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Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) is one of the most widely consumed and produced vegetable crops worldwide. It offers numerous health benefits due to its rich content of many therapeutic elements such as vitamins, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds. Biotic stressors such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, and insects cause severe yield losses as well as decreasing fruit quality. Conventional breeding strategies have succeeded in developing resistant genotypes, but these approaches require significant time and effort. The advent of state-of-the-art genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR/Cas9, provides a rapid and straightforward method for developing high-quality biotic stress-resistant tomato lines. The advantage of genome editing over other approaches is the ability to make precise, minute adjustments without leaving foreign DNA inside the transformed plant. The tomato genome has been precisely modified via CRISPR/Cas9 to induce resistance genes or knock out susceptibility genes, resulting in lines resistant to common bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases. This review provides the recent advances and application of CRISPR/Cas9 in developing tomato lines with resistance to biotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid global emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is a substantial public health concern. Livestockmanure serves as a key reservoir for tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs), serving as a means of their transmission to soil and vegetables upon utilization as a fertilizer, consequently posing a risk to human health. The dynamics and transfer of TRGs among microorganisms in vegetables and fauna are being investigated. However, the impact of different vegetable species on acquisition of TRGs from various manure sources remains unclear. This study investigated the rhizospheres of three vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers) grown with chicken, sheep, and pigmanure to assess TRGs and bacterial community compositions via qPCR and high-throughput sequencing techniques. Our findings revealed that tomatoes exhibited the highest accumulation of TRGs, followed by cucumbers and carrots. Pig manure resulted in the highest TRG levels, compared to chicken and sheep manure, in that order. Bacterial community analyses revealed distinct effects of manure sources and the selective behavior of individual vegetable species in shaping bacterial communities, explaining 12.2% of TRG variation. Firmicutes had a positive correlation with most TRGs and the intl1 gene among the dominant phyla. Notably, both the types of vegetables andmanures significantly influenced the abundance of the intl1 gene and soil properties, exhibiting strong correlations with TRGs and elucidating 30% and 17.7% of TRG variance, respectively. Our study delineated vegetables accumulating TRGs from manure-amended soils, resulting in significant risk to human health. Moreover, we elucidated the pivotal roles of bacterial communities, soil characteristics, and the intl1 gene in TRG fate and dissemination. These insights emphasize the need for integrated strategies to reduce selection pressure and disrupt TRG transmission routes, ultimately curbing the transmission of tetracycline resistance genes to vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals stress particularly cadmium contamination is hotspot among researchers and considered highly destructive for both plants and human health. Iron is examined as most crucial element for plant development, but it is available in inadequate amount because they are present in insoluble Fe3+ form in soil. Fe3O4 have been recently found as growth promoting factor in plants. To understand, a sand pot experiment was conducted in completely randomized design (control, cadmium, 20 mg/L Fe3O4 nanoparticles,40 mg/L Fe3O4 nanoparticles, 20 mg/L Fe3O4 nanoparticles + cadmium, 40 mg/L Fe3O4 nanoparticles + cadmium) to study the mitigating role of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on cadmium stress in three Raphanus sativus cultivars namely i.e., MOL SANO, MOL HOL PARI, MOL DAQ WAL. The plant growth, physiological and biochemical parameters i.e.,shoot length, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh and dry weight, MDA content, soluble protein contents, APX, CAT, POD activities and ion concentrations, membrane permeability, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and anthocyanin content, respectively were studied. The results displayed that cadmium stress remarkably reduces all growth, physiological and biochemical parameters for allcultivars under investigation. However, Fe3O4 nanoparticles mitigated the adverse effect of cadmium by improving growth, biochemical and physiological attributes in all radish cultivars. While, 20 mg/L Fe3O4 nanoparticles have been proved to be more useful against cadmium stress. The outcome of present investigation displayed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles can be utilized for mitigating heavy metal stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) genes regulate various functions of target proteins through post-translational modification. The SUMO proteins have a similar 3-dimensional structure as that of ubiquitin proteins and occur through a cascade of enzymatic reactions. In the present study we have cloned a new SUMO gene from Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), cv Saudi-1, named SlS-SUMO1 gene by PCR using specific primers. This gene has SUMO member's features such as C-terminal diglycine (GG) motif as processing site by ULP (ubiquitin-like SUMO protease) and has SUMO consensus ΨKXE/D sequence. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SlS-SUMO1 gene is highly conserved and homologous to Potatoes Ca-SUMO1 and Ca-SUMO2 genes based on sequence similarity. Expression protein of SlS-SUMO1 gene found to be localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and nuclear envelop or nuclear pore complex. SUMO conjugating enzyme SCE1a with SlS-SUMO1 protein co-expressed and co-localized in nucleus and formed nuclear subdomains. This study reported that the SlS-SUMO1 gene is a member of SUMO family and its SUMO protein processing using GG motif and activate and transport to nucleus through Sumoylation system in the plant cell. Keywords: SUMO genes, Solanum Lycopersicum L., Expression analysis, Bioinformatics

