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Selenium (Se) is a vital trace element integral to numerous biological processes in both plants and animals, with significant impacts on soil health and ecosystem stability. This review explores how soil microorganisms facilitate Se transformations through reduction, oxidation, methylation, and demethylation processes, thereby influencing the bioavailability and ecological functions of Se. The microbial reduction of Se compounds, particularly the conversion of selenate and selenite to elemental Se nanoparticles (SeNPs), enhances Se assimilation by plants and impacts soil productivity. Key microbial taxa, including bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus, exhibit diverse mechanisms for Se reduction and play a substantial role in the global Se cycle. Understanding these microbial processes is essential for advancing soil management practices and improving ecosystem health. This review underscores the intricate interactions between Se and soil microorganisms, emphasizing their significance in maintaining ecological balance and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Abstract Here, a photocatalytic asymmetric multicomponent cascade Minisci reaction of β‐carbolines with enamides and diazo compounds is reported, enabling an effective enantioselective radical C─H functionalization of β‐carbolines with high yields and enantioselectivity (up to 83% yield and 95% ee). This enantioselective multicomponent Minisci protocol exhibits step economy, high chemo‐/enantio‐selective control, and good functional group tolerance, allowing access to a variety of valuable chiral β‐carbolines. Notably, diazo compounds are suitable radical precursors in enantioselective cascade radical reactions. Moreover, the efficiency and practicality of this approach are demonstrated by the asymmetric synthesis of bioactive compounds and natural products.

Abstract The human-pathogenic Enterobacter species are widely distributed in diverse environmental conditions, however, the understanding of the virulence factors and genetic variations within the genus is very limited. In this study, we performed comparative genomics analysis of 49 strains originated from diverse niches and belonged to eight Enterobacter species, in order to further understand the mechanism of adaption to the environment in Enterobacter. The results showed that they had an open pan-genome and high genomic diversity which allowed adaptation to distinctive ecological niches. We found the number of secretion systems was the highest among various virulence factors in these Enterobacter strains. Three types of T6SS gene clusters including T6SS-A, T6SS-B and T6SS-C were detected in most Enterobacter strains. T6SS-A and T6SS-B shared 13 specific core genes, but they had different gene structures, suggesting they probably have different biological functions. Notably, T6SS-C was restricted to E. cancerogenus. We detected a T6SS gene cluster, highly similar to T6SS-C (91.2%), in the remote related Citrobacter rodenitum, suggesting that this unique gene cluster was probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer. The genomes of Enterobacter strains possess high genetic diversity, limited number of conserved core genes, and multiple copies of T6SS gene clusters with differentiated structures, suggesting that the origins of T6SS were not by duplication instead by independent acquisition. These findings provide valuable information for better understanding of the functional features of Enterobacter species and their evolutionary relationships.

Hybridization is an important evolutionary force, and heterosis describes the phenomenon where hybrids exhibit superior traits compared to their parents. This study aimed to evaluate the one-hundred-seed weight and fatty acid content in F1 generations, investigating the effects of different parental crosses using a 9 × 3 incomplete diallel design (NCII). One of the challenges faced in this study was the complexity of accurately determining the influence of both genetic and environmental factors on trait inheritance. A total of 36 F1 crosses were analyzed for general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), and heritability. The results showed that the level of each index in F1 is closely related to its parents. Significant differences in GCA and SCA were observed among parental traits in most crosses. The ratio of GCA to SCA ranged from 0 to 3, indicating the pivotal role of SCA over GCA in castor breeding efforts. High narrow-sense heritability was recorded in palmitic acid (30.98%), oleic acid (28.68%), and arachidonic acid (21.34%), suggesting that these traits are predominantly under the control of additive gene action, and hence these characters can be improved by selection. Additionally, heterosis exhibited diverse patterns across traits. Based on the evaluated combining ability, heritability, and heterosis, the inbred lines CSR181 and 20111149 were recommended for castor crossbreeding due to their potential to yield progeny with optimal oil-related traits. This research contributes valuable knowledge to the field of castor breeding, providing a foundation for developing superior castor cultivars.

