Uncovering the key lncRNAs in regulating cadmium accumulation and translocation in sweet sorghum.

1988 lncRNAs were identified in sweet sorghum roots under cadmium treatment; lncRNA 15962 and lncRNA 11558 were validated to be the key lncRNAs involved in regulating cadmium accumulation and translocation. Cadmium (Cd) has become one of the most harmful and widespread pollutants with industry development. Sweet sorghum is an ideal plant for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Corynebacterium parakroppenstedtii secretes a novel glycolipid to promote the development of granulomatous lobular mastitis.

Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) is a chronic idiopathic granulomatous mastitis of the mammary gland characterized by significant pain and a high propensity for recurrence, the incidence rate has gradually increased, and has become a serious breast disease that should not be ignored. GLM is highly suspected relative to microbial infections, especially those of Corynebacterium species; however, the mechanisms involved are unclear, and prevention and treatment are difficult. In this study, we demonstrated the pathogenicity of Corynebacterium parakroppenstedtii in GLM using Koch's postulates.

Cell size and xylem differentiation regulating genes from Salicornia europaea contribute to plant salt tolerance.

Cell wall is involved in plant growth and plays pivotal roles in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Cell wall remodelling may be crucial to salt adaptation in the euhalophyte Salicornia europaea. However, the mechanism underlying this process is still unclear.

SbYS1 and SbWRKY72 regulate Cd tolerance and accumulation in sweet sorghum.

SbYS1 and its upstream transcription factor SbWRKY72 were involved in Cd tolerance and accumulation and are valuable for developing sweet sorghum germplasm with high-Cd tolerance or accumulation ability through genetic manipulation. Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic and can severely affect human health. Sweet sorghum, as an energy crop, shows great potential in extracting cadmium from Cd-contaminated soils.

PHT1;5 Repressed by ANT Mediates Pi Acquisition and Distribution under Low Pi and Salinity in Salt Cress.

Salinity and phosphate (Pi) starvation are the most common abiotic stresses that threaten crop productivity. Salt cress (Eutrema salsugineum) displays good tolerance to both salinity and Pi limitation. Previously, we found several Phosphate Transporter (PHT) genes in salt cress upregulated under salinity.

Theoretical investigation of the magnetic and optical properties in a transition metal-doped GaTeCl monolayer.

We investigate the structural, magnetic, electronic and optical properties of a transition metal-doped GaTeCl monolayer, denoted as M@GaTeCl (M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe and Co), by using first-principles calculations. It is found that the magnetic ground state can be regulated by different M elements. In the meantime, the electronic structure is different with the doping of different M metal atoms, and thus the optical absorption changes correspondingly.

Comparative analysis of sRNAs, degradome and transcriptomics in sweet sorghum reveals the regulatory roles of miRNAs in Cd accumulation and tolerance.

Key miRNAs including sbi-miR169p/q, sbi-miR171g/j, sbi-miR172a/c/d, sbi-miR172e, sbi-miR319a/b, sbi-miR396a/b, miR408, sbi-miR5384, sbi-miR5565e and nov_23 were identified to function in the regulation of Cd accumulation and tolerance. As an energy plant, sweet sorghum shows great potential in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils. However, few studies have focused on the regulatory roles of miRNAs and their targets under Cd stress.

Variation of PHT families adapts salt cress to phosphate limitation under salinity.

Salt cress (Eutrema salsugineum) presents relatively high phosphate (Pi) use efficiency cy in its natural habitat. Phosphate Transporters (PHTs) play critical roles in Pi acquisition and homeostasis. Here, a comparative study of PHT families between salt cress and Arabidopsis was performed.

Phosphatidylserine Synthase from Salicornia europaea Is Involved in Plant Salt Tolerance by Regulating Plasma Membrane Stability.

Salinity-induced lipid alterations have been reported in many plant species; however, how lipid biosynthesis and metabolism are regulated and how lipids work in plant salt tolerance are much less studied. Here, a constitutively much higher phosphatidylserine (PS) content in the plasma membrane (PM) was found in the euhalophyte Salicornia europaea than in Arabidopsis. A gene encoding PS synthase (PSS) was subsequently isolated from S.

Comparison of actual and simulated tumoricidal effects induced by photodynamic therapy.

Objectives: Numerous studies employ mathematical methods, such as Monte Carlo simulation, to predict the tumor killing effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) by simulating optical propagation, photosensitizer distribution, and oxygen distribution. Whether these models faithfully reflect tumor killing is unknown, and model validation using tumor cross sections in these studies is usually insufficient to answer this question. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we employed a mouse model of breast cancer to determine the spatiotemporal effects of PDT using direct histopathological and biochemical analyses of whole tumors.

Solution-Phase Synthesis of a Base-Free Benzoborirene and a Three-Dimensional Inorganic Analogue.

