The application of endophytic bacteria, particularly members of the genus Bacillus, offers a promising strategy for the biocontrol of plant fungal diseases, owing to their sustainability and ecological safety. Although multiple secondary metabolites that demonstrate antifungal capacity have been identified in diverse endophytic bacteria, the regulatory mechanisms of their biosynthesis remain largely unknown. To elucidate this, we sequenced the entire genome of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens GKT04, a strain isolated from banana root, which showed high inhibitory activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (FOC4). The GKT04 genome consists of a circular chromosome and a circular plasmid, which harbors 4,087 protein‐coding genes and 113 RNA genes. Eight gene clusters that could potentially encode antifungal components were identified. We further applied RNA‐Seq analysis to survey genome‐wide changes in the gene expression of strain GKT04 during its inhibition of FOC4. In total, 575 upregulated and 242 downregulated genes enriched in several amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways were identified. Specifically, gene clusters associated with difficidin, bacillibactin, and bacilysin were significantly upregulated, and their gene regulatory networks were constructed. Our work thereby provides insights into the genomic features and gene expression patterns of this B. amyloliquefaciens strain, which presents an excellent potential for the biocontrol of Fusarium wilt.

Background: Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (Foc4), is the most lethal disease of bananas in Asia. Methods: To better understand the defense response of banana to Fusarium wilt, the transcriptome and metabolome profiles of the roots from resistant and susceptible bananas inoculated with Foc4 were compared. Results: After Foc4 inoculation, there were 172 and 1,856 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the Foc4-susceptible variety (G1) and Foc4-resistant variety (G9), respectively. In addition, a total of 800 DEGs were identified between G1 and G9, which were mainly involved in the oxidation-reduction process, cell wall organization, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and lipid and nitrogen metabolism, especially the DEGs of Macma4_08_g22610, Macma4_11_g19760, and Macma4_03_g06480, encoding non-classical arabinogalactan protein; GDSL-like lipase; and peroxidase. In our study, G9 showed a stronger and earlier response to Foc4 than G1. As the results of metabolomics, lipids, phenylpropanoids and polyketides, organic acids, and derivatives played an important function in response to Fusarium wilt. More importantly, Macma4_11_g19760 might be one of the key genes that gave G9 more resistance to Foc4 by a lowered expression and negative regulation of lipid metabolism. This study illustrated the difference between the transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of resistant and susceptible bananas. These results improved the current understanding of host-pathogen interactions and will contribute to the breeding of resistant banana plants.

Background: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but the effect of UGIB on the prognosis of middle-aged AIS patients is not clear. Methods: Patients with AIS admitted to our hospital from January 2011 to December 2015 were eligible to be included in this study. All included patients were divided into UGIB and non-UGIB groups. Some clinical characteristics were retrospectively collected. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality within 1, 3, and 5 years, as well as the incidence of stroke recurrence. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to determine the effect of UGIB on 5-year mortality and the incidence of stroke recurrence. Logistic regression was also used to identify the predictors of UGIB in AIS patients. Results: A total of 405 AIS patients were included in this study and then divided into UGIB and non-UGIB groups. The mean age of the UGIB group and non-UGIB group was 61.5±9.6 and 53.1±14.0 years, respectively (P<0.001). The baseline score of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was significantly higher in the UGIB group than in the non-UGIB group (P<0.001). AIS patients in the UGIB group had a higher 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality and a higher incidence of stroke recurrence (all P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that AIS patients with UGIB had a higher 5-year mortality and a higher incidence of stroke recurrence (both P<0.001). Cox proportional hazards regression models indicated that the occurrence of UGIB, older age, a high NIHSS score, and stroke recurrence were related to a higher 5-year mortality. Similarly, the occurrence of UGIB, older age, a high NIHSS score, and hypertension increased the incidence of stroke recurrence. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age, a high NIHSS score, and previous anticoagulant use were identified as predictors of UGIB. Conclusions: UGIB has important effects on the prognosis of AIS patients. The incidence of UGIB increases with older age, a high NIHSS score, and previous anticoagulant use, which provides important evidence for the treatment and nursing of AIS patients.

Fusarium wilt is among the most destructive diseases threatening global banana production and severely undermines the industry's sustainability. GDSL-type esterase/lipase proteins (GELPs) are lipid-hydrolyzing enzymes with diverse substrate specificities that catalyze the generation and transduction of lipid-derived signals, playing key roles in plant defense responses. Here, we systematically identified members of the GELP gene family in the banana genome and conducted an integrated analysis of their phylogeny, gene structures, and promoter cis-elements. After manual correction of incorrectly annotated gene structures, a total of 92 MaGELP genes were identified and found to be unevenly distributed across 11 chromosomes, with most located near chromosome ends. Phylogenetic analysis combined with collinearity evidence indicated that the family is evolutionarily conserved. Promoter analysis revealed an enrichment of cis-elements associated with light responsiveness and MeJA-mediated signaling. Expression profiling showed that MaGELP81 is strongly up-regulated (fold change > 1.5) by infection with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) and by SA, JA, and ET treatments, with pronounced differential expression between resistant and susceptible cultivars (fold change > 1.6). Subcellular localization assays demonstrated that MaGELP81 resides at the vacuolar membrane. When MaGELP81 was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, three independent high-expression lines exhibited better growth after Foc TR4 inoculation and significantly reduced disease incidence, severity scores, and disease index compared with the wild type, suggesting that MaGELP81 may be associated with enhanced resistance to Foc TR4. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive view of the composition and evolutionary features of the banana GELP family, elucidates their potential roles in responses to Foc TR4 stress, and pinpoints MaGELP81 as a key candidate gene. These findings offer foundational insight into the molecular interplay between lipid metabolism and plant immune signaling and provide valuable genetic resources for the molecular breeding of Foc TR4-resistant banana.