The anion channel SLAH3 interacts with potassium channels to regulate nitrogen-potassium homeostasis and the membrane potential in Arabidopsis.

Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) are essential macronutrients for plants. Sufficient N and K uptake from the environment is required for successful growth and development. However, how N and K influence each other at the molecular level in plants is largely unknown. In this study, we found loss-of-function mutation in SLAH3 (SLAC1 HOMOLOGUE 3), encoding a NO3- efflux channel in Arabidopsis thaliana, enhanced tolerance to high KNO3 concentrations. Surprisingly, slah3 mutants were less sensitive to high K+ but not NO3-. Addition of NO3- led to reduced phenotypic difference between wild-type and slah3 plants, suggesting SLAH3 orchestrates NO3--K+ balance. Non-invasive Micro-test Technology analysis revealed reduced NO3- efflux and enhanced K+ efflux in slah3 mutants, demonstrating that SLAH3-mediated NO3- transport and SLAH3-affected K+ flux are critical in response to high K +. Further investigation showed that two K+ efflux channels, GORK (GATED OUTWARDLY-RECTIFYING K+ CHANNEL) and SKOR (STELAR K+ OUTWARD RECTIFIER), interacted with SLAH3 and played key roles in high K+ response. The gork and skor mutants were slightly more sensitive to high K+ conditions. Less depolarization occurred in slah3 mutants and enhanced depolarization was observed in gork and skor mutants upon K+ treatment, suggesting NO3-/K+ efflux-mediated membrane potential regulation is involved in high K+ response. Electrophysiological results showed that SLAH3 partially inhibited the activities of GORK and SKOR in Xenopus laevis oocytes. This study revealed that the anion channel SLAH3 interacts with the potassium channels GORK and SKOR to modulate membrane potential by coordinating N-K balance.

Functional analysis of a bitter gustatory receptor highly expressed in the larval maxillary galea of Helicoverpa armigera.

Many plant secondary substances are feeding deterrents for insects and play a key role in the selection of host plants. The taste sensilla of phytophagous insects contain gustatory sensory neurons sensitive to deterrents but the molecular basis of deterrent chemoreception remains unknown. We investigated the function of Gr180, the most highly expressed bitter gustatory receptor in the maxillary galea of Helicoverpa armigera larvae. Functional analyses using the Xenopus oocyte expression system and two-electrode voltage clamp revealed that the oocytes expressing Gr180 responded to coumarin. Tip recording results showed that the medial sensilla styloconica of the maxilla of fifth instar larvae exhibited electrophysiological responses to coumarin. Two-choice feeding bioassays confirmed that coumarin inhibited larval feeding. A homozygous mutant strain of H. armigera with truncated Gr180 proteins (Gr180-/-) was established using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The responses of the medial sensilla styloconica in Gr180-/- to coumarin were almost abolished, and the responses to sinigrin and strychnine were also significantly decreased. Knockout of Gr180 alleviated the feeding deterrent effects of coumarin, sinigrin, and strychnine. Thus, we conclude that Gr180 is a receptor responding to coumarin,and also participates in sensing sinigrin and strychnine. These results enhance our understanding of the gustatory sensing mechanisms of phytophagous insects to deterrents.

Boosting Electrochemical Nitrogen Fixation via Regulating Surface Electronic Structure by CeO2 Hybridization.

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) paves a sustainable way to produce NH3 but suffering from the relatively low NH3 yield and poor selectivity. High-performance NRR catalysts and a deep insight into the structure-performance relationship are higher desired. Herein, a molten-salt approach is developed to synthesize tiny CeO2 nanoparticles anchored by ultra-thin MoN nanosheets as advanced catalysts for NRR. Specifically, a considerably high NH3 yield rate of 27.5 µg h-1 mg-1 with 17.2% Faradaic efficiency (FE) can be achieved at -0.3 V vs (RHE) under ambient conditions. Experimental and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further point out that the incorporation of MoN with CeO2 can promotes the enlargement of the electron deficient area of nitrogen vacancy site. The enlarged electron deficient area contributes to the accommodation of lone pair electrons of N2, which dramatically improves the N2 adsorption/activation and the key intermediates (*NNH and *NH3) generation, thus boosting the NRR performance.

