The diversity of endophytic fungi in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) and its correlation with flavonoids and phenotypic traits.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is a significant medicinal crop, with flavonoids serving as a crucial measure of its quality. Presently, the artificial cultivation of Tartary buckwheat yields low results, and the quality varies across different origins. Therefore, it is imperative to identify an effective method to enhance the yield and quality of buckwheat. Endophytic fungi reside within plants and form a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, aiding plants in nutrient absorption, promoting host growth, and improving secondary metabolites akin to the host. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology was employed to assess the diversity of endophytic fungi in Tartary buckwheat. Subsequently, a correlation analysis was performed between fungi and metabolites, revealing potential increases in flavonoid content due to endophytic fungi such as Bipolaris, Hymenula, and Colletotrichum. Additionally, a correlation analysis between fungi and phenotypic traits unveiled the potential influence of endophytic fungi such as Bipolaris, Buckleyzyma, and Trichosporon on the phenotypic traits of Tartary buckwheat. Notably, the endophytic fungi of the Bipolaris genus exhibited the potential to elevate the content of Tartary buckwheat metabolites and enhance crop growth. Consequently, this study successfully identified the resources of endophytic fungi in Tartary buckwheat, explored potential functional endophytic fungi, and laid a scientific foundation for future implementation of biological fertilizers in improving the quality and growth of Tartary buckwheat.

Anatomy and Comparative Transcriptome Reveal the Mechanism of Male Sterility in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is an important traditional herb. Salvia miltiorrhiza is distributed in the Sichuan province of China (here called SC). Under natural conditions, it does not bear seeds and its sterility mechanism is still unclear. Through artificial cross, there was defective pistil and partial pollen abortion in these plants. Electron microscopy results showed that the defective pollen wall was caused by delayed degradation of the tapetum. Due to the lack of starch and organelle, the abortive pollen grains showed shrinkage. RNA-seq was performed to explore the molecular mechanisms of pollen abortion. KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that the pathways of phytohormone, starch, lipid, pectin, and phenylpropanoid affected the fertility of S. miltiorrhiza. Moreover, some differentially expressed genes involved in starch synthesis and plant hormone signaling were identified. These results contribute to the molecular mechanism of pollen sterility and provide a more theoretical foundation for molecular-assisted breeding.

Natural sunlight-driven aquatic toxicity enhancement of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol toward Photobacterium phosphoreum.

The tert-butylphenols (TBPs) are one group of alkylated phenolic compounds with wide applications in UV absorbers and antioxidants. They are becoming contaminants of emerging concern with residues frequently detected in natural surface water or drinking water. The direct sunlight may photolyze TBPs in waters and affect their aquatic toxicities; however, such data are very limited. In the present study, we investigate the photodegradation of 2,6-DTBP by direct sunlight in water and compare the aquatic toxicities of 2,6-DTBP with that of its product toward Photobacterium phosphoreum. 2,6-DTBP is photodegraded by 71.31 ±â€¯2.64% under simulated sunlight following a pseudo-first-order kinetics with rate constant (k) of 0.061 h-1. Density functional theory simulations at M06-2X/def2-SVP level reveal that the photodegradation occurred sequentially through oxidation, photo-isomerization and hydrogenation. The degradation product 2,5-DTBP is toxic to P. phosphoreum (EC50 3.389 × 10-5 mol/L) whereas 2,6-DTBP is not harmful (EC50 3.917 × 10-3 mol/L) as designated by the European Union Standard, indicating the enhanced toxicities driven by the direct sunlight photodegradation. We demonstrate the enhanced toxicities of 2,6-DTBP by natural sunlight, suggesting that negligence of photodegradation of TBPs-related contaminants will underestimate the comprehensive risk of these emerging contaminant in natural waters.

Comparison of the time to onset of action on myocardial ischaemia following intravenous administration of isosorbide dinitrate and 5-isosorbide mononitrate in Chinese patients.

OBJECTIVE: The onset of action of intravenous isosorbide dinitrate (CAS 87-33-2, ISDN) and intravenous 5-isosorbide mononitrate (CAS 16051-77-7, 5-ISMN) were compared by measurement of the indicators of perfusion to ischaemic myocardium. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with coronary heart disease were randomly allocated to receive intravenous ISDN or 5-ISMN. The extent of myocardial ischaemia before infusion and at 3, 15 and 45 min after commencement of infusion was evaluated using 99mTc-MIBI myocardium tomography imaging and electrocardiograms. RESULTS: The perfusion defects were significantly reduced or resolved in 11 patients (84.1%) receiving ISDN and 2 patients (15.38%) receiving 5-ISMN at 3 min. At 15 min the improvement was significantly greater in the ISDN group than in the 5-ISMN group. The improvements of 99mTc-MIBI myocardial uptake ratio and electrocardiograms were statistically significant in the ISDN group at 3 min and 15 min compared to pre-infusion. Although a significant improvement appeared at 15 min in the 5-ISMN group, it was significantly less than that observed in the ISDN group (p < 0.05). After 45 min, there were improvements in ischaemia in both groups with the difference compared to pre-infusion being significant, and there was no statistically significant difference between the ISDN and 5-ISMN group. CONCLUSION: In patients with coronary heart disease with ischaemic episodes the onset of therapeutic activity was more rapid with intravenous ISDN compared to 5-ISMN. ISDN should be the preferred intravenous nitrate for acute ischaemic episodes where a rapid onset of therapeutic action is desired.