Validation of the Meditech ABPM-06 24-hour blood pressure monitoring system in a pediatric population according to International Organization for Standardization Protocol 81060-2:2018.

OBJECTIVE: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) devices play a crucial role in diagnosing hypertension, not only in adults but also in pediatric patients. ABPM-06, the latest oscillometric device from Meditech Ltd. (Budapest, Hungary), is the focus of this study. The objective was to validate the ABPM-06 device using the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 81060-2 : 2018 standard. METHODS: A total of 86 healthy patients, consisting of 34 males and 52 females, aged between 3 and 17 years, were enrolled in this study. During the ambulatory phase, a total of 50 patients were enrolled, with 35 patients falling within the 3- to 12-year-old age range and 15 patients aged between 12 and 17 years. Additionally, for the dynamic test, 36 patients were selected, comprising of 10 individuals aged 3-12 years and 26 patients aged 12-17 years. These patients were recruited from the outpatient clinics of the Department of Pediatrics at Albert Szent-Györgyi University in Szeged, Hungary. The validation process involved utilizing the same-arm sequence protocol, both in resting positions and during stress testing. RESULTS: The ABPM-06 performed well in both clinical and ambulatory validations. In terms of validation criterion 1, the mean ± SD of the differences between the test device and reference blood pressure readings was -1.3 ±â€…3.5  mmHg for systolic and -0.1  ±â€…2.3 mmHg for diastolic, in children under the age of 12 years. For those over the age of 12 years, the mean ± SD of the differences was -2.8 ± 4.6 mmHg for systolic and -0.5 ± 2.7 mmHg for diastolic. Regarding the ambulatory validation, for children under 12 years old, the mean ± SD of the differences was -1.3  ±â€…3.5  mmHg for systolic and -0.1  ±â€…2.3  mmHg for diastolic. In the age group above 12 years, the mean ± SD of the differences was -2.8 ± 4.6 mmHg for systolic and -0.5 ± 2.7 mmHg for diastolic. Both tests successfully met the established criteria regarding the mean and SD values of the differences between the device readings and the observed SBP and DBP measurements. CONCLUSION: The ABPM-06 oscillometric device fully adheres to the ISO 81060-2 : 2018 standard requirements for ABPM determination in the pediatric population (ages 3-17 years). Consequently, this ABPM device proves to be suitable for effectively managing hypertension in children and adolescents.

Glutathione Transferases Are Involved in the Genotype-Specific Salt-Stress Response of Tomato Plants.

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are one of the most versatile multigenic enzyme superfamilies. In our experiments, the involvement of the genotype-specific induction of GST genes and glutathione- or redox-related genes in pathways regulating salt-stress tolerance was examined in tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum Moneymaker, Mobil, and Elán F1). The growth of the Mobil plants was adversely affected during salt stress (100 mM of NaCl), which might be the result of lowered glutathione and ascorbate levels, a more positive glutathione redox potential (EGSH), and reduced glutathione reductase (GR) and GST activities. In contrast, the Moneymaker and Elán F1 cultivars were able to restore their growth and exhibited higher GR and inducible GST activities, as well as elevated, non-enzymatic antioxidant levels, indicating their enhanced salt tolerance. Furthermore, the expression patterns of GR, selected GST, and transcription factor genes differed significantly among the three cultivars, highlighting the distinct regulatory mechanisms of the tomato genotypes during salt stress. The correlations between EGSH and gene expression data revealed several robust, cultivar-specific associations, underscoring the complexity of the stress response mechanism in tomatoes. Our results support the cultivar-specific roles of distinct GST genes during the salt-stress response, which, along with WRKY3, WRKY72, DREB1, and DREB2, are important players in shaping the redox status and the development of a more efficient stress tolerance in tomatoes.

AtGSTU19 and AtGSTU24 as Moderators of the Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to Turnip mosaic virus.

