An Unexpectedly Complex Architecture for Skin Pigmentation in Africans.

Approximately 15 genes have been directly associated with skin pigmentation variation in humans, leading to its characterization as a relatively simple trait. However, by assembling a global survey of quantitative skin pigmentation phenotypes, we demonstrate that pigmentation is more complex than previously assumed, with genetic architecture varying by latitude. We investigate polygenicity in the KhoeSan populations indigenous to southern Africa who have considerably lighter skin than equatorial Africans. We demonstrate that skin pigmentation is highly heritable, but known pigmentation loci explain only a small fraction of the variance. Rather, baseline skin pigmentation is a complex, polygenic trait in the KhoeSan. Despite this, we identify canonical and non-canonical skin pigmentation loci, including near SLC24A5, TYRP1, SMARCA2/VLDLR, and SNX13, using a genome-wide association approach complemented by targeted resequencing. By considering diverse, under-studied African populations, we show how the architecture of skin pigmentation can vary across humans subject to different local evolutionary pressures.

N6-Methyladenosine Guides mRNA Alternative Translation during Integrated Stress Response.

The integrated stress response (ISR) facilitates cellular adaptation to stress conditions via the common target eIF2α. During ISR, the selective translation of stress-related mRNAs often relies on alternative mechanisms, such as leaky scanning or reinitiation, but the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here we report that, in response to amino acid starvation, the reinitiation of ATF4 is not only governed by the eIF2α signaling pathway, but is also subjected to regulation by mRNA methylation in the form of N6-methyladenosine (m6A). While depleting m6A demethylases represses ATF4 reinitiation, knocking down m6A methyltransferases promotes ATF4 translation. We demonstrate that m6A in the 5' UTR controls ribosome scanning and subsequent start codon selection. Global profiling of initiating ribosomes reveals widespread alternative translation events influenced by dynamic mRNA methylation. Consistently, Fto transgenic mice manifest enhanced ATF4 expression, highlighting the critical role of m6A in translational regulation of ISR at cellular and organismal levels.

Determinant of m6A regional preference by transcriptional dynamics.

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant chemical modification occurring on eukaryotic mRNAs, and has been reported to be involved in almost all stages of mRNA metabolism. The distribution of m6A sites is notably asymmetric along mRNAs, with a strong preference toward the 3' terminus of the transcript. How m6A regional preference is shaped remains incompletely understood. In this study, by performing m6A-seq on chromatin-associated RNAs, we found that m6A regional preference arises during transcription. Nucleosome occupancy is remarkedly increased in the region downstream of m6A sites, suggesting an intricate interplay between m6A methylation and nucleosome-mediated transcriptional dynamics. Notably, we found a remarkable slowdown of Pol-II movement around m6A sites. In addition, inhibiting Pol-II movement increases nearby m6A methylation levels. By analyzing massively parallel assays for m6A, we found that RNA secondary structures inhibit m6A methylation. Remarkably, the m6A sites associated with Pol-II pausing tend to be embedded within RNA secondary structures. These results suggest that Pol-II pausing could affect the accessibility of m6A motifs to the methyltransferase complex and subsequent m6A methylation by mediating RNA secondary structure. Overall, our study reveals a crucial role of transcriptional dynamics in the formation of m6A regional preference.

Melatonin confers tolerance to nitrogen deficiency through regulating MdHY5 in apple plants.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for crop growth and development, significantly influencing both yield and quality. Melatonin (MT), a known enhancer of abiotic stress tolerance, has been extensively studied. However, its relationship with nutrient stress, particularly N deficiency, and the underlying regulatory mechanisms of MT on N absorption remain unclear. In this study, exogenous MT treatment was found to improve the tolerance of apple plants to N deficiency. Apple plants overexpressing the MT biosynthetic gene N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase 9 (MdASMT9) were used to further investigate the effects of endogenous MT on low-N stress. Overexpression of MdASMT9 improved the light harvesting and heat transfer capability of apple plants, thereby mitigating the detrimental effects of N deficiency on the photosynthetic system. Proteomic and physiological data analyses indicated that MdASMT9 overexpression enhanced the trichloroacetic acid cycle and positively modulated amino acid metabolism to counteract N-deficiency stress. Additionally, both exogenous and endogenous MT promoted the transcription of MdHY5, which in turn bound to the MdNRT2.1 and MdNRT2.4 promoters and activated their expression. Notably, MT-mediated promotion of MdNRT2.1 and MdNRT2.4 expression through regulating MdHY5, ultimately enhancing N absorption. Taken together, these findings shed light on the association between MdASMT9-mediated MT biosynthesis and N absorption in apple plants under N-deficiency conditions.

