High replacement of soybean meal by different types of rapeseed meal is detrimental to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth, antioxidant capacity, non-specific immunity and Aeromonas hydrophila tolerance.

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal with different types of rapeseed meal (RSM; Chinese 95-type (oil press model) rapeseed meal [C95RM], Chinese 200-type rapeseed meal [C200RM], cold pressed rapeseed cake [CPRC], Indian rapeseed meal [IRM] and Canadian rapeseed meal [CRM]) on growth, antioxidant capacity, non-specific immunity and Aeromonas hydrophila infection tolerance in 990 fingering (average weight 12.77 ± 0.01 g) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A basal diet was prepared using fishmeal and soybean meal as the main protein sources, the other 10 diets were formulated with five types of RSM at 20% (C95RM20, C200RM20, CPRC20, IRM20, CRM20) or 35% (C95RM35, C200RM35, CPRC35, IRM35, CRM35) inclusion levels to replace iso-nitrogenous soybean meal. Regardless of the RSM source, dietary inclusion of 20% RSM significantly reduced the weight gain rate (WGR) and digestive enzymes activities (except C200RM20) of fish, but increased the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content (except CRM20). Fish fed with CPRC20 and IRM20 exhibited relatively higher plasma cortisol and MDA content, but lower content/activities of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in plasma, lysozyme (LZM) and complement 3 (C3) in serum, catalase (CAT) in liver, and respiratory burst activity (RBA) of head kidney macrophages. The intestinal and hepatic tissues fed with 20% RSM were damaged to some extent, with the CPRC20 and IRM20 groups being the most severely affected. Regardless of the RSM source, dietary inclusion of 35% RSM significantly decreased WGR and digestive enzymes activities, but significantly increased plasma BUN and MDA content. The fish fed with CPRC35 and IRM35 exhibited relatively higher plasma cortisol, MDA, serum triglyceride, BUN content, but lower content/activities of T3, T4, C3, and LZM in serum, CAT, peroxidase and GPx in plasma, CAT in liver, RBA and phagocytic activity of head kidney macrophage. The hepatic and intestinal tissues damage was the worst in the IRM35 group among the 35% RSM inclusion groups. These results indicate that including ≥20% RSM in the diet, regardless of the source, reduced the growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and survival to Aeromonas hydrophila infection in rainbow trout.

NeuroPep 2.0: An Updated Database Dedicated to Neuropeptide and Its Receptor Annotations.

Neuropeptides not only work through nervous system but some of them also work peripherally to regulate numerous physiological processes. They are important in regulation of numerous physiological processes including growth, reproduction, social behavior, inflammation, fluid homeostasis, cardiovascular function, and energy homeostasis. The various roles of neuropeptides make them promising candidates for prospective therapeutics of different diseases. Currently, NeuroPep has been updated to version 2.0, it now holds 11,417 unique neuropeptide entries, which is nearly double of the first version of NeuroPep. When available, we collected information about the receptor for each neuropeptide entry and predicted the 3D structures of those neuropeptides without known experimental structure using AlphaFold2 or APPTEST according to the peptide sequence length. In addition, DeepNeuropePred and NeuroPred-PLM, two neuropeptide prediction tools developed by us recently, were also integrated into NeuroPep 2.0 to help to facilitate the identification of new neuropeptides. NeuroPep 2.0 is freely accessible at https://isyslab.info/NeuroPepV2/.

Method validation and dissipation kinetics of the novel HPPD-inhibiting herbicide cypyrafluone in winter wheat using QuEChERS method coupled with UPLC-MS/MS.

