Critical roles of low-molecular-weight organic acid in enhancing hydroxyl radical production by ferrous oxidation on γ-Al2O3 mineral surface.

Recognizing the pervasive presence of alumina minerals and low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in the environment, this study addressed the gap in the interaction mechanisms within the ternary system involving these two components and Fe(II). Specifically, the impacts of LMWOAs on hydroxyl radicals (•OH) production and iron species transformation during Fe(II) oxidation on γ-Al2O3 mineral surface were examined. Results demonstrated that adding 0.5 mM oxalate (OA) or citrate (CA) to the γ-Al2O3/Fe(II) system (28.1 µM) significantly enhanced •OH production by 1.9-fold (51.9 µM) and 1.3-fold (36.2 µM), respectively, whereas succinate (SA) exhibited limited effect (30.7 µM). Raising OA concentration to 5 mM further promoted •OH yield to 125.0 µM after 24 h. Deeper analysis revealed that CA facilitated the dissolution of adsorbed Fe(II) and its subsequent oxygenation by O2 through both one- and two-electron transfer mechanisms, whereas OA enhanced the adsorption of dissolved Fe(II) and more efficient two-electron transfer for H2O2 production. Additionally, LMWOAs presence favored the formation of iron minerals with poor crystallinity like ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite rather than well-crystallized forms such as goethite. The distinct impacts of various LMWOAs on Fe(II) oxidation and •OH generation underscore their unique roles in the redox processes at mineral surface, consequently modulating the environmental fate of prototypical pollutants like phenol.

Effect of Genotype on Cadmium and Trace Element Accumulation in Wheat from Weakly Alkaline Cadmium-contaminated Soil.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of farmland soils leads to Cd accumulation in crops and reduced micronutrient uptake, posing grave risks to food safety. Herein, we investigated the enrichment and transportation patterns of Cd and trace elements in different parts of six wheat genotypes grown in weakly alkaline Cd-contaminated soils via pot experiments. The results revealed that the wheat grain variety with high Cd accumulation (Ningmai13) demonstrated a 1.94-fold increase compared to the variety with low accumulation (Yanong0428). The transfer factor of Cd from wheat straw to grain ranged from 0.319 to 0.761, while the transfer factor of Cd from root to straw ranged from 0.167 to 0.461. Furthermore, the concentrations of other metals in wheat grains followed the order of Zn > Mn > Fe > Cu. There was a significant positive correlation between Cd and Mn in grains, indicating a potential synergistic effect. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the regulation of micronutrient intake to modulate Cd uptake in wheat.

Spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture caused by drainage and its effects on cadmium variation in rice grain within individual fields.

Paddy drainage is the critical period for rice grain to accumulate cadmium (Cd), however, its roles on spatial heterogeneity of grain Cd within individual fields are still unknown. Herein, field plot experiments were conducted to study the spatial variations of rice Cd under continuous and intermittent (drainage at the tillering or grain-filling or both stages) flooding conditions. The spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture and key factors involved in Cd mobilization during drainages were further investigated to explain grain Cd variation. Rice grain Cd levels under continuous flooding ranged from 0.16 to 0.22 mg kg-1 among nine sampling sites within an individual field. Tillering drainage slightly increased grain Cd levels (0.19-0.31 mg kg-1) with little change in spatial variation. However, grain-filling drainage greatly increased grain Cd range to 0.33-0.95 mg kg-1, with a huge spatial variation observed among replicated sites. During two drainage periods, soil moisture decreased variously in different monitoring sites; greater variation (mean values ranged from 0.14 to 0.27 m3 m-3) was observed during grain-filling drainage. Accordingly, 2.9-3.3-fold variation in soil Eh and 0.55-0.67-unit variation in soil pH were observed among those sites. In the soil with low moisture, ferrous fractions such as ferrous sulfide (FeS) were prone to be oxidized to ferric fractions; meanwhile, the followed generation of hydroxyl radicals involved in Cd remobilization was enhanced. Consequently, soil dissolved Cd changed from 2.97 to 8.92 µg L-1 among different sampling sites during grain-filling drainage; thus, large variation was observed in grain Cd levels. The findings suggest that grain-filling drainage is the main process controlling spatial variation of grain Cd, which should be paid more attention in paddy Cd evaluation.

