Characterization of the Novel Insecticidal Crystal Protein Cyt3Aa1 from <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i>TD516

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces two families of insecticidal crystal proteins, i.e., crystalline (Cry) and cytolytic (Cyt) toxins. Cyt3Aa1, the newest Cyt family member, is produced by Bt TD516. Bioassay results have shown that Cyt3Aa1 has weak hemolytic activity against human red blood cells and is not toxic to A. aegypti larvae, but causing a teratogenic effect. The three-dimensional structure of Cyt3Aa1 has a typical cytolysin fold containing a β-sheet held by two surrounding α-helical layers, resembling the previously reported Cyt1Aa and Cyt2Aa structures, which indicated that Cyt3Aa1 might be a membrane-perforation toxin and could induce synergism with Cry protein. This study provides a new source of insecticidal crystal proteins, and presents a foundation for understanding the biological characterization of it, which will aid in the development of strategies to cope with the potential problem of insect resistance.

Less and shrunken pollen 1(LSP1) encodes a member of the ABC transporter family required for pollen wall development in rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Pollen fertility is an agronomic trait that strongly influences rice yield. Recent studies have revealed that the development of the pollen wall is required for pollen fertility and is regulated by several genes. However, the mechanisms underlying pollen and pollen wall development in rice remain largely unknown. In the present study, a point mutation in a gene on chromosome 1 was identified that resulted in the production of less and shrunken pollen(LSP) and led to defects in pollen wall formation. This gene was named LSP1 and was found to encode a member of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette(ABC)transporter G subfamily, OsABCG3. Two other loss-of-function mutants of LSP1/OsABCG3,generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, showed the same male sterile phenotype. The LSP1/OsABCG3 gene showed a spatio-temporal expression pattern in the developing anthers, and is an ortholog of the Arabidopsis genes At ABCG1 and At ABCG16, which play an important role in pollen wall development. Mutation of LSP1/OsABCG3 affected the expression of several genes involved in pollen and pollen wall formation. These results suggest that LSP1/OsABCG3 is critical for normal pollen fertility and shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying rice pollen wall development.

RIPK1 plays a crucial role in maintaining regulatory T-Cell homeostasis by inhibiting both RIPK3-and FADD-mediated cell death

Regulatory T(T_(reg))cells play an essential role in maintaining immune balance across various physiological and pathological conditions.However,the mechanisms underlying T_(reg)homeostasis remain incompletely understood.Here,we report that RIPK1 is crucial for T_(reg) cell survival and homeostasis.We generated mice with T_(reg) cell-specific ablation of Ripk1 and found that these mice developed fatal systemic autoimmunity due to a dramatic reduction in the Treg cell compartment caused by excessive cell death.Unlike conventional T cells,Treg cells with Ripk1 deficiency were only partially rescued from cell death by blocking FADD-dependent apoptosis.However,simultaneous removal of both Fadd and Ripk3 completely restored the homeostasis of Ripk1-deficient Treg cells by blocking two cell death pathways.Thus,our study highlights the critical role of RIPK1 in regulating Treg cell homeostasis by controlling both apoptosis and necroptosis,thereby providing novel insights into the mechanisms of Treg cell homeostasis.

Erosion-induced recovery CO_(2) sink offset the horizontal soil organic carbon removal at the basin scale

