Zinc finger protein ZFP36 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase PDK1 function in ABA-mediated aluminum tolerance in rice

Aluminum(Al)toxicity poses a significant constraint on field crop yields in acid soils.Zinc finger protein36(ZFP36)is well-documented for its pivotal role in enhancing tolerance to both drought and oxidative stress in rice.This study unveils a novel function of ZFP36 modulated by abscisic acid(ABA)-dependent mechanisms,specifically aimed at alleviating Al toxicity in rice.Under Al stress,the expression of ZFP36significantly increased through an ABA-dependent pathway.Knocking down ZFP36 heightened Al sensitivity,while overexpressing ZFP36 conferred increased resistance to Al stress.Additionally,our investigations revealed a physical interaction between ZFP36 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 in rice(OsPDK1).Biochemical assays further elucidated that OsPDK1 phosphorylates ZFP36 at the amino acid site 73–161.Subsequent experiments demonstrated that ZFP36 positively regulates the expression of ascorbate peroxidases(OsAPX1)and OsALS1 by binding to specific elements in their upstream segments in rice.Through genetic and phenotypic analyses,we unveiled that OsPDK1 influences ABA-triggered antioxidant defense to alleviate Al toxicity by interacting with ZFP36.In summary,our study underscores that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1(OsPDK1)phosphorylates ZFP36 to modulate the activities of antioxidant enzymes via an ABA-dependent pathway,influencing tolerance of rice to soil Al toxicity.

Antibiotic Resistance and Heavy Metals Tolerance in Gram-Negative Bacteria from Diseased American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Cultured in Malaysia

A total of 140 bacterial isolates have been successfully isolated from various organs of diseased American bullfrog （Rana catesbeiana） cultured in Malaysia. The most frequently isolated bacteria was Edwardsiella spp. （46 isolates） followed by Aeromonas spp. （33 isolates）, Flavobacterium spp. （31 isolates）, and Vibrio spp. （30 isolates）. Majority of the bacterial isolates were found sensitive to furazolidone （85.0%）, chloramphenicol （85.0%）, oxolinic acid （90.0%）, florfenicol （95.0%）, and flumequine （97.5%）. On the other hand, most of the bacterial isolates were resistant to oleandomycin （77.5%） and lincomycin （87.5%）. Nitrofurantoin and flumequine can be inhibited the growth of all of Vibrio spp. whereas all isolates of Edwardsiella spp. were found sensitive to florfenicol and flumequine. Multiple antibiotic resistance （MAR） index were in range of 0.30-0.40, indicating that bacterial isolates from cultured bullfrogs may have received high risk exposure to the tested antibiotics. In addition, 90-100% of the isolates were resistant to copper, cadmium, and chromium. These results provided insight information on tolerance level of bacterial isolates from cultured bullfrogs to 21 antibiotics as well as heavy metals.

Developing transgenic maize(Zea mays L.) with insect resistance and glyphosate tolerance by fusion gene transformation

Using linker peptide LP4/2A for multiple gene transformation is considered to be an effective method to stack or pyramid several traits in plants. Bacillus thuringiensis（Bt） cry gene and epsps（5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase） gene are two important genes for culturing pest-resistant and glyphosate-tolerant crops. We used linker peptide LP4/2A to connect the Bt cry1 Ah gene with the 2m G2-epsps gene and combined the wide-used man A gene as a selective marker to construct one coordinated expression vector called p2 EPUHLAGN. The expression vector was transferred into maize by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, and 60 plants were obtained, 40% of which were positive transformants. Molecular detection demonstrated that the two genes in the fusion vector were expressed simultaneously and spliced correctly in translation processing; meanwhile bioassay detection proved the transgenic maize had preferable pest resistance and glyphosate tolerance. Therefore, linker peptide LP4/2A provided a simple and reliable strategy for producing gene stacking in maize and the result showed that the fusion gene transformation system of LP4/2A was feasible in monocot plants.