One panel with four single nucleotide polymorphisms for Chinese children with asthma: Integrating public data and whole exome sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in susceptibility genes are a major risk factor for the development of asthma. Understanding these genetic variants helps elucidate asthma's pathogenesis, predict its onset, expedite antiasthma medication development, and achieve precise targeted individualized treatment. This study developed a test kit based on susceptibility genes for predicting asthma in Chinese children. METHODS: The present study constructed a VariantPro Targeted Library Preparation System with 72 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci associated with asthma from the ClinVar, OMIM, and SNPedia databases. These SNP loci were detected in the peripheral blood of 499 children with asthma and 500 healthy children. Significant differences were discovered for seven SNP loci. Simultaneously, whole exome sequencing of 46 children with asthma and 50 healthy children identified eight SNP loci with significant differences. The 15 SNP loci identified from Chinese children with asthma were validated in an independent population of 97 children with asthma and 93 healthy children by conducting multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-next-generation sequencing genotyping. RESULTS: Four loci (rs12422149, rs7216389, rs4065275, and rs41453444) were identified, and a single-tube multifluorescent qPCR (real-time quantitative PCR) test kit was developed using these four SNP loci. The kit was tested on 269 children with asthma and 724 children with bronchopneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: We identified four loci as susceptibility genes and developed a quantitative PCR test kit for predicting asthma development in Chinese children.

Current status of high-risk HPV infection and correlation with multiple infections in cervical lesions in Western Guangzhou.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the current status of multiple HPV infection and its association with cervical lesions in the western region of Guangzhou. Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data from cervical cancer screening patients was conducted. The patients were grouped based on HPV genotypes and cervical pathology results to explore the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection and its relationship with cervical lesions in the western region of Guangzhou. The study also analyzed the relationship between high-risk HPV infection and cervical lesions among different age groups. Results: A total of 13,060 patients were included in the study, with an overall infection rate of 18.46% (2,411/13,060). Among them, the infection rate of HPV genotype 16 was 14.14% (341/2,411), HPV genotype 18 was 5.23% (126/2,411), and other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes accounted for 71.96% (1,735/2,411). When comparing the incidence of HSIL+ (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or worse) among different HPV genotypes, the results showed that the HPV 16 infection group (47.50%) had a higher incidence than the HPV 18 infection group (25.40%) and the other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes group (15.97%; P < 0.05). In the multiple infection groups, the pathogenicity rates were 63.64% (7/11) for the 16+18 HPV infection group, 42.97% (55/128) for the 16+other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes infection group, 26.79% (15/56) for the 18+other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes infection group, and 57.14% (8/14) for the 16+18+other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes infection group. These rates were significantly different compared to the single infection group (P <0.01). Although there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of cervical cancer between the HPV 16 infection group and the HPV 18 infection group, both groups had a higher incidence compared to the group with other 12 high-risk HPV genotypes infection (P < 0.05). Further analysis suggests that the severity of cervical lesions is not associated with the number of high-risk HPV infections, i.e., the severity of cervical lesions is unrelated to multiple HPV infections but is instead related to the pathogenicity of the HPV genotypes. The infection rate and multiple HPV infection rate of women under 35 years old were higher than those of women aged 35 and above (20% vs. 17.1%; 2% vs. 1.3%; P < 0.05). Moreover, the pathogenicity rate of HSIL+ among high-risk HPV infection increased with age. Conclusions: In the western region of Guangzhou, the overall infection rate of high-risk HPV is 18.46%. The severity of cervical lesions is unrelated to multiple HPV infections. The fundamental reason is the distinct pathogenicity of different HPV genotypes. The HSIL+ pathogenicity rates, from high to low, are in sequence for HPV 16, HPV 18, and the other 12 HPV types.

