Flexible and Robust Core-Shell PANI/PVDF@PANI Nanofiber Membrane for High-Performance Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Developing high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials that are lightweight and flexible and have excellent mechanical properties is an ideal choice for modern integrated electronic devices and microwave protection. Herein, we report the preparation of core-shell polyaniline (PANI)-based nanofiber membranes for EMI shielding through seed polymerization. Electrospinning a PANI solution leads to homogeneously dispersed PANI on the nanofiber surface, with abundant attachment sites for aniline through electrostatic adsorption and hydrogen bonding interaction, allowing PANI to grow on the nanofiber surfaces. This stable core-shell heterostructure provides more interfaces for reflecting and absorbing microwaves. The PANI/PVDF@PANI membranes achieved a shielding efficiency (SE) of 44.7 dB at a thickness of only 1.2 mm, exhibiting an exceptionally high specific EMI shielding effectiveness (SE/t) of 372.5 dB cm-1. Furthermore, the composite membrane exhibits outstanding mechanical stability, durability, air permeability, and moisture permeability, also making it suitable for applications such as EM shielding clothing.

Application of Aptamer-SERS Nanotags for Unveiling the PD-L1 Immunomarker Progression Correlated to the Cell Metabolic Bioprocess.

In recent years, the expression and progression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) as an immunomarker in the context of a cell metabolic environment has gained significant attention in cancer research. However, intercellular bioprocesses that control the dynamics of PD-L1 have been largely unexplored. This study aimed to explore the cell metabolic states and conditions that govern dynamic variations of PD-L1 within the cell metabolic environment using an aptamer-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) approach. The aptamer-SERS technique offers a sensitive, rapid, and powerful analytical tool for targeted and nondestructive detection of an immunomarker with high sensitivity and specificity. By combining aptamer-SERS with cell state profiling, we investigated the modulation in PD-L1 expression under different metabolic states, including glucose deprivation, metabolic coenzyme activity, and altered time/concentration-based cytokine availability. The most intriguing features in our findings include the cell-specific responses, cell differentiation by revealing distinct patterns, and dynamics of PD-L1 in different cell lines. Additionally, the time-dependent variations in PD-L1 expression, coupled with the dose-dependent relationship between glucose concentration and PD-L1 levels, underscore the complex interplay between immune checkpoint regulation and cellular metabolism. Therefore, this work demonstrates the advantages of using highly-sensitive and specific aptamer-SERS nanotags for investigating the immune checkpoint dynamics and related metabolic bioprocess.

Supramolecular Peptide Amphiphile Nanospheres Reprogram Tumor-associated Macrophage to Reshape the Immune Microenvironment for Enhanced Breast Cancer Immunotherapy.

Tumor immunotherapy has become a research hotspot in cancer treatment, with macrophages playing a crucial role in tumor development. However, the tumor microenvironment restricts macrophage functionality, limiting their therapeutic potential. Therefore, modulating macrophage function and polarization is essential for enhancing tumor immunotherapy outcomes. Here, a supramolecular peptide amphiphile drug-delivery system (SPADS) is utilized to reprogram macrophages and reshape the tumor immune microenvironment (TIM) for immune-based therapies. The approach involved designing highly specific SPADS that selectively targets surface receptors of M2-type macrophages (M2-Mφ). These targeted peptides induced M2-Mφ repolarization into M1-type macrophages by dual inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stresses, resulting in improved macrophagic antitumor activity and immunoregulatory function. Additionally, TIM reshaping disrupted the immune evasion mechanisms employed by tumor cells, leading to increased infiltration, and activation of immune cells. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of macrophage reshaping and anti-PD-1 antibody (aPD-1) therapy significantly improved the immune system's ability to recognize and eliminate tumor cells, thereby enhancing tumor immunotherapy efficacy. SPADS utilization also induced lung metastasis suppression. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of SPADS to drive macrophage reprogramming and reshape TIM, providing new insights, and directions for developing more effective immunotherapeutic approaches in cancer treatment.

