Search

Copyright of Acta Prataculturae Sinica is the property of Acta Prataculturae Sinica Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background The Prunus sibirica seeds with rich oils has great utilization, but contain amygdalin that can be hydrolyzed to release toxic HCN. Thus, how to effectively reduce seed amygdalin content of P. sibirica is an interesting question. Mandelonitrile is known as one key intermediate of amygdalin metabolism, but which mandelonitrile lyase (MDL) family member essential for its dissociation destined to low amygdalin accumulation in P. sibirica seeds still remains enigmatic. An integration of our recent 454 RNA-seq data, amygdalin and mandelonitrile content detection, qRT-PCR analysis and function determination is described as a critical attempt to determine key MDL and to highlight its function in governing mandelonitrile catabolism with low amygdalin accumulation in Prunus sibirica seeds for better developing edible oil and biodiesel in China. Results To identify key MDL and to unravel its function in governing seed mandelonitrile catabolism with low amygdalin accumulation in P. sibirica. Global identification of mandelonitrile catabolism-associated MDLs, integrated with the across-accessions/developing stages association of accumulative amount of amygdalin and mandelonitrile with transcriptional level of MDLs was performed on P. sibirica seeds of 5 accessions to determine crucial MDL2 for seed mandelonitrile catabolism of P. sibirica. MDL2 gene was cloned from the seeds of P. sibirica, and yeast eukaryotic expression revealed an ability of MDL2 to specifically catalyze the dissociation of mandelonitrile with the ideal values of K m (0.22 mM) and V max (178.57 U/mg). A combination of overexpression and mutation was conducted in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of PsMDL2 decreased seed mandelonitrile content with an increase of oil accumulation, upregulated transcript of mandelonitrile metabolic enzymes and oil synthesis enzymes (involving FA biosynthesis and TAG assembly), but exhibited an opposite situation in mdl2 mutant, revealing a role of PsMDL2-mediated regulation in seed amygdalin and oil biosynthesis. The PsMDL2 gene has shown as key molecular target for bioengineering high seed oil production with low amygdalin in oilseed plants. Conclusions This work presents the first integrated assay of genome-wide identification of mandelonitrile catabolism-related MDLs and the comparative association of transcriptional level of MDLs with accumulative amount of amygdalin and mandelonitrile in the seeds across different germplasms and developmental periods of P. sibirica to determine MDL2 for mandelonitrile dissociation, and an effective combination of PsMDL2 expression and mutation, oil and mandelonitrile content detection and qRT-PCR assay was performed to unravel a mechanism of PsMDL2 for controlling amygdalin and oil production in P. sibirica seeds. These findings could offer new bioengineering strategy for high oil production with low amygdalin in oil plants.

AIM: To identify genetic defects in a Chinese family with congenital posterior polar cataracts and assess the pathogenicity. METHODS: A four-generation Chinese family affected with autosomal dominant congenital cataract was recruited. Nineteen individuals took part in this study including 5 affected and 14 unaffected individuals. Sanger sequencing targeted hot-spot regions of 27 congenital cataract-causing genes for variant discovery. The pathogenicity of the variant was evaluated by the guidelines of American College of Medical Genetics and InterVar software. Confocal microscopy was applied to detect the subcellular localization of fluorescence-labeled ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EPHA2). Co-immunoprecipitation assay was implemented to estimate the interaction between EphA2 and other lens membrane proteins. The mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting assay, respectively. The cell migration was analyzed by wound healing assay. Zebrafish model was generated by ectopic expression of human EPHA2/p.R957P mutant to demonstrate whether the mutant could cause lens opacity in vivo. RESULTS: A novel missense and pathogenic variant c.2870G>C was identified in the sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain of EPHA2. Functional studies demonstrated the variant's impact: reduced EPHA2 protein expression, altered subcellular localization, and disrupted interactions with other lens membrane proteins. This mutant notably enhanced human lens epithelial cell migration, and induced a central cloudy region and roughness in zebrafish lenses with ectopic expression of human EPHA2/p.R957P mutant under differential interference contrast (DIC) optics. CONCLUSION: Novel pathogenic c.2870G>C variant of EPHA2 in a Chinese congenital cataract family contributes to disease pathogenesis.

