Velvet Family Protein FpVelB Affects Virulence in Association with Secondary Metabolism in Fusarium pseudograminearum.

Fusarium pseudograminearum causes destructive crown disease in wheat. The velvet protein family is a crucial regulator in development, virulence, and secondary metabolism of fungi. We conducted a functional analysis of FpVelB using a gene replacement strategy. The deletion of FpVelB decreased radial growth and enhanced conidial production compared to that of wild type. Furthermore, FpVelB modulates the fungal responses to abiotic stress through diverse mechanisms. Significantly, virulence decreased after the deletion of FpVelB in both the stem base and head of wheat. Genome-wide gene expression profiling revealed that the regulation of genes by FpVelB is associated with several processes related to the aforementioned phenotype, including "immune", "membrane", and "antioxidant activity", particularly with regard to secondary metabolites. Most importantly, we demonstrated that FpVelB regulates pathogen virulence by influencing deoxynivalenol production and modulating the expression of the PKS11 gene. In conclusion, FpVelB is crucial for plant growth, asexual development, and abiotic stress response and is essential for full virulence via secondary metabolism in F. pseudograminearum.

The Effects of Mycovirus BmPV36 on the Cell Structure and Transcription of Bipolaris maydis.

Bipolaris maydis partitivirus 36 (BmPV36) is a mycovirus that can significantly reduce the virulence of the host Bipolaris maydis, but its hypovirulence mechanism is not clear. To investigate the response of B. maydis to BmPV36, the effects of BmPV36 on host cell structure and gene expression were studied via transmission electron microscopy and transcriptome sequencing using BmPV36-carrying and virus-free mycelium on the second and fifth culture. The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that the cell wall microfibrils of B. maydis were shortened, the cell membrane was broken, and membrane-bound vesicles and vacuoles appeared in the cells after carrying BmPV36. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that after carrying BmPV36, B. maydis membrane-related genes were significantly up-regulated, but membrane transport-related genes were significantly down-regulated. Genes related to carbohydrate macromolecule polysaccharide metabolic and catabolic processes were significantly down-regulated, as were genes related to the synthesis of toxins and cell wall degrading enzymes. Therefore, we speculated that BmPV36 reduces the virulence of B. maydis by destroying the host's cell structure, inhibiting the synthesis of toxins and cell wall degrading enzymes, and reducing cell metabolism. Gaining insights into the hypovirulence mechanism of mycoviruses will provide environmentally friendly strategies for the control of fungal diseases.

The clinical significance of intraoperative adverse events in laparoscopic radical hysterectomies for early-stage cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical quality plays a vital role in the treatment of malignant tumors. We investigated the classification of intraoperative adverse events (iAE) (ClassIntra) in relation to the surgical quality control of laparoscopic radical hysterectomies. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 195 patients who had undergone laparoscopic radical hysterectomies for early stage cervical cancer between July 2019 and July 2021 was enrolled. Participants were classified into either an iAE or non-iAE groups in accordance with their intraoperative status. Surgical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and quality of life were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Overall, 48 (24.6%) patients experienced 71 iAE. The iAE group was associated with significantly longer operative times (mean: 270 vs. 245 min, P < 0.001), greater blood loss (mean: 215 vs. 120 mL, P < 0.001), and longer postoperative hospital stays (median: 16 vs. 11 days). Larger tumors and poor technical performance significantly increased the risk of iAE (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that iAE were the only independent risk factors for postoperative complications (hazard ratio, 15.100; 95% confidence interval: 4.735-48.158, P < 0.001). Moreover, patients who experienced iAE had significantly lower satisfaction scores and poorer quality of life (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ClassIntra may serve as an effective adjunctive tool for surgical quality control in laparoscopic radical hysterectomies.

Effects of fertilizer reduction coupled with straw returning on soil fertility, wheat root endophytic bacteria, and the occurrence of wheat crown rot.

Excessive fertilization is associated with nutrient loss, soil compaction, and weak plant resistance. Straw returning can increase soil fertility with a consequent reduction in fertilizer, but the effects of fertilizer reduction coupled with straw returning on crop endophytic microbes and crop disease are poorly understood. Therefore, using metagenomic sequencing methods we investigated the responses of soil fertility, diversity, the function of root endophytic bacteria, and the occurrence of wheat crown rot due to the application of fertilizer (no, moderate and excessive fertilizer) coupled with or without straw returning after 7 years of treatments. The results showed that, after excessive fertilization, the wheat crown rot became severe, registering a disease index of 23. Compared with excessive fertilization, moderate fertilization coupled with straw returning significantly reduced the incidence of wheat crown rot, the disease index was reduced by 38.50%, and the richness and diversity of endophytic bacteria were increased by 61.20 and 11.93%, respectively, but the soil fertility was not significantly affected. In addition, moderate fertilization coupled with straw returning changed the community structure of endophytic bacteria and increased the relative abundance of carbohydrate metabolism and nitrogen fixation-related genes by 4.72 and 9.32%, respectively. Our results indicated that fertilizer reduction coupled with straw returning reduced the occurrence of wheat crown rot, increased the diversity of endophytic bacteria, and changed the community structure and function of endophytic bacteria, which will provide a better understanding of the interaction of fertilization coupled with straw returning, endophytic bacteria and wheat crown rot.

