Functional characterization of NBS-LRR genes reveals an NBS-LRR gene that mediates resistance against Fusarium wilt.

BACKGROUND: Most disease resistance (R) genes in plants encode proteins that contain leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) and nucleotide-binding site (NBS) domains, which belong to the NBS-LRR family. The sequenced genomes of Fusarium wilt-susceptible Vernicia fordii and its resistant counterpart, Vernicia montana, offer significant resources for the functional characterization and discovery of novel NBS-LRR genes in tung tree. RESULTS: Here, we identified 239 NBS-LRR genes across two tung tree genomes: 90 in V. fordii and 149 in V. montana. Five VmNBS-LRR paralogous were predicted in V. montana, and 43 orthologous were detected between V. fordii and V. montana. The orthologous gene pair Vf11G0978-Vm019719 exhibited distinct expression patterns in V. fordii and V. montana: Vf11G0978 showed downregulated expression in V. fordii, while its orthologous gene Vm019719 demonstrated upregulated expression in V. montana, indicating that this pair may be responsible for the resistance to Fusarium wilt in V. montana. Vm019719 from V. montana, activated by VmWRKY64, was shown to confer resistance to Fusarium wilt in V. montana by a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiment. However, in the susceptible V. fordii, its allelic counterpart, Vf11G0978, exhibited an ineffective defense response, attributed to a deletion in the promoter's W-box element. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first systematic analysis of NBS-LRR genes in the tung tree and identifies a candidate gene that can be utilized for marker-assisted breeding to control Fusarium wilt in V. fordii.

Combined Widely Targeted Metabolomic, Transcriptomic, and Spatial Metabolomic Analysis Reveals the Potential Mechanism of Coloration and Fruit Quality Formation in Actinidia chinensis cv. Hongyang.

Postharvest kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis cv. Hongyang) pulp is mainly composed of outer yellow-flesh (LR) and inner red-flesh (HR). However, information about the differences in coloration and fruit quality between these two parts are limited. In this study, widely targeted metabolomic, transcriptomic, and spatial metabolomic analyses were used to reveal the potential mechanism of coloration and fruit quality formation. The results show that a total of 1001 metabolites were identified in Hongyang kiwifruit, and the accumulation of 211 metabolites were significantly higher in the HR than LR, including 69 flavonoids, 53 phenolic acids, and 38 terpenoids. There were no significant differences in the content of citric acid, quinic acid, glucose, fructose, or sucrose between the LR and HR. These results were consistent with the results from the RNA-seq profile and spatial metabolomic analysis. In addition, a total of 23 key candidate genes related to flesh color and fruit quality formation were identified and validated by qRT-PCR analysis. This study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the underlying mechanism of the formation of kiwifruit flesh color and fruit quality.

Eco-friendly managements and molecular mechanisms for improving postharvest quality and extending shelf life of kiwifruit: A review.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is a commercially important horticultural fruit crop worldwide. Kiwifruit contains numerous minerals, vitamins, and dietary phytochemicals, that not only responsible for the flavor but can also serve as adjuncts in the treatment of diabetes, digestive disorders, cardiovascular system, cancer and heart disease. However, fruit quality and shelf life affect consumer's acceptance and production chain. Understanding the methods of fruit storage preservation, as well as their biochemical, physiological, and molecular basis is essential. In recent years, eco-friendly (comprehensive and environmentally friendly) treatments such as hot water, ozone, chitosan, quercetin, and antifungal additive from biocontrol bacteria or yeast have been applied to improve postharvest fruit quality with longer shelf life. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in control measures, applications, and mechanisms related to water loss, chilling injury, and pathogen diseases in postharvest kiwifruit. Further studies should utilize genome editing techniques to enhance postharvest fruit quality and disease resistance through site-directed bio-manipulation of the kiwifruit genome.

Research progress on iron absorption, transport, and molecular regulation strategy in plants.

Iron is a trace element essential for normal plant life activities and is involved in various metabolic pathways such as chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis, and respiration. Although iron is highly abundant in the earth's crust, the amount that can be absorbed and utilized by plants is very low. Therefore, plants have developed a series of systems for absorption, transport, and utilization in the course of long-term evolution. This review focuses on the findings of current studies of the Fe2+ absorption mechanism I, Fe3+ chelate absorption mechanism II and plant-microbial interaction iron absorption mechanism, particularly effective measures for artificially regulating plant iron absorption and transportation to promote plant growth and development. According to the available literature, the beneficial effects of using microbial fertilizers as iron fertilizers are promising but further evidence of the interaction mechanism between microorganisms and plants is required.

