A solvent-free,selective liquid phase hydrogenation of nitroarenes to aniline in slurry bubble mode on porous NiMo bimetallic catalyst

NiMo bimetallic catalysts were prepared by a solid reaction method.On the NiMo catalyst,the selective liquid phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline was achieved in slurry bubble mode.And the high yields(98.9%)were obtained under the conditions of 80℃,solvent-free and atmospheric pressure.The effect of Mo on the catalytic behavior of Ni based catalyst was investigated.The characterization displayed that the inclusion of Mo could improve the specific surface area and pore volume,and the solid reaction method made metal Mo enrichment on the surface of catalyst.These two aspects should be responsible for excellent catalytic performance of NiMo catalyst.In sum,we described a simple and efficient NiMo catalyst and provided a facile and green procedure for liquid phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline.

Fast genetic mapping in barley:case studies of cuticle mutants using RNA-sequencing

Barley(Hordeum vulgare L.)is one of the earliest domesticated crop species and ranked as the fourth largest cereal production worldwide.Forward genetic studies in barley have greatly advanced plant genetics during the last century;however,most genes are identified by the conventional mapping method.Array genotyping and exome-capture sequencing have also been successfully used to target the causal mutation in barley populations,but these techniques are not widely adopted because of associated costs and partly due to the huge genome size of barley.This review summarizes three mapping cases of barley cuticle mutants in our laboratory with the help of RNA-sequencing.The causal mutations have been successfully identified for two of them and the target genes are located in the pericentromeric regions.Detailed information on the mapping-by-sequencing,mapping-and-sequencing,and RNA-sequencing assisted linkage mapping are presented and some limitations and challenges on the mapping assisted by RNA sequencing are also discussed.The alternative and elegant methods presented in this review may greatly accelerate forward genetics of barley mapping,especially for laboratories without large funding.

Transcriptomic comparison to identify rapidly evolving genes in Braya humilis

The Brassicaceae species Braya humilis shows broad adaptation to different climatic zones and latitudes. However, the molecular adaptation mechanism of B. humilis is poorly understood. In China, B. humilis is mainly distributed on the QinghaiTibetan Plateau(QTP) and in the adjacent arid region. Previous transcriptome analysis of B. humilis has revealed that 39 salt and osmotic stress response genes are subjected to purifying selection during its speciation. To further explore the adaptation mechanism of B. humilis to an arid environment, OrthoMCL program was employed in this study and 6,268 pairs of orthologous gene pairs with high confidence were obtained between B. humilis and Arabidopsis thaliana. A comparative evolutionary analysis based on nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution ratio(Ka/Ks) was then conducted. There were 64 pairs exhibiting a Ka/Ks ratio more than 0.5 and among which, three instrumental candidate genes, T20487,T22576, and T23757, were identified with strong selection signatures(Ka/Ks >1). The corresponding A. thaliana orthologs are double-stranded RNA-binding domain protein, MADS-box family protein, and NADH-dehydrogenase subunit6, which is encoded by mitochondria genome. This report not only demonstrates the adaptation contribution of fast evolving nuclear genes, but also highlights the potential adaptive value of mitochondria gene to the speciation and adaptation of B. humilis toward the extreme environment in an arid region.

Sand rice,a promising future crop for desert and marginal lands in northern China

The pioneer Amaranthaceae species sand rice(Agriophyllum squarrosum)is an annual psammophyte that is widely distributed in the deserts and sand fields of northern China.The well-balanced nutritional values,long consumption history,and extreme stress tolerance of sand rice have fascinated scientists,prompting its development as a climate-resilient crop.Sand rice has been successfully introduced and cultivated on sandy and loess lands over the past decade,while large-scale artificial planting has been carried out in the Ulan Buh and Tengger deserts.However,the yield is far below the maximum potential,as estimated by the highest yield per plant ever found in the Tengger desert during our survey of wild populations.The current domestication of sand rice relies mainly on natural selection and mutagenesis breeding.A few elite lines with modified agronomic traits,such as compact architecture,high productivity,reduced trichomes,and short plant stature,have been developed from natural populations and a chemical mutagenesis library.Breeding new cultivars and broader cultivation of sand rice in deserts and marginal lands will stimulate economic growth and diversify the food supply,especially for the area west of the Hu Huanyong Line,thus contributing to environmental sustainability in northern China.