Surface Passivation and Energetic Modification Suppress Nonradiative Recombination in Perovskite Solar Cells

Surface passivation via post-treatment is an important strategy for improving power conversion efficiency and operational stability of perovskite solar cells.However,so far the interaction mechanisms between passivating additive and perovskite are not well understood.Here,we report the atomic-scale interaction of surface passivating additive 2,2-difluoroethylammonium bromine(2FEABr)on the MAPbI_(3).It is found that the bulky 2FEA+cations tend to distribute at film surface,while the Br−anions diffuse from surface into bulk.A combination of 19F,207Pb,and 2H solid-state NMR further reveal the Br−anions’partial substitution for the I−sites,the restricted motion of partial MA+cations,and the firmed perovskite lattices,which would improve charge transport and stability of the perovskite films.Optical spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrate that the 2FEABr induced surface passivation and energetic modification suppress the nonradiative recombination loss.These findings enable the efficiency of the p-i-n structured PSC significantly increasing from 19.44 to 21.06%,accompanied by excellent stability.Our work further establishes more knowledge link between passivating additive and PSC performance.

Monitoring Cr(Ⅵ)photoreduction at different depths by operando low-field NMR relaxometry

Chromium(VI)(Cr(VI)),a toxic metal ion,is widely present in industrial wastewater.To reduce the contamination of Cr(VI),many technologies for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)to Cr(III)have been developed in the past decades.However,the practical application of photocatalysts for the reduction of Cr(VI)inwastewater treatment is often hindered by the complicated photoreduction processes due to the sedimentation and stratification of catalyst particles that present during the treatment of the wastewater.Probing and understanding the influences of the sedimentation and stratification of the catalyst particles on the photoreduction processes are long-term challenges in the field.Herein,we demonstrate that this issue can be solved by using layer location integrated low-field time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR)relaxometry.With paramagnetic Cr(III)cation as the molecular probe,we successfully monitored the Cr(VI)photoreduction processes by operando probing the 1 H T2 relaxation time of the photoreduction systems.The influences of catalyst sedimentation and the light wavelength on photocatalysis were studied and discussed.The results showed the great potential of LF-NMR relaxometry in the study of Cr(VI)photoreduction processes during industrial wastewater treatments.

The nodule-specific transcriptional repressor Top Hub 4 regulates nodule structure and nitrogen fixation capacity in soybean

Most leguminous plants establish symbiotic relationships with rhizobia to form root organs called nodules(Ferguson et al.,2010).Nodules are specialized organs containing bacterial symbionts,which can provide enormous amounts of fixed nitrogen to their plant hosts(Peoples et al.,2009).Soybean(Glycine max),an economically important grain and oil crop,forms symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodules,which reduces the demand for chemical nitrogen fertilizers and promotes yield(Saito et al.,2014).Nodule development is spatiotemporally regulated by the action of a number of transcription factors(TFs).

Correction: Characterization of two constitutive promoters RPS28 and EIF1 for studying soybean growth, development, and symbiotic nodule development

The article“Characterization of two constitutive promoters RPS28 and EIF1 for studying soybean growth,development,and symbiotic nodule development”,written by Shengcai Chen,Yaqi Peng,Qi Lv,Jing Liu,Zhihua Wu,Haijiao Wang,Xuelu Wang,was originally published Online First without Open Access.After publication in volume 3,issue 2,page 99–109 the author decided to opt for Open Choice and to make the article an Open Access publication.Therefore,the copyright of the article has been changed to©The Authors 2024 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 International License,which permits use,sharing,adaptation,distribution and reproduction in any medium or format,as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s)and the source,provide a link to the Creative Commons licence,and indicate if changes were made.

