Brain-Controlled Hand Exoskeleton Based on Augmented Reality-Fused Stimulus Paradigm.

Advancements in brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have led to the development of novel rehabilitation training methods for people with impaired hand function. However, contemporary hand exoskeleton systems predominantly adopt passive control methods, leading to low system performance. In this work, an active brain-controlled hand exoskeleton system is proposed that uses a novel augmented reality-fused stimulus (AR-FS) paradigm as a human-machine interface, which enables users to actively control their fingers to move. Considering that the proposed AR-FS paradigm generates movement artifacts during hand movements, an enhanced decoding algorithm is designed to improve the decoding accuracy and robustness of the system. In online experiments, participants performed online control tasks using the proposed system, with an average task time cost of 16.27 s, an average output latency of 1.54 s, and an average correlation instantaneous rate (CIR) of 0.0321. The proposed system shows 35.37% better efficiency, 8.03% reduced system delay, and 35.28% better stability than the traditional system. This study not only provides an efficient rehabilitation solution for people with impaired hand function but also expands the application prospects of brain-control technology in areas such as human augmentation, patient monitoring, and remote robotic interaction. The video in Graphical Abstract Video demonstrates the user's process of operating the proposed brain-controlled hand exoskeleton system.

Effects of an Early Intensive Blood Pressure-lowering Strategy Using Remifentanil and Dexmedetomidine in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Multicenter, Prospective, Superiority, Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Although it has been established that elevated blood pressure and its variability worsen outcomes in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, antihypertensives use during the acute phase still lacks robust evidence. A blood pressure-lowering regimen using remifentanil and dexmedetomidine might be a reasonable therapeutic option given their analgesic and antisympathetic effects. The objective of this superiority trial was to validate the efficacy and safety of this blood pressure-lowering strategy that uses remifentanil and dexmedetomidine in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: In this multicenter, prospective, single-blinded, superiority randomized controlled trial, patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and systolic blood pressure (SBP) 150 mmHg or greater were randomly allocated to the intervention group (a preset protocol with a standard guideline management using remifentanil and dexmedetomidine) or the control group (standard guideline-based management) to receive blood pressure-lowering treatment. The primary outcome was the SBP control rate (less than 140 mmHg) at 1 h posttreatment initiation. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure variability, neurologic function, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 338 patients were allocated to the intervention (n = 167) or control group (n = 171). The SBP control rate at 1 h posttreatment initiation in the intervention group was higher than that in controls (101 of 161, 62.7% vs. 66 of 166, 39.8%; difference, 23.2%; 95% CI, 12.4 to 34.1%; P < 0.001). Analysis of secondary outcomes indicated that patients in the intervention group could effectively reduce agitation while achieving lighter sedation, but no improvement in clinical outcomes was observed. Regarding safety, the incidence of bradycardia and respiratory depression was higher in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Among intracerebral hemorrhage patients with a SBP 150 mmHg or greater, a preset protocol using a remifentanil and dexmedetomidine-based standard guideline management significantly increased the SBP control rate at 1 h posttreatment compared with the standard guideline-based management.

KLF2 Orchestrates Pathological Progression of Infantile Hemangioma through Hemangioma Stem Cell Fate Decisions.

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most prevalent vascular tumor during infancy, characterized by a rapid proliferation phase of disorganized blood vessels and spontaneous involution. IH possibly arises from a special type of multipotent stem cells called hemangioma stem cells (HemSCs), which could differentiate into endothelial cells, pericytes, and adipocytes. However, the underlying mechanisms that regulate the cell fate determination of HemSCs remain elusive. In this study, we unveil KLF2 as a candidate transcription factor involved in the control of HemSCs differentiation. KLF2 exhibits high expression in endothelial cells in proliferating IH but diminishes in adipocytes in involuting IH. Using a combination of in vitro culture of patient-derived HemSCs and HemSCs implantation mouse models, we show that KLF2 governs the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression of HemSCs. Importantly, KLF2 acts as a crucial determinant of HemSC fate, directing their differentiation toward endothelial cells while inhibiting adipogenesis. Knockdown of KLF2 induces a proadipogenic transcriptome in HemSCs, leading to impaired blood vessel formation and accelerated adipocyte differentiation. Collectively, our findings highlight KLF2 as a critical regulator controlling the progression and involution of IH by modulating HemSC fate decisions.

