Project description:Plant stress caused by pathogens or though abiotic means (e.g. drought or temperature) reduces agricultural yields, causing substantial economic losses while reducing food security at the global level. It is critical to recognize how plants perceive stress signals to elicit responses for survival. Endogenous plant peptidases and their peptide products play an important role in the signaling of plant immune processes. Thimet oligopeptidases (TOPs) are zinc-dependent peptide hydrolases with a conserved HEXXH active site motif. These metallopeptidases are critical components in plant response to oxidative stress triggered by pathogens or abiotic factors and are required for a fully functioning immune response to certain pathogens. Further characterization of plant TOPs and their peptide substrates would provide insights into their contribution to defense signaling, stress perception, and plant adaptation pathways. Herein, a quantitative mass spectrometry-based peptidomics approach was implemented to characterize the Arabidopsis thaliana plant peptidome and in the context TOPs (Fig. 1). A comparison between wild type (Col-0) and top1top2 null mutant revealed putative direct and indirect TOPs substrates in vivo.
Project description:miR-155 inhibits PU.1 expression, leading to the initiation of the initiation of plasma cell differentiation pathway. Additional PU.1 targets include a network of genes whose products are involved in adhesion, with direct links to B:T interactions. Sequencing analysis of PU.1 binding in B cells using Illumina ChIP-seq sample prep kit and Illumina platform. Cells were from ex-vivo LPS and IL-4 activated (96h) splenic B cells from wild type, PU.1[155-/155-] and miR-155[-/-] mice.
Project description:Water availability is a key determinant of terrestrial plant productivity. Many climate models predict that water stress will increasingly challenge agricultural yields and exacerbate projected food deficits. To ensure food security and increase agricultural efficiency, crop water productivity must be increased. Research over past decades has established that the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a central regulator of water use and directly regulates stomatal opening and transpiration. In this study, we investigated whether the water productivity of wheat could be improved by increasing its ABA sensitivity. We show that overexpression of a wheat ABA receptor increases wheat ABA sensitivity, which significantly lowers a plant’s lifetime water consumption. Physiological analyses demonstrated that this water-saving trait is a consequence of reduced transpiration and a concomitant increase in photosynthetic activity, which together boost grain production per liter of water and protect productivity during water deficit. Our findings provide a general strategy for increasing water productivity that should be applicable to other crops because of the high conservation of the ABA signaling pathway.
Project description:The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) into agricultural soils, products, and foods severely limits the use of organic fertilizers in agriculture. In this study, experimental land plots were fertilized, sown, and harvested for two consecutive agricultural cycles using either mineral or three types of organic fertilizers: sewage sludge, pig slurry, or composted organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The analysis of the relative abundances of more than 200,000 ASV (Amplicon Sequence Variants) allowed the identification of a small, but significant (<10%) overlap between soil and fertilizer microbiomes, particularly in soils sampled the same day of the harvest (post-harvest soils). Loads of clinically relevant ARG were significantly higher (up to 100 fold) in fertilized soils relative to the initial soil. The highest increases corresponded to post-harvest soils treated with organic fertilizers, and they correlated with the extend of the contribution of fertilizers to the soil microbiome. Edible products (lettuce and radish) showed low, but measurable loads of ARG (sul1 for lettuces and radish, tetM for lettuces). These loads were minimal in mineral fertilized soils, and strongly dependent on the type of fertilizer. We concluded that at least part of the observed increase on ARG loads in soils and foodstuffs were actual contributions from the fertilizer microbiomes. Thus, we propose that adequate waste management and good pharmacological and veterinarian practices may significantly reduce the potential health risk posed by the presence of ARG in agricultural soils and plant products.
2021-07-09 | GSE179685 | GEO
Project description:Microbial diversity of food products
Project description:miR-155 inhibits PU.1 expression, leading to the initiation of the initiation of plasma cell differentiation pathway. Additional PU.1 targets include a network of genes whose products are involved in adhesion, with direct links to B:T interactions.