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Abstract Magnesium (Mg) plays a pivotal role as an essential component of plant chlorophyll and functions as a critical coenzyme. However, research exploring the regulatory mechanisms of magnesium ions on the synthesis of secondary metabolites is still in its early stages. Sophora tonkinensis is a widely utilized medicinal plant in China, recognized for its diverse secondary metabolites with active properties. This study investigates variations in these ingredients in tissue-cultured seedlings under varying magnesium concentrations. Simultaneously, an omics data analysis was conducted on tissue-cultured seedlings subjected to treatments with magnesium and low magnesium. These comprehensive omics analyses aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which magnesium influences active components, growth, and development. Magnesium exerts a pervasive influence on various metabolic pathways, forming an intricate network. Research findings indicate that magnesium impacts diverse metabolic processes, including the absorption of potassium and calcium, as well as photosynthetic activity. Consequently, these influences lead to discernible changes in the levels of pharmacologically active compounds and the growth and developmental status.This study is the first to employ a multi-omics data analysis in S. tonkinensis. This methodology allows us to uncover the overarching impact of metabolic networks on the levels of various active ingredients and specific phenotypes.

Here, we report the genetic features and evolutionary mechanisms of two tet (M)-bearing plasmids (pTA2 and pTA7) recovered from swine Escherichia coli isolates. The genetic profiles of pTA2 and pTA7 and corresponding transconjugants were accessed by S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization, followed by whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The biological influences of pTA2 and pTA7 were determined by stability and direct competition assays. Both pTA7 and pTA2 had the IncR backbone sequences but differed in the multidrug resistance region (MDR). The MDR of pTA2 consisted of sul3, tet (M), qnrS1, bleO, oqxAB, floR, aadA1, cmlA1, aadA2, and tet (A)-tetR (A) in addition to 22 insertion sequences. Notably, pTA2 carried the novel complex Tn7124 (IS26-ctp-lp-tet (M)-hp-IS406tnp-IntI4-IS26) harboring tet (M). The fragment carrying tet (M) (IS26-ctp-lp-tet (M)-IS406 tnp-ctp-aadA1-cmlA1-aadA2-dfrA12-IntI1), named Tn6942-like, and the two resistance modules ISVsa3-VirD2-floR-lysR and tet (A)-tetR (A) were located in the MDR of pTA7. Both pTA2 and pTA7 were highly stable in E. coli DH5α cells with no fitness cost to the host or disadvantage in growth competition. These results indicate that transposons carrying tet (M) continuously integrate via mediation with an insertion sequence, which accelerates the transmission of tet (M) in E. coli isolates through integration of other drug-resistant genes, thereby posing a potential serious threat to the efficacy of clinical treatment.

Fruits are recognized as healthy foods with abundant nutritional content. However, due to their high content of sugar and water, they are easily contaminated by microorganisms leading to spoilage. Probiotic fermentation is an effective method to prevent fruit spoilage. In addition, during fermentation, the probiotics can react with the nutrients in fruits to produce new derived compounds, giving the fruit specific flavor, enhanced color, active ingredients, and nutritional values. Noteworthy, the choice of fermentation strains and strategies has a significant impact on the quality of fermented fruits. Thus, this review provides comprehensive information on the fermentation strains (especially yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria), fermentation strategies (natural or inoculation fermentation, mono- or mixed-strain inoculation fermentation, and liquid- or solid-state fermentation), and the effect of fermentation on the shelf life, flavor, color, functional components, and physiological activities of fruits. This review will provide a theoretical guidance for the production of fermented fruits.

Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) is a foodborne pathogen capable of causing severe infections in newborns. The PhoP/PhoQ two-component system exerts a significant influence on bacterial virulence. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the PhoP/PhoQ system on intestinal inflammation in neonatal mice induced by C. sakazakii. Neonatal mice were infected orally by C. sakazakii BAA-894 (WT), a phoPQ-gene-deletion strain (ΔphoPQ), and a complementation strain (ΔphoPQC), and the intestinal inflammation in the mice was monitored. Deletion of the phoPQ gene reduced the viable count of C. sakazakii in the ileum and alleviated intestinal tissue damage. Moreover, caspase-3 activity in the ileum of the WT- and ΔphoPQC-infected mice was significantly elevated compared to that of the ΔphoPQ and control groups. ELISA results showed elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the ileum of the mice infected with WT and ΔphoPQC. In addition, deletion of the phoPQ gene in C. sakazakii resulted in a down-regulation of inflammatory genes (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NF-κB p65, TLR4) within the ileum and decreased inflammation by modulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. It is suggested that targeting the PhoP/PhoQ two-component system could be a potential strategy for mitigating C. sakazakii-induced neonatal infections.

