Electrical 180° switching of Néel vector in spin-splitting antiferromagnet.

Antiferromagnetic spintronics have attracted wide attention due to its great potential in constructing ultradense and ultrafast antiferromagnetic memory that suits modern high-performance information technology. The electrical 180° switching of Néel vector is a long-term goal for developing electrical-controllable antiferromagnetic memory with opposite Néel vectors as binary "0" and "1." However, the state-of-art antiferromagnetic switching mechanisms have long been limited for 90° or 120° switching of Néel vector, which unavoidably require multiple writing channels that contradict ultradense integration. Here, we propose a deterministic switching mechanism based on spin-orbit torque with asymmetric energy barrier and experimentally achieve electrical 180° switching of spin-splitting antiferromagnet Mn5Si3. Such a 180° switching is read out by the Néel vector-induced anomalous Hall effect. On the basis of our writing and readout methods, we fabricate an antiferromagnet device with electrical-controllable high- and low-resistance states that accomplishes robust write and read cycles. Besides fundamental advance, our work promotes practical spin-splitting antiferromagnetic devices based on spin-splitting antiferromagnet.

Multidrug resistance of Rhizoctonia solani determined by enhanced efflux for fungicides.

Plant pathogens can develop multidrug resistance (MDR) through metabolomic and efflux activities. Although MDR has been observed in the field, its mechanisms are yet to be further studied. MDR in Rhizoctonia solani induced by the uncoupler SYP-14288, which involved efflux transporters including ATP binding cassette (ABC) and major facilitator superfamily (MFS) have been reported in our previous study. To confirm this, corresponding genes of the wild-type R. solani X19 and its derived MDR mutant X19-7 were compared through transcriptomics, RNA-Seq data validation, and heterologous expression. Genes encoding six ABC transporters and seven MFS transporters were identified to be associated with MDR and mostly showed a constitutively higher expression in X19-7 than in X19 regardless of SYP-14288 treatment. Eight ABC transporter-encoding genes and eight MFS transporter-encoding genes were further characterized by transferring into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sensitivity of transformants containing either ABC transporter-encoding gene AG1IA_06082 and MFS transporter-encoding gene AG1IA_08645 was significantly decreased in responses to fungicides having various modes of action including SYP-14288, fluazinam, chlorothalonil, and difenoconazole, indicating that these two genes were related to MDR. The roles of two genes were further confirmed by successfully detecting their protein products and high accumulation of SYP-14288 in yeast transformants. Thus, ABC and MFS transporters contributed to the development of MDR in R. solani. The result helps to understand the cause and mechanisms that influence the efficient use of fungicide.

Cytochrome P450 and Glutathione S-Transferase Confer Metabolic Resistance to SYP-14288 and Multi-Drug Resistance in Rhizoctonia solani.

SYP-14288 is a fungicide as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, which is effective in controlling fungal pathogens like Rhizoctonia solani. To determine whether R. solani can develop SYP-14288 resistance and possibly multi-drug resistance (MDR), an SYP-14288-resistant mutant of R. solani X19-7 was generated from wild-type strain X19, and the mechanism of resistance was studied through metabolic and genetic assays. From metabolites of R. solani treated with SYP-14288, three compounds including M1, M2, and M3 were identified according to UPLC-MS/MS analysis, and M1 accumulated faster than M2 and M3 in X19-7. When X19-7 was treated by glutathione-S-transferase (GST) inhibitor diethyl maleate (DEM) and SYP-14288 together, or by DEM plus one of tested fungicides that have different modes of action, a synergistic activity of resistance occurred, implying that GSTs promoted metabolic resistance against SYP-14288 and therefore led to MDR. By comparing RNA sequences between X19-7 and X19, six cytochrome P450s (P450s) and two GST genes were selected as a target, which showed a higher expression in X19-7 than X19 both before and after the exposure to SYP-14288. Furthermore, heterologous expression of P450 and GST genes in yeast was conducted to confirm genes involved in metabolic resistance. In results, the P450 gene AG1IA_05136 and GST gene AG1IA_07383 were related to fungal resistance to multiple fungicides including SYP-14288, fluazinam, chlorothalonil, and difenoconazole. It was the first report that metabolic resistance of R. solani to uncouplers was associated with P450 and GST genes.

Uncoupler SYP-14288 inducing multidrug resistance of Phytophthora capsici through overexpression of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and P-glycoprotein.

