Genome-wide and pan-genomic analysis reveals rich variants of NBS-LRR genes in a newly developed wild rice line from Oryza alta Swallen.

Introduction: Oryza alta Swallen is an allotetraploid perennial wild rice and contains CCDD genome, which may harbor favorable genes for the enrichment of genetic resource. Methods: A new wild rice line, Huaye 5, was developed from Oryza alta Swallen in our lab. Whole genome re-sequencing and pan-genomic analysis were employed to analyze its genomic variations and novel genes. Results and Discussion: More than ten million genomic variations were detected when compared with Asian cultivar. Among the variational genes, 724, 197 and 710 genes coded protein kinase, synthetase and transcription factor, respectively. A total of 353, 131 and 135 variational genes were associated with morphological trait, physiological trait, resistance or tolerance, respectively. A total of 62 were NBS-LRR genes were detected, in which 11 NBS-LRR genes expressed in sheath and mature stem, and 26 expressed in young and mature roots expressed. The pan-genome sequences of wild rice species with CCDD genome were constructed by integrating 8 Oryza alta (OA), 2 Oryza grandiglumis (OG) and 18 Oryza latifolia (OL) accessions. A total of 28 non-reference NBS-LRR genes were revealed, and 7 of which were mainly expressed in mature roots. This research demonstrated rich DNA variation in the Oryza alta Swallen that may provide a new germplasm for rice resistance breeding.

OsRH52A, a DEAD-Box protein, is required for embryo sac development by regulating functional megaspore specification in rice.

The development of the embryo sac is an important factor affecting seed setting in rice. Numerous genes associated with embryo sac (ES) development have been identified in plants. However, the function of the DEAD-box RNA helicase family genes on ES is poorly known in rice. Here, we characterized a rice DEAD-box protein, OsRH52A, which was localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm and highly expressed in the floral organs in rice. The knockout mutant, rh52a, displayed partial ES sterility, including degenerated ES (21.0%) and the presence of double-female-gametophyte (DFG) structure (11.8%). The DFG developed from two functional megaspores (FM) near the chalazal end in one ovule, and 3.4% of DFG could fertilize via the sac near the micropylar pole in rh52a. OsRH52A was found to interact with OsMFS1 and ZIP4, both of which play a role in homologous recombination in rice meiosis. RNA-seq identified 234 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with reproductive development, including the two genes, OsMSP1 and HSA1b, required for female germline cell specification. Taken together, our study demonstrated that OsRH52A is essential for the development of the embryo sac and provided cytological evidence regarding the formation of DFG.

Nomogram to predict prognosis of head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma patients in children and adolescents.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the prognostic factors of head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) in children and adolescents and construct a simple but reliable nomogram model for estimating overall survival (OS) of patients. Methods: Data of all HNRMS patients during 2004-2018 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database. Kaplan-Meier method was performed to calculate OS stratified by subgroups and comparison between subgroups was completed by log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regressions analysis were employed for identifying independent predictors, which subsequently were used for a predictive model by R software, and the efficacy of the model was evaluated by applying receiver operating curve (ROC), calibration and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: A total of 446 patients were included in the study. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rate of the whole cohort was 90.6%, 80.0%, and 75.5%, respectively. The results of univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the primary site in parameningeal region, alveolar RMS histology, M1 stage, IRS stage 4, surgery, and chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors (all P<0.05). The performance of nomogram model was validated by discrimination and calibration, with AUC values of 1, 3, and 5 years OS of 0.843, 0.851, and 0.890, respectively. Conclusion: We constructed a prognostic nomogram model for predicting the OS in HNRMS patients in children and adolescents and this model presented practical and applicable clinical value to predict survival when choosing treatment strategies.

MORE FLORET1 controls anther development by negatively regulating key tapetal genes in both diploid and tetraploid rice.