Characterization of salt tolerance and Fusarium wilt resistance of a sweetpotato mutant

The variant LM1 was previously obtained using embryogenic cell suspension cultures of sweetpotato variety Lizixiang by gamma-ray induced mutation, and then its characteristics were stably inherited through six clonal generations, thus this mutant was named LM1. In this study, systematic characterization of salt tolerance and Fusarium wilt resistance were performed between Lizixiang and mutant LM1. LM1 exhibited significantly higher salt tolerance compared to Lizixiang. The content of proline and activities of superoxide dismutase（SOD） and photosynthesis were significantly increased, while malonaldehyde（MDA） and H_2O_2 contents were significantly decreased compared to that of Lizixiang under salt stress. The inoculation test with Fusarium wilt showed that its Fusarium wilt resistance was also improved. The lignin, total phenolic, jasmonic acid（JA） contents and SOD activity were significantly higher, while H_2O_2 content was significantly lower in LM1 than that in Lizixiang. The expression level of salt stress-responsive and disease resistance-related genes was significantly higher in LM1 than that in Lizixiang under salt and Fusarium wilt stresses, respectively. This result provides a novel and valuable material for improving the salt tolerance and Fusarium wilt resistance of sweetpotato.

Marker-Assisted Breeding of Thermo-Sensitive Genic Male Sterile Line 1892S for Disease Resistance and Submergence Tolerance

Rice line 1892S is an elite thermo-sensitive genic male sterile(TGMS)line for two-line hybrid rice production.However,1892S is susceptible to rice blast,bacterial blight and submergence.Here we reported the introduction of blast resistance(R)gene Pi9,bacterial blight R gene Xa21 and submergence tolerance gene Sub1A into 1892S genetic background through backcrossing and marker-assisted selection.The improved TGMS line 31892S and its hybrids conferred disease resistance to rice blast and bacterial blight,and showed submergence tolerance for over 14 d without significant loss of viability.The sterility-fertility conversion of 31892S was similar to that of 1892S.31892S and its derived hybrid rice had similar agronomic traits and grain quality with 1892S and the control hybrid rice,respectively.The newly developed 31892S provided an improved TGMS line for two-line hybrid rice production with disease resistance to rice blast and bacterial blight,and submergence tolerance with no yield penalty or change in grain quality.

Evaluation of Inherited Resistance Genes of Bacterial Leaf Blight, Blast and Drought Tolerance in Improved Rice Lines

Improved rice lines were developed frome three parents with the resistance or tolerance to bacterial leaf blight,blast and drought stress,respectively,using single-,double-and three-way crosses.The improved lines were assessed for agro-morphological and yield traits under non-drought stress(NS)and reproductive-stage drought stress(RS)treatments.The mean comparison of traits measured between parent plants and progenies(improved lines)were similar,and there were significant and non-significant differences among the parents and improved lines(genotypes)under NS and RS.Smilarly,there was significant and non-significant differences in the interaction among both parent varieties and improved lines for NS and RS.Cluster and 3D-model of principal component analysis did not generate categorical clusters according to crossing methods,and there were no exclusive crossing method inclined variations under the treatments.The improved lines were high-yielding,disease resistant,and drought-tolerant compared with their parents.All the crossing methods were good for this crop improvement program without preference to any,despite the number of genes introgressed.

Development of Hybrid Rice Variety FY7206 with Blast Resistance Gene Pid3 and Cold Tolerance Gene Ctb1

Hybrid rice Fanyou 7206（FY7206）, derived from the cross between a sterile line Fanyuan A and a restorer line Fuhui 7206, was bred by the Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. FY7206 was characterized by moderate blast resistance, cold tolerance, as well as wide adaptability, and high yields. The blast resistance results indicated that the frequencies of blast races in race B, race C and the total resistance frequency for FY7206 were 95.5%, 100.0% and 97.2%, respectively. The disease resistance results showed that the leaf blast grade for FY7206 was level 1 and panicle blast was level 5. The indoor spray results indicated that FY7206 was resistant to 11 isolates of Magnorpathe oryzae. The blast resistance of FY7206 might be derived from the high expression of blast resistance gene Pid3. The results for simulated cold resistance in an artificial climate chamber indicated that the cold tolerance for FY7206 was moderate at the booting and flowering stages. The cold tolerance results also indicated that FY7206 could be tolerant to temperatures as low as 10 °C at the seedling stage. The q RT-PCR results showed that the expression of cold tolerance gene Ctb1 in FY7206 was relatively high. These results suggested that FY7206 is a hybrid indica rice variety with good comprehensive characteristics, including blast resistance and cold tolerance.

