Synergistic biocementation: harnessing Comamonas and Bacillus ureolytic bacteria for enhanced sand stabilization.

Biocementation, driven by ureolytic bacteria and their biochemical activities, has evolved as a powerful technology for soil stabilization, crack repair, and bioremediation. Ureolytic bacteria play a crucial role in calcium carbonate precipitation through their enzymatic activity, hydrolyzing urea to produce carbonate ions and elevate pH, thus creating favorable conditions for the precipitation of calcium carbonate. While extensive research has explored the ability of ureolytic bacteria isolated from natural environments or culture conditions, bacterial synergy is often unexplored or under-reported.

Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis in plastids: Key enzymes and their critical roles for male reproduction and other processes in plants.

Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis in plant plastids is initiated from acetyl-CoA and catalyzed by a series of enzymes, which is required for the vegetative growth, reproductive growth, seed development, stress response, chloroplast development and other biological processes. In this review, we systematically summarized the fatty acid de novo biosynthesis-related genes/enzymes and their critical roles in various plant developmental processes. Based on bioinformatic analysis, we identified fatty acid synthase encoding genes and predicted their potential functions in maize growth and development, especially in anther and pollen development.

Structural and molecular basis of pollen germination.

Pollen germination is a prerequisite for double fertilization of flowering plants. A comprehensive understanding of the structural and molecular basis of pollen germination holds great potential for crop yield improvement. The pollen aperture serves as the foundation for most plant pollen germination and pollen aperture formation involves the establishment of cellular polarity, the formation of distinct membrane domains, and the precise deposition of extracellular substances.

ZmMS1/ZmLBD30-orchestrated transcriptional regulatory networks precisely control pollen exine development.

Because of its significance for plant male fertility and, hence, direct impact on crop yield, pollen exine development has inspired decades of scientific inquiry. However, the molecular mechanism underlying exine formation and thickness remains elusive. In this study, we identified that a previously unrecognized repressor, ZmMS1/ZmLBD30, controls proper pollen exine development in maize.

Promoting genotype-independent plant transformation by manipulating developmental regulatory genes and/or using nanoparticles.

This review summarizes the molecular basis and emerging applications of developmental regulatory genes and nanoparticles in plant transformation and discusses strategies to overcome the obstacles of genotype dependency in plant transformation. Plant transformation is an important tool for plant research and biotechnology-based crop breeding. However, Plant transformation and regeneration are highly dependent on species and genotype.

Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the positive effects of online games on college students' psychological demands and individual growth.

Methods: A qualitative study design was carried out in September 2021. Semi-structured, in-depth, and individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 undergraduates who played the online game "Glory of Kings" from six universities.

Classification of Fluorescently Labelled Maize Kernels Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

Accurate real-time classification of fluorescently labelled maize kernels is important for the industrial application of its advanced breeding techniques. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a real-time classification device and recognition algorithm for fluorescently labelled maize kernels. In this study, a machine vision (MV) system capable of identifying fluorescent maize kernels in real time was designed using a fluorescent protein excitation light source and a filter to achieve optimal detection.

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Crops and Nutritional Quality: Identification of Gene Resources to Improve Crop Nutritional Quality through Gene Editing Technology.

Food security and hidden hunger are two worldwide serious and complex challenges nowadays. As one of the newly emerged technologies, gene editing technology and its application to crop improvement offers the possibility to relieve the pressure of food security and nutrient needs. In this paper, we analyzed the research status of quality improvement based on gene editing using four major crops, including rice, soybean, maize, and wheat, through a bibliometric analysis.

A Systematic Investigation of Lipid Transfer Proteins Involved in Male Fertility and Other Biological Processes in Maize.

Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) play essential roles in various biological processes, including anther and pollen development, vegetative organ development, seed development and germination, and stress response, but the research progress varies greatly among , rice and maize. Here, we presented a preliminary introduction and characterization of the whole 65 LTP genes in maize, and performed a phylogenetic tree and gene ontology analysis of the LTP family members in maize. We compared the research progresses of the reported LTP genes involved in male fertility and other biological processes in and rice, and thus provided some implications for their maize orthologs, which will provide useful clues for the investigation of LTP transporters in maize.