Polyploid hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) has great potential for increasing yields. However, hybrid rice depends on male fertility and its regulation, which is less well studied in polyploid rice than in diploid rice. We previously identified a MYB transcription factor, MORE FLORET1 (MOF1), whose mutation causes male sterility in neo-tetraploid rice. MOF1 expression in anthers peaks at anther Stage 7 (S7) and progressively decreases to low levels at S10. However, it remains unclear how the dynamics of MOF1 expression contribute to male fertility. Here, we carefully examined anther development in both diploid and tetraploid mof1 rice mutants, as well as lines ectopically expressing MOF1 in a temporal manner. MOF1 mutations caused delayed degeneration of the tapetum and middle layer of anthers and aberrant pollen wall organization. Ectopic MOF1 expression at later stages of anther development led to retarded cytoplasmic reorganization of tapetal cells. In both cases, pollen grains were aborted and seed production was abolished, indicating that precise control of MOF1 expression is essential for male reproduction. We demonstrated that five key tapetal genes, CYP703A3 (CYTOCHROME P450 HYDROXYLASE 703A3), OsABCG26 (Oryza sativa ATP BINDING CASSETTE G26), PTC1 (PERSISTENT TAPETAL CELL1), PKS2 (POLYKETIDE SYNTHASE 2), and OsABCG15 (Oryza sativa ATP BINDING CASSETTE G15), exhibit expression patterns opposite to those of MOF1 and are negatively regulated by MOF1. Moreover, DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq), luciferase activity assays, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that MOF1 binds directly to the PKS2 promoter for transcriptional repression. Our results provide a mechanistic basis for the regulation of male reproduction by MOF1 in both diploid and tetraploid rice. This study will facilitate the development of polyploid male sterile lines, which are useful for breeding of polyploid hybrid rice.

OsmiR5519 regulates grain size and weight and down-regulates sucrose synthase gene RSUS2 in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

MAIN CONCLUSION: The up-regulation of OsmiR5519 results in the decrease of grain size, weight and seed setting rate. OsmiR5519 plays important roles in the process of grain filling and down-regulates sucrose synthase gene RSUS2. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one class of small non-coding RNAs that act as crucial regulators of plant growth and development. In rice, the conserved miRNAs were revealed to regulate the yield components, but the function of rice-specific miRNAs has been rarely studied. The rice-specific OsmiR5519 was found to be abundantly expressed during reproductive development, but its biological roles remain unknown. In this study, the function of rice-specific OsmiR5519 was characterized with the miR5519-overexpressing line (miR5519-OE) and miR5519-silenced line (STTM5519). At seedling stage, the content of sucrose, glucose and fructose was obviously lower in the leaves of miR5519-OE lines than those of wild-type (WT) line. The grain size and weight were decreased significantly in miR5519-OE lines, compared to those of WT rice. The cell width of hull in miR5519-OE was smaller than that in WT. The seed setting rate was notably reduced in miR5519-OE lines, but not in STTM5519 lines. Cytological observation demonstrated that the inadequate grain filling was the main reason for the decline of seed setting rate in miR5519-OE lines. The percentage of the defects of grain amounted to 40% in miR5519-OE lines, which almost equaled to the decreased value of seed setting rate. Furthermore, the sucrose synthase gene RSUS2 was identified as a target of OsmiR5519 via RNA ligase-mediated 3'-amplification of cDNA ends (3'-RLM-RACE), dual luciferase assays and transient expression assays. In summary, our results suggest that OsmiR5519 regulates grain size and weight and down-regulates RSUS2 in rice.

Experimental research on compressive strength deterioration of coal seam floor sandstone under the action of acidic mine drainage.

In sulphur-coal symbiotic coal seams, after the mining of sulphide iron ore, when the coal resources are mined, the mine water accumulated in the roadway mining area will have a certain impact on the stability of the surrounding rock of the coal seam roadway. Taking the floor sandstone of sulfur coal symbiotic coal seam as the research object, the roof fissure water with pH values of 7.48, 4.81 and 2.62 was used as the experimental solution. 10 experimental schemes were designed to measure the compressive strength of the samples under the action of AMD, and the hydrochemical analysis of AMD was conducted. The pore structures of the samples before and after the action of AMD were analyzed. Based on the hydrochemistry and pore structure, the deterioration mechanism of compressive strength of the coal seam floor sandstone under the action of AMD was explained. The results indicated that the compressive strength of the samples decreased with the increasing action time of AMD. The compressive strength decreased with the increment of the porosity. The concentration of H+ ion in AMD was relatively small. Na2O in albite dissolved and reacted with water, leading to an increase in the concentration of Na+ ion. Soluble substances such as MgCl2 and CaSO4 in the pore structure dissolved, leading to an increase in the concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. The dissolution of soluble substances and the physical-chemical reactions between solutions and minerals were the essential causes of the continuous deterioration of the compressive strength of the coal seam floor sandstone. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the deterioration of the mechanical properties of the peripheral rock in the roadway of the sulphur coal seam, and can also provide a certain engineering reference for the sulphur coal seam roadway.

