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Maize is an important feed and industrial cereal crop and is crucial for global food security. The development of drought-tolerant genotypes is a major aim of breeding programs to fight water scarcity and maintain sustainable maize production. Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are a family of proteins related to osmotic regulation that widely exist in organisms. Here, we implemented a previously generated maize transcriptomic dataset to identify a drought-responsive gene designated ZmNHL1. Bioinformatics analysis of ZmNHL1 showed that the protein encoded by ZmNHL1 belongs to the LEA-2 protein family. Tissue specific expression analysis showed that ZmNHL1 is relatively abundant in stems and leaves, highly expressed in tassels and only slightly expressed in roots, pollens and ears. Moreover, the activity of SOD and POD of plants from three 35S::ZmNHL1 transgenic lines under either the induced drought stress conditions (by 20% PEG6000) or the natural water deficit treatment (by water withholding) were higher than that of the WT plants, while the electrolyte leakage of the 35S::ZmNHL1 transgenic plants was lower than that of the WT plants under both drought treatments. Our data further revealed that ZmNHL1 promotes maize tolerance to drought stress in 35S::ZmNHL1 transgenic plants by improving ROS scavenging and maintaining the cell membrane permeability. Overall, our data revealed that ZmNHL1 promotes maize tolerance to drought stress and contributes to provide elite germplasm resources for maize drought tolerance breeding programs.

MYB transcription factors play pivotal roles in hormone conduction signaling and abiotic stress response. In this study, 54 differentially expressed ZmMYB genes were identified and comprehensive analyses were conducted including gene’s structure, chromosomal localization, phylogenetic tree, motif prediction, cis-elements and expression patterns. The results showed that 54 genes were unevenly distributed on 10 chromosomes and classified into eleven main subgroups by phylogenetic analysis, supported by motif and exon/intron analyses. The mainly stress-related cis-elements were ABRE, ARE, MBS and DRE-core. In addition, 8 core ZmMYB genes were identified by co-expression network. qRT-PCR results showed that the 8 ZmMYB genes exhibited different expression levels under different abiotic stresses, indicating that they were responsive to various abiotic stress. These results will provide insight for further functional investigation of ZmMYB genes.

An ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of bis-isoxazole derivatives was developed. Eight 3-(6-chloropyridin-3-yl)-5-{[(3-arylisoxazol-5-yl)methoxy]methyl}isoxazoles were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between substituted isoxazolyl alkyne compounds and 6-chloro-N-hydroxynicotinimidoyl chloride. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by HRMS, FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Wherein, the antifungal and antibacterial activities of target compounds were tested. The synthesized compounds 6a and 6h exhibited better antifungal activity in comparison with the standard drug itraconazole. The minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs) of both compound 6a and compound 6h were both 4 µg/mL against Candida albicans ATCC 10231.

An efficient and facile method was introduced for the synthesis of benzimidazoles in this paper. The optimum reaction conditions were determined. A series of benzimidazoles bearing phenolic hydroxyl(2a—2t) were synthesized in moderate to excellent yields starting from differently substituted hydroxyl benzaldehyde and 4-position substituted o-phenylenediamine via nu-cleophilic addition in the presence of catalyst Na2S2O5 under microwave irradiation condition. Herein, effects of the catalyst, molar ratio of reactants, reaction temperature and solvent were investigated. The optimal reaction condition was determined. The effect of DMF and EtOH solvent on the reaction was compared. The synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, HRMS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Further, the bacteriostatic activities of the synthesized compounds were evaluated with ciprofloxacin and itraconazole as a positive control, respectively. Compounds 2b, 2n, 2q and 2r exhibited some antibacterial activity. The lowest MIC of antibacterial activity of compound 2b was 32 µg/mL. Meanwhile, the luminescence property of compound 2b was studied. The antibacterial activity of compound 2b, along with their good fluorescence performance highlighted the potential of these compounds as lead structures and owned fluorescence trace for further study towards the development of novel drugs and functional mechanisms in living organisms.

In the present work, the synthesis of the target products using sodium metasulfite (Na2S2O5) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) separately as catalysts was studied. Herein, the liquid phase microwave method was chosen to synthesize triphenylamine substituted mono- and di-branched benzimidazole derivatives compared with the solid phase microwave method, and the reaction conditions were optimized using Na2S2O5 as a catalyst in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent. A possible reaction mechanism is discussed. Ten new triphenylamine-benzimidazole derivatives were successfully synthesized. On this basis, PTSA using a catalyst was introduced into the reaction, the yields of the target products were evidently increased (the yield was enhanced 5‒22% using PTSA as a catalyst). It is found that PTSA only acted as a catalyst, while Na2S2O5 acted as both a catalyst and an oxidant, and PTSA could effectively catalyze the synthesis of benzimidazoles. Further, the luminescent properties of the synthesized compounds were comparatively studied after the structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed. The results showed that the fluorescence quantum yield and the intensity of the synthesized compounds were enhanced with the increase in the number of substituted benzimidazole on triphenylamine, and the different substituents on 5-position of benzimidazole also have significant effect on the luminescent properties of the compound.