Mutator-like transposable element 9A interacts with metacaspase 1 and modulates the incidence of Al-induced programmed cell death in peanut.

The toxicity of aluminum (Al) in acidic soil inhibits plant root development and reduces crop yields. In the plant response to Al toxicity, the initiation of programmed cell death (PCD) appears to be an important mechanism for the elimination of Al-damaged cells to ensure plant survival. In a previous study, the type I metacaspase AhMC1 was found to regulate the Al stress response and to be essential for Al-induced PCD. However, the mechanism by which AhMC1 is altered in the peanut response to Al stress remained unclear. Here, we show that a nuclear protein, mutator-like transposable element 9A (AhMULE9A), directly interacts with AhMC1 in vitro and in vivo. This interaction occurs in the nucleus in peanut and is weakened during Al stress. Furthermore, a conserved C2HC zinc finger domain of AhMULE9A (residues 735-751) was shown to be required for its interaction with AhMC1. Overexpression of AhMULE9A in Arabidopsis and peanut strongly inhibited root growth with a loss of root cell viability under Al treatment. Conversely, knock down of AhMULE9A in peanut significantly reduced Al uptake and Al inhibition of root growth, and alleviated the occurrence of typical hallmarks of Al-induced PCD. These findings provide novel insight into the regulation of Al-induced PCD.

Abnormal temporal variability of thalamo-cortical circuit in patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.

This study investigated the abnormal dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) variability of the thalamo-cortical circuit in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and explored the relationship between these changes and the clinical characteristics of patients with OSA. A total of 91 newly diagnosed patients with moderate-to-severe OSA and 84 education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. All participants underwent neuropsychological testing and a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. We explored the thalamo-cortical dFC changes by dividing the thalamus into 16 subregions and combining them using a sliding-window approach. Correlation analysis assessed the relationship between dFC variability and clinical features, and the support vector machine method was used for classification. The OSA group exhibited increased dFC variability between the thalamic subregions and extensive cortical areas, compared with the HCs group. Decreased dFC variability was observed in some frontal-occipital-temporal cortical regions. These dFC changes positively correlated with daytime sleepiness, disease severity, and cognitive scores. Altered dFC variability contributed to the discrimination between patients with OSA and HCs, with a classification accuracy of 77.8%. Our findings show thalamo-cortical overactivation and disconnection in patients with OSA, disrupting information flow within the brain networks. These results enhance understanding of the temporal variability of thalamo-cortical circuits in patients with OSA.

Carbon tax and low-carbon credit: Which policy is more beneficial to the capital-constrained manufacturer's remanufacturing activities?

Remanufacturing has attracted much attention for its enormous potential in resource recycling and low-carbon emission reduction. To investigate the effects of different government intervention policies on remanufacturing and carbon emissions, two profit maximization models of the capital-constrained manufacturer under carbon tax and low-carbon credit policies are constructed respectively. Then, through theoretical and numerical analyses, some significant findings are drawn: (1) Both carbon tax and low-carbon credit policies can encourage capital-constrained manufacturers to produce more remanufactured products, but which intervention policy is more advantageous also depends on the carbon emission cost of new products or financing cost of the remanufactured products. (2) Although carbon tax policy can effectively control carbon emissions, it is always at the expense of both capital-constrained manufacturers and consumers; while low-carbon credit policy can help capital-constrained manufacturers achieve the goal of win-win economic and environmental benefits when the remanufacturing carbon savings advantages are more apparent. (3) From the perspective of consumer benefits, carbon tax is more advantageous when the consumer willingness to pay for remanufactured products is higher; otherwise, low-carbon credit policy should be implemented. (4) The higher the environmental damage coefficient is, the more it can highlight the advantages of the two intervention policies in social welfare enhancement, especially the carbon tax policy; and when the environmental damage coefficient is given, the stronger the consumers' willingness to pay for remanufactured products is, the more it is conducive to reducing the negative effects caused by the carbon tax or low-carbon credit policy in social welfare enhancement, or increasing the corresponding positive effects. Based on above findings, some managerial insights and policy implications are provided to capital-constrained manufacturers and policy-makers.