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, is one of the most dangerous rust diseases on wheat. Through physiological, biochemical, and molecular analysis, the relationship between the change in resistance of 15 wheat cultivars to stem rust disease and the response of 41 stem rust resistance genes (Sr,s) as well as TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK races was explained. Some cultivars and Sr genes, such as Gemmeiza-9, Gemmeiza-11, Sids-13, Sakha-94, Misr-1, Misr-2, Sr31, and Sr38, became susceptible to infection. Other new cultivars include Mir-3 and Sakha-95, and Sr genes 13, 37, 40, GT, and FR*2/SRTT3-SRTT3-SR10 remain resistant. Some resistance genes have been identified in these resistant cultivars: Sr2, Sr13, Sr24, Sr36, and Sr40. Sr31 was not detected in any cultivars. Reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, enzymes activities (catalase, peroxidase, and polyphenoloxidase), and electrolyte leakage were increased in the highly susceptible cultivars, while they decreased in the resistant ones. Anatomical characteristics such as the thickness of the epidermis, ground tissue, phloem tissue and vascular bundle diameter in the midrib were decreased in susceptible cultivars compared with resistant cultivars. Our results indicated that some races (TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK) appeared for the first time in Egypt and many other countries, which broke the resistant cultivars. The wheat rust breeding program must rely on land races and pyramiding genes in order to develop new resistance genes that will survive for a very long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most extensively cultivated cereal crop in the world; however, its growth and development are affected by different types of biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the physico-chemical diversity in different wheat genotypes under rain-fed conditions. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that significant variation for different components contributed 77.87% of total variability among all genotypes. In the scree plot, the first two PCs (PC1 = 44.75%, PC2 = 14.28%) had significant differences for numerous agronomic traits. The scatter biplot depicted eight genotypes (Zardana, NR-462, D-97, BARS-2009 (a check), NR-481, Tarnab-73, NR-489 and Pirsabak-91) with high diversity (variation ~90%) for different morphological traits, identifiable as they were located further away from the origin than other genotypes. Factor analysis of loading factors among wheat genotypes across different morpho-physiological traits also showed significant diversity for positive and negative loads. In cluster analysis, genotypes such as BWP-97, BARS-2009, NR-489, NR-448 and Pak. 13 were outliers, indicating significant diversity among all genotypes for different agronomic traits. Biochemical analysis showed maximum values for antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content in lines NR-485 (93.76%), NR-489 (3.55 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g), and the variety Suleman-96 (3.45mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g), respectively. This study provides new insights for understanding the diversity of different wheat genotypes under rain-fed conditions, and the selected genotypes can be evaluated for further breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important macro element for all living cells, phosphorus is essential in agricultural production systems and is required in large quantities by elite varieties of crops to maintain yields. Approximately 70% of the worldwide cultivated land suffers from phosphorous deficiency, and it has recently been estimated that the worldwide phosphorous resources will be shattered by the end of this century, thereby increasing the need to develop phosphorus-efficient crops. A greater understanding of how plants can maintain yield with lower phosphorous availability is highly desirable to both breeders and farmers. For this research, we focused on the phosphorusstarvation tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene, which is known to be involved in enhancing early root growth, thereby enabling plants to acquire more phosphorus and other nutrients and enhancing grain yield in phosphorus-deficient soil. As there is no reported structure and function of the PSTOL1 gene, this project involves a distinct set of opportunities and challenges and requires different approaches to model the interaction between PSTOL1 and the gene phosphorous uptake 1 (PUP1). This article covers the modeling, docking, and simulation of PSTOL1 to check the protein stability and its behavior over time. The physiochemical properties were ascertained, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to find the evolutionary relationship, and the conserved domains were analyzed for functional annotation. This study reports that the advancement of the