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Blueberry leaf spots and stem cankers caused by Pestalotiopsis spp. have become a serious threat for the production of blueberry in Sichuan Province. To characterize the etiology of the diseases connected with these fungi, samples showing leaf spot and stem canker symptoms were collected from the 12 main blueberry-growing areas of Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2020 and used for pathogen isolation. In total, 91 fungal isolates were obtained with preliminary morphological identification and 48 representative strains were selected for further pathogenicity test and molecular identification. Four species, including Pestalotiopsis clavispora (Neopestalotiopsis clavispora) (57.14%), P. trachicarpicola (28.57%), P. chamaeropis (13.19%), and P. adusta (1.10%), were identified based on conidial morphology, cultural characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region, partial sequence of the β-tubulin gene, and the translation elongation factor 1-α. Pathogenicity tests showed that four species were pathogenic to leaves and stems of blueberry. Among them, P. clavispora (N. clavispora) was the most aggressive as the predominant species to cause both leaf spot and stem canker. P. trachicarpicola and P. chamaeropis were mainly isolated from leaves but also pathogenic to stems. P. adusta was only isolated from stems but also pathogenic to leaves. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. chamaeropis and P. adusta as pathogens causing leaf spots and stem canker on blueberry. The results provide helpful information in disease diagnosis and management of blueberry.

Under a pronounced climate warming, permafrost has been degrading in most areas globally, but it is still unclear in the northwestern part of the Da Xing'anling Mountains, Northeast China. According to a 10-year observation of permafrost and active-layer temperatures, the multi-year average of mean annual ground temperatures at 20 m was −2.83, −0.94, −0.80, −0.70, −0.60, and −0.49 ∘C, respectively, at boreholes Gen'he4 (GH4), Mangui3 (MG3), Mangui1 (MG1), Mangui2 (MG2), Gen'he5 (GH5), and Yituli'he2 (YTLH2), with the depths of the permafrost table varying from 1.1 to 7.0 m. Ground cooling at shallow depths has been detected, resulting in declining thaw depths in Yituli'he during 2009–2020, possibly due to relatively stable mean positive air temperature and declining snow cover and a dwindling local population. In most study areas (e.g., Mangui and Gen'he), permafrost warming is particularly pronounced at larger depths (even at 80 m). These results can provide important information for regional development and engineering design and maintenance and also provide a long-term ground temperature dataset for the validation of models relevant to the thermal dynamics of permafrost in the Da Xing'anling Mountains. All of the datasets are published through the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (TPDC), and the link is https://doi.org/10.11888/Geocry.tpdc.271752 (Chang, 2021).

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) causes kiwifruit bacterial canker and poses a major threat to the kiwifruit industry. This study aimed to investigate the genetic characteristics of the Psa population from kiwifruit in Sichuan, China. Sixty-seven isolates obtained from diseased plants were characterized using morphological features, multiplex-PCR and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). The isolates exhibited the typical colony morphology of Psa. Multiplex PCR amplification identified every isolate as Psa biovar 3. MLSA analysis of the three housekeeping genes gapA, gyrB, and pfk, revealed that the reference strains of the five described biovars were clearly distinguished by a combined phylogenetic tree, and all the tested isolates clustered with the reference strains of Psa biovar 3. Through a phylogenetic tree constructed from a single gene, it was found that pkf gene alone could distinguish biovar 3 from the other biovars. Furthermore, all Psa isolates analyzed by BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic (BOX)-PCR and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR clustered into four groups. The clustering results of BOX- and ERIC-PCR indicated that group III had the largest number of isolates, accounting for 56.72% and 61.19% of all sixty-seven isolates, respectively, and the two characterization methods were similar and complementary. The results of this study revealed that the genomes of Psa isolates from Sichuan had rich genetic diversity, but no obvious correlation was found between clustering and geographical region. This research provides novel methodologies for rapidly detecting kiwifruit bacterial canker pathogen and a molecular differentiation at genetic level of Psa biovars diversity in China.

Overexpression of Ras, in addition to the oncogenic mutations, occurs in various human cancers. However, the mechanisms for epitranscriptic regulation of RAS in tumorigenesis remain unclear. Here, we report that the widespread N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) modification of HRAS , but not KRAS and NRAS , is higher in cancer tissues compared with the adjacent tissues, which results in the increased expression of H-Ras protein, thus promoting cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Mechanistically, three m 6 A modification sites of HRAS 3′ UTR, which is regulated by FTO and bound by YTHDF1, but not YTHDF2 nor YTHDF3, promote its protein expression by the enhanced translational elongation. In addition, targeting HRAS m 6 A modification decreases cancer proliferation and metastasis. Clinically, up-regulated H-Ras expression correlates with down-regulated FTO and up-regulated YTHDF1 expression in various cancers. Collectively, our study reveals a linking between specific m 6 A modification sites of HRAS and tumor progression, which provides a new strategy to target oncogenic Ras signaling.