NAFLD is associated with less severe liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B: A multi-center, retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) may progress to more serious liver diseases and it is often accompanied by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD and CHB share risk factors for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, but the influence of NAFLD on fibrosis progression is controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the prevalence of NAFLD in patients with CHB and investigated associations between NAFLD and liver fibrosis in a large multi-center cohort of hepatitis B patients submitted to liver biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Treatment-naïve patients with CHB who underwent liver biopsy were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to adjust the confounders between patients with and without NAFLD. RESULTS: A total of 1496 CHB patients were included. Two hundred and ninety (19.4%) patients were diagnosed with NAFLD by liver biopsy. The proportions of significant liver fibrosis (52.8% vs. 63.9%, P<0.001), advanced liver fibrosis (27.2% vs. 36.5%, P=0.003), and cirrhosis (13.4% vs. 19.7%, P=0.013) was considerably lower in CHB patients with NAFLD compared to those without NAFLD. 273 patients were included in each group after PSM adjusted for age, sex, hepatitis B envelope antigen status, and hepatitis B virus DNA. Liver fibrosis remained less severe in CHB patients with NAFLD than those without NAFLD (P<0.05) after PSM. The presence of NAFLD was considered an independent negative factor of significant liver fibrosis (odds ratio (OR) 0.692, P=0.013) and advanced liver fibrosis (OR 0.533, P = 0.002) in CHB patients. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD is not uncommon in CHB patients with the prevalence of 19.4%. The presence of NAFLD is associated with less severe liver fibrosis in CHB patients. OF THE STUDY/TRIAL: NCT03097952.

De Novo Assembly and Comparative Analysis of Mitochondrial Genomes of Two Pueraria montana Varieties.

Pueraria montana is a species with important medicinal value and a complex genetic background. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of two varieties of P. montana. The mt genome lengths of P. montana var. thomsonii and P. montana var. montana were 457,390 bp and 456,731 bp, respectively. Both P. montana mitogenomes showed a multi-branched structure consisting of two circular molecules, with 56 genes annotated, comprising 33 protein-coding genes, 18 tRNA genes (trnC-GCA and trnM-CAU are multi-copy genes), and 3 rRNA genes. Then, 207 pairs of long repeats and 96 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected in the mt genomes of P. montana, and 484 potential RNA-editing sites were found across the 33 mitochondrial protein-coding genes of each variety. Additionally, a syntenic sequence analysis showed a high collinearity between the two mt genomes. This work is the first to analyze the mt genomes of P. montana. It can provide information that can be used to analyze the structure of mt genomes of higher plants and provide a foundation for future comparative genomic studies and evolutionary biology research in related species.

Impact of aerosols on the polarization patterns of full-sky background radiation.

Regarding aerosol particle-laded turbid atmospheres, full-sky background radiation polarization patterns can be adversely affected, an important factor limiting their effective near-ground observation and acquisition. We established a multiple-scattering polarization computational model and measurement system and conducted the following three tasks. (a) We thoroughly analyzed the impact of aerosol scattering characteristics on polarization distributions, calculating the degree of polarization (DOP) and angle of polarization (AOP) patterns for a more comprehensive set of atmospheric aerosol compositions and aerosol optical depth (AOD) values than calculated in previous studies. (b) We assessed the uniqueness of the DOP and AOP patterns as a function of AOD. (c) By employing a new polarized radiation acquisition system for measurements, we demonstrated that our computational models are more representative of the DOP and AOP patterns under actual atmospheric conditions. We found that under a clear sky without clouds, the impact of the AOD on the DOP was detectable. With increasing AOD, the DOP decreased, and the decreasing trend became increasingly obvious. When the AOD was above 0.3, the maximum DOP did not exceed 0.5. The AOP pattern did not change notably and remained stable, except for the contraction point at the sun position under an AOD of 2.

The Relationship Between Cortical Morphological and Functional Topological Properties and Clinical Manifestations in Patients with Posttraumatic Diffuse Axonal Injury: An Individual Brain Network Study.