BACKGROUND: Fungicide resistance has become a serious problem for different mode of action groups except for uncouplers, which makes their resistance mechanism a hot topic, which until now, has not been well clarified. SYP-14288, a newly developed diarylamine fungicide modeled on fluazinam, has shown good toxicity to both oomycete and fungus by the action of uncoupling. In this research, the resistance of Phytophthora capsici to SYP-14288 was studied to clarify the resistance mechanism of uncouplers. RESULTS: The toxicity tests of resistant strains against SYP-14288 showed multidrug resistance. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results showed that resistant strains could efflux the fungicide, and this ability could be inhibited by the efflux pump inhibitor amitriptyline. The target protein of amitriptyline is P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which was overexpressed in resistant strains. Three products of nitrate reduction of SYP-14288 were detected and determined by HPLC-Q-TOF. Eight cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) proteins were differentially involved in the reduction reaction. CONCLUSION: Both fungicide efflux and detoxification metabolism were involved in the resistance mechanisms of P. capsici to SYP-14288. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Metabolic Mechanism of Plant Defense against Rice Blast Induced by Probenazole.

The probenazole fungicide is used for controlling rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) primarily by inducing disease resistance of the plant. To investigate the mechanism of induced plant defense, rice seedlings were treated with probenazole at 15 days post emergence, and non-treated plants were used for the control. The plants were infected with M. grisea 5 days after chemical treatment and incubated in a greenhouse. After 7 days, rice seedlings were sampled. The metabolome of rice seedlings was chemically extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrum (GC-MS). The GC-MS data were processed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA) and metabolic pathway elucidation. Results showed that probenazole application significantly affected the metabolic profile of rice seedlings, and the effect was proportionally leveraged with the increase of probenazole concentration. Probenazole resulted in a change of 54 metabolites. Salicylic acid, γ-aminobutyrate, shikimate and several other primary metabolites related to plant resistance were significantly up-regulated and some metabolites such as phenylalanine, valine and proline were down-regulated in probenazole-treated seedlings. These results revealed a metabolic pathway of rice seedlings induced by probenazole treatment regarding the resistance to M. grisea infection.

Metabolic Fingerprinting for Identifying the Mode of Action of the Fungicide SYP-14288 on Rhizoctonia solani.

The fungicide SYP-14288 has a high efficiency, low toxicity, and broad spectrum in inhibiting both fungi and oomycetes, but its mode of action (MoA) remains unclear on inhibiting fungi. In this study, the MoA was determined by analyzing the metabolism and respiratory activities of Rhizoctonia solani treated by SYP-14288. Wild-type strains and SYP-14288-resistant mutants of R. solani were incubated on potato dextrose agar amended with either SYP-14288 or one of select fungicides acting on fungal respiration, including complex I, II, and III inhibitors; uncouplers; and ATP synthase inhibitors. Mycelial growth was measured under fungicides treatments. ATP content was determined using an ATP assay kit, membrane potential of mitochondria was detected with the JC-1 kit, and respiratory rate was calculated based on the measurement of oxygen consumption of R. solani. A model of metabolic fingerprinting cluster was established to separate oxidation inhibitors and phosphorylation inhibitors. All the results together displayed a clear discrimination between oxidation inhibitors and phosphorylation inhibitors, and the latter inhibited ATP synthase production having or uncoupling activities. Based on the model, SYP-14288 was placed in phosphorylation inhibitor group, because it significantly reduced ATP content and membrane potential of mitochondria while increasing respiratory rate in R. solani. Therefore, the MoA of SYP-14288 on R. solani was confirmed to involve phosphorylation inhibition and possibly uncoupling activity.

Fungicide SYP-14288 Inducing Multidrug Resistance in Rhizoctonia solani.

Rhizoctonia solani is a widely distributed soilborne plant pathogen, and can cause significant economic losses to crop production. In chemical controls, SYP-14288 is highly effective against plant pathogens, including R. solani. To examine the sensitivity to SYP-14288, 112 R. solani isolates were collected from infected rice plants. An established baseline sensitivity showed that values of effective concentration for 50% growth inhibition (EC50) ranged from 0.0003 to 0.0138 µg/ml, with an average of 0.0055 ± 0.0030 µg/ml. The frequency distribution of the EC50 was unimodal and the range of variation factor (the ratio of maximal over minimal EC50) was 46.03, indicating that all wild-type strains were sensitive to SYP-14288. To examine the risk of fungicide resistance, 20 SYP-14288-resistant mutants were generated on agar plates amended with SYP-14288. Eighteen mutants remained resistant after 10 transfers, and their fitness was significantly different from the parental strain. All of the mutants grew more slowly but showed high virulence to rice plants, though lower than the parental strain. A cross-resistance assay demonstrated that there was a positive correlation between SYP-14288 and fungicides having or not having the same mode of action with SYP-14288, including fluazinam, fentin chloride, fludioxonil, difenoconazole, cyazofamid, chlorothalonil, and 2,4-dinitrophen. This result showed a multidrug resistance induced by SYP-14288, which could be a concern in increasing the spectrum of resistance in R. solani to commonly used fungicides.

Point Mutations in the ß-Tubulin of Phytophthora sojae Confer Resistance to Ethaboxam.

