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Aim Plant metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) are plant membrane divalent cation transporters that specifically contribute to heavy metal stress resistance and mineral uptake. However, little is known about this family’s molecular behaviors and biological activities in soybean. Methods and results A total of 20 potential MTP candidate genes were identified and studied in the soybean genome for phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distributions, gene structures, gene ontology, cis-elements, and previous gene expression. Furthermore, the expression of MTPs has been investigated under different heavy metals treatments. All identified soybean MTPs ( GmaMTP s) contain a cation efflux domain or a ZT dimer and are further divided into three primary cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) groups: Mn-CDFs, Zn-CDFs, and Fe/Zn-CDFs. The developmental analysis reveals that segmental duplication contributes to the GmaMTP family’s expansion. Tissue-specific expression profiling revealed comparative expression profiling in similar groups, although gene expression differed between groups. GmaMTP genes displayed biased responses in either plant leaves or roots when treated with heavy metal. In the leaves and roots, nine and ten GmaMTP s responded to at least one metal ion treatment. Furthermore, in most heavy metal treatments, GmaMTP1.1 , GmaMTP1.2 , GmaMTP3.1 , GmaMTP3.2 , GmaMTP4.1 , and GmaMTP4.3 exhibited significant expression responses. Conclusion Our findings provided insight into the evolution of MTPs in soybean. Overall, our findings shed light on the evolution of the MTP gene family in soybean and pave the path for further functional characterization of this gene family.

The Qinghai Plateau’s high-altitude conditions present significant challenges for wheat cultivation, demanding varieties with enhanced adaptability and stress resistance. However, the genetic basis for key traits like grain yield and stress tolerance in wheat adapted to these conditions remains poorly understood. This knowledge is crucial for developing wheat varieties that can thrive in the harsh environment of the Qinghai Plateau.This study aimed to uncover the genetic foundation of key traits by analyzing five F 2 populations from crosses between Qinghai Plateau spring wheat varieties and CIMMYT germplasm. We used a target sequencing breeder chip to assess phenotypic variation in six parental lines. We identified potential genes for all-stage resistance (APR) and adult plant resistance (ASR) to stripe rust. Genotyping lines across the F 2 populations revealed 99 loci/genes associated with ten key traits, with 35 showing genetic separation. Notably, the number of stripe rust resistance genes in the parental lines ranged from 4 to 9, with the F 2 lines aggregating between 0 and 9 genes. Grain-related genes were aggregated in varying numbers, with the majority of lines carrying two genes. Gene frequency analysis revealed significant variation across populations, contributing valuable data for marker-assisted breeding and advancing wheat molecular breeding research.

Determining and improving drought-tolerant cultivars is a major goal of plant breeding to face climate change. The productivity of faba bean in Egypt is affected by abiotic stresses, especially drought stress. This study evaluated eight Egyptian faba bean cultivars for drought tolerance under three soil water regimes consisting of well-watered (100% field capacity), moderate drought stress (50% field capacity), and severe drought stress (25% field capacity) regimes in pots under greenhouse conditions using biochemical, physiochemical, and molecular parameters. The cultivars Nubariya 1, Nubariya 3, and Giza 716 showed the highest proline content values under 50% field capacity conditions, with 4.94, 4.39, and 4.26 mmol/g fresh weights, respectively. On the other hand, the cultivars Sakha 1, Sakha 4, Nubariya 1, and Nubariya 3 exhibited the highest proline contents (7.8, 7.53, 6.17, and 6.25, respectively) under 25% field capacity treatment. The molecular profiling was conducted using SCoT and SRAP approaches. Fresh leaves were utilized to extract the DNA, and ten primers for SRAP and six for SCoT were used in the PCR procedures. SCoT and SRAP-PCR generated 72 loci, of which, 55 were polymorphic, and 17 were monomorphic. SCoT and SRAP each had 48 and 24 total loci, respectively. The average polymorphism (%) values achieved via SCoT and SRAP were 70.93% and 80%, respectively. Based on the molecular profiles, the cluster analysis identified three clusters. The first cluster comprised Giza 716 cultivars; the second cluster included Sakha 1, Sakha 3, Sakha 4, and Akba 3300 cultivars; the third cluster comprised two cultivars Nubariya 1 and Nubariya3. According to the study’s findings, Sakha 1, Sakha 4, Nubariya 1, and Nubariya 3 are remarkable parents for developing drought-tolerant faba bean genotypes. Additionally, this study concluded that SRAP and SCoT markers recreated trustworthy banding profiles to evaluate the genetic polymorphism among faba bean cultivars, which are regarded as the cornerstone for genetic improvements in crops.

Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize the genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant genotypes. Several methods are used to identify genotypes with desirable phenotypic features for breeding experiments. In this study, five kalanchoe genotypes were morphologically characterized by assessing plant height, number of inflorescences, number of flowers, flower length, flower diameter and number of petals. The analysis showed the distinction of yellow kalanchoe in the plant height trait, while the orange kalanchoe was distinguished in the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers and flower length traits, whereas the violet kalanchoe possessed the largest flower diameter and the highest number of petals. The molecular profiling was performed by random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tools. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and the PCR reactions were performed using ten primers for each SCoT, ISSR and RAPD marker. Only four out of ten primers showed amplicon profiles in all PCR markers. A total of 70 bands were generated by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR with 35 polymorphic bands and 35 monomorphic bands. The total number of bands of RAPD, ISSR and SCoT was 15, 17 and 38, respectively. The polymorphism percentages achieved by RAPD, ISSR and SCoT were 60.25%, 15% and 57%, respectively. The cluster analysis based on morphological data revealed two clusters. Cluster I consisted of violet and orange kalanchoe, and cluster II comprised red, yellow and purple kalanchoe. Whereas the cluster analysis based on molecular data revealed three clusters. Cluster I included only yellow kalanchoe, cluster II comprised orange and violet kalanchoe while cluster III comprised red, and purple kalanchoe. The study concluded that orange, violet and yellow kalanchoe are distinguished parents for breeding economically valued traits in kalanchoe. Also, the study concluded that SCoT and RAPD markers reproduced reliable banding patterns to assess the genetic polymorphism among kalanchoe genotypes that consider the basis stone for genetic improvements in ornamental plants.

Investigating genetic diversity of maize inbred lines is crucial for enhancing breeding for higher yields, resilience, and ensuring sustainable maize production amidst climate change and the rapidly growing global population. This study aimed to evaluate the phenological attributes, plant stature, ear characteristics, and grain yield of 14 newly developed Egyptian maize inbred lines across three growing seasons under arid conditions in Egypt. Furthermore, the assessment of the genetic diversity among these lines using three molecular marker techniques: start codon targeted (SCoT), conserved DNA-derived polymorphism (CDDP), sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP). Field evaluation revealed considerable variations in phenological characters including days to tasseling and silking. The earliest maturing lines such as IKA22 demonstrate potential suitability for short growing seasons. Plant and ear heights varied considerably. Taller lines (such as LCM54 and RA28C) potentially offered greater photosynthetic capacity, while shorter lines (such as IKA22, B17AB, and SSK36) may have exhibited improved lodging resistance, especially under adverse weather conditions. Ear diameter and length fluctuated across seasons, with ZBM40A, RA28C, DKCA2, and LZAM7B exhibiting favorable ear length and diameter. The number of rows per ear and kernels per row varied across seasons, with LZAM7B, RA28C and ZBM40A demonstrating the best performance. Grain yield per plant also revealed seasonal variation, with RA28C, ZBM40A, DKCA2, and LZAM7B showing higher yields. The assessed lines were grouped into six categories based on yield-related traits with RA28C demonstrating the best overall performance, followed by ZBM40A, DKCA2, and LZAM7B. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified associations between these lines and yield-related traits, emphasizing their potential as the most promising candidates for improving maize yield. Moreover, heatmap clustering confirmed the genetic potential and divergence of these lines. PCA demonstrated robust associations between grain yield and critical traits such as rows per ear, ear diameter, and kernels per row, emphasizing their importance for indirect selection. Molecular analysis amplified a total of 95 loci, of which 74 were polymorphic, reflecting substantial genetic variability. The percentage of polymorphism ranged from 0% to 100%, averaging 72.46%. Genetic distance analysis revealed a range of similarities and dissimilarities among these lines. The closest genetic similarity was observed between LZAM7B and ZBM40A, while the greatest divergence was found between LZAM7B and DKCA2. These findings offer valuable insights into the genetic potential of the studied inbred lines, laying a strong foundation for developing resilient, high-yielding maize hybrids for arid and semi-arid environments. Integrating phenotypic and molecular data provides valuable insights for selecting suitable inbred lines in hybrid maize breeding.