Genetic and Association Mapping Study of English Grain Aphid Resistance and Tolerance in Bread Wheat Germplasm

English grain aphid （EGA） is a destructive insect pest of wheat. To identify the loci associated with EGA resistance and tolerance, 70 bread wheat accessions mainly from central Asia were evaluated for EGA resistance and tolerance traits at two locations, and genotyped with 51 SSR markers. Totally, three accessions showed high or moderate levels resistance and 17 genotypes displayed highly or moderately tolerate to EGA. Genetic diversity of these lines was investigated also. After 97 SSR loci which evenly covered all wheat chromosomes were scanned for association, four SSR loci were significantly associated with EGA resistance and four with EGA tolerance. After association analysis was conducted with dynamic aphid densities, we found four loci Xgwm192b, Xgwm391, Xbarc98, and Xgwm613b were detected continuously at different growing stages of wheat. In addition, the loci of EGA resistance/tolerance and Russian wheat aphid resistance were compared. The results generated in this study would be helpful for utilization of the EGA resistance/tolerance germplasm, and for development of mapping populations in EGA resistance breeding programs.

Evaluation of Impact Damage Tolerance in Carbon Fabric/epoxy-matrix Composites by Electrical Resistance Measurement

Impact damage tolerance is provided in intensity design on composites. The compression intensity of impacted composites requires more than 60% of its original intensity. The influence of impact on compressive intensity and electrical resistance of carbon fabric/epoxy-matrix composites was studied in this paper. The experimental results shows that impact can cause damage in composites, degenerate compressive intensity, and increase resistance. The electrical resistance change rate was used as an evaluation indicator of impact damage tolerance of composites. Impact damage, which results from the applying process of composites, can be identified in time by electrical resistance measurement. So, the safety performance of composites can also be improved.

Cross tolerance: a tread to decipher the code of endogenous global cerebral resistance

A cell is a house to myriad biochemical reactions composed in a symphony of various pathways,both survival and apoptotic.Apoptosis is of fundamental significance to an organ by replacing weary and senile cells with juvenile cells.

Effects of silicon content on microstructure and stress corrosion cracking resistance of 7050 aluminum alloy

Evolution of microstructure and stress corrosion cracking （SCC） susceptibility of 7050 aluminum alloy with 0.094%, 0.134% and 0.261% Si （mass fraction） in T7651 condition have been investigated. The results show that the area fraction of Mg2Si increases from 0.16% to 1,48% and the size becomes coarser, while the area fraction of the other coarse phases including Al2CuMg, Mg（Al,Cu,Zn）2 and A17Cu2Fe decreases from 2.42% to 0.78% with Si content increasing from 0.094% to 0.261%. The tensile strength and elongation of 7050-T7651 alloys is decreased with the increase of Si content by slow strain rate test （SSRT） in ambient air. However, electrical conductivity is improved and SCC susceptibility is reduced with the increase of Si content by SSRT in corrosion environment with 3.5% NaCl solution.

Effects of boric acid on microstructure and corrosion resistance of boric/sulfuric acid anodic film on 7050 aluminum alloy

The microstructure and corrosion resistance of different boric/sulfuric acid anodic（BSAA） films on 7050 aluminum alloy were studied by atomic force microscopy（AFM）,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） and scanning Kelvin probe（SKP）.The results show that boric acid does not change the structure of barrier layer of anodic film,but will significantly affect the structure of porous layer,consequently affect the corrosion resistance of anodic film.As the content of boric acid in electrolyte increases from 0 to 8 g/L,the resistance of porous layer（Rp） of BSAA film increases,the capacitance of porous layer（CPEp） decreases,the surface potential moves positively,the pore size lessens,and the corrosion resistance improves.However,the Rp,CPEp and surface potential will change towards opposite direction when the content of boric acid is over 8 g/L.

