Boosting Osmotic Energy Harvesting from Organic Solutions by Ultrathin Covalent Organic Framework Membranes.

Extracting osmotic energy from waste organic solutions via reverse electrodialysis represents a promising approach to reuse such industrial wastes and helps to mitigate the ever-growing energy needs. Herein, a molecularly thin membrane of covalent organic frameworks is engineered via interfacial polymerization to investigate its ion transport behavior in organic solutions. Interestingly, a significant deviation from linearity between ion conductance and reciprocal viscosity is observed, attributed to the nanoscale confinement effect on intermolecular interactions. This finding suggests a potential strategy to modulate the influence of apprarent viscosity on transmembrane transport. The osmotic energy harvesting of the ultrathin membrane in organic systems was studied, achieving an unprecedented output power density of over 84.5 W m-2 at a 1000-fold salinity gradient with a benign conversion efficiency and excellent stability. These findings provide a meaningful stepping stone for future studies seeking to fully leverage the potentials of organic systems in energy harvesting applications.

Superstructured Optoionic Heterojunctions for Promoting Ion Pumping Inspired by Photoreceptor Cells.

Photoreceptor cells of vertebrates feature ultrastructural membranes interspersed with abundant photosensitive ion pumps to boost signal generation and realize high gain in dim light. In light of this, superstructured optoionic heterojunctions (SSOHs) with cation-selective nanochannels are developed for manipulating photo-driven ion pumping. A template-directed bottom-up strategy is adopted to sequentially assemble graphene oxide (GO) and PEDOT:PSS into heterogeneous membranes with sculptured superstructures, which feature programmable variation in membrane topography and contain a donor-acceptor interface capable of maintaining electron-hole separation upon photoillumination. Such elaborate design endows SSOHs with a much higher magnitude of photo-driven ion flux against a concentration gradient in contrast to conventional optoionic membranes with planar configuration. This can be ascribed to the buildup of an enhanced transmembrane potential owing to the effective separation of photogenerated carriers at the heterojunction interface and the increase of energy input from photoillumination due to a synergistic effect of reflection reduction, broad-angle absorption, and wide-waveband absorption. This work unlocks the significance of membrane topographies in photo-driven transmembrane transportation and proposes such a universal prototype that could be extended to other optoionic membranes to develop high-performance artificial ion pumps for energy conversion and sensing.

Broadband High Optical Transparent Intelligent Metasurface for Adaptive Electromagnetic Wave Manipulation.

Intelligent metasurfaces have garnered widespread attention owing to their properties of sensing electromagnetic (EM) environments and multifunctional adaptive EM wave manipulation. However, intelligent metasurfaces with broadband high optical transparency have not been studied to date, and most of the previous intelligent metasurfaces lack an integrated design for their actuators and sensors, resulting in lower integration levels. This study proposes a novel intelligent metasurface with adaptive EM wave manipulation ability and high optical transparency from visible to infrared bands. This metasurface consists of a transparent and current-controlled reconfigurable metasurface as an actuator by integrating patterned vanadium dioxide (VO2) into metal-meshed resonant units, transparent broadband microstrip antenna as a sensor, recognition-and-feedback module, and actuator- and sensor-integrated design on the same substrate. The EM-regulating capability of the designed transparent intelligent metasurface is theoretically analyzed using the coupled mode theory, and a prototype metasurface device is fabricated for experimental verification. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the metasurface exhibits over 80% normalized transmittance from 380 to 5,000 nm and adaptive EM wave manipulation (reflective strong shielding function with a shielding efficiency of over 24 dB, high transmittance function with a transmission loss of 1.24 dB, and strong absorption function with an absorption of 97%) according to the EM wave power parameters without manual intervention. This study provides an avenue for transparent intelligent metasurfaces with extensive application prospects in areas such as intelligent optical windows, radar enclosures, and communication.

Cadmium disrupts spermatogenic cell cycle via piRNA-DQ717867/p53 pathway.

