Plant-parasitic nematodes are destructive pests causing losses of billions of dollars annually. An effective plant defence against pathogens relies on the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular ...patterns (PAMPs) by surface-localised receptors leading to the activation of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Extensive studies have been conducted to characterise the role of PTI in various models of plant-pathogen interactions. However, far less is known about the role of PTI in roots in general and in plant-nematode interactions in particular. Here we show that nematode-derived proteinaceous elicitor/s is/are capable of inducing PTI in Arabidopsis in a manner dependent on the common immune co-receptor BAK1. Consistent with the role played by BAK1, we identified a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase, termed NILR1 that is specifically regulated upon infection by nematodes. We show that NILR1 is essential for PTI responses initiated by nematodes and nilr1 loss-of-function mutants are hypersusceptible to a broad category of nematodes. To our knowledge, NILR1 is the first example of an immune receptor that is involved in induction of basal immunity (PTI) in plants or in animals in response to nematodes. Manipulation of NILR1 will provide new options for nematode control in crop plants in future.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The paper presents a physics-based method to calculate in real time the distribution of temperature in the active part of liquid immersed power transformers (LIPT) in a transient thermal processes ...during grid operation. The method is based on the detailed dynamic thermal-hydraulic network model (THNM). Commonly, up to now, lumped models have been used, whereby the temperatures are calculated at a few points (top-oil and hot-spot), and the parameters are determined from basic or extended temperature-rise tests and/or field operation. Numerous simplifications are made in such models and the accuracy of calculation decreases when the transformer operates outside the range of tested values (cooling stage, loading). The dynamic THNM reaches the optimum of accuracy and simplicity, being feasible for on-line application. The paper presents fundamental equations of dynamic THNM, which are structurally different from static THNM equations. The paper offers the numerical solver for the case of a closed-loop thermosyphon. To apply the method for real transformer grid operation, there is a need to develop details as in static THNM, which has been used to calculate the distribution of the temperatures in LIPT thermal design. The paper proves the concept of dynamic THNM using the experimental results of a closed-loop thermosyphon small-scale model, previously published by authors from McGill University in 2017. The comparison of dynamic THNM with measurements on that model are presented in the paper.
This paper presents the results of experimental research on radiator batteries for cooling oil immersed power transformers. A special test setup was built, consisting of a tank and heaters, ...simulating the active part of the transformer, and a radiator bank, with the pump in the pipe connecting the tank and the radiators. Fans were mounted below (vertical blowing) and on the side (horizontal blowing). The main parameters measured include temperatures, oil flow, and pressures in characteristic positions. The motivation behind the experimental research lies in the somewhat higher discrepancy between oil flows through the radiators calculated using detailed thermal-hydraulic model from the results of heat run tests in the case of forced oil flow and the application of the radiators for the outer cooling. Since the calculated oil flows were higher than the values obtained from the heat run test, it was obvious that there are some additional pressure drops along the oil path. The hypothesis is that these pressure drops appear in the top and bottom head of the radiators. Corresponding measurements, analysis, and steps taken to fine tune the detailed thermal-hydraulic model are presented in this paper.
Sedentary plant-parasitic cyst nematodes are biotrophs that cause significant losses in agriculture. Parasitism is based on modifications of host root cells that lead to the formation of a ...hypermetabolic feeding site (a syncytium) from which nematodes withdraw nutrients. The host cell cycle is activated in an initial cell selected by the nematode for feeding, followed by activation of neighboring cells and subsequent expansion of feeding site through fusion of hundreds of cells. It is generally assumed that nematodes manipulate production and signaling of the plant hormone cytokinin to activate cell division. In fact, nematodes have been shown to produce cytokinin in vitro; however, whether the hormone is secreted into host plants and plays a role in parasitism remained unknown. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal activation of cytokinin signaling during interaction between the cyst nematode,Heterodera schachtii,andArabidopsisusing cytokinin-responsive promoter:reporter lines. Our results showed that cytokinin signaling is activated not only in the syncytium but also in neighboring cells to be incorporated into syncytium. An analysis of nematode infection on mutants that are deficient in cytokinin or cytokinin signaling revealed a significant decrease in susceptibility of these plants to nematodes. Further, we identified a cytokinin-synthesizing isopentenyltransferase gene inH. schachtiiand show that silencing of this gene in nematodes leads to a significant decrease in virulence due to a reduced expansion of feeding sites. Our findings demonstrate the ability of a plant-parasitic nematode to synthesize a functional plant hormone to manipulate the host system and establish a long-term parasitic interaction.
