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One of the most significant environmental factors affecting plant growth, development and productivity is salt stress. The damage caused by salt to plants mainly includes ionic, osmotic and secondary stresses, while the plants adapt to salt stress through multiple biochemical and molecular pathways. Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most widely cultivated vegetable crops and a model dicot plant. It is moderately sensitive to salinity throughout the period of growth and development. Biotechnological efforts to improve tomato salt tolerance hinge on a synthesized understanding of the mechanisms underlying salinity tolerance. This review provides a comprehensive review of major advances on the mechanisms controlling salt tolerance of tomato in terms of sensing and signaling, adaptive responses, and epigenetic regulation. Additionally, we discussed the potential application of these mechanisms in improving salt tolerance of tomato, including genetic engineering, marker-assisted selection, and eco-sustainable approaches.

Background Soil salinization is one of the major environmental constraints to plant growth and agricultural production worldwide. Signaling components involving calcium (Ca 2+ ) and the downstream calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) play key roles in the perception and transduction of stress signals. However, the study of CPKs in cotton and their functions in response to salt stress remain unexplored. Results A total of 98 predicted CPKs were identified from upland cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. ‘TM-1’), and phylogenetic analyses classified them into four groups. Gene family distribution studies have revealed the substantial impacts of the genome duplication events to the total number of GhCPK s. Transcriptome analyses showed a wide distribution of CPK s’ expression among different organs. A total of 19 CPK s were selected for their rapid responses to salt stress at the transcriptional level, most of which were also incduced by the thylene-releasing chemical ethephon, suggesting a partal overlap of the salinity and ethylene responses. Silencing of 4 of the 19 CPKs ( GhCPK8 , GhCPK38 , GhCPK54 , and GhCPK55 ) severely compromised the basal cotton resistance to salt stress. Conclusions Our genome-wide expression analysis of CPK genes from up-land cotton suggests that CPK s are involved in multiple developmental responses as well as the response to different abiotic stresses. A cluster of the cotton CPK s was shown to participate in the early signaling events in cotton responses to salt stress. Our results provide significant insights on functional analysis of CPK s in cotton, especially in the context of cotton adaptions to salt stress.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer featured with high intra-tumoral heterogeneity and poor prognosis. To comprehensively delineate the PDAC intra-tumoral heterogeneity and the underlying mechanism for PDAC progression, we employed single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) to acquire the transcriptomic atlas of 57,530 individual pancreatic cells from primary PDAC tumors and control pancreases, and identified diverse malignant and stromal cell types, including two ductal subtypes with abnormal and malignant gene expression profiles respectively, in PDAC. We found that the heterogenous malignant subtype was composed of several subpopulations with differential proliferative and migratory potentials. Cell trajectory analysis revealed that components of multiple tumor-related pathways and transcription factors (TFs) were differentially expressed along PDAC progression. Furthermore, we found a subset of ductal cells with unique proliferative features were associated with an inactivation state in tumor-infiltrating T cells, providing novel markers for the prediction of antitumor immune response. Together, our findings provide a valuable resource for deciphering the intra-tumoral heterogeneity in PDAC and uncover a connection between tumor intrinsic transcriptional state and T cell activation, suggesting potential biomarkers for anticancer treatment such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation for stage III Kümmell disease. Twenty-five patients with stage III Kümmell disease who received bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine between June 2009 and December 2015 were enrolled. All patients were females with a history of osteoporosis. The vertebral Cobb angle (V-Cobb angle), the fixed segment Cobb Angle (S-Cobb angle), pelvic parameters, visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were assessed preoperatively, postoperatively and at the final follow-up. Complications, loosening rate, operation time, and intraoperative bleeding were recorded. The average lumbar vertebral density T-value was − 3.68 ± 0.71 SD, and the average age was 71.84 ± 5.39. The V-Cobb angle, S-Cobb angle, and Sagittal Vertical Axis (SVA) were significantly smaller postoperatively compared to the preoperative values. The VAS and ODI at 1 month after surgery were 3.60 ± 1.00 and 36.04 ± 6.12%, respectively, which were both significantly lower than before surgery (VAS: 8.56 ± 1.04, ODI: 77.80 ± 6.57%). Bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation is a safe and effective treatment for stage III Kümmell disease. It can effectively correct kyphosis, restore and maintain sagittal balance, and maintain spinal stability.

