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Background The plant microbiome is an integral part of the host and increasingly recognized as playing fundamental roles in plant growth and health. Increasing evidence indicates that plant rhizosphere recruits beneficial microbes to the plant to suppress soil-borne pathogens. However, the ecological processes that govern plant microbiome assembly and functions in the below- and aboveground compartments under pathogen invasion are not fully understood. Here, we studied the bacterial and fungal communities associated with 12 compartments (e.g., soils, roots, stems, and fruits) of chili pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) using amplicons (16S and ITS) and metagenomics approaches at the main pepper production sites in China and investigated how Fusarium wilt disease (FWD) affects the assembly, co-occurrence patterns, and ecological functions of plant-associated microbiomes. Results The amplicon data analyses revealed that FWD affected less on the microbiome of pepper reproductive organs (fruit) than vegetative organs (root and stem), with the strongest impact on the upper stem epidermis. Fungal intra-kingdom networks were less stable and their communities were more sensitive to FWD than the bacterial communities. The analysis of microbial interkingdom network further indicated that FWD destabilized the network and induced the ecological importance of fungal taxa. Although the diseased plants were more susceptible to colonization by other pathogenic fungi, their below- and aboveground compartments can also recruit potential beneficial bacteria. Some of the beneficial bacterial taxa enriched in the diseased plants were also identified as core taxa for plant microbiomes and hub taxa in networks. On the other hand, metagenomic analysis revealed significant enrichment of several functional genes involved in detoxification, biofilm formation, and plant-microbiome signaling pathways (i.e., chemotaxis) in the diseased plants. Conclusions Together, we demonstrate that a diseased plant could recruit beneficial bacteria and mitigate the changes in reproductive organ microbiome to facilitate host or its offspring survival. The host plants may attract the beneficial microbes through the modulation of plant-microbiome signaling pathways. These findings significantly advance our understanding on plant-microbiome interactions and could provide fundamental and important data for harnessing the plant microbiome in sustainable agriculture. DwWQb6Dg7ZT1-tarvfq632 Video abstract

Due to the present scenario of climate change, plants have to evolve strategies to survive and perform under a plethora of biotic and abiotic stresses, which restrict plant productivity. Maintenance of plant protein functional conformation and preventing non-native proteins from aggregation, which leads to metabolic disruption, are of prime importance. Plant heat shock proteins (HSPs), as chaperones, play a pivotal role in conferring biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Moreover, HSP also enhances membrane stability and detoxifies the reactive oxygen species (ROS) by positively regulating the antioxidant enzymes system. Additionally, it uses ROS as a signal to molecules to induce HSP production. HSP also enhances plant immunity by the accumulation and stability of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins under various biotic stresses. Thus, to unravel the entire plant defense system, the role of HSPs are discussed with a special focus on plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses, which will be helpful in the development of stress tolerance in plant crops.

Xylan is the most abundant hemicellulose, constitutes about 25–35% of the dry biomass of woody and lignified tissues, and occurs up to 50% in some cereal grains. The accurate degree and position of xylan acetylation is necessary for xylan function and for plant growth and development. The post synthetic acetylation of cell wall xylan, mainly regulated by Reduced Wall Acetylation (RWA), Trichome Birefringence-Like (TBL), and Altered Xyloglucan 9 (AXY9) genes, is essential for effective bonding of xylan with cellulose. Recent studies have proven that not only xylan acetylation but also its deacetylation is vital for various plant functions. Thus, the present review focuses on the latest advances in understanding xylan acetylation and deacetylation and explores their effects on plant growth and development. Baseline knowledge about precise regulation of xylan acetylation and deacetylation is pivotal to developing plant biomass better suited for second-generation liquid biofuel production.

We report on a theoretical study of spin-dependent electron transport through single-helical molecules connected by two nonmagnetic electrodes, and explain the experiment of significant spin-selective phenomenon observed in α-helical protein and the contradictory results between the protein and single-stranded DNA. Our results reveal that the α-helical protein is an efficient spin filter and the spin polarization is robust against the disorder. These results are in excellent agreement with recent experiments [Mishra D, et al. (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(37):14872–14876; Göhler B, et al. (2011) Science 331(6019):894–897] and may facilitate engineering of chiral-based spintronic devices.

Hemicellulose is entangled with cellulose through hydrogen bonds and meanwhile acts as a bridge for the deposition of lignin monomer in the secondary wall. Therefore, hemicellulose plays a vital role in the utilization of cell wall biomass. Many advances in hemicellulose research have recently been made, and a large number of genes and their functions have been identified and verified. However, due to the diversity and complexity of hemicellulose, the biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms are yet unknown. In this review, we summarized the types of plant hemicellulose, hemicellulose-specific nucleotide sugar substrates, key transporters, and biosynthesis pathways. This review will contribute to a better understanding of substrate-level regulation of hemicellulose synthesis.

mRNA vaccines have been revolutionary in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years. They have also become a versatile tool for the prevention of infectious diseases and treatment of cancers. For effective vaccination, mRNA formulation, delivery method and composition of the mRNA carrier play an important role. mRNA vaccines can be delivered using lipid nanoparticles, polymers, peptides or naked mRNA. The vaccine efficacy is influenced by the appropriate delivery materials, formulation methods and selection of a proper administration route. In addition, co-delivery of several mRNAs could also be beneficial and enhance immunity against various variants of an infectious pathogen or several pathogens altogether. Here, we review the recent progress in the delivery methods, modes of delivery and patentable mRNA vaccine technologies.

