The GaKAN2, a KANADI transcription factor, modulates stem trichomes in Gossypium arboreum.

KEY MESSAGE: GaKAN2, a member of the KANADI family, was found to be widely expressed in the cotton tissues and regulates trichome development through complex pathways. Cotton trichomes are believed to be the defense barrier against insect pests. Cotton fiber and trichomes are single-cell epidermal extensions with shared regulatory mechanisms. Despite several studies underlying mechanism of trichome development remains elusive. The KANADI is one of the key transcription factors (TFs) family, regulating Arabidopsis trichomes growth. However, the function of KANADI genes in cotton remains unknown. In the current study genome-wide scanning, transcriptomic analysis, gene silencing, subcellular localization, and yeast two-hybrid techniques were employed to decipher the function of KANADI TFs family genes in cotton crop. A total of 7 GaKAN genes were found in the Gossypium arboreum. Transcriptomic data revealed that these genes were significantly expressed in stem and root. Moreover, GaKAN2 was widely expressed in other tissues also. Subsequently, we selected GaKAN2 to validate the function of KANADI genes. Silencing of GaKAN2 resulted in a 24.99% decrease in single-cell trichomes and an 11.33% reduction in internodal distance, indicating its potential role in regulating trichomes and plant growth. RNA-Seq analysis elucidated that GaSuS and GaERS were the downstream genes of GaKAN2. The transcriptional activation and similarity in silencing phenotype between GaKAN2 and GaERS suggested that GaKAN2 regulates trichomes development through GaERS. Moreover, KEGG analysis revealed that a significant number of genes were enriched in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and plant hormone signal transduction pathways, thereby suggesting that GaKAN2 regulates the stem trichomes and plant growth. The GFP subcellular localization and yeast transcriptional activation analysis elucidated that GaKAN2 was located in the nucleus and capable of regulating the transcription of downstream genes. This study elucidated the function and characteristics of the KANADI gene family in cotton, providing a fundamental basis for further research on GaKAN2 gene in cotton plant trichomes and plant developmental processes.

A Conjugated Coordination Polymer with Benzoquinone as Electrode Material for All Organic Symmetric Lithium-ion Batteries.

Carbonyl rich conjugated polymer electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries possessed the advantages of strong molecular design ability, abundance and high theoretical capacity. In this work, a Co2+ coordinated conjugated polymer using 2,3,5,6-tetraamino-p-benzoquinone (TABQ) as building block was constructed and developed as electrode material for all organic symmetric lithium-ion batteries, outputting a specific capacity of over 100 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles at 50 mA g-1 . Performances of Co-TABQ in half cells were explored. The Co-TABQ cathode delivered a capacity of 133.3 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles at 20 mA g-1 . When cycled at higher current density of 500 mA g-1 , the capacity gradually increased to 109.4 mAh g-1 after 4000 cycles. The Co-TABQ anode displayed a stable capacity of 568.6 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 . The charge transfer within the electrode was greatly reduced due to the metallic centers in the extended conjugated skeleton, and the reversible Li+ storage was achieved by the active C=O and imine groups. This work showed the great potential of metal mediated conjugated polymer in Lithium-ion batteries.

3D-printed heterogeneous Cu2O monoliths: Reusable supports for Antibiotic Treatmentantibiotic treatment of wastewater.

In this study, surfactant stabilized dispersions of the Cu2O microparticles in a commercially available photocurable resin were 3D printed into both porous and non-porous monoliths, and the heterogeneous Cu2O catalytic monolith with improved mass transfer characteristics was applied for antibiotic wastewater treatment. The physicochemical properties of catalytic monoliths were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric. Ten intermediates were analyzed and identified by GC-MS, and the corresponding degradation pathways were proposed. Both numerical simulation and degradation experiments were used to explore the mass transfer mechanism and catalytic performance of the monoliths. The results showed that the 3D-printed monolith with a well-defined porous network exhibited a high ofloxacin degradation efficiency (100%) based on the sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes. In addition, the catalytic monolith showed sustained high activity over 7 reusable cycles demonstrating its feasibility in removal of antibiotics from wastewater.

