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The appearance of uracil in the deoxyuridine moiety of DNA is among the most frequently occurring genomic modifications. Three different routes can result in genomic uracil, two of which do not require specific enzymes: spontaneous cytosine deamination due to the inherent chemical reactivity of living cells, and thymine-replacing incorporation upon nucleotide pool imbalances. There is also an enzymatic pathway of cytosine deamination with multiple DNA (cytosine) deaminases involved in this process. In order to describe potential roles of genomic uracil, it is of key importance to utilize efficient uracil-DNA detection methods. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and critical assessment of currently available uracil detection methods with special focus on genome-wide mapping solutions. Recent developments in PCR-based and in situ detection as well as the quantitation of genomic uracil are also discussed.

Numerous anti-cancer drugs perturb thymidylate biosynthesis and lead to genomic uracil incorporation contributing to their antiproliferative effect. Still, it is not yet characterized if uracil incorporations have any positional preference. Here, we aimed to uncover genome-wide alterations in uracil pattern upon drug treatments in human cancer cell line models derived from HCT116. We developed a straightforward U-DNA sequencing method (U-DNA-Seq) that was combined with in situ super-resolution imaging. Using a novel robust analysis pipeline, we found broad regions with elevated probability of uracil occurrence both in treated and non-treated cells. Correlation with chromatin markers and other genomic features shows that non-treated cells possess uracil in the late replicating constitutive heterochromatic regions, while drug treatment induced a shift of incorporated uracil towards segments that are normally more active/functional. Data were corroborated by colocalization studies via dSTORM microscopy. This approach can be applied to study the dynamic spatio-temporal nature of genomic uracil., Competing Interests: HP, AB, GR, LP, GP, GT, EH, ÁP, CG, SA, MM, ER, MP, DS, BG, BV No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Pálinkás et al.)

Plant NLR-type receptors serve as sensitive triggers of host immunity. Their expression has to be well-balanced, due to their interference with various cellular processes and dose-dependency of their defense-inducing activity. A genetic "arms race" with fast-evolving pathogenic microbes requires plants to constantly innovate their NLR repertoires. We previously showed that insertion of the COPIA-R7 retrotransposon into RPP7 co-opted the epigenetic transposon silencing signal H3K9me2 to a new function promoting expression of this Arabidopsis thaliana NLR gene. Recruitment of the histone binding protein EDM2 to COPIA-R7-associated H3K9me2 is required for optimal expression of RPP7. By profiling of genome-wide effects of EDM2, we now uncovered additional examples illustrating effects of transposons on NLR gene expression, strongly suggesting that these mobile elements can play critical roles in the rapid evolution of plant NLR genes by providing the "raw material" for gene expression mechanisms. We further found EDM2 to have a global role in NLR expression control. Besides serving as a positive regulator of RPP7 and a small number of other NLR genes, EDM2 acts as a suppressor of a multitude of additional NLR genes. We speculate that the dual functionality of EDM2 in NLR expression control arose from the need to compensate for fitness penalties caused by high expression of some NLR genes by suppression of others. Moreover, we are providing new insights into functional relationships of EDM2 with its interaction partner, the RNA binding protein EDM3/AIPP1, and its target gene IBM1, encoding an H3K9-demethylase., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Plant nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) genes provide some of the most extreme examples of polymorphism in eukaryotic genomes, rivalling even the vertebrate major histocompatibility complex. Surprisingly, this is also true in Arabidopsis thaliana , a predominantly selfing species with low heterozygosity. Here, we investigate how gene duplication and intergenic exchange contribute to this extraordinary variation. RPP8 is a three-locus system that is configured chromosomally as either a direct-repeat tandem duplication or as a single copy locus, plus a locus 2 Mb distant. We sequenced 48 RPP8 alleles from 37 accessions of A. thaliana and 12 RPP8 alleles from Arabidopsis lyrata to investigate the patterns of interlocus shared variation. The tandem duplicates display fixed differences and share less variation with each other than either shares with the distant paralog. A high level of shared polymorphism among alleles at one of the tandem duplicates, the single-copy locus and the distal locus, must involve both classical crossing over and intergenic gene conversion. Despite these polymorphism-enhancing mechanisms, the observed nucleotide diversity could not be replicated under neutral forward-in-time simulations. Only by adding balancing selection to the simulations do they approach the level of polymorphism observed at RPP8 . In this NLR gene triad, genetic architecture, gene function and selection all combine to generate diversity.

Physiological races of the oomycete Albugo candida are biotrophic pathogens of diverse plant species, primarily the Brassicaceae, and cause infections that suppress host immunity to other pathogens. However, A. candida race diversity and the consequences of host immunosuppression are poorly understood in the field. We report a method that enables sequencing of DNA of plant pathogens and plant-associated microbes directly from field samples (Pathogen Enrichment Sequencing: PenSeq). We apply this method to explore race diversity in A. candida and to detect A. candida-associated microbes in the field (91 A. candida-infected plants). We show with unprecedented resolution that each host plant species supports colonization by one of 17 distinct phylogenetic lineages, each with an unique repertoire of effector candidate alleles. These data reveal the crucial role of sexual and asexual reproduction, polyploidy and host domestication in A. candida specialization on distinct plant species. Our bait design also enabled phylogenetic assignment of DNA sequences from bacteria and fungi from plants in the field. This paper shows that targeted sequencing has a great potential for the study of pathogen populations while they are colonizing their hosts. This method could be applied to other microbes, especially to those that cannot be cultured., (© 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.)