OsmiRNA5488 Regulates the Development of Embryo Sacs and Targets OsARF25 in Rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Small RNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that typically range from 20 to 24 nucleotides in length. Among them, microRNAs (miRNAs) are particularly important regulators for plant development. The biological function of the conserved miRNAs has been studied extensively in plants, while that of the species-specific miRNAs has been studied in-depth. In this study, the regulatory role of a rice-specific OsmiRNA5488 (OsmiR5488) was characterized with the miR5488-overexpressed line (miR5488-OE) and miR5488-silenced line (STTM-5488). The seed-setting rate was notably reduced in miR5488-OE lines, but not in STTM-5488 lines. Cytological observation demonstrated the different types of abnormal mature embryo sacs, including the degeneration of embryo sacs and other variant types, in miR5488-OE lines. The percentage of the abnormal mature embryo sacs accounted for the reduced value of the seed-setting rate. Furthermore, OsARF25 was identified as a target of OsmiR5488 via RNA ligase-mediated 3'-amplifification of cDNA ends, dual luciferase assays, and transient expression assays. The primary root length was decreased with the increases in auxin concentrations in miR5488-OE lines compared to wild-type rice. Summarily, our results suggested that OsmiR5488 regulates the seed-setting rate and down-regulates the targeted gene OsARF25.

Autotetraploid rice: challenges and opportunities.

Autotetraploid rice is a type of germplasm developed from the whole genome duplication of diploid rice, leading to large grains, high nutrient content, and resistance. However, its low fertility has reduced yield and hampered commercialization. To address this issue, a new type of high fertility tetraploid rice was developed, which may serve as a useful germplasm for polyploid rice breeding. In this review, we summarize the progress made in understanding the cellular and molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the low fertility of autotetraploid rice and its F1 hybrid, as well as the main types of new tetraploid rice with high fertility. Lastly, the idea of utilizing the multi-generation heterosis of neo-tetraploid rice in the future is proposed as a reference for polyploid rice breeding.

Comparative cytological and transcriptome analyses of ny2 mutant delayed degeneration of tapetal cells and promotes abnormal microspore development in neo-tetraploid rice.

We aimed to investigate the genetic defects related to pollen development and infertility in NY2, a novel tetraploid rice germplasm known as Neo-tetraploid rice. This rice variety was created through the crossbreeding and selective breeding of various autotetraploid rice lines and has previously shown high fertility. Our previous research has revealed that the NY2 gene, encoding a eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit E, regulates pollen fertility. However, the underlying mechanism behind this fertility is yet to be understood. To shed light on this matter, we performed a combined cytological and transcriptome analysis of the NY2 gene. Cytological analysis indicated that ny2 underwent abnormal tapetal cells, microspore, and middle layer development, which led to pollen abortion and ultimately to male sterility. Genetic analysis revealed that the F1 plants showed normal fertility and an obvious advantage for seed setting compared to ny2. Global gene expression analysis in ny2 revealed a total of 7545 genes were detected at the meiosis stage, and 3925 and 3620 displayed upregulation and downregulation, respectively. The genes were significantly enriched for the gene ontology (GO) term "carbohydrate metabolic process. Moreover, 9 genes related to tapetum or pollen fertility showed down-regulation, such as OsABCG26 (ATP Binding Cassette G26), TMS9-1 (Thermosensitive Male Sterility), EAT1 (Programmed cell death regulatory), KIN14M (Kinesin Motor), OsMT1a (Metallothionein), and OsSTRL2 (Atypical strictosidine synthase), which were validated by qRT-PCR. Further analyses of DEGs identified nine down-regulated transcription factor genes related to pollen development. NY2 is an important regulator of the development of tapetum and microspore. The regulatory gene network described in this study may offer important understandings into the molecular processes that underlie fertility control in tetraploid rice.

