Zinc finger protein ZFP36 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase PDK1 function in ABA-mediated aluminum tolerance in rice

Aluminum(Al)toxicity poses a significant constraint on field crop yields in acid soils.Zinc finger protein36(ZFP36)is well-documented for its pivotal role in enhancing tolerance to both drought and oxidative stress in rice.This study unveils a novel function of ZFP36 modulated by abscisic acid(ABA)-dependent mechanisms,specifically aimed at alleviating Al toxicity in rice.Under Al stress,the expression of ZFP36significantly increased through an ABA-dependent pathway.Knocking down ZFP36 heightened Al sensitivity,while overexpressing ZFP36 conferred increased resistance to Al stress.Additionally,our investigations revealed a physical interaction between ZFP36 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 in rice(OsPDK1).Biochemical assays further elucidated that OsPDK1 phosphorylates ZFP36 at the amino acid site 73–161.Subsequent experiments demonstrated that ZFP36 positively regulates the expression of ascorbate peroxidases(OsAPX1)and OsALS1 by binding to specific elements in their upstream segments in rice.Through genetic and phenotypic analyses,we unveiled that OsPDK1 influences ABA-triggered antioxidant defense to alleviate Al toxicity by interacting with ZFP36.In summary,our study underscores that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1(OsPDK1)phosphorylates ZFP36 to modulate the activities of antioxidant enzymes via an ABA-dependent pathway,influencing tolerance of rice to soil Al toxicity.

Using artificial intelligence to document the hidden RNA virosphere

Current metagenomic tools can fail to identify highly divergent RNA viruses.We developed a deep learning algorithm,termed LucaProt,to discover highly divergent RNA-dependent RNA polymerase(RdRP)sequences in 10,487 metatranscriptomes generated from diverse global ecosystems.LucaProt integrates both sequence and predicted structural information,enabling the accurate detection of RdRP sequences.Using this approach,we identified 161,979 potential RNA virus species and 180 RNA virus supergroups,including many previously poorly studied groups,as well as RNA virus genomes of exceptional length(up to 47,250 nucleotides)and genomic complexity.

Field observation of the thermal disturbance and freezeback processes of cast-in-place pile foundations in warm permafrost regions

The bearing capacity of pile foundations is affected by the temperature of the frozen soil around pile foundations.The construction process and the hydration heat of cast-in-place(CIP)pile foundations affect the thermal stability of permafrost.In this paper,temperature data from inside multiple CIP piles,borehole observations of ground thermal status adjacent to the foundations and local weather stations were monitored in warm permafrost regions to study the thermal influence process of CIP pile foundations.The following conclusions are drawn from the field observation data.(1)The early temperature change process of different CIP piles is different,and the differences gradually diminish over time.(2)The initial concrete temperature is linearly related with the air temperature,net radiation and wind speed within 1 h before the completion of concrete pouring;the contributions of the air temperature,net radiation,and wind speed to the initial concrete temperature are 51.9%,20.3%and 27.9%,respectively.(3)The outer boundary of the thermal disturbance annulus is approximately 2 m away from the pile center.It took more than 224 days for the soil around the CIP piles to return to the natural permafrost temperature at the study site.

Comprehensive and deep profiling of the plasma proteome with protein corona on zeolite NaY

Proteomic characterization of plasma is critical for the development of novel pharmacodynamic biomarkers.However,the vast dynamic range renders the profiling of proteomes extremely challenging.Here,we synthesized zeolite NaY and developed a simple and rapid method to achieve comprehensive and deep profiling of the plasma proteome using the plasma protein corona formed on zeolite NaY.Specifically,zeolite NaY and plasma were co-incubated to form plasma protein corona on zeolite NaY(NaY-PPC),followed by conventional protein identification using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.NaY was able to significantly enhance the detection of low-abundance plasma proteins,minimizing the“masking”effect caused by high-abundance proteins.The relative abundance of middleand low-abundance proteins increased substantially from 2.54%to 54.41%,and the top 20 highabundance proteins decreased from 83.63%to 25.77%.Notably,our method can quantify approximately 4000 plasma proteins with sensitivity up to pg/mL,compared to only about 600 proteins identified from untreated plasma samples.A pilot study based on plasma samples from 30 lung adenocarcinoma patients and 15 healthy subjects demonstrated that our method could successfully distinguish between healthy and disease states.In summary,this work provides an advantageous tool for the exploration of plasma proteomics and its translational applications.

