Engineered Nanomaterials Suppress the Soft Rot Disease (Rhizopus stolonifer) and Slow Down the Loss of Nutrient in Sweet Potato.

About 45% of the world's fruit and vegetables are wasted, resulting in postharvest losses and contributing to economic losses ranging from $10 billion to $100 billion worldwide. Soft rot disease caused by Rhizopus stolonifer leads to postharvest storage losses of sweet potatoes. Nanoscience stands as a new tool in our arsenal against these mounting challenges that will restrict efforts to achieve and maintain global food security. In this study, three nanomaterials (NMs) namely C60, CuO, and TiO2 were evaluated for their potential application in the restriction of Rhizopus soft rot disease in two cultivars of sweet potato (Y25, J26). CuO NM exhibited a better antifungal effect than C60 and TiO2 NMs. The contents of three important hormones, indolepropionic acid (IPA), gibberellic acid 3 (GA-3), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in the infected J26 sweet potato treated with 50 mg/L CuO NM were significantly higher than those of the control by 14.5%, 10.8%, and 24.1%. CuO and C60 NMs promoted antioxidants in both cultivars of sweet potato. Overall, CuO NM at 50 mg/L exhibited the best antifungal properties, followed by TiO2 NM and C60 NM, and these results were further confirmed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The use of CuO NMs as an antifungal agent in the prevention of Rhizopus stolonifer infections in sweet potatoes could greatly reduce postharvest storage and delivery losses.

Comparative transcriptome profiling of tuberous roots of two sweetpotato lines with contrasting low temperature tolerance during storage.

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is considered an economically important crop worldwide and is used as a source of food, feed, and biomaterials. However, its origin in tropical regions makes it vulnerable to chilling injury during postharvest storage at low temperature. To gain further insight into the molecular mechanism of chilling response, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis of two sweetpotato lines, Xushu 15-1 and Xushu 15-4, with high and low cold storage ability, respectively. Tuberous roots of these lines were stored at 4 °C for 0, 2, and 6 weeks. RNA-Seq data of both lines were de novo assembled, producing 27,636 unigenes with a N50 value of 1204 bp. A total of 525 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and categorized into six clusters. Genes with higher expression in Xushu 15-1 than in Xushu 15-4 significantly increased in number over time during low temperature storage. Functional annotation of DEGs using KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were involved in carbohydrate metabolism, ribosome, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, plant-pathogen interaction, and plant hormone signal transduction. Several key candidate genes involved in KEGG pathways were selected and discussed further. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in low temperature tolerance in sweetpotato during storage and provide a set of candidate genes for the development of new varieties with improved cold storage ability.

A novel glutathione S-transferase gene from sweetpotato, IbGSTF4, is involved in anthocyanin sequestration.

Anthocyanins are synthesized by multi-enzyme complexes localized at the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (synthesis site), and transported to the destination site, the vacuole. Three mechanisms for the vacuolar accumulation of anthocyanin in plant species have been proposed. Previous studies have indicated that glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes from model and ornamental plants are involved in anthocyanin transportation. In the present study, an anthocyanin-related GST, IbGSTF4, was identified and characterized based on transcriptome results. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that IbGSTF4 was most closely correlated to PhAN9 and CkmGST3, the anthocyanin-related GST of Petunia hybrida and Cyclamen. Furthermore, the expression analysis revealed that IbGSTF4 is strongly expressed in pigmented tissues, when compared to green organs, which is in agreement to the ability to correlate with anthocyanin accumulation. A GST activity assay uncovered that the IbGST4 protein owned similar activities with the GST family. Furthermore, the molecular functional complementation of Arabidopsis thaliana mutant tt19 demonstrated that IbGSTF4 might play a vital role in the vacuole sequestration of anthocyanin in sweetpotato. Moreover, the dual luciferase assay revealed that the LUC driven by the promoter of IbGSTF4 could not be directly activated by IbMYB1, suggesting that the regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin accumulation and sequestration in sweetpotato was intricate.

The Inhibitory Effects of Purple Sweet Potato Color on Hepatic Inflammation Is Associated with Restoration of NAD⁺ Levels and Attenuation of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in High-Fat-Diet-Treated Mice.