Persistent production of multiple active species with copper doped zinc gallate nanoparticles for light-independent photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

Photocatalysis is considered as an environmentally friendly and sustainable method as it can produce active species to degrade pollutants. However, its applications are hindered by the turbidity of pollutants and the requirements for continuous or repeated in situ irradiation. To avoid the need for continuous in situ irradiation in the photocatalytic process, herein we report the doping of Cu(II) ions into zinc gallate (ZnGa2O4) as traps to capture photo-generated electrons. In this way, long lifetime charge release and separation were effectively achieved for the persistent degradation of organic dyes in wastewater. The Cu(II) doped ZnGa2O4 (ZGC) nanoparticles with a small size about 7.7 nm synthesized via a hydrothermal method exhibited a persistent photocatalytic activity with continuous production of reactive oxygen species for at least 96 h without in situ irradiation due to its unique electronic structure and carrier transport path, and enabled to degrade 82.2 % of rhodamine B in 1 h. Further investigation revealed that the doped Cu(II) ions occupied the octahedral sites of ZGC and highly increased the persistent production and availability of active species for the persistent degradation of organic dyes under pre-illuminated conditions.

Optimized preparation of Ni-Febm bimetallic particles by ball milling NiSO4 and iron powder for efficient removal of triclosan.

The excessive usage and emissions of triclosan (TCS) pose a serious threat to aquatic environments. Iron-based bimetallic particles (Pd/Fe, Ni/Fe, and Cu/Fe, etc.) were widely used for the degradation of chlorophenol pollutants. This study proposed a novel synthesis method for the preparation of Ni/Fe bimetallic particles (Ni-Febm) by ball milling microscale zero valent iron ZVI (mZVI) and NiSO4. Ball-milling conditions such as ball-milling time, ball-milling speed and ball-to-powder ratio were optimized to prepare high activity Ni-Febm bimetallic particles. During the ball-milling process, Ni2+ was reduced to Ni0 and formed a coupled structure with ZVI. The amount of Ni0 on ZVI significantly affected the activity of Ni-Febm bimetallic particles. The highest activity Ni-Febm bimetallic particles with Ni/Fe ratio of 0.03 were synthesized under optimized conditions, which could remove 86.56% of TCS (10 µM) in aerobic aqueous solution within 60 min. In addition, higher particle dosage, lower pH condition and higher reaction temperature were more conducive for TCS degradation. The higher corrosion current and lower electron transfer impedance of Ni-Febm bimetallic particles were the main reasons for its high activity. The hydrogen atom (•H) on the surface of Ni-Febm bimetallic particles was mainly contributed to the removal of TCS, as reductive transformation products of TCS were detected by LC-TOF-MS. Notably, a small amount of oxidation products were discovered. The total dechlorination rate of TCS was calculated to be 39.67%. After eight reaction cycles, the residual Ni-Febm bimetallic particles could still degrade 28.34% of TCS within 6 h. Low Ni2+ leaching during reaction indicated that Ni-Febm bimetallic particles did not pose potential environmental risks. The prepared environmental-friendly Ni-Febm bimetallic particles with high activity have great potential in the degradation of other chlorinated organic compounds in wastewater.

Expression and diagnostic value of interleukin-22 in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is characterized by a high incidence and mortality rate, highlighting the need for biomarkers to detect ILD early in RA patients. Previous studies have shown the protective effects of Interleukin-22 (IL-22) in pulmonary fibrosis using mouse models. This study aims to assess IL-22 expression in RA-ILD to validate foundational experiments and explore its diagnostic value. The study included 66 newly diagnosed RA patients (33 with ILD, 33 without ILD) and 14 healthy controls (HC). ELISA was utilized to measure IL-22 levels and perform intergroup comparisons. The correlation between IL-22 levels and the severity of RA-ILD was examined. Logistic regression analysis was employed to screen potential predictive factors for RA-ILD risk and establish a predictive nomogram. The diagnostic value of IL-22 in RA-ILD was assessed using ROC. Subsequently, the data were subjected to 30-fold cross-validation. IL-22 levels in the RA-ILD group were lower than in the RA-No-ILD group and were inversely correlated with the severity of RA-ILD. Logistic regression analysis identified IL-22, age, smoking history, anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin antibody (MCV-Ab), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) as independent factors for distinguishing between the groups. The diagnostic value of IL-22 in RA-ILD was moderate (AUC = 0.75) and improved when combined with age, smoking history, MCV-Ab and MCHC (AUC = 0.97). After 30-fold cross-validation, the average AUC was 0.886. IL-22 expression is dysregulated in the pathogenesis of RA-ILD. This study highlights the potential of IL-22, along with other factors, as a valuable biomarker for assessing RA-ILD occurrence and progression.