Strigolactones and Brassinosteroids Antagonistically Regulate the Stability of the D53-OsBZR1 Complex to Determine FC1 Expression in Rice Tillering

Rice tillering,a key architecture trait determ ining grain yield,is highly regulated by a class of newly identified phytohorm ones,strigolactones(SLs).How ever,the whole SL signaling pathw ay from the receptor to dow nstream transcription factors to finally inhibit tillering remains unrevealed.In this study,we first found that brassinosteroids(BRs)strongly enhance tillering by prom oting bud outgrow th in rice,which is largely different from the function of BRs in Arabidopsis.Genetic and biochem ical analyses indicated that both the SL and BR signaling pathw ays control rice tillering by regulating the stability of D53 and/or the OsBZR1 RLA1-DLT module,a transcriptional complex in the rice BR signaling pathway.We further found that D53 interacts with OsBZR1 to inhibit the expression of FC1,a local inhibitor of tillering,and that this inhibition depends on direct DNA binding by OsBZR1,which recruits D53 to the FC1 promoter in rice buds.Taken together,these findings uncover a mechanism illustrating how SLs and BRs coordinately regulate rice tillering via the early responsive gene FC1.

Abscisic Acid Signaling Inhibits Bmssinosteroid Signaling through Dampening the Dephosphorylation of BIN2 by ABI1 and ABI2

Abscisic acid （ABA） and brassinosteroid （BR） antagonistically regulate many aspects of plant growth and development. Previous physiological studies have revealed that the inhibition of BR signaling by ABA is largely dependent on ABI1 and ABI2. However, the genetic and molecular basis of how ABI1 and ABI2 are involved in inhibiting BR signaling remains unclear. Although it is known that in the BR signaling pathway the ABA-BR crosstalk occurs in the downstream of BR receptor complex but upstream of BIN2 kinase, a negative regulator of BR signaling, the component that acts as the hub to directly mediate their crosstalk remains a big mystery. Here, we found that ABI1 and ABI2 interact with and dephosphorylate BIN2 to regu- late its activity toward the phosphorylation of BESl. Byin vitro mimicking ABA signal transduction, we found that ABA can promote BIN2 phosphorylation by inhibiting ABI2 through ABA receptors. RNA-sequencing analysis further demonstrated that ABA inhibits BR signaling through the ABA primary signaling components, including its receptors and ABI2, and that ABA and GSK3s co-regulate a common set of stress- responsive genes. Because BIN2 can interact with and phosphorylate SnRK2s to activate its kinase activity, our study also reveals there is a module of PP2Cs--BIN2-SnRK2s in the ABA signaling pathway. Collectively, these findings provide significant insights into how plants balance growth and survival by coordinately regu- lating the growth-promoting signaling pathway and stress responses under abiotic stresses.

GSK3-mediated stress signaling inhibits legume-rhizobium symbiosis by phosphorylating GmNSP1 in soybean

Legumes establish symbiotic associations with rhizobia for biological nitrogen fixation.This process is highly regulated by various abiotic stresses,but the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.In this study,we discovered that the glycogen synthase kinase 3(GSK3)-like kinase,GmSK2-8,plays an important role in inhibiting symbiotic signaling and nodule formation in soybean(Glycine max)under salt stress.We found that GmSK2-8 is strongly induced in soybean under high-salt conditions,while GmSK2-8 could interact with two G.max Nodulation Signaling Pathway 1(GmNSP1)proteins,GmNSP1a and GmNSP1b;these key transcription factors are essential for rhizobial infection,nodule initiation,and symbiotic gene expression in soybean.Furthermore,we demonstrated that GmSK2-8 phosphorylates the LHRI domain of GmNSP1a,inhibits its binding to the promoters of symbiotic genes,and thus suppresses nodule formation under salt stress.Knockdown of GmSK2-8 and its close homologs also resulted in reduced plant sensitivity to salt stress during nodule formation.Taken together,our findings indicate that GSK3-like kinases directly regulate the activities of GmNSP1s to mediate salt-inhibited legume–rhizobium symbiosis,providing novel targets for improving symbiotic nitrogen fixation under environmental stress conditions in soybean and possibly other legumes.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the BRI1 Receptor and its Regulation by Membrane Microdomains in Living Arabidopsis Cells

