Development of near homozygous lines for diploid hybrid TPS breeding in potatoes.

Diploid inbred-based F1 hybrid True Potato Seed (DHTPS) breeding is a novel technique to transform potato breeding and cultivation across the globe. Significant efforts are being made to identify elite diploids, dihaploids and develop diploid inbred lines for heterosis exploitation in potatoes. Self-incompatibility is the first obstacle for developing inbred lines in diploid potatoes, which necessitates the introgression of a dominant S locus inhibitor gene (Sli) for switching self-incompatibility to self-compatibility. We evaluated a set of 357 diploid clones in different selfing generations for self-compatibility and degree of homozygosity using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. A subset of 10 KASP markers of the Sli candidate region on chromosome 12 showed an association with the phenotype for self-compatibility. The results revealed that the selected 10 KASP markers for the Sli gene genotype could be deployed for high throughput rapid screening of self-compatibility in diploid populations and to identify new sources of self-compatibility. The homozygosity assessed through 99 KASP markers distributed across all the chromosomes of the potato genome was 20-78 % in founder diploid clones, while different selfing generations, i.e., S0, S1, S2 and S3 observed 36.1-80.4, 56.9-82.8, 59.5-85.4 and 73.7-87.8 % average homozygosity, respectively. The diploid plants with ∼80 % homozygosity were also observed in the first selfing generation, which inferred that homozygosity assessment in the early generations itself could identify the best plants with high homozygosity to speed up the generation of diploid inbred lines.

Kaolinite nanoclay-shielded dsRNA drenching for management of Globodera pallida: An environmentally friendly pest management approach.

Globodera pallida, an obligate sedentary endoparasite, is a major economic pest that causes substantial potato yield losses. This research aimed to study the effects of gene silencing of three FMRFamide-like peptides (FLPs) genes to reduce G. pallida infestation on potato plants by using kaolinite nanoclay as a carrier to deliver dsRNAs via drenching. A dsRNA dosage of 2.0 mg/ml silenced flp-32c by 89.5%, flp-32p by 94.6%, and flp-2 by 94.3%. J2s incubated for 5 and 10 h showed no phenotypic changes. However, J2s of G. pallida efficiently uptake dsRNA of all targeted genes after 15 h of incubation. On the other hand, J2s that had been kept for 24 h had a rigid and straight appearance. Under fluorescence microscopy, all dsRNA-treated nematodes showed fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) signals in the mouth, nervous system, and digestive system. The untreated population of J2s did not show any FITC signals and was mobile as usual. The drenching of potato cultivar Kufri Jyoti with the dsRNA-kaolinite formulations induced deformation and premature death of J2s, compared with untreated J2s that entered J3 or J4 stages. This study validates that the nanocarrier-delivered RNAi system could be employed effectively to manage G. pallida infestations.

Identification of genes governing resistance to PCN (Globodera rostochiensis) through transcriptome analysis in Solanum tuberosum.

Potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) are major pests worldwide that affect potato production. The molecular changes happening in the roots upon PCN infection are still unknown. Identification of transcripts and genes governing PCN resistance will help in the development of resistant varieties. Hence, differential gene expression of compatible (Kufri Jyoti) and incompatible (JEX/A-267) potato genotypes was studied before (0 DAI) and after (10 DAI) inoculation of Globodera rostochiensis J2s through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Total sequencing reads generated ranged between 33 and 37 million per sample, with a read mapping of 48-84% to the potato reference genome. In the infected roots of the resistant genotype JEX/A-267, 516 genes were downregulated, and 566 were upregulated. In comparison, in the susceptible genotype Kufri Jyoti, 316 and 554 genes were downregulated and upregulated, respectively. Genes encoding cell wall proteins, zinc finger protein, WRKY transcription factors, MYB transcription factors, disease resistance proteins, and pathogenesis-related proteins were found to be majorly involved in the incompatible reaction after PCN infection in the resistant genotype, JEX/A-267. Furthermore, RNA-Seq results were validated through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and it was observed that ATP, FLAVO, CYTO, and GP genes were upregulated at 5 DAI, which was subsequently downregulated at 10 DAI. The genes encoding ATP, FLAVO, LBR, and GP were present in > 1.5 fold before infection in JEX-A/267 and upregulated 7.9- to 27.6-fold after 5 DAI; subsequently, most of these genes were downregulated to 0.9- to 2.8-fold, except LBR, which was again upregulated to 44.4-fold at 10 DAI.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene in an important staple crop, potato.