Periphytic algae is a useful indicator of aquatic ecological conditions. We investigated the periphytic algae on natural substrate and the environmental variables at 44 sites on three river systems in the Weihe River Basin (WRB). A total of 84 species are identified, representing 37 genera. The most common genera were Navicula, Oscillatoria, Nitzschia, Scenedesmus, Cymbell, and Fragilaria. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant differences among the three river systems in environmental variables (p < 0.05). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses also showed differences in periphytic algae communities in the three river systems (p < 0.05) and identified different dominant species in each river system. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and Monte Carlo permutation tests revealed that nutrient concentration, WT, and altitude were the most important variables affecting the structure and distribution of periphytic algae communities. Chemical variables were the most accounted for environmental variables (12.5%), while physical variable and geographical factors (5.8% in total) play a relevant minor role. Our results demonstrate that Navicula pupula, Navicula radiosq, Nitzschia palea, and Nitzschia denticula, exhibiting wide ecological amplitude, are tolerant of high concentrations of nutrient pollution. Variation of periphytic algae communities in WRB is due to the combination of anthropogenic and natural factors including agricultural and domestic wastes water inputting, land use patterns, geology, climatic changes, and river hydrology. HIGHLIGHTS Structure and distribution of periphytic algae communities were investigated in the Weihe River Basin.; The gradient of organic pollution detected in environmental variables was the main gradient, and the periphytic algae responded to this gradient.; The types of substrates in river impact periphytic algae abundance, causing higher periphytic algae abundance in cobbles substrate.; The variation of periphytic algae communities is attributed to the combination of anthropogenic factors and natural factors.; The results support the periphytic algae as ecological indicators in the Weihe River Basin.

An efficient strategy for synthesizing of 3-substituted bis-isoxazole ether bearing 2-chloro-3-pyridyl under microwave radiation was reported. The reactive regioselectivity was improved by changing mainly the solvent and acid-binding agent. 3-(2-Chloropyridin-3-yl)-5-(((3-substituted phenyl isoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)methyl)isoxazoles were synthesized in 31-92% yields and were characterized by FT-IR, HRMS, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The single crystal of 3-(2-chloropyridin-3-yl)-5-(((3-(p-tolyl)isoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)methyl)isoxazole was obtained, and the structure of compound has also been determined by X-ray diffraction technique. Weak intra- and intermolecular C-H∙∙∙O interactions and a C-H∙∙∙π interaction link molecules into a three-dimensional network. The results showed that the synthesized compounds belonged to triclinic system, and their regioselectivity depended on the solvent and acid-binding agent. The merits of this method include the environmentally friendly, efficient, simple operation, and higher regional selectivity. An efficient synthesis of 3-substituted bis-isoxazole ethers was developed via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction starting from 3-substituted phenyl-5-((prop-2-yn-1-yloxy))methyl)isoxazoles and (Z)-2-chloro-N-hydroxynicotinimidoyl chloride using NaHCO3 as an acid-binding agent in THF solvent-dissolved trace water under catalyst-free microwave-assisted conditions.

Serine/threonine protein phosphatases play essential roles in plants. PP2C has diverse functions related to development and stress response, while little is known about the functions of PP2C genes with respect to a variety of stresses in maize. In the present study, three ZmPP2C genes, ZmPP2C55, ZmPP2C28, and ZmPP2C71, were identified. Subcellular localization demonstrated that ZmPP2C28 and ZmPP2C71 were nuclear proteins, and ZmPP2C55 was located in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. qRT–PCR analysis showed that ZmPP2C55, ZmPP2C28, and ZmPP2C71 were expressed in roots, leaves and stems, and the three genes were responsive to drought, salt, high-temperature stress and exogenous ABA treatment. To explore the function of the ZmPP2C gene, ZmPP2C55-overexpressing transgenic lines were generated. The transgenic plants exhibited higher RWC, proline content, POD and SOD activities, GSH content and GSH/GSSG ratio and lower MDA content, electrolyte leakage and GSSG content compared with WT plants under natural stress treatment when seedlings were at the three-leaf. Our results illustrated that the overexpression of ZmPP2C55 positively enhanced tolerance to drought stress.