Immunophenotypic profile defines cytogenetic stability and unveils distinct prognoses in patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM).

Prognostic significance of multiple immune antigens in multiple myeloma has been well established. However, a level of uncertainty remains regarding the intrinsic relationship between immunophenotypes and cytogenetic stability and precise risk stratification. To address these unresolved issues, we conducted a study involving 1389 patients enrolled in the National Longitudinal Cohort of Hematological Diseases in China (NCT04645199). Our results revealed that the correlation between antigen expression and cytogenetics is more prominent than cytopenia or organ dysfunction. Most immune antigens, apart from CD38, CD138, and CD81, exhibit significant associations with the incidence of at least one cytogenetic abnormality. In turn, we identified CD138-low/CD27-neg as specific adverse immunophenotypic profile, which remaining independent impact on progression-free survival (HR, 1.49; P = 0.007) and overall survival (HR, 1.77; P < 0.001) even in the context of cytogenetics. Importantly, CD138-low/CD27-neg profile was also associated with inferior survival after first relapse (P < 0.001). Moreover, the antigen expression profiles were not strictly similar when comparing diagnosis and relapse; in particular, the CD138-low/CD27-neg pattern was notably increased after disease progression (19.1 to 29.1%; P = 0.005). Overall, our study demonstrates that diverse immune profiles are strongly associated with cytogenetic stability, and a specific immunophenotype (CD138-low/CD27-neg) could effectively predict prognoses across different disease stages.

Light and Displacement Compensation-Based iPPG for Heart-Rate Measurement in Complex Detection Conditions.

A light and displacement-compensation-based iPPG algorithm is proposed in this paper for heart-rate measurement in complex detection conditions. Two compensation sub-algorithms, including light compensation and displacement compensation, are designed and integrated into the iPPG algorithm for more accurate heart-rate measurement. In the light-compensation sub-algorithm, the measurement deviation caused by the ambient light change is compensated by the mean filter-based light adjustment strategy. In the displacement-compensation sub-algorithm, the measurement deviation caused by the subject motion is compensated by the optical flow-based displacement calculation strategy. A series of heart-rate measurement experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with conventional iPPG, the average measurement accuracy increases by 3.8% under different detection distances and 5.0% under different light intensities.

TIPE2 deficiency prolongs mouse heart allograft survival by facilitating immature DCs-induced Treg generation.

It has been reported that deletion of tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein-8 like 2 (TNFAIP8L2, TIPE2) facilitates the activation of T-cell receptors. However, the role of TIPE2 in T-cell-mediated acute transplant rejection remains unclear. To illustrate the underlying cellular mechanisms, we transplanted BALB/c hearts into C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) or C57BL/6 mice deficient for TIPE2 (TIPE2-/-) and found that TIPE2-/- recipient mice showed significantly prolonged survival of heart allografts and suppressed maturation of CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs), which largely abolished the activation and proliferation of alloreactive T cells and their cytotoxic activity. TIPE2-/- DCs increased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+CD127- regulatory T cells (Tregs)generation, likely by inhibiting DCs maturation and CD80 and CD86 expression. Administration of anti-CD25 abolished the allograft survival induced by TIPE2 deficiency. Moreover, TIPE2 deficiency increased IL-10 production in T cells and in recipient serum and allografts. Mechanistic studies revealed that TIPE2-/- restrained the maturation of DCs via inhibition of PI3K/AKT phosphorylation during alloantigen stimulation. Taken together, TIPE2 deficiency in recipient mice inhibited acute rejection by increasing Tregs generated by immature DCs. Thus, TIPE2 could be a therapeutic target for suppressing rejection in organ transplantation.

Boosting Polyethylene Hydrogenolysis Performance of Ru-CeO2 Catalysts by Finely Regulating the Ru Sizes.

