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Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) cascades play vital roles in plant innate immunity, growth, and development. Here, we report that the rice (Oryza sativa) transcription factor gene OsWRKY31 is a key component in a MPK signaling pathway involved in plant disease resistance in rice. We found that the activation of OsMKK10-2 enhances resistance against the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae and suppresses growth through an increase in jasmonic acid and salicylic acid accumulation and a decrease of indole-3-acetic acid levels. Knockout of OsWRKY31 compromises the defense responses mediated by OsMKK10-2. OsMKK10-2 and OsWRKY31 physically interact, and OsWRKY31 is phosphorylated by OsMPK3, OsMPK4, and OsMPK6. Phosphomimetic OsWRKY31 has elevated DNA-binding activity and confers enhanced resistance to M. oryzae. In addition, OsWRKY31 stability is regulated by phosphorylation and ubiquitination via RING-finger E3 ubiquitin ligases interacting with WRKY 1 (OsREIW1). Taken together, our findings indicate that modification of OsWRKY31 by phosphorylation and ubiquitination functions in the OsMKK10-2-mediated defense signaling pathway.

The H3 methyltransferases ATXR5 and ATXR6 deposit H3.1K27me1 to heterochromatin to prevent genomic instability and transposon reactivation. Here, we report that atxr5 atxr6 mutants displayed robust resistance to Geminivirus. The viral resistance correlated with activation of DNA repair pathways, but not with transposon reactivation or heterochromatin amplification. We identified RAD51 and RPA1A as partners of virus-encoded Rep protein. The two DNA repair proteins showed increased binding to heterochromatic regions and defense-related genes in atxr5 atxr6 vs wild type plants. Consequently, the proteins had reduced interactions to viral DNA in the mutant, thus hampering viral replication. Additionally, RAD51 recruitment to the host genome arose via BRCA1, HOP2 and CYCB1, and this recruitment was essential for viral resistance in atxr5 atxr6. Thus, Geminiviruses adapt to healthy plants by hijacking its DNA repairing pathways for replication, but the host could retain DNA repairing proteins via sacrificing its genome stability to suppress viral infection.

Uniaxial tensile tests of ethylene-chloro-tri-fluoro-ethylene (ECTFE) foils were conducted at a thickness of 250 μm and various low and high temperatures (-50, -40, -30, -20, -10, 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 ℃). The specimens were fabricated according to the machine direction (MD). The tensile stress-strain curves of the foils at various temperatures were obtained. According to the variation discipline with temperature, several parameters such as elastic modulus, yield stress, yield strain, cold drawing stress, tensile strength, and tensile strain at break were subsequently analyzed and calculated. The results show that with the elevation of the stress-strain curves, the yield strength, tensile strength, cold drawing stress, and elastic modulus increase, but the strain at break and toughness decrease when the temperature decreases. At a wide range of temperatures from -50 ℃ to 80 ℃, the difference of elastic modulus can increase up to 93%, with a yield stress of 89%, which reflects the great sensitivity of ECTFE to temperatures. The fitting formulas of main mechanical parameters are also obtained, which can be used to predict the mechanical properties of ECTFE foils at various temperatures.

The effects of sputtering pressure on the O/Si ratio, microstructure, surface morphology and optical properties within 300–1100 nm of SiO2 film via radio frequency magnetron sputtering were investigated. The results showed that the molar ratio of O/Si in the film increased from 1.96 to 2.03, from silicon rich to oxygen rich, with the sputtering pressure increase from 0.3 to 1.3 Pa. The SiO2 films deposited at different pressure were all amorphous. There were many ditches with a length of about 50 nm on the surface of the film deposited at lower pressure. The increase of sputtering pressure could reduce the number of ditches, and make the surface denser and more uniform. The refractive index increased first, then decreased and finally increased with the increase of sputtering pressure, and the maximum and minimum values were obtained at 0.7 and 1.1 Pa, respectively. The change of absorptivity was approximately the same as that of the refractive index, while the change of the average transmittance of coated quartz glass was exactly the opposite of refractive index. The minimum value of the average transmittance 92.6% and the maximum value 93.1% were obtained at 0.7 and 1.1 Pa, respectively.

