Barriers and Carriers for Transition Metal Homeostasis in Plants.

Transition metals are a type of metal with high chemical activity and play critical roles in plant growth and development, reproduction and environmental adaptation, as well as for human health. However, the acquisition, transportation and storage of these metals always pose specific challenges due to their nature of high reactivity and poor solubility. In addition, distinct yet interconnected apoplastic and symplastic diffusion barriers impede their movement throughout the plants.

OsMYB1 antagonizes OsSPL14 to mediate rice resistance to brown planthopper and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.

OsMYB1 negatively mediates rice resistance to brown planthopper and rice blight. Additionally, OsMYB1 interacts with OsSPL14 and antagonizes its function by oppositely regulating downstream resistance-related genes. In their natural habitats, plants are concurrently attacked by different biotic factors.

Perspectives of traditional herbal medicines in treating retinitis pigmentosa.

Medicinal plants, also known as herbs, have been discovered and utilized in traditional medical practice since prehistoric times. Medicinal plants have been proven rich in thousands of natural products that hold great potential for the development of new drugs. Previously, we reviewed the types of Chinese traditional medicines that a Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen (Japanese: Ganjin) brought to Japan from China in 742.

Wingless strain created using binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 alleviates concerns about mass rearing of Hermetia illucens.

Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens have potential as a natural waste recycler and subsequent use as protein-rich feed for livestock. A common question about the insect-farming processes is, what about the concerns of mass escape of insects from large populations? Here, we present a binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate wingless strain with the potential to address this issue. We identified gonad-specific promoters in vivo and evaluated use of the two strongest promoters, nanos and exuperantia, to drive Cas9 expression.

Cotton Metabolism Regulatory Network: unraveling key genes and pathways in fiber development and growth regulation.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is one of the world's most important commercial crops. However, the dynamics of metabolite abundance and the potential regulatory networks throughout its life cycle remain poorly understood.

Ginsenosides From Panax ginseng Improves Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Disorders in HFD-Fed Rats by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Cholesterol Metabolism Signaling Pathways.

A high-fat diet (HFD) is often associated with hepatic lipid metabolism disorders, leading to dysfunction in multiple body systems. Ginsenosides derived from Panax ginseng have been reported to possess potential effects in ameliorating lipid metabolism disorders; however, their underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. This study aims to investigate the bioactivities of ginsenosides in combating lipid metabolism disorders and obesity, with a focus on their mechanisms involving the cholesterol metabolism signaling pathway and gut microbiota.

Competitive binding of small antagonistic peptides to the OsER1 receptor optimizes rice panicle architecture.

Rice panicle architecture is a pivotal trait that strongly contributes to grain yield. Small peptide ligands from the OsEPF/EPFL family synergistically control panicle architecture by recognition of the OsER1 receptor and subsequent activation of the OsMKKK10-OsMKK4-OsMPK6 cascade, indicating that specific ligand-receptor pairs orchestrate rice panicle development. However, how small homologous peptides fine-tune organ morphogenesis by targeting a common receptor remains elusive.

Nap1 is essential for eupyrene spermatogenesis and migration in Plutella xylostella.

Spermatogenesis is a key process for the sexual reproduction species. In lepidopteran insects, spermatogenesis produces two different types of sperms, in which eupyrene sperm carry genomic DNA and fertilize eggs, whereas apyrene sperm are necessary for eupyrene sperm to enter eggs. However, functional genetic studies of spermatogenesis in Plutella xylostella remain a longstanding puzzle even though the phenomenon in lepidoptera has been widely documented more than a century.

Nuclear GTPSCS functions as a lactyl-CoA synthetase to promote histone lactylation and gliomagenesis.

Histone lysine lactylation is a physiologically and pathologically relevant epigenetic pathway that can be stimulated by the Warburg effect-associated L-lactate. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which cells use L-lactate to generate lactyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and how this process is regulated remains unknown. Here, we report the identification of guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-specific SCS (GTPSCS) as a lactyl-CoA synthetase in the nucleus.

Exploring the Correlation Between Salt Tolerance and Seed Nutritional Value of Different Quinoa Genotypes Grown Under Saharan Climatic Conditions.

Quinoa is an annual pseudocereal highly adapted to extreme environments and has become, at this point in time, an extremely popular food due to its exceptional and high nutritional quality. This study aims to investigate the association of quinoa salt tolerance at an early developmental stage with its grain nutritional value under the effect of severe climatic hurdles. The current findings revealed a significant variability between genotypes in salt response attributes at the first development stage, where genotypes Amarilla Sacaca (thereafter, ) and QQ57 exhibited high salt tolerance thresholds with a low salt sensitivity index (SI), and a high capacity for Na sequestration into vacuoles.

