The diagnosis and management of cow's milk allergy (CMA) is a topic of debate and controversy. We aimed to compare the opinions of expert groups from the Middle East (n=14) and the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) (n=13). These Expert groups voted on statements developed by the ESPGHAN group and published in a recent position paper. The voting outcome was compared. Overall, there was consensus amongst both groups of experts. Most experts agreed that symptoms of crying, irritability and colic, as single manifestations, do not suggest CMA. They agreed that amino-acid-based formula (AAF) should be reserved for severe cases (e.g. malnutrition and anaphylaxis) and that there is insufficient evidence to recommend a step-down approach. There was no consensus on the statement that a cow’s milk-based extensively hydrolysed formula (eHF) should be the first choice as a diagnostic elimination diet in mild/moderate cases. Although the statements regarding the role of hydrolysed rice formula as a diagnostic and therapeutic elimination diet were accepted, 3/27 disagreed. The votes regarding soy formula highlight the differences in opinion in the role of soy protein in CMA dietary treatment. Generally, soy-based formula is seldom available in the Middle East region. All ESPGHAN experts agreed that there was no added value of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to the efficacy of elimination diets, whereas 3/14 of the Middle East group thought there was sufficient evidence. Therefore, there is not a consensus on the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic elimination diet for CMA, but the first-choice elimination diet and the stepwise management approach reveal some differences.

Rice prolamins are categorized into three groups by molecular size (10, 13, or 16 kDa), while the 13 kDa prolamins are assigned to four subgroups (Pro13a-I, Pro13a-II, Pro13b-I, and Pro13b-II) based on cysteine residue content. Here, we generated four knockout strains of rice using CRISPR-Cas9, each of which demonstrated selectively reduced expression of specific subgroups of the 13 kDa prolamins. These four mutant rice lines also demonstrated compensatory expression of glutelins and non-targeted prolamins, which resulted in low grain weight, altered starch content and atypically-shaped starch granules and protein bodies. Transcriptome analysis identified 746 transcripts that were differentially expressed in the mutant rice lines during development. These transcripts played roles primarily in RNA processing, protein synthesis, stress response, and transport. After selective suppression/knockout of genes in the Pro13a-I subgroup, compensatory upregulation of genes in the Pro13a-II and Pro13b-I/II subgroups was observed. Compensatory expression of 9 ER stress and 17 transcription factor genes was also observed in mutant rice in which expression of 13 kDa prolamin genes was suppressed. Our results provide valuable insight into the regulatory mechanisms underlying rice seed development and the specific roles played by 13 kDa rice prolamins and their target genes.

Weed competitive ability (WCA) is a desirable key trait for the improvement of grain yield under direct-seeded rice (DSR) and the aerobic rice ecosystem. The present study targeted screening of 167 introgression lines (ILs) of a Green Super Rice (GSR) IR2-6 population derived from a cross between Weed Tolerant Rice 1 (WTR1) as the recipient parent and Y134 as the donor parent developed at IRRI for weed competitiveness in screen house conditions (SHC). The ILs were phenotyped for WCA traits such as early seed germination (ESG) and early seedling vigor (ESV) in Petri dishes and pot experiment conditions. The results of phenotypic variance revealed ESG-related traits, especially first germination count (1st GC) that positively correlated with second germination count (2nd GC), germination percentage (GP), total dry weight (TDW), total fresh weight (TFW), and vigor index (VI-1), whereas, in ESV, all the traits were positively correlated with each other except for three traits: root dry weight (RDW), 1st GC, and GP-2. The ESG and ESV traits are vital for weed competitiveness. A 6K SNP array was used to study the genetic association for the WCA traits. Forty-four QTLs for WCA traits were mapped on all chromosomes (except on chromosomes 4 and 8) through single marker analysis (SMA). Out of 44 QTLs, 29 were associated with ESG traits and 15 with ESV traits, with LOD scores of 2.93 to 8.03 and 2.93 to 5.04 and explained phenotypic variance ranging from 7.85% to 19.9% and from 7.85% to 13.2%, respectively. However, 31 QTLs were contributed by a negative additive allele from Y134, whereas a positive additive allele was contributed by WTR1 in 13 QTLs. Among them, two QTL hotspot regions were mapped on chromosome 11 (24.7-27.9 Mb) and chromosome 12 (14.8-17.4 Mb). The majority of the QTLs related to WCA traits were grouped into two QTL hotspots: QTL hotspot-I (qAFW11.1, qFC11.1, qFC11.2, qSC11.1, qGP-111.1, qGP-111.2, qTFGS11.1, qVI-111.1, and qVI-111.2) and QTL hotspot-II (qFC12.1, qFC12.2, qSC12.1, qFC12.2, qGP-112.1, qGP-112.2, qTFGS12.1, qTFGS12.2, qVI-112.1, qIV12.2, qFC12.1, and qGC12.2), and a few of them were co-localized on chromosomes 11 and 12. Further, we fine-tuned in the genomic regions of QTL hotspots and identified a total of 13 putative candidate genes on chromosomes 11 and 12 collectively. The present study is the first report on the genetic basis of WCA-related traits and the co-localized QTLs, which could be highly valuable in future breeding programs aiming to improve WCA in rice.

