Disruption of the primary salicylic acid hydroxylases in rice enhances broad-spectrum resistance against pathogens.

Salicylic acid (SA) is a crucial hormone involved in plant immunity. Rice (Oryza sativa) maintains high SA levels that are not induced by pathogens. However, the roles of SA in rice immunity and yield remain largely unknown. Here, we identified SA 5-hydroxylases 1 (OsS5H1) and 2 (OsS5H2) as the primary enzymes engaged in catalysing SA to 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHBA) in rice. SA levels were significantly increased in the oss5h mutants, while they were dramatically decreased in the OsS5H1 and OsS5H2 overexpression lines. The mutants were resistant, whereas the overexpression lines were susceptible to Pyricularia oryzae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae. Moreover, the pathogen-associated molecular patterns-triggered immunity responses, including reactive oxygen species burst and callose deposition, were enhanced in all the mutants and compromised in the overexpression lines. Quantification of the agronomic traits of the oss5h mutants grown in the paddy fields demonstrated that the grain number per panicle was decreased as the SA levels increased; however, the tiller number and grain size were enhanced, resulting in no significant yield penalty. Collectively, we reveal that mildly increasing SA content in rice can confer broad-spectrum resistance without yield penalty and put new insights into the roles of SA in immunity and growth.

Effect of dietary n-6: n-3 Poly-Unsaturated fatty acids ratio on gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary n-6: n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ratio and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 pregnant women were prospectively included for detailed information on dietary intake at 16-18 weeks evaluated using a three-day food record, and subsequent GDM diagnosis at 24-28 weeks. Participants were divided into two groups for analysis: GDM group (n = 22) and control group (n = 78) based on oral glucose tolerance test results performed between 24 and 28 weeks. RESULTS: The average dietary n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio in the control group was 5.63 ± 2.12 and that in the GDM group was 8.35 ± 3.45, within a significant difference (p < .05). A significant difference was associated with a higher dietary n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio and GDM (adjusted odds ratio = 4.29, 95%confidence interval:1.303, 14.124). CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio was associated with higher odds of GDM. Given the small sample, further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis.

Computer science skills across China, India, Russia, and the United States.

We assess and compare computer science skills among final-year computer science undergraduates (seniors) in four major economic and political powers that produce approximately half of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates in the world. We find that seniors in the United States substantially outperform seniors in China, India, and Russia by 0.76-0.88 SDs and score comparably with seniors in elite institutions in these countries. Seniors in elite institutions in the United States further outperform seniors in elite institutions in China, India, and Russia by ∼0.85 SDs. The skills advantage of the United States is not because it has a large proportion of high-scoring international students. Finally, males score consistently but only moderately higher (0.16-0.41 SDs) than females within all four countries.

Maternal and fetal metabolomic alterations in maternal lipopolysaccharide exposure-induced male offspring glucose metabolism disorders.

Maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure during pregnancy induces metabolic abnormalities in male offspring, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal LPS exposure during pregnancy on metabolic profiling of maternal serum and male fetal liver using Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer techniques. From day 15 to day 17 of gestation, pregnant mice were administered intraperitoneal LPS (experimental group) (50 µg/kg/d) or saline (control group). On day 18 of gestation, maternal serum and male fetal liver were collected. After LPS exposure, levels of 38 and 75 metabolites, mainly glycerophospholipid and fatty acid metabolites, were altered in maternal serum and male fetal liver, respectively. It was found that in maternal serum and male fetal livers, the glycerophospholipids containing saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and the SFAs were upregulated, while the glycerophospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the PUFAs were downregulated. This concordance between maternal and fetal alterations in glycerophospholipid and fatty acid metabolites may be a metabolomic signature of the early intrauterine period and may provide insight into the mechanisms by which maternal LPS exposure induces disorders of glucose metabolism in male offspring.

Airlift two-phase partitioning bioreactor for dichloromethane removal: Silicone rubber stimulated biodegradation and its auto-circulation.