Targeted multi-platform metabolome analysis and enzyme activity analysis of kiwifruit during postharvest ripening.

Kiwifruit is a climacteric fruit, in which the accumulation of flavor substances mainly occurs at the postharvest ripening stage. However, the dynamic changes in metabolite composition remain poorly understood. Here, targeted multi-platform metabolome analysis based on GC-MS and UPLC-MS/MS and enzyme activity analysis were performed at different postharvest ripening stages of kiwifruit. A total of 12 soluble sugars and 31 organic acids were identified. The main soluble sugars are sucrose, glucose and fructose, which exhibited similar variation tendencies along with the extension of ripening. The main organic acids are citric acid, quinic acid and malic acid, which showed different variation patterns. A total of 48 energy metabolites were identified, which were classified into two groups based on the content variation. The content of substances related to the respiratory metabolic pathway decreased gradually along with postharvest ripening, and there was obvious accumulation of downstream products such as amino acids at the late ripening stage. A total of 35 endogenous hormones were identified, among which seven cytokinins were highly accumulated at the later stage of softening. We further investigated the dynamic changes in the activities of 28 ripening-related enzymes. As a result, the activities of 13 enzymes were highly correlated with changes in starch, total pectin, and soluble sugars, and those of seven enzymes were closely associated with the change in firmness. In conclusion, this study comprehensively describes the dynamic changes in soluble sugars, organic acids, hormones, energy substances, and ripening-related enzyme activities during kiwifruit postharvest ripening, and provides a theoretical basis for the postharvest quality improvement of kiwifruit.

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly of Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb.f. to elucidate medicinal value.

Bletilla striata, commonly known as baiji, is a species used in traditional Chinese medicine; it is highly regarded for its medicinal applications and therefore has high economic value. Here, we report a high-quality haplotype-resolved genome of B. striata, haplotype A (2.37 Gb, with a scaffold N50 of 146.39 Mb and a contig N50 of 1.65 Mb) and haplotype B (2.43 Gb, with a scaffold N50 of 150.22 Mb and a contig N50 of 1.66 Mb), assembled from high-fidelity (HiFi) reads and chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) reads. We find evidence that B. striata has undergone two whole-genome duplication (WGD) events: an ancient WGD event shared by most monocots and a recent WGD event unique to all orchids. We also reconstructed the ancestral orchid karyotype (AOK) of 18 ancient chromosomes and the evolutionary trajectories of 16 modern B. striata chromosomes. Comparative genomic analysis suggests that the expanded gene families of B. striata might play important roles in secondary metabolite biosynthesis and environmental adaptation. By combining genomic and transcriptomic data, we identified the 10 core members from nine gene families that were probably involved in B. striata polysaccharide (BSP) biosynthesis. Based on virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and yeast two-hybrid experiments, we present an MYB transcription factor (TF), BsMYB2, that can regulate BSP biosynthesis by directly interacting with eight key BSP-related genes: sacA1, HK1, scrK1, scrK2, GPI1, manA1, GMPP1 and UGP2_1. Our study will enhance the understanding of orchid evolution and accelerate the molecular-assisted breeding of B. striata for improving traits of medicinal value.

Comparative transcriptome analysis provides insight into the molecular mechanisms of long-day photoperiod in Moringa oleifera.

Moringa oleifera, is commonly cultivated as a vegetable in tropical and subtropical regions because of nutritional and medicinal benefits of its fruits, immature pods, leaves, and flowers. Flowering at the right time is one of the important traits for crop yield in M.oleifera. Under normal conditions, photoperiod is one of the key factors in determining when plant flower. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of a long-day photoperiod on Moringa is not clearly understood. In the present study, deep RNA sequencing and sugar metabolome were conducted of Moringa leaves under long-day photoperiod. As a result, differentially expressed genes were significantly associated with starch and sucrose pathway and the circadian rhythm-plant pathway. In starch and sucrose pathway, sucrose, fructose, trehalose, glucose, and maltose exhibited pronounced rhythmicity over 24 h, and TPS (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase) genes constituted key regulatory genes. In an Arabidopsis overexpression line hosting the MoTPS1 or MoTPS2 genes, flowering occurred earlier under a short-day photoperiod. These results will support molecular breeding of Moringa and may help clarify to genetic architecture of long-day photoperiod related traits. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01186-4.

