Following the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), the global COVID-19 outbreak has resurfaced after appearing to be relentlessly spreading over the past 2 years. This new variant showed marked degree of mutation, compared with the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study investigates the evolutionary links between Omicron variant and recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants. The entire genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 variants were obtained, aligned using Clustal Omega, pairwise comparison was computed, differences, identity percent, gaps, and mutations were noted, and the identity matrix was generated. The phy-How to cite this article: Kandeel M, Mohamed MEM,

Fatty acid structure affects cellular activities through changes in membrane lipid composition and the generation of a diversity of bioactive derivatives. Eicosapolyenoic acids are released into plants upon infection by oomycete pathogens, suggesting they may elicit plant defenses. We exploited transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants (designated EP) producing eicosadienoic, eicosatrienoic, and arachidonic acid (AA), aimed at mimicking pathogen release of these compounds. We also examined their effect on biotic stress resistance by challenging EP plants with fungal, oomycete, and bacterial pathogens and an insect pest. EP plants exhibited enhanced resistance to all biotic challenges, except they were more susceptible to bacteria than the wild type. Levels of jasmonic acid (JA) were elevated and levels of salicylic acid (SA) were reduced in EP plants. Altered expression of JA and SA pathway genes in EP plants shows that eicosapolyenoic acids effectively modulate stress-responsive transcriptional networks. Exogenous application of various fatty acids to wild-type and JA-deficient mutants confirmed AA as the signaling molecule. Moreover, AA treatment elicited heightened expression of general stress-responsive genes. Importantly, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves treated with AA exhibited reduced susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea infection, confirming AA signaling in other plants. These studies support the role of AA, an ancient metazoan signaling molecule, in eliciting plant stress and defense signaling networks.

In this study, kaempferol (KFL) shows hepatoprotective activity against zearalenone (ZEA)-induced oxidative stress and its underlying mechanisms in in vitro and in vivo models were investigated. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of various hepatic ailments and is normally regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). ZEA is a mycotoxin known to exert toxicity via inflammation and ROS accumulation. This study aims to explore the protective role of KFL against ZEA-triggered hepatic injury via the PI3K/Akt-regulated Nrf2 pathway. KFL augmented the phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt, which may stimulate antioxidative and antiapoptotic signaling in hepatic cells. KFL upregulated Nrf2 phosphorylation and the expression of antioxidant genes HO-1 and NQO-1 in a dose-dependent manner under ZEA-induced oxidative stress. Nrf2 knockdown via small-interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited the KFL-mediated defence against ZEA-induced hepatotoxicity. In vivo studies showed that KFL decreased inflammation and lipid peroxidation and increased H2O2 scavenging and biochemical marker enzyme expression. KFL was able to normalize the expression of liver antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT and GSH and showed a protective effect against ZEA-induced pathophysiology in the livers of mice. These outcomes demonstrate that KFL possesses notable hepatoprotective roles against ZEA-induced damage in vivo and in vitro. These protective properties of KFL may occur through the stimulation of Nrf2/HO-1 cascades and PI3K/Akt signaling.