Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses elucidate the mechanism of flavonoid biosynthesis in the regulation of mulberry seed germination under salt stress.

Seed propagation is the main method of mulberry expansion in China, an important economic forest species. However, seed germination is the most sensitive stage to various abiotic stresses, especially salinity stress. To reveal the molecular regulatory mechanism of mulberry seed germination under salt stress, flavonoid metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses were performed on mulberry seeds germinated under 50 and 100 mmol/L NaCl stress. Analysis of the flavonoid metabolome revealed that a total of 145 differential flavonoid metabolites (DFMs) were classified into 9 groups, 40 flavonols, 32 flavones, 16 chalcones and 14 flavanones. Among them, 61.4% (89) of the DFMs accumulated continuously with increasing salt concentration, reaching the highest level at a 100 mmol/L salt concentration; these DFMs included quercetin-3-O-glucoside (isoquercitrin), kaempferol (3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxyflavone), quercetin-7-O-glucoside, taxifolin (dihydroquercetin) and apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone), indicating that these flavonoids may be key metabolites involved in the response to salt stress. Transcriptional analysis identified a total of 3055 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), most of which were enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis (ko00941), phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (ko00940) and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (ko01110). Combined analysis of flavonoid metabolomic and transcriptomic data indicated that phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS), flavonol synthase (FLS), bifunctional dihydroflavonol 4-reductase/flavanone 4-reductase (DFR) and anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) were the key genes involved in flavonoid accumulation during mulberry seed germination under 50 and 100 mmol/L NaCl stress. In addition, three transcription factors, MYB, bHLH and NAC, were involved in the regulation of flavonoid accumulation under salt stress. The results of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR) validation showed that the expression levels of 11 DEGs, including 7 genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, under different salt concentrations were consistent with the transcriptomic data, and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) results showed that the expression levels of 6 key enzymes (proteins) involved in flavonoid synthesis were consistent with the accumulation of flavonoids. This study provides a new perspective for investigating the regulatory role of flavonoid biosynthesis in the regulation of mulberry seed germination under salt stress at different concentrations.

Enhancing Reverse Intersystem Crossing in Triptycene-TADF Emitters: Theoretical Insights into Reorganization Energy and Heavy Atom Effects.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters based on the triptycene skeleton demonstrate exceptional performance, superior stability, and low efficiency roll-off. Understanding the interplay between the luminescent properties of triptycene-TADF molecules and their assembly environments, along with their excited-state characteristics, necessitates a comprehensive theoretical exploration. Herein, we predict the photophysical properties of triptycene-TADF molecules in a thin film environment using the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics method and quantify their substantial dependency on the heavy atom effects and reorganization energies using the Marcus-Levich theory. Our calculated photophysical properties for two recently reported molecules closely align with experimental values. We design three novel triptycene-TADF molecules by incorporating chalcogen elements (O, S, and Se) to modify the acceptor units. These newly designed molecules exhibit reduced reorganization energies and enhanced reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) rates. The heavy atom effect amplifies spin-orbit coupling, thereby facilitating the RISC process, particularly at a remarkably high rate of ∼109 s-1.

First report of Cigar Tobacco Root Rot Caused by Setophoma terrestris in China.

