Drosophila eIF3f1 mediates host immune defense by targeting dTak1.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factors have long been recognized for their critical roles in governing the translation of coding RNAs into peptides/proteins. However, whether they harbor functional activities at the post-translational level remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that eIF3f1 (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit f1), which encodes an archetypal deubiquitinase, is essential for the antimicrobial innate immune defense of Drosophila melanogaster. Our in vitro and in vivo evidence indicate that the immunological function of eIF3f1 is dependent on the N-terminal JAMM (JAB1/MPN/Mov34 metalloenzymes) domain. Mechanistically, eIF3f1 physically associates with dTak1 (Drosophila TGF-beta activating kinase 1), a key regulator of the IMD (immune deficiency) signaling pathway, and mediates the turnover of dTak1 by specifically restricting its K48-linked ubiquitination. Collectively, these results provide compelling insight into a noncanonical molecular function of a translation initiation factor that controls the post-translational modification of a target protein.

PECTIN METHYLESTERASE INHIBITOR18 functions in stomatal dynamics and stomatal dimension.

Pectin methylesterification in guard cell (GC) walls plays an important role in stomatal development and stomatal response to external stimuli, and pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs) modulate pectin methylesterification by inhibition of pectin methylesterase (PME). However, the function of PMEIs has not been reported in stomata. Here, we report the role of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PECTIN METHYLESTERASE INHIBITOR18 in stomatal dynamic responses to environmental changes. PMEI18 mutation increased pectin demethylesterification and reduced pectin degradation, resulting in increased stomatal pore size, impaired stomatal dynamics, and hypersensitivity to drought stresses. In contrast, overexpression of PMEI18 reduced pectin demethylesterification and increased pectin degradation, causing more rapid stomatal dynamics. PMEI18 interacted with PME31 in plants, and in vitro enzymatic assays demonstrated that PMEI18 directly inhibits the PME activity of PME31 on pectins. Genetic interaction analyses suggested that PMEI18 modulates stomatal dynamics mainly through inhibition of PME31 on pectin methylesterification in cell walls. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of the PMEI18-PME31 module in stomatal dynamics and highlight the role of PMEI18 and PME31 in stomatal dynamics through modulation of pectin methylesterification and distribution in GC walls.

Lightening flavin by amination for fluorescent sensing.

Monitoring of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as O2˙-, etc., in organisms is of great significance, not only for their essential role in biological processes, but their excessive production may also result in many diseases. Flavin (FL) is a fluorophore that naturally exists in flavoenzymes, and its fluorescent emission (FE) becomes negligible when reduced. This enables the application of FL derivatives as fluorescent sensors for ROS. We presented a theoretical investigation to address the impact of amino substitution on the photophysical properties of aminoflavins (AmFLs). Resulting from the interplay of electronic and positional effects, amination at C8 enhances the electronic coupling between the ground state and the first singlet excited state by enlarging the adiabatic energy change of the electronic transitions and the emission transition dipole moments, weakens the vibronic coupling by decreasing the contribution of isoalloxazine to the frontier molecular orbitals, redshifts the absorption band, and enhances the fluorescent emission drastically in 8AmFL. The theoretically estimated fluorescent emission intensity of 8AmFL is ∼40 times that of FL, suggesting its potential application as a fluorescent sensor.

Risk factors of missed early gastric cancer in endoscopic resected population: a retrospective, case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Missed early gastric cancer (MEGC) is prevalent during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which is the first-line recommended strategy for detecting early gastric cancer (EGC). Hence, we explored the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC, based on the endoscopic resected population. METHODS: This retrospective, case-control study was conducted at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (NJDTH). We included patients who were diagnosed with EGC during screening EGD, underwent endoscopic resection, and were confirmed by postoperative pathology at the NJDTH from January 2014 to December 2021, and classified them into different types according to the different root causes of misses. Univariable, multivariable, subgroup and propensity score analyses were used to explore the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC. RESULTS: A total of 447 patients, comprising 345 with initially detected early gastric cancer (IDEGC) and 102 with MEGC, were included in this study. Larger size (≥ 1 cm) (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.74, P = 0.002) and invasion depth of submucosa (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.69, P = 0.007) were negatively associated with MEGC. Use of sedation (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.20-0.52, P < 0.001) and longer observation time (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.96, P = 0.034) exhibited protective effect on MEGC. CONCLUSIONS: Smaller and more superficial EGC lesions are more susceptible to misdiagnosis. The use of sedation and prolonged observation time during EGD could help reduce the occurrence of MEGC.

