Exosomes drive ferroptosis by stimulating iron accumulation to inhibit bacterial infection in crustaceans.

Ferroptosis, characterized by iron-dependent cell death, has recently emerged as a critical defense mechanism against microbial infections. The present study aims to investigate the involvement of exosomes in the induction of ferroptosis and the inhibition of bacterial infection in crustaceans. Our findings provide compelling evidence for the pivotal role of exosomes in the immune response of crustaceans, wherein they facilitate intracellular iron accumulation and activate the ferroptotic pathways. Using RNA-seq and bioinformatic analysis, we demonstrate that cytochrome P450 (CYP) can effectively trigger ferroptosis. Moreover, by conducting an analysis of exosome cargo proteins, we have identified the participation of six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 in the regulation of hemocyte ferroptotic sensitivity. Subsequent functional investigations unveil that six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 enhances cellular Fe2+ levels, thereby triggering Fenton reactions and accelerating CYP-mediated lipid peroxidation, ultimately culminating in ferroptotic cell death. Additionally, the Fe2+-dependent CYP catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid into 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, which activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor. Consequently, the downstream target of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, cluster of differentiation 36, promotes intracellular fatty acid accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptosis. These significant findings shed light on the immune defense mechanisms employed by crustaceans and provide potential strategies for combating bacterial infections in this species.

Small RNAs contribute to citrus Huanglongbing tolerance by manipulating methyl salicylate signaling and exogenous methyl salicylate primes citrus groves from emerging infection.

Citrus production is severely threatened by the devastating Huanglongbing (HLB) disease globally. By studying and analyzing the defensive behaviors of an HLB-tolerant citrus cultivar 'Shatangju', we discovered that citrus can sense Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) infection and induce immune responses against HLB, which can be further strengthened by both endogenously produced and exogenously applied methyl salicylate (MeSA). This immune circuit is turned on by an miR2977-SAMT (encoding a citrus Salicylate [SA] O-methyltransferase) cascade, by which CLas infection leads to more in planta MeSA production and aerial emission. We provided both transgenic and multi-year trail evidences that MeSA is an effective community immune signal. Ambient MeSA accumulation and foliage application can effectively induce defense gene expression and significantly boost citrus performance. We also found that miRNAs are battle fields between citrus and CLas, and about 30% of the differential gene expression upon CLas infection are regulated by miRNAs. Furthermore, CLas hijacks host key processes by manipulating key citrus miRNAs, and citrus employs miRNAs that coordinately regulate defense-related genes. Based on our results, we proposed that miRNAs and associated components are key targets for engineering or breeding resistant citrus varieties. We anticipate that MeSA-based management, either induced expression or external application, would be a promising tool for HLB control.

Near-Infrared Fluorescence Probe with a New Recognition Moiety for the Specific Detection of Cysteine to Study the Corresponding Physiological Processes in Cells, Zebrafish, and Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cysteine (Cys), as one of the biological thiols, is related to many physiological and pathological processes in humans and plants. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a sensitive and selective method for the detection and imaging of Cys in biological organisms. In this work, a novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe, Probe-Cys, was designed by connecting furancarbonyl, as a new recognition moiety, with Fluorophore-OH via the decomposition of IR-806. The use of the furan moiety is anticipated to produce more effective fluorescence quenching because of the electron-donating ability of the O atom. Probe-Cys has outstanding properties, such as a new recognition group, an emission wavelength in the infrared region at 710 nm, a linear range (0-100 µM), a low detection limit of 0.035 µM, good water solubility, excellent sensitivity, and selectivity without the interference of Hcy, GSH, and HS-. More importantly, Probe-Cys could achieve the detection of endogenous Cys by reacting with the stimulant 1,4-dimercaptothreitol (DTT) and the inhibitor N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) in HepG2 cells and zebrafish. Ultimately, it was successfully applied to obtain images of Arabidopsis thaliana, revealing that the content of Cys in the meristematic zone was higher than that in the elongation zone, which was the first time that the NIR fluorescence probe was used to obtain images of Cys in A. thaliana. The superior properties of the probe exhibit its great potential for use in biosystems to explore the physiological and pathological processes associated with Cys.

