Fol-milR1, a pathogenicity factor of Fusarium oxysporum, confers tomato wilt disease resistance by impairing host immune responses.

Although it is well known that miRNAs play crucial roles in multiple biological processes, there is currently no evidence indicating that milRNAs from Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) interfere with tomato resistance during infection. Here, using sRNA-seq, we demonstrate that Fol-milR1, a trans-kingdom small RNA, is exported into tomato cells after infection. The knockout strain ∆Fol-milR1 displays attenuated pathogenicity to the susceptible tomato cultivar 'Moneymaker'. On the other hand, Fol-milR1 overexpression strains exhibit enhanced virulence against the resistant cultivar 'Motelle'. Several tomato mRNAs are predicted targets of Fol-milR1. Among these genes, Solyc06g007430 (encoding the CBL-interacting protein kinase, SlyFRG4) is regulated at the posttranscriptional level by Fol-milR1. Furthermore, SlyFRG4 loss-of-function alleles created using CRISPR/Cas9 in tomato ('Motelle') exhibit enhanced disease susceptibility to Fol, further supporting the idea that SlyFRG4 is essential for tomato wilt disease resistance. Notably, our results using immunoprecipitation with specific antiserum suggest that Fol-milR1 interferes with the host immunity machinery by binding to tomato ARGONAUTE 4a (SlyAGO4a). Furthermore, virus-induced gene silenced (VIGS) knock-down SlyAGO4a plants exhibit reduced susceptibility to Fol. Together, our findings support a model in which Fol-milR1 is an sRNA fungal effector that suppresses host immunity by silencing a disease resistance gene, thus providing a novel virulence strategy to achieve infection.

Diaminodiacid-based solid-phase synthesis of all-hydrocarbon stapled α-helical peptides.

An alternative stapling strategy is described herein using Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) that employed pre-prepared diaminodiacid building blocks to introduce all-hydrocarbon staples into peptides by on-resin cyclization. Compared to unstapled native peptides, diaminodiacid-based stapled peptides exhibited an increased α-helicity ratio and stability toward protease. Moreover, the linkage length was found to affect the bioactivity of the peptides and their ability to inhibit the Wnt pathway. Therefore, the new stapling method provides an alternative way to obtain stapled peptides with tunable linkers of diaminodiacids.

Plasma sFlt-1-to-PlGF ratio is correlated with inflammatory but not with oxidative stress in Chinese preeclamptic women.

PURPOSE: Considerable interest has been focused on angiogenic factors and angiogenic imbalance in the field of pre-eclampsia (PE), owing to its gaining role in the development of PE. This study was addressed to investigate the associations of sFlt-1-to-PlGF plasma ratios with oxidative stress assessed by the level of 8-isoprostane, and inflammation measured by the level of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and adipocytokines. METHODS: A total of 83 patients with PE including 47 mild PE (MPE) and 36 severe PE (SPE) and 50 age-matched normotensive subjects in the third trimester of pregnancy were examined. Measurements included body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) levels, plasma concentrations of hs-CRP, 8-isoprostane, adiponectin, and leptin. RESULTS: Subjects with PE had higher levels of sFlt-1/PlGF (P < 0.01), hs-CRP (P < 0.01), 8-isoprostane and leptin (both P < 0.01) and lower adiponectin (P < 0.01) than did normotensive control subjects. Significant positive correlations were found between plasma sFlt-1/PlGF and hs-CRP (r = 0.437, P < 0.01) or leptin (r = 0.656, P < 0.01). A weak inverse correlation emerged between sFlt-1/PlGF and adiponectin (r = -0.306, P < 0.01). When a multiple regression analysis was performed, with sFlt-1/PlGF as a dependent variable and all the other parameters as independent variables, sFlt-1/PlGF maintain a significant relationship with leptin (beta = 0.219, P < 0.05) and with hs-CRP (beta = 0.295, P < 0.01) as well as with systolic BP(beta = 0.446, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In Chinese preeclamptic women, plasma sFlt-1-to-PlGF ratio is correlated with inflammatory and adipocytokines but not with oxidative stress.

[Psychological factors of adopting and maintaining physical activity for individuals with hypertension in a community].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of psychosocial factors on physical activity, so as to provide guidance for the development of an effective physical activity intervention program for individuals with hypertension. METHODS: This study used a baseline data from an intervention study on regular physical activity among hypertensive individuals. A multi-stage, stratified random sampling was utilized and finally 12 communities from 6 urban districts were chosen. Questionnaires were administrated through face-to-face interviews. A total of 586 participants were recruited and finally 559 completed the interviews with the response rate as 95.4%. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach's α coefficients were used to test the reliability. General Linear Model analysis was used to analyze the relationship between stages of physical activity and psychological factors. RESULTS: Psychosocial measures on physical activity demonstrated good reliability with Cronbach α coefficient from 0.7 to 0.9. The scores for each psychological measures increased by increasing the scores of stages of physical activity. General Linear Model analysis revealed self-efficacy (ß = 0.379) while enjoyment of physical activity (ß = 0.234) was significantly correlated with physical activity (P < 0.05). The behavioral processes and family support marginally increased the physically activity (ß = 0.069 for behavioral processes and ß = 0.163 for family support, P < 0.10). CONCLUSION: Our findings were informative for the development of community-based intervention programs on physical activity among hypertensive individuals. It indicated that physical activity intervention programs should be psychosocial theory-based, especially increasing their self-confidence and enjoyment, as well as with family support, in order to adopt and maintain the physical activities.

Interactions between inflammatory and oxidative stress in preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress and a generalized inflammatory state are features of preeclampsia (PE). The objective of this study was to compare the levels of products of inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress markers in patients with PE, and to determine the relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation in PE. METHODS: Plasma concentrations of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-isoprostane were measured in 53 women with PE and 20 age- and BMI-matched normotensive women. RESULTS: The plasma concentrations of hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and 8-isoprostane were significantly higher in women with PE than in those with normotensive pregnancies, and these parameters, except for 8-isoprostane, were markedly elevated in those with severe PE (SPE), rather than mild PE (MPE). Moreover, plasma levels of 8-isoprostane, not MDA, were significantly correlated with the plasma levels of hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in patients with PE. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction are closely associated with PE, and the interactions between them may participate in the pathogenesis of PE.