Purple sweet potato color (PSPC), a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins, exhibits beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome. Sustained inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. Here we explored the effects of PSPC on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic inflammation and the mechanisms underlying these effects. Mice were divided into four groups: Control group, HFD group, HFD + PSPC group, and PSPC group. PSPC was administered by daily oral gavage at doses of 700 mg/kg/day for 20 weeks. Nicotinamide riboside (NR) was used to increase NAD⁺ levels. Our results showed that PSPC effectively ameliorated obesity and liver injuries in HFD-fed mice. Moreover, PSPC notably blocked hepatic oxidative stress in HFD-treated mice. Furthermore, PSPC dramatically restored NAD⁺ level to abate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) in HFD-treated mouse livers, which was confirmed by NR treatment. Consequently, PSPC remarkably suppressed the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 nuclear translocation and nucleotide oligomerization domain protein1/2 (NOD1/2) signaling in HFD-treated mouse livers. Thereby, PSPC markedly diminished the NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, ultimately lowering the expressions of inflammation-related genes in HFD-treated mouse livers. In summary, PSPC protected against HFD-induced hepatic inflammation by boosting NAD⁺ level to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Overexpressing IbCBF3 increases low temperature and drought stress tolerance in transgenic sweetpotato.

Dehydration-responsive element-binding/C-repeat-binding factor (DREB/CBF) proteins regulate the transcription of genes involved in cold acclimation in several species. However, little is known about the physiological functions of CBF proteins in the low temperature-sensitive crop sweetpotato. We previously reported that the DREB1/CBF-like sweetpotato gene SwDREB1/IbCBF3 is involved in responses to diverse abiotic stresses. In this study, we confirmed that IbCBF3 is localized to the nucleus and binds to the C-repeat/dehydration-responsive elements (CRT/DRE) in the promoters of cold-regulated (COR) genes. We generated transgenic sweetpotato plants overexpressing IbCBF3 under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter (referred to as SC plants) and evaluated their responses to various abiotic stresses. IbCBF3 expression was dramatically induced by cold and drought but much less strongly induced by high salinity and ABA. We further characterized two SC lines (SC3 and SC6) with high levels of IbCBF3 transcript. The SC plants displayed enhanced tolerance to cold, drought, and oxidative stress on the whole-plant level. Under cold stress treatment (4 °C for 48 h), severe wilting and chilling injury were observed in the leaves of wild-type (WT) plants, whereas SC plants were not affected by cold stress. In addition, the COR genes were significantly upregulated in SC plants compared with the WT. The SC plants also showed significantly higher tolerance to drought stress than the WT, which was associated with higher photosynthesis efficiency and lower hydrogen peroxide levels. These results indicate that IbCBF3 is a functional transcription factor involved in the responses to various abiotic stresses in sweetpotato.

Attenuation of hepatic steatosis by purple sweet potato colour is associated with blocking Src/ERK/C/EBPß signalling in high-fat-diet-treated mice.

Our previous work showed that purple sweet potato colour (PSPC), a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins, effectively improved hepatic glucose metabolic dysfunction in high-fat-diet (HFD)-treated mice. This study investigated the effects of PSPC on HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and the signalling events associated with these effects. Mice were divided into 4 groups: control group, HFD group, HFD+PSPC group, and PSPC group. PSPC was administered daily for 20 weeks at oral doses of 700 mg/(kg·day)-1). Our results showed that PSPC significantly improved obesity and related metabolic parameters, as well as liver injury in HFD-treated mice. Moreover, PSPC dramatically attenuated hepatic steatosis in HFD-treated mice. PSPC markedly prevented oxidative stress-mediated Src activation in HFD-treated mouse livers. Furthermore, PSPC feeding remarkably suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signalling and consequent CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ß (C/EBPß) activation and restored AMPK activation in HFD-treated mouse livers, which was confirmed by U0126 treatment. Ultimately, PSPC feeding dramatically reduced protein expression of FAS and CD36 and the activation of ACC, and increased the protein expression of CPT1A in the livers of HFD-treated mice, indicating decreased lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake and enhanced fatty acid oxidation. In conclusion, PSPC exhibited beneficial effects on hepatic steatosis, which were associated with blocking Src and C/EBPß activation.

Cloning and characterization of a novel GIGANTEA gene in sweet potato.

The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth, a key event in the lifecycle of a plant, is affected by environmental stresses. The flowering-time regulator GIGANTEA (GI) may be contributing to susceptibility of the regulation of photoperiodic flowering, circadian rhythm control, and abiotic stress resistance in Arabidopsis. However, the role of GI in sweet potato remains unknown. Here, we isolated and characterized a GI gene (IbGI) from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam). The IbGI cDNA sequence was isolated based on information from a sweet potato transcriptome database. IbGI mRNA transcript levels showed robust circadian rhythm control during the light-dark transition, and the expression of IbGI was stronger in leaves and roots than in stems. IbGI protein is predominantly localized to the nucleus. IbGI expression was upregulated by high temperature, drought, and salt stress but downregulated by cold stress. Overexpressing IbGI in the Arabidopsis gi-2 mutant background rescued its late flowering phenotype and reduced its salt tolerance. Taken together, these results indicate that IbGI shares functions in regulating flowering, the circadian rhythm, and tolerance to some stresses with other GI orthologs.

