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The formation of the anther wall and the development of pollen processes, central to rice fertility and yield, are highly dependent on the synthesis and accumulation of lipid polymers. Although several regulatory factors related to lipid biosynthesis during pollen wall development have been identified, the molecular mechanisms controlling these processes remain poorly understood. In this study, a male-sterile rice mutant, lap3 , was identified, characterized by normal vegetative growth but complete male sterility due to delayed programmed cell death (PCD) in tapetal cells and defects in anther cuticle and pollen exine formation. Map-based cloning revealed that OsLAP3 is a new allele of the strictosidine synthase-like gene, OsSTRL2. Functional analysis, including complementation and CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, confirmed that the 2-nucleotide deletion in the OsLAP3 is responsible for the male sterility phenotype. OsLAP3 is homologous to the maize ZmMS45 , the core recessive nuclear sterile gene of maize Seed Production Technology (SPT), and localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and plays a conserved role in anther development and pollenformation. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant downregulation of key genes involved in anther development and sporopollenin biosynthesis in lap3 anthers. Furthermore, lipid profiling demonstrated a marked reduction in both wax and cutin content. These findings establish OsLAP3 as a critical regulator of fatty acid synthesis and highlight its role in anther cuticle formation and pollen exine development. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the molecular regulation of lipid biosynthesis during rice male reproductive development and offer potential applications for hybrid rice breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, lignin derived from lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as a critical component in modern biorefinery systems. The production yield and reactivity of lignin are critical factors for advancing the research and development of lignin-derived biochemicals. The recovery of high-purity lignin, along with carbohydrates, is accomplished through the application of various advanced pretreatment techniques. However, biological pretreatment using lignin-degrading enzymes to facilitate lignin depolymerization is an environmentally benign method for the sustainable production of valuable products that occurs under mild conditions with high substrate specificity. The current review presents the role of biocatalysis in lignin valorization, focusing on lignin-degrading enzymes that facilitate different bond cleavage in the lignocellulosic biomass. The review also highlights the recent advancements in enzyme engineering that have enabled the enhancement of enzyme stability and catalytic efficiency for improving lignin valorization processes. Furthermore, the integration of omics technologies that provide valuable insights into the microbial and enzymatic pathways involved in lignin degradation is presented. The challenges and future prospects in this emerging field of study for a biorefinery concept are also outlined for improving lignin depolymerization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality globally, and the prevalence of lung adenocarcinoma, the most common lung cancer subtype, has increased sharply in East Asia. Early diagnosis leads to better survival rates, but this requires an improved understanding of the molecular changes during early tumorigenesis, particularly in nonsmokers. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing of samples from 94 East Asian patients with precancerous lesions [25 with atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH); 69 with adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS)] and 73 patients with early invasive lesions [minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA)]. Cellular analysis revealed that the activities of endothelial and stromal cells could be used to categorize tumors into molecular subtypes within pathologically defined types of lesions. The subtypes were linked with the radiologically defined type of lesions and corresponded to immune cell infiltration throughout the early progression of lung adenocarcinoma. Spatial transcriptomic analysis revealed the distribution of epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and plasma cells within MIA samples. Characterization of the molecular lesion subtypes identified positively selected mutational patterns and suggested that angiogenesis in the late-stage AIS type potentially contributes to tissue invasion of the MIA type. This study offers a resource that may help improve early diagnosis and patient prognosis, and the findings suggest possible approaches for early disease interception. Significance: Integrative analysis of multiomics data revealed coordination between immune and nonimmune cells during early progression of precancerous lesions to lung adenocarcinomas and shed light on the molecular characteristics of clinically defined subtypes., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)