The RppC-AvrRppC NLR-effector interaction mediates the resistance to southern corn rust in maize

Southern corn rust(SCR),caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia polysora,is a major threat to maize pro-duction worldwide.Efficient breeding and deployment of resistant hybrids are key to achieving durable control of SCR.Here,we report the molecular cloning and characterization of RppC,which encodes an NLR-type immune receptor and is responsible for a major SCR resistance quantitative trait locus.Further-more,we identified the corresponding avirulence effector,AvrRppC,which is secreted by P.polysora and triggers RppC-mediated resistance.Allelic variation of AvrRppC directly determines the effectiveness of RppC-mediated resistance,indicating that monitoring of AvrRppC variants in the field can guide the rational deployment of RppC-containing hybrids in maize production.Currently,RppC is the most frequently deployed SCR resistance gene in China,and a better understanding of its mode of action is crit-ical for extending its durability.

High-quality genome assembly of Huazhan and Tianfeng,the parents of an elite rice hybrid Tian-you-hua-zhan

High-quality rice reference genomes have accelerated the comprehensive identification of genome-wide variations and research on functional genomics and breeding.Tian-you-hua-zhan has been a leading hybrid in China over the past decade.Here,de novo genome assembly strategy optimization for the rice indica lines Huazhan(HZ)and Tianfeng(TF),including sequencing platforms,assembly pipelines and sequence depth,was carried out.The PacBio and Nanopore platforms for long-read se-quencing were utilized,with the Canu,wtdbg2,SMARTdenovo,Flye,Canu-wtdbg2,Canu-SMARTdenovo and Canu-Flye assemblers.The combination of PacBio and Canu was optimal,considering the contig N50 length,contig number,assembled genome size and polishing process.The assembled contigs were scaffolded with Hi-C data,resulting in two“golden quality”rice reference genomes,and evaluated using the scaffold N50,BUSCO,and LTR assembly index.Furthermore,42,625 and 41,815 non-transposable element genes were annotated for HZ and TF,respectively.Based on our assembly of HZ and TF,as well as Zhenshan97,Minghui63,Shuhui498 and 9311,comprehensive variations were identified using Nipponbare as a reference.The de novo assembly strategy for rice we optimized and the“golden quality”rice genomes we produced for HZ and TF will benefit rice genomics and breeding research,especially with respect to uncovering the genomic basis of the elite traits of HZ and TF.

Structural whiteness of the multi-component glaze dependence on amorphous photonic crystals

A kind of enhancing mechanism of structural whiteness dependence on amorphous photonic crystal (APC) structure is introduced in this paper. In the glaze system composed of albite, kaolin, talc, calcite, quartz, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, the APC structure will be produced by using quartz as a variable to induce the phase separation. Under different polarities between Ti, Zn etc. and Siion, the separated spheres with the core-shell structure can be obtained and then make up opal-like APCs in the glaze layer. In addition to inner and outer layers of core-shell spheres, the calculated results of refractive indices clearly show the great difference between the particles and the matrix. As a result of different refractive indices, the multiple scatting of visible light plays a key rote in the structural whiteness. However, due to the decrease of the cationic content, APCs with the reverse opal structure would be formed in the interface between glaze and body. Ultimately, the glaze appearance reveals extremely high structural whiteness due to the special APC structure.