Inconsistency of changes in uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity of sandstone after temperature treatments

It is generally accepted that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)and P-wave velocity of rocks tend to decrease simultaneously with increasing temperature.However,based on a great number of statistical data and systematic analysis of the microstructure variation of rocks with temperature rising and corresponding propagation mechanism of elastic wave,the results show that(1)There are three different trends for the changes of UCS and P-wave velocity of sandstone when heated from room temperature(20C or 25C)to 800C:(i)Both the UCS and P-wave velocity decrease simultaneously;(ii)The UCS increases initially and then decreases,while the P-wave velocity decreases continuously;and(iii)The UCS increases initially and then fluctuates,while the P-wave velocity continuously decreases.(2)The UCS changes at room temperaturee400C,400Ce600C,and 600Ce800C are mainly attributed to the discrepancy of microstructure characteristics and quartz content,the transformation plasticity of clay minerals,and the balance between the thermal cementation and thermal damage,respectively.(3)The inconsistency in the trends of UCS and P-wave velocity changes is caused by the change of quartz content,phase transition of water and certain minerals.

Intermolecular and surface forces in atomic-scale manufacturing

Atomic and close-to-atomic scale manufacturing(ACSM)aims to provide techniques for manufacturing in various fields,such as circuit manufacturing,high energy physics equipment,and medical devices and materials.The realization of atomic scale material manipulation depending on the theoretical system of classical mechanics faces great challenges.Understanding and using intermolecular and surface forces are the basis for better designing of ACSM.Transformation of atoms based on scanning tunneling microscopy or atomic force microscopy(AFM)is an essential process to regulate intermolecular interactions.Self-assemble process is a thermodynamic process involving complex intermolecular forces.The competition of these interaction determines structure assembly and packing geometry.For typical nanomachining processes including AFM nanomachining and chemical mechanical polishing,the coupling of chemistry and stress(tribochemistry)assists in the removal of surface atoms.Furthermore,based on the principle of triboelectrochemistry,we expect a further reduction of the potential barrier,and a potential application in high-efficiency atoms removal and fabricating functional coating.Future fundamental research is proposed for achieving high-efficiency and high-accuracy manufacturing with the aiding of external field.This review highlights the significant contribution of intermolecular and surface forces to ACSM,and may accelerate its progress in the in-depth investigation of fundamentals.

Processes and mechanisms of multi-collapse of loess roads in seasonally frozen ground regions: A review

Usually, the collapsible loess widely distributed across the world can serve as a type of foundation soil that meets its strength requirement after dense compaction and elimination of collapsibility. However, many problems such as cracks and differential settlement still occur in loess roads in the seasonally frozen ground regions after several years of op- eration. Many studies have demonstrated that these secondary or multiple collapses primarily result from the repeated freezing-thawing, wetting-drying, and salinization-desalinization cycles. Therefore, we conducted a research program to （1） monitor the in-situ ground temperatures and water content in certain loess roads to understand their changes, （2） study the effects of freezing-thawing, wetting-drying, and salinization-desalinization cycles on geotechnical properties and micro-fabrics of compacted loess in the laboratory, and （3） develop mitigative measures and examine their engineered effectiveness, i.e., their thermal insulating and water-proofing effects in field and laboratory tests. Our results and advances are reviewed and some further research needs are proposed. These findings more clearly explain the processes and mechanisms of secondary and multiple collapse of loess roads. We also offer references for further study of the weakening mechanisms of similar structural soils.

Reponses of middle atmospheric circulation to the 2009 major sudden stratospheric warming

In this research, the roles of gravity waves and planetary waves in the change to middle atmospheric residual circulation duringa sudden stratospheric warming period are differentiated and depicted separately by adopting the downward control principle. Ouranalysis shows clear anomalous poleward residual circulation patterns from the equator to high latitudes in the lower winterstratosphere. At the same time, upward mean flows are identified at high latitudes of the winter upper stratosphere and mesosphere,which turn equatorward in the mesosphere and reach as far as the tropical region, and consequently the extratropical region in thesummer hemisphere. The downward control principle shows that anomalous mesospheric residual circulation patterns, includinginterhemispheric coupling, are solely caused by the change in gravity wave forcing resulting from the reversal of the winter stratosphericzonal wind. Nevertheless, both planetary waves and gravity waves are important to variations in the winter stratospheric circulation, butwith opposite effects.

