Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Complex Physiological Response and Gene Regulation in Peanut Roots and Leaves under Manganese Toxicity Stress.

Excess Manganese (Mn) is toxic to plants and reduces crop production. Although physiological and molecular pathways may drive plant responses to Mn toxicity, few studies have evaluated Mn tolerance capacity in roots and leaves. As a result, the processes behind Mn tolerance in various plant tissue or organ are unclear. The reactivity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) to Mn toxicity stress was examined in this study. Mn oxidation spots developed on peanut leaves, and the root growth was inhibited under Mn toxicity stress. The physiological results revealed that under Mn toxicity stress, the activities of antioxidases and the content of proline in roots and leaves were greatly elevated, whereas the content of soluble protein decreased. In addition, manganese and iron ion content in roots and leaves increased significantly, but magnesium ion content decreased drastically. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in peanut roots and leaves in response to Mn toxicity were subsequently identified using genome-wide transcriptome analysis. Transcriptomic profiling results showed that 731 and 4589 DEGs were discovered individually in roots and leaves, respectively. Furthermore, only 310 DEGs were frequently adjusted and controlled in peanut roots and leaves, indicating peanut roots and leaves exhibited various toxicity responses to Mn. The results of qRT-PCR suggested that the gene expression of many DEGs in roots and leaves was inconsistent, indicating a more complex regulation of DEGs. Therefore, different regulatory mechanisms are present in peanut roots and leaves in response to Mn toxicity stress. The findings of this study can serve as a starting point for further research into the molecular mechanism of important functional genes in peanut roots and leaves that regulate peanut tolerance to Mn poisoning.

Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis of Root in Soybean Responding to Mn Poisoning.

Manganese (Mn) is among one of the essential trace elements for normal plant development; however, excessive Mn can cause plant growth and development to be hindered. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanisms of plant root response to Mn poisoning remain unclear. In the present study, results revealed that the root growth was inhibited when exposed to Mn poisoning. Physiological results showed that the antioxidase enzyme activities (peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase) and the proline, malondialdehyde, and soluble sugar contents increased significantly under Mn toxicity stress (100 µM Mn), whereas the soluble protein and four hormones' (indolebutyric acid, abscisic acid, indoleacetic acid, and gibberellic acid 3) contents decreased significantly. In addition, the Mn, Fe, Na, Al, and Se contents in the roots increased significantly, whereas those of Mg, Zn, and K decreased significantly. Furthermore, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis was used to test the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of soybean root under Mn poisoning. The results found 45,274 genes in soybean root and 1430 DEGs under Mn concentrations of 5 (normal) and 100 (toxicity) µM. Among these DEGs, 572 were upregulated and 858 were downregulated, indicating that soybean roots may initiate complex molecular regulatory mechanisms on Mn poisoning stress. The results of quantitative RT-PCR indicated that many DEGs were upregulated or downregulated markedly in the roots, suggesting that the regulation of DEGs may be complex. Therefore, the regulatory mechanism of soybean root on Mn toxicity stress is complicated. Present results lay the foundation for further study on the molecular regulation mechanism of function genes involved in regulating Mn tolerance traits in soybean roots.

Establishment of an efficient plant regeneration culture protocol and achievement of successful genetic transformation in Jatropha curcas L.

An efficient and reproducible protocol is described for shoot-bud regeneration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation of J. curcas. Treating the explants with high concentrations (5-120 mg/L) of TDZ for short durations (5-80 min) before inoculation culture increased significantly the regeneration frequency and improved the quality of the regenerated buds. The highest shoot-buds induction rate (87.35%) was achieved when petiole explants were treated with 20 mg/L TDZ solution for 20 min and inoculated on hormone-free MS medium for 30 days. Regenerated shoots of 0.5 cm or a little longer were isolated and grafted to seedling stocks of the same species, and then the grafted plantlets were planted on half-strength MS medium containing 0.1 mg/L IBA and 2 mg/L sodium nitroprusside (SNP). This grafting strategy was found to be very effective, to obtain that healthy grafted plantlets ready for acclimatization within 20 days. By the above mentioned protocol and with general Agrobacterium - mediated genetic transformation methods only 65 days were needed to obtain intact transgenic plants.

Catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol with functionalized carbon materials as catalysts: reaction mechanism and pathway.

