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Plants have evolved a two-branched innate immune system to detect and cope with pathogen attack, which are initiated by cell-surface and intracellular immune receptors leading to pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), respectively. A core transducer including PAD4-EDS1 node is proposed as the convergence point for a two-tiered immune system in conferring pathogen immunity. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling expression of these key transducers remain largely unknown. Here, we identified histone acetyltransferase TaHAG1 as a positive regulator of powdery mildew resistance in wheat. TaHAG1 regulates expression of key transducer gene TaPAD4 and promotes SA and reactive oxygen species accumulation to accomplish resistance to Bgt infection. Moreover, overexpression and CRISPR-mediated knockout of TaPAD4 validate its role in wheat powdery mildew resistance. Furthermore, TaHAG1 physically interacts with TaPLATZ5, a plant-specific zinc-binding protein. TaPLATZ5 directly binds to promoter of TaPAD4 and together with TaHAG1 to potentiate the expression of TaPAD4 by increasing the levels of H3 acetylation. Our study revealed a key transcription regulatory node in which TaHAG1 acts as an epigenetic modulator and interacts with TaPLATZ5 that confers powdery mildew resistance in wheat through activating a convergence point gene between PTI and ETI, which could be effective for genetic improvement of disease resistance in wheat and other crops.

With China’s fast-growing economy, family dinners are often overlooked. However, family dinner, as an important routine family activity, provides an opportunity for interaction between adolescents and their parents, which promotes adolescents’ happiness. Guided by the positive youth development perspective, the character strength theory of happiness and the family investment model, the current study simultaneously investigated the mediating role of adolescents’ internal assets and the moderating role of parental educational level in the influence of family dinner on adolescents’ happiness in Chinese families. A three-wave longitudinal study spanning approximately three years was conducted among 817 Chinese seventh graders (52.4% male; Mage = 12.62 years). The frequency of family dinner at the first year was significantly positively correlated with adolescents’ happiness in the first and third years. The cross-sectional and longitudinal results showed that adolescents’ internal assets mediated the relationship between family dinner frequency and happiness. Specifically, family dinner with higher-educated parents was a stronger predictor of internal assets than family dinner with lower-educated parents after one year. These findings from the Chinese cultural context complement the research in this field and inform practical endeavors to promote adolescents’ happiness worldwide based on the strengths of different cultures.

Post-harvest browning, decay, lignification, and other adverse physiological effects limit the shelf-life of mung bean sprouts at ambient temperature. In this study, vacuum packing at pressures of 0, ↓0.02, ↓0.04, and ↓0.06 mPa at 20 °C, and the optimum pressure of ↓0.04 mPa at 4 °C for maintenance of sprouts, was investigated. Chlorogenic acid was identified as the main phenolic compound leading to the browning of mung bean sprouts, along with total flavonoids, total phenols, rutin, and o-phthalic acid. Among these, flavonoids were identified as being the main substrate for polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Moderate vacuum packing combined with low temperature storage inhibited PPO, as well as peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase activities, which was associated with a slower rate of browning. In addition, these storage conditions reduced the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), thereby suppressing the synthesis of phenolic substrates used in the browning reaction. Moderate vacuum packing combined with low temperature storage also maintained the activities of the cell wall-degrading enzymes cellulase and xylanase, and suppressed POD and PAL activities. Together, these effects would be expected to lead to a decrease in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin levels, ultimately restricting sprout elongation and maintaining the firmness of the sprouts.

Background Adolescents in China suffer a high prevalence of childhood maltreatment, which has been shown to facilitate juvenile violent delinquency. Studies have implicated a relationship between callous-unemotional traits and both juvenile violent delinquency and childhood maltreatment. However, the complex relationships among these three variables have not yet been examined. Objective This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of callous-unemotional traits in the relationship between different types of childhood maltreatment and juvenile violent delinquency. Participants and setting Childhood maltreatment and callous-unemotional traits were assessed in a sample of 441 juvenile violent offenders and a control group of 543 non-offenders, using questionnaires. Methods After controlling for socio-economic status, a mediation analysis determined the direct, indirect, and total effect of the mediation of callous-unemotional traits in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and juvenile violent delinquency. Results The results showed no mediation of callous-unemotional traits in the relationship between physical abuse and juvenile violent delinquency. However, callous-unemotional traits mediated the relationship between sexual abuse and juvenile violent delinquency as well as between emotional neglect and juvenile violent delinquency. Conclusions Our findings suggest that sexual abuse has both a direct and indirect effect on juvenile violent delinquency via callous-unemotional traits, whereas childhood emotional neglect had only an indirect effect on juvenile violent delinquency.