Integrated transcriptome and metabolite profiling highlights the role of benzoxazinoids in wheat resistance against Fusarium crown rot

Fusarium crown rot(FCR), caused by Fusarium spp., is a chronic and severe plant disease worldwide. In the last years, the incidence and severity of FCR in China has increased to the point that it is now considered a threat to local wheat crops. In this study, for the first time, the metabolites and transcripts responsive to FCR infection in the partial resistant wheat cultivar 04 Zhong 36(04 z36) and susceptible cultivar Xinmai 26(XM) were investigated and compared at 20 and 25 days post inoculation(dpi). A total of 443 metabolites were detected, of which 102 were significantly changed because of pathogen colonization.Most of these 102 metabolites belonged to the flavonoid, phenolic acid, amino acid and derivative classes.Some metabolites, such as proline betaine, lauric acid, ribitol, and arabitol, were stably induced by Fusarium pseudograminearum(Fp) infection at two time points and may have important roles in FCR resistance. In line with the reduced seedling height of 04 z36 and XM plants, RNA-seq analysis revealed that FCR infection significantly affected the photosynthesis activities in two cultivars. Furthermore, 15 jasmonate ZIM-domain genes(JAZ) in the significantly enriched ‘regulation of jasmonic acid mediated signaling pathway’ in 04 z36 were down-regulated. The down-regulation of these JAZ genes in 04 z36 may cause a strong activation of the jasmonate signaling pathway. Based on combined data from gene expression and metabolite profiles, two metabolites, benzoxazolin-2-one(BOA) and 6-methoxy-benzoxazolin-2-one(MBOA), involved in the benzoxazinoid-biosynthesis pathway, were tested for their effects on FCR resistance. Both BOA and MBOA significantly reduced fungal growth in vitro and in vivo, and, thus, a higher content of BOA and MBOA in 04 z36 may contribute to FCR resistance. Above all, the current analysis extends our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of FCR resistance/susceptibility in wheat and will benefit further efforts for the genetic improvement of disease resistance.

Clinical characteristics and pathogenic analysis of lower respiratory tract infections in advanced lung cancer patients with different treatment modalities

Objective:To clarify the clinical characteristics and pathogenic analysis after lower respiratory tract infection in patients with advanced lung cancer under different treatments.Methods:A retrospective analysis was adopted to collect 94 cases of patients with advanced lung cancer combined with lower respiratory tract infection from January 1,2018 to December 1,2020.Seventy-four cases were male and 20 cases were female.According to the different treatments,the patients were divided into 43 cases in the chemotherapy group and 51 cases in the chemoradiotherapy group.The pathogenic and serological indexes were compared between the two groups to provide ideas for the application of antibiotics.Results:In the comparison of general clinical data,the chemotherapy group had a shorter hospital stay than the chemoradiotherapy group and a higher body mass index level than the chemoradiotherapy group(p<0.05).In the comparison of serological indicators,procalcitonin,high-sensitive Creactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and neutrophil percentage were lower in the chemotherapy group,and the lymphocyte was higher than that in the chemoradiotherapy group(p<0.05).There was no difference in hemoglobin,albumin,creatinine,and alanine transaminase between the two groups(p>0.05).In the comparison of pathogenicity,the chemotherapy group was more likely to have combined viral infections,while the chemoradiotherapy group was more likely to have Gram-negative bacterial infections(p<0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of fungal infections(p>0.05).Besides,the chemoradiotherapy group was more likely to have combined infections(p>0.05).Conclusion:Patients with advanced lung cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy have a relatively poor prognosis after developing lower respiratory tract infections and are more likely to have mixed infections.Antibiotics need to be applied as early as possible.The common pathogens should be covered.Antiviral and antifungal drugs can be added as appropriate,and drug sensitivity tests should be completed as early as possible.