Two undescribed coumarins from Hansenia weberbaueriana.

Two previously undescribed coumarins (1 and 2) were isolated from the root of Hansenia weberbaueriana which have been used to cure inflammatory diseases over thousands of years by Chinese. The structures of new findings were confirmed by comprehensive analyses of spectral evidences in HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR combined with chemical calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potential anti-inflammatory properties by reducing the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages at a concentration of 15 µM.

High-quality genome assembly and genetic transformation system of Lasiodiplodia theobromae strain LTTK16-3, a fungal pathogen of Chinese hickory.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae, as one of the causative agents associated with Chinese hickory trunk cankers, has caused huge economic losses to the Chinese hickory industry. Although the biological characteristics of this pathogen and the occurrence pattern of this disease have been well studied, few studies have addressed the related mechanisms due to the poor molecular and genetic study basis of this fungus. In this study, we sequenced and assembled L. theobromae strain LTTK16-3, isolated from a Chinese hickory tree (cultivar of Linan) in Linan, Zhejiang province, China. Phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics analysis presented crucial cues in the prediction of LTTK16-3, which shared similar regulatory mechanisms of transcription, DNA replication, and DNA damage response with the other four Chinese hickory trunk canker-associated Botryosphaeria strains including, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Botryosphaeria fabicerciana, Botryosphaeria qingyuanensis, and Botryosphaeria corticis. Moreover, it contained 18 strain-specific protein clusters (not conserved in the other L. theobromae strains, AM2As and CITRA15), with potential roles in specific host-pathogen interactions during the Chinese hickory infection. Additionally, an efficient system for L. theobromae protoplast preparation and polyethylene glycol (PEG) -mediated genetic transformation was firstly established as the foundation for its future mechanisms study. Collectively, the high-quality genome data and the efficient transformation system of L. theobromae here set up the possibility of targeted molecular improvements for Chinese hickory canker control.IMPORTANCEFungi with disparate genomic features are physiologically diverse, possessing species-specific survival strategies and environmental adaptation mechanisms. The high-quality genome data and related molecular genetic studies are the basis for revealing the mechanisms behind the physiological traits that are responsible for their environmental fitness. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the LTTK16-3 strain, the genome of Lasiodiplodia theobromae first obtained from a diseased Chinese hickory tree (cultivar of Linan) in Linan, Zhejiang province, China. Further phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics analysis provide crucial cues in the prediction of the proteins with potential roles in specific host-pathogen interactions during the Chinese hickory infection. An efficient PEG-mediated genetic transformation system of L. theobromae was established as the foundation for the future mechanisms exploration. The above genetic information and tools set up valuable clues to study L. theobromae pathogenesis and assist in Chinese hickory canker control.

Establishment of the Recombinase Polymerase Amplification-Lateral Flow Dipstick Detection Technique for Fusarium oxysporum.

Fusarium oxysporum causes crown rot, wilt, root rot, and many other major plant diseases worldwide. During the progression of strawberry crown rot disease, the pathogen is transmitted from the mother plant to the seedling through the stolon, with obvious characteristics of latent infection. Therefore, rapid and timely detection of F. oxysporum is important for efficient disease management. In this study, a recombinase polymerase amplification-lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) detection technique was developed for the rapid detection of F. oxysporum on strawberry plants by targeting the CYP51C gene, which is unique to Fusarium spp. Because this RPA-LFD detection technique was highly specific to F. oxysporum, other Fusarium and non-Fusarium fungi were not detected. The optimal reaction temperature and time for this technique were 39°C and 8 min, respectively. The detection limit was 1 pg of F. oxysporum genomic DNA in a 50-µl reaction system. A total of 46 strawberry plants with or without crown rot symptoms collected from Jiande, Changxing, and Haining in Zhejiang Province were further assessed for F. oxysporum infection using both RPA-LFD and traditional tissue isolation techniques. The RPA-LFD test showed that 32 of the 46 strawberry plants tested were positive for F. oxysporum, while in the traditional isolation technique, F. oxysporum was isolated from 30 of the 46 strawberry plants. These results suggest that our established RPA-LFD method is rapid, sensitive, and highly specific in detecting F. oxysporum infection in strawberry plants.

Phenotypic and Genomic Difference among Four Botryosphaeria Pathogens in Chinese Hickory Trunk Canker.

Botryosphaeria species are amongst the most widespread and important canker and dieback pathogens of trees worldwide, with B. dothidea as one of the most common Botryosphaeria species. However, the information related to the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species causing trunk cankers is still poorly investigated. In this study, the metabolic phenotypic diversity and genomic differences of four Chinese hickory canker-related Botryosphaeria pathogens, including B. dothidea, B. qingyuanensis, B. fabicerciana, and B. corticis, were systematically studied to address the competitive fitness of B. dothidea. Large-scale screening of physiologic traits using a phenotypic MicroArray/OmniLog system (PMs) found B. dothidea has a broader spectrum of nitrogen source and greater tolerance toward osmotic pressure (sodium benzoate) and alkali stress among Botryosphaeria species. Moreover, the annotation of B. dothidea species-specific genomic information via a comparative genomics analysis found 143 B. dothidea species-specific genes that not only provides crucial cues in the prediction of B. dothidea species-specific function but also give a basis for the development of a B. dothidea molecular identification method. A species-specific primer set Bd_11F/Bd_11R has been designed based on the sequence of B. dothidea species-specific gene jg11 for the accurate identification of B. dothidea in disease diagnoses. Overall, this study deepens the understanding in the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species, providing valuable clues to assist in trunk cankers management.

Confinement Growth of Layered WS2 in Hollow Beaded Carbon Nanofibers with Synergistic Anchoring Effect to Reinforce Li+ /Na+ Storage Performance.

Novel nitrogen doped (N-doped) hollow beaded structural composite carbon nanofibers are successfully applied for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Tungsten disulfide (WS2 ) nanosheets are confined, through synergistic anchoring, on the surface and inside of hollow beaded carbon nanofibers (HB CNFs) via a hydrothermal reaction method to construct the hierarchical structure HB WS2 @CNFs. Benefiting from this unique advantage, HB WS2 @CNFs exhibits remarkable lithium-storage performance in terms of high rate capability (≈351 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 ) and stable long-term cycle (≈446 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 100 cycles). Moreover, as an anode material for SIBs, HB WS2 @CNFs obtains excellent long cycle life and rate performance. During the charging/discharging process, the evolution of morphology and composition of the composite are analyzed by a set of ex situ methods. This synergistic anchoring effect between WS2 nanosheets and HB CNFs is capable of effectively restraining volume expansion from the metal ions intercalation/deintercalation process and improving the cycling stability and rate performance in LIBs and SIBs.