Distribution of Three Verticillium dahliae Races in Coastal California and Evaluation of Resistance in Lettuce.

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is one of the most devastating soilborne diseases of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). There are three races of V. dahliae, and each race has been characterized by markers representing race-specific effectors. Race 1 is differentiated by the presence of the functional secretory Ave1 effector. Similarly, races 2 and 3 are differentiated by effectors VdR2e and VdR3e, respectively. Although the presence of race 1 in coastal California was well established, the presence of effector-based races 2 and 3 was uncertain. This study therefore focused on characterizing 727 isolates collected from 142 ranches of symptomatic lettuce and other crops from coastal California. Based on this evaluation, 523 isolates were designated as race 1, 20 isolates as race 2, 23 isolates as race 3, and 17 as race undefined. Isolates representing other Verticillium species totaled 110, and 34 were non-Verticillium fungal species. Because the use of resistant cultivars is a key strategy to manage this disease, we evaluated 48 lettuce germplasm lines and 1 endive (Cichorium endivia L.) line, comprising commercial cultivars and breeding lines, including the race 1-resistant heirloom cultivar La Brillante and the susceptible cultivar Salinas as controls. Resistance against races 1, 2, and 3 along with VdLs17, a virulent isolate of V. dahliae from lettuce that is currently not assigned to a race, was evaluated in replicated greenhouse experiments. Two crisphead lettuce lines, HL28 and HL29, exhibited resistance against race 1 and a partial resistance against race 2, whereas all other lines were highly susceptible to races 1 and 2 and VdLs17. The majority of lines exhibited higher resistance to race 3 relative to the other two races. This study documents the current distribution of the different races in coastal California. In addition, the sources of resistance currently being developed should be effective or partially effective against these races for targeted deployment as soon as they are available.

High-Tech Methods of Cytokine Imbalance Correction in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

An important mechanism for the development of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is an imbalance between anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therapeutic and non-therapeutic approaches for cytokine imbalance correction in IDD either do not give the expected result, or give a short period of time. This explains the relevance of high-tech medical care, which is part of specialized care and includes the use of new resource-intensive methods of treatment with proven effectiveness. The aim of the review is to update knowledge about new high-tech methods based on cytokine imbalance correction in IDD. It demonstrates promise of new approaches to IDD management in patients resistant to previously used therapies, including: cell therapy (stem cell implantation, implantation of autologous cultured cells, and tissue engineering); genetic technologies (gene modifications, microRNA, and molecular inducers of IDD); technologies for influencing the inflammatory cascade in intervertebral discs mediated by abnormal activation of inflammasomes; senolytics; exosomal therapy; and other factors (hypoxia-induced factors; lysyl oxidase; corticostatin; etc.).

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Bacterial Leaf Spot Resistance in Baby Leaf Lettuce.

Spring mix is a popular packaged salad that contains lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as one of its main ingredients. Plants for baby leaf lettuce (BLL) production are grown at very high densities, which enhances the occurrence of bacterial leaf spot (BLS) caused by Xanthomonas hortorum pv. vitians (Xhv), a disease that can make the crop unmarketable. The market demands disease-free, high-quality BLL all year round. Growing highly BLS-resistant cultivars will reduce loss of yield and quality, thus minimizing economic detriment to lettuce and spring mix growers. The research objectives were to identify lettuce accessions resistant to BLS and associated quantitative trait loci (QTL). A total of 495 lettuce accessions were screened with six isolates (BS0347, BS2861, BS3127, L7, L44, and Sc8B) of Xhv. Accessions showing overall high-level resistance to all tested Xhv isolates were 'Bunte Forellen', PI 226514, 'La Brillante', ARM09-161-10-1-4, 'Grenadier', 'Bella', PI 491210, 'Delight', and 'Romana Verde del Mercado'. Genome-wide association studies of BLS resistance by mixed linear model analyses identified significant QTLs on four lettuce chromosomes (2, 4, 6, and 8). The most significant QTL was on Chromosome 8 (P = 1.42 × 10-7), which explained 6.7% of total phenotypic variation for the disease severity. Accessions with a high level of resistance detected in this study are valuable resources for lettuce germplasm improvement. Molecular markers closely linked to QTLs can be considered for marker-assisted selection to develop new BLL lettuce cultivars with resistance to multiple races of Xhv.