Comparison Between Two Definitions of Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure.

Background: Different definitions of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) have different predictive effects on prognosis. However, few studies explored the relationship between these definitions and long-term prognosis in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Thus, we aimed to evaluate this association and compared the population attributable risks (PAR) of different CA-AKI definitions. Methods: This study enrolled 2,207 consecutive patients with CHF undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. Two different definitions of CA-AKI were used: CA-AKIA was defined as an increase ≥.5 mg/dl or > 25% in serum creatinine (SCr) from baseline within 72 h after CAG, and CA-AKIB was defined as an increase of ≥.3 mg/dl or > 50% in SCr from baseline within 48 h after CAG. Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression were applied to evaluate the association between CA-AKI with long-term mortality. Population attributable risk (PAR) of different definitions for long-term prognosis was also calculated. Results: During the 3.8-year median follow-up (interquartile range 2.1-6), the overall long-term mortality was 24.9%, and the long-term mortality in patients with the definitions of CA-AKIA and CA-AKIB were 30.4% and 34.3%, respectively. We found that CA-AKIA (HR: 1.44, 95% CI 1.19-1.74) and CA-AKIB (HR: 1.48, 95% CI 1.21-1.80) were associated with long-term mortality. The PAR was higher for CA-AKIA (9.6% vs. 8%). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that CA-AKI was associated with long-term mortality in patients with CHF irrespective of its definitions. The CA-AKIA was a much better definition of CA-AKI in patients with CHF due to its higher PAR. For these patients, cardiologists should pay more attention to the presence of CA-AKI, especially CA-AKIA.

Prevalence and mortality of transient acute kidney injury within 48 h, as new subtype, following coronary angiography: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The association of transient acute kidney injury (AKI) with mortality was controversial. Our study aims to investigate the prevalence and impact of transient AKI on mortality in patients following coronary angiography (CAG). METHODS: Our study retrospectively enrolled 3970 patients with pre-operative serum creatinine (Scr) and twice measurements within 48 h after procedure. Transient AKI defined as the diagnosis of AKI (Scr > 0.3 mg/dL or > 50% from the baseline level) on day 1 when Scr failed to meet the criteria for AKI on the day 2. Maintained AKI was defined as AKI not meeting the definition for transient AKI. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between transient AKI and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: Among 3,970 participants, 861 (21.7%) occurred AKI, of whom 128 (14.9%) was transient AKI and 733 (85.1%) was maintained AKI. 312 (7.9%) patients died within 1-year after admission. After multivariable analysis, transient AKI was not associated with higher 1-year mortality [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.37; CI 0.68-2.51] compared without AKI. Among AKI patients, transient AKI was associated with a 52% lower 1-year mortality compared with maintained AKI. Additionally, maintained AKI was significantly associated with higher 1-year mortality (aOR, 2.67; CI 2.05-3.47). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that transient AKI within 48 h was a common subtype of AKI following CAG, without increasing mortality. More attention needs to be paid to the patients suffering from maintained AKI following CAG.

Malnutrition and the risk for contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: Malnutrition is a common comorbidity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and is often associated with adverse events. The malnutrition often means lower cholesterol, albumin and high lymphocyte, as risk factors of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury (CI-AKI). We aim to evaluate the association between malnutrition and CI-AKI following coronary angiography (CAG) in CAD patients. METHODS: We analyzed 3170 CAD patients with variables of nutritional status (Controlling Nutritional Status score (CONUT)) from the prospective multicenter study, REICIN (NCT01402232) including 4,271 consecutive patients undergoing CAG from January 2013 to February 2016. Patients were divided into the normal group (CONUT score 0-1) and malnutrition group (CONUT score > 1). The association of malnutrition and the risk of CI-AKI was examined in all CAD patients using multivariable logistics regression analysis. RESULTS: Among the 3170 patients (mean age: 63.1 ± 10.7 years), 1865 (58.8%) suffered from malnutrition, 111 (3.5%) developed CI-AKI, including 23 (1.76%) in normal group and 88 (4.72%) in malnutrition group (p < 0.01). The malnourished patients were older, and likely had anemia and worse cardiorenal function. After adjustment for confounders, the risk of CI-AKI was 1.04 times higher in the malnutrition group than in the normal group (adjusted OR: 2.04, 95% CI 1.28-3.38, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Among CAD patients undergoing CAG, malnutrition is extremely common and associated with a double risk of CI-AKI. Further studies are needed to investigate the potential renal protection of intervening malnutrition in CAD patients.