Recent studies indicate that the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR VII (ERF-VII) transcription factor is an important regulator of osmotic and hypoxic stress responses in plants. However, the molecular mechanism of ERF-VII-mediated transcriptional regulation remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of ERF74 (a member of the ERF-VII protein family) by examining the abiotic stress tolerance of an ERF74 overexpression line and a T-DNA insertion mutant using flow cytometry, transactivation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. 35S::ERF74 showed enhanced tolerance to drought, high light, heat and aluminum stresses, whereas the T-DNA insertion mutant erf74 and the erf74;erf75 double mutant displayed higher sensitivity. Using flow cytometry analysis, we found that erf74 and erf74;erf75 lines lack the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst in the early stages of various stresses, as a result of the lower expression level of RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG D (RbohD). Furthermore, ERF74 directly binds to the promoter of RbohD and activates its expression under different abiotic stresses. Moreover, induction of stress marker genes and ROS-scavenging enzyme genes under various stress conditions is dependent on the ERF74–RbohD–ROS signal pathway. We propose a pathway that involves ERF74 acting as an on–off switch controlling an RbohD-dependent mechanism in response to different stresses, subsequently maintaining hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Summary Chilling injury has a negative impact on the quantity and quality of crops, especially subtropical and tropical plants. The plant cell wall is not only the main source of biomass production, but also the first barrier to various stresses. Therefore, improving the understanding of the alterations in cell wall architecture is of great significance for both biomass production and stress adaptation. Herein, we demonstrated that the cell wall principal component cellulose accumulated during chilling stress, which was caused by the activation of MaCESA proteins. The sequence‐multiple comparisons show that a cold‐inducible NAC transcriptional factor MaNAC1, a homologue of Secondary Wall NAC transcription factors, has high sequence similarity with Arabidopsis SND3. An increase in cell wall thickness and cellulosic glucan content was observed in MaNAC1‐overexpressing Arabidopsis lines, indicating that MaNAC1 participates in cellulose biosynthesis. Over‐expression of MaNAC1 in Arabidopsis mutant snd3 restored the defective secondary growth of thinner cell walls and increased cellulosic glucan content. Furthermore, the activation of MaCESA7 and MaCESA6B cellulose biosynthesis genes can be directly induced by MaNAC1 through binding to SNBE motifs within their promoters, leading to enhanced cellulose content during low‐temperature stress. Ultimately, tomato fruit showed greater cold resistance in MaNAC1 overexpression lines with thickened cell walls and increased cellulosic glucan content. Our findings revealed that MaNAC1 performs a vital role as a positive modulator in modulating cell wall cellulose metabolism within banana fruit under chilling stress.

Cadmium (Cd) exerts a toxic influence on numerous crucial growth and development processes in plants, notably affecting seed germination rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll content, and biomass. While considerable advances in Cd uptake and detoxification of plants have been made, the mechanisms by which plants adapt to and tolerate Cd toxicity remain elusive. This review focuses on the relationship between Cd and plants and the prospects for phytoremediation of Cd pollution. We highlight the following issues: (1) the present state of Cd pollution and its associated hazards, encompassing the sources and distribution of Cd and the risks posed to human health; (2) the mechanisms underlying the uptake and transport of Cd, including the physiological processes associated with the uptake, translocation, and detoxification of Cd, as well as the pertinent gene families implicated in these processes; (3) the detrimental effects of Cd on plants and the mechanisms of detoxification, such as the activation of resistance genes, root chelation, vacuolar compartmentalization, the activation of antioxidant systems and the generation of non-enzymatic antioxidants; (4) the practical application of phytoremediation and the impact of incorporating exogenous substances on the Cd tolerance of plants.

Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are engineered techniques for targeted protein degradation. A bifunctional PROTAC molecule with two covalently-linked ligands recruits target protein and E3 ubiquitin ligase together to trigger proteasomal degradation of target protein by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. PROTAC has emerged as a promising approach for targeted therapy in various diseases, particularly in cancers. In this review, we introduce the principle and development of PROTAC technology, as well as the advantages of PROTACs over traditional anti-cancer therapies. Moreover, we summarize the application of PROTACs in targeting critical oncoproteins, provide the guidelines for the molecular design of PROTACs and discuss the challenges in the targeted degradation by PROTACs.