Heterografting enhances chrysanthemums resistance to Alternaria alternata via jasmonate-mediated increases in trichomes and terpenoids.

Trichomes, specialized hair-like structures in the epidermal cells of the aboveground parts of plants, protect plants from pests and pathogens and produce valuable metabolites. Chrysanthemum morifolium, used in tea products, has ornamental and medicinal value. However, it is susceptible to Alternaria alternata fungal infection, posing a threat to its production and use, resulting in substantial economic losses. Increasing the density of glandular trichomes enhances disease resistance and improves the production of medicinal metabolites in chrysanthemums. Jasmonate (JA), promotes the formation of glandular trichomes in various plants. However, it remains unclear whether glandular trichome in chrysanthemums are regulated by JA. Grafting, a technique to improve plant resistance to biotic stresses, has been insufficiently explored in its impact on glandular trichomes, terpenoids, and disease resistance. In this study, we demonstrated that grafting with Artemisia vulgaris rootstocks improves the resistance of chrysanthemum scions to A. alternata. Heterografted chrysanthemums exhibited higher trichome density and terpenoid content compared to self-grafted counterparts. Transcriptome analysis highlighted the significant role of CmJAZ1-like in disease resistance in heterografted chrysanthemums. Overexpressing CmJAZ1-like lines exhibited sensitivity to A. alternate, characterized by reduced glandular trichome density and limited terpenoids. Conversely, silencing lines exhibited resistance to A. alternata showcasing increased glandular trichome density and abundant terpenoids. Higher JA content was confirmed in heterografted chrysanthemum scions compared to self-grafted ones. Furthermore, we established that JA promotes the development of glandular trichomes and the synthesis of terpenoids while inducing the degradation of CmJAZ1-like proteins in chrysanthemums. These findings suggest that higher JA increases trichome density and terpenoid content, enhancing resistance to A. alternata by regulating CmJAZ1-like in heterografted chrysanthemums.

Effect of Remimazolam on Emergence Delirium in Children Undergoing Laparoscopic Surgery: A Double-Blinded Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Preventing emergence delirium is a clinical goal for pediatric anesthesia, yet there is no consensus on its prevention. This study investigated the hypothesis that a continuous infusion or a single bolus of remimazolam can reduce the incidence of emergence delirium in children. METHODS: A hundred and twenty children aged 1-6 years old were randomly and equally allocated into three groups: group RC, which received a continuous infusion of remimazolam at 1 mg kg -1 h -1; group RB, which received a single bolus of remimazolam at 0.2 mg kg -1 at the beginning of wound closure; and group C, which received a continuous infusion of saline at 1 mL kg -1 h -1 and single bolus of saline at 0.2 mL kg -1 at the beginning of sutures. The primary outcome was the incidence of emergence delirium assessed by pediatric anesthesia emergence delirium (PAED) scale. Secondary outcomes included the number of rescues propofol administrations in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), recovery time, end-tidal sevoflurane concentration when maintaining BIS within the range of 40-60, and adverse events. RESULTS: The incidence of emergence delirium in group RC (5%, vs. group C, risk ratio, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.59; P=0.001) and group RB (7.7%, vs. group C, risk ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.71; P=0.003) was significantly lower compared with group C (32.5%). Propofol was given to 2 patients in each of groups RC and RB to treat delirium and to 10 patients in group C (group RC vs. group C, risk ratio, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.86; P=0.012; group RB vs. group C, risk ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.88; P=0.014). No differences in the recovery time and adverse effects were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Both continuous infusion and single bolus administration of remimazolam can effectively reduce the occurrence of emergence delirium in children.

The fertility tracks of pollen tube in the ovary of Solanum nigrum by three-dimensional reconstruction.

