Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by various bacteria have significant potential to enhance plant growth and to control phytopathogens. Six of the most effective antagonistic Bacillus spp. were used in this study against Ralstonia solanacearum (Rsc) TBBS1, the causal agent of bacterial wilt disease in tobacco. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 and Bacillus artrophaeus LSSC22 had the strongest inhibitory effect against Rsc. Thirteen VOCs produced by FZB42 and 10 by LSSC22 were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Benzaldehyde, 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2 H)-one and 1,3-butadiene significantly inhibited the colony size, cell viability, and motility of pathogens and negatively influenced chemotaxis. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed severe morphological and ultra-structural changes in cells of Rsc. Furthermore, VOCs altered the transcriptional expression level of PhcA (a global virulence regulator), type III secretion system (T3SS), type IV secretion system (T4SS), extracellular polysaccharides and chemotaxis-related genes, which are major contributors to pathogenicity, resulting in decreased wilt disease. The VOCs significantly up-regulated the expression of genes related to wilt resistance and pathogen defense. Over-expression of EDS1 and NPR1 suggest the involvement of SA pathway in induction of systemic resistance. Our findings provide new insights regarding the potential of antibacterial VOCs as a biocontrol tool against bacterial wilt diseases.

(teleomorph: Ascomycota, Hypocreales, ,) is a destructive fungal pathogen that threatens the production and quality of wheat and barley worldwide. Controlling this toxin-producing pathogen is a significant challenge. In the present study, the commercially available strain (, ,, ) FZB42 showed strong activity against The lipopeptide bacillomycin D, produced by FZB42, was shown to contribute to the antifungal activity. Purified bacillomycin D showed strong activity against , and its 50% effective concentration was determined to be approximately 30 μg/ml. Analyses using scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that bacillomycin D caused morphological changes in the plasma membranes and cell walls of hyphae and conidia. Fluorescence microscopy combined with different dyes showed that bacillomycin D induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and caused cell death in hyphae and conidia. secondary metabolism also responded to bacillomycin D challenge, by increasing the production of deoxynivalenol. Biological control experiments demonstrated that bacillomycin D exerted good control of on corn silks, wheat seedlings, and wheat heads. In response to bacillomycin D, genes involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species were downregulated, whereas genes involved in the synthesis of deoxynivalenol were upregulated. Phosphorylation of MGV1 and HOG1, the mitogen-activated protein kinases of , was increased in response to bacillomycin D. Taken together, these findings reveal the mechanism of the antifungal action of bacillomycin D. Biological control of plant disease caused by is desirable. FZB42 is a representative of the biocontrol bacterial strains. In this work, the lipopeptide bacillomycin D, produced by FZB42, showed strong fungicidal activity against Bacillomycin D caused morphological changes in the plasma membrane and cell wall of, induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and ultimately caused cell death in Interestingly, when was challenged with bacillomycin D, the deoxynivalenol production, gene expression, mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, and pathogenicity of were significantly altered. These findings clarified the mechanisms of the activity of bacillomycin D against and highlighted the potential of FZB42 as a biocontrol agent against.

During the last decade, the use of plant-root colonizing bacteria with plant growth-promoting activity has been proven as an efficient and environmental-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Biofertilizer and biocontrol formulations prepared from endospore-forming Bacillus strains are increasingly applied due to their long shelf life, which is comparable with that of agrochemicals. Today, spore suspensions from natural representatives of mainly Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus pumilus are available. However, these biofertilizers, directly prepared from environmental strains, are sometimes hampered in their action and do not fulfill in each case the expectations of the appliers (Borriss R, Bacteria in agrobiology: plant growth responses, Springer, 2011, pp. 41-76). This review will focus on several ways to improve the action of B. amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum FZB42 T , the type strain for the group of plant-associated B. amyloliquefaciens strains. We are focusing here on genomics and genetic engineering techniques as helpful tools for developing more powerful biofertilizer and biocontrol agents.

Increasing evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were aberrantly expressed and acted as key regulators in various types of disease, including cancer. lncRNA cancer susceptibility 2 (CASC2) has been found to be downregulated and acts as a tumor suppressor in various type of cancer, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the precise function of lncRNA CASC2 in GC remains unclear. In the present study, the expression level of lncRNA CASC2 in GC was investigated and the molecular mechanisms by which CASC2 acted as a tumor suppressor in this disease were elucidated. It was found that the expression level of lncRNA CASC2 was decreased, which correlated with TNM stages, vessel invasion, metastasis, and overall survival of patients with GC. Furthermore, overexpression of CASC2 inhibited the invasion and angiogenesis of GC cells. Thus, the present study indicated the important roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of lncRNA CASC2 on GC, and indicated that lncRNA CASC2 may present as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GC.

Histone methylation plays important biological roles in eukaryotic cells. Methylation of lysine 9 at histone H3 (H3K9me) is critical for regulating chromatin structure and gene transcription. Dim5 is a lysine histone methyltransferase (KHMTase) enzyme, which is responsible for the methylation of H3K9 in eukaryotes. In the current study, we identified a single ortholog of Neurospora crassa Dim5 in Fusarium verticillioides. In this study, we report that FvDim5 regulates the trimethylation of H3K9 (H3K9me3). The FvDIM5 deletion mutant (ΔFvDim5) showed significant defects in conidiation, perithecium production and fungal virulence. Unexpectedly, we found that deletion of FvDIM5 resulted in increased tolerance to osmotic stresses and upregulated FvHog1 phosphorylation. These results indicate the importance of FvDim5 for the regulation of fungal development, pathogenicity and osmotic stress responses in F. verticillioides.