Plants produce glutathione as a response to the intercellular redox state. Glutathione actively participates in the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent signaling pathway, especially under biotic stress conditions. Most of the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are induced in cells during the defense response of plants not only through highly specific glutathione-binding abilities but also by participating in the signaling function. The tau class of GSTs has been reported to be induced as a response under stress conditions. Although several studies have focused on the role of the tau class of GSTs in plant-pathogen interactions, knowledge about their contribution to the response to virus inoculation is still inadequate. Therefore, in this study, the response of Atgstu19 and Atgstu24 knockout mutants to mechanical inoculation of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) was examined. The systemic infection of TuMV was more dynamically promoted in Atgstu19 mutants than in wild-type (Col-0) plants, suggesting the role of GSTU19 in TuMV resistance. However, Atgstu24 mutants displayed virus limitation and downregulation of the relative expression of TuMV capsid protein, accompanied rarely by TuMV particles only in vacuoles, and ultrastructural analyses of inoculated leaves revealed the lack of virus cytoplasmic inclusions. These findings indicated that Atgstu24 mutants displayed a resistance-like reaction to TuMV, suggesting that GSTU24 may suppress the plant resistance. In addition, these findings confirmed that GSTU1 and GSTU24 are induced and contribute to the susceptible reaction to TuMV in the Atgstu19-TuMV interaction. However, the upregulation of GSTU19 and GSTU13 highly correlated with virus limitation in the resistance-like reaction in the Atgstu24-TuMV interaction. Furthermore, the highly dynamic upregulation of GST and glutathione reductase (GR) activities resulted in significant induction (between 1 and 14 days post inoculation [dpi]) of the total glutathione pool (GSH + GSSG) in response to TuMV, which was accompanied by the distribution of active glutathione in plant cells. On the contrary, in Atgstu19, which is susceptible to TuMV interaction, upregulation of GST and GR activity only up to 7 dpi symptom development was reported, which resulted in the induction of the total glutathione pool between 1 and 3 dpi. These observations indicated that GSTU19 and GSTU24 are important factors in modulating the response to TuMV in Arabidopsis thaliana. Moreover, it was clear that glutathione is an important component of the regulatory network in resistance and susceptible response of A. thaliana to TuMV. These results help achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms regulating the Arabidopsis-TuMV pathosystem.

Crosstalk between the Arabidopsis Glutathione Peroxidase-Like 5 Isoenzyme (AtGPXL5) and Ethylene.

Glutathione peroxidases (GPXs) are important antioxidant enzymes in animals. Plants contain GPX-like (GPXL) enzymes, which-in contrast to GPXs-contain cysteine in their active site instead of selenocysteine. Although several studies proved their importance in development and stress responses, their interaction with ethylene (ET) signalling is not known. Our aim was to investigate the involvement of AtGPXL5 in ET biosynthesis and/or signalling using Atgpxl5 mutant and AtGPXL5 cDNA-overexpressing (OX-AtGPXL5) lines. Four-day-old dark-grown Atgpxl5 seedlings had shorter hypocotyls and primary roots, while OX-AtGPXL5 seedlings exhibited a similar phenotype as wild type under normal conditions. Six-week-old OX-AtGPXL5 plants contained less H2O2 and malondialdehyde, but higher polyamine and similar ascorbate- and glutathione contents and redox potential (EGSH) than the Col-0. One-day treatment with the ET-precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) induced the activity of glutathione- and thioredoxin peroxidases and some other ROS-processing enzymes. In the Atgpxl5 mutants, the EGSH became more oxidised; parallelly, it produced more ethylene after the ACC treatment than other genotypes. Although the enhanced ET evolution measured in the Atgpxl5 mutant can be the result of the increased ROS level, the altered expression pattern of ET-related genes both in the Atgpxl5 and OX-AtGPXL5 plants suggests the interplay between AtGPXL5 and ethylene signalling.

Crosstalk between the redox signalling and the detoxification: GSTs under redox control?