In this paper, we present an enhanced method for automatically capturing a large number of consecutive paraffin sections using a microscope. Leveraging these microstructural images, we employed three-dimensional visualisation and reconstruction techniques to investigate the dispersal growth process of pollen tube bundles upon entering the ovary of Solanum nigrum. Additionally, we explored their behaviour within different ovules and examined the relationship between the germination rate of seeds and the fertilisation process. Our findings reveal that despite the abundance of Solanum nigrum seeds, only a fraction of them is capable of successful germination. The germination rate of seeds is closely related to whether fertilisation of the ovules and pollen tubes is completed. Due to the limited number of pollen tubes entering the ovary, only a portion of the ovules can be fertilised. The proportion of fertilised ovules positively correlates with the germination rate of the seeds. Through three-dimensional reconstruction, we observed a phenomenon of proximity during the pollination process, wherein ovules closer to the pollen tube bundles are more likely to be fertilised. Furthermore, fertilised ovules exhibited significant changes in morphology and embryo sac structure. The number of fertilised ovules directly impacts the germination rate of wild Solanum nigrum seeds. Although all Solanum nigrum ovules have the potential to develop into seeds, most seeds originating from unfertilised ovules are unable to germinate normally, resulting in an incomplete germination rate of seeds and preventing it from reaching 100%.

SpRab11a-Regulated Exosomes Inhibit Bacterial Infection through the Activation of Antilipopolysaccharide Factors in Crustaceans.

Exosomes, secreted by most cells, are critical antimicrobial immune factors in animals. Recent studies of certain key regulators of vesicular transport, the Rab GTPases, have linked Rab dysfunction to regulation of innate immune signaling. However, the relationship between exosomes and Rab GTPases, resulting in antimicrobial activity in vertebrates and invertebrates during pathogenic infection, has not been addressed. In this study, SpRab11a was reported to have a protective effect on the survival rate of mud crabs Scylla paramamosain after Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge through the stimulation of exosome secretion and modulation of anti-LPS factor (ALF) expression. Furthermore, Sp14-3-3 was confirmed to be densely packaged in exosomes after V. parahaemolyticus infection, which could recruit the MyD88 and TLR by binding the Toll/IL-1R domain to the plasma membrane, promoting the translocation of Dorsal from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, and thereby regulating ALFs expression in the hemocytes of mud crab in response to the bacterial infection. The findings therefore provide, to our knowledge, a novel mechanism that underlies the cross-talk between SpRab11a-regulated exosome formation and ALFs expression in innate immune response in invertebrates, with a crustacean species, mud crab S. paramamosain, as a model study.

Deacetylation of K481 and K484 on Penaeid Shrimp Hemocyanin Is Critical for Antibacterial Activity.

Although invertebrates' innate immunity relies on several immune-like molecules, the diversity of these molecules and their immune response mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we show that Penaeus vannamei hemocyanin (PvHMC) undergoes specific deacetylation under Vibrio parahaemolyticus and LPS challenge. In vitro deacetylation of PvHMC increases its binding capacity with LPS and antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Lysine residues K481 and K484 on the Ig-like domain of PvHMC are the main acetylation sites modulated by the acetyltransferase TIP60 and deacetylase HDAC3. Deacetylation of PvHMC on K481 and K484 allows PvHMC to form a positively charged binding pocket that interacts directly with LPS, whereas acetylation abrogates the positive charge to decrease PvHMC-LPS attraction. Besides, V. parahaemolyticus and LPS challenge increases the expression of Pvhdac3 to induce PvHMC deacetylation. This work indicates that, during bacterial infections, deacetylation of hemocyanin is crucial for binding with LPS to clear Gram-negative bacteria in crustaceans.

p53 Ubiquitination Comediated by HUWE1 and TRAF6 Contributes to White Spot Syndrome Virus Infection in Crustacean.

