Effects of a co-bacterial agent on the growth, disease control, and quality of ginseng based on rhizosphere microbial diversity.

BACKGROUND: The ginseng endophyte Paenibacillus polymyxa Pp-7250 (Pp-7250) has multifaceted roles such as preventing ginseng diseases, promoting growth, increasing ginsenoside accumulation, and degrading pesticide residues, however, these effects still have room for improvements. Composite fungicides are an effective means to improve the biocontrol effect of fungicides, but the effect of Pp-7250 in combination with its symbiotic bacteria on ginseng needs to be further investigated, and its mechanism of action has not been elucidated. In this study, a series of experiments was conducted to elucidate the effect of Paenibacillus polymyxa and Bacillus cereus co-bacterial agent on the yield and quality of understory ginseng, and to investigate their mechanism of action. RESULTS: The results indicated that P. polymyxa and B. cereus co-bacterial agent (PB) treatment improved ginseng yield, ginsenoside accumulation, disease prevention, and pesticide degradation. The mechanism is that PB treatment increased the abundance of beneficial microorganisms, including Rhodanobacter, Pseudolabrys, Gemmatimonas, Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Cortinarius, Russula, Paecilomyces, and Trechispora, and decreased the abundance of pathogenic microorganisms, including Ellin6067, Acidibacter, Fusarium, Tetracladium, Alternaria, and Ilyonectria in ginseng rhizosphere soil. PB co-bacterial agents enhanced the function of microbial metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, biosynthesis of antibiotics, biosynthesis of amino acids, carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes, DNA replication, and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and decreased the function of microbial plant pathogens and animal pathogens. CONCLUSION: The combination of P. polymyxa and B. cereus may be a potential biocontrol agent to promote the resistance of ginseng to disease and improve the yield, quality, and pesticide degradation.

An exploration of mechanism of high quality and yield of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca by the isolation, identification and evaluation of Armillaria.

BACKGROUND: Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca, a perennial herb of G.elata Bl. in Orchidaceae, is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines. G. elata Bl. is a chlorophyll-free myco-heterotrophic plant, which must rely on the symbiotic growth of Armillaria, but not all Armillaria strains can play the symbiotic role. Additionally, Armillaria is easy to degenerate after multiple generations, and the compatibility between the strains from other areas and G. elata Bl. f. glauca in Changbai Mountain is unstable. Therefore, it is incredibly significant to isolate, identify and screen the symbiotic Armillaria suitable for the growth of G. elata Bl. f. glauca in Changbai Mountain, and to explore the mechanism by which Armillaria improves the production performance of G. elata Bl. f. glauca. RESULTS: Firstly, G. elata Bl. f. glauca tubers, and rhizomorphs and fruiting bodies of Armillaria were used for the isolation and identification of Armillaria. Five Armillaria isolates were obtained in our laboratory and named: JMG, JMA, JMB, JMC and JMD. Secondly, Armillaria was selected based on the yield and the effective component content of G. elata Bl. f. glauca. It was concluded that the yield and quality of G. elata Bl. f. glauca co-planted with JMG is the highest. Finally, the mechanism of its high quality and yield was explored by investigating the effects of different Armillaria strains on the soil, its nutrition element contents and the soil microbial diversity around G. elata Bl. f. glauca in Changbai Mountain. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with commercial strains, JMG significantly increased the content of Na, Al, Si, Mn, Fe, Zn, Rb and the absorption of C, Na, Mg, Ca, Cr, Cu, Zn and Rb in G. elata Bl. f. glauca; it improved the composition, diversity and metabolic functions of soil microbial communities around G. elata Bl. f. glauca at phylum, class and genus levels; it markedly increased the relative abundance of bacteria such as Chthoniobacter and Armillaria in the dominant populations, and enhanced such functions as Cell motility, amino acid metabolism and Lipid metabolism; it dramatically decreased the relative abundance of Bryobacter and other fungi in the dominant populations, and reduced such functions as microbial energy metabolism, translation and carbohydrate metabolism. This is the main reason why excellent Armillaria strains promote the high quality and yield of G. elata Bl. f. glauca in Changbai Mountain.

Promoting Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to C2 H4 Production by Inhibiting C2 H5 OH Desorption from Cu2 O/C Composite.

