Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Potential of Ethanolic Extracts of Duguetia vallicola (Annonaceae) against in-Hospital Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is especially dominant in people with cystic fibrosis; the drug resistance expressed by this pathogen and its capacity for adaptation poses a significant challenge to its treatment and control, thereby increasing morbidity and mortality rates globally. In this sense, the search for new treatment alternatives is imminent today, with products of plant origin being an excellent alternative for use. The objective of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential and to explore the possible effect of ethanolic extracts from the wood and bark of Duguetia vallicola on the cell membrane. Microdilution assays showed the inhibition of bacterial growth by more than 50%, with the lowest concentration (62.5 µg/mL) of both extracts evaluated. Furthermore, we report the ability of both extracts to inhibit mature biofilms, with inhibition percentages between 48.4% and 93.7%. Intracellular material leakage experiments (260/280 nm), extracellular pH measurements, and fluorescence microscopy with acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) showed cell membrane damage. This indicates that the antibacterial action of ethanolic extracts of D. vallicola is associated with damage to the integrity of the cell membrane and consequent death of these pathogens. These results serve as a reference for future studies in establishing the mechanisms of action of these extracts.

H3K4me1 recruits DNA repair proteins in plants.

DNA repair proteins can be recruited by their histone reader domains to specific epigenomic features, with consequences on intragenomic mutation rate variation. Here, we investigated H3K4me1-associated hypomutation in plants. We first examined 2 proteins which, in plants, contain Tudor histone reader domains: PRECOCIOUS DISSOCIATION OF SISTERS 5 (PDS5C), involved in homology-directed repair, and MUTS HOMOLOG 6 (MSH6), a mismatch repair protein. The MSH6 Tudor domain of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) binds to H3K4me1 as previously demonstrated for PDS5C, which localizes to H3K4me1-rich gene bodies and essential genes. Mutations revealed by ultradeep sequencing of wild-type and msh6 knockout lines in Arabidopsis show that functional MSH6 is critical for the reduced rate of single-base substitution (SBS) mutations in gene bodies and H3K4me1-rich regions. We explored the breadth of these mechanisms among plants by examining a large rice (Oryza sativa) mutation data set. H3K4me1-associated hypomutation is conserved in rice as are the H3K4me1-binding residues of MSH6 and PDS5C Tudor domains. Recruitment of DNA repair proteins by H3K4me1 in plants reveals convergent, but distinct, epigenome-recruited DNA repair mechanisms from those well described in humans. The emergent model of H3K4me1-recruited repair in plants is consistent with evolutionary theory regarding mutation modifier systems and offers mechanistic insight into intragenomic mutation rate variation in plants.

Causes of Mutation Rate Variability in Plant Genomes.

Mutation is the source of all heritable diversity, the essential material of evolution and breeding. While mutation rates are often regarded as constant, variability in mutation rates has been observed at nearly every level-varying across mutation types, genome locations, gene functions, epigenomic contexts, environmental conditions, genotypes, and species. This mutation rate variation arises from differential rates of DNA damage, repair, and transposable element activation and insertion that together produce what is measured by DNA mutation rates. We review historical and recent investigations into the causes and consequences of mutation rate variability in plants by focusing on the mechanisms shaping this variation. Emerging mechanistic models point to the evolvability of mutation rate variation across genomes via mechanisms that target DNA repair, shaping the diversification of plants at phenotypic and genomic scales.

Rootstock influences the effect of grapevine leafroll-associated viruses on berry development and metabolism via abscisic acid signalling.

