Brassinosteroids modulate autophagy through phosphorylation of RAPTOR1B by the GSK3-like kinase BIN2 in Arabidopsis

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved recycling process that maintains cellular homeostasis during environmental stress. Autophagy is negatively regulated by TOR (target of rapamycin), a nutrient-regulated protein kinase that in plants is activated by several phytohormones, leading to increased growth. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which TOR integrates autophagy and hormone signaling are poorly understood. Here, we show that TOR modulates brassinosteroid (BR)-regulated plant growth and stress-response pathways. Active TOR was required for full BR-mediated growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Autophagy was constitutively up-regulated upon blocking BR biosynthesis or signaling, and down-regulated by increasing the activity of the BR pathway. BIN2 (brassinosteroid-insensitive 2) kinase, a GSK3-like kinase functioning as a negative regulator in BR signaling, directly phosphorylated RAPTOR1B (regulatory-associated protein of TOR 1B), a substrate-recruiting subunit in the TOR complex, at a conserved serine residue within a typical BIN2 phosphorylation motif. Mutation of RAPTOR1B serine 916 to alanine, to block phosphorylation by BIN2, repressed autophagy and increased phosphorylation of the TOR substrate ATG13a (autophagy-related protein 13a). By contrast, this mutation had only a limited effect on growth. We present a model in which RAPTOR1B is phosphorylated and inhibited by BIN2 when BRs are absent, activating the autophagy pathway. When BRs signal and inhibit BIN2, RAPTOR1B is thus less inhibited by BIN2 phosphorylation. This leads to increased TOR activity and ATG13a phosphorylation, and decreased autophagy activity. Our studies define a new mechanism by which coordination between BR and TOR signaling pathways helps to maintain the balance between plant growth and stress responses.

Participant characteristics predicting communication outcomes in AAC implementation for individuals with ASD and IDD: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined communication outcomes in single-case design studies of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions and their relationship to participant characteristics. Variables addressed included chronological age, pre-intervention communication mode, productive repertoire, and pre-intervention imitation skills. Investigators identified 114 single-case design studies that implemented AAC interventions with school-aged individuals with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability. Two complementary effect size indices, Tau(AB) and the log response ratio, were applied to synthesize findings. Both indices showed positive effects on average, but also exhibited a high degree of heterogeneity. Moderator analyses detected few differences in effectiveness when comparing across diagnoses, age, the number and type of communication modes, participant's productive repertoires, and imitation skills to intervention. A PRISMA-compliant abstract is available: https://bit.ly/30BzbLv.

Integrated omics reveal novel functions and underlying mechanisms of the receptor kinase FERONIA in Arabidopsis thaliana

The receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) is a versatile regulator of plant growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and reproduction. To gain new insights into the molecular interplay of these processes and to identify new FER functions, we carried out quantitative transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome profiling of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) wild-type and fer-4 loss-of-function mutant plants. Gene ontology terms for phytohormone signaling, abiotic stress, and biotic stress were significantly enriched among differentially expressed transcripts, differentially abundant proteins, and/or misphosphorylated proteins, in agreement with the known roles for FER in these processes. Analysis of multiomics data and subsequent experimental evidence revealed previously unknown functions for FER in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) body formation and glucosinolate biosynthesis. FER functions through the transcription factor NAI1 to mediate ER body formation. FER also negatively regulates indole glucosinolate biosynthesis, partially through NAI1. Furthermore, we found that a group of abscisic acid (ABA)-induced transcription factors is hypophosphorylated in the fer-4 mutant and demonstrated that FER acts through the transcription factor ABA INSENSITIVE5 (ABI5) to negatively regulate the ABA response during cotyledon greening. Our integrated omics study, therefore, reveals novel functions for FER and provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms of FER function.