Background: The Prunus sibirica seeds with rich oils has great utilization, but contain amygdalin that can be hydrolyzed to release toxic HCN. Thus, how to effectively reduce seed amygdalin content of P. sibirica is an interesting question. Mandelonitrile is known as one key intermediate of amygdalin metabolism, but which mandelonitrile lyase (MDL) family member essential for its dissociation destined to low amygdalin accumulation in P. sibirica seeds still remains enigmatic. An integration of our recent 454 RNA-seq data, amygdalin and mandelonitrile content detection, qRT-PCR analysis and function determination is described as a critical attempt to determine key MDL and to highlight its function in governing mandelonitrile catabolism with low amygdalin accumulation in Prunus sibirica seeds for better developing edible oil and biodiesel in China. Results: To identify key MDL and to unravel its function in governing seed mandelonitrile catabolism with low amygdalin accumulation in P. sibirica. Global identification of mandelonitrile catabolism-associated MDLs, integrated with the across-accessions/developing stages association of accumulative amount of amygdalin and mandelonitrile with transcriptional level of MDLs was performed on P. sibirica seeds of 5 accessions to determine crucial MDL2 for seed mandelonitrile catabolism of P. sibirica. MDL2 gene was cloned from the seeds of P. sibirica, and yeast eukaryotic expression revealed an ability of MDL2 to specifically catalyze the dissociation of mandelonitrile with the ideal values of Km (0.22 mM) and Vmax (178.57 U/mg). A combination of overexpression and mutation was conducted in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of PsMDL2 decreased seed mandelonitrile content with an increase of oil accumulation, upregulated transcript of mandelonitrile metabolic enzymes and oil synthesis enzymes (involving FA biosynthesis and TAG assembly), but exhibited an opposite situation in mdl2 mutant, revealing a role of PsMDL2-mediated regulation in seed amygdalin and oil biosynthesis. The PsMDL2 gene has shown as key molecular target for bioengineering high seed oil production with low amygdalin in oilseed plants. Conclusions: This work presents the first integrated assay of genome-wide identification of mandelonitrile catabolism-related MDLs and the comparative association of transcriptional level of MDLs with accumulative amount of amygdalin and mandelonitrile in the seeds across different germplasms and developmental periods of P. sibirica to determine MDL2 for mandelonitrile dissociation, and an effective combination of PsMDL2 expression and mutation, oil and mandelonitrile content detection and qRT-PCR assay was performed to unravel a mechanism of PsMDL2 for controlling amygdalin and oil production in P. sibirica seeds. These findings could offer new bioengineering strategy for high oil production with low amygdalin in oil plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sepsis leads to multi-organ dysfunction due to disorders of the host response to infections, which makes diagnosis and prognosis challenging. Apoptosis, a classic programmed cell death, contributes to the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, there is much uncertainty about its mechanism in sepsis. Methods: Three sepsis gene expression profiles (GSE65682, GSE13904, and GSE26378) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Apoptosis-related genes were obtained from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database. We utilized LASSO regression and SVM-RFE algorithms to identify characteristic genes associated with sepsis. CIBERSORT and single cell sequencing analysis were employed to explore the potential relationship between hub genes and immune cell infiltration. The diagnostic capability of hub genes was validated across multiple external datasets. Subsequently, the animal sepsis model was established to assess the expression levels of hub genes in distinct target organs through RT-qPCR and Immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: We identified 11 apoptosis-related genes as characteristic diagnostic markers for sepsis: CASP8, VDAC2, CHMP1A, CHMP5, FASLG, IFNAR1, JAK1, JAK3, STAT4, IRF9, and BCL2. Subsequently, a prognostic model was constructed using LASSO regression with BCL2, FASLG, IRF9 and JAK3 identified as hub genes. Apoptosis-related genes were closely associated with the immune response during the sepsis process. Furthermore, in the validation datasets, aside from IRF9, other hub genes demonstrated similar expression patterns and diagnostic abilities as observed in GSE65682 dataset. In the mouse model, the expression differences of hub genes between sepsis and control group revealed the potential impacts on sepsis-induced organ injury. Conclusion: The current findings indicated the participant of apoptosis in sepsis, and apoptosis-related differentially expressed genes could be used for diagnosis biomarkers. BCL2, FASLG, IRF9 and JAK3 might be key regulatory genes affecting apoptosis in sepsis. Our findings provided a novel aspect for further exploration of the pathological mechanisms in sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orchid flowers have evolved in concert with pollinators to form highly specialized structures resulting in zygomorphy. In dicotyledons, it is widely accepted that CYC-like genes are involved in the dorsoventral polarity establishment of flowers, which determines the development of zygomorphic flowers. However, the function of TCP transcription factors involved in orchid floral development is rarely known. Here, we found 15 unigenes with TCP domain (EpTCPs) from the previously reported Erycina pusilla unigene database. The expression patterns of EpTCPs in various tissues and different floral organs were successively detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The results revealed that the CYC-like gene (EpTCP25) and CIN-like genes (EpTCP11 and EpTCP26) were highly expressed in inflorescences but lowly expressed in leaves and roots. What is more, these three genes were expressed relatively high in the dorsal labellum, and EpTCP26 showed differential expression along the dorsoventral polarity of tepals, which was high in the dorsal and low in the ventral. Ectopic expression of EpTCP25 in Arabidopsis repressed primary root growth and delayed flowering. EpTCP26 overexpression in Arabidopsis promoted primary root growth and leaf growth. In contrast, EpTCP11 overexpression repressed primary root growth and changed the radially symmetric flower to a bilaterally symmetric flower by inhibiting the elongation of one or two adjacent petals. In addition, the homeotic transition of floral organs is generated when these genes are ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis, suggesting their roles in floral morphogenesis. Altogether, our results indicate that CIN-like genes would be associated with the unique flower pattern development of Erycina pusilla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic stress reduces plant yield and quality. WRKY transcription factors play key roles in abiotic stress responses in plants, but the molecular mechanisms by which WRKY transcription factors mediate responses to drought and osmotic stresses in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) remain unclear. Here, we functionally characterized the apple Group III WRKY gene MdWRKY115. qRT-PCR analysis showed that MdWRKY115 expression was up-regulated by drought and osmotic stresses. GUS activity analysis revealed that the promoter activity of MdWRKY115 was enhanced under osmotic stress. Subcellular localization and transactivation assays indicated that MdWRKY115 was localized to the nucleus and had a transcriptional activity domain at the N-terminal region. Transgenic analysis revealed that the overexpression of MdWRKY115 in Arabidopsis plants and in apple callus markedly enhanced their tolerance to drought and osmotic stresses. DNA affinity purification sequencing showed that MdWRKY115 binds to the promoter of the stress-related gene MdRD22. This binding was further verified by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Collectively, these findings suggest that MdWRKY115 is an important regulator of osmotic and drought stress tolerance in apple.