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) has great potential in realizing carbon recycling while storing sustainable electricity as hydrocarbon fuels. However, it is still a challenge to enhance the selectivity of the CO2 RR to single multi-carbon (C2+ ) product, such as C2 H4 . Here, an effective method is proposed to improve C2 H4 selectivity by inhibiting the production of the other competitive C2 products, namely C2 H5 OH, from Cu2 O/C composite. Density functional theory indicates that the heterogeneous structure between Cu2 O and carbon is expected to inhibit C2 H5 OH production and promote CC coupling, which facilitates C2 H4 production. To prove this, a composite electrode containing octahedral Cu2 O nanoparticles (NPs) (o-Cu2 O) with {111} facets and carbon NPs is constructed, which experimentally inhibits C2 H5 OH production while strongly enhancing C2 H4 selectivity compared with o-Cu2 O electrode. Furthermore, the surface hydroxylation of carbon can further improve the C2 H4 production of o-Cu2 O/C electrode, exhibiting a high C2 H4 Faradaic efficiency of 67% and a high C2 H4 current density of 45 mA cm-2 at -1.1 V in a near-neutral electrolyte. This work provides a new idea to improve C2+ selectivity by controlling products desorption.

Protective Effects of Ginsenosides (20R)-Rg3 on H2 O2 -Induced Myocardial Cell Injury by Activating Keap-1/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway.

Ginsenosides (20S)-Rg3 and (20R)-Rg3 are famous rare ginsenosides from red ginseng, and their configurations in C-20 are different. This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of ginsenosides (20S)-Rg3 and (20R)-Rg3 on H2 O2 -induced H9C2 cells and compare their activity. The results showed that the ginsenosides (20S)-Rg3 and (20R)-Rg3 could increase the cell activity and the levels of GSH-Px, SOD and CAT, and decrease activities of LDH, MDA and ROS. Further studies showed that ginsenosides (20S)-Rg3 and (20R)-Rg3 could prevent oxidative stress injury of H9C2 cells by H2 O2 through the Keap-1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. But the ML385 counteracts these effects. Interestingly, among these results, ginsenoside (20R)-Rg3 was superior to (20S)-Rg3, indicating that ginsenoside (20R)-Rg3 have a stronger effect of antioxidative stress. This study reflected that ginsenoside (20R)-Rg3 could be used as a potential Nrf2 activator and a safe effective Chinese herbal monomer in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Transcriptome analysis reveals underlying immune response mechanism of fungal (Penicillium oxalicum) disease in Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow (Orchidaceae).

BACKGROUND: Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow is a medicinal plant. G. elata f. glauca is unavoidably infected by pathogens in their growth process. In previous work, we have successfully isolated and identified Penicillium oxalicum from fungal diseased tubers of G. elata f. glauca. As a widespread epidemic, this fungal disease seriously affected the yield and quality of G. elata f. glauca. We speculate that the healthy G. elata F. glauca might carry resistance genes, which can resist against fungal disease. In this study, healthy and fungal diseased mature tubers of G. elata f. glauca from Changbai Mountain area were used as experimental materials to help us find potential resistance genes against the fungal disease. RESULTS: A total of 7540 differentially expressed Unigenes (DEGs) were identified (FDR < 0.01, log2FC > 2). The current study screened 10 potential resistance genes. They were attached to transcription factors (TFs) in plant hormone signal transduction pathway and plant pathogen interaction pathway, including WRKY22, GH3, TIFY/JAZ, ERF1, WRKY33, TGA. In addition, four of these genes were closely related to jasmonic acid signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The immune response mechanism of fungal disease in G. elata f. glauca is a complex biological process, involving plant hormones such as ethylene, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and disease-resistant transcription factors such as WRKY, TGA.

[Research progress on mechanism of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol on central nervous system].

Gastrodin(GAS) and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol(HBA) are extracts of dried tubers of Gastrodia elata, which is the material basis for its efficacy and belongs to phenolic compounds. Modern pharmacology studies have shown that they have significant effects on central nervous system diseases, such as insomnia, convulsions, depression, ischemic stroke, anxiety, and cognitive impairment, and these diseases are closely related to neurotransmitters and cytokines. This paper described various mechanisms of GAS and HBA monomer components on the central nervous system. They alleviate hippocampal neuronal toxicity mainly by regulating a variety of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, glutamic acid(GLU), γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA), serotonin(5-HT), dopamine(DA), norepinephrine(NE), 5-indoleacetic acid(5-HIAA), high vanillic acid(HVA) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid(DOPAC), pro-inflammatory cell growth factors, such as IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α and relevant receptor functions, and exert neuropharmacological effects by effectively increasing mRNA expressions of brain neurotrophic factors, such as BDNF and GDNF, and further inhibiting the apoptosis of damaged neurons. This paper summarized various mechanisms on the central nervous system, which provides a scientific basis for the further research of the neuropharmacological mechanism of GAS and HBA and the development of new drugs and functional food.