The major brassinosteroid （BR） receptor of Arabidopsis BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 （BRI1） plays fundamental roles in BR signaling, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of BR on BRI1 internalization and assembly state remain unclear. Here, we applied variable angle total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy to analyze the dynamics of GFP-tagged BRII. We found that, in response to BR, the degree of co-localization of BRI1-GFP with AtFIotl-mCherry increased, and especially BR stimulated the membrane microdomain-associated pathway of BRI1 internalization. We also verified these observations in endocytosis-defective chc2-1 mutants and the AtFIotl amiRNA 15-5 lines. Furthermore, examination of the phosphorylation status of bril-EMS-suppressor 1 and measurement of BR-responsive gene expression revealed that membrane microdomains affect BR signaling. These results suggest that BR promotes the partitioning of BRI1 into functional membrane microdomains to activate BR signaling.

Ligand Perception,Activation,and Early Signaling of Plant Steroid Receptor Brassinosteroid Insensitive 1

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs） belong to a large group of cell surface proteins involved in many aspects of plant development and environmental responses in both monocots and dicots. Brassinosteroid insensitive 1 （BRI1）, a member of the LRR X subfamily, was first identified through several forward genetic screenings for mutants insensitive to brassinosteroids （BRs）, which are a class of plant-specific steroid hormones. Since its identification, BRI1 and its homologs had been proved as receptors perceiving BRs and initiating BR signaling. The co-receptor BRIl-associated kinase 1 and its homologs, and other BRI1 interacting proteins such as its inhibitor BRI1 kinase inhibitor I （BKI1） were identified by genetic andbiochemical approaches. The detailed mechanisms of BR perception by BRI1 and the activation of BRI1 receptor complex have also been elucidated. Moreover, several mechanisms for termination of the activated BRI1 signaling were also discovered. In this review, we will focus on the recent advances on the mechanism of BRI1 phosphorylation and activation, the regulation of its receptor complex, the structure basis of BRI1 ectodomain and BR recognition, its direct substrates, and the termination of the activated BRI1 receptor complex.

BKI1 Regulates Plant Architecture through Coordinated Inhibition of the Brassinosteroid and ERECTA Signaling Pathways in Arabidopsis

Hundreds of leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs） play indispensable roles in a wide range of plant developmental and physiological processes. The mechanisms controlling LRR-RLKs at a basal and inactive status are essential but rarely studied. BKI1 is the only reported inhibitor of receptor kinases in Arabidopsis, which negatively regulates BRI1 in the brassinosteroid pathway. In this study, we found that BKI1 can also interact with another important LRR-RLK, ERECTA （ER）. Phenotypic analysis showed that BKI1 and ER together regulate plant architecture, including pedicel orientation, which is a newly reported phenotype in the BR- and ER-mediated developmental processes. Gene expression analysis revealed that BKI1 regulates a subset of ER-responsive genes. Kinase assays demonstrated that BKI1 inhibits ER kinase activity. In addition, the release of BKI1 inhibition on ER signaling relies largely on BRI1 activation. Our data provide significant insights into the regulation and activation of RLKs and suggest that BKI1 functions as a common suppressor of the BRI1 and ER signaling pathways.

Homeostasis of Brassinosteroids Regulated by DRL1, a Putative Acyltransferase in Arabidopsis

Brassinosteroids （BRs） play essential roles in regulating various aspects of plant growth and development and in responding to diverse environmental cues, and their metabolism is an important way to regulate their homeosta-sis in plants. Here, we identified a dominant mutant, dwarf and round leaf-1 （drll-D）, which exhibits weak BR-deficient or BR-insensitive mutant phenotypes, including short and round leaves, prolonged senescence, dwarfed shape, and altered expression levels of the BR-responsive genes. Hypocotyl length and root inhibition assays suggest that the drll-D mutant responds to BRs normally, but has decreased BR signaling outputs. The endogenous levels of several BRs, includ-ing typhasterol （TY）, 6-deoxotyphasterol （6-deoxoTY）, and 6-deoxocastasterone （6-deoxoCS）, are significantly lower in the drll-D mutant than in the wild-type. The DRL1 gene encodes an acyltransferase and is widely expressed in leaves, roots, flowers, and siliques. Plants without DRL1 and its homologs are larger with an enhanced BR signaling. The expres-sion of DRL1 was induced by eBL and inhibited by ABA. DRL1 is involved in the BR metabolism likely by catalyzing the BR conjugation through esterification, which plays important roles in regulating the BR homeostasis and responding to abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis.