The global regulator FpLaeB is required for the regulation of growth, development, and virulence in Fusarium pseudograminearum.

Fusarium pseudograminearum is a soil-borne pathogen that is capable of causing a highly destructive crown disease in wheat. Secondary metabolites (SMs), especially deoxynivalenol (DON), are the primary virulence factors during infection. Here, we characterised the global regulator FpLaeB, an orthologue of LaeB protein function, to regulate the SM in Aspergillus nidulans. Through the utility of the gene targeting approach, we found that the vegetative growth of the FpLaeB deletion mutant was drastically reduced compared to that of the wild type. FpLaeB was also important for conidiation because the FpLaeB deletion mutant formed fewer conidia in induced medium. In addition, the sensitivity of the FpLaeB deletion mutant to the cell wall integrity inhibitor was decreased, while its growth was more severely inhibited by the cell membrane inhibitor sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) than that of the wild type. More importantly, the virulence was decreased when the FpLaeB deletion mutant was inoculated onto the wheat stem base or head. Through genome-wide gene expression profiling, FpLaeB was found to regulate several processes related to the above phenotypes such as the carbohydrate metabolic process, which is an integral and intrinsic component of membranes, especially SMs. Furthermore, the generation of DON was impaired in the FpLaeB deletion mutant via ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) assay. These results showed that FpLaeB plays an important role in the growth, development, and maintenance of the cell wall, and in membrane integrity. More importantly, FpLaeB is required for SMs and full virulence in F. pseudograminearum.

Effects of Long-Term Bare Fallow During the Winter-Wheat Growth Season on the Soil Chemical Properties, Fungal Community Composition, and the Occurrence of Maize Fungal Diseases in North China.

On the North China Plain, one of the most water-deficient regions in China, bare fallow has been implemented over a large-scale area to conserve water during the growth season of water-intensive winter wheat since 2015. However, the effects of this bare fallow on fungal community and the occurrence of crop diseases are poorly understood. Here we measured soil chemical properties, fungal community composition, and the occurrence of crop diseases after 15 years of long-term fallow (continuous maize or soybean) and non-fallow (maize-wheat rotation; soybean-wheat rotation) cropping systems. Bare fallow during the winter-wheat growth season significantly decreased soil organic matter, available nitrogen, and phosphorus. It also changed the composition of soil fungal communities, i.e., increased relative abundances of some potentially pathogenic species of Lectera, Fusarium, and Volutella but decreased beneficial Cladorrhium and Schizothecium. Meanwhile, the epidemic tendency of maize diseases changed correspondingly: the disease index of southern corn leaf blight and maize brown spot increased, but the incidence of stalk rot decreased compared with the non-fallow system. Soybean diseases were very mild regardless of the cropping system during the total experimental period. Network analysis demonstrated that the soil fungal diversity associated with maize diseases was affected by the decreased soil organic matter and available nitrogen and phosphorus. Our results suggest that bare fallow in the winter-wheat season affected the soil chemical properties, fungal community, and the occurrence of maize fungal diseases.

Long non-coding RNA AWPPH enhances malignant phenotypes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via silencing PTEN through interacting with LSD1 and EZH2.

Evidence has emerged identifying long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as important regulators of various cancers including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). LncRNA AWPPH is an oncogene recently identified in several cancers. However, the underlying role of AWPPH in NPC is still unclear and thus worth exploring. In this study, AWPPH expression was markedly upregulated in NPC cells. Further, loss- and gain-of-function assays indicated that AWPPH facilitates cell proliferation and migration and hinders apoptosis in NPC cells. Moreover, cytoplasmic AWPPH was predicted to share a common RNA-binding protein, IGF2BP1, with LSD1. The interaction between IGF2BP1 and both AWPPH and LSD1 mRNA was verified in NPC cells, and AWPPH stabilized LSD1 mRNA to enhance the expression of LSD1 in NPC through such interactions. Furthermore, nuclear AWPPH repressed PTEN expression through recruiting EZH2 and LSD1 to the PTEN promoter in NPC cells. Final rescue assays demonstrated that silenced PTEN could reverse the suppressive influence of AWPPH depletion on the progression of NPC. Collectively, our study shows that AWPPH inhibits PTEN expression to drive NPC progression through interacting with LSD1 and EZH2, providing potential biomarkers for NPC treatment.