Physiological and autophagy evaluation of different pear varieties (Pyrus spp.) in response to Botryosphaeria dothidea infection.

Ring rot disease is one of the most common diseases in pear orchards. To better understand the physiology, biochemistry and autophagic changes of different pear varieties after Botryosphaeria dothidea (B.dothidea) infection, we evaluated eight different pear varieties for B. dothidea resistance. The susceptible varieties had larger spot diameters, lower chlorophyll contents and higher malondialdehyde contents than the resistant varieties. In disease-resistant varieties, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were relatively lower, while the ROS metabolism (antioxidant enzyme activities and the ascorbic acid-glutathione cycle) was also maintained at higher levels, and it induced a significant upregulation of related gene expression. In addition, autophagy, as an important evaluation index, was found to have more autophagic activity in disease-resistant varieties than in susceptible varieties, suggesting that pathogen infestation drives plants to increase autophagy to defend against pathogens. In summary, the results of this study reveal that different resistant pear varieties enhance plant resistance to the disease through a series of physio-biochemical changes and autophagic activity after inoculation with B. dothidea. This study provides clear physiological and biochemical traits for pear disease resistance selection, potential genetic resources and material basis for pear disease control and disease resistance, breeding and points out the direction for research on the mechanism of pear resistance to B. dothidea.

N-Terminalized Ti3 C2 Tx MXene for Supercapacitor with Extraordinary Pseudocapacitance Performance.

MXenes have demonstrated significant potential in electrochemical energy storage, particularly in supercapacitors, owing to their exceptional properties. The surface terminal groups of MXene play a pivotal role in pseudocapacitive mechanism. Considering the hindered electrolyte ion transport caused by -F terminal groups and the limited ion binding sites associated with -O terminal groups, this study proposes a novel strategy of replacing -F with -N terminal groups. The modulated MXene-N electrode, featuring a substantial number of -N terminal groups, demonstrates an exceptionally high gravimetric capacitance of 566 F g-1 (at a scan rate of 2 mV s-1 ) or 588 F g-1 (at a discharge rate of 1 A g-1 ) in 1 м H2 SO4 electrolyte, and the potential window is significantly increased. Furthermore, subsequent spectra analysis and density functional theory calculations are employed to investigate the mechanism associated with -N terminal groups. This work exemplifies the significance of terminal modulation in the context of electrochemical energy storage.

PbHsfC1a-coordinates ABA biosynthesis and H2O2 signalling pathways to improve drought tolerance in Pyrus betulaefolia.

Abiotic stresses have had a substantial impact on fruit crop output and quality. Plants have evolved an efficient immune system to combat abiotic stress, which employs reactive oxygen species (ROS) to activate the downstream defence response signals. Although an aquaporin protein encoded by PbPIP1;4 is identified from transcriptome analysis of Pyrus betulaefolia plants under drought treatments, little attention has been paid to the role of PIP and ROS in responding to abiotic stresses in pear plants. In this study, we discovered that overexpression of PbPIP1;4 in pear callus improved tolerance to oxidative and osmotic stresses by reconstructing redox homeostasis and ABA signal pathways. PbPIP1;4 overexpression enhanced the transport of H2O2 into pear and yeast cells. Overexpression of PbPIP1;4 in Arabidopsis plants mitigates the stress effects caused by adding ABA, including stomatal closure and reduction of seed germination and seedling growth. Overexpression of PbPIP1;4 in Arabidopsis plants decreases drought-induced leaf withering. The PbPIP1;4 promoter could be bound and activated by TF PbHsfC1a. Overexpression of PbHsfC1a in Arabidopsis plants rescued the leaf from wilting under drought stress. PbHsfC1a could bind to and activate AtNCED4 and PbNCED4 promoters, but the activation could be inhibited by adding ABA. Besides, PbNCED expression was up-regulated under H2O2 treatment but down-regulated under ABA treatment. In conclusion, this study revealed that PbHsfC1a is a positive regulator of abiotic stress, by targeting PbPIP1;4 and PbNCED4 promoters and activating their expression to mediate redox homeostasis and ABA biosynthesis. It provides valuable information for breeding drought-resistant pear cultivars through gene modification.