Barley yellow dwarf virus-GAV 17K protein disrupts thiamine biosynthesis to facilitate viral infection in plants.

Thiamine functions as a crucial activator modulating plant health and broad-spectrum stress tolerances. However, the role of thiamine in regulating plant virus infection is largely unknown. Here, we report that the multifunctional 17K protein encoded by barley yellow dwarf virus-GAV (BYDV-GAV) interacted with barley pyrimidine synthase (HvTHIC), a key enzyme in thiamine biosynthesis. HvTHIC was found to be localized in chloroplast via an N-terminal 74-amino acid domain. However, the 17K-HvTHIC interaction restricted HvTHIC targeting to chloroplasts and triggered autophagy-mediated HvTHIC degradation. Upon BYDV-GAV infection, the expression of the HvTHIC gene was significantly induced, and this was accompanied by accumulation of thiamine and salicylic acid. Silencing of HvTHIC expression promoted BYDV-GAV accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis of HvTHIC silenced and non-silenced barley plants showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal induction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, photosynthesis-antenna protein, and MAPK signaling pathway. Thiamine treatment enhanced barley resistance to BYDV-GAV. Taken together, our findings reveal a molecular mechanism underlying how BYDV impedes thiamine biosynthesis to uphold viral infection in plants.

RABV induces biphasic actin cytoskeletal rearrangement through Rac1 activity modulation.

Rabies virus (RABV) is highly lethal and triggers severe neurological symptoms. The neuropathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood. Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) is a Rho-GTPase that is involved in actin remodeling and has been reported to be closely associated with neuronal dysfunction. In this study, by means of a combination of pharmacological inhibitors, small interfering RNA, and specific dominant-negatives, we characterize the crucial roles of dynamic actin and the regulatory function of Rac1 in RABV infection, dominantly in the viral entry phase. The data show that the RABV phosphoprotein interacts with Rac1. RABV phosphoprotein suppress Rac1 activity and impedes downstream Pak1-Limk1-Cofilin1 signaling, leading to the disruption of F-actin-based structure formation. In early viral infection, the EGFR-Rac1-signaling pathway undergoes a biphasic change, which is first upregulated and subsequently downregulated, corresponding to the RABV entry-induced remodeling pattern of F-actin. Taken together, our findings demonstrate for the first time the role played by the Rac1 signaling pathway in RABV infection and may provide a clue for an explanation for the etiology of rabies neurological pathogenesis.IMPORTANCEThough neuronal dysfunction is predominant in fatal rabies, the detailed mechanism by which rabies virus (RABV) infection causes neurological symptoms remains in question. The actin cytoskeleton is involved in numerous viruses infection and plays a crucial role in maintaining neurological function. The cytoskeletal disruption is closely associated with abnormal nervous symptoms and induces neurogenic diseases. In this study, we show that RABV infection led to the rearrangement of the cytoskeleton as well as the biphasic kinetics of the Rac1 signal transduction. These results help elucidate the mechanism that causes the aberrant neuronal processes by RABV infection and may shed light on therapeutic development aimed at ameliorating neurological disorders.

A novel amphiphilic motif at the C-terminus of FtsZ1 facilitates chloroplast division.

In bacteria and chloroplasts, the GTPase filamentous temperature-sensitive Z (FtsZ) is essential for division and polymerizes to form rings that mark the division site. Plants contain two FtsZ subfamilies (FtsZ1 and FtsZ2) with different assembly dynamics. FtsZ1 lacks the C-terminal domain of a typical FtsZ protein. Here, we show that the conserved short motif FtsZ1Carboxyl-terminus (Z1C) (consisting of the amino acids RRLFF) with weak membrane-binding activity is present at the C-terminus of FtsZ1 in angiosperms. For a polymer-forming protein such as FtsZ, this activity is strong enough for membrane tethering. Arabidopsis thaliana plants with mutated Z1C motifs contained heterogeneously sized chloroplasts and parallel FtsZ rings or long FtsZ filaments, suggesting that the Z1C motif plays an important role in regulating FtsZ ring dynamics. Our findings uncover a type of amphiphilic beta-strand motif with weak membrane-binding activity and point to the importance of this motif for the dynamic regulation of protein complex formation.

m6A Facilitates eIF4F-Independent mRNA Translation.