BES1 Functions as the Co-regulator of D53-like SMXLs to Inhibit BRC1 Expression in Strigolactone-Regulated Shoot Branching in Arabidopsis

Shoot branching,determining plant architecture and crop yield,is critically controlled by strigolactones(SLs).However,how SLs inhibit shoot branching after its perception by the receptor complex remains largely obscure.In this study,using the transcriptomic and genetic analyss as well as biochemical studies,we reveal the key role of BES1 in the SL-regulated shoot branching.Wedemonstrate that BES1 and D53-like SMXLs,the substrates of SL receptor complex D14–MAX2,interact with each other to inhibit BRC1 expression,which specifically triggers the SL-regulated transcriptional network in shoot branching.BES1 directly binds the BRC1 promoter and recruits SMXLs to inhibit BRC1 expression.Interestingly,despite being the shared component by SL and brassinosteroid(BR)signaling,BES1 gains signal specificity through different mechanisms in response to BR and SL signals.

Short-Term and Continuing Stresses Differentially Interplay with Multiple Hormones to Regulate Plant Survival and Growth

The stress phytohormone, abscisic acid （ABA）, plays important roles in facilitating plants to survive and grow well under a wide range of stress conditions. Previous gene expression studies mainly focused on plant responses to short-term ABA treatment, but the effect of sustained ABA treatment and their difference are poorly studied. Here, we treated plants with ABA for 1 h or 9 d, and our genome-wide analysis indicated the differentially regulated genes under the two conditions were tremendously different. We analyzed other hormones＇ signaling changes by using their whole sets of known responsive genes as reporters and integrating feedback regulation of their biosynthesis. We found that, under short-term ABA treatment, signaling outputs of growth-promoting hormones, brassinosteroids and gibberellins, and a biotic stress-responsive hormone, jasmonic acid, were significantly inhibited, while auxin and ethylene signaling outputs were promoted. However, sustained ABA treatment repressed cytokinin and gibberellin signaling, but stimu- lated auxin signaling. Using several sets of hormone-related mutants, we found candidates in corresponding hormonal signaling pathways, including receptors or transcription regulators, are essential in responding to ABA. Our findings indicate interactions of ABA-dependent stress signals with hormones at different levels are involved in plants to survive under transient stress and to adapt to continuing stressful environments.

Regulation of Shoot Branching by Strigolactones and Brassinosteroids: Conserved and Specific Functions of Arabidopsis BES1 and Rice BZR1

Shoot branching results from axillary bud initiation and bud outgrowth and determines plant architecture and productivity.Strigolactones(SLs)are a class of terpenoid phytohormones that were identified to inhibit bud outgrowth in 2008.The core SL signaling pathway has been established in the last decade.Following the identification of the α/β hydrolase DWARF14(D14)as a putative SL receptor,independent studies have proposed a variety of models explaining how SLs are perceived and D14 is activated(reviewed in detail by Burger and Chory,2020).SLs bind to D14 and are hydrolyzed into their active form,which activates D14 and facilitates its interaction with the F-box protein DWARF 3(D3)in rice,or its Arabidopsis ortholog MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2(MAX2)(Burger and Chory,2020).The F-box protein then recruits and ubiquitinates downstream substrates.

The Strigolactone-Related Mutants have Enhanced Lamina Joint Inclination Phenotype at the Seedling Stage

Strigolactones （SLs） are a class of newly discovered plant hormones and play diverse roles in plant growth and devel- opment. Recently, it has been demonstrated that SLs nega- tively regulate shoot branching by inhibiting bud outgrowth in plants （Umehara et al., 2008）. Several genes involved in SL biosynthesis or signaling had been identified in both monocots and dicots. Loss-of-function mutants corresponding to these genes exhibit enhanced shoot branching phenotype （Beveridge and Kyozuka, 2010）.