The present study examined metabolites in Northern wild rice (WLD), the impact of WLD supplemented high fat (HF) diet on gut microbiota, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and correlation with metabolism or inflammation versus HF+white rice (WHR) in mice. C57BL/6J mice received HF diet supplemented with 26g% WHR, 26g% WLD, or 13g% WHR+13g% WLD (WTWD) for 12 weeks. The levels of fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance, inflammatory cytokines and monocyte adhesion were lower, and the abundances of fecal Lactobacillus gasseri species bacteria and propionic acid were higher in HF+WLD diet-fed mice compared to HF+WHR diet-fed mice (p<0.05). The anti-inflammatory effects of HF+WTWD diet were weaker than that in HF+WLD diet, but were greater than that in HF+WHR diet-fed mice (p<0.05). Relative abundances of fecal Lactobacillus gasseri and propionic acid in HF+WLD fed-mice were higher than that in HF+WHR fed mice. The abundance of fecal L. gasseri and propionic acid negatively correlated with metabolic and inflammatory markers (p<0.05). The findings suggest that WLD dose-dependently attenuated metabolic and inflammatory disorders in HF diet-fed mice. Interactions between WLD components and gut microbiota may upregulate fecal propionic acid and contribute to metabolic and anti-inflammatory benefits of WLD diet-induced insulin resistant mice.

Seed longevity is a crucial trait for the seed industry and genetic resource preservation. To develop excellent cultivars with extended seed lifespans, it is important to understand the mechanism of keeping seed germinability long-term and to find useful genetic resources as prospective breeding materials. This study was conducted to identify the best cultivars with a high and stable seed longevity trait in the germplasm of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and to analyse the correlation between seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity. Seeds from 69 cultivars of the world rice core collection selected by the NIAS in Japan were harvested in different years and subjected to long-term storage or controlled deterioration treatment (CDT). The long-term storage (4 °C, RH under 35%, 10 years) was performed on seeds harvested in 2010 and 2013. The seeds harvested in 2016 and 2019 were used for CDT (36 °C, RH of 80%, 40 days). Seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity were estimated by a decrease in germination rate and RNA integrity number (RIN) after long-term storage, or CDT. The RIN value was obtained by electrophoresis of total RNA extracted from seed embryos. Seeds of ‘Vandaran (Indica)’, ‘Tupa 729 (Japonica)’, and ‘Badari Dhan (Indica)’ consistently showed higher seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity both under long-term storage and CDT conditions, regardless of the harvest year. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.93) was observed between germination rates and RIN values of the seeds after long-term storage or CDT among nine cultivars selected based on differences in their seed longevity. The study findings revealed the relationship between rice seed longevity and embryo RNA stability and suggested potential breeding materials, including both Japonica and Indica cultivars, for improving rice seed longevity.