The LysR-type transcriptional factor PacR controls heterocyst differentiation and C/N metabolism in the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120.

PacR (All3953) has previously been identified as a global transcriptional regulator of carbon assimilation in cyanobacteria. In the facultative diazotrophic and filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120 (Anabaena), inactivation of pacR has been shown to affect cell growth under various conditions. Nitrogen fixation in Anabaena occurs in heterocysts, cells differentiated semiregularly along the filaments following deprivation of combined nitrogen such as nitrate or ammonium.

The transcription factor Dof3.6/OBP3 regulates iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Iron is an essential element for plants. Iron uptake by plants is highly regulated, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Using a truncated fragment of the iron deficiency-responsive bHLH100 gene promoter, we screened the Arabidopsis transcription factor yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) library and identified the DOF family protein, OBP3, as a crucial component of the iron deficiency-signaling pathway.

Carbon-negative bio-production of short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCAs) from syngas via the sequential two-stage bioprocess by Moorella thermoacetica and metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Syngas can be efficiently converted to acetate by Moorella thermoacetica under anaerobic conditions, which is environmentally friendly. Coupled with acetate production from syngas, using acetate to synthesize value-added compounds such as short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCAs) becomes a negative-carbon process. Escherichia coli is engineered to utilize acetate as the sole carbon source to produce SCCAs.

Benzoic acid facilitates ANF in monocot crops by recruiting nitrogen-fixing Paraburkholderia.

Associative nitrogen fixation contributes large portion of N input to agro-ecosystems through monocot-diazotrophic associations. However, the contribution of associative nitrogen fixation is usually neglected in modern agriculture, and the underlying mechanisms of association between monocot and diazotrophs remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that monocot crops employ mucilage and associated benzoic acid to specially enrich diazotrophic partners in response to nitrogen deficiency, which could be used for enhancing associative nitrogen fixation in monocot crops.

Plant-to-plant defence induction in cotton is mediated by delayed release of volatiles upon herbivory.

Caterpillar feeding immediately triggers the release of volatile compounds stored in the leaves of cotton plants. Additionally, after 1 d of herbivory, the leaves release other newly synthesised volatiles. We investigated whether these volatiles affect chemical defences in neighbouring plants and whether such temporal shifts in emissions matter for signalling between plants.

Different multicellular trichome types coordinate herbivore mechanosensing and defense in tomato.

Herbivore-induced wounding can elicit a defense response in plants. However, whether plants possess a surveillance system capable of detecting herbivore threats and initiating preparatory defenses before wounding occurs remains unclear. In this study, we reveal that tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) trichomes can detect and respond to the mechanical stimuli generated by herbivores.

Epigenetic Regulation in Insect-Microbe Interactions.

Insects have evolved diverse interactions with a variety of microbes, such as pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The immune responses of insect hosts, along with the dynamic infection process of microbes in response to the changing host environment and defenses, require rapid and fine-tuned regulation of gene expression programs. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA regulation, play important roles in regulating the expression of genes involved in insect immunity and microbial pathogenicity.

Loss of Lateral suppressor gene is associated with evolution of root nodule symbiosis in Leguminosae.

Background: Root nodule symbiosis (RNS) is a fascinating evolutionary event. Given that limited genes conferring the evolution of RNS in Leguminosae have been functionally validated, the genetic basis of the evolution of RNS remains largely unknown. Identifying the genes involved in the evolution of RNS will help to reveal the mystery.

Development and application of the GenoBaits WheatSNP16K array to accelerate wheat genetic research and breeding.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are widely used as molecular markers for constructing genetic linkage maps in wheat. Compared with available SNP-based genotyping platforms, a genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) system with capture-in-solution (liquid chip) technology has become the favored genotyping technology because it is less demanding and more cost effective, flexible, and user-friendly. In this study, a new GenoBaits WheatSNP16K (GBW16K) GBTS array was designed using datasets generated by the wheat 660K SNP array and resequencing platforms in our previous studies.

Mirids secrete a TOPLESS targeting protein to enhance JA-mediated defense and gossypol accumulation for antagonizing cotton bollworms on cotton plants.

Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants. This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention, while the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized. Mirids (Apolygus lucorum) and cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera) are two common cotton pests.