Search Results (1,370)

The genus Blunervirus comprises plant viruses that infect a diverse range of plants, but no blunervirus has been reported infecting elm trees (Ulmus parvifolia) in China to date. Using high-throughput sequencing and reverse-transcription PCR assays, a novel blunervirus, tentatively named elm blunervirus 1 (ElmBlV1), was identified from a symptomatic elm plant (Ulmus parvifolia) in China. The genome of ElmBlV1 harbors canonical molecular features of blunerviruses and comprises six RNA segments (RNAs1–6), with RNA5 and 6 being two additional genomic components not reported in known blunerviruses. Sequence analyses revealed amino acid (aa) identity of ElmBlV1 proteins ranging from 25.9% (polyprotein encoded by RNA1) to 64.2% (movement protein encoded by RNA4) relative to reported blunerviruses and include five orphan open reading frames. Phylogenetically, ElmBlV1 is most closely related to blueberry necrotic ring blotch virus. Furthermore, ElmBlV1 P37 localizes to both plasmodesmata and the nucleus. Additionally, the RNA reads mapping revealed high read coverage was observed on RNAs3–4 for this virus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a blunervirus infecting an elm tree in China. Our results enrich the diversity of known viruses in the genus of Blunervirus and expand our understanding of their genomic characteristics and molecular biology. Full article

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the death of motor neurons leading to paralysis and death, generally 3–5 years post-symptom onset. The most frequent genetic cause of ALS is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene, that has three major hypothesised pathological mechanisms including the production of dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs). Our laboratory has previously identified purine metabolism dysfunction in induced neural progenitor cell-derived astrocytes (iAstrocytes) from C9orf72 ALS (C9-ALS) cases (C9-iAstrocytes), driven by loss of the enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA). Here, we have demonstrated that loss of ADA along with changes to ecto-5′-nucleotidase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase led to disruption in purine metabolite levels including purine dNTP output. These changes were recapitulated in patient CSF, whilst loss of ADA was recapitulated in patient white matter. Immunofluorescence also demonstrated purinosome formation dysfunction in C9-iAstrocytes. These changes are likely driven by DPRs as ADA loss was recapitulated in in vitro and in vivo DPR models. Finally, ADA levels could be recovered by reducing DPR levels either by inhibiting serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 or overexpressing RuvB-like 2. Our data demonstrate that DPR production negatively affects purine function in C9-ALS suggesting a potentially pivotal role for purine metabolism dysfunction in C9-ALS pathology. Full article

Climate warming has facilitated the expansion of insect vectors and plant viral pathogens, leading to increased incidence of viral diseases in crops. Cucurbit crops, including cucumber (Cucumis sativus), melon (Cucumis melo), squash (Cucurbita pepo), and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), are of major economic importance worldwide, but their production is severely threatened by viral infections. Among the most damaging viruses are zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV; genus Potyvirus), transmitted by aphids, and melon yellow spot virus (MYSV; genus Orthotospovirus), transmitted by thrips, both of which cause significant yield losses in Asia, including Taiwan. Previously, an attenuated ZYMV mutant, ZAC, was shown to confer effective cross-protection against ZYMV in several cucurbit species. In the present study, we engineered a recombinant virus, ZAC-MYnp, by inserting the nucleocapsid protein (NP) open reading frame of MYSV into the ZAC genome. ZAC-MYnp retained the attenuated phenotype of ZAC and remained effective in protecting against ZYMV infection, with protection rates of 70.4% and 87.0% in zucchini and muskmelon plants, respectively. In addition, under both mechanical and thrips-mediated challenge conditions, ZAC-MYnp significantly reduced MYSV symptom severity in muskmelon, with a protection rate of 66.7% and a protective efficacy of 79.0%, respectively. These results demonstrate that ZAC-derived recombinant viruses can function as a bivalent viral vaccine, offering dual protection against an aphid-borne potyvirus and a thrips-borne orthotospovirus. Our study highlights the feasibility of using a bivalent recombinant vaccine to manage two distinct insect-borne viruses in cucurbit crops. Full article