To improve soil carbon sequestration capacity,the full soil carbon cycle process needs to be understood and quantified.It is essential to evaluate whether water erosion acts as a net source or sink of atmospheric CO_(2)at the basin scale,which encompasses the entire hydrological process.This study introduced an approach that combined a spatially distributed sediment delivery model and biogeochemical model to estimate the lateral and vertical carbon fluxes by water erosion at the basin scale.Applying this coupling model to the Dongting Lake Basin,the results showed that the annual average amount of soil erosion during 1980-2020 was 1.33×10^(8)t,displaying a decreasing trend followed by a slight increase.Only 12% of the soil organic carbon displacement was ultimately lost in the riverine systems,and the rest was deposited downhill within the basin.The average lateral soil organic carbon loss induced by erosion was 8.86×10^(11)g C in 1980 and 1.50×10^(11)g C in 2020,with a decline rate of 83%.A net land sink for atmospheric CO_(2)of 5.54×1011g C a^(-1)occurred during erosion,primarily through sediment burial and dynamic replacement.However,ecological restoration projects and tillage practice policies are still significant in reducing erosion,which could improve the capacity of the carbon sink for recovery beyond the rate of horizontal carbon removal.Moreover,our model enables the spatial explicit simulation of erosion-induced carbon fluxes using costeffective and easily accessible input data across large spatial scales and long timeframes.Consequently,it offers a valuable tool for predicting the interactions between carbon dynamics,land use changes,and future climate.

GRAIN LENGTH AND AWN 1 negatively regulates grain size in rice

Grain size is an important factor determining yield in rice. Here, we identified a recessive mutant gene, grain length and awn 1 (gla1), which caused a significant increase in grain length and weight, and was associated with long awns. The gla1 mutation was mapped to a single-nucleotide polymorphism in a gene encoding a cytoplasmically-localized mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase. Overexpression of GLA1 caused a decrease in grain length, and the GLA1 protein interacted with OsMAPK6. These results suggest that GLA1 may serve as a negative regulator of the OsMAPKK4-OsMAPK6 cascade, controlling grain size via the dephosphorylation of OsMAPK6.

DEAP1 encodes a fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein required for male fertility in rice

Arabinogalactan proteins(AGPs)are widely distributed in plant cells.Fasciclin-like AGPs(FLAs)belong to a subclass of AGPs that play important roles in plant growth and development.However,little is known about the biological functions of rice FLA.Herein,we report the identification of a male-sterile mutant of DEFECTIVE EXINE AND APERTURE PATTERNING1(DEAP1)in rice.The deap1 mutant anthers produced aberrant pollen grains with defective exine formation and a flattened aperture annulus and exhibited slightly delayed tapetum degradation.DEAP1 encodes a plasma membrane-associated member of groupⅢplant FLAs and is specifically and temporally expressed in reproductive cells and the tapetum layer during male development.Gene expression studies revealed reduced transcript accumulation of genes related to exine formation,aperture patterning,and tapetum development in deap1 mutants.Moreover,DEAP1 may interact with two rice D6 PROTEIN KINASE-LIKE3 s(OsD6PKL3s),homologs of a known Arabidopsis aperture protein,to affect rice pollen aperture development.Our findings suggested that DEAP1 is involved in male reproductive development and may affect exine formation and aperture patterning,thereby providing new insights into the molecular functions of plant FLAs in male fertility.

Carbon sequestration benefits of the grain for Green Program in the hilly red soil region of southern China

Soil erosion disturbs not only the global carbon cycle,but it is a complex environmental problem.Revegetation could reduce carbon emission by controlling soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration and accumulation by fixing carbon in vegetation and soil.The Grain for Green Program(GFGP)of China is the largest ecological restoration program in the world closely related to land-use/land-cover change(LUCC).Systematically assessing the carbon sequestration benefit of GFGP is crucial for a better understanding of the effects of implementing GFGP and providing reasonable vegetation management.Therefore,we selected the hilly red soil region(HRSR)of southern China as a study area,which is one of the main ecologically vulnerable areas in China.We assessed the carbon sequestration in the GFGP area of the HRSR using the InVEST(Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs)model based on land-use/land-cover datasets during 2000e2015.Our results show that implementing GFGP is conducive to the enhancement of carbon sequestration services.Total carbon sequestration showed an increasing trend at a rate of 15.43%from 2000 to 2015.The most significant change mainly happened in Hunan Province with the shortest implementation time.The carbon sequestration of each carbon pool(namely aboveground biomass,belowground biomass,soil,and dead organic matter)also increased slightly.Additionally,for carbon sequestration,unused land converted to forest land is the most effective LUCC.This study can provide scientific support for the management and implementation of GFGP in the HRSR of China.