A field micro-plot experiment with nitrogen isotope (15 N) labelling was performed to study the impacts of the timing of aside-dressed Napplication on urea-15 N in amaize-soil system. The treatment...

Sorghum is one of the most important economic crops in the semi-arid areas of northern China. However, its yield is still relatively low, and some factors, such as the amount of different chemical fertilizers application and planting density, limit the increase of yield. In order to study the effect of fertilizer application rate and planting density on the growth and yield of sorghum, Longza 16 was used as test variety material, and the experiment was conducted with the split plot design. The fertilizer application (375kg/hm2(N:P:K=1:0.7:0.4), 375kg/hm2(N:P:K=1:0.7:0.8), 375kg/hm2 (N:P:K=1:0.7:1.6), 750kg/hm2（N:P:K=1:0.7:0.8), 750kg/hm2（N:P:K=1:0.7:1.6)) was designed as main plot and planting density (96000 plants/hm2, 109000 plants/hm2, 128000 plants/hm2, 154000 plants/hm2）was arranged as subplot. The photosynthetic parameters and yield-related characters were determined during the whole growth period of sorghum. The results showed that the effect of fertilizer application on the yield of sorghum was significant. The yield increased with the increase of fertilizer application, and the yield of 750kg/hm2 (N:P:K=1:0.7:1.6) was significantly higher than that of other treatments. Different planting densities also had a significant effect on the yield, showing that the yield increased with the increase of density, and the yield was the highest under the density of 154000 plants/hm2. In addition, the result of composite effect of fertilizer application rate and density showed that the yield of the treatment of 750kg/hm2 (N:P:K=1:0.7:1.6) and 154000 plants/hm2 was the highest, which was considered to be more suitable for the production of sorghum in the semi-arid areas of northern China.

Abiotic stress caused by unsuitable environmental changes brings serious impacts on the growth and development of sorghum, resulting in significant loss in yield and quality every year. Phospholipase D is one of the key enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids, and participates in plants response to abiotic stresses and phytohormones, whereas as the main producers of Phosphatidic acid (PA) signal, the detailed information about Phospholipase D associated (SbPLD) family in sorghum has been rarely reported. This study was performed to identify the PLD family gene in sorghum based on the latest genome annotation and to determine the expression of PLDs under abiotic stresses by qRT-PCR analysis. In this study, 13 PLD genes were identified in sorghum genome and further divided into 7 groups according to the phylogenetic analysis. All sorghum PLD family members harbored two conserved domains (HDK1&2) with catalytic activity, and most members contained a C2 domain. In ζ subfamily, C2 domain was replaced by PX and PH domain. The exon–intron structure of SbPLD genes within the same subfamily was highly conservative. The tissue specific expression analysis revealed different expression of SbPLD genes in various developmental stages. High level expression of SbPLDα3 was observed in almost all tissues, whereas SbPLDα4 was mainly expressed in roots. Under abiotic stress conditions, SbPLD genes responded actively to NaCl, ABA, drought (PEG) and cold (4 °C) treatment at the transcriptional level. The expression of SbPLDβ1 was significantly up-regulated, while the transcription of SbPLDζ was suppressed under various stress conditions. In addition, SbPLDβ1 and SbPLDδ2 were predicted to be the target genes of sbi-miR159 and sbi-miR167, respectively. This study will help to decipher the roles of PLDs in sorghum growth and abiotic stress responses. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01200-9.