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus (GLRaV) infections are accompanied by symptoms influenced by host genotype, rootstock, environment, and which individual or combination of GLRaVs is present. Using a dedicated experimental vineyard, we studied the responses to GLRaVs in ripening berries from Cabernet Franc grapevines grafted to different rootstocks and with zero, one, or pairs of leafroll infection(s). RNA sequencing data were mapped to a high-quality Cabernet Franc genome reference assembled to carry out this study and integrated with hormone and metabolite abundance data. This study characterized conserved and condition-dependent responses to GLRaV infection(s). Common responses to GLRaVs were reproduced in two consecutive years and occurred in plants grafted to different rootstocks in more than one infection condition. Though different infections were inconsistently distinguishable from one another, the effects of infections in plants grafted to different rootstocks were distinct at each developmental stage. Conserved responses included the modulation of genes related to pathogen detection, abscisic acid (ABA) signalling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and cytoskeleton remodelling. ABA, ABA glucose ester, ABA and hormone signalling-related gene expression, and the expression of genes in several transcription factor families differentiated the effects of GLRaVs in berries from Cabernet Franc grapevines grafted to different rootstocks. These results support that ABA participates in the shared responses to GLRaV infection and differentiates the responses observed in grapevines grafted to different rootstocks.

A fast and efficient protocol for small RNA extraction in Japanese plum and other Prunus species

Background: Small ribonucleic acids represent an important repertoire of mobile molecules that exert key roles in several cell processes including antiviral defense. Small RNA based repertoire includes both small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) molecules. In the Prunus genus, sharka disease, caused by the Plum pox virus (PPV), first occurred on European plum (Prunus domestica) and then spread over among all species in this genus and thus classified as quarantine pathogen. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used for the study of siRNA/miRNA molecules; however, NGS relies on adequate extraction protocols. Currently, knowledge of PPV-Prunus interactions in terms of siRNA populations and miRNA species is still scarce, and siRNA/miRNA extraction protocols are limited to species such as peach, almond, and sweet cherry. Results: We describe a reliable procedure for siRNA/miRNA purification from Prunus salicina trees, in which previously used protocols did not allow adequate purification. The procedure was based on a combination of commercially available RNA purification kits and specific steps that yielded high quality purifications. The resulting molecules were adequate for library construction and NGS, leading to the development of a pipeline for analysis of both siRNAs and miRNAs in the PPV­P. salicina interactions. Results showed that PPV infection led to altered siRNA profiles in Japanese plum as characterized by decreased 24-nt and increased 21- and 22-nt siRNAs. Infections showed miR164 and miR160 generation and increased miR166, miR171, miR168, miR319, miR157, and miR159. Conclusion: We propose this protocol as a reliable and reproducible small RNA isolation procedure for P. salicina and other Prunus species.

Synthesis of an artificial Vitis vinifera miRNA 319e using overlapping long primers and its application for gene silencing.

The conserved mechanism of action of micro-RNAs (miRNAs) as regulators of gene expression has allowed the use of artificial miRNAs (amiRNAs) as a powerful tool for candidate gene evaluation in plants. Based on the use of a Vitis vinifera miRNA molecule (i.e., vvi-miR319e), the present work presents a new methodology for designing artificial miR319e precursors (pre-amiR319e). As a proof of concept, we silenced the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants. This methodology includes a two-step PCR reaction in which overlapping long primers allow for the complete generation of pre-amiR319e-GFP molecules that are adequate for recombination into Gateway vectors with no further requirements. The seed region in amiRNA was directed against the 3'-end portion of the GFP gene. Three groups of transformed N. benthamiana plants were generated: GFP-, amiR319e-GFP-, and GFP plus miR319e-GFP-expressing vectors. A similar group of wild-type plants was included. Confocal microscopy evaluation of these groups revealed strong silencing of the GFP phenotype in the double GFP plus amiR319e-GFP group. The molecular characterization of silenced plants was achieved via modified 5'RACE of the GFP mRNA and revealed the occurrence of a partial, 3'-end GFP mRNA molecule that was generated in planta. In addition, large-scale small RNA sequencing confirmed the occurrence of the expected 21-nt miR319e-GFP species and other 22- and 24-nt species that exhibited sequence relationships with the expected amiRNA. These results highlight the possibility of using vvi-MIR319 as a template for the generation of single amiRNAs as a tool for gene silencing in plants.