Abstract Background In Amomum tsaoko breeding, the low germination rate is the major limitation for their large-scale reproduction. We found that warm stratification was an effective treatment to break the seed dormancy of A. tsaoko prior to sowing and could be an important component of improving breeding programs. The mechanism of seed dormancy release during warm stratification remains unclear. Therefore, we studied the differences between transcripts and proteomes at 0, 30, 60, and 90 days of warm stratification, to identify some regulatory genes and functional proteins that may cause seed dormancy release in A. tsaoko and reveal their regulatory mechanism. Results RNA-seq was performed for the seed dormancy release process, and the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was 3196 in three dormancy release periods. Using TMT-labelling quantitative proteome analysis, a total of 1414 proteins were defined as differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Functional enrichment analyses revealed that the DEGs and DEPs were mainly involved in signal transduction pathways (MAPK signaling, hormone) and metabolism processes (cell wall, storage and energy reserves), suggesting that these differentially expressed genes and proteins are somehow involved in response to seed dormancy release process, including MAPK, PYR/PYL, PP2C, GID1, GH3, ARF, AUX/IAA, TPS, SPS, and SS. In addition, transcription factors ARF, bHLH, bZIP, MYB, SBP, and WRKY showed differential expression during the warm stratification stage, which may relate to dormancy release. Noteworthy, XTH, EXP, HSP and ASPG proteins may be involved in a complex network to regulate cell division and differentiation, chilling response and the seed germination status in A. tsaoko seed during warm stratification. Conclusion Our transcriptomic and proteomic analysis highlighted specific genes and proteins that warrant further study in fully grasping the precise molecular mechanisms that control the seed dormancy and germination of A. tsaoko. A hypothetical model of the genetic regulatory network provides a theoretical basis for overcoming the physiological dormancy in A. tsaoko in the future.

As a two-dimensional(2D) building block of new materials, graphene has received widespread attention due to its exceptional thermal properties. The thermal properties and recent advances on graphene-based material were reviewed. The intrinsic thermal conductivity of graphene and the effect of layers, defects and edge were briefly introduced. The resent research progress in graphene fiber as thermal conductivity material was analyzed and discussed. A variety of graphene films (graphene film, graphene hybrid film, graphene/polymer composite film) were grouped by category and the influencing factors of the thermal conductivity were reviewed. The structure, thermal conductivity property and current researches of 3D graphene (graphene with random orientation in the polymer matrix, graphene with specific orientation in the polymer matrix) were summarized. Finally, the challenges and prospects of graphene-based materials were also pointed out, especially inhigh power, highly integrated systems such as LED lighting and smart phones, graphene based thermal conductivity materials have a good development prospect.

As a medicinal plant, Sophora tonkinensis is mainly distributed in Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and northern Vietnam. In recent years, due to the strong demand for S. tonkinensis, wild resources have become decreased, which has placed great pressure on their protection. Therefore, the introduction of S. tonkinensis was carried out in Guangxi. Although the flowering period of S. tonkinensis is long, its seed setting rate is low. To promote flower production, it is necessary to do basic research on flowering in S. tonkinensis. In this study, the contents of various mineral elements in the roots, stems and leaves of S. tonkinensis were measured during the period of flowering, and cluster analysis was carried out on the content changes. At the same time, the correlations among the elements were analyzed. It was found that As and Hg inhibited the absorption of some important elements related to flower development. It is necessary to pay attention to the effects of these toxic elements on flowering during cultivation. RNA-seq of flower buds and flower organs was carried out, and the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) method was used to mine the key genes. These genes may play an important role in flowering control and flower development in S. tonkinensis. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2021.1988707 .

The mass production of graphene sheets is a prerequisite for exploiting the applications of graphene. A major focus of experimental research has been concentrated on the development of effective approaches to produce well-defined graphene in large scale. Due to its high yield and cost efficiency, chemical reduction of graphene oxide has been proofed to be one of the most feasible approaches to achieve this goal. Graphene consists almost entirely of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms, while graphene oxide additionally contains sp3 regions, oxygen functional groups and structural defects. The fundamental understanding of the mechanism of chemical reduction of graphene oxide is a key issue when preparing graphene materials via graphene oxide precursor. Although dozens of methods have been exploited to facilitate the chemical reduction of graphene, only few studies were focused on the reduction mechanism.The chemical reduction strategies of graphene oxide, and as well as their mechanisms were reviewed in this paper. It was suggested that the core issue of the reduction is how to clarify the removal of hydroxyl groups and the simultaneous restoration of a conjugated structure.

Sophora tonkinensis is an important source of herbal medicine for treatment of swelling and pain in the throat. Its chemical composition has been extensively studied; however, there are still gaps in the research on genetic diversity of S. tonkinensis which can provide insights for better utilization and conservation of genetic resources. In this study, 23 populations of diverse locations from southern China were evaluated using AFLP markers. The average number of alleles (Na and Ne) from all populations was 0.608 (Na) and 1.153 (Ne), average Shannon’s information index was 0.137, which indicated that the genetic diversity of the whole populations was low. Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) showed that the populations could be divided into three clades. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 20% of the molecular variance was due to differences among wild populations and 80% of the molecular variance was due to divergence within wild populations. There was a significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance, as well as ecological factors including altitude and temperature. It is necessary to closely monitor the status of the wild populations and consider expanding their genetic diversity. Establishment of the conservation basis in different areas is more conducive to the protection of S. tonkinensis.