Monitoring of Fusarium Species and Trichothecene Genotypes Associated with Fusarium Head Blight on Wheat in Hebei Province, China.

To clarify the changes in field populations of Fusarium head blight (FHB) pathogens over a decade, Fusarium species and trichothecene genotypes associated with FHB on wheat were monitored in Hebei province during the periods 2005-2006 and 2013-2016. Fusarium species determination was carried out by morphological identification, species-specific amplification and partial translation elongation factor (TEF-1α) gene sequencing. Trichothecene genotype prediction was carried out by primers 3CON/3NA/3D15A/3D3 or Tri13F/Tri13R, Tri303F/Tri303R and Tri315F/Tri315R. A total of 778 purified Fusarium isolates were recovered from 42 sampling sites in 17 counties during the period 2005-2006 and 1002 Fusarium isolates were recovered from 122 sampling sites in 65 counties during the period 2013-2016. F. graminearum was the predominant pathogen recovered during the periods 2005-2006 and 2013-2016. However, the pathogen composition differed slightly between the two periods. In 2005-2006, 752 out of 778 (96.7%) of the isolates belonged to F. graminearum. Two were identified as F. culmorum. Five other Fusarium species were also recovered, F. equiseti, F. verticillioides, F. proliferatum, F. subglutinans and F. chlamydosporum, with lower recoveries of 0.4%, 0.8%, 0.8%, 0.1% and 1.0%, respectively. Trichothecene genotype prediction showed that all the 752 F. graminearum isolates were of the 15-ADON genotype. Five Fusarium species were recovered from samples collected over the period 2013-2016. F. graminearum was again the predominant pathogen with an isolation frequency of 97.6%. F. pseudograminearum, F. asiaticum, F. culmorum and F. negundis were also isolated at a recovery of 1.4%, 0.7%, 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. For the 2013-2016 isolates, 971 of the 978 F. graminearum strains were 15-ADON whereas seven isolates were of the 3-ADON type. All seven F. asiaticum isolates were of the NIV type and fourteen F. pseudograminearum isolates were classified as 3-ADON. F. pseudograminearum was first isolated from FHB in Hebei in 2013. Although the recovery of F. pseudograminearum is still low, it represents a small shift in the pathogen composition and trichothecene genotypes associated with FHB in Hebei province. As Fusarium crown rot of wheat caused by F. pseudograminearum is an increasing problem in Hebei province, it is appropriate to monitor the role of F. pseudograminearum in FHB in the future.

Screening of 1300 organic micro-pollutants in groundwater from Beijing and Tianjin, North China.

Groundwater contamination in China has become a growing public concern because of the country's rapid economic development and dramatically increasing fresh water demand. However, there is little information available on groundwater quality, particularly with respect to trace organic micro-pollutants contamination. This study was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of 1300 pollutants at 27 groundwater sites in Beijing and Tianjin, North China. Seventy-eight chemicals (6% of the targeted compounds) were detected in at least one sampling point; observed chemicals included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, plasticizers, antioxidants, pharmaceuticals and other emerging compounds. Chemicals with a frequency of detection over 70% were 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (median concentration 152 ng L-1), benzyl alcohol (582 ng L-1), 2-phenoxy-ethanol (129 ng L-1), acetophenone (74 ng L-1), pentamethylbenzene (51 ng L-1), nitrobenzene (40 ng L-1) and dimethyl phthalate (64 ng L-1). Pesticides with concentrations exceeding the EU maximum residual limits (MRL) of 0.1 µg L-1 were 1,4-dichlorobenzene, oxadixyl, diflubenzuron, carbendazim, diuron, and the E and Z isomers of dimethomorph. Naphthalene and its 7 alkylated derivatives were widely observed at maximum concentration up to 30 µg L-1, which, although high, is still below the Australian drinking water guidelines of 70 µg L-1. The risk assessment indicated there is no human health risk through the oral consumption from most wells, although there were four wells in which total seven compounds were found at the concentrations with a potential adverse health effects. This work provides a wide reconnaissance on broad spectrum of organic micro-contaminants in groundwater in North China.

