Abstract. RNA silencing constitutes a fundamental antiviral defense mechanism in plants. Although its role in virus resistance has been extensively studied

The RNA biomarker for monitoring cytomegalovirus infection and therapy efficacy in immunocompromised patients can be quantified with a PCR kit from Bruker's EliTechGroup.

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Lut...

Background: Efficient nucleic acid extraction is essential for reliable viral load testing, yet performance can differ widely depending on the extraction system and sample type. We compared three automated platforms, QIAcube, EZ1 Advanced, and Maxwell RSC, for their ability to recover cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA and West Nile virus (WNV) RNA from common clinical matrices. Methods: Mock specimens were prepared using whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine collected from two donors. Samples were spiked with CMV or WNV culture material and extracted in triplicate on each platform according to the manufacturers’ protocols. Viral loads were measured using ELITech ELITE MGB assays on the InGenius system. Whole blood samples were also tested after a 1:4 dilution. Matrix-specific standard curves were applied, and viral loads were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests with false-discovery rate adjustment. Results: Extraction efficiency differed substantially by platform and specimen type. For CMV, QIAcube consistently produced the highest DNA recovery across all matrices, with particularly large differences in plasma and serum, where EZ1 and Maxwell RSC yielded significantly lower loads. The WNV results varied by matrix: EZ1 and QIAcube performed similarly in plasma, while Maxwell RSC achieved the highest RNA recovery in whole blood. While the QIAcube exhibited reduced WNV recovery in blood, it achieved the best performance in serum, as specified by the kit. No significant platform differences were observed for urine. Diluting whole blood reduced variability between platforms. Conclusions: Both sample matrix and extraction system strongly influence nucleic acid recovery. These results highlight the need for matrix-specific validation and standardized extraction approaches in molecular diagnostics.

Background: Efficient nucleic acid extraction is essential for reliable viral load testing, yet performance can differ widely depending on the extraction system and sample type. We compared three automated platforms, QIAcube, EZ1 Advanced, and Maxwell RSC, for their ability to recover cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA and West Nile virus (WNV) RNA from common clinical matrices. Methods: Mock specimens were prepared using whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine collected from two donors. Samples were spiked with CMV or WNV culture material and extracted in triplicate on each platform according to the manufacturers’ protocols. Viral loads were measured using ELITech ELITE MGB assays on the InGenius system. Whole blood samples were also tested after a 1:4 dilution. Matrix-specific standard curves were applied, and viral loads were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests with false-discovery rate adjustment. Results: Extraction efficiency differed substantially by platform and specimen type. For CMV, QIAcube consistently produced the highest DNA recovery across all matrices, with particularly large differences in plasma and serum, where EZ1 and Maxwell RSC yielded significantly lower loads. The WNV results varied by matrix: EZ1 and QIAcube performed similarly in plasma, while Maxwell RSC achieved the highest RNA recovery in whole blood. While the QIAcube exhibited reduced WNV recovery in blood, it achieved the best performance in serum, as specified by the kit. No significant platform differences were observed for urine. Diluting whole blood reduced variability between platforms. Conclusions: Both sample matrix and extraction system strongly influence nucleic acid recovery. These results highlight the need for matrix-specific validation and standardized extraction approaches in molecular diagnostics.

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Lut...

Chronic reactivation of distinct herpesviruses and anelloviruses occur during acute and long COVID-19, and track with disease severity, inflammation and outcomes, revealing immune signatures with prog...

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The active ingredients have a broad spectrum effect; a series of RNA molecules support the plant's immune system in combating the virus. In laboratory experiments, 80 to 100 per cent of the treated plants survived an infection with a high viral load, as the team reports in 'Nucleic Acids Research'. Their paper has been selected as a 'breakthrough article' by the journal. The researchers are now working on transferring the idea from the laboratory into practice.

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The active ingredients have a broad spectrum effect; a series of RNA molecules support the plant's immune system in combating the virus. In laboratory experiments, 80 to 100 per cent of the treated plants survived an infection with a high viral load, as the team reports in 'Nucleic Acids Research'. Their paper has been selected as a 'breakthrough article' by the journal. The researchers are now working on transferring the idea from the laboratory into practice.

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Lut...

Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have made significant strides in plant protection by developing new RNA-based active agents to combat the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), a

Tomato plants face biotic challenges like infections by cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), a member of the Cucumovirus genus in the Bromoviridae family, as well as beneficial interactions, such as colonization by the symbiotic fungus Funneliformis mosseae, which belongs to the Glomeraceae family. While this symbiosis boosts nutrient uptake and stress tolerance, viral infections can reduce yield and quality. Understanding how tomatoes manage these interactions is vital for enhancing crop productivity. To explore the molecular mechanisms behind these interactions, this study focuses on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play crucial roles in gene regulation, stress response, and plant metabolic pathways. Tomato RNA-seq data were analyzed to identify lncRNAs and their interactions with microRNAs (miRNAs) through de novo assembly, mapping, expression analysis, and localization prediction. In this study, 3210 lncRNAs were identified from 12 SRA datasets of tomato plants, including control, CMV-infected, F. mosseae-colonized, and co-infected samples. Among these, 3194 were novel lncRNAs and 16 were conserved. Expression analysis revealed significant differential expression patterns across treatments. Pathway analysis indicated that these lncRNAs are involved in key metabolic processes, such as carbon metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and secondary metabolite production, suggesting their role in enhancing disease resistance. Furthermore, we predicted interactions between identified lncRNAs and miRNAs, including miR160a, miR166a/b, miR167a, miR171a/b/c, miR1917, miR1918, and miR395a/b, thereby highlighting potential regulatory networks that could modulate stress responses. The subcellular localization of identified lncRNAs revealed a predominance in the cytoplasm, implying their involvement in post-transcriptional regulation. This study accentuates the significance of lncRNAs in tomato plant defense mechanisms and provides a foundation for future research focused on enriching resistance to viral infections and boosting stress resilience.

Nature - Chronic reactivation of distinct herpesviruses and anelloviruses occur during acute and long COVID-19, and track with disease severity, inflammation and outcomes, revealing immune...

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Lut...