The purpose of this study was to understand the dynamic behaviors of lignin-amended loess. Dynamic properties tests of lignin-amended loess with different contents and strength tests at optimum content were carried out by using a hollow cylinder torsion shear apparatus. Firstly, the effect of lignin fiber content (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3% and 4%) on the dynamic properties of improved loess was investigated, and the results showed that the optimal lignin content for improved loess was 1%, at which time compared with pure loess the highest increase of the dynamic shear stress in the skeleton curve of the soil was 73.8%, the increase of dynamic shear modulus was 26%, and the decrease of dynamic damping ratio was 60%; Then, the effects of moisture content (12%, 17%, 21%) and consolidated confining pressure (100 kPa, 200 kPa, 300 kPa) on the dynamic strength of 1% modified loess were studied, and the subsidence characteristics of the improved loess were also focused on, the results indicated that the dynamic strength of the improved loess decreased with the increase of moisture content and increase with the confining pressure, and the seismic characteristics increase with the increase of dynamic shear stress and the number of cycles.

Background When developing CRISPR/Cas9 systems for crops, it is crucial to invest time characterizing the genome editing efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 cassettes, especially if the transformation system is difficult or time-consuming. Cotton is an important crop for the production of fiber, oil, and biofuel. However, the cotton stable transformation is usually performed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens taking between 8 and 12 months to generate T 0 plants. Furthermore, cotton is a heterotetraploid and targeted mutagenesis is considered to be difficult as many genes are duplicated in this complex genome. The application of CRISPR/Cas9 in cotton is severely hampered by the long and technically challenging genetic transformation process, making it imperative to maximize its efficiency. Results In this study, we provide a new system to evaluate and validate the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 cassettes in cotton using a transient expression system. By using this system, we could select the most effective CRISPR/Cas9 cassettes before the stable transformation. We have also optimized the existing cotton CRISPR/Cas9 system to achieve vastly improved mutagenesis efficiency by incorporating an endogenous GhU6 promoter that increases sgRNA expression levels over the Arabidopsis AtU6 - 29 promoter. The 300 bp GhU6.3 promoter was cloned and validated using the transient expression system. When sgRNAs were expressed under the control of the GhU6.3 promoter in CRISPR/Cas9 cassettes, expression levels were 6–7 times higher than those provided by the AtU6 - 29 promoter and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation efficiency was improved 4–6 times. Conclusions This study provides essential improvements to maximize CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation efficiency by reducing risk and workload for the application of CRISPR/Cas9 approaches in the targeted mutagenesis of cotton.

Purpose To understand which environmental factors influence the distribution and ecological functions of bacteria in agricultural soil. Method A broad range of farmland soils was sampled from 206 locations in Jilin province, China. We used 16S rRNA gene-based Illumina HiSeq sequencing to estimated soil bacterial community structure and functions. Result The dominant taxa in terms of abundance were found to be, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria. Bacterial communities were dominantly affected by soil pH, whereas soil organic carbon did not have a significant influence on bacterial communities. Soil pH was significantly positively correlated with bacterial operational taxonomic unit abundance and soil bacterial α-diversity (P<0.05) spatially rather than with soil nutrients. Bacterial functions were estimated using FAPROTAX, and the relative abundance of anaerobic and aerobic chemoheterotrophs, and nitrifying bacteria was 27.66%, 26.14%, and 6.87%, respectively, of the total bacterial community. Generally, the results indicate that soil pH is more important than nutrients in shaping bacterial communities in agricultural soils, including their ecological functions and biogeographic distribution.

Background Plant Na + /H + antiporters (NHXs) are membrane-localized proteins that maintain cellular Na + /K + and pH homeostasis. Considerable evidence highlighted the critical roles of NHX family in plant development and salt response; however, NHXs in cotton are rarely studied. Results The comprehensive and systematic comparative study of NHXs in three Gossypium species was performed. We identified 12, 12, and 23 putative NHX proteins from G. arboreum , G. raimondii , and G. hirsutum , respectively. Phylogenetic study revealed that repeated polyploidization of Gossypium spp. contributed to the expansion of NHX family. Gene structure analysis showed that cotton NHXs contain many introns, which will lead to alternative splicing and help plants to adapt to high salt concentrations in soil. The expression changes of NHX s indicate the possible differences in the roles of distinct NHX s in salt response. GhNHX1 was proved to be located in the vacuolar system and intensively induced by salt stress in cotton. Silencing of GhNHX1 resulted in enhanced sensitivity of cotton seedlings to high salt concentrations, which suggests that GhNHX1 positively regulates cotton tolerance to salt stress. Conclusion We characterized the gene structure, phylogenetic relationship, chromosomal location, and expression pattern of NHX genes from G. arboreum , G. raimondii , and G. hirsutum . Our findings indicated that the cotton NHX genes are regulated meticulously and differently at the transcription level with possible alternative splicing. The tolerance of plants to salt stress may rely on the expression level of a particular NHX , rather than the number of NHXs in the genome. This study could provide significant insights into the function of plant NHX s, as well as propose promising candidate genes for breeding salt-resistant cotton cultivars.