Target-protein-based pesticide screening has attracted wide-ranging attention on pesticide science. Pedunsaponin A (PA) is a compound isolated from the root of Pueraria peduncularis, and it has a strong toxic effect on Pomacea canaliculata. Previous studies found that Advlin (PcAdv) and neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome isoform X1(PcnWAS) are target proteins of PA when interacted with P. canaliculata. In this study, we modeled the two target proteins through I-Tasser and identified the pharmacophore of PA binding to the two target proteins by molecular docking. Furthermore, through virtual screening, potassium alginate was found to strongly bind to the target proteins in theory. In vivo bioassay showed that, similar to PA treatment, potassium alginate was able to induce typical poisoning symptoms on P. canaliculata, which were characterized by abnormal increase of excreta, weakening of climbing capacity, loss of gill cilia and decrease in hemocyanin content, and even cause death of P. canaliculata with a 13.33% mortality rate under 100 mg L

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the important oilseed and vegetable crop worldwide and provides the main source of vegetable oil and proteins for human and livestock (Hartman et al. 2011). In October 2021, approximately 35% of soybean pods suffered from anthracnose in the farmer’s field in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province, China (103°40'12"E, 30°37'48"N), and the occurrence area accounted for about 3.3 hm2. Symptoms of soybean were characterized by yellow spots at the initial stage, gradually expanded into dark brown spots, and eventually amounts of small black particles were densely arranged in the wheel shape on dead spots. Diseased spots of soybean pods were cut into pieces and sequentially sterilized in 75% alcohol for 30 s, 4% sodium hypochlorite for 30 s, sterile water for 3 times. After that, these pieces were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25±2°C in the dark for 5-7 days. Single spore was separately picked and transferred to a fresh PDA plate to obtain pure culture isolates. Total six pure isolates were collected, and among them the hyphae of representative isolate 8-B were initially white, turned grey gradually on PDA medium, and the colonial reverse were radiating, whorled or a mixture of both. Conidia of 8-B were septate, hyaline, unicellular, cylindrical, obtusely rounded at both ends with 1 or 2 oil balls inside, and 10.5-17.6 µm in length and 7.0 µm-3.6 µm in width (n=100). The conidial appressoria were brown subspherical, 6.9 µm-13.3 µm in length and 5.6 µm-10.1 µm (n=50) in width. Based on morphological and cultural characteristics, the isolate 8-B was tentatively identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex（Weir et al. 2012). To test pathogenicity, the mycelial plugs were inoculated on 20 detached soybean pods at full seed (R6) stage, and three areas of each pod were lightly scratched using a needle prior to inoculation. As controls, the PDA plugs were attached to the pinned-treated pods. Three independent replicates were conducted for control and inoculated pods, respectively. All pods were incubated in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C with a relative humidity of approximately 90%. After 4-5 days post-inoculation, typical anthracnose lesions were observed on the inoculated pods while the control pods remained healthy only with small wound spots. The pathogen re-isolated from all the inoculated pods were morphologically identical to the inoculation isolate (8-B). For further molecular verification, the six gene fragments including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1), actin (ACT), β-tubulin 2 (TUB2) and calmodulin (CAL) were amplified and sequenced (Weir et al. 2012, Damm et al. 2012), and the obtained sequences were deposited in GenBank (Accession numbers ON960278, ON685214, ON964475, ON974476, ON685215 and ON964477, respectively). All six gene sequences of 8-B had a high identity to C. fructicola (the stand isolate ICMP 18581) with the accession numbers ON960278 (100%), ON974476 (96%), ON685214 (99%), ON964475 (99%), ON685215 (100%), and ON964477 100%), respectively. Anthracnose disease caused by C. fructicola has previously been reported to affect a range of plant hosts worldwide (Guarnaccia et al. 2017). However, it is still unknown on C. fructicola causing anthracnose in soybean in China. This study firstly reports C. fructicola as the causal agent of anthracnose on soybean in the country, and provides a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and control of this disease.