Cigar tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is widely planted in Yunnan, which is becoming an important economic crop in China. In March 2023, root rot of cigar tobacco (cv. Yunxue 38) was observed in Baoshan (98°51'E, 24°58'N), and in July 2022 root rot of tobacco (cv. Yunyan 87) was observed in Dali (99°54'E, 26°30'N), Yunnan Province, China. The average disease incidences surveyed in the fields reached 10%. At the early stage, the bottom leaves showed wilting and turned yellow, and the roots became brown. Following the disease development, the color of roots turned to dark brown and ultimately necrosis. To isolate the causal agent, small pieces (5×5 mm) of diseased root from 6 symptomatic plant samples (three samples of cv. Yunxue 38 and three samples of cv. Yunyan 87) were cut. Pieces were surface-sterilized by dipping in 75% ethanol for 30 s, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, then transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and incubated at 28°C in the dark. Six fungal isolates cultured for 14 days were obtained. They were morphologically similar, so a representative isolate was selected for the following experiment. The colonies grew slowly on PDA, and their color were light pink initially, then changed to amaranth. Hyphae were hyaline and septate. Microconidia were hardly produced on PDA plates. After 14 days of culture on V8 juice agar, the colonies showed white aerial mycelia, and ellipsoidal and transparent conidia were observed, which measured 6.5 to 8.3 × 3.4 to 5.0 µm (n=20). Also, the pycnidia were measured 150 to 220 µm, that were subglobose in dark brown with brown setae. These morphological characteristics of 22DL91 were identical to S. terrestris (Boerema et al. 2004). For molecular identification, DNA was extracted and the PCR products of ITS region and polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), amplified with the primers ITS1/ITS4 and RPB2-5F/RPB2-7cR, were sequenced. By BLASTn analysis, the obtained ITS sequences showed 100% homology and the RPB2 sequences showed 95% homology with S. terrestris strains in GenBank (accession ON006851 and OM417590). The sequences were deposited in NCBI with accession numbers OR539491 (ITS) and OR554276 (RPB2), respectively. Based on the morphology and phylogenetic analysis, the isolate was 22DL91 identified as S. terrestris. Pathogenicity was evaluated on 50-day-old cigar tobacco seedlings (cv. Yunxue 38) and tobacco seedlings (cv. Yunyan 87). Ten plants were inoculated with 20 mL of conidial suspension of 105 conidia/mL poured onto the roots and ten control seedlings dipped in sterile water as controls (Luo et al. 2023). After 14 days, all inoculated seedlings showed the symptoms with leaves yellowing and root rot, whereas the control seedlings had no symptoms. Moreover, the fungus S. terrestris was reisolated from the infected roots, fulfilling Koch's postulates. This fungus was previously known to cause pink root on garlic in China (Zhang et al. 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. terrestris causing root rot of Nicotiana tabacum in China. Therefore, this finding will provide valuable information for prevention and management of root rot on tobacco.

A Convenient In Situ Preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4-Anatase Hybrid Nanocomposite for Photocatalysis/Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Hydrogen Production.

This study details the rational design and synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS)-doped anatase (A) heterostructures, utilizing earth-abundant elements to enhance the efficiency of solar-driven water splitting. A one-step hydrothermal method was employed to fabricate a series of CZTS-A heterojunctions. As the concentration of titanium dioxide (TiO2) varied, the morphology of CZTS shifted from floral patterns to sheet-like structures. The resulting CZTS-A heterostructures underwent comprehensive characterization through photoelectrochemical response assessments, optical measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses. Detailed photoelectrochemical (PEC) investigations demonstrated notable enhancements in photocurrent density and incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE). Compared to pure anatase electrodes, the optimized CZTS-A heterostructures exhibited a seven-fold increase in photocurrent density and reached a hydrogen production efficiency of 1.1%. Additionally, the maximum H2 production rate from these heterostructures was 11-times greater than that of pure anatase and 250-times higher than the original CZTS after 2 h of irradiation. These results underscore the enhanced PEC performance of CZTS-A heterostructures, highlighting their potential as highly efficient materials for solar water splitting. Integrating Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles (NPs) within TiO2 (anatase) heterostructures implied new avenues for developing earth-abundant and cost-effective photocatalytic systems for renewable energy applications.

A multiplex direct PCR method for the rapid and accurate discrimination of three species of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in fruit orchards in Beijing.

Spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) are polyphagous pests of economic importance in agriculture, among which the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch has spread widely worldwide as an invasive species, posing a serious threat to fruit tree production in China, including Beijing. The hawthorn spider mite, Amphitetranychus viennensis Zacher, is also a worldwide pest of fruit trees and woody ornamental plants. The cassava mite, Tetranychus truncatus Ehara, is mainly found in Asian countries, including China, Korea and Japan, and mainly affects fruit trees and agricultural crops. These three species of spider mites are widespread and serious fruit tree pests in Beijing. Rapid and accurate identification of spider mites is essential for effective pest and plant quarantine in Beijing orchard fields. The identification of spider mite species is difficult due to their limited morphological characteristics. Although the identification of insect and mite species based on PCR and real-time polymerase chain reaction TaqMan is becoming increasingly common, DNA extraction is difficult, expensive and time-consuming due to the minute size of spider mites. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish a direct multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous identification of three common species of spider mites in orchards, A. viennensis, T. truncatus and T. urticae, to provide technical support for the differentiation of spider mite species and phytosanitary measures in orchards in Beijing. Based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of the two-spotted spider mite and the cassava mite and the 18S gene sequence of the hawthorn spider mite as the amplification target, three pairs of specific primers were designed, and the primer concentrations were optimized to establish a direct multiplex PCR system for the rapid and accurate discrimination of the three spider mites without the need for DNA extraction and purification. The method showed a high sensitivity of 0.047 ng for T. truncatus and T. urticae DNA and 0.0002 ng for A. viennensis. This method eliminates the DNA extraction and sequencing procedures of spider mite samples, offers a possibility for rapid monitoring of multiple spider mites in an integrated microarray laboratory system, reducing the time and cost of leaf mite identification and quarantine monitoring in the field.

The expression profiles of signature genes from CD103+LAG3+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte subsets predict breast cancer survival.

BACKGROUND: Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), including T and B cells, have been demonstrated to be associated with tumour progression. However, the different subpopulations of TILs and their roles in breast cancer remain poorly understood. Large-scale analysis using multiomics data could uncover potential mechanisms and provide promising biomarkers for predicting immunotherapy response. METHODS: Single-cell transcriptome data for breast cancer samples were analysed to identify unique TIL subsets. Based on the expression profiles of marker genes in these subsets, a TIL-related prognostic model was developed by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses and LASSO regression for the TCGA training cohort containing 1089 breast cancer patients. Multiplex immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the presence of TIL subsets in breast cancer samples. The model was validated with a large-scale transcriptomic dataset for 3619 breast cancer patients, including the METABRIC cohort, six chemotherapy transcriptomic cohorts, and two immunotherapy transcriptomic cohorts. RESULTS: We identified two TIL subsets with high expression of CD103 and LAG3 (CD103+LAG3+), including a CD8+ T-cell subset and a B-cell subset. Based on the expression profiles of marker genes in these two subpopulations, we further developed a CD103+LAG3+ TIL-related prognostic model (CLTRP) based on CXCL13 and BIRC3 genes for predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients. CLTRP-low patients had a better prognosis than CLTRP-high patients. The comprehensive results showed that a low CLTRP score was associated with a high TP53 mutation rate, high infiltration of CD8 T cells, helper T cells, and CD4 T cells, high sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, and a good response to immunotherapy. In contrast, a high CLTRP score was correlated with a low TP53 mutation rate, high infiltration of M0 and M2 macrophages, low sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, and a poor response to immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our present study showed that the CLTRP score is a promising biomarker for distinguishing prognosis, drug sensitivity, molecular and immune characteristics, and immunotherapy outcomes in breast cancer patients. The CLTRP could serve as a valuable tool for clinical decision making regarding immunotherapy.

Optoelectronic performance of perovskite Cs2KMI6 (M = Ga, In) based on high-throughput screening and first-principles calculations.

Developing novel lead-free perovskite materials with suitable bandgaps and superior thermal stability is crucial to boost their applications in next-generation photovoltaic technologies. High throughput screening combined with the first principles method can accurately and effectively screen out promising perovskites. Herein, we select two lead-free all-inorganic halide double perovskite materials Cs2KMI6 (M = Ga, In) from 1026 compounds with the criteria including appropriate structure factors, positive decomposition energies, and suitable direct bandgaps. We investigated the thermal and mechanical stability, geometric and electronic structures, photoelectric properties, and defect formation energies for both perovskites Cs2KMI6 (M = Ga, In). They can exhibit excellent structural formability and stability through the analysis of structure factors, elastic constants, and stable chemical potential regions. In addition, we investigate the defect effects of Cs2KMI6 (M = Ga, In) on the photovoltaic performance by evaluating the defect formation energies and transition energy levels. Based on the HSE06 functional, we calculated the energy band structures of these two compounds and demonstrate the direct bandgaps of 1.69 eV (HSE06) and 2.16 eV (HSE06) for Cs2KGaI6 and Cs2KInI6, respectively. Moreover, we predicted excellent spectroscopic limited maximum efficiencies (SLMEs) of these two perovskites with high light absorption coefficients (around 105 cm-1), for instance, the SLME of Cs2KGaI6 can reach as high as 28.39%.