Abstract Background Casuarina equisetifolia (C. equisetifolia) is a woody species with many excellent features. It has natural resistance against drought, salt and saline-alkali stresses. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play significant roles in plant response to abiotic stresses, therefore, molecular characterization of WRKY gene family under abiotic stresses holds great significance for improvement of forest trees through molecular biological tools. At present, WRKY TFs from C. equisetifolia have not been thoroughly studied with respect to their role in salt and saline-alkali stresses response. The current study was conducted to bridge the same knowledge gap. Results A total of 64 WRKYs were identified in C. equisetifolia and divided into three major groups i.e. group I, II and III, consisting of 10, 42 and 12 WRKY members, respectively. The WRKY members in group II were further divided into 5 subgroups according to their homology with Arabidopsis counterparts. WRKYs belonging to the same group exhibited higher similarities in gene structure and the presence of conserved motifs. Promoter analysis data showed the presence of various response elements, especially those related to hormone signaling and abiotic stresses, such as ABRE (ABA), TGACG (MeJA), W-box ((C/T) TGAC (T/C)) and TC-rich motif. Tissue specific expression data showed that CeqWRKYs were mainly expressed in root under normal growth conditions. Furthermore, most of the CeqWRKYs were up-regulated by NaCl and NaHCO3 stresses with few of WRKYs showing early responsiveness to both stresses while few others exhibiting late response. Although the expressions of CeqWRKYs were also induced by cold stress, the response was delayed compared with other stresses. Transgenic C. equisetifolia plants overexpressing CeqWRKY11 displayed lower electrolyte leakage, higher chlorophyll content, and enhanced tolerance to both stresses. The higher expression of abiotic stress related genes, especially CeqHKT1 and CeqPOD7, in overexpression lines points to the maintenance of optimum Na+/K+ ratio, and ROS scavenging as possible key molecular mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance. Conclusions Our results show that CeqWRKYs might be key regulators of NaCl and NaHCO3 stresses response in C. equisetifolia. In addition, positive correlation of CeqWRKY11 expression with increased stress tolerance in C. equisetifolia encourages further research on other WRKY family members through functional genomic tools. The best candidates could be incorporated in other woody plant species for improving stress tolerance.

The 1092 bp F3H gene from Trapa bispinosa Roxb., which was named TbF3H, was cloned and it encodes 363 amino acids. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic tree analyses revealed the high homology of TbF3H with flavanone 3-hydroxylase from other plants. A functional analysis showed that TbF3H of Trapa bispinosa Roxb. encoded a functional flavanone 3-hydroxylase; it catalyzed the formation of dihydrokaempferol (DHK) from naringenin in S. cerevisiae. The promoter strengths were compared by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry detection of the fluorescence intensity of the reporter genes initiated by each constitutive promoter (FITC), and DHK production reached 216.7 mg/L by the promoter adjustment strategy and the optimization of fermentation conditions. The results presented in this study will contribute to elucidating DHK biosynthesis in Trapa bispinosa Roxb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Casuarina equisetifolia (C. equisetifolia) is a woody species with many excellent features. It has natural resistance against drought, salt and saline-alkali stresses. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play significant roles in plant response to abiotic stresses, therefore, molecular characterization of WRKY gene family under abiotic stresses holds great significance for improvement of forest trees through molecular biological tools. At present, WRKY TFs from C. equisetifolia have not been thoroughly studied with respect to their role in salt and saline-alkali stresses response. The current study was conducted to bridge the same knowledge gap. Results: A total of 64 WRKYs were identified in C. equisetifolia and divided into three major groups i.e. group I, II and III, consisting of 10, 42 and 12 WRKY members, respectively. The WRKY members in group II were further divided into 5 subgroups according to their homology with Arabidopsis counterparts. WRKYs belonging to the same group exhibited higher similarities in gene structure and the presence of conserved motifs. Promoter analysis data showed the presence of various response elements, especially those related to hormone signaling and abiotic stresses, such as ABRE (ABA), TGACG (MeJA), W-box ((C/T) TGAC (T/C)) and TC-rich motif. Tissue specific expression data showed that CeqWRKYs were mainly expressed in root under normal growth conditions. Furthermore, most of the CeqWRKYs were up-regulated by NaCl and NaHCO3 stresses with few of WRKYs showing early responsiveness to both stresses while few others exhibiting late response. Although the expressions of CeqWRKYs were also induced by cold stress, the response was delayed compared with other stresses. Transgenic C. equisetifolia plants overexpressing CeqWRKY11 displayed lower electrolyte leakage, higher chlorophyll content, and enhanced tolerance to both stresses. The higher expression of abiotic stress related genes, especially CeqHKT1 and CeqPOD7, in overexpression lines points to the maintenance of optimum Na+/K+ ratio, and ROS scavenging as possible key molecular mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance. Conclusions: Our results show that CeqWRKYs might be key regulators of NaCl and NaHCO3 stresses response in C. equisetifolia. In addition, positive correlation of CeqWRKY11 expression with increased stress tolerance in C. equisetifolia encourages further research on other WRKY family members through functional genomic tools. The best candidates could be incorporated in other woody plant species for improving stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect chitinases have been proposed as potential targets for pest control. In this work, a novel group IV chitinase gene, MdCht9, from Musca domestica was found to have multiple functions in the physiological activity, including chitin regulation, development and antifungal immunity. The MdCht9 gene was cloned and sequenced, its phylogeny was analysed and its expression was determined in