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Light plays an important role in determining plant architecture, which greatly influences crop yield. However, the precise mechanisms by which light signaling regulates bud outgrowth remain to be identified. Here, we show that light regulates bud outgrowth via both HY5 and brassinosteroid (BR)-dependent pathways in tomato. Inactivation of the red-light photoreceptor PHYB, or deficiencies in PHYB or the blue-light photoreceptor CRY1a, inhibits bud outgrowth and leads to decreased accumulation of HY5 protein and increased transcript level of BRANCHED1 ( BRC1 ), a central integrator of branching signals. HY5, functioning as a mobile systemic signal from leaves, promotes bud outgrowth by directly suppressing BRC1 transcript and activating the transcript of BR biosynthesis genes within the lateral buds in tomato. Furthermore, BRC1 prevents the accumulation of cytokinin (CK) and gibberellin (GA) by directly inhibiting the transcript of CK synthesis gene LOG4 , while increasing the transcript levels of CK and GA degradation genes ( CKX7 , GA2ox4 , and GA2ox5 ), leading to an arrest of bud outgrowth. Moreover, bud outgrowth occurs predominantly in the day due to the suppression of BRC1 transcript by HY5. These findings demonstrate that light-inducible HY5 acts as a systemic signaling factor in fine-tuning the bud outgrowth of tomato.

Herbivory severely affects plant growth, posing a threat to crop production. Calcium ion (Ca

Jasmonates (JAs) are phytohormones with crucial roles in plant defense. Plants accumulate JAs in response to wounding or herbivore attack, but how JA biosynthesis is triggered remains poorly understood. Here we show that herbivory by cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) induced both ethylene (ET) and JA production in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves. Using RNA-seq, ET mutants, and inhibitors of ET signaling, we identified ET-induced ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 15 (ERF15) and ERF16 as critical regulators of JA biosynthesis in tomato plants. Transcripts of ERF15 and ERF16 were markedly upregulated and peaked at 60 and 15 min, respectively, after simulated herbivore attack. While mutation in ERF16 resulted in the attenuated expression of JA biosynthetic genes and decreased JA accumulation 15 min after the simulated herbivory treatment, these changes were not observed in erf15 mutants until 60 min after treatment. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and dual-luciferase assays demonstrated that both ERFs15 and 16 are transcriptional activators of LIPOXYGENASE D, ALLENE OXIDE CYCLASE, and 12-OXO-PHYTODIENOIC ACID REDUCTASE 3, key genes in JA biosynthesis. Furthermore, JA-activated MYC2 and ERF16 also function as the transcriptional activators of ERF16, contributing to dramatic increases in ERF16 expression. Taken together, our results demonstrated that ET signaling is involved in the rapid induction of the JA burst. ET-induced ERF15 and ERF16 function as powerful transcriptional activators that trigger the JA burst in response to herbivore attack.

Molecular characteristics and prognostic role of MFAP2 were by no means stated. The MFAP2 expression and prognostic prices in this study, with Cox analysis, was employed to develop a predictive fee for MFAP2. To know about coexpression and practical networks associated with MFAP2, LinkedOmics and GEPIA2 have been used. MFAP2 expression has been increased and verified in many unbiased coalitions in TCGA-STAD tumor tissues. In addition, in each TCGA and various cohorts, increased MFAP2 was linked with lower survival. Evaluation by Cox revealed the unbiased danger to average survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free survival of STAD used to be due to the elevated expression of MFAP2. Active community assessed the MFAP2, through which more than a few cancer-associated kinases and E2F household pathways are regulated, which shows that MFAP2 affects RNA transportation, oocyte meiosis, spliceosome, and ribosome biogenesis. MFAP2 can predict and is linked to the prediction of STAD independently. The closure of the MFAP2 link to the macrophage marker genes is, in particular, the achievable core of immune response.

Iron (Fe) deficiency affects global crop productivity and human health. However, the role of light signaling in plant Fe uptake remains uncharacterized. Here, we find that light-induced Fe uptake in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is largely dependent on phytochrome B (phyB). Light induces the phyB-dependent accumulation of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) protein both in the leaves and roots. HY5 movement from shoots to roots activates the expression of FER transcription factor, leading to the accumulation of transcripts involved in Fe uptake. Mutation in FER abolishes the light quality-induced changes in Fe uptake. The low Fe uptake observed in phyB, hy5, and fer mutants is accompanied by lower photosynthetic electron transport rates. Exposure to red light at night increases Fe accumulation in wild-type fruit but has little effects on fruit of phyB mutants. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Fe uptake is systemically regulated by light in a phyB-HY5-FER-dependent manner. These findings provide new insights how the manipulation of light quality could be used to improve Fe uptake and hence the nutritional quality of crops.

Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants, and its metabolism in chloroplasts depends mainly on light. However, the mechanism through which photoreceptors regulate starch metabolism in chloroplasts is unclear. In this study, we found that the cryptochrome 1a (CRY1a)-mediated blue light signal is critical for regulating starch accumulation by inducing starch degradation through the transcription factor HY5 in chloroplasts in tomato. cry1a mutants and HY5-RNAi plants accumulated more starch and presented lower transcript levels of starch degradation-related genes in their leaves than wild-type plants. Blue light significantly induced the transcription of starch degradation-related genes in wild-type and CRY1a- or HY5-overexpressing plants but had little effect in cry1a and HY5-RNAi plants. Dual-luciferase assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation–qPCR revealed that HY5 could activate the starch degradation-related genes PWD, BAM1, BAM3, BAM8, MEX1, and DPE1 by directly binding to their promoters. Silencing of HY5 and these starch degradation-related genes in CRY1a-overexpressing plants led to increased accumulation of starch and decreased accumulation of soluble sugars. The findings presented here not only deepen our understanding of how light controls starch degradation and sugar accumulation but also allow us to explore potential targets for improving crop quality.

This chapter introduces a soft and wearable robotic glove for hand rehabilitation. It was designed for individuals with a hemiparetic hand. The glove is more lightweight and compact compared with rigid hand exoskeleton robots. The design of the soft robotic glove included a cable drive system which drives the fingers in flexion. Three-dimensional printed cable guides were fixed between interphalangeal joints which determined the paths of the cables. The cables were connected to the fingers and actuated by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs). It was shown that the robotic glove can be used in the execution of hand rehabilitation training. The weight of the glove part is about 120 g and the maximum fingertip force is about 12 N. The myoelectric control strategy was used to control the robotic glove. User intent can be detected by measuring the surface electromyography (sEMG) of the muscles on the forearm. With the help of the device, subjects can grasp objects of various shapes. The soft and wearable robotic glove could be used in the stroke rehabilitation.

Scolopendra mutilans L. Koch, 1878 is an important Chinese animal with thousands of years of medicinal history. However, the genomic information of this species is limited, which hinders its further application. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of S. mutilans was sequenced and assembled by next-generation sequencing. The genome is 15,011 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 14 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. Most PCGs start with the ATN initiation codon, and all PCGs have the conventional stop codons TAA and TAG. The S. mutilans mitogenome revealed nine simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and an obviously lower GC content compared with other seven centipede mitogenomes previously sequenced. After analysis of homologous regions between the eight centipede mitogenomes, the S. mutilans mitogenome further showed clear genomic rearrangements. The phylogenetic analysis of eight centipedes using 13 conserved PCG genes was finally performed. The phylogenetic reconstructions showed Scutigeromorpha as a separate group, and Scolopendromorpha in a sister-group relationship with Lithobiomorpha and Geophilomorpha. Collectively, the S. mutilans mitogenome provided new genomic resources, which will improve its medicinal research and applications in the future.

To explore the neuro-mechanism of the time course of processing a hurt situation, we analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) generated in the brain in response to stimuli in individuals with different degrees of forgiveness. Participants were 216 university students. Of the early ERP components, the negative-deflecting N1 was modulated neither by degree of forgiveness nor by the hurt situation, and the positive-deflecting P2 was larger for low-forgiveness than for high-forgiveness participants, and for low-hurt than for high-hurt situations. The N2, which identifies and encodes stimulus, was enhanced in the high-forgiveness group and for high-hurt situations. Importantly, the late positive component (LPC) stage of stimulus evaluation was larger in the high-forgiveness group for high-hurt situations, but in the low-forgiveness group was evident for low-hurt situations. These data indicate that the modulation of forgiveness on processing hurt situations occurs at the late stage of information processing.