The NLR-receptor RPP7 mediates race-specific immunity in Arabidopsis. Previous screens for enhanced downy mildew (edm) mutants identified the co-chaperone SGT1b (EDM1) and the PHD-finger protein EDM2 as critical regulators of RPP7. Here, we describe a third edm mutant compromised in RPP7 immunity, edm3. EDM3 encodes a nuclear-localized protein featuring an RNA-recognition motif. Like EDM2, EDM3 promotes histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) at RPP7. Global profiling of H3K9me2 showed EDM3 to affect this silencing mark at a large set of loci. Importantly, both EDM3 and EDM2 co-associate in vivo with H3K9me2-marked chromatin and transcripts at a critical proximal polyadenylation site of RPP7, where they suppress proximal transcript polyadeylation/termination. Our results highlight the complexity of plant NLR gene regulation, and establish a functional and physical link between a histone mark and NLR-transcript processing., (© 2018 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Many species belonging to the genus Colletotrichum cause anthracnose disease on a wide range of plant species. In addition to their economic impact, the genus Colletotrichum is a useful model for the study of the evolution of host specificity, speciation and reproductive behaviors. Genome projects of Colletotrichum species have already opened a new era for studying the evolution of pathogenesis in fungi., Results: We sequenced and annotated the genomes of four strains in the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex (CAsc), a clade of broad host range pathogens within the genus. The four CAsc proteomes and secretomes along with those representing an additional 13 species (six Colletotrichum spp. and seven other Sordariomycetes) were classified into protein families using a variety of tools. Hierarchical clustering of gene family and functional domain assignments, and phylogenetic analyses revealed lineage specific losses of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and proteases encoding genes in Colletotrichum species that have narrow host range as well as duplications of these families in the CAsc. We also found a lineage specific expansion of necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1 (Nep1)-like protein (NLPs) families within the CAsc., Conclusions: This study illustrates the plasticity of Colletotrichum genomes, and shows that major changes in host range are associated with relatively recent changes in gene content.

Fragaria × ananassa (common name: strawberry) is a globally cultivated hybrid species belonging to Rosaceae family. Colletotrichum acutatum sensu lato (s.l.) is considered to be the second most economically important pathogen worldwide affecting strawberries. A collection of 148 Colletotrichum spp. isolates including 67 C. acutatum s.l. isolates associated with the phytosanitary history of UK strawberry production were used to characterize multi-locus genetic variation of this pathogen in the UK, relative to additional reference isolates that represent a worldwide sampling of the diversity of the fungus. The evidence indicates that three different species C. nymphaeae, C. godetiae and C. fioriniae are associated with strawberry production in the UK, which correspond to previously designated genetic groups A2, A4 and A3, respectively. Among these species, 12 distinct haplotypes were identified suggesting multiple introductions into the country. A subset of isolates was also used to compare aggressiveness in causing disease on strawberry plants and fruits. Isolates belonging to C. nymphaeae, C. godetiae and C. fioriniae representative of the UK anthracnose pathogen populations showed variation in their aggressiveness. Among the three species, C. nymphaeae and C. fioriniae appeared to be more aggressive compared to C. godetiae. This study highlights the genetic and pathogenic heterogeneity of the C. acutatum s.l. populations introduced into the UK linked to strawberry production.

How generalist parasites with wide host ranges can evolve is a central question in parasite evolution. Albugo candida is an obligate biotrophic parasite that consists of many physiological races that each specialize on distinct Brassicaceae host species. By analyzing genome sequence assemblies of five isolates, we show they represent three races that are genetically diverged by ∼1%. Despite this divergence, their genomes are mosaic-like, with ∼25% being introgressed from other races. Sequential infection experiments show that infection by adapted races enables subsequent infection of hosts by normally non-infecting races. This facilitates introgression and the exchange of effector repertoires, and may enable the evolution of novel races that can undergo clonal population expansion on new hosts. We discuss recent studies on hybridization in other eukaryotes such as yeast, Heliconius butterflies, Darwin's finches, sunflowers and cichlid fishes, and the implications of introgression for pathogen evolution in an agro-ecological environment.

In addition to its economic impact, Colletotrichum acutatum sensu lato is an interesting model for molecular investigations due to the diversity of host-determined specialization and reproductive lifestyles within the species complex. The pathogen Colletotrichum fioriniae forms part of this species complex and causes anthracnose in a wide range of crops and wild plants worldwide. Some members of this species have also been reported to be entomopathogenic. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a heterothallic reference isolate of C. fioriniae (strain PJ7). This sequence provides a range of new resources that serve as a useful platform for further research in the field.

A 56-year-old man presented with a 12-year history of erectile dysfunction, which caused him extreme distress with episodes of depression. Attempts with sildenafil did not improve his erections. We tried intracavernous injection of alprostadil which enabled the patient to achieve a moderate erection. Thus, we instructed the patient for self-injection, which led to sufficient erections over the following months. We then restarted with tadalafil as a monotherapy which then was successful.

A 45-year old man presented with red-brown hyperkeratotic papules that were distributed in an unilateral segmental fashion on the right thorax. Histopathological examination revealed acanthosis and, in particular, acantholysis and dyskeratosis in the basal and suprabasal epidermal layers. Based on the clinical and histopathologic findings we diagnosed a type 1 segmental Darier disease. Darier disease is an autosomal dominant disorder that is caused by mutations in the ATP2A2 gene and is characterized by dysfunctional adhesion between neighboring keratinocytes. The type 1 segmental manifestation reflects a de novo postzygotic somatic mutation in the heterozygous state and as a rule can be found in all autosomal dominantly inherited genodermatoses.

Background: Albugo candida is a biotrophic oomycete that parasitizes various species of Brassicaceae, causing a disease (white blister rust) with remarkable convergence in behaviour to unrelated rusts of basidiomycete fungi., Results: A recent genome analysis of the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis suggests that a reduction in the number of genes encoding secreted pathogenicity proteins, enzymes for assimilation of inorganic nitrogen and sulphur represent a genomic signature for the evolution of obligate biotrophy. Here, we report a draft reference genome of a major crop pathogen Albugo candida (another obligate biotrophic oomycete) with an estimated genome of 45.3 Mb. This is very similar to the genome size of a necrotrophic oomycete Pythium ultimum (43 Mb) but less than half that of H. arabidopsidis (99 Mb). Sequencing of A. candida transcripts from infected host tissue and zoosporangia combined with genome-wide annotation revealed 15,824 predicted genes. Most of the predicted genes lack significant similarity with sequences from other oomycetes. Most intriguingly, A. candida appears to have a much smaller repertoire of pathogenicity-related proteins than H. arabidopsidis including genes that encode RXLR effector proteins, CRINKLER-like genes, and elicitins. Necrosis and Ethylene inducing Peptides were not detected in the genome of A. candida. Putative orthologs of tat-C, a component of the twin arginine translocase system, were identified from multiple oomycete genera along with proteins containing putative tat-secretion signal peptides., Conclusion: Albugo candida has a comparatively small genome amongst oomycetes, retains motility of sporangial inoculum, and harbours a much smaller repertoire of candidate effectors than was recently reported for H. arabidopsidis. This minimal gene repertoire could indicate a lack of expansion, rather than a reduction, in the number of genes that signify the evolution of biotrophy in oomycetes.