[Diagnosis and treatment of 11 patients with cevical spondylotic amyotrophy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical features, treatment methods and clinical effects of cervical spondylosis with proximal muscular atrophy. METHODS: Eleven patients with proximal-type cervical spondylotic amyotrophy were retrospectively studied from September 2016 to November 2020, including 7 males and 4 females, aged 38 to 68 years old. Clinical symptoms, MRI and neuroelectrophysiological manifestations were analyzed, and patients were treated with conservative treatment or anterior cervical decompression fusion surgery, respectively. The efficacy was evaluated by manual muscle test (MMT) before and after treatment, and patients' satisfaction was followed up at the same time. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 6 to 19 months. All 11 patients were unilateral, mainly manifested by atrophy of deltoid muscle, supraspinatus muscle and infraspinatus muscle, and may be accompanied by ipsilateral neck and shoulder pain at early stage. MRI showed lesions at C4,5, C5,6 segments were more common. Electrophysiological examination showed the affected muscle was denervated, and amplitude of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) of innervated nerve on the affected side was lower than that on the healthy side. All patients were obtained bone fusion. One patient who were underwent anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) occurred developed contralateral C5 nerve root paralysis after operation, which recovered completely after 10 weeks of symptomatic treatment. At 12 months after operation, the efficacy was evaluated according to MMT, 3 patients were treated conservatively, 2 patients excellent and 1 good;in 8 patients treated by operation, 3 patients were excellent, 4 good, and 1 moderate. CONCLUSION: The incidence of cervical spondylosis with proximal muscular atrophy is low, which is manifested as unilateral proximal muscle atrophy and may be accompanied by ipsilateral neck and shoulder pain in the early stage. Combined with MRI and neuroelectrophysiological examination, misdiagnosis could be reduced. In the early stage of disease, especially in the case of nucleus pulposus protrusion leading to nerve compression, conservative treatment could be taken. When the conservative treatment is ineffective or the pain cannot be tolerated, anterior decompression surgery is recommended, and the overall effect is satisfactory.

Investigation on the effect of ulinastatin on the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells in rats with aortic dissection based on the Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ulinastatin on the apoptosis and (Sirt1/FoxO3a) pathway of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in aortic dissection (AD) rats. For this purpose a rat model of aortic dissection (AD) was constructed by giving drinking water containing 0.08% ß-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) to rats, HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of the aorta in AD rats; the diseased blood vessels of AD rats were taken for primary culture and passage of VSMCs, the morphology of VSMCs was observed, and VSMCs were identify with immunofluorescence staining; VSMCs were treated with culture media containing 0, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 U/mL ulinastatin, and MTT kit was used to determine the effect of ulinastatin on VSMC proliferation in AD rats; the VSMC of AD rats were divided into blank group (normal culture), ulinastatin group (medium containing 5000 U/mL ulinastatin), Sirt1 inhibitor group (medium containing 1 µmol/L EX527), ulinastatin + Sirt1 inhibitor group (medium containing 5000 U/mL ulinastatin, 1 µmol/L EX527), flow cytometry was used to detect the VSMC apoptosis in each group, WB was used to detect the expression of VSMC apoptosis-related proteins and Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway-related proteins in each group. Findings suggested that the aortic wall of AD rats was thickened, and the dissection false cavity appeared; VSMC mostly presented different shapes such as triangles and stars, the immunofluorescence staining results showed that α-SMA was arranged in the cytoplasm in the form of myofilaments, showing green fluorescence, and the nucleus showed blue fluorescence, and the rate of positive cells was more than 95%; various doses of ulinastatin had a certain inhibitory effect on the proliferation of VSMC, and 5000 U/mL ulinastatin had a higher proliferation inhibition rate; compared with the blank group, the VSMC apoptosis rate, Caspase-3, Bax protein, Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway related protein expression in the ulinastatin group were significantly increased, and the Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly decreased (P<0.05), the VSMC apoptosis rate, Caspase-3, Bax protein, Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway related protein expression in the Sirt1 inhibitor group were significantly decreased, and the Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly increased (P<0.05); compared with the ulinastatin group, the VSMC apoptosis rate, Caspase-3, Bax protein, Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway related protein expression in the ulinastatin + Sirt1 inhibitor group were significantly decreased, and the Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly increased (P<0.05). It was concluded that ulinastatin can inhibit the proliferation of VSMCs in AD rats and promote their apoptosis, which may be achieved by activating the Sirt1/FoxO3a pathway.

