Bacteriophages: an overview of the control strategies against multiple bacterial infections in different fields.

Bacteriophages (phages/viruses) need host bacteria to replicate and propagate. Primarily, a bacteriophage contains a head/capsid to encapsidate the genetic material. Some phages contain tails. Phages encode endolysins to hydrolyze bacterial cell wall. The two main classes of phages are lytic or virulent and lysogenic or temperate. In comparison with antibiotics, to deal with bacterial infections, phage therapy is thought to be more effective. In 1921, the use of phages against bacterial infections was first demonstrated. Later on, in humans, phage therapy was used to treat skin infections caused by Pseudomonas species. Furthermore, phages were successfully employed against infections in animals - calves, lambs, and pigs infected with Escherichia coli. In agriculture, for instance, phages have successfully been used e.g., Apple blossom infection, caused by Erwinia amylovora, was effectively catered with the use of bacteriophages. Bacteriophages were also used to control E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter contamination in food. Comparatively, phage display is a recently discovered technology, whereby, bacteriophages play a significant role. This review is an effort to collect almost recent and relevant information regarding applications and complications associated with the use of bacteriophages.

Retained pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator components after heart transplantation are common and may lead to adverse events.

Aims: Many patients have a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) extracted at the time of heart transplantation. CIED components may be retained after heart transplantation, but their frequency, nature, and clinical significance is uncertain. Methods and results: Consecutive patients that underwent heart transplantation over 10 years from 1 January 2007 until 1 January 2017 were identified from the unit database. Pre- and post-operative chest radiographs were reviewed by two independent observers for the presence of CIED components. Adverse events relating to any retained CIED component were recorded. Two hundred and six patients had a CIED removed at the time of transplantation. Retained CIED components were present in 86 (42%) patients. The most common retained CIED components were suture sleeves and superior vena cava (SVC) coils of dual coil implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads. An SVC coil was retained in 25% of patients that had a dual coil ICD lead. Seven adverse events were associated with CIED removal or retained CIED components, including one fatal event. However, retained CIED components were not associated with reduced long-term survival after heart transplantation. Conclusion: Retained CIED components were seen in 42% of patients that had a CIED prior to transplantation, may be associated with serious adverse events but are not associated with reduced long-term survival. Cardiac surgeons should be aware of all CIED system components and be familiar with techniques for their complete removal at the time of transplantation.

Carnivore diet analysis based on next-generation sequencing: application to the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Pakistan.

Diet analysis is a prerequisite to fully understand the biology of a species and the functioning of ecosystems. For carnivores, traditional diet analyses mostly rely upon the morphological identification of undigested remains in the faeces. Here, we developed a methodology for carnivore diet analyses based on the next-generation sequencing. We applied this approach to the analysis of the vertebrate component of leopard cat diet in two ecologically distinct regions in northern Pakistan. Despite being a relatively common species with a wide distribution in Asia, little is known about this elusive predator. We analysed a total of 38 leopard cat faeces. After a classical DNA extraction, the DNA extracts were amplified using primers for vertebrates targeting about 100 bp of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, with and without a blocking oligonucleotide specific to the predator sequence. The amplification products were then sequenced on a next-generation sequencer. We identified a total of 18 prey taxa, including eight mammals, eight birds, one amphibian and one fish. In general, our results confirmed that the leopard cat has a very eclectic diet and feeds mainly on rodents and particularly on the Muridae family. The DNA-based approach we propose here represents a valuable complement to current conventional methods. It can be applied to other carnivore species with only a slight adjustment relating to the design of the blocking oligonucleotide. It is robust and simple to implement and allows the possibility of very large-scale analyses.

Wheat Intercropping Enhances the Resistance of Watermelon to Fusarium Wilt.

A fungus Fusarium oxysporum F. sp. niveum (FON) is the causal organism of Fusarium wilt in watermelon. In this study, we evaluated the effect of wheat intercropping on the Fusarium wilt of watermelon. Our results showed that wheat intercropping decreases the incidence of Fusarium wilt of watermelon, likely due to the secretion of coumaric acid from the roots of wheat that dramatically inhibits FON spore germination, sporulation, and growth. The secretion of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, and cinnamic acid from the roots of watermelon stimulates FON spore germination, sporulation, and growth. The secretion of phenolic acids and organic acids from the roots of watermelon is also promoted by FON infection. However, secretion of phenolic acids and organic acids from the roots of watermelon is substantially reduced under wheat intercropping systems. FON infection increases the accumulation of free and conjugated salicylic acid (SA) in watermelon grown under wheat intercropping systems through isochorismate (ICS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) pathways. Furthermore, wheat intercropping up-regulates the expression of disease-and defense-responsive genes and improves the activities of corresponding pathogenesis-related (PR) enzymes in the roots of watermelon. In conclusion, the secretion of coumaric acid from the roots of wheat and changes in the composition of phenolic acid and organic acid secretion from the roots of watermelon suppress Fusarium wilt of watermelon under wheat intercropping system. Meanwhile, wheat intercropping also enhanced the resistance of watermelon to FON by up-regulating the expression of disease-and defense-responsive genes in watermelon.

In-Depth Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Five K+ Transporter Gene Families in Soybean Confirm Their Differential Expression for Nodulation.