Biotrophic eukaryotic plant pathogens require a living host for their growth and form an intimate haustorial interface with parasitized cells. Evolution to biotrophy occurred independently in fungal rusts and powdery mildews, and in oomycete white rusts and downy mildews. Biotroph evolution and molecular mechanisms of biotrophy are poorly understood. It has been proposed, but not shown, that obligate biotrophy results from (i) reduced selection for maintenance of biosynthetic pathways and (ii) gain of mechanisms to evade host recognition or suppress host defence. Here we use Illumina sequencing to define the genome, transcriptome, and gene models for the obligate biotroph oomycete and Arabidopsis parasite, Albugo laibachii. A. laibachii is a member of the Chromalveolata, which incorporates Heterokonts (containing the oomycetes), Apicomplexa (which includes human parasites like Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii), and four other taxa. From comparisons with other oomycete plant pathogens and other chromalveolates, we reveal independent loss of molybdenum-cofactor-requiring enzymes in downy mildews, white rusts, and the malaria parasite P. falciparum. Biotrophy also requires "effectors" to suppress host defence; we reveal RXLR and Crinkler effectors shared with other oomycetes, and also discover and verify a novel class of effectors, the "CHXCs", by showing effector delivery and effector functionality. Our findings suggest that evolution to progressively more intimate association between host and parasite results in reduced selection for retention of certain biosynthetic pathways, and particularly reduced selection for retention of molybdopterin-requiring biosynthetic pathways. These mechanisms are not only relevant to plant pathogenic oomycetes but also to human pathogens within the Chromalveolata., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The effects of variation in host reproductive systems on response to pathogens are not well understood. We inoculated individuals from outcrossing and inbreeding populations of North American Arabidopsis lyrata with Albugo candida (white blister rust) to test the effect of mating system and heterozygosity on disease response. We observed three host infection phenotypes, classified as fully resistant, partially resistant and fully susceptible. Overall, inbreeding populations had more susceptible and fewer partially resistant individuals than outcrossing populations, but the highest proportion of resistant individuals was found in two of the inbreeding populations. Mating system did not affect relative growth rate of inoculated plants, but there were strong effects of population and infection phenotype. We conclude that mating system per se does not determine the resistance of natural A. lyrata populations to infection by Albugo, but that the increased variability in responses among inbreeding populations may be due to reduced effective population size., (© 2010 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2010 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.)

The obligate biotrophic lineages of the white blister rusts (Albuginales, Oomycota) are of ancient origin compared to the rather recently evolved downy mildews, and sophisticated mechanisms of biotrophy and a high degree of adaptation diversity are to be expected in these organisms. Speciation in the biotrophic Oomycetes is usually thought to be the consequence of host adaptation or geographic isolation. Here we report the presence of two distinct species of Albugo on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, Albugo candida and Albugo laibachii, the latter being formally described in this manuscript. Both species may occupy the same host within the same environment, but are nevertheless phylogenetically distinct, as inferred from analyses of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Different ways of adapting to their host physiology might constitute an important factor of their different niches. Evidence for this can be gained from the completely different host range of the two pathogens. While Albugo candida is a generalist species, consisting of several physiological varieties, which is able to parasitize a great variety of Brassicaceae, Albugo laibachii has not been found on any host other than Arabidopsis thaliana. Therefore, Albugo laibachii belongs to a group of highly specialised species, like the other known specialist species in Albugo s.s., Albugo koreana, Albugo lepidii and Albugo voglmayrii. The comparative investigation of the effector genes and host targets in the generalist and the specialist species may constitute a model system for elucidating the fundamental processes involved in plant pathogen co-adaptation and speciation.

A biotrophic parasite often depends on an intrinsic ability to suppress host defenses in a manner that will enable it to infect and successfully colonize a susceptible host. If the suppressed defenses otherwise would have been effective against alternative pathogens, it follows that primary infection by the "suppressive" biotroph potentially could enhance susceptibility of the host to secondary infection by avirulent pathogens. This phenomenon previously has been attributed to true fungi such as rust (basidiomycete) and powdery mildew (ascomycete) pathogens. In our study, we observed broad-spectrum suppression of host defense by the oomycete Albugo candida (white blister rust) in the wild crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana and a domesticated relative, Brassica juncea. A. candida subsp. arabidopsis suppressed the "runaway cell death" phenotype of the lesion mimic mutant lsd1 in Arabidopsis thaliana in a sustained manner even after subsequent inoculation with avirulent Hyaloperonospora arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana downy mildew). In sequential inoculation experiments, we show that preinfection by virulent Albugo candida can suppress disease resistance in cotyledons to several downy mildew pathogens, including contrasting examples of genotype resistance to H. arabidopsis in Arabidopsis thaliana that differ in the R protein and modes of defense signaling used to confer the resistance; genotype specific resistance in B. juncea to H. parasitica (Brassica downy mildew; isolates derived from B. juncea); species level (nonhost) resistance in both crucifers to Bremia lactucae (lettuce downy mildew) and an isolate of the H. parasitica race derived from Brassica oleracea; and nonhost resistance in B. juncea to H. arabidopsis. Broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance conferred by RPW8 also was suppressed in Arabidopsis thaliana to two morphotypes of Erysiphe spp. following pre-infection with A. candida subsp. arabidopsis.

Specific disease resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana against the Hyaloperonospora parasitica isolate Hiks1 (HpHiks1) is mediated by RPP7. Although this disease resistance gene encodes a typical nucleotide binding site leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) disease resistance protein, its function is independent of the defense hormone salicylic acid and most known genes required for plant immune responses. We identified EDM2 (enhanced downy mildew 2) in a genetic screen for RPP7 suppressors. Mutations of EDM2 phenocopy RPP7 mutations, but do not affect other tested disease resistance genes. We isolated EDM2 by map-based cloning. The predicted EDM2 protein is structurally unrelated to previously identified components of the plant immune system, bears typical features of transcriptional regulators, including plant homeodomain (PHD)-finger-like domains, and defines a plant-specific protein family. In edm2 mutants both constitutive and HpHiks1-induced RPP7 transcript levels are reduced, suggesting that EDM2 is either a direct or an indirect regulator of RPP7 expression. Microarray analyses defined a set of defense-associated genes, the expression of which is suppressed during successful HpHiks1 colonization of either rpp7 or edm2 plants. This transcriptional phenotype is counteracted by an EDM2/RPP7-dependent mechanism.