To evaluate the altered network topological properties and their clinical relevance in patients with posttraumatic diffuse axonal injury (DAI). Forty-seven participants were recruited in this study, underwent 3D T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI, and had single-subject morphological brain networks (MBNs) constructed by Kullback-Leibler divergence and functional brain networks (FBNs) constructed by Pearson correlation measurement interregional similarity. The global and regional properties were analyzed and compared using graph theory and network-based statistics (NBS), and the relationship with clinical manifestations was assessed. Compared with those of the healthy subjects, MBNs of patients with DAI showed a higher path length ([Formula: see text]: P = 0.021, [Formula: see text]: P = 0.011), lower clustering ([Formula: see text]: P = 0.002) and less small-worldness ([Formula: see text]: P = 0.002), but there was no significant difference in the global properties of FBNs (P: 0.161-0.216). For nodal properties of MBNs and FBNs, several regions showed significant differences between patients with DAI and healthy controls (HCs) (P < 0.05, FDR corrected). NBS analysis revealed that MBNs have more altered morphological connections in the frontal parietal control network and interhemispheric connections (P < 0.05). DAI-related global or nodal properties of MBNs were correlated with physical disability or dyscognition (P < 0.05/7, with Bonferroni correction), and the alteration of functional topology properties mediates this relationship. Our results suggested that disrupted morphological topology properties, which are mediated by FBNs and correlated with clinical manifestations of DAI, play a critical role in the short-term and medium-term phases after trauma.

Clinical features of chronic hepatitis B patients with lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND: The clinical features have been well described in obese chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, little is known about the clinical features of lean CHB-NAFLD patients. METHODS: The study retrospectively included treatment-naïve CHB patients who underwent ultrasound between 2015 and 2021. Liver fibrosis was assessed by aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI), Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), and transient elastography. RESULTS: Among 1226 CHB-NAFLD patients, 25.0% patients were lean. The age, gender, and platelet, alanine aminotransferase, AST, and albumin levels were comparable between lean CHB-NAFLD and nonlean patients. The levels of plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and uric acid, as well as proportions of concurrent hypertension and diabetes, were lower in lean patients. Lean patients presented higher hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels (3.4 log10 IU/ml vs. 3.2 log10 IU/ml, p = 0.006), hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels (4.1 log10 IU/ml vs. 3.2 log10 IU/ml, p < 0.001), and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive proportions (40.4% vs. 30.2%, p = 0.002) than nonlean patients. The values of APRI, FIB-4, and liver stiffness were comparable between two groups. However, lean patients had lower NFS values (-3.0 vs. -2.6, p < 0.001) and lower proportions (12.6% vs. 21.1%, p = 0.003) of advanced fibrosis (NFS ≥ -1.5) than nonlean patients. Similar results were observed in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a quarter of CHB-NAFLD patients were lean. Lean patients had lower proportions of metabolic abnormalities and advanced liver fibrosis than nonlean patients. However, lean CHB-NAFLD patients had higher HBsAg levels, HBV DNA levels, and HBeAg-positive proportions. Registry and registration no. of the study/trial: Clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT03097952.

A novel broken-gap chemical-bonded SiC/Ti2CO2 heterojunction with band to band tunneling: first-principles investigation.

A broken-gap heterojunction is a bright approach for designing tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) due to its distinct quantum tunneling mechanisms. In this study, we investigate the electronic structure and transport characteristics of a SiC/Ti2CO2 heterojunction, as well as the impacts of electric field and strain on the electronic properties via density functional theory. We determine that the interfacial atoms of the heterojunction are covalently bonded, forming a type-III heterojunction with a broken-gap. There exists band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) from the valence band (VB) of SiC to the conduction band (CB) of Ti2CO2. The creation of the heterojunction also enhances the carrier mobility arising from the large elastic modulus and the decrease of deformation potential. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the device demonstrate a pronounced negative differential resistance (NDR) effect, along with a current that is about ten times greater than that of the vdW type-III heterojunction. Moreover, the tunneling window of SiC/Ti2CO2 is only slightly altered when subjected to an external electric field and vertical strain, demonstrating the remarkable stability of its type-III band alignments. Our results indicate that the SiC/Ti2CO2 heterojunction is useful to construct high-performance TFETs, and also introduces new ideas to design TFETs by using type-III covalent-bond heterojunctions.

