Biology subjects

Faust, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Faust, I..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Gas5A, a putative glucanosyltransferase from Botrytis, functions as cell death inducing protein in plants

The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea, releases numerous phytotoxic, cell death inducing proteins (CDIPs) during infection. The precise role of these proteins and their molecular function, however, is still unknown. Here, we report on the identification of a previously unknown CDIP, the glucanosyltransferase Gas5A. Functional characterization revealed that the C-terminal 60 aa of Gas5A are sufficient to induce cell death, independent from its putative enzymatic function. Gas5A localization and functional dependence on the receptor-associated kinase suppressor of BIR1-1 (SOBIR1) and the plant defense regulator ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1) indicate recognition as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) at the plant plasma membrane, but it is toxic also when delivered inside plant cells. Generation of a CRISPR/Cas9-assisted Botrytis knockout strain did not indicate any impact of Gas5A on virulence. Taken together, Gas5A represents a novel PAMP-like CDIP with additional intracellular phytotoxic activity.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Maladaptive aphid-induced transgenerational plasticity is overcome in nature

Inherited stress responses are widely assumed to be adaptive for plants by preparing offspring for renewed attack. To date, it remains unclear whether and under which conditions these responses may benefit the attacker rather than the host. Studying the interaction between the aphid Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae and its native host, the aquatic duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza, we show that aphids can either benefit or suffer from inherited stress responses, depending on metabolite identity and ecological context. In multigenerational clonal plant lineages maintained indoors, ancestral aphid herbivory increased aphid reproduction and reduced plant fitness under renewed attack, indicating that the net effect of inherited stress responses can favor the herbivore. However, not all inherited responses benefited the aphid: using genetic and chemical manipulations, we found that transgenerational priming of jasmonate enhanced aphid performance, whereas transgenerational priming of tyramine reduced it. Notably, tyramine--but not jasmonates--accumulated to higher levels across generations also in large mesocosms outdoors, albeit only within and not across growing seasons. Together, our results reveal that inherited responses of hosts can favor the attackers and highlight ecological context and life-cycle transitions as key determinants of the persistence, duration, and ecological consequences of inherited stress responses.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Identification of a human adult cardiac stem cell population with neural crest origin

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death worldwide, emphasizing the necessity to better understand adult human cardiac cell biology and development. Although the adult heart was considered as a terminally differentiated organ, rare populations of cardiac stem cells (CSCs) have been described so far, with their developmental origin and endogenous function still being a matter of debate.\n\nHere, we identified a Nestin+/S100+/CD105+/Sca1+/cKit- population of CSCs in the myocardium of the adult human heart auricle. Isolated cells showed expression of characteristic neural crest-derived stem cell (NCSC) markers and kept their genetic stability during cultivation in vitro. Cultivated hCSCs efficiently gave rise to functional, beating cardiomyocytes, osteoblasts, adipocytes and neurons. Global transcriptome analysis via RNAseq showed a high similarity between the expression profiles of Nestin+/S100+/CD105+/Sca1+/cKit- hCSCs and adult human NCSCs from the nasal cavity (inferior turbinate stem cells, ITSCs). In detail, 88.1 % of all genes were significantly expressed in both stem cell populations particularly including common NCSC-markers. Based on these observations, we suggest a similar developmental origin of both stem cell populations.\n\nIn summary, we identified a human adult cardiac stem cell population with neural crest-origin, which may also contribute to endogenous cardiac tissue homeostasis and tissue repair in vivo.

cell biology↗