The development of highly active carbon material catalysts in catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) has attracted a great deal of attention. In this study different carbon material catalysts (multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers and graphite) were developed to enhance the CWAO of phenol in aqueous solution. The functionalized carbon materials exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the CWAO of phenol. After 60 min reaction, the removal of phenol was nearly 100% over the functionalized multi-walled carbon, while it was only 14% over the purified multi-walled carbon under the same reaction conditions. Carboxylic acid groups introduced on the surface of the functionalized carbon materials play an important role in the catalytic activity in CWAO. They can promote the production of free radicals, which act as strong oxidants in CWAO. Based on the analysis of the intermediates produced in the CWAO reactions, a new reaction pathway for the CWAO of phenol was proposed in this study. There are some differences between the proposed reaction pathway and that reported in the literature. First, maleic acid is transformed directly into malonic acid. Second, acetic acid is oxidized into an unknown intermediate, which is then oxidized into CO2 and H2O. Finally, formic acid and oxalic acid can mutually interconvert when conditions are favorable.

Physiological Mechanism through Which Al Toxicity Inhibits Peanut Root Growth.

Al (Aluminum) poisoning is a significant limitation to crop yield in acid soil. However, the physiological process involved in the peanut root response to Al poisoning has not been clarified yet and requires further research. In order to investigate the influence of Al toxicity stress on peanut roots, this study employed various methods, including root phenotype analysis, scanning of the root, measuring the physical response indices of the root, measurement of the hormone level in the root, and quantitative PCR (qPCR). This research aimed to explore the physiological mechanism underlying the reaction of peanut roots to Al toxicity. The findings revealed that Al poisoning inhibits the development of peanut roots, resulting in reduced biomass, length, surface area, and volume. Al also significantly affects antioxidant oxidase activity and proline and malondialdehyde contents in peanut roots. Furthermore, Al toxicity led to increased accumulations of Al and Fe in peanut roots, while the contents of zinc (Zn), cuprum (Cu), manganese (Mn), kalium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) decreased. The hormone content and related gene expression in peanut roots also exhibited significant changes. High concentrations of Al trigger cellular defense mechanisms, resulting in differentially expressed antioxidase genes and enhanced activity of antioxidases to eliminate excessive ROS (reactive oxygen species). Additionally, the differential expression of hormone-related genes in a high-Al environment affects plant hormones, ultimately leading to various negative effects, for example, decreased biomass of roots and hindered root development. The purpose of this study was to explore the physiological response mechanism of peanut roots subjected to aluminum toxicity stress, and the findings of this research will provide a basis for cultivating Al-resistant peanut varieties.

Genome-Wide Identification of OsZIPs in Rice and Gene Expression Analysis under Manganese and Selenium Stress.

Zinc (Zn)- and iron (Fe)-regulating transport-like proteins (ZIPs) are a class of proteins crucial for metal uptake and transport in plants, particularly for Zn and Fe absorption and distribution. These proteins ensure the balance of trace elements essential for plant growth, development, and metabolic activities. However, the role of the rice (Oryza sativa) OsZIP gene family in manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) transport remains underexplored. This research conducted an all-sided analysis of the rice OsZIPs and identified 16 OsZIP sequences. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the OsZIPs predominantly within the three subfamilies. The expression levels of OsZIPs in rice root and leaf subjected to Mn and Se toxicity stress were examined through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The findings revealed significant differential expression of many OsZIPs under these conditions, indicating a potential regulating effect in the response of rice to Mn and Se toxicity. This work lays a foundation for further functional studies of OsZIPs, enhancing our understanding of the response mechanisms of rice to Mn and Se toxicity and their roles in growth, development, and environmental adaptation.

PacBio Full-Length Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals the Mechanism of Salt Stress Response in Sonneratia apetala.

Sonneratia apetala is an essential mangrove wetland restoration tree species. Studying its molecular mechanism for salt tolerance could lay a foundation for further cultivating excellent resistant germplasm. This study used a combination of PacBio isoform sequencing (Iso-seq) and BGISEQ RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze the molecular mechanism to salt stress response of one-year-old S. apetala leaves. The growth and physiological analysis showed that physiological indexes such as growth rate, net photosynthetic rate and antioxidant enzyme activity all exhibit significant changes under salt stress. From Iso-seq, a total of 295,501 full-length transcripts, with an average length of 1418 bp, were obtained. RNA-seq produced 4712 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as compared to a control group. Of these, 930 were identified to be co-expressed during the STEM time sequence analysis. Further, 715 and 444 co-expressed DEGs were annotated by GO and KEGG analyses, respectively. Moreover, 318 of the co-expressed DEGs were annotated as essential genes that were implicated in salt stress response of S. apetala, which were involved in transcription factors, signal transduction, hormone response, ROS homeostasis, osmotic balance, cell wall synthesis or modification. These results provide candidate targets for further characterization and offer insights into the salt-tolerant mechanism of S. apetala.