Pituitary adenoma with oculomotor cistern extension: membranous anatomy and clinical application.

BACKGROUND: The anatomical basis of pituitary adenomas (PAs) with oculomotor cistern (OC) extension as a growth corridor is overlooked in the literature. In this paper, the authors use the technique of epoxy sheet plastination to study the membranous structure of the OC and validate the results by retrospective analysis of patients with OC extension. METHODS: Eighteen specimens were used to study the membranous anatomy surrounding the OC using the epoxy sheet plastination technique. Thirty-four patients with OC extension were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The OC consisted of two thin membranous layers. The inner layer was extended by the arachnoid layer from the posterior fossa, and the lateral layer consisted of the dura mater sinking from the roof of the cavernous sinus. The oculomotor nerve is more likely to displace with a superolateral trajectory due to the weakness of the posterior dura and the relatively large space in the medial and posterior trajectories, which is consistent with the intraoperative observations. Among the anatomical factors that affect the PA by OC extension, we found that the relative position of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and posterior clinoid process may lead to the narrowing of the OC. Of 34 cases, 28 patients achieved total resection. Among 24 preoperative patients with oculomotor nerve palsy, 16 cases were relieved to varying degrees postoperatively. There was no ICA injury or severe intracranial infection found in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Extension into the OC is influenced by two anatomical factors: a weak point in the dura in the posterior OC and a potential space beyond this region of the dura. Meticulous knowledge of the membranous anatomy in endoscopic endonasal surgery is required to safely and effectively resect PA with OC extension.

Colossal Room-Temperature Ferroelectric Polarizations in SrTiO3/SrRuO3 Superlattices Induced by Oxygen Vacancies.

Artificial superlattices have demonstrated many unique phenomena not found in bulk materials. For this investigation, SrTiO3/SrRuO3 paraelectric/metallic superlattices with various stacking periods were synthesized via pulsed laser deposition. A robust room-temperature ferroelectric polarization (∼46 µC/cm2) was found in the superlattices with 2 unit cell (u.c.) thick SrRuO3 layers, despite the fact that neither SrTiO3 nor SrRuO3 is inherently ferroelectric. Results obtained from atomically resolved elemental mapping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy verified that oxygen vacancies accumulated at the SrTiO3/SrRuO3 interfaces, causing lattice distortions and increased tetragonality (c/a). The observed ferroelectric responses can be mainly attributed to the broken spatial inversion symmetry induced by the ordered distribution of oxygen vacancies at the SrTiO3/SrRuO3 interfaces, coupled with the triggering of external electric field. The resulting polarization mechanism induced by oxygen vacancies suggests viable ways for improving the electrical properties of ferroelectric materials, with the goal of expanding the functionality of a range of electronic devices.

Molecular Cloning, Expression Analysis, and Functional Analysis of Nine IbSWEETs in Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

Sugar Will Eventually be Exported Transporter (SWEET) genes play an important regulatory role in plants' growth and development, stress response, and sugar metabolism, but there are few reports on the role of SWEET proteins in sweet potato. In this study, nine IbSWEET genes were obtained via PCR amplification from the cDNA of sweet potato. Phylogenetic analysis showed that nine IbSWEETs separately belong to four clades (Clade I~IV) and contain two MtN3/saliva domains or PQ-loop superfamily and six~seven transmembrane domains. Protein interaction prediction showed that seven SWEETs interact with other proteins, and SWEETs interact with each other (SWEET1 and SWEET12; SWEET2 and SWEET17) to form heterodimers. qRT-PCR analysis showed that IbSWEETs were tissue-specific, and IbSWEET1b was highly expressed during root growth and development. In addition to high expression in leaves, IbSWEET15 was also highly expressed during root expansion, and IbSWEET7, 10a, 10b, and 12 showed higher expression in the leaves. The expression of SWEETs showed a significant positive/negative correlation with the content of soluble sugar and starch in storage roots. Under abiotic stress treatment, IbSWEET7 showed a strong response to PEG treatment, while IbSWEET10a, 10b, and 12 responded significantly to 4 °C treatment and, also, at 1 h after ABA, to NaCl treatment. A yeast mutant complementation assay showed that IbSWEET7 had fructose, mannose, and glucose transport activity; IbSWEET15 had glucose transport activity and weaker sucrose transport activity; and all nine IbSWEETs could transport 2-deoxyglucose. These results provide a basis for further elucidating the functions of SWEET genes and promoting molecular breeding in sweet potato.

