Sound absorbing properties of spiral metasurfaces inspired by micro-perforated plates

As a kind of classical low-frequency sound-absorbing material,the microperforated plate(MPP)has been widely used.Here,we inspired by the sound absorption mechanism of the MPP,a spiral metasurface(SM)is designed and the analytical solution of acoustic impedance and sound absorption coefficient are obtained.The relationship between the sound absorption properties of the MPP and the SM with their own structures is systematically studied,and the analytical solutions are used to optimise the structure.It is concluded that the MPP and the SM of the same thickness achieve effective absorption in the frequency range between 390-900 Hz and 1920-4266 Hz,with a total thickness less than 1/6 of the wavelength.Meanwhile,the numerical calculation shows that the MPP and SM can match well with the background medium in the effective rang.Our study provides new insights into the design methods of sound-absorbing materials and is potentially suitable for many acoustic engineering applications.

FIT interacts with AtbHLH38 and AtbHLH39 in regulating iron uptake gene expression for iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis

Iron is an essential element for plant growth and development. Iron homeostasis in plants is tightly regulated at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional level. Several bHLH transcription factors involved in iron homeostasis have been identified recently. However, their regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. In this work, we demonstrate that the transcription factor FIT interacted with AtbHLH38 and AtbHLH39 and directly conferred the expression regulation of iron uptake genes for iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and transient expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that AtbHLH38 or AtbHLH39 interacted with FIT, a central transcription factor involved in iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Expression of FIT/AtbHLH38 or FIT/AtbHLH39 in yeast cells activated GUS expression driven by ferric chelate reductase （FRO2） and ferrous transporter （IRT1） promoters. Overexpression of FITwith either AtbHLH38 or AtbHLH39 in plants converted the expression of the iron uptake genes FRO2 and IRT1 from induced to constitutive. Further analysis revealed that FRO2 and IRT1 were not regulated at the posttranscriptional level in these plants because IRT1 protein accumulation and high ferric chelate reductase activity were detected in the overexpression plants under both iron deficiency and iron sufficiency. The double overexpression plants accumulated more iron in their shoots than wild type or the plants overexpressing either AtbHLH38, AtbHLH39 or FIT. Our data support that ferric-chelate reductase FRO2 and ferrous-transporter IRT1 are the targets of the three transcription factors and the transcription of FRO2 and IRT1 is directly regulated by a complex of FIT/AtbHLH38 or FIT/AtbHLH39.

AtTHIC, a gene involved in thiamine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Thiamine （vitamin B1） is an essential compound for organisms. It contains a pyrimidine ring structure and a thiazole ring structure. These two moieties of thiamine are synthesized independently and then coupled together. Here we report the molecular characterization of AtTHIC, which is involved in thiamine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. AtTHIC is similar to Escherichia coli ThiC, which is involved in pyrimidine biosynthesis in prokaryotes. Heterologous expression of AtTHIC could functionally complement the thiC knock-out mutant of E. coll. Downregulation of AtTHIC expression by T-DNA insertion at its promoter region resulted in a drastic reduction of thiamine content in plants and the knock-down mutant thicl showed albino （white leaves） and lethal phenotypes under the normal culture conditions. The thicl mutant could be rescued by supplementation of thiamine and its defect functions could be complemented by expression ofAtTHIC cDNA. Transient expression analysis revealed that the AtTHIC protein targets plastids and chloroplasts. AtTHIC was strongly expressed in leaves, flowers and siliques and the transcription of AtTHIC was downregulated by extrinsic thiamine. In conclusion, AtTHIC is a gene involved in pyrimidine synthesis in the thiamine biosynthesis pathway of Arabidopsis, and our results provide some new clues for elucidating the pathway of thiamine biosynthesis in plants.

Requirement and Functional Redundancy of Ib Subgroup bHLH Proteins for Iron Deficiency Responses and Uptake in Arabidopsis thaliana

The Ib subgroup of the bHLH gene family in Arabidopsis contains four members （AtbHLH38, AtbHLH39, AtbHLHIO0, and AtbHLH101）. AtbHLH38 and AtbHLH39 were previously confirmed to interact with FER-like iron deft-ciency induced transcription factor （FIT）, directly functioning in activation of the expression of ferric-chelate reductase FRO2 and high-affinity ferrous iron transporter IRT1. In this work, we characterized the functions of AtbHLH100 and AtbHLH101 in the regulation of the iron-deficiency responses and uptake. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay demonstrated that both AtbHLH100 and AtbHLH101 could interact with FIT. Dual expression of either AtbHLH100 or AtbHLH101 with FIT in yeast cells activated the GUS expression driven by promoters of FRO2 and IRT1. The plants overexpressing FIT together with AtbHLHI01 showed constitutive expression of FRO2 and IRT1 in roots, and accumulated more iron in shoots. Further, the single, double, and triple knockout mutants of AtbHLH38, AtbHLH39, AtbHLH100, and AtbHLH101 were generated and characterized. The FRO2 and IRT1 expression in roots and the iron content in shoots were more drastically decreased in the triple knockout mutant of AtbHLH39, AtbHLH100, and AtbHLH101 than that of the other available double and triple mutants of the four genes. Comparison of the physiological responses as well as the expression of FRO2 and IRT1 in the multiple knockout mutants under iron deficiency revealed that AtbHLH100, AtbHLH38, AtbHLH101, and AtbHLH39 played the gradually increased important role in the iron-deficiency responses and uptake. Taken all together, we conclude that the four Ib subgroup bHLH proteins are required and possess redundant functions with differential significance for activation of iron-deficiency responses and uptake in Arabidopsis.

Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses uncover the molecular basis of high nitrogen-use efficiency in the wheat cultivar Kenong 9204

Studying the regulatory mechanisms that drive nitrogen-use efficiency(NUE)in crops is important for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.In this study,we generated a high-quality genome assembly for the high-NUE wheat cultivar Kenong 9204 and systematically analyzed genes related to nitrogen uptake and metabolism.By comparative analyses,we found that the high-affinity nitrate transporter gene family had expanded in Triticeae.Further studies showed that subsequent functional differentiation endowed the expanded family members with saline inducibility,providing a genetic basis for improving the adaptability of wheat to nitrogen deficiency in various habitats.To explore the genetic and molecular mechanisms of high NUE,we compared genomic and transcriptomic data from the high-NUE cultivar Kenong 9204(KN9204)and the low-NUE cultivar Jing 411 and quantified their nitrogen accumulation under high-and low-nitrogen conditions.Compared with Jing 411,KN9204 absorbed significantly more nitrogen at the reproductive stage after shooting and accumulated it in the shoots and seeds.Transcriptome data analysis revealed that nitrogen deficiency clearly suppressed the expression of genes related to cell division in the young spike of Jing 411,whereas this suppression of gene expression was much lower in KN9204.In addition,KN9204 maintained relatively high expression of NPF genes for a longer time than Jing 411 during seed maturity.Physiological and transcriptome data revealed that KN9204 was more tolerant of nitrogen deficiency than Jing 411,especially at the reproductive stage.The high NUE of KN9204 is an integrated effect controlled at different levels.Taken together,our data provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of NUE and important gene resources for improving wheat cultivars with a higher NUE trait.

Biofortification of iron and zinc in rice and wheat

Iron and zinc are critical micronutrients for human health.Approximately two billion people suffer from iron and zinc deficiencies worldwide,most of whom rely on rice(Oryza sativa)and wheat(Triticum aestivum)as staple foods.Therefore,biofortifying rice and wheat with iron and zinc is an important and economical approach to ameliorate these nutritional deficiencies.In this review,we provide a brief introduction to iron and zinc uptake,translocation,storage,and signaling pathways in rice and wheat.We then discuss current progress in efforts to biofortify rice and wheat with iron and zinc.Finally,we provide future perspectives for the biofortification of rice and wheat with iron and zinc.

Sequence Diversity and Enzyme Activity of Ferric-Chelate Reductase LeFRO1 in Tomato

Ferric-chelate reductase which functions in the reduction of ferric to ferrous iron on root surface is a critical protein for iron ho- meostasis in strategy I plants. LeFROI is a major ferric-chelate reductase involved in iron uptake in tomato. To identify the natural variations of LeFRO1 and to assess their effect on the ferric-chelate reductase activity, we cloned the coding sequences of LeFRO1 from 16 tomato varieties collected from different regions, and detected three types of LeFRO1 （LeFRO1MM, LeFRO1Ailsa and LeFRO1Monita） with five amino acid variations at the positions 21, 24, 112, 195 and 582. Enzyme activity assay revealed that the three types of LeFRO1 possessed different ferric-chelate reductase activity （LeFRO1AiISa 〉 LeFRO1MM 〉 LeFRO1M^nita）. The 112th amino acid residue Ala of LeFRO1 is critical for maintaining the high activity of ferric-chelate reductase, because modification of this amino acid resulted in a significant reduction of enzyme activity. Further, we showed that the combination of the amino acid residue lie at the site 24 with Lys at the site 582 played a positive role in the enzyme activity of LeFRO1. In conclusion, the findings are helpful to understand the natural adaptation mechanisms of plants to iron-limiting stress, and may provide new knowledge to select and manipulate LeFRO1 for improving the iron deficiency tolerance in tomato.

Glutamate synthase 1 is involved in iron-deficiency response and long-distance transportation in Arabidopsis

Iron is an essential microelement for plant growth.After uptake from the soil,iron is chelated by ligands and translocated from roots to shoots for sub-sequent utilization.However,the number of ligands in-volved in iron chelation is unclear.In this study,we identified and demonstrated that GLU1,which encodes a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase,was involved in iron homeostasis.First,the expression of GLU1 was strongly induced by iron deficiency condition.Second,lesion of GLU1 results in reduced transcription of many iron-deficiency-responsive genes in roots and shoots.The mutant plants revealed a decreased iron concentration in the shoots,and displayed severe leaf chlorosis under the condition of Fe limitation,compared to wild-type.Third,the product of GLU1,glutamate,could chelate iron in vivo and promote iron transportation.Last,we also found that supplementation of glutamate in the medium can alleviate cadmium toxicity in plants.Overall,our results provide evidence that GLU1 is involved in iron homeo-stasis through affecting glutamate synthesis under iron deficiency conditions in Arabidopsis.