The present study aimed to identify the subtilisin-like proteases (SLPs) of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn potentially involved in the virulence of this phytopathogenic fungus, which has 14 anastomosis groups (AGs) responsible for many crop diseases. Through mycelial microscope observation and strain identification of pathogenic fungus MS-3, it was determined to be R. solani AG-5. Both 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends were used to clone the serine protease gene RsSLP from R. solani AG-5. The full-length obtained for RsSLP was 1714 bp with an open reading frame of 1587 bp, encoding a protein of 528 amino acids with a molecular mass of 55.8 kDa. This protein contained a predicted signal peptide for secretion but lacked a transmembrane domain or membrane anchor site. Bioinformatics analysis identified this protein as a serine protease with the Peptidase_S8 and Inhibitor_I9 characteristic domains of SLPs. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that frequent gene duplications of the SLPs occurred in R. solani (RsSLP), and RsSLP shares characteristic sequence features with virulence factors of other phytopathogenic fungi. Because the secretory serine protease RsSLP from R. solani AG5 is similar to the virulence factors of other phytopathogenic fungi, its identification will be helpful in studies considering the roles of these proteases in pathogen virulence.

A novel metal-organic framework {[Zn2L2(bibp)2]·H2O}n (L = N,N′-bis(4-carbozylbenzyl)-4-aminotoluene)(MOF 1) was synthesized and characterized, the structure presenting an 8-fold interpenetrating diamondoid networks with [4+4] mode, which exhibits high thermostability and two kinds of intertwined left- or right-handed double-helical chains. Additionally, the luminescence investigations reveal that 1 can sensitively detect Fe(III) ions in water. Furthermore, dye adsorption experiment results indicated that 1 can efficiently adsorb methyl orange(MO).

Two new three-dimensional coordination polymers (CPs), [Co(H2L2−) (bibp)]·2H2O (1) and [Co2(L4−) (bib)2]·8H2O (2) (bib = 1,4-diimidazolyl butane, bibp = 4,4′-diimidazolylbiphenyl) have been solvo-/hydrothermal prepared based on tetradentate ligand 5,5-(pentane-1,4-diylbis (oxy))diisophthalic acid (H4L). In CP 1, two chains was formed by Co(II) ion with ligands H2L2− and bibp, respectively, then two chains form into a 2D layer through Co(II) ion. The same two 2D layers constitute a AB layer by inverted manner, then a 3D framework was obtained through the combination of AB layer by π-π stacking. In CP 2, Co (II) atoms are connected by neighboring carboxylic acid ligands L4− to generate 2D layer, then being further connected with nitrogen-containing ligand bib, the 2D layer form a 3D supramolecular network through Co(II) ions. In addition, the electrochemical behaviors of complexes 1 and 2 have been reported.

Three novel coordination polymers (CPs), namely, [CdL (bif)] · H 2 O (1), [Cd 2 L 2 (tipa) 2 ] · 3H 2 O (2) and [Co 2 L 2 (bif) 2 ] · 4DMF (3), (H 2 L = 4,4'-(phenylazanediyl)dibenzoic acid, tipa = Tris [4-(imidazol-1yl)- phenyl] amine, bif = 2,7-bis(1-imidazoly) fluorene), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions withdifferent solvents. Compounds 1–3 were also characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses, thermal analysis, power X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Compound 1 displays a 3-fold interpenetrating 3D framework and contains two kinds 1D helical chains, one is the intertwined one-dimensional double helix chain and another is a 5-fold interpenetrating helical chains. Compound 2 shows a 2-fold interpenetrating 3D framework. Compound 3 exhibits a 3-fold interpenetrating 2D layer. Furthermore, complex 2 can be used as a fluorescent probe for detecting Fe 3+ ions, and complex 3 shows a good electrochemical reversibility.