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidants and their reduction-oxidation (redox) states all contribute to the redox homeostasis, but glutathione is considered to be the master regulator of it. We aimed to understand the relationship between the redox potential and the diverse glutathione transferase (GST) enzyme family by comparing the stress responses of two tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum 'Moneymaker' and 'Ailsa Craig'). Four-week-old plants were treated by two concentrations of mannitol, NaCl and salicylic acid. The lower H2O2 and malondialdehyde contents indicated higher stress tolerance of 'Moneymaker'. The redox status of roots was characterized by measuring the reduced and oxidized form of ascorbate and glutathione spectrophotometrically after 24 h. The redox potential of 'Ailsa Craig' was more oxidized compared to 'Moneymaker' even under control conditions and became more positive due to treatments. High-throughput quantitative real-time PCR revealed that besides overall higher expression levels, SlGSTs were activated more efficiently in 'Moneymaker' due to stresses, resulting in generally higher GST and glutathione peroxidase activities compared to 'Ailsa Craig'. The expression level of SlGSTs correlated differently, however Pearson's correlation analysis showed usually strong positive correlation between SlGST transcription and glutathione redox potential. The possible redox regulation of SlGST expressions was discussed.

mTOR signaling mediates ILC3-driven immunopathology.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have a protective immune function at mucosal tissues but can also contribute to immunopathology. Previous work has shown that the serine/threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is involved in generating protective ILC3 cytokine responses during bacterial infection. However, whether mTORC1 also regulates IFN-γ-mediated immunopathology has not been investigated. In addition, the role of mTORC2 in ILC3s is unknown. Using mice specifically defective for either mTORC1 or mTORC2 in ILC3s, we show that both mTOR complexes regulate the maintenance of ILC3s at steady state and pathological immune response during colitis. mTORC1 and to a lesser extend mTORC2 promote the proliferation of ILC3s in the small intestine. Upon activation, intestinal ILC3s produce less IFN-γ in the absence of mTOR signaling. During colitis, loss of both mTOR complexes in colonic ILC3s results in the reduced production of inflammatory mediators, recruitment of neutrophils and immunopathology. Similarly, treatment with rapamycin after colitis induction ameliorates the disease. Collectively, our data show a critical role for both mTOR complexes in controlling ILC3 cell numbers and ILC3-driven inflammation in the intestine.

Microbiota-induced tissue signals regulate ILC3-mediated antigen presentation.

Although group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are efficient inducers of T cell responses in the spleen, they fail to induce CD4+ T cell proliferation in the gut. The signals regulating ILC3-T cell responses remain unknown. Here, we show that transcripts associated with MHC II antigen presentation are down-modulated in intestinal natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR)- ILC3s. Further data implicate microbiota-induced IL-23 as a crucial signal for reversible silencing of MHC II in ILC3s, thereby reducing the capacity of ILC3s to present antigen to T cells in the intestinal mucosa. Moreover, IL-23-mediated MHC II suppression is dependent on mTORC1 and STAT3 phosphorylation in NCR- ILC3s. By contrast, splenic interferon-γ induces MHC II expression and CD4+ T cell stimulation by NCR- ILC3s. Our results thus identify biological circuits for tissue-specific regulation of ILC3-dependent T cell responses. These pathways may have implications for inducing or silencing T cell responses in human diseases.

Compensation of Mutation in Arabidopsis glutathione transferase (AtGSTU) Genes under Control or Salt Stress Conditions.

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) play a crucial role in detoxification processes due to the fact of their glutathione (GSH) conjugating activity, and through glutathione peroxidase or dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activities, they influence the redox state of GSH and ascorbate (AsA). The plant-specific tau (GSTU) group is the largest class of Arabidopsis GSTs, and their members are involved in responses to different abiotic stresses. We investigated the effect of salt stress on two-week-old Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type (Col-0), Atgstu19 and Atgstu24 mutant plants after applying 150 mM NaCl for two days. The Atgstu19 seedlings had lower GST activity and vitality both under control conditions and after salt stress than the wild-type, but the level of total ROS was similar to the Col-0 plants. The GST activity of the knockout Atgstu24 mutant was even higher under control conditions compared to the Col-0 plants, while the ROS level and its vitality did not differ significantly from the wild-type. Analysis of the AtGSTU expression pattern revealed that the mutation in a single AtGSTU gene was accompanied by the up- and downregulation of several other AtGSTUs. Moreover, elevated AsA and GSH levels, an altered GSH redox potential and increased DHAR and glutathione reductase activities could help to compensate for the mutation of AtGSTU genes. The observed changes in the mutants suggest that the investigated isoenzymes influence the redox homeostasis under control conditions and after NaCl treatment in Arabidopsis seedlings. These data indicate for the first time the more general role of a temporary shift of redox status as part of GST mechanisms and regulation.

