of food pattern could only be achieved in a limited number of participants. The impact of attitude towards healthy nutrition (ATHN) on successful modulation of dietary behavior is unclear, especially in the elderly. We aimed to analyze whether the personal ATHN influences 12-month adherence to two different dietary intervention regimes within a 36-month randomized controlled trial.

Identification of Plant Compounds with Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI).

The presence and localization of plant metabolites are indicative of physiological processes, e.g., under biotic and abiotic stress conditions.

Negative and sex-specific effects of drought on flower production, resources and pollinator visitation, but not on floral scent in monoecious Cucurbita pepo.

The globally changing climatic condition is increasing the incidences of drought in several parts of the world. This is predicted and already shown to not only impact plant growth and flower development, but also plant-pollinator interactions and the pollination success of entomophilous plants. However, there is a large gap in our understanding of how drought affects the different flowers and pollen transfer among flowers in sexually polymorphic species.

Unveiling the influence of salinity on bacterial microbiome assembly of halophytes and crops.

Background: Climate change and anthropogenic activities intensify salinity stress impacting significantly on plant productivity and biodiversity in agroecosystems. There are naturally salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that can grow and withstand such harsh conditions. Halophytes have evolved along with their associated microbiota to adapt to hypersaline environments.

Association between bilirubin and biomarkers of metabolic health and oxidative stress in the MARK-AGE cohort.

Recent studies have shown that elevated concentrations of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) may be a protective host factor against the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), whereas low levels of UCB are associated with the opposite effect. The results of this European study, in which 2,489 samples were tested for their UCB concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and additional data from the MARK-AGE database were used for analysis, provide further evidence that elevated UCB concentrations are linked to a lower risk of developing NCDs and may act as a predictive marker of biological aging as individuals with elevated UCB concentrations showed favorable outcomes in metabolic health and oxidative-stress-related biomarkers. These findings underline the significance of studying individuals with moderate hyperbilirubinemia and investigate UCB routinely, also in the setting of aging, since this condition affects millions of people worldwide but has been underrepresented in clinical research and practice until now.

Influence of Hydroxycinnamic Acids on the Maillard Reaction of Arabinose and Galactose beyond Carbonyl-Trapping.

Hydroxycinnamic acids, known for their health benefits and widespread presence in plant-based food, undergo complex transformations during high-temperature processing. Recent studies revealed a high browning potential of hydroxycinnamic acids and reactive Maillard reaction intermediates, but the role of phenolic compounds in the early stage of these reactions is not unambiguously understood. Therefore, we investigated the influence of caffeic acid and ferulic acid on the nonenzymatic browning of arabinose, galactose, and/or alanine, focusing on the implications on the formation of relevant early-stage Maillard intermediates and phenol-deriving products.

A synchronized, large-scale field experiment using Arabidopsis thaliana reveals the significance of the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 under natural conditions.

This study determines the functional role of the plant ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) photoreceptor, UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) under natural conditions using a large-scale 'synchronized-genetic-perturbation-field-experiment'. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated a role for UVR8 in UV-B responses but do not reflect the complexity of outdoor conditions where 'genotype × environment' interactions can mask laboratory-observed responses. Arabidopsis thaliana knockout mutant, uvr8-7, and the corresponding Wassilewskija wild type, were sown outdoors on the same date at 21 locations across Europe, ranging from 39°N to 67°N latitude.

Basin scale variability of Ostreopsis spp. blooms provides evidence of effectiveness of an integrated sampling approach.

Ostreopsis spp. blooms have been occurring in the last two decades in the Mediterranean Sea in association with a variety of biotic and abiotic substrata (macroalgae, seagrasses, benthic invertebrates, sand, pebbles and rocks). Cells proliferate attached to the surfaces through mucilaginous trichocysts, which lump together microalgal cells, and can also be found in the plankton and on floating aggregates: such tychoplanktonic behavior makes the quantitative assessment of blooms more difficult than planktonic or benthic ones.

Simulation of Automatically Annotated Visible and Multi-/Hyperspectral Images Using the Helios 3D Plant and Radiative Transfer Modeling Framework.