Solid non-aqueous phases (NAPs), such as silicone rubber, have been used extensively to improve the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the removal of VOCs is difficult to be further improved because the poor understanding of the mass transfer and reaction processes. Further, the conventional reactors were either complicated or uneconomical. In view of this, herein, an airlift bioreactor with silicone rubber was designed and investigated for dichloromethane (DCM) treatment. The removal efficiency of Reactor 1 (with silicone rubber) was significantly higher than that of Reactor 2 (without silicone rubber), with corresponding higher chloride ion and CO2 production. It was found that Reactor 1 achieved a much better DCM shock tolerance capability and biomass stability than Reactor 2. Silicone rubber not only enhanced the mass transfer in terms of both gas/liquid and gas/microbial phases, but also decreased the toxicity of DCM to microorganisms. Noteworthily, despite the identical inoculum used, the relative abundance of potential DCM-degrading bacteria in Reactor 1 (91.2%) was much higher than that in Reactor 2 (24.3%) at 216 h. Additionally, the silicone rubber could be automatically circulated in the airlift bioreactor due to the driven effect of the airflow, resulting in a significant reduction of energy consumption.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase OsCKX11 coordinates source and sink relationship in rice by simultaneous regulation of leaf senescence and grain number.

The flag leaf and grain belong to the source and sink, respectively, of cereals, and both have a bearing on final yield. Premature leaf senescence significantly reduces the photosynthetic rate and severely lowers crop yield. Cytokinins play important roles in leaf senescence and determine grain number. Here, we characterized the roles of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase OsCKX11 in delaying leaf senescence, increasing grain number, and coordinately regulating source and sink. OsCKX11 was predominantly expressed in the roots, leaves, and panicles and was strongly induced by abscisic acid and leaf senescence. Recombinant OsCKX11 protein catalysed the degradation of various types of cytokinins but showed preference for trans-zeatin and cis-zeatin. Cytokinin levels were significantly increased in the flag leaves of osckx11 mutant compared to those of the wild type (WT). In the osckx11 mutant, the ABA-biosynthesizing genes were down-regulated and the ABA-degrading genes were up-regulated, thereby reducing the ABA levels relative to the WT. Thus, OsCKX11 functions antagonistically between cytokinins and ABA in leaf senescence. Moreover, osckx11 presented with significantly increased branch, tiller, and grain number compared with the WT. Collectively, our findings reveal that OsCKX11 simultaneously regulates photosynthesis and grain number, which may provide new insights into leaf senescence and crop molecular breeding.

Anaerobic semi-fixed bed biofilm reactor (An-SFB-BR) for treatment of high concentration p-nitrophenol wastewater under shock loading conditions.

P-nitrophenol (PNP or 4-NP) has been widely used as a biorefractory raw material in chemical industry, whereas been highly concerned for its characteristics of mutagenic/carcinogenic activity and food chain bioaccumulation. In this study, an anaerobic semi-fixed bed biofilm reactor (An-SFB-BR) was constructed and used to treat PNP wastewater which discharged from chemical industries. Experimental results revealed that the An-SFB-BR was successfully cultivated with the gradually increasing of influent PNP from 0 to 540 mg/L (gradually increased 10 mg/L every time in stage II and 30-50 mg/L for stage III), with the observation of an average removal efficiency of 98% for PNP and 80% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), also a biogas production and biogas production rate of 2.1 L/(L·d) and 0.57 m3/kg-COD, respectively. Finally, the conversion rate of P-aminophenol (PAP), the primary intermediate of PNP reached 80% after An-SFB-BR biodegradation. A relatively stable pH was maintained throughout the entire process, and insignificant VFA accumulation. The reactor exhibited a strong toxic shock resistance, and 16S rRNA sequencing results demonstrated that the dominant microbial community changed slightly with the gradually increasing of PNP concentration, which guaranteed the PNP removal efficiency.

Maintenance of grafting-induced epigenetic variations in the asexual progeny of Brassica oleracea and B. juncea chimera.

