Search

Tomato Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR) is an extremely destructive soil-borne disease. To date, studies have shown that only plants with tomato mosaic virus (TMV) resistance exhibit similar resistance to tomato Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) and have identified a single relevant gene, Frl, in Peruvian tomato. Due to the relative lack of research on FCRR disease-resistance genes in China and elsewhere, transcriptome data for FORL-resistant (cv. '19912') and FORL-susceptible (cv. 'Moneymaker') tomato cultivars were analysed for the first time in this study. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was higher in Moneymaker than in 19912, and 189 DEGs in the 'plant–pathogen interaction' pathway were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. MAPK and WRKY genes were enriched in major metabolic pathways related to plant disease resistance; thus, we focused on these two gene families. In the early stage of tomato infection, the content of JA and SA increased, but the change in JA was more obvious. Fourteen genes were selected for confirmation of their differential expression levels by qRT-PCR. This study provides a series of novel disease resistance resources for tomato breeding and genetic resources for screening and cloning FORL resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an important swine pathogen and an emerging zoonotic agent worldwide. Serotype 9 is the most prevalent serotype in several European countries but it is relatively rare in China. In this study, through the investigation of the serotypes of 279 S. suis strains isolated from China from 2015 to 2017, it was found that serotype 9 is the second most prevalent serotype (43 out of 279), behind serotype 2 (83 out of 279). Next, the 43 serotype 9 isolates were sequenced and compared with those from the Netherland (28) and the U.K. (eight). For the purpose of comparison, the strain D12 (GCA_000231905), which has completed genome sequences, was also incorporated. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the strains from China and the U.K. were heterogeneous. In contrast, all but one from the Netherland belonged to the same clade. The dominant clades of Chinese strains (33) and strains from the Netherland (27) were very similar. Both of them may have originated from the same strain about 70 years ago. Then, the distributions of virulence-associated genes and antibiotic resistance genes among different clades and sources were analyzed. By comparison, strains from the Netherland carried more virulence-associated genes and those from the U.K. had more antibiotic resistance genes. Additionally, some virulence-associated genes (salK and salR) and antibiotic resistance genes (lincomycin and spectinomycin) existed only in several Chinese strains. In conclusion, our data displayed the population characteristics and differences of S. suis serotype 9 between China and Europe, suggesting that they have taken different evolutionary paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) in a cohort of Chinese patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and to examine their associations with clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis. Methods: Adult patients with confirmed IIMs (n = 515) were studied using the EUROLINE Autoimmune Inflammatory Myopathies 16 Ag (IgG) commercial line blot test to detect MSAs/myositis-associated autoantibodies. We collected the laboratory data and clinical features. The frequencies of MSAs and their associations with clinical phenotypes were evaluated using SPSS 25.0 software. Results: At least one MSA was found in 88.2% of the 515 IIM patients studied. The most frequently detected MSAs were anti-MDA5 (25.4%), anti-Jo-1(15.1%), and anti-EJ (9.5%). Autoantibodies against MDA5, TIF1-γ, and NXP2 were significantly correlated with cutaneous involvement (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01). Anti-TIF1-γ-positive patients had an enhanced risk of malignancy (OR = 3.51). Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) was significantly correlated with anti-MDA5 (P < 0.0001). Anti-MDA5-positive patients had increased risks of elevated ferritin and decreased lymphocyte counts (OR = 5.65 and OR = 5.74, respectively). Kaplan–Meier survival revealed that individuals positive for anti-MDA5, especially anti-MDA5 combined with anti-Ro52, had the worst prognosis (P = 0.03). Male, old age, RP-ILD, and elevated ferritin were identified as predictors of poor prognosis in IIM patients. Conclusions: MSAs were present in the majority of the IIM patients. Numerous MSAs were independent factors for identifying exceptional clinical phenotypes. Key Points • This is a large Chinese cohort of IIM patients to analyze possible associations of MSA profiles with clinical characteristics, aiming to provide valuable data for clinical work. • MSAs were present in approximately 90% of IIM patients with distinct clinical subsets. Patients with anti-Jo-1 and non-anti-Jo-1 ASAs exhibited similar characteristics. • The association of anti-TIF1-γ with malignancy was confirmed in adult patients. Patients with IIMs who were positive for both anti-Ro52 and anti-MDA5 had a worse prognosis. • Male, RP-ILD, and heliotrope rash were independent risk factors for a poor prognosis in patients with IIMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that focuses on the minerals, geological alteration and fluid basics of the first high sulfidation epithermal-porphyry copper-gold deposits in Tibet, China. Topics discussed include discovery of some new copper-sulfur and copper-iron-sulfur minerals; role of temperature and salinity in fluid inclusions and mixing of meteoricwater and porphyry fluid to form deposits in low temperature and salinity.