Genome-Wide Identification of AhMDHs and Analysis of Gene Expression under Manganese Toxicity Stress in Arachis hypogaea.

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is one kind of oxidation-reduction enzyme that catalyzes the reversible conversion of oxaloacetic acid to malic acid. It has vital functions in plant development, photosynthesis, abiotic stress responses, and so on. However, there are no reports on the genome-wide identification and gene expression of the MDH gene family in Arachis hypogaea. In this study, the MDH gene family of A. hypogaea was comprehensively analyzed for the first time, and 15 AhMDH sequences were identified. According to the phylogenetic tree analysis, AhMDHs are mainly separated into three subfamilies with similar gene structures. Based on previously reported transcriptome sequencing results, the AhMDH expression quantity of roots and leaves exposed to manganese (Mn) toxicity were explored in A. hypogaea. Results revealed that many AhMDHs were upregulated when exposed to Mn toxicity, suggesting that those AhMDHs might play an important regulatory role in A. hypogaea's response to Mn toxicity stress. This study lays foundations for the functional study of AhMDHs and further reveals the mechanism of the A. hypogaea signaling pathway responding to high Mn stress.

Identification of performance and cost in a new backwash method to clean the UF membrane: backwashing with low dosage of NaClO.

Ultrafiltration (UF) is widely used in wastewater reclamation treatments. Conventional backwashing is usually performed at regular time intervals (10-120 min) with permeate and without the addition of chemicals. Chemical enhanced backwashing (CEB) is usually applied after 70-90 filtration cycles with added chemicals. These cleaning methods cause membrane fouling and require costly chemicals. Instead of conventional backwashing, we propose herein a new backwashing method involving backwashing the effluent with low doses of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) named as BELN. The performance and cost of UF backwashing were investigated with Beijing wastewater reclamation treatment. The results showed that the transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased from 33.2 to 48.2 kPa during hydraulic backwashing after 80 filtration cycles but increased from 33.3 to 39.3 kPa during backwashing with a low NaClO content of 20 mg/L. It was also noticed that the hydraulic-irreversible fouling index decreased from 5.58 × 10-3 m2/L to 3.58 × 10-3 m2/L with the new method. According to the three-dimensional fluorescence excitation-emission (3D-EEM), the response increased from 11.9 to 15.2% with BELN. Protein-like material was identified as the main component causing membrane fouling by blocking the membrane pores. The results indicated that the low dosage of NaClO effectively stripped the fouling layer. Finally, based on an economic evaluation, the capacity of the UF process was increased from 76,959 to 109,133 m3/d with the new method. The amount of NaClO consumed for Beijing wastewater reclamation treatment was similarly compared with the conventional backwashing in per year under BELN. The new method has good potential for application.

Enhanced Heterogeneous Fenton-like Process for Sulfamethazine Removal via Dual-Reaction-Center Fe-Mo/rGO Catalyst.

A heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst with single redox site has a rate-limiting step in oxidant activation, which limited its application in wastewater purification. To overcome this, a bimetallic doping strategy was designed to prepare a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst (Fe-Mo/rGO) with a double-reaction center. Combined with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation, it was confirmed that the formation of an electron-rich Mo center and an electron-deficient Fe center through the constructed Fe-O-Mo and Mo-S-C bonding bridges induced a higher electron transfer capability in the Fe-Mo/rGO catalyst. The designed Fe-Mo/rGO catalyst exhibited excellent sulfamethazine (SMT) degradation efficiency in a broad pH range (4.8-8.4). The catalytic performance was hardly affected by inorganic anions (Cl-, SO42- and HCO3-) in the complicated and variable water environment. Compared to Fe/rGO and Mo/rGO catalysts, the SMT degradation efficiency increased by about 14.6 and 1.6 times in heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction over Fe-Mo/rGO catalyst. The electron spin resonance and radical scavenger experiments proved that ·O2-/HO2· and 1O2 dominate the SMT removal in the Fe-Mo/rGO/H2O2 system. Fe and Mo, as active centers co-supported on rGO, significantly enhanced the electron transfer between catalyst, oxidant, and pollutants, which accelerated the reactive oxygen species generation and effectively improved the SMT degradation. Our findings offer a novel perspective to enhance the performance of heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts by accelerating the electron transfer rate in the degradation of organic pollutants.

