VdNop12, containing two tandem RNA recognition motif domains, is a crucial factor for pathogenicity and cold adaption in Verticillium dahliae.

Previous studies have reported the ability of fungi to overwinter in soil or on crop debris under different environmental conditions, but how fungi adapt to chilling is still largely unknown. In this study, we have identified and characterized the RNA binding protein (RBP) (VdNop12) by screening an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation-mediated insertional mutational library of Verticillium dahliae. We determined that this protein was essential to the pathogen for virulence on cotton plants. VdNop12 contains two tandem RNA recognition motif domains, and its orthologs are widely distributed in filamentous fungi. Mutants produced by disruption of VdNop12 showed defects in vegetative growth, conidiation and cell wall integrity. The mutant also showed an increase in sensitivity to low temperature, as compared to the wildtype and complementation strains. Yeast complementation assay showed that VdNop12 could functionally restore the growth phenotype of ΔScNop12 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 15°C. We demonstrated that the VdNop12 is localized in the nucleus, and its loss resulted in the downregulated expression of several genes related to cAMP-PKA and MAPK pathways in V. dahliae. Our results demonstrated a crucial role of RBPs in the regulation of morphology, cold adaption, and pathogenic development in V. dahliae.

Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury With Deranged Lipid Profile.

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to severe disability and neurogenic shock, arrhythmias, autonomic dysfunction, pressure ulcers, etc., of the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, in these patients, cardiovascular problems should be investigated frequently. This study was conducted to evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in patients with spinal cord injury having inappropriate lipid profiles and their relationship with each other. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was held in the Internal Medicine Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, for a one-year duration from May 2020 to May 2021. It included 58 patients with spinal cord injury, 35 of whom had paraplegia, and 23 had tetraplegia. Fasting blood samples were taken for lipid profile analysis. Twelve-lead ECGs three times a day for one month were taken and analyzed in the context of previously available ECGs. Results Out of 58, the lipid profiles were found abnormal in 47 patients, 18 of whom had a normal ECG. The lipid profile was normal in 12, of which only one patient had ECG abnormalities. Cholesterol levels were found normal in 39 patients and deranged in 19 patients; low-density lipoproteins in nine patients, triglycerides in 18 patients, and high-density lipoprotein values in one patient were abnormal. Conclusions Sinus bradycardia was the most common ECG abnormality found in SCI patients with deranged lipid profiles. Further studies are needed in the future to validate the findings of this study.

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of toxigenic Fusarium temperatum in maize stalks and kernels.

Fusarium temperatum is an emerging maize pathogen that causes maize ear and stalk rot diseases and produces various mycotoxins including moniliformin, beauvericin, enniatins and fumonisin B1, which poses a potential risk to the human food or animal feed supply chains. Early detection of F. temperatum is crucial to prevent its derived mycotoxins from entering the food chain, and is also a useful tool in disease management practices. Here, we describe a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid diagnosis of F. temperatum. The 28S ribosomal DNA sequences (28S rDNA) of F. temperatum were used to design a set of six primers. The reaction conditions were optimized for developing a fast assay with high specificity and sensitivity, and were able to detect the presence of less than 10 pg of target DNA per reaction within 60 min. Furthermore, the resulting amplicons were visualized by adding SYBR Green I to the reaction tubes. Suspected F. temperatum infected maize stalk samples collected from Yunnan province, China were identified using the developed LAMP assay. In conclusion, the method not only provides a rapid and specific screening for the existence of F. temperatum in a bulk of maize samples without using sophisticated equipment, but also is potentially useful for other agriculturally important toxigenic fungi.