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Rice false smut (RFS) caused by the ascomycete (teleomorph: ) is a destructive fungal disease all over the world. The RFS balls are ball-like colonies transformed from individual grains through the infection of . The sclerotia, which are dormant structures, typically generate from the late-stage RFS balls, and produce ascospores that play a dominant role in the life cycle of the pathogen. can produce mycotoxins, mainly including ustiloxins and ustilaginoidins, that are toxic to rice plants and animals and pose a serious threat to their health. Though ustiloxins and ustilaginoidins have been isolated from the RFS balls, their distribution and contents in the sclerotia remain unclear. In this study, a systematic content analysis of main mycotoxins was conducted on the sclerotia and other parts of the late-stage RFS balls. Ustiloxins were predominantly found in the sclerotia and middle layer, whereas ustilagnoidins mainly accumulated in the outer and middle layers and rarely accumulated in the sclerotia and inner layer of RFS balls. The findings were further supported by transcriptome and RT-qPCR analysis data. The different accumulation and distribution of these two kinds of mycotoxins in the sclerotia and other parts of the RFS balls may be related to their specific physiological functions and deserve further investigation.

Asparagine synthetase B (AS-B) is essential for nitrogen metabolism, but its broader physiological functions remain poorly understood. Here we show that the evolutionarily conserved Nicotiana benthamiana NbAS-B confers expression-dependent antiviral resistance and promotes plant growth. Multi-omics analyses indicate that NbAS-B-mediated antiviral immunity relies on glutamate-induced activation of Ca²⁺ signaling through the receptor GLR3.3, whereas its growth-promoting effect results from photosynthetic reprogramming. Building on these insights, we develop polyglutamate-loaded chitosan nanogels (PGANPs) to artificially manipulate this pathway. These nanogels efficiently enter plant tissues and enable sustained in situ release of glutamate, thereby mimicking and amplifying NbAS-B signaling outputs. PGANPs provide long-lasting systemic antiviral immunity while concurrently enhancing plant growth, without incurring metabolic costs. Our work identifies NbAS-B as a dual-function regulator linking metabolic status to immune activation and establishes PGANPs as an eco-friendly, controllable, and durable nanobiotechnology for managing viral diseases in crops. Controlling plant metabolism to improve growth and disease resistance has huge potential. Here, the authors find a conserved pathway which promotes antiviral resistance and promotes plant growth and develop polyglutamate-loaded chitosan nanogels to manipulate this pathway.

Fungal histone methylation modification (HMM) includes methylation and demethylation at the histone lysine/arginine residues, which are catalyzed by the methyltransferases (HMTs) and demethylases (HDMs) of histone, respectively. In phytopathogenic fungi, HMM plays crucial roles in the environmental stress responses, growth and development, pathogenicity, and production of secondary metabolites (SMs). One of the most important functions of fungal HMM is to regulate the gene expression responsible for the production of SMs. Most phytopathogenic fungi produce toxic SMs, commonly known as mycotoxins, which often act as pathogenic factors causing plant diseases. This mini-review focuses on HMT- and HDM-mediated regulation of HMM and its influence on SM production in phytopathogenic fungi. Six lysine residues, five in histone H3 (K4, K9, K27, K36, and K79) and one in histone H4 (K20), are methylated by specific HMTs to affect fungal secondary metabolism. Additionally, arginine methylation at histone H4R3 and lysine demethylases (KDM4 and KDM5) have been implicated in fungal secondary metabolism. Notably, methylation at H3K4, H3K36, and H3K79 typically activates this metabolic process. By contrast, methylation at H3K9, H3K27, and H4K20 suppresses the process. HMM can activate or repress biosynthetic gene cluster expression, thereby enhancing or inhibiting fungal SM production. This strategy offers novel targets for controlling mycotoxin production in phytopathogenic fungi. We also discuss the limitations and future perspectives of manipulating HMM to control SM biosynthesis in phytopathogenic fungi.

Lactic acid is the most widely occurring natural organic acid in nature. It not only exhibits mild and safe properties but also possesses multiple physiological activities, such as antibacterial effects, immune regulation, and promotion of wound healing, making it one of the most popular chemical peeling agents. Chemical peels are commonly used in the field of aesthetic dermatology as a non-invasive therapeutic approach. This research aims to provide valuable references for clinical dermatologists by summarizing the characteristics of lactic acid, elucidating its mechanism of action in peeling, and investigating the clinical applications of this compound. Furthermore, it anticipates the potential for lactic acid to be the most suitable chemical peeling agent for Chinese skin.

In summary, our study establishes that NbTLP1 plays a crucial role in mediating the SA signalling pathway, thereby contributing to the suppression of P. capsici infection through its interaction with NbPR1 to form a heterodimer. These findings provide a fundamental basis for the genetic enhancement of P. capsici‐resistant crops through targeted breeding strategies.