Cadmium (Cd) is a harmful environmental pollutant that disrupts public health, including respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. In this study, male rats were exposed to CdCl2 at a dose of 3 mg/kg by oral for 28 days to investigate the impact on spermatogenesis. Testis tissue samples were collected after sacrifice, and piRNA expression levels were measured using piRNA microarray and qPCR. PiRNAs, specialized molecules involved in spermatogenesis, were examined. CdCl2 exposure led to disrupted piRNA expression, particularly in piRNA-DQ759395 in rats. This piRNA was found to have a binding site with p53, and a similar piRNA-DQ717867 was discovered in mice. In GC-2spd cells, CdCl2 exposure increased piRNA-DQ717867 expression, which resulted in cell cycle arrest and abnormal expression of cell cycle-related proteins. The activation of p53-related pathways and disruptions in cell cycle regulation were also observed. Antagomir-717867 transfections and PFT-a pretreatment in GC-2spd cells supported the involvement of piRNA-DQ717867 in regulating cell cycle-related proteins. This study suggests that Cd exposure induces abnormal expression of piRNA-DQ759395 in rat testis and that piRNA-DQ717867 may regulate p53, causing cell cycle abnormalities in GC-2spd cells. These findings help understand the mechanisms of male reproductive toxicity caused by Cd exposure and emphasize the role of piRNAs in cell cycle regulation and male reproductive health.

Nanogap engineering of 3D nanoraspberries into 2D plasmonic nanoclusters toward improved SERS performance.

3D raspberry-like core/satellite nanostructures were prepared by controlled surface functionalization of silica spheres using crosslinked poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) chains with known binding affinity for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The 3D SiO2-g-P(4VP-co-DVB)/AuNP nanoraspberries can be further transformed into 2D plasmonic nanoclusters by etching the silica core with hydrofluoric acid (HF). After the transformation, the interparticle distance between the AuNPs dramatically reduced from a 10 nm scale to sub 2 nm. Owing to the strong electromagnetic field generated by the plasmonic coupling between AuNPs in very close proximity, the established P(4VP-co-DVB)/AuNP nanoclusters provided strong and undisturbed Raman signals as a SERS substrate. In addition, benefiting from the stabilizing effect of the crosslinked P(4VP-co-DVB) network, the prepared SERS substrate has the advantages of good uniformity, stability and reproducibility, as well as strong SERS enhancement, endowing it with great potential for rapid and efficient SERS detection.

Microporous Polyelectrolyte Complexes by Hydroplastic Foaming.

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) have emerged as an attractive category of materials for their water processability and some similarities to natural biopolymers. Herein, we employ the intrinsic hydroplasticity of PEC materials to enable the generation of porous structures with the aid of gas foaming. Such foamable materials are fabricated by simply mixing polycation, polyanion, and a UV-initiated chemical foaming agent in an aqueous solution, followed by molding into thin films. The gas foaming of the PEC films can be achieved upon exposure to UV illumination under water, where the films are plasticized and the gaseous products from the photolysis of foaming agents afford the formation, expanding, and merging of numerous bubbles. The porosity and morphology of the resulting porous films can be customized by tuning film composition, foaming conditions, and especially the degree of plasticizing effect, illustrating the high flexibility of this hydroplastic foaming method. Due to the rapid initiation of gas foaming, the present method enables the formation of porous structures via an instant one-step process, much more efficient than those existing strategies for porous PEC materials. More importantly, such a pore-forming mechanism might be extended to other hydroplastic materials (e.g., biopolymers) and help to yield hydroplasticity-based processing strategies.

Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveals endoplasmic reticulum stress-related CAF subpopulations associated with chordoma progression.