Single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy combined with indocyanine green and carbon nanoparticles in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: In order to explore the surgical safety and the reliability of axillary staging of single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy, we combined it with indocyanine green that was excited by near-infrared fluorescence endoscopy and carbon nanoparticles as a tracer and compared this method to conventional open sentinel lymph node biopsy. METHODS: This is a retrospective and observational study, there were 20 patients in each group and the total sample size was 60: Group 1, single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy combined with indocyanine green and carbon nanoparticles; Group 2, single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy with carbon nanoparticles only; Group 3, conventional sentinel lymph node biopsy with indocyanine green and carbon nanoparticles. Sentinel lymph node detection and upper extremity function were determined to measure the safety and efficacy of the novel single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy (SPE-SLNB) technique to the standard conventional sentinel lymph node biopsy technique. RESULTS: The detection rate of sentinel lymph nodes was 100% in Group 1, 100% in Group 2, and 95% in Group 3. There were no significant differences in upper arm function and pain scores between the three groups. CONCLUSION: The novel technique of combining indocyanine green and carbon nanoparticles with single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy achieved a similar detection rate and mean number of sentinel lymph nodes as conventional sentinel lymph node biopsy. Traditional open surgery requires two different incisions for breast surgery and SLNB. While the most important advantage of SPE-SLNB is that two procedures can be effectively performed through a single-port in the axilla Therefore, for patients who meet the indications, single-port endoscopic-sentinel lymph node biopsy is as safe and reliable as conventional sentinel lymph node biopsy but has the aesthetic advantage of only one incision.

First report of Tobacco Fusarium Root Rot Caused by Fusarium meridionale in China.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) was an important economic crop in China. A survey in Yunnan Province in the last several years showed that the incidence of tobacco root rot was 3 to 30%. In July 2021, root rot symptoms were observed with an average incidence of 5% on tobacco (cultivar Yunyan 87) in Dali (25.61° N, 100.27° E). Typical disease symptoms included plants stunted at early stages, brown-colored withering lower leaves and roots that became brown. Under high humidity conditions, symptoms of rot expanded in the roots, also the whole plant became wilted and stunted, and some plants ultimately died. Infected pieces of stem tissues and root were dissected and then sterilized with 2% NaOCl for 30 s, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, and dried with sterilized filter paper. Three pieces were plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) for 3 days at 25°C with a 12-h light period. Colonies on PDA were characterized by white to pale yellow flocculent aerial mycelium, and a pink to red pigment in the agar. To induce sporulation, mycelium on PDA was transferred to carnation leaf agar (CLA) medium. After incubation for 7 days, a single spore was isolated from representative isolate 21DL16 for morphological and molecular analyses. Macroconidia observed on CLA were falcate, slightly curved, three to five septate, measured 33.1 to 53.7 × 3.2 to 4.6 µm (n=50), with a typical foot shaped basal cell. Morphological characteristics of the fungus were in agreement with the description of Fusarium graminearum (Leslie and Summerell 2006). For further identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region rDNA, translation elongation factor 1ɑ (EF-1α) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1/EF2 (O'Donnell et al. 2015) and RPB2-5F/RPB2-7cR (Reeb et al. 2004), respectively. Although the ITS sequence (GenBank accession no. OM392025) cannot distinguish F. meridionale from F. graminearum, combined phylogenetic analysis of the sequence of TEF1 (ON062055) and RPB2 (ON211932) clearly showed that the pathogen is F. meridionale that the sequences were 100% similarity, 0.0e-value and 100% query coverage to F. meridionale. Pathogenicity studies were conducted on six-leaf-stage tobacco seedlings cultivar Yunyan 87. A conidial suspension (1×105 spores/mL) was poured over the roots of tobacco seedlings. Three seedlings were treated with sterile water that served as controls. All 10 seedlings were maintained at 25°C at 70% relative humidity. After 5 days, the lower leaves showed symptoms of wilting and the roots of all inoculated seedlings become discolored, that were similar with the original symptoms, whereas the control seedlings did not develop symptoms. The fungus reisolated from the inoculated seedlings was identical to F. meridionale using the EF-1α gene sequence. To date, Fusarium root rot on tobacco in China was caused by F. oxysporium (Chen 2013). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. meridionale causing root rot on tobacco in China. Identification of F. meridionale as a root rot agent might provide important insight for disease management practices on tobacco caused by Fusarium species.

