All-flesh fruit in tomato is controlled by reduced expression dosage of AFF through a structural variant mutation in the promoter.

The formation of locule gel is an important process in tomato and is a typical characteristic of berry fruit. In this study, we examined a natural tomato mutant that produces all-flesh fruit (AFF) in which the locule tissue remains in a solid state during fruit development. We constructed different genetic populations to fine-map the causal gene for this trait and identified SlMBP3 as the locus conferring the locule gel formation, which we rename as AFF. We determined the causal mutation as a 416-bp deletion in the promoter region of AFF, which reduces its expression dosage. Generally, this sequence is highly conserved among Solanaceae, as well as within the tomato germplasm. Using BC6 near-isogenic lines, we determined that the reduced expression dosage of AFF did not affect the normal development of seeds, whilst producing unique, non-liquefied locule tissue that was distinct from that of normal tomatoes in terms of metabolic components. Combined analysis using mRNA-seq and metabolomics indicated the importance of AFF in locule tissue liquefaction. Our findings provide insights into fruit-type differentiation in Solanaceae crops and also present the basis for future applications of AFF in tomato breeding programs.

Effect of Antilogous Platelet-Rich Plasma on the Revascularization of Rabbit Prefabricated Flap.

BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate the effect of the local application of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the angiogenesis of the rabbit prefabricated flap. MATERIAL AND METHODS Femoral arteriovenous bundle prefabricated flaps were constructed on both sides of the abdomen of 20 New Zealand white rabbits and were randomly divided into experimental sides and control sides, with 40 sides in total. Autologous PRP was injected around the prefabricated femoral vascular bundle on the experimental side, and the same amount of saline was injected on the control side. After 14 days, stage II surgery was performed to lift the island flap with the implanted femoral vascular bundle at the tip of the preconfigured flap marker line and suture it in situ. Twenty rabbits were divided equally into 4 groups: group A, 7 days after stage I surgery; group B, 14 days after stage I surgery; group C, 7 days after stage II surgery; and group D, 14 days after stage II surgery. The survival of neovascularization and the flaps in the 4 groups were compared by microscopic observation, histology, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The density of neovascularization was much higher on the experimental side than on the control side in the 4 groups, and statistically significantly increased with time (P<0.05). Seven days after stage II surgery, flap survival was better on the experimental side than on the control side. CONCLUSIONS PRP effectively promoted the revascularization of a prefabricated flap, and vascular density increased with time.

Ectopic Expression of AeNAC83, a NAC Transcription Factor from Abelmoschus esculentus, Inhibits Growth and Confers Tolerance to Salt Stress in Arabidopsis.

NAC transcription factors play crucial roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. Previously, we preliminarily identified that the transcription factor AeNAC83 gene was significantly up-regulated under salt stress in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). Herein, we cloned the nuclear-localized AeNAC83 from okra and identified its possible role in salt stress response and plant growth. The down-regulation of AeNAC83 caused by virus-induced gene silencing enhanced plant sensitivity to salt stress and increased the biomass accumulation of okra seedlings. Meanwhile, AeNAC83-overexpression Arabidopsis lines improved salt tolerance and exhibited many altered phenotypes, including small rosette, short primary roots, and promoted crown roots and root hairs. RNA-seq showed numerous genes at the transcriptional level that changed significantly in the AeNAC83-overexpression transgenic and the wild Arabidopsis with or without NaCl treatment, respectively. The expression of most phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes was largely induced by salt stress. While genes encoding key proteins involved in photosynthesis were almost declined dramatically in AeNAC83-overexpression transgenic plants, and NaCl treatment further resulted in the down-regulation of these genes. Furthermore, DEGs encoding various plant hormone signal pathways were also identified. These results indicate that AeNAC83 is involved in resistance to salt stress and plant growth.

OBV (obscure vein), a C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor, positively regulates chloroplast development and bundle sheath extension formation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaf veins.

Leaf veins play an important role in plant growth and development, and the bundle sheath (BS) is believed to greatly improve the photosynthetic efficiency of C4 plants. The OBV mutation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) results in dark veins and has been used widely in processing tomato varieties. However, physiological performance has difficulty explaining fitness in production. In this study, we confirmed that this mutation was caused by both the increased chlorophyll content and the absence of bundle sheath extension (BSE) in the veins. Using genome-wide association analysis and map-based cloning, we revealed that OBV encoded a C2H2L domain class transcription factor. It was localized in the nucleus and presented cell type-specific gene expression in the leaf veins. Furthermore, we verified the gene function by generating CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and overexpression mutants of the tomato gene. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that OBV was involved in regulating chloroplast development and photosynthesis, which greatly supported the change in chlorophyll content by mutation. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that OBV affected the growth and development of tomato by regulating chloroplast development in leaf veins. This study also provides a solid foundation to further decipher the mechanism of BSEs and to understand the evolution of photosynthesis in land plants.