Cypyrafluone, a novel hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide, can successfully control a wide species of grass and broadleaf weed in wheat fields. However, the dissipation behaviors and terminal residues of cypyrafluone in wheat fields remain unclear. Here, a simple, accurate, and dependable approach for the analysis of cypyrafluone in soil, wheat plant, and grain was constructed utilizing an adapted QuEChERS extraction combined with UPLC-MS/MS. For accurate quantification, matrix-matched calibrations with high linearity (R2 >0.99) were employed to eliminate matrix interference. The method possessed high accuracy with recoveries in the range of 85.5%- 100.6% and precision with relative standard deviations < 14.3%, as well as high sensitivity with limits of quantifications of 0.001 mg kg-1 in the three matrixes. The dissipation kinetics and terminal residues of cypyrafluone were determined at two separate locations with different climates, soil types and cropping systems in 2018. The half-lives of cypyrafluone in soil and wheat plant were 1.47-1.55 d and 1.00-1.03 d, respectively. At harvest, the terminal residue values of cypyrafluone detected in wheat plants were 0-0.0025 mg kg-1 and 0.0044-0.0057 mg kg-1 at the recommended dose and 1.5 times of the recommended dose, respectively, and 0.0049 mg kg-1 of this herbicide was detected in grain at 1.5 times of the recommended dose, which was below the maximum residue limit (MRL). Finally, the risk quotient for cypyrafluone ranged from 0.33% to 0.81% (<1) for different age groups in China, indicating that the impact of residues from the cypyrafluone application on wheat was acceptable. These findings above will offer scientific guidelines for cypyrafluone application in the wheat field ecosystem.

Cypyrafluone, a 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Inhibitor to Control Weed in Wheat Fields.

As a bleaching herbicide, cypyrafluone was applied postemergence in wheat fields for annual weed control; especially, this herbicide possesses high efficacy against cool-season grass weed species such as Alopecurus aequalis and Alopecurus japonicus. In this study, the target of action of cypyrafluone on 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibition was confirmed. This herbicide caused severe foliar whitening symptoms at 5-7 days after treatment (DAT) and death of the whole plant within 10 DAT. Significant increases in phytoene content and significant decreases in kinds of carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments were observed. The content of chlorophyll pigments in cypyrafluone-treated Spirodela polyrhiza decreased upon the addition of homogentisic acid (HGA), which indicated that cypyrafluone prevents the HGA production, possibly by inhibiting the catalytic activity of 4-HPPD. Indeed, cypyrafluone strongly inhibited the catalytic activity of Arabidopsis thaliana HPPD produced by Escherichia coli, which was approximately 2 times less effective than mesotrione. In addition, overexpression of Oryza sativa HPPD in rice and A. thaliana both conferred a high tolerance level to cypyrafluone on them. Molecular docking found that cypyrafluone bonded well to the active site of the HPPD and formed a bidentate coordination interaction with the Fe2+ atom, with distances of 2.6 and 2.7 Å between oxygen atoms and the Fe2+ atom and a binding energy of -8.0 kcal mol-1.

Enhanced Herbicide Metabolism and Target-Site Mutations Confer Multiple Resistance to Fomesafen and Nicosulfuron in Amaranthus retroflexus L.

Amaranthus retroflexus L. is a highly competitive broadleaf weed of corn-soybean rotation in northeastern China. In recent years, the herbicide(s) resistance evolution has been threatening its effective management in crop fields. One resistant A. retroflexus (HW-01) population that survived the protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitor fomesafen and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor nicosulfuron applied at their field-recommended rate was collected from a soybean field in Wudalianchi City, Heilongjiang Province. This study aimed to investigate the resistance mechanisms of fomesafen and nicosulfuron and determine the resistance profile of HW-01 to other herbicides. Whole plant dose-response bioassays revealed that HW-01 had evolved resistance to fomesafen (50.7-fold) and nicosulfuron (5.2-fold). Gene sequencing showed that the HW-01 population has a mutation in PPX2 (Arg-128-Gly) and a rare mutation in ALS (Ala-205-Val, eight/twenty mutations/total plants). In vitro enzyme activity assays showed that ALS extracted from the HW-01 plants was less sensitive to nicosulfuron (3.2-fold) than ST-1 plants. Pre-treatment with the cytochrome P450 inhibitors malathion, piperonyl butoxide (PBO), 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (amitrole), and the GSTs inhibitor 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl) significantly increased fomesafen and nicosulfuron sensitivity in the HW-01 population compared with that of the sensitive (S) population ST-1. Moreover, the rapid fomesafen and nicosulfuron metabolism in the HW-01 plants was also confirmed via HPLC-MS/MS analysis. Furthermore, the HW-01 population showed multiple resistance (MR) to PPO, ALS, and PSII inhibitors, with resistance index (RI) values ranging from 3.8 to 9.6. This study confirmed MR to PPO-, ALS-, and PSII-inhibiting herbicides in the A. retroflexus population HW-01, as well as confirming that the cytochrome P450- and GST-based herbicide metabolic along with TSR mechanisms contribute to their multiple resistance to fomesafen and nicosulfuron.

