Metabolic pathways regulated by strigolactones foliar spraying enhance osmoregulation and antioxidant defense in drought-prone soybean.

BACKGROUND: Drought stress is a significant abiotic stressor that hinders growth, development, and crop yield in soybeans. Strigolactones (SLs) positively regulate plant resistance to drought stress. However, the impact of foliar application of SLs having different concentrations on soybean growth and metabolic pathways related to osmoregulation remains unknown. Therefore, to clarify the impact of SLs on soybean root growth and cellular osmoregulation under drought stress, we initially identified optimal concentrations and assessed key leaf and root indices. Furthermore, we conducted transcriptomic and metabolic analyses to identify differential metabolites and up-regulated genes. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that drought stress had a significant impact on soybean biomass, root length, root surface area, water content and photosynthetic parameters. However, when SLs were applied through foliar application at appropriate concentrations, the accumulation of ABA and soluble protein increased, which enhanced drought tolerance of soybean seedlings by regulating osmotic balance, protecting membrane integrity, photosynthesis and activating ROS scavenging system. This also led to an increase in soybean root length, lateral root number and root surface area. Furthermore, the effects of different concentrations of SLs on soybean leaves and roots were found to be time-sensitive. However, the application of 0.5 µM SLs had the greatest beneficial impact on soybean growth and root morphogenesis under drought stress. A total of 368 differential metabolites were screened in drought and drought plus SLs treatments. The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in nitrogen compound utilization, and the down-regulated metabolic pathways were mainly involved in maintaining cellular osmoregulation and antioxidant defenses. CONCLUSIONS: SLs enhance osmoregulation in soybean plants under drought stress by regulating key metabolic pathways including Arachidonic acid metabolism, Glycerophospholipid metabolism, Linoleic acid metabolism, and Flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of improving soybean adaptability and survival in response to drought stress.

Genome-wide analysis of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) laccase gene family and its functions in response to abiotic stress.

BACKGROUND: Laccase (LAC) gene family plays a pivotal role in plant lignin biosynthesis and adaptation to various stresses. Limited research has been conducted on laccase genes in common beans. RESULTS: 29 LAC gene family members were identified within the common bean genome, distributed unevenly in 9 chromosomes. These members were divided into 6 distinct subclades by phylogenetic analysis. Further phylogenetic analyses and synteny analyses indicated that considerable gene duplication and loss presented throughout the evolution of the laccase gene family. Purified selection was shown to be the major evolutionary force through Ka / Ks. Transcriptional changes of PvLAC genes under low temperature and salt stress were observed, emphasizing the regulatory function of these genes in such conditions. Regulation by abscisic acid and gibberellins appears to be the case for PvLAC3, PvLAC4, PvLAC7, PvLAC13, PvLAC14, PvLAC18, PvLAC23, and PvLAC26, as indicated by hormone induction experiments. Additionally, the regulation of PvLAC3, PvLAC4, PvLAC7, and PvLAC14 in response to nicosulfuron and low-temperature stress were identified by virus-induced gene silence, which demonstrated inhibition on growth and development in common beans. CONCLUSIONS: The research provides valuable genetic resources for improving the resistance of common beans to abiotic stresses and enhance the understanding of the functional roles of the LAC gene family.

The coexistence of low muscle mass and obesity evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, rather than low muscle mass or obesity alone, is associated with macrovascular but not microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: The prevalence of the coexistence of low muscle mass and obesity is increasing, particularly with a rising trend observed in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the association between the coexistence of low muscle mass and obesity and diabetic complications remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate these associations in patients with T2D. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted, including 2387 hospitalized patients with T2DM. Data on demographic characteristics, biochemical parameters, diabetic complications and body composition was from electronic health records. The participants were categorized as control, low muscle mass, obesity and the coexistence of the low muscle mass and obesity groups according to the body compositions evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to assess the associations between the pattern of body composition and complications of diabetes. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, compared with patients in the control group, the odds ratios [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] of macrovascular complications of diabetes were 0.62 (95% CI, 0.27-1.39) for those in the low muscle mass group, 1.12 (95% CI, 0.59-2.11) in the obesity group, and 2.43 (95% CI, 1.16-5.07) in the coexistence of the low muscle mass and obesity group, respectively; the odds ratios (95% CIs) of microvascular complications of diabetes were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.52-1.43) for those in the low muscle mass group, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.53-1.26) in the obesity group, and 1.21 (95% CI, 0.69-2.15) in the coexistence of the low muscle mass and obesity group, respectively. CONCLUSION: According to our findings, the coexistence of low muscle mass and obesity, rather than low muscle mass or obesity alone, was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of macrovascular complications in hospitalized patients with T2DM. This association was not observed for diabetic microvascular complications.

