Search

This work proposes a detailed process of micro/nano-structure surface modification in relation to temperature field. In this paper, a femtosecond laser is used to induce the surface morphology of a silicon substrate. We provide a new method for the fabrication of a micro/nano-cantilever probe by controlling the aspect ratio of the silicon surface morphology. A computational method is used to investigate the mechanical behaviors of early perturbation to late-stage structure. A diffuse interface model is employed to describe the evolution and provide a general framework. The theoretical model of femtosecond laser control surface morphology is verified by the experiments. For systematic study, the model involves the interface energy and kinetics of diffusion. This method provides an effective way to improve the sensitivity of micro/nano-cantilever sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TaHSP17.8 in response to Cd stress and enhances Cd tolerance of transgenic wheat. • TaHSP17.8 activates expression of TaJUB1D. • TaHSP17.8 binds to a CG-riched sequence of TaJUB1D promoter. In this work, the function of a wheat small heat shock protein TaHSP17.8 to respond to Cd stress was characterized. TaHSP17.8 is mainly expressed in root tissues and was found to be most highly expressed 4 h after Cd stress. The function of TaHSP17.8 in Cd stress response was investigated using transgenic wheat lines. Damage to both the root and shoot tissues of transgenic lines was reduced compared with the wild type (WT) plants. In addition, wheat lines overexpressing TaHSP17.8 showed higher Cd concentrations in root tissues than WT. However, Cd concentration in the shoots of transgenic lines was significantly lower than WT. Physiological and biochemical parameters indicated that proline, malonyldialdehyde (MDA), and H 2 O 2 contents were all substantially decreased in the transgenic lines after Cd treatment, while chlorophyll content was significantly higher. We therefore screened for transcription factors that interacted with TaHSP17.8, and identified TaJUB1D as a putative hit. Further analyses indicated that TaHSP17.8 binds directly to a region 1850–1900 bp upstream of the TaJUB1D open reading frame (ORF). This work confirms the function of TaHSP17.8 in response to Cd stress and identifies a novel pathway to regulate Cd stress in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Hyperthermophilic Thermotoga spp. are promising candidates for the metabolic engineering of cellulosic ethanol producing strains. However, Thermotoga spp. are hydrogen producers, and none of them have been found to produce significant amount of ethanol. In this study, we focused on the enzymes responsible for the part of the ethanol production pathway from ac-CoA to ethanol. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (Aldhs) and alcohol dehydrogenases (Adhs) are the vital enzymes involved in the metabolism of ethanol in Thermotoga spp.. However, the biochemical properties of a number of Adhs related to ethanol formation and consumption have not been identified until now. The aim of this study was to determine the role of putative Adhs in T. neapolitana (Tne) in the pathway from ac-CoA to ethanol. We found that the Fe-AAdh (encoded by CTN_0580) and Fe-Adh2 (encoded by CTN_1756) were the main enzymes responsible for ethanol production in Tne. While Zn-Adh (encoded by CTN_0257) was identified as the main protein responsible for ethanol consumption in the acid environment and Fe-Adh1 (encoded by CTN_1655) played a minor role in ethonal production and consumption in Tne. Basing on these results, it will be helpful to construct and assemble a novel hyperthermophilic strain to produce cellulosic ethanol. Hyperthermophilic Thermotoga spp. are candidates for cellulosic ethanol fermentation. A bifunctional iron-acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (Fe-AAdh) has been revealed to catalyze the acetyl-CoA (Ac-CoA) reduction to form ethanol via an acetaldehyde intermediate in Thermotoga neapolitana (T. neapolitana). In this organism, there are three additional alcohol dehydrogenases, Zn-Adh, Fe-Adh1, and Fe-Adh2, encoded by genes CTN_0257, CTN_1655, and CTN_1756, respectively. This paper reports the properties and functions of these enzymes in the fermentation pathway from Ac-CoA to ethanol. It was determined that Zn-Adh only exhibited activity when oxidizing ethanol to acetaldehyde, and no detectable activity for the reaction from acetaldehyde to ethanol. Fe-Adh1 had specific activities of approximately 0.7 and 0.4 U/mg for the forward and reverse reactions between acetaldehyde and ethanol at a pHopt of 8.5 and Topt of 95 °C. Catalyzing the reduction of acetaldehyde to produce ethanol, Fe-Adh2 exhibited the highest activity of approximately 3 U/mg at a pHopt of 7.0 and Topt of 85 °C, which were close to the optimal growth conditions. These results indicate that Fe-Adh2 and Zn-Adh are the main enzymes that catalyze ethanol formation and consumption in the hyperthermophilic bacterium, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Theory is presented to construct several types of self-trapping nonlinear modes in the two-dimensional model of binary Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with the repulsive dipole-dipole interaction (DDI) and the spatially confined spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The spatially confined SOC can be induced by illuminating spinor BEC with a Gaussian beam. It is found that the two-dimensional SOC of Rashba type within a confined area can help trap the composite matter-wave solitons. Under the combined effects of the repulsive DDI and the SOC, stable solitons of semi-vortex type and mixed-mode type can be found in ground state as well as in excited state. These solitons can still be stable when the topological number is up to 11. The properties and stability of the nonlinear modes is also studied in a moving frame of reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coherent interactions between Airy beams and solitons are investigated in nonlocal nonlinear media based on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. It is found that under the effect of nonlocal diffusion, a single soliton propagates along a parabolic trajectory. The propagation of a single Airy beam depends on the intensity and the nonlocal parameter γ. When a truncated Airy beam propagates with a soliton beam together in a nonlocal nonlinear medium, the interactions can be affected by the intensity ratio, the nonlocal parameter, the relative phase and the interval between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of hemocyte from Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) was sequenced using high-throughput genetic sequencing, and mitochondrial genome was assembled using MITObim tools according complete mitochondrial genome of Grus leucogeranus (NCBI Reference Sequence: NC_020574.1). The assembled mitogenome, consisting of 16,747 bp, has unique 14 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNAs genes. The complete mitogenome provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for Siberian Crane phylogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Wheat is a crucial food crop, yet its production is continually threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly salt stress. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which wheat responds to salt stress is essential for developing salt‐tolerant varieties. In this study, we investigated the molecular pathway involving the wheat TaDHN7 in response to salt stress. The overexpression of TaDHN7 enhances salt tolerance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging in wheat, while the knockout of TaDHN7 significantly impairs salt tolerance. Furthermore, we identified that TaWRKY44 promotes the expression of TaDHN7 by binding to the W‐box within the TaDHN7 promoter. Additionally, TaWRKY17 interacts with TaWRKY44, and this interaction enhances the protein stability of TaWRKY44 under salt stress, thereby enhancing its transcriptional regulatory capacity on TaDHN7. This study elucidates the TaWRKY17‐TaWRKY44‐TaDHN7 pathway in response to salt stress in wheat, providing valuable insights for the development of salt‐tolerant wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important oil and food legume crops worldwide. ASR (abscisic acid, stress, ripening) plays extremely important roles in plant growth and development, fruit ripening, pollen development, and stress. Here, six ASR genes were identified in peanut. Structural and conserved motif analyses were performed to identify common ABA/WDS structural domains. The vast majority of ASR genes encoded acidic proteins, all of which are hydrophilic proteins and localized on mitochondria and nucleus, respectively. The cis-element analysis revealed that some cis-regulatory elements were related to peanut growth and development, hormone, and stress response. Under normal growth conditions, AhASR4 and AhASR5 were expressed in all tissues of peanut plants. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results indicated that peanut ASR genes exhibited complex expression patterns in response to abiotic stress. Notably, under drought and cadmium (Cd) stress, the expression levels of AhASR4 and AhASR5 were significantly upregulated, suggesting that these genes may play a crucial role in the peanut plant's resistance to such stressors. These results provide a theoretical basis for studying the evolution, expression, and function of the peanut ASR gene family and will provide valuable information in the identification and screening of genes for peanut stress tolerance breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances are achieved in the design and development of efficient organic photosensitizers (PSs), especially with fluorescence imaging navigation in the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) region. However, there are simply a handful of NIR‐II emissive organic PSs with efficient oxygen‐independent capability due to the scarcity of high‐performance NIR‐responsive organic materials and targeted delivery. Herein, a NIR‐II‐emissive organic nanomedicine with biomimetic engineering for high‐performance NIR‐II imaging and targeted multiple phototherapies of pancreatic tumors is reported. An A‐D‐A‐type conjugated small‐molecule TPC is designed and used to prepare water‐dispersive nanoparticles, which demonstrated high efficiency for type I and type II photodynamic performances, good photothermal conversion of 57%, and bright NIR‐II emission with a quantum yield of 9.8% under 808 nm light irradiation. With pancreatic cancer cell membrane camouflage, the biomimetic TPC nanomedicine achieved high‐resolution and targeted bioimaging of whole‐body blood vessels and tumors. Antitumor experiments demonstrated the high efficiency of the biomimetic TPC nanomedicine for pancreatic tumor elimination and good biosafety with 808 nm light irradiation. This work demonstrated a NIR‐II‐emissive versatile nanomedicine with enhanced tumor‐targeting for high‐resolution NIR‐II bioimaging and superior phototheranostics, providing a feasible idea for the evolution of targeted and high‐performance theranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flue-cured tobacco (FCT) can be classified into upper (B), middle (C), and lower (X) parts based on characteristics such as the FCT's main veins, leaf shape, color, and thickness. Accurately measuring the geometric parameters of the main veins is crucial for identifying the different parts. However, this task has proven to be challenging. Therefore, segmenting the main veins is a prerequisite to reducing calculation errors and improving the precision of part identification. To obtain enough semantic information and improve segmentation accuracy, we propose a fine segmentation model (MSHF-Net) of FCT's main veins based on multi-level-scale features of hybrid fusion. Firstly, MobileNetV2 with a dilated convolution layer (DMobileNetV2) is selected as the backbone network for feature extraction, which optimizes training and inference speed to minimize computing costs. Subsequently, Hybrid Fusion Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (HFASPP) is designed to be the strengthened backbone module for capturing more high-level semantic information, effectively preventing intermittent segmentation of some main veins. Additionally, considering the low proportion of main vein targets in the original image, the double shallow feature branches (DSFBS) are included to obtain more low-level semantic information. Finally, a channel attention mechanism (ECANet) is added to enhance useful information and eliminate redundant information after the hybrid fusion of high-low-level semantic information, preventing mis-segmentation of regions. Experimental validation demonstrates the efficiency of the MSHF-Net, with parameters of only 7.92 M, thus ensuring minimal computational requirements. The model achieves an impressive mean intersection over union (MIoU) of 85.57% and mean pixel accuracy (mPA) of 93.10% on a diverse test set of FCT parts. When applied to segment main veins in a 2296 × 1548 × 3 tobacco image, the model takes just over 0.1 s. It is noteworthy that none of the 291 randomly segmented tobacco leaf main veins show mis-segmentation, highlighting the model's robustness and practical applicability in various scenarios. These results emphasize the superior segmentation performance of the proposed model, establishing a crucial foundation for accurately discriminating FCT parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among different industrial applications of lignocellulosic biomass, biofuel production is receiving increasing attention. Many factors influence the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels such as biomass composition, moisture content, and the desired final energy product. However, the presence of lignin and the need for de-polymerization of cellulose and hemicellulose into reducing sugars play a crucial role in the efficiency of biomass conversion. Among different methods, conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars by enzymatic hydrolysis offers the potential for higher yield, lower energy consumption, higher selectivity and eco-friendly process. In that regard, the stability of hyperthermophilic enzymes at extreme temperatures acquired them a unique potential for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. In recent years, many trials were done to enhance the biological