PSTOL1-mediated phosphorous uptake 1 (PUP1) signaling cascade using structural bioinformatics is a potent biological mechanism against phosphorous starvation in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a grain crop that is an important source of protein, vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals. It is highly sensitive to salt stress, and salt damage to cellular homeostasis and protein folding affects production. Plants have several mechanisms to prevent cellular damages under abiotic stresses, such as proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (protein isulfide somerases (PDIs) and PDI-like proteins), which help prevent the build-up of mis-folded proteins that are damaged under abiotic stresses. In this study, we completed initial comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the chickpea PDI gene family. We found eight PDI genes are distributed on six out of eight chromosomes. Two pairs of paralogous genes were found to have segmental duplications. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the PDIs have a high degree of homology in C. arietinum, Cicer reticulatum, Lens culinaris, Phaseolus acutifolius, Pisum sativum and Oryza sativa. The gene structure analysis displayed that CaPDI1-CaPDI8 have 9-12 exons except for CaPDI5, which has 25 exons. Subcellular localisation indicated accumulation of CaPDIs in endoplasmic reticulum. Protein-conserved motifs and domain analysis demonstrated that thioredoxin domains of PDI family is present in all CaPDIs. CaPDI proteins have strong protein-protein interaction. In silico expression analysis showed that four out of eight PDI genes (CPDI2, CaPDI6, CaPDI7 and CaPDI8) were expressed under salt stress. Of these, expression of CaPDI2 and CaPDI8 was the highest. This work indicated that PDI genes are involved in salt stress tolerance in chickpea and the CaPDIs may be further studied for their role of inducing salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Leprosy is a chronic slowly progressive infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae that primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Lepromatous leprosy is characterized by absence of T-cell responses to M. leprae and advanced clinical disease. It is frequently associated with the presence of autoantibodies, which might be related to CD19+CD5+ and CD19+CD5− B lymphocyte percentages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the percentages of CD19+CD5+ and CD19+CD5− B cell subsets as well as the total B cells in lepromatous leprosy patients. Materials and methods: Twenty lepromatous leprosy patients and ten healthy subjects served as control were included in this study. Venous blood samples were analyzed by flow cytometry to determine the B cell subsets and total B cell percentages. Results: Compared to healthy controls, the percentages of CD19+CD5+ B cell subset and total B cells were found to be significantly higher in the patient group. While, the percentage of CD19+CD5− B cell subset was found to be higher in the patient group than the control without any significantly difference. Regarding the eye affection, the percentage of total B cells was observed to be significantly higher in affected patients compared to the non-affected group. Conclusion: The observed significant increases in CD19+CD5+ and total B cell percentages in patients with lepromatous leprosy suggests a possible role of these cells in the disorganized protective immune response as well as the development of eye complications in these patients. Keywords: CD5+B-cells, Autoimmunity, Lepromatous leprosy

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is an economically important crop, but its productivity is often hindered by the soil‐borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae. This study aimed to investigate the response of cotton roots to V. dahliae infection by analysing the proteome of Gossypium thurberi (resistant) and Gossypium raimondii (susceptible) at 0 h, 24 h, and 48 h post‐infection. Through weighted protein coexpression network analysis, fifteen hub proteins crucial for defense against V. dahliae were identified. Expression analysis revealed the pivotal role of GthGAPC2, encoding GLYCERALDEHYDE‐3‐PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE 2, in conferring resistance to V. dahliae in cotton. Virus‐induced gene Silencing (VIGS) of GthGAPC2 increased susceptibility to V. dahliae, which was supported by oxidant and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, GthGAPC2 silencing influenced lignin content, indicating its involvement in lignin biosynthesis regulation. Transient overexpression of GthGAPC2 in tobacco supported its role in cell death processes. Subcellular localization studies showed predominant nuclear localization of GthGAPC2. Overexpression of GthGAPC2 in Arabidopsis also confirms its significant role in V. dahliae resistance. These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms of disease resistance in Gossypium thurberi. Identification of GthGAPC2, as a key protein involved in V. dahliae resistance, and its functional implications can aid breeding strategies for enhancing cotton's disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a major crop around the globe and different techniques are being used for its productivity enhancement. Germplasm evaluation to improve crop productivity mainly depends on accurate phenotyping and selection of genotypes with a high frequency of superior alleles related to the trait of interest. Therefore, applying functional kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers for drought-related genes is essential to characterise the genotypes for developing future climate-resilient wheat crop. In