The base-free benzoborirene 1,2-BR-1,2-CH () and its three-dimensional inorganic analogue 1,2-BR-1,2-CBH () have been successfully synthesized by CpZrBr and LiCl elimination, respectively. The Cl analogue of the key intermediate for the formation of benzoborirene has been isolated and structurally characterized, thus suggesting the reaction pathway via benzyne Zr complex formation, B-Br/C-Zr σ-bond metathesis, and a CpZrBr elimination/ring-closing process. The rationality of the reaction pathway has been confirmed by DFT calculations.

Highlights to phytosterols accumulation and equilibrium in plants: Biosynthetic pathway and feedback regulation.

Phytosterols are a group of sterols exclusive to plants and fungi, but are indispensable to humans because of their medicinal and nutritional values. However, current raw materials used for phytosterols extraction add to the cost and waste in the process. For higher sterols production, major attention is drawn to plant materials abundant in phytosterols and genetic modification.

[Application potential of Salicornia europaea in remediation of Cd, Pb and Li contaminated saline soil].

Coastal and inland saline-alkali soil is important reserve land resources. However, some parts of saline land are now under the threat of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and the light metal lithium (Li). Phytoremediation with halophytes could be the most economical and effective way to restore the contaminated saline soil.

[Research progress in phytoremediation of heavy-metal contaminated soils with high-biomass economic plants].

Phytoremediation is one of the important methods for restoring heavy-metal contaminated soils. Using high-biomass economic plants to restore heavy-metal contaminated soils can have both ecological and economic benefits, with great application prospects. Based on the analysis of current situation and existing problems of phytoremediation, we propose the advantages of high-biomass economic plants in contaminated soil remediation, and summarize the recent advances and mechanisms involved in absorbing heavy metals in high-biomass economic plants.

[Preface for special issue on bioremediation of contaminated soil (2020)].

As an important strategy for sustainable development, bioremediation technology has been widely used in soil contamination remediation due to the advantages of environmental friendliness, excellent metal removal efficiency and free of secondary pollution. This special issue with a collection of 16 papers covers the research aspects from phytoremediation, microbial repair, combined remediation, molecular mechanisms of heavy metals absorption and accumulation, to beneficial reuse of feedstock resources, presents the recent advances as well as the future prospects involved in bioremediation for soil contamination. We aim to provide useful insights to help future development of bioremediation technology.

The V-ATPase subunit A is essential for salt tolerance through participating in vacuolar Na compartmentalization in Salicornia europaea.

The V-ATPase subunit A participates in vacuolar Na compartmentalization in Salicornia europaea regulating V-ATPase and V-PPase activities. Na sequestration into the vacuole is an efficient strategy in response to salinity in many halophytes. However, it is not yet fully understood how this process is achieved.

Identification for the capability of Cd-tolerance, accumulation and translocation of 96 sorghum genotypes.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a worldwide environmental problem which heavily threatens human health and food security. Sorghum, as one of the most promising energy crop, has been considered to be the source of high-quality feedstock for ethanol fuel. Ninety-six sorghum genotypes were investigated under hydroponic conditions to compare their capabilities of Cd-tolerance, accumulation and translocation for their potential in remediation of Cd contamination.

Comparative transcriptome combined with morpho-physiological analyses revealed key factors for differential cadmium accumulation in two contrasting sweet sorghum genotypes.

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread soil contaminant threatening human health. As an ideal energy plant, sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) has great potential in phytoremediation of Cd-polluted soils, although the molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

Roles, Regulation, and Agricultural Application of Plant Phosphate Transporters.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential mineral nutrient for plant growth and development. Low availability of inorganic phosphate (orthophosphate; Pi) in soil seriously restricts the crop production, while excessive fertilization has caused environmental pollution. Pi acquisition and homeostasis depend on transport processes controlled Pi transporters, which are grouped into five families so far: PHT1, PHT2, PHT3, PHT4, and PHT5.

Genome-Wide Identification of Laccases Reveals Potential Targets for Lignin Modification.

Laccase is a key enzyme in plant lignin biosynthesis as it catalyzes the final step of monolignols polymerization. Sweet sorghum [ (L.) Moench] is considered as an ideal feedstock for ethanol production, but lignin greatly limits the production efficiency.

Establishment of a gene function analysis system for the euhalophyte Salicornia europaea L.

A Salicornia europaea L. in vitro cell transformation system was developed and further applied to SeNHX1 function investigation. The exploration of salt-tolerant genes from halophyte has seriously been limited by the lack of self-dependent transformation system.

Morphophysiological characteristic analysis demonstrated the potential of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) in the phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination is a worldwide environmental problem, and remediation of Cd pollution is of great significance for food production as well as human health. Here, the responses of sweet sorghum cv. 'M-81E' to cadmium stress were studied for its potential as an energy plant in restoring soils contaminated by cadmium.

H(+)-pyrophosphatase from Salicornia europaea enhances tolerance to low phosphate under salinity in Arabidopsis.

Increasing soil salinity threatens crop productivity worldwide. High soil salinity is usually accompanied by the low availability of many mineral nutrients. Here, we investigated the potential role that the H(+)- PPase could play in optimizing P use efficiency under salinity in plants.

Lignin engineering through laccase modification: a promising field for energy plant improvement.

Laccase (p-diphenol:dioxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.10.3.