Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities associated with wild plants in a coastal ecosystem

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)form a near-ubiquitous mutualistic association with roots to help plants withstand harsh environments,and play a key role in the establishment of coastal beach plant communities.Yet little is known about the structure and composition of AMF communities on coastal beaches of eastern China.In this study,we investigated the occurrence,community composition and diversity of AMF associated with common wild plants on a coastal beach of North Jiangsu,China.Almost all of the local wild species were colonized by AMF except for Chenopodium album L.Thirty-seven AMF species were isolated from the rhizosphere belonging to 12 genera in seven families.Glomus was the dominant genus and Funneliformis mosseae the dominant species.The colonization,spore composition and diversity of AMF were strongly related to edaphic factors.Sodium(Na^(+))ions in the soil significantly and negatively affected the colonization rate by AMF and both soil Na^(+)levels and pH had a significant negative effect on AMF spore density and evenness.However,there was a significant positive correlation between species richness and total organic carbon.The results provide insights into soil factors affecting native AMF communities in coastal beach habitats which could benefit vegetation recovery and soil reclamation efforts.

A peptide chain release factor 2a gene regulates maize kernel development by modulating mitochondrial function

Mitochondrial protein translation that is essential for aerobic energy production includes four essential steps of the mitochondrial ribosome cycle,namely,initiation,elongation,termination of the polypeptide,and ribosome recycling.Translation termination initiates when a stop codon enters the A site of the mitochondrial ribosome where it is recognized by a dedicated peptide release factor(RF).However,RFs and mechanisms involved in translation in plant mitochondria,especially in monocotyledons,remain largely unknown.Here,we identified a crumpled kernel(crk5 allele)mutant,with significantly decreased kernel size,100-kernel weight,and an embryo-lethal phenotype.The Crk5 allele was isolated using map-based cloning and found to encode a mitochondrial localization RF2a.As it is an ortholog of Arabidopsis mitochondrial RF2a,we named the gene ZmmtRF2a.ZmmtRF2a is missing the 5th–7th exons in the crk5 resulting in deletion of domains containing motifs GGQ and SPF that are essential for release activity of RF,mitochondrial ribosome binding,and stop codon recognition.Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses indicate that the crk5 mutation results in abnormal mitochondrion structure and function.Intriguingly,we observed a feedback loop in the crk5 with up-regulated transcript levels detected for several mitochondrial ribosome and mitochondrial-related components,in particular mitochondrial complexes CI,CIV,and a ribosome assembly related PPR.Together,our data support a crucial role for ZmmtRF2a in regulation of mitochondrial structure and function in maize.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue over MIL-100(Fe)/GO composites: a performance and kinetic study

Adsorption coupled with photocatalytic degradation is proposed to fulfill the removal and thorough elimination of organic dyes.Herein,we report a facile hydrothermal synthesis of MIL-100(Fe)/GO photocatalysts.The adsorption and photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue(MB)on MIL‐100(Fe)/GO composites were systematically studied from performance and kinetic perspectives.A possible adsorption‐photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed.The optimized 1M8G composite achieves 95%MB removal(60.8 mg/g)in 210 min and displays well recyclability over ten cycles.The obtained MB adsorption and degradation results are well fitted onto Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second order kinetic model.This study shed light on the design of MOFs based composites for water treatment.

ZmCYP90D1 regulates maize internode development by modulating brassinosteroid-mediated cell division and growth

Plant height(PH)is associated with lodging resistance and planting density,which is regulated by a complicated gene network.In this study,we identified a spontaneous dwarfing mutation in maize,m30,with decreased internode number and length but increased internode diameter.A candidate gene,ZmCYP90D1,which encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 family,was isolated by map-based cloning.ZmCYP90D1 was constitutively expressed and showed highest expression in basal internodes,and its protein was targeted to the nucleus.A G-to-A substitution was identified to be the causal mutation,which resulted in a truncated protein in m30.Loss of function of ZmCYP90D1 changed expression of hormoneresponsive genes,in particular brassinosteroid(BR)-responsive genes which is mainly involved in cell cycle regulation and cell wall extension and modification in plants.The concentration of typhasterol(TY),a downstream intermediate of ZmCYP90D1 in the BR pathway,was reduced.A haplotype conferring dwarfing without reducing yield was identified.ZmCYP90D1 was inferred to influence plant height and stalk diameter via hormone-mediated cell division and cell growth via the BR pathway.