p53, the guardian of the genome, is a short-lived protein that is tightly controlled at low levels by constant ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in higher organisms. p53 stabilization and activation are early crucial events to cope with external stimuli in cells. However, the role of p53 ubiquitination and its relevant molecular mechanisms have not been addressed in invertebrates. In this study, our findings revealed that both HUWE1 (HECT, UBA, and WWE domain-containing E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase 1) and TRAF6 (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6) could serve as E3 ubiquitin ligases for p53 in mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain). Moreover, the expression of HUWE1 and TRAF6 was significantly downregulated during white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection, and therefore the ubiquitination of p53 was interrupted, leading to the activation of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals through p53 accumulation, which eventually suppressed viral invasion in the mud crabs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the p53 ubiquitination simultaneously induced by two E3 ligases in arthropods, which provides a novel molecular mechanism of invertebrates for resistance to viral infection. IMPORTANCE p53, which is a well-known tumor suppressor that has been widely studied in higher animals, has been reported to be tightly controlled at low levels by ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. However, recent p53 ubiquitination-relevant research mainly involved an individual E3 ubiquitin ligase, but not whether there exist other mechanisms that need to be explored. The results of this study show that HUWE1 and TRAF6 could serve as p53 E3 ubiquitin ligases and synchronously mediate p53 ubiquitination in mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain), which confirmed the diversity of the p53 ubiquitination regulatory pathway. In addition, the effects of p53 ubiquitination are mainly focused on tumorigenesis, but a few are focused on the host immune defense in invertebrates. Our findings reveal that p53 ubiquitination could affect ROS and apoptosis signals to cope with WSSV infection in mud crabs, which is the first clarification of the immunologic functions and mechanisms of p53 ubiquitination in invertebrates.

Exosomal miR-224 contributes to hemolymph microbiota homeostasis during bacterial infection in crustacean.

It is well known that exosomes could serve as anti-microbial immune factors in animals. However, despite growing evidences have shown that the homeostasis of the hemolymph microbiota was vital for immune regulation in crustaceans, the relationship between exosomes and hemolymph microbiota homeostasis during pathogenic bacteria infection has not been addressed. Here, we reported that exosomes released from Vibrio parahaemolyticus-infected mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain) could help to maintain the homeostasis of hemolymph microbiota and have a protective effect on the mortality of the host during the infection process. We further confirmed that miR-224 was densely packaged in these exosomes, resulting in the suppression of HSP70 and disruption of the HSP70-TRAF6 complex, then the released TRAF6 further interacted with Ecsit to regulate the production of mitochondrial ROS (mROS) and the expression of Anti-lipopolysaccharide factors (ALFs) in recipient hemocytes, which eventually affected hemolymph microbiota homeostasis in response to the pathogenic bacteria infection in mud crab. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first document that reports the role of exosome in the hemolymph microbiota homeostasis modulation during pathogen infection, which reveals the crosstalk between exosomal miRNAs and innate immune response in crustaceans.

Nitrate improves aluminium resistance through SLAH-mediated citrate exudation from roots.

Aluminium (Al) toxicity is one of the major constraint for crop production in acidic soil, and the inappropriate utilization of nitrogen fertilizer can accelerate soil acidification. Despite previous studies investigating the regulation of nitrogen forms in Al toxicity of plants, the underlying mechanism, particularly at the molecular level, remains unclear. This study aims to uncover the potentially regulatory mechanism of nitrate (NO3 - ) in the Al resistance of maize and Arabidopsis. NO3 - conservatively improves Al resistance in maize and Arabidopsis, with nitrate-elevated citrate synthesis and exudation potentially playing critical roles in excluding Al from the root symplast. ZmSLAH2 in maize and AtSLAH1 in Arabidopsis are essential for the regulation of citrate exudation and NO3 - -promoted Al resistance, with ZmMYB81 directly targeting the ZmSLAH2 promoter to activate its activity. Additionally, NO3 - transport is necessary for NO3 - -promoted Al resistance, with ZmNRT1.1A and AtNRT1.1 potentially playing vital roles. The suppression of NO3 - transport in roots by ammonium (NH4 + ) may inhibit NO3 - -promoted Al resistance. This study provides novel insights into the understanding of the crucial role of NO3 - -mediated signalling in the Al resistance of plants and offers guidance for nitrogen fertilization on acid soils.

