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Summary: Branching is a major determinant of crop yield, and enables vigorous shoot growth and the production of a dense canopy. Phytochrome A signal transduction 1 (PAT1) positively regulates phytochrome A signal transduction in response to light, but its effects on branching remain unknown. In this study, we mapped PAT1, and revealed a previously unknown role related to branching and flowering in leafy Brassica juncea. Earlier and increased branching was observed when PAT1 expression was down‐regulated, implying that PAT1 negatively regulates shoot branching. Additionally, down‐regulated PAT1 expression reversed the inhibited branching induced by far‐red light, suggesting PAT1 is involved in the shade avoidance response. PAT1 negatively regulated branching only after bud initiation. The observed interaction between PAT1 and BRC1 implied that PAT1 influences bud outgrowth in a BRC1‐dependent manner. Biochemical and genetic evidence indicate that PAT1 directly interacts with CONSTANS‐LIKE 13 (COL13), which negatively regulates flowering, with the resulting PAT1–COL13 complex mediating shoot branching and flowering. Our findings reveal a new crosstalk modality between phytochrome signalling and flowering pathways during the regulation of shoot branching and flowering. The data presented herein may be useful for future studies involving the editing of the GRAS family transcription factor PAT1 gene to enhance crop productivity and enable earlier harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause great harm to environment and human health. At present, the annual emission of VOCs in China has reached the same level as that of NOx and SO2 and already been classified as one of the major atmospheric pollutants. Among various VOCs elimination methods, catalytic combustion is regarded as a highly efficient and green VOCs elimination method because it can transform VOCs mo-leculars into H2O and CO2. Additionally, VOCs catalytic combustion is very fitful for the continous removal of the VOCs with low concentration in a closed space. The structure of active sites of VOCs catalytic combustion catalysts can be dramatically decided by their preparetion methods, and thus the different preparation methods can directly affect the catalytic performance of these catalysts. The preparation methods, such as impregnation method, sol-gel method, co-precipitation method, deposition-precipition, grafting method, hydrothermal synthesis method and microemulsion method, are most commonly used to prepare VOCs catalytic combustion catalysts. In the current paper, the difference among the preparation methods for VOCs catalytic combustion catalysts was focused on, in order to present the applicability of these preparation methods to the adjustment of the active sites structure and their effect on the catalytic performance of VOCs catalytic combustion catalysts. This work would provide a prospect, which was valuable for achieving highly efficient VOCs catalytic combustion catalysts, of the relationship between the different preparation methods and different catalyst structures along with different catalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Monthly variation in gross primary productivity (GPP) between on-years and off-years were different. Main drivers of GPP in on-years were abiotic. In off-years drivers were biotic and abiotic.Abstract: Understanding biotic (living or once-living organisms) and abiotic (non-living physical and chemical elements) influences on seasonal variation in carbon fluxes in Moso bamboo forest is important for predicting future carbon sequestration under climate change. Although differing physiological and ecological characteristics of Moso bamboo forest between on-years and off-years have been observed, the drivers of annual differences in carbon fluxes remain unknown. In this study, drivers of variation in carbon fluxes were analyzed based on gross primary productivity (GPP) and biotic factors (leaf area and chlorophyll content here, represented by vegetation indices—VIs) and abiotic factors. Results showed that average monthly GPP between on-years and off-years was significantly different from January to June, mainly due to natural variation in biotic factors. The monthly variation in GPP during on-years was mainly influenced by abiotic factors, whereas that in off-years was determined by the combination of biotic and abiotic factors. Monthly variation and differences in GPP between on-years and off-years were well represented by VIs. The GPP was more strongly correlated with VIs in off-years than in on-years, owing to large seasonal variation in canopy chlorophyll content. Hence, GPP estimated from both air temperature and simple ratio was more accurate than that estimated from air temperature alone. Overall, the difference in GPP between on-years and off-years and its underlying mechanisms can be used to accurately estimate carbon fluxes in Moso forest and predict carbon fluxes under future climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by its unfavorable prognosis and resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Drug repositioning, an approach aimed at identifying novel therapeutic applications for existing drugs, presents a cost-effective strategy for developing new anticancer agents. We explored the anticancer properties of Ezetimibe, a widely used oral lipid-lowering drug, in the context of HCC. Our findings demonstrate that Ezetimibe effectively suppresses HCC cell proliferation through paraptosis, an apoptotic-independent cell death pathway. The examination of HCC cells lines treated with Ezetimibe using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed cytoplasmic vacuolation in the perinuclear region. Notably, the nuclear membrane remained intact in both Ezetimibe-treated and untreated HCC cell lines. Probe staining assays confirmed that the cytoplasmic vacuoles originated from dilated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) compartments rather than mitochondria. Furthermore, a dose-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed in Ezetimibe-treated HCC cell lines. Co-treatment with the general antioxidant NAC attenuated vacuolation and improved cell viability in Ezetimibe-treated HCC cells. Moreover, Ezetimibe induced paraptosis through proteasome activity inhibition and initiation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in HCC cell lines. In our in vivo experiment, Ezetimibe significantly impeded the growth of HCC tumors. Furthermore, when combined with Sorafenib, Ezetimibe exhibited a synergistic antitumor effect on HCC cell lines. Mechanistically, Ezetimibe induced paraptosis by targeting NPC1L1 to inhibit the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study highlights the potential of Ezetimibe as an anticancer agent by triggering paraptosis in HCC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]