In boreal forest ecosystems, permafrost and forest types are mutually interdependent; permafrost degradation impacts forest ecosystem structure and functions. The Xing’an permafrost in Northeast China is on the southern margin of the Eastern Asia latitudinal permafrost body. Under a warming climate, permafrost undergoes rapid and extensive degradation. In this study, the frost-number (Fn) model based on air temperatures and ground surface temperatures was used to predict the distribution of the Xing’an permafrost, and, temporal and spatial changes in air and ground-surface temperatures from 1961 to 2019 are analyzed. The results show that Northeast China has experienced a rapid and substantial climate warming over the past 60 years. The rises in mean annual air and mean annual ground-surface temperatures were higher in permafrost zones than those in the seasonal frost zone. The frost numbers of air and ground-surface temperatures were calculated for determining the southern limit of latitudinal permafrost and for permafrost zonation. The southern limits of discontinuous permafrost, sporadic permafrost, and latitudinal permafrost moved northward significantly. According to the air-temperature frost-number criteria for permafrost zoning, compared with that in the 1960s, the extent of Xing’an permafrost in Northeast China had decreased by 40.6% by the 2010s. With an average rate of increase in mean annual air temperatures at 0.03 °C a−1, the extent of permafrost in Northeast China will decrease to 26.42 × 104 by 2020, 14.69 × 104 by 2040 and to 11.24 × 104 km2 by 2050. According to the ground-surface temperature frost-number criteria, the southern limit of latitudinal permafrost was at the 0.463. From the 1960s to the 2010s, the extent of latitudinal permafrost declined significantly. Due to the nature of the ecosystem-protected Xing’an-Baikal permafrost, management and protection (e.g., more prudent and effective forest fire management and proper logging of forests) of the Xing’an permafrost eco-environment should be strengthened.

Rhizosphere microbes play a vital role in plant health and defense against soil-borne diseases. Previous studies showed that maize-soybean relay strip intercropping altered the diversity and composition of pathogenic Fusarium species and biocontrol fungal communities in the soybean rhizosphere, and significantly suppressed soybean root rot. However, whether the rhizosphere bacterial community participates in the regulation of this intercropping on soybean root rot is not clear. In this study, the rhizosphere soil of soybean healthy plants was collected in the continuous cropping of maize-soybean relay strip intercropping and soybean monoculture in the fields, and the integrated methods of microbial profiling, dual culture assays in vitro, and pot experiments were employed to systematically investigate the diversity, composition, and function of rhizosphere bacteria related to soybean root rot in two cropping patterns. We found that intercropping reshaped the rhizosphere bacterial community and increased microbial community diversity, and meanwhile, it also recruited much richer and more diverse species of Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Streptomyces sp., and Microbacterium sp. in soybean rhizosphere when compared with monoculture. From the intercropping, nine species of rhizosphere bacteria displayed good antagonism against the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum B3S1 of soybean root rot, and among them, IRHB3 (Pseudomonas chlororaphis), IRHB6 (Streptomyces), and IRHB9 (Bacillus) were the dominant bacteria and extraordinarily rich. In contrast, MRHB108 (Streptomyces virginiae) and MRHB205 (Bacillus subtilis) were the only antagonistic bacteria from monoculture, which were relatively poor in abundance. Interestingly, introducing IRHB3 into the cultured substrates not only significantly promoted the growth and development of soybean roots but also improved the survival rate of seedlings that suffered from F. oxysporum infection. Thus, this study proves that maize-soybean relay strip intercropping could help the host resist soil-borne Fusarium root rot by reshaping the rhizosphere bacterial community and driving more beneficial microorganisms to accumulate in the soybean rhizosphere.

Seed-borne pathogens cause diverse diseases at the growth, pre- and post-harvest stage of soybean resulting in a large reduction in yield and quality. The physiological and metabolic aspects of seeds are closely related to their defense against pathogens. Recently, Fusarium fujikuroi has been identified as the dominant seed-borne fungi of soybean seed decay, but little information on the responses of soybean seeds induced by F. fujikuroi is available. In this study, a time-course symptom development of seed decay was observed after F. fujikuroi inoculation through spore suspension soaking. The germination rate and the contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein were significantly altered over time. Both chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase as important fungal cell wall–degrading enzymes of soybean seeds were also rapidly and transiently activated upon the early infection of F. fujikuroi. Metabolic profile analysis showed that the metabolites in glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism were clearly induced by F. fujikuroi, but different metabolites were mostly enriched in isoflavone biosynthesis, flavone biosynthesis, and galactose pathways. Interestingly, glycitein and glycitin were dramatically upregulated while daidzein, genistein, genistin, and daidzin were largely downregulated. These results indicate a combination of physiological responses, cell wall–related defense, and the complicated metabolites of soybean seeds contributes to soybean seed resistance against F. fujikuroi, which are useful for soybean resistance breeding.