Effects of high stocking density on growth performance and expression of MyD88, and its temporal expression under the challenge of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the noble scallop Chlamys nobilis.

High stocking density has been regarded as an adverse factor in bivalve aquaculture. However, its subsequent molecular response to pathogenic bacteria has been little studied. In order to study the question, a novel MyD88 was first cloned using adult noble scallops Chlamys nobilis (CnMyD88), and its tissue distribution was investigated. Then, 1860 juvenile scallops were divided into two groups with two initial densities of high density (200 individuals/layer, HD) and normal density (110 individuals/layer, ND) and in-situ cultured for three months, in which their growth, survival, and the differential expression of CnMyD88 were examined, respectively. Finally, scallops were injected with the Vibrio parahaemolyticus to assess the temporal expression of CnMyD88. As the results show, CnMyD88 cDNA has a full length of 2241 bp and contains an 1107 bp ORF that encodes a 368-derived protein. It was widely expressed in examined tissues with a significantly higher level in hemolymph, intestine, mantle, and gonad than others. Besides, the HD group showed lower growth (0.39 ± 0.05 mm/day) and survival (37.00 ± 8.49%) than the ND group (0.55 ± 0.02 mm/day and 76.82 ± 5.78%). More importantly, the HD group exhibited significantly lower expression levels of CnMyD88 in their examined tissues than the ND group. After V. parahaemolyticus challenging, CnMyD88 had significantly lower expression levels in the scallops from the HD group than that of the scallops from the ND group at 6th, 24th, and 36th. The present results indicated that high stocking density not only made adverse impacts on growth and survival but also may induce immunosuppression in the noble scallop. Therefore, appropriate low stocking density may be worth considering to adopt in scallop aquaculture.

Dual-Channel-Ion Conductor Membrane for Low-Energy Lithium Extraction.

The development of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lithium extraction techniques is essential to meet the growing global demand for lithium-ion batteries. In this work, a dual-channel ion conductor membrane was designed for a concentration-driven lithium-selective ion diffusion process. The membrane was based on a porous lithium-ion conductor, and its pores were modified with an anion-exchange polymer. Thus, the sintered lithium-ion conductors provided highly selective cation transport channels, and the functionalized nanopores with positive charges enabled the complementary permeation of anions to balance the transmembrane charges. As a result, the dual-channel membrane realized an ultrahigh Li+/Na+ selectivity of ∼1389 with a competitive Li+ flux of 21.6 mmol·m-2·h-1 in a diffusion process of the LiCl/NaCl binary solution, which was capable of further maintaining the high selectivity over 7 days of testing. Therefore, this work demonstrates the great potential of the dual-channel membrane design for high-performing lithium extraction from aqueous resources with low energy consumption and minimal environmental impact.

The Microbial Composition of Penaeid Shrimps' Hepatopancreas Is Modulated by Hemocyanin.

Aquatic organisms have to produce proteins or factors that help maintain a stable relationship with microbiota and prevent colonization by pathogenic microorganisms. In crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates, relatively few of these host factors have been characterized. In this study, we show that the respiratory glycoprotein hemocyanin is a crucial host factor that modulates microbial composition and diversity in the hepatopancreas of penaeid shrimp. Diseased penaeid shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), had an empty gastrointestinal tract with atrophied hepatopancreas, expressed low hemocyanin, and high total bacterial abundance, with Vibrio as the dominant bacteria. Similarly, shrimp depleted of hemocyanin had mitochondrial depolarization, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and dysregulation of several energy metabolism-related genes. Hemocyanin silencing together with ROS scavenger (N-acetylcysteine) treatment improved microbial diversity and decreased Vibrio dominance in the hepatopancreas. However, fecal microbiota transplantation after hemocyanin knockdown could not restore the microbial composition in the hepatopancreas. Collectively, our data provide, to our knowledge, new insight into the pivotal role of hemocyanin in modulating microbial composition in penaeid shrimp hepatopancreas via its effect on mitochondrial integrity, energy metabolism, and ROS production.