Fossil and Nonfossil Sources of Winter Organic Aerosols in the Regional Background Atmosphere of China.

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) from anthropogenic emissions have been significantly reduced in urban China in recent years. However, the relative contributions of fossil and nonfossil sources to CA in rural and background regions of China remain unclear. In this study, the sources of different carbonaceous fractions in fine aerosols (PM2.5) from five background sites of the China Meteorological Administration Atmosphere Watch Network during the winter of 2019 and 2020 were quantified using radiocarbon (14C) and organic markers. The results showed that nonfossil sources contributed 44-69% to total carbon at these five background sites. Fossil fuel combustion was the predominant source of elemental carbon at all sites (73 ± 12%). Nonfossil sources dominated organic carbon (OC) in these background regions (61 ± 13%), with biomass burning or biogenic-derived secondary organic carbon (SOC) as the most important contributors. However, the relative fossil fuel source to OC in China (39 ± 13%) still exceeds those at other regional/background sites in Asia, Europe, and the USA. SOC dominated the fossil fuel-derived OC, highlighting the impact of regional transport from anthropogenic sources on background aerosol levels. It is therefore imperative to develop and implement aerosol reduction policies and technologies tailored to both the anthropogenic and biogenic emissions to mitigate the environmental and health risks of aerosol pollution across China.

Association between BMI and increased time-to-pregnancy in planned pregnancy couples: a cohort study in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between overweight and obesity and fertility in the context of China's fertility. Given the inconsistent results in previous research, which mostly focused on females, our study targets couples in Guangzhou. We investigate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and time-to-pregnancy (TTP) to provide evidence-based strategies for enhancing reproductive outcomes in China. METHODS: This cohort study, utilizing the National Free Pre-pregnancy Checkups Project (NFPCP), employs a Cox regression model to assess the associations between different BMI categories and TTP. Heatmaps are utilized to investigate the association between various BMI combinations of couples and TTP. Additionally, restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were used to explore the impact of different ranges of male and female BMI on TTP. RESULTS: The results showed that females and males classified as overweight and obese (fecundability ratios (FR) 0.78, 95% CI 0.64, 0.95 for females; FR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76, 0.97 for males) had longer TTP compared with those in the normal weight category, regardless of controlled covariates, while those classified as underweight also had longer TTP, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Across all BMI combinations, couples in the overweight and obese groups exhibited the longest TTP, experiencing a 34% increase in TTP compared to couples in the normal BMI combination (FR 0.66; 95% CI 0.50, 0.85). After adjusting for all covariates in the RCS model, a male BMI within the range of 23.40 to 29.44 was significantly associated with an increase in TTP (FR<1). CONCLUSIONS: Increased BMI in both females and males is associated with a certain predictive effect on prolonged TTP. Scientific BMI management is crucial for couples preparing to conceive.

Deciphering the prognostic landscape of osteosarcoma: Integrating the roles of hippo pathway genes, programmed cell death, and the tumor immune microenvironment.