Fluxametamide is a completely novel and the first isoxazoline insecticide used to control agricultural pests and has high insecticidal properties. To expand its usage in the paddy field, its potential toxicological effects on fish are necessary to make clear. In this study, the acute toxicity, bioconcentration and elimination of fluxametamide to zebrafish Danio rerio, and the action mode of it on the heteromeric Drα1β2Sγ2 and Drα1β2S GABA receptor was respectively determined by HPLC and two-electrode voltage clamp technique. Fluxametamide exhibited high toxicity to D. rerio, whereas slightly inhibited the GABA-stimulated current of Drα1β2Sγ2 or Drα1β2S. It showed high bioconcentration level in D. rerio at 0.0314 mg L

Rhizosphere microbes play a vital role in plant health and defense against soil-borne diseases. Previous studies showed that maize-soybean relay strip intercropping altered the diversity and composition of pathogenic

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), is the most destructive pest of cruciferous vegetables worldwide. Chlorfenapyr is an important insecticide for controlling DBM. The impacts of three sublethal doses (LCLCThe results demonstrate that the sublethal effects of chlorfenapyr on DBM vary from inhibition to stimulatory hormesis, depending on the dose and generation. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Seed-borne pathogens cause diverse diseases at the growth, pre- and post-harvest stage of soybean resulting in a large reduction in yield and quality. The physiological and metabolic aspects of seeds are closely related to their defense against pathogens. Recently

The separation of chemical components from wild plants to develop new pesticides is a hot topic in current research. To evaluate the antimicrobial effects of metabolites of

Temperature sensitivity of respiration of forest soils is important for its responses to climate warming and for the accurate assessment of soil carbon budget. The sensitivity of temperature (Ti) to soil respiration rate (Rs), and Q10 defined by e10(lnRs−lna)/Ti has been used extensively for indicating the sensitivity of soil respiration. The soil respiration under a larch (Larix gmelinii) forest in the northern Daxing’an Mountains, Northeast China was observed in situ from April to September, 2019 using the dynamic chamber method. Air temperatures (Tair), soil surface temperatures (T0cm), soil temperatures at depths of 5 and 10 cm (T5cm and T10cm, respectively), and soil-surface water vapor concentrations were monitored at the same time. The results show a significant monthly variability in soil respiration rate in the growing season (April–September). The Q10 at the surface and at depths of 5 and 10 cm was estimated at 5.6, 6.3, and 7.2, respectively. The Q10@10 cm over the period of surface soil thawing (Q10@10 cm, thaw = 36.89) were significantly higher than that of the growing season (Q10@10 cm, growth = 3.82). Furthermore, the Rs in the early stage of near-surface soil thawing and in the middle of the growing season is more sensitive to changes in soil temperatures. Soil temperature is thus the dominant factor for season variations in soil respiration, but rainfall is the main controller for short-term fluctuations in respiration. Thus, the higher sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature (Q10) is found in the middle part of the growing season. The monthly and seasonal Q10 values better reflect the responsiveness of soil respiration to changes in hydrometeorology and ground freeze-thaw processes. This study may help assess the stability of the soil carbon pool and strength of carbon fluxes in the larch forested permafrost regions in the northern Daxing’an Mountains.

The overuse of agrochemicals for agricultural productivity to meet the global food demand of the rapidly growing human population is a great environmental threat, particularly for aquatic ecosystems. Being associated intimately with plant health, growth, and productivity, the plant microbiome is emerging as a promising environmentally friendly and sustainable resource for agricultural productivity. For the past decades, our understanding of the interactions between plants and microorganisms and our knowledge of how to improve the plant microbiome by using microbial inoculants has increased significantly. A better understanding of the impact of the plant microbiome on mineral resources will benefit plant and soil health. In this review, we highlight the importance of microbial inoculants and their interactions with mineral fertilizers in enhancing crop productivity, as well as current challenges.

BACKGROUND Primary central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PCNS-DLBCL) is a relatively rare and aggressive neoplasm. High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is an effective regimen for the treatment of PCNS-DLBCL, but MTX-related toxicity remains a problem. The aim of this analysis study was to investigate the influence of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism on HD-MTX-related toxicity in patients with PCNS-DLBCL. MATERIAL/METHODS A prospective, observational study was conducted to analyze 148 MTX courses in 32 patients with PCNS-DLBCL. RESULTS The delayed MTX clearance was observed in 53 cycles (35.8%). The patients carrying the homozygous variant genotype had a higher risk of developing nephrotoxicity than those carrying the wild-type genotype (odds ratio [OR] 13.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-103.86; P = .002) or heterozygous variant genotype (OR 8.43; 95% CI, 2.31-30.70; P < .001). Significant differences were observed in hepatotoxicity (OR 9.33; 95% CI, 2.54-34.27; P < .001) and hematologic toxicity (OR 3.09; 95% CI, 1.18-8.07; P = .024) in addition to nephrotoxicity between the homozygous variant genotype and the wild-type genotype. CONCLUSION The homozygous mutation of C to T at nucleotide 677 increases the risk on HD-MTX-related toxicity. The MTHFR C677T polymorphism can be used to predict HD-MTX-related toxicity for patients with PCNS-DLBCL.