This paper presents the method for the calculation of temperatures inside oil power transformers, based on detailed thermal-hydraulic model. Starting from the construction of a transformer, physical ...parameters of applied materials, temperature of the outer cooling medium, and distribution of power losses, the calculation method delivers detailed distribution of temperatures: of the winding-in each conductor, of the oil-in each cooling channel and in each characteristic point, and in the core-on the surfaces and the hottest spots. The method is general i.e., covers all oil circulation arts (ON, OF, and OD). Based on the method, the software for the thermal calculation of the majority of designs met in practice is developed.
Heterodera schachtii, a plant-parasitic cyst nematode, invades host roots and induces a specific syncytial feeding structure, from which it withdraws all required nutrients, causing severe yield ...losses. The system H. schachtii–Arabidopsis is an excellent research model for investigating plant defence mechanisms. Such responses are suppressed in well-established syncytia, whereas they are induced during early parasitism. However, the mechanisms by which the defence responses are modulated and the role of phytohormones are largely unknown.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of hormone-based defence responses at the onset of nematode infection. First, concentrations of main phytohormones were quantified and the expression of several hormone-related genes was analysed using quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR or GeneChip. Further, the effects of individual hormones were evaluated via nematode attraction and infection assays using plants with altered endogenous hormone concentrations.
Our results suggest a pivotal and positive role for ethylene during nematode attraction, whereas jasmonic acid triggers early defence responses against H. schachtii. Salicylic acid seems to be a negative regulator during later syncytium and female development.
We conclude that nematodes are able to impose specific changes in hormone pools, thus modulating hormone-based defence and signal transduction in strict dependence on their parasitism stage.
Plants and animals produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to infection. In plants, ROS not only activate defense responses and promote cell death to limit the spread of pathogens but also ...restrict the amount of cell death in response to pathogen recognition. Plants also use hormones, such as salicylic acid, to mediate immune responses to infection. However, there are long-lasting biotrophic plant-pathogen interactions, such as the interaction between parasitic nematodes and plant roots during which defense responses are suppressed and root cells are reorganized to specific nurse cell systems. In plants, ROS are primarily generated by plasma membrane-localized NADPH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidases, and loss of NADPH oxidase activity compromises immune responses and cell death. We found that infection of Arabidopsis thaliana by the parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii activated the NADPH oxidases RbohD and RbohF to produce ROS, which was necessary to restrict infected plant cell death and promote nurse cell formation. RbohD- and RbohF-deficient plants exhibited larger regions of cell death in response to nematode infection, and nurse cell formation was greatly reduced. Genetic disruption of SID2, which is required for salicylic acid accumulation and immune activation in nematode-infected plants, led to the increased size of nematodes in RbohD- and RbohF-deficient plants, but did not decrease plant cell death. Thus, by stimulating NADPH oxidase-generated ROS, parasitic nematodes fine-tune the pattern of plant cell death during the destructive root invasion and may antagonize salicylic acid-induced defense responses during biotrophic life stages.