This article investigates how Job 1–3 may be read as a single narrative–dramatic unit shaped by a ritual process of mourning, with particular attention to the transition from the prose tale (Job 1–2) to the poetic imprecation (Job 3). The enquiry proceeds by means of a comparative analysis of the prologues of the Ugaritic epics Keret (KTU 1.14 I:1–II:5) and Aqhat (KTU 1.17 I:1–47), texts frequently invoked for contextualising Job within Ancient West Asia. In a first stage, close reading of these Ugaritic prologues identifies narrative techniques for signalling ritual practices—especially lament and incubatio—while remaining largely allusive rather than descriptive. In a second stage, the study turns to the canonical form of Job 1–3 and re-examines its scene arrangement, pacing, and speech-acts against that epic model, including the function of framing formulae and temporal markers. The analysis is intentionally confined to the present form of the text. The paper thus offers a controlled methodological work in comparative poetics and ritual analysis, asking how far Ugaritic epic conventions can illuminate continuity across genre and register at the opening of Job. Full article

The search for antagonistic microorganisms as alternatives to chemical pesticides is an urgent priority in sustainable agriculture. Previously, we isolated several bacterial isolates from spruce plants, and one of them, identified as Bacillus atrophaeus R7PjV2-12, showed strong antagonistic properties against plant pathogens such as Magnaporthe oryzae, Fusarium avenaceum, and Erwinia billingiae. Given its strong fungicidal properties, we decided to sequence the complete genome of this bacterium to determine how it can inhibit fungal growth. The whole genome size of B. atrophaeus R7PjV2-12 was 4,127,644 bp with 4032 open reading frames. B. atrophaeus R7PjV2-12 genome possessed clusters of secondary metabolites with a complete set of genes with 100% similarity representing clusters of biosynthesis of bacillin, bacillibactin, subtilosin A, and fungicin, which indicates the studied strain’s ability to synthesize these substances. Thus, this paper has shown and discussed the potential importance of B. atrophaeus R7PjV2-12 for biocontrol of pathogenic microorganisms in agriculture. Full article

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential pattern recognition receptors of the innate immune system and play critical roles in pathogen invasion in teleosts. In this study, we identified and characterized full-length open reading frames of three TLRs belonging to the TLR11 subfamily from Schizothorax prenanti, termed spTLR19 (2868 bp), spTLR20 (2835 bp), and spTLR21 (2946 bp), encoding 955, 944, and 981 amino acids, respectively. All three proteins exhibited the conserved domain architecture typical of TLRs, comprising a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain, a transmembrane region, and a Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain. Phylogenetic and homology analyses revealed that spTLR19 and spTLR20 clustered most closely with their homologues from Cyprinus carpio, while spTLR21 showed the highest similarity to Onychostoma macrolepis TLR21. Expression profiling showed that these TLRs were ubiquitously expressed across examined tissues, with relatively higher expression in immune-related tissues such as spleen and gills. Furthermore, challenge with Streptococcus agalactiae and Aeromonas veronii significantly up-regulated the expression of spTLR19, spTLR20, and spTLR21 in spleen, liver, and gills, suggesting their involvement in antibacterial immune responses. These findings enhance the functional understanding of the teleost TLR11 subfamily and provide a foundation for elucidating disease resistance and immune regulation in S. prenanti. Full article