Interactions between autophagy and phytohormone signaling pathways in plants

Autophagy is a conserved recycling process with important functions in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Phytohormones also play key roles in the regulation of some of the same processes. Increasing evidence indicates that a close relationship exists between autophagy and phytohormone signaling pathways, and the mechanisms of interaction between these pathways have begun to be revealed. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how autophagy regulates hormone signaling and, conversely, how hormones regulate the activity of autophagy, both in plant growth and development and in environmental stress responses. We highlight in particular recent mechanistic insights into the coordination between autophagy and signaling events controlled by the stress hormone abscisic acid and by the growth hormones brassinosteroid and cytokinin and briefly discuss potential connections between autophagy and other phytohormones.

Functional outcomes following fixation of a marginal distal radius fracture with two commonly used volar locking plates: a retrospective cohort study

Introduction

The volar locking plate has been widely used for unstable distal radius fractures to provide early recovery of wrist function. Volar plate prominence to the watershed line has been reported to be related to flexor tendon irritation, and avoid implant prominence in this area was suggested. On the other hand, marginal distal radius fracture patterns required the plate to cross the watershed line, making conflict over plate positioning on marginal distal radius fractures. This study compared functional outcomes in patients with marginal distal radius fractures treated with two different implants.

Materials and methods

A retrospective study was conducted, all patients who received a Synthes 2.4 mm LCP or an Acumed Acu-Loc VLP between January 2015 and December 2018 were reviewed. The marginal distal radius fracture pattern was the most distal horizontal fracture line within 10 mm of the lunate fossa’s joint line. The primary outcomes including patient-reported pain scores, range of motion, and grip strength were assessed. Secondary outcomes included patient-based subjective satisfaction scores of the injured wrist and hand function. The Mayo Wrist Score and the requirement for a secondary procedure related to hardware complications were also recorded.

Results

Forty-two patients met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-one patients were treated with the Synthes 2.4 mm LCP, and 21 patients with the Acumed Acu-Loc VLP. The primary outcome revealed that post-operative range of motion (P = 0.016) and grip strengths (P = 0.014) were significantly improved in the Acu-Loc VLP group. The MAYO wrist score in the Acu-Loc VLP group was also significantly better (P = 0.006).

Conclusions

Despite advances in implant designs, flexor tendon irritation or rupture is still a complication following distal radius’s volar plating. We believe the Acumed Acu-Loc VLP design provided better functional outcomes than the Synthes 2.4 mm LCP if appropriately and carefully placed into its designed-for position. This positioning results in promising patient satisfaction when treating marginal distal radius fractures.

FERONIA functions through Target of Rapamycin (TOR) to negatively regulate autophagy

FERONIA (FER) receptor kinase plays versatile roles in plant growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and reproduction. Autophagy is a conserved cellular recycling process that is critical for balancing plant growth and stress responses. Target of Rapamycin (TOR) has been shown to be a master regulator of autophagy. Our previous multi-omics analysis with loss-of-function fer-4 mutant implicated that FER functions in the autophagy pathway. We further demonstrated here that the fer-4 mutant displayed constitutive autophagy, and FER is required for TOR kinase activity measured by S6K1 phosphorylation and by root growth inhibition assay to TOR kinase inhibitor AZD8055. Taken together, our study provides a previously unknown mechanism by which FER functions through TOR to negatively regulate autophagy.

Combating stress: the interplay between hormone signaling and autophagy in plants

Autophagy is a conserved recycling process in which cellular components are delivered to and degraded in the vacuole/lysosome for reuse. In plants, it assists in responding to dynamic environmental conditions and maintaining metabolite homeostasis under normal or stress conditions. Under stress, autophagy is activated to remove damaged components and to recycle nutrients for survival, and the energy sensor kinases target of rapamycin (TOR) and SNF-related kinase 1 (SnRK1) are key to this activation. Here, we discuss accumulating evidence that hormone signaling plays critical roles in regulating autophagy and plant stress responses, although the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs are often not clear. Several hormones have been shown to regulate TOR activity during stress, in turn controlling autophagy. Hormone signaling can also regulate autophagy gene expression, while, reciprocally, autophagy can regulate hormone synthesis and signaling pathways. We highlight how the interplay between major energy sensors, plant hormones, and autophagy under abiotic and biotic stress conditions can assist in plant stress tolerance.