Fecal Signatures of Streptococcus anginosus and Streptococcus constellatus for Noninvasive Screening and Early Warning of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Most patients with gastric cancer (GCa) are diagnosed at an advanced stage. We aimed to investigate novel fecal signatures for clinical application in early diagnosis of GCa. METHODS: This was an observational study that included 1043 patients from 10 hospitals in China. In the discovery cohort, 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis was performed in paired samples (tissues and feces) from patients with GCa and chronic gastritis (ChG) to determine differential abundant microbes. Their relative abundances were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to test them as bacterial candidates in the training cohort. Their diagnostic efficacy was validated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: Significant enrichments of Streptococcus anginosus (Sa) and Streptococcus constellatus (Sc) in GCa tumor tissues (P < .05) and feces (P < .0001) were observed in patients with intraepithelial neoplasia, early and advanced GCa. Either the signature parallel test Sa∪Sc or single signature Sa/Sc demonstrated superior sensitivity (Sa: 75.6% vs 72.1%, P < .05; Sc: 84.4% vs 64.0%, P < .001; and Sa∪Sc: 91.1% vs 81.4%, P < .01) in detecting early GCa compared with advanced GCa (specificity: Sa: 84.0% vs 83.9%, Sc: 70.4% vs 82.3%, and Sa∪Sc: 64.0% vs 73.4%). Fecal signature Sa∪Sc outperformed Sa∪CEA/Sc∪CEA in the discrimination of advanced GCa (sensitivity: 81.4% vs 74.2% and 81.4% vs 72.3%, P < .01; specificity: 73.4% vs 81.0 % and 73.4% vs 81.0%). The performance of Sa∪Sc in the diagnosis of both early and advanced GCa was verified in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Fecal Sa and Sc are noninvasive, accurate, and sensitive signatures for early warning in GCa. (ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT04638959).

Identification and Validation of Active Ingredient in Cerebrotein Hydrolysate-I Based on Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Studies.

Cerebrotein hydrolysate-1 (CH-1), a mixture of small peptides, polypeptides, and various amino acids derived from porcine brain, has been widely used in the treatment of cerebral injury. However, the bioactive composition and pharmacokinetics of CH-1 are still unexplored because of their complicated composition and relatively tiny amounts in vivo. Herein, NanoLC Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid Mass Spectrometer was firstly used to qualitatively analyze the components of CH-1. A total of 1347 peptides were identified, of which 43 peptides were characterized by high mass spectrometry (MS) intensity and identification accuracy. We then innovatively synthesized four main peptides for activity verification, and the results suggested that Pep72 (NYEPPTVVPGGDL) had the strongest neuroprotective effect on both in vivo and in vitro models. Next, a quantitative method for Pep72 was established based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with the aid of Skyline software and then used in its pharmacokinetic studies. The results revealed that Pep72 had a high elimination rate and low exposure in rats. In addition, a hCMEC/D3-based in vitro model was built and firstly used to investigate the transport of Pep72. We found that Pep72 had extremely low blood-brain barrier permeability and was not a substrate of efflux transporters. The biotransformation of Pep72 in rat fresh plasma and tissues was investigated to explore the contradiction between pharmacokinetics and efficacy. A total of 11 main metabolites were structurally identified, with PGGDL and EPPTVPGGDL being the main metabolites of Pep72. Notably, metalloproteinase and cysteine protease were confirmed to be the main enzymes mediating Pep72 metabolism in rat tissues. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The NanoLC Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid Mass Spectrometer was firstly applied to discover the components of CH-1, and one main peptide Pep72 (NYEPPTVVPGGDL) was innovatively synthesized and firstly found to have the strongest neuroprotective effect among 1347 peptides identified from CH-1. Our study is the first time to identify and verify the active ingredient of CH-1 from the perspective of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and provides a systematic technical platforms and strategies for the active substance research of other protein hydrolysates.