PbrChiA: a key chitinase of pear in response to Botryosphaeria dothidea infection by interacting with PbrLYK1b2 and down-regulating ROS accumulation.

Pear ring rot, caused by the pathogenic fungi Botryosphaeria dothidea, seriously affects pear production. While the infection-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst of infected plants limits the proliferation of B. dothidea during the early infection stage, high ROS levels can also contribute to their growth during the later necrotrophic infection stage. Therefore, it is important to understand how plants balance ROS levels and resistance to pathogenic B. dothidea during the later stage. In this study, we identified PbrChiA, a glycosyl hydrolases 18 (GH18) chitinase-encoding gene with high infection-induced expression, through a comparative transcriptome analysis. Artificial substitution, stable overexpression, and virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiments demonstrated that PbrChiA can positively regulate pear resistance as a secreted chitinase to break down B. dothidea mycelium in vitro and that overexpression of PbrChiA suppressed infection-induced ROS accumulation. Further analysis revealed that PbrChiA can bind to the ectodomain of PbrLYK1b2, and this interaction suppressed PbrLYK1b2-mediated chitin-induced ROS accumulation. Collectively, we propose that the combination of higher antifungal activity from abundant PbrChiA and lower ROS levels during later necrotrophic infection stage confer resistance of pear against B. dothidea.

Atg2 Regulates Cellular and Humoral Immunity in Drosophila.

Autophagy is a process that promotes the lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic proteins and is highly conserved in eukaryotic organisms. Autophagy maintains homeostasis in organisms and regulates multiple developmental processes, and autophagy disruption is related to human diseases. However, the functional roles of autophagy in mediating innate immune responses are largely unknown. In this study, we sought to understand how Atg2, an autophagy-related gene, functions in the innate immunity of Drosophila melanogaster. The results showed that a large number of melanotic nodules were produced upon inhibition of Atg2. In addition, inhibiting Atg2 suppressed the phagocytosis of latex beads, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli; the proportion of Nimrod C1 (one of the phagocytosis receptors)-positive hemocytes also decreased. Moreover, inhibiting Atg2 altered actin cytoskeleton patterns, showing longer filopodia but with decreased numbers of filopodia. The expression of AMP-encoding genes was altered by inhibiting Atg2. Drosomycin was upregulated, and the transcript levels of Attacin-A, Diptericin and Metchnikowin were decreased. Finally, the above alterations caused by the inhibition of Atg2 prevented flies from resisting invading pathogens, showing that flies with low expression of Atg2 were highly susceptible to Staphylococcus aureus and Erwinia carotovora carotovora 15 infections. In conclusion, Atg2 regulated both cellular and humoral innate immunity in Drosophila. We have identified Atg2 as a crucial regulator in mediating the homeostasis of immunity, which further established the interactions between autophagy and innate immunity.

Transcription factor PbbZIP4 is targeted for proteasome-mediated degradation by the ubiquitin ligase PbATL18 to influence pear's resistance to Colletotrichum fructicola by regulating the expression of PbNPR3.