High-Contrast Visualization Chemiluminescence Based on AIE-Active and Base-Sensitive Emitters.

Peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (PO-CL) is one of the most popular cold light sources, yet the drawback of aggregation-caused quenching limits their use. Here, we report a new kind of efficient bifunctional emitter derived from salicylic acid, which not only exhibits typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) character but also has the ability to catalyze the CL process under basic conditions based on base sensitivity. By taking advantage of these unique features, we successfully confine the CL process on the surface of solid bases and provide a high-contrast visualization of CL emission. This method allows most of the common basic salts like sodium carbonate to be invisible encryption information ink and PO-CL solution to be a decryption tool to visualize the hidden information. The current study opens up an appealing way for the development of multifunction CL emitters for information encryption and decryption applications.

Tröger's Base-Derived Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Dopant for Efficient Deep-Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

The development of efficient deep-blue emitters with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) properties is a highly significant but challenging task in the field of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of two new 4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocine (TB)-derived TADF emitters, TB-BP-DMAC and TB-DMAC, which feature distinct benzophenone (BP)-derived acceptors but share the same dimethylacridin (DMAC) donors. Our comparative study reveals that the amide acceptor in TB-DMAC exhibits a significantly weaker electron-withdrawing ability in comparison to that of the typical benzophenone acceptor employed in TB-BP-DMAC. This disparity not only causes a noticeable blue shift in the emission from green to deep blue but also enhances the emission efficiency and the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process. As a result, TB-DMAC emits efficient deep-blue delay fluorescence with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 50.4% and a short lifetime of 2.28 µs in doped film. The doped and non-doped OLEDs based on TB-DMAC display efficient deep-blue electroluminescence with spectral peaks at 449 and 453 nm and maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 6.1% and 5.7%, respectively. These findings indicate that substituted amide acceptors are a viable option for the design of high-performance deep-blue TADF materials.

Cerium Synchronous Doping in Anatase for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Ethanol-Water Mixtures.

Cerium element with a unique electric structure can be used to modify semiconductor photocatalysts to enhance their photocatalytic performances. In this work, Ce-doped TiO2 (Ce/TiO2) was successfully achieved using the sol-gel method. The structural characterization methods confirm that Ce was doped in the lattice of anatase TiO2, which led to a smaller grain size. The performance test results show that the Ce doped in anatase TiO2 significantly enhances the charge transport efficiency and broadens the light absorption range, resulting in higher photocatalytic performance. The Ce/TiO2 exhibited a photocurrent density of 10.9 µA/cm2 at 1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl, 2.5 times higher than that of pure TiO2 (4.3 µA/cm2) under AM 1.5 G light. The hydrogen (H2) production rate of the Ce/TiO2 was approximately 0.33 µmol/h/g, which is more than twice as much as that of the pure anatase TiO2 (0.12 µmol/h/g). This work demonstrates the effect of Ce doping in the lattice of TiO2 for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Analysis of spatial distribution and drivers of gaseous energy combustion pollution in China based on SDM.