Hydrogenolysis is an effective method for converting polyolefins into high-value chemicals. For the supported catalysts commonly used, the size of active metals is of great importance. In this study, it is discovered that the activity of CeO2 -supported Ru single atom, nanocluster, and nanoparticle catalysts shows a volcanic trend in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) hydrogenolysis. Compared with CeO2 supported Ru single atoms and nanoparticles, CeO2 -supported Ru nanoclusters possess the highest conversion efficiency, as well as the best selectivity toward liquid alkanes. Through comprehensive investigations, the metal-support interactions (MSI) and hydrogen spillover effect are revealed as the two key factors in the reaction. On the one hand, the MSI is strongly related to the Ru surface states and the more electronegative Ru centers are beneficial to the activation of CH and CC bonds. On the other hand, the hydrogen spillover capability directly affects the affinity of catalysts and active H atoms, and increasing this affinity is advantageous to the hydrogenation of alkane species. Decreasing the Ru sizes can promote the MSI, but it can also reduce the hydrogen spillover effect. Therefore, only when the two effects achieve a balance, as is the case in CeO2 -supported Ru nanoclusters, can the hydrogenolysis activity be promoted to the optimal value.

PXR triggers YAP-TEAD binding and Sirt2-driven YAP deacetylation and polyubiquitination to promote liver enlargement and regeneration in mice.

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) plays an important role in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis. Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a critical regulator of liver size and liver regeneration. Recently, we reported that PXR-induced liver enlargement and regeneration depend on YAP signalling, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to reveal how PXR regulates or interacts with YAP signalling during PXR-induced hepatomegaly and liver regeneration. Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-IP and GST pull-down assays were performed in vitro to reveal the regulatory mechanisms involved in the PXR-YAP interaction. The roles of YAP-TEAD binding and Sirt2-driven deacetylation and polyubiquitination of YAP were further investigated in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of PXR and the WW domain of YAP were critical for the PXR-YAP interaction. Furthermore, disruption of the YAP-TEAD interaction using the binding inhibitor verteporfin significantly decreased PXR-induced liver enlargement and regeneration after 70 % partial hepatectomy (PHx). Mechanistically, PXR activation significantly decreased YAP acetylation, which was interrupted by the sirtuin inhibitor nicotinamide (NAM). In addition, p300-induced YAP acetylation contributed to K48-linked YAP ubiquitination. Interestingly, PXR activation remarkably inhibited K48-linked YAP ubiquitination while inducing K63-linked YAP polyubiquitination. Sirt2 interference abolished the deacetylation and K63-linked polyubiquitination of YAP, suggesting that the PXR-induced deacetylation and polyubiquitination of YAP are Sirt2 dependent. Taken together, this study demonstrates that PXR induce liver enlargement and regeneration via the regulation of YAP acetylation and ubiquitination and YAP-TEAD binding, providing evidences for using PXR as potential target to promote hepatic development and liver repair.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of different tissues of Solanum khasianum reveals candidate genes involved in steroidal glycoalkaloid biosynthesis.

Fruits and leaves of Solanum khasianum C. B. Clarke have long been used as a common Chinese herbal medicine. Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), the main active ingredient in S. khasianum, exhibit various pharmacological effects. However, genes involved in the SGA biosynthetic pathway in S. khasianum have not yet been identified. Genes encoding potential key SGA biosynthesis enzymes were identified through comprehensive RNA sequencing analysis (RNA-seq) of S. khasianum leaves, stems, and fruits. A total of 123,704 unigenes were obtained, of which 109,775 (88.74%) were annotated in seven public databases. Among these, 54 unigenes potentially involved in SGA biosynthesis were identified. Additionally, 23,636 differentially expressed genes were identified by comparing gene expression levels among the fruits, stems, and leaves of S. khasianum. The structural characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of cycloartenol synthase involved in SGA biosynthesis were further analyzed. Solasodine constituent was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. This is the first study to report the comparative transcriptome analysis of different tissues of S. khasianum that identifies valuable genes potentially involved in SGA biosynthesis in this species.

LC-MS-Guided Isolation of Cyanogripeptides A-C, Cyclolipopeptides with ß-Methyl-Leucine Residues, from an Actinoalloteichus cyanogriseus LHW52806.