Respiratory muscle training in stroke patients with respiratory muscle weakness, dysphagia, and dysarthria - a prospective randomized trial

OBJECTIVE

To examine the efficacy of combined inspiratory and expiratory respiratory muscle training (RMT) with respect to the swallowing function, pulmonary function, functional performance, and dysarthria in patients with stroke.

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Tertiary hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

The trial included 21 subjects (12 men, 9 women) aged 35 to 80 years presenting with 6 months history of unilateral stroke, respiratory muscle weakness (≥70% predicted maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and/or ≤70% maximal expiratory pressure (MEP)), dysphagia, or dysarthria. These subjects were randomly assigned to the control (n = 10, rehabilitation) and experimental (n = 11, rehabilitation with RMT) groups.

INTERVENTION

Inspiratory RMT starting from 30% to 60% of MIP and expiratory RMT starting from 15% to 75% of MEP for 5 days/week for 6 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

MIP, MEP, pulmonary function, peak cough flow, perception of dyspnea, Fatigue Assessment Scale, Modified Rankin Scale, Brunnstrom stage, Barthel index, Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), and parameters of voice analysis.

RESULTS

Significant differences were observed between both groups in terms of MIP, forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume per second (FEV1) of the percentage predicted. Significant difference was found with respect to the change in fatigue, shimmer percent, amplitude perturbation quotient, and voice turbulence index (VTI) according to the acoustic analysis in the RMT group. The FEV1/FVC ratio was negatively correlated with jitter percent, relative average perturbation, pitch perturbation quotient, and VTI; the maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) and MMEF% were also negatively correlated with VTI. Significant differences among participants of the same group were observed while comparing the Brunnstrom stage before and after training of the affected limbs and the Barthel scale and FOIS scores in both the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, 6-week combined inspiratory and expiratory RMT is feasible as adjuvant therapy for stroke patients to improve fatigue level, respiratory muscle strength, lung volume, respiratory flow, and dysarthria.Clinical trial registration number (Clinical Trial Identifier): NCT03491111.

Overexpression of trans-Golgi network t-SNAREs rescues vacuolar trafficking and TGN morphology defects in a putative tethering factor mutant

The trans-Golgi network (TGN) is a major site for sorting of cargo to either the vacuole or apoplast. The TGN-localized coiled-coil protein TNO1 is a putative tethering factor that interacts with the TGN t-SNARE SYP41 and is required for correct localization of the SYP61 t-SNARE. An Arabidopsis thaliana tno1 mutant is hypersensitive to salt stress and partially mislocalizes vacuolar proteins to the apoplast, indicating a role in vacuolar trafficking. Here, we show that overexpression of SYP41 or SYP61 significantly increases SYP41-SYP61 complex formation in a tno1 mutant, and rescues the salt sensitivity and defective vacuolar trafficking of the tno1 mutant. The TGN is disrupted and vesicle budding from Golgi cisternae is reduced in the tno1 mutant, and these defects are also rescued by overexpression of SYP41 or SYP61. Our results suggest that the trafficking and Golgi morphology defects caused by loss of TNO1 can be rescued by increasing SYP41-SYP61 t-SNARE complex formation, implicating TNO1 as a tethering factor mediating efficient vesicle fusion at the TGN.

Deep sequencing of small RNA libraries reveals dynamic expression patterns of microRNAs in multiple developmental stages of Bactrocera dorsalis

In eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, conserved, noncoding RNAs that have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression. The oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis is one of the most economically important fruit fly pests in East Asia and the Pacific. Although transcriptome analyses have greatly enriched our knowledge of its structural genes, little is known about post-transcriptional regulation by miRNAs in this dipteran species. In this study, small RNA libraries corresponding to four B. dorsalis developmental stages (eggs, larvae, pupae and adults) were constructed and sequenced. Approximately 30.7 million reads of 18-30 nucleotides were obtained, with 123 known miRNAs and 60 novel miRNAs identified amongst these libraries. More than half of the miRNAs were stage-specific during the four developmental stages. A set of miRNAs was found to be up- or down-regulated during development by comparison of their reads at different developmental stages. Moreover, a small part of miRNAs owned both miR-#-3p and miR-#-5p types, with enormously variable miR-#-3p/miR-#-5p ratios in the same library and amongst different developmental stages for each miRNA. Taking these findings together, the current study has uncovered a number of miRNAs and provided insights into their possible involvement in developmental regulation by expression profiling of miRNAs. Further analyses of the expression and function of these miRNAs could increase our understanding of regulatory networks in this insect and lead to novel approaches for its control.