Barley Grass Juice Attenuates Hydrodynamic Transfection-Induced HCC Initiation in Mice.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grass has been recognized as a functional food with a wide spectrum of health-promoting properties. Supplementation with barley grass has the potential to prevent chronic diseases, such as cancer. Here, we investigated whether barley grass could protect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our data showed that administration of barley grass juice attenuates tumor development in a hydrodynamic gene delivery-induced model of HCC. The expression levels of the immune cell markers Ptprc and Adgre1 were upregulated in the barley grass juice-treated and normal groups, compared to those in the vehicle group in the HCC model. Immune cells (CD45+, F4/80+, and CLEC4F + iNOS + cells) infiltration in the liver increased following barley grass juice administration. Our results indicate that barley grass could be beneficial for HCC alleviation, partly by regulating immune cell infiltration. The ingredients of barley grass affect immune cell infiltration in HCC, and the detailed mechanism requires further study.

Exploration on bioactive properties of quinoa protein hydrolysate and peptides: a review.

Quinoa is an excellent source of nutritional and bioactive components. Protein is considered a key nutritional advantage of quinoa grain, and many studies have highlighted the nutritional and physicochemical properties of quinoa protein. In addition, quinoa protein is a good precursor of bioactive peptides. This review focused on the biological properties of quinoa protein hydrolysate and peptides, and gave a summary of the preparation and functional test of quinoa protein hydrolysate and peptides. A combination of milling fractionation and solvent extraction is recommended for the efficient production of quinoa protein. The biological functionalities of quinoa protein hydrolysate, including antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities, and so on, have been extensively investigated based on in vitro studies and limited animal models. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis, including proteolysis simulation, virtual screening, and molecular docking, provides an alternative or assistive approach for exploring the potential bioactivity of quinoa protein and peptides. Nevertheless, further research is required for industrial production of bioactive quinoa peptides, verification of health benefits in humans, and mechanism interpretation of observed effects.

CT for the evaluation of myocardial extracellular volume with MRI as reference: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) fraction is an important imaging biomarker in clinical decision-making. CT-ECV is a potential alternative to MRI for ECV quantification. We conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the reliability of CT for ECV quantification with MRI as a reference. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for relevant articles published since the establishment of the database in July 2022. The articles comparing CT-ECV with MRI as a reference were included. Meta-analytic methods were applied to determine the pooled weighted bias, limits of agreement (LOA), and correlation coefficient (r) between CT-ECV and MRI-ECV. RESULTS: Seventeen studies with a total of 459 patients and 2231 myocardial segments were included. The pooled mean difference (MD), LOA, and r for ECV quantification at the per-patient level was (0.07%; 95% LOA: - 0.42 to 0.55%) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.91), respectively, while on the per-segment level was (0.44%; 95% LOA: 0.16-0.72%) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.82-0.85), respectively. The pooled r from studies with the ECViodine method for ECV quantification was significantly higher compared to those with the ECVsub method (0.94 (95% CI: 0.91-0.96) vs. 0.84 (95% CI: 0.80-0.88), respectively, p = 0.03). The pooled r from septal segments was significantly higher than those from non-septal segments (0.88 (95% CI: 0.86-0.90) vs. 0.76 (95% CI: 0.71-0.90), respectively, p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: CT showed a good agreement and excellent correlation with MRI for ECV quantification and is a potentially attractive alternative to MRI. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The myocardial extracellular volume fraction can be acquired using a CT scan, which is not only a viable alternative to myocardial extracellular volume fraction derived from MRI but is also less time-consuming and costly for patients. KEY POINTS: • Noninvasive CT-ECV is a viable alternative to MRI-ECV for ECV quantification. • CT-ECV using the ECViodine method showed more accurate myocardial ECV quantification than ECVsub. • Septal myocardial segments showed lower measurement variability than non-septal segments for the ECV quantification.

Efficacy of bivalent vaccine against Aeromonas salmonicida and Edwardsiella tarda infections in turbot.

