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This editorial titled "Mechanisms and practices for the management of plant-soil biota interaction" discusses the importance of soil biota for agricultural production and ecosystem management. It emphasizes the need for research on the management of soil biota, particularly in sustainable cropping systems and natural soil management. The editorial provides a summary of studies on the role of microbes in phosphorus availability and the impact of plant introductions on soil microbiomes. It concludes by highlighting the importance of understanding the distribution patterns of rhizosphere-associated microbial species to enhance our understanding of plant-microbe interactions. The document also explores the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and the effects of different microorganisms on crops like soybean and rice. It suggests that further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and best practices for managing plant-soil biota on a larger scale, particularly for herbaceous crops like legumes and C3 cereals. [Extracted from the article]

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are associated with the roots of woody plants in temperate and boreal forests and help them to acquire water and nutrients, particularly phosphorus (P). However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the transfer of P from the fungus to the plant in ectomycorrhizae are still poorly understood. In the model association between the ECM fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum and its host plant Pinus pinaster, we have shown that the fungus, which possesses three H+:Pi symporters (HcPT1.1, HcPT1.2 and HcPT2), expresses mainly HcPT1.1 and HcPT2 in the extraradical and intraradical hyphae of ectomycorrhizae to transport P from the soil to colonized roots. The present study focuses on the role of the HcPT1.1 protein in plant P nutrition, in function of P availability. We artificially overexpressed this P transporter by fungal Agrotransformation and investigated the effect of the different lines, wild-type and transformed ones, on plant P accumulation, the distribution of HcPT1.1 and HcPT2 proteins in ectomycorrhizae by immunolocalization, and 32P efflux in an experimental system mimicking intraradical hyphae. Surprisingly, we showed that plants interacting with transgenic fungal lines overexpressing HcPT1.1 did not accumulate more P in their shoots than plants colonized with the control ones. Although the overexpression of HcPT1.1 did not affect the expression levels of the other two P transporters in pure cultures, it induced a strong reduction in HcPT2 proteins in ectomycorrhizae, particularly in intraradical hyphae, but still improved the P status of host plant shoots compared with non-mycorrhizal plants. Finally, 32P efflux from hyphae was higher in lines overexpressing HcPT1.1 than in the control ones. These results suggest that a tight regulation and/or a functional redundancy between the H+:Pi symporters of H. cylindrosporum might exist to ensure a sustainable P delivery to P. pinaster roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Aspergillus fumigatus (Asp) infections constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the context of insufficient host immunity, antifungal drugs show only limited efficacy. Faster and increased T-cell reconstitution correlated with a favorable outcome and a cell-based therapy approach strongly indicated successful clearance of fungal infections. Nevertheless, complex and cost- or time-intensive protocols hampered their implementation into clinical application. Methods: To facilitate the clinical-scale manufacturing process of Aspergillus fumigatus-specific T cells (ATCs) and to enable immediate (within 24 hours) and sustained (12 days later) treatment of patients with invasive aspergillosis (IA), we adapted and combined two complementary good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant approaches, i) the direct magnetic enrichment of Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreting ATCs using the small-scale Cytokine Secretion Assay (CSA) and ii) a short-term in vitro T-cell culture expansion (STE), respectively. We further compared stimulation with two standardized and commercially available products: Asp-lysate and a pool of overlapping peptides derived from different Asp-proteins (PepMix). Results: For the fast CSA-based approach we detected IFN-γ+ ATCs after Asp- lysate- as well as PepMix-stimulation but with a significantly higher enrichment efficiency for stimulation with the Asp-lysate when compared to the PepMix. In contrast, the STE approach resulted in comparably high ATC expansion rates by using Asp-lysate or PepMix. Independent of the stimulus, predominantly CD4+ helper T cells with a central-memory phenotype were expanded while CD8+ T cells mainly showed an effector-memory phenotype. ATCs were highly functional and cytotoxic as determined by secretion of granzyme-B and IFN-γ Discussion: For patients with IA, the immediate adoptive transfer of IFN-γ+ ATCs followed by the administration of short-term in vitro expanded ATCs from the same donor, might be a promising therapeutic option to improve the clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In immunocompromised patients, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection or reactivation is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, including the development of B-cell lymphomas. The first-line treatment consists of