Seasonal changes of chemodiversity along with microbial succession in a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

The relationship between chemodiversity and microbial succession in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is highly intricate and bidirectional. The specific contribution of the microbial community to changes in the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) within different biological treatment units remains unclear, as does the reciprocal influence of DOM composition on microbial succession. In this study, spectroscopy ((Excitation-emission matrix) EEM-PARAFAC, Ultraviolet (UV)-spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR)), Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC‒MS) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS along with high-throughput sequencing technology were used to explore the relationship between chemodiversity and microbial succession in WWTPs concerning seasonal changes. The results showed that WWTPs with anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) processes can metabolize and transform most of the wastewater DOM, and the anaerobic unit has the highest removal rate for fluorescence DOM (FDOM, 14.07%-64.43%); the anaerobic unit increased aliphatic/proteins and lignin-like molecules but decreased relative intensity, while the anoxic unit removed unsaturated hydrocarbons, aromatic structures, and lignin-like substances. The impact of seasonal changes on the composition and removal of FDOM and DOM in wastewater treatment is significant, and the variations that occur during different seasons affect microbial activity, as well as the production, degradation, and transformation of organic compounds throughout the wastewater treatment process. Network analysis shows that Parcubacteria_genera_incertae_sedis plays a crucial role in DOM chemodiversity, highlighting the crucial contribution of microbial communities to both the structure and operation of the entire DOM network. The results in this study could provide some theoretical and practical basis for guiding the process optimization of WWTPs.

Impact of microbial-based biopreparations on soil quality, plant health, and fruit chemistry in raspberry cultivation.

Application of microbial-based biopreparations as a pre-harvest strategy offers a method to obtain sustainable agricultural practices and could be an important approach for advancing food science, promoting sustainability, and meeting global food market demands. The impact of a bacterial-fungal biopreparation mixture on soil-plant-microbe interactions, fruit chemical composition and yield of 7 raspberry clones was investigated by examining the structural and functional profiles of microbial communities within leaves, fruits, and soil. Biopreparation addition caused the enhancement of the microbiological utilization of specific compounds, such as d-mannitol, relevant in plant-pathogen interactions and overall plant health. The biopreparation treatment positively affected the nitrogen availability in soil (9-160%). The analysis of plant stress marker enzymes combined with the evaluation of fruit quality and chemical properties highlight changes inducted by the pre-harvest biopreparation application. Chemical analyses highlight biopreparations' role in soil and fruit quality improvement, promoting sustainable agriculture. This effect was dependent on tested clones, showing increase of soluble solid content in fruits, concentration of polyphenols or the sensory quality of the fruits. The results of the next-generation sequencing indicated increase in the effective number of bacterial species after biopreparation treatment. The network analysis showed stimulating effect of biopreparation on microbial communities by enhancing microbial interactions (increasing the number of network edges up to 260%) of and affecting the proportions of mutual relationships between both bacteria and fungi. These findings show the potential of microbial-based biopreparation in enhancing raspberry production whilst promoting sustainable practices and maintaining environmental homeostasis and giving inshght in holistic understanding of microbial-based approaches for advancing food science monitoring.

Dental applications of Punica granatum L. in the treatment of gingivitis: A review of ethnomedicinal uses, randomized clinical trials, and antibacterial potential against Porphyromonas gingivalis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mouthwashes based on medicinal plants have demonstrated benefits in controlling plaque and inflammation, acting positively on the oral hygiene of patients with gingivitis. In traditional medicine, Punica granatum L. has been used to treat oral diseases in countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive review on the dental applications of Punica granatum L. for the treatment of gingivitis, including ethnomedicinal uses, analysis of randomized clinical trials, antibacterial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis, mechanisms of action of phytochemicals isolated from this plant, and preclinical toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature was retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed®, SciELO, and ScienceDirect®, since the first report published on the topic in 2001 until March 2024. RESULTS: Several clinical trials have demonstrated that mouthwashes containing P. granatum have equal or better efficacy than chlorhexidine in treating patients with gingivitis, confirming the indications for use of this plant by traditional communities. However, reports on the in vitro antibacterial activity of extracts from the fruits of this plant have not shown clinical relevance against the pathogen P. gingivalis. The ellagitannin punicalagin isolated from P. granatum has shown potential against several strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, but, to date, this compound has not yet been tested against P. gingivalis. It is likely that the mechanisms of action of flavonoids, such as quercetin, are involved in the inhibition of the activities of the RgpA, RgpB, and Kgp proteases of P. gingivalis. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, natural products obtained from P. granatum do not present toxic side effects and can be considered as possible substitutes of commercial products recommended for the treatment of gingivitis and other oral diseases.