Osteosarcoma is a highly aggressive cancer prevalent among adolescents and young adults, notorious for its tendency to metastasize to the lungs. This research delves into the molecular foundations of osteosarcoma by examining the role of the Hippo signaling pathway and its interaction with the tumor immune microenvironment (TME). Through analysis of transcriptomic data from the TARGET-OS dataset and control samples from GTEx, we identified a set of 131 genes that link high expression profiles in osteosarcoma with the Hippo pathway. A focused examination through univariate Cox regression analysis revealed eight key genes (DLG5, WNT11, TGFB2, DLG4, WNT16, ID2, WNT10B, and WNT10A) with a significant correlation to patient outcomes. Hierarchical clustering of these genes delineated two distinct patient groups with significantly different survival rates, a finding supported by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Further investigation into immune cell infiltration and expression profiles of immunoregulatory factors uncovered a notable pattern of immune evasion in the group with poorer prognosis, marked by reduced effector immune cell activity and lower levels of immunostimulatory factors. Single-cell sequencing highlighted the cellular diversity within osteosarcoma samples and identified markers differentiating malignant from nonmalignant cells, correlating these markers with prognostic risk scores. Our results emphasize the critical prognostic value of Hippo pathway genes and the TME in osteosarcoma, shedding light on new avenues for therapeutic intervention and patient-specific treatment strategies.

Stimuli-responsive grating with a tunable period and a diffraction order.

The next-generation diffraction grating not only requires a nonmechanical control and a remote control to generate a diffraction pattern but also requires a tunable period. Here, we propose a stimuli-responsive liquid crystal (LC) phase grating with a tunable period and a diffraction order. The stimuli-responsive LC diffraction grating is composed of periodically arranged electrodes on a double-sided glass substrate. By adjusting the driving scheme, the pitch and diffraction order of the LC grating can be switched between three different modes. The experimental results show that the LC grating has a lower driving voltage (∼5 V). In addition, the tunable LC grating can achieve more diffraction orders, which can be applied to a holographic display to achieve a wide-viewing angle and an enlarged size.

Response of exogenous melatonin on transcription and metabolism of soybean under drought stress.

Amino acid metabolism is an important factor in regulating nitrogen source assimilation and source/sink transport in soybean. Melatonin can improve plant stress resistance, but whether it affects amino acid metabolism is not known. Therefore, this study investigated whether exogenous melatonin had an effect on amino acid metabolism of soybean under drought conditions and explored its relationship with yield. The treatments were normal water supply treatment (WW), drought stress treatment (D), drought stress and melatonin treatment group (D + M), sprayed with 100 µmol/L melatonin. The effects of melatonin on amino acid metabolism and grain filling were studied by physiological and omics experiments using Kangxian 9 (drought-sensitive variety) and Suinong 26 (drought-resistant variety) soybean cultivars. The results showed that drought stress decreased the activity of carbon and nitrogen metabolizing enzymes, which inhibited the accumulation of dry matter and protein, and decreased the yield. In the drought-sensitive soybean variety, glycoenzymes and amino acid synthetases synthetic genes were upregulated in melatonin-treated soybeans, hence carbon and nitrogen metabolism enzyme activity increased, increasing the carbohydrate and amino acid contents simultaneously. This resulted in higher dry matter and yield than drought-stressed soybean not treated with melatonin. In the drought-resistant variety, the grain weight per plant increased by 7.98% and 6.57% in 2020 and 2021, respectively, while it increased by 23.20% and 14.07% in the drought-sensitive variety during the respective years. In conclusion, melatonin treatment can enhance the activity of nitrogen and carbon metabolism and amino acid content by upregulating the expression of soybean metabolic pathway and related genes, thus increasing the yield of soybean under drought stress.

Exogenous melatonin mitigates saline-alkali stress by decreasing DNA oxidative damage and enhancing photosynthetic carbon metabolism in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) leaves.