Amphiphilic Polyethylene-b-poly(L-lysine) Block Copolymer: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Responsivity.

Polyethylene-b-polypeptide copolymers are biologically interesting, but studies of their synthesis and properties are very few. This paper reports synthesis and characterization of well-defined amphiphilic polyethylene-block-poly(L-lysine) (PE-b-PLL) block copolymers by combining nickel-catalyzed living ethylene polymerization with controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine-N-carboxyanhydride (Z-Lys-NCA) and sequential post-functionalization. Amphiphilic PE-b-PLL block copolymers self-assembled into spherical micelles with a hydrophobic PE core in aqueous solution. The pH and ionic responsivities of PE-b-PLL polymeric micelles were investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, UV-circular dichroism, and transmission electron microscopy. The variation of pH values led to the conformational alteration of PLL from α-helix to coil, thereby changing the micelle dimensions.

Endogenous corticotropin-releasing factor potentiates the excitability of presympathetic neurons in paraventricular nucleus via activation of its receptor 1 in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

It is well established that increased excitability of the presympathetic neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) during hypertension leads to heightened sympathetic outflow and hypertension. However, the mechanism underlying the overactivation of PVN presympathetic neurons remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of endogenous corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on the excitability of presympathetic neurons in PVN using Western blot, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) recording, CRISPR/Cas9 technique and patch-clamp technique. The results showed that CRF protein expression in PVN was significantly upregulated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Besides, PVN administration of exogenous CRF significantly increased RSNA, heart rate and ABP in WKY rats. In contrast, knockdown of upregulated CRF in PVN of SHRs inhibited CRF expression, led to membrane potential hyperpolarization, and decreased the frequency of current-evoked firings of PVN presympathetic neurons, which were reversed by incubation of exogenous CRF. Perfusion of rat brain slices with artificial cerebrospinal fluid containing CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1) blocker, NBI-35965, or CRF receptor 2 (CRFR2) blocker, Antisauvagine-30, showed that blocking CRFR1, but not CRFR2, hyperpolarized the membrane potential and inhibited the current-evoked firing of PVN presympathetic neurons in SHRs. However, blocking CRFR1 or CRFR2 did not affect the membrane potential and current-evoked firing of presympathetic neurons in WKY rats. Overall, these findings indicate that increased endogenous CRF release from PVN CRF neurons enhances the excitability of presympathetic neurons via activation of CRFR1 in SHRs.

Calmodulin-like protein CML24 interacts with CAMTA2 and WRKY46 to regulate ALMT1-dependent Al resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ALUMINUM-ACTIVATED MALATE TRANSPORTER1 (ALMT1)-mediated malate exudation from roots is critical for aluminium (Al) resistance in Arabidopsis. Its upstream molecular signalling regulation is not yet well understood. The role of CALMODULIN-LIKE24 (CML24) in Al-inhibited root growth and downstream molecular regulation of ALMT1-meditaed Al resistance was investigated. CML24 confers Al resistance demonstrated by an increased root-growth inhibition of the cml24 loss-of-function mutant under Al stress. This occurs mainly through the regulation of the ALMT1-mediated malate exudation from roots. The mutation and overexpression of CML24 leads to an elevated and reduced Al accumulation in the cell wall of roots, respectively. Al stress induced both transcript and protein abundance of CML24 in root tips, especially in the transition zone. CML24 interacts with CALMODULIN BINDING TRANSCRIPTION ACTIVATOR2 (CAMTA2) and promotes its transcriptional activity in the regulation of ALMT1 expression. This results in an enhanced malate exudation from roots and less root-growth inhibition under Al stress. Both CML24 and CAMTA2 interacted with WRKY46 suppressing the transcriptional repression of ALMT1 by WRKY46. The study provides novel insights into understanding of the upstream molecular signalling of the ALMT1-depdendent Al resistance.

