Comprehensive molecular evaluation of the histone methyltransferase gene family and their important roles in two-line hybrid wheat.

BACKGROUND: Histone methylation usually plays important roles in plant development through post-translational regulation and may provide a new visual field for heterosis. The histone methyltransferase gene family has been identified in various plants, but its members and functions in hybrid wheat related in heterosis is poorly studied. RESULTS: In this study, 175 histone methyltransferase (HMT) genes were identified in wheat, including 152 histone lysine methyltransferase (HKMT) genes and 23 protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) genes. Gene structure analysis, physicochemical properties and subcellular localization predictions of the proteins, exhibited the adequate complexity of this gene family. As an allohexaploid species, the number of the genes (seven HKMTs orthologous groups and four PRMTs orthologous groups) in wheat were about three times than those in diploids and showed certain degrees of conservation, while only a small number of subfamilies such as ASH-like and Su-(var) subfamilies have expanded their members. Transcriptome analysis showed that HMT genes were mainly expressed in the reproductive organs. Expression analysis showed that some TaHMT genes with different trends in various hybrid combinations may be regulated by lncRNAs with similar expression trends. Pearson correlation analysis of the expression of TaHMT genes and two yield traits indicated that four DEGs may participate in the yield heterosis of two-line hybrid wheat. ChIP-qPCR results showed that the histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K36me3 and H3K9ac) enriched in promoter regions of three TaCCA1 genes which are homologous to Arabidopsis heterosis-related CCA1/LHY genes. The higher expression levels of TaCCA1 in F1 than its parents are positive with these histone modifications. These results showed that histone modifications may play important roles in wheat heterosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified characteristics of the histone methyltransferase gene family and enhances the understanding of the evolution and function of these members in allohexaploid wheat. The causes of heterosis of two-line hybrid wheat were partially explained from the perspective of histone modifications.

Single-cell analyzing of tumor microenvironment and cell adhesion between early and late-stage lung cancer.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a highly heterogeneous disease that threaten human life with serious incidence and high mortality. High heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment (TME) was reported in multiple studies. However, the factor of controlling the tumor migration progression between eary and late-stage LUAD is still not fully understood. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of LUAD obtained from the GEO database. The identification of cell clusters revealed significant expansion of epithelial cells in late-stage patients. Interpretation of the cell-cell communication results between early-stage and late-stage patient samples indicated that early tumor cells may interact with epithelial cells through the TGF-ß pathway to promote tumor progression. The cell cycle analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the number of cells in the G2 and M phases in late-stage lung cancer. Further analysis using Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) revealed early-stage cell-specific gene features involved in cell adhesion-related biological processes. Among these, the Tensin (TNS) gene family, particularly TNS1, showed high expression in epithelial cells and fibroblasts of early-stage samples, specifically associated with cell adhesion. Survival analysis using TCGA database for LUAD demonstrated that patients with high expression of TNS1 exhibited significantly higher overall survival rates compared to those with low expression. Immunofluorescence experiments have demonstrated co-expression of TNS1 with fibroblast and tumor cell markers (α-SMA and EPCAM). Immunohistochemistry experiments further validated the significantly higher expression levels of TNS1 in early-stage LUAD tissues compared to late-stage lung cancer tissues (P<0.05). Pathway experiments have shown that early-stage tumor patients with high expression of TNS1 exhibit stronger phosphorylation levels of Akt and mTOR, indicating a more potent activation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that TNS1 is an adhesive molecule in the immune microenvironment of early-stage tumor cells, and it may serve as a novel prognostic marker for lug cancer.

Excellent Moisture Stability and Efficiency of Inverted All-Inorganic CsPbIBr2 Perovskite Solar Cells through Molecule Interface Engineering.

All-inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have drawn widespread interest because of its excellent thermal stability compared to its organic-inorganic hybrid counterpart. Poor phase stability caused by moisture, however, has thus far limited their commercial application. Herein, by modifying the interface between the hole-transport layer (HTL) and the perovskite light absorption layer, and by optimizing the HTL for better energy alignment, we controlled the growth of perovskite, reduced carrier recombination, facilitated carrier injection and transport, and improved the PSC's power conversion efficiency (PCE) and moisture stability. When testing using a positive bias scan, we obtained a significant improvement in PCE, 9.49%, which is the champion efficiency of CsPbIBr2-based inverted PSC at present. The stability measurement shows that the passivated CsPbIBr2-based inverted PSCs can retain 86% of its initial efficiency after 1000 h preserved in ambient air with 65% relative humidity. This study paves a new way for enhancing the moisture stability and power conversion efficiency of CsPbIBr2-based PSCs.

Alternative electrodes for HTMs and noble-metal-free perovskite solar cells: 2D MXenes electrodes.

The high cost of hole transporting materials (HTMs) and noble metal electrodes limits the application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Carbon materials have been commonly utilized for HTMs and noble-metal-free PSCs. In this paper, a more conductive 2D MXene material (Ti3C2), showing a similar energy level to carbon materials, has been used as a back electrode in HTMs and noble-metal-free PSCs for the first time. Seamless interfacial contact between the perovskite layer and Ti3C2 material was obtained using a simple hot-pressing method. After the adjustment of key parameters, the PSCs based on the Ti3C2 electrode show more stability and higher power conversion efficiencies (PCE) (13.83%, 27% higher than that (10.87%) of the PSCs based on carbon electrodes) due to the higher conductivity and seamless interfacial contact of the MXene electrode. Our work proposes a promising future application for MXene and also a good electrode candidate for HTM and the noble-metal-free PSCs.

Inflammatory MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways differentiated hepatitis potential of two agglomerated titanium dioxide particles.

TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) consumption and deposit in liver have possible implications for hepatitis risks. Specific signal dysregulation at early inflammatory responses needs to be characterized in TiO2NP-induced hepatopathy. MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways are known to participate in inflammation and respond sensitively to chemical agents, making them preferable biomarkers for hepatitis. In the present study, dynamic activation of MAPK and NF-κB pathways were explored by immunoblotting and NF-κB luciferase reporter assay depending on characterization of TiO2NP agglomeration in human HepG2 cells. Inflammatory and cytotoxic potential of TiO2NPs were determined by qRT-PCR and WST-1 assay. AFM and TEM analyses uncovered ultrastructure damages underlying hepatotoxicity of TiO2NPs. Rod-like rutile agglomerated smaller and induced more pronounced cytotoxicity and immunogenicity than anatase. Correspondingly, though both rutile and anatase significantly activated p38, ERK1/2 and NF-κB pathways, rutile accelerated the maximum phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and elevated the potency of IκBα phosphorylation to its bell curve shape in comparison with a lower and sigmoid type of IκBα phosphorylation for anatase. Furthermore, cell elasticity indicated by Young's modulus and adhesion force increased accompanied with mitochondria damage, contributing to signal dysregulation and hepatotoxicity. The results suggested that differential activation of MAPK and NF-κB pathways could be early predictors for distinct hepatitis risks of two agglomerated TiO2NPs.