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Abstract Background Plastids originated from an ancient endosymbiotic event and evolved into the photosynthetic organelles in plant cells. They absorb light energy and carbon dioxide, converting them into chemical energy and oxygen, which are crucial for plant development and adaptation. However, little is known about the plastid genome to light adaptation. Petrocosmea, a member of the Gesneriaceae family, comprises approximately 70 species with diverse light environment, serve as an ideal subject for studying plastomes adapt to light. Results In this study, we selected ten representative species of Petrocosmea from diverse light environments, assembled their plastid genomes, and conducted a comparative genomic analysis. We found that the plastid genome of Petrocosmea is highly conserved in both structure and gene content. The phylogenetic relationships reconstructed based on the plastid genes were divided into five clades, which is consistent with the results of previous studies. The vast majority of plastid protein-coding genes were under purifying selection, with only the rps8 and rps16 genes identified under positive selection in different light environments. Notably, significant differences of evolutionary rate were observed in NADH dehydrogenase, ATPase ribosome, and RNA polymerase between Clade A and the other clades. Additionally, we identified ycf1 and several intergenic regions (trnH-psbA, trnK-rps16, rpoB-trnC, petA-psbJ, ccsA-trnL, rps16-trnQ, and trnS-trnG) as candidate barcodes for this emerging ornamental horticulture. Conclusion We newly assembled ten plastid genomes of Petrocosmea and identified several hypervariable regions, providing genetic resources and candidate markers for this promising emerging ornamental horticulture. Furthermore, our study suggested that rps8 and rps16 were under positive selection and that the evolutionary patterns of NADH dehydrogenase, ATPase ribosome, and RNA polymerase were related to the diversity light environment in Petrocosmea. This revealed an evolutionary scenario for light adaptation of the plastid genome in plants.

Unlike PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) in other species that mostly target transposable elements (TEs), >80% of piRNAs in adult mammalian testes lack obvious targets. However, mammalian piRNA sequences and piRNA-producing loci evolve more rapidly than the rest of the genome for unknown reasons. Here, through comparative studies of chickens, ducks, mice, and humans, as well as long-read nanopore sequencing on diverse chicken breeds, we find that piRNA loci across amniotes experience: (1) a high local mutation rate of structural variations (SVs, mutations ≥ 50 bp in size); (2) positive selection to suppress young and actively mobilizing TEs commencing at the pachytene stage of meiosis during germ cell development; and (3) negative selection to purge deleterious SV hotspots. Our results indicate that genetic instability at pachytene piRNA loci, while producing certain pathogenic SVs, also protects genome integrity against TE mobilization by driving the formation of rapid-evolving piRNA sequences.

This is a spontaneous review discussion about the ethnographic film ‘Indus Blues’, produced by Jawad Sharif in 2018 and it has won many awards on several occasions. Nine reviewing persons were asked to write some lines about their first impressions, which were then discussed and summarized. The review discussion mainly contains the data provided.