Thioguanine restoration through type I photosensitization-superoxide oxidation-glutathione reduction cycles.

UVA-induced deleterious effect of thiopurine prodrugs including azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine (6-TG) increases the risk of cancer development due to the incorporation of 6-TG in patients' DNA. The catalytic mechanism by which thiobases act as a sustained oxidant producer has yet to be explored, especially through the Type I electron transfer pathway that produces superoxide radicals (O2˙-). Under Fenton-like conditions O2˙- radicals convert to extremely reactive hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), thus carrying even higher risk of biological damage than that induced by the well-studied type II reaction. By monitoring 6-TG/UVA-induced photochemistry in mass spectra and superoxide radicals (O2˙-) via nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction, this work provides two new findings: (1) in the presence of reduced glutathione (GSH), the production of O2˙-via the type I reaction is enhanced 10-fold. 6-TG thiyl radicals are identified as the primary intermediate formed in the reaction of 6-TG with O2˙-. The restoration of 6-TG and concurrent generation of O2˙- occur via a 3-step-cycle: 6-TG type I photosensitization, O2˙- oxidation and GSH reduction. (2) In the absence of GSH, 6-TG thiyl radicals undergo oxygen addition and sulfur dioxide removal to form carbon radicals (C6) which further convert to thioether by reacting with 6-TG molecules. These findings help explain not only thiol-regulation in a biological system but chemoprevention of cancer.

Genetics of Partial Resistance Against Verticillium dahliae Race 2 in Wild and Cultivated Lettuce.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is one of the most economically important vegetables in the United States, with approximately 50% of the domestic production concentrated in the Salinas Valley of California. Verticillium wilt, caused by races 1 and 2 of the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae, poses a major threat to lettuce production in this area. Although resistance governed by a single dominant gene against race 1 has previously been identified and is currently being incorporated into commercial cultivars, identification of resistance against race 2 has been challenging and no lines with complete resistance have been identified. In this study, we screened germplasm for resistance and investigated the genetics of partial resistance against race 2 using three mapping populations derived from crosses involving L. sativa × L. sativa and L. serriola × L. sativa. The inheritance of resistance in Lactuca species against race 2 is complex but a common quantitative trait locus (QTL) on linkage group 6, designated qVERT6.1 (quantitative Verticillium dahliae resistance on LG 6, first QTL), was detected in multiple populations. Additional race 2 resistance QTLs located in several linkage groups were detected in individual populations and environments. Because resistance in lettuce against race 2 is polygenic with a large genotype by environment interaction, breeding programs to incorporate these resistance genes should be aware of this complexity as they implement strategies to control race 2.

The "Angiogenic Switch" and Functional Resources in Cyclic Sports Athletes.