Saline-alkali stress (SS) is a common abiotic stress affecting crop cultivation worldwide, seriously inhibiting plant growth and biomass accumulation. Melatonin has been proven to relieve the inhibition of multiple abiotic stresses on plant growth. Therefore, soybean cultivars Heihe 49 (HH49, SS-tolerant) and Henong 95 (HN95, SS-sensitive) were pot-cultured in SS soil and then treated with 300 µM melatonin at the V1 stage, when the first trifoliate leaves were fully unfolded, to investigate if melatonin has an effect on SS. SS increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in soybean leaves and thereby induced DNA oxidative damage. In addition, SS retarded cell growth and decreased the mesophyll cell size, chloroplast number, photosynthetic pigment content, which further reduced the light energy capture and electron transport rate in soybean leaves, and affected carbohydrate accumulation and metabolism. However, melatonin treatment reduced SS-induced ROS accumulation in the soybean leaves by increasing antioxidant content and oxidase activity. Effective removal of ROS reduced SS-induced DNA oxidative damage in the soybean leaf genome, which was represented by decreased random-amplified polymorphic DNA polymorphism, 8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanine content, and relative density of apurinic/apyrimidinic-sites. Melatonin treatment also increased the volume of mesophyll cells, the numbers of chloroplast and starch grains, the contents of chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids in soybean seedling leaves treated with SS, thereby increasing the efficiency of effective light capture and electron transfer and improving photosynthesis. Subsequently, carbohydrate accumulation and metabolism in soybean leaves under SS were improved by melatonin treatment, which contributes to providing basic substances and energy for cell growth and metabolism, ultimately improving soybean SS tolerance.

Glutathione-dependent redox homeostasis is critical for chlorothalonil detoxification in tomato leaves.

Glutathione plays a critical role in plant growth, development and response to stress. It is a major cellular antioxidant and is involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics in many organisms, including plants. However, the role of glutathione-dependent redox homeostasis and associated molecular mechanisms regulating the antioxidant system and pesticide metabolism remains unclear. In this study, endogenous glutathione levels were manipulated by pharmacological treatments with glutathione synthesis inhibitors and oxidized glutathione. The application of oxidized glutathione enriched the cellular oxidation state, reduced the activity and transcript levels of antioxidant enzymes, upregulated the expression level of nitric oxide and Ca2+ related genes and the content, and increased the residue of chlorothalonil in tomato leaves. Further experiments confirmed that glutathione-induced redox homeostasis is critical for the reduction of pesticide residues. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that miRNA156 and miRNA169 that target transcription factor SQUAMOSA-Promoter Binding Proteins (SBP) and NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NFY) potentially participate in glutathione-mediated pesticide degradation in tomato plants. Our study provides important clues for further dissection of pesticide degradation mechanisms via miRNAs in plants.

Sleep profile and the risk of cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

A significant proportion of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) suffer from physical and mental disorders which lead to the decline of sleep profile. Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in these patients. But the effect of sleep on the outcomes of post-PCI patients remains unclear. We aim to examine the individual and joint effects of sleep quality and sleep duration on the risk of adverse cardiovascular events in post-PCI patients. We included 314 participants who were diagnosed with a first CAD and underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents and followed up for a mean duration of 341 days to assess major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Sleep quality, based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, was categorized as good (a score of ≤7) or poor (>7). Sleep duration was categorized into three classes: ≤ 5, 6-8 (reference group) and ≥ 9 hours per day. The log-rank test and the Cox regression model were used for data analysis. MACEs occurred in 26 (8.3%) patients. Subjects whose sleep duration was ≤ 5 hours per day had a shorter time to MACEs than those whose sleep duration was 6-8 hours (p = 0.036). A significantly increased risk for MACEs was observed for participants with a ≤ 5 hours sleep duration (HR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.02-4.64) after adjustment for demographic and clinical confounders. Associations between long sleep duration (≥ 9 hours), sleep quality, or their joint effect and MACEs were not found. This suggests the importance of considering sleep loss when developing strategies to improve health outcomes of PCI patients. And further researches are needed to examine the effects of different aspects of sleep quality on the prognosis of PCI patients and explore the reasons that lead to the decline of sleep profile.

Haplotype Analysis of GmSGF14 Gene Family Reveals Its Roles in Photoperiodic Flowering and Regional Adaptation of Soybean.

