The mycorrhiza-specific ammonium transporter ZmAMT3;1 mediates mycorrhiza-dependent nitrogen uptake in maize roots.

Most plant species can form symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs), which may enhance the host plant's acquisition of soil nutrients. In contrast to phosphorus nutrition, the molecular mechanism of mycorrhizal nitrogen (N) uptake remains largely unknown, and its physiological relevance is unclear. Here, we identified a gene encoding an AMF-inducible ammonium transporter, ZmAMT3;1, in maize (Zea mays) roots. ZmAMT3;1 was specifically expressed in arbuscule-containing cortical cells and the encoded protein was localized at the peri-arbuscular membrane. Functional analysis in yeast and Xenopus oocytes indicated that ZmAMT3;1 mediated high-affinity ammonium transport, with the substrate NH4+ being accessed, but likely translocating uncharged NH3. Phosphorylation of ZmAMT3;1 at the C-terminus suppressed transport activity. Using ZmAMT3;1-RNAi transgenic maize lines grown in compartmented pot experiments, we demonstrated that substantial quantities of N were transferred from AMF to plants, and 68%-74% of this capacity was conferred by ZmAMT3;1. Under field conditions, the ZmAMT3;1-dependent mycorrhizal N pathway contributed >30% of postsilking N uptake. Furthermore, AMFs downregulated ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 protein abundance and transport activities expressed in the root epidermis, suggesting a trade-off between mycorrhizal and direct root N-uptake pathways. Taken together, our results provide a comprehensive understanding of mycorrhiza-dependent N uptake in maize and present a promising approach to improve N-acquisition efficiency via plant-microbe interactions.

Effects of citric acid on arsenic transformation and microbial communities in different paddy soils.

Root exudate is a major source of soil organic matter and can significantly affect arsenic (As) migration and transformation in paddy soils. Citric acid is the main component of rice root exudate, however, the impacts and rules of citric acid on As bioavailability and rhizobacteria in different soils remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of citric acid on As transformation and microbial community in ten different paddy soils by flooded soil culture experiments. The results showed that citric acid addition increased total As and arsenate (As(V)) in the soil porewater by up to 41-fold and 65-fold, respectively, after 2-h incubation. As(V) was the main As species in soil porewater within 10 days with the addition of citric acid. Non-specifically sorbed As of soils, total Fe and total As were the main environmental factors affecting the soil microbial communities. High-throughput sequencing analysis demonstrated that citric acid addition significantly altered the soil microbial community structure, shifting the Proteobacteria-related reducing bacteria to Firmicutes-related reducing bacteria in different paddy soils. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was promoted by 174-196%. Clostridium-related bacteria belonging to Firmicutes became the dominant genera, which is believed to regulate As release through the reductive dissolution of iron oxides or the direct reduction of As(V) to arsenite (As(III)). However, citric acid addition significantly decreased the relative abundance of Geobacter and Anaeromyxobacter, which are also typical active As(V)- and ferric-reducing bacteria. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) also revealed that the addition of citric acid significantly decreased the relative abundances of Geobacter in the different soils by 8-28 times while the relative abundances of Clostridium increased by 2-5 times. These results provide significant insight on As transformation in different types of rice rhizospheric soils and guidance for the application of rice varieties with low citric acid exuding to restrict As accumulation.

The role and mechanisms of microvascular damage in the ischemic myocardium.

Following myocardial ischemic injury, the most effective clinical intervention is timely restoration of blood perfusion to ischemic but viable myocardium to reduce irreversible myocardial necrosis, limit infarct size, and prevent cardiac insufficiency. However, reperfusion itself may exacerbate cell death and myocardial injury, a process commonly referred to as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which primarily involves cardiomyocytes and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) and is characterized by myocardial stunning, microvascular damage (MVD), reperfusion arrhythmia, and lethal reperfusion injury. MVD caused by I/R has been a neglected problem compared to myocardial injury. Clinically, the incidence of microvascular angina and/or no-reflow due to ineffective coronary perfusion accounts for 5-50% in patients after acute revascularization. MVD limiting drug diffusion into injured myocardium, is strongly associated with the development of heart failure. CMECs account for > 60% of the cardiac cellular components, and their role in myocardial I/R injury cannot be ignored. There are many studies on microvascular obstruction, but few studies on microvascular leakage, which may be mainly due to the lack of corresponding detection methods. In this review, we summarize the clinical manifestations, related mechanisms of MVD during myocardial I/R, laboratory and clinical examination means, as well as the research progress on potential therapies for MVD in recent years. Better understanding the characteristics and risk factors of MVD in patients after hemodynamic reconstruction is of great significance for managing MVD, preventing heart failure and improving patient prognosis.