Soil salinity is one of the main problems that affects global crop yield. Researchers have attempted to alleviate the effects of salt stress on plant growth using a variety of approaches, including genetic modification of salt-tolerant plants, screening the higher salt-tolerant genotypes, and the inoculation of beneficial plant microbiome, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). PGPB mainly exists in the rhizosphere soil, plant tissues and on the surfaces of leaves or stems, and can promote plant growth and increase plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Many halophytes recruit salt-resistant microorganisms, and therefore endophytic bacteria isolated from halophytes can help enhance plant stress responses. Beneficial plant-microbe interactions are widespread in nature, and microbial communities provide an opportunity to understand these beneficial interactions. In this study, we provide a brief overview of the current state of plant microbiomes and give particular emphasis on its influence factors and discuss various mechanisms used by PGPB in alleviating salt stress for plants. Then, we also describe the relationship between bacterial Type VI secretion system and plant growth promotion.

To understand the effect of seasonal variations on soil microbial communities in a forested wetland ecotone, here, we investigated the dynamics of the diversities and functions of both soil bacterial and fungal communities inhabiting three wetland types (forested wetland, shrub wetland and herbaceous vegetation wetland) from forest-wetland ecotone of northern Xiaoxing’an Mountains spanning different seasons. β-diversity of soil microbial communities varied significantly among different vegetation types (Betula platyphylla–Larix gmelinii, Alnus sibirica, Betula ovalifolia, and Carex schmidtii wetlands). We totally detected 34 fungal and 14 bacterial indicator taxa among distinctive groups by using Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis, and identified nine network hubs as the most important nodes detected in whole fungi, bacteria, and fungi–bacteria networks. At the vegetation type-level, bacterial and fungal microbiome living in C. schmidtii wetland soil possessed fewer positive interactions and lower modularity than those in other types of wetland soil. Furthermore, we also discovered that ectomycorrhizal fungi were dominant in the fungal microbiota existing in forested and shrub wetland soils, whereas arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were predominated in those residing in herbaceous vegetation wetland soil. The distribution of the predicted bacterial functional enzymes also obviously varied among different vegetation-types. In addition, the correlation analysis further revealed that the key fungal network modules were significantly affected by the contents of total N and soil water-soluble K, whereas most of the bacterial network modules were remarkably positively driven by the contents of total N, soil water-soluble K, Mg and Na. Our study suggested that vegetation type are substantive factors controlling the diversity, composition and functional group of soil microbiomes from forest-wetland ecotone of northern Xiaoxing’an Mountains.

Here, a photocatalytic asymmetric multicomponent cascade Minisci reaction of β‐carbolines with enamides and diazo compounds is reported, enabling an effective enantioselective radical C─H functionalization of β‐carbolines with high yields and enantioselectivity (up to 83% yield and 95% ee). This enantioselective multicomponent Minisci protocol exhibits step economy, high chemo‐/enantio‐selective control, and good functional group tolerance, allowing access to a variety of valuable chiral β‐carbolines. Notably, diazo compounds are suitable radical precursors in enantioselective cascade radical reactions. Moreover, the efficiency and practicality of this approach are demonstrated by the asymmetric synthesis of bioactive compounds and natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent advances in the assembly of organic nanotubes, conferral of sequence-defined engineering and dynamic response characteristics to the tubules remains a challenge. Here we report a new family of highly designable and dynamic nanotubes assembled from sequence-defined peptoids through a unique "rolling-up and closure of nanosheet" mechanism. During the assembly process, amorphous spherical particles of amphiphilic peptoid oligomers crystallize to form well-defined nanosheets before folding to form single-walled nanotubes. These nanotubes undergo a pH-triggered, reversible contraction-expansion motion. By varying the number of hydrophobic residues of peptoids, we demonstrate tuning of nanotube wall thickness, diameter, and mechanical properties. Atomic force microscopy-based mechanical measurements show peptoid nanotubes are highly stiff (Young's Modulus ~13-17 GPa). We further demonstrate the precise incorporation of functional groups within nanotubes and their applications in water decontamination and cellular adhesion and uptake. These nanotubes provide a robust platform for developing biomimetic materials tailored to specific applications.

