Plant cells can be sensitized toward a subsequent pathogen attack by avirulent pathogens or by chemicals such as b-aminobutyric acid (BABA). This process is called priming. Using a reverse genetic approach in Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that the BABA-responsive L-type lectin receptor kinase-VI.2 (LecRK-VI.2) contributes to disease resistance against the hemibiotrophic Pseudomonas syringae and the necrotrophic Pectobacterium carotovorum bacteria. Accordingly, LecRK-VI.2 mRNA levels increased after bacterial inoculation or treatments with microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). We also show that LecRK-VI.2 is required for full activation of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI); notably, lecrk-VI.2-1 mutants show reduced upregulation of PTI marker genes, impaired callose deposition, and defective stomatal closure. Overexpression studies combined with genome-wide microarray analyses indicate that LecRK-VI.2 positively regulates the PTI response. LecRK-VI.2 is demonstrated to act upstream of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, but independently of reactive oxygen production and BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1 phosphorylation. In addition, complex formation between the MAMP receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING2 and its signaling partner BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 is observed in flg22-treated lecrk-VI.2-1 mutants. LecRK-VI.2 is also required for full BABA-induced resistance and priming of PTI. Our work identifies LecRK-VI.2 as a novel mediator of the Arabidopsis PTI response and provides insight into molecular mechanisms governing priming.

Many genetic diseases are caused by mutations in cis-acting splicing signals, but few are triggered by defective transacting splicing factors. Here we report that tissue-specific ablation of the splicing factor SC35 in the heart causes dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Although SC35 was deleted early in cardiogenesis by using the MLC-2v-Cre transgenic mouse, heart development appeared largely unaffected, with the DCM phenotype developing 3-5 weeks after birth and the mutant animals having a normal life span. This nonlethal phenotype allowed the identification of downregulated genes by microarray, one of which was the cardiac-specific ryanodine receptor 2. We showed that downregulation of this critical Ca 2 þ release channel preceded disease symptoms and that the mutant cardiomyocytes exhibited frequency-dependent excitation-contraction coupling defects. The implication of SC35 in heart disease agrees with a recently documented link of SC35 expression to heart failure and interference of splicing regulation during infection by myocarditis-causing viruses. These studies raise a new paradigm for the etiology of certain human heart diseases of genetic or environmental origin that may be triggered by dysfunction in RNA processing.

Plasma membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2), EF-TU RECEPTOR (EFR), and CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE1 (CERK1) recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). A reverse genetics approach on genes responsive to the priming agent b-aminobutyric acid (BABA) revealed IMPAIRED OOMYCETE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (IOS1) as a critical PTI player. Arabidopsis thaliana ios1 mutants were hypersusceptible to Pseudomonas syringae bacteria. Accordingly, ios1 mutants showed defective PTI responses, notably delayed upregulation of the PTI marker gene FLG22-INDUCED RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE1, reduced callose deposition, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation upon MAMP treatment. Moreover, Arabidopsis lines overexpressing IOS1 were more resistant to bacteria and showed a primed PTI response. In vitro pull-down, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, coimmunoprecipitation, and mass spectrometry analyses supported the existence of complexes between the membrane-localized IOS1 and BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 (BAK1)-dependent PRRs FLS2 and EFR, as well as with the BAK1-independent PRR CERK1. IOS1 also associated with BAK1 in a ligand-independent manner and positively regulated FLS2-BAK1 complex formation upon MAMP treatment. In addition, IOS1 was critical for chitinmediated PTI. Finally, ios1 mutants were defective in BABA-induced resistance and priming. This work reveals IOS1 as a novel regulatory protein of FLS2-, EFR-, and CERK1-mediated signaling pathways that primes PTI activation. INTRODUCTIONPlants possess multilayered recognition systems that detect pathogens at various stages of infection and proliferation. Recognition of microbial invasion is essentially based upon the host's ability to distinguish between self and non-self components. Early microbial pathogens detection is performed by cell surfacelocalized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that sense pathogen-or microbe-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs or MAMPs) (Monaghan and Zipfel, 2012). Major examples of MAMPs are lipopolysaccharides present in the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria, eubacterial flagellin, eubacterial elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), peptidoglycans from Gram-positive bacteria, methylated bacterial DNA fragments, and fungal cell wall-derived chitins (Girardin et al., 2002;Cook et al., 2004;Boller and Felix, 2009). MAMP recognition promptly triggers the activation of patterntriggered immunity (PTI) (Tsuda and Katagiri, 2010). Early PTI responses, such as calcium influx, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, induce transcriptional reprogramming mediated by plant WRKY transcription factors as well as calmodulin binding proteins (Boller and Felix, 2009;Tena et al., 2011). In addition, Arabidopsis thaliana plants close stomata in a MAMP-dependent manner when in contact with bacteria (Melotto et al., 2006;Singh et al., 2012). Callose deposition and PTI marker gene up...

In this paper, forecasting of the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging load has been based on two different datasets: data from the customer profile (referred to as charging record) and data from outlet measurements (referred to as station record). Four different prediction algorithms namely Time Weighted Dot Product based Nearest Neighbor (TWDP-NN), Modified Pattern Sequence Forecasting (MPSF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Random Forest (RF) are applied to both datasets. The corresponding speed, accuracy, and privacy concerns are compared between the use of the charging records and station records. Real world data compiled at the outlet level from the UCLA campus parking lots are used. The results show that charging records provide relatively faster prediction while putting customer privacy in jeopardy. Station records provide relatively slower prediction while respecting the customer privacy. In general, we found that both datasets generate comparable prediction error.

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