Deep learning and multimodal remote and proximal sensing are widely used for analyzing plant and crop traits, but many of these deep learning models are supervised and necessitate reference datasets with image annotations. Acquiring these datasets often demands experiments that are both labor-intensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, extracting traits from remote sensing data beyond simple geometric features remains a challenge.

Effects of geographical origin and post-harvesting processing on the bioactive compounds and sensory quality of Brazilian specialty coffee beans.

Specialty coffee beans are those produced, processed, and characterized following the highest quality standards, toward delivering a superior final product. Environmental, climatic, genetic, and processing factors greatly influence the green beans' chemical profile, which reflects on the quality and pricing. The present study focuses on the assessment of eight major health-beneficial bioactive compounds in green coffee beans aiming to underscore the influence of the geographical origin and post-harvesting processing on the quality of the final beverage.

Systematic review on the impacts of agricultural interventions on food security and nutrition in complex humanitarian emergency settings.

Complex humanitarian emergencies are a main driver of food and nutritional insecurity. Agricultural interventions are key to improving nutrition and food security, and their positive impacts are well-documented in stable developing countries. However, it is unclear if their positive effects on food security hold in complex emergency settings, too.

A novel O-methyltransferase Cp4MP-OMT catalyses the final step in the biosynthesis of the volatile 1,4-dimethoxybenzene in pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) flowers.

Background: Floral scents play a crucial role in attracting insect pollinators. Among the compounds attractive to pollinators is 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (1,4-DMB). It is a significant contributor to the scent profile of plants from various genera, including economically important Cucurbita species.

Non-enzymatic degradation of aliphatic Brassicaceae isothiocyanates during aqueous heat treatment.

Glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanates are valuable for human health as they exert health promoting effects. As thermal food processing could affect their levels in a structure dependent way, the stability and reactivity of 12 Brassicaceae isothiocyanates during aqueous heating at 100 °C and pH 5-8 were investigated. The formation of their corresponding amines and N,N'-dialk(en)yl thioureas was quantified.

LC-MS/DIA-based strategy for comprehensive flavonoid profiling: an spp. applicability case.

We introduce a liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry with data-independent acquisition (LC-MS/DIA)-based strategy, specifically tailored to achieve comprehensive and reliable glycosylated flavonoid profiling. This approach facilitates in-depth and simultaneous exploration of all detected precursors and fragments during data processing, employing the widely-used open-source MZmine 3 software. It was applied to a dataset of six plant species.

Postprandial Micronutrient Variability and Bioavailability: An Interventional Meal Study in Young vs. Old Participants.

This study explores age- and time-dependent variations in postprandial micronutrient absorption after a micronutrient-rich intervention meal within the Biomiel (bioavailability of micronutrients in elderly) study. Comprising 43 healthy participants, the study compares young (n = 21; mean age 26.90 years) and old (n = 22; mean age 66.

Tropical bloom-forming mesoalgae Cladophoropsis sp. and Laurencia sp.-responses to ammonium enrichment and a simulated heatwave.

Algal blooms are increasing worldwide, driven by elevated nutrient inputs. However, it is still unknown how tropical benthic algae will respond to heatwaves, which are expected to be more frequent under global warming. In the present study, a multifactorial experiment was carried out to investigate the potential synergistic effects of increased ammonium inputs (25 μM, control at 2.

Evaluation of selected organic fertilizers on conditioning soil health of smallholder households in Karagwe, Northwestern Tanzania.

Soil management is a strategy for improving soil suffering from problems such as low pH, nutrient deficiency, and erosion. The study evaluated the effects of human urine (HU), biogas slurry (BS), standard compost (StC), animal manure (AM), and synthetic fertilizer (SF) in comparison with no soil fertility management (NFM) on soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil moisture content, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) in the Karagwe district, a Northwestern Tanzania. Four household farms representing each soil amendment type were selected for soil sampling.

Chromatin attachment to the nuclear matrix represses hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The nuclear matrix is a nuclear compartment that has diverse functions in chromatin regulation and transcription. However, how this structure influences epigenetic modifications and gene expression in plants is largely unknown. In this study, we show that a nuclear matrix binding protein, AHL22, together with the two transcriptional repressors FRS7 and FRS12, regulates hypocotyl elongation by suppressing the expression of a group of genes known as SMALL AUXIN UP RNAs (SAURs) in Arabidopsis thaliana.