Background Interspecific hybrid combinations of Larimichthys crocea × Larimichthys polyactis exhibit heterosis in terms of growth traits; however, the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. DNA methylation plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and is involved in growth and development processes. In this study, we comprehensively investigated intricate regulatory processes by integrating transcriptome and methylome datasets from brain, liver, and muscle tissues. Results We analyzed a total of 72 sequence datasets, including transcriptome and genome-wide DNA methylome data, from 36 tissue samples using LC, LP, LPC and LCP. We elucidated the distinct expression patterns of these four populations and examined their interactions with DNA methylation. Our findings revealed diverse DNA methylation profiles and demonstrated a greater number of hypo-DMRs in hybrid yellow croakers than in their parental lines. The majority (86 ~ 92%) of these DMRs were observed within the CG context. Moreover, we found that most DMRs were located within promoter regions as well as exons and introns. A total of 1288 DMEGs were identified through correlation analysis between DNA methylation and transcriptional activity. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that most of the DMEGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to the protein export pathway, proteasome, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, autophagy-other pathway. Furthermore, we screened candidate growth-related genes, such as stat2 , capn2 , akt1 , mTOR , and mef2aa . Among these, the expression levels of capn2 , mTOR , and akt1 exhibited a positive correlation with DNA methylation levels, whereas the expression levels of stat2 and mef2aa showed a negative correlation. These findings suggest that alterations in DNA methylation patterns may promote growth advantages in hybrid yellow croaker by modulating the expression of these genes. Conclusions Epigenetic changes exert distinct influences on genes related to growth heterosis. The presented data establish a foundation for comprehending the epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations underlying the growth of hybrid yellow croaker, thereby providing preliminary insights into the molecular mechanisms of growth heterosis. These findings have significant implications for breeding programs aimed at enhancing yellow croaker production.

PurposeTo evaluate the incidence, type and risk factors of cement leakage (CL) with cement-augmented pedicle screw instrumentation (CAPSI) in degenerative lumbosacral disease.MethodsTwo hundred and two patients using a total of 950 cement-augmented screws were enrolled. CL was classified into three types: type S: leakage via segmental veins; type B: leakage via basivertebral veins; and type I: leakage via pedicle screw instrumentation to paravertebral soft tissue. The age, gender, operation stage (primary or later stage), body mass index, bone mineral density, the number and type of augmented screw, the position of the tip of screw (lateral or internal part of vertebral body), the position of screw (left or right side), the volume of bone cement, location of the augmented vertebra (lumbar or sacrum), the type of CL and complications were recorded. Binary logistic regression correlation was used to analyze risk factors of veins leakage (type S and type B).ResultsThe CL was observed in 165 patients (81.68%) and 335 screws (35.26%), leakage types of S, B and I were seen in 255 (76.12%), 77 (22.99%), and 30 (8.96%) of screws, respectively. Besides, double or multiple routes of leakage were seen in 27 screws. Number of augmented screw was a risk factor for vein leakage (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.44–0.77; P = 0.000). Furthermore, the doses of cement (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.61–0.99; P = 0.038) and the position of screw (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.29–0.53; P = 0.000) were identified as risk factors for type S, and the doses of bone cement (OR 0.37; 95% CI 0.25–0.54; P = 0.000) and the position of the tip of screw (OR 0.07; 95% CI 0.04–0.13; P = 0.000) were risk factors for type B.ConclusionsCAPSI bears a high risk of asymptomatic CL, with a higher rate of leakage into segmental veins and basivertebral veins. As is known, more augmented screws and larger doses of cement are risk factors for veins leakage (type S and type B), while the tip of screw approaching to the midline of the vertebral body is another risk factor to type B. Thus, the CL could be reduced by the amelioration of operative techniques and procedures.Graphical abstractThese slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.