production and stability of thermostable enzymes. In addition to optimization of growth conditions and using chemical methods, many new genetic systems were developed. However, there is a gap in literature concerning the novel techniques used to enhance the production of hyperthermophilic enzymes and sustainability in biofuel industrialization. Therefore, the present review aimed to shed light on the recent trends used to enhance the production and stability of hyperthermophilic enzymes focusing on genetic engineering as an efficient and promising technique for cost-effective production. In addition, the impact of hyperthermophilic enzymes on biomass refinery and future biofuel industry was discussed. The present article highlighted the future positive impacts of hyperthermophilic enzymes on the biofuel production and the need of more research in this fascinating and boundless field. Image 1 • Lignocellulosic wastes have a great importance as a renewable feedstock. • Lignin degradation and cellulose/hemicellulose de-polymerization are challenges. • Pretreatment represents the most energy intensive and costly processes. • Chemical and genetic techniques can enhance hyperthermophilic enzymes efficiency. • Recombinant hyperthermophilic enzymes have significant role in biofuel industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The propagation of a finite-energy Airy beam with sinusoidal phase is investigated. • The propagation of phase-modulated finite-energy Airy beam is different from that of optical beams with symmetric intensity profiles. • Deflection, soliton-like propagation, beam splitting and periodical oscillation can be realized. • The optical steering can be effective at different truncation coefficient a. The effect of spatial phase modulation on the propagation of finite-energy Airy beam (FEAB) is investigated. A sinusoidal phase is introduced on a FEAB and the propagation behavior is analyzed in Kerr medium by numerical simulation. The basic idea is to impose a sinusoidal phase modulator on the beam before entering the medium. It is found that optical amplitude, spatial modulation frequency, phase shift and truncated factor have important impact on the propagation behavior. Deflection, soliton-like propagation, beam splitting and periodical oscillation can be easily realized by choosing different values of modulation parameters. These results may found novel applications in beam splitter, modulator and other optical steering application for Airy beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at the controllability of acoustically manipulated non-contact aggregation of bi-particle. Based on the acoustic wave radiation model of the transducer and the acoustic wave interference theory, the mathematical model between the spatial levitation point and the phase of the phased array ultrasonic array unit is established. A double-sided phased array test system was developed and the phase calculation algorithm for independently manipulating bi-particle was optimized. The algorithm is capable of independently distributing the energy applied to each levitation point. Through simulation and experiment, the horizontally aggregation characteristics of two levitated particles are investigated, and a interesting relationship between particles aggregation and standing wave phase difference is revealed, which follows the law of "attraction in the same phase but repulsion in the opposite phase". By adjusting the tilt angle of the standing wave acoustic trap, the critical distance when particles to accelerate and collision is sharply reduced from 1.5λ to 0.5λ, which provides a new perspective and potential application path for acoustic manipulation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyploids are essential in plant evolution and species formation, providing a rich genetic reservoir and increasing species diversity. Complex polyploids with higher ploidy levels often have a dosage effect on the phenotype, which can be highly detrimental to gametes, making them rare. In this study, offspring plants resulting from an autoallotetraploid (RRRC) derived from the interspecific hybridization between allotetraploid Raphanobrassica (RRCC, 2n = 36) and diploid radish (RR, 2n = 18) were obtained. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using C-genome-specific repeats as probes revealed two main genome configurations in these offspring plants: RRRCC (2n = 43, 44, 45) and RRRRCC (2n = 54, 55), showing more complex genome configurations and higher ploidy levels compared to the parental plants. These offspring plants exhibited extensive variation in phenotypic characteristics, including leaf type and flower type and color, as well as seed and pollen fertility. Analysis of chromosome behavior showed that homoeologous chromosome pairing events are widely observed at the diakinesis stage in the pollen mother cells (PMCs) of these allopolyploids, with a range of 58.73% to 78.33%. Moreover, the unreduced C subgenome at meiosis anaphase II in PMCs was observed, which provides compelling evidence for the formation of complex allopolyploid offspring. These complex allopolyploids serve as valuable genetic resources for further analysis and contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex allopolyploids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important food crop with a wide range of uses in both industry and agriculture. Drought stress during its growth cycle can greatly reduce maize crop yield and quality. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying maize responses to drought stress remain unclear. In this work, a WRKY transcription factor‐encoding gene, ZmWRKY30, from drought‐treated maize leaves was screened out and characterized. ZmWRKY30 gene expression was induced by dehydration treatments. The ZmWRKY30 protein localized to the nucleus and displayed transactivation activity in yeast. Compared with wild‐type (WT) plants, Arabidopsis lines overexpressing ZmWRKY30 exhibited a significantly enhanced drought stress tolerance, as evidenced by the improved survival rate, increased antioxidant enzyme activity by superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), elevated proline content, and reduced lipid peroxidation recorded after drought stress treatment. In contrast, the mutator (Mu)‐interrupted ZmWRKY30 homozygous mutant (zmwrky30) was more sensitive to drought stress than its null segregant (NS), characterized by the decreased survival rate, reduced antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, POD, and CAT) and proline content, as well as increased malondialdehyde accumulation. RNA‐Seq analysis further revealed that, under drought conditions, the knockout of the ZmWRKY30 gene in maize affected the expression of genes involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS), proline, and myo‐inositol metabolism. Meanwhile, the zmwrky30 mutant exhibited significant downregulation of myo‐inositol content in leaves under drought stress. Combined, our results suggest that ZmWRKY30 positively regulates maize responses to water scarcity. This work provides potential target genes for the breeding of drought‐tolerant maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mt DNA) of Amur Moose (Alces alces cameloides)was sequenced, using muscle tissue obtained from a male Amur moose. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 16,305 bp. The genome structure of Amur moose is similar to other moose and it contains 12S rRNA gene, 16S rRNA gene, 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and 1 control region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gambogic acid is a natural component isolated from gamboge that possesses anticancer properties. Our previous study suggested that gambogic acid might be involved in autophagy; however, its role in pancreatic cancer remained unclear. Methods: Cell viability and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cell lines were determined using (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-3,5-diphenylformazan and flow cytometry. The effects of gambogic acid on autophagy was assessed by western blot, acridine orange staining, transmission electron microscopy, and measurement of autophagic flux through RFP-GFP-LC3 lentiviral transfection. The mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed by JC-1 staining. The production of reactive oxygen species was measured using CM-H2DCFDA staining. A xenograft tumor model of pancreatic cancer was created to determine the efficacy of gambogic acid and chloroquine. Results: Gambogic acid induced the expression of LC3-II and Beclin-1 proteins in pancreatic cancer cells, whereas the expression of P62 showed a decline. Gambogic acid also increased the formation of both acidic vesicular organelles and autophagosomes, and increased autophagic flux. These findings indicated that gambogic acid induced the autophagic process. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine or 3-methyladenine, or knockdown of Atg-7 all enhanced the cytotoxicity of gambogic acid, suggesting that gambogic acid-induced autophagy improves the survival of pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, gambogic acid reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and promoted ROS production, which contributed to the activation of autophagy. The inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine further reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and increased the accumulation of ROS. This indicated that the inhibition of autophagy could mitigate the cellular protective effects induced by gambogic acid. The treatment combination of gambogic acid and chloroquine synergistically inhibited tumor growth in the xenograft tumor model. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that gambogic acid induces cytoprotective autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells. The inhibition of autophagy promotes the cytotoxicity of gambogic acid by increasing the accumulation of ROS in pancreatic cancer cells. Combining chloroquine and gambogic acid may be a promising treatment for pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic gas sensors are widely used for measuring concentrations of combustible gases to prevent explosive accidents in industrial and domestic environments. The typical structure of the sensitive element of the sensor consists of carrier and catalyst materials, which are in and around a platinum coil. However, the size of the platinum coil is micron-grade and typically has a cylindrical shape. It is extremely difficult to control the amount of carrier and catalyst materials and to fulfill the inner cavity of the coil, which adds to the irreproducibility and uncertainty of the sensor performance. To solve this problem, this paper presents a new method which uses a drop-on-demand droplet generator to add the carrier and catalytic materials into the platinum coil and fabricate the micropellistor. The materials in this article include finely dispersed Al2O3 suspension and platinum palladium (Pd-Pt) catalyst. The size of the micropellistor with carrier material can be controlled by the number of the suspension droplets, while the amount of Pd-Pt catalyst can be controlled by the number of catalyst droplets. A bridge circuit is used to obtain the output signal of the gas sensors. The original signals of the micropellistor at 140 mV and 80 mV remain after aging treatment. The sensitivity and power consumption of the pellistor are 32 mV/% CH4 and 120 mW, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperthermophilic Thermotoga spp. are excellent candidates for the biosynthesis of cellulosic ethanol producing strains because they can grow optimally at 80 °C with ability to degrade and utilize cellulosic biomass. In T. neapolitana (Tne), a putative iron-containing alcohol dehydrogenase was, for the first time, revealed to be a bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (Fe-AAdh) that catalyzed both reactions from acetyl-coenzyme A (ac-CoA) to acetaldehyde (ac-ald), and from ac-ald to ethanol, while the putative aldehyde dehydrogenase (Aldh) exhibited only CoA-independent activity that oxidizes ac-ald to acetic acid. The biochemical properties of Fe-AAdh were characterized, and bioinformatics were analyzed. Fe-AAdh exhibited the highest activities for the reductions of ac-CoA and acetaldehyde at 80–85 °C, pH 7.54, and had a 1-h half-life at about 92 °C. The Fe-AAdh gene is highly conserved in Thermotoga spp., Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus kodakarensis, indicating the existence of a fermentation pathway from ac-CoA to ethanol via acetaldehyde as the intermediate in hyperthermophiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel approach for crowd counting in low to high density scenarios in static images. Current approaches cannot handle huge crowd diversity well and thus perform poorly in extreme cases, where the crowd density in different regions of an image is either too low or too high, leading to crowd underestimation or overestimation. The proposed solution is based on the observation that detecting and handling such extreme cases in a specialized way leads to better crowd estimation. Additionally, existing methods find it hard to differentiate between the actual crowd and the cluttered background regions, resulting in further count overestimation. To address these issues, we propose a simple yet effective modular approach, where an input image is first subdivided into fixed-size patches and then fed to a four-way classification module labeling each image patch as low, medium, high-dense or no-crowd. This module also provides a count for each label, which is then analyzed via a specifically devised novel decision module to decide whether the image belongs to any of the two extreme cases (very low or very high density) or a normal case. Images, specified as high- or low-density extreme or a normal case, pass through dedicated zooming or normal patch-making blocks respectively before routing to the regressor in the form of fixed-size patches for crowd estimate. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on four benchmarks under most of the evaluation criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperthermophilic xylanases play a critical role in bioconversion from xylan to sugar in the process of biomass utilization. The discovery of new or improvement of existing xylanases based on directed evolution is expected to be an effective approach to meet the increasing demand of thermostable xylanases. In this work, a xylanase B gene (CTN_0623) from Thermotoga neapolitana (Tne) was cloned and xylanase B (herein named Tne xlnB) was solubly expressed in E. coli with a high amount using a heat shock vector pHsh. Tne xlnB showed the highest endo -β-1,4-xylan hydrolase activity at 75 °C and pH 6.0. Additionally, 1 mM Mg2+, Ba2+ and Ca2+ improved the activity of Tne xlnB by 31%, 37%, and 53%, respectively. The optimal temperature reached 85 °C by site-directed mutation at the last three helices of Tne xlnB. K m and V max towards birchwood xylan were determined for both wide type and the best mutant, as follow: 1.09 mg/mL, 191.76 U/mg and 0.29 mg/mL, 376.42 U/mg, respectively. Further characterization highlighted good thermal stability (>80% of enzymatic activity after 1 h at 90 °C) for the best mutant, which made this enzyme suitable for biomass degradation at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sirtuin 2 (Sirt2) belongs to the NAD+-dependent deacetylase family, is more highly expressed than other family members in adipocytes, and plays crucial roles in a wide range of biological processes. However, the mechanisms underlying Sirt2 expression during adipogenesis are poorly studied. In this study, the transcriptional start site (TSS) of Sirt2 was identified and two alternative transcript variants were spliced from Sirt2. The 5′-regulatory region of Sirt2 was also characterized; no TATA-box or CCAAT-box was presented in the 5′-flanking region. Two cytosine-phosphate diester-guanine (CpG) islands were also identified between nucleotides −563 and +4. A dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that a 178 base pair sequence upstream from the TSS (+1) was the core promoter of Sirt2. Results from a site-directed mutagenesis experiment, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated Yin Yang 1 (YY1) to be a positive regulator of bovine Sirt2 in preadipocytes. YY1 is likely to suppress adipogenesis in two different ways by regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma expression. Our results expand the information on the regulatory network of adipogenesis, which is an important basis for improving beef quality, treating obesity, and other related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) are crucial for recognizing and transmitting Ca2+ signals in plant cells, playing a vital role in growth, development, and stress response. This study aimed to identify and detect the potential roles of the CPK gene family in the amphidiploid Brassica carinata (BBCC, 2n = 34) using bioinformatics methods. Results: Based on the published genomic information of B. carinata, a total of 123 CPK genes were identified, comprising 70 CPK genes on the B subgenome and 53 on the C subgenome. To further investigate the homologous evolutionary relationship between B. carinata and other plants, the phylogenetic tree was constructed using CPKs in B. carinata and Arabidopsis thaliana. The phylogenetic analysis classified 123 family members into four subfamilies, where gene members within the same subfamily exhibited similar conserved motifs. Each BcaCPK member possesses a core protein kinase domain and four EF-hand domains. Most of the BcaCPK genes contain 5 to 8 introns, and these 123 BcaCPK genes are unevenly distributed across 17 chromosomes. Among these BcaCPK genes, 120 replicated gene pairs were found, whereas only 8 genes were tandem duplication, suggesting that dispersed duplication mainly drove the family amplification. The results of the Ka/Ks analysis indicated that the CPK gene family of B. carinata was primarily underwent purification selection in evolutionary selection. The promoter region of most BcaCPK genes contained various stress-related cis-acting elements. qRT-PCR analysis of 12 selected CPK genes conducted under cadmium and salt stress at various points revealed distinct expression patterns among different family members in response to different stresses. Specifically, the expression levels of BcaCPK2.B01a, BcaCPK16.B02b, and BcaCPK26.B02 were down-regulated under both stresses, whereas the expression levels of other members were significantly up-regulated under at least one stress. Conclusion: This study systematically identified the BcaCPK gene family in B. carinata, which contributes to a better understanding the CPK genes in this species. The findings also serve as a reference for analyzing stress responses, particularly in relation to cadmium and salt stress in B. carinata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: ZmWRKY64 positively regulates Arabidopsis and maize Cd stress through modulating Cd uptake, translocation, and ROS scavenging genes expression. Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal with severe impacts on crops growth and development. The WRKY transcription factor is a significant regulator influencing plant stress response. Nevertheless, the function of the WRKY protein in maize Cd stress response remains unclear. Here, we identified a maize WRKY gene, ZmWRKY64, the expression of which was enhanced in maize roots and leaves under Cd stress. ZmWRKY64 was localized in the nucleus and displayed transcriptional activity in yeast. Heterologous expression of ZmWRKY64 in Arabidopsis diminished Cd accumulation in plants by negatively regulating the expression of AtIRT1, AtZIP1, AtHMA2, AtNRAMP3, and AtNRAMP4, which are involved in Cd uptake and transport, resulting in Cd stress tolerance. Knockdown of ZmWRKY64 in maize led to excessive Cd accumulation in leaf cells and in the cytosol of the root cells, resulting in a Cd hypersensitive phenotype. Further analysis confirmed that ZmWRKY64 positively regulated ZmABCC4, ZmHMA3, ZmNRAMP5, ZmPIN2, ZmABCG51, ZmABCB13/32, and ZmABCB10, which may influence Cd translocation and auxin transport, thus mitigating Cd toxicity in maize. Moreover, ZmWRKY64 could directly enhance the transcription of ZmSRG7, a reported key gene regulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis under abiotic stress. Our results indicate that ZmWRKY64 is important in maize Cd stress response. This work provides new insights into the WRKY transcription factor regulatory mechanism under a Cd-polluted environment and may lead to the genetic improvement of Cd tolerance in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the constant progress of urbanization and industrialization, cadmium (Cd) has emerged as one of the heavy metals that pollute soil and water. The presence of Cd has a substantial negative impact on the growth and development of both animals and plants. The allotetraploid Brasscia. carinata, an oil crop in the biofuel industry, is known to produce seeds with a high percentage of erucic acid; it is also known for its disease resistance and widespread adaptability. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the tolerance of B. carinata to Cd and its physiological responses and gene expressions under exposure to Cd. Here, we observed that the tested B. carinata exhibited a strong tolerance to Cd (1 mmol/L CdCl2 solution) and exhibited a significant ability to accumulate Cd, particularly in its roots, with concentrations reaching up to 3000 mg/kg. Additionally, we found that the total oil content of B. carinata seeds harvested from the Cd-contaminated soil did not show a significant change, but there were noticeable alterations in certain constituents. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), were observed to significantly increase after treatment with different concentrations of CdCl2 solutions (0.25 mmol/L, 0.5 mmol/L, and 1 mmol/L CdCl2). This suggests that these antioxidant enzymes work together to enhance Cd tolerance. Comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the shoots and roots of B. carinata when exposed to a 0.25 mmol/L CdCl2 solution for 7 days. A total of 631 DEGs were found in the shoots, while 271 DEGs were found in the roots. It was observed that these selected DEGs, which responded to Cd stress, also showed differential expression after exposure to PbCl2. This suggests that B. carinata may employ a similar molecular mechanism when tolerating these heavy metals. The functional annotation of the DEGs showed enrichment in the categories of 'inorganic ion transport and metabolism' and 'signal transduction mechanisms'. Additionally, the DEGs involved in 'tryptophan metabolism' and 'zeatin biosynthesis' pathways were found to be upregulated in both the shoots and roots of B. carinata, suggesting that the plant can enhance its tolerance to Cd by promoting the biosynthesis of plant hormones. These results highlight the strong Cd tolerance of B. carinata and its potential use as a Cd accumulator. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying heavy metal tolerance in B. carinata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, pollution caused by the heavy metal Cd has seriously affected the environment and agricultural crops. While Sinapis alba is known for its edible and medicinal value, its tolerance to Cd and molecular response mechanism remain unknown. This study aimed to analyze the tolerance of S. alba to Cd and investigate its molecular response mechanism through transcriptomic and physiological indicators. To achieve this, S. alba seedlings were treated with different concentrations of CdCl2 (0.25 mmol/L, 0.5 mmol/L, and 1.0 mmol/L) for three days. Based on seedling performance, S. alba exhibited some tolerance to a low concentration of Cd stress (0.25 mmol/L CdCl2) and a strong Cd accumulation ability in its roots. The activities and contents of several antioxidant enzymes generally exhibited an increase under the treatment of 0.25 mmol/L CdCl2 but decreased under the treatment of higher CdCl2 concentrations. In particular, the proline (Pro) content was extremely elevated under the 0.25 and 0.5 mmol/L CdCl2 treatments but sharply declined under the 1.0 mmol/L CdCl2 treatment, suggesting that Pro is involved in the tolerance of S. alba to low concentration of Cd stress. In addition, RNA sequencing was utilized to analyze the gene expression profiles of S. alba exposed to Cd (under the treatment of 0.25 mmol/L CdCl2). The results indicate that roots were more susceptible to disturbance from Cd stress, as evidenced by the detection of 542 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in roots compared to only 37 DEGs in leaves. GO and KEGG analyses found that the DEGs induced by Cd stress were primarily enriched in metabolic pathways, plant hormone signal transduction, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The key pathway hub genes were mainly associated with intracellular ion transport and cell wall synthesis. These findings suggest that S. alba is tolerant to a degree of Cd stress, but is also susceptible to the toxic effects of Cd. Furthermore, these results provide a theoretical basis for understanding Cd tolerance in S. alba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract A table of contents entry We report K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Ce3+,Eu2+ as a potential green emitting phosphor candidate for LED devices. Highlights • A kind of novel green-emitting phosphor K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Ce3+,Eu2+ has been prepared. • Energy transfer in this host is systematically investigated and their origins are to be revealed. • Commission on illumination value as well as thermal luminescence quenching properties are studied. • Results indicate that the phosphor can be served as a potential green emitting phosphor candidate for LED devices. Abstract K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Eu2+ as a new green-emitting phosphor was prepared and studied in this article. This material showed powerful absorption in near ultraviolet-visible regions from 350 to 450 and its green-emitting band peaked at 502 nm. Its photoluminescence emitting intensity affected by concentrations of K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Ce3+ and K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Eu2+ was also studied and consequently verified to be a dipole–dipole interaction. Effective energy transfer was observed in Ce3+,Eu2+ co-doped K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 phosphor, and the transfer efficiency was also obtained from the decay lifetime. The K 2 Ba 3 Si 8 O 20 :Eu2+ phosphor combined with a 380 nm near-UV chip was demonstrated to produce a diode which emitted green light. This article indicates that the phosphor prepared in this work could be used in manufacturing of white light-emitting diodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Biochemical removal process of antibiotics in CWs were simulated by AutoML models. • AutoML models predicted effluent antibiotic concentration in CWs with high accuracy. • AutoML models trained by small training dataset performed generalization ability. • Substrate type was the most important factor infected the antibiotic removal in CWs. Machine learning models can improve antibiotic removal performance in constructed wetlands (CWs) by optimizing the operation process. However, robust modeling approaches for revealing the complex biochemical treatment process of antibiotics in CWs are still lacking. In this study, two automated machine learning (AutoML) models achieved good performance with different sizes of the training dataset (mean absolute error = 9.94–13.68, coefficient of determination = 0.780–0.877), demonstrating the ability to predict antibiotic removal performance without human intervention. Explainable analysis results (the variable importance and Shapley additive explanations) revealed that the variable substrate type was more influential than the variables of influent wastewater quality and plant type. This study proposed a potential approach to comprehensively understanding the complex effects of key operational variables on antibiotic removal, which serve as a reference for optimizing operational adjustments in the CW process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that seriously affects metabolism after accumulation in plants, and it also causes adverse effects on humans through the food chain. The HIPP gene family has been shown to be highly tolerant to Cd stress due to its special domain and molecular structure. This study described the Cd-induced gene ApHIPP26 from the hyperaccumulator Arabis paniculata. Its subcellular localization showed that ApHIPP26 was located in the nucleus. