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Low temperatures stress is one of the important factors limiting rice yield, especially during rice anther development, and can cause pollen sterility and decrease grain yield. In our study, low-temperature stress decreased pollen viability and spikelet fertility by affecting the sugar, nitrogen and amino acid contents of anthers. We performed RNA-seq and ISO-seq experiments to study the genome-wide transcript expression profiles in low-temperature anthers. A total of 4,859 differentially expressed transcripts were detected between the low-temperature and control groups. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed significant terms related to cold tolerance. Hexokinase and glutamate decarboxylase participating in starch and sucrose metabolism may play important roles in the response to cold stress. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, nine hub transcripts were found that could improve cold tolerance throughout the meiosis period of rice: Os02t0219000-01 (interferon-related developmental regulator protein), Os01t0218350-00 (tetratricopeptide repeat-containing thioredoxin), Os08t0197700-00 (luminal-binding protein 5), Os11t0200000-01 (histone deacetylase 19), Os03t0758700-01 (WD40 repeat domain-containing protein), Os06t0220500-01 (7-deoxyloganetin glucosyltransferase), Pacbio.T01382 (sucrose synthase 1), Os01t0172400-01 (phospholipase D alpha 1), and Os01t0261200-01 (NAC domain-containing protein 74). In the PPI network, the protein minichromosome maintenance 4 (MCM4) may play an important role in DNA replication induced by cold stress.

Advanced neural research demands new electrode materials with high performance. Herein, we have developed a facile approach to synthesize amphiphilic reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and demonstrated its performance in electrically stimulating neural cells with high charge injection capacity. Synthesis of the amphiphilic rGO features covalent functionalization and simultaneous thermal reduction in a one-step manner. The covalent functionalization of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) chains on the rGO surface not only provides a high dispersibility in various solvents, enabling convenient post-treatment processes, but also allows for an enhancement in double-layer charging capacitance. Calcium imaging of PC12 neural cells on the amphiphilic mPEG-rGO films has revealed a predominant increase in the percentage of cells with higher action potentials, derived from double-layer capacitance enhancement in charge injection. These results suggest that the new amphiphilic mPEG-rGO material is capable of providing a much safer and efficacious solution for neural prostheses applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]