Overexpression of CuZnSOD and APX enhance salt stress tolerance in sweet potato.

Abiotic stresses cause accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants, CuZnSOD and APX are first line defenses against ROS caused by oxidative stress. In this study, CuZnSOD and APX were transferred into salt sensitive sweet potato (cv. Xushu 55-2) under control of stress inducible SWPA2 promoter and tolerance to salt stress was evaluated. When 100 mM NaCl was used to treat stem cuttings, transgenic plants showed enhanced tolerance compared to wild type (WT) plants. Rooting was significantly retarded in WT plants whereas all transgenic plants had significantly enhanced root growth under salt stress. Integration of SOD gene was confirmed by southern blot analysis, and the copy number ranged from 1 to 3. The expression levels of CuZnSOD and APX in transgenic plants were significantly increased up to 13.3 and 7.8 folds to WT under salinity conditions, respectively. SOD and APX activity and ROS staining showed enzyme activities of transgenic plants were increased under salt stress. These results show that CuZnSOD and APX have important roles in enhancing the salt tolerance of sweet potato.

[FISH analysis of chromosomes of sweet potato(Ipomoea batatas cv.Xushu No.18)].

In order to understand the chromosome structure of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Xushu 18), molecular cytogenetic analyses were carried out on I. batatas. by using 45S rDNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (45S rDNA-FISH), self genomic in situ hybridization (self-GISH), and silver staining techniques. Twelve, sixteen, and eighteen regions were silver stained in the interphase nucleus of I. batatas. The results of FISH analysis demonstrated 16 or 18 signals with different intensity on chromosomes of I. batatas. Self-GISH analysis showed that the intensive signals on I. batatas mitotic chromosomes were distributed along the chromosomes. However, the signals located in centromeric, subcentromeric, and telomeric regions were stronger and denser than those in other regions.

Hydrogen sulfide promotes root organogenesis in Ipomoea batatas, Salix matsudana and Glycine max.

In this report, we demonstrate that sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) donor, promoted adventitious root formation mediated by auxin and nitric oxide (NO). Application of the H(2)S donor to seedling cuttings of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) promoted the number and length of adventitious roots in a dose-dependent manner. It was also verified that H(2)S or HS(-) rather than other sulfur-containing components derived from NaHS could be attributed to the stimulation of adventitious root formation. A rapid increase in endogenous H(2)S, indole acetic acid (IAA) and NO were sequentially observed in shoot tips of sweet potato seedlings treated with HaHS. Further investigation showed that H(2)S-mediated root formation was alleviated by N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), an IAA transport inhibitor, and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO), an NO scavenger. Similar phenomena in H(2)S donor-dependent root organogenesis were observed in both excised willow (Salix matsudana var. tortuosa Vilm) shoots and soybean (Glycine max L.) seedlings. These results indicated that the process of H(2)S-induced adventitious root formation was likely mediated by IAA and NO, and that H(2)S acts upstream of IAA and NO signal transduction pathways.

Purple sweet potato color repairs d-galactose-induced spatial learning and memory impairment by regulating the expression of synaptic proteins.

Purple sweet potato color (PSPC), a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins used to color food (E163), has been reported to possess a variety of biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory. The effect of PSPC on the spatial learning and memory of mice treated with d-galactose (d-gal) was evaluated by the Morris water maze; d-gal-treated mice had decreased performance compared with mice in the vehicle and PSPC groups, while the PSPC+d-gal group showed significantly shortened escape latency to platform, increased swimming speed, more target quadrant search time and more platform crossings as compared with the d-gal group. Brain functions, such as memory formation and recovery of function after injury, depend on proper regulation of the expression levels of the pre- and post-synaptic proteins. We investigated the expression of four pre-synaptic proteins (growth-associated protein-43, synapsin-I, synaptophysin, and synaptotagmin) and two post-synaptic proteins (post-synaptic density protein-95 and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, respectively, in response to different treatments. Western blotting analysis showed that there were significant decreases in the expression of these representative synaptic proteins in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of d-gal-treated mice. Interestingly, these decreased expression levels of synaptic proteins could be reversed by PSPC. The levels of expression of these representative synaptic proteins in mice treated with PSPC alone were not significantly different from those in untreated mice. The results of this study suggested that memory impairment and synaptic protein loss in d-gal-treated mice may be improved by treatment with PSPC.