normal and 20E treated larvae. Subsequently, RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated MdCht9 knockdown was performed, followed by biochemical assays, morphological observations and transcriptome analysis. Finally, the recombinant protein MdCht9 (rMdCht9) was purified and tested for anti‐microbial activity and enzyme characteristics. The results showed that MdCht9 consists of three domains, highly expressed in a larval salivary gland. RNAi silencing of MdCht9 resulted in significant down‐regulation of chitin content and expression of 15 chitin‐binding protein (CBP) genes, implying a new insight that MdCht9 might regulate chitin content by influencing the expression of CBPs. In addition, more than half of the lethality and partial wing deformity appeared due to the dsMdCht9 treatment. In addition, the rMdCht9 exhibited anti‐microbial activity towards Candida albicans (fungus) but not towards Escherichia coli (G−) or Staphylococcus aureus (G+). Our work expands on previous studies of chitinase while providing a potential target for pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks has been widely used in runoff forecasting and has achieved better performance than of conceptual hydrological models. However, most existing studies only use a single type of neural network model to build runoff forecasting models, which fails to fully explain the role of different types of neural networks in runoff forecasting. In this study, the convolutional neural networks (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, and convolutional LSTM (ConvLSTM) were used to design a hybrid deep neural network model (HydroDL) for runoff prediction by referring to the structure of the conceptual hydrological model. The proposed model was used to predict the daily runoff at the Xinlong and Daofu hydrological stations in the upper reaches of the Yalong River, and several other runoff prediction models based on neural networks and conceptual hydrological models were developed for comparative study. Daily scale meteorological, hydrological and topographic data from January 2011 to December 2020 were used to train and validate the above models. The results show that: (1) the proposed HydroDL model has higher prediction accuracy and more stable prediction performance than runoff prediction models based on a single type of neural network. (2) effects of different parts in the HydroDL model are distinct, among which the terrain feature extraction and runoff conversion has the most significant and least significant effect, respectively, on improving the forecast results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WD40 gene family is a highly conserved protein family in plants that plays a crucial role in various life activities. Although eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genome sequencing has been completed, there is limited research on the WD40 family in eggplant, and the regulatory mechanism of its involvement in anthocyanin synthesis remains poorly understood. The research identified the eggplant WD40 gene family, comprising 187 SmWD40 members that are unevenly distributed across 12 chromosomes of the eggplant. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into 11 subgroups, with members within the same subgroup having similar motifs and gene structures. The promoter of the SmWD40 genes contains a high number of light, stress, and hormone response elements. The expression patterns of 20 SmWD40 members of the S5 subgroup were analyzed during the formation of fruit color in long purple eggplant. Subsequently, we used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to confirm the significance of the TTG1 (SmWD40-56) gene in subgroup S5 for anthocyanin synthesis in eggplant fruit. To investigate the molecular mechanism of SmWD40-56 in eggplant fruit color formation, we analyzed the expression patterns of structural genes for anthocyanin synthesis in eggplant fruit silenced for SmWD40-56. Finally, we predicted the protein interaction network of the SmWD40-56 gene to understand its potential regulatory mechanisms. The result showed that SmWD40-56 may regulate the structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and plays an important role in eggplant fruit color formation. This study provides some basis for studying the mechanism of eggplant fruit color formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Follicular atresia occurs in every stage of ovarian development, which is relevant to female fertility. In the past decade, increasing studies have confirmed that miRNAs, a class of short non-coding RNAs, play an important role in follicular atresia by post-transcription regulation of their target genes. However, the function of miRNAs on follicular atresia initiation is unknown. In the present study, highthroughput small RNA sequencing was performed to analyze differential miRNA expression profiles between healthy (HF) follicles and early atretic (EAF) follicles. A total of 237 conserved miRNA were detected, and the miR-143 is the highest expressed in follicles. Meanwhile, we also found wide sequence variations (isomiRs) in porcine ovarian miRNA, including in 5'un-translation region, core seed sequences and 3'untranslation region. Furthermore, we identified 22 differentially expressed miRNAs in EAF groups compared to HF group, of which 3 miRNAs were upregulated, as well as 19 miRNAs were downregulated, and then the RT-PCR was performed to validate these profiles. The target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by using miRwalk, miRDB, and Targetscan database, respectively. Moreover, the gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment established that the regulating functions and signaling pathways of these miRNAs contribute to follicular atresia initiation and cell fate. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the changes of miRNAs in early atretic follicles to demonstrate their molecular regulation in ovarian follicular atretic initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is a healthy beverage made from the leaves of the tea plant [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze]. The tea plant is a perennial evergreen plant that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. PR proteins (pathogenesis-related proteins, PRs) are defense-related proteins induced under pathogenesis-related conditions. Currently, there are a few studies on PRs in plants. Tea leaf color mutants have been of wide interest to scientists as special materials. A tea plant displaying variegated spontaneous albinism found in a local tea plantation in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China, was used as the material sample in this study. An analysis of preexisting transcriptomic and proteomic data revealed the significant upregulation of three classes of PRs. In order to investigate the correlation between PRs and variegated tea plants, a series of studies were conducted on PR genes. The results revealed the identification of 17 CsPR1, 3 CsPR4 and 31 CsPR5 genes in tea plants using bioinformatics methods, and their structures and promoter sequences. The expression of three PR1, two PR4 and one PR5 genes was determined to be induced in stress treatment experiments involving mechanical damage, insect bites, low temperature treatment, and fungal infections. Additionally, the ribonuclease activity of CsPR4 was successfully verified. This is the first study to report the ribonuclease activity of CsPR4 in tea plants. The results can serve as a reference for future studies on PRs in tea plants, offering new insights into information on albinism in tea plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FAR1-RELATED SEQUENCE1 (FAR1) and FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL3 (FHY3) gene family plays a crucial role in various physiological and developmental processes, including seed germination, photomorphogenesis, flowering and stress responses. However, genome analysis of FAR1/FHY3 in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) has not been systemically investigated. In this study, 20 FAR1/FHY3 genes in cucumber were identified. The 20 FAR1/FHY3 members are randomly distributed on six chromosomes. The examination of subcellular localization indicated that the nucleus is the primary site where the 20 FAR1/FHY3 members are predominantly found. The analysis of the phylogenetic tree further revealed that the FAR1/FHY3 genes in cucumber are grouped into three distinct categories, exhibiting remarkable resemblance to the corresponding genes in other plant species. The analysis of cis-acting elements showed that most FAR1/FHY3 genes contain a variety of hormones as well as stress-related and light response elements. Through scrutinizing the expression patterns in various tissues, it was discerned that these genes are prominently expressed in roots, stems and leaves, with roots exhibiting the highest level of expression. Additionally, the 20 cucumber FAR1/FHY3 genes are all responsive to jasmonic acid methyl ester (Me-JA) and abscisic acid (ABA). CsFAR6 and CsFAR12 are significantly induced by Me-JA and ABA, respectively. CsFAR13 positively responds to NaCl and PEG6000 stresses. CsFAR11, CsFAR15 and CsFAR13 are significantly induced by the dark. The findings presented in this study establish compelling support for the potential involvement of FAR1/FHY3 genes in the growth, development and stress response of cucumbers. Moreover, these results serve as a solid basis for future investigations into the functional analysis of FAR1/FHY3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant height is an important index for the ideal maize breeding, which not only affects the mechanical harvest of maize, but also closely relates to the lodging resistance and the biological yield of maize. In this study, a plant height reducing mutant-1 (phr-1) was obtained by using low-dose fast neutron (4.19 Gy) irradiation to mutate the maize inbred line KWS39 at the low ear position. Phenotypic traits were investigated and analyzed in the field, and candidate genes were identified by mining and functional annotation of genes in the target region based on the B73 reference genome using the extreme trait pool sequencing analysis (BSA-seq) and the method of target region recombination exchange identification with F2 segregation population of phr-1xB73. These results indicated that there might be a variation site in Bin1.06 interval on chromosome 1, and the target region was precisely located between two markers, Umc1122 and Umc1583a, with a 600 kb interval by using the large segregation population and polymorphic markers. Brachytic2 (BR2), encoding a sugar protein regulating the polar transport of auxin in maize stems, is a known gene controlling plant height in this region. The sequencing of candidate genes revealed that phr-1 was a new allelic mutation of br2-1, with a 165 bp insertion in the fourth exon of the BR2 gene resulting in the amino acid at position 547 changing to a stop codon and premature protein translation termination. The mutation site and variation mode of phr-1 were completely different from those of br2-1 single base mutation site. The allelic hybridization experiment confirmed that the PHR1 candidate gene is a new allelic mutation of the BR2 gene. This study provides new germplasm resources for maize BR2 gene in plant height genetic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Botanical Research is the property of Bulletin of Botanical Research Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Follicular atresia occurs in every stage of ovarian development, which is relevant to female fertility. In the past decade, increasing studies have confirmed that miRNAs, a class of short non-coding RNAs, play an important role in follicular atresia by post-transcription regulation of their target genes. However, the function of miRNAs on follicular atresia initiation is unknown. In the present study, high-throughput small RNA sequencing was performed to analyze differential miRNA expression profiles between healthy (HF) follicles and early atretic (EAF) follicles. A total of 237 conserved miRNA were detected, and the miR-143 is the highest expressed in follicles. Meanwhile, we also found wide sequence variations (isomiRs) in porcine ovarian miRNA, including in 5′un-translation region, core seed sequences and 3′untranslation region. Furthermore, we identified 22 differentially expressed miRNAs in EAF groups compared to HF group, of which 3 miRNAs were upregulated, as well as 19 miRNAs were downregulated, and then the RT-PCR was performed to validate these profiles. The target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by using miRwalk, miRDB, and Targetscan database, respectively. Moreover, the gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment established that the regulating functions and signaling pathways of these miRNAs contribute to follicular atresia initiation and cell fate. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the changes of miRNAs in early atretic follicles to demonstrate their molecular regulation in ovarian follicular atretic initiation.