BACKGROUND: With cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as the main cell type, the rich myxoid stromal components in chordoma tissues may likely contribute to its development and progression. METHODS: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, bulk RNA-seq, and multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) were used to dissect the heterogeneity, spatial distribution, and clinical implication of CAFs in chordoma. RESULTS: We sequenced here 72 097 single cells from 3 primary and 3 recurrent tumor samples, as well as 3 nucleus pulposus samples as controls using scRNA-seq. We identified a unique cluster of CAF in recurrent tumors that highly expressed hypoxic genes and was functionally enriched in endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Pseudotime trajectory and cell communication analyses showed that this ERS-CAF subpopulation originated from normal fibroblasts and widely interacted with tumoral and immune cells. Analyzing the bulk RNA-seq data from 126 patients, we found that the ERS-CAF signature score was associated with the invasion and poor prognosis of chordoma. By integrating the results of scRNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics, we demonstrated the existence of ERS-CAF in chordoma tissues and revealed that this CAF subtype displayed the most proximity to its surrounding tumor cells. In subsequent QIF validation involving 105 additional patients, we confirmed that ERS-CAF was abundant in the chordoma microenvironment and located close to tumor cells. Furthermore, both ERS-CAF density and its distance to tumor cells were correlated with tumor malignant phenotype and adverse patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings depict the CAF landscape for chordoma and may provide insights into the development of novel treatment approaches.

Rictor mediates p53 deactivation to facilitate the malignant transformation of hepatocytes and promote hepatocarcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in TP53 gene is considered a main driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While TP53 mutations are the leading cause of p53 dysfunction, their occurrence rates may drop to approximately 10% in cohorts without hepatitis B virus and aflatoxin exposure. This observation suggests that the deactivation of wild-type p53 (p53wt) may be a critical factor in the majority of HCC cases. However, the mechanism undermining p53wt activity in the liver remains unclear. METHODS: Microarray analysis and luciferase assay were utilized to confirm target associations. Gain- and/or loss-of-function methods were employed to assess alterations in signaling pathways. Protein interactions were analyzed by molecular immunological methods and further visualized by confocal microscopy. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to analyze clinical significance. Tumor xenograft nude mice were used to validate the findings in vivo. RESULTS: Our study highlights the oncogenic role of Rictor, a key component of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), in hepatocytes. Rictor exerts its oncogenic function by binding to p53wt and subsequently blocking p53wt activity based on p53 status, requiring the involvement of mTOR. Moreover, we observed a dynamic nucleocytoplasmic distribution pattern of Rictor, characterized by its translocation from the nucleus (in precancerous lesions) to the cytoplasm (in HCCs) during malignant transformation. Notably, Rictor is directly targeted by the liver-enriched microRNA miR-192, and the disruption of the miR-192-Rictor-p53-miR-192 signaling axis was consistently observed in both human and rat HCC models. Clinical analysis associated lower miR-192/higher Rictor with shorter overall survival and more advanced clinical stages (P < 0.05). In mice, xenograft tumors overexpressing miR-192 exhibited lower Rictor expression levels, leading to higher p53 activity, and these tumors displayed slower growth compared to untreated HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Rictor dynamically shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm during HCC development. Its pivotal oncogenic role involves binding and inhibiting p53wt activity within the nucleus in early hepatocarcinogenesis. Targeting Rictor presents a promising strategy for HCC based on p53 status.

An Integral R-Banded Karyotype Analysis System of Bone Marrow Metaphases Based on Deep Learning.

CONTEXT.­: Conventional karyotype analysis, which provides comprehensive cytogenetic information, plays a significant role in the diagnosis and risk stratification of hematologic neoplasms. The main limitations of this approach include long turnaround time and laboriousness. Therefore, we developed an integral R-banded karyotype analysis system for bone marrow metaphases, based on deep learning. OBJECTIVE.­: To evaluate the performance of the internal models and the entire karyotype analysis system for R-banded bone marrow metaphase. DESIGN.­: A total of 4442 sets of R-banded normal bone marrow metaphases and karyograms were collected. Accordingly, 4 deep learning-based models for different analytic stages of karyotyping, including denoising, segmentation, classification, and polarity recognition, were developed and integrated as an R-banded bone marrow karyotype analysis system. Five-fold cross validation was performed on each model. The whole system was implemented by 2 strategies of automatic and semiautomatic workflows. A test set of 885 metaphases was used to assess the entire system. RESULTS.­: The denoising model achieved an intersection-over-union (IoU) of 99.20% and a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 99.58% for metaphase acquisition. The segmentation model achieved an IoU of 91.95% and a DSC of 95.79% for chromosome segmentation. The accuracies of the segmentation, classification, and polarity recognition models were 96.77%, 98.77%, and 99.93%, respectively. The whole system achieved an accuracy of 93.33% with the automatic strategy and an accuracy of 99.06% with the semiautomatic strategy. CONCLUSIONS.­: The performance of both the internal models and the entire system is desirable. This deep learning-based karyotype analysis system has potential in clinical application.