In eukaryotic cells, protein synthesis typically begins with the binding of eIF4F to the 7-methylguanylate (m7G) cap found on the 5' end of the majority of mRNAs. Surprisingly, overall translational output remains robust under eIF4F inhibition. The broad spectrum of eIF4F-resistant translatomes is incompatible with cap-independent translation mediated by internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs). Here, we report that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) facilitates mRNA translation that is resistant to eIF4F inactivation. Depletion of the methyltransferase METTL3 selectively inhibits translation of mRNAs bearing 5' UTR methylation, but not mRNAs with 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) elements. We identify ABCF1 as a critical mediator of m6A-promoted translation under both stress and physiological conditions. Supporting the role of ABCF1 in m6A-facilitated mRNA translation, ABCF1-sensitive transcripts largely overlap with METTL3-dependent mRNA targets. By illustrating the scope and mechanism of eIF4F-independent mRNA translation, these findings reshape our current perceptions of cellular translational pathways.

Near-Infrared Perylenecarboximide Fluorophores for Live-Cell Super-Resolution Imaging.

Organic near-infrared (NIR) photoblinking fluorophores are highly desirable for live-cell super-resolution imaging based on single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Herein we introduce a novel small chromophore, PMIP, through the fusion of perylenecarboximide with 2,2-dimetheylpyrimidine. PMIP exhibits an emission maximum at 732 nm with a high fluorescence quantum yield of 60% in the wavelength range of 700-1000 nm and excellent photoblinking without any additives. With resorcinol-functionalized PMIP (PMIP-OH), NIR SMLM imaging of lysosomes is demonstrated for the first time in living mammalian cells under physiological conditions. Moreover, metabolically labeled nascent DNA is site-specifically detected using azido-functionalized PMIP (PMIP-N3) via click chemistry, thereby enabling the super-resolution imaging of nascent DNA in phosphate-buffered saline with a 9-fold improvement in spatial resolution. These results indicate the potential of PMIP-based NIR blinking fluorophores for biological applications of SMLM.

Intrinsic Burst-Blinking Nanographenes for Super-Resolution Bioimaging.

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is a powerful technique to achieve super-resolution imaging beyond the diffraction limit. Although various types of blinking fluorophores are currently considered for SMLM, intrinsic blinking fluorophores remain rare at the single-molecule level. Here, we report the synthesis of nanographene-based intrinsic burst-blinking fluorophores for highly versatile SMLM. We image amyloid fibrils in air and in various pH solutions without any additive and lysosome dynamics in live mammalian cells under physiological conditions. In addition, the single-molecule labeling of nascent proteins in primary sensory neurons was achieved with azide-functionalized nanographenes via click chemistry. SMLM imaging reveals higher local translation at axonal branching with unprecedented detail, while the size of translation foci remained similar throughout the entire network. These various results demonstrate the potential of nanographene-based fluorophores to drastically expand the applicability of super-resolution imaging.

Rhizobacterium-derived diacetyl modulates plant immunity in a phosphate-dependent manner.

Plants establish mutualistic associations with beneficial microbes while deploying the immune system to defend against pathogenic ones. Little is known about the interplay between mutualism and immunity and the mediator molecules enabling such crosstalk. Here, we show that plants respond differentially to a volatile bacterial compound through integral modulation of the immune system and the phosphate-starvation response (PSR) system, resulting in either mutualism or immunity. We found that exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana to a known plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium can unexpectedly have either beneficial or deleterious effects to plants. The beneficial-to-deleterious transition is dependent on availability of phosphate to the plants and is mediated by diacetyl, a bacterial volatile compound. Under phosphate-sufficient conditions, diacetyl partially suppresses plant production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhances symbiont colonization without compromising disease resistance. Under phosphate-deficient conditions, diacetyl enhances phytohormone-mediated immunity and consequently causes plant hyper-sensitivity to phosphate deficiency. Therefore, diacetyl affects the type of relation between plant hosts and certain rhizobacteria in a way that depends on the plant's phosphate-starvation response system and phytohormone-mediated immunity.

