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Pests and diseases pose a threat to food security, which is nowadays aggravated by climate change and globalization. In this context, agricultural policies demand innovative approaches to more effectively manage resources and overcome the ecological issues raised by intensive farming. Optimization of plant mineral nutrition is a sustainable approach to ameliorate crop health and yield. Zinc is a micronutrient essential for all living organisms with a key role in growth, development, and defense. Competition for Zn affects the outcome of the host-attacker interaction in both plant and animal systems. In this review, we provide a clear framework of the different strategies involving low and high Zn concentrations launched by plants to fight their enemies. After briefly introducing the most relevant macro- and micronutrients for plant defense, the functions of Zn in plant protection are summarized with special emphasis on superoxide dismutases (SODs) and zinc finger proteins. Following, we cover recent meaningful studies identifying Zn-related passive and active mechanisms for plant protection. Finally, Zn-based strategies evolved by pathogens and pests to counteract plant defenses are discussed.

The tree of life is the fundamental biological roadmap for navigating the evolution and properties of life on Earth, and yet remains largely unknown. Even angiosperms (flowering plants) are fraught with data gaps, despite their critical role in sustaining terrestrial life. Today, high-throughput sequencing promises to significantly deepen our understanding of evolutionary relationships. Here, we describe a comprehensive phylogenomic platform for exploring the angiosperm tree of life, comprising a set of open tools and data based on the 353 nuclear genes targeted by the universal Angiosperms353 sequence capture probes. The primary goals of this article are to (i) document our methods, (ii) describe our first data release, and (iii) present a novel open data portal, the Kew Tree of Life Explorer (https://treeoflife.kew.org). We aim to generate novel target sequence capture data for all genera of flowering plants, exploiting natural history collections such as herbarium specimens, and augment it with mined public data. Our first data release, described here, is the most extensive nuclear phylogenomic data set for angiosperms to date, comprising 3099 samples validated byDNA barcode and phylogenetic tests, representing all 64 orders, 404 families (96%) and 2333 genera (17%). A “first pass” angiospermtree of lifewas inferred from the data, which totaled 824,878 sequences, 489,086,049 base pairs, and 532,260 alignment columns, for interactivepresentation in the KewTree of Life Explorer. This species treewas generated using methods thatwere rigorous, yet tractable at our scale of operation. Despite limitations pertaining to taxon and gene sampling, gene recovery, models of sequence evolution and paralogy, the tree strongly supports existing taxonomy, while challenging numerous hypothesized relationships among orders and placing many genera for the first time. The validated data set, species tree and all intermediates are openly accessible via the Kew Tree of Life Explorer and will be updated as further data become available. This major milestone toward a complete tree of life for all flowering plant species opens doors to a highly integrated future for angiosperm phylogenomics through the systematic sequencing of standardized nuclear markers. Our approach has the potential to serve as a much-needed bridge between the growing movement to sequence the genomes of all life on Earth and the vast phylogenomic potential of theworld’s natural history collections.

The role of defence gene expression triggered by Cd toxicity in the plant's response to Botrytis cinerea was investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia 0. Silicon (0 or 1.5 mM) and Cd (0, 1 or 10 μM) were supplied to 3-month-old solution-cultured plants. After 3 days, half of the plants of each treatment were inoculated with Botrytis. Supplied Cd concentrations were below the toxicity threshold and did not cause shoot growth inhibition or evidence of oxidative stress, while Botrytis infection severely decreased plant growth in all treatments. The expression of marker genes PR1 and BGL2 for the salicylic acid (SA) and the PDF1.2 for the jasmonic acid—ethylene (JA—ET) signalling pathways was enhanced in 10 μM Cd-treated non-infected plants. Twenty hours after inoculation, PDF1.2 expression showed a strong increase in all treatments, while enhanced PR1, BGL2, and CHIB expression was only found 7 days after infection. A great synergistic effect of Cd and Botrytis on PDF1.2 expression was found in 10 μM Cd-treated plants. Silicon decreased PR1, BGL2, and CHIB, while increasing PDF1.2 expression, which indicates its role as a modulator of the signalling pathways involved in the plant's response to fungal infection. Botrytis growth decreased in 10 μM Cd-treated plants, which could be due to the combined effects of Cd and Botrytis activating the SA and JA—ET-mediated signalling pathways. Taken together, our results provide support for the view that Cd concentrations close to the toxicity threshold induce defence signalling pathways which potentiate the plant's response against fungal infection.

