Draft genome sequence of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni PVCT 262.1 isolated from Prunus dulcis in italy.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni strain PVCT 262.1, isolated from almond (Prunus dulcis) leaves affected by bacterial spots in Italy in 2020. Genome size is 5,076,418 bp and G+C content is 65.44%. A total of 4,096 protein-coding genes and 92 RNAs are predicted.

Minor Variants of Orf1a, p33, and p23 Genes of VT Strain Citrus Tristeza Virus Isolates Show Symptomless Reactions on Sour Orange and Prevent Superinfection of Severe VT Isolates.

The control of tristeza quick decline (QD) of citrus is based on the use of rootstocks that are tolerant or resistant to the Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), but some of them show bio-agronomic limits. The application of cross-protection (CP) has been insufficiently explored. The present study examined the possibility of QD control by cross-protection (CP) following reports showing the dependence of the CP strategy on the close genetic relationships between the protective and challenging CTV isolates. Taking advantage of deep sequencing technologies, we located six naturally infected trees harboring no-seedling yellow (no-SY) and no QD decline (mild) VT isolates and used these for challenge inoculation with three QD VT isolates. Symptom monitoring showed that all six Sicilian mild no-SY isolates, based on their genomic relatedness and mild symptoms reactions, provide effective protection against the three severe local VT isolates. The differences between the six mild and three severe isolates were confined to just a few nucleotide variations conserved in eight positions of three CTV genes (p23, p33, and Orf1a). These results confirm that the superinfection exclusion (SIE mechanism) depends on close genetic relatedness between the protective and challenging severe VT strain isolates. Ten years of investigation suggest that CP could turn into an efficient strategy to contain CTV QD infections of sweet orange trees on SO rootstock.

Parental training in groups: a brief health promotion program.

OBJECTIVE: To propose a brief parenting program offered in the context of health promotion and evaluate the immediate results relating to use of appropriate parenting practices and quality of parent-child interaction. METHODS: Forty-five parents of school-age children from two non-governmental institutions located in a medium-sized city in the state of Sao Paulo participated in the study. The following assessment tools were used in the pre and post-tests: the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Quality of Family Interaction Scales (EQIFs), and the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB). Only scores of parents who attended 75% of the program were included in the analysis (25 participants). RESULTS: Most of the participants who completed the program were grouped in socioeconomic levels B and C (72%) and the complaints reported in the pre-test centered on disobedience and stubbornness (29.6%, each). Regarding parents' perceptions of their educational practices and interaction with the children, improvements were detected in several of the aspects measured: affective relationship, involvement, model, communication, rules and monitoring, and children's feelings, besides reduction in use of physical punishment and negative marital atmosphere (p < 0.03). Reductions were detected in aggressive behavior (p = 0.02) and externalizing problems (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Despite the small sample and application in a specific community, this quick and affordable intervention seems to have yielded improvements in parent's monitoring and their affective relationships with their children, in addition to reductions in punishments and children's aggressive behavior, contributing to better parent-child interaction in the community.

Parental training in groups: a brief health promotion program

Abstract Objective To propose a brief parenting program offered in the context of health promotion and evaluate the immediate results relating to use of appropriate parenting practices and quality of parent-child interaction. Methods Forty-five parents of school-age children from two non-governmental institutions located in a medium-sized city in the state of Sao Paulo participated in the study. The following assessment tools were used in the pre and post-tests: the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Quality of Family Interaction Scales (EQIFs), and the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB). Only scores of parents who attended 75% of the program were included in the analysis (25 participants). Results Most of the participants who completed the program were grouped in socioeconomic levels B and C (72%) and the complaints reported in the pre-test centered on disobedience and stubbornness (29.6%, each). Regarding parents' perceptions of their educational practices and interaction with the children, improvements were detected in several of the aspects measured: affective relationship, involvement, model, communication, rules and monitoring, and children's feelings, besides reduction in use of physical punishment and negative marital atmosphere (p < 0.03). Reductions were detected in aggressive behavior (p = 0.02) and externalizing problems (p = 0.04). Conclusion Despite the small sample and application in a specific community, this quick and affordable intervention seems to have yielded improvements in parent's monitoring and their affective relationships with their children, in addition to reductions in punishments and children's aggressive behavior, contributing to better parent-child interaction in the community.

