Werner syndrome is caused by mutations in the DNA repair Werner helicase (WRN) gene and characterized by accelerated aging including cataracts. Age-related cataract (ARC) cases (N = 504) and controls (N = 244) were recruited from a population-based study to evaluate the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of WRN and another DNA repair gene (human 8-oxoguanine DNA N-glycosylase 1) with ARC. Among the five SNPs tested, only WRN rs1346044 was found to be significantly associated between cases and controls before multiple-testing adjustment. The minor C allele of rs1346044 was associated with ARC with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.66, suggesting a protective role of the C allele for developing ARC. The stratification analysis on the subtypes of ARC showed that rs1346044 was significantly associated with cortical cataract, but not with nuclear, posterior subcapsular, and mixed types after multiple-testing adjustment (OR = 0.51, p< 0.01). The genetic model analysis showed that the results fit the dominant model (OR = 0.44, p < 0.001). The comet assay used to assess the extent of DNA damage in peripheral lymphocytes of ARC cases found that the DNA damage in lymphocytes from patients with CC genotype was significantly less than that in patients with TT genotype. We concluded that the C allele of rs1346044, a non-synonymous SNP resulting in the conversion of Cys to Arg at amino acid position 1367 of WRN, alters susceptibility to ARC, especially the cortical type of the disease, in the Han Chinese. The underlying mechanism of its protective role might be related to the improved DNA repair function.

The detection of live quarantine pathogenic fungi plays an important role in guaranteeing regional biological safety. DNA barcoding, an emerging species identification technology, holds promise for the reliable, quick, and accurate detection of quarantine fungi. International standards for phytosanitary guidelines are urgently needed. The varieties of quarantine fungi listed for seven countries/regions, the currently applied detection methods, and the status of DNA barcoding for detecting quarantine fungi are summarized in this study. Two approaches have been proposed to apply DNA barcoding to fungal quarantine procedures: (i) to verify the reliability of known internal transcribed spacer (ITS)/cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) data for use as barcodes, and (ii) to determine other barcodes for species that cannot be identified by ITS/COI. As a unique, standardizable, and universal species identification tool, DNA barcoding offers great potential for integrating detection methods used in various countries/regions and establishing international detection standards based on accepted DNA barcodes. Through international collaboration, interstate disputes can be eased and many problems related to routine quarantine detection methods can be solved for global trade.

Phytophthora fragariae var. fragariae is a serious plant-pathogenic fungus causing red core disease in strawberries, resulting in a larger number of fruit produced, and the fungus has been regulated as a quarantine pest of many countries and regions. Here, we announce the genome sequence of P. fragariae var. fragariae, and this information might provide insight into the mechanism of pathogenicity and host specificity of this pathogen, as well as help us further identify targets for fungicides.

This study introduced the application of high-throughput sequencing techniques to the investigation of microbial diversity in the field of plant quarantine. It examined the microbial diversity of wheat imported into China, and established a bioinformatics database of wheat pathogens based on high-throughput sequencing results. This study analyzed the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of fungi through Illumina Miseq sequencing to investigate the fungal communities of both seeds and sieve-through. A total of 758,129 fungal ITS sequences were obtained from ten samples collected from five batches of wheat imported from the USA. These sequences were classified into 2 different phyla, 15 classes, 33 orders, 41 families, or 78 genera, suggesting a high fungal diversity across samples. Apairwise analysis revealed that the diversity of the fungal community in the sieve-through is significantly higher than those in the seeds. Taxonomic analysis showed that at the class level, Dothideomycetes dominated in the seeds and Sordariomycetes dominated in the sieve-through. In all, this study revealed the fungal community composition in the seeds and sieve-through of the wheat, and identified key differences in the fungal community between the seeds and sieve-through.

The data presented here are related to the article entitled “Comparative analysis of Phytophthora genomes reveals oomycete pathogenesis in crops” [1] . These data contain the description of genomic structure of the two plant pathogens, P. fragariae and P. rubi and characterize several gene families associated with pathogenicity of them: P450, ACX gene families, CAZymes and effector. This data presents the relevant results of two newly sequenced P. fragariae and P. rubi , so as to provide data for further studies by researchers.