Effect of waxy (Low Amylose) on Fungal Infection of Sorghum Grain

Loss of function mutations in waxy, encoding granule bound starch synthase (GBSS) that synthesizes amylose, results in starch granules containing mostly amylopectin. Low amylose grain with altered starch properties has increased usability for feed, food, and grain-based ethanol. In sorghum, two classes of waxy (wx) alleles had been characterized for absence or presence of GBSS: wxa (GBSS−) and wxb (GBSS+, with reduced activity). Field-grown grain of wild-type; waxy, GBSS−; and waxy, GBSS+ plant introduction accessions were screened for fungal infection. Overall, results showed that waxy grains were not more susceptible than wild-type. GBSS− and wild-type grain had similar infection levels. However, height was a factor with waxy, GBSS+ lines: short accessions (wxb allele) were more susceptible than tall accessions (undescribed allele). In greenhouse experiments, grain from accessions and near-isogenic wxa, wxb, and wild-type lines were inoculated with Alternaria sp., Fusarium thapsinum, and Curvularia sorghina to analyze germination and seedling fitness. As a group, waxy lines were not more susceptible to these pathogens than wild-type, supporting field evaluations. After C. sorghina and F. thapsinum inoculations most waxy and wild-type lines had reduced emergence, survival, and seedling weights. These results are valuable for developing waxy hybrids with resistance to grain-infecting fungi.

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Lethal (2) giant discs (Lgd)/CC2D1 is required for the full activity of the ESCRT machinery

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-020-00933-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Miriam Baeumers ◽

Kristina Ruhnau ◽

Thomas Breuer ◽

Hendrik Pannen ◽

Bastian Goerlich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transmembrane Proteins ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Endosomal Sorting ◽

Full Activity ◽

Complete Degradation ◽

Escrt Machinery ◽

Intracellular Domains ◽

Mutant Cells ◽

Reduced Activity

Abstract Background A major task of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery is the pinching off of cargo-loaded intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) into the lumen of maturing endosomes (MEs), which is essential for the complete degradation of transmembrane proteins in the lysosome. The ESCRT machinery is also required for the termination of signalling through activated signalling receptors, as it separates their intracellular domains from the cytosol. At the heart of the machinery lies the ESCRT-III complex, which is required for an increasing number of processes where membrane regions are abscised away from the cytosol. The core of ESCRT-III, comprising four members of the CHMP protein family, organises the assembly of a homopolymer of CHMP4, Shrub in Drosophila, that is essential for abscission. We and others identified the tumour-suppressor lethal (2) giant discs (Lgd)/CC2D1 as a physical interactor of Shrub/CHMP4 in Drosophila and mammals, respectively. Results Here, we show that the loss of function of lgd constitutes a state of reduced activity of Shrub/CHMP4/ESCRT-III. This hypomorphic shrub mutant situation causes a slight decrease in the rate of ILV formation that appears to result in incomplete incorporation of Notch into ILVs. We found that the forced incorporation in ILVs of lgd mutant MEs suppresses the uncontrolled and ligand-independent activation of Notch. Moreover, the analysis of Su(dx) lgd double mutants clarifies their relationship and suggests that they are not operating in a linear pathway. We could show that, despite prolonged lifetime, the MEs of lgd mutants have a similar ILV density as wild-type but less than rab7 mutant MEs, suggesting the rate in lgd mutants is slightly reduced. The analysis of the MEs of wild-type and mutant cells in the electron microscope revealed that the ESCRT-containing electron-dense microdomains of ILV formation at the limiting membrane are elongated, indicating a change in ESCRT activity. Since lgd mutants can be rescued to normal adult flies if extra copies of shrub (or its mammalian ortholog CHMP4B) are added into the genome, we conclude that the net activity of Shrub is reduced upon loss of lgd function. Finally, we show that, in solution, CHMP4B/Shrub exists in two conformations. LGD1/Lgd binding does not affect the conformational state of Shrub, suggesting that Lgd is not a chaperone for Shrub/CHMP4B. Conclusion Our results suggest that Lgd is required for the full activity of Shrub/ESCRT-III. In its absence, the activity of the ESCRT machinery is reduced. This reduction causes the escape of a fraction of cargo, among it Notch, from incorporation into ILVs, which in turn leads to an activation of this fraction of Notch after fusion of the ME with the lysosome. Our results highlight the importance of the incorporation of Notch into ILV not only to assure complete degradation, but also to avoid uncontrolled activation of the pathway.