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, a plant parasitic nematode, is the causal agent of pine wilt, a devastating forest tree disease. Essentially, no efficient methods for controlling B. xylophilus and pine wilt disease have yet been developed. Enterobacter ludwigii AA4, isolated from the root of maize, has powerful nematocidal activity against B. xylophilus in a new in vitro dye exclusion test. The corrected mortality of the B. xylophilus treated by E. ludwigii AA4 or its cell extract reached 98.3 and 98.6%, respectively. Morphological changes in B. xylophilus treated with a cell extract from strain AA4 suggested that the death of B. xylophilus might be caused by an increased number of vacuoles in non-apoptotic cell death and the damage to tissues of the nematodes. In a greenhouse test, the disease index of the seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) treated with the cells of strain AA4 plus B. xylophilus or those treated by AA4 cell extract plus B. xylophilus was 38.2 and 30.3, respectively, was significantly lower than 92.5 in the control plants treated with distilled water and B. xylophilus. We created a sdaB gene knockout in strain AA4 by deleting the gene that was putatively encoding the beta-subunit of L-serine dehydratase through Red homologous recombination. The nematocidal and disease-suppressing activities of the knockout strain were remarkably impaired. Finally, we revealed a robust colonization of P. sylvestris seedling needles by E. ludwigii AA4, which is supposed to contribute to the disease-controlling efficacy of strain AA4. Therefore, E. ludwigii AA4 has significant potential to serve as an agent for the biological control of pine wilt disease caused by B. xylophilus.

ABSTRACT Rhodanobacter species dominate in the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) subsurface environments contaminated with acids, nitrate, metal radionuclides, and other heavy metals. To uncover the genomic features underlying adaptations to these mixed-waste environments and to guide genetic tool development, we sequenced the whole genomes of eight Rhodanobacter strains isolated from the ORR site. The genome sizes ranged from 3.9 to 4.2 Mb harboring 3,695 to 4,035 protein-coding genes and GC contents approximately 67%. Seven strains were classified as R. denitrificans and one strain, FW510-R12, as R. thiooxydans based on full length 16S rRNA sequences. According to gene annotation, the top two Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COGs) with high pan-genome expansion rates (Pan/Core gene ratio) were “replication, recombination and repair” and “defense mechanisms.” The denitrifying genes had high DNA homologies except the predicted protein structure variances in NosZ. In contrast, heavy metal resistance genes were diverse with between 7 to 34% of them were located in genomic islands, and these results suggested origins from horizontal gene transfer. Analysis of the methylation patterns in four strains revealed the unique 5mC methylation motifs. Most orthologs (78%) had ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) less than one when compared to the type strain 2APBS1, suggesting the prevalence of negative selection. Overall, the results provide evidence for the important roles of horizontal gene transfer and negative selection in genomic adaptation at the contaminated field site. The complex restriction-modification system genes and the unique methylation motifs in Rhodanobacter strains suggest the potential recalcitrance to genetic manipulation. IMPORTANCE Despite the dominance of Rhodanobacter species in the subsurface of the contaminated Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) site, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying their adaptions to the various stressors present at ORR. Recently, multiple Rhodanobacter strains have been isolated from the ORR groundwater samples from several wells with varying geochemical properties. Using Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms, we obtained the whole genome sequences of eight Rhodanobacter strains. Comparison of the whole genomes demonstrated the genetic diversity, and analysis of the long nanopore reads revealed the heterogeneity of methylation patterns in strains isolated from the same well. Although all strains contained a complete set of denitrifying genes, the predicted tertiary structures of NosZ differed. The sequence comparison results demonstrate the important roles of horizontal gene transfer and negative selection in adaptation. In addition, these strains may be recalcitrant to genetic manipulation due to the complex restriction-modification systems and methylations.