Near-infrared fluorescent probe visual detection of Hg2+ and its application in biological system and ecological system.

Mercury ion (Hg2+), a heavy metal cation with greater toxicity, is widely present in the ecological environment and has become a serious threat to human health and environmental safety. Currently, developing a solution to simultaneously visualize and monitor Hg2+ in environmental samples, including water, soil, and plants, remains a great challenge. In this work, we created and synthesized a near-infrared fluorescent probe, BBN-Hg, and utilized Hg2+ to trigger the partial cleavage of the carbon sulfate ester in BBN-Hg as a sensing mechanism, and the fluorescence intensity of BBN-Hg was significantly enhanced at 650 nm, thus realizing the visualization of Hg2+ with good selectivity (detection limit, 53 nM). In live cells and zebrafish, the probe BBN-Hg enhances the red fluorescence signal in the presence of Hg2+, and successfully performs 3D imaging on zebrafish, making it a powerful tool for detecting Hg2+ in living systems. More importantly, with BBN-Hg, we are able to detect Hg2+ in actual water samples, soil and plant seedling roots. Furthermore, the probe was prepared as a test strip for on-site determination of Hg2+ with the assistance of a smartphone. Therefore, this study offers an easy-to-use and useful method for tracking Hg2+ levels in living organisms and their surroundings.

Sugarcane disease recognition through visible and near-infrared spectroscopy using deep learning assisted continuous wavelet transform-based spectrogram.

Utilizing visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy in conjunction with chemometrics methods has been widespread for identifying plant diseases. However, a key obstacle involves the extraction of relevant spectral characteristics. This study aimed to enhance sugarcane disease recognition by combining convolutional neural network (CNN) with continuous wavelet transform (CWT) spectrograms for spectral features extraction within the Vis-NIR spectra (380-1400 nm) to improve the accuracy of sugarcane diseases recognition. Using 130 sugarcane leaf samples, the obtained one-dimensional CWT coefficients from Vis-NIR spectra were transformed into two-dimensional spectrograms. Employing CNN, spectrogram features were extracted and incorporated into decision tree, K-nearest neighbour, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and random forest (RF) calibration models. The RF model, integrating spectrogram-derived features, demonstrated the best performance with an average precision of 0.9111, sensitivity of 0.9733, specificity of 0.9791, and accuracy of 0.9487. This study may offer a non-destructive, rapid, and accurate means to detect sugarcane diseases, enabling farmers to receive timely and actionable insights on the crops' health, thus minimizing crop loss and optimizing yields.

Toxicity Potential of Nutraceuticals.

During the past few decades and especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of nutraceuticals has become increasingly popular in both humans and animals due to their easy access, cost-effectiveness, and tolerability with a wide margin of safety. While some nutraceuticals are safe, others have an inherent toxic potential. For a large number of nutraceuticals, no toxicity/safety data are available due to a lack of pharmacological/toxicological studies. The safety of some nutraceuticals can be compromised via contamination with toxic plants, metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, fertilizers, drugs of abuse, etc. Knowledge of pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic studies and biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility appears to play a pivotal role in the safety and toxicity assessment of nutraceuticals. Interaction studies are essential to determine efficacy, safety, and toxicity when nutraceuticals and therapeutic drugs are used concomitantly or when polypharmacy is involved. This chapter describes various aspects of nutraceuticals, particularly their toxic potential, and the factors that influence their safety.

Food essentialism is associated with perceptions of plant-based meat alternatives possessing properties of meat-based products.

A transition to greater plant-based protein consumption is recognized as a necessity for planetary and human well-being. A critical driver of acceptance of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) is perceived similarity in their sensory and nutritional profiles with conventional animal-based meat. Consumers vary in food essentialism - beliefs that categories of foods have innate and immutable 'essences' that are responsible for their shared properties. Here, we examined whether food essentialism is associated with perceptions that PBMAs share similar properties as the animal-based products they replicate. Participants (N=298) rated two animal-based food items (beef burger and canned tuna) and two corresponding PBMAs (plant-based burger and tuna) on perceived processing, naturalness, nutritiousness, taste (like beef or fish), typical health benefits, and liking. Participants holding higher (vs. lower) food essentialism beliefs rated PBMAs as less processed, more natural, tasting more like beef (plant-based burger only), possessing greater health benefits of the animal-based products, and as more liked (plant-based tuna only). These relationships between food essentialism and perceived food properties were observed more consistently for PBMAs than their animal-based counterparts. Beliefs that food items from a common category, such as beef, share similar essences and properties may extend to PBMAs despite their non-animal origins. Given the challenges in developing PBMAs that adequately replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional properties of meat, targeting intuitions that guide perceived similarities of PBMAs and meat, like food essentialism, may be a promising approach for supporting the protein transition.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate by sustainable biomass-based carbon nanotubes for controlling the spread of plant viruses in water environments.