The gene editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system has become an important biotechnological tool for studying gene function and improving crops. In this study, we have used CRISPR/Cas9 system for editing the phytoene desaturase gene (PDS) in popular Indian potato cultivar Kufri Chipsona-I. A construct (pHSE401) carrying two target gRNAs with glycine tRNA processing system under the control of Arabidopsis U6 promoter and the Cas9 protein was constructed and transformed in potato plants using Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformations. The regeneration efficiency of 45% was observed in regenerated plants, out of which 81% of the putative transformants shoot lines exhibited mutant or bleached phenotype (albinism). The deletion mutations were detected within the StPDS gene in the genotyped plants and a mutation efficiency of 72% for gRNA1 and gRNA2 has been detected using Sanger sequencing. Hence, we set up a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing protocol which is efficient and generates mutations (deletions) within StPDS gene in potato. The bleached phenotype is easily detectable after only few weeks after Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. This is the first report as a proof of concept for CRISPR/Cas9-based editing of PDS gene in Indian potato cv. Kufri Chipsona-I. This study demonstrates that CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to edit genes at high frequency within the genome of the potato for various traits. Therefore, this study will aid in creating important mutants for modifying molecular mechanisms controlling traits of agronomic importance.

Chaetomium globosum KPC3: An Antagonistic Fungus Against the Potato Cyst Nematode, Globodera rostochiensis.

The potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) is one of the most economically important pests of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), causing significant economic losses worldwide. The identification of biocontrol agents for the sustainable management of G. rostochiensis is crucial. In this study, a potential biocontrol agent, Chaetomium globosum KPC3, was identified based on sequence analysis of the DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) gene, and the second largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (RPB2) gene. The pathogenicity test of C. globosum KPC3 against cysts and second-stage juveniles (J2s) revealed that fungus mycelium fully parasitized the cyst after 72 h of incubation. The fungus was also capable of parasitizing the eggs inside the cysts. The culture filtrate of C. globosum KPC3 caused 98.75% mortality in J2s of G. rostochiensis after 72 h of incubation. The pot experiments showed that the combined application of C. globosum KPC3 as a tuber treatment at a rate of 1 lit kg-1 of tubers and a soil application at a rate of 500 ml kg-1 of farm yard manure (FYM) resulted in significantly lesser reproduction of G. rostochiensis compared to the rest of the treatments. Altogether, C. globosum KPC3 has the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent against G. rostochiensis and can be successfully implemented in integrated pest management programs.

Generation of Asynaptic Mutants in Potato by Disrupting StDMC1 Gene Using RNA Interference Approach.

Fixing the genomic composition and multiplication through true potato seed (TPS) is an important challenge in autotetraploid potato. Disrupted meiotic cDNA (DMC1) is a meiotic gene that plays a central role in DNA recombination through crossing over in meiosis. Using the Arabidopsis DMC1 (AtDMC1) gene sequence, we retrieved Solanum tuberosum DMC1(StDMC1) from the diploid potato genome, and subsequently, sense and antisense regions of the StDMC1 gene were amplified in potato cv. Kufri Jyoti. The sense and antisense fragments were confirmed by Sanger-sequencing and cloned in the pRI101 vector. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the RNAi construct resulted in 44% transformation efficiency, and a total of 137 mutant lines were obtained. These mutant lines were further validated through pollen viability testing, and selected lines were used for gene expression analysis. The acetocarmine-based pollen staining showed reduced pollen viability ranging from 14 to 21% in four DMC1 mutant lines (DMC4-37, DMC4-41, DMC6-20, and DMC6-21), as compared to the Kufri Jyoti control plants, which on average exhibited 78% pollen viability. The phenotypic data was supported by the reduced expression of the StDMC1 gene in these four mutant lines compared to the control Kufri Jyoti. The results confirmed the generation of StDMC1 knockdown lines. This is the first report of StDMC1 mutant line generation in tetraploid potatoes and will be a step forward in generating non-recombinant mutants through sexual reproduction in potatoes.

MRI free water as a biomarker for cognitive performance: Validation in the MarkVCID consortium.