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the world's top ten oil crops. China is the second largest producer of castor beans, but China's castor bean acreage has been declining. A principal reason for this decline is the prevalence of weeds and the absence of herbicide resistant varieties of castor plants. In this study, we used Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to introduce the EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene, which confers resistance to glyphosate, and the Bar (phosphinothricin N-acetyltransferase) gene, encoding resistance to glufosinate, into castor 2129 (high stem excellent recovery line) and CSR 181 (dwarf stem excellent recovery line). The transgenic plants exhibited significantly increased expression of the EPSPS and Bar genes and significantly increased resistance to glyphosate and glufosinate. Proteomic analysis showed differences in the amounts of 20 proteins in the dwarf stem transgenic plants. Nine of these proteins are involved in photosynthesis and indirectly related to the mechanism of action of the Bar gene. Eight proteins are involved in defense, repair, stress response, oxidative phosphorylation, and metabolic pathways and are indirectly related to the mechanism of action of the EPSPS gene. These results provide a foundation for the preparation of high herbicide resistant castor varieties.

Background Dual antiplatelet therapy based on aspirin and P2Y12 receptor antagonists such as clopidogrel is currently the primary treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, a percentage of patients exhibit clopidogrel resistance, in which genetic factors play vital roles. This study aimed to investigate the roles of GAS5 (growth arrest‐specific 5) and its rs55829688 polymorphism in clopidogrel response in patients with CAD. Methods and Results A total of 444 patients with CAD receiving dual antiplatelet therapy from 2017 to 2018 were enrolled to evaluate the effect of GAS5 single nucleotide polymorphism rs55829688 on platelet reactivity index. Platelets from 37 patients of these patients were purified with microbeads to detect GAS5 and microRNA‐223‐3p (miR‐223‐3p) expression. Platelet‐rich plasma was isolated from another 17 healthy volunteers and 46 newly diagnosed patients with CAD to detect GAS5 and miR‐223‐3p expression. A dual‐luciferase reporter assay was performed to explore the interaction between miR‐223‐3p and GAS5 or P2Y12 3′‐UTR in (human embryonic kidney 293 cell line that expresses a mutant version of the SV40 large T antigen) HEK 293T and (megakaryoblastic cell line derived in 1983 from the bone marrow of a chronic myeloid leukemia patient with megakaryoblastic crisis) MEG‐01 cells. Loss‐of‐function and gain‐of‐function experiments were performed to reveal the regulation of GAS5 toward P2Y12 via miR‐223‐3p in MEG‐01 cells. We observed that rs55829688 CC homozygotes showed significantly decreased platelet reactivity index than TT homozygotes in CYP2C19 poor metabolizers. Platelet GAS5 expression correlated positively with both platelet reactivity index and P2Y12 mRNA expressions, whereas platelet miR‐223‐3p expression negatively correlated with platelet reactivity index. Meanwhile, a negative correlation between GAS5 and miR‐223‐3p expressions was observed in platelets. MiR‐223‐3p mimic reduced while the miR‐223‐3p inhibitor increased the expression of GAS5 and P2Y12 in MEG‐01 cells. Knockdown of GAS5 by siRNA increased miR‐223‐3p expression and decreased P2Y12 expression, which could be reversed by the miR‐223‐3p inhibitor. Meanwhile, overexpression of GAS5 reduced miR‐223‐3p expression and increased P2Y12 expression, which could be reversed by miR‐223‐3p mimic. Conclusions GAS5 rs55829688 polymorphism might affect clopidogrel response in patients with CAD with the CYP2C19 poor metabolizer genotypes, and GAS5 regulates P2Y12 expression and clopidogrel response by acting as a competitive endogenous RNA for miR‐223‐3p.

Chiral cyclopentadienyl‐rhodium(III) CpxRh(III) catalysis has been demonstrated to be competent for catalyzing highly enantioselective aziridination of challenging unactivated terminal alkenes and nitrene sources. The chiral CpxRh(III) catalysis system exhibited outstanding catalytic performance and wide functional group tolerance, yielding synthetically important and highly valuable chiral aziridines with good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99 % yield, 93 % ee). This protocol presents a novel and effective strategy for synthesizing enantioenriched aziridines from simple alkenes. Various transformations were performed on the aziridine products, illustrating the versatility and synthetic potential of this protocol for constructing highly functionalized compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]