Tricarboxylic acid 3,5-bis(-carboxy-phenoxy) benzoic acid (H3BCPBA) 1,5-bis(imidazol-l-yl)-benzene(bib) ligands and cadmium nitrate were used to synthesize two new metal–organic frameworks with different structure under the hydrothermal and solvent thermal conditions, namely [Cd(HBCPBA)(bip)]n (1) and [Cd2(HBCPBA)2(bip)0.5]n (2). We determined the structure of two metal-organic frameworks by XRD, and characterized their structures by TG and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Also we tested the fluorescence properties of the two coordination polymers at room temperature. The results showed the Complex 1 crystallizes in the Hexagonal space group P65, with tentacle structure. Complex 2 crystallizes in the Monoclinic space group P21/c, with a layer of three interdigitated structure. Fluorescence test results show that these two complexes can be used as fluorescent probes to selectively detect and identify Fe3+ ions in water.

The up-conversion film is being tried to increase the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the silicon solar cell. To improve the efficiency of the photoluminescence film, the effects of the annealing temperature were investigated on the structure and photoluminescence of the ZnO up-conversion film, which was prepared using the sol-gel method and the spin-coating technique. The results show that the organic compounds and water in the ZnO film were completely eliminated when the annealing temperature reached 500 °C. The crystallinity of film is improved and the average grain size continuously increases as increasing the annealing temperature. The transmittance in the wavelength range of 400–2000 nm continuously increases as the annealing temperature increases from 500 °C to 700 °C, whilst it decreases first and then increases as the annealing temperature increases from 800 °C to 1000 °C. When the film is excited with a laser of 980 nm, there are two intense emission bands in the up-conversion emission spectra, 542-nm green light and 660-nm red light, corresponding to Ho3+: 5S2/5F4 → 5I8 and 5F5 → 5I8 transitions, respectively. In addition, the intensity of up-conversion luminescence for the film increases first and then decreases with the increase of the annealing temperature. When the annealing temperature is at 900 °C, the film consists of small round compact particles with a high degree of crystallization, reaching maximum up-conversion intensity of the film.

SiO2 thin films were prepared with radio frequency magnetron sputtering on quartz glass substrates, and the effects of sputtering power on the stoichiometric ratio, microstructure, surface morphology and optical properties of the film within 300–1100 nm were investigated. The molar ratio of O/Si in the film increased continuously from 1.87 to 1.99, very close to the ideal stoichiometric ratio of 2:1 with the sputtering power decreasing from 150 to 60 W. And the surface of SiO2 thin film became more compact and flatter, and the roughness was significantly reduced. All the SiO2 films were amorphous, and the power had no obvious effect on the crystalline state of the film. When the sputtering power decreased from 150 to 60 W, the refractive index and absorptivity of SiO2 film in the range of 300–1100 nm decreased continuously, while the transmittance within 300–1100 nm of the coated quartz glass (hereinafter referred to as the transmittance of film) increased continuously, and the integrated transmittance increased from 92.7 to 93.0%.

SiO2 thin film was deposited on quartz glass substrate with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The effects of O2/Ar flow ratio and heat treatment on the O/Si molar ratio, surface morphology and optical properties of the film were investigated. SiO2 film was composed of amorphous nanoparticles. When the O2/Ar flow ratio increased from 30% to 60%, the film's O/Si ratio increased continuously from severe O-deficiency 1.68:1 to 1.93:1, close to the stoichiometric ratio 2:1. Meanwhile, the particles' average size decreased and became more uniform, and the surface roughness decreased with the O2/Ar flow ratio increase. And the film's refractive index and absorptivity decreased continuously, while the coated glass substrate's average transmittance (hereinafter referred to as the film's transmittance) within 300–1100 nm increased from 91.7% to 92.9% continuously. Heat treatment at 550 °C resulted in an obvious agglomeration of the nanoparticles, reduced the refractive index of the film and improved its transmittance.