In Vitro Induction of Interspecific Hybrid and Polyploidy Derived from Oryza officinalis Wall.

Oryza officinalis Wall is a potential genetic resource for rice breeding; however, its distant genome limits its crossing ability with cultivated rice. The interspecific hybridization of O. officinalis and cultivated rice, establishment of its tissue culture, and induction of polyploidy are ways to improve O. officinalis's poor crossability. We developed an interspecific hybrid and studied its reproductive pollen development process in this work, and the results showed that abortive pollens (81.94%) and embryo sac abnormalities (91.04%) were the key causes of its high sterility. In order to induce callus formation in interspecific hybrid explants, two different culture media, namely Chu's N-6 medium (N6) and 1/2 Murashig and Skoog medium (1/2 MS), were employed. Additionally, two plant growth regulators (PGRs), namely 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BA), along with L-proline (Pro) and acid hydrolyzed casein, were utilized in the experiment. The optimal N6 medium, supplemented with 2.0 mg·L-1 2,4-D, produced the highest induction rate (80.56 ± 5.44)%. For callus differentiation and proliferation, the MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg·L-1 BA + 0.2 mg·L-1 NAA produced the highest differentiation rate (75.00 ± 4.97)% and seedling emergence ratio (28.97 ± 4.67)%. The optimal combination for seedling rooting was the 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L-1 NAA and 0.2 mg L-1 BA, which produced an average of 13.95 roots per plant. For polyploidy induction in the interspecific hybrid, the concentration of colchicine treatment at 400 mg·L-1 for three days is an ideal protocol. We devised tissue culture and interspecific hybrid polyploidy induction to overcome O. officinalis' poor crossability and introduce its favorable features into cultivated rice.

Inhibiting HIF-1 signaling alleviates HTRA1-induced RPE senescence in retinal degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), characterized by the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors, is the leading cause of irreversible vision impairment among the elderly. RPE senescence is an important contributor to AMD and has become a potential target for AMD therapy. HTRA1 is one of the most significant susceptibility genes in AMD, however, the correlation between HTRA1 and RPE senescence hasn't been investigated in the pathogenesis of AMD. METHODS: Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect HTRA1 expression in WT and transgenic mice overexpressing human HTRA1 (hHTRA1-Tg mice). RT-qPCR was used to detect the SASP in hHTRA1-Tg mice and ARPE-19 cells infected with HTRA1. TEM, SA-ß-gal was used to detect the mitochondria and senescence in RPE. Retinal degeneration of mice was investigated by fundus photography, FFA, SD-OCT and ERG. The RNA-Seq dataset of ARPE-19 cells treated with adv-HTRA1 versus adv-NC were analyzed. Mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic capacity in ARPE-19 cells were measured using OCR and ECAR. Hypoxia of ARPE-19 cells was detected using EF5 Hypoxia Detection Kit. KC7F2 was used to reduce the HIF1α expression both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: In our study, we found that RPE senescence was facilitated in hHTRA1-Tg mice. And hHTRA1-Tg mice became more susceptible to NaIO3 in the development of oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration. Similarly, overexpression of HTRA1 in ARPE-19 cells accelerated cellular senescence. Our RNA-seq revealed an overlap between HTRA1-induced differentially expressed genes associated with aging and those involved in mitochondrial function and hypoxia response in ARPE-19 cells. HTRA1 overexpression in ARPE-19 cells impaired mitochondrial function and augmented glycolytic capacity. Importantly, upregulation of HTRA1 remarkably activated HIF-1 signaling, shown as promoting HIF1α expression which mainly located in the nucleus. HIF1α translation inhibitor KC7F2 significantly prevented HTRA1-induced cellular senescence in ARPE-19 cells, as well as improved the visual function in hHTRA1-Tg mice treated with NaIO3. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed elevated HTRA1 contributes to the pathogenesis of AMD by promoting cellular senescence in RPE through damaging mitochondrial function and activating HIF-1 signaling. It also pointed out that inhibition of HIF-1 signaling might serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for AMD. Video Abstract.

Natural allelic variation in GRAIN SIZE AND WEIGHT 3 of wild rice regulates the grain size and weight.