Pear anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fructicola is one of the main fungal diseases in all pear-producing areas. The degradation of ubiquitinated proteins by the 26S proteasome is a regulatory mechanism of eukaryotes. E3 ubiquitin ligase is substrate specific and is one of the most diversified and abundant enzymes in the regulation mechanism of plant ubiquitination. Although numerous studies in other plants have shown that the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins by the 26S proteasome is closely related to plant immunity, there are limited studies on them in pear trees. Here, we found that an E3 ubiquitin ligase, PbATL18, interacts with and ubiquitinates the transcription factor PbbZIP4, and this process is enhanced by C. fructicola infection. PbATL18 overexpression in pear callus enhanced resistance to C. fructicola infection, whereas PbbZIP4 overexpression increased sensitivity to C. fructicola infection. Silencing PbATL18 and PbbZIP4 in Pyrus betulaefolia seedlings resulted in opposite effects, with PbbZIP4 silencing enhancing resistance to C. fructicola infection and PbATL18 silencing increasing sensitivity to C. fructicola infection. Using yeast one-hybrid screens, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and dual-luciferase assays, we demonstrated that the transcription factor PbbZIP4 upregulated the expression of PbNPR3 by directly binding to its promoter. PbNPR3 is one of the key genes in the salicylic acid (SA) signal transduction pathway that can inhibit SA signal transduction. Here, we proposed a PbATL18-PbbZIP4-PbNPR3-SA model for plant response to C. fructicola infection. PbbZIP4 was ubiquitinated by PbATL18 and degraded by the 26S proteasome, which decreased the expression of PbNPR3 and promoted SA signal transduction, thereby enhancing plant C. fructicola resistance. Our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of pear response to C. fructicola infection, which can serve as a theoretical basis for breeding superior disease-resistant pear varieties.

Visual isothermal amplification detection of ASFV based on trimeric G-quadruplex cis-cleavage activity of Cas-12a.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a kind of DNA virus and can infect both domestic pigs and wild boars with fatality up to 100%. The contaminated meat products mainly led to the worldwide transmission of ASFV. The outbreak of ASF greatly affects the supply stability of meat products as well as the development of the global pig industry. In this study, a visual isothermal amplification detection assay for ASFV based on trimeric G-quadruplex cis-cleavage activity of Cas12a was developed. The introduction of Cas12a could discriminate the specific amplification from the non-specific amplification and improve the sensitivity. The detection limit was as low as 0.23 copies/µL. This assay had good potential in the detection of ASFV and would be helpful for the stability of meat production and supply.

PbrWRKY70 increases pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd) black spot disease tolerance by negatively regulating ethylene synthesis via PbrERF1B-2.

Various pear plant cultivars exhibit diverse abilities to resist pear black spot disease (BSD), while the precise molecular mechanisms of resistance against pear BSD remain unclear. This study proposed a profound expression of a WRKY gene, namely PbrWRKY70, derived from Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd, within a BSD-resistant pear cultivar. Comparative analysis against the wild-type revealed that the overexpression of PbrWRKY70 engendered augmented BSD resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and pear calli. Notably, the transgenic plants exhibited higher activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, along with an elevated capacity to counteract superoxide anions via increased anti-O2-. Additionally, these plants displayed diminished lesion diameter, as well as reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) contents. We subsequently demonstrated that PbrWRKY70 selectively bound to the promoter region of ethylene-responsive transcription factor 1B-2 (PbrERF1B-2), a potential negative regulator of ACC, thereby downregulating the expression of ACC synthase gene (PbrACS3). Consequently, we confirmed that PbrWRKY70 could enhance pear resistance against BSD by reducing ethylene production via modulation of the PbrERF1B-2-PbrACS3 pathway. This study established the pivotal relationship among PbrWRKY70, ethylene synthesis and pear BSD resistance, fostering the development of novel BSD-resistant cultivars. Furthermore, this breakthrough holds the potential to enhance pear fruit yield and optimize storage and processing during the later stages of fruit maturation.

Quantum behavior of the Duffing oscillator at the dissipative phase transition.

The non-deterministic behavior of the Duffing oscillator is classically attributed to the coexistence of two steady states in a double-well potential. However, this interpretation fails in the quantum-mechanical perspective which predicts a single unique steady state. Here, we measure the non-equilibrium dynamics of a superconducting Duffing oscillator and experimentally reconcile the classical and quantum descriptions as indicated by the Liouvillian spectral theory. We demonstrate that the two classically regarded steady states are in fact quantum metastable states. They have a remarkably long lifetime but must eventually relax into the single unique steady state allowed by quantum mechanics. By engineering their lifetime, we observe a first-order dissipative phase transition and reveal the two distinct phases by quantum state tomography. Our results reveal a smooth quantum state evolution behind a sudden dissipative phase transition and form an essential step towards understanding the intriguing phenomena in driven-dissipative systems.