Three novel coordination polymers(CPs), namely, [CoL(bibp)]·2DMF(1)、[CoL(bpmp)0.5]·2H2O (2) and [Co2L2(bidpe)2]·H2O (3), (H2L = 4,4'-(phenylazanediyl)dibenzoic acid, bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazole-1-yl)biphenyl), bidpe = 4,4′-bis(imidazole-1-yl) dipheny ether and bpmp = 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethl)piperazine), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions with different solvents and decreased temperature rates. Compounds 1∼3 were also characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses, thermal analysis, power X-ray diffraction(PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses(TGA). Compound 1 displays a 3-fold interpenetrate 2D layer and contains two kinds helical chains. Compound 2 shows a 3D framework. Compound 3 views of 2-fold 1D chains are mutually interpenetrate each other from 2D sheets. Furthermore, the electrochemical behaviors of the CPs 1–3 prove that they possess good electrochemical properties.

Four novel coordination polymers (CPs), namely, [ZnL(bimb)]·DMF (1), [ZnL(bimb)]·6(H2O)0.5 (2), [ZnL(bimp)0.5]·3H2O (3) and [ZnL(bimp)]·7H2O (4), (H2L = 4,4′-(phenylazanediyl)dibenzoic acid, bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-yl)benzene, bimp = 3,5-bis(1-imidazoly)pyridine), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions with different solvents and decreased temperature rates. Their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and further characterized by infrared spectra (IR), elemental analyses, and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). 1 exhibits an infinite 4-fold interpenetrated three-dimensional (3D) framework with (66) topology. 2 displays the 2D undulated sheets leading to form a 3D framework with π-π interactions among layers in ABAB fashion. 3 exhibits an infinite 2-fold interpenetrated 3D framework with (412·63) topology. 4 exhibited 2D layer with {42·63·8} topology structure. Photoluminescence properties of 1–4 in solid state at ambient temperature were studied, too.

TiO2 films were deposited on monocrystalline silicon wafers with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, and the effects of O2 flow ratio on the films' stoichiometric ratio, phase composition, micromorphology and refractive index were investigated. The results showed that as O2 flow ratio increased, O/Ti molar ratio in the film increased from 1.92 to 2.04, an anatase phase was gradually formed in the film although the substrate was not intentionally heat, the surface nanoparticles became larger, and the film's refractive index decreased first and then increased continuously. And a TiO2/SiO2 bilayer antireflection film was designed and prepared on the quartz glass substrate, of which the TiO2 layer was composed of columnar particles vertically grown on the substrate, and the SiO2 layer was amorphous. This film increased substrate's average transmittance in visible region (380–780 nm) by 0.7%, and the coated substrate's maximum transmittance reached 95.9% at 505 nm wavelength, which was 2.8% higher than that of the blank substrate. The photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell covered by the bilayer sample increases by 0.35% slightly and the external quantum efficiency increases by 1.08% at 500 nm.

The ZnO up-conversion films were prepared by sol-gel and spin-coating methods. The results showed that ZnO remained the hexagonal wurtzite structure after rare earth ions were doped. The light transmittance of the films at near-infrared (800–1250 nm) wavelengths decreased at first and then increased, and the lowest value appeared when the concentration of Ho 3+ was 7 mol%. There were two intense emission bands in the up-conversion emission spectrum, namely the 545 nm green light and the 660 nm red light. The up-conversion luminescence intensity of the films increased at first and then declined, and the maximum was at 7 mol%.

The effects of vacuum sintering and conventional sintering on the structure and high-temperature electrical properties of Ca 1- x Y x CeNbWO 8 ceramics have been comparatively studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result shows that the conventional-sintered ceramic is a single CaWO 4 phase with a scheelite structure, whereas the vacuum-sintered ceramics are composed of a major CaWO 4 phase with scheelite structure and a minor CeNbO 4 phase with fergusonite structure. The grain size of the conventional-sintered Y-doped ceramics is smaller than that of the undoped samples. The grain size of the vacuum-sintered samples increases firstly and then decreases with increasing the Y concentration. The activation energy of the conventional-sintered and vacuum-sintered ceramics all decreases with increasing the Y content. The activation energy of the vacuum-sintered samples is smaller than that of conventional-sintered samples at the given compositions. The change of activation energy should be attributed to the variation of Ce 3+ ion concentration.