ECG criteria to distinguish hypertrophic cardiomyopathy featured with "Pseudo-STEMI" from acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUD: The ECG profile of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) includes ST-segment elevation (STE) that may lead to misdiagnosis of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This pseudo-STEMI may bring non-essential treatment. We aimed to confirm the ECG differences between HCM featured with pseudo-STEMI and acute STEMI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 59 HCM cases (Group A) and 56 acute STEMI cases (Group B). Based on the locations of STE, all the patients were divided into four subgroups, including HCM with STE in anterior leads (Group A1), anterior STEMI (Group B1), HCM with STE in inferior leads (Group A2) and inferior STEMI (Group B2). Several ECG parameters were compared between these subgroups. RESULTS: ECG parameters significantly differed between these groups, especially the number of leads with TWI. We evaluated the diagnostic value of ECG profiles for those groups. ROC analysis showed that for Group A vs. Group B, number of leads with TWI showed the highest AUC value of 0.805 and its cutoff of 2.5, with 76.3% sensitivity and 76.8% specificity. For Group A1 vs. Group B1, it showed the highest AUC value of 0.801 and its cut-off point was 2.5, with 77.1% sensitivity and 79.1% specificity. For Group A2 vs. Group B2, it showed the highest AUC value of 0.822 and the cut-off value was 4.5, with 54.5% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity. CONCLUSION: ECG plays a valid tool to distinguish "Pseudo-STEMI" HCM from acute STEMI, especially number of leads with TWI.

Root exudates increased arsenic mobility and altered microbial community in paddy soils.

Root exudates are crucial for plants returning organic matter to soils, which is assumed to be a major source of carbon for the soil microbial community. This study investigated the influence of root exudates on the fate of arsenic (As) with a lab simulation experiment. Our findings suggested that root exudates had a dose effect on the soil physicochemical properties, As speciation transformation and the microbial community structure at different concentrations. The addition of root exudates increased the soil pH while decreased the soil redox potential (Eh). These changes in the soil pH and Eh increased As and ferrous (Fe(II)) concentrations in soil porewater. Results showed that 40 mg/L exudates addition significantly increased arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) by 541 and 10 times respectively within 30 days in soil porewater. The relative abundance of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria Geobacter and Anaeromyxobacter increased with the addition of root exudates, which enhanced microbial Fe reduction. Together these results suggest that investigating how root exudates affect the mobility and transformation of As in paddy soils is helpful to systematically understand the biogeochemical cycle of As in soil-rice system, which is of great significance for reducing the health risk of soil As contamination.

Fine mapping of Pm58 from Aegilops tauschii conferring powdery mildew resistance.

