Whole Grain Qingke Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice With Alterations in Gut Microbiota and Metabolite Profile.

Whole grain Qingke (WGQK) displays anti-obesity and lipid-lowering properties; however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study investigated the alteration of gut microbiota composition and metabolite profile induced by WGQK intervention in mice through the integration of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing and an untargeted metabolomics study. C57BL/6J male mice were fed a normal control diet (NC), high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD plus 30% WGQK (HFD+QK) for 16 weeks.

Manipulating a Single Transcription Factor, 1, Promotes Anthocyanin Accumulation in Barley Grains.

Barley has abundant anthocyanin-rich accessions, which renders it an ideal model to investigate the regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis. This study functionally characterized two transcription factors: Ant1 and Ant2. Sequence alignment showed that the coding sequences of 1 and 2 are conserved among 11 colored hulless barley and noncolored barley varieties.

Identification of regulatory factors promoting embryogenic callus formation in barley through transcriptome analysis.

Background: Barley is known to be recalcitrant to tissue culture, which hinders genetic transformation and its biotechnological application. To date, the ideal explant for transformation remains limited to immature embryos; the mechanism underlying embryonic callus formation is elusive.

Results: This study aimed to uncover the different transcription regulation pathways between calli formed from immature (IME) and mature (ME) embryos through transcriptome sequencing.

The barley miR393 has multiple roles in regulation of seedling growth, stomatal density, and drought stress tolerance.

microRNA393 (miR393) and its target module have been implicated as comprising a conserved mechanism to regulate developmental processes and plant growth in response to environmental signals through the auxin signaling pathway. Our previous work identified miR393 and its two targets in barley. In this study, we further investigated the expression pattern of miR393 and its biological functions in seedling growth and drought tolerance.