Ethaboxam is a ß-tubulin inhibitor registered for the control of oomycete pathogens. The current study was established to determine the ethaboxam sensitivity of the plant pathogen Phytophthora sojae and investigate the potential for the emergence of fungicide resistance. The effective concentration for 50% inhibition (EC50) of 112 Phytophthora sojae isolates exhibited a unimodal distribution with a mean EC50 for ethaboxam of 0.033 µg/ml. Establishing this baseline sensitivity provided critical data for monitoring changes in ethaboxam-sensitivity in field populations. The potential for fungicide resistance was investigated using adaptation on ethaboxam-amended V8 agar, which resulted in the isolation of 20 resistant mutants. An assessment of the biological characteristics of the mutants including mycelial growth, sporulation, germination rate and pathogenicity indicated that the resistance risk in Phytophthora sojae was low to medium with no cross-resistance between ethaboxam and cymoxanil, metalaxyl, flumorph, and oxathiapiprolin being detected. However, positive cross-resistance was found between ethaboxam and zoxamide for Q8L and I258V but negative cross-resistance for C165Y. Further investigation revealed that the ethaboxam-resistant mutants had point mutations at amino acids Q8L, C165Y, or I258V of their ß-tubulin protein sequences. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated transformation experiments confirmed that the Q8L, C165Y, or I258V mutations could confer ethaboxam resistance in Phytophthora sojae and that the C165Y mutation induces high levels of resistance. Taken together, the results of the study provide essential data for monitoring the emergence of resistance and resistance management strategies for ethaboxam, as well as for improving the design of novel ß-tubulin inhibitors for future development.

Characterization of Antagonistic Bacillus methylotrophicus Isolated From Rhizosphere and Its Biocontrol Effects on Maize Stalk Rot.

Stalk rot is one of the most serious and widespread diseases in maize, and effective control measures are currently lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a new biological agent to manage this disease. An antagonistic bacterial strain, TA-1, was isolated from rhizosphere soil and identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus based on morphological and biochemical characterization and 16S ribosomal RNA and gyrB gene sequence analyses. TA-1 exhibited a strong antifungal effect on the growth of Fusarium graminearum mycelium, with 86.3% inhibition at a concentration of 108 CFU per ml. Transmission electron microscopy showed that TA-1 could disrupt the cellular structure of the fungus, induce necrosis, and degrade the cell wall. Greenhouse and field trials were performed to evaluate the biocontrol efficacy of TA-1 on maize stalk rot, and the results of greenhouse experiment revealed that the bacterium significantly reduced disease incidence and disease index. Seeds treated with a 108 CFU ml-1 cell suspension had the highest disease suppression at 86.8%. Results of field trials show that seed bacterization with TA-1 could not only reduce maize stalk rot incidence but also increase maize height, stem diameter, and grain yield. The lipopeptide antibiotics were isolated from the culture supernatants of TA-1 and identified as surfactins and iturins. Consequently, B. methylotrophicus TA-1 is a potential biocontrol agent against maize stalk rot.

Effect of Emamectin Benzoate on Root-Knot Nematodes and Tomato Yield.

Southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is an obligate, sedentary endoparasite of more than 3000 plant species, that causes heavy economic losses and limit the development of protected agriculture of China. As a biological pesticide, emamectin benzoate has effectively prevented lepidopteran pests; however, its efficacy to control M. incognita remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to test soil application of emamectin benzoate for management of M. incognita in laboratory, greenhouse and field trials. Laboratory results showed that emamectin benzoate exhibited high toxicity to M. incognita, with LC50 and LC90 values 3.59 and 18.20 mg L(-1), respectively. In greenhouse tests, emamectin benzoate soil application offered good efficacy against M. incognita while maintaining excellent plant growth. In field trials, emamectin benzoate provided control efficacy against M. incognita and resulted in increased tomato yields. Compared with the untreated control, there was a 36.5% to 81.3% yield increase obtained from all treatments and the highest yield was received from the highest rate of emamectin benzoate. The results confirmed that emamectin benzoate has enormous potential for the control of M. incognita in tomato production in China.

Effect of fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene on soil bacterial communities.

1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) is a potential candidate as a soil fumigant because of the restriction of methyl bromide (MB) in soil fumigation. So far, little is known about the bacteria diversity in 1,3-D fumigated soil. Therefore, the impact of 1,3-D on soil bacterial community was determined by the 16S rRNA gene amplicon 454 sequencing. A total of 230,617 valid reads and 19,366 OTUs were obtained from the thirteen samples. 454 sequencing results revealed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Firmicutes were predominant phylum in soils. Bacterial diversity was affected initially, while recovered in the later treatments and soils from 1,3-D treatment plots had a higher bacterial diversity. The results of this study demonstrated that 1,3-D had only a short-term and transitory impact on the indigenous soil microbial community. Our study would provide useful information for evaluating ecological safety of 1,3-D in China.