Thermal oxidation of degradation products from thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol: Determination on oxidation temperature and residence time.

The degradable protective articles made of thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol (TPVA) are widely used in nuclear power plants, and they are thermally decomposed after use to reduce solid waste. However, in the real decomposition of TPVA, the temperature in the oxidation reactor is not self-sustaining; as a result, the degradation products contain a lot of CO, resulting in more pollution and energy waste. In this paper, jet stirred reactor (JSR) and Chemkin software were used to study the reaction kinetics characteristics of the oxidation process of degradation products from TPVA in the range of 550 °C-700 °C. Both experiments and kinetic simulation show that a higher average temperature of the oxidation reactor is needed to achieve lower CO emissions. When using 5% or 10% TPVA degradation solution, the average temperature should not befall below 625 °C or 675 °C. The corresponding residence time should be greater than 6 s and 5 s respectively. The combination of research findings and engineering practice provides great help to the optimization of the actual work process.

Efficient Hg0 catalytic removal by direct S-scheme heterostructure of two-dimensional Bi2MoO6 (2 0 0)/g-C3N4 nanosheets under visible light.

The gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) emitted from coal-fired flue gas is extremely harmful to the atmospheric environment and human health. In this study, a 2D/2D Bi2MoO6(2 0 0)/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized and exhibited a high visible-light driven Hg0 removal efficiency up to 99.5% in an atmosphere consisting of N2, O2 (6%), CO2 (12%), NO (100 ppm), SO2 (800 ppm), and H2O (5%). The introduction of surfactant CTAB led to further exposure of the highly active (2 0 0) crystal facet of Bi2MoO6, with a higher reactive oxygen species ratio than the original mainly exposed (1 3 1) crystal facet, and inhibited the agglomeration of Bi2MoO6, thereby greatly reducing the micro-thickness and improving the specific surface area. The smaller thickness effectively promoted the separation of photoinduced carriers and the speed of transfer to the interface. Additionally, through EPR characterization and work function calculation, we observed that the change in the exposed crystal facet regulated the Fermi level of Bi2MoO6 nanosheets, altering the direction of the built-in electric field at the interface with g-C3N4. This formation of an S-scheme 2D/2D Bi2MoO6(2 0 0)/g-C3N4 heterostructure further facilitated the recombination of unintentional carriers and strengthened the separation and catalysis of effective photogenerated carriers. To a certain extent, this work provides a guidance for the research of photocatalysis to achieve efficient and sustainable mercury removal from coal-fired flue gas.

Transcriptomic analysis of tuberous root in two sweet potato varieties reveals the important genes and regulatory pathways in tuberous root development.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous root formation and development is a complex process in sweet potato, which is regulated by multiple genes and environmental factors. However, the regulatory mechanism of tuberous root development is unclear. RESULTS: In this study, the transcriptome of fibrous roots (R0) and tuberous roots in three developmental stages (Rl, R2, R3) were analyzed in two sweet potato varieties, GJS-8 and XGH. A total of 22,914 and 24,446 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in GJS-8 and XGH respectively, 15,920 differential genes were shared by GJS-8 and XGH. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs shared by GJS-8 and XGH were mainly involved in "plant hormone signal transduction" "starch and sucrose metabolism" and "MAPK signal transduction". Trihelix transcription factor (Tai6.25300) was found to be closely related to tuberous root enlargement by the comprehensive analysis of these DEGs and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). CONCLUSION: A hypothetical model of genetic regulatory network for tuberous root development of sweet potato is proposed, which emphasizes that some specific signal transduction pathways like "plant hormone signal transduction" "Ca2+signal" "MAPK signal transduction" and metabolic processes including "starch and sucrose metabolism" and "cell cycle and cell wall metabolism" are related to tuberous root development in sweet potato. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of tuberous root development in sweet potato.