In recent years, more than one pathogenic organism has usually been isolated from diseased turbot Scophthalmus maximus, creating a pressing need for the development of combination vaccines to prevent fish diseases brought on simultaneously by various infections. In this study, the inactivated bivalent vaccine of Aeromonas salmonicida and Edwardsiella tarda was prepared by the formalin inactivation method. After challenge with A. salmonicida and E. tarda at 4 weeks post-vaccination in turbot, the relative percentage survival (RPS) of the inactivated bivalent vaccine was 77.1%. In addition, we assessed the effects of the inactivated bivalent vaccine and evaluated the immunological processes after immunization in a turbot model. Serum antibody titer and lysozyme activity of the vaccinated group were both upregulated and higher than that in control group after vaccination. The expression levels of genes (TLR2, IL-1ß, CD4, MHCI, MHCⅡ) that related to antigen recognition, processing and presentation were also studied in the liver, spleen and kidney tissues of vaccinated turbot. All the detected genes in the vaccinated group had a significant upward trend, and most of them reached the maximum value at 3-4 weeks, which had significant differences from the control group, suggesting that antigen recognition, processing and presentation pathway was activated by the inactivated bivalent vaccine. Our study provides a basis for further application of the killed bivalent vaccine against A. salmonicida and E. tarda in turbot, making it good potential that can be applied in aquaculture.

Transcriptome analysis of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) kidney responses to inactivated bivalent vaccine against Aeromonas salmonicida and Edwardsiella tarda.

Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is a commercially important marine flatfish for global aquaculture. With intensive farming, turbot production is limited by several diseases, in which Aeromonas salmonicida and Edwardsiella tarda are two main causative agents. Vaccination is an effective and safe alternative to disease prevention compared to antibiotic treatment. In the previous study, we developed an inactivated bivalent vaccine against A. salmonicida and E. tarda with relative percent survival (RPS) of 77.1 %. To understand the protection mechanism in molecular basis of the inactivated bivalent vaccine against A. salmonicida and E. tarda, we use RNA-seq to analyze the transcriptomic profile of the kidney tissue after immunization. A total of 391,721,176 clean reads were generated in nine libraries by RNA-seq, and 96.35 % of the clean reads were mapped to the reference genome of S. maximus. 1458 (866 upregulated and 592 downregulated) and 2220 (1131 upregulated and 1089 downregulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks post-vaccination, respectively. The DEGs were enriched in several important immune-related GO terms, including cytokine activity, immune response, and defense response. In addition, the analysis of several immune-related genes showed upregulation and downregulation, including pattern recognition receptors, complement system, cytokines, chemokines and immune cell surface markers. Eight DEGs (ccr10, calr, casr, mybpha, cd28, thr18, cd20a.3 and c5) were randomly selected for qRT-PCR analysis, which confirmed the validity of the RNA-seq. Our results provide valuable insight into the immune mechanism of inactivated bivalent vaccine against A. salmonicida and E. tarda in Scophthalmus maximus.

Exploring the psychometric properties of the professional issues in maternal mental health scale (PIMMHS) in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: The public health and economic implications of perinatal mental health problems are well documented. Maternity clinicians are ideally placed to effectively identify women at risk and facilitate early intervention. However, in China as globally a number of issues are implicated in a failure to recognise and treat. AIM: The present study sought to develop and evaluate the Chinese version 'professional issues in maternal mental health' scale (PIMMHS), explore its psychometric properties and potential application. METHODS: A cross-sectional design and instrument translation and evaluation approach was taken to investigate the psychometric properties of the PIMMHS in a Chinese population. A total of 598 obstetricians, obstetric nurses, and midwives participated in this study from 26 hospitals across China. FINDINGS: The Chinese PIMMHS was not a good fit to the original two factor model. The emotion/communication subscale yielded an excellent fit to the data according to all fit indices, offering compelling evidence for a single factor solution. The training (PIMMHS: Training), proved problematic throughout the analysis with divergent validity for the training subscale also being poor with a concomitant impact on the total scale performance. The performance of this subscale may be related to the nature of medical training and PMH. CONCLUSION: The Chinese PIMMHS comprises a unidimensional scale of emotion/ communication, which is simple and may provide insight into the emotional burden of providing PMH care, with the potential to mitigate that burden. Further development and investigation of the training sub-scale could be of value.

Tailoring flavin-based photosensitizers for efficient photooxidative coupling of benzylic amines.

