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Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the Fusarium graminearum species complex, is a destructive disease in wheat worldwide. The lack of FHB-resistant germplasm is a barrier in wheat breeding for resistance to FHB. Thinopyrum elongatum is an important relative that has been successfully used for the genetic improvement of wheat. In this study, a translocation line, YNM158, with the YM158 genetic background carrying a fragment of diploid Th. elongatum 7EL chromosome created using 60Co-γ radiation, showed high resistance to FHB under both field and greenhouse conditions. Transcriptome analysis confirmed that the horizontal transfer gene, encoding glutathione S-transferase (GST), is an important contributor to FHB resistance in the pathogen infection stage, whereas the 7EL chromosome fragment carries other genes regulated by F. graminearum during the colonization stage. Introgression of the 7EL fragment affected the expression of wheat genes that were enriched in resistance pathways, including the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, plant–pathogen interaction, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway at different stages after F. graminearium infection. This study provides a novel germplasm for wheat resistance to FHB and new insights into the molecular mechanisms of wheat resistance to FHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the wearable electronic skin (E‐skin) has attracted more and more attention due to high sensitivity, good portability and flexibility. In this work, we used the 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinyl‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO)‐oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCN) as the substrate, and used the in‐situ polymerization method to introduce polypyrrole (PPy) into the TOCN substrate. Then, the nylon gauze was used as microstructure template to prepare a TOCN/PPy E‐skin with a surface microstructure. This E‐skin possessed excellent sensing and mechanical properties. In the pressure range of 0–600 Pa, the sensitivity of E‐skin was 3.13 kPa−1. In addition, the E‐skin exhibited ultrafast response/recovery time (≤10 ms), ultralow detection limit of 0.3 Pa, good stability (>9000 cycles) and mechanical strength of up to 117 MPa. Therefore, the TOCN/PPy E‐skin has broad development prospects in the fields of artificial intelligence and health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), breeding efforts have focused intensively on improving grain yield and quality. For quality, the content and composition of seed storage proteins (SSPs) determine the elasticity of wheat dough and flour processing quality. Moreover, starch levels in seeds are associated with yield. However, little is known about the mechanisms that coordinate SSP and starch accumulation in wheat. In this study, we explored the role of the endosperm-specific NAC transcription factor TaNAC019 in coordinating SSP and starch accumulation. TaNAC019 binds to the promoters of TaGlu-1 loci, encoding high molecular weight glutenin (HMW-GS), and of starch metabolism genes. Triple knock-out mutants of all three TaNAC019 homoeologs exhibited reduced transcript levels for all SSP types and genes involved in starch metabolism, leading to lower gluten and starch contents, and in flour processing quality parameters. TaNAC019 directly activated the expression of HMW-GS genes by binding to a specific motif in their promoters and interacting with the TaGlu-1 regulator TaGAMyb. TaNAC019 also indirectly regulated the expression of TaSPA , an ortholog of maize Opaque2 that activates SSP accumulation. Therefore, TaNAC019 regulation of starch- and SSP-related genes has key roles in wheat grain quality. Finally, we identified an elite allele (TaNAC019-BI) associated with flour processing quality, providing a candidate gene for breeding wheat with improved quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutenin proteins in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) flour confer unique viscoelastic properties to dough products and, therefore, the concentration and composition of the glutenin proteins determine its end-use value. However, the mechanisms governing the glutenin gene expression remain elusive. In this study, we report that wheat Ta GAMyb activates the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit genes ( Ta GLU) through recruiting the histone acetyltransferase GCN5. By sequencing the promoters of Ta GLU-1 genes from 40 modern wheat cultivars, we identified eight types of Ta GAMyb binding motifs and verified these by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The number of Ta GAMyb binding motifs in Ta GLU-1 genes is correlated with the abundance of glutenin in different cultivars. Chromatin immunoprecipitation plus polymerase chain reaction (Ch IP- PCR) analysis reveals that Ta GCN5 directly targets the promoters of Ta GLU-1 genes in wheat endosperm. We find that Ta GAMyb physically interacts with the wheat histone acetyltransferase Ta GCN5 and