Lipid nutritional quality of marine and freshwater bivalves and their aquaculture potential.

Omega-3 Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) are beneficial to human health. Since the industrial revolution, with the tremendous increase of human population, the supply of natural n-3 LC-PUFA is far lower than the nutritional need of n-3 LC-PUFA. Therefore, a new alternative source of natural n-3 LC-PUFA is urgently needed to reduce the supply and demand gap of n-3 LC-PUFA. Mollusks, mainly bivalves, are rich in n-3 LC-PUFA, but the information of bivalves' lipid profile is not well organized. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the published fatty acid profiles of bivalves and reveal the potential of bivalve aquaculture in meeting the nutritional needs of human for n-3 LC-PUFA. There are growing evidence show that the nutritional quality of bivalve lipid is not only species-specific, but also geographical specific. To date, bivalve aquaculture has not been evenly practiced across the globe. It can be seen that aquaculture is predominant in Asia, especially China. Unlike fish aquaculture, bivalve aquaculture does not rely on fishmeal and fish oil inputs, so it has better room for expansion. In order to unleash the full potential of bivalve aquaculture, there are some challenges need to be addressed, including recurrent mass mortalities of farmed bivalves, food safety and food security issues. The information of this article is very useful to provide an overview of lipid nutritional quality of bivalves, and reveal the potential of bivalve aquaculture in meeting the growing demand of human for n-3 LC-PUFA.

Spectroscopic Properties and Spin-Orbit Coupling of Electronic Excited States of GeCl.

The electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of GeCl+ are studied by high-level ab initio calculations by considering spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The potential energy curves (PECs) and spectroscopic constants of 12 Λ-S states and 23 Ω states are calculated using the multi-reference configuration interaction plus Davidson correction method (MRCI + Q), which are in good agreement with the experiment. Based on the calculated SO matrix and the PECs of the Ω states, the interaction between the d3Π state and other states caused by the SOC and the double-potential well structure caused by the avoided crossing rule and the properties of transitions d3Π0+-X1Σ+0+, d3Π1-X1Σ+0+, and a3Σ+1-X1Σ+0+ are studied. Our results indicate that the previously observed spectra of GeCl+ in the 290-325 nm range should be assigned as the a3Σ+1-X1Σ+0+ transition. Moreover, the predissociation behavior of the d3Π state between the vibrational levels v' = 1 and v' = 10 is discussed, and the radiative lifetimes of transitions d3Π0+-X1Σ+0+ and d3Π1-X1Σ+0+ are evaluated on the order of microseconds, while a3Σ+1-X1Σ+0+ is on the order of milliseconds. We estimate that the strongest bands of a3Σ+1-X1Σ+0+ are the 0-16, 0-17, and 0-18 bands. This study will promote our understanding of the detailed electronic structure and spectra of the GeCl+ radical cation.

Mitochondrial small heat shock protein mediates seed germination via thermal sensing.

Seed germination is an energy demanding process that requires functional mitochondria upon imbibition. However, how mitochondria fine tune seed germination, especially in response to the dynamics of environmental temperature, remains largely unknown at the molecular level. Here, we report a mitochondrial matrix-localized heat shock protein GhHSP24.7, that regulates seed germination in a temperature-dependent manner. Suppression of GhHSP24.7 renders the seed insensitive to temperature changes and delays germination. We show that GhHSP24.7 competes with GhCCMH to bind to the maturation subunit protein GhCcmFc to form cytochrome C/C1 (CytC/C1) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. GhHSP24.7 modulates CytC/C1 production to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which consequently accelerates endosperm rupture and promotes seed germination. Overexpression of GhHSP24.7's homologous genes can accelerate seed germination in Arabidopsis and tomato, indicating its conserved function across plant species. Therefore, HSP24.7 is a critical factor that positively controls seed germination via temperature-dependent ROS generation.