Caseins determine the physicochemical, physiological, and biological characteristics of milk. Four caseins—alpha-S-1, alpha-S-2, beta, and kappa—were analyzed phylogenetically and in silico and characterized regarding chemical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant features in five dairy animals: Arabian camels, sheep, goats, cattle, and water buffalos. The sequence of full-length amino acids of the four caseins for the five species was retracted from the NCBI GenBank database. Multiple sequence alignment is used to examine further the candidate sequences for phylogenetic analysis using Clustal X and NJ-Plot tools. The results revealed that sheep and goats possess strong similarities (98.06%) because of their common ancestor. The same was observed with cattle and water buffalos (96.25%). The Arabian camel was located in a single subclade due to low similarity in casein residues and compositions with other dairy animals. Protein modeling showed that alpha-S1- and alpha-S2-caseins possess the highest number of phosphoserine residues. The in silico computed chemical properties showed that β-casein recorded highest hydrophobicity index and lowest basic amino acid content, while α-S2-casein showed the opposite. The computed biological parameters revealed that α-S2-casein presented the highest bactericidal stretches. Only Arabian camel β-casein and k-casein showed one bactericidal stretches. The analysis also revealed that β-casein, particularly in Arabian camels, possesses the highest antioxidant activity index. These results support the importance of the bioinformatics resources to determine milk casein micelles' chemical and biological activities.

Durum and bread wheat are well adapted to the Mediterranean Basin. Twenty-three genotypes of each species were grown to evaluate the intra- and inter-genetic diversity based on omega ( ω ), gamma ( γ ) and alpha ( α )-gliadin profiles. To achieve this purpose, the endosperm storage proteins (both gliadins and glutenins) were extracted from wheat grains and electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)–polyacrylamide gels. The results of SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed nine polymorphic loci out of 16 loci with durum wheat genotypes and nine polymorphic loci out of 18 loci with bead wheat genotypes. The polymorphisms revealed by the SDS-PAGE were 56% and 50% in durum and bread wheat genotypes, respectively. Using the cluster analysis, the durum wheat genotypes were clustered into five groups, while the bread wheat genotypes were grouped into six clusters using un-weighed pair group mean analyses based on ω , γ , and α -gliadins profiles. The 46 durum and bread wheat genotypes were grouped into seven clusters based on the combined ω , γ , and α -gliadins profiles revealed by the SDS-PAGE. The in silico analysis determined the intra-genetic diversity between bread and durum wheat based on the sequences of ω , γ , and α -gliadins. The alignment of ω -gliadin revealed the highest polymorphism (52.1%) between bread and durum wheat, meanwhile, the alignment of γ and α -gliadins revealed very low polymorphism 6.6% and 15.4%, respectively. According to computational studies, all gliadins contain a lot of glutamine and proline residues. The analysis revealed that the bread wheat possessed ω and γ -gliadins with a lower content of proline and a higher content of glutamine than durum wheat. In contrast, durum wheat possessed α -gliadin with a lower content of proline and a higher content of glutamine than bread wheat. In conclusion, the SDS-PAGE, in silico and computational analyses are effective tools to determine the intra- and inter-genetic diversity in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat genotypes based on ω , γ , and α -gliadins profiles.

