Heterologous Expression of MeLEA3: A 10 kDa Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein of Cassava, Confers Tolerance to Abiotic Stress in Escherichia coli with Recombinant Protein Showing In Vitro Chaperone Activity.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are small molecular weight proteins involved in acquisition of tolerance to drought, salinity, high temperature, cold, and freezing stress in many plants. Previous studies revealed a cDNA sequence coding for a 10 kDa atypical LEA protein, named MeLEA3, predicted to be located into mitochondria with potential role in salt stress response of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). Here we aimed to produce the recombinant MeLEA3 protein by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and evaluate the tolerance of bacteria expressing this protein under abiotic stress. Our result revealed that the recombinant MeLEA3 protein conferred a protective function against heat and salt stress in bacterial cells. Also, the recombinant MeLEA3 protein showed in vitro chaperone activity by protection of NdeI restriction enzyme activity under heat stress.

Phytocystatins and their potential to control plant diseases caused by fungi.

Plant cystatins, also called phytocystatins, constitute a family of specific cysteine protease inhibitors found in several monocots and dicots, where they can be involved in the regulation of several endogenous processes and in defense against pests and pathogens, as well as in response to abiotic stress. In this mini-review we aimed to present isolated and characterized phytocystatins with potential use in control of plant disease caused by fungi.

Molecular signatures at imminent death: hemocyte gene expression profiling of shrimp succumbing to viral and fungal infections.

Infectious diseases represent the most serious threat to shrimp farming worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving shrimp-pathogen interactions is necessary for developing strategies to control disease outbreaks in shrimp production systems. In the current study, we experimentally reproduced mortality events using standardized infections to characterize the hemocyte transcriptome response of the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei succumbing to infectious diseases. By using a high-throughput microfluidic RT-qPCR approach, we identified molecular signatures in shrimp during lethal infections caused by the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) or the filamentous fungus Fusarium solani. We successfully identified gene expression signatures shared by both infections but also pathogen-specific gene responses. Interestingly, whereas lethal WSSV infection induced the expression of antiviral-related genes, the transcript abundance of many antimicrobial effectors was reduced by lethal F. solani infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the immune-gene repertoire of infected shrimp at the brink of death.