Hydrophobic 1-octadecanethiol functionalized copper catalyst promotes robust high-current CO_(2) gas-diffusion electrolysis

The electrocatalytic reduction of CO_(2) presents a promising strategy in addressing environmental and energy crisis.Significant progress has been achieved via CO_(2) gas diffusion electrolysis,to react at high selectivity and high rate.However,the gas diffusion layer(GDL)of the gas diffusion electrode(GDE)still suffers from low tolerance and limited active sites.Here,the hydrophobic 1-octadecanethiol molecular was functionalized over the Cu catalyst layer of the GDE,which simultaneously stabilizes the GDL and exposes abundant active solid-liquid-gas three-phase interfaces.The resultant GDE exhibits multi-carbon(C_(2+))product selectivity over faradaic efficiency(FE)of 70.0%in the range of 100 to 800 mA·cm^(-2),with the peak FE^(c2+)of 85.2%at 800 mA·cm^(-2).Notably,the strengthened GDE could continuously drive high-current electrolysis for more than 100 h without flooding.This work opens a new way to improve CO_(2) gas diffusion electrolysis via surface molecular engineering.

Brassinosteroids promote thermotolerance through releasing BIN2-mediated phosphorylation and suppression of HsfA1 transcription factors in Arabidopsis

High temperature adversely affects plant growth and development.The steroid phytohormones brassinosteroids(BRs)are recognized to play important roles in plant heat stress responses and thermotolerance,but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure.Here,we demonstrate that the glycogen synthase kinase 3(GSK3)-like kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2(BIN2),a negative component in the BR signaling pathway,interacts with the master heat-responsive transcription factors CLASS A1 HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS(HsfA1s).Furthermore,BIN2 phosphorylates HsfA1d on T263 and S56 to suppress its nuclear localization and inhibit its DNA-binding ability,respectively.BR signaling promotes plant thermotolerance by releasing the BIN2 suppression of HsfA1d to facilitate its nuclear localization and DNA binding.Our study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms by which BRs promote plant thermotolerance by strongly regulating HsfA1d through BIN2 and suggests potential ways to improve crop yield under extreme high temperatures.

The Intrinsically Disordered Protein BKI1 Is Essential for Inhibiting BRI1 Signaling in Plants

Dear Editor,Brassinosteroids （BRs） are a class of essential polyhydroxylated steroid hormones regulating plant growth and development, and their responses to environmental cues （Clouse, 2011 ; Yang et al., 2011）. BRs are perceived at the plasma membrane by a receptor complex, which consists of two leucine-rich receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs）, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 （BRI1） and BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 （BAK1）.

GSK3-1ike Kinases Are a Class of Positive Components in the Core ABA Signaling Pathway

The phytohormone abscisic acid （ABA） acts not only as a pro- tector to respond to inclement environments, but also as a key player to regulate plant growth and development, such as seed dormancy and seedling development. A canonical ABA signaling pathway has been largely established （Fujii et al., 2009）. In the absence of ABA, a family of Glade A protein phosphatase 2Cs （PP2Cs） interact with and dephosphorylate members of subgroup III Snfl-related Kinase 2s （SnRK2s）, leading to inactivation of SnRK2s that phosphorylate downstream transcription factors. In the presence of ABA, a family of PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1/PYR1-LIKE/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS （PYR/PYL/RCAR, hereafter termed PYLs） bind the ABA molecules.

Multiple Ways of BES1/BZR1 Degradation to Decode Distinct Developmental and Environmental Cues in Plants

Plants must constantly integrate various environment stimuli and many endogenous hormones to optimize their growth and development. BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 （BES1） and BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT 1 （BZR1） act not only as key transcription factors in the brassinosteroid （BR） signaling pathway, but also as a hub that integrates diverse signals to regulate plant development and environment adaptability （Wang et al., 2014）.