Background Syphilis serofast has been increasing in recent years and has resulted in a dramatic increase in medical expenses. However, there are not effective methods for serofast prediction in syphilis patients prior to treatment. Aims and Objectives The present study investigated novel serum biomarkers for the prediction of serofast in syphilis patients prior to treatment. Materials and Methods Pre-treatment serum from patients with syphilis serofast and patients with syphilis serological cure were measured using antibody microarrays. The results generated from the antibody arrays were validated using ELISA. Healthy subjects were used as the controls. Results Compared to serologically cured patients, six cytokines (IL-17F, TNF RI, TNF RII, IL-16, OPN, and MCSFR) were significantly lower, while five factors (MCP-3, LIF, G-CSF, MIP-3a, and GH) were higher in serofast patients. ELISA validation was in-line with the results generated from antibody arrays. Of significance, these cytokines were firstly observed to the differentially expressed in pre-treatment serofast patient serum samples. Conclusions The differentially expressed cytokines may be novel serum biomarkers for serofast prediction. These identified proteins play significant roles in the immune response, suggesting immune dysfunction may be the cause for syphilis serofast.

Elevated CO2 can alter the growth and development of herbivorous insects by changing the host plants, including nutrient quality and defensive chemicals/metabolites. The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a highly destructive invasive pest in agriculture worldwide. In this study, we investigated the effect of elevated CO2 on the growth, development and reproduction of F. occidentalis by changing its host plant of kidney bean Phaseolus vulgaris and, in particular, the hormonal regulation of the transcription factors in F. occidentalis. Elevated CO2 increased the contents of total amino acids, soluble sugar and soluble protein in P. vulgaris. Besides, elevated CO2 shortened the pre-adult duration (PAD) and longevity of F. occidentalis, lowered their survival rate and increased the weight and fecundity. PAD was positively correlated with the expression levels of br, Krh-1, JHEH and EIP in F. occidentalis larvae. The longevity of F. occidentalis female adults was negatively correlated with JHEH, but positively correlated with ER and EIP. The fecundity of F. occidentalis female adults was negatively correlated with ER and Vg, but positively correlated with JHEH. We have demonstrated that elevated CO2 could enhance the nutrient quality of host plants and, therefore, accelerate the development and reproduction of F. occidentalis, which is regulated by JH, MH and Vg.

The dynamic of soil-borne disease is closely related to the rhizosphere microbial communities. Maize-soybean relay strip intercropping has been shown to significantly control the type of soybean root rot that tends to occur in monoculture. However, it is still unknown whether the rhizosphere microbial community participates in the regulation of intercropped soybean root rot. In this study, rhizosphere

Promoting myelination capacity of endogenous oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) is a promising therapeutic approach for central nervous system demyelinating disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To aid in the discovery of myelination promoting compounds, we generated an advanced, genome engineered, human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) line that consist of three reporters (identification-and-purification tag, GFP, and secreted NanoLuc) driven by the endogenous PDGFRα, PLP1 and MBP genes, respectively. Based upon this line, we established a high-throughput drug screening platform and performed a small molecule screen with 2500 bioactive molecules. In addition to a number of previously known pathways, our screening effort identified new pathways whose inhibition enhance oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. Although further genetic and molecular validation is required, the identified inhibitors could potentially be repurposed to develop remyelination therapy for MS and other demyelinating disorders.

Previous studies have found that temperature influences molluscicidal the activity of pedunsaponin A (PA), which may be related to the expression of Hsp70, a cold-tolerance gene in Pomacea canaliculata. We determined the temperature effect of PA and the relationship between Hsp70 and temperature sensitivity of P. canaliculata poisoned by PA. Toxicity tests resulted in LC

BackgroundThe dynamic of soil-borne disease is closely related to the rhizosphere microbial communities. Maize-soybean intercropping can suppress soybean root rot as compared to monoculture. However, it is still unknown whether rhizosphere microbial community participates in the regulation of intercropped soybean root rot.MethodsIn this study, the difference of rhizosphere Fusarium and Trichoderma community was compared between healthy or root-rotted soybean rhizosphere soil from soybean monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping, and the inhibitory effect of potential biocontrol Trichoderma against pathogenic Fusarium were examined.ResultsThe abundance of rhizosphere Fusarium was remarkably different between intercropping and monoculture, while Trichoderma was largely accumulated in healthy rhizosphere soil of intercropping rather than monoculture. Four rhizosphere Fusarium species identified were all pathogenic to soybean but displayed distinct composition and isolation proportion in the corresponding soil types. As the dominant and most aggressive species, F. oxysporum was more frequently isolated in diseased soil of monoculture. Furthermore, of three Trichoderma species identified, T. harzianum dramatically increased in the rhizosphere of intercropping rather than monoculture as compared to T. virens and T. afroharzianum. For in-vitro antagonism test, Trichoderma strains had antagonistic effects on F. oxysporum with the percentage of mycelial inhibition ranging of 50.59%-92.94%, and they displayed good mycoparasitic abilities against F. oxysporum through coiling around and entering into the hyphae, expanding along cell-cell lumen and even dissolving cell walls of target fungus.Conclusion These results indicate maize-soybean intercropping significantly increase the density and composition proportion of beneficial Trichoderma to antagonist the pathogenic Fusarium species, thus contributing to the suppression of soybean root rot under intercropping.