Air pollution is an important part of ecological environment problems. Gaseous energy combustion pollution is a key part of air pollution. Analysis of its spatial distribution and drivers is important to effectively manage air quality and promote regional green development. This paper uses panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2019 to analyze the spatial distribution and drivers of gaseous energy combustion pollution in each province of China through a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis based on the spatial Durbin model, and further decompose the spatial effects of each influencing factor. The empirical results show, firstly, that inter-provincial gaseous energy combustion pollution in China shows significant spatial differences and cluster characteristics. Secondly, most areas are located in high-high aggregation area and low-low aggregation area. Finally, population, energy consumption and other independent variables have different impacts on gaseous energy combustion pollution in different regions. The changes of these variables will affect the adjacent areas through spatial transmission while affecting a region. According to the empirical results, this study proposes policy recommendations to balance the pollution degree of gaseous energy combustion in various regions and effectively reduce the emissions of various pollution sources. The research results are helpful to understand the spatial distribution of gaseous energy combustion pollution in various regions of China, provide reference for the future development of various regions, and have important practical significance for the reduction and balance of pollution levels.

Making graphs compact by lossless contraction.

This paper proposes a scheme to reduce big graphs to small graphs. It contracts obsolete parts and regular structures into supernodes. The supernodes carry a synopsis S Q for each query class Q in use, to abstract key features of the contracted parts for answering queries of Q . Moreover, for various types of graphs, we identify regular structures to contract. The contraction scheme provides a compact graph representation and prioritizes up-to-date data. Better still, it is generic and lossless. We show that the same contracted graph is able to support multiple query classes at the same time, no matter whether their queries are label based or not, local or non-local. Moreover, existing algorithms for these queries can be readily adapted to compute exact answers by using the synopses when possible and decontracting the supernodes only when necessary. As a proof of concept, we show how to adapt existing algorithms for subgraph isomorphism, triangle counting, shortest distance, connected component and clique decision to contracted graphs. We also provide a bounded incremental contraction algorithm in response to updates, such that its cost is determined by the size of areas affected by the updates alone, not by the entire graphs. We experimentally verify that on average, the contraction scheme reduces graphs by 71.9% and improves the evaluation of these queries by 1.69, 1.44, 1.47, 2.24 and 1.37 times, respectively.

Dvl2 facilitates the coordination of NF-κB and Wnt signaling to promote colitis-associated colorectal progression.

Colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) arises due to prolonged inflammation and has distinct molecular events compared with sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). Although inflammatory NF-κB signaling was activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as TNFα) in early stages of CAC, Wnt/ß-catenin signaling later appears to function as a key regulator of CAC progression. However, the exact mechanism responsible for the cross-regulation between these 2 pathways remains unclear. Here, we found reciprocal inhibition between NF-κB and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in CAC samples, and the Dvl2, an adaptor protein of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, is responsible for NF-κB inhibition. Mechanistically, Dvl2 interacts with the C-terminus of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFRI) and mediates TNFRI endocytosis, leading to NF-κB signal inhibition. In addition, increased infiltration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-13 (IL-13) is responsible for upregulating Dvl2 expression through STAT6. Targeting STAT6 effectively decreases Dvl2 levels and restrains colony formation of cancer cells. These findings demonstrate a unique role for Dvl2 in TNFRI endocytosis, which facilitates the coordination of NF-κB and Wnt to promote CAC progression.