SUMMARY Within the last 10 years, numerous R genes have been cloned from natural genetic variation in model as well as crop plants, and these have been classified according to their motifs. Some of the downstream signalling components have also been identified by artificial mutagenesis. Recently, cloning of three of these signalling genes (COI1, RAR1 and SGT1b) from Arabidopsis, barley and tobacco have helped uncover the physiological link between defence signalling and ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. The physical association of COI1 and SGT1b with the components of ubiquitin-ligase complexes has been shown. In addition, post-transcriptional silencing of some of the subunits of the ubiquitin-ligase complex has led to a loss of resistance, indicating that protein degradation may also act as a regulatory mechanism in plant defence. Over the next few years, we should expect to see more examples of the interplay between the defence response and protein degradation in plants.

Plant pathology was born after the nineteenth-century potato famine, and since then insightful genetic experiments have contributed to the great progress in our understanding of disease control. Our current view of plant resistance focuses on numerous polymorphic resistance loci, which contain genes known as R genes. The complete sequence of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome provides a framework for exploring the 'big bang' of R genes that occurred and how R genes evolved in plants from their associations with microorganisms, and for improving strategies for more sustainable deployment of disease resistance in crops.

Summary Two accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana (Ksk-1 and Ksk-2) were used to identify and map three loci (RAC1, RAC2 and RAC3) of genes that confer Resistance to Albugo candida (white rust). The phenotypes associated with these genes were classified as either FN (necrotic flecks on upper surface of cotyledons and no blisters) for RAC2 and RAC3, or FYN (flecks surrounded by yellowing and no blisters) for RAC1. Both phenotypes exhibited rapid death of host cells penetrated by the parasite (hypersensitive response), with callose deposition commonly encasing the haustorium. F(6) recombinant inbred lines were produced specifically for the purpose of mapping each RAC locus relative to molecular markers. Dominant resistance at the locus RAC1 in Ksk-1 was previously mapped to chromosome 1 between RFLP markers m253 and m254, and co-segregating with a downy mildew resistance specificity RPP9 in the accession Wei-0. We report here a fine-scale map interval and co-segregating markers for this locus, which in turn enabled mapping of a previously unnoticed source of resistance in Ksk-1 designated RAC3 that exhibits an FN phenotype hyperstatic to the FYN phenotype of RAC1. RAC3 is closely linked to the RPP8/HRT on chromosome 5, a locus which contains specificities for resistance to downy mildew and turnip crinkle virus. Recombinant inbreds also enabled mapping of recessive resistance at RAC2 in Ksk-2 to the bottom arm of chromosome 3, in the 6 cM interval between two downy mildew resistance loci (RPP1 and RPP13).

The genetics of A. niger has been developed since 1980. An overview is presented of the advances in developing methods and collecting data. Important tools have been a) the application of essentially different methods to isolate mutants, b) the adaptation to A. niger ofA. nidulans methodology for analysis of the parasexual cycle, c) the choice of marker genes, and in some cases the artificial introduction of such genes, to select homozygous segregants arising from mitotic recombination. With the use of parasexual recombination, a genetic linkage map of A. niger has been established. In total, 110 nuclear and 1 cytoplasmic (mitochondrial) markers are available. The application of A. niger genetics in applied research is illustrated by examples.

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprints and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequences from 27 Peronospora parasitica isolates (collected from Arabidopsis thaliana or Brassica oleracea), 5 Albugo candida isolates (from the same hosts and from Capsella bursa-pastoris), and 1 Bremia lactucae isolate (from Lactuca sativa) were compared. The AFLP analysis divided the isolates into five groups that correlated with taxonomic species and, in most cases, with host origin. The only exception was a group consisting of A. candida isolates from both B. oleracea and C. bursa-pastoris. ITS1 sequence analysis divided the isolates into the same five groups, demonstrated the divergence between P. parasitica isolates from A. thaliana and B. oleracea, and, using previously published ITS1 sequences, clearly showed the relationship between A. candida isolates from different hosts., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

To better understand the genetic requirements for R gene-dependent defense activation in Arabidopsis, we tested the effect of several defense response mutants on resistance specified by eight RPP genes (for resistance to Peronospora parasitica) expressed in the Col-0 background. In most cases, resistance was not suppressed by a mutation in the SAR regulatory gene NPR1 or by expression of the NahG transgene. Thus, salicylic acid accumulation and NPR1 function are not necessary for resistance mediated by these RPP genes. In addition, resistance conferred by two of these genes, RPP7 and RPP8, was not significantly suppressed by mutations in either EDS1 or NDR1. RPP7 resistance was also not compromised by mutations in EIN2, JAR1 or COI1 which affect ethylene or jasmonic acid signaling. Double mutants were therefore tested. RPP7 and RPP8 were weakly suppressed in an eds1-2/ndr1-1 background, suggesting that these RPP genes operate additively through EDS1, NDR1 and as-yet-undefined signaling components. RPP7 was not compromised in coi1/npr1 or coi1/NahG backgrounds. These observations suggest that RPP7 initiates resistance through a novel signaling pathway that functions independently of salicylic acid accumulation or jasmonic acid response components.

Disease resistance (R) genes are found in plants as either simple (single allelic series) loci, or more frequently as complex loci of tandemly repeated genes. These different loci are likely to be under similar evolutionary forces from pathogens, but the contrast between them suggests important differences in mechanisms associated with DNA structure and recombination that generate and maintain R gene diversity. The RPP13 locus in Arabidopsis represents an important paradigm for studying the evolution of an R gene at a simple locus. The RPP13 allele from the accession Nd-1, designated RPP13-Nd, confers resistance to five different isolates of the biotrophic oomycete, Peronospora parasitica (causal agent of downy mildew), and encodes an NBS-LRR type R protein with a putative amino-terminal leucine zipper. The RPP13-Rld allele, cloned from the accession Rld-2, encodes a different specificity. Comparison of three RPP13 alleles revealed a high rate of amino acid divergence within the LRR domain, less than 80% identity overall, compared to the remainder of the protein (> 95% identity). We also found evidence for positive selection in the LRR domain for amino acid diversification outside the core conserved beta-strand/beta-turn motif, suggesting that more of the LRR structure is available for interaction with target molecules than has previously been reported for other R gene products. Furthermore, an amino acid sequence (LLRVLDL) identical in an LRR among RPP13 alleles is conserved in other LZ NBS-LRR type R proteins, suggesting functional significance.