Plant virus infections commonly inhibit leaf photosynthesis, leading to characteristic symptoms such as chlorosis. However, whether a conserved mechanism underpins this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the coat protein (CP) of tobacco rattle virus (TRV) interacts with Nicotiana benthamiana ferredoxin (NbFd1) in chloroplasts, recruiting the 26S proteasome to promote NbFd1 degradation. This degradation reduces the net photosynthetic rate facilitated by NbFd1, ultimately causing leaf chlorosis. Notably, this interaction is not unique to TRV CP, as other viral proteins also recognise Fd1, suggesting a conserved mechanism among plant viruses. Evolutionary analyses indicate that Fd1 originated from prokaryotic photosynthetic bacteria and was maintained in plants through endosymbiosis under strong selective pressure. Notably, Fd1 from Selaginella moellendorffii, an early‐diverging vascular plant, is also recognised by TRV CP, suggesting an ancient origin of this interaction. In addition, Solanum lycopersicum Fd1 interacts with TRV CP, and its overexpression suppresses TRV‐GFP infection, supporting a defensive role. Together, these findings show that TRV CP targets Fd1 to impair host photosynthesis and promote symptom development, whereas highlighting the evolutionary significance of this interaction. TRV coat protein interacts with and destabilises chloroplast Fd1, impairing photosynthetic electron transport and compromising antiviral defence.

The Chinese herbal medicine industry plays a crucial role globally, providing traditional remedies and significantly contributing to healthcare. Disease prevention and control in Chinese herbal medicine face unique challenges distinct from conventional plant protection methods. The distinctive requirements for disease control add complexity to disease management, necessitating specialized approaches. In this study, we developed a bio-based hydrogel (CSA-gel) using a straightforward procedure designed for the sustained release of azoxystrobin for soil disinfection with the aim of preventing fungal diseases in Chinese herbal medicine. The synthesized hydrogel was characterized using FTIR, zeta potential measurement, cryo-TEM, SEM, and elemental analysis. CSA-gel demonstrated a release duration of azoxystrobin for over 14 days, maintaining high antifungal activity throughout the entire release period. Additionally, CSA-gel exhibited the ability to release a significant quantity of calcium ions during pesticide release, fostering plant growth and enhancing plant disease resistance. The use of CSA-gel is anticipated to decrease both how often and how much pesticide is needed, highlighting the significance of our research in improving sustainable disease control in traditional Chinese herbal medicine farming.

Background Enlarged facial pores are a common cosmetic concern of the skin, rather than a disease, and have not received much attention from dermatologists in recent years. Consequently, progress in understanding their pathogenesis has been limited, and current cosmetic solutions have limitations. Given that the complement system has regained interest as a key player in chronic inflammatory skin conditions, various mechanisms involving this system are being investigated. Objective We aimed to shed light on the mechanism underlying enlarged facial pores by examining the role of the complement system in skin. Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature search utilizing various academic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Employing keywords such as \"complement system,\" \"inflammation,\" \"facial pores,\" \"enlarged,\" and \"mechanisms,\" we compiled a selection of relevant studies. These studies provided a comprehensive understanding of the intricate mechanisms underlying the relationship between the \"complement system\" and \"inflammation\" within the context of facial pore enlargement. Results Our findings suggest that inflammaging mediated by complement activation may be a critical player in the formation of enlarged facial pores. Specifically, overactivation of the complement system leading to the accumulation of complement fragments could be a major contributor to this process. Notably, the complement system in skin may be involved in a range of skin issues, including aging. Conclusion Modulating the complement system presents a promising avenue for future research in improving skin health. Further basic and clinical research is necessary to validate these findings, but we hope that this study can serve as a theoretical foundation for the development of targeted cosmetics.

Membrane computing is an emergent branch of natural computing, which is inspired by the structure and the functioning of living cells, as well as the organization of cells in tissues, organs, and other higher order structures. Tissue P systems are a class of the most investigated computing models in the framework of membrane computing, especially in the aspect of efficiency. To generate an exponential resource in a polynomial time, cell separation is incorporated into such systems, thus obtaining so called tissue P systems with cell separation. In this work, we exploit the computational efficiency of this model and construct a uniform family of such tissue P systems for solving the independent set problem, a well-known NP-complete problem, by which an efficient solution can be obtained in polynomial time.

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an efficient mechanical energy harvesting device that exhibits excellent performance in the fields of micro-nano energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. In practical application scenarios, it is very important to monitor the speed of rotational machinery in real time. In order to monitor a wider range of rotational speeds, the TENG based on a machine learning algorithm is designed in this paper. The peak power of the TENG reaches a maximum of 6.6 mW and can instantly light up 65 LEDs connected in series. The results show that machine learning can detect speed, greatly improving the speed detection range. The neural network is trained and tested based on the collected electrical signals at different speeds so as to monitor the health of the machine. For the analysis of the collected experimental data, normalization data and a more practical label assignment method of Gaussian soft coding were considered. The study found that after data normalization, the classification prediction accuracy for different speeds is above 0.9, and the prediction results are stable and efficient. Therefore, the machine learning prediction model for speed monitoring proposed by us can be applied to the early warning and monitoring of rotating machinery speed in actual engineering projects.