Interstitial-mediated diffusion in germanium under proton irradiation

We report experiments on the impact of 2.5 MeV proton irradiation on self-diffusion and dopant diffusion in germanium (Ge). Self-diffusion under irradiation reveals an unusual depth independent broadening of the Ge isotope multilayer structure. This behavior and the observed enhanced diffusion of B and retarded diffusion of P demonstrates that an interstitial-mediated diffusion process dominates in Ge under irradiation. This fundamental finding opens up unique ways to suppress vacancy-mediated diffusion in Ge and to solve the donor deactivation problem that hinders the fabrication of Ge-based nanoelectronic devices.

Theory of nanocluster size distributions from ion beam synthesis

Ion beam synthesis of nanoclusters is studied via both kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and the self-consistent mean-field solution to a set of coupled rate equations. Both approaches predict the existence of a steady-state shape for the cluster-size distribution that depends only on a characteristic length determined by the effective diffusion coefficient, the ion solubility, and the volumetric ion flux. The average cluster size in the steady-state regime is determined by the implanted species or matrix interface energy.

Expression of sex-determining genes in human sebaceous glands and their possible role in the pathogenesis of acne

BACKGROUND

The human skin, especially the sebaceous gland, is a steroidogenic organ similar to the gonads and adrenal cortex, possessing all the enzymes required for steroid sex-hormone synthesis and metabolism. Factors regulating cutaneous steroidogenesis associated with disease status remain largely unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We hypothesized that transcription factors involved in sex formation and regulation of steroidogenesis in the classical steroidogenic organs are also expressed in the sebaceous glands. Their possible role in the pathogenesis of acne were investigated.

METHODS

We used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization and Western blotting to analyse the expression of SF-1, WT-1, SRY, SOX-9 and DAX-1 mRNAs and their proteins in cultured human sebocytes and the facial skin of acne patients.

RESULTS

The in situ hybridization study showed SOX-9 mRNA mainly localized in basal keratinocytes, the basal layer of the sebaceous glands and eccrine glands. Immortalized human sebaceous gland cells (SZ95) expressed mRNA for SOX-9, WT-1 and DAX-1 but not for SF-1 or SRY. The expression of DAX-1 protein was slightly inhibited by 10(-6) m oestradiol (E2) at 6 h but enhanced by 10(-6) m dihydrotestosterone (DHT) at 48 h. The facial expression of SOX-9 seemed to be higher in the acne-prone male patients, while DAX-1 was stronger in subjects without acne, although both were statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSION

Our findings confirm the expression of some sex-determining genes in human sebaceous glands. Further studies on a larger patient population including the normal controls are needed to elucidate the functional significance of these transcription factors in the pathogenesis of acne.

Large melting-point hysteresis of Ge nanocrystals embedded in SiO2

The melting behavior of Ge nanocrystals embedded within SiO2 is evaluated using in situ transmission electron microscopy. The observed melting-point hysteresis is large (+/-17%) and nearly symmetric about the bulk melting point. This hysteresis is modeled successfully using classical nucleation theory without the need to invoke epitaxy.

Dynamics of inherent structure in supercooled liquids near kinetic glass transition

We present a description of the dynamics of a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones liquid in term of the potential landscape of the system. The slowing down of the dynamics in supercooled liquids near the kinetic glass transition is related to the existence of basins in the potential landscape. The inherent structures that are the local potential minima in the configuration space obtained by a quench process are employed to represent the configurations of the basins. We present time correlation functions of the inherent structure, both the self and the coherent part, as a function of wave vector. We also calculated the mean-square displacement, and the non-Gaussian parameter of the van Hove self-correlation function. Compared with the dynamics of original configurations, the short-time relaxation has almost been eliminated by the quench process. However, the long-time alpha relaxations remain essentially the same. We conclude that the long-time alpha relaxation is the result of cross-basin transition in the potential landscape in the configuration space.