Grafting-induced variations have been observed in many plant species, but the heritability of variation in progeny is not well understood. In our study, adventitious shoots from the C cell lineage of shoot apical meristem (SAM) grafting chimera TCC (where the origin of the outmost, middle and innermost cell layers, respectively, of SAM is designated by 'T' for tuber mustard and 'C' for red cabbage) were induced and identified as r-CCC (r = regenerated). To investigate the maintenance of grafting variations during cell propagation and regeneration, different generations of asexual progeny (r-CCCn, n = generation) were established through successive regeneration of axillary shoots from r-CCC. The fourth generation of r-CCC (r-CCC4) was selected to perform whole genome bisulfite sequencing for comparative analysis of hetero-grafting-induced global methylation changes relative to r-s-CCC4 (s = self-grafting). Increased CHH methylation levels and proportions were observed in r-CCC4, with substantial changes occurring in the repeat elements. Small RNA sequencing revealed 1135 specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) tags that were typically expressed in r-CCC, r-CCC2 and r-CCC4. Notably, 65% of these specific siRNAs were associated with repeat elements, termed RE siRNAs. Subsequent analysis revealed that the CHH methylation of RE siRNA-overlapping regions was mainly hypermethylation in r-CCC4, indicating that they were responsible for directing and maintaining grafting-induced CHH methylation. Moreover, the expression of 13 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) correlated with the phenotypic variation, showing differential expression levels between r-CCC4 and r-s-CCC4. These DMGs were predominantly CG hypermethylated, their methylation modifications corresponded to the transcription of relative methyltransferase.

ABC transporter OsABCG18 controls the shootward transport of cytokinins and grain yield in rice.

Cytokinins are one of the most important phytohormones and play essential roles in multiple life processes in planta. Root-derived cytokinins are transported to the shoots via long-distance transport. The mechanisms of long-distance transport of root-derived cytokinins remain to be demonstrated. In this study, we report that OsABCG18, a half-size ATP-binding cassette transporter from rice (Oryza sativa L.), is essential for the long-distance transport of root-derived cytokinins. OsABCG18 encodes a plasma membrane protein and is primarily expressed in the vascular tissues of the root, stem, and leaf midribs. Cytokinin profiling, as well as [14C]trans-zeatin tracer, and xylem sap assays, demonstrated that the shootward transport of root-derived cytokinins was significantly suppressed in the osabcg18 mutants. Transport assays in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) indicated that OsABCG18 exhibited efflux transport activities for various substrates of cytokinins. While the mutation reduced root-derived cytokinins in the shoot and grain yield, overexpression of OsABCG18 significantly increased cytokinins in the shoot and improved grain yield. The findings for OsABCG18 as a transporter for long-distance transport of cytokinin provide new insights into the cytokinin transport mechanism and a novel strategy to increase cytokinins in the shoot and promote grain yield.

Piscinibacter caeni sp. nov., isolated from activated sludge.

A yellowish-pigmented bacterial strain, designated as MQ-18T, was isolated from a sample of activated sludge collected from a pharmaceutical factory in Zhejiang, China. The strain was characterized through a polyphasic taxonomy approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that strain MQ-18T showed high similarities to Piscinibacter defluvii SH-1T (99.7 %) and Piscinibacter aquaticus IMCC1728T (98.4 %), thereby suggesting that it belongs to the genus Piscinibacter. The DNA-DNA relatedness values of this strain to strains SH-1T and IMCC1728T were only 35.4 and 33.3 %, respectively. Cells of MQ-18T were Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped and non-spore forming. This strain exhibited growth at 25-37 °C (optimum: 30 °C) in the presence of 0-3.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0 % NaCl) and at pH 5.0-8.0 (pH 7.0). The predominant fatty acids were C12 : 0 (5.5 %), C16 : 0 (33.7 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c; 38.5 %), and summed feature 4 (anteiso-C17 : 1 B and/or iso C17 : 1 I; 11.6 %). The main quinone type was ubiquinone-8, and the major polyamines were cadaverine and putrescine. The major polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The DNA G+C content was 70.1 mol%. On the basis of its phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological characteristics, strain MQ-18T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Piscinibacter, for which the name Piscinibacter caeni sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MQ-18T (CCTCC AB 2017223T=JCM 32138T).

