Life

Pinus koraiensis leaves are known for various bioactivities, including anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. This study aimed to compare the essential oil from P. koraiensis leaves (EPO) and the supercritical-CO₂-extracted oil (SPO) for physicochemical traits, antibacterial and anticancer activities, and anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects, and profiled fatty acids by means of GC-MS. SPO showed stronger antimicrobial activity than EPO against Streptococcus mutans, whereas EPO was more active against Candida albicans. In HaCaT keratinocytes and THP-1 monocytic cell line, SPO more effectively suppressed LPS-induced ROS and attenuated TNF-α and IL-6 upregulation. Across a panel of human cancer cell lines, SPO exerted greater cytotoxicity, particularly in non–small cell lung, prostate, and colon cancers. GC–MS revealed greater compositional diversity in SPO (16 fatty acids, 10 unique), while linolelaidic acid was detected only in EPO; pentadecenoic acid was abundant in all oils. Collectively, SPO demonstrates broader bioactivity and richer fatty-acid diversity than EPO, supporting its potential as a functional food or medicinal ingredient.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is widely used in fermented foods and as a probiotic, yet the genomic basis underlying its γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production capacity and strain-level functional diversity remains incompletely resolved. We analyzed 1240 publicly available genomes to map species-wide genome architecture, the distribution of GABA-related genes, and accessory drivers of phenotypes. Pangenome analysis identified 45,201 gene families, including 622 strict core genes (1.38%) and 444 soft-core genes (2.36%). The accessory genome dominated (3138 shell and 40,997 cloud genes; 97.64%), indicating a strongly open pangenome. In contrast, the GABA (gad) operon was universally conserved: gadB (glutamate decarboxylase) and gadC (glutamate/GABA antiporter) were present in all genomes regardless of isolates source. Accessory-genome clustering revealed ecological and geographic structure without loss of the operon, suggesting that phenotypes variability relevant to fermentation and probiotic performance is primarily shaped by accessory modules. Accessory features included carbohydrate uptake and processing islands, bacteriocins and immunity systems, stress- and membrane-associated functions, and plasmid-encoded traits. Analysis of complete genomes confirmed substantial variation in plasmid load (median = 2; range = 0–17), highlighting the role of mobile elements in niche-specific adaptation. Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes database (CAZy) and biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) profiling revealed a conserved enzymatic and metabolic backbone complemented by rare lineage-specific functions. Collectively, these results position L. plantarum as a genetically stable GABA producer with extensive accessory-encoded flexibility and provide a framework for rational strain selection.

The stress-associated proteins (SAPs) correspond to zinc-finger proteins containing A20/AN1 domains that are involved in plant responses to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. However, in oat, no information has been available so far regarding the characteristics and regulation of these genes. In the current research work, eleven AvSAP genes were identified in oats genome (OT3098 variety) named AvSAP1 to AvSAP11. Eight proteins contained both A20 and AN1 domains located at the N- and C-terminal portions of the proteins, respectively. Subsequently, the gene structure and duplication, chromosomal location, cis-acting elements, and protein properties were analyzed using bioinformatic tools. Moreover, genes expression profiles revealed that AvSAP genes present hormones and stress-responsive cis-elements in their promoters. These observations were confirmed using QRT-PCR analysis. Indeed, the majority of identified AvSAP genes were responsive to NaCl, PEG, heat, ethylene, and metallic (Mn, Cu, and Cd) stresses. Moreover, ABA phytohormone induced a significant upregulation of nine AvSAP genes in leaves (5.8–6.5-fold induction) and roots (1.9–4.2-fold induction), corroborating their crucial role of those genes in plants’ response to a wide range of abiotic stresses. In contrast, GA and IAA exert a slight effect on those genes. Finally, AvSAP1 protein expression in bacterial cells conferred tolerance to ionic and osmotic stress. Our results provide deeper insight into AvSAP genes in plants and support advanced functional analyses of this gene family in oats.