Investigating the Metabolic Mesosulfuron-Methyl Resistance in Aegilops tauschii Coss. By Transcriptome Sequencing Combined with the Reference Genome.

Aegilops tauschii Coss. is a malignant weed in wheat fields in China, its herbicide resistance has been threatening crop production. This study identified one mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant(R) population, JJMHN2018-05 (R), without target resistance mutations. To fully understand the resistance mechanism, non-target site resistance was investigated by using transcriptome sequencing combined with a reference genome. Results showed that the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) inhibitor malathion significantly increased the mesosulfuron-methyl sensitivity in R plants, and greater herbicide-induced glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was also confirmed. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis further supported the enhanced mesosulfuron-methyl metabolism in R plants. Gene expression data analysis and qRT-PCR validation indicated that eight P450s, six GSTs, two glycosyltransferases (GTs), four peroxidases, and one aldo-keto reductase (AKRs) stably upregulated in R plants. This research demonstrates that the P450s and GSTs involved in enhanced mesosulfuron-methyl metabolism contribute to mesosulfuron-methyl resistance in A. tauschii and identifies potential contributors from metabolic enzyme families.

Resistance to ALS inhibitors conferred by non-target-site resistance mechanisms in Myosoton aquaticum L.

Myosoton aquaticum L. is a competitive broadleaf weed commonly found in wheat fields in China and has become challenging due to its evolving herbicide resistance. In this study, one subpopulation, RF1 (derived from the tribenuron-methyl-resistant population HN10), with none of the known acetolactate synthase (ALS) resistance mutations was confirmed to exhibit resistance to tribenuron-methyl (SU), pyrithiobac­sodium (PTB), florasulam (TP), flucarbazone-Na (SCT), and diflufenican (PDS). In vitro ALS activity assays showed that the total ALS activity of RF1 was lower than that of the susceptible (S) population. However, there was no difference in ALS gene expression induced by tribenuron-methyl between the two populations. The combination of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) inhibitor malathion and tribenuron-methyl resulted in the RF1 population behaving like the S population. The rapid P450-mediated tribenuron-methyl metabolism in RF1 plants was also confirmed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. In addition, approximately equal glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was observed in RF1 and S plants of untreated and tribenuron-methyl treated groups. This study reported one M. aquaticum L. population without ALS resistance mutations exhibiting resistance to ALS inhibitors and the PDS inhibitor diflufenican, and the non-target-site resistance mechanism played a vital role in herbicide resistance.

Unravelling Phytotoxicity and Mode of Action of Tripyrasulfone, a Novel Herbicide.

Tripyrasulfone is a novel herbicide post-emergence applied in paddy fields. In this study, tripyrasulfone phytotoxicity and its mode of action were investigated. Within 3-7 days after treatment (DAT), tripyrasulfone caused strong bleaching symptoms on newly developed leaves of Echinochloa crus-galli followed by necrosis prior to death within 14 DAT. By investigating pigment composition, photosynthetic activity and energy dissipation of E. crus-galli treated with tripyrasulfone, the accumulation of phytoene and significant decreases in total carotenoids were observed; the photosystem II complex (PSII) reaction center and PSII-PSI electron transport chain were damaged; and the non-photochemical energy quenching and reactive oxygen species were significantly increased. Based on the reversion of bleaching symptoms in treated Spirodela polyrrhiza by the addition of homogentisic acid, it was hypothesized that tripyrasulfone blocks the biosynthesis of HGA, possibly by the inhibition of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). However, based on its chemical structure, tripyrasulfone may tend to be hydrolyzed in plants. Indeed, the hydrolyzed tripyrasulfone (HDT) inhibited the activity of HPPD from Arabidopsis thaliana produced by Escherichia coli, which was approximately 6 times less effective than mesotrione. Molecular docking showed that the HDT formed a stable bidentate interaction with the active center Fe2+ chelation of A. thaliana HPPD.