Activated carbon as a strong DOM adsorbent mitigates antimony and arsenic release in flooded mining-impacted soils.

In Southern China, the co-occurrence of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) contamination in soils around Sb mines presents an environmental challenge. During the flooding period of mining-impacted soils, anaerobic reduction of iron (Fe) oxides enhances the mobilization and bioavailability of Sb and As, further elevating the risk of Sb and As entering the food chain. To address this problem, activated carbon (AC) and biochar (BC) were applied to remediate flooded mining-impacted soils. Our results explored that AC can significantly decrease mobilization by 9-97 % for Sb and 9-67 % for As through inhibiting Fe(III) mineral reduction and dissolution in flooded soils. In contrast, there was no significant effect of BC. This was attributed to the strong adsorption of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) by AC compared to BC, while DOM as electron shuttle is crucial for microbial Fe(III) reduction. Consequently, the DOM sequestration by AC effectively mitigates Sb and As leaching in contaminated mining soils.

Secofumitremorgins C and D, a pair of atropisomers from saltern-derived fungus Aspergillus fumigatus GXIMD00544.

A pair of atropisomers secofumitremorgins C (1a) and D (1b), together with fifteen known alkaloids (2-16), were isolated from a saltern-derived fungus Aspergillus fumigatus GXIMD00544. The structures of atropisomers 1a and 1b were elucidated by the detailed spectroscopic data, chemical reaction and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 1 and 8 displayed antifungal spore germination effects against plant pathogenic fungus associated with sugarcane Fusarium sp. with inhibitory rates of 53% and 77% at the concentration of 100 µM, repectively. Atropisomers 1 also exhibited antifouling potential against Balanus amphitrite larval settlement with an inhibitory rate of 96% at the concentration of 100 µM.

Biological Control of a Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita Infection of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by the Oomycete Biocontrol Agent Pythium oligandrum.

The biocontrol agent Pythium oligandrum, which is a member of the phylum Oomycota, can control diseases caused by a taxonomically wide range of plant pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes. However, whether P. oligandrum could control diseases caused by plant root-knot nematodes (RKNs) was unknown. We investigated a recently isolated P. oligandrum strain GAQ1, and the P. oligandrum strain CBS530.74, for the control of an RKN Meloidogyne incognita infection of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Initially, P. oligandrum culture filtrates were found to be lethal to M. incognita second-stage juveniles (J2s) with up to 84% mortality 24 h after treatment compared to 14% in the control group. Consistent with the lethality to M. incognita J2s, tomato roots treated with P. oligandrum culture filtrates reduced their attraction of nematodes, and the number of nematodes penetrating the roots was reduced by up to 78%. In a greenhouse pot trial, the P. oligandrum GAQ1 inoculation of tomato plants significantly reduced the gall number by 58% in plants infected with M. incognita. Notably, the P. oligandrum GAQ1 mycelial treatment significantly increased tomato plant height (by 36%), weight (by 27%), and root weight (by 48%). A transcriptome analysis of tomato seedling roots inoculated with the P. oligandrum GAQ1 strain identified ~2500 differentially expressed genes. The enriched GO terms and annotations in the up-regulated genes suggested a modulation of the plant hormone-signaling and defense-related pathways in response to P. oligandrum. In conclusion, our results support that P. oligandrum GAQ1 can serve as a potential biocontrol agent for M. incognita control in tomato. Multiple mechanisms appear to contribute to the biocontrol effect, including the direct inhibition of M. incognita, the potential priming of tomato plant defenses, and plant growth promotion.