Plants have evolved a sophisticated network of K+ transport systems to regulate growth and development. Limited K+ resources are now forcing us to investigate how plant demand can be satisfied. To answer this complex question, we must understand the genomic and transcriptomic portfolio of K+ transporters in plants. Here, we have identified 70 putative K+ transporter genes from soybean, including 29 HAK/KT/KUP genes, 16 genes encoding voltage-gated K+ channels, 9 TPK/KCO genes, 4 HKT genes, and 12 KEA genes. To clarify the molecular evolution of each family in soybean, we analyzed their phylogeny, mode of duplication, exon structures and splice sites, and paralogs. Additionally, ortholog clustering and syntenic analysis across five other dicots further explored the evolution of these gene families and indicated that the soybean data is suitable as a model for all other legumes. Available microarray data sets from Genevestigator about nodulation was evaluated and further confirmed with the RNA sequencing data available by a web server. For each family, expression models were designed based on Transcripts Per Kilobase Million (TPM) values; the outcomes indicated differential expression linked to nodulation and confirmed the genes' putative roles. In-depth studies such as ours provides the basis for understanding K+ inventories in all other plants.

Redox and Ionic Homeostasis Regulations against Oxidative, Salinity and Drought Stress in Wheat (A Systems Biology Approach).

Systems biology and omics has provided a comprehensive understanding about the dynamics of the genome, metabolome, transcriptome, and proteome under stress. In wheat, abiotic stresses trigger specific networks of pathways involved in redox and ionic homeostasis as well as osmotic balance. These networks are considerably more complicated than those in model plants, and therefore, counter models are proposed by unifying the approaches of omics and stress systems biology. Furthermore, crosstalk among these pathways is monitored by the regulation and streaming of transcripts and genes. In this review, we discuss systems biology and omics as a promising tool to study responses to oxidative, salinity, and drought stress in wheat.

Ectopic Expression of Pumpkin NAC Transcription Factor CmNAC1 Improves Multiple Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Drought, cold and salinity are the major environmental stresses that limit agricultural productivity. NAC transcription factors regulate the stress response in plants. Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) is an important cucurbit vegetable crop and it has strong resistance to abiotic stress; however, the biological functions of stress-related NAC genes in this crop are largely unknown. This study reports the function of CmNAC1, a stress-responsive pumpkin NAC domain protein. The CmNAC1-GFP fusion protein was transiently expressed in tobacco leaves for subcellular localization analysis, and we found that CmNAC1 is localized in the nucleus. Transactivation assay in yeast cells revealed that CmNAC1 functions as a transcription activator, and its transactivation domain is located in the C-terminus. CmNAC1 was ubiquitously expressed in different organs, and its transcript was induced by salinity, cold, dehydration, H2O2, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Furthermore, the ectopic expression (EE) of CmNAC1 in Arabidopsis led to ABA hypersensitivity and enhanced tolerance to salinity, drought and cold stress. In addition, five ABA-responsive elements were enriched in CmNAC1 promoter. The CmNAC1-EE plants exhibited different root architecture, leaf morphology, and significantly high concentration of ABA compared with WT Arabidopsis under normal conditions. Our results indicated that CmNAC1 is a critical factor in ABA signaling pathways and it can be utilized in transgenic breeding to improve the abiotic stress tolerance of crops.

Corrigendum: Melatonin: Current Status and Future Perspectives in Plant Science.

[This corrects the article on p. 1230 in vol. 6, PMID: 26793210.].

Grafting: A Technique to Modify Ion Accumulation in Horticultural Crops.

Grafting is a centuries-old technique used in plants to obtain economic benefits. Grafting increases nutrient uptake and utilization efficiency in a number of plant species, including fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals. Selected rootstocks of the same species or close relatives are utilized in grafting. Rootstocks absorb more water and ions than self-rooted plants and transport these water and ions to the aboveground scion. Ion uptake is regulated by a complex communication mechanism between the scion and rootstock. Sugars, hormones, and miRNAs function as long-distance signaling molecules and regulate ion uptake and ion homeostasis by affecting the activity of ion transporters. This review summarizes available information on the effect of rootstock on nutrient uptake and utilization and the mechanisms involved. Information on specific nutrient-efficient rootstocks for different crops of commercial importance is also provided. Several other important approaches, such as interstocking (during double grafting), inarching, use of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria, use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, use of plant growth substances (e.g., auxin and melatonin), and use of genetically engineered rootstocks and scions (transgrafting), are highlighted; these approaches can be combined with grafting to enhance nutrient uptake and utilization in commercially important plant species. Whether the rootstock and scion affect each other's soil microbiota and their effect on the nutrient absorption of rootstocks remain largely unknown. Similarly, the physiological and molecular bases of grafting, crease formation, and incompatibility are not fully identified and require investigation. Grafting in horticultural crops can help reveal the basic biology of grafting, the reasons for incompatibility, sensing, and signaling of nutrients, ion uptake and transport, and the mechanism of heavy metal accumulation and restriction in rootstocks. Ion transporter and miRNA-regulated nutrient studies have focused on model and non-grafted plants, and information on grafted plants is limited. Such information will improve the development of nutrient-efficient rootstocks.

Melatonin: Current Status and Future Perspectives in Plant Science.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a ubiquitous molecule with pleiotropic actions in different organisms. It performs many important functions in human, animals, and plants; these range from regulating circadian rhythms in animals to controlling senescence in plants. In this review, we summarize the available information regarding the presence of melatonin in different plant species, along with highlighting its biosynthesis and mechanisms of action. We also collected the available information on the effects of melatonin application on commercially important crops to improve their growth and development. Additionally, we have identified many new aspects where melatonin may have possible roles in plants, for example, its function in improving the storage life and quality of fruits and vegetables, its role in vascular reconnection during the grafting process and nutrient uptake from roots by modifying root architecture. Another potentially important aspect is the production of melatonin-rich food crops (cereals, fruits, and vegetables) through combination of conventional and modern breeding approaches, to increase plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stress, leading to improved crop yields, and the nutraceutical value of produce to solve food security issues.