Root endophytic fungus Serendipita indica modulates barley leaf blade proteome by increasing the abundance of photosynthetic proteins in response to salinity

AIMS

The present study aimed at analysing the proteome pattern of the leaf blade of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Serendipita indica-colonised plants to decipher the molecular mechanism of S. indica-mediated salt stress. This work is aligned with our previous research on barley leaf sheath to study proteomic pattern variability in leaf blade and sheath of barley plant in response to salinity and S. indica inoculation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The experiment was conducted using a completely randomised factorial design with four replications and two treatments: salinity (0 and 300 mmol l^-1 NaCl) and fungus (noninoculated and S. indica-inoculated). The leaf blades of the salt-treated S. indica-colonised and noninoculated plants were harvested after 2 weeks of salt treatment for the physiological and proteomic analyses. After exposure to 300 mmol l^-1 NaCl, shoot dry matter production in noninoculated control plants decreased 84% which was about twofold higher than inoculated plants with S. indica. However, the accumulation of sodium in the shoot of S. indica-inoculated plants was significantly lower than the control plants. Analysis of the proteome profile revealed a high number of significantly up-regulated proteins involved in photosynthesis (26 out of 42 identified proteins).

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrated how the enhanced plant growth and salt stress resistance induced by S. indica was positively associated with the up-regulation of several proteins involved in photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. In fact, S. indica improved photosynthesis in order to reach the best possible performance of the host plant under salt stress.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Current research provides new insight into the mechanism applied by S. indica in reducing the negative impacts of salt stress in barley at physiological and molecular levels.

The bronchial epithelial cell bacterial microbiome and host response in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an important comorbidity in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Previous bacterial microbiome studies have shown increased abundance of specific bacterium, like Tropheryma whipplei, and no overall community differences. However, the host response to the lung microbiome is unknown in patients infected with HIV.

METHODS

Two bronchial brush samples were obtained from 21 HIV-infected patients. One brush was used for bacterial microbiome analysis using the Illumina MiSeq^TM platform, while the other was used to evaluate gene expression patterns of the host using the Affymetrix Human Gene ST 2.0 array. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to determine the relationship between the bacterial microbiome and host gene expression response.

RESULTS

The Shannon Diversity was inversely related to only one gene expression module (p = 0.02); whereas evenness correlated with five different modules (p ≤ 0.05). After FDR correction only the Firmicutes phylum was significantly correlated with any modules (FDR < 0.05). These modules were enriched for cilia, transcription regulation, and immune response. Specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs), such as OTU4 (Pasteurellaceae), were able to distinguish HIV patients with and without COPD and severe emphysema.

CONCLUSION

These data support the hypothesis that the bacterial microbiome in HIV lungs is associated with specific host immune responses. Whether or not these responses are also seen in non-HIV infected individuals needs to be addressed in future studies.

Sacroiliitis as an initial presentation of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

A 17-year-old male was admitted to the hospital because of fever, low back pain and knee pain which had started a couple of months ago. Pelvic CT-scan confirmed left sacroiliitis. Complete blood count revealed pancytopenia.A bone marrow biopsy and aspiration was performed under local anaesthesia. The pathologist reported Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. The reported patient is the first case of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, accompanied by sacroiliitis.

The occurrence of severe infections with Rhabditis axei in AIDS patients in Iran

During an investigation on strongyloidiasis in AIDS patients from Iran, direct smears of stools revealed many eggs and larvae of Rhabditis axei, which were subcultured to confirm identification.

[Quantitative behavior of immunoglobulins in Hodgkin patients following splenectomy]

The values of immunoglobulins in 14 patients with malignant lymphoma were determined before and 1 to 44 weeks following splenectomy. The IgM-fraction showed a significant decrease in all cases, whereas the IgG- and IgA-fraction showed no change in its concentrations. The reason for the IgM-decrease is probably due to the absence of IgM-producing cells in the spleen.