Full-Length Transcriptome Analysis of Cultivated and Wild Tetraploid Peanut

The high-quality genomes and large-scale full-length cDNA sequences of allotetraploid peanuts have been sequenced and released,which has accelerated the functional genomics and molecular breeding research of peanut.In order to understand the difference in the transcriptional levels of wild and cultivated peanuts.In this study,we integrated of second-and third-generation sequencing technologies to sequence full-length transcriptomes in peanut cv.Pingdu9616 and its putative ancestor Arachis monticola.The RNA extracted from six different tissues(i.e.,roots,stems,leaves,flowers,needles and pods)were sampled at 20 days after flowering.A total of 31,764 and 33,981 high-quality transcripts were obtained from Monticola and Pingdu9616,respectively.The number of alternative splicing,the unit point mutation of variable adenylation,the number of open reading frames and the two-site mutation were identified in Pingdu9616 more than in Monticola,but the three-site mutation in Pingdu9616 was lower than in Monticola.1,691 LncRNAs,and 4,000 bp of maximum length of LncRNA was identified in Monticola and Pingdu9616.Furthermore,comparative analysis between transcript data shown that 56 transcription factor families were involved in Monticola,and Pingdu9616 and the number of transcription factors in Pingdu9616 was higher than that in Monticola,the number of expressed genes estimated in flower,root,young pod and leaf organs was higher in Monticola than Pingdu9616.Over all,our study provided a valuable resource of large-scale full-length transcripts for further research of the molecular breeding and functional analysis of genes.

Structural disruption of melanin-like polymers with boosted UV protection

Manipulating the energy structure of materials represents an efficient way to regulate their light absorption behaviors. For example, constructing donor-acceptor(D-A) structures to increase the polarizability and reduce the energy bandgap of local molecules has been widely used in the field of organic photovoltaics with ordered structures. Remarkably, even in disordered and chaotic systems such as melanin-like polydopamine(PDA), visible and near-infrared light absorption can be significantly improved using this strategy. However, there has been a noticeable dearth of research on the ultraviolet(UV) light absorption regulation of bioinspired polymers with disordered and chaotic architectures by tailoring the D-A microstructures. In this study, a series of benzoheterocyclic molecules with strong electron-donating features screened by molecular simulation calculations were involved in disrupting the D-A structures within PDA. The destruction of D-A structures promoted the increase of the energy band gap and finally boosted the UV absorption of PDA. The resulting PDA nanoparticles with enhanced UV absorption were further employed to fabricate UV shielding composite films to protect the growth of plants from harmful UV radiation. This research may open up new avenues for structural disruption of bioinspired polymers for enhanced photoprotection applications.

A Bioinspired Strategy Toward UV Absorption Enhancement of Melaninlike Polymers for Sun Protection

Due to the complexity of the structure within melanin and synthetic polymers(i.e.,polydopamine,PDA),it is a challenge to regulate the ultraviolet(UV)absorption.In nature,melanocytes can biosynthesize more pheomelanins than eumelanins via protein and gene overexpression for photoprotection when the UV irradiation is enhanced.During this biosynthetic pathway,L-cystine,transported by xCT gene,can be involved to form a new monomer structure incorporating a benzothiazole group,finally resulting in the formation of UV absorption-enhanced pheomelanin.Inspired by this,we have proposed a facile strategy to regulate the UV absorption of PDA by introducing the benzimidazole(BI)unit through the thiol-Michael addition reaction during the polymerization process.It was further found that the introduction of BI units not only significantly increased the content of chromophores and auxochromes,but also effectively restricted the red-shift of the absorption spectrum via interrupting the conjugated microstructure within PDA,both of which contribute to UV absorption enhancement.These UV absorption-enhanced PDA nanoparticles could be used to fabricate bio-inspired sunscreens for efficient sun protection.This work will provide a facile strategy to regulate UV absorption of melanin-like materials and open new horizons for the design and construction of bioinspired sunscreens.

Metal ion-promoted fabrication of melanin-like poly(L-DOPA)nanoparticles for photothermal actuation

Melanin-inspired polymers are currently the focus of growing interest for a wide range of applications ranging from energy to biomedical area.Whilst researchers have made numerous attempts to prepare and utilize polydopamine nanoparticles(PDA NPs),they have made limited progress in developing and discovering another typical functional mimic of natural melanin,poly(levodopa)(P(L-DOPA))NPs,probably due to the lack of facile synthetic strategies towards satisfactory structural and functional control of melanin-like NPs.Herein,we reported a one-pot preparation method towards P(L-DOPA)NPs with good yields and controllable size/property in an aqueous solution assisted by various metal ions(i.e.,Ni(II),Mg(II),Ca(II),Fe(III),Mn(II),Co(II),Zn(II)and Cd(II)).Interestingly,the resulting P(L-DOPA)NPs exhibited enhanced light absorption and photothermal behaviors compared with well-established PDA NPs,which can be employed to further fabricate kinds of photothermal composite actuators with promising performances such as folding,switching,and forward-moving.This study offers a facile and robust way to synthesize new synthetic melanins beyond PDA,and facilitates further functional discovery and evolution of melanin-inspired polymers and composites.