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Knowledge of the immune mechanisms responsible for viral recognition is critical for understanding durable disease resistance and successful crop protection. We determined how potato virus Y (PVY) coat protein (CP) is recognised by Rysto , a TNL immune receptor. We applied structural modelling, site-directed mutagenesis, transient overexpression, co-immunoprecipitation, infection assays and physiological cell death marker measurements to investigate the mechanism of Rysto -CP interaction. Rysto associates directly with PVY CP in planta that is conditioned by the presence of a CP central 149 amino acids domain. Each deletion that affects the CP core region impairs the ability of Rysto to trigger defence. Point mutations in the amino acid residues Ser125 , Arg157 , and Asp201 of the conserved RNA-binding pocket of potyviral CP reduce or abolish Rysto binding and Rysto -dependent responses, demonstrating that appropriate folding of the CP core is crucial for Rysto -mediated recognition. Rysto recognises the CPs of at least 10 crop-damaging viruses that share a similar core region. It confers immunity to plum pox virus and turnip mosaic virus in both Solanaceae and Brassicaceae systems, demonstrating potential utility in engineering virus resistance in various crops. Our findings shed new light on how R proteins detect different viruses by sensing conserved structural patterns.

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This paper presents the results of investigations of the effect of graphene oxide and surface shot peening on the mechanical properties and fatigue life of bolts made of austenitic 304 steel. An innovative method for the uniform deposition of graphene oxide on screws is presented. The process involved activating the surface using plasma and then performing graphene oxide deposition using centrifugal force and vacuum drying. The screw specimens prepared in this way were subjected to a surface peening process. Comparative studies have shown that the combination of graphene oxide deposition and shot peening processes results in an increase in fatigue life of approximately 42 ÷ 275% (depending on the stress amplitude level) compared to the as-delivered samples. The results presented are promising and may provide a basis for further research on the application of graphene and its derivatives to increase fatigue life and improve the mechanical properties of machine components.

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The paper presents experimental verification of customized resistive crack propagation sensors as an alternative method for other common structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques. Most of these are sensitive to changes in the sensor network configuration and a baseline dataset must be collected for the analysis of the structure condition. Sensors investigated within the paper are manufactured by the direct-write process with electrically conductive, silver-microparticle-filled paint to prepare a tailored measuring grid on an epoxy or polyurethane coating as a driving/insulating layer. This method is designed to enhance the functionality and usability compared to commercially available crack gauges. By using paint with conductive metal particles, the shape of the sensor measuring grid can be more easily adapted to the structure, while, in the previous approach, only a few grid-fixed sensors are available. A fatigue test on the compact tension (CT) specimen is presented and discussed to evaluate the ability of the developed sensors to detect and monitor fatigue cracks. Additionally, the ARIMA time series algorithm is developed both for monitoring and predicting crack growth, based on the acquired data. The proposed sensors' verification reveal their good performance to detect and monitor fatigue fractures with a relatively low measurement error and ARIMA estimated crack length compared with the crack opening displacement (COD) gauge.

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Potato virus Y (PVY) is a major potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) pathogen that causes severe annual crop losses worth billions of dollars worldwide. PVY is transmitted by aphids, and successful control of virus transmission requires the extensive use of environmentally damaging insecticides to reduce vector populations. Rysto , from the wild relative S. stoloniferum, confers extreme resistance (ER) to PVY and related viruses and is a valuable trait that is widely employed in potato resistance breeding programmes. Rysto was previously mapped to a region of potato chromosome XII, but the specific gene has not been identified to date. In this study, we isolated Rysto using resistance gene enrichment sequencing (RenSeq) and PacBio SMRT (Pacific Biosciences single-molecule real-time sequencing). Rysto was found to encode a nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) protein with an N-terminal TIR domain and was sufficient for PVY perception and ER in transgenic potato plants. Rysto -dependent extreme resistance was temperature-independent and requires EDS1 and NRG1 proteins. Rysto may prove valuable for creating PVY-resistant cultivars of potato and other Solanaceae crops.