Strong Substance Exchange at Paddy Soil-Water Interface Promotes Nonphotochemical Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species in Overlying Water.

Photochemically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) are widespread on the earth's surface under sunlight irradiation. However, the nonphotochemical ROS generation in surface water (e.g., paddy overlying water) has been largely neglected. This work elucidated the drivers of nonphotochemical ROS generation and its spatial distribution in undisturbed paddy overlying water, by combining ROS imaging technology with in situ ROS monitoring. It was found that H2O2 concentrations formed in three paddy overlying waters could reach 0.03-16.9 µM, and the ROS profiles exhibited spatial heterogeneity. The O2 planar-optode indicated that redox interfaces were not always generated at the soil-water interface but also possibly in the water layer, depending on the soil properties. The formed redox interface facilitated a rapid turnover of reducing and oxidizing substances, creating an ideal environment for the generation of ROS. Additionally, the electron-donating capacities of water at soil-water interfaces increased by 4.5-8.4 times compared to that of the top water layers. Importantly, field investigation results confirmed that sustainable •OH generation through nonphotochemical pathways constituted of a significant proportion of total daily production (>50%), suggesting a comparable or even greater role than photochemical ROS generation. In summary, the nonphotochemical ROS generation process reported in this study greatly enhances the understanding of natural ROS production processes in paddy soils.

Foliar Application of Nanoparticles Reduced Cadmium Content in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Grains via Long-Distance "Leaf-Root-Microorganism" Regulation.

Foliar application of beneficial nanoparticles (NPs) exhibits potential in reducing cadmium (Cd) uptake in crops, necessitating a systematic understanding of their leaf-root-microorganism process for sustainable development of efficient nano-enabled agrochemicals. Herein, wheat grown in Cd-contaminated soil (5.23 mg/kg) was sprayed with different rates of four commonly used NPs, including nano selenium (SeNPs)/silica (SiO2NPs)/zinc oxide/manganese dioxide. SeNPs and SiO2NPs most effectively reduced the Cd concentration in wheat grains. Compared to the control, Cd concentration in grains was significantly decreased by 35.0 and 33.3% by applying 0.96 mg/plant SeNPs and 2.4 mg/plant SiO2NPs, and the grain yield was significantly increased by 33.9% with SeNPs application. Down-regulated gene expression of Cd transport proteins (TaNramp5 and TaLCT1) and up-regulated gene expression of vacuolar Cd fixation proteins (TaHMA3 and TaTM20) were observed with foliar SeNPs and SiO2NPs use. SeNPs increased the levels of leaf antioxidant metabolites. Additionally, foliar spray of SeNPs resulted in lower abundances of rhizosphere organic acids and reduced Cd bioavailability in rhizosphere soil, and soil microorganisms related to carbon and nitrogen (Solirubrobacter and Pedomicrobium) were promoted. Our findings underscore the potential of the foliar application of SeNPs and SiO2NPs as a plant and rhizosphere soil metabolism-regulating approach to reduce Cd accumulation in wheat grains.

Key role of hydrogen atoms in the preparation of sulfidated zero valent iron.

Sulfidated zero valent iron (ZVI) is a popular material for the reductive degradation of halogenated organic pollutants. Simple and economic synthesis of this material is highly demanded. In this study, sulfidated micro/nanostructured ZVI (MNZVI) particles were prepared by simply heating MNZVI particles and sulfur elements (S0) in pure water (50℃). The iron oxides on the surface of MNZVI particles were conducive to sulfidation reaction, indicating the formation of iron-sulphide minerals (FeSx) on the surface of MNZVI particles might not be from the direct reaction of Fe0 with S0 (Fe0 and S0 acted as reductant and oxidant, respectively). As an important reductant, hydrogen atom (H•) can be generated from the reduction of H+ by MNZVI particles and participate in the formation of FeSx. Quenching experiment and cyclic voltammetry analysis proved the existence of H• on the surface of MNZVI particles. DFT calculation found that the potential barrier of H•/S0 and Fe0/S0 were 1.91 and 7.24 eV, respectively, indicating that S0 would preferentially react with H• instead of Fe0. The formed H• can quickly react with S0 to generate hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which can further react with iron oxides such as α-Fe2O3 on the surface of MNZVI particles to form FeSx. In addition, the H2 partial pressure in water significantly affected the amount of H• generated, thereby affecting the sulfidation efficiency. For TCE degradation, as the sulfur loading of sulfidated MNZVI particles increased, the contribution of H• significantly decreased while the contribution of direct electron transfer increased. This study provided new insights into the synthesis mechanism of sulfidated ZVI in water.