Plant glutamate-like receptor genes (GLRs) are homologous to mammalian ionotropic glutamate receptors genes (iGluRs). Although GLRs have been implicated in plant defenses to biotic stress, the relationship between GLR-mediated plant immunity against fungal pathogens and electrical signals remains poorly understood. Here, we found that pretreatment with a GLR inhibitor, 6,7-dinitriquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), increased the susceptibility of tomato plants to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Assessment of the glr3.3, glr3.5 and glr3.3/glr3.5 double-mutants upon B. cinerea infection showed that tomato GLR3.3 and GLR3.5 are essential for plant immunity against B. cinerea, wherein GLR3.3 plays the main role. Analysis of the membrane potential changes induced by glutamate (Glu) or glycine (Gly) revealed that amplitude was significantly reduced by knocking out GLR3.3 in tomato. While treatment with Glu or Gly significantly increased immunity against B. cinerea in wild-type plants, this effect was significantly attenuated in glr3.3 mutants. Thus, our data demonstrate that GLR3.3- and GLR3.5-mediated plant immunity against B. cinerea is associated with electrical signals in tomato plants.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polyelectrolyte poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) composite modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, by a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique, was evaluated as an anode for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The bioelectrochemistry of Shewanella loihica PV-4 in an electrochemical cell and the electricity generation performance of MFCs with multilayer (CNTs/PAH)n-deposited ITO electrodes as an anode were investigated. Experimental results showed that the current density generated on the multilayer modified electrode increased initially and then decreased as the deposition of the number of layers (n = 12) increased. Chronoamperometric results showed that the highest peak current density of 34.85 &plusmn, 2.80 mA/m2 was generated on the multilayer (CNTs/PAH)9-deposited ITO electrode, of which the redox peak current of cyclic voltammetry was also significantly enhanced. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses showed a well-formed nanostructure porous film on the surface of the multilayer modified electrode. Compared with the plain ITO electrode, the multilayered (CNTs/PAH)9 anodic modification improved the power density of the dual-compartment MFC by 29%, due to the appropriate proportion of CNTs and PAH, as well as the porous nanostructure on the electrodes.

Shoot-root communication is crucial for plant adaptation to environmental changes. However, the extensive crosstalk between shoots and roots that controls the synthesis of jasmonates (JAs), in order to enhance defense responses against rhizosphere herbivores, remains poorly understood. Here, we report that the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita induces the systemic transmission of electrical and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals from attacked tomato roots to the leaves, leading to an increased accumulation of JAs in the leaves. Grafting of 1.0-cm stem sections from mutants lacking GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE 3.5 or the mutants deficient in RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG 1 abolished the RKN-induced electrical signals and associated ROS and JA accumulation in the upper stems and leaves with attenuated resistance to RKN. Furthermore, the absence of systemic transmission of electrical and ROS signals compromised the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MPKs) 1/2 in leaves. Silencing MPK1 or MPK2 abolished RKN-induced accumulation of JAs and associated resistance. These findings reveal a systemic signaling loop that integrates electrical, ROS, and JA signals to enhance the resistance in distal organs via root-shoot-root communication.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising devices for sustainable energy production, wastewater treatment and biosensors. Anode materials directly interact with electricigens and accept electrons between cells, playing an important role in determining the performance of MFCs. In this study, a novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite film modified Indium-tin oxide (ITO) anode was fabricated through graft polymerization of PANI after the modification of &gamma, aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) on ITO substrate, which was followed by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembling of CNTs and PANI alternatively on its surface. (CNTs/PANI)n/APTES/ITO electrode with low charge transfer resistance showed better electrochemical behavior compared to the bare ITO electrode. Twelve layers of CNTs/PANI decorated ITO electrode with an optimal nanoporous network exhibited superior biocatalytic properties with a maximal current density of 6.98 &micro, A/cm2, which is 26-fold higher than that of conventional ITO electrode in Shewanella loihica PV-4 bioelectrochemical system. MFCs with (CNTs/PANI)12/APTES/ITO as the anode harvested a maximum output power density of 34.51 mW/m2, which is 7.5-fold higher than that of the unmodified ITO electrode. These results demonstrate that (CNTs/PANI)12/APTES/ITO electrode has superior electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties compared to the bare ITO electrode, while the cellular toxicity of CNTs has an effect on the performance of MFC with (CNTs/PANI)n/APTES/ITO electrode.