交换环上线性群中含根子群的极大子群

本文验证了交换环上线性群中三种含根子群的子群的极大性,并讨论了交换环上线性群中含根子群的极大子群的可能类型。

Discussion on pile axial load test methods and their applicability in cold regions

The measurement of pile axial load is of great significance to determining pile foundation design parameters such as skin friction and end bearing capacity and analyzing load transfer mechanisms.Affected by the temperature and ice content of frozen ground,the interface contact relationship between pile foundation and frozen soil is complicated,making pile axial load measurements more uncertain than that in non-frozen ground.Therefore,it is necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of the current pile axial load test methods.Four methods are systematically reviewed:vibrating wire sensors,strain gauges,sliding micrometers,and optical fiber strain sensors.At the same time,the applicability of the four test methods in frozen soil regions is discussed in detail.The first two methods are mature and commonly used.The sliding micrometer is only suitable for short-term measurement.While the Fiber Bragg grating(FBG)strain gauge meets the monitoring requirements,the Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometer(BOTDR)needs further verification.This paper aims to provide a technical reference for selecting and applying different methods in the pile axial load test for the stability study and bearing capacity assessment of pile foundations in cold regions.

Enhancing maize's nitrogen-fixing potential through ZmSBT3, a gene suppressing mucilage secretion∞

Maize(Zea mays)requires substantial amounts of nitrogen,posing a challenge for its cultivation.Recent work discovered that some ancient Mexican maize landraces harbored diazotrophic bacteria in mucilage secreted by their aerial roots.To see if this trait is retained in modern maize,we conducted a field study of aerial root mucilage(ARM)in 258 inbred lines.We observed that ARM secretion is common in modern maize,but the amount significantly varies,and only a few lines have retained the nitrogen‐fixing traits found in ancient landraces.The mucilage of the high‐ARM inbred line HN5‐724 had high nitrogen‐fixing enzyme activity and abundant diazotrophic bacteria.Our genome‐wide association study identified 17 candidate genes associated with ARM across three environments.Knockouts of one candidate gene,the subtilase family gene ZmSBT3,confirmed that it negatively regulates ARM secretion.Notably,the ZmSBT3 knockout lines had increased biomass and total nitrogen accumulation under nitrogen‐free culture conditions.High ARM was associated with three ZmSBT3 haplotypes that were gradually lost during maize domestication,being retained in only a few modern inbred lines such as HN5‐724.In summary,our results identify ZmSBT3 as a potential tool for enhancing ARM,and thus nitrogen fixation,in maize.

AB035. Lactate receptor GPR81 modulates epigenetic modification in the subretina

Background:Retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)is vital for the homeostasis of the subretina including photoreceptors and choroid.Interestingly,our previous results suggested that the recently discovered lactate receptor GPR81 is abundantly expressed in RPE.To date,only one previous study has shown that activating GPR81 could enhance DNA repair by activating HDAC1.Consequently,we investigated whether GPR81 exhibits epigenetic modification in the subretina by using GPR81−/−mice.Methods:GPR81−/−mice and wide type littermates were generated on a background of C57BL/6J mice.The thicknesses of their choroid were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.Meanwhile,Q-PCR,western blot and choroid sprout assay were performed.In vitro,primary retinal pigment epithelium(pRPE)cells were isolated from mice,and cultured for treatments.Results:The thickness of choroid was reduced in GPR81−/−mice compared to GPR81+/+mice,suggesting that GPR81 is important for the integrity of choroid.In the choroid sprout assay,lactate treated RPE/choroid complex showed a significant increase in angiogenesis compared to controls while lactate treated KO RPE/choroid complex showed no difference compared to their controls.For Q-PCR,most of the genes screened elevated their expression in GPR81−/−mice compared to WT mice,suggesting epigenetic modification may exist,which were confirmed by histone acetylation and HDACs activity assay.Conclusions:Taking together,the lactate receptor GPR81 in RPE is very important for maintaining homeostasis of the subretina.This novel discovery sheds new light on the relationship between metabolism and epigenetic modification.

MoS_(2) reinforced PEEK composite for improved aqueous boundary lubrication

Polyether-etherketone(PEEK)is a corrosion-resistant material that has been widely used in aqueous lubrication.However,its anti-wear performance must be improved for its application in the industry.In this study,to improve the anti-wear performance of PEEK for aqueous boundary lubrication,PEEK/MoS_(2)composites were prepared by ball-milling and spark plasma sintering processes.A competitive MoS_(2)mechanism between the low shear strength property and the role of promoting wear debris generation influences the anti-wear performance of PEEK/MoS_(2)composites.Experiments demonstrated that the coefficients of friction(COF)and wear rate of PEEK composite with 0.25 wt%MoS_(2)were significantly reduced 68%and 94%,respectively.Furthermore,this was the first time that a PEEK composite could achieve a COF of less than 0.05 in aqueous boundary lubrication.Its anti-wear performance was verified to be better than that of PEEK/carbon fiber(CF)and Thordon composites.The PEEK/MoS_(2)composite may be a potential material for underwater equipment because of its outstanding anti-wear performance in aqueous boundary lubrication.