Background: The Zoige alpine wetland is one of the most important wetlands in China because of its complex natural environment, abundant ecological resources, and unique climatic conditions. The ecology of soil fungi is poorly understood, and recent comprehensive reports on Trichoderma are not available for any region, including the Zoige alpine wetland ecological region in China. Our results may be used as a reference for a greater understanding of soil microorganism at various ecological regions, ecological rehabilitation and reconstruction and as microbial resources. Results: One hundred soil samples were collected from different soil types and soil layers in Zoige alpine wetland ecological regions in 2013. Using the traditional suspension plating method, a total of 80 Trichoderma strains were isolated. After a preliminary classification of morphological characteristics and the genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), 57 strains were representatively selected and eventually identified as seven species via phylogenetic analyses of multilocus sequences based on the genes transcription elongation factor 1 alpha (tef1), encoding RNA polymerase II subunit B (rpb2) and ATP citrate lyase (acl1). Among them, Trichoderma harzianum was the dominant species and had the highest isolation frequency (23%) in this zone, while Trichoderma polysporum and Trichoderma pyramidale were rare species, with isolation frequencies of less than 1%.Conclusions: Our detailed morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of Trichoderma zoigense was described for the first time as a new species.

Background：To investigate the efficacy of venetoclax combined with azacytidine in the treatment of elderly patients with relapsed and refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia（AML). Methods： The clinical data of 9 elderly AML patients over 65 years old, including 5 with R/R AML, using venetoclax and azacytidine were retrospectively analyzed. Results： Six males and 3 females with a median age of 71 years were included in this study, of which four patients had at least one relapse, and one patient did not get go into remission after 4 cycles of azacytidine monotherapy, deeming it refractory. Four patients had AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC). After 1 to 13 cycles of treatment using venetoclax and azacytidine, one of the 9 patients died early due to long duration of neutropenia and severe pulmonary infection caused by drugs. and six of the remaining 8 patients obtained complete response or complete response with incomplete hematologic recovery (CR/ CRi) , including five R/R patients. One patient did not respond to treatment after two cycles. For the side effects of the treatment, granulocytopenia occurred in all patients, and neutropenia occurred in 8 patients, lasting for an average of 10.5 (6-15) days and was most obvious in the second to third week of treatment. Three patients with TP53 gene mutation positive had following different outcomes. One relapsed patient achieved progression free remission (PFS) for 16 months up to date, and a second patient achieved complete remission but relapsed two months thereafter. Another patient had complete remission in myelology for 4months, but the variant allele fraction value (VAF) gradually increased, indicative that the disease was about to progress. Conclusion：Venetoclax combined with azacytidine regimen in elderly patients is an effective and well tolerated rescue scheme for R/R AML.The patients with TP53 mutation with lower VAF may be benifit from Venetoclax and azacytidine. Severe infection caused by neutropenia is an adverse reaction worthy of attention in the treatment process of the regimen.

Background Optimum cultivation and management measures are needed to increase the phosphorus (P) absorption efficiency of crops for sustainable agricultural production. Previous studies indicated that leguminous crops can promote P absorption by neighboring gramineous crops. In this study, we isolated and screened the phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) from soybean rhizosphere under a maize-soybean intercropping system in Southwest China, and nine PSBs with high P-solubilizing ability were identified. Results 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that these PSBs belong mainly to Bacillus and Pseudomonas. The phosphate solubility of Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22 reached 388.62 μg mL-1 . High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis showed that each strain could secrete a large quantity of organic acids, including oxalic acid, malonic acid, citric acid and succinic acid. In addition, all strains produced indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores that could promote plant growth. Seed germination experiments testified that PSBs isolated in this study have an innate ability to promote plant growth. The plant culture pot experiment further illustrated that soil acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and available P content, as well as plant P uptake, increased significantly with PSBs inoculation. Conclusion PSBs from the rhizosphere soil of intercropped soybean could secrete organic acids that increase the solubilization of unavailable P, improve soil ACP activity and P availability, and produce IAA and siderophores that promote maize seed germination and seedling growth. Our findings indicate the PSBs from soybean rhizosphere have significant potential to reduce the application of chemical phosphate fertilizers and to promote sustainable agricultural development. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis has been shown to be a time-saving method for the screening of genetic variants. To increase the precision of the diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), we used HRM to explore COL1A1/COL1A2 mutations in 87 Chinese OI patients and to perform population-based studies of the relationships between their genotypes and phenotypes. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the 87 non-consanguineous probands. The coding regions and exon boundaries of COL1A1/COL1A2 were detected by HRM and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The functional effects of mutations were predicted through bioinformatic tools. Mutations were detected in 70.3% of familial cases and 40% of sporadic cases (p