Genetic Analysis and Fine Mapping of Conferring Glufosinate Herbicide Tolerance in Maize ( L.).

Weed interference in the crop field is one of the major biotic stresses causing dramatic crop yield losses, and the development of herbicide-resistant crops is critical for weed control in the application of herbicide technologies. To identify herbicide-resistant germplasms, we screened 854 maize inbreed lines and 25,620 seedlings by spraying them with 1 g/L glufosinate. One plant (L336R), possibly derived from a natural variation of line L336, was identified to have the potential for glufosinate tolerance.

Triphasic regulation of ZmMs13 encoding an ABCG transporter is sequentially required for callose dissolution, pollen exine and anther cuticle formation in maize.

Introduction: ATP Binding Cassette G (ABCG) transporters are associated with plant male reproduction, while their regulatory mechanisms underlying anther and pollen development remain largely unknown.

Objectives: Identify and characterize a male-sterility gene ZmMs13 encoding an ABCG transporter in modulating anther and pollen development in maize.

Methods: Phenotypic, cytological observations, and histochemistry staining were performed to characterize the ms13-6060 mutant.

The Bibliometric Landscape of Gene Editing Innovation and Regulation in the Worldwide.

Gene editing (GE) has become one of the mainstream bioengineering technologies over the past two decades, mainly fueled by the rapid development of the CRISPR/Cas system since 2012. To date, plenty of articles related to the progress and applications of GE have been published globally, but the objective, quantitative and comprehensive investigations of them are relatively few. Here, 13,980 research articles and reviews published since 1999 were collected by using GE-related queries in the Web of Science.

The ZmMYB84-ZmPKSB regulatory module controls male fertility through modulating anther cuticle-pollen exine trade-off in maize anthers.

Anther cuticle and pollen exine are two crucial lipid layers that ensure normal pollen development and pollen-stigma interaction for successful fertilization and seed production in plants. Their formation processes share certain common pathways of lipid biosynthesis and transport across four anther wall layers. However, molecular mechanism underlying a trade-off of lipid-metabolic products to promote the proper formation of the two lipid layers remains elusive.

ATP-Binding Cassette G Transporters and Their Multiple Roles Especially for Male Fertility in , Rice and Maize.

ATP-binding cassette subfamily G (ABCG) transporters are extensive in plants and play essential roles in various processes influencing plant fitness, but the research progress varies greatly among , rice and maize. In this review, we present a consolidated nomenclature and characterization of the whole 51 ABCG transporters in maize, perform a phylogenetic analysis and classification of the ABCG subfamily members in maize, and summarize the latest research advances in ABCG transporters for these three plant species. ABCG transporters are involved in diverse processes in and rice, such as anther and pollen development, vegetative and female organ development, abiotic and biotic stress response, and phytohormone transport, which provide useful clues for the functional investigation of ABCG transporters in maize.

The Loss-Function of the Male Sterile Gene / Results in Severely Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Disorder in Maize Anthers.

In plants, oxidative stress and metabolic reprogramming frequently induce male sterility, however our knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanism is far from complete. Here, a maize genic male-sterility (GMS) mutant () with a loss-of-function of the gene encoding glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 6 (GPAT6) displayed severe deficiencies in the development of a four-layer anther wall and microspores and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in anthers. In anthers, transcriptome analysis identified thousands of differentially expressed genes that were functionally enriched in stress response and primary metabolism pathways.

Genetic Structure and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Formation of Tassel, Anther, and Pollen in the Male Inflorescence of Maize ( L.).

Maize tassel is the male reproductive organ which is located at the plant's apex; both its morphological structure and fertility have a profound impact on maize grain yield. More than 40 functional genes regulating the complex tassel traits have been cloned up to now. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the whole process, from male inflorescence meristem initiation to tassel morphogenesis, are seldom discussed.