CT hyperdense lesions after endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke: imaging findings and clinical significance.

Background The hyperdense lesion on non-contrast CT (NCCT) is a common postoperative phenomenon in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who are treated with endovascular therapy (EVT). Both contrast extravasation and hemorrhagic transformation presented hyperdense lesions on NCCT, which are sometimes difficult to distinguish them. Summary of Review Radiographic findings are important for identifying contrast extravasation and hemorrhagic transformation. We recommended a standardized follow-up protocol involving imaging and clinical evaluation as it will allow neurologists and neuroradiologists to reveal the relationships between these hyperdensities and various clinical outcomes. Key Messages Dual-energy CT and susceptibility weighted imaging are capable of distinguishing contrast extravasation and hemorrhagic transformation at an early stage after EVT. However, in institutions without access to such technology, a follow-up protocol based on NCCT is crucial.

The role of pyroptosis in incomplete immune reconstitution among people living with HIV：Potential therapeutic targets.

Globally, HIV infection causes significant morbidity and mortality, and is a major public health problem. Despite the fact that widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has substantially altered the natural history of HIV infection from originally being a universally lethal disease to now being a chronic medical condition for those taking appropriate treatment, approximately 10-40% of people living with HIV (PLWH) who take effective ART and maintain long-term viral suppression fail to achieve normalization of CD4 + T-cell counts. This phenomenon is referred to as incomplete immune reconstitution or immunological non-response. Although the precise mechanisms underlying this outcome have not been elucidated, recent evidence indicates that excessive pyroptosis may play a crucial role in the development of incomplete immune reconstitution. Pyroptosis is characterized by the formation of pores in the cell membrane, cell rupture, and secretion of intracellular contents and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß and IL-18. This excessive inflammation-induced programmed cell death leads to a massive loss of CD4 + T-cells, and inflammatory consequences that may promote and sustain incomplete immune reconstitution. Herein, we review the possible pathways activated in HIV infection by inflammasomes that act as switches of pyroptosis, and the role of pyroptosis in HIV, as well as the relevance of CD4 + T-cells in incomplete immune reconstitution. We also highlight the possible mechanisms of pyroptosis involved in incomplete immune reconstitution, thus paving the way for the development of potential targets for the treatment of incomplete immune reconstitution.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the PP2C Family from Zea mays and Its Role in Long-Distance Signaling.

The protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) constitutes a large gene family that plays crucial roles in regulating stress responses and plant development. A recent study has shown the involvement of an AtPP2C family member in long-distance nitrogen signaling in Arabidopsis. However, it remains unclear whether maize adopts a similar mechanism. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide survey and expression analysis of the PP2C family in maize. We identified 103 ZmPP2C genes distributed across 10 chromosomes, which were further classified into 11 subgroups based on an evolutionary tree. Notably, cis-acting element analysis revealed the presence of abundant hormone and stress-related, as well as nitrogen-related, cis-elements in the promoter regions of ZmPP2Cs. Expression analysis demonstrated the distinct expression patterns of nine genes under two nitrogen treatments. Notably, the expression of ZmPP2C54 and ZmPP2C85 in the roots was found to be regulated by long-distance signals from the shoots. These findings provide valuable insights into understanding the roles of ZmPP2Cs in long-distance nitrogen signaling in maize.

Ultrasound-Driven Piezoelectrocatalytic Immunoactivation of Deep Tumor.