Grain size is important for yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Although many genes involved in grain size have been isolated, few can be used in breeding due to their interactions and phenotypic effects. Here, we describe natural variation in the granule-type quantitative trait locus GRAIN SIZE AND WEIGHT 3 (GSW3) located on chromosome 3 in wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) that encodes a GTPase-regulated protein and negatively regulates grain length, grain width, and 1,000-grain weight. The insertion of a 232-bp fragment of the genomic sequence in the wild rice, a natural allelic variant gene (GSW3), increased the expression levels and reduced the grain length and width and 1,000-grain weight. Knockout of GSW3 in the wild rice inbred line Huaye 3 increased the grain length and width and 1,000-grain weight. Introducing GSW3Huaye3 into cultivated rice line KJ01 and overexpressing GSW3Huaye3 in Huaye 3 resulted in reduced grain length and width and 1,000-grain weight, and grain size and 1,000-grain weight changes were closely related to GSW3 expression levels. GSW3 regulated the grain length and width simultaneously by promoting grain glume cell division and longitudinal and transverse cell growth. GSW3 was also involved in regulating the gibberellic acid signaling pathway and negatively regulated plant growth. Furthermore, a critical SNP in the GSW3 coding region was obviously correlated with grain size variation in a core collection of cultivated rice. This SNP resulted in an amino acid substitution from Gln to Arg at position 161 in GSW3, which reduced the grain size. Our study shows that GSW3 negatively regulates the grain shape, which could explain different grain shapes in modern cultivars and wild rice. GSW3 may also be used for breeding rice varieties with improved grain shapes and higher yield.

Polyploidy and zinc oxide nanoparticles alleviated Cd toxicity in rice by modulating oxidative stress and expression levels of sucrose and metal-transporter genes.

The Cd toxicity causes severe perturbations to the plant's growth and development. Here, polyploid and diploid rice lines were treated with zinc-oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and Cd, and physiological, cytological and molecular changes were observed. The Cd toxicity significantly reduced plant's growth attributes (such as shoot length, biological yield, dry matter, and chlorophyll contents, which decreased by 19%, 18%, 16%, 19% in polyploid and 35%, 43%, 45% and 43% in diploid rice, respectively), and disturbed the sugar level through the production of electrolytes, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde. The application of ZnO-NPs significantly alleviated the Cd toxicity in both lines by improving the antioxidant enzymes activities and physiochemical attributes. Semi-thin sections and transmission electron microscope revealed more and different types of abnormalities in diploid rice compared to polyploid rice under Cd stress. Moreover, RNA-seq analysis identified several differentially expressed genes between polyploid and diploid rice, especially metal and sucrose transporter genes. The GO, COG, and KEGG analyses revealed ploidy-specific pathways associated with plant growth and development. In conclusion, ZnO-NPs application to both rice lines significantly improved plant growth and decreased Cd accumulation in plants. We inferred that polyploid rice is more resistant to Cd stress than diploid rice.

Lipocalin 2 induces visual impairment by promoting ferroptosis in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Background: Retinal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR) is a common pathological condition that can lead to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and visual impairment. However, the pathogenesis of RGC loss and visual impairment caused by retinal ischemia remains unclear. Methods: A mouse model of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP)-induced RIR injury was used. Flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs) and electroretinography (ERG) recordings were performed to assess visual function. The structural integrity of the retina and the number of RGC were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and retinal flat mounts. Ferroptosis was evaluated by testing the levels of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX4), and ferritin light chains (FTL) in the retina of wild-type (WT) and lipocalin-2 transgenic (LCN2-TG) mice after RIR injury. Results: We found that LCN2 was mainly expressed in the RGC layer in the retina of wild-type mice and remarkably upregulated after RIR injury. Compared with wild-type mice, aggravated RGC death and visual impairment were exhibited in LCN2-TG mice with RIR injury. Moreover, LCN2 overexpression activated glial cells and upregulated proinflammatory factors. More importantly, we found that LCN2 strongly promoted ferroptosis signaling in RGC death and visual impairment. Liproxstatin-1, an inhibitor of ferroptosis, could significantly ameliorate RGC death and visual impairment. Furthermore, we found significantly alleviated RGC death and retinal damage in LCN2 heterozygous knockout mice. Conclusions: Our study provides important insights linking upregulated LCN2-mediated promotion of ferroptosis to RGC death and visual function impairment in the pathogenesis of ischemic retinopathy.