The Southern slope of the Pyrenees is the meridional limit for the distribution of several Noccaea populations. However, the systematic description of these populations and their hyperaccumulation mechanisms are not well established. Morphological and genetic analysis (ITS and 3 chloroplast regions) were used to identify Noccaea populations localized on non-metallicolous soils during a survey in the Catalonian Pyrenees. Cd and Zn concentrations were analyzed in soils and plants both sampled in the field and grown hydroponically. The expression of selected metal transporter genes was assessed by quantitative PCR. The populations were identified as Noccaea brachypetala (Jord.) F.K. Mey by conspicuous morphological traits. Principal component analysis provided a clear separation among N. brachypetala, Noccaea caerulescens J. Presl & C. Presl and Noccaea occitanica (Jord.) F.K. Mey., three Noccaea species reported in the Pyrenees. Contrastingly, ITS and cpDNA analyses were unable to clearly differentiate these taxa. Differences in the expression of the metal transporter genes HMA3, HMA4, and MTP1 between N. caerulescens and N. brachypetala, and those amongst the N. brachypetala populations suggest differences in the strategies for handling enhanced Cd and Zn availability. This is the first report demonstrating Cd and Zn hyperaccumulation by N. brachypetala both in the field and in hydroponics. This comprehensive study based on taxonomic, molecular, and physiological data allows both the correct identification of this species and the characterization of population differences in hyperaccumulation and tolerance of Zn and Cd.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested global health systems. Non-invasive respiratory support, especially combining high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and continuous positive airway pressure, has effectively treated COVID-19 induced Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure and reduced mortality. However, HFNC alone is more comfortable, better tolerated, and less costly than non-invasive ventilation. Understanding which patients benefit from HFNC monotherapy versus combined therapies is essential. This observational study included patients admitted to the intermediate respiratory care unit of a COVID-19 hospital between December 2020 and September 2021. All patients treated with HFNC were included (n = 1301). HFNC failure was defined as the need for escalated therapy (non-invasive ventilation, intubation) or death. Epidemiological, clinical, non-invasive respiratory support parameters, and laboratory data were collected, and a multivariable analysis identified key determinants. HFNC was successful in 39.9 % of patients. (n = 511) Risk factors for HFNC failure included increased age, male gender, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, higher respiratory rate, initial SpO2/FiO2 ≤ 148, and initial PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 100. An increase in the ROX Index at 24 h and slower disease progression were associated with successful treatment. These findings led to the developmet of an index to identify patients who benefit most from HFNC monotherapy. HFNC monotherapy can be effective for a specific profile of patients with Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure due to COVID-19. This tool may help manage these patients more appropriately. Further studies are needed to determine if these findings can be applied to Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure caused by other pathologies. This study underscores the importance of early identification and management of patients at risk of HFNC failure in intermediate respiratory care units. By recognizing factors such as age, comorbidities, and respiratory indices, healthcare providers can implement targeted strategies to enhance HFNC success. These strategies may include more stringent monitoring, tailored respiratory support, and timely escalation to more intensive therapies if needed. Our findings highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to managing severe respiratory failure in critical care settings, ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems.

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.