Table S1. The gene ID and primers used in this study. (PDF 86 kb)

Al2O3/MgF2 bilayer antireflection film was deposited on the glass with magnetron sputtering. The results indicate that the O:Al ratio of Al2O3 films varied between 1.92:1 and 2.31:1, was higher than the normal stoichiometric ratio of 1.5:1. Al2O3 films were amorphous, and particles with different sizes and quantities were distributed on the surface. The lowest refractive index of Al2O3 film was 1.421, and the average transmittance of coated glass reached 94.10%. The average transmittance within 300–1100 nm of the bilayer film coated glass reached 95.13%. Moreover, Al2O3/MgF2 coated glass enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency of GaAs solar cell by 4.07%.

In order to suppress F- deficiency of MgF2 film prepared with magnetron sputtering, the effects of SF6: Ar gas flow ratio on the structure and properties of the film were investigated. F: Mg ratio increased rapidly first then decreased with the increase of SF6 flow ratio, got 2.13 at 7%, closest to the stoichiometric ratio 2:1; while the film's refractive index first decreased and then increased, got a minimum at 550 nm 1.409 at 7%. MgF2 film increased the glass substrate transmittance within 300–1100 nm to 94.24% from 93.2%, and improved photoelectric conversion efficiency of GaAs solar cell by 2.1%.

Six novel coordination polymers, namely, [Cu1.5(H2L)0.5(H4L)0.5(bibp)1.5]·3H2O (1), [Zn1.5L0.5(bib)(H2O)]·4H2O (2), [Zn1.5L0.5(bib)1.5]·DMF (3), [Co0.5(H4L)0.5(bibpip)(H2O)]·3H2O (4), [Zn(H2L)0.5(tip)] (5), [Cu(H4L)0.5(H6L)0.5(tip)(H2O)]·2H2O (6), [H6L = p-terphenyl-2,2″,2′′′,5,4″,4′′′-hexcarboxylic acid, bibpip = 1,4-bis(4-(1H-imidazol-l-yl)benzyl)piperazine, bib = 1,4-bis(imidazolyl)butane], tib = 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)benzene, bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazol-1-yl)biphenyl, have been synthesized under solvothermal and hydrothermal conditions. Their structures have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, elemental analysis, Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Compound 1 exhibits an infinite 3D structure with (52·62·7·8)(53·6·72) topology. Compound 2 features an unusual structure exhibiting (3,4,6)-connected 3D framework with (52·64)(52·6)2(54·66·72·8·92) topology. Compound 3 shows (4,6)-connected 3D framework with (52·6·7·82)2(55·7)(56·62·74·83) topology. Compound 4 views of 2D sheets. Compound 5 exhibits an unusual two-fold interpenetrating 3D framework with (64·82)(66)2 topology. Compound 6 shows (3,4)-connected binodal 2D net with the (42·6)(42·63·8) topology. Their photochemical properties were measured.

In order to suppress F-deficiency, SF6 was added into the working gas Ar2 as the reaction gas to deposit MgF2 thin film on quartz glass substrate with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, and the effects of working pressure on the chemical compositions, microstructure and property of MgF2 thin film were investigated. The results show that with the working pressure increase from 1.0 to 2.5 Pa, the atomic ratio of F: Mg decreased continuously, and reached 2.02 at 2.0 Pa, very close to the ideal stoichiometric ratio of 2:1; the crystallinity of MgF2 film improved first then decreased, and finally changed into amorphous state; the particles’ profile of MgF2 film became clearer and their size increased significantly at first, but finally their profile became blurred. The refractive index of MgF2 film decreased first and then increased, and got the lowest value at 2.0 Pa, 1.384, almost equal to that of MgF2 bulk crystal. The transmittance of the coated glass within 300–1100 nm (hereinafter referred to as the transmittance of the thin film) increased first and then decreased. The transmittance of all films was higher than that of the bare glass substrate (93.2%), that is to say, all films had antireflection effect. The film transmittance reached 94.99% at 2.0 Pa, higher than that of the bare glass substrate by 1.79%, and higher than the simulated value calculated with G-Solver software by about 0.5%.

