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BACKGROUND: The widespread evolution of pesticide resistance poses a significant challenge to current agriculture, necessitating the discovery of molecules with new modes of action. Despite extensive efforts, no major molecules with new modes of action have been commercialized for decades. Most pesticides function by binding to specific pockets on target enzymes, enabling a single target site mutation to confer resistance. An alternative approach is the disruption of protein-protein interactions (PPI), which require complementary mutations on both interacting partners for resistance to occur. Thus, our aim is the discovery and design of small-molecule inhibitors that target the interface of the PPI complex of O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS) and serine acetyltransferase (SAT), key obligatory interacting plant enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the amino acid cysteine. RESULTS: By employing in silico filtering techniques on a virtual library of 30 million small molecules, we identified initial hits capable of binding OASS and interfering with its interaction with a peptide derived from SAT with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 34 µm. Subsequently, we conducted molecular chemical optimizations, generating an early lead molecule (PJ4) with an IC50 value of 4 µm. PJ4 successfully inhibited the germination of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and inhibited clover growth in a pre-emergence application at an effective concentration of 4.6 kg ha-1. CONCLUSION: These new compounds described herein can serve as promising leads for further optimization as herbicides with a new mode-of-action. This technology can be used for discovering new modes of action chemicals inhibiting all pest groups. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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INTRODUCTION: Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a high density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated lactonase, which is known for its antiatherogenic properties. Previous studies in PON1 knockout (PON1KO) mice revealed that PON1KO mice have low blood pressure, which is inversely correlated with the renal levels of the cytochrome P450 -derived arachidonic acid metabolite 5,6-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (5,6-EET). Our previous studies revealed that 5,6-EET is unstable, transforming to the δ-lactone isomer 5,6-δ-DHTL, an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) that mediates vasodilation, and it is a potential substrate for PON1. AIM: To elucidate the role of PON1 in the modulation of vascular resistance via the regulation of the lactone-containing metabolite 5,6-δ-DHTL. RESULTS: In mouse resistance arteries, PON1 was found to be present and active in the endothelial layer. Vascular reactivity experiments revealed that 5,6-δ-DHTL dose-dependently dilates PON1KO mouse mesenteric arteries significantly more than wild type (w.t.) resistance arteries. Pre-incubation with HDL or rePON1 reduced 5,6-δ-DHTL-dependent vasodilation. FACS analyses and confocal microscopy experiments revealed that fluorescence-tagged rePON1 penetrates into human endothelial cells' (ECs') in both dose- and time- dependent manner, accumulate in the perinuclear compartment, and retains its lactonase activity in the cells. The presence of rePON1, but not the presence of PON1 loss-of-lactonase-activity mutant, reduced the Ca2+ influx in the ECs mediated by 5,6-δ-DHTL. CONCLUSION: PON1 lactonase activity in the endothelium affects vascular dilation by regulating Ca2+ influx mediated by the lactone-containing EDHF 5,6-δ-DHTL.

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Insertion sequences (ISs) are widespread in the genome of Mycoplasma bovis strain PG45, but no ISs were identified within its two tandemly positioned rRNA operons (rrn1 and rrn2). However, characterization of the rrn locus in 70 M. bovis isolates revealed the presence of ISs related to the ISMbov1 (IS30 family) and ISMbov4 (IS4 family) isomers in 35 isolates. ISs were inserted into intergenic region 1 (IGR-1) or IGR-3, which are the putative promoter regions of rrn1 and rrn2, respectively, and into IGR-5, located downstream of the rrl2 gene. Seven different configurations (A to G) of the rrn locus with respect to ISs were identified, including those in five annotated genomes. The transcriptional start site for the single rrn operon in M. bovis strain 88127 was mapped within IGR-1, 60 bp upstream of the rrs gene. Notably, only 1 nucleotide separated the direct repeat (DR) for ISMbov1 and the promoter -35 element in configuration D, while in configuration F, the -35 motif was a part of the ISMbov1 DR. Relative quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR analysis and growth rate comparisons detected a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the expression of the rrs genes and in the number of viable cells during log phase growth (8, 12, and 16 h) in the strains with configuration F in comparison to strains with one or two rrn operons that did not have ISs. A high prevalence of IS elements within or close to the M. bovis rrn operon-promoter region may reflect their important role in regulation of both ribosome synthesis and function. IMPORTANCE: Data presented in this study show a high prevalence of diverse ISs within the M. bovis rrn locus resulting in intraspecies variability and diversity. Such abundance of IS elements near or within the rrn locus may offer a selective advantage to M. bovis Moreover, the fact that expression of the rrs genes as well as the number of viable cells increased in the group of strains with IS element insertion within a putative promoter -35 sequence (configuration F) in comparison to that in strains with one or two rrn operons that do not have ISs may serve as a basis for understanding the possible role of M. bovis IS elements in fundamental biological processes such as regulation of ribosome synthesis and function.