Regular physical activity in cyclic sports can influence the so-called "angiogenic switch", which is considered as an imbalance between proangiogenic and anti-angiogenic molecules. Disruption of the synthesis of angiogenic molecules can be caused by local changes in tissues under the influence of excessive physical exertion and its consequences, such as chronic oxidative stress and associated hypoxia, metabolic acidosis, sports injuries, etc. A review of publications on signaling pathways that activate and inhibit angiogenesis in skeletal muscles, myocardium, lung, and nervous tissue under the influence of intense physical activity in cyclic sports. Materials: We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Clinical keys, and e-LIBRARY databases for full-text articles published from 2000 to 2020, using keywords and their combinations. Results: An important aspect of adaptation to training loads in cyclic sports is an increase in the number of capillaries in muscle fibers, which improves the metabolism of skeletal muscles and myocardium, as well as nervous and lung tissue. Recent studies have shown that myocardial endothelial cells not only respond to hemodynamic forces and paracrine signals from neighboring cells, but also take an active part in heart remodeling processes, stimulating the growth and contractility of cardiomyocytes or the production of extracellular matrix proteins in myofibroblasts. As myocardial vascularization plays a central role in the transition from adaptive heart hypertrophy to heart failure, further study of the signaling mechanisms involved in the regulation of angiogenesis in the myocardium is important in sports practice. The study of the "angiogenic switch" problem in the cerebrovascular and cardiovascular systems allows us to claim that the formation of new vessels is mediated by a complex interaction of all growth factors. Although the lungs are one of the limiting systems of the body in cyclic sports, their response to high-intensity loads and other environmental stresses is often overlooked. Airway epithelial cells are the predominant source of several growth factors throughout lung organogenesis and appear to be critical for normal alveolarization, rapid alveolar proliferation, and normal vascular development. There are many controversial questions about the role of growth factors in the physiology and pathology of the lungs. The presented review has demonstrated that when doing sports, it is necessary to give a careful consideration to the possible positive and negative effects of growth factors on muscles, myocardium, lung tissue, and brain. Primarily, the "angiogenic switch" is important in aerobic sports (long distance running). Conclusions: Angiogenesis is a physiological process of the formation of new blood capillaries, which play an important role in the functioning of skeletal muscles, myocardium, lung, and nervous tissue in athletes. Violation of the "angiogenic switch" as a balance between proangiogenic and anti-angiogenic molecules can lead to a decrease in the functional resources of the nervous, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems in athletes and, as a consequence, to a decrease in sports performance.

Prospects for the Personalized Multimodal Therapy Approach to Pain Management via Action on NO and NOS.

Chronic pain syndromes are an important medical problem generated by various molecular, genetic, and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Back pain, neuropathic pain, and posttraumatic pain are the most important pathological processes associated with chronic pain in adults. Standard approaches to the treatment of them do not solve the problem of pain chronicity. This is the reason for the search for new personalized strategies for the prevention and treatment of chronic pain. The nitric oxide (NO) system can play one of the key roles in the development of peripheral pain and its chronicity. The purpose of the study is to review publications devoted to changes in the NO system in patients with peripheral chronical pain syndromes. We have carried out a search for the articles published in e-Library, PubMed, Oxford Press, Clinical Case, Springer, Elsevier, and Google Scholar databases. The search was carried out using keywords and their combinations. The role of NO and NO synthases (NOS) isoforms in peripheral pain development and chronicity was demonstrated primarily from animal models to humans. The most studied is the neuronal NOS (nNOS). The role of inducible NOS (iNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) is still under investigation. Associative genetic studies have shown that single nucleotide variants (SNVs) of NOS1, NOS2, and NOS3 genes encoding nNOS, iNOS, and eNOS may be associated with acute and chronic peripheral pain. Prospects for the use of NOS inhibitors to modulate the effect of drugs used to treat peripheral pain syndrome are discussed. Associative genetic studies of SNVs NOS1, NOS2, and NOS3 genes are important for understanding genetic predictors of peripheral pain chronicity and development of new personalized pharmacotherapy strategies.

Titania-based nanoheterostructured microspheres for prolonged visible-light-driven photocatalysis.

Titanium dioxide is a widely used photocatalytic material possessing such advantages as safety, low cost, and high reactivity under the ultraviolet light illumination. However, its applicability in sunlight is limited due to the wide band gap and, as a consequence, the low quantum yield. Doping of titanium dioxide with metal or non-metal atoms and creating heterojunctions based on it are some of the most efficient ways to overcome this drawback. Herein we propose a new facile way of synthesis of nitrogen-doped TiO2/MoO3 and TiO2/WO3 microsphere-shaped nanocomposite photocatalysts, combining the advantages of these two methods. It is revealed that such structures are not only photo-active when exposed to visible light, but can also accumulate a photoinduced charge, thus allowing the catalytic reaction to be prolonged for a long time after the illumination is switched off (up to 48 h). With the help of EPR spectroscopy, paramagnetic defects in the samples were determined. The obtained results show good application prospects of the visible-light-driven TiO2-based nanoheterostructured microspheres in the environmental purification.