KEY MESSAGE: The powdery mildew resistance gene Pm58 was traced to a 141.3-kb interval with the co-segregating marker Xkasp68500 in wheat breeding. Pm58 is a powdery mildew resistance gene identified in Aegilops tauschii accession TA1662 and effective in a common wheat background. To finely map Pm58, an F2 population of 676 plants derived from the cross T093 × TA1662 was used for recombinant screening. We obtained 13 recombinants that occurred between the flanking markers Xhnu670 and Xhnu186. Genotyping and phenotyping these recombinant F2:3 families delimited Pm58 to a 0.22-cM interval (Xsts20220-Xkasp61553) on chromosome arm 2DS. The region carrying the Pm58 locus was approximately 141.3-kb, which contained eight annotated genes according to the reference genome sequence of Ae. tauschii AL8/78. Haplotype analysis of 178 Ae. tauschii accessions using the candidate gene-specific markers identified a disease resistance gene AET2Gv20068500 as a candidate for Pm58. Comparative mapping of the Pm58-containing interval revealed two presence/absence variations (PAVs) between AL8/78 and common wheat Chinese Spring. PAV-1 resides in the 3'-end of AET2Gv20068500. The majority of 158 common wheat cultivars (84.8%) displayed the absence of a 14.1-kb fragment in the PAV-1 region, which was confirmed by aligning the targeted genome sequences of the other sequenced Ae. tauschii accessions and common wheat cultivars. A co-segregating marker Xkasp68500 developed from AET2Gv20068500 can distinguish TA1662 from all randomly selected common wheat cultivars and will be instrumental for tracking Pm58 in breeding programs.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis reveals dynamic changes during daylily flower senescence.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Sugar-related metabolic biological processes and metabolic pathways as well as invertase, protease, and ribosomal proteins may be critical regulators controlling the circadian rhythm and ephemeral properties of daylily flowers. Daylily is a familiar perennial flower. The daylily flower opens at dawn and withers away at night. Flower longevity in almost all daylily varieties from opening to fading is less than 24 h. In the past decades, the physiological changes and genetic responses to senescence in daylily flowers have been reported. However, the main metabolic pathways and biological processes involved in daylily flower senescence and the proteins involved in premature senility of daylily flowers are poorly understood. Herein, we identified differences between the proteomes of four developmental stages (s1-s4) of daylily flowers using iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic methods. A total of 445 proteins (containing at least two unique peptides) were identified, and differentially expressed proteins (upregulation ≥ 1.5 or downregulation ≤ 0.67, P value ≤ 0.05) were detected between these stages in the following numbers: 58 (s2/s1), 59 (s3/s1), 31 (s3/s2), 64 (s4/s1), 52 (s4/s2), and 29 (s4/s3). Protein functions and classifications were analyzed based on GO, KEGG, and COG, and expressive hierarchical cluster analysis and functional enrichment analysis for differentially expressed proteins were carried out. A comparison of the late stages (s3 and s4) with the early stage (s1) revealed that the sugar (hexose, monosaccharide, and glucose) metabolic process GO category was the most enriched, and sugar (galactose, pentose, starch, and sucrose) metabolism pathways constituted the most enriched KEGG category. Finally, the potential research value of invertase, protease, and ribosomal proteins for revealing the mechanism underlying the circadian rhythm and ephemeral properties of daylily flowers are discussed. These data and analyses provide new insight into the senescence mechanism of daylily flowers.

Clinical characteristics of disseminated cryptococcosis in previously healthy children in China.

BACKGROUND: Disseminated cryptococcosis is a rare and fatal disease, and limited data exist regarding it in children. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of disseminated cryptococcosis in previously healthy children in China. METHODS: Hospitalized patients with disseminated cryptococcosis were enrolled during January 1996 to December 2015 in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, China. Data on clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatment, and prognosis were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 52 pediatric patients with no underlying disease were enrolled, including 38 boys and 14 girls. Only 10 cases had a history of exposure to pigeon droppings. Fever, cough, and hepatomegaly were 3 main manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. However, headache was more common in patients with central nervous system (CNS) invasion than in patients with non-CNS invasion (P < 0.05). Lung (96.2%, 50/52) was the most commonly invaded organ, but only 9.6% (5/52) of patients had respiratory signs. The most common findings on chest imaging were hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy (46.8%, 22/47), and nodules (44.7%, 21/47), including small nodules in a scattered distribution (57.1%, 12/21) or miliary distribution (42.9%, 9/25), especially localized in subpleural area. Subsequent invasion occurred in the CNS, abdomen lymph nodes, liver, spleen, peripheral lymph nodes, and skin. In all patients, 42.3% (22/52) and 51.9% (27/52) had elevated eosinophils or IgE, respectively. The positive rate of serum cryptococcal antigen was higher, especially in patients with CNS invasion (approximately 83.3%), than with other primary methods used for pathogen detection, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen, cultures of blood, bone marrow, or CSF, and CSF ink staining. The overall mortality rate of pediatric patients in our study was 11.5% (6/52). Some cases had long-term sequela, including hydrocephalus, cirrhosis, or blindness. CONCLUSIONS: Disseminated cryptococcosis can occur in previously healthy or immunocompetent children in China. Lung and CNS were most commonly invaded by this disease. Furthermore, most cases usually showed no obvious or specific symptoms or signs, and therefore pediatricians should pay more careful attention to identify this disease.

Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ)-Based Comparative Proteome Analysis of the Response of Ramie under Drought Stress.

In this study, we conducted the first isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ))-based comparative proteomic analysis of ramie plantlets after 0 (minor drought stress), 24 (moderate drought stress), and 72 h (severe drought stress) of treatment with 15% (w/v) poly (ethylene glycol)6000 (PEG6000) to simulate drought stress. In our study, the association analysis of proteins and transcript expression revealed 1244 and 968 associated proteins identified in leaves and roots, respectively. L1, L2, and L3 are leaf samples which were harvested at 0, 24, and 72 h after being treated with 15% PEG6000, respectively. Among those treatment groups, a total of 118, 216, and 433 unique proteins were identified as differentially expressed during L1 vs. L2, L2 vs. L3, and L1 vs. L3, respectively. R1, R2, and R3 are root samples which were harvested at 0, 24, and 72 h after being treated with 15% PEG6000, respectively. Among those treatment groups，a total of 124, 27, and 240 unique proteins were identified as differentially expressed during R1 vs. R2, R2 vs. R3, and R1 vs. R3, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that glycolysis/gluconeogenesis was significantly upregulated in roots in response to drought stress. This enhancement may result in more glycolytically generated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in roots to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. To obtain complementary information related to iTRAQ data, the mRNA levels of 12 proteins related to glycolysis/gluconeogenesis in leaves and 7 in roots were further analyzed by qPCR. Most of their expression levels were higher in R3 than R1 and R2, suggesting that these compounds may promote drought tolerance by modulating the production of available energy.

Transcriptome profiling and identification of transcription factors in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) in response to PEG treatment, using illumina paired-end sequencing technology.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud), commonly known as China grass, is a perennial bast fiber plant of the Urticaceae. In China, ramie farming, industry, and trade provide income for about five million people. Drought stress severely affects ramie stem growth and causes a dramatic decrease in ramie fiber production. There is a need to enhance ramie's tolerance to drought stress. However, the drought stress regulatory mechanism in ramie remains unknown. Water stress imposed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a common and convenient method to evaluate plant drought tolerance. In this study, transcriptome analysis of cDNA collections from ramie subjected to PEG treatment was conducted using Illumina paired-end sequencing, which generated 170 million raw sequence reads. Between leaves and roots subjected to 24 (L2 and R2) and 72 (L3 and R3) h of PEG treatment, 16,798 genes were differentially expressed (9281 in leaves and 8627 in roots). Among these, 25 transcription factors (TFs) from the AP2 (3), MYB (6), NAC (9), zinc finger (5), and bZIP (2) families were considered to be associated with drought stress. The identified TFs could be used to further investigate drought adaptation in ramie.

A comparison study on the clinical effects of foscarnet sodium injection and interferon on human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients complicated with herpes zoster.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects of foscarnet sodium injection and interferon on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients complicated with herpes zoster. METHODS: Ninety HIV-infected patients complicated with herpes zoster were divided into a treatment group and a control group that were both treated routinely first. Then the control group and treatment group were administered with interferon and foscarnet sodium injection respectively for four consecutive weeks. RESULTS: After four weeks, the effective rates of the treatment and control groups were 95.6% and 80.0% respectively, which were significantly different (P < 0.05). The pain scores of the two groups were similar before treatment, but the scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control group two and four weeks after treatment (P < 0.05) as well as were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05). The numbers of CD4+ cells and the contents of IL-2 of both groups two and four weeks after treatment significantly exceeded those before treatment (P < 0.05), with significant inter-group differences also (P < 0.05). Two and four weeks after treatment, the treatment group scored significantly higher in physical activity, energy, sleep, social life and emotional reaction than the control group did (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected patients are prone to being complicated with herpes zoster. Compared with interferon, foscarnet sodium injection better improves the clinical outcomes by effectively relieving pain and by regulating immune mediated inflammatory diseases, thus boosting the prognostic quality of life.