Effect of icon size, icon position and sex on clicking motion when operating smartphones with single hand.

Nowadays, increasingly more situations exist where smartphones are operated with one hand, requiring an in-depth understanding of human-computer interaction in single-hand scenarios. 104 volunteers (57 men, 47 women) participated in this study. We aimed to explore thumb movements with the right and left hand on smartphone touchscreens at different icon sizes (50, 80, 110 and 140 rpx) in different operation areas (a 4*7 icon matrix). The results partially conformed to Fitts' Law. The movement time (MT) significantly increased as the icon size decreased, but this effect was not found over 110 rpx. The MT increased with distance in the vertical direction, but icons with the same horizontal distance had different MTs, indicating that one-handed operation restricted the click on the same side. Additionally, subjects rated 140 rpx better than other sizes, and men clicked faster than women. Suggestions regarding one-handed interface design for different hands of different sexes are provided.Practitioner summary: This study investigated how icon size, position and sex influenced one-thumb click usability on touch-screen mobile phones with different hands of different sexes. The results indicate single-hand operation partially conformed to Fitts' Law. We suggested the most economical and comfortable size and the fast operation area in one-handed interface design.Abbreviations: MT: movement time; ID: index of difficulty; RPX: responsive pixel; NASA-TLX: task load index of National Aeronautics and Space Administration; ANOVA: analysis of variance.

An uncharacterized protein NY1 targets EAT1 to regulate anther tapetum development in polyploid rice.

BACKGROUND: Autotetraploid rice is a useful germplasm for the breeding of polyploid rice; however, low fertility is a major hindrance for its utilization. Neo-tetraploid rice with high fertility was developed from the crossing of different autotetraploid rice lines. Our previous research showed that the mutant (ny1) of LOC_Os07g32406 (NY1), which was generated by CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out in neo-tetraploid rice, showed low pollen fertility, low seed set, and defective chromosome behavior during meiosis. However, the molecular genetic mechanism underlying the fertility remains largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, cytological observations of the NY1 mutant (ny1) indicated that ny1 exhibited abnormal tapetum and middle layer development. RNA-seq analysis displayed a total of 5606 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ny1 compared to wild type (H1) during meiosis, of which 2977 were up-regulated and 2629 were down-regulated. Among the down-regulated genes, 16 important genes associated with tapetal development were detected, including EAT1, CYP703A3, CYP704B2, DPW, PTC1, OsABCG26, OsAGO2, SAW1, OsPKS1, OsPKS2, and OsTKPR1. The mutant of EAT1 was generated by CRISPR/Cas9 that showed abnormal tapetum and pollen wall formation, which was similar to ny1. Moreover, 478 meiosis-related genes displayed down-regulation at same stage, including 9 important meiosis-related genes, such as OsREC8, OsSHOC1, SMC1, SMC6a and DCM1, and their expression levels were validated by qRT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results will aid in identifying the key genes associated with pollen fertility, which offered insights into the molecular mechanism underlying pollen development in tetraploid rice.

Identification of qGL3.5, a Novel Locus Controlling Grain Length in Rice Through Bulked Segregant Analysis and Fine Mapping.

Grain length (GL) directly affects the yield and quality of rice. Very few cloned GL-related genes are applied in production because their yield-increasing effects are not obvious, and the overall regulatory networks underlying the associated processes remain poorly understood. DNA samples from two bulk DNA pools (L-pool and S-pool) and their parents (KJ01 and Huaye 3) were subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Using bulked segregant analysis (BSA), qGL3.5 was mapped to a 0.34-Mb "hotspot" region on chromosome 3 that contains 37 genes related to various traits. Then, qGL3.5 was mapped to the genomic interval between the flanking markers M2 and M3 using 2786 BC4F2 individuals. Because the region from B5 to B6 was not the associated region under BSA-seq analysis, qGL3.5 was narrowed down to the interval between B6 and M3, which spanned 24.0-kb. Of all 37 genes with non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between KJ01 and Huaye 3 based on BSA-seq analysis, only one complete annotated gene, ORF18 (Gene ID: LOC_Os03g42790.1) was found. ORF18 encodes an IBR-RING zinc-finger-related protein, with one really interesting new gene (RING) and two in between ring finger (IBR) domains. The knockout of ORF18 derived from Huaye 3 using clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) editing technology increased the GL of the mutant by approximately 2.2 mm. The novel locus qGL3.5 negatively regulated GL by promoting elongation of the longitudinal cell of the grain outer glume. These results provide a new genetic resource for rice grain shape breeding and a starting point for the functional characterization of the wild rice GL gene.