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The molecular mechanism of acquired resistance to the 16-membered macrolides tylosin (Ty) and tilmicosin (Tm) was investigated in Mycoplasma bovis field isolates. Sequence analysis of domains II and V of the two 23S rRNA alleles and ribosomal proteins L4 and L22 was performed on 54 M. bovis isolates showing different minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). The presence of any one of the point mutations G748A, C752T, A2058G, A2059G or A2059C (Escherichia coli numbering) in one or both alleles of the 23S rRNAs was correlated with decreased susceptibility to Ty (8-1024 µg/ml) and to Tm (32 to >256 µg/ml) in 27/27 and 27/31 M. bovis isolates, respectively. Although a single mutation in domain II or V could be sufficient to cause decreased susceptibility to Ty, our data imply that a combination of mutations in two domains is necessary to achieve higher MICs (≥ 128 µg/ml). The influence of a combination of mutations in two domains II and V on enhancement of resistance to Tm was less clear. In addition, the amino acid (aa) substitution L22-Q90H was found in 24/32 representative M. bovis isolates with different MICs, but no correlation with decreased susceptibility to Ty or Tm was identified. Multiple aa substitutions were also identified in the L4 protein, including at positions 185-186 (positions 64 and 65 in E. coli) which are adjacent to the macrolide-binding site. This is the first description of the molecular mechanism of acquired resistance to the 16-membered macrolides in M. bovis.

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Mycoplasma bovis is an important and emerging pathogen of cattle. In this study, multiple locus variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis was used to differentiate M. bovis type strain PG45 and 68 M. bovis field isolates, including 34 isolates from calves imported to Israel from Australia, Lithuania and Hungary in the period 2006-2011, 32 isolates from mastitic dairy cows in Israel in the period 2000-2011, one isolate from the pneumonic lungs of a calf in Israel in 2010 and one isolate from frozen bull semen in Israel in 2008. A total of 35 VNTR types were distinguished, including three, eight and 10 different VNTR types among isolates from calves imported from Australia, Hungary and Lithuania, respectively, and 17 VNTR types among isolates from dairy cows in Israel. The VNTR types in isolates from Lithuanian calves were not identified among isolates from Israeli dairy cows. VNTR type XX, present in the Hungarian group, was identified in one Israeli mastitis-associated isolate. A cluster of 16 M. bovis isolates from Israeli dairy cows possessed the same VNTR type III as three Australian isolates from a single shipment of calves in 2006. The other cluster of isolates contained M. bovis strain 883, isolated from a mastitic cow, strain 72236, isolated from a calf with pneumonia, two isolates from calves imported from Australia to the same farm 3 months previously and four isolates from calves in quarantine imported to Israel from Australia in 2009-2010. Multiple locus VNTR analysis is a useful tool for understanding the movement and spread of strains of M. bovis within and across international boundaries.

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Priming of naive CD8 T cells by dendritic cells (DCs) entails both effective antigen presentation on MHC class I products and co-stimulatory signaling. Their optimal coupling is a major goal in the development of CTL-inducing vaccines. We recently reported that a membranal derivative of the invariant MHC-I light chain, ß(2)-microglobulin (ß(2)m), markedly stabilizes MHC-I molecules and can serve as a universal platform for exceptional presentation of genetically linked peptides. To test whether it is possible to equip the resulting MHC-I complexes with an inherent ability to activate antigen-presenting cells, we engrafted the intracellular Toll/IL-1 receptor domain of mouse Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 or TLR2 onto the peptide-ß(2)m scaffold. We evaluated the level of peptide presentation and status of cell activation conferred by such constructs in stably transfected mouse RAW264.7 macrophages and mRNA-transfected mouse DC2.4 DCs. We show that the encoded peptide-ß(2)m-TLR polypeptides are expressed at the cell surface, pair with endogenous heavy chains, stabilize MHC-I products, prompt efficient peptide-specific T-cell recognition and confer a constitutively activated phenotype on the transfected cells, as judged by the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes and surface co-stimulatory molecules. Our results provide evidence that the product of a single recombinant gene can couple MHC peptide presentation to TLR-mediated signaling and offer a safe, economical and highly versatile modality for a novel category of genetic CTL-inducing vaccines.

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