Association between base excess and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients: A secondary analysis based on the MIMIC- IV database.

Objective: The relationship between base excess (BE) and 28-day death in sepsis patients remains to be elucidated. The aim of our clinical study is to explore the association of BE with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis by using a large sample, multicenter Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Methods: We extracted the data of 35,010 patients with sepsis from the MIMIC-IV database, in which we used BE as an exposure variable and the 28-day mortality as an outcome variable, respectively, so as to explore the impact of BE on the 28-day mortality of patients with sepsis after adjusting for covariates. Results: BE and the 28-day mortality of patients with sepsis appeared to have a U-shaped relationship. The calculated inflection points were -2.5 mEq/L and 1.9 mEq/L, respectively. Our data demonstrated that BE was negatively associated with 28-day mortality in the range of -41.0 mEq/L to -2.5 mEq/L (odds ratio: 0.95; 95% confidence intervals (95%CI): 0.93 to 0.96), p < 0.0001. When BE was in the range of 1.9 mEq/L to 55.5 mEq/L, however, a positive association existed between BE and 28-day mortality of patients with sepsis (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.05; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The BE levels have a U-shaped relationship with the 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis, in which the mortality of patients will gradually decrease with a BE value from -41.0 mEq/L to -2.5 mEq/L, while the mortality will increase with a BE value from 1.9 mEq/L to 55.5 mEq/L.

A visual denaturation bubble-mediated strand exchange amplification and RGB visual analysis-based assay for quantitative detection of Helicobacter pylori in saliva.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a class I carcinogen causing gastric cancer. Almost 50% of people on earth have been infected and it is worse in developing countries. Early diagnosis of H. pylori infection is the most important strategy for preventing the spread and worse consequences. H. pylori can be isolated from human saliva, and the sampling of saliva is easy and convenient. Therefore, we developed a visual denaturation bubble-mediated strand exchange amplification and RGB visual analysis-based assay for quantitative detection of H. pylori in saliva in this study. Under the optimized reaction temperature and time, the SEA reaction could be finished in 30 min with a simple reaction system and low dependency on equipment. The detection results could be qualitatively identified by the naked eye and quantitatively analyzed by a developed RGB visual analysis method. The limit of detection (LOD) of RGB visual analysis was 10.8 CFU/mL. This assay had good specificity and anti-interference capacity. In the artificial contamination test, the recovery rate of our assay was between 99.3% and 111.5%, with RSD values ranging from 1.7% to 3.5%. These indicated our assay also had good reliability in the detection of saliva. We believe this assay showed good potential for better non-invasive diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

Elucidation of the GAUT gene family in eight Rosaceae species and function analysis of PbrGAUT22 in pear pollen tube growth.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The phylogenetic relationship and evolutionary history of the GAUT gene family were identified in 8 Rosaseae species. PbrGAUT22 was involved in controlling pollen tube growth by regulating the content of pectins. In plants, galacturonosyltransferases (GAUTs) were involved in homogalacturonan biosynthesis and functioned in maintaining pollen tube cell wall integrity. However, the feature and evolutionary history of the GAUT gene family in Rosaceae species and candidates in pear pollen tube growth remain unclear. Here, we identified 190 GAUT genes in 8 Rosaceae species, including Chinese white pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), European pear (Pyrus communis), apple (Malus × domestica), peach (Prunus persica), Japanese apricot (Prunus mume), sweet cherry (Prunus avium), woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) and black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis). Members in GAUT gene family were divided into 4 subfamilies according to the phylogenetic and structural analysis. Whole-genome duplication events and dispersed duplicates drove the expansion of the GAUT gene family. Among 23 pollen-expressed PbrGAUT genes in pear, PbrGAUT22 showed increased expression level during 1-6 h post-cultured pollen tubes. PbrGAUT22 was localized to the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. Knockdown of PbrGAUT22 expression in pollen tubes caused the decrease of pectin content and inhibited pear pollen tubes growth. Taken together, we investigated the identification and evolution of the GAUT gene family in Rosaceae species, and found that PbrGAUT22 played an essential role in the synthesis of pectin and the growth of pear pollen tubes.