Flowering time and photoperiod sensitivity are fundamental traits that determine soybean adaptation to a given region or a wide range of geographic environments. The General Regulatory Factors (GRFs), also known as 14-3-3 family, are involved in protein-protein interactions in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, thus regulating ubiquitous biological processes, such as photoperiodic flowering, plant immunity and stress response. In this study, 20 soybean GmSGF14 genes were identified and divided into two categories according to phylogenetic relationships and structural characteristics. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that GmSGF14g, GmSGF14i, GmSGF14j, GmSGF14k, GmSGF14m and GmSGF14s were highly expressed in all tissues compared to other GmSGF14 genes. In addition, we found that the transcript levels of GmSGF14 family genes in leaves varied significantly under different photoperiodic conditions, indicating that their expression responds to photoperiod. To explore the role of GmSGF14 in the regulation of soybean flowering, the geographical distribution of major haplotypes and their association with flowering time in six environments among 207 soybean germplasms were studied. Haplotype analysis confirmed that the GmSGF14mH4 harboring a frameshift mutation in the 14-3-3 domain was associated with later flowering. Geographical distribution analysis demonstrated that the haplotypes related to early flowering were frequently found in high-latitude regions, while the haplotypes associated with late flowering were mostly distributed in low-latitude regions of China. Taken together, our results reveal that the GmSGF14 family genes play essential roles in photoperiodic flowering and geographical adaptation of soybean, providing theoretical support for further exploring the function of specific genes in this family and varietal improvement for wide adaptability.

Switchable 2D/3D display based on a liquid crystal lens array and the rotating specimen shooting method.

A liquid crystal (LC) lenticular lens array with auxiliary electrodes is proposed. The introduction of the auxiliary electrodes helps to obtain an LC lens array (LCLA) with relatively large aperture without complex structures. When the LCLA is in the focusing state, the voltage of auxiliary electrodes is less than that of edge electrodes, and the generated electric field in the LCLA can penetrate into the LC layer. Therefore, the ideal phase profile is obtained with a relatively thin LC layer thickness. Experimental results show that the LCLA has the characteristics of high optical power and low operation voltage. Based on the proposed LCLA, a multi-view 2D/3D switchable display is realized. In the experiment, a series of parallax images is obtained by rotating the sample to replace the convergence shooting method for 3D imaging. Compared with other 2D/3D switchable display devices, the multi-view 2D/3D switchable display based on the LCLA is characterized by being thin and compact, and displaying no moiré pattern.

Three-dimensional lattice deformation of blue phase liquid crystals under electrostriction.

In this work, we investigate the three-dimensional lattice deformation of blue phase (BP) liquid crystals under electrostriction. Using the in situ measurement of light diffraction signals from a twinned crystal, we propose a method to experimentally determine the lattice constants of BPs under an electric field; the overlap angle in the diffraction pattern of BP twinning domains gives the ratio of lattice constants in the lateral direction of the field, which can be analyzed together with the Bragg reflection peak wavelength along the field direction to yield three-dimensional lattice constants. The obtained values are confirmed to show good agreement with the diffraction data measured from a converging monochromatic light. Furthermore, by applying the method to BPs in a thin cell and specifying the transitions of azimuthal orientation, three-dimensional lattice deformation of BP I crystals and evolution of the azimuthal orientation are clarified under the electrostriction. Results reveal that the BPs confined to thin films undergo discrete elongation along the field direction and the BP I crystal undergoes larger lattice deformation in the field-perpendicular directions than that along the field. Our work allows a relatively easy determination of three-dimensional lattice constants of deformed BP crystals under an electric field, and the obtained results provide important insights into the understanding of the electrostriction behaviour of BPs towards improvement of the electro-optical performance of BP devices in practical applications.

Exogenous melatonin enhances soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seedling tolerance to saline-alkali stress by regulating antioxidant response and DNA damage repair.