Study on the simultaneous degradation of five pesticides by Paenibacillus polymyxa from Panax ginseng and the characteristics of their products.

The quality and safety of ginseng products were seriously affected due to the slow metabolism and long-term residual pesticides in ginseng. Microbial degradation is an effective method to degrade pesticide residues. In this study, ginseng endophytic Paenibacillus polymyxa was used to degrade pesticide residues. A method of simultaneous determination of fluazinam, BHC, PCNB, chlorpyrifos and DDT in ginseng roots and ginseng stems and leaves by GC was established. The sample was extracted with n-hexane and purified by Florisil solid phase extraction column. The limit of quantitation was 0.01 µg mL-1, the linear relationship was good (r ≥ 0.9901). 7 days after inoculated with P. polymyxa, the degradation rates of fluazinam, BHC, PCNB, chlorpyrifos, and DDT in the medium were 94.77%, 70.34%, 77.92%, 78.30%, 66.70%, respectively (P < 0.05). The safety of 5 pesticide degradation products was investigated by GC-MS. The results showed that after 7 days degradation, the main degradation products were alkanes, which are non-toxic and can't cause secondary pollution to the environment. The actual degradation results were verified by field experiments. The results indicated that after sprayed 5 times with P. polymyxa, the degradation rates of fluazinam, BHC, PCNB, chlorpyrifos and DDT in the ginseng roots were 66.07%, 46.24%, 21.05%, 72.40%, 54.21%, respectively (P < 0.05). The degradation rates in ginseng stems and leaves were 74.18%, 55.61%, 73.65%, 58.13%, 46.91%, respectively (P < 0.05). The results indicated that Paenibacillus polymyxa was an effective degradation strain of 5 pesticides.

Hepatoprotective effect of chiisanoside from Acanthopanax sessiliflorus against LPS/D-GalN-induced acute liver injury by inhibiting NF-κB and activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND: In China, Acanthopanax sessiliflorus is a delicious wild vegetable. It is also used to treat inflammation and pain. Chiisanoside (CSS) is the main constituent of the leaf of A. sessiliflorus. Combined use of lipopolysaccharide and d-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN) can induce acute liver failure in human beings, and there are no reports on the protective effect of CSS against LPS/D-GalN-induced acute liver injury in mice. RESULTS: Chiisanoside pretreatment evidently reduced the activities of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in the changes induced by LPS/D-GalN, and these histopathological changes induced by LPS/GalN were significantly weakened. Catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increased, and malondialdehyde (MDA) activity decreased after CSS treatment compared with LPS/D-GalN treatment. Pretreatment with CSS also inhibited the expression levels of inflammatory factors. The administration of CSS prevented the phosphorylated expression of inhibitor kappa B (IκB) kinase, and led to a significant increase in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation. CONCLUSION: The protective effects of CSS are attributed to its antioxidative effect and inflammatory suppression in Nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB) and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways. Chiisanoside might therefore be a potential ingredient for drug and food development against acute liver injury in the future. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Building a Bridge from Papermaking to Solar Fuels.

Black liquor, an industrial waste product of papermaking, is primarily used as a low-grade combustible energy source. Despite its high lignin content, the potential utility of black liquor as a feedstock in products manufacturing, remains to be exploited. Demonstrated here in is the use of black liquor as a primary feed-stock for synthesizing graphene quantum dots that exhibit both up-conversion and photoluminescence when excited using visible/near-infrared radiation, thereby enabling the photosensitization of ultraviolet-absorbing TiO2 nanosheets. In addition, these graphene quantum dots can trap photo-generated electrons to realize the effective separation of electron-hole pairs. Together, these two processes facilitate the solar-powered generation of H2 from H2 O, and CO from H2 O-CO2 , using broadband solar radiation.