Investigating the Mechanism of Metabolic Resistance to Tribenuron-Methyl in Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. by Full-Length Transcriptome Assembly Combined with RNA-Seq.

Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. has evolved resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides on a large scale. Previous studies primarily focused on the target-site resistance (TSR), and the non-TSR (NTSR) is not well characterized. In this study, pre-treatment with the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) inhibitor malathion clearly reduced the tribenuron-methyl resistance in the resistant (R) population. After tribenuron-methyl treatment, the glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity of R plants was significantly higher than that of susceptible (S) plants. The higher tribenuron-methyl metabolism in R plants was also confirmed by using LC-MS/MS analysis. Isoform sequencing (Iso-Seq) combined with RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to identify candidate genes involved in non-target metabolic resistance in this population. A total of 37 differentially expressed genes were identified, 11 of them constitutively upregulated in R plants, including three P450s, one GST, two glycosyltransferases, two ATP-binding cassette transporters, one oxidase, and two peroxidases. This study confirmed the metabolic tribenuron-methyl resistance in C. bursa-pastoris, and the transcriptome data obtained by Iso-Seq combined with RNA-Seq provide gene resources for understanding the molecular mechanism of NTSR in C. bursa-pastoris.

Florasulam resistance status of flixweed (Descurainia sophia L.) and alternative herbicides for its chemical control in the North China plain.

Flixweed (Descurainia sophia L.) is widely distributed in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fields in the North China Plain and has evolved resistance to herbicides, including the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor florasulam. However, the florasulam resistance status of flixweed in the North China Plain is poorly understood, which hinders the integrated management of this weed in winter wheat production systems. Thus, 45 flixweed populations were collected in wheat fields in these areas, and their sensitivity to florasulam and ALS-inhibitor-resistant mutation diversity were assessed. Meanwhile, alternative herbicides/herbicide mixtures for the control of florasulam-resistant flixweed were screened and evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions. Of the populations, 30 showed florasulam resistance (RRR and RR), 9 had a high risk of evolving florasulam resistance (R?) and 6 were susceptible. These populations had 5.3 to 345.1-fold resistance to florasulam, and 4 ALS resistance mutations (P197H, P197S, P197T and W574L) were observed. The subsequent herbicide sensitivity assay showed that the SD-06 population (with ALS1 P197T and ALS2 W574L mutations) exhibited cross-resistance to all ALS inhibitors tested, but was sensitive to MCPA-Na, fluroxypyr, carfentrazone-ethyl and bipyrazone. Meanwhile, the other HN-07 population with non-target-site resistance (NTSR) also showed resistance to all tested ALS inhibitors, and it was "R?" to MCPA-Na while sensitive to fluroxypyr, carfentrazone-ethyl and bipyrazone. The field experiments were conducted at the research farm where the SD-06 population was collected, and the results suggested that florasulam at 3.75-4.5 g ai ha-1 had little efficacy (0.6-12.1%), whereas MCPA-Na + carfentrazone-ethyl (87.1-91.2%) and bipyrazone+fluroxypyr (90.1-97.8%) controlled the resistant flixweed.

Bipyrazone: a new HPPD-inhibiting herbicide in wheat.

Bipyrazone, 1,3-dimethyl-4-(2-(methylsulfonyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzoyl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl 1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole- 4-carboxylate, is a 4-hydroxyphenylpyaunate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to explore the potential of post-emergence (POST) application of bipyrazone in wheat fields in China. In the greenhouse study, bipyrazone at 10 and 20 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha-1 effectively controlled Descurainia sophia L., Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic., Lithospermum arvense L. and Myosoton aquaticum L. Whereas, all tested 16 wheat cultivars showed high degree of tolerance to bipyrazone at 375 and 750 g a.i. ha-1. In a dose-response experiment carried on the Shannong 6 wheat cultivar and five weed biotypes, bipyrazone was safe to the wheat cultivar, and C. bursa-pastoris, M. aquaticum and D. sophia were sensitive to this herbicide. The selectivity index (SI) between the Shannong 6 and weeds ranged from 34 to 39. The field experiments confirmed that a mixture of bipyrazone and fluroxypyr-mepthyl is practical for controlling broadleaf weeds, and bipyrazone applied alone at 30 to 40 g a.i. ha-1 can also provide satisfactory control of sensitive broadleaf weeds. These findings suggest that bipyrazone POST application has good potential for broadleaf weed management in wheat fields.