Light- and temperature-regulated BjAPY2 may have a role in stem expansion of Brassica juncea.

Tuber mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. et Coss. var. tumida Tsen et Lee) is an important vegetable crop with a characteristic of expanded stem that is edible. The underlying molecular mechanism of the stem expansion is not well understood. Here, we reported that a total of 51 differentially expressed fragments (DEFs) with three expression patterns during stem expansion of tuber mustard were identified by cDNA-AFLP analysis. Among the DEFs, DEF11 with high homology to Arabidopsis thaliana apyrase 2 (AtAPY2) that encodes an enzyme with ATPase and ADPase activity was development- and tissue-specific. DEF11 was thus renamed as BjAPY2. The expression levels of BjAPY2 increased with the stem expression and were the highest at stage IV, a developmental stage at which the stem expanded most rapidly. In contrast, the BjAPY2 expression levels in leaves were much lower and remained unchanged during leaf development and expansion, suggesting that BjAPY2 was closely associated with the expansion of stems but not of leaves in the tuber mustard. Interestingly, the expression of BjAPY2 was higher in the mustard under short-day (SD) photoperiod (8 h/16 h) than that under long-day (LD) photoperiod (16 h/8 h); similarly, the transcript levels of BjAPY2 were higher in the mustard grown at low temperature (14 °C/12 °C) than that at high temperature (26 °C /24 °C). The SD photoperiod and low temperature were two environmental conditions that favored the mustard stem expansion. Further cloning and analysis of the promoter region of BjAPY2 revealed that there were indeed several types of motifs in the promoter region, including the light and temperature responsive elements. These results suggested that BjAPY2 might play an important role during the stem expansion of the tuber mustard.

Molybdenum disulfide as a highly efficient adsorbent for non-polar gases.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a kind of graphene-like, two-dimensional material, has attracted great interest because of its unique properties and potential applications in electronics and sensors. In this paper, first-principle calculations and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations are performed and used to show that the MoS2 layer is efficient at absorbing non-polar gases. Compared with the popular gas sorbents (metal organic frameworks and carbon-based materials), MoS2 has additional advantages, including large surface to volume ratio and tunable properties. The non-polar gas [carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)] adsorption on the MoS2 layer with and without vacancies has been systematically studied. The perfect MoS2 shows little or no adsorption for CO2 and CH4 molecules, but the MoS2 with a single S vacancy and double S vacancies exhibits an excellent adsorption ability for CO2 and CH4 gases. The adsorption energies were 65 kJ mol(-1) for CO2 and 47 kJ mol(-1) for CH4 (van der Waals-D2), respectively. An orbital coupling between the p orbital of the CO2 (or CH4) molecule and the d orbital of the Mo atom was observed. GCMC simulation results show that MoS2 with a single S vacancy could absorb 42.1 wt% of CO2 and 37.6 wt% of CH4 under a pressure of 80 bar at room temperature. The results given in this paper indicate that monolayer MoS2 with defects is a highly efficient absorbent for non-polar gases.

The role of small RNAs on phenotypes in reciprocal hybrids between Solanum lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium.

BACKGROUND: Reciprocal hybrids showing different phenotypes have been well documented in previous studies, and many factors accounting for different phenotypes have been extensively investigated. However, less is known about whether the profiles of small RNAs differ between reciprocal hybrids and how these small RNAs affect gene expression and phenotypes. To better understand this mechanism, the role of small RNAs on phenotypes in reciprocal hybrids was analysed. RESULTS: Reciprocal hybrids between Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom and S. pimpinellifolium line WVa700 were generated. Significantly different phenotypes between the reciprocal hybrids were observed, including fruit shape index, single fruit weight and plant height. Then, through the high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs, we found that the expression levels of 76 known miRNAs were highly variable between the reciprocal hybrids. Subsequently, a total of 410 target genes were predicted to correspond with these differentially expressed miRNAs. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) annotation indicated that those target genes are primarily involved in metabolic processes. Finally, differentially expressed miRNAs, such as miR156f and 171a, and their target genes were analysed by qRT-PCR, and their expression levels were well correlated with the different phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the profiles of small RNAs differed between the reciprocal hybrids, and differentially expressed genes were also observed based on the different phenotypes. The qRT-PCR results of target genes showed that differentially expressed miRNAs negatively regulated their target genes. Moreover, the expression of target genes was well correlated with the observations of different phenotypes. These findings may aid in elucidating small RNAs contribute significantly to different phenotypes through epigenetic modification during reciprocal crossing.