Schwann cells shape the neuro-immune environs and control cancer progression.

At present, significant experimental and clinical data confirm the active involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) in different phases of cancer development and progression. Most of the research effort focuses on the impact of distinct neuronal types, e.g., adrenergic, cholinergic, dopaminergic, etc. in carcinogenesis, generally ignoring neuroglia. The very fact that these cells far outnumber the other cellular types may also play an important role worthy of study in this context. The most prevalent neuroglia within the PNS consists of Schwann cells (SCs). These cells play a substantial role in maintaining homeostasis within the nervous system. They possess distinct immunomodulatory, inflammatory and regenerative capacities-also, one should consider their broad distribution throughout the body; this makes them a perfect target for malignant cells during the initial stages of cancer development and the very formation of the tumor microenvironment itself. We show that SCs in the tumor milieu attract different subsets of immune regulators and augment their ability to suppress effector T cells. SCs may also up-regulate invasiveness of tumor cells and support metastatic disease. We outline the interactive potential of SCs juxtaposed with cancerous cells, referring to data from various external sources alongside data of our own.

Distorted Phthalocyanines by Click Chemistry: Photoacoustic, Photothermal, and Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Studies.

Distortion of nominally planar phthalocyanine macrocycles affects the excited state dynamics in that most of the excited-state energy decays through internal conversion. A click-type annulation reaction on a perfluorophthalocyanine platform appending a seven-membered ring to the ß-positions on one or more of the isoindoles distorts the macrocycle and modulates solubility. The distorted derivative enables photoacoustic imaging, photothermal effects, and strong surface-enhanced resonance Raman signals.

Membrane proteins significantly restrict exosome mobility.

Exosomes are membrane nanovesicles implicated in cell-to-cell signaling in which they transfer their molecular cargo from the parent to the recipient cells. This role essentially depends on the exosomes' small size, which is the prerequisite for their rapid migration through the crowded extracellular matrix and into and out of circulation. Here we report much lower exosome mobility than expected from the size of their vesicles, implicate membrane proteins in a substantially impeded rate of migration, and suggest an approach to quantifying the impact. The broadly distributed excess hydrodynamic resistance provided by surface proteins produces a highly heterogeneous and microenvironment-dependent hindrance to exosome mobility. The implications of the findings on exosome-mediated signaling are discussed.

Defensive changes in maize leaves induced by feeding of Mediterranean corn borer larvae.

BACKGROUND: Plants can respond to insect attack via defense mechanisms that reduce insect performance. In this study, we examined the effects of several treatments applied to two maize genotypes (one resistant, one susceptible) on the subsequent growth and survival of Sesamia nonagrioides Lef. (Mediterranean corn borer, MCB) larvae. The treatments were infestation with MCB larvae, application of MCB regurgitant upon wounding, wounding alone, or exposure to methyl jasmonate, and they were applied at the V6-V8 stage of maize development. We also monitored changes in the concentrations of compounds known to be involved in constitutive resistance, such as cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamates and benzoxazinoids. RESULTS: In both maize genotypes, the leaves of plants pre-infested with MCB larvae were less suitable for larval development than those from untreated plants. Application of MCB regurgitant upon wounding, and wounding itself, resulted in leaf tissues becoming less suitable for larval growth than those of pre-infested plants, suggesting that there could be herbivore-associated effector molecules that suppress some wounding responses. A single application of MCB regurgitant did not seem to mimic feeding by MCB larvae, although the results suggested that regurgitant deposited during feeding may have enhanced ferulates and diferulates synthesis in infested vs. control plants. Jasmonic acid may play a role in mediating the maize response to MCB attack, but it did not trigger hydroxycinnamate accumulation in the leaves to a level comparable to that induced by larval leaf feeding. The EP39 maize genotype showed an increase in leaf cell wall strength by increasing hemicellulose cross-linking in response to MCB attack, while induced defenses in the EP42 plants appeared to reflect a broader array of resistance mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that leaf feeding by MCB larvae can increase leaf antibiosis against MCB in two maize genotypes with contrasting levels of resistance against this borer. Also, the larval regurgitant played a positive role in eliciting a defense response. We determined the effects of the plant response on larval growth, and detected defense compounds related to borer resistance.