Ergosteryl 2-naphthoate, An Ergosterol Derivative, Exhibits Antidepressant Effects Mediated by the Modification of GABAergic and Glutamatergic Systems.

Phytosterols are a kind of natural component including sitosterol, campesterol, avenasterol, ergosterol (Er) and others. Their main natural sources are vegetable oils and their processed products, followed by grains, by-products of cereals and nuts, and small amounts of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms. In this study, three new Er monoester derivatives were obtained from the reflux reaction with Er: organic acids (furoic acid, salicylic acid and 2-naphthoic acid), 1-Ethylethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDCI) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) in dichloromethane. Their chemical structures were defined by IR and NMR. The present study was also undertaken to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of Er and its derivatives in male adult mice models of depression, and their probable involvement of GABAergic and glutamatergic systems by the forced swim test (FST). The results indicated that Er and its derivatives display antidepressant effects. Moreover, one derivative of Er, ergosteryl 2-naphthoate (ErN), exhibited stronger antidepressant activity in vivo compared to Er. Acute administration of ErN (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and a combination of ErN (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), reboxetine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.), and tianeptine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the immobility time in the FST. Pretreatment with bicuculline (a competitive γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonist, 4 mg/kg, i.p.) and N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA, an agonist at the glutamate site, 75 mg/kg, i.p.) effectively reversed the antidepressant-like effect of ErN (5 mg/kg, i.p.). However, prazosin (a α1-adrenoceptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) and haloperidol (a non-selective D2 receptor antagonist, 0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) did not eliminate the reduced immobility time. Altogether, these results indicated that ErN produced antidepressant-like activity, which might be mediated by GABAergic and glutamatergic systems.

[Pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of palmatine and jatrorrhizine in Huangteng in rats].

In this study, the total alkaloids of Huangteng were given to the rats by the methods of intragastric administration and tail vein. After the concentration changes of palmatine and jatrorrhizine in the plasma of rats were determined by RP-HPLC, pharmacokinetic parameters and oral bioavailability were calculated by 3P97 software. After the rats were pre-treated with total alkaloid 60 mg•kg⁻¹ by the methods of intragastric administration and tail vein, the main pharmacokinetic parameters were determined as follows： in the intragastric administration group, the Cmax of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (0.91±0.06), (0.70±0.08) mg•L⁻¹; tmax of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (35.24±0.83), (47.76±1.24) min; t1/2 of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (187.03±1.53), (105.64±16.99) min, AUC of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (280.30±18.69), (144.36±1.06) mg•min•L⁻¹; in the intravenous injection group, the t1/2 of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (172.18±12.38), (147.26±1.82) min; AUC of palmatine and jatrorrhizine were (2 553.14±214.91), (328.83±10.81) mg•min•L⁻¹. The oral bioavailability of palmatine was 10.98% and jatrorrhizine was 43.90%.

[Analysis of parameters of serum concentration and pharmacokinetic of liposome and aqueous solution of toatal ginsenoside of ginseng stems and leaves in rats].

The experiment was aimed to investigate the difference of plasma concentration and pharmacokinetic parameters between liposome and aqueous solution of toatal ginsenoside of ginseng stems and leaves in rats, such as ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rf, Rb1, Rg2, Rc, Rb2, Rb3, Rd. After intravenous injection of liposome and aqueous solution in rats, the blood was taken from the femoral vein to detect the plasma concentration of the above 9 ginsenoside monomers in different time points by using HPLC. The concentration-time curve was obtained and 3p97 pharmacokinetic software was used to get the pharmacokinetic parameters. After the intravenous injection of ginsenosides to rats, nine ginsenosides were detected in plasma. In general, among these ginsenosides, the peak time of the aqueous solution was between 0.05 to 0.083 3 h, and the serum concentration peak of liposome usually appeared after 0.5 h. After software fitting, the aqueous solution of ginsenoside monomers Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rc, Rd, Rb3 was two-compartment model, and the liposomes were one-compartment model; aqueous solution and liposome of ginsenoside monomers Rb1 were three-compartment model; aqueous solution of ginsenoside monomers Rb2 was three-compartment model, and its liposome was one-compartment model. Area under the drug time curve (AUC) of these 9 kinds of saponin liposomes was larger than that of aqueous solution, and the retention time of the liposomes was longer than that of the aqueous solution; the removal rate was slower than that of the aqueous solution, and the half-life was longer than that of the water solution. The results from the experiment showed that by intravenous administration, the pharmacokinetic parameters of two formulations were significantly different from each other; the liposomes could not only remain the drug for a longer time in vivo, but also reduce the elimination rate and increase the treatment efficacy. As compared with the traditional dosage forms, the total ginsenoside of ginseng stems and leaves can improve the sustained release of the drug, which is of great significance for the research and development of new dosage forms of ginsenosides in the future.

