Silencing of V-ATPase-E gene causes midgut apoptosis of Diaphorina citri and affects its acquisition of Huanglongbing pathogen

The Asian citrus psyllid,Diaphorina citri Kuwayama,is among the most im-portant pests of citrus.It is the main vector of the Huanglongbing(HLB)pathogen Can-didatus Liberibacter asiaticus(CLas),which causes severe losses in citrus crops.Control of D.citri is therefore of paramount importance to reduce the spread of HLB.In this re-gard,using RNA interference(RNAi)to silence target genes is a useful strategy to control psyllids.In this study,using RNAi,we examined the biological functions of the V-ATPase subunit E(V-ATP-E)gene of D.citri,including its effect on acquisition of CLas.The amino acid sequence of V-ATP-E from D.citri had high homology with proteins from other insects.V-ATP-E was expressed at all D.citri life stages analyzed,and the expres-sion level in mature adults was higher than that of teneral adults.Silencing of V-ATP-E resulted in a significant increase in mortality,reduced body weight,and induced cell apop-tosis of the D.citri midgut.The reduced expression of V-ATP-E was indicated to inhibit CLas passing through the midgut and into the hemolymph,leading to a majority of CLas being confined to the midgut.In addition,double-stranded RNA of D.citri V-ATP-E was safe to non-target parasitic wasps.These results suggest that V-ATP-E is an effective RNAi target that can be used in D.citri control to block CLas infection.

Shining in the dark:the big world of small peptides in plants

Small peptides represent a subset of dark matter in plant proteomes.Through differential expression patterns and modes of action,small peptides act as important regulators of plant growth and development.Over the past 20 years,many small peptides have been identified due to technical advances in genome sequencing,bioinformatics,and chemical biology.In this article,we summarize the classifi-cation of plant small peptides and experimental strategies used to identify them as well as their potential use in agronomic breeding.We review the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of small peptides in plants,discuss current problems in small peptide research and highlight future research directions in this field.Our review provides crucial insight into small peptides in plants and will contribute to a better understanding of their potential roles in biotechnology and agriculture.

Dynamic intrauterine crosstalk promotes porcine embryo implantation during early pregnancy

Dynamic crosstalk between the embryo and mother is crucial during implantation.Here,we comprehensively profile the single-cell transcriptome of pig peri-implantation embryos and corresponding maternal endometrium,identifying 4 different lineages in embryos and 13 cell types in the endometrium.Cell-specific gene expression characterizes 4 distinct trophectoderm subpopulations,showing development from undifferentiated trophectoderm to polar and mural trophectoderm.Dynamic expression of genes in different types of endometrial cells illustrates their molecular response to embryos during implantation.Then,we developed a novel tool,ExtraCellTalk,generating an overall dynamic map of maternal-foetal crosstalk using uterine luminal proteins as bridges.Through cross-species comparisons,we identified a conserved RBP4/STRA6 pathway in which embryonic-derived RBP4 could target the STRA6 receptor on stromal cells to regulate the interaction with other endometrial cells.These results provide insight into the maternal-foetal crosstalk during embryo implantation and represent a valuable resource for further studies to improve embryo implantation.