Toward Measuring Chinese EFL Teachers' Resilience: The Role of Teachers' Enjoyment, Anger, and Anxiety.

Teachers have been regarded for many years as one of the most impactful elements with a significant function in educational and learning contexts. Several studies have been conducted on teachers and their performances in the classes. Positive psychology has focused on both the constructive and deconstructive feelings that teachers encounter in the process of teaching. Among the investigated elements, enjoyment anger, and anxiety can be regarded more significant in the relevant literature. The current research, thus, clarifies their association and connection with Chinese language educators' resilience. To this end, 464 male and female Chinese EFL teachers participated in the present study, and their enjoyment, anger, anxiety, and resilience were inspected by completing the associated questionnaires. The data analysis indicated that there is a substantial correlation between teachers' resilience and their emotions. Similarly, it is concluded that the best predictor of teachers' resilience is enjoyment. Also, some academic suggestions for the study regarding the development of teachers' resilience in educational situations are proposed.

The Role of Chinese Language Learners' Academic Resilience and Mindfulness in Their Engagement.

One of the growing area of interest in the educational area is student engagement which is the major construct of positive psychology (PP) vital in growing energetic, innovative, and pleasurable learning, but unluckily, all students are not engaged in terms of cognition, emotion, and behavior in learning. Another concept in the PP literature is resilience which emphasizes institutes' and people's powers and self-constraint to conform to accidental conditions. Furthermore, mindfulness as a significant term in PP has critical benefits such as improving working memory, improving wellbeing, and lowering tension. Considering the importance of mindfulness and engagement in academic environments and that such a notion in foreign language learning is neglected, the current study attempts to inspect the effect of mindfulness and resilience on the engagement of Chinese foreign language students. To meet this objective, 1,693 EFL learners participated in this study. They responded to the mindfulness scale, resilience scale, and engagement questionnaire. Subsequently, the Spearman Rho test was exploited to shed light on probable relationships. The findings indicated that there was a significant correlation among the variable of the study. Moreover, a linear multiple regression analysis was run to examine the predictor roles of mindfulness and resilience in learners' engagement. The findings revealed that both mindfulness and resilience are positive and reliable predictors of engagement. In a nutshell, the central position of resilience and mindfulness in language learning was verified, and based on the findings; a few suggestions are made considering the results of the research.

An overview of sucrose transporter (SUT) genes family in rice.

INTRODUCTION: Photosynthesis provides the energy basis for the life activities of plants by producing organic compounds, mainly sugar. As the main energy form of photosynthesis, sugar affects the growth and development of plants. During long-distance transportation, sucrose is the main form of transportation. The rate of sugar transport and the allocation of carbohydrates affect the biomass of crops and are closely related to the reproductive growth of crops. MAIN TEXT: The transportation of sugar is divided into active transportation and passive transportation. So how does the sucrose transporters (SUT) genes, which are the main carriers of sucrose in active transportation, affect the performance of rice agronomic traits is still to be explored. In this article, we describe the structure of inflorescence and review the transport forms and metabolic processes of sucrose in rice, such as how CO2 is fixed, carbohydrate assimilation, and transport of organic matter. Sucrose transporters exhibited remarkable effects on the development of reproductive organs in rice. CONCLUSIONS: Here, the effects of different factors, such as the effects of anthers morphology on starch enrichment of pollen, effects of biotic and abiotic factors on sucrose transporters, effects of changes in trace elements on sucrose transporters, were discussed. Moreover, the regulation of transcription or translation level provides ideas for future research on sucrose transporters.