SWEET proteins play important roles in plant growth and development, sugar loading in phloem and resistance to abiotic stress through sugar transport. In this study, 13 BpSWEET genes were identified from birch genome. Collinearity analysis showed that there were one tandem repeating gene pair (BpSWEET1b/BpSWEET1c) and two duplicative gene pairs (BpSWEET17a/BpSWEET17b) in the BpSWEET gene family. The BpSWEET gene promoter regions contained several cis-acting elements related to stress resistance, for example: hormone-responsive and low-temperature-responsive cis-elements. Analysis of transcriptome data showed that BpSWEET genes were highly expressed in several sink organs, and the most BpSWEET genes were rapidly up-regulated under cold stress. BpSWEET1c, which was highly expressed in cold stress, was selected for further analysis. It was found that BpSWEET1c was located on the cell membrane. After 6 h of 4 °C stress, sucrose content in the leaves and roots of transient overexpressed BpSWEET1c was significantly higher than that of the control. MDA content in roots was significantly lower than that of the control. These results indicate that BpSWEET1c may play a positive role in the response to cold stress by promoting the metabolism and transport of sucrose. In conclusion, 13 BpSWEET genes were identified from the whole genome level. Most of the SWEET genes of birch were expressed in the sink organs and could respond to cold stress. Transient overexpression of BpSWEET1c changed the soluble sugar content and improved the cold tolerance of birch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geraniol is an important monoterpenoid in tea plants, and its accumulation varies greatly among different tea cultivars. The recent study shows that CsNUDX1-cyto is responsible for the production of geraniol and its glycosides in tea plants. In order to explore the differences in the catalytic function and regulation of CsNUDX1-cyto in different tea cultivars, this study analyzed the differences in the accumulation of geraniol and expression patterns of CsNUDX1-cyto, and analyzed the differences in the catalytic function, promoter structure and function of CsNUDX1-cyto in seven tea cultivars. The result shows that CsNUDX1-cyto expression was positively correlated with geraniol content (r=0.805). The content of geranyl in fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS) was significantly higher than that in C. sinensis var. assamica (CSA) cultivars. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation system shows that CsNUDX1-cyto of different tea cultivars could promote the biosynthesis of geraniol. Analysis of promoter activity shows that CsNUDX1-cyto promoter had the weakest activity in 'Yunkang 10', and the structural analysis shows that the promoter of CsNUDX1-cyto in 'Yunkang 10' had an 185 base sequence insertion at the transcription start site -33, making the enhancing element CAAT-box located at -133 (CAAT-boxes in other cultivars were located at -47). The results of this study indicate that CsNUDX1-cyto in different tea cultivars could promote geraniol biosynthesis, but the genetic diversity of the promoter region results in differences in its expression level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orchid flowers have evolved in concert with pollinators to form highly specialized structures resulting in zygomorphy. In dicotyledons, it is widely accepted that CYC-like genes are involved in the dorsoventral polarity establishment of flowers, which determines the development of zygomorphic flowers. However, the function of TCP transcription factors involved in orchid floral development is rarely known. Here, we found 15 unigenes with TCP domain (EpTCPs) from the previously reported Erycina pusilla unigene database. The expression patterns of EpTCPs in various tissues and different floral organs were successively detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The results revealed that the CYC-like gene (EpTCP25) and CIN-like genes (EpTCP11 and EpTCP26) were highly expressed in inflorescences but lowly expressed in leaves and roots. What is more, these three genes were expressed relatively high in the dorsal labellum, and EpTCP26 showed differential expression along the dorsoventral polarity of tepals, which was high in the dorsal and low in the ventral. Ectopic expression of EpTCP25 in Arabidopsis repressed primary root growth and delayed flowering. EpTCP26 overexpression in Arabidopsis promoted primary root growth and leaf growth. In contrast, EpTCP11 overexpression repressed primary root growth and changed the radially symmetric flower to a bilaterally symmetric flower by inhibiting the elongation of one or two adjacent petals. In addition, the homeotic transition of floral organs is generated when these genes are ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis, suggesting their roles in floral morphogenesis. Altogether, our results indicate that CIN-like genes would be associated with the unique flower pattern development of Erycina pusilla.

The 1092 bp F3H gene from Trapa bispinosa Roxb., which was named TbF3H, was cloned and it encodes 363 amino acids. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic tree analyses revealed the high homology of TbF3H with flavanone 3-hydroxylase from other plants. A functional analysis showed that TbF3H of Trapa bispinosa Roxb. encoded a functional flavanone 3-hydroxylase; it catalyzed the formation of dihydrokaempferol (DHK) from naringenin in S. cerevisiae. The promoter strengths were compared by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry detection of the fluorescence intensity of the reporter genes initiated by each constitutive promoter (FITC), and DHK production reached 216.7 mg/L by the promoter adjustment strategy and the optimization of fermentation conditions. The results presented in this study will contribute to elucidating DHK biosynthesis in Trapa bispinosa Roxb.

The WD40 gene family is a highly conserved protein family in plants that plays a crucial role in various life activities. Although eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genome sequencing has been completed, there is limited research on the WD40 family in eggplant, and the regulatory mechanism of its involvement in anthocyanin synthesis remains poorly understood. The research identified the eggplant WD40 gene family, comprising 187 SmWD40 members that are unevenly distributed across 12 chromosomes of the eggplant. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into 11 subgroups, with members within the same subgroup having similar motifs and gene structures. The promoter of the SmWD40 genes contains a high number of light, stress, and hormone response elements. The expression patterns of 20 SmWD40 members of the S5 subgroup were analyzed during the formation of fruit color in long purple eggplant. Subsequently, we used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to confirm the significance of the TTG1 (SmWD40-56) gene in subgroup S5 for anthocyanin synthesis in eggplant fruit. To investigate the molecular mechanism of SmWD40-56 in eggplant fruit color formation, we analyzed the expression patterns of structural genes for anthocyanin synthesis in eggplant fruit silenced for SmWD40-56. Finally, we predicted the protein interaction network of the SmWD40-56 gene to understand its potential regulatory mechanisms. The result showed that SmWD40-56 may regulate the structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and plays an important role in eggplant fruit color formation. This study provides some basis for studying the mechanism of eggplant fruit color formation.