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyzes the only rate-limiting step in the pathway of plant oil (TAG) biosynthesis and is involved in plant development. In this study, five DGAT family members were identified from maize genome database. Phylogenetic analysis classified the ZmDGATs into type-I, II, and III clusters. Conserved functional domain analysis revealed that the proteins encoded by ZmDGAT1 contained conserved MBOAT domains, while two ZmDGAT2-encoding proteins harbored LPLAT domains. qRT-PCR analysis showed that ZmDGAT genes exhibited very high relative expression in developing seeds, especially at the early stage of seed development. Under various abiotic stress conditions, differential responses of ZmDGAT genes were observed. An overall significant induction of ZmDGAT genes under cold stress in leaves and a quick and strong response to osmotic stresses in roots were highlighted. This study provides useful information for understanding the roles of DGATs in oil accumulation and stress responses in higher plants.

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) catalyzes the formation of glycerol-3-phosphate, and plays an essential role in glycerolipid metabolism and in response to various stresses in different species. In this study, six ZmGPDH genes were obtained by a thorough search against maize genome, and designated as ZmGPDH1-6, respectively. The structural and evolutionary analyses showed that the ZmGPDHs family had typical conserved domains and similar protein structures as the known GPDHs from other plant species. ZmGPDHs were divided into NAD+-dependent type A form (ZmGPDH1-5) and FAD-dependent type B form (ZmGPDH6) based on their N-terminal sequences. Four full length ZmGPDHs were fused with GFP fusion proteins, and their subcellular localization was determined. ZmGPDH1 and ZmGPDH3 were located to the cytosol and mainly recruited to the surface of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas ZmGPDH4 and ZmGPDH5 were located in the chloroplast. The transcriptional analysis of the ZmGPDHs in different maize tissues revealed relatively high level of transcripts accumulation of ZmGPDHs in roots and early stage developing seeds. Furthermore, we examined the transcriptional responses of the six GPDH genes in maize under various abiotic stresses, including salt, drought, alkali and cold, and significant induction of ZmGPDHs under osmotic stresses was observed. Together, this work will provide useful information for deciphering the roles of GPDHs in plant development and abiotic stress responses.

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is a kind of phosphokinase that catalyzes the formation of signaling molecule phosphatidic acid. In this study, seven maize (Zea mays) DGK gene family members were identified by an exploration of maize genome via multiple online databases, and designated as ZmDGK1-7, respectively. The proteins encoded by ZmDGKs ranged from 487 to 716 amino acids, and had a molecular weight (MWs) between 54.6 and 80.2 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ZmDGKs grouped into three clusters as described for known plant DGK families: Cluster I was composed of three maize DGKs, ZmDGK1, ZmDGK4 and ZmDGK5, cluster II contained ZmDGK6, and the isoforms ZmDGK2, ZmDGK3 and ZmDGK7 fell into cluster III. ZmDGK proteins featured the typical functional domains, while all seven ZmDGKs have a conserved catalytic domain DGKc, only the cluster I ZmDGKs have the DAG/PE binding domain. Most ZmDGK genes showed ubiquitous expression profiles at various developmental stages, while a high relative expression was observed at the tasseling stage. ZmDGK genes exhibited differential expression patterns in response to abiotic stresses including cold, salinity and drought, and all ZmDGK genes were found obviously up-regulated by cold. The distinct roles of ZmDGKs in cold response was also supported by the finding that an accumulation of DGK products–PA under low temperature. This study will help to better understand the roles of DGKs in the development and abiotic stress responses in major crops.