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Multidrug resistance is one of the key barriers suppressing the effectiveness of drug therapies of malignant tumors. Here, we report a study on the effect of a mix of natural extracts (MIX2) prepared from fresh fruits of Prunus spinosa, Crataegus monogyna, Sorbus aucuparia, and Euonymus europaeus on the classic hallmarks of cancer cells and the expression of multidrug resistance proteins. In the studies, HeLa and T98G cell lines, and classic methods of molecular biology, including RT-qPCR, Western blot, flow cytometry, and confocal imaging, were used. Additionally, migration, adhesion, and proliferation assays were performed. The obtained results indicate that the MIX2 cocktail presents strong anti-cancer properties. MIX2 is not toxic, but at the same time significantly alters the migration, proliferation, and adhesion of tumor cells. Furthermore, it was found that cells exposed to the mixture presented a significantly reduced expression level of genes associated with MDR, including ABCB1, which encodes for glycoprotein P. In vitro data showed that MIX2 effectively sensitizes tumor cells to doxorubicin. We postulate that modulation of the multidrug resistance phenotype of tumors with the use of MIX2 may be considered as a safe and applicable tool in sustaining drug delivery therapies of malignancies.

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Pseudomonas syringae employs a battery of type three secretion effectors to subvert plant immune responses. In turn, plants have developed receptors that recognize some of the bacterial effectors. Two strain-specific HopQ1 effector variants (for Hrp outer protein Q) from the pathovars phaseolicola 1448A (Pph) and tomato DC3000 (Pto) showed considerable differences in their ability to evoke disease symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana. Surprisingly, the variants differ by only six amino acids located mostly in the N-terminal disordered region of HopQ1. We found that the presence of serine 87 and leucine 91 renders PtoHopQ1 susceptible to N-terminal processing by plant proteases. Substitutions at these two positions did not strongly affect PtoHopQ1 virulence properties in a susceptible host but they reduced bacterial growth and accelerated onset of cell death in a resistant host, suggesting that N-terminal mutations rendered PtoHopQ1 susceptible to processing in planta and, thus, represent a mechanism of recognition avoidance. Furthermore, we found that co-expression of HopR1, another effector encoded within the same gene cluster masks HopQ1 recognition in a strain-dependent manner. Together, these data suggest that HopQ1 is under high host-pathogen co-evolutionary selection pressure and P. syringae may have evolved differential effector processing or masking as two independent strategies to evade HopQ1 recognition, thus revealing another level of complexity in plant - microbe interactions.

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The copper-gonadotropin-releasing hormone molecule (Cu-GnRH) is a GnRH analog, which preserves its amino acid sequence, but which contains a Cu(2+) ion stably bound to the nitrogen atoms including that of the imidazole ring of Histidine(2). A previous report indicated that Cu-GnRH was able to activate cAMP/PKA signaling in anterior pituitary cells in vitro, but raised the question of which intracellular mechanism(s) mediated the Cu-GnRH-induced cAMP synthesis in gonadotropes. To investigate this mechanism, in the present study, female rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro were pretreated with 0.1 µM antide, a GnRH antagonist; 0.1 µM cetrorelix, a GnRH receptor antagonist; 0.1 µM PACAP6-38, a PAC-1 receptor antagonist; 2 µM GF109203X, a protein kinase C inhibitor; 50 mM PMA, a protein kinase C activator; the protein kinase A inhibitors H89 (30 µM) and KT5720 (60 nM); factors affecting intracellular calcium activity: 2.5 mM EGTA; 2 µM thapsigargin; 5 µM A23187, a Ca(2+) ionophore; or 10 µg/ml cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor. After one of the above pretreatments, cells were incubated in the presence of 0.1 µM Cu-GnRH for 0.5, 1, and 3 h. Radioimmunoassay analysis of cAMP confirmed the functional link between Cu-GnRH stimulation and cAMP/PKA signal transduction in rat anterior pituitary cells, demonstrating increased intracellular cAMP, which was reduced in the presence of specific PKA inhibitors. The stimulatory effect of Cu-GnRH on cAMP production was partly dependent on GnRH receptor activation. In addition, an indirect and Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism might be involved in intracellular adenylate cyclase stimulation. Neither activation of protein kinase C nor new protein synthesis was involved in the Cu-GnRH-induced increase of cAMP in the rat anterior pituitary primary cultures. Presented data indicate that conformational changes of GnRH molecule resulting from cooper ion coordination affect specific pharmacological properties of Cu-GnRH molecule including specific pattern of intracellular activity induced by complex in anterior pituitary cells in vitro.