Fifteen isolates of the biotrophic oomycete Peronospora parasitica (downy mildew) were obtained from a population of Arabidopsis thaliana plants that established naturally in a garden the previous year. They exhibited phenotypic variation in a set of 12 Arabidopsis accessions that suggested that the parasite population consisted of at least six pathotypes. One isolate, Maks9, elicited an interaction phenotype of flecking necrosis and no sporulation (FN) in the Arabidopsis accession Nd-1, and more extensive pitting necrosis with no sporulation (PN) in the accession Ws-2. RPP13 was designated as the locus for a single dominant resistance gene associated with the resistance in Nd-1 and mapped to an interval of approximately 60 kb on a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contig on the lower arm of chromosome 3. This locus is approximately 6 cM telomeric to RPP1, which was previously described as the locus for the PN interaction with five Peronospora isolates, including resistance to Maks9 in Ws-2. New Peronospora isolates were obtained from four other geographically distinct populations of P. parasitica. Four isolates were characterized that elicited an FN phenotype in Nd-1 and mapped resistance to the RPP13 locus. This suggests that the RPP13 locus contains either a single gene capable of multiple isolate recognition or a group of tightly linked genes. Further analysis suggests that the RPP11 gene in the accession Rld-0 may be allelic to RPP13 but results in a different recognition capability.

The RPS5 disease resistance gene of Arabidopsis mediates recognition of Pseudomonas syringae strains that possess the avirulence gene avrPphB. By screening for loss of RPS5-specified resistance, we identified five pbs (avrPphB susceptible) mutants that represent three different genes. Mutations in PBS1 completely blocked RPS5-mediated resistance, but had little to no effect on resistance specified by other disease resistance genes, suggesting that PBS1 facilitates recognition of the avrPphB protein. The pbs2 mutation dramatically reduced resistance mediated by the RPS5 and RPM1 resistance genes, but had no detectable effect on resistance mediated by RPS4 and had an intermediate effect on RPS2-mediated resistance. The pbs2 mutation also had varying effects on resistance mediated by seven different RPP (recognition of Peronospora parasitica) genes. These data indicate that the PBS2 protein functions in a pathway that is important only to a subset of disease-resistance genes. The pbs3 mutation partially suppressed all four P. syringae-resistance genes (RPS5, RPM1, RPS2, and RPS4), and it had weak-to-intermediate effects on the RPP genes. In addition, the pbs3 mutant allowed higher bacterial growth in response to a virulent strain of P. syringae, indicating that the PBS3 gene product functions in a pathway involved in restricting the spread of both virulent and avirulent pathogens. The pbs mutations are recessive and have been mapped to chromosomes I (pbs2) and V (pbs1 and pbs3).

Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen-presenting cells, capable of priming naive T cell responses. Glucocorticoids (GC) are frequently used in asthmatic patients. In this study we describe the effects of GC on the development and function of monocyte-derived DC (MoDC) in vitro and in vivo. Monocytes from healthy individuals were isolated and incubated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4 for 6 days, to induce maturation into MoDC. To study the role of GC on DC differentiation in vitro cells were incubated with dexamethasone at different stages of MoDC development. At day 6 cells were characterized phenotypically by flow cytometry and functionally in an allogeneic mixed leucocyte reaction. To study the effect of GC in vivo patients with mild/moderate atopic asthma were selected. In one group no GC were used, whereas the other group used inhalation GC. MoDC from these patients were generated as described above and tested functionally. Incubation of MoDC or its peripheral blood precursors with dexamethasone decreased the accessory potency dose-dependently. The functional differences could not be explained by the changes in the expression of MHC II and the costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86. The relevance of this mechanism was confirmed for the in vivo situation as well. MoDC from patients using inhalation GC showed a decreased accessory potency. These data suggest a modulatory effect of GC therapy at the level of the peripheral blood monocyte. The results indicate that GC influence DC development and function in vitro as well as in vivo.

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) play an important role in the regulation of the local immune reactivity in the lung. It was previously shown that exposure of rats to mild inescapable electrical footshock stress (20 min, 4 shocks/min, 5 s/shock, 0.8 mAmp) leads to apparent changes in the activity of AMs upon stimulation, reflected by an enhanced interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion and decreased nitric oxide secretion compared with the secretion by AMs isolated from nonstressed rats. Here we show that in vivo blockade of the autonomic nervous system by intraperitoneal injection of the nicotinic receptor antagonist chlorisondamine leads to complete abrogation of these stress-induced alterations in AM activity. This role for the autonomic nervous system could further be attributed to sympathetic stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors as shown by blockade of beta-adrenoceptors. Blockade of either alpha-adrenoceptors or parasympathetic output did not result in abrogation of the stress-induced changes in AM activity. The beta-adrenergic modulation of AM activity most likely is not due to a direct effect of catecholamines on AMs because mimicking the in vivo stress effects by in vitro preincubation of AMs with various doses of catecholamines followed by lipopolysaccharide stimulation did not result in an altered cytokine secretion by AMs.

Pathogen resistance (R) genes of the NBS-LRR class (for nucleotide binding site and leucine-rich repeat) are found in many plant species and confer resistance to a diverse spectrum of pathogens. Little is known about the mechanisms that drive NBS-LRR gene evolution in the host-pathogen arms race. We cloned the RPP8 gene (for resistance to Peronospora parasitica) and compared the structure of alleles at this locus in resistant Landsberg erecta (Ler-0) and susceptible Columbia (Col-0) accessions. RPP8-Ler encodes an NBS-LRR protein with a putative N-terminal leucine zipper and is more closely related to previously cloned R genes that confer resistance to bacterial pathogens than it is to other known RPP genes. The RPP8 haplotype in Ler-0 contains the functional RPP8-Ler gene and a nonfunctional homolog, RPH8A. In contrast, the rpp8 locus in Col-0 contains a single chimeric gene, which was likely derived from unequal crossing over between RPP8-Ler and RPH8A ancestors within a Ler-like haplotype. Sequence divergence among RPP8 family members has been accelerated by positive selection on the putative ligand binding region in the LRRs. These observations indicate that NBS-LRR molecular evolution is driven by the same mechanisms that promote rapid sequence diversification among other genes involved in non-self-recognition.