The Arabidopsis glutathione transferases, AtGSTF8 and AtGSTU19 are involved in the maintenance of root redox homeostasis affecting meristem size and salt stress sensitivity.

The tau (U) and phi (F) classes of glutathione transferase (GST) enzymes reduce the glutathione (GSH) pool using GSH as a co-substrate, thus influence numerous redox-dependent processes including hormonal and stress responses. We performed detailed analysis of the redox potential and reactive oxygen species levels in longitudinal zones of 7-day-old roots of Arabidopsis thaliana L. Col-0 wild type and Atsgtf8 and Atgstu19 insertional mutants. Using redox-sensitive cytosolic green fluorescent protein (roGFP2) the redox status of the meristematic, transition, and elongation zones was determined under control and salt stress (3-hour of 75 or 150 mM NaCl treatment) conditions. The Atgstu19 mutant had the most oxidized redox status in all root zones throughout the experiments. Using fluorescent dyes significantly higher superoxide radical (O2-) levels was detected in both Atgst mutants than in the Col-0 control. Salt treatment resulted in the highest O2- increase in the Atgstf8 root, while the amount of H2O2 elevated most in the case of Atgstu19. Moreover, vitality decreased in Atgstu19 roots more than in wild type under salt stress. Our results indicate that AtGSTF8 and especially the AtGSTU19 proteins function in the root fine-tuning the redox homeostasis both under control and salt stress conditions.

Diurnal changes in tomato glutathione transferase activity and expression.

Although the participation of glutathione transferases (GSTs) in light-dependent pathways and the circadian changes in the whole detoxification system have been studied, there are fewer results regarding the exact daily fluctuation of GSTs. In the present study, it was demonstrated that light up-regulated, while dark period decreased the plant GST activity and the expression of the selected tau group GST genes in tomato. These findings provide additional information on our current knowledge on the circadian rhythm of GSTs in plants and could help in further defining detoxification processes.

Plant Glutathione Transferases and Light.

The activity and expression of glutathione transferases (GSTs) depend on several less-known endogenous and well-described exogenous factors, such as the developmental stage, presence, and intensity of different stressors, as well as on the absence or presence and quality of light, which to date have received less attention. In this review, we focus on discussing the role of circadian rhythm, light quality, and intensity in the regulation of plant GSTs. Recent studies demonstrate that diurnal regulation can be recognized in GST activity and gene expression in several plant species. In addition, the content of one of their co-substrates, reduced glutathione (GSH), also shows diurnal changes. Darkness, low light or shade mostly reduces GST activity, while high or excess light significantly elevates both the activity and expression of GSTs and GSH levels. Besides the light-regulated induction and dark inactivation of GSTs, these enzymes can also participate in the signal transduction of visible and UV light. For example, red light may alleviate the harmful effects of pathogens and abiotic stressors by increasing GST activity and expression, as well as GSH content in leaves of different plant species. Based on this knowledge, further research on plants (crops and weeds) or organs and temporal regulation of GST activity and gene expression is necessary for understanding the complex regulation of plant GSTs under various light conditions in order to increase the yield and stress tolerance of plants in the changing environment.

Physiological and molecular responses to heavy metal stresses suggest different detoxification mechanism of Populus deltoides and P. x canadensis.

