Promoter and coding sequence diversity of CsCCD1 may contribute to the differential accumulation of floralβ-ionone in fresh tea leaves

The carotenoid-derived volatileβ-ionone makes an important contribution to tea fragrance.Here,we qualitatively and quantitatively analysed 15 carotenoids in tea leaves of 13 cultivars by UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS.The 13 cultivars were divided into two groups by PCA(Principal Component Analysis)clustering analysis of their carotenoid content,and OPLS-DA(Orthogonal projections to latent structures)indicated that the levels ofβ-carotene(VIP=2.89)and lutein(VIP=2.30)were responsible for much of the variation between the two groups.Interestingly,theβ-carotene toβ-ionone conversion rates in Group 1 were higher than in Group 2,while theβ-carotene content was significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2.Theβ-ionone content was significantly higher in Group 1.Pearson Correlation Coefficient calculation between the transcription level of candidate genes(CsCCD1 and CsCCD4)and the accumulation ofβ-ionone indicated that CsCCD1 may involve in the formation ofβ-ionone in 13 cultivars.Prokaryotic expression and in vitro enzyme activity assays showed that‘Chuanhuang 1’had an amino acid mutation in carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases 1(CsCCD1)compared with‘Shuchazao’,resulting in a significantly higherβ-ionone content in‘Chuanhuang 1’.Sequence analysis showed that‘Chuanhuang 1’and‘Huangdan’had different CsCCD1 promoter sequences,leading to significantly higher CsCCD1 expression andβ-ionone accumulation in‘Chuanhuang 1’.These results indicated that the promoter and coding sequence diversity of CsCCD1 might contribute to the differential accumulation ofβ-ionone in different tea cultivars.

Volatile compound-mediated plant-plant interactions under stress with the tea plant as a model

Plants respond to environmental stimuli via the release of volatile organic compounds(VOCs),and neighboring plants constantly monitor and respond to these VOCs with great sensitivity and discrimination.This sensing can trigger increased plant fitness and reduce future plant damage through the priming of their own defenses.The defense mechanism in neighboring plants can either be induced by activation of the regulatory or transcriptional machinery,or it can be delayed by the absorption and storage of VOCs for the generation of an appropriate response later.Despite much research,many key questions remain on the role of VOCs in interplant communication and plant fitness.Here we review recent research on the VOCs induced by biotic(i.e.insects and pathogens)and abiotic(i.e.cold,drought,and salt)stresses,and elucidate the biosynthesis of stress-induced VOCs in tea plants.Our focus is on the role of stress-induced VOCs in complex ecological environments.Particularly,the roles of VOCs under abiotic stress are highlighted.Finally,we discuss pertinent questions and future research directions for advancing our understanding of plant interactions via VOCs.

Optimal sizing of PV and battery-based energy storage in an offgrid nanogrid supplying batteries to a battery swapping station

Nanogrids are expected to play a significant role in managing the ever-increasing distributed renewable energy sources. If an off-grid nanogrid can supply fullycharged batteries to a battery swapping station(BSS)serving regional electric vehicles(EVs), it will help establish a structure for implementing renewable-energyto-vehicle systems. A capacity planning problem is formulated to determine the optimal sizing of photovoltaic(PV) generation and battery-based energy storage system(BESS) in such a nanogrid. The problem is formulated based on the mixed-integer linear programming(MILP)and then solved by a robust optimization approach. Flexible uncertainty sets are employed to adjust the conservativeness of the robust optimization, and Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to compare the performance of the solutions. Case studies demonstrate the merits of the proposed applications and verify the approach.

Papillary fibroblast-recruiting injectable self-healing multifunctional hydrogels for wound regeneration

The recruitment of key cells to regeneration sites is a promising strategy to promote functional wound healing.Dermal fibroblasts exhibit a heterogeneous population of cells during homeostasis and in response to injury.Papillary fibroblasts play central regulatory roles in the regeneration of skin appendages during wound healing.Inspired by the phenomenon where bait for grass carp can attract grouped grass carps to a fishing spot soon,“Grass Carp Fishing”multifunctional hydrogels,that is,codelivery of an antibody of leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1(Lrig1)on the surface of papillary fibroblasts and insulinlike growth factor 1(IGF1)with recruitment function,can recruit papillary fibroblasts.In the experiments,carboxymethyl chitosan showed positive effects in promoting cell proliferation and neovascularization,while dopamine-grafted gelatin was effective in stabilizing the structure and prolonging the degradation time.The sustained release of Lrig1 antibodies and IGF1 from injectable self-healing multifunctional hydrogels persistently accelerated the migration and proliferation of Lrig1+fibroblasts.The in vivo results from a full-thickness cutaneous wound model showed that injectable self-healing multifunctional hydrogel accelerated wound healing and skin regeneration through the recruitment of Lrig1+papillary fibroblasts in wound tissue.Our findings reveal an injectable self-healing multifunctional hydrogel for regeneration,a promising approach to promoting skin wound healing.

Antifungal and antibacterial functions of medicinal leech recombinant destabilase-lysozyme and its heated-up derivative

Antifungal activity of recombinant medicinal leech destabilase-lysozyme （rec.Dest-Lys） was investi- gated by using fungi： Botrytis cinerea, and Verticillium lateriticum, including yeasts Candida guillermoudii and Shizosaccharomyces pombe. Its antibacterial activity was investigated on gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens. These activities were assessed by radial agar diffusion assay, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Therefore, destabilase-lysozyme not only is endo-isopeptidase and lysozyme, but also has antifungal and antibacterial activities. Muramidase activity of rec. Dest-Eys disappeared after heat-treating at 90~C for 50 min without the loss of its antimicrobial activity. Furthermore we showed for the first time that the heated-up derivative ofrec.Dest-Lys exhibited more potent activities against the above enumerated fungi and gram-negative bacteria than original protein.