Introduction: To evaluate the clinical validity of free water (FW), a diffusion tensor imaging-based biomarker kit proposed by the MarkVCID consortium, by investigating the association between mean FW (mFW) and executive function. Methods: Baseline mFW was related to a baseline composite measure of executive function (EFC), adjusting for relevant covariates, in three MarkVCID sub-cohorts, and replicated in five, large, independent legacy cohorts. In addition, we tested whether baseline mFW predicted accelerated EFC score decline (mean follow-up time: 1.29 years). Results: Higher mFW was found to be associated with lower EFC scores in MarkVCID legacy and sub-cohorts (p-values < 0.05). In addition, higher baseline mFW was associated significantly with accelerated decline in EFC scores (p = 0.0026). Discussion: mFW is a sensitive biomarker of cognitive decline, providing a strong clinical rational for its use as a marker of white matter (WM) injury in multi-site observational studies and clinical trials of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID).

Characterizing the Potato Growing Regions in India Using Meteorological Parameters.

Currently, the multi-location testing of advanced hybrids in India is carried out at 25 centers under the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Potato (AICRP-P), which is spread across the country. These centres have been chosen to represent different potato growing regions based on soil and agronomic features. However, the reliable deployment of the newly bred varieties in different regions requires a scientific delineation of potato growing zones with homogenous climates. The present study was undertaken to develop homogenous zones in the Indian sub-continent based on the environmental parameters of the potato growing season. A total of 1253 locations were identified across the country as having a plausible potato growing season of at least 70 days with suitable thermal limits. Six variables including five meteorological parameters including Physiological days (P days), Growing degree days (GDD), Mean daily temperature, Mean night temperature and Mean daily incident solar radiation, together with altitude as the sixth variable, were used for Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and the Principal Component Analysis by Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) technique to derive identical classes. The thematic map of the classes was overlaid on potato growing districts of India using ArcGIS 9.1 software. The study clearly depicted that the clustering technique can effectively delineate the target population of environments (TPE) for potato genotypes performing well at different testing environments in India. The study also identifies target locations for future focus on breeding strategies, especially the high night temperature class having a large expanse in India. This is also vital in view of the impending climate change situation.

Genotypic variations for tuber nutrient content, dry matter and agronomic traits in tetraploid potato germplasm.

Nutrient deficiencies lead to various health issues and are common worldwide. Potato germplasm is a rich source of natural variations and genetic variability present in it can be exploited for developing nutrient-rich high-yielding potato varieties. In this study, variations in the yield, dry matter (DM) and mineral nutrients concentrations were evaluated in both peeled and unpeeled tubers of 243 highly diverse tetraploid potato accessions. These were raised under field conditions for two consecutive years. The germplasm studied has a wider range of variations in peeled tubers DM (13.71-27.80%), Fe (17.08-71.03 mg/kg), Zn (9.55-34.78 mg/kg), Cu (2.13-13.25 mg/kg), Mn (7.04-25.15), Ca (117.4-922.5 mg/kg), Mg (656.6-1510.6 mg/kg), S (1121.3-3765.8 mg/kg), K (1.20-3.09%), P (0.21-0.50%) and Mo (53.6-1164.0 ppb) concentrations compared to popular Indian potato varieties. Higher nutrient concentrations in whole tubers compared to tuber flesh suggest that these are present in high concentration in the tuber peripheral layers and peeling off the tubers results in the loss of nutrients. Highest loss due to peeling off the tubers was observed in Fe (35.63%) followed by Cu (22.80%), Mn (21.69%), Ca (21.27%), Mg (12.89%), K (12.75%), Zn (10.13%), and Mo (9.87%). The GCV and PCV for all the traits in peeled tubers ranged from 9.67 to 29.91%, and 13.84 to 43.32%, respectively. Several significant positive correlations were observed among the parameters and the first two principal components accounted for 39.37% of total variations. The results of this study will pave a way for the development of nutrient-rich high-yielding potato varieties. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01197-1.