Plants have divergent defense mechanisms against the harmful effects of heavy metals present in excess in soils and groundwaters. Poplars (Populus spp.) are widely cultivated because of their rapid growth and high biomass production, and members of the genus are increasingly used as experimental model organisms of trees and for phytoremediation purposes. Our aim was to investigate the copper and zinc stress responses of three outstanding biomass producer bred poplar lines to identify such transcripts of genes involved in the detoxification mechanisms, which can play an important role in the protection against heavy metals. Poplar cuttings were grown hydroponically and subjected to short-term (one week) mild and sublethal copper and zinc stresses. We evaluated the effects of the applied heavy metals and the responses of plants by detecting the changes of multiple physiological and biochemical parameters. The most severe cellular oxidative damage was caused by 30µM copper treatment, while zinc was less harmful. Analysis of stress-related transcripts revealed genotype-specific differences that are likely related to alterations in heavy metal tolerance. P. deltoides clones B-229 and PE 19/66 clones were clearly more effective at inducing the expression of various genes implicated in the detoxification process, such as the glutathione transferases, metallothioneins, ABC transporters, (namely PtGSTU51, PxMT1, PdABCC2,3), while the P. canadensis line M-1 accumulated more metal, resulting in greater cellular oxidative damage. Our results show that all three poplar clones are efficient in stress acclimatization, but with different molecular bases.

Flt3 Ligand Regulates the Development of Innate Lymphoid Cells in Fetal and Adult Mice.

Flt3 ligand (Flt3L) promotes survival of lymphoid progenitors in the bone marrow and differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs), but its role in regulating innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) during fetal and adult life is not understood. By using Flt3L knockout and transgenic mice, we demonstrate that Flt3L controls ILC numbers by regulating the pool of α4ß7(-) and α4ß7(+) lymphoid tissue inducer cell progenitors in the fetal liver and common lymphoid progenitors in the bone marrow. Deletion of flt3l severely reduced the number of fetal liver progenitors and lymphoid tissue inducer cells in the neonatal intestine, resulting in impaired development of Peyer's patches. In the adult intestine, NK cells and group 2 and 3 ILCs were severely reduced. This effect occurred independently of DCs as ILC numbers were normal in mice in which DCs were constitutively deleted. Finally, we could show that administration of Flt3L increased the number of NKp46(-) group 3 ILCs in wild-type and even in Il7(-/-) mice, which generally have reduced numbers of ILCs. Taken together, Flt3L significantly contributes to ILC and Peyer's patches development by targeting lymphoid progenitor cells during fetal and adult life.

The role of Arabidopsis glutathione transferase F9 gene under oxidative stress in seedlings.

Arabidopsis thaliana contains 54 soluble glutathione transferases (GSTs, EC 2.5.1.18), which are thought to play major roles in oxidative stress responses, but little is known about the function of individual isoenzymes. The role of AtGST phi 9 (GSTF9) in the salt- and salicylic acid response was investigated using 2-week-old Atgstf9 and wild type (Wt) plants. Atgstf9 mutants accumulated more ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) and had decreased glutathione peroxidase (GPOX) activity under control conditions. Treatment of 2-week-old seedlings with 10⁻7 M salicylic acid (SA) for 48 h resulted in elevated H2O2level and enhanced GST activity in Atgstf9 plants, 10⁻5 M SA treatment enhanced the malondialdehyde and dehydroascorbate contents compared to Wt. 50 and 150 mM NaCl increased the GST activity, AsA and GSH accumulation in Atgstf9 seedlings more pronounced than in Wt plants. We found that the Atgstf9 mutants had altered redox homeostasis under control and stress conditions, in which elevated AsA and GSH levels and modified GST and GPOX activities may play significant role. The half-cell potential values calculated from the concentration of GSH and GSSG indicate that this GST isoenzyme has an important role in the salt stress response.

Hardening with salicylic acid induces concentration-dependent changes in abscisic acid biosynthesis of tomato under salt stress.