With the increasing demand for water in hydroponic systems and agricultural irrigation, viral diseases have seriously affected the yield and quality of crops. By removing plant viruses in water environments, virus transmission can be prevented and agricultural production and ecosystems can be protected. But so far, there have been few reports on the removal of plant viruses in water environments. Herein, in this study, easily recyclable biomass-based carbon nanotubes catalysts were synthesized with varying metal activities to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Among them, the magnetic 0.125Fe@NCNTs-1/PMS system showed the best overall removal performance against pepper mild mottle virus, with a 5.9 log10 removal within 1 min. Notably, the key reactive species in the 0.125Fe@NCNTs-1/PMS system is 1O2, which can maintain good removal effect in real water matrices (river water and tap water). Through RNA fragment analyses and label free analysis, it was found that this system could effectively cleave virus particles, destroy viral proteins and expose their genome. The capsid protein of pepper mild mottle virus was effectively decomposed where serine may be the main attacking sites by 1O2. Long viral RNA fragments (3349 and 1642 nt) were cut into smaller fragments (∼160 nt) and caused their degradation. In summary, this study contributes to controlling the spread of plant viruses in real water environment, which will potentially help protect agricultural production and food safety, and improve the health and sustainability of ecosystems.

Caracterização fitossanitária do componente arbóreo marginalde um trecho de linha férrea no município de Três Barras, SC / Phytosanitary characterization of the marginal arboreal componentof the railway line in the municipality of Três Barras, SC

As condições fitossanitárias de plantas arbóreas podem ser utilizadas para caracterizar comunidades vegetais, indicando condições de qualidade estrutural do componente vegetal. Assim, ambientes alterados antropicamente podem representar uma ameaça à fitossanidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi averiguar as características fitossanitárias do componente arbóreo em um trecho de 400 metros de extensão ao longo da linha férrea localizada no município de Três Barras, estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Foram registradas 33 espécies arbóreas, 29 gêneros e 19 famílias. Os índices ecológicos avaliados foram a abundância, densidade, riqueza e equabilidade. Foram avaliados 190 indivíduos em relação a qualidade da copa, grau de infestação de cipós e sanidade da árvore. Embora a qualidade da copa e a sanidade sejam majoritariamente boas, houve um relativo alto número de infestação de cipós. Tal ocorrência pode ser devido à condição de borda em que as plantas se encontram. Os bons índices ecológicos aliados ao baixo número de espécies arbóreas exóticas também indicam boas condições ecológicas e de fitossanidade local. Contudo, são necessários mais estudos (p. ex. florísticos e fitossociológicos) na área. A arborização urbana das proximidades aliada à formação de corredores ecológicos que liguem os fragmentos à Floresta Nacional de Três Barras pode ser uma medida de conservação e regeneração a ser explorada.

Phytosanitary conditions of tree plants can be used to characterize plant communities, indicating structural quality conditions of the plant component. Thus, anthropically altered environments may pose a threat to plant health. The objective of this study was to investigate the phytosanitary and ecological condition of the tree component in a stretch of 400 meters along the railway line located in the municipality of Três Barras, Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Thirty-three tree species were recorded, in addition to 54 taxonomically unidentified individuals. The ecological indices evaluated were abundance, density, richness and evenness. 190 individuals were evaluated in terms of crown quality, Abstract degree of liana infestation and tree health. Although canopy quality and health are mostly good, there was a relatively high number of vine infestations. Such an occurrence may be due to the edge condition in which the plants are located. The good ecological indices combined with the low number of exotic tree species also indicate good ecological conditions and local plant health. However, more studies are needed in the area. Urban afforestation, combined with the formation of ecological corridors that connect the fragments to the Três Barras National Forest, can be a conservation and regeneration measure to be explored.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance nitrogen assimilation and drought adaptability in tea plants by promoting amino acid accumulation.