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is one of the most destructive wheat diseases worldwide and causes severe yield losses in most wheat-growing areas. POWDERY MILDEW (Pm) genes are responsible for wheat resistance to Bgt. Recently, a wheat line L699 carrying a novel Pm40 gene which was originated from Elytrigia inermedium, was developed and showed high resistance to Bgt; however, the resistance mechanism of L699 is still unclear. In current study, a range of defense responses were examined in wheat line L699 inoculated with Bgt, using a highly susceptible cultivar CN26 without Pm40 gene as a control. We found that high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were rapidly accumulated and abundant papilla were formed at the infection sites where Bgt conidiospores germinated with abnormal morphology at a high frequency on L699 compared to CN26. Local hypersensitive cell death and defense genes in the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways were then rapidly induced in L699. As a consequence, L699 exhibited no typical disease symptoms, whereas CN26 were fully covered by white hyphae and conidia. These data provide evidence that for the resistance of the wheat line L699 with the dominant gene Pm40 against Bgt, early ROS accumulation and papilla formation acts as dominant penetration resistance, leading to morphological abnormality of Bgt, when defense gene expression in SA and JA signaling and HR response enhance the post-penetration resistance by arresting onset of Bgt.

Gram pod borer, Helicoverpaarmigera Hubner is known to be a major constraint of chickpea production which causes serious economic loess. The management of this pest in any crop is always been challenge to the growers, famers and researcher. Thus, present study evaluated some promising entomopathogenic fungi for the sustainable management of H. armigera to minimize the economic loss in chickpea. Five different fungal isolates viz; Beauveriabassiana, Trichodermavirens, Trichodermahamatum, Trichodermakoningii, and Paecilomyces sp. were used as entomopathogenic against gram pod borer, through dipping and poison food methods under laboratory conditions. The entomopathogenic potential of different fungal strains revealed significantly (P

The separation of chemical components from wild plants to develop new pesticides is a hot topic in current research. To evaluate the antimicrobial effects of metabolites of Ligusticum chuanxiong (CX), we systematically studied the antimicrobial activity of extracts of CX, and the active compounds were isolated, purified and structurally identified. The results of toxicity measurement showed that the extracts of CX had good biological activities against Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria alternata and Pythium aphanidermatum, and the value of EC50 were 130.95, 242.36, 332.73 and 307.29 mg/L, respectively. The results of in vivo determination showed that under the concentration of 1000 mg/L, the control effect of CX extract on Blumeria graminis was more than 40%, and the control effect on Botrytis cinerea was 100%. The antifungal active components of CX were identified as Senkyunolide A and Ligustilide by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value of Senkyunolide A and Ligustilide against Fusarium graminearum were 7.81 and 62.25 mg/L, respectively. As a new botanical fungicide with a brightly exploitative prospect, CX extract has potential research value in the prevention and control of plant diseases.

Two oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins named pedunsaponin D (1) and pedunsaponin E (2) were isolated from the roots of Pueraria peduncularis. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on chemical and physicochemical evidence as follows: pedunsaponin D, 3-O-β-glucopyranosyl-(1-3)-β-glucuronopyranosyl-3β,15α,23α-trihydroxy-11,13(18)-oleanadien-16-one (1); pedunsaponin E, 3-O-β-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-glucopy ranosyl(1-2)[β-glucopyranosyl(1-3)-β-glucuronopyranosyl]-3β-hydroxy-16-oxoolean-12-en-30-oic acid (2). The two compounds showed moderate molluscicidal activity.[Formula: see text].

Glabridin is a natural plant-derived compound that has been widely used in medicine and cosmetic applications. However, the fungicidal mechanism of glabridin against phytopathogens remains unclear. In this study, we determined the biological activity and physiological effects of glabridin against F. graminearum. Then the differentially expressed proteins of F. graminearum were screened. The EC50 values of glabridin in inhibiting the mycelial growth and conidial germination of F. graminearum were 110.70 mg/L and 40.47 mg/L respectively. Glabridin-induced cell membrane damage was indicated by morphological observations, DiBAC4(3) and PI staining, and measurements of relative conductivity, ergosterol content and respiratory rates. These assays revealed that the integrity of the membrane was destroyed, the content of ergosterol decreased, and the respiratory rate was inhibited. A proteomics analysis showed that 186 proteins were up-regulated and 195 proteins were down-regulated. Mechanically sensitive ion channel proteins related to transmembrane transport and ergosterol biosynthesis ERG4/ERG24, related to ergosterol synthesis were blocked. It is speculated that glabridin acts on ergosterol synthesis-related proteins to destroy the integrity of the cell membrane, resulting in abnormal transmembrane transport and an increased membrane potential. Finally, the morphology of mycelia was seriously deformed, growth and development were inhibited. As a result death was even induced.