The role of salicylic acid (SA) in the control of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis is controversial although both plant growth regulators may accumulate in tissues under abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Hardening of tomato plants to salinity stress with 10(-4)M SA ("high SA") resulted in an up-regulation of ABA biosynthesis genes, zeaxanthin epoxidase (SlZEP1), 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (SlNCED1) and aldehyde oxidases (SlAO1 and SlAO2) in the roots and led to ABA accumulation both in root and leaf tissues. In plants pre-treated with lower concentration of SA (10(-7)M, "low SA"), the up-regulation of SlNCED1 in the roots promoted ABA accumulation in the root tissues but the hormone concentration remained at control level in the leaves. Salt stress induced by 100mM NaCl reduced the transcript abundance of ABA biosynthetic genes and inhibited SlAO activity in plants hardened with "high SA", but the tissues maintained root ABA level over the untreated control. The combined effect of "high SA" and ABA under salt stress led to partially recovered photosynthetic activity, reduced ethylene production in root apices, and restored root growth, which is one of the main features of salt tolerance. Unlike "high SA", hardening with "low SA" had no influence on ethylene production, and led to reduced elongation of roots in plants exposed to 100mM NaCl. The up-regulation of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases SlCCD1A and SlCCD1B by SA, which produce apocarotenoids, may open new pathways in SA sensing and signalling processes.

Plant glutathione peroxidases: emerging role of the antioxidant enzymes in plant development and stress responses.

The plant glutathione peroxidase (GPX) family consists of multiple isoenzymes with distinct subcellular locations which exhibit different tissue-specific expression patterns and environmental stress responses. Contrary to most of their counterparts in animal cells, plant GPXs contain cysteine instead of selenocysteine in their active site and while some of them have both glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin peroxidase functions, the thioredoxin regenerating system is much more efficient in vitro than the glutathione system. At present, the function of these enzymes in plants is not completely understood. The occurrence of thiol-dependent activities of plant GPX isoenzymes suggests that - besides detoxification of H2O2 and organic hydroperoxides - they may be involved in regulation of the cellular redox homeostasis by maintaining the thiol/disulfide or NADPH/NADP(+) balance. GPXs may represent a link existing between the glutathione- and the thioredoxin-based system. The various thiol buffers, including Trx, can affect a number of redox reactions in the cells most probably via modulation of thiol status. It is still required to identify the in vivo reductant for particular GPX isoenzymes and partners that GPXs interact with specifically. Recent evidence suggests that plant GPXs does not only protect cells from stress induced oxidative damage but they can be implicated in plant growth and development. Following a more general introduction, this study summarizes present knowledge on plant GPXs, highlighting the results on gene expression analysis, regulation and signaling of Arabidopsis thaliana GPXs and also suggests some perspectives for future research.

Exogenous salicylic acid-triggered changes in the glutathione transferases and peroxidases are key factors in the successful salt stress acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Salicylic acid (SA) applied exogenously is a potential priming agent during abiotic stress. In our experiments, the priming effect of SA was tested by exposing Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants to 2-week-long 10-9-10-5 M SA pretreatments in a hydroponic medium, followed by 1 week of 100mM NaCl stress. The levels of reactive oxygen species and H2O2, changes in antioxidant enzyme activity and the expression of selected glutathione transferase (GST) genes were investigated. Although 10-9-10-7 M SA pretreatment insufficiently induced defence mechanisms during the subsequent salt stress, 2-week pretreatments with 10-6 and 10-5 M SA alleviated the salinity-induced H2O2 and malondialdehyde accumulation, and increased superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, GST and glutathione peroxidase (GPOX) activity. Our results indicate that long-term 10-6 and 10-5 M SA treatment mitigated the salt stress injury in this model plant. Enhanced expression of AtGSTU19 and AtGSTU24 may be responsible for the induced GST and GPOX activity, which may play an important role in acclimation. Modified GST expression suggested altered signalling in SA-hardened plants during salt stress. The hydroponic system applied in our experiments proved to be a useful tool for studying the effects of sequential treatments in A. thaliana.

Activated group 3 innate lymphoid cells promote T-cell-mediated immune responses.