The role of small RNAs in wide hybridisation and allopolyploidisation between Brassica rapa and Brassica nigra.

BACKGROUND: An allopolyploid formation consists of the two processes of hybridisation and chromosome doubling. Hybridisation makes a different genome combined in the same cell, and genome "shock" and instability occur during this process, whereas chromosome doubling results in doubling and reconstructing the genome dosage. Recent studies have demonstrated that small RNAs, play an important role in maintaining the genome reconstruction and stability. However, to date, little is known regarding the role of small RNAs during the process of wide hybridisation and chromosome doubling, which is essential to elucidate the mechanism of polyploidisation. Therefore, the genetic and DNA methylation alterations and changes in the siRNA and miRNA were assessed during the formation of an allodiploid and its allotetraploid between Brassica rapa and Brassica nigra in the present study. RESULTS: The phenotypic analysis exhibited that the allotetraploid had high heterosis compared with their parents and the allodiploid. The methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) analysis indicated that the proportion of changes in the methylation pattern of the allodiploid was significantly higher than that found in the allotetraploid, while the DNA methylation ratio was higher in the parents than the allodiploid and allotetraploid. The small RNAs results showed that the expression levels of miRNAs increased in the allodiploid and allotetraploid compared with the parents, and the expression levels of siRNAs increased and decreased compared with the parents B. rapa and B. nigra, respectively. Moreover, the percentages of miRNAs increased with an increase in the polyploidy levels, but the percentages of siRNAs and DNA methylation alterations decreased with an increase in the polyploidy levels. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of the target genes were negatively corrected with the expressed miRNAs. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that siRNAs and DNA methylation play an important role in maintaining the genome stability in the formation of an allotetraploid. The miRNAs regulate gene expression and induce the phenotype variation, which may play an important role in the occurrence of heterosis in the allotetraploid. The findings of this study may provide new information for elucidating that the allotetraploids have a growth advantage over the parents and the allodiploids.

Iron diselenide/carbon black loaded mushroom-shaped evaporator for efficiently continuous solar-driven desalination.

Solar-driven desalination is an environmentally sustainable method to alleviate the problems of freshwater scarcity and the energy crisis. However, how to improve the synergy between the photothermal material and the evaporator to achieve high photothermal conversion efficiency simultaneously, excellent thermal management system and good salt resistance remains a challenge. Here, a mushroom-shaped solar evaporation device is designed and fabricated with iron diselenide/carbon black (FeSe2/CB) coated cellulose acetate (CA) film as mushroom surface and cotton swab as mushroom handle, which presented high solar-driven evaporation and excellent salt resistance. Thanks to the unique photothermal effect and the synergistic effect, the FeSe2/CB composites enabled a promising photothermal conversion efficiency of up to 65.8 °C after 180 s. The mushroom-shaped evaporation device effectively overcomes water transport and steam spillage channel blockage caused by salt crystallization through its unique vertical transport water channels and conical air-water interface. When exposed to real sunlight, the solar evaporation rate of the steam generation structure reached as high as 2.03 kg m-2 h-1, which is more than 13 times higher than natural evaporation. This study offered new insights into the higher solar-driven evaporation rate and salt-blocking resistance of the FeSe2/CB mushroom-shaped solar evaporation device for solar-powered water production.

Wogonin alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by modulating macrophage polarization through the SIRT1-FOXO1 pathways.