Field observations of the thermal stability of permafrost under buildings with an underfloor open ventilation space and pile foundations in warm permafrost at high altitudes

Pile foundations combined with ventilation spaces under floors are the most common method in buildings over permafrost.The safety and stability of buildings are closely related to the temperature of permafrost.However,there are limitations of understanding on this method in the high-altitude,warm(>−1℃)permafrost areas on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.In this study,the thermal stability of permafrost foundation soils under buildings with an underfloor open ventilation space and pile foundations in warm permafrost at high altitudes was studied through field observations of ground and air temperatures,wind speed,net radiation from 2017 to 2021.The results indicated that the open ventilation space exerted an effective cooling effect on the underlying permafrost and pile foundations from March to October,while a thermal insulation effect was observed from November to February of the following year,but overall,the cooling effect dominated;the cooling effect of open ventilation spaces differed spatially.The permafrost temperature on the south-facing side was higher than that on the north-facing side,and those on the east and west sides were higher than that directly under the open ventilation space of the building.This study also demonstrated that radiation shielded by the building was a main factor of the cooling effect of open ventilation spaces,and the cooling effect of open ventilation spaces could accelerate the back-freezing of the cast-in-place(CIP)pile foundations.This structure could effectively maintain the frozen state of the underlying warm permafrost at high elevations on the interior Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

Diaporthe species occurring on citrus in China

Diaporthe species are important pathogens of a wide range of hosts including many economically important crops.Diaporthe citri is generally accepted to cause melanose of Citrus fruits,leaves and shoots;stem-end rot of fruits and gummosis of perennial branches.In this study,147 strains of Diaporthe were isolated from diseased leaves,twigs,fruits and branches of Citrus from Shaanxi,Zhejiang,Guangxi,Fujian,Guangdong,Jiangxi,Hunan,Chongqing and Shanghai and identified by morphology and molecular analysis of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer(ITS),partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-α(EF 1-α),tubulin(TUB)and calmodulin(CAL)genes.All strains from Citrus clustered in three clades.Diaporthe citri was the predominant species and is compared with strains from Florida,USA,where this species was first collected and described.Two new taxa differing from D.citri are described as D.citriasiana and D.citrichinensis in this paper.Inoculation tests indicate that all three species are able to cause stem-end rot of fruits,while only D.citri could cause melanose on leaves.

CD205-TLR9-IL-12 axis contributes to CpG-induced oversensitive liver injury in HBsAg transgenic mice by promoting the interaction of NKT cells with Kupffer cells

Gut-derived bacterial products contribute to liver inflammation and injury during chronic hepatitis B virus infection;however,the underlying mechanisms remain obscure.In this study,hepatitis B surface antigen transgenic(HBs-Tg)mice and their wild-type(WT)control C57BL/6 mice were injected with CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides(ODNs)to mimic the translocation of gut microbial products into the systemic circulation.We found that,compared with the WT mice,the HBs-Tg mice were oversensitive to CpG-ODN-induced liver injury,which was dependent on natural killer T(NKT)cells.CpG-ODN injection enhanced the expression of Fas ligand(FasL)on NKT cells.In addition,hepatocytes from the HBs-Tg mice expressed higher levels of Fas than did those from the WT mice,which was further augmented by CpG-ODN.Interaction of Fas and FasL was involved in the cytotoxicity of NKT cells against hepatocytes in the HBs-Tg mice.Moreover,Kupffer cells in the HBs-Tg mice expressed higher levels of CD205 and produced greater amounts of interleukin(IL)-12 than did those in the WT mice.Finally,the depletion of Kupffer cells,neutralization of IL-12 or specific silencing of CD205 on Kupffer cells significantly inhibited CpG-ODN-induced liver injury and NKT activation in the HBs-Tg mice.Our data suggest that CD205-expressing Kupffer cells respond to CpG-ODNs and subsequently release IL-12 to promote NKT cell activation.Activated NKT cells induce liver damage through the Fas signaling pathway in HBs-Tg mice.