High Glucose Activated Cardiac Fibroblasts by a Disruption of Mitochondria-Associated Membranes.

Cardiac fibrosis is evident even in the situation without a significant cardiomyocyte loss in diabetic cardiomyopathy and a high glucose (HG) level independently activates the cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and promotes cell proliferation. Mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, which are key for cell proliferation and the mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), are critically involved in this process. However, the roles and the underlying mechanism of MAMs in the proliferation of HG-induced CFs are largely unknown. The proliferation and apoptosis of CFs responding to HG treatment were evaluated. The MAMs were quantified, and the mitochondrial respiration and cellular glycolytic levels were determined using the Seahorse XF analyzer. The changes of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mitofusin-2 (MFN2) in responding to HG were also determined, the effects of which on cell proliferation, MAMs, and mitochondrial respiration were assessed. The effects of STAT3 on MFN2 transcription was determined by the dual-luciferase reporter assay (DLRA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP). HG-induced CFs proliferation increased the glycolytic levels and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, while mitochondrial respiration was inhibited. The MAMs and MFN2 expressions were significantly reduced on the HG treatment, and the restoration of MFN2 expression counteracted the effects of HG on cell proliferation, mitochondrial respiration of the MAMs, glycolytic levels, and ATP production. The mitochondrial STAT3 contents were not changed by HG, but the levels of phosphorylated STAT3 and nuclear STAT3 were increased. The inhibition of STAT3 reversed the reduction of MFN2 levels induced by HG. The DLRA and CHIP directly demonstrated the negative regulation of MFN2 by STAT3 at the transcription levels via interacting with the sequences in the MFN2 promoter region locating at about -400 bp counting from the start site of transcription. The present study demonstrated that the HG independently induced CFs proliferation via promoting STAT3 translocation to the nucleus, which switched the mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis to produce ATP by inhibiting MAMs in an MFN2-depression manner.

Predictive value of creatine kinase MB for contrast-induced acute kidney injury among myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Predictive value of creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) for contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) among myocardial infarction (MI) patients has rarely been reported. We aim to evaluate the predictive value of CK-MB for CI-AKI among MI patients. METHODS: Totally, 1131 MI patients were included from the REduction of rIsk for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (REICIN) study. The peak CK-MB before coronary angiography (CAG) was chosen. The study population was divided into two groups by log-transformed CK-MB cut-off point. The association between CK-MB and CI-AKI was tested by multivariable logistic regression. CK-MB was integrated with Age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score and Mehran risk score (MRS) to evaluate the additive value of CK-MB. The integrated models were validated internally by the bootstrap method and externally by the PREdictive Value of COntrast voluMe to creatinine Clearance Ratio (PRECOMIN) study data set. RESULTS: Overall, 62(5.48%) patients developed CI-AKI, patients with CK-MB point > 4.7 displayed a higher incidence of CI-AKI than those without (11.9% vs. 4.0%, p < 0.001). CK-MB point > 4.7 was independently associated with CI-AKI (adjusted OR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.93-5.98, p < 0.001). The additions of CK-MB to ACEF score, Mehran score A and Mehran score B resulted in increases in C-statistics, which ranged from 0.680 to 0.733 (p = 0.046), 0.694 to 0.727 (p = 0.091), 0.704 to 0.734 (p = 0.102), respectively. Internal validation also showed increases in C-statistics, and external validation performed well in discrimination and calibration. CONCLUSIONS: Preprocedural peak CK-MB was a predictor of CI-AKI among MI patients.

Malnutrition affects cholesterol paradox in coronary artery disease: a 41,229 Chinese cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have found that a low baseline low -density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration was associated with poor prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is called the "cholesterol paradox". Low LDL-C concentration may reflect underlying malnutrition, which was strongly associated with increased mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the cholesterol paradox in patients with CAD and the effects of malnutrition. METHOD: A total of 41,229 CAD patients admitted to Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in China were included in this study from January 2007 to December 2018 and divided into two groups (LDL-C < 1.8 mmol/L, n = 4863; LDL-C ≥ 1.8 mmol/L, n = 36,366). The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the association between LDL-C levels and long-term all-cause mortality and the effect of malnutrition. RESULT: In this real-world cohort (mean age 62.9 years; 74.9% male), there were 5257 cases of all-cause death during a median follow-up of 5.20 years [interquartile range (IQR): 3.05-7.78 years]. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that low LDL-C levels were associated with a worse prognosis. After adjusting for baseline confounders (e.g., age, sex and comorbidities, etc.), multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a low LDL-C level (< 1.8 mmol/L) was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.96-1.24). After adjustment for nutritional status, the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with low LDL-C levels decreased (adjusted HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.98). In the final multivariate Cox model, a low LDL-C level was related to better prognosis (adjusted HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.99). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the cholesterol paradox existed in CAD patients but disappeared after accounting for the effects of malnutrition.