also interacts with Arabidopsis thaliana At GCN5. Ta GAMyb ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis binds to the Ta GLU-1Dy promoter on a Ta GLU-1Dy transgene and activates its expression. At GCN5 also targets the Ta GLU-1Dy transgene and is involved in the establishment of acetylation at H3K9 and H3K14. These results demonstrate that Ta GAMyb plays a dual role in activating expression of glutenin gene by directly binding to the Ta GLU promoter and by recruiting GCN5 to modulate histone acetylation during wheat endosperm development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six novel O-alkyl α-( 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetoxy) alkylphosphonate 4 were synthesized by the reactions of key intermediate 3 with NaI. The intermediate 3 was prepared by the treatment of α-hydroxyalkylphosphonates with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetyl chlorides 2 which could be easily obtained by the reaction of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acids with excess thionyl chloride. The structures of compounds 4 have been confirmed by ¹H NMR, IR spectroscopy and elemental analyses, and compound 40 was analyzed by MS. The results of preliminary bioassay showed that most of title compounds possessed significant herbicidal activity. Compounds 4a~4e exhibited more than 90% inhibitory activity against barnyard grass and rape in the rate of 10 μ/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of new 2-acylamino-5-benzylidenethiazol-4-ones (4) have been designed and synthesized by the reactions of substituted benzoyl chloride with intermediate 3. The structures of compounds 4 were characterized by IR, JH NMR, 13 C NMR and elemental analysis. The results of bioassay indicate that some compounds possess a certain antitumor activity against KB and CNE2, and the title compound 4a showed certain fungicidal activity against six tested fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain weight and size are major traits targeted in breeding to improve wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield. Here, we find that the histone acetyltransferase GENERAL CONTROL NONDEREPRESSIBLE 5 (GCN5) physically interacts with the calmodulin-binding transcription factor CAMTA2 and regulates wheat grain size and weight. gcn5 mutant grains were smaller and contained less starch. GCN5 promoted the expression of the starch biosynthesis genes SUCROSE SYNTHASE 2 (Sus2) and STARCH-BRANCHING ENZYME Ic (SBEIc) by regulating H3K9ac and H3K14ac levels in their promoters. Moreover, immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry (IP-MS) revealed that CAMTA2 physically interacts with GCN5. The CAMTA2-GCN5 complex activated Sus2 and SBEIc by directly binding to their promoters and depositing H3K9ac and H3K14ac marks during wheat endosperm development. camta2 knockout mutants exhibited similar phenotypes to gcn5 mutants, including smaller grains that contained less starch. In gcn5 mutants, transcripts of high molecular weight (HMW) Glutenin (Glu) genes were downregulated, leading to reduced HMW glutenin protein levels, gluten content, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation volume. However, the association of GCN5 with Glu genes was independent of CAMTA2, since GCN5 enrichment on Glu promoters was unchanged in camta2 knockouts. Finally, we identified a CAMTA2-AH3 elite allele that corresponded with enhanced grain size and weight, serving as a candidate gene for breeding wheat varieties with improved grain weight., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists.)

As the body's defense mechanism against damage and infection, the inflammatory response is a pathological process that involves a range of inflammatory cells and cytokines. A healthy inflammatory response helps the body repair by eliminating dangerous irritants. However, tissue fibrosis can result from an overly intense or protracted inflammatory response. The anti-aging gene Klotho suppresses oxidation, delays aging, and fosters development of various organs. Numerous investigations conducted in the last few years have discovered that Klotho expression is changed in a variety of clinical diseases and is strongly linked to the course and outcome of a disease. Klotho functions as a co-receptor for FGF and as a humoral factor that mediates intracellular signaling pathways such as transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), toll-like receptors (TLRs), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), renin -angiotensin system (RAS), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). It also interferes with the phenotype and function of inflammatory cells, such as monocytes, macrophages, T cells, and B cells. Additionally, it regulates the production of inflammatory factors. This article aims to examine Klotho's scientific advances in terms of tissue fibrosis and the inflammatory response in order to provide novel therapy concepts for fibrotic and inflammatory disorders., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhao, Han, Zhao, Yang, Wang, Gao, Jin and Tao.)