Drought severely affects the growth and development of maize, but there is a certain degree of compensation effect after rewatering. This study intends to elaborate the response mechanism of maize at the physiological and molecular level as well as excavating potential genes with strong drought resistance and recovery ability. Physiological indexes analysis demonstrated that stomata conductance, transpiration rate, photosynthesis rate, antioxidant enzymes, and proline levels in maize were significantly altered in response to drought for 60 and 96 h and rewatering for 3 days. At 60 h, 96 h, and R3d, we detected 3095, 1941, and 5966 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 221, 226, and 215 differentially expressed miRNAs. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) showed that DEGs responded to maize drought and rewatering through participating in photosynthesis, proline metabolism, ABA signaling, and oxidative stress. Joint analysis of DEGs, miRNA, and target genes showed that zma-miR529, miR5072, zma-miR167e, zma-miR167f, zma-miR167j, miR397, and miR6214 were involved to regulate SBPs, MYBs, ARFs, laccases, and antioxidant enzymes, respectively. Hundreds of differentially expressed DNA methylation-related 24-nt siRNA clusters overlap with DEGs, indicating that DNA methylation is involved in responses under drought stress. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance, and may identify new targets for breeding drought-tolerant maize lines.

Backgrounds: Drought stress is one of the major factors that affects maize yield. ZF-HD transcription factors have been proved to play pivotal roles in the regulation of plant growth, hormone conduction signaling and abiotic stress response. However, the molecular mechanism of ZmZHD9-mediated drought tolerance is not well understood. Results: In the present study, we analyzed the functions of ZmZHD9, a member of the maize ZF-HD family. ZmZHD9 is predominantly expressed in leaves, and was induced by drought, salinity, high temperature and abscisic acid (ABA). Subcellular localization indicated that ZmZHD9 protein was localized in the nucleus. ZmZHD9-overexpressing plants showed increased tolerance to drought stress compared with wild-type plants, evaluated by higher RWC and proline content, higher SOD and POD activity, lower REL and MDA content in transgenic plants under drought stress. In addition, the expression of six stress-responsive genes were significantly higher in ZmZHD9 transgenic plants than that in wild-type plants under drought stress.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that ZmZHD9 as a stress-responsive transcription factor which plays a positive regulatory role in response to drought.

Macroinvertebrates are sensitive to changes in the river environment and ecological status. Ecological variables over multi-spatial scales and macroinvertebrate community data were collected in June (normal flow season) and September (high flow season) of 2017 in the Weihe River Basin (WRB). A total of 14,377 individuals were identified, which were classified into 7 classes, 18 orders and 59 families. Macroinvertebrate community composition, density, biomass, the values of Pielou evenness index (E), Simpson diversity index (λ) were significantly different between normal flow season and high flow season. The dominant species (Tubificidae, Chironomidae and Baetidae) were the same in both seasons. The highest richness, abundance, density and biomass occurred at a stream bed depth of 0–10 cm. The results of canonical correspondence analyses (CCA) showed that ecological factors explained the major variation in macroinvertebrate community composition. Specifically, the increased nitrogen concentrations favored tolerant species, whereas high velocity and dissolved oxygen (DO) benefitted community taxa richness and biodiversity. The reduction of taxa richness, abundance, density and biomass in high flow season was related to the summer flood. Increased nutrient concentrations and macroinvertebrate habitat damage contributed to more tolerant, yet less diverse stream macroinvertebrate assemblages.

In order to evaluate the distribution of heavy metals and macroinvertebrates and to clarify the coupling relationship between them, a total of 54 samples of the 0–10 cm layer and 10–20 cm layer sediments were collected from 27 sites in the Weihe River Basin. Geo-accumulation index, Ecological potential risk index, Pollution load index, and Consensus-based sediment quality guidelines were employed to evaluate the ecological risk associated with heavy metals in sediments. Macroinvertebrate community structure was analyzed, following which the quality surrounding habitat was evaluated basing on the indexes. Our results confirmed that the orders of pollution level were 10–20 cm >0–10 cm at different layers and Cd > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cr > Zn for different metals. Through correlation analysis and redundancy analysis, macroinvertebrate metrics exhibited significant correlations with heavy metals. Gastropods and R (Ratio of Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera index to Chironomidae) were selected as bioindicators in overall qualitative analysis. In the 0–10 cm layer, Gastropods and Family biotic index could be selected as bioindicators. Whereas, in the 10–20 cm layer, suitable bioindicators were Oligochaetes and DM (Maralef richness index). Heavy metals, especially Cd, in sediments may pose adverse impact on macroinvertebrate community.

Seventeen novel 2,5-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial activities. The tested compounds B1-B4 and C2-C6 exhibited not only good antifungal activity but also favorable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Also, the lowest MIC of antibacterial and antifungal activity was 2 μg/mL and 4 μg/mL, respectively. It suggested that the structure of compound including the different substituent and its sites directly affected the efficacy of the synthesized compounds.