Adsorption and Diffusion of Fluids in Defective Carbon Nanotubes: Insights from Molecular Simulations.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been shown from both simulations and experiments to have remarkably low resistance to gas and liquid transport. This has been attributed to the remarkably smooth interior surface of pristine SWNTs. However, real SWNTs are known to have various defects that depend on the synthesis method and procedure used to activate the SWNTs. In this paper, we study adsorption and transport properties of atomic and molecular fluids in SWNTs having vacancy point defects. We construct models of defective nanotubes that have either unrelaxed defects, where the overall structure of the SWNT is not changed, or reconstructed defects, where the bonding topology and therefore the shape of the SWNT is allowed to change. Furthermore, we include partial atomic charges on the SWNT carbon atoms due to the reconstructed defects. We consider adsorption and diffusion of Ar atoms and CO2 and H2O molecules as examples of a noble gas, a linear quadrupolar fluid, and a polar fluid. Adsorption isotherms were found to be fairly insensitive to the defects, even for the case of water in the charged, reconstructed SWNT. We have computed both the self-diffusivities and corrected diffusivities (which are directly related to the transport diffusivities) for each of these fluids. In general, we found that at zero loading that defects can dramatically reduce the self- and corrected diffusivities. However, at high, liquidlike loadings, the self-diffusion coefficients for pristine and defective nanotubes are very similar, indicating that fluid-fluid collisions dominate the dynamics over the fluid-SWNT collisions. In contrast, the corrected diffusion coefficients can be more than an order of magnitude lower for water in defective SWNTs. This dramatic decrease in the transport diffusion is due to the formation of an ordered structure of water, which forms around a local defect site. It is therefore important to properly characterize the level and types of defects when accurate transport diffusivities are needed.

Wave turbulence in quantum fluids.

Wave turbulence (WT) occurs in systems of strongly interacting nonlinear waves and can lead to energy flows across length and frequency scales much like those that are well known in vortex turbulence. Typically, the energy passes although a nondissipative inertial range until it reaches a small enough scale that viscosity becomes important and terminates the cascade by dissipating the energy as heat. Wave turbulence in quantum fluids is of particular interest, partly because revealing experiments can be performed on a laboratory scale, and partly because WT among the Kelvin waves on quantized vortices is believed to play a crucial role in the final stages of the decay of (vortex) quantum turbulence. In this short review, we provide a perspective on recent work on WT in quantum fluids, setting it in context and discussing the outlook for the next few years. We outline the theory, review briefly the experiments carried out to date using liquid H2 and liquid (4)He, and discuss some nonequilibrium excitonic superfluids in which WT has been predicted but not yet observed experimentally. By way of conclusion, we consider the medium- and longer-term outlook for the field.

Designing Synthetic Microcapsules That Undergo Biomimetic Communication and Autonomous Motion.

