Sulfated Cellulose Nanofiber Hydrogel with Mucus-Like Activities for Virus Inhibition.

Mucus is the first defense barrier against viruses in the human immune system. Inspired by the mucus structure, we designed a highly sulfated hydrogel to bind viruses and prevent infection of the underlying cells. The hydrogel was formed by gelation of sulfated cellulose nanofiber (SCNF) with Ca.

Composite Hedges Nanopores codec system for rapid and portable DNA data readout with high INDEL-Correction.

Reading digital information from highly dense but lightweight DNA medium nowadays relies on time-consuming next-generation sequencing. Nanopore sequencing holds the promise to overcome the efficiency problem, but high indel error rates lead to the requirement of large amount of high quality data for accurate readout. Here we introduce Composite Hedges Nanopores, capable of handling indel rates up to 15.

Light controls mesophyll-specific post-transcriptional splicing of photoregulatory genes by AtPRMT5.

Light plays a central role in plant growth and development, providing an energy source and governing various aspects of plant morphology. Previous study showed that many polyadenylated full-length RNA molecules within the nucleus contain unspliced introns (post-transcriptionally spliced introns, PTS introns), which may play a role in rapidly responding to changes in environmental signals. However, the mechanism underlying post-transcriptional regulation during initial light exposure of young, etiolated seedlings remains elusive.

Correction: Reactive oxygen nanobiocatalysts: activity-mechanism disclosures, catalytic center evolutions, and changing states.

Correction for 'Reactive oxygen nanobiocatalysts: activity-mechanism disclosures, catalytic center evolutions, and changing states' by Sujiao Cao , , 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cs00087g.

Single-nucleus transcriptomes reveal spatiotemporal symbiotic perception and early response in Medicago.

Establishing legume-rhizobial symbiosis requires precise coordination of complex responses in a time- and cell type-specific manner. Encountering Rhizobium, rapid changes of gene expression levels in host plants occur in the first few hours, which prepare the plants to turn off defence and form a symbiotic relationship with the microbes. Here, we applied single-nucleus RNA sequencing to characterize the roots of Medicago truncatula at 30 min, 6 h and 24 h after nod factor treatment.

Cell type-specific cytonuclear coevolution in three allopolyploid plant species.

Cytonuclear disruption may accompany allopolyploid evolution as a consequence of the merger of different nuclear genomes in a cellular environment having only one set of progenitor organellar genomes. One path to reconcile potential cytonuclear mismatch is biased expression for maternal gene duplicates (homoeologs) encoding proteins that target to plastids and/or mitochondria. Assessment of this transcriptional form of cytonuclear coevolution at the level of individual cells or cell types remains unexplored.

Reactive oxygen nanobiocatalysts: activity-mechanism disclosures, catalytic center evolutions, and changing states.

Benefiting from low costs, structural diversities, tunable catalytic activities, feasible modifications, and high stability compared to the natural enzymes, reactive oxygen nanobiocatalysts (RONBCs) have become dominant materials in catalyzing and mediating reactive oxygen species (ROS) for diverse biomedical and biological applications. Decoding the catalytic mechanism and structure-reactivity relationship of RONBCs is critical to guide their future developments. Here, this timely review comprehensively summarizes the recent breakthroughs and future trends in creating and decoding RONBCs.

Single-molecule targeted accessibility and methylation sequencing of centromeres, telomeres and rDNAs in Arabidopsis.

The short read-length of next-generation sequencing makes it challenging to characterize highly repetitive regions (HRRs) such as centromeres, telomeres and ribosomal DNAs. Based on recent strategies that combined long-read sequencing and exogenous enzymatic labelling of open chromatin, we developed single-molecule targeted accessibility and methylation sequencing (STAM-seq) in plants by further integrating nanopore adaptive sampling to investigate the HRRs in wild-type Arabidopsis and DNA methylation mutants that are defective in CG- or non-CG methylation. We found that CEN180 repeats show higher chromatin accessibility and lower DNA methylation on their forward strand, individual rDNA units show a negative correlation between their DNA methylation and accessibility, and both accessibility and CHH methylation levels are lower at telomere compared to adjacent subtelomeric region.

Molecular mechanism of HNTX-I activates the intermediate-conductance Ca-activated K (IK) channels.

The IK channel, a potassium ion channel regulated by calcium ions and voltages in a bidirectional manner, has been implicated in a range of diseases. However, there are currently few compounds available that can target the IK channel with high potency and specificity. Hainantoxin-I (HNTX-I) is the first peptide activator of IK channel discovered so far, but its activity is not ideal, and the underlying mechanism interaction between HNTX-I toxin and IK channel remains unclear.

Integrated single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics captures transitional states in soybean nodule maturation.

Legumes form symbiosis with rhizobium leading to the development of nitrogen-fixing nodules. By integrating single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics, we established a cell atlas of soybean nodules and roots. In central infected zones of nodules, we found that uninfected cells specialize into functionally distinct subgroups during nodule development, and revealed a transitional subtype of infected cells with enriched nodulation-related genes.

Genome-wide characterization of nascent RNA processing in plants.

Following transcription initiation, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) elongates through the genic region and terminates after the polyadenylation signal. This process is accompanied by splicing, 3' cleavage, and polyadenylation, to eventually form a mature mRNA. Recent advances in short-read and long-read high-throughput sequencing methods have shed light on the global landscape of these co-transcriptional events at nucleotide resolution.

An atlas of plant full-length RNA reveals tissue-specific and monocots-dicots conserved regulation of poly(A) tail length.