Effects of T9I6 thermo-mechanical process on microstructure, mechanical properties and ballistic resistance of 2519A aluminum alloy

The effects of T916 thermo-mechanical process on microstructures, mechanical properties and ballistic resistance of 2519A aluminum alloy were investigated by optical microscopy （OM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, tensile tests and ballistic resistance test. After T916 treatment, the yield strength, tensile strength and elongation rate of 2519A aluminum alloy reach 501 MPa, 540 MPa and 14%, respectively. And the ballistic limit velocity of 2519A-T916 alloy （30 mm in thickness） is 715 rn/s. The microstructure varies near the sidewalls of crater. The interrupted ageing contributes to these excellent properties of the alloy. During T916 process, the precipitation of Guinier Preston （GP） zone is finer and denser during the interrupted ageing, thus resulting in well precipitated strengthening phase.

Effect of additive BaO on corrosion resistance of xCu/(10NiO-NiFe_2O_4) cermet inert anodes for aluminum electrolysis

xCu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） cermet and 1BaO-xCu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） cermet（x=5,10,17） inert anodes were prepared as potential inert anodes for aluminum electrolysis and their corrosion resistance to traditional electrolyte was studied with anodic current density of 1.0 A/cm2 in laboratory electrolysis.The substantial corrosion of metal Cu was observed,many pores appeared on the surface of anode and electrolytes infiltrated inside anodes during the electrolysis.The wear rates of 5Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4）,10Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4）,17Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4）,1BaO-5Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4）,1BaO-10Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） and 1BaO-17Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） are 2.15,6.50,8.30,4.88,4.70 and 4.48 cm/a,respectively.The addition of BaO to 10Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） cermet and 17Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） cermet is advantageous because BaO can effectively promote densification and thus improve corrosion resistance.But the addition of BaO to 5Cu/（10NiO-NiFe2O4） cermet is unfavorable to corrosion resistance because additive BaO at the grain boundary of anode accelerates possibly the corrosion of cermet.

Effect of sintering atmosphere on corrosion resistance of Ni/(NiFe_2O_4-10NiO) cermet inert anode for aluminum electrolysis

A comparative study on the corrosion resistance of 17Ni/（NiFe2O4-10NiO） cermet inert anode prepared in differentsintering atmospheres was conducted in Na3AlF6-Al2O3 melt. The results indicate that the corrosion rates of NiFe2O4-based cermetanodes prepared in the vacuum and the atmosphere with oxygen content of 2×10^-3 （volume fraction） are 6.46 and 2.71 cm/a,respectively. Though there is a transition layer with lots of holes or pores, a densified layer is formed on the surface of anode due tosome reactions producing aluminates. For the anode prepared in the atmosphere with oxygen content of 2×10^-3, the thickness of thedensification layer （about 50 μm） is thicker than that （about 30 μm） formed on the surface of anode prepared in the vacuum. Thecontents of NiO and Fe（II） in NiFe2xO4-y-z increase with the decrease of oxygen content in sintering atmosphere, which reduces thecorrosion resistance of the material.

Microstructure characterization and quasi-static failure behavior of resistance spot welds of AA6111-T4 aluminum alloy

The microstructure, microhardness and quasi-static failure behavior of resistance spot welds of AA6111-T4 aluminum alloy were experimentally investigated. Optical metallography and high-resolution hardness traverses were utilized to characterize the weld nugget, heat affected zone and base metal. The AA6111 spot welds displayed a softer nugget and hardened heat affected zone, compared with the base metal. The through-thickness hardness of the base metal sheet was not constant and had to be carefully considered to determine the effect of welding on material properties. Quasi-static lap-shear tensile tests were used to determine the failure load and failure mode. All tensile specimens failed through the interfacial fracture. This failure mode is consistent with the observed reduced hardness in the weld nugget.

Callus Induction of Alfalfa and Evaluation of Callus Tolerance to Acid and Aluminum

Medicago is an important grass in the legume family,which is suitable to be grown in neutral or alkalescent soils,and hence,can be widely spread in south of China with low pH value.It is one of major objectives to cultivate acid-aluminum tolerant species.In the research,6 high-quality species with high-yielding potential were taken as materials to make evaluation on acid-aluminum tolerance by cell-culture technique,and the results showed that tolerance capacity from high to low was GT13R＞Muge 701=Muge 702＞Acrora＞AC-3＞Sheshou No.2=Medicago sativa.