Tumor heterogeneity makes routine drugs difficult to penetrate solid tumors, limiting their therapy efficacies. Based on high tissue penetrability of hydrogen molecules (H2 ) and ultrasound (US) and the immunomodulation effects of H2 and lactic acid (LA), this work proposes a novel strategy of US-driven piezoelectrocatalytic tumor immunoactivation for high-efficacy therapy of deep tumors by piezoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation and LA deprivation. A kind of US-responsive piezoelectric SnS nanosheets (SSN) is developed to realize US-triggered local hydrogen production and simultaneous LA deprivation in deep tumors. The proof-of-concept experiments which are executed on an orthotopic liver cancer model have verified that intratumoral SSN-medicated piezoelectrocatalytically generated H2 liberates effector CD8+ T cells from the immunosuppression of tumor cells through down-regulating PD-L1 over-expression, and simultaneous LA deprivation activates CD8+ T cells by inhibiting regulatory T cells, efficiently co-activating tumor immunity and achieving a high outcome of liver tumor therapy with complete tumor eradication and 100% mice survival. The proposed strategy of US-driven piezoelectrocatalytic tumor immunoactivation opens a safe and efficient pathway for deep tumor therapy.

Truck platooning reshapes greenhouse gas emissions of the integrated vehicle-road infrastructure system.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has turned into a pillar of climate change mitigation. Truck platooning is proposed as a strategy to lower emissions from vehicles on roads. However, the potential interactive impacts of this technology on road infrastructure emissions remain unclear. Here, we evaluate the decarbonization effects of truck platooning on the integrated vehicle-road system at a large-scale road network level, spanning 1457 road sections across North America. We show that truck platooning decreases emissions induced by truck operations, but it degrades faster the durability of road infrastructure and leads to a 27.9% rise in road emissions due to more frequent maintenance work. Overall, truck platooning results in a 5.1% emission reduction of the integrated vehicle-road system. In contrast to the benefits of emission reduction, truck platooning leads to additional financial burdens on car users and transportation agencies, calling for the consideration of tradeoffs between emissions and costs and between agencies and users. Our research provides insights into the potential applications of truck platooning to mitigate climate change.

A Review: Systemic Signaling in the Regulation of Plant Responses to Low N, P and Fe.

Plant signal transduction occurs in response to nutrient element deficiency in plant vascular tissue. Recent works have shown that the vascular tissue is a central regulator in plant growth and development by transporting both essential nutritional and long-distance signaling molecules between different parts of the plant's tissues. Split-root and grafting studies have deciphered the importance of plants' shoots in receiving root-derived nutrient starvation signals from the roots. This review assesses recent studies about vascular tissue, integrating local and systemic long-distance signal transduction and the physiological regulation center. A substantial number of studies have shown that the vascular tissue is a key component of root-derived signal transduction networks and is a regulative center involved in plant elementary nutritional deficiency, including nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and iron (Fe).

Inhibition of free heme-catalyzed Fenton-like reaction prevents non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by hepatocyte-targeted hydrogen delivery.

The metabolic disorder of hepatocytes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) leads to the formation of an iron pool which induces the Fenton reaction-derived ferroptosis and the deterioration of liver disease. The elimination of the iron pool for the removal of Fenton reactions is vitally important to prevent the evolution of NAFLD, but quite challenging. In this work, we discover that free heme in the iron pool of NAFLD can catalyze the hydrogenation of H2O2/‧OH to block the heme-based Fenton reaction for the first time, and therefore develop a novel hepatocyte-targeted hydrogen delivery system (MSN-Glu) by modifying magnesium silicide nanosheets (MSN) with N-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) gluconamide to block the heme-catalyzed vicious circle of liver disease. The developed MSN-Glu nanomedicine exhibits a high hydrogen delivery capacity as well as sustained hydrogen release and hepatocyte-targeting behaviors, and remarkably improves the metabolic function of the liver in a NAFLD mouse model by the relief of oxidative stress and the prevention of ferroptosis in hepatocytes, accelerating the removal of the iron pool in fundamental support of NAFLD prevention. The proposed prevention strategy based on the mechanisms of NAFLD disease and hydrogen medicine will provide an inspiration for inflammation-related disease prevention.

Small change, big difference: A promising praziquantel derivative designated P96 with broad-spectrum antischistosomal activity for chemotherapy of schistosomiasis japonica.