reduction of immunosuppression and administration of rituximab (anti-CD20 antibody). Furthermore, the presence of EBV-specific T cells against latent EBV proteins is crucial for the control of EBV-associated diseases. Therefore, in addition to effective treatment strategies, appropriate monitoring of T cells of high-risk patients is of great importance for improving clinical outcome. In this study, we hypothesized that rituximab-mediated lysis of malignant EBV-infected B cells leads to the release and presentation of EBVassociated antigens and results in an augmentation of EBV-specific effector memory T-cell responses. Methods: EBV-infected B lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCLs) were used as a model for EBV-associated lymphomas, which are capable of expressing latency stage II and III EBV proteins present in all known EBV-positive malignant cells. Rituximab was administered to obtain cell lysates containing EBV antigens (ACEBV). Efficiency of cross-presentation of EBV-antigen by B-LCLs compared to cross-presentation by professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) such as dendritic cells (DCs) and B cells was investigated by in vitro T-cell immunoassays. Deep T-cell profiling of the tumor-reactive EBV-specific T cells in terms of activation, exhaustion, target cell killing, and cytokine profile was performed, assessing the expression of T-cell differentiation and activation markers as well as regulatory and cytotoxic molecules by interferon-g (IFN-g) EliSpot assay, multicolor flow cytometry, and multiplex analyses. Results: By inhibiting parts of the cross-presentation pathway, B-LCLs were shown to cross-present obtained exogenous ACEBV-derived antigens mainly throughmajor histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. This mechanism is comparable to that for DCs and B cells and resulted in a strong EBV-specific CD8+ cytotoxic Tcell response. Stimulation with ACEBV-loaded APCs also led to the activation of CD4+ T helper cells, suggesting that longer peptide fragments are processed via the classical MHC class II pathway. In addition, B-LCLs were also found to be able to take up exogenous antigens from surrounding cells by endocytosis leading to induction of EBV-specific T-cell responses although to a much lesser extent than cross-presentation of ACEBV-derived antigens. Increased expression of activation markers CD25, CD71 and CD137 were detected on EBV-specific T cells stimulated with ACEBV-loaded APCs,which showed high proliferative and cytotoxic capacity as indicated by enhanced EBV-specific frequencies and increased secretion levels of cytotoxic effector molecules (e.g. IFN-g, granzyme B, perforin, and granulysin). Expression of the regulatory proteins PD-1 and Tim-3 was induced but had no negative impact on effector T-cell functions. Conclusion: In this study, we showed for the first time that rituximab-mediated lysis of EBV-infected tumor cells can efficiently boost EBV-specific endogenous effector memory T-cell responses through cross-presentation of EBV-derived antigens. This promotes the restoration of antiviral cellular immunity and presents an efficient mechanism to improve the treatment of CD20+ EBV-associated malignancies. This effect is also conceivable for other therapeutic antibodies or even for therapeutically applied unmodified or genetically modified T cells, which lead to the release of tumor antigens after specific cell lysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: biological nitrogen fixation; mycorrhizal symbiosis; plant growth promoting rhizobacteria; plant nutrition; root microbiome EN biological nitrogen fixation mycorrhizal symbiosis plant growth promoting rhizobacteria plant nutrition root microbiome 1 3 3 05/15/20 20200513 NES 200513 Plants interact with a plethora of soil microbes that help them to acquire nutritional resources, to be protected against pathogens, and to face challenging and fluctuating external conditions. Multiple studies have shown that the microbiome composition differs among cultivars of a given plant species, such as corn (Walters et al., [12]), cotton (Wei et al., [13]), or grape (Mezzasalma et al., [8]). The root microbiome also has a tremendous influence on forest diversity, evolution, and dynamic, defining a complex "ecosystem microbiome" (Baldrian, [2]). [Extracted from the article]

Potassium (K+) is one of the most abundant elements of soil composition but its very low availability limits plant growth and productivity of ecosystems. Because this cation participates in many biological processes, its constitutive uptake from soil solution is crucial for the plant cell machinery. Thus, the understanding of strategies responsible of K+ nutrition is a major issue in plant science. Mycorrhizal associations occurring between roots and hyphae of underground fungi improve hydro-mineral nutrition of the majority of terrestrial plants. The contribution of this mutualistic symbiosis to the enhancement of plant K+ nutrition is not well understood and poorly studied so far. This mini-review examines the current knowledge about the impact of both arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal symbioses on the transfer of K+ from the soil to the plants. A model summarizing plant and fungal transport systems identified and hypothetically involved in K+ transport is proposed. In addition, some data related to benefits for plants provided by the improvement of K+ nutrition thanks to mycorrhizal symbioses are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]