Genome-wide identification, evolutionary and expression analyses of LEA gene family in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

BACKGROUND: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are a group of highly hydrophilic glycine-rich proteins, which accumulate in the late stage of seed maturation and are associated with many abiotic stresses. However, few peanut LEA genes had been reported, and the research on the number, location, structure, molecular phylogeny and expression of AhLEAs was very limited. RESULTS: In this study, 126 LEA genes were identified in the peanut genome through genome-wide analysis and were further divided into eight groups. Sequence analysis showed that most of the AhLEAs (85.7%) had no or only one intron. LEA genes were randomly distributed on 20 chromosomes. Compared with tandem duplication, segmental duplication played a more critical role in AhLEAs amplication, and 93 segmental duplication AhLEAs and 5 pairs of tandem duplication genes were identified. Synteny analysis showed that some AhLEAs genes come from a common ancestor, and genome rearrangement and translocation occurred among these genomes. Almost all promoters of LEAs contain ABRE, MYB recognition sites, MYC recognition sites, and ERE cis-acting elements, suggesting that the LEA genes were involved in stress response. Gene transcription analyses revealed that most of the LEAs were expressed in the late stages of peanut embryonic development. LEA3 (AH16G06810.1, AH06G03960.1), and Dehydrin (AH07G18700.1, AH17G19710.1) were highly expressed in roots, stems, leaves and flowers. Moreover, 100 AhLEAs were involved in response to drought, low-temperature, or Al stresses. Some LEAs that were regulated by different abiotic stresses were also regulated by hormones including ABA, brassinolide, ethylene and salicylic acid. Interestingly, AhLEAs that were up-regulated by ethylene and salicylic acid showed obvious subfamily preferences. Furthermore, three AhLEA genes, AhLEA1, AhLEA3-1, and AhLEA3-3, which were up-regulated by drought, low-temperature, or Al stresses was proved to enhance cold and Al tolerance in yeast, and AhLEA3-1 enhanced the drought tolerance in yeast. CONCLUSIONS: AhLEAs are involved in abiotic stress response, and segmental duplication plays an important role in the evolution and amplification of AhLEAs. The genome-wide identification, classification, evolutionary and transcription analyses of the AhLEA gene family provide a foundation for further exploring the LEA genes' function in response to abiotic stress in peanuts.

A novel variant in the ROR2 gene underlying brachydactyly type B: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Brachydactyly type B is an autosomal dominant disorder that is characterized by hypoplasia of the distal phalanges and nails and can be divided into brachydactyly type B1 (BDB1) and brachydactyly type B2 (BDB2). BDB1 is the most severe form of brachydactyly and is caused by truncating variants in the receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2) gene. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a five-generation Chinese family with brachydactyly with or without syndactyly. The proband and her mother underwent digital separation in syndactyly, and the genetic analyses of the proband and her parents were provided. The novel heterozygous frameshift variant c.1320dupG, p.(Arg441Alafs*18) in the ROR2 gene was identified in the affected individuals by whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing. The c.1320dupG variant in ROR2 is predicted to produce a truncated protein that lacks tyrosine kinase and serine/threonine- and proline-rich structures and remarkably alters the tertiary structures of the mutant ROR2 protein. CONCLUSION: The c.1320dupG, p.(Arg441Alafs*18) variant in the ROR2 gene has not been reported in any databases thus far and therefore is novel. Our study extends the gene variant spectrum of brachydactyly and may provide information for the genetic counselling of family members.