Phenotyping Biological Properties of CTV Isolates.

The protocol described is intended to be used alongside molecular methods in order to reveal the relationship between the genome sequence and the biological properties of a single isolate of Citrus tristeza virus complex (CTV). It enables the phenotypic profile of the isolates to be defined and to infer the associated tristeza diseases (decline, seedling yellows, or stem pitting), to assess their aggressiveness or potential cross protectiveness (if any), and to monitor their movement into the host plants and the transmissibility by aphids.

Transcriptome analysis of Pseudomonas mediterranea and P. corrugata plant pathogens during accumulation of medium-chain-length PHAs by glycerol bioconversion.

Pseudomonas corrugata and P. mediterranea are soil inhabitant bacteria, generally living as endophytes on symptomless plants and bare soil, but also capable of causing plant diseases. They share a similar genome size and a high proteome similarity. P. corrugata produces many biomolecules which play an important role in bacterial cell survival and fitness. Both species produce different medium-chain-length PHAs (mcl-PHAs) from the bioconversion of glycerol to a transparent film in P. mediterranea and a sticky elastomer in P. corrugata. In this work, using RNA-seq we investigated the transcriptional profiles of both bacteria at the early stationary growth phase with glycerol as the carbon source. Quantitative analysis of P. mediterranea transcripts versus P. corrugata revealed that 1756 genes were differentially expressed. A total of 175 genes were significantly upregulated in P. mediterranea, while 217 were downregulated. The largest group of upregulated genes was related to transport systems and stress response, energy and central metabolism, and carbon metabolism. Expression levels of most genes coding for enzymes related to PHA biosynthesis and central metabolic pathways showed no differences or only slight variations in pyruvate metabolism. The most relevant result was the significantly increased expression in P. mediterranea of genes involved in alginate production, an important exopolysaccharide, which in other Pseudomonas spp. plays a key role as a virulence factor or in stress tolerance and shows many industrial applications. In conclusion, the results provide useful information on the co-production of mcl-PHAs and alginate from glycerol as carbon source by P. mediterranea in the design of new strategies of genetic regulation to improve the yield of bioproducts or bacterial fitness.

Deep sequencing and analysis of small RNAs in sweet orange grafted on sour orange infected with two citrus tristeza virus isolates prevalent in Sicily.

Two representative isolates of a citrus tristeza virus population in Sicily, SG29 (aggressive) and Bau282 (mild), were sequenced via viral small RNAs (vsRNA) produced in budlings of sweet orange grafted on sour orange. Phylogenetic relationships with Mediterranean and exotic isolates revealed that SG29 clustered within the "VT-Asian" subtype, whereas Bau282 belonged to the cluster T30. The study confirms that molecular data need to be integrated with bio-indexing in order to obtain adequate information for risk assessment.

Regulation of polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases (phaC1 and phaC2) gene expression in Pseudomonas corrugata.

In this study we examined polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthases phaC1 and phaC2 gene expression in two strains of Pseudomonas corrugata (Pc) grown in a minimum mineral medium with related (oleic acid and octanoate) or unrelated (glucose) carbon sources. Analysis of transcription was performed by Northern blot and conventional reverse transcriptase (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, we developed a RT-real-time PCR method to quantitatively evaluate phaC1 (Pc) and phaC2 (Pc) gene expression. Primers and a TaqMan probe were designed for the specific detection of both synthase transcripts as well as of the housekeeping 16S rRNA, and the relative expression of target genes was calculated. We showed that phaC1 (Pc) and phaC2 (Pc) were not cotranscribed and, on the contrary, were independently regulated. In cultures grown with oleic acid as the sole carbon source, only the expression of phaC1 (Pc) was induced (a tenfold increase after 72 h of culture), whereas that of phaC2 (Pc) remained unchanged. In cultures grown with glucose or sodium octanoate, the expression of both phaC1 (Pc) and phaC2 (Pc) was upregulated but at different rates. Cellular PHA content was compared to the gene expression of the PHA synthases and significant correlations were found between PHA production and phaC1 (Pc)/phaC2 (Pc) expression.