Label-Free and Simultaneous Mechanical and Electrical Characterization of Single Plant Cells Using Microfluidic Impedance Flow Cytometry.

Despite that single-cell-type-level analyses have been extensively conducted on animal models to gain new insights into complex biological processes; the unique biological and physiological properties of plant cells have not been widely studied at single-cell resolution. In this work, an electrical impedance flow cytometry was fabricated based on microfluidics with constriction microchannel to simultaneously characterize the mechanical and electrical properties of single plant cells. Protoplasts from two model plant species, the herbaceous and the woody , could be readily discriminated by their respective mechanical traits, but not by electrical impedance.

An impedance-coupled microfluidic device for single-cell analysis of primary cell wall regeneration.

Primary cell wall (PCW) is a rigid yet flexible cell wall surrounding plant cells and it plays key roles in plant growth, cell differentiation, intercellular communication, water movement and defence. As a technique widely used to study the characteristics of mammalian cells, electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is rarely used in plant science. In this work, we designed and fabricated an EIS based biosensor coupled with microfluidic platform to investigate the formation process of PCWat the single-cell level.

Genome-wide identification, expression and functional analysis of Populus xylogen-like genes.

As an extracellular arabinogalactan protein (AGP) containing a non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) domain, xylogen mediates the local intercellular communication required for tracheary element (TE) differentiation in Zinnia cell culture. Although XYLP (xylogen-like protein) gene families have been reported in Arabidopsis and rice, no comprehensive analysis has been performed in woody plants. In this work, 31 XYLP genes in five phylogenetic groups were identified from Populus trichocarpa genome and a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis including gene and protein structures, chromosomal locations and duplication events were conducted.

Truncated BAM receptors interfere the apical meristematic activity in a dominant negative manner when ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis.

Small, secreted signaling peptides that are perceived by receptor-like kinases (RLKs) constitute an important regulatory mechanism in plant organ formation and stem cell maintenance. However, functional redundancy at the level of both ligand and receptor families often makes it difficult to clearly discern the role of individual members by a genetic approach. Here, we show that driven by a constitutive CaMV 35S promoter, a truncated BAM protein (BAMΔ) that lacks either the signal peptide (SP) or the cytoplasmic kinase (Ki) domain could cause defective shoot apical meristem (SAM) maintenance, which phenotypically resembled the triple bam mutant.

Characterization of FM2382 from Fulvimarina manganoxydans sp. Nov. 8047 with potential enzymatic decontamination of sulfur mustard.

Sulfur mustard (SM) can be hydrolyzed by haloalkane dehalogenases such as DhaA, LinB and DmbA. However, the low resistance to the elevated temperatures limited the practical application of haloalkane dehalogenases. Here we reported a new thermotolerant dehalogenase FM2382 from Fulvimarina manganoxydans sp.

Negative Regulation of Ectoine Uptake and Catabolism in Sinorhizobium meliloti: Characterization of the EhuR Gene.

Unlabelled: Ectoine has osmoprotective effects on Sinorhizobium meliloti that differ from its effects in other bacteria. Ectoine does not accumulate in S. meliloti cells; instead, it is degraded.

Design of an ectoine-responsive AraC mutant and its application in metabolic engineering of ectoine biosynthesis.

Advanced high-throughput screening methods for small molecules may have important applications in the metabolic engineering of the biosynthetic pathways of these molecules. Ectoine is an excellent osmoprotectant that has been widely used in cosmetics. In this study, the Escherichia coli regulatory protein AraC was engineered to recognize ectoine as its non-natural effector and to activate transcription upon ectoine binding.