Abstract The tree of life is the fundamental biological roadmap for navigating the evolution and properties of life on Earth, and yet remains largely unknown. Even angiosperms (flowering plants) are fraught with data gaps, despite their critical role in sustaining terrestrial life. Today, high-throughput sequencing promises to significantly deepen our understanding of evolutionary relationships. Here, we describe a comprehensive phylogenomic platform for exploring the angiosperm tree of life, comprising a set of open tools and data based on the 353 nuclear genes targeted by the universal Angiosperms353 sequence capture probes. This paper (i) documents our methods, (ii) describes our first data release and (iii) presents a novel open data portal, the Kew Tree of Life Explorer (https://treeoflife.kew.org). We aim to generate novel target sequence capture data for all genera of flowering plants, exploiting natural history collections such as herbarium specimens, and augment it with mined public data. Our first data release, described here, is the most extensive nuclear phylogenomic dataset for angiosperms to date, comprising 3,099 samples validated by DNA barcode and phylogenetic tests, representing all 64 orders, 404 families (96%) and 2,333 genera (17%). Using the multi-species coalescent, we inferred a “first pass” angiosperm tree of life from the data, which totalled 824,878 sequences, 489,086,049 base pairs, and 532,260 alignment columns. The tree is strongly supported and highly congruent with existing taxonomy, while challenging numerous hypothesized relationships among orders and placing many genera for the first time. The validated dataset, species tree and all intermediates are openly accessible via the Kew Tree of Life Explorer. This major milestone towards a complete tree of life for all flowering plant species opens doors to a highly integrated future for angiosperm phylogenomics through the systematic sequencing of standardised nuclear markers. Our approach has the potential to serve as a much-needed bridge between the growing movement to sequence the genomes of all life on Earth and the vast phylogenomic potential of the world’s natural history collections. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes * ↵† Joint senior authors * https://treeoflife.kew.org * http://sftp.kew.org/pub/treeoflife/ * https://github.com/RBGKew/KewTreeOfLife * https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB35285

RESUMEN: el síndrome metabólico en niños aumenta el riesgo de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 y enfermedad cardiovascular en la adultez. Objetivo: describir los componentes del síndrome metabólico en niños, su prevalencia y criterios diagnósticos propuestos por diferentes organizaciones y autores. Materiales y métodos: se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las siguientes bases de datos: Pubmed, Science Direct, Embase, Lilacs y Scielo. Resultados y discusión: varias organizaciones han establecido definiciones para diagnosticar el síndrome metabólico en niños, algunas abordando criterios utilizados en adultos o adoptando puntos de corte derivados de poblaciones seleccionadas como niños obesos o sin incluir niños pre-adolescentes, aduciendo en estos últimos una baja prevalencia de alteraciones. Así, la prevalencia de este síndrome en una misma población puede variar (0,9 a 11,4%) según la definición empleada. Sin embargo, dicha prevalencia aumenta con el grado de obesidad infantil y se han demostrado prevalencias altas en pre-púberes, independiente de la clasificación empleada. Recientemente, se propuso usar puntajes continuos para mejorar la evaluación en niños. Conclusión: los puntos de corte actualmente empleados ponderan de forma diferente los componentes del síndrome metabólico.

The identification of exclusive markers to target HIV-reservoir cells will represent a significant advance in the search for therapies to cure HIV. Here, we identify the B lymphocyte antigen CD20 as a marker for HIV-infected cells in vitro and in vivo. The CD20 molecule is dimly expressed in a subpopulation of CD4-positive (CD4 + ) T lymphocytes from blood, with high levels of cell activation and heterogeneous memory phenotypes. In lymph node samples from infected patients, CD20 is present in productively HIV-infected cells, and ex vivo viral infection selectively upregulates the expression of CD20 during early infection. In samples from patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) this subpopulation is significantly enriched in HIV transcripts, and the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody Rituximab induces cell killing, which reduces the pool of HIV-expressing cells when combined with latency reversal agents. We provide a tool for targeting this active HIV-reservoir after viral reactivation in patients while on ART. Here, the authors identify B lymphocyte antigen CD20 as a marker for HIV-infected T cells and provide evidence for the potential use of anti-CD20 antibodies in combination with latency reversing agents for depletion of viral reactivated CD4 T cells in patients on antiretroviral therapy.

Despite the improved accuracy of next-generation sequencing (NGS), it is widely accepted that variants need to be validated using Sanger sequencing before reporting. Validation of all NGS variants considerably increases the turnaround time and costs of clinical diagnosis. We comprehensively assessed this need in 1109 variants from 825 clinical exomes, the largest sample set to date assessed using Illumina chemistry reported. With a concordance of 100%, we conclude that Sanger sequencing can be very useful as an internal quality control, but not so much as a verification method for high-quality single-nucleotide and small insertion/deletions variants. Laboratories might validate and establish their own thresholds before discontinuing Sanger confirmation studies. We also expand and validate 23 copy number variations detected by exome sequencing in 20 samples, observing a concordance of 95.65% (22/23).