Prothymosin alpha enhances protective immune responses induced by oral DNA vaccination against pseudorabies delivered by Salmonella choleraesuis

Previously, we showed that vaccination with the glycoprotein D (gD) gene of pseudorabies virus (PrV) delivered by Escherichia coli induced protective immune responses. In this study, we report that oral DNA vaccination with attenuated Salmonella choleraesuis carrying the PrV gD gene conferred protective immunity in mice against PrV. Moreover, co-delivery of the prothymosin alpha gene carried by S. choleraesuis enhanced the vaccine efficacy. Our results thus demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, the effectiveness of oral DNA vaccination using S. choleraesuis as a delivery vehicle and the potential usefulness of prothymosin alpha as a DNA vaccine adjuvant.

[QTLs and epistasis underlying rice (Oryza sativa L.) panicle length in different genetic background and environments]

A double haploid (DH) population and a recombinant inbred (RI) population derived from a cross between a japonica male parent Azucena and indica female parents, IR64 and IR1552 respectively, were used in both field and pot experiments for detecting QTLs and epistasis for rice panicle length in different genetic background and different environments. Panicle length (PL) was measured at maturity. QTLs for PL were detected using single marker analysis and interval mapping. Epistasis effects on the trait were also analyzed. Nine QTLs were detected in DH population, including 5 QTLs detected from field experiment and 4 from pot experiment, among them 3 QTLs mapped on chromosomes 1 and 4 were identified in both field and pot experiments. No significant epistasis effect was detected for PL. Four QTLs were detected in RI population, among them 2 from field condition and 2 from pot experiment. 6 pairs of epistasis loci were detected in RI population. One QTL mapped on chromosome 4 and two pairs of epistatic loci were detected in both field and pot experiments. One QTL on chromosome four was identified in both populations, and one marker locus RG323 on chromosome one was involved in additive effect in DH population, but epistasis effects in RI population.

Collective dynamics in fully hydrated phospholipid bilayers studied by inelastic x-ray scattering

The short wavelength density fluctuation of DLPC (dilaurylphosphatidylcholine) bilayers close to full hydration has been studied by the inelastic x-ray scattering technique below and above the main transition temperature. The analysis based on a generalized three effective eigenmode theory allows us to construct the dispersion relation of the high frequency sound mode for the first time. The marked softening of the excitation near k = 14 nm(-1), corresponding to the lipid chain-chain correlation peak in the structure factor, in the L(alpha) phase implies prevalent occurrences of short-wavelength in-plane motions of lipid chains that might be of importance for transportation of small molecules across membranes.

Analysis of inelastic x-ray scattering spectra of low-temperature water

We analyze a set of high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) spectra from H2O measured at T=259, 273, and 294 K using two different phenomenological models. Model I, called the "dynamic cage model," combines the short time in-cage dynamics described by a generalized Enskog kinetic theory with a long-time cage relaxation dynamics described by an alpha relaxation. This model is appropriate for supercooled water where the cage effect is dominant and the existence of an alpha relaxation is evident from molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation data of extended simple point charge (SPC/E) model water. Model II is essentially a generalized hydrodynamic theory called the "three effective eigenmode theory" by de Schepper et al. 11. This model is appropriate for normal liquid water where the cage effect is less prominent and there is no evidence of the alpha relaxation from the MD data. We use the model I to analyze IXS data at T=259 K (supercooled water). We successfully extract the Debye-Waller factor, the cage relaxation time from the long-time dynamics, and the dispersion relation of high-frequency sound from the short time dynamics. We then use the model II to analyze IXS data at all three temperatures, from which we are able to extract the relaxation rate of the central mode and the damping of the sound mode as well as the dispersion relation for the high-frequency sound. It turns out that the dispersion relations extracted from the two models at their respective temperatures agree with each other giving the high-frequency sound speed of 2900+/-300 m/s. This is to be compared with a slightly higher value reported previously, 3200+/-320 m/s, by analyzing similar IXS data with a phenomenological-damped harmonic oscillator model 22. This latter model has traditionally been used exclusively for the analysis of inelastic scattering spectra of water. The k-dependent sound damping and central mode relaxation rate extracted from our model analyses are compared with the known values in the hydrodynamic limit.