Comparative QTL analysis of maize seed artificial aging between an immortalized F_2 population and its corresponding RILs

Seed aging decreases the quality and vigor of crop seeds,thereby causing substantial agricultural and economic losses in crops.To identify genetic differences in seed aging between homozygotes and heterozygotes in maize,the seeds of a set of recombinant inbred lines(RILs) and an immortalized F_2(IF_2) population were subjected to artificial aging treatments for 0,2,3,and 4 days under 45℃ and 85%relative humidity and seed vigor was then evaluated in a field experiment.Seed vigor of all entries tested decreased sharply with longer aging treatment and seed vigor decreased more slowly in heterozygotes than in homozygotes.Forty-nine QTL were detected for four measured seed vigor traits in the RIL(28QTL) and IF_2(21 QTL) populations.Only one QTL,qGP5,was detected in both populations,indicating that the genes involved in anti-aging mechanisms differed between inbred lines and hybrids.Several QTL were identified to be responsible for multiple seed vigor traits simultaneously in the RIL and IF_2 populations under artificial aging conditions.These QTL may include major genes for seed vigor or seed aging.QTL qVI4 b and qGE3 a detected in the RIL population coincided with genes ZmLOX1 and ZmPLD1 in the same respective chromosomal regions.These QTL would be useful for screening for anti-aging genes in maize breeding.

The chimeric gene atp6c confers cytoplasmic male sterility in maize by impairing the assembly of the mitochondrial ATP synthase complex

Cytoplasmic male sterility(CMS)is a powerful tool for the exploitation of hybrid heterosis and the study of signaling and interactions between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.C-type CMS(CMS-C)in maize has long been used in hybrid seed production,but the underlying sterility factor and its mechanism of action remain unclear.In this study,we demonstrate that the mitochondrial gene atp6c confers male sterility in CMS-C maize.The ATP6C protein shows stronger interactions with ATP8 and ATP9 than ATP6 during the assembly of F1F0-ATP synthase(F-type ATP synthase,ATPase),thereby reducing the quantity and activity of assem-bled F_(1)F_(o)-ATP synthase.By contrast,the quantity and activity of the F1'component are increased in CMS-C lines.Reduced F1F0-ATP synthase activity causes accumulation of excess protons in the inner membrane space of the mitochondria,triggering a burst of reactive oxygen species(ROS),premature programmed cell death of the tapetai cells,and pollen abortion.Collectively,our study identifies a chimeric mitochondrial gene(ATP6C)that causes CMS in maize and documents the contribution of ATP6C to F1F0-ATP synthase assembly,thereby providing novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of male sterility in plants.

ZmcrtRB3 Encodes a Carotenoid Hydroxylase that Affects the Accumulation of α-carotene in Maize Kernel

α-carotene is one of the important components of pro-vitamin A, which is able to be converted into vitamin A in the human body. One maize （Zea mays L.） ortholog of carotenoid hydroxylases in Arabidopsis thaliana, ZmcrtRB3, was cloned and its role in carotenoid hydrolyzations was addressed. ZmcrtRB3 was mapped in a quantitative trait locus （QTL） cluster for carotenoid-related traits on chromosome 2 （bin 2.03） in a recombinant inbred line （RIL） population derived from By804 and B73. Candidate-gene association analysis identified 18 polymorphic sites in ZmcrtRB3 significantly associated with one or more carotenoid-related traits in 126 diverse yellow maize inbred lines. These results indicate that the enzyme ZmcrtRB3 plays a role in hydrolyzing both α- andβ-carotenes, while polymorphisms in ZmcrtRB3 contributed more variation in α-carotene than that inβ-carotene. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs）, SNP1343 in 5＇untranslated region and SNP2172 in the second intron, consistently had effects on or-carotene content and composition with explained phenotypic variations ranging from 8.7% to 34.8%. There was 1.7- to 3.7-fold change between the inferior and superior hapiotype for α-carotene content and composition. Thus, SNP1343 and SNP2172 are potential polymorphic sites to develop functional markers for applying marker-assisted selection in the improvement of pro-vitamin A carotenoids in maize kernels.

Recent advances in organic pressure-responsive luminescent materials

Organic luminescent materials are very sensitive to external stimuli,such as pressure,temperature,and electric field.The luminescent properties of some organic luminescent materials significantly change under high pressure.Some materials may show luminescence discoloration,whereas some may exhibit luminescence enhancement.These properties have many potential applications in anticounterfeiting,force sensor,data recording and storage,and luminescent devices,thereby greatly attracting the attention of scientists.In this review,the progress of research on these materials at high pressure in recent years is summarized.