Biochemical responses and DNA damage induced by herbicide QYR301 in earthworm (Eisenia fetida).

QYR301, a novel herbicidal inhibitor of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), has great potential for resistant weed control in paddy fields, but massive use of pesticides may result in toxicity to soil non-target organisms. Thus, this study was designed to assess subchronic toxicity of different doses of QYR301 in artificial soil (0, 0.1, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg kg-1) to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after exposure, using biomarkers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and DNA damage. The ROS content significantly increased for all treatments on 7 and 14 days then decreased, and recovered to control level for 0.1 and 1.0 mg kg-1 treatment on day 28. Concerning enzymes activities, QYR301 increased POD, SOD, and GST activities, but inhibited CAT activity. Except for POD activity, SOD, CAT, and GST activities of 0.1 mg kg-1 group recovered to control level on day 28. Also, the MDA content of 0.1 mg kg-1 group reached control level on day 28. However, DNA damage was observed for all treatments throughout the experiment and it increased with increasing doses and time except for 5.0 mg kg-1 treatment on day 28. These results suggested that QYR301 induced excessive ROS production leading to oxidative stress in earthworms, which caused lipid membrane peroxidation and DNA damage ultimately. The findings could provide a theoretical foundation for assessing ecological damage of QYR301 to soils and a guide for future QYR301 applications.

Method validation and dissipation kinetics of the new HPPD inhibitor QYR301 in rice, paddy water and paddy soil using a QuEChERS-based method and LC-MS/MS.

A rapid and simple method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of sample preparation using QuEChERS was developed for detecting residues of QYR301, a new HPPD-inhibiting herbicide, in rice plant (straw), water, soil, rice hull and brown rice (BR). To eliminate matrix interference, matrix-matched calibrations with satisfactory linearity (R2 > 0.99) were used for accurate quantification. The method showed recoveries of 90.3-108.1% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) < 11%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) for QYR301 were 0.005 mg kg-1 in all five matrixes. Furthermore, the dissipation kinetics and terminal residues of QYR301 were determined at two sites in 2018. The days for 50% dissipation (DT50) of QYR301 in rice plants, water and soil were 3.6-4.4, 0.7-3.0 and 4.3-8.0 d, respectively, which indicated that QYR301 is a short-persistence herbicide. Moreover, no QYR301 residues were detected in BR, rice hull and straw collected at harvest following its application at 1.0 or 1.5 × of the recommended high rate. These results will help organizations and governments establish related principles/laws regarding the use of QYR301 in terms of environmental protection, food safety and other potential aspects.

Isolation and expression of acetolactate synthase genes that have a rare mutation in shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.).

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor-resistant biotypes are the fastest growing class of herbicide-resistant weeds. Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.), a tetraploid species and one of the most troublesome weeds in wheat production, has evolved ALS inhibitor resistance. To confirm and characterize the resistance of shepherd's purse populations to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, whole-plant bioassays were conducted. To investigate the molecular basis of resistance in shepherd's purse, the ALS gene was sequenced and compared between susceptible (S) and resistant (R) biotypes. Two partial intronless ALS genes (ALS-1 and ALS-2) were identified, and two heterozygous mutations (CCT to TCT in ALS-1 and CCT to CAT in ALS-2) at position 197 (Pro197Ser and Pro197His) providing resistance were simultaneously found in a single plant in a resistant population. Our results confirmed that the resistant shepherd's purse population showed high-level resistance to tribenuron-methyl (RI = 59.8), pyroxsulam (RI = 38.7) and flucarbazone-Na (RI = 88.0). Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results suggested that the difference in ALS gene expression was small between S and R populations, which may be insufficient to cause herbicide resistance, and according to the results of in vitro ALS activity, insensitivity of ALS may be the main mechanism of high resistance to tribenuron-methyl in resistant populations.