The family Flaviviridae has been expanded to include the highly divergent flavi-like viruses into three new families, Flaviviridae, Pestiviridae, and Hepaciviridae, in the order Amarillovirales. Classical flavivirids are small, enveloped viruses with positive-sense ssRNA genomes lacking a 3′ poly(A) tail and ~9.0–13.0 kb in length, with a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding structural proteins at the N-terminus and nonstructural proteins at the C-terminus. Members infect a wide range of mammals, birds, and insects, and many are host-specific and pathogenic. Although the RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene sequences of the flavi-like viruses group phylogenetically with those of classical flavivirids, flavi-like viruses often encode larger polyproteins and possess substantially longer genomes of up to ~40 kb, and some have a 3′ poly(A) tail. Their host range extends across the whole animal kingdom and angiosperm plants. This review describes the reported flavi-like viruses of aquatic animals, providing a meaningful update on all three new families in Amarillovirales that have been discovered using metagenomics in fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. These amarilloviruses include pathogenic viruses of aquatic animals, such as Cyclopterus lumpus virus (CLuV) detected in moribund lumpfish, and infectious precocity virus (IPV) found in iron prawn syndrome (IPS)-affected farmed giant freshwater prawns. Full article

Fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins are viral nonstructural proteins known to be encoded by specific members of the Spinareoviridae, specifically within the Aquareovirus and Orthoreovirus genera. These proteins specialize in mediating cell–cell fusion, leading to syncytia. Unlike enveloped viruses, naked viruses do not rely on fusion proteins for cell entry; however, such proteins may facilitate viral spread between cells. Although not essential for virus replication, FAST proteins have been shown to enhance viral replication, particularly during the early stages of infection. More recently, proteins with characteristics resembling FAST proteins have been identified in a broader range of viruses, including several rotavirus species within the family Sedoreoviridae, and, unexpectedly, in some enveloped viruses within the Coronaviridae family. Here, we present protein sequence analyses suggesting that viruses of the recently established virus family Pistolviridae (order Ghabrivirales) also encode proteins with similarity to FAST proteins. Pistolviruses are small double-stranded RNA viruses that infect piscine species, and were initially referred to as “toti-like” viruses due to genomic similarities with members of the former Totiviridae, which infect single-celled organisms. The putative FAST proteins of the pistolviruses may be expressed either from small, distinct open reading frames or suggested to be produced as cleavage products derived from polyproteins. Full article

Pleurotus ostreatus, a globally cultivated oyster mushroom, is susceptible to viral infections that threaten yield and quality. This study reports the identification and characterization of three novel viruses from a symptomatic P. ostreatus strain K3: Pleurotus ostreatus deltaflexivirus 2, 3, and 4 (PoDFV2, PoDFV3, PoDFV4). Complete genome sequencing revealed that they are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses with lengths of 7809 nt, 7771 nt, and 7786 nt, encoding 5, 2, and 4 open reading frames (ORFs), respectively. The largest open reading frame (ORF1) encodes a putative replication-associated polyprotein (RP) containing three conserved domains—viral RNA methyltransferase (Mtr), viral RNA helicase (Hel), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Based on genomic sequence analysis, multiple sequence alignments, and phylogenetic analysis, PoDFV2–4 were identified as novel viruses of the genus Deltaflexivirus within the family Deltaflexiviridae. PoDFV2–4 had no significant effects on mycelial growth rate, plate mycelial biomass, or laccase activity. However, they significantly inhibited mycelial cellulase activity and resulted in malformed fruiting bodies, as well as a substantial reduction in yield. Full article

Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is a significant threat to global tomato production, with symptom severity varying widely among strains and often leading to significant economic losses. Despite extensive studies on aggressive variants, the molecular determinants of mild symptomatology in field isolates, particularly from Korea, remain underexplored. In this study, we characterized a mildly infecting PepMV isolate from asymptomatic tomato plants during a field survey in Jeonju, South Korea. The full-length genome sequence and phylogenetic analysis classified it as a CH2 strain. A full-length cDNA infectious clone of this isolate was constructed and confirmed to induce no mosaic symptoms in tomato plants. To identify symptom determinants, targeted mutagenesis was performed in the coat protein (CP) open reading frame. Substitution mutations at CP position 236 or combined 6/155 substitutions converted the mild isolate into a severe variant, inducing strong mosaic symptoms and significantly higher viral accumulation (up to tenfold). These results demonstrated that specific CP residues act as key regulators of symptom severity in PepMV CH2 strains and provide defined severe mutants as useful tools for screening resistance in tomatoes. Although the mechanism underlying symptom modulation remains unclear, this work advanced our understanding of molecular differences between mild and severe strains and supported targeted strategies for managing this economically important virus. Full article

