👤 Meghan Kubala

This study investigated the antifungal performance of copper-based antimicrobial coatings developed by Gencoa Ltd., previously validated against bacterial ESKAPE pathogens, alongside newly formulated titanium oxide coatings, against key agricultural fungal pathogens: Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium cucumerinum, and Fusarium oxysporum. Testing was conducted both in vitro and in field trials within an actively used polytunnel. In vitro assays included a modified ISO 846 agar plate protocol and a six-well plate fungal colonization assay simulating high humidity conditions. Field trials assessed coating performance under real-world exposure. Copper-containing coatings: pure copper, copper oxynitride, and copper-doped titanium oxide, consistently demonstrated significant antifungal activity, effectively reducing spore germination and colonization. Titanium oxide coatings without copper showed minimal effect, performing similarly to uncoated polyethylene. While copper-based coatings were highly effective, some susceptibility to surface degradation under prolonged moisture was observed. However, antifungal activity often persisted in degraded areas of samples with high copper content. Copper-based antimicrobial coatings offer strong potential for preventing fungal colonization on agricultural surfaces, outperforming titanium oxide formulations under both laboratory and field conditions. Optimization to enhance durability will further improve their suitability for long-term use in protected cultivation systems. Show less

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a long-chain omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthesized from the precursor dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) that plays a vital role in immunity and inflammation. Variants in the Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS) family of genes on chromosome 11q have been shown to play a role in PUFA metabolism in populations of European and Asian ancestry; no work has been done in populations of African ancestry to date. In this study, we report that African Americans have significantly higher circulating levels of plasma AA (p = 1.35 × 10(-48)) and lower DGLA levels (p = 9.80 × 10(-11)) than European Americans. Tests for association in N = 329 individuals across 80 nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS) locus revealed significant association with AA, DGLA and the AA/DGLA ratio, a measure of enzymatic efficiency, in both racial groups (peak signal p = 2.85 × 10(-16) in African Americans, 2.68 × 10(-23) in European Americans). Ancestry-related differences were observed at an upstream marker previously associated with AA levels (rs174537), wherein, 79-82% of African Americans carry two copies of the G allele compared to only 42-45% of European Americans. Importantly, the allelic effect of the G allele, which is associated with enhanced conversion of DGLA to AA, on enzymatic efficiency was similar in both groups. We conclude that the impact of FADS genetic variants on PUFA metabolism, specifically AA levels, is likely more pronounced in African Americans due to the larger proportion of individuals carrying the genotype associated with increased FADS1 enzymatic conversion of DGLA to AA. Show less