Activated Carbon Application Simultaneously Alleviates Paddy Soil Arsenic Mobilization and Carbon Emission by Decreasing Porewater Dissolved Organic Matter.

Flooding of paddy fields during the rice growing season enhances arsenic (As) mobilization and greenhouse gas (e.g., methane) emissions. In this study, an adsorbent for dissolved organic matter (DOM), namely, activated carbon (AC), was applied to an arsenic-contaminated paddy soil. The capacity for simultaneously alleviating soil carbon emissions and As accumulation in rice grains was explored. Soil microcosm incubations and 2-year pot experimental results indicated that AC amendment significantly decreased porewater DOM, Fe(III) reduction/Fe2+ release, and As release. More importantly, soil carbon dioxide and methane emissions were mitigated in anoxic microcosm incubations. Porewater DOM of pot experiments mainly consisted of humic-like fluorophores with a molecular structure of lignins and tannins, which could mediate microbial reduction of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides. Soil microcosm incubation experiments cospiking with a carbon source and AC further consolidated that DOM electron shuttling and microbial carbon source functions were crucial for soil Fe(III) reduction, thus driving paddy soil As release and carbon emission. Additionally, the application of AC alleviated rice grain dimethylarsenate accumulation over 2 years. Our results highlight the importance of microbial extracellular electron transfer in driving paddy soil anaerobic respiration and decreasing porewater DOM in simultaneously remediating As contamination and mitigating methane emission in paddy fields.

APOC1 is a prognostic biomarker associated with M2 macrophages in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that APOC1 is associated with cancer progression, exerting cancer-promoting and immune infiltration-promoting effects. Nevertheless, there is currently no report on the presence of APOC1 in ovarian cancer (OV). METHOD: In this study, we conducted data analysis using the GEO and TCGA databases. We conducted a thorough bioinformatics analysis to investigate the function of APOC1 in OV, utilizing various platforms including cBioPortal, STRING, GeneMANIA, LinkedOmics, GSCALite, TIMER, and CellMarker. Additionally, we performed immunohistochemical staining on tissue microarrays and conducted in vitro cellular assays to validate our findings. RESULT: Our findings reveal that APOC1 expression is significantly upregulated in OV compared to normal tissues. Importantly, patients with high APOC1 levels show a significantly poorer prognosis. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that APOC1 exerted a crucial function in promoting the capacity of ovarian cancer cells to proliferate, migrate, and invade. Additionally, we have identified that genes co-expressed with APOC1 are primarily associated with adaptive immune responses. Notably, the levels of APOC1 in OV exhibit a correlation with the presence of M2 Tumor-associated Macrophages (TAMs). CONCLUSION: APOC1 emerges as a promising prognostic biomarker for OV and exhibits a significant association with M2 TAMs in OV.