Plant resistance (R) genes have evolved specific recognition capabilities in defense against pathogens. The evolution of R gene function and maintenance of R gene diversity within a plant species are therefore of great interest. In the Arabidopsis accession Wassilewskija, the RPP1 region on chromosome 3 contains four genetically linked recognition specificities, conditioning resistance to different isolates of the biotrophic oomycete Peronospora parasitica (downy mildew). We show that three of four tightly linked genes in this region, designated RPP1-WsA, RPP1-WsB, and RPP1-WsC, encode functional products of the NBS-LRR (nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeat) R protein class. They possess a TIR (Toll, interleukin-1, resistance) domain that is characteristic of certain other NBS-LRR-type R proteins, but in addition, they have unique hydrophilic or hydrophobic N termini. Together, the three RPP1 genes account for the spectrum of resistance previously assigned to the RPP1 region and thus comprise a complex R locus. The distinct but partially overlapping resistance capabilities conferred by these genes are best explained by the hypothesis that each recognizes a different pathogen avirulence determinant. We present evidence suggesting that the RPP genes at this locus are subject to the same selective forces that have been demonstrated for structurally different LRR-type R genes.

The metallothionein gene, LSC54, shows increased expression during leaf senescence in Brassica napus and Arabidopsis thaliana. A number of abiotic and biotic stresses have been shown to induce senescence-like symptoms in plants and, to investigate this further, the promoter of the LSC54 gene was cloned and fused to the GUS gene and transformed into Arabidopsis. The promoter was highly induced during leaf senescence and also in response to wounding; histochemical analysis indicated that this induction was localised to a few cells close to the wound site. The transgenic Arabidopsis tissue was infected with compatible and incompatible isolates of both the fungal biotroph, Peronospora parasitica and the bacterial necrotroph, Pseudomonas syringae. Incompatible isolates induced rapid cell death (the hypersensitive response) at the site of infection and, with both pathogens, early, localised expression of the GUS gene was observed. In contrast, relatively slow induction of the GUS gene was seen in the compatible interaction and this was correlated with the appearance of senescence-like symptoms in the biotrophic interaction and cell death by necrosis that occurred in response to the necrotrophic pathogen. These results suggest that there are common steps in the signalling pathways that lead to cell death in the hypersensitive response, pathogen induced necrosis and senescence.

Recognition of pathogens by plants is mediated by several distinct families of functionally variable but structurally related disease resistance (R) genes. The largest family is defined by the presence of a putative nucleotide binding domain and 12 to 21 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). The function of these LRRs has not been defined, but they are speculated to bind pathogen-derived ligands. We have isolated a mutation in the Arabidopsis RPS5 gene that indicates that the LRR region may interact with other plant proteins. The rps5-1 mutation causes a glutamate-to-lysine substitution in the third LRR and partially compromises the function of several R genes that confer bacterial and downy mildew resistance. The third LRR is relatively well conserved, and we speculate that it may interact with a signal transduction component shared by multiple R gene pathways.

The Arabidopsis genes EDS1 and NDR1 were shown previously by mutational analysis to encode essential components of race-specific disease resistance. Here, we examined the relative requirements for EDS1 and NDR1 by a broad spectrum of Resistance (R) genes present in three Arabidopsis accessions (Columbia, Landsberg-erecta, and Wassilewskija). We show that there is a strong requirement for EDS1 by a subset of R loci (RPP2, RPP4, RPP5, RPP21, and RPS4), conferring resistance to the biotrophic oomycete Peronospora parasitica, and to Pseudomonas bacteria expressing the avirulence gene avrRps4. The requirement for NDR1 by these EDS1-dependent R loci is either weak or not measurable. Conversely, three NDR1-dependent R loci, RPS2, RPM1, and RPS5, operate independently of EDS1. Another RPP locus, RPP8, exhibits no strong exclusive requirement for EDS1 or NDR1 in isolate-specific resistance to P. parasitica, although resistance is compromised weakly by eds1. Similarly, resistance conditioned by two EDS1-dependent RPP genes, RPP4 and RPP5, is impaired partially by ndr1, implicating a degree of pathway cross-talk. Our results provide compelling evidence for the preferential utilization of either signaling component by particular R genes and thus define at least two disease resistance pathways. The data also suggest that strong dependence on EDS1 or NDR1 is governed by R protein structural type rather than pathogen class.

The soilborne, vascular pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, the causative agent of bacterial wilt, was shown to infect a range of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. The pathogen was capable of infecting the Col-5 accession in an hrp-dependent manner, following root inoculation. Elevated bacterial population levels were found in leaves of Col-5, 4 to 5 days after root inoculation by the GMI1000 strain. Bacteria were found predominantly in the xylem vessels and spread systematically throughout the plant. The Nd-1 accession of A. thaliana was resistant to the GMI1000 strain of R. solanacearum. Bacterial concentrations detected in leaves of Nd-1, inoculated with an hrp+ strain of R. solanacearum, were only slightly higher than those detected in the susceptible accession, Col-5, following inoculation with a strain whose hrp gene cluster was deleted. Leaf inoculation of the GMI1000 strain on the resistant accession Nd-1 induced the formation of lesions in the older leaves of the rosette whereas the same strain of R. solanacearum provoked complete wilting of Col-5. Resistance to strain GMI1000 of R. solanacearum segregated as a simply inherited recessive trait in a genetic cross between Col-5 and Nd-1. F9 recombinant inbred lines generated between these two accessions were used to map a locus, RRS1, that was the major determinant of resistance between restriction fragment length polymorphism markers mi83 and mi61 on chromosome V. This region of the A. thaliana genome is known to contain many other pathogen recognition capabilities.

Alveolar macrophages (AM) are important in the regulation of immune responses in the lung, through their role as scavenger cells and through the production of many bioactive factors. Because in early infancy pulmonary infections are a recurrent problem, we studied the postnatal functional maturation of AM in a rat model. AM were isolated from rat lungs by bronchoalveolar lavage at several time intervals after birth and tested for their ability to ingest Escherichia coli in the presence of surfactant protein A (SP-A). Furthermore, their capacity to produce nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) after in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was analysed, as well as their capacity to downregulate proliferation of T cells from both mature and neonatal rats. SP-A-mediated phagocytosis of E. coli by AM was reduced in 14-day-old neonatal rats, as compared with mature rats (P < or = 0.05). Also the IL-1 beta production by rat AM after LPS stimulation was impaired at 14 days of age, as compared with IL-1 beta production by AM from mature rats (P < or = 0.05). In contrast, the LPS-induced NO production by rat AM as well as the capacity to inhibit T-cell proliferation were well developed at all ages tested. In conclusion, during postnatal development the rat AM is functionally immature, with respect to phagocytosis and secretion of inflammatory mediators. These differences may underly the enhanced susceptibility to pulmonary infections as found in human neonates.