Saline-alkali (SA) stress induces excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in plant cells, resulting in oxidative damages of membranes, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Melatonin has antioxidant protection effects in living organisms and thus has received a lot of attention. This study aimed to investigate the effect and regulating mechanism of melatonin treatment on soybean tolerance to SA stress. In this study, cultivars Heihe 49 (HH49, SA-tolerant) and Henong 95 (HN95, SA-sensitive) were pot-cultured in SA soil, then treated with MT (0-300 µM) at V1 stage. SA stress induced ROS accumulation and DNA damage in the seedling roots of both cultivars, causing G1/S arrest in HN95 and G2/M arrest in HH49. Melatonin treatment enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes in soybean seedling roots and reduced ROS accumulation. Additionally, melatonin treatment upregulated DNA damage repair genes, thus enhancing the reduction of DNA oxidative damage under SA stress. The effects of melatonin treatment were manifested as decreased RAPD polymorphism, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanine (8-OH-dG) level, and relative density of apurinic sites (AP-sites). Meanwhile, melatonin treatment partially alleviated the SA-induced G1/S arrest in HN95 and G2/M arrest in HH49, thus enhancing soybean seedling tolerance to SA stress.

Light absorption and source apportionment of water soluble humic-like substances (HULIS) in PM2.5 at Nanjing, China.

Humic-like substances (HULIS), as important components of brown carbon (BrC), play an important role in climate change. In this study, one-year PM2.5 samples from 2017 to 2018 were collected at Nanjing, China and the water soluble HULIS and other chemical species were analyzed to investigate the seasonal variations, optical properties and possible sources. The HULIS concentrations exhibited highest in winter and lowest in summer. The annual averaged HULIS concentration was 2.61 ± 1.79 µg m-3, accounting for 45 ± 13% of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). The HULIS light absorption coefficient at 365 nm (Abs365, HULIS) averagely accounted for 71 ± 19% of that of WSOC, suggesting that HULIS are the main light-absorbing components in WSOC. The annual averaged Ångström absorption exponent and mass absorption efficiency of HULIS at 365 nm were 5.22 ± 0.77 and 1.71 ± 0.70 m2 g-1. Good correlations between HULIS with levoglucosan and K+ suggested biomass burning (BB) influence on HULIS. High concentrations of HULIS and secondary species (e.g., NO3-, SO42-, NH4+, C2O42-) were found in present of high relative humidity, indicating strong aqueous phase secondary HULIS formation. Secondary HULIS produced from anthropogenic and biogenic precursors were quantified based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and the results showed that both fossil (55%) and biogenic (45%) emission sources made great contributions to HULIS. Fossil fuel combustion significantly contributed to HULIS formation throughout the whole year, which were enriched with more secondary HULIS (30%) than primary HULIS (25%). Strongest BB contribution (39%) was found in winter and biogenic SOA contribution (32%) was found in summer. A multiple linear regression (MLR) method was further applied to obtain specific source contributions to Abs365, HULIS and the results showed that strong light-absorbing chromophores were produced from anthropogenic precursors. Our results highlight the anthropogenic SOA and fossil fuels combustion contributions to HULIS in addition to the biggest contributor, BB, in urban area in China.

Jasmonic acid promotes glutathione assisted degradation of chlorothalonil during tomato growth.

Glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis and regeneration play a significant role in the metabolism of chlorothalonil (CHT) in tomatoes. However, the specific regulatory mechanism of GSH in the degradation of CHT remains uncertain. To address this, we investigate the critical regulatory pathways in the degradation of residual CHT in tomatoes. The results revealed that the detoxification of CHT residue in tomatoes was inhibited by buthionine sulfoximine and oxidized glutathione pretreatment, which increased by 26% and 46.12% compared with control, respectively. Gene silencing of γECS, GS, and GR also compromised the CHT detoxification potential of plants, which could be alleviated by GSH application and decreased the CHT accumulation by 33%, 25%, and 21%, respectively. Notably, it was found that the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway participated in the degradation of CHT regulated by GSH. CHT residues reduced by 28% after application of JA. JA played a role downstream of the glutathione pathway by promoting the degradation of CHT residue in tomatoes via nitric oxide signaling and improving the gene expression of antioxidant and detoxification-related enzymes. This study unveiled a crucial regulatory mechanism of GSH via the JA pathway in CHT degradation in tomatoes and offered new insights for understanding residual pesticide degradation.