Exploration of resistance to Phelipanche aegyptiaca in tomato.

BACKGROUND: Cultivated tomatoes are highly susceptible to the destructive parasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Wild relatives show the potential resistance for genetic improvement. However, their genetic and molecular mechanisms are still unknown. RESULTS: Among 50 wild tomato accessions were evaluated for resistance to P. aegyptiaca, most of the wild relatives exhibited varying degrees of resistance compared to the cultivars. Solanum pennellii LA0716 performed the most promising and solid resistance with very low infection by the broomrape. The resistance involved in LA0716 was further confirmed by cytological analysis, and explored by employing a permanent introgression line (IL) population. Thirteen putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring the different resistance traits were identified. They are located on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9. The most attractive QTLs are positioned in IL6-2 and overlap with IL6-3. Specially, IL6-2 showed the highest and most consistent resistance for multiple traits and explained the major phenotypic variation of LA0716. Analysis of candidate genes involved in these regions showed that Beta (Solyc06g074240) and P450 (Solyc06g073570, Solyc06g074180 and Solyc06g074420) genes are substantially related to the strigolactone (SL) pathway. Transcript analysis further demonstrated that both Solyc06g073570 and Solyc06g074180 might play an important role in the reduction of P. aegyptiaca infection. CONCLUSION: Germplasms resistant to P. aegyptiaca were found in wild tomato species. QTLs conferring P. aegyptiaca tolerance in LA0716 were identified. IL6-2 is identified as a prospective line possessing the major QTLs. The candidate genes would provide the availability to assist the introgression of the resistance in future breeding programmes. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Platelet-rich plasma reduces skin flap inflammatory cells infiltration and improves survival rates through induction of angiogenesis: An experiment in rabbits.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on flap survival in an experimental rabbit model. METHODS: Symmetrical rectangular dorsal cutaneous flaps (8 × 2 cm) were elevated in 15 rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into a 3-day group (n = 5), a 7-day group (n = 5), and a 14-day group (n = 5). Either side of the dorsum was selected for injection of PRP into the flap basal surface, while the other side received an equal volume of saline as a control. The flaps were immediately sutured back, after which the flap survival was measured and histology specimens were collected at 3, 7, and 14 days. RESULTS: Platelet-rich plasma significantly improved flap survival rates of the PRP side flaps relative to the control in the 3-day (74.4% ± 4.7% vs 65.8% ± 6.8%; p < 0.05), 7-day (72.4% ± 7.5% vs 58.5% ± 7.0%; p < 0.05), and 14-day (74.5% ± 5.0% vs 65.0% ± 5.4%; p < 0.05) groups. Histological analysis revealed significantly fewer inflammatory cells and an increased blood vessel density in the platelet-rich plasma side flap vs the blank control side flap. CONCLUSION: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promotes the survival of random rabbit flaps and, therefore, represents a promising treatment to prevent skin flap necrosis in reconstructive and plastic surgery.

Inhibitory effect of saponins and polysaccharides from Radix ranunculi ternati on human gastric cancer BGC823 cells.

The effects of different Radix ranunculi ternati extracts on human gastric cancer BGC823 cells were investigated, different methods were used to extract the saponins and polysaccharides from Radix ranunculi ternati, and MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to observe the effects of saponins and polysaccharides from Radix ranunculi ternati on in-vitro cultured human gastric cancer BGC823 cells. The results found that the saponins and polysaccharides from Radix Ranunculi Ternati had certain effects on both the growth and colony formation of human gastric cancer BGC823 cells, while improving the immune function of normal mice, of which saponins had more significant effects than polysaccharides.

[Correlation between MPO 129 A/G polymorphism and severity of coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between myeloperoxidase (MPO) 129 A/G promoter polymorphisms and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: The study enrolled 267 patients who had been diagnosed as coronary artery diseases by coronary angiography. The serum MPO activity was detected by colorimetric method. PCR-RFLP method was used to decide the genotypes of the patients. The severity of CAD was evaluated by the numbers of stenotic coronary arteries and the Gensini scores respectively. RESULTS: The MPO 129 locus G and A alleles frequency were 0.893 and 0.107, respectively. No significant difference was observed in serum MPO activity between different genotypes (P > 0.05). The distribution of genotypes in different Gensini score groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05). The patients with GG genotypes were prone to develop mutivessel diseases. CONCLUSION: No significant correlation exists in MPO 129 locus polymorphism and serum MPO activity. The MPO 129 locus polymorphism isn't a reasonable predict factor of CAD severity.