In-depth proteomic analysis of whole testis tissue from the adult rhesus macaque.

The rhesus macaque is similar to humans both anatomically and physiologically as a primate, and has therefore been used extensively in medical and biological research, including reproductive physiology. Despite sequencing of the macaque genome, limited postgenomic studies have been performed to date. In studies aimed at characterizing spermatogenesis, we successfully identified 9078 macaque testis proteins corresponding to 8662 genes, using advanced MS and an optimized proteomics platform, indicative of complex protein compositions during macaque spermatogenesis. Immunohistochemistry analysis further revealed the presence of proteins from different types of testicular cells, including Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, and various stages of germ cells. Our data provide expression evidence at protein level of 3010 protein-coding genes in 8662 identified testis genes for the first time. We further identified 421 homologous genes from the proteome already known to be essential for male infertility in mouse. Comparative analysis of the proteome showed high similarity with the published human testis proteome, implying that macaque and human may use similar proteins to regulate spermatogenesis. Our in-depth analysis of macaque spermatogenesis provides a rich resource for further studies, and supports the utility of macaque as a suitable model for the study of human reproduction.

Transcriptome profiling using pyrosequencing shows genes associated with bast fiber development in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.).

BACKGROUND: Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.), popularly known as "China grass", is one of the oldest crops in China and the second most important fiber crop in terms of area sown. Ramie fiber, extracted from the plant bast, is important in the textile industry. However, the molecular mechanism of ramie fiber development remains unknown. RESULTS: A whole sequencing run was performed on the 454 GS FLX + platform using four separately pooled parts of ramie bast. This generated 1,030,057 reads with an average length of 457 bp. Among the 58,369 unigenes (13,386 contigs and 44,983 isotigs) that were generated through de novo assembly, 780 were differentially expressed. As a result, 13 genes that belong to the cellulose synthase gene family (four), the expansin gene family (three) and the xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) gene family (six) were up-regulated in the top part of the bast, which was in contrast to the other three parts. The identification of these 13 concurrently up-regulated unigenes indicated that the early stage (represented by the top part of the bast) might be important for the molecular regulation of ramie fiber development. Further analysis indicated that four of the 13 unigenes from the expansin (two) and XTH (two) families shared a coincident expression pattern during the whole growth season, which implied they were more relevant to ramie fiber development (fiber quality, etc.) during the different seasons than the other genes. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize ramie fiber development at different developmental stages. The identified transcripts will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in ramie fiber development. Moreover, the identified differentially expressed genes will accelerate molecular research on ramie fiber growth and the breeding of ramie with better fiber yields and quality.

High performance tunnel field-effect transistor by gate and source engineering.

As one of the most promising candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, tunnel field-effect transistors (TFET) can overcome the subthreshold slope (SS) limitation of MOSFET, whereas high ON-current, low OFF-current and steep switching can hardly be obtained at the same time for experimental TFETs. In this paper, we developed a new nanodevice technology based on TFET concepts. By designing the gate configuration and introducing the optimized Schottky junction, a multi-finger-gate TFET with a dopant-segregated Schottky source (mFSB-TFET) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A steeper SS can be achieved in the fabricated mFSB-TFET on the bulk Si substrate benefiting from the coupled quantum band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) mechanism, as well as a high I(ON)/I(OFF) ratio (∼ 10(7)) at V(DS) = 0.2 V without an area penalty. By compatible SOI CMOS technology, the fabricated Si mFSB-TFET device was further optimized with a high ION/IOFF ratio of ∼ 10(8) and a steeper SS of over 5.5 decades of current. A minimum SS of below 60 mV dec(-1) was experimentally obtained, indicating its dominant quantum BTBT mechanism for switching.

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants using leaf midribs as explants in ramie [Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud].