Highly efficient adsorption behavior and mechanism of Urea-Fe3O4@LDH for triphenyl phosphate.

The emergence of organophosphorus flame retardants and the efficient removal from aquatic environments have aroused increasing concerns. The Urea functionalized Fe3O4@LDH (Urea-Fe3O4@LDH) was prepared and used to adsorb triphenyl phosphate (tphp) for the first time. The tphp adsorption capacity was up to 589 mg g-1, and the adsorption rate reached 49.9 mg g-1 min-1. Moreover, the influences of various environmental factors (pH, ionic strength and organic matter) on the tphp adsorption on the Urea-Fe3O4@LDH were investigated. The initial pH of the solution significantly affected the tphp adsorption, whereas the ionic strength and HA slightly affected the adsorption. The main adsorption mechanism was attributed to electrostatic interaction and π-π interaction. We believe that urea is one of excellent functional groups for the tphp adsorption removal and the materials with urea groups as the adsorbents exhibit good prospects in the future.

Oxygen vacancy enhancing the Fe2O3-CeO2 catalysts in Fenton-like reaction for the sulfamerazine degradation under O2 atmosphere.

To develop an efficient and reusable heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst is a great challenge for its application in practical water treatment. Effective oxygen vacancy (OVs)-promoted Fe2O3-CeO2 catalyst was prepared by a sol-gel method, and applied in the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction of the sulfamerazine (SMR) degradation. The Fe2O3-CeO2 catalyst showed good activity and stability, and total SMR conversion was achieved in the Fenton-like reaction after 75 min at pH 3.0 and 45 °C under O2 atmosphere. Moreover, the SMR removal was significantly enhanced under O2 atmosphere. The surface-bounded OH radicals played a dominant role for the SMR degradation. The Fe2O3-CeO2 catalyst remarkably promoted the generation of OH in the Fenton-like reaction under O2 atmosphere, mostly because abundant OVs on the catalyst surface not only accelerated electron transfer to promote the H2O2 decomposition, but also oxygen molecules, adsorbed on OVs, formed O2-/HO2 and promoted the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox cycle.

Catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol over CeO2-TiO2 catalyst in the batch reactor and the packed-bed reactor.

CeO2-TiO2 catalysts are prepared by coprecipitation method, and the activity and stability in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol are investigated in a batch reactor and packed-bed reactor. CeO2-TiO2 mixed oxides show the higher activity than pure CeO2 and TiO2, and CeO2-TiO2 1/1 catalyst displays the highest activity in the CWAO of phenol. In a batch reactor, COD and TOC removals are about 100% and 77% after 120 min in the CWAO of phenol over CeO2-TiO2 1/1 catalyst at reaction temperature of 150 degrees C, the total pressure of 3 MPa, phenol concentration of 1000 mg/L, and catalyst dosage of 4 g/L. In a packed-bed reactor using CeO2-TiO2 1/1 particle catalyst, over 91% COD and 80% TOC removals are obtained at the reaction temperature of 140 degrees C, the air total pressure of 3.5 MPa, the phenol concentration of 1000 mg/L for 100 h continue reaction. Leaching of metal ions of CeO2-TiO2 1/1 particle catalyst is very low during the continuous reaction. CeO2-TiO2 1/1 catalyst exhibits the excellent activity and stability in the CWAO of phenol.

Kinetics study on catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol by several metal oxide catalysts.

Four metal oxide catalysts composed of copper (Cu), stannum(Sn), copper-stannum (Cu-Sn) and copper-cerium(Cu-Ce) respectively were prepared by the co-impregnation method, and gamma-alumina (gamma-Al2O3) is selected as support. A first-order kinetics model was established to study the catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol at different temperature when these catalysts were used. The model simulations are good agreement with present experimental data. Results showed that the reaction rate constants can be significantly increased when catalysts were used, and the catalyst of 6% Cu--10% Ce/gamma-Al2O3 showed the best catalytic activity. This is consistent with the result of catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol and the COD removal can be arrived at 98.2% at temperature 210 degrees C, oxygen partial pressure 3 MPa and reaction time 30 min. The activation energies of each reaction with different catalysts are nearly equal, which is found to beabout 42 kJ/mol and the reaction in this study is proved to be kinetics control.

Graphene oxide as an effective catalyst for wet air oxidation of phenol.