Groundwater screening for 940 organic micro-pollutants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for more than half of the residents of Hanoi (HN). It also provides about one third of the total water demand for residents of Ho Chi Minh City (HCM). However, due to rapid urbanization and frequent discharges of untreated urban wastewater to surface water, freshwater is widely contaminated by man-made chemicals, which may result in groundwater pollution. As part of an ongoing campaign to collect baseline information on the occurrence of organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) in the aquatic environment in Vietnam, 43 water samples were collected from 26 groundwater wells in HN (22) and HCM (4) in September 2013 and August 2014. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the resulting chromatograms were screened for 940 OMPs by an automated identification and quantification system (AIQS) within a GC-MS database. A total of 74 compounds were detected, with between 4 and 43 (median 18) compounds found at each site. Overall, contamination levels were low, with over 89 % of the detected concentrations that were less than 0.5 µg L(-1). Results suggest that most of the sampled aquifers have been impacted by non-point source pollution. Most of the contaminants detected are either currently not regulated in drinking water or are present at low levels. A health risk assessment for detected contaminants implied that there were no risks to humans. Since this study was based on a limited number of samples, especially in HCM, further, more detailed studies on the occurrence of OMPs in groundwater in HCM and a full risk assessment of detected contaminants should be prioritized.

Monitoring of 1300 organic micro-pollutants in surface waters from Tianjin, North China.

In spite of the quantities and species of chemicals dramatically increased with rapid economic growth in China in the last decade, the focus of environmental research was mainly on limited number of priority pollutants. Therefore, to elucidate environmental pollution by organic micro-pollutants, this work was conducted as the first systematic survey on the occurrence of 1300 substances in 20 surface water samples of Tianjin, North China, selected as a representative area of China. The results showed the presence of 227 chemicals. The most relevant compounds in terms of frequency of detection and median concentration were bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (100%; 0.26µgL(-1)), siduron (100%; 0.20µgL(-1)), lidocaine (100%; 96ngL(-1)), antipyrine (100%; 76ngL(-1)), caffeine (95%; 0.28µgL(-1)), cotinine (95%; 0.20µgL(-1)), phenanthrene (95%; 0.17µgL(-1)), metformin (90%; 0.61µgL(-1)), diethyl phthalate (90%; 0.19µgL(-1)), quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (90%; 0.14µgL(-1)), 2-(methylthio)-benzothiazole (85%; 0.11µgL(-1)) and anthraquinone (85%; 54ngL(-1)). Cluster analysis discriminated three highly polluted sites from others based on data similarity. Principle component analysis identified four factors, corresponding to industrial wastewater, domestic discharge, tire production and atmospheric deposition, accounting for 78% of the total variance in the water monitoring data set. This work provides a wide reconnaissance on broad spectrum of organic micro-contaminants in surface waters in China, which indicates that the aquatic environment in China has been polluted by a large number of chemicals.

Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl acids in environmental waters in Vietnam.

This is the first nationwide study of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in environmental waters in Vietnam. Twenty-eight river water and 22 groundwater samples collected in four major cities and 14 river water samples from the Red River were screened to investigate the occurrence and sources of 16 PFAAs. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were the most prevalent of 11 detected PFAAs with maximum concentrations in urban river water of 5.3, 18 and 0.93ngL(-1), respectively, and in groundwater of 8.2, 4.5 and 0.45ngL(-1), respectively. PFAAs in the Red River water were detected at low levels. PFAA concentrations in river water were higher in the rainy season than in the dry season, possibly due to storm water runoff, a common phenomenon in Southeast Asian countries. The highest concentrations of PFAAs in river water were observed in samples from highly populated and industrialized areas, perhaps sourced from sewage. The PFAA concentrations observed were similar to those in other Southeast Asian countries, but lower than in developed nations. From the composition profiles of PFAAs, industrial products containing PFAAs imported from China and Japan might be one of the major sources of PFAAs in the Vietnamese aquatic environment. According to the health-based values and advisory issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the concentrations of detected PFAAs in this study do not pose an immediate health risk to humans and aquatic organisms.

Distribution and accumulation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigated soils in Hebei, China.

This study investigated the occurrence of 43 emerging contaminants including 9 endocrine-disrupting chemicals and 34 pharmaceuticals in three sites in Hebei Province, north China. Each site has a wastewater irrigated plot and a separate groundwater irrigated plot for comparison purpose. The results showed that the concentrations of the target compounds in the wastewater irrigated soils were in most cases higher than those in the groundwater irrigated soils. Among the 43 target compounds, nine compounds bisphenol-A, triclocarban, triclosan, 4-nonylphenol, salicylic acid, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, trimethoprim and primidone were detected at least once in the soils. Preliminary environmental risk assessment showed that triclocarban might pose high risks to terrestrial organisms while the other detected compounds posed minimal risks. Irrigation with wastewater could lead to presence or accumulation of some emerging contaminants to some extent in irrigated soils.