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Rhodiola (Crassulaceae) an arctic-alpine plant, is extensively used in traditional folk medicine in Asian and European countries. A number of investigations have demonstrated that Rhodiola preparations exhibit adaptogenic, neuroprotective, anti-tumour, cardioprotective, and anti-depressant effects. The main compounds responsible for these activities are believed to be salidroside, rosin and its derivatives which became the target of biotechnological investigations. This review summarizes the results of the diverse biotechnological approaches undertaken to enhance the production of salidroside, rosin and its derivatives in callus, cell suspension and organ in vitro cultures of selected Rhodiola species.

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Numerous researches have been carried out on plants of the Rhodiola species, especially Rhodiola kirilowii (Regel) Maxim. and Rhodiola rosea. Various compounds have been reported to be isolated from R. kirilowii and R. rosea, including cyanogenic glycosides, monoterpene alcohols and their glycosides, aryl glycosides, phenylethanoids, phenylpropanoids and their glycosides (salidroside and rosavins respectively), as well as flavonoids, flavonlignans, proanthocyanidins and gallic acid derivatives and the latter have free radical scavenging capacity. The benefits claimed for Rhodiola include adapogenic, neuroprotective, anti-depresive anti-tumour and cardioprotective activities. Currently, the adaptogenic activity of Rhodiola compounds are properties evaluated mainly in human clinical trials. The mechanism of the action of Rhodiola extracts include affecting the levels of cortisol and NO by interactions with glucocorticoid receptors directly or via the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. However, the natural populations of R. rosea in Poland are threatened; therefore, the cultivation of R. rosea and alternative species R. kirilowii might be a possible solution for producing these kinds of plants in Poland in sufficient quantities and quality for pharmaceutical purposes. Lack of proven interaction with other drugs and no confirmed adverse effects during clinical trials encourages further investigation. These herb preparations ought to be studied extensively to establish their position as potential drugs for a variety of diseases.

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Non-transformed wild type (NTWT) and hairy root cultures of Rhodiola kirilowii were grown in medium supplemented with 2.5 mM cinnamyl alcohol as a precursor and/or sucrose (1 %) on the day of inoculation or on the 14th day of culture. Rosarin, rosavin, and rosin were produced by NTWT root culture but only rosarin and rosavin by hairy roots. Approximately 80 and 95 % of the glycosides were released into the medium for NTWT and hairy root cultures, respectively. The highest rosavin yield, 505 ± 106 mg/l, was in hairy root culture when cinnamyl alcohol was applied on the day of inoculation with the addition of sucrose on the 14th day of culture. For rosin production, supplementation with cinnamyl alcohol alone on day 14 was more favourable with the highest amount 74 ± 10 mg/l in NTWT root culture. Only traces of rosarin were detected.

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We have previously developed a cell delivery and transfer technology for delivering autologous keratinocytes and melanocytes to patients with vitiligo. However, for this technology to benefit many patients geographically distant from the cell culture facility transportation issues need to be overcome. In this study we begin to investigate this by looking at what role surface chemistry and medium supplements, including fetal calf serum, CO2 gassing, and temperature, play in influencing cell viability. Cells were maintained on carriers for up to 48 h outside of a CO2 incubator at 37 °C and their subsequent ability to adhere and become organized into a new epithelium with appropriately located melanocytes was assessed. Consistently good viability and performance on an in vitro wound bed model was achieved by maintaining cells for 48 h adherent to a 20% acrylic acid coated carrier at lower (around 23 °C rather than 37 °C) temperatures in the medium preperfused with CO2 before transport. Under these circumstances fetal calf serum was not required. In summary, the surface chemistry of the transport substrate and an appropriately CO2 buffered medium at near room temperature can extend the effective performance life of these cultured cells to at least 48 h from when they leave standard incubator conditions.

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