A Simple Nomogram to Predict Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

BACKGROUND: Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are vulnerable to contrast-induced kidney injury (CI-AKI), but few prediction models are currently available. Therefore, we aimed to establish a simple nomogram for CI-AKI risk assessment for patients with CHF undergoing coronary angiography. METHODS: A total of 1876 consecutive patients with CHF (defined as New York Heart Association functional class II-IV or Killip class II-IV) were enrolled and randomly (2:1) assigned to a development cohort and a validation cohort. The endpoint was CI-AKI defined as serum creatinine elevation of ≥0.3 mg/dL or 50% from baseline within the first 48-72 hours following the procedure. Predictors for the simple nomogram were selected by multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise approach. The discriminative power was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and was compared with the classic Mehran score in the validation cohort. Calibration was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and 1000 bootstrap samples. RESULTS: The incidence of CI-AKI was 9.06% (170) in the total sample, 8.64% (n = 109) in the development cohort, and 9.92% (n = 61) in the validation cohort (P=0.367). The simple nomogram including four predictors (age, intra-aortic balloon pump, acute myocardial infarction, and chronic kidney disease) demonstrated a similar predictive power as the Mehran score (area under the curve: 0.80 vs. 0.75, P=0.061), as well as a well-fitted calibration curve. CONCLUSIONS: The present simple nomogram including four predictors is a simple and reliable tool to identify CHF patients at risk of CI-AKI, whereas further external validations are needed.

Implications of Malnutrition on Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Young and Old Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between malnutrition and the risk of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) and the resulting prognosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still not well known. METHODS: Patients undergoing PCI were consecutively enrolled in a multicenter study in China (NCT01402232), categorized by nutritional status (non-malnutrition, malnutrition) based on two different cut-off values (i.e., traditional threshold and the best cut-off value based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve) for the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score. The primary endpoint was CA-AKI, diagnosed as a rise in serum creatinine >0.3 mg/dl or >50% than the baseline level occurring within 48 h after the intervention. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The relationships of malnutrition, CA-AKI, and all-cause mortality were examined using multivariate-adjusted logistic and Cox regression analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Among 2,083 patients undergoing PCI (age: 62.8 ± 11.1 years; 79.0% men), 1,258 (60.4%) were malnourished. During hospitalization, 80 (3.8%) patients developed CA-AKI events. The incidence of CA-AKI in patients who did not have malnutrition (the non-malnutrition group) and those who did have malnutrition (the malnutrition group) was 1.7% and 5.25%, respectively. Patients with malnutrition had a 2-fold increased adjusted risk of CA-AKI compared to those with no malnutrition [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (95% confidence interval CI): 2.41 (1.22 to 5.22)]. Malnutrition was associated with a 3-fold increased adjusted risk of CA-AKI in patients aged ≤ 75 years [N = 1,791, aOR (95% CI): 3.39 (1.46-9.25)]. Malnourished patients with CA-AKI had a higher risk of all-cause mortality than the others. Similar results were observed in the grouping of Supplemental Analyses based on the optimal cut-off value of the CONUT score identified by the ROC curve. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition is strongly associated with an increased risk of CA-AKI in both young and old patients undergoing PCI. Malnourished patients with CA-AKI had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality. Further studies are needed to prospectively assess the efficacy of nutritional interventions on outcomes in patients undergoing PCI.

The Impact of the Innovative Knowledge of Customers on Their Recommendation Intentions.

This article provides a systematic way to examine the impact of the innovative knowledge of customers on their recommendation intentions from firm design perspective and investigates the moderating effects of guidance methods and design materials provided combining different aspects of cognitive fit, media richness, and sticky information theories. We use the EQXIU platform, conduct two experiments, and find that there are significant differences between the novice customers and expert customers in their recommendation intentions. Experts are more prone to no-template materials, whereas novices are more inclined to use modules and templates. Therefore, to inspire innovation, firms should offer personalized opportunities based on customers' knowledge levels to enhance their experience. Firms should also design the innovative activities taking into consideration the knowledge levels of their customers. At last, limitations of this study and directions for further research are discussed.