Semi-quantitative Assessment of Brain Maturation by Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neonates with Clinically Mild Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy

Background：Mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy （HIE） injury is becoming the major type in neonatal brain diseases.The aim of this study was to assess brain maturation in mild HIE neonatal brains using total maturation score （TMS） based on conventional magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）.Methods：Totally,45 neonates with clinically mild HIE and 45 matched control neonates were enrolled.Gestated age,birth weight,age after birth and postmenstrual age at magnetic resonance （MR） scan were homogenous in the two groups.According to MR findings,mild HIE neonates were divided into three subgroups：Pattern Ⅰ,neonates with normal MR appearance; Pattern Ⅱ,preterm neonates with abnormal MR appearance; Pattern Ⅲ,full-term neonates with abnormal MR appearance.TMS and its parameters,progressive myelination （M）,cortical infolding （C）,involution of germinal matrix tissue （G）,and glial cell migration bands （B）,were employed to assess brain maturation and compare difference between HIE and control groups.Results：The mean of TMS was significantly lower in mild HIE group than it in the control group （mean ± standard deviation [SD] 11.62 ± 1.53 vs.12.36 ± 1.26,P 〈 0.001）.In four parameters of TMS scores,the M and C scores were significantly lower in mild HIE group.Of the three patterns of mild HIE,Pattern Ⅰ （10 cases） showed no significant difference of TMS compared with control neonates,while Pattern Ⅱ （22 cases）,Ⅲ （13 cases） all had significantly decreased TMS than control neonates （mean ± SD 10.56 ± 0.93 vs.11.48 ± 0.55,P 〈 0.05; 12.59 ± 1.28 vs.13.25 ± 1.29,P 〈 0.05）.It was M,C,and GM scores that significantly decreased in Pattern Ⅱ,while for Pattern Ⅲ,only C score significantly decreased.Conclusions：The TMS system,based on conventional MRI,is an effective method to detect delayed brain maturation in clinically mild HIE.The conventional MRI can reveal the different retardations in subtle structures and development processes among the different patterns of mild HIE.

A FLASH pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and the gene function discovery of rice receptor-like kinases

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9(Cas9)-mediated gene editing is revolutionizing plant research and crop breeding.Here,we present an effective and streamlined pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and demonstrate it is suitable for small-to large-scale genome editing in plants.This pipeline introduces artificial PCR fragment-length markers for distinguishing guide RNAs(gRNAs)(FLASH),and a group of 12 constructs harboring different FLASH tags are co-transformed into plants each time.The identities of gRNAs in Agrobacterium mixtures and trans-genic plants can therefore be read out by detecting the FLASH tags,a process that requires only conven-tional PCR and gel electrophoresis rather than sequencing.We generated an arrayed CRISPR library target-ing all 1,072 members of the receptor-like kinase(RLK)family in rice.One-shot transformation generated a mutant population that covers gRNAs targeting 955 RLKs,and 74.3%(710/955)of the target genes had three or more independent T0 lines.Our results indicate that the FLASH tags act as bona fide surrogates for the gRNAs and are tightly(92.1%)associated with frameshift mutations in the target genes.In addition,the FLASH pipeline allows for rapid identification of unintended editing events without corresponding T-DNA integrations and generates high-order mutants of closely related RLK genes.Furthermore,we showed that the RLK mutant library enables rapid discovery of defense-related RLK genes.This study introduces an effective pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and provides genome-wide rice RLK mutant resources for functional genomics.

Plants response to light stress

Plants require solar energy to grow through oxygenic photosynthesis;however,when light intensity exceeds the optimal range for photosynthesis,it causes abiotic stress and physiological damage in plants.In response to high light stress,plants initiate a series of signal transduction from chloroplasts to whole cells and from locally stressed tissues to the rest of the plant body.These signals trigger a variety of physiological and biochemical reactions intended to mitigate the deleterious effects of high light intensity,such as photodamage and photoinhibition.Light stress protection mechanisms include chloroplastic Reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging,chloroplast and stomatal movement,and anthocyanin production.Photosynthetic apparatuses,being the direct targets of photodamage,have also developed various acclimation processes such as thermal energy dissipation through nonphotochemical quenching(NPQ),photorepair of Photosystem II(PSII),and transcriptional regulation of photosynthetic proteins.Fluctuating light is another mild but persistent type of light stress in nature,which unfortunately has been poorly investigated.Current studies,however,suggest that state transitions and cyclic electron transport are the main adaptive mechanisms for mediating fiuctuating light stress in plants.Here,we review the current breadth of knowledge regarding physiological and biochemical responses to both high light stress and fiuctuating light stress.

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Neurofeedback of Cortical Target Enhances Hippocampal Activation and Memory Performance

Dear Editor,Neuromodulation,a rapidly expanding field attracting wide attention over recent decades,facilitates human cognition,behavior,and pathology by modifying the activity of specific neural targets.Human brain functions can be modified by exogenous brain neuromodulation techniques that deliver physical energy(e.g.,electrical current or magnetic pulses)into the brain[1],such as deep brain stimulation,transcranial magnetic stimulation,and tran-scranial direct current stimulation.