Optimization and standardization of transient expression assays for gene functional analyses in strawberry fruits

Strawberry is increasingly used as a model plant for research on fruit growth and development.The transient gene manipulation(TGM)technique is widely used to determine the function of plant genes,including those in strawberry fruits.However,its reliable application for the precise identification of gene function has been difficult owing to the lack of conditional optimization.In this study,we found that successful transient gene manipulation requires optimization,with the vector type,temperature,and fruit developmental stage being three major factors determining success.Notably,we found that transient gene manipulation was feasible only from the large green fruit stage onwards,making it especially suitable for identifying genes involved in strawberry fruit ripening.Furthermore,we established a method called percentage difference of phenotype(PDP),in which the functional effect of a gene could be precisely and efficiently identified in strawberry fruits.This method can be used to estimate the functional effect of a gene as a value from 0 to 100%,such that different genes can be quantitatively compared for their relative abilities to regulate fruit ripening.This study provides a useful tool for accelerating research on the molecular basis of strawberry fruit ripening.

CRISPR/Cas9-introduced single and multiple mutagenesis in strawberry

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing is a powerful tool for life science research.Recently,strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa),an important horticultural crop,has emerged as a model organism for investigating the regulatory mechanisms of fruit development and ripening (Shulaev et al.,2011;Jia et al.,2013,2017;Kang et al.,2013;Han et al.,2015).While most cultivated strawberries (e.g.,F.× ananassa)are octoploid,most wild strawberries (e.g.,F.vesca)are diploid.Although CRISPR/Cas9 methods have been established in many plants,the use of this tool in strawberry needs to be further explored (Zhou et al.,2018).

Rational design of a hollow porous structure for enhancing diffusion kinetics of K ions in edge-nitrogen doped carbon nanorods

The high electrical conductivity makes it possible for one-dimensional(1D)carbon materials to be used as the promising anodes for potassium ion batteries(PIBs),however,the sluggish diffusion kinetics caused by large-sized potassium ions(K^(+))limits their practical applications in energy storage systems.In this work,hollow carbon nanorods were rationally designed as a case to verify the superiority of 1D hollow structure to improve the diffusion kinetics of K^(+).Simultaneously,edge-N(pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N)atoms were also introduced into 1D hollow carbon structure,which can provide ample active sites and defects in graphitic lattices to adsorb K^(+),providing extra capacitive storage capacity.As expected,the optimized edge-N doped hollow carbon nanorods(ENHCRs)exhibits a high reversible capacity of 544 mAh·g^(−1)at 0.1 A·g^(−1)after 200 cycles.Even at 5 A·g^(−1),it displays a long-term cycling stability with 255 mAh·g^(−1)over 10,000 cycles.The electrochemical measurements confirm that the hollow structure is favorable to improve the transfer kinetics of K^(+)during cycling.And the theoretical calculations demonstrate that edge-N doping can enhance the local electronegativity of graphitic lattices to adsorb much more K^(+),where edge-N doping synergizes with 1D hollow structure to achieve enhanced K^(+)-storage performances.