Summary
Sedentary plant‐parasitic cyst nematodes are obligate biotrophs that infect the roots of their host plant. Their parasitism is based on the modification of root cells to form a hypermetabolic ...syncytium from which the nematodes draw their nutrients. The aim of this study was to identify nematode susceptibility genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and to characterize their roles in supporting the parasitism of Heterodera schachtii. By selecting genes that were most strongly upregulated in response to cyst nematode infection, we identified HIPP27 (HEAVY METAL‐ASSOCIATED ISOPRENYLATED PLANT PROTEIN 27) as a host susceptibility factor required for beet cyst nematode infection and development. Detailed expression analysis revealed that HIPP27 is a cytoplasmic protein and that HIPP27 is strongly expressed in leaves, young roots and nematode‐induced syncytia. Loss‐of‐function Arabidopsis hipp27 mutants exhibited severely reduced susceptibility to H. schachtii and abnormal starch accumulation in syncytial and peridermal plastids. Our results suggest that HIPP27 is a susceptibility gene in Arabidopsis whose loss of function reduces plant susceptibility to cyst nematode infection without increasing the susceptibility to other pathogens or negatively affecting the plant phenotype.
Current standards related to welded joint defects (EN ISO 5817) only consider individual cases (i.e., single defect in a welded joint). The question remains about the behaviour of a welded joint in ...the simultaneous presence of several different types of defects, so-called multiple defects, which is the topic of this research. The main focus is on defects most commonly encountered in practice, such as linear misalignments, undercuts, incomplete root penetration, and excess weld metal. The welding procedure used in this case was metal active gas welding, a common technique when it comes to welding low-alloy low-carbon steels, including those used for pressure equipment. Different combinations of these defects were deliberately made in welded plates and tested in a standard way on a tensile machine, along with numerical simulations using the finite element method (FEM), based on real geometries. The goal was to predict the behaviour in terms of stress concentrations caused by geometry and affected by multiple defects and material heterogeneity. Numerical and experimental results were in good agreement, but only after some modifications of numerical models. The obtained stress values in the models ranged from noticeably lower than the yield stress of the used materials to slightly higher than it, suggesting that some defect combinations resulted in plastic strain, whereas other models remained in the elastic area. The stress–strain diagram obtained for the first group (misalignment, undercut, and excess root penetration) shows significantly less plasticity. Its yield stress is very close to its ultimate tensile strength, which in turn is noticeably lower compared with the other three groups. This suggests that welded joints with misalignment and incomplete root penetration are indeed the weakest of the four groups either due to the combination of the present defects or perhaps because of an additional unseen internal defect. From the other three diagrams, it can be concluded that the test specimens show very similar behaviour with nearly identical ultimate tensile strengths and considerable plasticity. The diagrams shows the most prominent yielding, with an easily distinguishable difference between the elastic and plastic regions. The diagrams are the most similar, having the same strain of around 9% and with a less obvious yield stress limit.
Summary
Cyst and root‐knot nematodes are obligate parasites of economic importance with a remarkable ability to reprogram root cells into unique metabolically active feeding sites. Previous studies ...have suggested a role for cytokinin in feeding site formation induced by these two types of nematodes, but the mechanistic details have not yet been described. Using Arabidopsis as a host plant species, we conducted a comparative analysis of cytokinin genes in response to the beet cyst nematode (BCN), Heterodera schachtii, and the root‐knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita. We identified distinct differences in the expression of cytokinin biosynthesis, catabolism and signaling genes in response to infection by BCN and RKN, suggesting differential manipulation of the cytokinin pathway by these two nematode species. Furthermore, we evaluated Arabidopsis histidine kinase receptor mutant lines ahk2/3, ahk2/4 and ahk3/4 in response to RKN infection. Similar to our previous studies with BCN, these lines were significantly less susceptible to RKN without compromising nematode penetration, suggesting a requirement of cytokinin signaling in RKN feeding site formation. Moreover, an analysis of ahk double mutants using CycB1;1:GUS/ahk introgressed lines revealed contrasting differences in the cytokinin receptors mediating cell cycle activation in feeding sites induced by BCN and RKN.
Significance Statement
Although cytokinin has been proposed as a main phytohormone involved in feeding site induction by cyst and root‐knot nematodes, the specific cytokinin genes contributing to this process are still unknown. Here we not only identified key cytokinin genes required for each interaction, but also discovered contrasting differences between cyst and root‐knot nematodes that may explain the divergent nature of the feeding sites induced by these two economically important parasites.
PDF