Novel Loss-of-Function Variant in HNF1a Induces ß-Cell Dysfunction through Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Heterozygous variants in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1a (HNF1a) cause MODY3 (maturity-onset diabetes of the young, type 3). In this study, we found a case of novel HNF1a p.Gln125* (HNF1a-Q125ter) variant clinically. However, the molecular mechanism linking the new HNF1a variant to impaired islet ß-cell function remains unclear. Firstly, a similar HNF1a-Q125ter variant in zebrafish (hnf1a+/-) was generated by CRISPR/Cas9. We further crossed hnf1a+/- with several zebrafish reporter lines to investigate pancreatic ß-cell function. Next, we introduced HNF1a-Q125ter and HNF1a shRNA plasmids into the Ins-1 cell line and elucidated the molecular mechanism. hnf1a+/- zebrafish significantly decreased the ß-cell number, insulin expression, and secretion. Moreover, ß cells in hnf1a+/- dilated ER lumen and increased the levels of ER stress markers. Similar ER-stress phenomena were observed in an HNF1a-Q125ter-transfected Ins-1 cell. Follow-up investigations demonstrated that HNF1a-Q125ter induced ER stress through activating the PERK/eIF2a/ATF4 signaling pathway. Our study found a novel loss-of-function HNF1a-Q125ter variant which induced ß-cell dysfunction by activating ER stress via the PERK/eIF2a/ATF4 signaling pathway.

Melatonin improves nitrogen metabolism during grain filling under drought stress.

Drought affects the normal growth and development of soybeans. Melatonin reportedly alleviates drought stress-induced growth inhibition and plant injury, thus, its foliar application presumably has considerable potential in agriculture. However, few studies have investigated the mechanism responsible for its effects on soybean nitrogen metabolism. In this study, pot culture and plant physiological detection, qPCR, and other methods were used for analysis. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of melatonin and melanin on glutathione metabolism. The results showed that drought stress led to an increase in soluble protein and proline content, concomitantly with a decrease in the activity of nitrogen metabolism-related key enzymes, an increase in inorganic nitrogen content, and a reduction in nitrogen accumulation and transport. Exogenous melatonin application under drought stress significantly increased the expression of key genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and the activity of key enzymes including, GOGAT, NR, Gs and GDH. Enhanced enzyme activity promotes the conversion of nitrate nitrogen in plants, increases proline, soluble protein, and ureide contents, and, consequently, nitrogen accumulation. Altogether, these changes were conducive to greater nitrogen assimilation and transport. Therefore, under drought stress, melatonin application upregulated key genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, thereby enhancing the activity of related enzymes and restoring growth, stable biomass production. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01219-y.

Four-mode 2D/3D switchable display with a 1D/2D convertible liquid crystal lens array.

A four-mode 2D/3D switchable display using a 1D/2D convertible liquid crystal (LC) lens array is proposed in this paper. The LC lens array is composed of two orthogonal LC lens arrays, with a λ/2 film in the middle to rotate the polarization by 90°. Based on the LC lens array, a four-mode 2D/3D switchable display is realized, which is switchable between the turn-off and turn-on states: when the operating voltage V1 = 0, V2 = 0, the display operates in mode I, which is 2D display; when the operating voltage V1 = 0, V2 = 0, the display operates in mode II, and the 3D display effect is in x direction; when the operating voltage V1 = 0, V2 = 0, the display operates in mode III, and the 3D display effect is in y direction; when the operating voltage V1 = 0, V2 = 0, the display operates in mode IV, the 3D display effect is in x-y plane. Experimental results indicate that the LC lens array has simple fabrication process, low operating voltage (∼5.4V), and short focal length. Moreover, based on the designed LC lens array, the 2D/3D switchable display shows no moiré pattern.