this study, eight functional KASP markers and nine morphological traits were employed to evaluate the 40 wheat genotypes for drought tolerance. Morphological traits showed significant variation (P = 0.05) among the genotypes, except tiller count (TC), fresh root weight (FRW) and dry root weight (DRW). PCA biplot showed that 63.3% phenotypic variation was explained by the first two PCs under control treatment, while 70.8% variation was explained under drought treatment. It also indicated that root length (RL) and primary root (PR) have considerable variations among the genotypes under both treatments and are positively associated with each other. Hence, the findings of this study suggested that both these traits could be used as a selection criterion to classify the droughttolerant wheat genotypes. KASP genotyping accompanied by morphological data revealed that genotypes Markaz, Bhakar Star, China 2, Aas and Chakwal-50 performed better under drought stress. These outperforming genotypes could be used as parents in developing drought-tolerant wheat genotypes. Hence, KASP genotyping assay for functional genes or significant haplotypes and phenotypic evaluation are prerequisites for a modern breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salinity is one of the main abiotic factors that restrict plant growth, physiology, and crop productivity is salt stress. About 33% of the total irrigated land suffers from severe salinity because of intensive underground water extraction and irrigation with brackish water. Thus, it is important to understand the genetic mechanism and identify the novel genes involved in salt tolerance for the development of climate-resilient rice cultivars. Methods and results: In this study, two rice genotypes with varying tolerance to salt stress were used to investigate the differential expressed genes and molecular pathways to adapt under saline soil by comparative RNA sequencing at 42 days of the seedling stage. Salt-susceptible (S3) and -tolerant (S13) genotypes revealed 3982 and 3463 differentially expressed genes in S3 and S13 genotypes. The up-regulated genes in both genotypes were substantially enriched in different metabolic processes and binding activities. Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant signal transduction mechanisms were highly enriched. Salt-susceptible and -tolerant genotypes shared the same salt adaptability mechanism with no significant quantitative differences at the transcriptome level. Moreover, bHLH, ERF, NAC, WRKY, and MYB transcription factors were substantially up-regulated under salt stress. 391 out of 1806 identified novel genes involved in signal transduction mechanisms. Expression profiling of six novel genes further validated the findings from RNA-seq data. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the differentially expressed genes and molecular mechanisms involved in salt stress adaptation are conserved in both salt-susceptible and salt-tolerant rice genotypes. Further molecular characterization of novel genes will help to understand the genetic mechanism underlying salt tolerance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is a typical sap-feeding insect and an important worldwide pest. There is a primary symbiont-Buchnera aphidicola, which can synthesize and provide some essential nutrients for its host. At the same time, the hosts also can actively adjust the density of bacterial symbiosis to cope with the changes in environmental and physiological factors. However, it is still unclear how symbionts mediate the interaction between herbivorous insects' nutrient metabolism and host plants. Methods: The current study has studied the effects of different host plants on the biological characteristics, Buchnera titer, and nutritional metabolismof pea aphids. This study investigated the influence of different host plants on biological characteristics, Buchnera titer, and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids. Results and discussion: The titer of Buchnera was significantly higher on T. Pretense and M. officinalis, and the relative expression levels were 1.966±0.104 and 1.621±0.167, respectively. The content of soluble sugar (53.46±1.97µg/mg), glycogen (1.12±0.07µg/mg) and total energy (1341.51±39.37µg/mg) of the pea aphid on V. faba were significantly higher and showed high fecundity (143.86 ±11.31) and weight (10.46±0.77µg/mg). The content of total lipids was higher on P. sativum and T. pretense, which were 2.82±0.03µg/mg and 2.92±0.07µg/mg, respectively. Correlation analysis found that the difference in Buchnera titer was positively correlated with the protein content in M. officinalis and the content of total energy in T. pratense (P < 0.05). This study confirmed that host plants not only affected the biological characteristics and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids but also regulated the symbiotic density, thus interfering with the nutritional function of Buchnera. The results can provide a theoretical basis for further studies on the influence of different host plants on the development of pea aphids and other insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity is a major environmental stress affecting the growth and development of plants. Saline soils limit crop productivity, resulting in economic losses by compromising morpho-physiological and yield attributes of plants. However, the exogenous application of different plant growth regulators (PGRs) helps to ameliorate the negative effects of salinity. A study was carried out to explore the impact of foliar applications of different PGRs i.e. Salicylic Acid (SA) 250µM, Thiourea (TU) 10mM, dry Moringa Leaf Extract (MLE) 10% and Proline 1µM to mitigate salt stress (NaCl 