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Guanine nucleotide-exchange factors (GEFs) genes play key roles in plant root and pollen tube growth, phytohormone responses, and abiotic stress responses. RopGEF genes in Brassica rapa have not yet been explored. Here, GEF genes were found to be distributed across eight chromosomes in B. rapa and were classified into three subfamilies. Promoter sequence analysis of BrRopGEFs revealed the presence of cis-elements characteristic of BrRopGEF promoters, and these cis-elements play a role in regulating abiotic stress tolerance and stress-related hormone responses. Organ-specific expression profiling demonstrated that BrRopGEFs were ubiquitously expressed in all organs, especially the roots, suggesting that they play a role in diverse biological processes. Gene expression analysis revealed that the expression of BrRopGEF13 was significantly up-regulated under osmotic stress and salt stress. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of BrRopGEF13 was significantly down-regulated under various types of abiotic stress. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed interactions between RopGEF11, the homolog of BrRopGEF9, and the VPS34 protein in Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as interactions between AtRopGEF1, the homolog of BrRopGEF13 in Arabidopsis, and the ABI1, HAB1, PP2CA, and CPK4 proteins. VPS34, ABI1, HAB1, PP2CA, and CPK4 have previously been shown to confer resistance to unfavorable environments. Overall, our findings suggest that BrRopGEF9 and BrRopGEF13 play significant roles in regulating abiotic stress tolerance. These findings will aid future studies aimed at clarifying the functional characteristics of BrRopGEFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By virtue of the high theoretical capacity of Si, Si-related materials have been developed as promising anode candidates for high-energy-density batteries. During repeated charge/discharge cycling, however, severe volumetric variation induces the pulverization and peeling of active components, causing rapid capacity decay and even development stagnation in high-capacity batteries. In this study, the Si/Fe2O3-anchored rGO framework was prepared by introducing ball milling into a melt spinning and dealloying process. As the Li-ion battery (LIB) anode, it presents a high reversible capacity of 1744.5 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 200 cycles and 889.4 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 500 cycles. The outstanding electrochemical performance is due to the three-dimensional cross-linked porous framework with a high specific surface area, which is helpful to the transmission of ions and electrons. Moreover, with the cooperation of rGO, the volume expansion of Si is effectively alleviated, thus improving cycling stability. The work provides insights for the design and preparation of Si-based materials for high-performance LIB applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]