BACKGROUND: Praziquantel (PZQ) has been the first line antischistosomal drug for all species of Schistosoma, and the only available drug for schistosomiasis japonica, without any alternative drugs since the 1980s. However, PZQ cannot prevent reinfection, and cannot cure schistosomiasis thoroughly because of its poor activity against juvenile schistosomes. In addition, reliance on a single drug is extremely dangerous, the development and spread of resistance to PZQ is becoming a great concern. Therefore, development of novel drug candidates for treatment and control of schistosomiasis is urgently needed. METHODOLOGYS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: One of the PZQ derivative christened P96 with the substitution of cyclohexyl by cyclopentyl was synthesized by School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Shandong University. We investigated the in vitro and in vivo activities of P96 against different developmental stages of S. japonicum. Parasitological studies and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the primary action characteristics of P96 in vitro. Both mouse and rabbit models were employed to evaluate schistosomicidal efficacy of P96 in vivo. Besides calculation of worm reduction rate and egg reduction rate, quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate the in vivo antischistosomal activity of P96 at molecular level. In vitro, after 24h exposure, P96 demonstrated the highest activities against both juvenile and adult worm of S. japonicum in comparison to PZQ. The antischistosomal efficacy was concentration-dependent, with P96 at 50µM demonstrating the most evident schistosomicidal effect. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that P96 caused more severe damages to schistosomula and adult worm tegument compared to PZQ. In vivo, our results showed that P96 was effective against S. japonicum at all developmental stages. Notably, its efficacy against young stage worms was significantly improved compared to PZQ. Moreover, P96 retained the high activity comparable to PZQ against the adult worm of S. japonicum. CONCLUSIONS: P96 is a promising drug candidate for chemotherapy of schistosomiasis japonica, which has broad spectrum of action against various developmental stage, potentially addressing the deficiency of PZQ. It might be promoted as a drug candidate for use either alone or in combination with PZQ for the treatment of schistosomiasis.

Metasurface with Electrically Tunable Microwave Transmission Amplitude and Broadband High Optical Transparency.

Metasurfaces with tunable microwave transmission amplitude and broadband high optical transparency hold great promise for the next generation of optically transparent and smart electromagnetic transmission devices. In this study, a novel and electrically tunable metasurface with high optical transparency in the visible-infrared broadband is proposed and fabricated by integrating meshed electric-LC resonators and patterned VO2. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that the designed metasurface has a normalized transmittance greater than 88% over a wide wavelength range of 380-5000 nm, and the transmission amplitude can be continuously tuned from -1.27 to -15.38 dB at 10 GHz under current excitation, indicating significantly limited passband loss and strong electromagnetic shielding capability in the on and off cases, respectively. This study provides a simple, practical, and feasible method for optically transparent metasurfaces with electrically tunable microwave amplitude, paving the way for the application of VO2 in multiple fields such as intelligent optical windows, smart radomes, microwave communications, and optically transparent electromagnetic stealth.

Corrigendum: Coexpression of HHLA2 and PD-L1 on tumor cells independently predicts the survival of spinal chordoma patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.797407.].

RNA-sequencing transcriptome analysis of Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. leaf epidermis defines tissue-specific transcriptional response to salinity treatment.

Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. is a typical mangrove plant. Its epidermis contains salt glands, which can secrete excess salts onto the leaf surfaces, improving the salt tolerance of the plants. However, knowledge on the epidermis-specific transcriptional responses of A. marina to salinity treatment is lacking. Thus, physiological and transcriptomic techniques were applied to unravel the salt tolerance mechanism of A. marina. Our results showed that 400 mM NaCl significantly reduced the plant height, leaf area, leaf biomass and photosynthesis of A. marina. In addition, 1565 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 634 and 931 were up- and down-regulated. Based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes metabolic pathway enrichment analysis, we demonstrated that decreased gene expression, especially that of OEE1, PQL2, FDX3, ATPC, GAPDH, PRK, FBP and RPE, could explain the inhibited photosynthesis caused by salt treatment. Furthermore, the ability of A. marina to cope with 400 mM NaCl treatment was dependent on appropriate hormone signalling and potential sulfur-containing metabolites, such as hydrogen sulfide and cysteine biosynthesis. Overall, the present study provides a theoretical basis for the adaption of A. marina to saline habitats and a reference for studying the salt tolerance mechanism of other mangrove plants.