Poly(A) tail is a hallmark of eukaryotic messenger RNA and its length plays an essential role in regulating mRNA metabolism. However, a comprehensive resource for plant poly(A) tail length has yet to be established. Here, we applied a poly(A)-enrichment-free, nanopore-based method to profile full-length RNA with poly(A) tail information in plants.

Emerging 2D Materials for Electrocatalytic Applications: Synthesis, Multifaceted Nanostructures, and Catalytic Center Design.

Currently, the development of advanced 2D nanomaterials has become an interdisciplinary subject with extensive studies due to their extraordinary physicochemical performances. Beyond graphene, the emerging 2D-material-derived electrocatalysts (2D-ECs) have aroused great attention as one of the best candidates for heterogeneous electrocatalysis. The tunable physicochemical compositions and characteristics of 2D-ECs enable rational structural engineering at the molecular/atomic levels to meet the requirements of different catalytic applications.

Landscape of transcription termination in Arabidopsis revealed by single-molecule nascent RNA sequencing.

Background: The dynamic process of transcription termination produces transient RNA intermediates that are difficult to distinguish from each other via short-read sequencing methods.

Results: Here, we use single-molecule nascent RNA sequencing to characterize the various forms of transient RNAs during termination at genome-wide scale in wildtype Arabidopsis and in atxrn3, fpa, and met1 mutants. Our data reveal a wide range of termination windows among genes, ranging from ~ 50 nt to over 1000 nt.

Hedgehog artificial macrophage with atomic-catalytic centers to combat Drug-resistant bacteria.

Pathogenic drug-resistant bacteria represent a threat to human health, for instance, the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There is an ever-growing need to develop non-antibiotic strategies to fight bacteria without triggering drug resistance. Here, we design a hedgehog artificial macrophage with atomic-catalytic centers to combat MRSA by mimicking the "capture and killing" process of macrophages.

FLEP-seq: simultaneous detection of RNA polymerase II position, splicing status, polyadenylation site and poly(A) tail length at genome-wide scale by single-molecule nascent RNA sequencing.

Elongation, splicing and polyadenylation are fundamental steps of transcription, and studying their coordination requires simultaneous monitoring of these dynamic processes on one transcript. We recently developed a full-length nascent RNA sequencing method in the model plant Arabidopsis that simultaneously detects RNA polymerase II position, splicing status, polyadenylation site and poly(A) tail length at genome-wide scale. This method allows calculation of the kinetics of cotranscriptional splicing and detects polyadenylated transcripts with unspliced introns retained at specific positions posttranscriptionally.

Multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 editing of DNA methyltransferases in rice uncovers a class of non-CG methylation specific for GC-rich regions.

DNA methylation in the non-CG context is widespread in the plant kingdom and abundant in mammalian tissues such as the brain and pluripotent cells. Non-CG methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana is coordinately regulated by DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLTRANSFERASE (DRM) and CHROMOMETHYLASE (CMT) proteins but has yet to be systematically studied in major crops due to difficulties in obtaining genetic materials. Here, utilizing the highly efficient multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system, we created single- and multiple-knockout mutants for all the nine DNA methyltransferases in rice (Oryza sativa) and profiled their whole-genome methylation status at single-nucleotide resolution.

FlsnRNA-seq: protoplasting-free full-length single-nucleus RNA profiling in plants.

The broad application of single-cell RNA profiling in plants has been hindered by the prerequisite of protoplasting that requires digesting the cell walls from different types of plant tissues. Here, we present a protoplasting-free approach, flsnRNA-seq, for large-scale full-length RNA profiling at a single-nucleus level in plants using isolated nuclei. Combined with 10x Genomics and Nanopore long-read sequencing, we validate the robustness of this approach in Arabidopsis root cells and the developing endosperm.

Bioinspired Spiky Peroxidase-Mimics for Localized Bacterial Capture and Synergistic Catalytic Sterilization.

Besides the pandemic caused by the coronavirus outbreak, many other pathogenic microbes also pose a devastating threat to human health, for instance, pathogenic bacteria. Due to the lack of broad-spectrum antibiotics, it is urgent to develop nonantibiotic strategies to fight bacteria. Herein, inspired by the localized "capture and killing" action of bacteriophages, a virus-like peroxidase-mimic (V-POD-M) is synthesized for efficient bacterial capture (mesoporous spiky structures) and synergistic catalytic sterilization (metal-organic-framework-derived catalytic core).

Transition Metal and Metal-N Codoped MOF-Derived Fenton-Like Catalysts: A Comparative Study on Single Atoms and Nanoparticles.

To deal with the ever-growing toxic benzene-derived compounds in the water system, extensive efforts have been dedicated for catalytic degradation of pollutants. However, the activities and efficiencies of the transition metal-based nanoparticles or single-atom sites are still ambiguous in Fenton-like reactions. Herein, to compare the Fenton-like catalytic efficiencies of the nanoparticles and single atoms, the free-standing nanofibrous catalyst comprising Co nanocrystals and Co-N codoped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or bare Co-N doped CNTs is fabricated.

Soybean DICER-LIKE2 Regulates Seed Coat Color via Production of Primary 22-Nucleotide Small Interfering RNAs from Long Inverted Repeats.

In plants, 22-nucleotide small RNAs trigger the production of secondary small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and enhance silencing. DICER-LIKE2 (DCL2)-dependent 22-nucleotide siRNAs are rare in Arabidopsis () and are thought to function mainly during viral infection; by contrast, these siRNAs are abundant in many crops such as soybean () and maize (). Here, we studied soybean 22-nucleotide siRNAs by applying CRISPR-Cas9 to simultaneously knock out the two copies of soybean , and , in the Tianlong1 cultivar.