Sepsis-induced acute lung injury is a common and severe complication of sepsis, for which effective treatments are currently lacking. Previous studies have demonstrated the influence of wogonin in treating acute lung injury (ALI). However, its precise mechanism of action remains unclear. To delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying wogonin's impacts in sepsis-induced acute lung injury, we established a mouse sepsis model through cecal ligation and puncture and conducted further cell experiments using lipopolysaccharide-treated MH-S and MLE-12 cells to explore wogonin's potential mechanisms of action in treating ALI. Our results revealed that wogonin significantly increased the survival rate of mice, alleviated pulmonary pathological damage and inflammatory cell infiltration, and activated the SIRT1-FOXO1 pathway. Additionally, wogonin suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory factors by M1 macrophages and induced the activation of M2 anti-inflammatory factors. Further in vitro studies confirmed that wogonin effectively inhibited M1 macrophage polarization through the activation of the SIRT1-FOXO1 pathway, thereby mitigating lung pathological changes caused by ALI. In summary, our study demonstrated that wogonin regulated macrophage M1/M2 polarization through the activation of the SIRT1-FOXO1 pathway, thereby attenuating the inflammatory response and improving pulmonary pathological changes induced by sepsis-induced ALI. This discovery provided a solid mechanistic foundation for the therapeutic use of wogonin in sepsis-induced ALI, shedding new light on potential strategies for the treatment of sepsis-induced ALI.

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) inhibits myofibroblast differentiation through inducing ferroptosis mediated by ferritinophagy.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is caused by persistent micro-injuries and aberrant repair processes. Myofibroblast differentiation in lung is a key event for abnormal repair. Dihydroartemisinin(DHA), a well-known anti-malarial drug, have been shown to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis, but its mechanism is not clear. Ferroptosis is involved in the pathgenesis of many diseases, including IPF. Ferritinophagy is a form of cellular autophagy which regulates intracellular iron homeostasis. The function of DHA on myofibroblasts differentiation of pulmonary and whether related with ferroptosis and ferritinophagy are unknown now. Using human fetal lung fibroblast 1(HFL1) cell line and the qRT-PCR, immunofluorescent and Western blotting techniques, we found that after TGF-ß1 treatment, the levels of ɑ-SMA expression and ROS increased; the mRNA and protein levels of FTH1 and NCOA4, the content of Fe2+ and 4-HNE increased significantly at 6h, then gradually reduced with time. After DHA treatment, FHL1 cells appeared ferroptosis; the levels of α-SMA mRNA and protein reduced and the levels of ROS and 4-HNE increased; the Fe2+ levels decreased sharply at 6h, then increased with time, and were higher than normal since 24h; the mRNA and protein levels of FTH1 and NCOA4 decreased, exhibited a downward trend. These results show that Fe2+, ROS and lipid peroxidation are involved in and ferritinophagy is inhibited during fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation; The depletion of Fe2+ at early stage induced by DHA treatment triggers the ferritinophagy in HFL1 cells, leading to degradation of FTH1 and NCOA4 and following increase of Fe2+ levels. DHA may inhibit the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation through inducing ferroptosis mediated by ferritinophagy.

Absolute Structures of a Mirror Pair of Infinite Na(H2O)4 + -Connected ε-Keggin-Al13 Species.