[Study on early screening of high saponin ginseng lines].

The study aims at screening the specific bands by PCR, quickly and accurately evaluating the quality of ginseng seeding, accelerating the process of ginseng breeding. Based on the correlation of genetic differences and saponin content between individuals, a pair of specific primer GC1 was screened by PCR. According to the experiment by L16 (45) orthogonal test, a PCR system most suitable for GC1 was established, which came out total 25 µL reaction system containing DNA 2.60 mg•L⁻¹, Mg²âº 1.44 mmol•L⁻¹, dNTP 0.19 mmol•L⁻¹, primer 0.32 µmol•L⁻¹ and Taq enzyme concentration 0.076 U•µL⁻¹. By comparing the saponin content and the GC1 PCR electrophoretogram of samples, the ginseng, with 1 200 bp specific band by PCR of GC1, the contents of 9 monosodium saponins and their additions were higher than others, which provided a reliable method for accelerating the process of ginseng breeding. The sequence was sequenced and 99% homologous to glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Differential Gene Expression Analysis of the Epacromius coerulipes (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Transcriptome.

Epacromius coerulipes (Ivanov) is one of the most widely distributed locusts. To date, the main methods to kill locusts still rely on chemical controls, which can result in the selection of locusts with resistance to chemical pesticides. Butene-fipronil is a new pesticide that was discovered by the structural modification of fipronil. This pesticide has been used to control various agricultural pests and has become an important pesticide product to control pests that exhibit resistance to other pesticides, including locusts. To extend its useful half-life, studies of the initiation and progression of resistance to this pesticide are needed. Herein, two E. coerulipes strains, a pesticide-sensitive (PS) and a pesticide-resistant (PR) strain, were chosen to undergo de novo assembly by paired-end transcriptome Illumina sequencing. Overall, 63,033 unigenes were detected; the average gene length was 772 bp and the N50 was 1,589 bp. Among these unigenes, ∼ 25,132 (39.87% of the total) could be identified as known proteins in bioinformatic databases from national centers. A comparison of the PR and PS strains revealed that 2,568 genes were differentially expressed, including 1,646 and 922 genes that were up- and down-regulated, respectively. According to the Gene Ontology (GO) database, among biological processes the metabolic process group was the largest group (6,900 genes, 22.47%) and contained a high frequency of differentially expressed genes (544 genes, 27.54%). According to the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) categories, 28 genes, representing 2.98% of all genes, belonged to the group of genes involved in the biosynthesis, transportation, and catabolism of secondary metabolites. The differentially expressed genes that we identified are involved in 50 metabolic pathways. Among these pathways, the metabolism pathway was the most represented. After enrichment analysis of differential gene expression pathways, six pathways--ribosome; starch, and sucrose metabolism; ascorbate and aldarate metabolism; drug metabolism-cytochrome P450; metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450; and glutathione metabolism--showed a high degree of enrichment. Among these pathways, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, and glutathione metabolism have been associated with pesticide metabolism. Furthermore, 316 unigenes in the E. coerulipes transcriptome encode detoxifying enzymes and 76 unigenes encode target proteins of pesticides. Among these genes, 23 genes that encode detoxifying enzymes in the resistance group were found to be up-regulated. The transcriptome sequencing results of E. coerulipes established a genomics database of E. coerulipes for the first time. This study also establishes a molecular basis for gene function analysis of E. coerulipes Moreover, it provides a theoretical resource for mechanistic studies on pesticide resistance through the screening and investigation of resistance genes.

A transgenic ginseng vaccine for bovine viral diarrhea.