Cyanogripeptides A-C (1-3), three new cyclolipopeptides with unusual ß-methyl-leucine residues, were identified from an Actinoalloteichus cyanogriseus LHW52806 using an LC-MS-guided strategy. The structures of compounds 1-3 were elucidated by 1D/2D NMR, HR-MS/MS, and the advanced Marfey's method. The absolute configuration of the ß-methyl-leucine residue was determined by a combination of stereoselective biosynthesis of (2S,3R)-ß-methyl-leucine, racemization to its epimer (2R,3R)-ß-methyl-leucine, and the advanced Marfey's method. The biosynthetic pathway of cyanogripeptides was deduced by analyzing the genome of A. cyanogriseus LHW52806. Compound 3 exhibited antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori G27, Helicobacter pylori 26695, and Mycolicibacterium smegmatis ATCC607 with MIC values of 32 µg/mL.

Phakellisins A-E, cyclopeptides from a marine sponge Phakellia sp. guided by LC-MS.

A chemical investigation of the marine sponge Phakellia sp. from the South China Sea yielded five new cyclopeptides, phakellisins A-E (1-5). Structures of these compounds were determined by comprehensive analysis of 1D/2D NMR, HRESIMS/MS spectroscopic data and the advanced Marfey's method. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity. Compound 1 showed a strong inhibitory activity against WSU-DLCL-2 cells with an IC50 value of 5.25 ± 0.2 µM by induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Discontinuous fibrous Bouligand architecture enabling formidable fracture resistance with crack orientation insensitivity.

Bioinspired architectural design for composites with much higher fracture resistance than that of individual constituent remains a major challenge for engineers and scientists. Inspired by the survival war between the mantis shrimps and abalones, we design a discontinuous fibrous Bouligand (DFB) architecture, a combination of Bouligand and nacreous staggered structures. Systematic bending experiments for 3D-printed single-edge notched specimens with such architecture indicate that total energy dissipations are insensitive to initial crack orientations and show optimized values at critical pitch angles. Fracture mechanics analyses demonstrate that the hybrid toughening mechanisms of crack twisting and crack bridging mode arising from DFB architecture enable excellent fracture resistance with crack orientation insensitivity. The compromise in competition of energy dissipations between crack twisting and crack bridging is identified as the origin of maximum fracture energy at a critical pitch angle. We further illustrate that the optimized fracture energy can be achieved by tuning fracture energy of crack bridging, pitch angles, fiber lengths, and twist angles distribution in DFB composites.

Preparation of amentoflavone-loaded DSPE-PEG2000 micelles with improved bioavailability and in vitro antitumor efficacy.

To overcome the poor aqueous solubility and enhance the anticancer effects of amentoflavone (AF), a nontoxic and biodegradable amphiphilic copolymer, poly(ethyleneglycol)-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE-PEG2000 ), was introduced to prepare AF micelles using the thin-film hydration method. Amentoflavone was successfully encapsulated into the core, achieving an encapsulation efficiency of 98.80 ± 0.24% and a drug loading efficiency of 2.96 ± 0.12%. The resulting micelles exhibited a spherical shape with a particle size of approximately 25.99 nm. The solubility of AF was significant improved by 412-fold, and cumulative drug release studies showed that AF release was much faster from the micelles compared with the free drug. The release of AF was sustained over time and followed a degradation-based kinetic model, similar to polymeric systems. After oral administration, the AF-loaded micelles demonstrated an enhanced oral bioavailability, which was 3.79 times higher than that of free AF. In vitro evaluations of the micelles' antitumor effects revealed a significantly greater efficacy compared with free AF. These findings highlight the tremendous potential of DSPE-PEG2000 micelles as a drug delivery carrier for improving the solubility and therapeutic efficacy of AF.

GPR30 Alleviates Pressure Overload-Induced Myocardial Hypertrophy in Ovariectomized Mice by Regulating Autophagy.