Target-site and non-target-site-based resistance to tribenuron-methyl in multiply-resistant Myosoton aquaticum L.

Myosoton aquaticum L., a widespread and competitive winter weed of wheat in China, has evolved resistance to many classes of herbicides. In one M. aquaticum population (AH03), collected from Anhui Province, where tribenuron-methyl and florasulam had been used to control this weed resistance to both herbicides had evolved. Compared with the sensitive population, HN03(S), the resistant (R) population, AH03, was highly resistant to tribenuron-methyl, flucarbazone-Na and pyroxsulam, moderately resistant to pyrithiobac­sodium, and florasulam, and had low resistance to diflufenican. AH03 was still controlled by imazethapyr, 2,4-D butylate, fluroxypyr-meptyl, and isoproturon. Pretreatment with the P450 inhibitor malathion reduced the GR50 value of tribenuron-methyl by 43% in the R population, and by 25% in the S population. This indicates that P450-mediated enhanced metabolism is one likely mechanism for tribenuron-methyl resistance in M. aquaticum. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity could be induced by tribenuron-methyl in both the R and S populations. However, both the basal and induced GST activity of the R population was lower than that of the S population. The in vitro ALS assay confirmed that the ALS from the R plants showed a high resistance (52.93-fold) to tribenuron-methyl. ALS gene sequencing revealed a Pro197Ala substitution in the R plants. Based on the ALS gene sequence analysis, molecular markers were also developed to identify the specific Pro197Ala mutation. This population of M. aquaticum has multiple resistance and target-site (ALS Pro197Ala) and non-target-site resistance mechanisms contribute to tribenuron-methyl resistance.

A novel conjunction of folate-targeted carbon nanotubes containing protohemin and oridonin-liposome loaded microbubbles for cancer chemo-sonodynamic therapy.

To facilitate targeting drug delivery and combined therapy, we constructed a novel drug carrier, in which oridonin-liposome containing microbubbles (LUMO) are covalently adhered to folic acid-conjugated multiwalled carbon nanotubes loaded with protohemin (FMTP) to form a novel conjugate (FMTP-LUMO). Oridonin (ORI) is used as a chemotherapeutic drug for chemotherapy (CHT), whereas protohemin (Ph) is applied in the field of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) as a sonosensitizer. In vitro release properties, cellular uptake and cytotoxicity in HepG-2 cells as well as in vivo antitumour effects in HepG-2 cell tumour-bearing mice submitted to chemo-sonodynamic therapy, SDT alone and CHT alone were evaluated upon ultrasound exposure. The results showed that the growth inhibition rates on FMTP-LUMO, FMTP, and LUMO were 95.4 ± 5.9%, 63.9 ± 7.4%, and 42.3 ± 2.9% in vitro, respectively. FMTP-LUMO exhibited strong binding to HepG-2 cells than MTP-LUMO. The chemo-sonodynamic therapy demonstrated a cooperative effect, resulting in significantly higher therapeutic efficacy for liver cancer. After treatment for 10 d, the tumour inhibition ratio for FMTP-LUMO exceeded to 90%, clearly higher than that of FMTP (42.8%) and LUMO (32.5%). Thus, FMTP-LUMO could serve as a highly effective drug carrier for chemo-sonodynamic therapy.

Greenhouse and field evaluation of a novel HPPD-inhibiting herbicide, QYM201, for weed control in wheat.