Using effective genes to improve crop stress tolerance through genetic engineering is an important way to stabilize crop yield and quality across complex climatic environments. Integrin-like AT14A, as a continuum of the cell wall–plasma membrane–cytoskeleton, functions in the regulation of cell wall synthesis, signal transduction, and the response to stress. In this study, AT14A was overexpressed in Solanum lycopersicum L. In transgenic plants, both chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate increased. Physiological experiments suggested that the proline content and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase) activities of the transgenic line were significantly higher than those of wild-type plants under stress, which contributed to the enhanced water retention capacity and free radical scavenging ability of the transgenic line. Transcriptome analysis revealed that AT14A enhanced drought tolerance by regulating waxy cuticle synthesis genes, such as 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase 20 (KCS20), non-specific lipid-transfer protein 2 (LTP2), antioxidant enzyme system genes peroxidase 42-like (PER42), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR2). AT14A regulates expression of Protein phosphatase 2 C 51 (PP2C 51) and ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE 5 (ABI5) to participate in ABA pathways to enhance drought tolerance. In conclusion, AT14A effectively improved photosynthesis and enhanced drought tolerance in S. lycopersicum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Myxovirus resistance (Mx) is a protein produced by the interferon-induced natural immune response with broad spectrum antiviral function. However, the role and expression characteristics of the Mx gene in immune defence against viral infection in goose have not yet been reported. 2. This study found a 2576 bp genomic sequence and a 2112 bp mRNA sequence for Mx, encoding 703 amino acids. Multiple sequence alignments of the amino acid sequences showed that the Yangzhou goose Mx (goMx) had 86.99% similarity to the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). 3. Tissue-specific expression profiling revealed that the expression of goMx was highest in the lung and spleen. Both poly (I:C) and GPV were found to elevate the expression of goMx. The upregulated expression of goMx was associated with interferon pathway-related genes IRF7, JAK1, STAT1, and STAT2. Furthermore, overexpression of goMx significantly activated the transcription of poly (I:C) induced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18. 4. The findings of this study suggest that the goMx modulation of the antiviral response is mediated by the interferon pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of the marketization of agricultural products, the lack of farmers’ risk analysis mechanism has resulted in a structural imbalance between the supply and demand of funds in rural areas. The increase of the rural economy is significant to social development and stability. Then the article uses the ordered Probit model to carry out statistical regression analysis on the rural economic samples. The study found that the lack of supply institutions, the incompatibility of loan supply and demand, and the single type of insurance caused the development of the rural economy to be limited.

Natural pyrethrins have high application value, and are widely used as a green pesticide in crop pest prevention and control. Pyrethrins are mainly extracted from the flower heads of Tanacetum cinerariifolium; however, the natural content is low. Therefore, it is essential to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying the synthesis of pyrethrins through identification of key transcription factors. We identified a gene encoding a MYC2-like transcription factor named TcbHLH14 from T. cinerariifolium transcriptome, which is induced by methyl jasmonate. In the present study, we evaluated the regulatory effects and mechanisms of TcbHLH14 using expression analysis, a yeast one-hybrid assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and overexpression/virus-induced gene silencing experiments. We found that TcbHLH14 can directly bind to the cis-elements of the pyrethrins synthesis genes TcAOC and TcGLIP to activate their expression. The transient overexpression of TcbHLH14 enhanced expression of the TcAOC and TcGLIP genes. Conversely, transient silencing of TcbHLH14 downregulated the expression of TcAOC and TcGLIP and reduced the content of pyrethrins. In summary, these results indicate that the potential application of TcbHLH14 in improving the germplasm resources and provide a new insight into the regulatory network of pyrethrins biosynthesis of T. cinerariifolium to further inform the development of engineering strategies for increasing pyrethrins contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absorption and utilization of NH4+ and NO3− by plant roots is closely related to soil moisture. In this study, we investigated the effect of short-time drought and rewatering on uptake and assimilation of NH4+ and NO3− in 1-year-old Malus hupehensis plants, as well as transcription changes of ammonium transporters (AMTs) and nitrate transporters (NRTs). In roots, the NH4+ and NO3− content and nitrate reductase activity decreased under drought and to some extent was restored after rewatering. Expression analysis indicated that most investigated AMTs and NRTs were down-regulated while MhAMT1;2 was significantly up-regulated in drought-stressed roots. Therefore, the function of MhAMT1;2 was further studied through bioinformatics analysis, tissue-specific expression, subcellular localization, and functional complementation in NH4+ uptake-defective yeast and Arabidopsis mutants. Results showed that MhAMT1;2 was mainly expressed in roots and localized to the cell membrane. Moreover, MhAMT1;2 can mediate NH4+ uptake in both yeast and Arabidopsis mutants, and the transport process was affected by external proton concentrations and ATP. The present study will create a basis for exploring the functional roles of plant AMT members and improving N uptake and use efficiency under drought condition in fruit trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DnaJs are the common molecular chaperone proteins with strong structural and functional diversity. In recent years, only several DnaJ family members have been found to be able to regulate leaf color, and it remains to be explored whether there are other potential members that also regulate this character. Here, we identified 88 putative DnaJ proteins from Catalpa bungei, and classified them into four types according to their domain. Gene-structure analysis revealed that each member of CbuDnaJ family had same or similar exon-intron structure. Chromosome mapping and collinearity analysis showed that tandem and fragment duplication occurred in the process of evolution. Promoter analyses suggested that CbuDnaJs might be involved in a variety of biological processes. The expression levels of DnaJ family members in different color leaves of Maiyuanjinqiu were respectively