Inspired by the collective behavior of slime molds and amoebas, we designed synthetic cell-like objects that move and self-organize in response to self-generated chemical gradients, thereby exhibiting autochemotaxis. Using computational modeling, we specifically focused on microcapsules that encompass a permeable shell and are localized on an adhesive surface in solution. Lacking any internal machinery, these spherical, fluid-filled shells might resemble the earliest protocells. Our microcapsules do, however, encase particles that can diffuse through the outer shell and into the surrounding fluid. The released particles play two important, physically realizable roles: (1) they affect the permeability of neighboring capsules and (2) they generate adhesion gradients on the underlying surface. Due to feedback mechanisms provided by the released particles, the self-generated adhesion gradients, and hydrodynamic interactions, the capsules undergo collective, self-sustained motion and even exhibit antlike tracking behavior. With the introduction of a chemically patterned stripe on the surface, a triad of capsules can be driven to pick up four-capsule cargo, transport this cargo, and drop off this payload at a designated site. We also modeled a system where the released particles give rise to a particular cycle of negative feedback loops (mimicking the "repressilator" network), which regulates the production of chemicals within the capsules and hence their release into the solution. By altering the system parameters, three capsules could be controllably driven to self-organize into a stable, close-packed triad that would either translate as a group or remain stationary. Moreover, the stationary triads could be made to switch off after assembly and thus produce minimal quantities of chemicals. Taken together, our models allow us to design a rich variety of self-propelled structures that achieve complex, cooperative behavior through fundamental physicochemical phenomena. The studies can also shed light on factors that enable individual protocells to communicate and self-assemble into larger communities.

Screening of Wild and Cultivated Capsicum Germplasm Reveals New Sources of Verticillium Wilt Resistance.

Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae is an important soilborne disease of pepper (Capsicum species) worldwide. Most commercial pepper cultivars lack resistance to this pathogen. Our objective was to identify resistance to two V. dahliae isolates in wild and cultivated Capsicum accessions from the core collection of the National Plant Germplasm System of the USDA. Screening of 397 Capsicum accessions against two V. dahliae isolates (Vdca59 and VdCf45) was performed in a greenhouse. Seventy-eight accessions selected from this screen were further evaluated in a follow-up experiment. In total, 21 (26.9%) and 13 (16.6%) Capsicum accessions tested were resistant to Verticillium wilt when inoculated with V. dahliae isolates VdCa59 and VdCf45, respectively. Eight accessions (Grif 9073, PI 281396, PI 281397, PI 438666, PI 439292, PI 439297, PI 555616, and PI 594125) were resistant to Verticillium wilt against both V. dahliae isolates. On the basis of Germplasm Resources Information Network data, two of the Capsicum annuum accessions (Grif 9073 and PI 439297) were also resistant to Phytophthora root rot disease. These sources of multiple disease resistance will be useful to pepper breeding programs.

Host Range of Verticillium isaacii and Verticillium klebahnii from Artichoke, Spinach, and Lettuce.

Verticillium is a genus that includes major vascular wilt pathogens. Recently, multilocus phylogenetic analyses of the genus identified five new species, including Verticillium isaacii and V. klebahnii, both of which occur in agricultural soils in coastal California and have been isolated from asymptomatic and diseased spinach and lettuce plants. Little data are available regarding their pathogenicity and virulence on a broader range of crops important to the region. Four isolates each of V. isaacii and V. klebahnii along with two reference isolates of V. dahliae races 1 and 2 were inoculated on eight crops (artichoke, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, pepper, tomato, spinach, and strawberry) in a greenhouse experiment. After 8 weeks, plants were assessed for disease severity to determine the relative host ranges of Verticillium isolates. Additionally, 13 lettuce lines resistant to race 1 and partially resistant to race 2 of V. dahliae were screened against V. isaacii and V. klebahnii to evaluate their responses. Three of four V. isaacii and four of four V. klebahnii isolates tested were nonpathogenic on all crops tested except those indicated below. One V. isaacii isolate caused wilt on artichoke and 'Salinas' lettuce and most isolates of both species caused varying degrees of Verticillium wilt on strawberry. Lettuce lines resistant to V. dahliae race 1 and partially resistant to V. dahliae race 2 also exhibited resistance to all of the isolates of V. isaacii and V. klebahnii. Thus, at least some isolates in the populations of V. isaacii and V. klebahnii have the potential to become significant pathogens of coastal California crops. However, resistance developed against V. dahliae also offers resistance to the pathogenic isolates of both species, at least in lettuce.