The incidence of heart failure mainly resulting from cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis increases sharply in post-menopausal women compared with men at the same age, which indicates a cardioprotective role of estrogen. Previous studies in our group have shown that the novel estrogen receptor G Protein Coupled Receptor 30 (GPR30) could attenuate myocardial fibrosis caused by ischemic heart disease. However, the role of GPR30 in myocardial hypertrophy in ovariectomized mice has not been investigated yet. In this study, female mice with bilateral ovariectomy or sham surgery underwent transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. After 8 weeks, mice in the OVX + TAC group exhibited more severe myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis than mice in the TAC group. G1, the specific agonist of GPR30, could attenuate myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis of mice in the OVX + TAC group. Furthermore, the expression of LC3II was significantly higher in the OVX + TAC group than in the OVX + TAC + G1 group, which indicates that autophagy might play an important role in this process. An in vitro study showed that G1 alleviated AngiotensionII (AngII)-induced hypertrophy and reduced the autophagy level of H9c2 cells, as revealed by LC3II expression and tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 fluorescence analysis. Additionally, Western blot results showed that the AKT/mTOR pathway was inhibited in the AngII group, whereas it was restored in the AngII + G1 group. To further verify the mechanism, PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or autophagy activator rapamycin was added in the AngII + G1 group, and the antihypertrophy effect of G1 on H9c2 cells was blocked by LY294002 or rapamycin. In summary, our results demonstrate that G1 can attenuate cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and improve the cardiac function of mice in the OVX + TAC group through AKT/mTOR mediated inhibition of autophagy. Thus, this study demonstrates a potential option for the drug treatment of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy in postmenopausal women.

Photothermal-Driven High-Performance Selective Hydrogenation System Enabled by Delicately Designed IrCo Nanocages.

The incorporation of a transition metal into a noble metal for the formation of nanoalloys paves a potential way to modulate the electronic structures and spatial arrangement modes, thereby manipulating the target catalysis under the desired reaction pathways. Herein, a top-down synthetic route to fabricate IrCo nanoalloys with delicately designed compositions and morphologies at an extremely low calcination temperature of 200 °C is reported, which efficiently breaks through the thermodynamic limitations caused by the large atomic radii and electronegativity discrepancies between Co and Ir. A high-performance selective hydrogenation system enabled by the synthesized IrCo nanoalloys and the light irradiation is further established. Significantly, the unique properties of IrCo alloy, involving the special capability of generating local heating rather than hot electrons under light irradiation (the hot-electron effect was considered detrimental to hydrogenation reactions), as well as the highly polarized surface which aids in the hydrogen transfer from borane-ammonia complex (AB) to 4-nitrostyrene (4-NS) are discovered.

A determining factor for insect feeding preference in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Feeding preference is critical for insect adaptation and survival. However, little is known regarding the determination of insect feeding preference, and the genetic basis is poorly understood. As a model lepidopteran insect with economic importance, the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a well-known monophagous insect that predominantly feeds on fresh mulberry leaves. This species-specific feeding preference provides an excellent model for investigation of host-plant selection of insects, although the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown. Here, we describe the gene GR66, which encodes a putative bitter gustatory receptor (GR) that is responsible for the mulberry-specific feeding preference of B. mori. With the aid of a transposon-based, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) system, the GR66 locus was genetically mutated, and homozygous mutant silkworm strains with truncated gustatory receptor 66 (GR66) proteins were established. GR66 mutant larvae acquired new feeding activity, exhibiting the ability to feed on a number of plant species in addition to mulberry leaves, including fresh fruits and grain seeds that are not normally consumed by wild-type (WT) silkworms. Furthermore, a feeding choice assay revealed that the mutant larvae lost their specificity for mulberry. Overall, our findings provide the first genetic and phenotypic evidences that a single bitter GR is a major factor affecting the insect feeding preference.

Enrichment of polystyrene microplastics induces histological damage, oxidative stress, Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway-related gene expression in loach juveniles (Paramisgurnus dabryanus).

Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs, particle size<5 mm) cause great harm to aquatic organisms. However, their precise effects are not completely understood. In China, placing plastic film at the pond bottom has become an important loach aquaculture mode. In this mode, MPs will affect loach health. This study investigated the enrichment of PS-MPs and its effects on the growth, liver histomorphology, antioxidant enzymes, and Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway-related gene expression in loach juveniles (Paramisgurnus dabryanus). The loach juveniles were raised at the concentration of 1000 µg/L fluorescent polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) with particle size of 0.5 µm or 5 µm for seven days, the results showed that fluorescent PS-MPs were found to be enriched in liver, intestine, and gill, and the enrichment amount was higher in liver than in gill and intestine (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the enrichment amount of different-sized PS-MPs was different in liver, gill, and intestine. The loach juveniles were cultured for 21 days in the water of the concentration of 100 or 1000 µg/L PS-MPs with particle size of 0.5 µm or 5 µm, the results showed that the survival rate, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate of loach juveniles were significantly reduced. The histological analysis revealed that PS-MPs caused liver damage. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were decreased with the extended exposure to PS-MPs. Generally, the expressions of Nrf2 and Keap1 showed the similar change trend. From 7-14 day, the expression trend of oxidative stressed-related genes was not completely consistent with that of Nrf2 gene, but on day 21, the gene expression trend of oxidative stress-related SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX in the downstream of Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway was roughly consistent with that of Nrf2 gene. Basically, the change trends of these three gene expression were similar to those of their corresponding enzyme activities. This study provides theoretical basis for the toxicological effects of PS-MPs on freshwater fish.