In this study, leaf midribs, the elite explants, were used for the first time to develop an efficient regeneration and transformation protocol for ramie [Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud.] via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Sensitivity of leaf midribs regeneration to kanamycin was evaluated, which showed that 40 mg l(-1) was the optimal concentration needed to create the necessary selection pressure. Factors affecting the ramie transformation efficiency were evaluated, including leaf age, Agrobacterium concentration, length of infection time for the Agrobacterium solution, acetosyringone concentration in the co-cultivation medium, and the co-cultivation period. The midrib explants from 40-day-old in vitro shoots, an Agrobacterium concentration at OD600 of 0.6, 10-min immersion in the bacteria solution, an acetosyringone concentration of 50 mg l(-1) in the co-cultivation medium and a 3-day co-cultivation period produced the highest efficiencies of regeneration and transformation. In this study, the average transformation rate was 23.25%. Polymerase chain reactions using GUS and NPTII gene-specific primers, Southern blot and histochemical GUS staining analyses further confirmed that the transgene was integrated into the ramie genome and expressed in the transgenic ramie. The establishment of this system of Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants will be used not only to introduce genes of interest into the ramie genome for the purpose of trait improvement, but also as a common means of testing gene function by enhancing or inhibiting the expression of target genes.

The clinical features and prognostic implications of the co-mutated TP53 gene in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: TP53 is a frequently mutated oncogene within non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the clinical and prognostic significance of co-mutations in TP53 in patients with advanced NSCLC has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: A total of 174 patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled in this study. All patients were subjected to sequencing analysis of tumor-related genes and information such as PD-L1 expression, TMB, and co-mutation changes were collected. Patients were categorized into TP53 mutant and TP53 wild-type groups according to their TP53 mutation status and then statistically analyzed. RESULTS: TP53 mutations were the most common among all patients, accounting for 56.32%, followed by epidermal growth factor receptor mutations at 48.27%. The most common mutation sites in the TP53 mutation group were exons 5-8.TP53 mutations were significantly associated with PD-L1 and TMB levels. Univariate Cox analysis showed that gender and EGFR mutation affected the prognosis of TP53-mutated NSCLC patients, and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified EGFR mutation as an independent risk factor. The OS of NSCLC patients in the TP53 mutation group was significantly shorter than that of the TP53wt group. Survival curves in the TP53/EGFR combined mutation group showed that patients with combined EGFR mutation had a lower survival rate. DISCUSSION: TP53 mutations are associated with different clinical indicators and have important implications in clinical treatment. TP53 is a poor prognostic factor for NSCLC patients, and TP53/EGFR co-mutation will affect the survival time of patients. TP53/EGFR co-mutation may be a new prognostic marker for NSCLC.

Molecular mechanism of salinity and waterlogging tolerance in mangrove Kandelia obovata.

Mangrove forests are colloquially referred to as "Earth's kidneys" and serve many important ecological and commercial functions. Salinity and waterlogging stress are the most important abiotic stressors restricting the growth and development of mangroves. Kandelia obovata (K. obovata) is the greatest latitudinally-distributed salt mangrove species in China.Here, morphology and transcriptomics were used to study the response of K. obovata to salt and waterlogging stress. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analysis of the combined gene expression and phenotypic datasets was used to identify core salinity- and waterlogging-responsive modules. In this study, we observed that both high salinity and waterlogging significantly inhibited growth and development in K. obovata. Notably, growth was negatively correlated with salt concentration and positively correlated with waterlogging duration, and high salinity was significantly more inhibitive than waterlogging. A total of 7, 591 salt-responsive and 228 waterlogging-responsive differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA sequencing. Long-term salt stress was highly correlated with the measured physiological parameters while long-term waterlogging was poorly correlated with these traits. At the same time, 45 salinity-responsive and 16 waterlogging-responsive core genes were identified. All 61 core genes were mainly involved in metabolic and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites pathways. This study provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms of salinity and waterlogging tolerance in K. obovata, as well as a useful genetic resource for the improvement of mangrove stress tolerance using molecular breeding techniques.