Photooxidative coupling of benzylic amines using naturally abundant O2 as an oxidant under visible light irradiation is an alternative green approach to synthesis imines and is of both fundamental and practical significance. We investigated the photophysical properties of flavin (FL) that is a naturally available sensitizer and its derivatives, i.e. 9-bromoflavin (MB-FL), 7,8-dibromoflavin (DB-FL) and 10-phenylflavin (Ph-FL), as well as the performance of these FL-based sensitizers (FLPSs) in the photooxidative coupling of benzylic amines to imines combining experimental and theoretical efforts. We showed that chemical functionalization with Br and phenyl effectively improves the photophysical properties of these FLPSs, in terms of absorption in the visible light range, singlet oxygen quantum yields, triplet lifetime, etc. Apart from nearly quantitative selectivity for the production of imines, the performance of DB-FL is superior to those of other FLPSs, and it is among the best photocatalysts for imine synthesis. Specifically, 0.5 mol% DB-FL is capable of converting 91% of 0.2 mmol benzylamine and more than 80% of 0.2 mmol fluorobenzylic amine derivatives into their corresponding imines in 5 h batch runs. Mechanistic investigation finely explained the observed photophysical properties of FLPSs and highlighted the dominant role of electron transfer in FLPS sensitized coupling of benzylic amines to imines. This work not only helps to understand the pathways for photocatalysis with FLPSs but also paves the way for the design of novel and efficient PSs to promote organic synthesis.

Bioinformatics-based analysis of the roles of sex hormone receptors in endometriosis development.

Endometriosis is a hormone-dependent disease in women of reproductive age and seriously affects women's health. To analyze the involvement of sex hormone receptors in endometriosis development, we performed bioinformatics analysis using four datasets derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, which may help us understand the mechanisms by which the sex hormones act in vivo in endometriosis patients. The enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that there are different key genes and pathways involved in eutopic endometrium aberrations of endometriosis patients and endometriotic lesions, and sex hormone receptors, including androgen receptor (AR), progesterone receptor (PGR) and estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), may play important roles in endometriosis development. Androgen receptor (AR), as the hub gene of endometrial aberrations in endometriotic patients, showed positive expression in the main cell types for endometriosis development, and its decreased expression in the endometrium of endometriotic patients was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The nomogram model established based on it displayed good predictive value.

Microbial-Transferred Metabolites of Black Tea Theaflavins by Human Gut Microbiota and Their Impact on Antioxidant Capacity.

Theaflavins (TFs), the primary bioactive components in black tea, are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. However, the biological activity of TFs does not match their low bioavailability, which suggests that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in their biotransformation and activities. In this study, we aimed to investigate the biotransferred metabolites of TFs produced by the human gut microbiota and these metabolites' function. We profiled the microbial metabolites of TFs by in vitro anaerobic human gut microbiota fermentation using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods. A total of 17 microbial metabolites were identified, and their corresponding metabolic pathways were proposed. Moreover, full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the TFs altered the gut microbiota diversity and increased the relative abundance of specific members of the microbiota involved in the catabolism of the TFs, including Flavonifractor_plautii, Bacteroides_uniformis, Eubacterium_ramulus, etc. Notably, the antioxidant capacity of the TF sample increased after fermentation compared to the initial sample. In conclusion, the results contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the microbial metabolites and antioxidant capacity of TFs.

Altruistic behaviour decreases agent's unhealthy food intake: Based on the self-determination theory model of vitality.

This study explored whether altruistic behaviour would decrease agent's unhealthy food intake, and whether vitality and state self-control would sequentially mediate this effect based on the Self-Determination Theory Model of Vitality. It included 1019 college students in total across three studies. Study 1 was a laboratory experiment. By framing a physical task as a helping behaviour or a neutral experimental task, we examined whether these framed tasks impacted participants' subsequent unhealthy food intake levels. Study 2 was an online investigation measuring the relationship between donation (vs. no donation) behaviour and participant's estimated unhealthy food intake level. Study 3 was an online experiment with a mediation test. By random assignment of conducting a donation behaviour versus a neutral task, we examined whether these behaviours affected participants' vitality, state self-control, and estimated unhealthy food intake levels. In addition, we tested a sequential mediation model with vitality and state self-control as the mediators. Both unhealthy and healthy foods were included in Study 2 and 3. Results showed that altruistic behaviour could decrease agent's unhealthy (but not healthy) food intake, and this effect was sequentially mediated by vitality and state self-control. The findings highlight that altruistic acts may buffer agents against unhealthy eating behaviour.

Porous Cyclodextrin Polymer Enables Dendrite-Free and Ultra-Long Life Solid-State Zn-I2 Batteries.

