Down-regulation of Fra a 1.02 in strawberry fruits causes transcriptomic and metabolic changes compatible with an altered defense response

The strawberry Fra a 1 proteins belong to the class 10 Pathogenesis-Related(PR-10)superfamily.In strawberry,a large number of members have been identified,but only a limited number is expressed in the fruits.In this organ,Fra a 1.01 and Fra a 1.02 are the most abundant Fra proteins in the green and red fruits,respectively,however,their function remains unknown.To know the function of Fra a 1.02 we have generated transgenic lines that silence this gene,and performed metabolomics,RNA-Seq,and hormonal assays.Previous studies associated Fra a 1.02 to strawberry fruit color,but the analysis of anthocyanins in the ripe fruits showed no diminution in their content in the silenced lines.Gene ontology(GO)analysis of the genes differentially expressed indicated that oxidation/reduction was the most represented biological process.Redox state was not apparently altered since no changes were found in ascorbic acid and glutathione(GSH)reduced/oxidized ratio,but GSH content was reduced in the silenced fruits.In addition,a number of glutathione-S-transferases(GST)were down-regulated as result of Fra a 1.02-silencing.Another highly represented GO category was transport which included a number of ABC and MATE transporters.Among the regulatory genes differentially expressed WRKY33.1 and WRKY33.2 were down-regulated,which had previously been assigned a role in strawberry plant defense.A reduced expression of the VQ23 gene and a diminished content of the hormones JA,SA,and IAA were also found.These data might indicate that Fra a 1.02 participates in the defense against pathogens in the ripe strawberry fruits.

Tracking the reactivity of ozonation towards effluent organic matters from WWTP using two-dimensional correlation spectra

The characteristics of effluent organic matter(EfOM) from a wastewater treatment plant(WWTP) during ozonation were investigated using excitation and emission matrix(EEM)spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and high-performance size exclusion chromatography(HPSEC) at different ozone dosages. The selectivity of ozonation towards different constituents and functional groups was analysed using two-dimensional correlation spectra(2D-COS) probed by FT-IR, synchronous fluorescence spectra and HPSEC.The results indicated that ozonation can destroy aromatic structures of EfOM and change its molecular weight distribution(MWD). According to 2D-COS analysis, microbial humiclike substances were preferentially removed, and then the protein-like fractions. Terrestrial humic-like components exhibited inactivity towards ozonation compared with the above two fractions. Protein-like substances with small molecular weight were preferentially reacted during ozonation based on 2D-COS probed by HPSEC. In addition, the selectivity of ozone towards different functional groups of EfOM exhibited the following sequence:phenolic and alcoholic C\O groups > aromatic structures containing C_C double bonds >aliphatic C\H. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) further elucidated the preferential reaction of aromatic structures in EfOM during ozonation.

Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopic analysis on the interaction between humic acids and aluminum coagulant

In this study, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy integrated with synchronous fluorescence and infrared absorption spectroscopy was employed to investigate the interaction between humic acids and aluminum coagulant at slightly acidic and neutral p H. Higher fluorescence quenching was produced for fulvic-like and humic-like fractions at p H 5. At p H 5, the humic-like fractions originating from the carboxylic acid, carboxyl and polysaccharide compounds were bound to aluminum first, followed by the fulvic-like fractions originating from the carboxyl and polysaccharide compounds. This finding also demonstrated that the activated functional groups of HA were involved in forming the Al-HA complex, which was accompanied by the removal of other groups by co-precipitation.Meanwhile, at p H 7, almost no fluorescence quenching occurred, and surface complexation was observed to occur, in which the activated functional groups were absorbed on the amorphous Al（OH）3. Two-dimensional FT-IR correlation spectroscopy indicated the sequence of HA structural change during coagulation with aluminum, with IR bands affected in the order of COOH〉 COO-〉NH deformation of amide Ⅱ〉 aliphatic hydroxyl C／OH at p H 5, and COO-〉aliphatic hydroxyl C／OH at p H 7. This study provides a promising pathway for analysis and insight into the priority of functional groups in the interaction between organic matters and metal coagulants.