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) have emerged as important cellular players in tissue repair and innate immunity. Whether these cells meaningfully regulate adaptive immune responses upon activation has yet to be explored. Here we show that upon IL-1ß stimulation, peripheral ILC3s become activated, secrete cytokines, up-regulate surface MHC class II molecules, and express costimulatory molecules. ILC3s can take up latex beads, process protein antigen, and consequently prime CD4(+) T-cell responses in vitro. The cognate interaction of ILC3s and CD4(+) T cells leads to T-cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, whereas its disruption impairs specific T-cell and T-dependent B-cell responses in vivo. In addition, the ILC3-CD4(+) T-cell interaction is bidirectional and leads to the activation of ILC3s. Taken together, our data reveal a novel activation-dependent function of peripheral ILC3s in eliciting cognate CD4(+) T-cell immune responses.

Glutathione transferase supergene family in tomato: Salt stress-regulated expression of representative genes from distinct GST classes in plants primed with salicylic acid.

A family tree of the multifunctional proteins, glutathione transferases (GSTs, EC 2.5.1.18) was created in Solanum lycopersicum based on homology to known Arabidopsis GSTs. The involvement of selected SlGSTs was studied in salt stress response of tomato primed with salicylic acid (SA) or in un-primed plants by real-time qPCR. Selected tau GSTs (SlGSTU23, SlGSTU26) were up-regulated in the leaves, while GSTs from lambda, theta, dehydroascorbate reductase and zeta classes (SlGSTL3, SlGSTT2, SlDHAR5, SlGSTZ2) in the root tissues under salt stress. Priming with SA exhibited a concentration dependency; SA mitigated the salt stress injury and caused characteristic changes in the expression pattern of SlGSTs only at 10(-4) M concentration. SlGSTF4 displayed a significant up-regulation in the leaves, while the abundance of SlGSTL3, SlGSTT2 and SlGSTZ2 transcripts were enhanced in the roots of plants primed with high SA concentration. Unexpectedly, under high salinity the SlDHAR2 expression decreased in primed roots as compared to the salt-stressed plants, however, the up-regulation of SlDHAR5 isoenzyme contributed to the maintenance of DHAR activity in roots primed with high SA. The members of lambda, theta and zeta class GSTs have a specific role in salt stress acclimation of tomato, while SlGSTU26 and SlGSTF4, the enzymes with high glutathione conjugating activity, characterize a successful priming in both roots and leaves. In contrast to low concentration, high SA concentration induced those GSTs in primed roots, which were up-regulated under salt stress. Our data indicate that induction of GSTs provide a flexible tool in maintaining redox homeostasis during unfavourable conditions.

Prevalence of drug resistance mutations and HIV type 1 subtypes in an HIV type 1-infected cohort in rural Tanzania.

The development of resistance mutations in drug-targeted HIV-1 genes compromises the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs. Genotyping of these mutations enables adjusted therapeutic decisions both at the individual and population level. We investigated over time the prevalence of HIV-1 primary drug resistance mutations in treatment-naive patients and described the HIV-1 subtype distribution in a cohort in rural Tanzania at the beginning of the ART rollout in 2005-2007 and later in 2009. Viral RNA was analyzed in 387 baseline plasma samples from treatment-naive patients over a period of 5 years. The reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease genes were reversely transcribed, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified, and directly sequenced to identify HIV-1 subtypes and single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with drug resistance (DR-SNPs). The prevalence of major DR-SNPs in 2005-2007 in the RT gene was determined: K103N (5.0%), Y181C (2.5%), M184V (2.5%), and G190A (1.7%), and M41L, K65KR, K70KR, and L74LV (0.8%). In samples from 2009 only K103N (3.3%), M184V, and T215FY (0.8%) were detected. Initial frequencies of subtypes C, A, D, and recombinants were 43%, 32%, 18%, and 7%, respectively. Later similar frequencies were found except for the recombinants, which were found twice as often (15%), highlighting the subtype diversity and a relatively stable subtype frequency in the area. DR-SNPs were found at initiation of the cohort despite very low previous ART use in the area. Statistically, frequencies of major mutations did not change significantly over the studied 5-year interval. These mutations could reflect primary resistances and may indicate a possible risk for treatment failure.