The graphene oxide (GO) and chemically reduced graphene oxides, used as catalysts in absence of any metals, were investigated in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol in a batch reactor. The characterization of the materials was measured with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The carbon materials exhibited good phenol and total organic compounds (TOC) removals in the CWAO of phenol. The GO had the highest catalytic activity, total phenol removal was achieved after 40 min, and ca. 84% TOC removal was obtained after 120 min at reaction temperature of 155°C, total pressure of 2.5 MPa and catalyst loading of 0.2 gL(-1).

Influence of the different oxidation treatment on the performance of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) functionalized by different oxidants (HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4), H(2)O(2), O(3) and air) have been used as catalysts for the wet air oxidation of phenol. To investigate the effect of the oxidation conditions on the structure of the functionalized MWCNTs, various characterization techniques, e.g., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used. The MWCNTs treated with O(3) and H(2)O(2) show higher amounts of oxygen-containing functional groups and carboxylic acid groups, and a weaker acidic nature, in comparison with those treated with other oxidizing agents. All the functionalized MWCNTs exhibit good activity in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol. However, the MWCNTs treated with O(3) show the highest activity with desirable stability in comparison with other functionalized MWCNTs, indicating that the functionalization of carbon nanotubes with O(3) is a very promising strategy in synthesizing efficient catalysts for CWAO.

[Study on bromate formation of catalytic ozonation process].

In a batch reactor, the BrO3(-) formation was investigated in the ozonation and catalytic ozonation of Br(-)-containing Yellow river water, using the different heterogeneous catalysts. The results showed that BrO3(-) minimization was achieved in the catalytic ozonation with NiO, CuO, Fe3O4 and Al2O3 as catalysts and the percent reductions of BrO3(-) were 34.0%, 32.8%, 29.2% and 20.8% respectively. In the reaction R(ct), the ratio of concentration of *OH to O3, decreased with the reaction time, and the range of R(ct) was from 10(-8) to 10(-6). In the ozonation process, one of the main reaction pathways of BrO3(-) formation was the combination oxidation of Br(-) by *OH and then O3, another was the combination oxidation of Br(-) by O3 and then *OH. In the catalytic ozonation with Fe3O4 catalyst, the main pathway was the combination oxidation by *OH and then O3. Moreover, about 60.7% removal for UV254 was obtained after 20 min in the catalytic ozonation reaction. In our study, it was found that the catalytic ozonation process can effectively minimize the formation of BrO3(-) and also oxidize organic compounds.

Wet air oxidation of epoxy acrylate monomer industrial wastewater.

Epoxy acrylate monomer industrial wastewater contained highly concentrated and toxic organic compounds. The wet air oxidation (WAO) and catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) were used to eliminate pollutants in order to examine the feasibility of the WAO/CWAO as a pre-treatment method for the industrial wastewater. The results showed that in the WAO 63% chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 41% total organic carbon (TOC) removals were achieved and biological oxygen demand (BOD(5))/COD ratio increased from 0.13 to 0.72 after 3h reaction at 250 degrees C, 3.5MPa and the initial concentration of 100g(COD)/L. Among homogenous catalysts (Cu(2+), Fe(2+), Fe(3+) and Mn(2+) salts), Cu(2+) salt exhibited better performance. CuO catalyst was used in the CWAO of the wastewater, COD and TOC conversion were 77 and 54%, and good biodegradability was achieved. The results proved that the CWAO was an effective pre-treatment method for the epoxy acrylate monomer industrial wastewater.

[Catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol with Ru/ZrO2-CeO2 catalyst].

Wet air oxidation of phenol with Ru/ZrO2-CeO2 was systematically investigated and results showed that Ru/ZrO2-CeO2 could significantly increase the removal of COD and phenol. At the reaction temperature of 170 degrees C and pressure of 3MPa, about 99% COD and 100% phenol was removed respectively after 120 min. The optimal conditions were: reaction temperature, 170 degrees C; reaction pressure, 3 MPa; catalyst dosage, 5 g/L; agitator speed, 500 r/min. By analyzing intermediates, a simplified scheme of phenol oxidation was brought out. It includes two main steps. The first step is the production of organic acids, which is fast. The second step is the oxidation of organic acid, in which the oxidation of acetic acid is slow. Complete oxidation of acetic acid needs high temperature at which the radicals assault the C-H bond of a carbon and acetic acid is oxidized into carbon dioxide and water through formic acid.