BACKGROUND: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections are endemic in cattle populations worldwide and cause major economic losses. Thus, an effective vaccine is needed against the transmission of BVDV. The glycoprotein E(rns) is one of the envelope proteins of this virus and shows BVDV-related immunogenicity. Here, we report the use of Panax ginseng as an alternative production platform for the expression of glycoprotein E(rns) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. RESULT: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analyses showed that pBI121-E(rns) was stably integrated into the chromosome of transformants. ELISA assay and Western blot analysis confirmed the antigenicity of plant-derived E(rns) glycoprotein. Immunogenicity was evaluated subcutaneously in deer using a soluble protein extract of dried transgenic ginseng hairy roots. Specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against BVDV were detected following immunization. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that the E(rns) glycoprotein could be expressed in ginseng hairy roots and that plant-derived glycoprotein E(rns) retained its antigenicity and immunogenicity.

Discovery of seed germinating fungi (Mycetinis scorodonius) from Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow in Changbai Mountain and examination of their germination ability.

Multi-generational asexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. will cause seedling species degeneration. Sexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. seed is an effective method to solve the problem of degeneration. The development of Gastrodia elata Bl. seeds cannot be separated from the germination fungus. However, there are few strains of germination fungus in production, and there is also the problem of species degradation in application for many years. It is very important for the sexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. to isolate more new strains of excellent germination fungus from the origin. This study used the Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds germination vegetative propagation corms capture method to isolate its symbiotic germination fungus, and comprehensively identified the species of germination fungus by colony morphology, ITS, sporocarps regeneration and germination function, and compared the growth characteristics and germination ability with other germination fungus (Mycena purpureofusca, Mycena dendrobii and Mycena osmundicola). The germination fungus was isolated from the vegetative propagation corms of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds and named GYGL-1. After comprehensive identification, GYGL-1 was Mycetinis scorodonius. Compared with other germination fungus, GYGL-1 has fast germination speed, vigorous growth, and high germination ability for Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds. Innovated the isolation method of Gastrodia elata Bl. seeds germination fungus, obtained the regenerated sporocarps of the germination fungus, and discovered that Mycetinis scorodonius has a new function of germinating Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds, enriching the resource library of Gastrodia elata Bl. germination fungus.

Decrease in beneficial bacteria and increase in harmful bacteria in Gastrodia seedlings and their surrounding soil are mainly responsible for degradation of Gastrodia asexual propagation.

Introduction: Asexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow (GeB) produces degeneration with increasing number of GeB. Therefore, we analyzed the microorganisms of GeB seedlings and surrounding soil by Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing technology. Methods: In this study, Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to analyze the types and quantities of GeB seedlings and surrounding soil microorganisms in the first to third generations of asexual reproduction, isolated and identified the dominant strains of GeB in the first to third generations and screened the antagonistic bacteria of its pathogenic fungi, and evaluated the effects of beneficial bacteria on the production performance of seedlings planted with GeB. Results: With an increase in the number of asexual reproductive generations, the number of pathogenic fungi and bacteria in GeB seedlings and the surrounding soil increased, and the number of beneficial fungi and bacteria decreased. Pseudomonas sp., Agrobacterium rhizomes, and Herbaspirillum hiltneri were isolated and identified in the first generation, and Trichoderma harzianum, Penicillium viridiatum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Novosphingobium sp. Were isolated and identified in the third generation. Antagonistic strains of the three pathogenic bacterial strains were screened. In conclusion, beneficial bacteria significantly improved the production performance of asexual reproductive seedlings planted with GeB. Discussion: In conclusion, our findings suggested that the microorganisms of GeB seedlings and the surrounding soil change as the number of generations of GeB reproduction increases, disrupts the microecological balance of surrounding soil and endophytic microbiomes.This study provides a theoretical basis for the degradation of asexual reproduction in GeB.

Revealing the Lattice Carbonate Mediated Mechanism in Cu2(OH)2CO3 for Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to C2H4.

Understanding the CO2 transformation mechanism on materials is essential for the design of efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. In aconventional adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM), the catalysts encounter multiple high-energy barrier steps, especially CO2 activation, limiting the activity and selectivity. Here, lattice carbonate from Cu2(OH)2CO3 is revealed to be a mediator between CO2 molecules and catalyst during CO2 electroreduction by a 13C isotope labeling method, which can bypass the high energy barrier of CO2 activation and strongly enhance the performance. With the lattice carbonate mediated mechanism (LCMM), the Cu2(OH)2CO3 electrode exhibited ten-fold faradaic efficiency and 15-fold current density for ethylene production than the Cu2O electrode with AEM at a low overpotential. Theoretical calculations and in situ Raman spectroscopy results show that symmetric vibration of carbonate is precisely enhanced on the catalyst surface with LCMM, leading to faster electron transfer, and lower energy barriers of CO2 activation and carbon-carbon coupling. This work provides a route to develop efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction based on lattice-mediated mechanism.