extracted from the differential transcriptome. Among these, CbuDnaJ49 was the largest differentially expressed gene between the green and yellow sectors. Ectopic overexpression of CbuDnaJ49 in tobacco showed that the positive transgenic seedlings exhibited albino leaves, and the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid were significantly reduced compared with those of wild type. The results suggested that CbuDnaJ49 played an important role in regulating leaf color. This study not only identified a novel gene of DnaJ family members regulating leaf color, but also provided new germplasm for landscaping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is a healthy beverage made from the leaves of the tea plant [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze]. The tea plant is a perennial evergreen plant that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. PR proteins (pathogenesis-related proteins, PRs) are defense-related proteins induced under pathogenesis-related conditions. Currently, there are a few studies on PRs in plants. Tea leaf color mutants have been of wide interest to scientists as special materials. A tea plant displaying variegated spontaneous albinism found in a local tea plantation in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China, was used as the material sample in this study. An analysis of preexisting transcriptomic and proteomic data revealed the significant upregulation of three classes of PRs. In order to investigate the correlation between PRs and variegated tea plants, a series of studies were conducted on PR genes. The results revealed the identification of 17 CsPR1, 3 CsPR4 and 31 CsPR5 genes in tea plants using bioinformatics methods, and their structures and promoter sequences. The expression of three PR1, two PR4 and one PR5 genes was determined to be induced in stress treatment experiments involving mechanical damage, insect bites, low temperature treatment, and fungal infections. Additionally, the ribonuclease activity of CsPR4 was successfully verified. This is the first study to report the ribonuclease activity of CsPR4 in tea plants. The results can serve as a reference for future studies on PRs in tea plants, offering new insights into information on albinism in tea plants.

The FAR1-RELATED SEQUENCE1 (FAR1) and FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL3 (FHY3) gene family plays a crucial role in various physiological and developmental processes, including seed germination, photomorphogenesis, flowering and stress responses. However, genome analysis of FAR1/FHY3 in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) has not been systemically investigated. In this study, 20 FAR1/FHY3 genes in cucumber were identified. The 20 FAR1/FHY3 members are randomly distributed on six chromosomes. The examination of subcellular localization indicated that the nucleus is the primary site where the 20 FAR1/FHY3 members are predominantly found. The analysis of the phylogenetic tree further revealed that the FAR1/FHY3 genes in cucumber are grouped into three distinct categories, exhibiting remarkable resemblance to the corresponding genes in other plant species. The analysis of cis-acting elements showed that most FAR1/FHY3 genes contain a variety of hormones as well as stress-related and light response elements. Through scrutinizing the expression patterns in various tissues, it was discerned that these genes are prominently expressed in roots, stems and leaves, with roots exhibiting the highest level of expression. Additionally, the 20 cucumber FAR1/FHY3 genes are all responsive to jasmonic acid methyl ester (Me-JA) and abscisic acid (ABA). CsFAR6 and CsFAR12 are significantly induced by Me-JA and ABA, respectively. CsFAR13 positively responds to NaCl and PEG6000 stresses. CsFAR11, CsFAR15 and CsFAR13 are significantly induced by the dark. The findings presented in this study establish compelling support for the potential involvement of FAR1/FHY3 genes in the growth, development and stress response of cucumbers. Moreover, these results serve as a solid basis for future investigations into the functional analysis of FAR1/FHY3.

Phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) are essential for plant growth, development, and defense responses. However, research on the PIFs in sweet potato has been insufficient to date. In this study, we identified PIF genes in the cultivated hexaploid sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and its two wild relatives, Ipomoea triloba, and Ipomoea trifida. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that IbPIFs could be divided into four groups, showing the closest relationship with tomato and potato. Subsequently, the PIFs protein properties, chromosome location, gene structure, and protein interaction network were systematically analyzed. RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analyses showed that IbPIFs were mainly expressed in stem, as well as had different gene expression patterns in response to various stresses. Among them, the expression of IbPIF3.1 was strongly induced by salt, drought, H2O2, cold, heat, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. batatas (Fob), and stem nematodes, indicating that IbPIF3.1 might play an important role in response to abiotic and biotic stresses in sweet potato. Further research revealed that overexpression of IbPIF3.1 significantly enhanced drought and Fusarium wilt tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants. This study provides new insights for understanding PIF-mediated stress responses and lays a foundation for future investigation of sweet potato PIFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global concrete and construction industry's growth has led to a shift in priorities, with a greater emphasis placed on sustainability. Hence, with technological advances, the concrete industry seeks additional cementitious materials to produce value-added products. By emphasizing the financial, ecological, and technological benefits of using fly ash as a partial cement replacement, the study constructed a framework which integrates the economic, environmental, and social pillars of sustainability through value engineering. Experimental results from 42 previous studies are analyzed and presented to underline the unique characteristics of fly ash concrete alternatives across five criteria (replacement, strength gain, compressive strength, slump, and permeability), showing how they differ from conventional concrete, and how they can be used to implement sustainable practices with positive financial outcomes. This study showed that the alternatives' value gradually increases up to two times at 50% cement replacement. On the other hand, while the construction cost gradually increased to a peak of 19.69%, the life cycle cost went down by 41.45% at the same percentage. Thus, customers can emphasize the superiority of eco-friendly concrete while also highlighting the economic benefits, making it a more competitive option for them and expanding its market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]