The disease resistance genes RPS2 of Arabidopsis and N of tobacco, among other recently cloned resistance genes, share several conserved sequences. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers, based on conserved sequences in the nucleotide binding site (NBS) and a weak hydrophobic domain of RPS2 and N, were used to amplify homologous sequences from Arabidopsis thaliana. Amplification products were obtained that were similar in sequence to the disease resistance genes RPS2, RPM1, N and L6. The Arabidopsis CIC-YAC library was used to identify the position of the disease resistance homologs on the Arabidopsis genome. Their map positions could be correlated with the disease resistance loci RPS5, RAC1, RPP9, CAR1, RPP7, RPW2, RPP1, RPP10, RPP14, RPP5, RPP4, RPS2, RPW6, HRT, RPS4, RPP8, RPP21, RPP22, RPP23, RPP24 and TTR1. This method was therefore not only successful in the identification of sequences located within gene clusters that are involved in disease resistance, but could also contribute to the cloning of disease resistance genes from Arabidopsis.

Disease resistance in plants is a desirable economic trait. A number of disease resistance genes from various plant species have been cloned so far. The gene products of some of these can be distinguished by the presence of an N-terminal nucleotide binding site and a C-terminal stretch of leucine-rich repeats. Although these gene products are structurally related, the DNA sequences are poorly conserved. Only parts of the nucleotide binding site share enough DNA identity to design primers for polymerase chain reaction amplification of related DNA sequences. Such primers were used to amplify different resistance-gene-like (RGL) DNA fragments from Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Landsberg erecta and Columbia. Almost all cloned DNA fragments were genetically closely linked with known disease resistance loci. Most RGL fragments were found in a clustered or dispersed multi-copy sequence organization, supporting the supposed correlation of RGL sequences and disease resistance loci.

Resistance to the morpholine-fungicide fenpropimorph was studied in Aspergillus niger and A. nidulans. Mass selection of conidia of A. nidulans on agar amended with the fungicide at different concentrations did not yield of resistant mutants, even after UV-treatment of the conidia. In contrast, similar experiments with A. niger generated many fenpropimorph-resistant mutants. The mutants displayed cross-resistance to fenpropidin and generally showed wild-type sensitivity to the unrelated toxicants fenarimol and cycloheximide. Genetic analysis of fenpropimorph resistance in A. niger was carried out by means of the parasexual cycle. In the mutants tested, two genes located on linkage group II were involved in fenpropimorph resistance. Dominance tests showed that resistance to fenpropimorph in A. niger is recessive.

Plant disease resistance (R) genes confer an ability to resist infection by pathogens expressing specific corresponding avirulence genes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, resistance to both bacterial and fungal pathogens, mediated by several R gene products, requires the NDR1 gene. Positional cloning was used to isolate NDR1, which encodes a 660-base pair open reading frame. The predicted 219-amino acid sequence suggests that NDR1 may be associated with a membrane. NDR1 expression is induced in response to pathogen challenge and may function to integrate various pathogen recognition signals.

Oral administration of the bacterial extract OM-85 BV has been shown to prime alveolar macrophages (AM) in such a way that they secrete significantly more nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta upon in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). As increased cytokine secretion by AM may account for the therapeutic effect of OM-85 BV in respiratory tract infections, we studied the effect of orally administered OM-85 BV on the outcome of Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced pneumonia. Mice received a daily oral dose of OM-85 BV (350 mg/kg body weight) for 5 days and were intratracheally infected with 333, 1000 or 3333 CFU K. pneumoniae on day 8. It was shown that OM-85 BV pretreatment of mice has no effect on bacterial clearance, neutrophil recruitment and survival in this acute respiratory tract infection. Also, OM-85 BV treatment had no protective effect in a recurrent infection with K. pneumoniae. It is concluded that AM activation by oral treatment with OM-85 BV is not sufficient to play a protective role in respiratory tract infection with K. pneumoniae.

To study the effects of different types or intensities of stressors on immune reactivity in the lungs, we studied the ex vivo production of nitric oxide (NO) and IL-1beta by alveolar macrophages (AM) after short exposure of rats to restraint stress or inescapable electric footshocks. Exposure to electric footshocks of various intensities resulted in an intensity-dependent decrease in NO production whereas the IL-1beta production by AM had increased. The secretory activity was similarly affected by restraint stress. When the time course of electric footshocks on secretory functions of AM was studied, it was found that the effects on NO and IL-1beta production by AM were normalized 3 days after the stress induction, but reappeared when cells were isolated 1 to 2 wk after stress exposure. Analysis of the effects of electric footshocks of various intensities on antibody production 10 days after the stress session and subsequent lung immunization with trinitrophenyl conjugated keyhole limpet hemocyanin (TNP-KLH), showed a footshock intensity-dependent response. Although exposure to stress induced an increase in plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT), hormone levels did not differ between the various stress-exposed groups. This suggests that the observed stress effects on pulmonary immune functions were not mediated by ACTH or CORT but point to a direct involvement of the autonomic nervous system.

We are working to determine the role of the Arabidopsis phytoalexin, camalexin, in protecting the plant from pathogen attack by isolating phytoalexin-deficient (pad) mutants in the accession Columbia (Col-0) and examining their response to pathogens. Mutations in PAD1, PAD2, and PAD4 caused enhanced susceptibility to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola strain ES4326 (PsmES4326), while mutations in PAD3 or PAD5 did not. Camalexin was not detected in any of the double mutants pad1-1 pad2-1, pad1-1 pad3-1 or pad2-1 pad3-1. Growth of PsmES4326 in pad1-1 pad2-1 was greater than that in pad1-1 or pad2-1 plants, while growth in pad1-1 pad3-1 and pad2-1 pad3-1 plants was similar to that in pad1-1 and pad2-1 plants, respectively. The pad4-1 mutation caused reduced camalexin synthesis in response to PsmES4326 infection, but not in response to Cochliobolus carbonum infection, indicating that PAD4 has a regulatory function. PAD1, PAD2, PAD3 and PAD4 are all required for resistance to the eukaryotic biotroph Peronospora parasitica. The pad4-1 mutation caused the most dramatic change, exhibiting full susceptibility to four of six Col-incompatible parasite isolates. Interestingly, each combination of double mutants between pad1-1, pad2-1 and pad3-1 exhibited additive shifts to moderate or full susceptibility to most of the isolates.