Oncogenic tRNA-derived fragment tRF-Leu-CAG promotes tumorigenesis of lung cancer via targeting TCEA3 and increasing autophagy.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a prevalent and severe form of malignant tumors worldwide. tRF-Leu-CAG, a recently discovered non-coding single-stranded small RNA derived from transfer RNA, has sparked interest in exploring its biological functions and potential molecular mechanisms in lung cancer. METHODS: The abundance of tRF-Leu-CAG was measured via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in 96 sets of lung cancer tissue samples obtained from clinical patients. Subsequently, both in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to validate the biological functions of tRF-Leu-CAG in lung cancer. Furthermore, an exploration of the potential target genes of tRF-Leu-CAG and its association with autophagy and drug resistance in lung cancer was undertaken. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a significant upregulation of tRF-Leu-CAG in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues. Additionally, we observed that heightened expression of tRF-Leu-CAG significantly augmented the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells, facilitated cell cycle progression, and suppressed apoptosis. Furthermore, we identified transcription elongation factor A3 (TCEA3) as a direct target gene of tRF-Leu-CAG. TCEA3 inhibited the proliferation and migration of NSCLC, and tRF-Leu-CAG promoted the proliferation and migration of NSCLC by mediating the silencing of TCEA3. Moreover, we demonstrated that the augmentation of paclitaxel resistance by tRF-Leu-CAG was contingent on autophagy. Finally, tRF-Leu-CAG notably accelerated tumor growth and promoted the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: tRF-Leu-CAG promotes NSCLC tumor growth and metastasis by targeting TCEA3 and promotes paclitaxel resistance by enhancing cellular autophagy. These results provide potentially effective targets and therapeutic options for the clinical treatment of NSCLC.

Fruit crops combating drought: Physiological responses and regulatory pathways.

Drought is a common stress in agricultural production. Thus, it is imperative to understand how fruit crops respond to drought and to develop drought-tolerant varieties. This paper provides an overview of the effects of drought on the vegetative and reproductive growth of fruits. We summarize the empirical studies that have assessed the physiological and molecular mechanisms of the drought response in fruit crops. This review focuses on the roles of calcium (Ca2+) signaling, abscisic acid (ABA), reactive oxygen species signaling, and protein phosphorylation underlying the early drought response in plants. We review the resulting downstream ABA-dependent and ABA-independent transcriptional regulation in fruit crops under drought stress. Moreover, we highlight the positive and negative regulatory mechanisms of microRNAs in the drought response of fruit crops. Lastly, strategies (including breeding and agricultural practices) to improve the drought resistance of fruit crops are outlined.

MdASMT9-mediated melatonin biosynthesis enhances basal thermotolerance in apple plants.

High temperatures negatively impact the yield and quality of fruit crops. Exogenous melatonin (MT) application has been shown to enhance heat tolerance, but the response of endogenous MT to heat stress, particularly in perennial fruit trees, remains unclear. The present study investigated the effects of high temperatures on transgenic apple plants overexpressing the MT biosynthesis gene N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase 9 (MdASMT9). Endogenous MT protected transgenic plants from heat stress by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protecting the chloroplasts from damage. Application of MT and overexpression of MdASMT9 also reduced abscisic acid accumulation through promoting MdWRKY33-mediated transcriptional inhibition of MdNCED1 and MdNCED3, thus inducing stomatal opening for better heat dissipation. Furthermore, MT-enhanced autophagic activity through promoting MdWRKY33-mediated transcriptional enhancement of MdATG18a under heat stress. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of endogenous MT and its role in improving basal thermotolerance in perennial fruit trees.

Two-level coding for efficient digital radio-over-fiber transmission with unequal bit protection.

The digital radio-over-fiber (D-RoF) transmission with two-level coding (TLC) is proposed and demonstrated in this Letter. A joint design considering the importance of quantization bits, the protection ability of forward error correction (FEC), and the bit error ratio of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) symbols is realized. In TLC-based D-RoF systems, the more significant bits among quantization bits are protected by a FEC and are assigned to the least reliable bits of modulated QAM symbols. Conversely, the less significant bits, without FEC protection, are allocated to the more reliable bits of QAM symbols. Experiments on an 11-km standard single-mode fiber transmission are conducted to evaluate the performance. The results indicate that, with a maximum iteration number of 2, compared to the conventional bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) with all bits encoded, the D-RoF based on TLC attains nearly identical performance under the 0.34% error vector magnitude threshold of 65536QAM wireless signals, specifically achieving complexity reductions of 54.55% and 67.66% for 16QAM and 64QAM optical transmissions, respectively.