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Ultrastructure of Melanin Formation in Curvularia sp., Alternaria sp., and Drechslera Sorokiniana

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100079449 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 398-399

Author(s):

M. H. Wheeler ◽

W. J. Tolmsoff ◽

A. A. Bell

Keyword(s):

Potassium Phosphate ◽

Thielaviopsis Basicola ◽

Wild Type ◽

Potassium Phosphate Buffer ◽

Transmission Microscopy ◽

Electron Transmission ◽

Melanin Formation ◽

Before And After ◽

Alternaria Sp ◽

Electron Transmission Microscopy

(+)-Scytalone [3,4-dihydro-3,6,8-trihydroxy-l-(2Hj-naphthalenone] and 1,8-di- hydroxynaphthalene (DHN) have been proposed as intermediates of melanin synthesis in the fungi Verticillium dahliae (1, 2, 3, 4) and Thielaviopsis basicola (4, 5). Scytalone is enzymatically dehydrated by V. dahliae to 1,3,8-trihydroxynaphthalene which is then reduced to (-)-vermelone [(-)-3,4- dihydro-3,8-dihydroxy-1(2H)-naphthalenone]. Vermelone is subsequently dehydrated to DHN which is enzymatically polymerized to melanin.Melanin formation in Curvularia sp., Alternaria sp., and Drechslera soro- kiniana was examined by light and electron-transmission microscopy. Wild-type isolates of each fungus were compared with albino mutants before and after treatment with 1 mM scytalone or 0.1 mM DHN in 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Both chemicals were converted to dark pigments in the walls of hyphae and conidia of the albino mutants. The darkened cells were similar in appearance to corresponding cells of the wild types under the light microscope.

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Mutations in fbiD (Rv2983) as a Novel Determinant of Resistance to Pretomanid and Delamanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.01948-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. e01948-20

Author(s):

Dalin Rifat ◽

Si-Yang Li ◽

Thomas Ioerger ◽

Keshav Shah ◽

Jean-Philippe Lanoix ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Clinical Evidence ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Content Type ◽

Solid Media ◽

High Level ◽

Level Resistance

ABSTRACTThe nitroimidazole prodrugs delamanid and pretomanid comprise one of only two new antimicrobial classes approved to treat tuberculosis (TB) in 50 years. Prior in vitro studies suggest a relatively low barrier to nitroimidazole resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but clinical evidence is limited to date. We selected pretomanid-resistant M. tuberculosis mutants in two mouse models of TB using a range of pretomanid doses. The frequency of spontaneous resistance was approximately 10−5 CFU. Whole-genome sequencing of 161 resistant isolates from 47 mice revealed 99 unique mutations, of which 91% occurred in 1 of 5 genes previously associated with nitroimidazole activation and resistance, namely, fbiC (56%), fbiA (15%), ddn (12%), fgd (4%), and fbiB (4%). Nearly all mutations were unique to a single mouse and not previously identified. The remaining 9% of resistant mutants harbored mutations in Rv2983 (fbiD), a gene not previously associated with nitroimidazole resistance but recently shown to be a guanylyltransferase necessary for cofactor F420 synthesis. Most mutants exhibited high-level resistance to pretomanid and delamanid, although Rv2983 and fbiB mutants exhibited high-level pretomanid resistance but relatively small changes in delamanid susceptibility. Complementing an Rv2983 mutant with wild-type Rv2983 restored susceptibility to pretomanid and delamanid. By quantifying intracellular F420 and its precursor Fo in overexpressing and loss-of-function mutants, we provide further evidence that Rv2983 is necessary for F420 biosynthesis. Finally, Rv2983 mutants and other F420H2-deficient mutants displayed hypersusceptibility to some antibiotics and to concentrations of malachite green found in solid media used to isolate and propagate mycobacteria from clinical samples.

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The NALCN Channel Regulator UNC-80 Functions in a Subset of Interneurons To Regulate Caenorhabditis elegans Reversal Behavior

G3 Genes|Genome|Genetics ◽

10.1534/g3.119.400692 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 199-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chuanman Zhou ◽

