The H^(+)-pyrophosphatase IbVP1 regulates carbon flux to influence the starch metabolism and yield of sweet potato

Storage roots of sweet potato are important sink organs for photoassimilates and energy,and carbohydrate metabolism in storage roots affects yield and starch production.Our previous study showed that sweet potato H+-pyrophosphatase(IbVP1)plays a vital role in mitigating iron deficiency and positively controls fibrous root growth.However,its roles in regulating starch production in storage roots have not been investigated.In this study,we found that IbVP1 overexpression in sweet potato improved the photosynthesis ability of and sucrose content in source leaves and increased both the starch content in and total yield of sink tissues.Using 13C-labeled sucrose feeding,we determined that IbVP1 overexpression promotes phloem loading and sucrose long-distance transport and enhances Pi-use efficiency.In sweet potato plants overexpressing IbVP1,the expression levels of starch biosynthesis pathway genes,especially AGPase and GBSSI,were upregulated,leading to changes in the structure,composition,and physicochemical properties of stored starch.Our study shows that the IbVP1 gene plays an important role in regulating starch metabolism in sweet potato.Application of the VP1 gene in genetic engineering of sweet potato cultivars may allow the improvement of starch production and yield under stress or nutrient-limited conditions.

宁夏基础教育信息化资源优化配置研究

为逐步缩小区域间基础教育差距,大力促进基础教育公平,文章对宁夏地区基础教育信息化资源配置的现状进行分析,发现主要存在“软硬件”资源配置空间较大、川区与山区基础教育资源配置不均衡、各县(市、区)配置短板各不相同、部分地区在基础教育资源配置上“偏科”严重等问题。在此基础上,文章有针对性地提出,加大“软硬件”资源配置、提高精准投放水平、落实“优先发展”与“补偏科”等建议,以期为宁夏基础教育信息化资源的均衡配置提供参考。

Systematic evaluation of IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-derived peptides for monitoring COVID-19 patients

Serological tests play an essential role in monitoring and combating the COVID-19 pandemic.Recombinant spike protein(S protein),especially the S1 protein,is one of the major reagents used for serological tests.However,the high cost of S protein production and possible cross-reactivity with other human coronaviruses pose unavoidable challenges.By taking advantage of a peptide microarray with full spike protein coverage,we analyzed 2,434 sera from 858 COVID-19 patients,63 asymptomatic patients and 610 controls collected from multiple clinical centers.Based on the results,we identified several S protein-derived 12-mer peptides that have high diagnostic performance.In particular,for monitoring the IgG response,one peptide(aa 1148-1159 or S2-78)exhibited a sensitivity(95.5%,95%CI 93.7-96.9%)and specificity(96.7%,95%CI 94.8-98.0%)comparable to those of the S1 protein for the detection of both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.Furthermore,the diagnostic performance of the S2-78(aa 1148-1159)IgG was successfully validated by ELISA in an independent sample cohort.A panel of four peptides,S1-93(aa 553-564),S1-97(aa 577-588),S1-101(aa 601-612)and S1-105(aa 625-636),that likely will avoid potential cross-reactivity with sera from patients infected by other coronaviruses was constructed.The peptides identified in this study may be applied independently or in combination with the S1 protein for accurate,affordable,and accessible COVID-19 diagnosis.

Effect of temperature on Lu’an bituminous char structure evolution in pyrolysis and combustion

In the process of pyrolysis and combustion of coal particles, coal structure evolution will be affected by the ash behavior, which will further affect the char reactivity, especially in the ash melting temperature zone. Lu’an bituminous char and ash samples were prepared at the N_(2) and air atmospheres respectively across ash melting temperature. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of char and ash. The specific surface area (SSA) analyzer and thermogravimetric analyzer were respectively adopted to obtain the pore structure characteristics of the coal chars and combustion parameters. Besides, an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was applied to investigate the graphitization degree of coal chars prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures. The SEM results indicated that the number density and physical dimension of ash spheres exuded from the char particles both gradually increased with the increasing temperature, thus the coalescence of ash spheres could be observed obviously above 1100℃. Some flocculent materials appeared on the surface of the char particles at 1300℃, and it could be speculated that β-Si_(3)N_(4) was generated in the pyrolysis process under N_(2). The SSA of the chars decreased with the increasing pyrolysis temperature. Inside the char particles, the micropore area and its proportion in the SSA also declined as the pyrolysis temperature increased. Furthermore, the constantly increasing pyrolysis temperature also caused the reactivity of char decrease, which is consistent with the results obtained by XRD. The higher combustion temperature resulted in the lower porosity and more fragments of the ash.

COVID-ONE-hi:The One-stop Database for COVID-19-specific Humoral Immunity and Clinical Parameters

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),which is caused by SARS-CoV-2,varies with regard to symptoms and mortality rates among populations.Humoral immunity plays critical roles in SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery from COVID-19.However,differences in immune responses and clinical features among COVID-19 patients remain largely unknown.Here,we report a database for COVID-19-specific IgG/IgM immune responses and clinical parameters(named COVID-ONE-hi).COVID-ONE-hi is based on the data that contain the IgG/IgM responses to 24 full-length/truncated proteins corresponding to 20 of 28 known SARS-CoV-2 proteins and 199 spike protein peptides against 2360 serum samples collected from 783 COVID-19 patients.In addition,96 clinical parameters for the 2360 serum samples and basic information for the 783 patients are integrated into the database.Furthermore,COVID-ONE-hi provides a dashboard for defining samples and a one-click analysis pipeline for a single group or paired groups.A set of samples of interest is easily defined by adjusting the scale bars of a variety of parameters.After the“START”button is clicked,one can readily obtain a comprehensive analysis report for further interpretation.COVID-ONE-hi is freely available at www.COVID-ONE.cn.