Genomic characterization of bZIP gene family and patterns of gene regulation on Cercospora beticola Sacc resistance in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is one of the most important sugar crops, accounting for nearly 30% of the world's annual sugar production. And it is mainly distributed in the northwestern, northern, and northeastern regions of China. However, Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) is the most serious and destructive foliar disease during the cultivation of sugar beet. In plants, the bZIP gene family is one of important family of transcription factors that regulate many biological processes, including cell and tissue differentiation, pathogen defense, light response, and abiotic stress signaling. Although the bZIP gene family has been mentioned in previous studies as playing a crucial role in plant defense against diseases, there has been no comprehensive study or functional analysis of the bZIP gene family in sugar beet with respect to biotic stresses. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of bZIP family genes (BvbZIPs) in sugar beet to investigate their phylogenetic relationships, gene structure and chromosomal localization. At the same time, we observed the stomatal and cell ultrastructure of sugar beet leaf surface during the period of infestation by Cercospora beticola Sacc (C. beticola). And identified the genes with significant differential expression in the bZIP gene family of sugar beet by qRT-PCR. Finally we determined the concentrations of SA and JA and verified the associated genes by qRT-PCR. The results showed that 48 genes were identified and gene expression analysis indicated that 6 BvbZIPs were significantly differential expressed in C. beticola infection. It is speculated that these BvbZIPs are candidate genes for regulating the response of sugar beet to CLS infection. Meanwhile, the observation stomata of sugar beet leaves infected with C. beticola revealed that there were also differences in the surface stomata of the leaves at different periods of infection. In addition, we further confirmed that the protein encoded by the SA signaling pathway-related gene BVRB_9g222570 in high-resistant varieties was PR1, which is closely related to systemic acquired resistance. One of the protein interaction modes of JA signal transduction pathway is the response of MYC2 transcription factor caused by JAZ protein degradation, and there is a molecular interaction between JA signal transduction pathway and auxin. Despite previous reports on abiotic stresses in sugar beet, this study provides very useful information for further research on the role of the sugar beet bZIP gene family in sugar beet through experiments. The above research findings can promote the development of sugar beet disease resistance breeding.

Three New Species of Penicillium from East and Northeast China.

Penicillium species are ubiquitous in the environment and are of substantial importance, especially in industrial and medical aspects. During our investigation of the biodiversity of Penicillium, three new species were discovered in soil samples collected from East and Northeast China. They were determined as new to science based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses, and were found to belong to the subgenus Penicillium section Robsamsonia and subgenus Aspergilloides sections Aspergilloides and Citrina. Descriptions and illustrations of these species are provided, and their geographic distributions are also discussed.

Genome-Wide Identification of B-Box Gene Family and Expression Analysis Suggest Its Roles in Responses to Cercospora Leaf Spot in Sugar Beet (Beta Vulgaris L.).

The B-box (BBX) protein, which is a zinc-finger protein containing one or two B-box domains, plays a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. Plant B-box genes are generally involved in morphogenesis, the growth of floral organs, and various life activities in response to stress. In this study, the sugar beet B-box genes (hereafter referred to as BvBBXs) were identified by searching the homologous sequences of the Arabidopsis thaliana B-box gene family. The gene structure, protein physicochemical properties, and phylogenetic analysis of these genes were systematically analyzed. In this study, 17 B-box gene family members were identified from the sugar beet genome. A B-box domain can be found in all sugar beet BBX proteins. BvBBXs encode 135 to 517 amino acids with a theoretical isoelectric point of 4.12 to 6.70. Chromosome localization studies revealed that BvBBXs were dispersed across nine sugar beet chromosomes except chromosomes 5 and 7. The sugar beet BBX gene family was divided into five subfamilies using phylogenetic analysis. The gene architectures of subfamily members on the same evolutionary tree branch are quite similar. Light, hormonal, and stress-related cis-acting elements can be found in the promoter region of BvBBXs. The BvBBX gene family was differently expressed in sugar beet following Cercospora leaf spot infection, according to RT-qPCR data. It is shown that the BvBBX gene family may influence how the plant reacts to a pathogen infection.

Rutile TiO2 Nanoparticles Encapsulated in a Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-Derived Hierarchical Carbon Framework with Engineered Dielectricity as an Excellent Microwave Absorber.

Aiming to solve the poor response of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the microwave frequency, versatile series of N-doped carbon (NC) components are employed to improve the conductivity and polarization strength of TiO2-based composites. The bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived TiO2@NC complex (TNC-3) exhibits hierarchical microstructures and large-scale hetero-interfaces, whereas the pyrolysis composite of metal-polydopamine-coated TiO2 (TNC-4) possesses the vesicle-like NC shell and bulk TiO2 core. Thus, the optimal reflection loss and efficient absorption bandwidth of TNC-3 realize -44.0 dB at 3.0 mm and 5.4 GHz at only 2.0 mm of coating thickness, respectively. Nevertheless, the corresponding attenuation ability of TNC-4 is separately -24.3 dB and 4.8 GHz with a thickness of 5.0 and 2.0 mm, respectively. Importantly, the conduction and polarization loss can be enhanced by the large-scale interfacial contacts between nanoscale rutile nanoparticles and hierarchical graphitized carbon. Meanwhile, the superior performance of TNC-3 stems from the large proportion of pyridinic N and pyrrolic N, which provides asymmetric lone pairs to strengthen the dipole rotation. These results are of great value in constructing semiconductor-based complexes by carbon-coating engineering as functional materials.

Hydrogen peroxide-assisted synthesis of oxygen-doped carbon nitride nanorods for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Polymer-derived carbon nitrides based photocatalysts are very promising for solar water splitting, CO2 reduction and environmental remediation. However, these photocatalysts still suffer from low visible light utilization efficiency, rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers and slow transfer kinetics. Herein, we report a hydrogen peroxide-assisted hydrothermal strategy to synthesize one-dimensional oxygen-doped carbon nitrides (OCN) for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. A possible self-assembly mechanism is discussed. Experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the as-synthesized one-dimensional OCN possess narrowed band gap energy and optimized band structure, which may allow more effective visible-light harvesting and facilitate photogenerated electron-hole pair separation and transfer. As a result, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rates improve from 10.4 µmol h-1 to 74.0 µmol h-1 under visible light (λ > 400 nm), which is among the best of the reported CN-based photocatalysts for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution. This study provides a new avenue toward the development of highly efficient carbon nitrides based photocatalysts for photocatalytic applications.