Jintao Luo ◽

Xiaohui He ◽

Qian Zhou ◽

Yunxia He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Hormone ◽

Neuronal Excitability ◽

Resting Membrane Potential ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

C Elegans ◽

Link Type ◽

Complex Functions ◽

And Function ◽

Multiple Loss

NALCN (Na+leak channel, non-selective) is a conserved, voltage-insensitive cation channel that regulates resting membrane potential and neuronal excitability. UNC79 and UNC80 are key regulators of the channel function. However, the behavioral effects of the channel complex are not entirely clear and the neurons in which the channel functions remain to be identified. In a forward genetic screen for C. elegans mutants with defective avoidance response to the plant hormone methyl salicylate (MeSa), we isolated multiple loss-of-function mutations in unc-80 and unc-79. C. elegans NALCN mutants exhibited similarly defective MeSa avoidance. Interestingly, NALCN, unc-80 and unc-79 mutants all showed wild type-like responses to other attractive or repelling odorants, suggesting that NALCN does not broadly affect odor detection or related forward and reversal behaviors. To understand in which neurons the channel functions, we determined the identities of a subset of unc-80-expressing neurons. We found that unc-79 and unc-80 are expressed and function in overlapping neurons, which verified previous assumptions. Neuron-specific transgene rescue and knockdown experiments suggest that the command interneurons AVA and AVE and the anterior guidepost neuron AVG can play a sufficient role in mediating unc-80 regulation of the MeSa avoidance. Though primarily based on genetic analyses, our results further imply that MeSa might activate NALCN by direct or indirect actions. Altogether, we provide an initial look into the key neurons in which the NALCN channel complex functions and identify a novel function of the channel in regulating C. elegans reversal behavior through command interneurons.

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Identification of a novel homozygous loss-of-function mutation in FUCA1 gene causing severe fucosidosis: A case report

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/03000605211005975 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 030006052110059

Author(s):

Xinwen Zhang ◽

Shaozhi Zhao ◽

Hongwei Liu ◽

Xiaoyan Wang ◽

Xiaolei Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Lysosomal Storage Disorder ◽

Autosomal Recessive ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Lysosomal Storage ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Whole Exome ◽

Exon 1

Fucosidosis is a rare lysosomal storage disorder characterized by deficiency of α-L-fucosidase with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Here, we describe a 4-year-old Chinese boy with signs and symptoms of fucosidosis but his parents were phenotypically normal. Whole exome sequencing (WES) identified a novel homozygous single nucleotide deletion (c.82delG) in the exon 1 of the FUCA1 gene. This mutation will lead to a frameshift which will result in the formation of a truncated FUCA1 protein (p.Val28Cysfs*105) of 132 amino acids approximately one-third the size of the wild type FUCA1 protein (466 amino acids). Both parents were carrying the mutation in a heterozygous state. This study expands the mutational spectrum of the FUCA1 gene associated with fucosidosis and emphasises the benefits of WES for accurate and timely clinical diagnosis of this rare disease.

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Somatic production of reactive oxygen species does not predict its production in sperm cells across Drosophila melanogaster lines

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-021-05550-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Biz R. Turnell ◽

Luisa Kumpitsch ◽

Anne-Cécile Ribou ◽

Klaus Reinhardt

Keyword(s):

Reactive Oxygen Species ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Reactive Oxygen ◽

Future Research ◽

Ros Production ◽

Oxygen Species ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Ros Scavenging ◽

Transport Chain

Abstract Objective Sperm ageing has major evolutionary implications but has received comparatively little attention. Ageing in sperm and other cells is driven largely by oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the mitochondria. Rates of organismal ageing differ across species and are theorized to be linked to somatic ROS levels. However, it is unknown whether sperm ageing rates are correlated with organismal ageing rates. Here, we investigate this question by comparing sperm ROS production in four lines of Drosophila melanogaster that have previously been shown to differ in somatic mitochondrial ROS production, including two commonly used wild-type lines and two lines with genetic modifications standardly used in ageing research. Results Somatic ROS production was previously shown to be lower in wild-type Oregon-R than in wild-type Dahomey flies; decreased by the expression of alternative oxidase (AOX), a protein that shortens the electron transport chain; and increased by a loss-of-function mutation in dj-1β, a gene involved in ROS scavenging. Contrary to predictions, we found no differences among these four lines in the rate of sperm ROS production. We discuss the implications of our results, the limitations of our study, and possible directions for future research.

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First genome edited poinsettias: targeted mutagenesis of flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase using CRISPR/Cas9 results in a colour shift

Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) ◽

10.1007/s11240-021-02103-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daria Nitarska ◽

Robert Boehm ◽

Thomas Debener ◽

Rares Calin Lucaciu ◽

Heidi Halbwirth

Keyword(s):

Transgenic Plants ◽

Genome Editing ◽

Ornamental Plants ◽

Targeted Mutagenesis ◽

Cloning And Expression ◽

Euphorbia Pulcherrima ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Promising Tool ◽