Overexpression of a Ramie (Boehmaeria nivea L. Gaud) Group I WRKY Gene, BnWRKY49, Increases Drought Resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plants face multiple stresses in their natural habitats. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play an important regulatory role in plant stress signaling, regulating the expression of multiple stress-related genes to improve plant stress resistance. In this study, we analyzed the expression profiles of 25 BnWRKY genes in three stages of ramie growth (the seedling stage, the rapid-growth stage, and the fiber maturity stage) and response to abiotic stress through qRT-PCR. The results indicated that 25 BnWRKY genes play a role in different growth stages of ramie and were induced by salt and drought stress in the root and leaf. We selected BnWRKY49 as a candidate gene for overexpression in Arabidopsis. BnWRKY49 was localized in the nucleus. Overexpression of BnWRKY49 affected root elongation under drought and salt stress at the Arabidopsis seedling stage and exhibited increased tolerance to drought stress. Further research found that BnWRKY49-overexpressing lines showed decreased stomatal size and increased cuticular wax deposition under drought compared with wild type (WT). Antioxidant enzyme activities of SOD, POD, and CAT were higher in the BnWRKY49-overexpressing lines than the WT. These findings suggested that the BnWRKY49 gene played an important role in drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and laid the foundation for further research on the functional analysis of the BnWRKYs in ramie.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation improves quality of life in Parkinson's disease: study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The neural cells in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease (PWP) display aberrant synchronized oscillatory activity within the beta frequency range. Additionally, enhanced gamma oscillations may serve as a compensatory mechanism for motor inhibition mediated by beta activity and also reinstate plasticity in the primary motor cortex affected by Parkinson's disease. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can synchronize endogenous oscillations with exogenous rhythms, thereby modulating cortical activity. The objective of this study is to investigate whether the addition of tACS to multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation treatment (MIRT) can improve symptoms of PWP so as to enhance the quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease based on the central-peripheral-central theory. METHODS: The present study was a randomized, double-blind trial that enrolled 60 individuals with Parkinson's disease aged between 45 and 70 years, who had Hoehn-Yahr scale scores ranging from 1 to 3. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the tACS + MIRT group or the sham-tACS + MIRT group. The trial consisted of a two-week double-blind treatment period followed by a 24-week follow-up period, resulting in a total duration of twenty-six weeks. The primary outcome measured the change in PDQ-39 scores from baseline (T0) to 4 weeks (T2), 12 weeks (T3), and 24 weeks (T4) after completion of the intervention. The secondary outcome assessed changes in MDS-UPDRS III scores at T0, the end of intervention (T1), T2, T3, and T4. Additional clinical assessments and mechanistic studies were conducted as tertiary outcomes. DISCUSSION: The objective of this study is to demonstrate that tACS can enhance overall functionality and improve quality of life in PWP, based on the framework of MIRT. Additionally, it seeks to establish a potential correlation between these therapeutic effects and neuroplasticity alterations in relevant brain regions. The efficacy of tACS will be assessed during the follow-up period in order to optimize neuroplasticity and enhance its potential impact on rehabilitation efficiency for PWP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2300071969. Registered on 30 May 2023.

Characterization of AMT-mediated high-affinity ammonium uptake in roots of maize (Zea mays L.).

High-affinity ammonium uptake in plant roots is mainly mediated by AMT1-type ammonium transporters, and their regulation varies depending on the plant species. In this study we aimed at characterizing AMT-mediated ammonium transport in maize, for which ammonium-based fertilizer is an important nitrogen (N) source. Two ammonium transporter genes, ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3, were isolated from a maize root-specific cDNA library by functional complementation of an ammonium uptake-defective yeast mutant. Ectopic expression of both genes in an ammonium uptake-defective Arabidopsis mutant conferred high-affinity ammonium uptake capacities in roots with substrate affinities of 48 and 33 µM for ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3, respectively. In situ hybridization revealed co-localization of both ZmAMT genes on the rhizodermis, suggesting an involvement in capturing ammonium from the rhizosphere. In N-deficient maize roots, influx increased significantly while ZmAMT expression did not. Ammonium resupply to N-deficient or nitrate-pre-cultured roots, however, rapidly enhanced both influx and ZmAMT transcript levels, revealing a substrate-inducible regulation of ammonium uptake. In conclusion, the two rhizodermis-localized transporters ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 are most probably the major components in the high-affinity transport system in maize roots. A particular regulatory feature is their persistent induction by ammonium rather than an up-regulation under N deficiency.