Model for dynamics in supercooled water

We propose a phenomenological model for the intermediate scattering function (ISF) associated with density fluctuation in low temperature water. The motivation is twofold: to extract various physical parameters associated with the ISF computed from extended simple-point-charge model water at supercooled temperatures, and to apply this model to analyze high resolution inelastic x-ray scattering data of water in the future. The ISF of the center of mass of low temperature water computed from 10 M-step molecular dynamics (MD) data shows clearly time-separated two-step relaxation with a well-defined plateau in-between. We interpret this result as due to the formation of a stable hydrogen-bonded, tetrahedrally coordinated cage around a typical molecule in low temperature water. We thus model the long-time cage relaxation by the well-known Kohlrausch form exp[-(t/tau)(beta)] with an amplitude factor which is a k-dependent Debye-Waller factor A(k), and treat the short-time relaxation as due to molecular collisional motions within the cage. The latter motions can be described by the generalized Enskog equation, taking into account the confinement effect of the cage. We shall show that the effect of the confinement changes the collisional dynamics by modifying certain input parameters in the kinetic theory by a factor [1-A(k)](1/2). We solve the generalized Enskog equation approximately but analytically by a Q-dependent triple relaxation time kinetic model. This kinetic model was previously shown to account for the large k behavior of Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering from moderately dense, simple fluids. We find that our model fits well with the MD generated collective as well as single-particle ISFs. For the short-time collisional dynamics, we fix values of the hard sphere diameter sigma and pair correlation function at contact g(sigma), without introducing any adjustable parameters. The calculated ISFs reproduce the correct Brillouin peak frequencies at low k values. From the long-time dynamics, we deduce values of the Debye-Waller factor A(k), the Kohlrausch exponent beta(k), and the cage relaxation time tau(k).

SH3 domain of Bruton's tyrosine kinase can bind to proline-rich peptides of TH domain of the kinase and p120cbl

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), an inherited disease, is caused by mutations in the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). The absence of functional BTK leads to failure of B-cell differentiation; this incapacitates antibody production in XLA patients, who suffer from recurrent, sometimes lethal, bacterial infections. BTK plays an important role in B-cell development; it interacts with several proteins in the context of signal transduction. Point mutation in the BTK gene that leads to deletion of C-terminal 14 aa residues of BTK SH3 domain was found in a patient family. To understand the role of BTK, we studied binding of BTK SH3 domain (aa 216-273, 58 residues) and truncated SH3 domain (216-259, 44 residues) with proline-rich peptides; the first peptide constitutes the SH3 domain of BTK, while the latter peptide lacks 14 amino acid residues of the C terminal. Proline-rich peptides selected from TH domain of BTK and p120cbl were studied. It is known that BTK TH domain binds to SH3 domains of various proteins. We found that BTK SH3 domain binds to peptides of BTK TH domain. This suggests that BTK SH3 and TH domains may associate in inter- or intramolecular fashion, which raises the possibility that the kinase may be regulating its own activity by restricting the availability of both its ligand-binding modules. We also found that truncated SH3 domain binds to BTK TH domain peptide less avidly than does normal SH3 domain. Also, we show that the SH3 and truncated SH3 domains bind to peptide of p120cbl, but the latter domain binds weakly. It is likely that the truncated SH3 domain fails to present to the ligand the crucial residues in the correct context, hence the weaker binding. These results delineate the importance of C-terminal in binding of SH3 domains and indicate also that improper folding and the altered binding behavior of mutant BTK SH3 domain likely leads to XLA.