Role of Characteristic Components of Humulus lupulus in Promoting Human Health.

Over the next 50 years, the prevention and control of chronic diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and many cancers, will be one of the most critical challenges in human health. Plant biochemistry and phytonutrient supplements are a promising complementary therapy for the management of chronic disease. Among them, Humulus lupulus has attracted special attention throughout the world because it contains numerous dietary phytochemicals that not only contribute to the aroma and flavor of beer but may also be used for medicinal purposes, as its properties include antiseptic, (an)aphrodisiac, anticancer, antiplatelet, antibacterial, antidiuretic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, hypnotic, and stomachic properties. This review sought to identify and understand the risk factors for chronic disease with a focus on two types of phytochemicals, bitter acids and xanthohumol. The goal was to understand how their metabolites promote human health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Genome-wide analysis of the WRKY gene family in drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.).

WRKY proteins belong to one of the largest families of transcription factors. They have important functions in plant growth and development, signal transduction and stress responses. However, little information is available regarding the WRKY family in drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.). In the present study, we identified 54 MoWRKY genes in this species using genomic data. On the basis of structural features of the proteins they encode, the MoWRKY genes were classified into three main groups, with the second group being further divided into five subgroups. Phylogenetic trees constructed from the sequences of WRKY domains and overall amino acid compositions derived from drumstick and Arabidopsis were similar; the results indicated that the WRKY domain was the main evolutionary unit of WRKY genes. Gene structure and conserved motif analysis showed that genes with similar structures and proteins with similar motif compositions were usually clustered in the same class. Selective pressure analysis indicated that although neutral evolution and positive selection have happened in several MoWRKY genes, most have evolved under strong purifying selection. Moreover, different subgroups had evolved at different rates. The levels of expression of MoWRKY genes in response to five different abiotic stresses (salt, heat, drought, H2O2, cold) were evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), with the results indicating that these genes had different expression levels and that some may be involved in abiotic stress responses. Our results will provide a foundation for cloning genes with specific functions for use in further research and applications.

Evolution and expression patterns of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene family in drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.).

MAIN CONCLUSION: Moringa oleifera TPSs were genome-wide identified for the first time, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed to investigate evolutionary divergence. The qRT-PCR data show that MoTPS genes response to different stress treatments. The trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) family is involved in a wide range of stress-resistance processes in plants. Its direct product, trehalose-6-phosphate, acts as a specific signal of sucrose status and a regulator to modulate carbon metabolism within the plant. In this study, eight TPS genes were identified and cloned based on the M. oleifera genome; only MoTPS1 exhibited TPS activity among Group I proteins. The characteristics of the MoTPS gene family were determined by analyzing phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, conserved motifs, selective forces, and expression patterns. The Group II MoTPS genes were under relaxed purifying selection or positive selection. The glycosyltransferase family 20 domains generally had lower Ka/Ks ratios and nonsynonymous (Ka) changes compared with those of trehalose-phosphatase domains, which is consistent with stronger purifying selection due to functional constraints in performing TPS enzyme activity. Phylogenetic analyses of TPS proteins from M. oleifera and 17 other plant species indicated that TPS were present before the monocot-dicot split, whereas Group II TPSs were duplicated after the separation of dicots and monocots. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression patterns of TPSs displayed group specificities in M. oleifera. Particularly, Group I MoTPS genes closely relate to reproductive development and Group II MoTPS genes closely relate to high temperature resistance in leaves, stem, stem tip and roots. This work provides a scientific classification of plant TPSs, dissects the internal relationships between their evolution and expressions, and promotes functional researches.

A near-infrared reflectance spectroscopic method for the direct analysis of several fodder-related chemical components in drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves.

The drumstick tree has traditionally been used as foodstuff and fodder in several countries. Due to its high nutritional value and good biomass production, interest in this plant has increased in recent years. It has therefore become important to rapidly and accurately evaluate drumstick quality. In this study, we addressed the optimization of Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to analyze crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, iron (Fe), and potassium (K) in a variety of drumstick accessions (N = 111) representing different populations, cultivation programs, and climates. Partial least-squares regression with internal cross-validation was used to evaluate the models and identify possible spectral outliers. The calibration statistics for these fodder-related chemical components suggest that NIRS can predict these parameters in a wide range of drumstick types with high accuracy. The NIRS calibration models developed in this study will be useful in predicting drumstick forage quality for these five quality parameters.