Pd-Decorated Cu2O-Ag Catalyst Promoting CO2 Electroreduction to C2H4 by Optimizing CO Intermediate Adsorption and Hydrogenation.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to high value-added products, such as ethylene (C2H4), offers a promising approach to achieve carbon neutrality. Although recent studies have reported that a tandem catalyst (for example, Cu-Ag systems) exhibits advantage in C2H4 production, its practical application is largely inhibited by the following: (1) a traditional tandem catalyst cannot effectively stabilize the *CO intermediate, resulting in sluggish C-C coupling, and (2) inadequate H2O activation ability hinders the hydrogenation of intermediates. To break through the above bottleneck, herein, palladium (Pd) was introduced into Cu2O-Ag, a typical conventional tandem catalyst, to construct a Cu2O-Pd-Ag ternary catalyst. Extensive experiment and density functional theory calculation prove that Pd can efficiently stabilize the *CO intermediate and promote the H2O activation, which contributes to the C-C coupling and intermediate hydrogenation, the key steps in the conversion of CO2 to C2H4. Beneficial to the efficient synergy of Cu2O, Pd, and Ag, the optimal Cu2O-Pd-Ag ternary catalyst achieves CO2RR toward C2H4 with a faradaic efficiency of 63.2% at -1.2 VRHE, which is higher than that achieved by Cu2O-Ag and most of other reported catalysts. This work is a fruitful exploration of a rare ternary catalyst, providing a new route for constructing an efficient CO2RR electrocatalyst.

An exploration of mechanism of high quality and yield of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca by the isolation, identification, and evaluation of Mycena.

Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca is an important traditional Chinese medicinal plant. The yield and quality of Gastrodia elata Bl. have significantly decreased due to multigenerational asexual reproduction. Therefore, it is necessary to have sexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. to supplement the market supply. Seeds of G. elata Bl. have no endosperm, and their sexual reproduction depends on the nutrients provided by the embryo cells infected by Mycena fungi to complete seed germination. However, Mycena fungi are small and have many species, and not all Mycena fungi can promote the germination of G. elata Bl. seeds. Therefore, it is of great significance to isolate and identify suitable germination fungi and explore the mechanism for improving the production performance and yield, and quality of G. elata Bl. Six closely related Mycena isolates, JFGL-01, JFGL-02, JFGL-03, JFGL-04, JFGL-05, and JFGL-06, were isolated from the leaves and protocorms of G. elata Bl. f. glauca and were identified as Mycena purpureofusca. The mycelial state and number of germinating protocorms were used as indicators to preferentially select Mycena fungi, and it was concluded that JFGL-06 had the best mycelial state and ability to germinate G. elata Bl. seeds. Finally, a mechanism to increase the yield of G. elata Bl. was explored by comparing the changes in nutrient elements and microbial diversity in the soil around G. elata Bl. with different strains. JFGL-06 proved to be an excellent Mycena fungal strain suitable for G. elata Bl. f. glauca. Compared with the commercial strain, JFGL-06 significantly increased the C, N, Na, Mg, S, Cl, K, Ca, and Fe contents of the soil surrounding the protocorms of G. elata Bl. f. glauca. JFGL-06 improved the composition, diversity, and metabolic function of the surrounding soil microbial community of G. elata Bl. f. glauca protocorms at the phylum, class, and genus levels, significantly increased the relative abundance of bacteria such as Acidobacteria and fungi such as Trichoderma among the dominant groups, and increased the abundance of functional genes in metabolic pathways such as nucleotide metabolism and energy metabolism. There was a significant reduction in the relative abundance of bacteria, such as Actinomycetes, and fungi, such as Fusarium, in the dominant flora, and a reduced abundance of functional genes, such as amino acid metabolism and xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism. This is the main reason why the JFGL-06 strain promoted high-quality and high-yield G. elata Bl. f. glauca in Changbai Mountain.