Artemisia annua L. is a medicinal plant valued for its ability to produce artemisinin, a molecule used to treat malaria. Plant nutrients, especially phosphorus (P), can potentially influence plant biomass and secondary metabolite production. Our work aimed to explore the genetic and metabolic response of A. annua to hardly soluble aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 , AlP), using soluble monopotassium phosphate (KH 2 PO 4 , KP) as a control. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) was used to analyze artemisinin. RNA sequencing, gene ontology (GO), and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were applied to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under poor P conditions. Results showed a significant reduction in plant growth parameters, such as plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf areas, and total biomass of A. annua . Conversely, LC–MS analysis revealed a significant increase in artemisinin concentration under the AlP compared to the KP. Transcriptome analysis revealed 762 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the AlP and the KP. GH3 , SAUR , CRE1 , and PYL , all involved in plant hormone signal transduction, showed differential expression. Furthermore, despite the downregulation of HMGR in the artemisinin biosynthesis pathway, the majority of genes ( ACAT , FPS , CYP71AV1 , and ALDH1 ) were upregulated, resulting in increased artemisinin accumulation in the AlP. In addition, 12 transcription factors, including GATA and MYB , were upregulated in response to AlP, confirming their importance in regulating artemisinin biosynthesis. Overall, our findings could contribute to a better understanding the parallel transcriptional regulation of plant hormone transduction and artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua L. in response to hardly soluble phosphorus fertilizer.

The Qinghai Plateau's high-altitude conditions present significant challenges for wheat cultivation, demanding varieties with enhanced adaptability and stress resistance. However, the genetic basis for key traits like grain yield and stress tolerance in wheat adapted to these conditions remains poorly understood. This knowledge is crucial for developing wheat varieties that can thrive in the harsh environment of the Qinghai Plateau.This study aimed to uncover the genetic foundation of key traits by analyzing five F populations from crosses between Qinghai Plateau spring wheat varieties and CIMMYT germplasm. We used a target sequencing breeder chip to assess phenotypic variation in six parental lines. We identified potential genes for all-stage resistance (APR) and adult plant resistance (ASR) to stripe rust. Genotyping lines across the F populations revealed 99 loci/genes associated with ten key traits, with 35 showing genetic separation. Notably, the number of stripe rust resistance genes in the parental lines ranged from 4 to 9, with the F lines aggregating between 0 and 9 genes. Grain-related genes were aggregated in varying numbers, with the majority of lines carrying two genes. Gene frequency analysis revealed significant variation across populations, contributing valuable data for marker-assisted breeding and advancing wheat molecular breeding research.

This paper examines the effects of institutional quality on firm-level financial performance. The data include non-financial firms listed in stock exchanges in G8 and MENA countries. The total number of firms in the G8 and MENA is 347 and 389, respectively, covering the period 2017-2020. The results show that, in the G8 countries, institutional quality is associated significantly and positively with asset efficiency, expense control, debt financing, and liquidity. In the MENA countries, institutional quality is associated significantly and positively with liquidity and profitability, but negatively with asset efficiency, expense control, and debt financing. The results show that the effect of corporate size is asymmetrical. The results also reveal a significant institutional convergence between G8 and MENA countries in terms of voice & accountability, political stability, and government effectiveness. Nevertheless, institutional quality in the G8 is better off that of the MENA countries in terms of Rule of law, Control of Corruption, and Regulatory Quality. The results also show that the duration of improvement in institutional quality takes between 2-4 years to have a significant effect of firms' financial performance. This paper offers a contribution to corporate managers in terms of offering a guide to design financial strategies that adapts to the quality of institutions in the respective countries. A further contribution is offered to policy makers in terms of offering a road map to improve institutional quality that helps improve the financial performance of the business sector.