Potyvirus genomes are expressed as a single large open reading frame, which is translated into a polyprotein that is post-translationally cleaved by three virus-encoded proteases into 10 functional proteins. Several of these potyviral proteins, including nuclear inclusion protein b (NIb), are multifunctional. Here, using the classic GFP silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana gfp-transgenic plants, we show that potato virus Y (PVY) NIb, in addition to its canonical role as the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), functions as a suppressor of RNA silencing. Mutational analyses reveal a previously unreported NIb nuclear localization signal (NLS) consisting of a triple-lysine motif. NIb suppression of RNA silencing activity was lost when the NLS was mutated, suggesting that nuclear localization is required for NIb suppression of RNA silencing activity. Analysis of sequenced GFP siRNAs revealed three reproducible hotspot regions at ≈175 nt, ≈320–330 nt, and a broader 3′-proximal region spanning ≈560–700 nt that contains multiple local maxima. These data show differences in the positional distribution of siRNAs between samples expressing NIb and those expressing NIb^Del3×2, the NIb null mutant that does not suppress RNA silencing. However, the positional distribution of GFP-derived small RNAs across the transgene differed modestly between NIb and NIb^Del3×2, while both treatments showed the same three reproducible hotspot regions. Furthermore, NIb was found to interact with four key RNA silencing pathway proteins—AGO4, HSP70, HSP90, and SGS3. Except for HSP90, each of these proteins showed degradation products that were absent in NIb mutants that did not suppress RNA silencing. These findings support a role for NIb in countering host defense during virus infection. Full article

Cells are continuously exposed to physiological and environmental stressors that disrupt homeostasis, triggering adaptive mechanisms such as the integrated stress response (ISR). A central feature of ISR is the selective translation of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), which orchestrates gene programs essential for metabolic adaptation and survival. Stress-induced acute ATF4 expression occurs in diverse mammalian cell types and is typically protective; however, chronic activation contributes to pathologies including cancer and neurodegeneration. Canonical ISR (c-ISR) is initiated by phosphorylation of eIF2α in response to stressors such as endoplasmic reticulum or mitochondrial dysfunction, hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, and infections. This modification suppresses global protein synthesis while promoting ATF4 translation through upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in its 5′UTR. Recently, an alternative pathway, split ISR (s-ISR), enabling ATF4 translation independently of eIF2α phosphorylation, was identified in mice, suggesting ISR adaptability, though its relevance in humans remains unclear. Under normal conditions, cap-dependent translation predominates, mediated by the eIF4F complex and requiring the activity of eIF2B at its initial steps. During translational stress, eIF2α phosphorylation inhibits eIF2B activity, resulting in the formation of stalled initiation complexes, which can aggregate into stress granules (SGs). SGs sequester mRNAs and translation initiation factors, further repressing global translation, while ATF4 mRNA largely escapes sequestration, enabling selective translation. This partitioning highlights a finely tuned regulatory mechanism balancing ATF4 expression during stress. Recent advances reveal that, beyond cis-regulatory uORFs, trans-acting factors such as translation initiation factors and associated RNA-binding proteins critically influence ATF4 translation. Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into ISR plasticity and its implications for development, aging, and disease. Full article