Oral Hygiene practices and Oral Health Related Quality of Life observed in patients reporting to Dental Institution in North India during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to ascertain Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQOL) and evaluate oralhygiene practices in patients visiting a dental institution during COVID-19 time. Materials and methods: Face-to face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured close-ended questionnaire,assessing oral hygiene practices and self-reported oral problems perceived in last 6 months, using both Hindi and English version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) Questionnaire. Frequency distribution of oral hygiene practices were obtained, and Descriptive statistics computed the scores of OHIP-14. Kruskal-wallis test and Independent t-test were used to match the association of OHIP-14 with demographic variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was utilized to compute the association of OHIP-14 with independent variables, age and gender. Results: Subjective evaluation of OHRQOL (Oral Health Related Quality of Life) using OHIP-14 Porforma resulted in high score for physical pain and psychological discomfort but subjects expressed less discomfort in connection to functional limitation, physical disability, psychological discomfort, social disability and handicap domains of OHIP-14. With progressive increase in age OHRQOL worsened. Females had poor OHRQOL, with significant difference as compared to males. Gender and marital status observed variance in OHIP-14 with statistically significant difference (P <0.000). Conclusion: More than two-third subjects preferred cleaning their teeth using toothbrush and toothpaste. Therefore, COVID-19 consequently impacted OHRQOL of the general population.

Instrumental validation of free water, peak-width of skeletonized mean diffusivity, and white matter hyperintensities: MarkVCID neuroimaging kits.

Introduction: To describe the protocol and findings of the instrumental validation of three imaging-based biomarker kits selected by the MarkVCID consortium: free water (FW) and peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD), both derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume derived from fluid attenuation inversion recovery and T1-weighted imaging. Methods: The instrumental validation of imaging-based biomarker kits included inter-rater reliability among participating sites, test-retest repeatability, and inter-scanner reproducibility across three types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: The three biomarkers demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC >0.94, P-values < .001), very high agreement between test and retest sessions (ICC >0.98, P-values < .001), and were extremely consistent across the three scanners (ICC >0.98, P-values < .001). Discussion: The three biomarker kits demonstrated very high inter-rater reliability, test-retest repeatability, and inter-scanner reproducibility, offering robust biomarkers suitable for future multi-site observational studies and clinical trials in the context of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID).

Genomic Studies Across the Lifespan Point to Early Mechanisms Determining Subcortical Volumes.

BACKGROUND: Subcortical brain structures play a key role in pathological processes of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Mounting evidence also suggests that early-life factors may have an impact on the development of common late-life neurological diseases, including genetic factors that can influence both brain maturation and neurodegeneration. METHODS: Using large population-based brain imaging datasets across the lifespan (N ≤ 40,628), we aimed to 1) estimate the heritability of subcortical volumes in young (18-35 years), middle (35-65 years), and older (65+ years) age, and their genetic correlation across age groups; 2) identify whether genetic loci associated with subcortical volumes in older persons also show associations in early adulthood, and explore underlying genes using transcriptome-wide association studies; and 3) explore their association with neurological phenotypes. RESULTS: Heritability of subcortical volumes consistently decreased with increasing age. Genetic risk scores for smaller caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampus volume in older adults were associated with smaller volumes in young adults. Individually, 10 loci associated with subcortical volumes in older adults also showed associations in young adults. Within these loci, transcriptome-wide association studies showed that expression of several genes in brain tissues (especially MYLK2 and TUFM) was associated with subcortical volumes in both age groups. One risk variant for smaller caudate nucleus volume (TUFM locus) was associated with lower cognitive performance. Genetically predicted Alzheimer's disease was associated with smaller subcortical volumes in middle and older age. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic determinants of subcortical volumes across the lifespan. More studies are needed to decipher the underlying biology and clinical impact.

Potato biofortification: an effective way to fight global hidden hunger.

Hidden hunger is leading to extensive health problems in the developing world. Several strategies could be used to reduce the micronutrient deficiencies by increasing the dietary uptake of essential micronutrients. These include diet diversification, pharmaceutical supplementation, food fortification and crop biofortification. Among all, crop biofortification is the most sustainable and acceptable strategy to overcome the global issue of hidden hunger. Since most of the people suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, have monetary issues and are dependent on staple crops to fulfil their recommended daily requirements of various essential micronutrients. Therefore, increasing the micronutrient concentrations in cost effective staple crops seems to be an effective solution. Potato being the world's most consumed non-grain staple crop with enormous industrial demand appears to be an ideal candidate for biofortification. It can be grown in different climatic conditions, provide high yield, nutrition and dry matter in lesser time. In addition, huge potato germplasm have natural variations related to micronutrient concentrations, which can be utilized for its biofortification. This review discuss the current scenario of micronutrient malnutrition and various strategies that could be used to overcome it. The review also shed a light on the genetic variations present in potato germplasm and suggest effective ways to incorporate them into modern high yielding potato varieties.