A Design Method of Two-Dimensional Subwavelength Grating Filter Based on Deep Learning Series Feedback Neural Network.

Subwavelength grating structure has excellent filtering characteristics, and its traditional design method needs a lot of computational costs. This work proposed a design method of two-dimensional subwavelength grating filter based on a series feedback neural network, which can realize forward simulation and backward design. It was programed in Python to study the filtering characteristics of two-dimensional subwavelength grating in the range of 0.4-0.7 µm. The shape, height, period, duty cycle, and waveguide layer height of two-dimensional subwavelength grating were taken into consideration. The dataset, containing 46,080 groups of data, was generated through numerical simulation of rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA). The optimal network was five layers, 128 × 512 × 512 × 128 × 61 nodes, and 64 batch size. The loss function of the series feedback neural network is as low as 0.024. Meanwhile, it solves the problem of non-convergence of the network reverse design due to the non-uniqueness of data. The series feedback neural network can give the geometrical structure parameters of two-dimensional subwavelength grating within 1.12 s, and the correlation between the design results and the theoretical spectrum is greater than 0.65, which belongs to a strong correlation. This study provides a new method for the design of two-dimensional subwavelength grating, which is quicker and more accurate compared with the traditional method.

[Identification of key enzyme genes involved in biosynthesis pathways of lignan and lignin in Eucommia ulmoides based on transcriptome assembly].

Lignan is the main medicinal component of Eucommia ulmoides, and lignin is involved in the defense of plants against diseases and insect pests.They are synthesized from coniferyl alcohol with the help of dirigent(DIR) and peroxidase(POD), respectively.In this study, transcriptome assembly of stems and leaves of E.ulmoides was performed, yielding 112 578 unigenes.Among them, 70 459 were annotated in seven databases.A total of 59 unigenes encodes 11 key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathways of lignin and lignin, of which 11 encode POD and 8 encode DIR.A total of 13 unigenes encoding transcription factors are involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Compared with leaves of E.ulmoides, 7 575 unigenes were more highly expressed in stems, of which 462 were involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.Our results extend the public transcriptome dataset of E.ulmoides, which provide valuable information for the analysis of biosynthesis pathways of lignan and lignin in E.ulmoides and lay a foundation for further study on the functions and regulation mechanism of key enzymes in lignan and lignin biosynthesis pathways.

Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 Toward C2 Valuables on Cu@Ag Core-Shell Tandem Catalyst with Tunable Shell Thickness.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) is critical to converting CO2 to high-value multicarbon chemicals. However, the Cu-based catalysts as the only option to reduce CO2 into C2+ products suffer from poor selectivity and low activity. Tandem catalysis for CO2 reduction is an efficient strategy to overcome such problems. Here, Cu@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) with different silver layer thicknesses are fabricated to realize the tandem catalysis for CO2 conversion by producing CO on Ag shell and further achieving C-C coupling on Cu core. It is found that Cu@Ag-2 NPs with the proper thickness of Ag shell exhibit the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of total C2 products and ethylene as high as 67.6% and 32.2% at -1.1 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE), respectively. Moreover, it exhibits remarkably electrocatalytic stability after 14 h. Based on electrochemical tests and CO adsorption capacity analyses, the origin of the enhanced catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect between Ag shell and Cu core, which strengthens the bonding strength of CO on Cu/Ag interfaces, expedites the charge transfer, increases the electrochemical surface areas (ECSAs). This report provides a Cu-based catalyst to realize efficient C2 generation via a rationally designed core-shell structured catalyst.