Multi-field dynamic modeling and numerical simulation of aluminum alloy resistance spot welding

In order to explore the influence of welding parameters and to investigate the Al alloy (AA) nugget formation process, a comprehensive model involving electrical-thermal-mechanical and metallurgical analysis was established to numerically display the resistance spot welding (RSW) process within multiple fields and understand the AA-RSW physics. A multi-disciplinary finite element method (FEM) framework and a empirical sub-model were built to analyze the affecting factors on weld nugget and the underlying nature of welding physics with dynamic simulation procedure. Specifically, a counter-intuitive phenomenon of the resistance time-variation caused by the transient inverse virtual variation (TIVV) effect was highlighted and analyzed on the basis of welding current and temperature distribution simulation. The empirical model describing the TIVV phenomenon was used for modifying the dynamic resistance simulation during the AA spot welding process. The numerical and experimental results show that the proposed multi-field FEM model agrees with the measured AA welding feature, and the modified dynamic resistance model captures the physics of nugget growth and the electrical-thermal behavior under varying welding current and fluctuating heat input.

Mapping QTLs for Aluminum Tolerance in Introgression Lines of Wild Rice at Seedling Stage

In this study, wild rice chromosome segment substitution lines bred by Yuanjiang common wild rice and elite indica rice variety Teqing were used as ex-perimental materials to detect aluminum tolerancerelated QTLs based on the phe-notypic data of indoor and outdoor plant height inhibition rate and dry weight inhibi-tion rate at seedling stage. According to experimental results, 11, 18, 14 and 5 QTLs related with aluminum tolerance were detected respectively on different chro-mosomes. Analysis of phenotypic data of indoor and outdoor plant height inhibition rate indicated that QTLs around RM38 on chromosome 8 and RM277 chromosome 12 exhibited the highest contribution rates （12% and 11%）, belonging to major QTLs. Analysis of phenotypic data of indoor and outdoor dry weight inhibition rate indicated that the highest contribution rate was only 9% and 8%; therefore, no major QTL was detected. QTLs detected repeatedly were located on chromosomes 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12, respectively. Two QTLs were located on chromosome 8. QTLs around RM310 were detected three times and other QTLs were detected twice, which were identified as stable QTLs.

Evaluation on Chinese Bread Wheat Landraces for Low pH and Aluminum Tolerance Using Hydroponic Screening

Aluminum （Al） toxicity often takes place in acidic soils with a pH of 5.5 or lower. Breeding and cultivation of Al tolerance wheat can partially protect wheat escaping from Al toxicity. The scarcity of the tolerant sources impedes the wheat breeding. In order to find new Al tolerance sources, we screened 173 bread wheat landraces from Tibet of China using hydroponic screening. It was indicated that： （1） There were diversities on the root regenerate length （RRL）. The RRL of a large of landraces were longer than 7.00 cm in pH 7 （58.38%） and pH 4.5 （66.47%）, but shorter than 5.00 cm in pH 4.5 ＋50μM Al^3＋ （80.93%）. The low pH showed either promotion or restraining effects depend on landraces, but Al toxicity under low pH only showed restraining effects on the root elongation. （2） There were also diversities on root tolerance index of low pH （RTI 1） or root aluminum tolerance index （RTI2） among cultivars. The RTI1 varied from a narrow range but with relatively high value （0.8722-1.2953） in comparison with that of RTI2 （0.3829-1.0058）, and the RTI1 of approximately 60% landraces was higher than 1.0000, the RTI2 of only 19.07% landraces was higher than 0.7000, suggesting that Al toxicity acted as an important factor for the reduction of the root elongation under acidic soils. （3） The RTI 1 of many wheats was higher than 1.0000, and As2256 and As2295 were the most tolerant for low pH, with RTI1 1.2953 and 1.2925, respectively. （4） Based on RTI2, seven wheats showed similar or higher tolerance to Al toxicity than Chinese Spring （CS）, a known tolerance wheat. Much better tolerance existed in landraces of As1543 and As1242, which can be used as the new parents for Al tolerant breeding.