Revealing the Two-Stage Charging Process in Sulfuric Acid Electrolyte by Molecular Dynamics Simulation.

Two-dimensional MXene materials perform excellently in supercapacitor applications, but self-stacking and overlap limit their applications. Constructing a reasonable layered structure by combining MXene and graphene can effectively inhibit the restacking and overlap of MXene and improve the performance of supercapacitors. In this work, we studied the energy storage performance of a conventional MXene electrode and MXene/graphene composite electrode in sulfuric acid aqueous electrolyte by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and analyzed their energy storage mechanisms. The simulation results reveal that the MXene/graphene composite electrode showed faster charge-discharge speed and larger capacity and had more obvious advantages as a cathode. The charging process of the composite cathode can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, SO42- and H3O+ enter the electrode as a whole in a nearly 1:2 ratio, and a unique three-layer structure is formed in the graphene area, while a large number of HSO4- leaves the electrode. In the second stage, SO42- with a part of H3O+ (ratio of 2:2 to 2:3) leave the electrode, and the three-layer structure is gradually destroyed. The cooperation of these two stages leads to a particular "concave" in the total energy change of the composite cathode. The introduction of graphene has brought about changes in ion distribution, migration mechanism, and energy change, making the MXene/graphene cathode show significant advantages in energy storage. This work is of great significance for understanding the microscopic energy storage mechanism of MXene/graphene-based electrodes.

Directional Freeze-Drying-Mediated Chitosan Aerogel with Ordered Structure Allowing High-Efficient Removal of Se(IV) from Wastewater.

The progress of industrialization has led to a notable elevation in selenium (Se) levels within aquatic environments, surpassing established thresholds and posing significant risks to both human health and ecological equilibrium. Chitosan (CS) exhibits considerable potential in mitigating waterborne pollutants owing to its nontoxic nature, cost-effectiveness, and the presence of abundant hydroxyl and amino functional groups along its backbone. However, its subpar mechanical and thermal stability, susceptibility to acidic dissolution, and challenges in recycling impede its widespread use in water pollution mitigation. To address the aforementioned issues, this study employs a liquid nitrogen-directed freezing process to synthesize chitosan aerogel, aiming to enhance the adsorption efficiency of Se(IV). Morphological and adsorption tests demonstrate that the compact and closely interconnected porous structure facilitates diffusion of Se(IV) into the aerogel, thereby enhancing its adsorption efficiency. The theoretical adsorption capacity of the CS aerogel for Se(IV) is 56.45 mg/g, surpassing that of numerous natural and composite adsorbents, with adsorption equilibrium achieved within 2.5 h. Moreover, the CS aerogel demonstrates substantial potential in remediating Se(IV)-contaminated wastewater and improving circulation stability. A series of characterization results demonstrate that the primary adsorption mechanism of the CS aerogel onto Se(IV) involves electrostatic interactions, complemented by hydrogen bonding between the amino and hydroxyl groups of the CS aerogel and Se(IV), thereby augmenting the adsorption efficacy. This study introduces innovative avenues for tailoring the functionality of 3D macroscopic materials to address the remediation of heavy metals in aquatic environments.

Risk-stratified screening and colorectal cancer incidence and mortality: A retrospective study from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether risk stratification can optimize the benefits of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FSG) screening. METHODS: The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial was conducted from 1993 to 2001 in the United States. A colorectal cancer (CRC) risk stratification tool was developed in the control arm (n = 64,207) from the PLCO cohort and validated in the UK Biobank (n = 270,726). PLCO participants (n = 130,021) were classified into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. Cumulative incidence and mortality were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between screening and CRC incidence and mortality. RESULTS: The CRC risk stratification tool was based on age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, family history of CRC, diabetes, regular use of aspirin, and CRC screening history. Compared with the control arm, FSG screening was significantly associated with a reduction in mortality in both the medium-risk (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63-0.92) and high-risk groups (0.58, 0.46-0.73), but not in the low-risk group (0.85, 0.61-1.19). FSG screening also reduced distal CRC incidence and mortality in the medium-risk and high-risk groups. Furthermore, it was associated with a reduction in incidence (0.74, 0.59-0.92) and mortality (0.59, 0.40-0.87) of proximal colon cancer in the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: FSG screening yielded more benefits for the high-risk group than for the low-risk and medium-risk groups, supporting the development of a risk-stratified CRC screening strategy.