A novel lytic bacteriophage, XAN_XB1, was isolated from hospital wastewater through host bacterial enrichment and evaluated for its potential in controlling multidrug-resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that XAN_XB1 has a long tail, possessing an icosahedral head of ~80 nm in diameter and a tail measuring ~150 nm in length. It produced clear plaques of 0.5–1 mm on host bacterial lawns. Host range analysis demonstrated its ability to infect multiple multidrug-resistant S. maltophilia isolates. Biological characterization showed that the phage is chloroform-insensitive, retains strong lytic activity across a wide temperature (4–60 °C) and pH (3.0–10.0) range, and achieves more rapid host suppression under higher multiplicity of infection (MOI). Whole-genome sequencing determined a ~47 kb double-stranded DNA genome encoding 71 predicted open reading frames, with no known virulence or antibiotic resistance genes. Phylogenetic analysis of MCP and terminase large subunit sequences placed XAN_XB1 in a unique Caudoviricetes, with ANI values below the 95% ICTV threshold verifying its status as a novel phage species. The XAN_XB1 therapy significantly alleviates S. maltophilia infection-induced severe pulmonary inflammatory lesions, high mortality, elevated serum inflammatory factors and massive pulmonary bacterial colonization in male BALB/c mice, confirming its favorable therapeutic effect on such infections. Collectively, these results reveal that is an efficacious candidate for therapeutic development against S. maltophilia infections. Full article

Automata and artificial intelligence (AI) have long occupied a central place in cultural and artistic imagination, and the recent proliferation of AI-generated artworks has intensified debates about authorship, creativity, and human agency. Empirical studies show that audiences often perceive AI-generated works as less authentic or emotionally resonant than human creations, with authorship attribution strongly shaping esthetic judgments. Yet little attention has been paid to how AI systems themselves evaluate creative authorship. This study investigates how large language models (LLMs) evaluate literary quality under different framings of authorship—Human, AI, or Human+AI collaboration. Using a questionnaire-based experimental design, we prompted four instruction-tuned LLMs (ChatGPT 4, Gemini 2, Gemma 3, and LLaMA 3) to read and assess three short stories in Italian, originally generated by ChatGPT 4 in the narrative style of Roald Dahl. For each story × authorship condition × model combination, we collected 100 questionnaire completions, yielding 3600 responses in total. Across esthetic, literary, and inclusiveness dimensions, the stated authorship systematically conditioned model judgments: identical stories were consistently rated more favorably when framed as human-authored or human–AI co-authored than when labeled as AI-authored, revealing a robust negative bias toward AI authorship. Model-specific analyses further indicate distinctive evaluative profiles and inclusiveness thresholds across proprietary and open-source systems. Our findings extend research on attribution bias into the computational realm, showing that LLM-based evaluations reproduce human-like assumptions about creative agency and literary value. We publicly release all materials to facilitate transparency and future comparative work on AI-mediated literary evaluation. Full article

Macrobrachium nipponense is an important commercial freshwater prawn species in China. Since larger individuals command higher market value, there is a pressing need to identify growth-related genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to facilitate genetic improvement in this species. Previous studies have suggested a potentially regulatory role of an actin-like protein (ACTL) in the growth of M. nipponense. Therefore, the present study aimed to functionally characterize the role of ACTL in growth and identify growth-associated SNPs within this gene. The open reading frame of Mn-ACTL is 1131 bp, encoding a protein with 377 amino acids. Blastx and phylogenetic analyses indicated that Mn-ACTL shares a close evolutionary relationship with orthologs from Macrobrachium rosenbergii and Palaemon carinicauda. The highest expression level of Mn-ACTL in muscle tissue detected by qPCR suggested its potential involvement in growth regulation. RNA interference experiments showed that prawns injected with dsGFP exhibited larger body sizes than those injected with dsACTL, indicating that knockdown of Mn-ACTL expression inhibits growth performance in M. nipponense. Furthermore, muscle tissue from the dsACTL-injected group displayed looser myofibril packing, visibly eroded areas, and increased sarcomere spacing. Collectively, these results demonstrated that ACTL positively regulates growth in M. nipponense. Additionally, the T allele at locus S28_17149891 and the G allele at locus S28_17145758 were significantly associated with growth traits (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study confirmed the positive regulatory role of ACTL in growth and identified growth-associated SNPs in M. nipponense, providing valuable insights for breeding new varieties with enhanced growth performance in this species. Full article