Nondefoliating and Defoliating Strains from Cotton Correlate with Races 1 and 2 of Verticillium dahliae.

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is an important disease of cotton worldwide. Isolates of V. dahliae can be characterized as race 1 or race 2 based on the responses of differential cultivars of tomato and lettuce, or as defoliating or nondefoliating based on symptom expression in cotton. To investigate the frequency and distribution of races and defoliation phenotypes of cotton-associated V. dahliae, 317 isolates from China, Israel, Turkey, and the United States were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using defoliating, nondefoliating, and race 1- and race 2-specific primers DF/DR, NDF/NDR, VdAve1F/VdAve1R, and VdR2F/VdR2R, respectively. Of the total, 97.2% of isolates genotyped as defoliating were also characterized as race 2, while 90.8% of isolates genotyped as nondefoliating were also genotyped as race 1. To verify these results, three cotton cultivars-'FM 2484B2F' (highly resistant), '98M-2983' (highly susceptible), and 'CA4002' (partially resistant)-used as differentials were each inoculated with 10 isolates characterized by PCR: six defoliating/race 2 strains (GH1005, GH1021, HN, XJ2008, XJ592, and reference strain Ls17) and four nondefoliating/race 1 strains (GH1015, GH1016, GH1020, and reference strain Ls16). All defoliating/race 2 isolates except for Ls17 caused defoliation on 98M-2983 and CA4002. Isolate Ls17 caused defoliation on 98M-2983 only. The nondefoliating/race 1 isolates caused Verticillium wilt symptoms devoid of defoliation on 98M-2983. The greenhouse assays confirmed the molecular identification of race and defoliation phenotype. Although the existence of races has not been previously established among V. dahliae isolates from cotton, the long-established nondefoliating and defoliating population structure corresponded with V. dahliae races 1 and 2, respectively.

Designing communicating colonies of biomimetic microcapsules.

Using computational modeling, we design colonies of biomimetic microcapsules that exploit chemical mechanisms to communicate and alter their local environment. As a result, these synthetic objects can self-organize into various autonomously moving structures and exhibit ant-like tracking behavior. In the simulations, signaling microcapsules release agonist particles, whereas target microcapsules release antagonist particles and the permeabilities of both capsule types depend on the local particle concentration in the surrounding solution. Additionally, the released nanoscopic particles can bind to the underlying substrate and thereby create adhesion gradients that propel the microcapsules to move. Hydrodynamic interactions and the feedback mechanism provided by the dissolved particles are both necessary to achieve the collective dynamics exhibited by these colonies. Our model provides a platform for integrating both the spatial and temporal behavior of assemblies of "artificial cells," and allows us to design a rich variety of structures capable of exhibiting complex, cooperative behavior. Due to the cell-like attributes of polymeric microcapsules and polymersomes, material systems are available for realizing our predictions.

Unlocking the Viral Universe: Metagenomic Analysis of Bat Samples Using Next-Generation Sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized the field of virology by enabling the reading of complete viral genomes, extensive metagenomic studies, and the identification of novel viral pathogens. Although metagenomic sequencing has the advantage of not requiring specific probes or primers, it faces significant challenges in analyzing data and identifying novel viruses. Traditional bioinformatics tools for sequence identification mainly depend on homology-based strategies, which may not allow the detection of a virus significantly different from known variants due to the extensive genetic diversity and rapid evolution of viruses. In this work, we performed metagenomic analysis of bat feces from different Russian cities and identified a wide range of viral pathogens. We then selected sequences with minimal homology to a known picornavirus and used "Switching Mechanism at the 5' end of RNA Template" technology to obtain a longer genome fragment, allowing for more reliable identification. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating advanced computational methods with experimental strategies for identifying unknown viruses to better understand the viral universe.