Decolorization of RhB on three-dimensional porous CeO2/LaFeO3/SrTiO3 catalyst via photo-fenton-like catalysis.

The catalysts with three-dimensional porous (3DP) CeO2, LaFeO3 and SrTiO3 are synthesized by sol-gel method and chemical precipitation method. The resulting multi-component 3DP CeO2/LaFeO3/SrTiO3 composite material featured a high specific surface area (26.08 m2/g), which can provide more surface active sites to improve adsorption capacity and catalytic performance. The photocatalytic, Fenton-like, photo-Fenton-like performance of the catalyst are studied on decolorization of RhB under UV irradiation, respectively. 3DP CeO2/LaFeO3/SrTiO3 exhibits high catalytic performance. Compared with photocatalytic or Fenton-like performance, 3DP CeO2/LaFeO3/SrTiO3 catalyst exhibits higher photo-Fenton-like performance, facilitating efficient decolorization of the rhodamine B. Moreover, the initial reaction rate on decolorization of RhB with 3DP CeO2/LaFeO3/SrTiO3 is 10.55, 5.52, 3.67 and 1.51 times higher than that with SrTiO3, LaFeO3, 3DP CeO2 and 3DP CeO2/LaFeO3, respectively. Meanwhile, 3DP LaFeO3/CeO2/SrTiO3 has a wider pH usage range in the synergistic reaction. Finally, a catalytic mechanism for the decolorization of rhodamine B is proposed. The continuous cycling of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Ce4+/Ce3+ and the production of active substances are achieved under the photo-Fenton-like effect of the catalyst.

Interior and Exterior Surface Modification of Zr-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Trace Benzene Removal.

The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) significantly contributes to air pollution and poses a serious threat to human health. Benzene, one of the most toxic VOCs, is difficult for the human body to metabolize and is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. The development of efficient adsorbents for removing trace amounts of benzene from ambient air is thus of great importance. In this work, we studied the benzene adsorption properties of four Zr-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) through static volumetric and dynamic breakthrough experiments. Two previously reported Zr-MOFs, BUT-12 and STA-26, were prepared with a tritopic carboxylic acid ligand (H3L1) functionalized with three methyl groups, and STA-26 is a 2-fold interpenetrated network of BUT-12. Two new isoreticular Zr-MOFs, BUT-12-Et and STA-26-Et, were synthesized using a similar ligand, H3L2, where the methyl groups are replaced with ethyl groups. There are mesopores in BUT-12 and BUT-12-Et and micropores in STA-26 and STA-26-Et. The four Zr-MOFs all showed high stability in liquid water and acidic aqueous solutions. The microporous STA-26 and STA-26-Et showed much higher benzene uptakes than mesoporous BUT-12 and BUT-12-Et at room temperature under low pressures. Particularly, the benzene adsorption capacity of STA-26-Et was high up to 2.21 mmol/g at P/P0 = 0.001 (P0 = 12.78 kPa), higher than those of the other three Zr-MOFs and most reported solid adsorbents. Breakthrough experiments confirmed that STA-26-Et could effectively capture trace benzene (10 ppm) from dry air; however, its benzene capture capacity was reduced by 90% under humid conditions (RH = 50%). Coating of the crystals of STA-26-Et with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) increased the hydrophobicity of the exterior MOF surfaces, leading to a more than 2-fold improvement in its benzene capture capacity in the breakthrough experiment under humid condition. PDMS coating of STA-26-Et likely slowed down the water adsorption process, and thus, the adsorbent afforded more efficient capture of benzene. This work demonstrates that modifying both the interior and exterior surfaces of MOFs can effectively enhance their performance in capturing trace benzene from ambient air, even under humid conditions. This finding is meaningful for the development of new adsorbents for effective air purification applications.