The development and quality of tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze.) are greatly hampered by drought stress (DS), which affects them in a number of ways, including by interfering with their metabolism of nitrogen (N). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance water and nutrient absorption in plants, but their specific effects on tea plant N metabolism under DS and the associated regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Claroideoglomus etunicatum inoculation on N assimilation in tea plants (C. sinensis cv. Fuding Dabaicha) under well-watered (WW) and DS conditions, and to explore potential molecular mechanisms. After 8 weeks of DS treatment, root mycorrhizal colonization was significantly inhibited, and the biomass of tea shoots and roots, as well as the contents of various amino acids (AAs) were reduced. However, AMF inoculation significantly increased the contents of tea polyphenols and catechins in leaves by 13.74%-36.90% under both WW and DS conditions. Additionally, mycorrhizal colonization notably increased N content by 12.65%-35.70%, various AAs by 11.88%-325.42%, and enzymatic activities associated with N metabolism by 3.80%-147.62% in both leaves and roots. Gene expression analysis revealed a universal upregulation of N assimilation-related genes (CsAMT1;2, CsAMT3;1, CsGS1, CsNADH-GOGAT, CsTS2, CsGGT1, and CsADC) in AMF-colonized tea roots, regardless of water status. Under DS condition, AMF inoculation significantly upregulated the expressions of CsNRT1;2, CsNRT1;5, CsNRT2;5, CsNR, CsGS1, CsGDH1, CsGDH2, CsTS2, CsGGT1, CsGGT3, and CsSAMDC in tea leaves. These findings suggest that AMF improved tea plant adaptability to DS by enhancing N absorption and assimilation, accompanied by the synthesis and accumulation of various AAs, such as Glu, Gln, Asp, Lys, Arg, GABA and Pro. This is achieved through the upregulation of N metabolism-related genes and the activation of related enzymes in tea plants under DS condition. These findings provide valuable insights into the role of AMF in regulating tea plant N metabolism and enhancing stress tolerance.

Overview of human health effects related to glyphosate exposure.

Glyphosate is a chemical compound derived from glycine, marketed as a broad-spectrum herbicide, and represents one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. For a long time, it was assumed that glyphosate was harmless, either due to its selective enzymatic acting method on plants, and because commercial formulations were believed to contain only inert chemicals. Glyphosate is widely spread in the environment, the general population is daily exposed to it via different routes, including the consumption of both plant, and non-plant based foods. Glyphosate has been detected in high amounts in workers' urine, but has been detected likewise in bodily fluids, such as blood and maternal milk, and also in 60%-80% of general population, including children. Considering its massive presence, daily exposure to glyphosate could be considered a health risk for humans. Indeed, in 2015, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified glyphosate and its derivatives in Group 2A, as probable human carcinogens. In 2022, nevertheless, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) stated that the available data did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the mutagenic/carcinogenic effects of glyphosate. Therefore, the European Commission (EC) decided to renew the approval of glyphosate for another 10 years. The purpose of this review is to examine the scientific literature, focusing on potential risks to human health arising from exposure to glyphosate, its metabolites and its commercial products (e.g., Roundup®), with particular regard to its mutagenic and carcinogenic potential and its effects as endocrine disrupter (ED) especially in the human reproductive system.

The impact of extraction method and pollen concentration on community composition for pollen metabarcoding.

Premise: Plants and pollinators closely interact with each other to form complex networks of species interactions. Metabarcoding of pollen collections has recently been proposed as an advantageous method for the construction of such networks, but the extent to which diversity and community analyses depend on the extraction method and pollen concentration used remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we used a dilution series of two pollen mixtures (a mock community and pooled natural pollen loads from bumblebees) to assess the effect of mechanical homogenization and two DNA extraction kits (spin column DNA extraction kit and magnetic bead DNA extraction kit) on the detected pollen richness and community composition. Results: All species were successfully detected using the three methods, even in the most dilute samples. However, the extraction method had a significant effect on the detected pollen richness and community composition, with simple mechanical homogenization introducing an extraction bias. Discussion: Our findings suggest that all three methods are effective for detecting plant species in the pollen loads on insects, even in cases of very low pollen loads. However, our results also indicate that extraction methods can have a profound impact on the ability to correctly assess the community composition of the pollen loads on insects. The choice of extraction methodology should therefore be carefully considered to ensure reliable and unbiased results in pollen diversity and community analyses.

Direct and indirect effects of copepod grazers on community structure.