120mM) in medicinally important plant, Plantago ovata. Salinity hampered shoot length, root and shoot dry matter, fresh weight as well as number of leaves. However, foliar application of PGRs helped to improve various growth attributes like total number of leaves per plant, root length, shoot length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight. Moreover, biochemicals i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were substantially increased under salt stress indicating increased reactive oxygen species (ROS). In response to ROS, antioxidants were found to be upregulated when the expression of antioxidant genes like catalase (CAT), Glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and Glutathione Reductase (GR) were analyzed under salinity stress. However, the expression of GR, CAT, and GST was further enhanced after the application of PGRs. Their expression was many folds higher (GR up to 7.4, CAT up to 9.5, and GST up to 7.9 folds higher) in salt-subjected plants as compared to control, suggesting their role in salt stress tolerance. It is concluded that foliar application of PGRs particularly TU and MLE improved morphological parameters and may be recommended for improved growth of plants under salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date palm (2n = 36) is a monocotyledonous, dioecious plant, which belongs to the family Arecaceae. Pollens are the primary source of diversity and improvement in quality, yield, ripening time, and size. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the differential behavior of nine pollen sources, collected from different locations, upon pollination with date palm female cultivar Hillawi. Metaxenia effect of pollen grains on the maternal tissues of fruits was carried out at khalal stage, whereas the seeds obtained from these fruits were planted in a nursery for hybrid confirmation. Biochemical characteristics; proximate analysis; individual sugar (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), total sugar, ascorbic acid, total soluble solid, and total phenolic contents; and 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and enzymatic activities (catalase, peroxidase, protease, and superoxide dismutase) were significantly variable. Dendrogram for biochemical parameters of cultivar Hillawi, created using Ward's method, revealed three clusters. Among the nine pollen sources, M8 was superior because it was positively associated with most of the variables. M7 shortened the ripening time, and its progeny exhibited the highest ascorbic acid content. Fruits developed from M8 pollination exhibited higher total sugar contents, protein, antioxidant and enzymatic activity, and had shortened ripening time. For more positive correlation of pollen parents, M8 was followed by M7, M3, M5, and M4. Strong positive correlation was found among most of the traits. Biochemical analyses revealed that these traits were suitable for metaxenia studies and breeding programs, as they exhibited quality and yield enhancement. The seedlings developed from these seeds, which were a result of controlled pollination, were identified as true date palm hybrids using 12 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers. Out of 12, only six primers clearly differentiated between true and ambiguous hybrids. Primer mpdCIR-10 identified the highest number of true hybrids 13 (81.25%). These findings will be useful for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Two-component system (TCS) consists of Histidine kinases (HKs), Phosphotransfers (HPs), and response regulator (RR) proteins. It has an important role in signal transduction to respond to a wide variety of abiotic stresses and hence in plant development. Brassica oleracea (cabbage) is a leafy vegetable, which is used for food and medicinal purposes. Although this system was identified in several plants, it had not been identified in Brassica oleracea yet. This genome-wide study identified 80 BoTCS genes consisting of 21 HKs, 8 HPs, 39 RRs, and 12 PRRs. This classification was done based on conserved domains and motif structure. Phylogenetic relationships of BoTCS genes with Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Glycine max, and Cicer arietinum showed conservation in TCS genes. Gene structure analysis revealed that each subfamily had conserved introns and exons. Both tandem and segmental duplication led to the expansion of this gene family. Almost all of the HPs and RRs were expanded through segmental duplication. Chromosomal analysis showed that BoTCS genes were dispersed across all nine chromosomes. The promoter regions of these genes were found to contain a variety of cis-regulatory elements. The 3D structure prediction of proteins also confirmed the conservation of structure within subfamilies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the regulation of BoTCSs were also predicted and their regulatory roles were also evaluated. Moreover, BoTCSs were docked with abscisic acid to evaluate their binding. RNA-seq-based expression analysis and validation by qRT-PCR showed significant variation of expression for BoPHYs, BoERS1.1, BoERS2.1, BoERS2.2, BoRR10.2, and BoRR7.1 suggesting their importance in stress response. These genes showing unique expression can be further used in manipulating the plant’s genome to make the plant more resistant the environmental stresses which will ultimately help in the increase of plant’s yield. More specifically, these genes have altered expression in shade stress which clearly indicates their importance in biological functions. These findings are important for future functional characterization of TCS genes in generating stress-responsive cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]