Cochranmills3491

The Gram-negative bacterial species Pectobacterium actinidiae causes summer canker in kiwifruit plants. However, little is known about its virulence factors and mechanisms of genetic adaptation. We aimed to identify the key determinants that control the virulence of P. actinidiae in kiwifruit by genomic and functional analyses. Analysis of four P. read more actinidiae isolates indicated low genetic variability with an average of 98.7% genome-level sequence similarity and 82% shared protein-coding gene content. Phylogenetic analysis, based on both bulk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and single-copy genes, revealed that P. actinidiae strains cluster into a single clade, which is closely related to the clades of P. odoriferum (species with a completely different host range). Through comparison between these two clades of strains, 746 unique core orthologs/genes were clustered in the clades of P. actinidiae, especially key virulence determinants involved in the biosynthesis of secretion systems (type III, IV, and VI), iron, flagellar structure, and the quorum-sensing system. Our results provide insights into the pathogenomics underlying the genetic diversification and evolution of pathogenicity in P. actinidiae species.The fungus Parastagonospora nodorum is a narrow host range necrotrophic fungal pathogen that causes Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) of cereals, most notably wheat. Although commonly observed on wheat seedlings, P. nodorum infection has the greatest effect on the adult crop. It results in leaf blotch, which limits photosynthesis and thus crop growth and yield. It can also affect the wheat ear, resulting in glume blotch which directly affects grain quality. Reports of P. nodorum fungicide resistance, the increasing use of reduced tillage agronomic practices and high evolutionary potential of the pathogen, combined with changes in climate and agricultural environments, mean that genetic resistance to SNB remains a high priority in many regions of wheat cultivation. In this review, we summarise current information on P. nodorum population structure and its implication for improved SNB management. We then review recent advances in the genetics of host resistance to P. nodorum and the necrotrophic effectors it secretes during infection, integrating the genomic positions of these genetic loci using the recently released wheat reference genome assembly. Finally, we discuss the genetic and genomic tools now available for SNB resistance breeding and consider future opportunities and challenges in crop health management using the wheat-P. nodorum interaction as a model.As with many phytopathogenic bacteria, the virulence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), the causal agent of black rot disease in cruciferous plants, relies on secretion of a suite of extracellular enzymes that includes cellulase (endoglucanase), pectinase, protease and amylase. Although the role in virulence of a number of these enzymes has been assessed, the contribution of amylase to Xcc virulence has yet to be established. In this work, we investigated both the role of extracellular amylase in Xcc virulence and the control of its expression. Deletion of XC3487 (here renamed amyAXcc), a putative amylase-encoding gene from the genome of Xcc strain 8004, resulted in a complete loss of extracellular amylase activity and significant reduction in virulence. The extracellular amylase activity and virulence of the amyAXcc mutant could be restored to the wild-type level by expressing amyAXcc in trans. These results demonstrated that amyAXcc is responsible for the extracellular amylase activity of Xcc, and indicated that extracellular amylase plays an important role in Xcc virulence. We further found that the expression of amyAXcc is strongly induced by starch and requires activation by the global post-transcriptional regulator RsmA. RsmA binds specifically to the 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) of amyAXcc transcripts, suggesting that RsmA regulates amyAXcc directly at the post-transcriptional level. Unexpectedly, in addition to post-transcriptional regulation, the use of a transcriptional reporter demonstrated that RsmA also regulates amyAXcc expression at the transcriptional level, possibly by an indirect mechanism.Objectives The present article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Geriatric Feelings of Burdensomeness Scale using two samples of older adults collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The scale is a 25-item measure of general subjective feeling of being a burden on or problem for others. The goal of the measure is to capture a broad conceptualization of burdensomeness that is relevant to a variety of important psychological variables. Method Two studies are described, including item development and selection, and the examination of reliability and validity evidence in a sample of 192 older adults. Results The estimates of reliability (coefficient alpha and average interitem correlations) were strong. Preliminary examination of convergent validity evidence found significant moderate correlations between the Geriatric Feelings of Burdensomeness Scale and measures of conceptually related constructs (hopelessness, suicidality, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness). Small, non-significant correlations were found between three indices of religiosity, providing preliminary discriminant validity evidence. Conclusions Our results provide initial psychometric support for a more general and inclusive assessment tool for measuring older adults' feelings of burdensomeness. Clinical Implications With further research on clinical significance of feelings of burdensomeness and predictive validity, this measure may be used to identify concerns and beliefs about burdensomeness among distressed older adults.Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of bruxism on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adults in relation to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods Three hundred-fifteen adults of both sexes were divided into two groups bruxers (n = 172) and controls (n = 143). The participants with TMD were divided into three subgroups based on myofascial pain, disc displacement, or both. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to assess OHRQoL. Results Bruxers had poorer OHRQoL than controls, and the highest mean OHIP-14 domain scores were observed in physical pain. Bruxers with TMD had higher total OHIP-14 scores and individual domain scores than those without TMD. Bruxers without TMD demonstrated higher OHIP-14 scores than controls. Conclusion Bruxism was associated with poor OHRQoL. Where bruxism was accompanied by TMD, OHRQoL could be more negatively affected. The presence of bruxism without TMD was also associated with poor OHRQoL.