Single-Atom (Iron-Based) Catalysts: Synthesis and Applications.

Supported single-metal atom catalysts (SACs) are constituted of isolated active metal centers, which are heterogenized on inert supports such as graphene, porous carbon, and metal oxides. Their thermal stability, electronic properties, and catalytic activities can be controlled via interactions between the single-metal atom center and neighboring heteroatoms such as nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Due to the atomic dispersion of the active catalytic centers, the amount of metal required for catalysis can be decreased, thus offering new possibilities to control the selectivity of a given transformation as well as to improve catalyst turnover frequencies and turnover numbers. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the synthesis of Fe-SACs with a focus on anchoring single atoms (SA) on carbon/graphene supports. The characterization of these advanced materials using various spectroscopic techniques and their applications in diverse research areas are described. When applicable, mechanistic investigations conducted to understand the specific behavior of Fe-SACs-based catalysts are highlighted, including the use of theoretical models.

Tobacco smoking initiation among students in Samoa and health concerns.

BACKGROUND: High prevalence of tobacco smoking among young students remains a serious health concern given the positive association between smoking and NCDs. More recently, some studies also noted young smokers were more likely to get infected with COVID-19 compared to non-smokers. This study aims to assess the factors that influence smoking uptake among young students in Samoa. Findings from this study will provide valuable insight to policymakers and health authorities on policies and strategies to combat smoking among youth in Samoa and the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). METHODS: The 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey data of Samoa, available from the World Health Organization is used in the analysis. We use the multinominal logistic model to investigate the effects of socio-economic and demographics factors on young students' uptake of smoking in Samoa. RESULT: The main findings of this study indicate that sex, age, friendship, parental smoking, family discussion, outside influence, pocket money, and mother's education are important determinants of tobacco smoking initiation among youths in Samoa. CONCLUSION: Our findings contribute towards the evidence of the imperative health impact of friends, parents, and public smoking on students in Samoa. This warrants strategies that are effective in discouraging parents from smoking and implement measures that prevent smoking in public places. Moreover, educational efforts, particularly those that encourage more discussion at home settings on the harmful effects of smoking are strongly recommended. Parents are strongly encouraged to regularly monitor children's spending behaviour.

Amyloid-PET imaging offers small improvements in predictions of future cognitive trajectories.

BACKGROUND: Amyloid ß (Aß) is thought to initiate a cascade of pathology culminating in Alzheimer's disease-related cognitive decline. Aß accumulation in brain tissues may begin one to two decades prior to clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Prior studies have demonstrated that Aß detected in vivo with positron emission tomography with amyloid ligands (amyloid-PET) predicts contemporaneously measured cognition and future cognitive trajectories. Prior studies have not evaluated the added value of Aß measures in predicting future cognition when repeated past cognitive measures are available. We evaluated the extent to which amyloid-PET improves prediction of future cognitive changes over and above predictions based only on sociodemographics and past cognitive measures. METHODS: We used data from participants in the University of California Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research cohort who were cognitively normal at baseline, participated in amyloid-PET imaging, and completed at least three cognitive assessments prior to amyloid-PET imaging (N = 132 for memory andN = 135 for executive function). We used sociodemographic and cognitive measures taken prior to amyloid-PET imaging to predict cognitive trajectory after amyloid-PET imaging and assessed whether measures of amyloid burden improved predictions of subsequent cognitive change. Improvements in prediction were characterized as percent reduction in the mean squared error (MSE) in predicted cognition post amyloid-PET and increase in percent variance explained. RESULTS: The base model using only sociodemographics and past cognitive performance explained the majority of variance in both predicted memory measures (55.6%) and executive function measures (74.5%) following amyloid-PET. Adding amyloid positivity to the model reduced the MSE for memory by 0.2%, 95% CI: (0%, 2.6%), p = 0.48 and for executive function by 3.4%, 95% CI: (0.6%, 10.2%), p = 0.002. This corresponded to an increase in the percent variance explained of 0.1%, 95% CI: (0%, 1.2%) for memory and 0.9%, 95% CI: (0.1%, 2.8%) for executive function. Similar results were obtained using a continuous measure of amyloid burden. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, the addition of amyloid burden slightly improved predictions of executive function compared to models based only on past cognitive assessments and sociodemographics. When repeated cognitive assessments are available, the additional utility of amyloid-PET in predicting future cognitive impairment may be limited.

