Identification of antibiotic resistance genes in Escherichia coli from subclinical mastitis milk in dairy cows and goats, East Java Province.

Antibiotics are still used to treat mastitis in dairy cows in Indonesia. This study aimed to analyse antibiotic resistance genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) from subclinical mastitis milk in East Java Province, Indonesia. The samples consisted of subclinical mastitis milk from cows and goats. A total of 592-quarter cow's milk and 71 goat's milk samples from both halves of the udder were collected from 67 farms in Lumajang, Banyuwangi, Malang, Sidoarjo, Jember, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, and Mojokerto. Subclinical mastitis samples were screened using the California mastitis test (CMT). E. coli was identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods. E. coli was confirmed with a primer specific to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Gene resistance of E. coli was tested using the multiplex-PCR (mPCR) technique with primers encoding the genes temoneira enzyme (TEM), oxacillinase (OXA), sulfhydryl variable (SHV), and cefotaximase-munich IV (CTX-M IV). These genes were chosen because mastitis treatment generally uses oxacilline and ß-lactam antibiotics. All data obtained were analysed descriptively. The results show that six isolates of E. coli (46.15%) carried a single resistance gene (TEM or SHV) and two isolates (33.33%) were confirmed as multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDROs) (TEM and SHV). The resistance genes were found in samples originating from Blitar, Banyuwangi, Lumajang, and Pasuruan Regencies. This research implies that antibiotic-resistance genes found in E. coli on certain farms are dangerous and may allow gene transmission to other bacteria that make treatment for mastitis or other bacterial infections ineffective.

The role of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in the unfolded protein response (UPR) of plants.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key regulator of plant growth and development, but its role in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the function of PP2A under ER stress using loss-of-function mutants of ROOTS CURL of NAPHTHYLPHTHALAMIC ACID1 (RCN1), a regulatory A1 subunit isoform of Arabidopsis PP2A. RCN1 mutants (rcn1-1 and rcn1-2) exhibited reduced sensitivity to tunicamycin (TM), an inhibitor of N-linked glycosylation and inducer of unfolded protein response (UPR) gene expression, resulting in less severe effects compared to wild-type plants (Ws-2 and Col-0). TM negatively impacted PP2A activity in Col-0 plants but did not significantly affect rcn1-2 plants. Additionally, TM treatment did not influence the transcription levels of the PP2AA1(RCN1), 2, and 3 genes in Col-0 plants. Cantharidin, a PP2A inhibitor, exacerbated growth defects in rcn1 plants and alleviated TM-induced growth inhibition in Ws-2 and Col-0 plants. Furthermore, cantharidin treatment mitigated TM hypersensitivity in ire1a&b and bzip28&60 mutants. These findings suggest that PP2A activity is essential for an efficient UPR in Arabidopsis.

Limited Addition of the 6-Arm ß1,2-linked N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) Residue Facilitates the Formation of the Largest N-Glycan in Plants.

The most abundant N-glycan in plants is the paucimannosidic N-glycan with core ß1,2-xylose and α1,3-fucose residues (Man3XylFuc(GlcNAc)2). Here, we report a mechanism in Arabidopsis thaliana that efficiently produces the largest N-glycan in plants. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicates that the addition of the 6-arm ß1,2-GlcNAc residue by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II (GnTII) is less effective than additions of the core ß1,2-xylose and α1,3-fucose residues by XylT, FucTA, and FucTB in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, analysis of gnt2 mutant and 35S:GnTII transgenic plants shows that the addition of the 6-arm non-reducing GlcNAc residue to the common N-glycan acceptor GlcNAcMan3(GlcNAc)2 inhibits additions of the core ß1,2-xylose and α1,3-fucose residues. Our findings indicate that plants limit the rate of the addition of the 6-arm GlcNAc residue to the common N-glycan acceptor as a mechanism to facilitate formation of the prevalent N-glycans with Man3XylFuc(GlcNAc)2 and (GlcNAc)2Man3XylFuc(GlcNAc)2 structures.

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 is required for efficient hpRNA-induced gene silencing in plants.

In plants, transgenes with inverted repeats are used to induce efficient RNA silencing, which is also frequently induced by highly transcribed sense transgenes. RNA silencing induced by sense transgenes is dependent on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6), which converts single-stranded (ss) RNA into double-stranded (ds) RNA. By contrast, it has been proposed that RNA silencing induced by self-complementary hairpin RNA (hpRNA) does not require RDR6, because the hpRNA can directly fold back on itself to form dsRNA. However, it is unclear whether RDR6 plays a role in hpRNA-induced RNA silencing by amplifying dsRNA to spread RNA silencing within the plant. To address the efficiency of hpRNA-induced RNA silencing in the presence or absence of RDR6, Wild type (WT, Col-0) and rdr6-11 Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) were generated and transformed with a GFP-RNA interference (RNAi) construct. Whereas most GFP-RNAi-transformed WT lines exhibited almost complete silencing of GFP expression in the T1 generation, various levels of GFP expression remained among the GFP-RNAi-transformed rdr6-11 lines. Homozygous expression of GFP-RNAi in the T3 generation was not sufficient to induce complete GFP silencing in several rdr6-11 lines. Our results indicate that RDR6 is required for efficient hpRNA-induced RNA silencing in plants.

N-glycan maturation is crucial for cytokinin-mediated development and cellulose synthesis in Oryza sativa.

To explore the physiological significance of N-glycan maturation in the plant Golgi apparatus, gnt1, a mutant with loss of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI) function, was isolated in Oryza sativa. gnt1 exhibited complete inhibition of N-glycan maturation and accumulated high-mannose N-glycans. Phenotypic analyses revealed that gnt1 shows defective post-seedling development and incomplete cell wall biosynthesis, leading to symptoms such as failure in tiller formation, brittle leaves, reduced cell wall thickness, and decreased cellulose content. The developmental defects of gnt1 ultimately resulted in early lethality without transition to the reproductive stage. However, callus induced from gnt1 seeds could be maintained for periods, although it exhibited a low proliferation rate, small size, and hypersensitivity to salt stress. Shoot regeneration and dark-induced leaf senescence assays indicated that the loss of GnTI function results in reduced sensitivity to cytokinin in rice. Reduced expression of A-type O. sativa response regulators that are rapidly induced by cytokinins in gnt1 confirmed that cytokinin signaling is impaired in the mutant. These results strongly support the proposed involvement of N-glycan maturation in transport as well as in the function of membrane proteins that are synthesized via the endomembrane system.