Zn-I2 batteries have attracted attention due to their low cost, safety, and environmental friendliness. However, their performance is still limited by the irreversible growth of Zn dendrites, hydrogen evolution reactions, corrosion, and shuttle effect of polyiodide. In this work, we have prepared a new porous polymer (CD-Si) by nucleophilic reaction of ß-cyclodextrin with SiCl4 , and CD-Si is applied to the solid polymer electrolyte (denoted PEO/PVDF/CD-Si) to solve above-mentioned problems. Through the anchoring of the CD-Si, a conductive network with dual transmission channels was successfully constructed. Due to the non-covalent anchoring effect, the ionic conductivity of the solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) can reach 1.64×10-3  S cm-1 at 25 °C. The assembled symmetrical batteries can achieve highly reversible dendrite-free galvanizing/stripping (stable cycling for 7500 h at 5 mA cm-2 and 1200 h at 20 mA cm-2 ). The solid-state Zn-I2 battery shows an ultra-long life of over 35,000 cycles at 2 A g-1 . Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to elucidate the working mechanism of CD-Si in the polymer matrix. This work provides a novel strategy towards solid electrolytes for Zn-I2 batteries.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic landscape of quinoa during seed germination.

BACKGROUND: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a dicotyledonous species native to Andean region, is an emerging crop worldwide nowadays due to its high nutritional value and resistance to extreme abiotic stresses. Although it is well known that seed germination is an important and multiple physiological process, the network regulation of quinoa seed germination is largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, we performed transcriptomic study in five stages during transition from quinoa dry seed to seedling. Together with the GC-MS based metabolome analysis, we found that seed metabolism is reprogrammed with significant alteration of multiple phytohormones (especially abscisic acid) and other nutrients during the elongation of radicels. Cell-wall remodeling is another main active process happening in the early period of quinoa seed germination. Photosynthesis was fully activated at the final stage, promoting the biosynthesis of amino acids and protein to allow seedling growth. The multi-omics analysis revealed global changes in metabolic pathways and phenotype during quinoa seed germination. CONCLUSION: The transcriptomic and metabolomic landscape depicted here pave ways for further gene function elucidation and quinoa development in the future.

A fourth dose of Omicron RBD vaccine enhances broad neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants including BA.1 and BA.2 in vaccinated mice.

The SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been widely used to build an immunologic barrier in the population against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a newly emerging Omicron variant, including BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, and BA.3 sublineages, largely escaped the neutralization of existing neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), even those elicited by three doses of vaccines. Here, we used the Omicron BA.1 RBD as a fourth dose of vaccine to induce potent Omicron-specific nAbs and evaluated the broadly neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 variants. The BA.1-based vaccine was indeed prone to induce a strain-specific antibody response substantially cross-reactive with BA.2 sublineage, and yet triggered broad neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants when it was used in the sequential immunization with WT and other variant vaccines. These results demonstrated that the booster of Omicron RBD vaccine could be a rational strategy to enhance the broadly nAb response.

Two galacturonosyltransferases function in plant growth, stomatal development, and dynamics.

The mechanical properties of guard cell (GC) walls are important for stomatal development and stomatal response to external stimuli. However, the molecular mechanisms of pectin synthesis and pectin composition controlling stomatal development and dynamics remain poorly explored. Here, we characterized the role of two Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) galacturonosyltransferases, GAUT10 and GAUT11, in plant growth, stomatal development, and stomatal dynamics. GAUT10 and GAUT11 double mutations reduced pectin synthesis and promoted homogalacturonan (HG) demethylesterification and demethylesterified HG degradation, resulting in larger stomatal complexes and smaller pore areas, increased stomatal dynamics, and enhanced drought tolerance of plants. In contrast, increased GAUT10 or GAUT11 expression impaired stomatal dynamics and drought sensitivity. Genetic interaction analyses together with immunolabeling analyses suggest that the methylesterified HG level is important in stomatal dynamics, and pectin abundance with the demethylesterified HG level controls stomatal dimension and stomatal size. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of GC wall properties in stomatal dynamics, and highlight the role of GAUT10 and GAUT11 in stomatal dimension and dynamics through modulation of pectin biosynthesis and distribution in GC walls.