Plants extensively employ leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs), the largest family of RLKs, to control a wide range of growth and developmental processes as well as defense responses. To date, only a few direct downstream effectors for LRR-RLKs have been identified. We previously showed that the LRR-RLK EMS1 (EXCESS MICROSPOROCYTES1) and its ligand TPD1 (TAPETUM DETERMINANT1) are required for the differentiation of somatic tapetal cells and reproductive microsporocytes during early anther development in Here, we report the identification of β-carbonic anhydrases (βCAs) as the direct downstream targets of EMS1. EMS1 biochemically interacts with βCA proteins. Loss of function of genes caused defective tapetal cell differentiation, while overexpression of led to the formation of extra tapetal cells. EMS1 phosphorylates βCA1 at four sites, resulting in increased βCA1 activity. Furthermore, phosphorylation-blocking mutations impaired the function of βCA1 in tapetal cell differentiation; however, a phosphorylation mimic mutation promoted the formation of tapetal cells. βCAs are also involved in pH regulation in tapetal cells. Our findings highlight the role of βCA in controlling cell differentiation and provide insights into the posttranslational modification of carbonic anhydrases via receptor-like kinase-mediated phosphorylation.

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In flowering plants, male reproductive development is highly susceptible to heat stress. In this mini-review, we summarized different anomalies in tapetum, microspores, and pollen grains during anther development under heat stress. We then discussed how epigenetic control, particularly DNA methylation, is employed to cope with heat stress in male reproduction. Further understanding of epigenetic mechanisms by which plants manage heat stress during male reproduction will provide new genetic engineering and molecular breeding tools for generating heat-resistant crops.

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Introduction Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is a rare paediatric hyper-inflammatory disorder that occurs following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in approximately one-quarter to one-third of the patients with MIS-C and is associated with poor prognosis in critically ill children. This systematic review is aimed to evaluate the incidence of AKI, mortality, and the need for kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in patients with MIS-C. Methods We searched databases from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Register, and Google Scholar from December 2019 to December 2021 with our search strategy. Studies meeting the following criteria were included in this systematic review: (1) articles on AKI in MIS-C; (2) studies providing AKI in MIS-C and COVID-19 infection separately; (3) studies reporting outcomes such as mortality, KRT, serum creatinine; length of hospital/ICU stay. Quality assessment The quality of the included studies was independently assessed by using the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) quality assessment tool for cohort studies and case series. Statistical analysis Outcomes and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported if a meta-analysis of these outcomes was conducted. Heterogeneity was reported using I 2 statistics, and heterogeneity ≥ 50% was considered high. We used Baujat’s plot for the contribution of each study toward overall heterogeneity. In sensitivity analysis, the summary estimates were assessed by repeating meta-analysis after omitting one study at a time. Forest plots were used for reporting outcomes in each study and with their 95% CI. All statistical tests were performed using R software version 4.0.3. Results A total of 24 studies were included in this systematic review and of these, 11 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled proportion of patients with MIS-C developing AKI was 20% (95% CI: 14–28%, I 2 = 80%). Pooled proportion of death in children with MIS-C was 4% (95% CI: 1–14%; I 2 = 93%). The odds of death in patients with AKI were 4.68 times higher than in patients without AKI (95% CI: 1.06–20.7%; I 2 = 17%). The overall pooled proportion of MIS-C-induced AKI patients requiring KRT was 15% (95% CI: 4–42%; I 2 = 91%). Conclusion Approximately one-fifth of children with MIS-C develop AKI which is associated with higher odds of death. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022306170 Graphical abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00467-...