Ecological theory and empirical research show that both direct lethal effects and indirect non-lethal effects can structure the composition of communities. While the direct effects of grazers on marine phytoplankton communities are well studied, their indirect effects are still poorly understood. Direct and indirect effects are inherently difficult to disentangle in plankton food webs. In this study we evaluate the indirect effects of copepod grazers on community function and structure using isolated chemical alarm signals, copepodamides. We expose intact summer and spring communities to direct grazing from copepods, or to chemical alarm cues without the presence of grazers in controlled experiments. The effects of direct grazing on ecosystem function were moderate in both experiments as indicated by levels of chlorophyll and primary production. Indirect and direct effects resulted in changes in the composition of both the eukaryote and prokaryote communities as shown by metabarcoding of 18S and 16S rRNA. Size structure analysis suggests that direct grazing and copepodamide exposure both favoured smaller organisms (< 10-15 µm) corroborating the size-structuring effect of copepod grazers. We conclude that the well-established effect of copepods on phytoplankton communities results from a combination of direct and indirect effects. This is a first attempt to isolate indirect effects of copepods on community structure and the results suggest that a full mechanistic understanding of the structuring effect of copepods will require insights to both direct and indirect effects of consumers as demonstrated for other ecosystems components.

Plant-based diets-impacts of consumption of little or no animal-source foods on human health.

The world, in 2024, faces both climate and biodiversity crises, and the food system does contribute significantly to these crises. For some, the solution is simple - intakes of animal source foods (ASFs) should be considerably reduced, and consumption of plant-source foods (PSFs) should be greatly increased. Advocates for such a dietary transformation express confidence that plant-based diets will not only benefit planetary health, but will provide nutrient adequacy for all, and will also result in considerable protection from chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, as described in this perspective, the dramatic reductions in ASFs, entailed by many plant-based diets, will worsen already prevalent micronutrient and protein deficiencies. The protections provided by plant-based diets against NCDs appear to be more strongly associated with reduced intakes of calories and salt, and increased intakes of fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains, rather than with reduced intakes of ASFs. Any possible absolute adverse effects of red and processed meat consumption on NCDs are very small and uncertain. Other ASFs either appear to have no impact on NCDs (poultry meat and eggs), or are associated with protections against obesity, cardiovascular events, brain disorders and some cancers (seafood and dairy). Rigorous randomized controlled trials of all newly proposed environmentally-protective plant-based diets are required, so as to provide clear-cut evidence of micronutrient and protein adequacy, with or without, supplementation, fortification and/or biofortification. In the meantime, dietary guidelines should advise moderating excessive consumption, rather than substantially limiting or excluding ASFs from the human diet.

Quantification of the fungal pathogen Didymella segeticola in Camellia sinensis using a DNA-based qRT-PCR assay.

The fungal pathogen Didymella segeticola causes leaf spot and leaf blight on tea plant (Camellia sinensis), leading to production losses and affecting tea quality and flavor. Accurate detection and quantification of D. segeticola growth in tea plant leaves are crucial for diagnosing disease severity or evaluating host resistance. In this study, we monitored disease progression and D. segeticola development in tea plant leaves inoculated with a GFP-expressing strain. By contrast, a DNA-based qRT-PCR analysis was employed for a more convenient and maneuverable detection of D. segeticola growth in tea leaves. This method was based on the comparison of D. segeticola-specific DNA encoding a Cys2His2-zinc-finger protein (NCBI accession number: OR987684) in relation to tea plant Cs18S rDNA1. Unlike ITS and TUB2 sequences, this specific DNA was only amplified in D. segeticola isolates, not in other tea plant pathogens. This assay is also applicable for detecting D. segeticola during interactions with various tea cultivars. Among the five cultivars tested, 'Zhongcha102' (ZC102) and 'Fuding-dabaicha' (FDDB) were more susceptible to D. segeticola compared with 'Longjing43' (LJ43), 'Zhongcha108' (ZC108), and 'Zhongcha302' (ZC302). Different D. segeticola isolates also exhibited varying levels of aggressiveness towards LJ43. In conclusion, the DNA-based qRT-PCR analysis is highly sensitive, convenient, and effective method for quantifying D. segeticola growth in tea plant. This technique can be used to diagnose the severity of tea leaf spot and blight or to evaluate tea plant resistance to this pathogen.

Applications of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity for the detection of phytochemicals and hazardous substances in plant samples.

Plants such as herbs, vegetables, fruits, and cereals are closely related to human life. Developing effective testing methods to ensure their safety and quantify their active components are of significant importance. Recently, nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity (known as nanozymes) have been widely developed in various assays, including colorimetric, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and electrochemical analysis. This review presents the latest advances in analyzing phytochemicals and hazardous substances in plant samples based on nanozymes, including some active ingredients, organophosphorus pesticides, heavy metal ions, and mycotoxins. Additionally, the current shortcomings and challenges of the actual sample analysis were discussed.

