Genome-Wide Discovery and Expression Profiling of the SWEET Sugar Transporter Gene Family in Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) under Developmental and Stress Conditions: Structural and Evolutionary Analysis

The SWEET(sugar will eventually be exported transporter)family proteins are a recently identified class of sugar transporters that are essential for various physiological processes.Although the functions of the SWEET proteins have been identified in a number of species,to date,there have been no reports of the functions of the SWEET genes in woodland strawberries(Fragaria vesca).In this study,we identified 15 genes that were highly homolo-gous to the A.thaliana AtSWEET genes and designated them as FvSWEET1–FvSWEET15.We then conducted a structural and evolutionary analysis of these 15 FvSWEET genes.The phylogenetic analysis enabled us to categor-ize the predicted 15 SWEET proteins into four distinct groups.We observed slight variations in the exon‒intron structures of these genes,while the motifs and domain structures remained highly conserved.Additionally,the developmental and biological stress expression profiles of the 15 FvSWEET genes were extracted and analyzed.Finally,WGCNA coexpression network analysis was run to search for possible interacting genes of FvSWEET genes.The results showed that the FvSWEET10 genes interacted with 20 other genes,playing roles in response to bacterial and fungal infections.The outcomes of this study provide insights into the further study of FvSWEET genes and may also aid in the functional characterization of the FvSWEET genes in woodland strawberries.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of RT-qPCR Analysis in Developing or Abiotic-Stressed Tissues of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that produces fruits with abundant nutrients and medicinal components.Confirming suitable reference genes for a set of loquat samples before qRT-PCR experiments is essential for the accurate quantification of gene expression.In this study,eight candidate reference genes were selected from our previously published RNA-seq data,and primers for each candidate reference gene were designed and evaluated.The Cq values of the candidate reference genes were calculated by RT-qPCR in 31 different loquat samples,including 12 subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues.Different combinations of stable reference genes were screened according to a comprehensive rank,which was synthesized from the results of four algorithms,including the geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper andΔCt methods.The screened reference genes were verified by normalizing EjLGA1 in each subgroup.The obtained suitable combinations of reference genes for accurate normalization were GAPDH,EF1αand ACT for floral development;GAPDH,UBCE and ACT for fruit setting;EF1α,GAPDH and eIF2B for fruit ripening;ACT,EF1αand UBCE for leaves under heat stress;eIF2B,UBCE and EF1αfor leaves under freezing stress;EF1α,TUA and UBCE for leaves under salt stress;ACT,EF1αand eIF2B for immature pulp under freezing stress;ACT,UBCE and eIF2B for immature seeds under freezing stress;EF1α,eIF2B and UBCE for both immature pulp and seeds under freezing stress;UBCE,TUB and TUA for red-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress;eIF2B,RPS3 and TUB for white-fleshed fruits under coldstorage stress;and eIF2B,UBCE and RPS3 for both red-and white-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress.This study obtained different combinations of stable reference genes for accurate normalization in twelve subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues in loquat.To our knowledge,this is the first report to obtain stable reference genes for normalizing gene expression of abiotic-stressed tissues in E.japonica.The use of the three most stable reference genes could increase the reliability of future quantification experiments.

Solvothermal Synthesis of ZnIn2S4 by Alcohol Solvents and Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity on Selective Oxidation and Dye Degradation

A series of hexagonal ZnIn2S4 samples with different morphologies have been successfully prepared via a facile solvothermal approach using different alcohol solvents with the optimum synthesis time and temperature. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical measurements are employed to determine the properties of the samples. It is found that the solvent has a significant influence on the morphology, optical properties and electronic nature of the samples. The photocatalytic activities of the samples have been evaluated by selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde to benzaldehyde and the degradation of methyl orange（MO） under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that the photocatalytic activities of ZnIn2S4 are closely related to the reaction solvent. The ethanol-mediated ZnIn2S4 exhibits the best photocatalytic performance toward selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde and the degradation of dye MO compared to the samples prepared in other solvents, which can be attributed to the integrative effect of the enhanced light absorption intensity and the prolonged lifetime of photogenerated carriers. In addition, a possible mechanism is proposed and discussed. It is expected that our current research could promote further interest on the synthesizing efficient ternary chalcogenides semiconducting materials for environment remediation and organic transformation.

Effects of copper pollution on the activity of soil invertase and urease in loquat orchards

Dealt with in this paper is the relationship between Cu contents of soil and activity parameters for soil invertase and urease from the Changtai loquat orchards in Fujian Province. The soil invertase activity and maximum reaction velocity (enzyme kinetic parameters: Vmax and Vmax/Km) have no remarkable negative correlation with Cu concentrations, but Cu concentrations have an obvious positive effect on invertase Km, indicating a reversible competitive restraint on the reaction between Cu and invertase. The soil urease activity and maximum reaction velocity (Vmax,Vmax/Km) have a remarkable negative correlation with Cu concentrations, and in this aspect, they can be used as ecological indices of the soil polluted by Cu. A slightly variable Km indicates the non-reversible competitive restraint between Cu and soil urease. Cu concentration= 2.00 mg·L-1 in soil is an indicative of the moderate Cu pollution level.

A Simple Strategy for Fabrication of In（OH）3/ZnIn2S4 Heterostructure as Visible-light-driven Photocatalyst for Selective Oxidation

The cubic In(OH)3/ZnIn2S4 heterostructures were successfully synthesized via a simple strategy of post-treatment of cubic ZnIn2S4(C-ZIS), and their structures and properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra(DRS), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). According to the results, the tofu-like In(OH)3 semiconductor as a new crystal phase appeared in the matrix of C-ZIS and formed a In(OH)3/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure. Compared with pure C-ZIS, the heterostructure exhibits higher photocatalytic activity towards selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol under visible light. The In(OH)3/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure manifests the best and the highest photocatalytic performance via 18 h post-treatment, which achieved nearly 100% selectivity, 35.5%conversion and 34.5% yield. This is ascribed to the formation of In(OH)3/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure to promote the transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and thus efficiently inhibits their recombination, leading to the longer lifetime of photo-induced carriers. Furthermore, a possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed and discussed. Our current work could boost more interest in researching the semiconductor materials of ternary chalcogenides and enlarging the applications based on cubic ZnIn2S4 heterostructure as visible-light-driven photocatalyst.