Monitoring the thermal state of permafrost (TSP) is important in many environmental science and engineering applications. However, such data are generally unavailable, mainly due to the lack of ground observations and the uncertainty of traditional physical models. This study produces novel permafrost datasets for the Northern Hemisphere (NH), including predictions of the mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) at the depth of zero annual amplitude (DZAA) (approximately 3 to 25 m) and active layer thickness (ALT) with 1 km resolution for the period of 2000–2016, as well as estimates of the probability of permafrost occurrence and permafrost zonation based on hydrothermal conditions. These datasets integrate unprecedentedly large amounts of field data (1002 boreholes for MAGT and 452 sites for ALT) and multisource geospatial data, especially remote sensing data, using statistical learning modeling with an ensemble strategy. Thus, the resulting data are more accurate than those of previous circumpolar maps (bias = 0.02±0.16 ∘C and RMSE = 1.32±0.13 ∘C for MAGT; bias = 2.71±16.46 cm and RMSE = 86.93±19.61 cm for ALT). The datasets suggest that the areal extent of permafrost (MAGT ≤0 ∘C) in the NH, excluding glaciers and lakes, is approximately 14.77 (13.60–18.97) × 106 km2 and that the areal extent of permafrost regions (permafrost probability >0) is approximately 19.82×106 km2. The areal fractions of humid, semiarid/subhumid, and arid permafrost regions are 51.56 %, 45.07 %, and 3.37 %, respectively. The areal fractions of cold (≤-3.0 ∘C), cool (−3.0 ∘C to −1.5 ∘C), and warm (>-1.5 ∘C) permafrost regions are 37.80 %, 14.30 %, and 47.90 %, respectively. These new datasets based on the most comprehensive field data to date contribute to an updated understanding of the thermal state and zonation of permafrost in the NH. The datasets are potentially useful for various fields, such as climatology, hydrology, ecology, agriculture, public health, and engineering planning. All of the datasets are published through the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (TPDC), and the link is https://doi.org/10.11888/Geocry.tpdc.271190 (Ran et al., 2021a).

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an important cause of death in critically ill patients. Prone ventilation is one of the effective treatment methods for ARDS, but the current clinical implementation rate is not high, which is mainly due to the occurrence of serious complications such as tracheal tube and venous pipeline disconnection, pressure sores, hemodynamic instability and so on, and requires adequate personal and cooperation. The medical staff of the department of critical care medicine of Beijing Shijitan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University designed a kind of support bracket for human body carrying and turning over which can help the critically ill patients to easily complete the position conversion during prone position ventilation, and has obtained the national utility model patent (Patent Number: ZL 2017 2 1847759.9). The support bracket is simple in design, composed of stent, rotating shaft and bandage. It is reliable and easy to operate. It can significantly reduce the difficulty of prone position ventilation, avoid the occurrence of related complications, reduce the labor load of medical staff, and improve the treatment quality of patients.

Maize/soybean relay strip intercropping has been widely practiced in Southwest China due to its high productivity and effective application of agricultural resources; however, several seedborne diseases such as seedling blight, pod and seed decay are frequently observed causing severe yield loss and low seed quality. So far, the population and pathogenicity of the seedborne fungi associated with intercropped soybean remain unexplored. In this study, seeds of 12 soybean cultivars screened for intercropping were collected from three growing regions in Sichuan Province of Southwest China, and the seedborne fungi were isolated from the surface-sterilized seeds. Based on sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (rDNA ITS), 148 isolates were identified into 13 fungal genera, among which Fusarium covered 55.0% as the biggest population followed by Colletotrichum. Furthermore, Fusarium isolates were classified into five distinct species comprising F. fujikuroi, F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides, F. asiaticum and F. incarnatum through sequence analysis of translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) and DNA-directed RNA ploymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2). Among them, F. fujikuroi accounted for 51.22% (42/82) and was isolated from 91.7% (11/12) soybean varieties. Pathogenicity assay showed that five Fusarium species were able to infect the seeds of soybean cultivar “Nandou12” and caused water-soaked or rot symptoms, while F. fujikuroi and F. asiaticum had much higher aggressiveness than other species with significant reductions of seed fresh weight and germination percentage. Accordingly, this study indicates that Fusarium species are the dominant seedborne fungi in the intercropped soybean in Sichuan, China, and this provides some useful references for the effective management of seedborne fungal diseases as well as soybean resistance breeding in maize/soybean relay strip intercropping.