Survival Outcomes and Clinicopathological Features in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-associated Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the survival outcomes of IBD-associated and non-IBD-associated CRC. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Investigations comparing the prognosis in CRC patients with and without IBD have yielded conflicting results. METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library were searched for studies evaluating the prognostic outcomes between CRC patients with IBD and those without IBD. Estimates of survival-related outcomes and clinicopathological features in IBD-CRC and non-IBD CRC were pooled through random-effects or fix-effects models. The study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021261513. RESULTS: Of 12,768 records identified, twenty-five studies with 8034 IBD-CRC and 810,526 non-IBD CRC patients were included in the analysis. IBD-CRC patients have a significant worse overall survival (OS) with the hazard ratio (HR) of 1.33 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-1.47] than those without IBD. Pooled estimates of cancer-specific survival demonstrated that IBD-CRC patients had a poorer cancer-specific survival than those without IBD with fixed-effect model (HR, 2.17; 95% CI: 1.68-2.78; P < 0.0001). Moreover, ulcerative colitis-associated CRC patients have favorable OS than Crohn's disease-associated CRC (HR 0.79,95% CI: 0.72-0.87). Compared to non-IBD-CRC, patients with IBD-associated CRC are characterized by an increased rate of poor differentiation (OR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.57-2.61), mucinous or signet ring cell carcinoma (OR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.34-4.42), synchronous tumors (OR 3.18, 95% CI: 2.26-4.47), right-sided CRC (OR 1.62, 95%CI: 1.05-2.05), male patients (OR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05-1.16), and a reduced rate of R0 resections (OR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: IBD-CRC patients have a significant worse OS than patients with non-IBD CRC, which may be attributed to more aggressive histological characteristics and a lower rate of R0 resections at the primary tumor site. Optimized therapeutic standards and tailored follow-up strategies might improve the prognosis of IBD-CRC patients.

Pseudomonas lijiangensis sp. nov., a novel phytopathogenic bacterium isolated from black spots of tobacco.

Three Gram-stain-negative, motile, with amphilophotrichous flagella, and rod-shaped bacteria (LJ1, LJ2T and LJ3) were isolated from lower leaves with black spots on flue-cured tobacco in Yunnan, PR China. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicate that all the strains from tobacco were closely related to the type strains of the Pseudomonas syringae group within the P. fluorescens lineage and LJ2T has the highest sequence identities with P. cichorii DSM 50259T (99.92 %), P. capsici Pc19-1T (99.67 %) and P. ovata F51T (98.94 %) . The 16S rRNA gene sequence identities between LJ2T and other members of the genus Pseudomonas were below 98.50%. The average nucleotide identity by blast (ANIb) values between LJ2T and P. cichorii DSM 50259T, P. capsici Pc19-1T and P. ovata F51T were less than 95 %, and the in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) values (yielded by formula 2) were less than 70 %. The major fatty acids were C16  :  1ω7c and/or C16  :  1ω6c (summed feature 3), C16  :  0 and C18  :  1ω7c and/or C18  :  1ω6c (summed feature 8). The polar lipids profile of LJ2T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, two unidentified phospholipids and one unidentified glycolipid. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-9. The DNA G+C content of LJ2T was 58.4 mol%. On the basis of these data, we concluded that LJ2T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonas lijiangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Pseudomonas lijiangensis sp. nov. is LJ2T (=CCTCC AB 2021465T=GDMCC 1.2884T=JCM 35177T).

Ralstonia wenshanensis sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from a tobacco field in Yunnan, China.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, motile with paired polar flagella and rod-shaped bacterium strain (56D2T) was isolated from tobacco planting soil in Yunnan, PR China. Major fatty acids were C16  :  1 ω7c (summed feature 3), C16  :  0 and C18  :  1 ω7c (summed feature 8). The polar lipid profile of strain 56D2T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified aminophospholipid and one unidentified glycolipid. Moreover, strain 56D2T contained ubiquinone Q-8 as the sole respiratory quinone. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain 56D2T was closely related to members of the genus Ralstonia and the two type strains with the highest sequence identities were R. mannitolilytica LMG 6866T (98.36 %) and R. pickettii K-288T (98.22 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence identities between strain 56D2T and other members of the genus Ralstonia were below 98.00 %. Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 5.87 Mb and a G+C content of 63.7 mol%. The average nucleotide identity values between strain 56D2T and R. pickettii K-288T, R. mannitolilytica LMG 6866 T and R. insidiosa CCUG 46789T were less than 95 %, and the in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values (yielded by formula 2) were less than 70 %. Based on these data, we conclude that strain 56D2T represents a novel species of the genus Ralstonia, for which the name Ralstonia wenshanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Ralstonia wenshanensis sp. nov. is 56D2T (=CCTCC AB 2021466T=GDMCC 1.2886T=JCM 35178T).