QYM201, 1-(2-chloro-3-(3-cyclopropyl-5-hydroxy-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonyl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)piperidin-2-one), is a newly developed HPPD- (4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase; EC 1.13.11.27) inhibiting herbicide for weed control. Experiments were carried out to determine the effect of QYM201 on weeds and its safety for wheat in the glasshouse and field. The results indicated that at doses of 90 and 135 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha-1 QYM201 was highly effective against both grass and broadleaf weeds, such as Alopecurus aequalis Sobol., Alopecurus japonicus Steud, and Capsella bursa-pastoris Medic. In a wheat hybrid tolerance experiment, QYM201 showed a high level of safety for most of the 17 tested wheat hybrids, and the SI values reached ≥5.7 in the selectivity index study. To determine application rules for QYM201, field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017. During this time, 90 to 270 g a.i. ha-1 post-emergence herbicide application (POST) was sufficient to supply satisfactory all-season control of Alopecurus aequalis Sobol., Descurainia sophia [L.] Schur., and Malachium aquaticum (L.) Fires. No damage to wheat plants was observed. In order to increase wheat yield and deliver effective weed control, a dosage of 90 to 180 g a.i. ha-1 is suggested. In conclusion, the herbicide QYM201 is safe to use in wheat fields to control winter weeds.

Enhanced Herbicide Metabolism and Metabolic Resistance Genes Identified in Tribenuron-Methyl Resistant Myosoton aquaticum L.

The evolved resistance of Myosoton aquaticum L. to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors is well established, but most research has focused on target-site resistance, while nontarget-site resistance remains neglected. Here, we investigated mechanisms of the latter. The pretreatment with the P450 inhibitor malathion significantly increased the sensitivity of resistant plants to tribenuron-methyl. The rapid P450-mediated tribenuron-methyl metabolism in resistant plants was confirmed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Besides, GST activity was higher among resistant than susceptible individuals. The next transcriptome analysis generated 544,102,236 clean reads from RNA sequencing libraries. De novo assembly yielded 102,529 unigenes with an average length of 866 bp, annotated across seven databases. Digital gene expression selected 25 differentially expressed genes, further validated with qRT-PCR. Three P450 genes, two GST genes, two glucosyltransferase genes, four ABC transporter genes, and four additional contigs were constitutively up-regulated in resistant individuals. Overall, our research confirmed that enhanced herbicide metabolism drives tribenuron-methyl resistance in M. aquaticum.

Acetolactate Synthase Overexpression in Mesosulfuron-Methyl-Resistant Shortawn Foxtail ( Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.): Reference Gene Selection and Herbicide Target Gene Expression Analysis.

Severe infestations of shortawn foxtail ( Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.), a noxious weed in wheat and canola cropping systems in China, remain standing even after the application of the herbicides, fenoxaprop- P-ethyl and mesosulfuron-methyl. Analysis of gene expression in weed plants subjected to herbicide treatment is a key step toward more mechanistic studies. Since such an analysis often involves quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), endogenous reference genes with stable expression are required. Herein, we identified specific gene sets, suitable as references for qRT-PCR data normalization in A. aequalis plants under different experimental conditions, using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder software. Additionally, the reliability of reference genes was verified by analyzing the expression of genes encoding two major herbicide target enzymes: acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS). Furthermore, functional ALS gene amplification was likely present in resistant plants, although it may make no contribution to the resistant phenotypes.

Evaluation of weed control efficacy and crop safety of the new HPPD-inhibiting herbicide-QYR301.

QYR301, 1,3-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid 4-[2-chloro-3-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-4-methanesulfonyl-benzoyl]-2,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrazol-3-yl ester, is a novel HPPD-inhibiting herbicide and was evaluated to provide a reference for post-emergence (POST) application under greenhouse and field conditions. The crop safety (180 and 360 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha-1 treatments) experiment revealed that wheat, paddy, garlic and corn were the only four crops without injury at both examined herbicide rates. The weed control efficacy (60 and 120 g a.i. ha-1) experiment showed that QYR301 exhibited high efficacy against many weeds, especially weeds infesting paddy fields. Furthermore, it is interesting that both susceptible and multiple herbicide resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. and Echinochloa phyllopogon (Stapf) Koss, two notorious weed species in paddy field, remained susceptible to QYR301. Further crop tolerance results indicated that 20 tested paddy hybrids displayed different levels of tolerance to QYR301, with the japonica paddy hybrids having more tolerance than indica paddy hybrids under greenhouse conditions. Results obtained from field experiments showed that QYR301 POST at 135 to 180 g a.i. ha-1 was recommended to provide satisfactory full-season control of E. crus-galli and Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees and to maximize rice yields. These findings indicate that QYR301 possesses great potential for the management of weeds in paddy fields.