Renewable energy technology innovation (RETI) plays a vital role in transforming economic growth models and promoting urban green development (GD). This paper examines 13 cities at the prefectural level and above in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2008 to 2022, assessing the GD levels of these cities using the entropy weight TOPSIS method. The study investigates the effects and mechanisms of RETI on urban GD through fixed effect models, mediation effect models, and threshold effect models. The results indicate that (1) RETI significantly promotes urban GD in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, a conclusion that remains valid after conducting several robustness tests. (2) The promoting effect of RETI on urban GD exhibits heterogeneity based on urban resource endowments and spatial layouts, with a more pronounced positive impact in non-resource-based cities and core cities. (3) Mechanism analyses demonstrate that RETI indirectly promotes urban GD in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region by facilitating the low-carbon upgrading of industrial structures and the transition to cleaner energy systems. (4) When R&D investment (RD) is lower than 0.0097, RETI has a clear inhibitory effect on urban GD, meaning that for every unit increase in RETI, the level of urban GD decreases by 0.355 units; when RD is between 0.0097 and 0.0375, RETI exerts a clear positive effect on urban GD, meaning that for every unit increase in RETI, the level of urban GD rises by 0.606 units; however, once RD exceeds 0.0375, the positive effect of RETI on urban GD begins to diminish. In this range, for every unit increase in RETI, the level of urban GD increases by only 0.170 units. When the green policy support index (GPSI) is lower than 0.0427, RETI has a clear promotion effect on urban GD, meaning that for every unit increase in RETI, the level of urban GD rises by 0.171 units; when the GPSI exceeds 0.0427, the promotion effect of RETI on urban GD is further strengthened, meaning that for every unit increase in RETI, the level of urban GD rises by 0.221 units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ebola virus is a deadly pathogen that has been threatening public health for decades. Recent studies have revealed alternative viral invasion routes where Ebola virus approaches cells via interactions among phosphatidylserine (PS), PS binding ligands such as Gas6, and TAM family receptors such as Axl. In this study, we investigate the interactions among phosphatidylserine on the Ebola viral-like particle (VLP) membrane, human Gas6, and human Axl using atomic force microscope-based single molecule force spectroscopy to compare their binding strength and affinity from a biomechanical perspective. The impact of calcium ions on their interactions is also studied and quantified to provide more details on the calcium-dependent phosphatidylserine-Gas6 binding mechanism. Our results indicate that, in the presence of calcium ions, the binding strengths of VLP-Gas6 and VLP-Gas6-Axl increase but are still weaker than that of Gas6-Axl, and the binding affinity of VLP-Gas6 and VLP-Gas6-Axl is largely improved. The binding strength and affinity of Gas6-Axl basically remain the same, indicating no impact in the presence of calcium ions. Together, our study suggests that, under physiological conditions with calcium present, the Ebola virus can utilize its membrane phosphatidylserine to dock on cell surface via Gas6-Axl bound complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is an important and popular perennial fruit tree cultivated worldwide. Grapevine ripening is affected by flowering time, and although members of the MADS-box protein family play vital roles in regulating flowering in plants, the functions of MADS-box proteins in grapevine remain largely unknown. AGAMOUS-LIKE 11 (VvAGL11), a MADS-box gene in grapevine, was reported to be a regulator of seed morphogenesis. In this study, heterologous overexpression of VvAGL11 was found to significantly promote flowering in Arabidopsis, suggesting that its active expression in grapevine may induce early flowering and ripening. Transcriptome analysis showed that VvAGL11 overexpression affected the expression of genes involved in stress responses, hormonal signaling responses, and flowering regulation. Notably, VvAGL11 significantly increased the expression of key flowering genes such as FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), APETALA3 (AP3), and SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 5 (SPL5), which might have contributed to the early flowering in Arabidopsis. In summary, we characterized a novel flowering regulator, VvAGL11, which could be a potential target for early ripening breeding in grapevine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controllable motion of materials in response to external stimuli has profoundly impacted various applications such as robots, sensors, self-adaptive devices, and targeted therapy. However, remote control of unmodified materials by external signals is still rare. In this work, the controlled motion of marine polysaccharides in tetrachloromethane is found when fingers wearing nitrile gloves touch on or move around the plastic tube, similar to magnet field-driven iron powders. The effects of several key parameters on the magnet-like motion of chitosan are investigated, including solvents, concentrations, molecular weight, and containers. By adjusting these parameters, the formation and degree of magnet-like motion can be significantly tuned. In addition to chitosan, the controllable motion of fucoidan and the chitosan/fucoidan mixture is also detected. Further investigation sheds light on the mechanism of this motion, which is proven to be the force of static electricity. Based on this, chitosan/fucoidan nanoparticles are successfully prepared and manipulated by remote control. Thus, this work offers a facile approach for obtaining controllable motion of marine polysaccharides, opening doors to precise manipulation of nonmagnetic nanomaterials by remote control and holding great potential in nanomedicine, sensors, robotics, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core Ideas First study of PpEIN3 by transgenic experiments to verify its function in the maturity process PpEIN3 is a positive regulator of ethylene signal transduction pathway to promote fruits ripening Ethylene is one of the most important phytohormone in plants and plays a critical role during growth, development, maturity, and aging. The framework of the ethylene signaling pathway is well reported. Nevertheless, studies on Ethylene Insensitive 3 (EIN3), the downstream regulator of the ethylene signaling pathway, need to be investigated, especially in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]. In this study, we cloned PpEIN3 from peach and characterized it in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Our results depicted that the open‐reading frame of PpEIN3 was 1875 bp, encoding a protein with 624 amino acid residues that contained a conserved EIN3 domain, a highly conserved N‐terminal region, and seven DNA‐binding sites. PpEIN3 showed very close association with homologous EIN genes from apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). All investigated EIN proteins shared similar domains and structures. The PpEIN3 promoter possessed several motifs related to hormones that affect fruit development and ripening. Spatial–temporal expression analysis revealed that PpEIN3 was expressed at high levels in the late stage of fruit development vs. the early stage. In transgenic tomato, PpEIIN3 showed overexpression and the key ethylene biosynthesis genes SlACO1, SlACS1, and SlSAMS1 were upregulated and promoted early maturation in fruit. By contrast, PpEIIN3 silencing delayed ripening and reduced SlEIN3 expression in tomato. The results confirmed that PpEIN3 is a positive regulator of the ethylene signal transduction pathway, which promoted fruit ripening. Our findings provide valuable insight to the roles in ethylene signal components in the modulation of peach fruit ripening.

Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterised by chronic airway inflammation. A variety of immune cells such as eosinophils, mast cells, T lymphocytes, neutrophils and airway epithelial cells are involved in the airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma pathogenesis, resulting in extensive and variable reversible expiratory airflow limitation. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the allergic immune responses, particularly immunometabolism, remains unclear. Studies have detected enhanced oxidative stress, and abnormal metabolic progresses of glycolysis, fatty acid and amino acid in various immune cells, inducing dysregulation of innate and adaptive immune responses in asthma pathogenesis. Immunometabolism mechanisms contain multiple signalling pathways, providing novel therapy targets for asthma. This review summarises the current knowledge on immunometabolism reprogramming in asthma pathogenesis, as well as potential therapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]