Use of CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing to Simultaneously Mutate Multiple Homologous Genes Required for Pollen Development and Male Fertility in Maize.

Male sterility represents an important trait for hybrid breeding and seed production in crops. Although the genes required for male fertility have been widely studied and characterized in many plant species, most of them are single genic male-sterility (GMS) genes. To investigate the role of multiple homologous genes in anther and pollen developments of maize, we established the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing method to simultaneously mutate the homologs in several putative GMS gene families.

Plant Molecular Farming, a Tool for Functional Food Production.

The demand of functional food is increasing for improving human health. Plant molecular farming (PMF) employs plants as bioreactors for the production of pharmaceuticals. Now PMF has been used to produce antibodies, vaccines, and medicinal proteins, but it has not been well-studied for production of nutraceuticals and functional food.

ZmMs25 encoding a plastid-localized fatty acyl reductase is critical for anther and pollen development in maize.

Fatty acyl reductases (FARs) catalyse the reduction of fatty acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) or -acyl carrier protein (ACP) substrates to primary fatty alcohols, which play essential roles in lipid metabolism in plants. However, the mechanism by which FARs are involved in male reproduction is poorly defined. Here, we found that two maize allelic mutants, ms25-6065 and ms25-6057, displayed defective anther cuticles, abnormal Ubisch body formation, impaired pollen exine formation and complete male sterility.

CRISPR/Cas9-based discovery of maize transcription factors regulating male sterility and their functional conservation in plants.

Identifying genic male-sterility (GMS) genes and elucidating their roles are important to unveil plant male reproduction and promote their application in crop breeding. However, compared with Arabidopsis and rice, relatively fewer maize GMS genes have been discovered and little is known about their regulatory pathways underlying anther and pollen development. Here, by sequencing and analysing anther transcriptomes at 11 developmental stages in maize B73, Zheng58 and M6007 inbred lines, 1100 transcription factor (TF) genes were identified to be stably differentially expressed among different developmental stages.

Breeding with dominant genic male-sterility genes to boost crop grain yield in the post-heterosis utilization era.

Global food security is facing severe challenges from an ever-growing population, limited resources, and various stresses. Dominant genic male sterility (DGMS) technology combined with modern breeding strategies may create novel cultivation models with ~50% DGMS F hybrids for field production of cross-pollinated crops, boosting crop grain yield to ensure global food security and sustainable agriculture in the post-heterosis utilization era.

Normal Structure and Function of Endothecium Chloroplasts Maintained by ZmMs33-Mediated Lipid Biosynthesis in Tapetal Cells Are Critical for Anther Development in Maize.

Genic male sterility (GMS) is critical for heterosis utilization and hybrid seed production. Although GMS mutants and genes have been studied extensively in plants, it has remained unclear whether chloroplast-associated photosynthetic and metabolic activities are involved in the regulation of anther development. In this study, we characterized the function of ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6, which encodes a member of the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) family that catalyzes the first step of the glycerolipid synthetic pathway.

Molecular regulation of required for maize male fertility and development of a dominant male-sterility system in multiple species.

Understanding the molecular basis of male sterility and developing practical male-sterility systems are essential for heterosis utilization and commercial hybrid seed production in crops. Here, we report molecular regulation by genic male-sterility gene () and its application for developing a dominant male-sterility system in multiple species. is specifically expressed in maize anthers, encodes a plant homeodomain (PHD) finger protein that functions as a transcriptional activator, and plays a key role in tapetal development and pollen exine formation.

Research on diagnosis-related group grouping of inpatient medical expenditure in colorectal cancer patients based on a decision tree model.

Background: In 2018, the diagnosis-related groups prospective payment system (DRGs-PPS) was introduced in a trial operation in Beijing according to the requirements of medical and health reform. The implementation of the system requires that more than 300 disease types pay through the DRGs-PPS for medical insurance. Colorectal cancer (CRC), as a common malignant tumor with high prevalence in recent years, was among the 300 disease types.