Abstract Background Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is one of the most frequent carcinomas derived from the salivary gland. Growing evidence implied the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in SACC progression and metastasis. This study aimed to determine the regulatory role of miR-140-5p in SACC progression and metastasis and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods MiR-140-5p and survivin mRNA expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time PCR; protein levels were evaluated by western blot assay; cell proliferation, growth, invasion, apoptosis and caspase-3 activity were evaluated by respective in vitro functional assays; xenograft nude mice model was used to assess the in vivo tumor growth; a luciferase reporter assay determined the interaction between miR-140-5p and survivin. Results MiR-140-5p overexpression suppressed SACC cell proliferation and invasion, induced cell apoptosis and inhibited in vivo tumor growth of SACC cells. The loss-of-function studies showed that miR-140-5p knockdown enhanced SACC cell proliferation and invasion, inhibited cell apoptosis and led to an accelerated in vivo tumor growth. The bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-140-5p directly targeted survivin 3′ untranslated region, and survivin was inversely regulated by miR-140-5p. Knockdown of survivin exerted tumor-suppressive effects on SACC cells, while enforced expression of survivin counteracted the tumor-suppressive actions of miR-140-5p overexpression in SACC cells. Mechanistically, miR-140-5p modulated the protein expression levels of apoptosis- and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related mediators as well as matrix metallopeptidase-2/-9 via targeting survivin. More importantly, the down-regulation of miR-140-5p and the up-regulation of survivin were detected in the SACC clinical tissues, and miR-140-5 expression was inversely correlated with survivin mRNA expression level in SACC tissues. Conclusion Our data indicated that miR-140-5p suppressed SACC cell proliferation and invasion, induced cell apoptosis via regulating survivin expression. The present study provide evidence that that miR-140-5p could be a promising target for treating SACC, which requires further investigations.

Guard cells shrink in response to drought and abscisic acid (ABA), which is caused by efflux of ions that in turn reduces stomatal aperture and improves the plant’s ability to retain moisture. Cytosolic free calcium is an essential secondary messenger in guard cell ABA signaling, but the details of this regulatory pathway remain sketchy. Here, the calmodulin-like protein CML20, which has four EF-hand domains and calcium-binding activity in vitro, was found to be a negative regulator of ABA-induced stomatal movement in Arabidopsis. The guard cells of cml20 loss-of-function mutant plants were hypersensitive to both ABA-activated S-type anion currents, and ABA inhibited inward K+ currents than those of wild type. Additional, due to smaller stomatal aperture, cml20 showed less water loss from the leaves than wild type. These phenotypes of CML20 overexpressing plants contrasted with wild type in the opposite direction. In the cml20 mutant, the transcripts of stress responsive genes, such as MYB2, RAB18, ERD10, COR47, and RD29A were up-regulated in response to drought and ABA, while down-regulated of APX2 transcription and higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. These observations support the CML20, a functional Ca2+ sensor, is a negative regulator in guard cell ABA signaling.

Abstract Background Pigs play a critical role in Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) transmission between mosquitos and humans. In 2009, lots of piglets developed symptom of viral encephalitis in a pig farm in Yunchen, Shanxi province. Methods Virus isolation was carried out in BHK-21 cells. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescent assay were used to identify the newly isolated virus. The complete genome of one isolate (SX09S-01 strain) was sequenced and analyzed. Two phylogenetic trees were constructed on the basis of the 24 full-length JEV genomes and 62 E genes mostly selected from China. Results JEV SX09S-01 strain was isolated from piglets. Sequence analysis indicates that the completed genome sequences of this strain consists of 10965 nucleotides and there are 13 nucleotides deletion in the 3' nontranslated variable region. Compared with other JEV strains, homology ranges from 99.1% (XJ69) to 74.1% (XZ0934) and 99.6% (XJ69) to 91.1% (XZ0934) on the level of nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively. Phylogenetic trees show that SX09S-01 strain belongs to genotype I and it is most closely related to the XJ69 strain. Conclusions Genotype I of JEV still circulates in Yuncheng and it is thus important for active surveillance on genotype I of JEV from the swine population.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which practicum teaching could lead to value orientation change of preservice physical education teachers. A group of preservice physical education teachers (N = 28) in China were randomly assigned to practicum-teach either a health-related fitness unit or a traditional sport unit. Their value orientations were measured before and after the practicum teaching. Their middle school learners were tested for knowledge gain. A repeated-measures model shows that the practicum teaching led to little change in their value orientations. The learners in the health-fitness curriculum gained more knowledge than those in the traditional curriculum. The findings suggest that an attempt to influence the value orientation in one practicum teaching experience may not be successful. The findings imply that physical education teacher education training programs may emphasize not only how to teach (via teaching methods courses), but also nurturing the values of teaching to meet the society needs.