Reddish Orange

AbstractThe CRISPR/Cas9 system is a remarkably promising tool for targeted gene mutagenesis, and becoming ever more popular for modification of ornamental plants. In this study we performed the knockout of flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H) with application of CRISPR/Cas9 in the red flowering poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) cultivar ‘Christmas Eve’, in order to obtain plants with orange bract colour, which accumulate prevalently pelargonidin. F3′H is an enzyme that is necessary for formation of cyanidin type anthocyanins, which are responsible for the red colour of poinsettia bracts. Even though F3′H was not completely inactivated, the bract colour of transgenic plants changed from vivid red (RHS 45B) to vivid reddish orange (RHS 33A), and cyanidin levels decreased significantly compared with the wild type. In the genetically modified plants, an increased ratio of pelargonidin to cyanidin was observed. By cloning and expression of mutated proteins, the lack of F3′H activity was confirmed. This confirms that a loss of function mutation in the poinsettia F3′H gene is sufficient for obtaining poinsettia with orange bract colour. This is the first report of successful use of CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing in poinsettia.

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Responsiveness to exogenous cAMP of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain conferred by naturally occurring alleles of PDE1 and PDE2.

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/135.2.321 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 135 (2) ◽

pp. 321-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H Mitsuzawa

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Slow Growth ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Triple Mutant ◽

Apparent Absence ◽

Camp Pathway ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Elevated Activity ◽

Growth Phenotype

Abstract The Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain P-28-24C, from which cAMP requiring mutants derived, responded to exogenously added cAMP. Upon the addition of cAMP, this strain showed phenotypes shared by mutants with elevated activity of the cAMP pathway. Genetic analysis involving serial crosses of this strain to a strain with another genetic background revealed that the responsiveness to cAMP results from naturally occurring loss-of-function alleles of PDE1 and PDE2, which encode low and high affinity cAMP phosphodiesterases, respectively. In addition, P-28-24C was found to carry a mutation conferring slow growth that lies in CYR1, which encodes adenylate cyclase, and the slow growth phenotype caused by the cyr1 mutation was suppressed by the pde2 mutation. Therefore P-28-24C is fortuitously a pde1 pde2 cyr1 triple mutant. Responsiveness to cAMP conferred by pde mutations suggests that S. cerevisiae cells are permeable to cAMP to some extent and that the apparent absence of effect of exogenously added cAMP on wild-type cells is due to immediate degradation by cAMP phosphodiesterases.

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Novel FGFR1 Variants Are Associated with Congenital Scoliosis

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12081126 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1126

Author(s):

Shengru Wang ◽

Xiran Chai ◽

Zihui Yan ◽

Sen Zhao ◽

Yang Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Function ◽

Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽

Congenital Scoliosis ◽

Wild Type ◽

Conservation Analysis ◽

Gene Assay ◽

Protein Expressions ◽

Patient Series ◽

Reduced Activity

FGFR1 encodes a transmembrane cytokine receptor, which is involved in the early development of the human embryo and plays an important role in gastrulation, organ specification and patterning of various tissues. Pathogenic FGFR1 variants have been associated with Kallmann syndrome and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. In our congenital scoliosis (CS) patient series of 424 sporadic CS patients under the framework of the Deciphering disorders Involving Scoliosis and COmorbidities (DISCO) study, we identified four unrelated patients harboring FGFR1 variants, including one frameshift and three missense variants. These variants were predicted to be deleterious by in silico prediction and conservation analysis. Signaling activities and expression levels of the mutated protein were evaluated in vitro and compared to that of the wild type (WT) FGFR1. As a result, the overall protein expressions of c.2334dupC, c.2339T>C and c.1261A>G were reduced to 43.9%, 63.4% and 77.4%, respectively. By the reporter gene assay, we observed significantly reduced activity for c.2334dupC, c.2339T>C and c.1261A>G, indicating the diminished FGFR1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, FGFR1 variants identified in our patients led to only mild disruption to protein function, caused milder skeletal and cardiac phenotypes than those reported previously.

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Monoallelic Expression of Pax5: A Paradigm for the Haploinsufficiency of Mammalian Pax Genes?

Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1515/bc.1999.077 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 380 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

S.L. Nutt ◽

M. Busslinger

Keyword(s):

Human Disease ◽

Mouse Genome ◽

Monoallelic Expression ◽

Wild Type Allele ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Type Allele ◽

Pax Genes ◽

Default State ◽

Mammalian Genes

AbstractIt is generally assumed that most mammalian genes are transcribed from both alleles. Hence, the diploid state of the genome offers the advantage that a loss-of-function mutation in one allele can be compensated for by the remaining wild-type allele of the same gene. Indeed, the vast majority of human disease syndromes and engineered mutations in the mouse genome are recessive, indicating that recessiveness is the ‘default’ state. However, a minority of genes are semi-dominant, as heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in these genes leads to phenotypic abnormalities. This condition, known as haploinsufficiency, has been described for five of the nine mammalian

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