The absolute structures of a pair of infinite Na(H2O)4+-connected ε-Keggin-Al13 species (Na-ε-K-Al13) that were inversion structures and mirror images of each other were determined. Single crystals obtained by adding A2SO4 (A = Li, Na, K, Rb, or Cs) solution to NaOH-hydrolyzed AlCl3 solution were subjected to X-ray structure analyses. The statistical results for 36 single crystals showed that all the crystals had almost the same unit cell parameter, belonged to the same F4̅3m space group, and possessed the same structural formula [Na(H2O)4AlO4Al12(OH)24(H2O)12](SO4)4·10H2O. However, the crystals had two inverse absolute structures (denoted A and B), which had a crystallization ratio of 1:1. From Li+ to Cs+, with increasing volume of the cation coexisting in the mother solution, the degree of disorder of the four H2O molecules in the Na(H2O)4+ hydrated ion continuously decreased; they became ordered when the cation was Cs+. Absolute structures A and B are the first two infinite aluminum polycations connected by statistically occupied [(Na1/4)4(H2O)4]+ hydrated ions. The three-dimensional structure of the infinite Na-ε-K-Al13 species can be regarded as the assembly of finite ε-K-Al13 species linked by [(Na1/4)4(H2O)4]+ in a 1:1 ratio. In this assembly, each [(Na1/4)4(H2O)4]+ is connected to four ε-K-Al13 and each ε-K-Al13 is also connected to four [(Na1/4)4(H2O)4]+ in tetrahedral orientations to form a continuous rigid framework structure, which has an inverse spatial orientation between absolute structure A and B. This discovery clarifies that the ε-K-Al13 (or ε-K-GaAl12) species in Na[MO4Al12(OH)24(H2O)12](XO4)4·nH2O (M = Al, Ga; X = S, Se; n = 10-20) exists as discrete groups and deepens understanding of the formation and evolution process of polyaluminum species in forcibly hydrolyzed aluminum salt solution. The reason why Na+ statistically occupies the four sites was examined, and a formation and evolution mechanism of the infinite Na-ε-K-Al13 species was proposed.

Allelic variations of HMW-GS and LMW-GS and quality analysis in Yannong series wheat cultivars/derivative lines.

Introduction: Gluten quality is one of the most important traits of the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In Chinese wheat production, Yannong series cultivars/derivative lines possess unique characteristics and play an important role in both yield and quality contribution. Methods: To dissect their genetic basis of the gluten quality, in this study, allelic variations of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) in 30 Yannong series wheat cultivars/derivative lines and three check cultivars were evaluated using the allele-specific molecular markers, and six crucial quality indexes were also further measured and analyzed. Results: The results demonstrated that the frequencies of HMW-GSs By8, Dx5+Dy10 and Dx5+Dy10+Dy12 in these 30 genotypes and three check cultivars accounted for 87.9%, 24.2% and 9.1%, respectively. For the allelic variations of LMW-GSs, Glu-A3a, Glu-A3b, Glu-A3c, Glu-A3f, and Glu-A3g were identified in 18, 9, 13, 11, and 2 genotypes, respectively; Glu-B3d, Glu-B3g and Glu-B3f were identified in 13, 23 and 4 genotypes, respectively. Notably, Yannong 999, containing By8 + Dx5 + Dy10, and Jinan 17 containing By8 + Dy12 both meet the national standard for high-quality wheat and belong to the category of first-class high-quality strong gluten wheat. Discussion: These findings can provide reference for wheat quality improvement and popularization in the production.

Bulked segregant RNA-seq reveals complex resistance expression profile to powdery mildew in wild emmer wheat W762.

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is one of the most destructive fungal diseases threatening global wheat production. Exploring powdery mildew resistance (Pm) gene(s) and dissecting the molecular mechanism of the host resistance are critical to effectively and reasonably control this disease. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durumDesf.) is an important gene donor for wheat improvement against powdery mildew. In this study, a resistant durum wheat accession W762 was used to investigate its potential resistance component(s) and profile its expression pattern in responding to Bgt invasion using bulked segregant RNA-Seq (BSR-Seq) and further qRT-PCR verification. Genetic analysis showed that the powdery mildew resistance in W762 did not meet monogenic inheritance and complex genetic model might exist within the population of W762 × Langdon (susceptible durum wheat). After BSR-Seq, 6,196 consistently different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were called between resistant and susceptible parents and bulks, and among them, 763 SNPs were assigned to the chromosome arm 7B. Subsequently, 3,653 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between resistant and susceptible parents and bulks were annotated and analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO), Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. The potential regulated genes were selected and analyzed their temporal expression patterns following Bgt inoculation. As a result, nine disease-related genes showed distinctive expression profile after Bgt invasion and might serve as potential targets to regulate the resistance against powdery mildew in W762. Our study could lay a foundation for analysis of the molecular mechanism and also provide potential targets for the improvement of durable resistance against powdery mildew.