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing ApHIPP26 exhibited a significant increase in main root length and fresh weight under Cd stress. Compared with wild-type lines, Cd accumulated much more in transgenic Arabidopsis both aboveground and underground. Under Cd stress, the expression of genes related to the absorption and transport of heavy metals underwent different changes in parallel, which were involved in the accumulation and distribution of Cd in plants, such as AtNRAMP6 and AtNRAMP3. Under Cd stress, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase) in the transgenic lines were higher than those in the wild type. The physiological and biochemical indices showed that the proline and chlorophyll contents in the transgenic lines increased significantly after Cd treatment, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased. In addition, the gene expression profile analysis showed that ApHIPP26 improved the tolerance of Arabidopsis to Cd by regulating the changes of related genes in plant hormone signal transduction pathway. In conclusion, ApHIPP26 plays an important role in cadmium tolerance by alleviating oxidative stress and regulating plant hormones, which provides a basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of cadmium tolerance in plants and provides new insights for phytoremediation in Cd-contaminated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is often subjected to various environmental stresses. The strictosidine synthase-like (SSL) family is thought to catalyze the key step in the monoterpene alkaloids synthesis pathway in response to environmental stresses. However, the role of ZmSSL genes in maize growth and development and its response to stresses is unknown. Herein, we undertook the systematic identification and analysis of maize SSL genes. Twenty SSL genes were identified in the maize genome. Except for chromosomes 3, 5, 6, and 10, they were unevenly distributed on the remaining 6 chromosomes. A total of 105 SSL genes from maize, sorghum, rice, Aegilops tauschii, and Arabidopsis were divided into five evolutionary groups, and ZmSSL gene structures and conserved protein motifs in the same group were similar. A collinearity analysis showed that tandem duplication plays an important role in the evolution of the SSL family in maize, and ZmSSL genes share more collinear genes in crops (maize, sorghum, rice, and Ae. tauschii) than in Arabidopsis. Cis-element analysis in the ZmSSL gene promoter region revealed that most genes contained many development and stress response elements. We evaluated the expression levels of ZmSSL genes under normal conditions and stress treatments. ZmSSL4–9 were widely expressed in different tissues and were positively or negatively regulated by heat, cold, and infection stress from Colletotrichum graminicola and Cercospora zeina. Moreover, ZmSSL4 and ZmSSL5 were localized in the chloroplast. Taken together, we provide insight into the evolutionary relationships of the ZmSSL genes, which would be useful to further identify the potential functions of ZmSSLs in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, expansin genes are responsive to heavy metal exposure. To study the bioremediary potential of this important gene family, we discovered a root-expressed expansin gene in sorghum, SbEXPA11, which is notably upregulated following cadmium (Cd) exposure. However, the mechanism underlying the Cd detoxification and accumulation mediated by SbEXPA11 in sorghum remains unclear. We overexpressed SbEXPA11 in sorghum and compared wild-type (WT) and SbEXPA11-overexpressing transgenic sorghum in terms of Cd accumulation and physiological indices following Cd. Compared with the WT, we found that SbEXPA11 mediates Cd tolerance by exerting reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging effects through upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, the overexpression of SbEXPA11 rescued biomass production by increasing the photosynthetic efficiency of transgenic plants. In the pot experiment with a dosage of 10 mg/kg Cd, transgenic sorghum plants demonstrated higher efficacy in reducing the Cd content of the soil (8.62 mg/kg) compared to WT sorghum plants (9.51 mg/kg). Subsequent analysis revealed that the SbbHLH041 transcription factor has the ability to induce SbEXPA11 expression through interacting with the E-box located within the SbEXPA11 promoter. These findings suggest that the SbbHLH041–SbEXPA11 cascade module may be beneficial for the development of phytoremediary sorghum varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the impact of modified SiO2 nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) composites through a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and experimentation. Our investigation focuses on analyzing the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Cauchy ratio of pure PMMA, PMMA/SiO2 composites, and PMMA/modified SiO2 composites over a temperature range of 200–400 K. Our results indicate that, as the temperature increases, the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and Cauchy ratio of all materials decrease, while the shear modulus initially increases and then decreases. Notably, at room temperature, the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of the composites increase with an increase in the degree of nanoparticle modification, while the Cauchy ratio exhibits the opposite trend. Our findings suggest that modified SiO2 nanoparticles have the potential to enhance the mechanical properties of composite materials. To validate our simulation results, we also conducted experiments that demonstrated the rationality of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wheat, TaMYC8 is a negative regulator of cadmium (Cd)-responsive ethylene signaling. In this study, we functionally characterized TabHLH094, a basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor (TF) that inhibits the transcriptional activity of TaMYC8. The TabHLH094 protein was found in the nucleus of tobacco epidermal cells and exhibited transcriptional activation activity. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT–qPCR) indicated that TabHLH094 exhibited root-specific, Cd-responsive expression in wheat seedlings. Overexpression of TabHLH094 enhanced the tolerance of wheat seedlings to Cd exposure. The protein–protein interaction between TabHLH094 and TaMYC8 was verified by glutathione S-transferase (GST) pulldown, coimmunoprecipitation (Co–IP), yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) analyses. TabHLH094 was found to reduce the ability of TaMYC8 to bind to the TaERF6 promoter. Furthermore, TabHLH094 could also reduce aminocyclopropanecarboxylate oxidase (ACO) and ACC synthase (ACS) activities, both of which are necessary for ethylene biosynthesis. Taken together, these results indicate that TabHLH094 mediates Cd tolerance by regulating the transcriptional activity of TaMYC8 and decreasing ethylene production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Cadmium-induced TaWAK20 regulates the cadmium stress response by phosphorylating TaSPL5 in wheat. Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are thought to play important roles in responses to abiotic stresses in plants. In this study, we identified a cadmium (Cd)-induced RLK in wheat, TaWAK20, which is a positive regulator of the Cd stress response. TaWAK20 is specifically expressed in root tissue. Overexpression of TaWAK20 significantly improved the tolerance of Cd stress in wheat and decreased Cd accumulation in wheat plants by regulating reactive oxygen species production and scavenging. Yeast one-hybrid assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and firefly luciferase activity analyses demonstrated that the TaWAK20 promoter was bound by the TabHLH35 transcription factor. TaWAK20 interacted with and phosphorylated squamosa promoter binding protein-like 5 (TaSPL5). Furthermore, phosphorylation of TaSPL5 increased its DNA-binding activity. In addition, Arabidopsis-expressing phosphorylated TaSPL5 exhibited greater Cd tolerance than Arabidopsis-expressing unphosphorylated TaSPL5. Taken together, these data identify a TabHLH35–TaWAK20–TaSPL5 module that regulates Cd stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of economic development and the increasing complexity of commodity distribution, efficient and precise anti-counterfeiting measures have garnered significant attention in recent decades. This challenge necessitates the development of flexible films exhibiting both superior mechanical and optical properties to accommodate various anti-counterfeiting applications. This study introduces a composite film comprised of waterborne polyurethane (WPU), gelatin quantum dots (QDs), and glycerol. Glycerol, employed as a plasticizer, enhances the film's plasticity by disrupting hydrogen bonds within the matrix. The tensile strength decreased from 7.7 MPa to 1.73 MPa, while the elongation at break increased from 410 % to 656 %, compared to the samples without glycerol. The resulting films exhibit advantageous properties, including facile preparation, high transmittance, excellent optical properties, and excellent mechanical performance. Additionally, the photoluminescence intensity decreased by only 15 % after being placed in air for 30 days. They demonstrate commendable stability under ambient temperature and environmental conditions, making them suitable for diverse and intricate anti-counterfeiting applications. The emission wavelength of the composite films was tuned by adjusting the cation ratio of the QDs, and the mechanical properties can be adjusted by varying the QD and glycerol contents. This work offers valuable insights for the development of advanced flexible materials for anti-counterfeiting purposes. [Display omitted] • The Ag–In–Zn–S/ZnS QD-WPU composite films have been synthesized. • The composite films are brightly luminescent and flexible. • The mechanical and luminescent properties of film can be adjusted. • The composite films have potential for applications in anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The progeny plants AR(2n=19) harboring the genomes of radish (Raphanus sativus, RR, 2n=18) and cabbage (Brassica pekinensis, AA, 2n=20) were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization. • The gene expression bias of AR leaf and flower tissues was in favor of A genome, and the proportion was 26.03 % and 32.74 %. ELD results showed that all of them were favorable to R genome, and the proportion was 15.41 % and 18.61 %. • Gene silencing and expression of new genes in the two tissues were observed in the progeny AR. Polyploidization is an evolutionarily and mechanistically intriguing process, that requires harmonization of genomic and regulatory interactions among divergent genome groups. Here, we examined gene expression pattern changes in the leaves and petals of Raphanobrassica, a new synthetic amphidiploid generated by a distant cross between radish (RR, 2n = 18) and purple cabbage (AA, 2n = 20). The degree and direction of expression level dominance (ELD), defined as the total expression level of two homoeologous genes, was assessed, and homoeologous expression bias (HEB) analyzed, to assess the relative contributions of homoeologous genes to the transcriptome. Comparative analysis between Raphanobrassica and its parental species revealed that most differentially expressed genes were additive (leaves, 81.63 %; flowers, 82.71 %). ELD favors the R genome in both Raphanobrassica tissues, primarily driven by up- or down-regulation of non-dominant parent genes, with radish (RR) as the dominant parent in ELD-R and cabbage (AA) in ELD-A HEB indicated a preference for the A genome in both tissues (leaves, 26.03 %; flowers, 32.74 %). To further elucidate the ELD phenomenon, we compared expression levels of individual homoeologous genes with those in the diploid parents. ELD toward genes expressed at higher levels in parents was mediated either by down-regulation of genes from the dominant parent or up-regulation of those from the non-dominant parent, whereas ELD toward genes expressed at lower levels in parents was attributable solely to down-regulation of non-dominant parent homoeologous genes. Our findings provide novel insights into gene expression changes in heterodiploids generated by hybridization prior to polyploidization, laying a foundation for understanding genome-wide expression pattern alterations during polyploid formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific hybridization has been a crucial technique in improving genetic diversity and developing novel traits in cultivated plants. The apetalous Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n = 36) represents a valuable germplasm resource with highly desirable characteristics for breeding purposes. Nevertheless, apetalous germplasm resources in B. juncea are currently scarce. In this study, we successfully established a stable apetalous B. juncea (ABJ) line by crossing B. juncea "YLC" with B. carinata "Bc216" (BBCC, 2n = 34). Cytological analysis indicates that ABJ exhibited normal chromosome behavior, with 18 bivalents in diakinesis and an equal number of chromosome segregations at anaphase I in the pollen mother cells during meiosis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed that the chromosome configuration of ABJ is similar to that of its parental line B. juncea , containing 20 chromosomes from A-subgenome and 16 chromosomes from B-subgenome constituting the chromosome number of 36. However, a 15.8 Mb deletion in chromosome A03 of ABJ was uncovered by RNA-seq and molecular markers. Twenty-four differentially expressed genes which may be associated with the regulation of ABJ's apetalous traits were identified by gene expression profiling. To our knowledge, there have been no other documented instances of producing apetalous mustard with missing chromosome segments through interspecific hybridization. Consequently, this study not only verifies the feasibility of generating apetalous mustard with missing chromosome segments through interspecific hybridization but also provides a new insight into the mechanisms underlying the formation of apetalous trait. • A stable apetalous Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n = 36) line was established by crossing B. juncea 'YLC' with Brassica carinata 'Bc216' (BBCC, 2n = 34). • A 15.8 Mb deletion in chromosome A03 of ABJ was uncovered using RNA-seq and molecular markers. • Twenty-four differentially expressed genes associated with the regulation of ABJ's apetalous traits were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]