Mechanisms of chloride to promote the uptake and accumulation of cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in rice ecosystems posed a critical challenge to global food security and environmental health. This study aimed to unveil the key mechanisms trough hydroponic experiments by which chloride (Cl-) promoted the absorption and accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in rice plants. The findings elucidated that the addition of Cl- increased Cd uptake by rice roots (5.1 % âˆ¼ 61 %), acting both directly by enhancing root morphology and indirectly through regulating of the main transporter genes of Cd. The study unveiled that Cl- addition significantly improves Cd bioavailability in roots, which was discernible through the augmentation of Cd concentration and proportion in subcellular fractions, coupled with elevated energy values in key cellular components. Moreover, Cl- addition further augmented the intricate process of Cd transport from roots to shoots (16.1- 86.7 %), which was mainly attributed to the underexpression of OsHMA3 and the decrease in the formation of sulfuhydryl substances. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex mechanisms governing Cd dynamics in rice plants in the presence of Cl-. By elucidating these processes, our findings not only contribute to fundamental knowledge in plant metal uptake but also hold promising implications for mitigating Cd contamination in rice cultivation systems.

Formation of reactive intermediates in paddy water from different temperature zones for the promotion of abiotic ammonification.

The paddy field is a hot area of biogeochemical process. The paddy water has a large capacity in photo-generation of reactive intermediates (RIs) due to abundant photosensitive dissolved organic matter (DOM), which is influenced by the spatial heterogeneity of paddy soils but rarely been explored. Our work presents the first investigation of the role of soil properties on photochemistry in paddy water. Soil organic matter (SOM), determined by the temperature, was the dominant factor for the photo-generation of RIs in paddy water of main rice producing areas. The RI concentrations generated with abundant SOM from cool regions are 0.05-8.71 times higher than those for the warm regions in China. The humic-like substance and aromatic-like compounds of DOM plays an essential role in RIs generation, which is abundant in paddy soils rich in SOM from Chinese cool regions. In addition, RIs can efficiently accelerate the photo-ammonification of urea and free amino acids by 15.2 %-164 %, leading to 0.13-0.17 mmol/L/d photo-produced ammonium after fertilization, which is preferentially absorbed by rice. The findings of this study will extend our knowledge of the geochemistry of global paddy field ecosystem. The potential role of RIs in nitrogen cycle should be highlighted in the agroecosystem.

Growth, Enzymatic, and Transcriptomic Analysis of xyr1 Deletion Reveals a Major Regulator of Plant Biomass-Degrading Enzymes in Trichoderma harzianum.

The regulation of plant biomass degradation by fungi is critical to the carbon cycle, and applications in bioproducts and biocontrol. Trichoderma harzianum is an important plant biomass degrader, enzyme producer, and biocontrol agent, but few putative major transcriptional regulators have been deleted in this species. The T. harzianum ortholog of the transcriptional activator XYR1/XlnR/XLR-1 was deleted, and the mutant strains were analyzed through growth profiling, enzymatic activities, and transcriptomics on cellulose. From plate cultures, the Δxyr1 mutant had reduced growth on D-xylose, xylan, and cellulose, and from shake-flask cultures with cellulose, the Δxyr1 mutant had ~90% lower ß-glucosidase activity, and no detectable ß-xylosidase or cellulase activity. The comparison of the transcriptomes from 18 h shake-flask cultures on D-fructose, without a carbon source, and cellulose, showed major effects of XYR1 deletion whereby the Δxyr1 mutant on cellulose was transcriptionally most similar to the cultures without a carbon source. The cellulose induced 43 plant biomass-degrading CAZymes including xylanases as well as cellulases, and most of these had massively lower expression in the Δxyr1 mutant. The expression of a subset of carbon catabolic enzymes, other transcription factors, and sugar transporters was also lower in the Δxyr1 mutant on cellulose. In summary, T. harzianum XYR1 is the master regulator of cellulases and xylanases, as well as regulating carbon catabolic enzymes.

Carneusones A-F, Benzophenone Derivatives from Sponge-Derived Fungus Aspergillus carneus GXIMD00543.

Six benzophenone derivatives, carneusones A-F (1-6), along with seven known compounds (7-13) were isolated from a strain of sponge-derived marine fungus Aspergillus carneus GXIMD00543. Their chemical structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic data and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 5, 6, and 8 exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity on NO secretion using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells with EC50 values of 34.6 ± 0.9, 20.2 ± 1.8, and 26.8 ± 1.7 µM, while 11 showed potent effect with an EC50 value of 2.9 ± 0.1 µM.