Cytoplasmic genome of Indian potato varieties and breeding lines vis a vis prospects in potato breeding.

Advances in research resulted in development of a simple, rapid and reliable multiplex PCR protocol for cytoplasm differentiation in potato. Applying this rapid technique, we assessed the cytoplasm diversity in 57 Indian potato varieties, 15 popular exotic varieties and 47 biotic stress resistance breeding parental lines using five DNA based markers. Results revealed that T is the predominant cytoplasm type followed by D in Indian and exotic potato varieties as well as parental lines. The proportion of T and D type cytoplasm was 77.2% and 19.3% and 73.3% and 20.0% in Indian and exotic varieties, respectively. A and W type were found in one variety each, while M and P were missing in Indian varieties. All the popular Indian table potato varieties have tuberosum type cytoplasm with few exceptions of varieties bred for biotic stress resistance namely Kufri Himalini, Kufri Girdhari, carrying demissum cytoplasm. Opposite was true for Indian processing cultivars with the exception of Kufri Chipsona 4, which had T type cytoplasm. Evaluation of biotic stress resistance breeding parental lines showed increasing use of D (34.0%) and W (12.8%) cytoplasm in comparison to previously bred varieties. Although D type cytoplasm is associated with late blight resistance and male sterility, all Indian cultivars with D type cytoplasm are not resistant to late blight, nor they all are male sterile. Male fertile D type cytoplasm and the cytoplasms showing good interaction between cytoplasmic and nuclear gene for agronomic traits should be incorporated in the parental lines. Efforts must also be done to diversify the cytoplasm of cultivated potato with at least semi-cultivated cytoplasm types.

Validation of molecular response of tuberization in response to elevated temperature by using a transient Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in potato.

Temperature plays an important role in potato tuberization. The ideal night temperature for tuber formation is ~17 °C while temperature beyond 22 °C drastically reduces the tuber yield. Moreover, high temperature has several undesirable effects on the plant and tubers. Investigation of the genes involved in tuberization under heat stress can be helpful in the generation of heat-tolerant potato varieties. Five genes, including StSSH2 (succinic semialdehyde reductase isoform 2), StWTF (WRKY transcription factor), StUGT (UDP-glucosyltransferase), StBHP (Bel1 homeotic protein), and StFLTP (FLOWERING LOCUS T protein), involved in tuberization and heat stress in potato were investigated. The results of our microarray analysis suggested that these genes regulate and function as transcriptional factors, hormonal signaling, cellular homeostasis, and mobile tuberization signals under elevated temperature in contrasting KS (Kufri Surya) and KCM (Kufri Chandramukhi) potato cultivars. However, no detailed report is available which establishes functions of these genes in tuberization under heat stress. Thus, the present study was designed to validate the functions of these genes in tuber signaling and heat tolerance using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Results indicated that VIGS transformed plants had a consequential reduction in StSSH2, StWTF, StUGT, StBHP, and StFLTP transcripts compared to the control plants. Phenotypic observations suggest an increase in plant senescence, reductions to both number and size of tubers, and a decrease in plant dry matter compared to the control plants. We also establish the potency of VIGS as a high-throughput technique for functional validation of genes.

Single-Atom Catalysts: A Sustainable Pathway for the Advanced Catalytic Applications.

A heterogeneous catalyst is a backbone of modern sustainable green industries; and understanding the relationship between its structure and properties is the key for its advancement. Recently, many upscaling synthesis strategies for the development of a variety of respectable control atomically precise heterogeneous catalysts are reported and explored for various important applications in catalysis for energy and environmental remediation. Precise atomic-scale control of catalysts has allowed to significantly increase activity, selectivity, and in some cases stability. This approach has proved to be relevant in various energy and environmental related technologies such as fuel cell, chemical reactors for organic synthesis, and environmental remediation. Therefore, this review aims to critically analyze the recent progress on single-atom catalysts (SACs) application in oxygen reduction reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and chemical and/or electrochemical organic transformations. Finally, opportunities that may open up in the future are summarized, along with suggesting new applications for possible exploitation of SACs.