Adaptive evolution of invasive fall armyworms to maize with potential involvement of Cytochrome P450 genes.

BACKGROUND: An invasion occurs when introduced species establish and maintain stable populations in areas outside of their native habitat. Adaptive evolution has been proposed to contribute to this process. The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is one of the major pest insects infesting maize in both invaded and native areas. The invasion of this species was reported from West Africa in 2016, followed by spreading across the Old World. We tested adaptive evolution to maize using 56 native samples from the USA and 59 invasive samples from Senegal, based on genomic and transcriptomic analyses. RESULTS: Principal component analysis revealed that the Senegalese population originated from corn strain. Three genetic loci were identified as targets of selective sweeps in the Senegalese population. These loci include four Cytochrome P450 genes (CYP321B1, CYP321B3, CYP321B4, and CYP337B5), as well as 12 genes of which the function is unclear. Transcriptomic analysis showed an overexpression of CYP321B1 and CYP321B3 genes in sfC samples compared to sfR samples. Additionally, these two genes were overexpressed when corn strain samples were exposed to maize. In larval feeding assays, the Senegalese population exhibited higher survival rates than a Floridan population across all four tested maize varieties. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the analyzed Senegalese population experienced adaptive evolution involving loci containing CYP genes, potentially associated with an increase in the survival rates on maize. We argue that the invasive success of the fall armyworm is contributed by stabilizing selection to maize.

Plant lncRNA-miRNA Interaction Prediction Based on Counterfactual Heterogeneous Graph Attention Network.

Identifying interactions between long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) provides a new perspective for understanding regulatory relationships in plant life processes. Recently, computational methods based on graph neural networks (GNNs) have been widely employed to predict lncRNA-miRNA interactions (LMIs), which compensate for the inadequacy of biological experiments. However, the low-semantic and noise of graph limit the performance of existing GNN-based methods. In this paper, we develop a novel Counterfactual Heterogeneous Graph Attention Network (CFHAN) to improve the robustness to against the noise and the prediction of plant LMIs. Firstly, we construct a real-world based lncRNA-miRNA (L-M) heterogeneous network. Secondly, CFHAN utilizes the node-level attention, the semantic-level attention, and the counterfactual links to enhance the node embeddings learning. Finally, these embeddings are used as inputs for Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) to predict the interactions between lncRNAs and miRNAs. Evaluating our method on a benchmark dataset of plant LMIs, CFHAN outperforms five state-of-the-art methods, and achieves an average AUC and average ACC of 0.9953 and 0.9733, respectively. This demonstrates CFHAN's ability to predict plant LMIs and exhibits promising cross-species prediction ability, offering valuable insights for experimental LMI researches.

An integrative strategy used by the aphid Uroleucon formosanum to counter host sesquiterpene lactone defense: Insights from combined genomic and transcriptomic analysis.

Insect herbivores adapt and develop strategies to counteract plant chemical defenses. The aphid Uroleucon formosanum is a serious sap-sucking pest that infests lettuces containing toxic sesquiterpene lactones (STLs). Herein, we employed a combination of genome sequencing and RNA-seq transcriptome profiling to understand the mechanisms underlying phytotoxin tolerance in U. formosanum. We generated the first chromosome-level genome assembly for U. formosanum, with a total size of 453.26 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 33.22 Mb. Comparative genomic analyses revealed an enrichment of signals for positive selection and gene family expansion in immune-related pathways. Specifically, the expanded set of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) genes showed upregulation after treatment with lactucin, suggesting that they may play a role in the immune response against STLs. The expression of takeout-like genes and cuticle-associated genes was also significantly increased in the lactucin-treated samples. Additionally, 53 cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, 30 carboxylesterase, 19 glutathione S-transferase, 32 uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferase and 63 ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes were identified in the U. formosanum genome. CYP4C1, CYP6A13 and 7 ABC genes were strongly upregulated in response to lactucin treatment, indicating the involvement of detoxifying enzymes in the tolerance of U. formosanum to STLs. Our findings suggest that the cuticle barrier, immune response and enzyme-mediated metabolic detoxification jointly enhance the tolerance of U. formosanum to phytotoxins and promote its adaptation to host plants. This study presents a valuable genomic resource and provides insights into insect adaptation to plant chemical challenges and future technological developments for pest management.