We have cloned the uvsC gene of Aspergillus nidulans by complementation of the A. nidulans uvsC114 mutant. The predicted protein UVSC shows 67.4% sequence identity to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad51 protein and 27.4% sequence identity to the Escherichia coli RecA protein. Transcription of uvsC is induced by methyl-methane sulphonate (MMS), as is transcription of RAD51 of yeast. Similar levels of uvsC transcription were observed after MMS induction in a uvsC+ strain and the uvsC114 mutant. The coding sequence of the uvsC114 allele has a deletion of 6 bp, which results in deletion of two amino acids and replacement of one amino acid in the translation product. In order to gain more insight into the biological function of the uvsC gene, a uvsC null mutant was constructed, in which the entire uvsC coding sequence was replaced by a selectable marker gene. Meiotic and mitotic phenotypes of a uvsC+ strain, the uvsC114 mutant and the uvsC null mutant were compared. The uvsC null mutant was more sensitive to both UV and MMS than the uvsC114 mutant. The uvsC114 mutant arrested in meiotic prophase-I. The uvsC null mutant arrested at an earlier stage, before the onset of meiosis. One possible interpretation of these meiotic phenotypes is that the A. nidulans homologue of Rad51 of yeast has a role both in the specialized processes preceding meiosis and in meiotic prophase I.

To study the in vivo role of alveolar macrophages (AM) in gram-negative bacterial pneumonia in mice, AM were eliminated by the intratracheal (i.t.) administration of dichloromethylene diphosphonate encapsulated liposomes. Subsequently, the AM-depleted mice were infected i.t. with 100 CFU of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the effects of AM depletion on survival, bacterial clearance, and neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMN]) recruitment were assessed. It was shown that depletion of AM decreases survival dramatically, with 100% lethality at day 3 postinfection, versus 100% long-term survival in the control group. This increased mortality was accompanied by 20- to 27- and 3- to 10-fold increases in the number of K. pneumoniae CFU in lung and plasma, respectively, compared to those in nondepleted animals. This decreased bacterial clearance was not due to an impaired PMN recruitment; on the contrary, the K. pneumoniae-induced PMN recruitment in AM-depleted lungs was sevenfold greater 48 h postinfection than that in control infected lungs. Together with an increased PMN infiltration, 3- and 10-fold increases in lung homogenate tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) levels, respectively, were measured. Neutralization of TNF-alpha or MIP-2, 2 h before infection, reduced the numbers of infiltrating PMN by 41.6 and 64.2%, respectively, indicating that these cytokines mediate PMN influx in infected lungs, rather then just being produced by the recruited PMN themselves. Our studies demonstrate, for the first time, the relative importance of the AM in the containment and clearance of bacteria in the setting of Klebsiella pneumonia.

The interaction between Arabidopsis and the biotrophic oomycete Peronospora parasitica (downy mildew) provides an attractive model pathosystem to identify molecular components of the host that are required for genotype-specific recognition of the parasite. These components are the so-called RPP genes (for resistance to P. parasitica). Mutational analysis of the ecotype Wassilewskija (Ws-0) revealed an RPP-nonspecific locus called EDS1 (for enhanced disease susceptibility) that is required for the function of RPP genes on chromosomes 3 (RPP1/RPP14 and RPP10) and 4 (RPP12). Genetic analyses demonstrated that the eds1 mutation is recessive and is not a defective allele of any known RPP gene, mapping to the bottom arm of chromosome 3 (approximately 13 centimorgans below RPP1/RPP14). Phenotypically, the Ws-eds1 mutant seedlings supported heavy sporulation by P. parasitica isolates that are each diagnostic for one of the RPP genes in wild-type Ws-0; none of the isolates is capable of sporulating on wild-type Ws-0. Ws-eds1 seedlings exhibited enhanced susceptibility to some P. parasitica isolates when compared with a compatible wild-type ecotype, Columbia, and the eds1 parental ecotype, Ws-0. This was observed as earlier initiation of sporulation and elevated production of conidiosporangia. Surprisingly, cotyledons of Ws-eds1 also supported low sporulation by five isolates of P. parasitica from Brassica oleracea. These isolates were unable to sporulate on > 100 ecotypes of Arabidopsis, including wild-type Ws-0. An isolate of Albugo candida (white blister) from B. oleracea also sporulated on Ws-eds1, but the mutant exhibited no alteration in phenotype when inoculated with several oomycete isolates from other host species. The bacterial resistance gene RPM1, conferring specific recognition of the avirulence gene avrB from Pseudomonas syringae pv glycinea, was not compromised in Ws-eds1 plants. The mutant also retained full responsiveness to the chemical inducer of systemic acquired resistance, 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid; Ws-eds1 seedlings treated with 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid became resistant to the Ws-0-compatible and Ws-0-incompatible P. parasitica isolates Emwa1 and Noco2, respectively. In summary, the EDS1 gene appears to be a necessary component of the resistance response specified by several RPP genes and is likely to function upstream from the convergence of disease resistance pathways in Arabidopsis.

Effects of glucocorticoids on immune functions are generally thought to be suppressive and anti-inflammatory. However, most reports dealing with this issue describe effects of long-term treatment with high doses of glucocorticoids on immune functions. In the present study we have investigated both dose and timing effects of exposure of alveolar macrophages with dexamethasone on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-1 beta and nitric oxide secretion. For this purpose, alveolar macrophages were preincubated with various doses of dexamethasone during varying intervals, followed by stimulation of the cells with endotoxin, either in the absence or presence of dexamethasone. Subsequently, the effects of this treatment of IL-1 beta and nitric oxide secretion were measured. It was shown that both short-term incubation of alveolar macrophages with high doses of dexamethasone and long-term incubation with low doses of dexamethasone lead to enhanced nitric oxide and enhanced IL-1 beta secretion upon subsequent stimulation of the cells with LPS. In contrast, long-term incubation of alveolar macrophages with high-dose dexamethasone leads to decreased IL-1 beta and nitric oxide secretion upon subsequent stimulation. Thus, it is concluded that the effects of dexamethasone on rat alveolar macrophages are both time- and dose-dependent. It is therefore argued that effects of glucocorticoids on immune functions are not a priori suppressive, but that both dose and timing effects should be taken into account.