I2-Promoted [4 + 2] cycloaddition of in situ generated azoalkenes with enaminones: facile and efficient synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridazines and pyridazines.

A facile and efficient strategy for the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridazines and pyridazines through I2-promoted [4 + 2] cycloaddition of in situ generated azoalkenes with enaminones has been developed. The switch in selectivity is attributed to the judicious choice of different reaction temperatures. The key features of this work include controllable and selective synthesis, good functional group tolerance, good to excellent reaction yields, metal/base-free conditions, and also applicability to one-pot methodology.

Copper-catalyzed carbene insertion and ester migration for the synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles.

Copper-catalyzed carbene insertion/ester migration/cyclization of enaminones and α-diazo compounds occurred efficiently to afford 2-ester polysubstituted pyrroles under mild conditions in moderate-to-good yields. Substituent functionality was well tolerated and 13C-labelled experiments demonstrated 1,2-ester migration during the reaction.

Effects of PRP and LyPRP on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is rich in a variety of growth factors and plays an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). It has been reported that the preparation of freeze-dried platelets (lyophilized platelets [LyPRP]) from platelets could be an effective strategy to preserve the bioactivity of platelets for a long time. In this study, the osteogenic induction effects of PRP and LyPRP on MSCs were evaluated. The rabbit arterial blood was drawing to preparation of PRP by secondary centrifugation. Whole blood was prepared by lyophilization buffer to prepare LyPRP, which were activated by chloride and their surface morphology was observed. It was observed using a scanning electron microscope that platelets were evenly distributed on the surface of PRP and LyPRP. Growth factors were slowly released from PRP and LyPRP during the first 7 days and detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Cell proliferation assays and fluoresceindiacetate/propidium iodide (FDA/PI) staining demonstrated that PRP and LyPRP could promote cell proliferation. PRP and LyPRP were also shown to promote osteogenic differentiation of MSCs in vitro by osteogenesis characteristic staining and qPCR quantitative detection of osteogenic related gene expression. Both PRP and LyPRP could promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs effectively. Moreover, PRP exhibited a better osteogenic induction effect on MSC than LyPRP.

Repair of osteochondral defects in a rabbit model with artificial cartilage particulates derived from cultured collagen-chondrocyte microspheres.

Tissue engineered cartilage has become a promising candidate for restoration of defective cartilage, but is normally associated with problems including limited tissue size, inferior mechanical properties, poor tissue homogeneity and integrative properties compared to the native cartilage. In this study, we utilised our recently developed microsphere culture technique to fabricate artificial cartilage particulates (ACPs) using collagen hydrogel microspheres with allogenic chondrocytes. These ACPs were used to repair rabbit osteochondral defects in vivo. The results demonstrated that the optimised ACPs showed better cartilage repair and integration into the host tissue. Moreover, the mechanical integrity of ACPs protected the tissue underneath and enhanced the subchondral bone formation. After 3 months of surgery, the subchondral bone volume had recovered to a similar level to the natural tissue. Together, these results suggested that the ACPs prepared using our microsphere culture technique show great potential for osteochondral repair in future clinical applications.

Skin-Potential Variation Insensitive Dry Electrodes for ECG Recording.

OBJECTIVE: A skin-potential variation (SPV) insensitive dry electrode is developed to remove the interference of SPV. METHODS: Based on a conventional microneedles array-based electrode, a layer of Parylene membrane is coated at the root of microneedles to insulate the electrode from the corneum layer. Only tips of the needles are exposed to make it can contact with the stratum germinativum layer directly. RESULTS: As a result, skin potential will not be coupled into the recording electrode. Thus, SPV will not influence the biopotential recording in the dynamic state. CONCLUSION: The proposed electrode is potential for a device which is insensitive to the motion noise source from SPV. SIGNIFICANCE: It paves the way for applications of the proposed dry electrode in the wearable technology which require strong anti-motion interference ability.