First Report of Pectobacterium versatile Causing Stem Rot of Tobacco in China.

Tobacco is one of the most significant non-food cash crops (Lu et al. 2020). In March 2022, cigar tobacco plants showing characteristic symptoms of vascular discoloration, stem rotting, leaf wilting and rotting were observed in Tengchong city (N 25°3'26″, E 98°25'6″) of Yunnan province, China (Fig. S1). The disease incidence was about 5% on cultivar Yunxue 6 in a 33-ha field. Infected stems were collected from Tengchong for pathogen isolation and 16S rDNA sequence analysis was performed as previously described (Lu et al. 2021). Sequence analysis showed that tobacco isolates (GenBank accession numbers: ON795108, ON795107 and ON795106) had an identical sequence with that of the species type strain of Pectobacterium versatile CFBP 6051T and shared the sequence identities of 99.55% and 99.47% with P. carotovorum DSM 30168T and P. parvum s0421T, respectively. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis showed that tobacco strains were clustered with Pectobacterium versatile CFBP 6051T (Fig. S2a). In API assays, strain 22TC1 was positive for ß-galactosidase activity, reduction of nitrates to nitrites, fermentation of glucose, hydrolysis of esculin and gelatin, assimilation of D-glucose, L-arabinose, D-mannose, D-mannitol, N-acetylglucosamine, malic acid and trisodium citrate; positive for the enzymatic substrates of alkaline phosphatase, leucine arylamidase, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, α-galactosidase, ß-galactosidase and α-glucosidase. Furthermore, the average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis (Richter et al. 2015) showed that strain 22TC1 (GenBank accession number: JAMWYQ000000000) had the highest ANIb score of 96.76% and ANIm value of 97.19% with P. versatile CFBP 6051T. Similarly, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) value was 74.5% compared to P. versatile CFBP 6051T, isDDH values were 35.5-63.7% with the other Pectobacterium species, which below the 70% threshold value for species delineation (Meier-Kolthoff et al. 2021). The phylogenomic analysis also showed that strain 22TC1 was clustered with the species type strain of P. versatile CFBP 6051T. For pathogenicity tests, cell suspension with ten-fold dilution (approx. 1 x 108 CFU/ml) was injected into the leaf axils of two 2-month-old tobacco stems (cv. Yunyan 87). As a control, tobacco seedlings were inoculated with sterile distilled water. The plants were sealed in plastic bags and maintained in a growth chamber at 28°C for 2 d. The symptoms of water-soaked decay were observed within 24 h of inoculation. Whole-plant decay was at 2 days after injection. No symptoms were developed in the controls. Reisolation was performed on diseased stems and the identity of isolated bacteria was confirmed by PCR and sequencing of 16S rRNA. Similar results were obtained in two independent experiments. Based on the above-described data, the causal pathogen of stem rot on cigar tobacco in Tengchong was identified as P. versatile. To our knowledge, this is the first time that P. versatile is found to cause stem rot on tobacco. Pectobacterium species have been reported to cause seed-borne diseases on tobacco seedlings in the floating tray system and soil-borne diseases in tobacco fields (Wang et al. 2017; Xia and Mo 2007). Therefore, studying the possible transmission of the P. versatile to tobacco plants is necessary.

Cerium-Doped Iron Oxide Nanorod Arrays for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

In this work, a simple one-step hydrothermal method was employed to prepare the Ce-doped Fe2O3 ordered nanorod arrays (CFT). The Ce doping successfully narrowed the band gap of Fe2O3, which improved the visible light absorption performance. In addition, with the help of Ce doping, the recombination of electron/hole pairs was significantly inhibited. The external voltage will make the performance of the Ce-doped sample better. Therefore, the Ce-doped Fe2O3 has reached superior photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance with a high photocurrent density of 1.47 mA/cm2 at 1.6 V vs. RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode), which is 7.3 times higher than that of pristine Fe2O3 nanorod arrays (FT). The Hydrogen (H2) production from PEC water splitting of Fe2O3 was highly improved by Ce doping to achieve an evolution rate of 21 µmol/cm2/h.