A general description and the protection technologies of the spacecraft power system in terms of deep-space explore, global navigation and earth remote sensor and so on are presented. Base on these, protection system using LCL of spacecraft power system is introduced and some kinds of protection system based on LCL are analyzed and compared. The characteristics of these topologies are summarized and applications using LCL are recommended. The paper describes the principle and development state of the LCL and reports the realization of the digital LCL focusing on the design of inverse time over-current protection, current limiting, state latch and the reliability technology and gives the test results of the dynamic response in terms of current limit protection, inverse time over-current protection and the dynamic performances with different kinds of load. At the last, the method selecting the LCL and the circuits used in the protection instances are developed. The study results can provide reference for the design of the spacecraft power system, the next generation smart power system and reliability.

Transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) can serve as an innate immunity against invading DNA viruses throughout Eukaryotes. Geminivirus code for TrAP protein to suppress the TGS pathway. Here, we identified an Arabidopsis H3K9me2 histone methyltransferase, Su(var)3-9 homolog 4/Kryptonite (SUVH4/KYP), as a bona fide cellular target of TrAP. TrAP interacts with the catalytic domain of KYP and inhibits its activity in vitro. TrAP elicits developmental anomalies phenocopying several TGS mutants, reduces the repressive H3K9me2 mark and CHH DNA methylation, and reactivates numerous endogenous KYP-repressed loci in vivo. Moreover, KYP binds to the viral chromatin and controls its methylation to combat virus infection. Notably, kyp mutants support systemic infection of TrAP-deficient Geminivirus. We conclude that TrAP attenuates the TGS of the viral chromatin by inhibiting KYP activity to evade host surveillance. These findings provide new insight on the molecular arms race between host antiviral defense and virus counter defense at an epigenetic level. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06671.001, eLife digest Many viruses can infect plants and cause diseases that can reduce crop yields. The Geminiviruses are a family of plant viruses that are transmitted by insects and infect tomato, cabbage, and many other crop plants. These viruses hijack the plant cells that they infect and force the plant cells to make viral proteins using instructions provided by the genes in the virus' own DNA. To make proteins, DNA is first copied into molecules of messenger ribonucleic acid (or mRNA) in a process called transcription. However, plants can defend themselves by blocking the transcription of viral DNA through ‘transcriptional gene silencing’. In plant cells, DNA is packaged around proteins called histones to form a structure called chromatin. Small chemical tags attached to the histones can alter the structure of chromatin to regulate the activity of the genes encoded within it. For example, ‘methyl’ tags added to certain histones can block transcription and lower the activity of a gene. DNA from viruses can also associate with histones inside plant cells meaning that transcriptional gene silencing can take place by the addition of these methyl tags. Many Geminiviruses produce a protein called TrAP, which can activate transcription, but it is not clear how this works. Castillo-González et al. studied the TrAP proteins from two different Geminiviruses that can infect crop plants. The commonly used model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, was genetically engineered to produce high levels of these TrAP proteins. These ‘transgenic’ plants did not develop properly: they grew more slowly, had abnormal leaves, and flowered earlier. Furthermore, hundreds of plant genes were more active than usual in the transgenic plants, which suggests that TrAP inhibits transcriptional gene silencing. Further experiments showed that TrAP directly binds to a plant enzyme called KYP—which normally deposits methyl groups on chromatin and prevents it from working. This reduces the number of methyl groups that are attached to histones associated with both viral and plant chromatin, which results in the activation of genes that would normally be switched off. Castillo-González et al.'s findings show how Geminiviruses can stop transcriptional gene silencing of chromatin that contains virus DNA to evade the host plant's defenses. The next challenge is to understand how TrAP inhibits KYP, which may present new ways to genetically engineer plants to become resistant to infection by viruses. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06671.002