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The radial change (RC) of tree stem is the process of heartwood formation involved in complex molecular mechanism. Chinese fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), an evergreen species, is an important fast-growing timber tree in southern China. In this study, the top four stable genes ( IDH , UBC2 , RCA and H2B ) were selected in RC tissues of 15 years old Chinese fir stem (RC15) and the genes ( H2B , 18S , TIP41 and GAPDH ) were selected in RC tissues of 30 years old Chinese fir stem (RC30). The stability of the reference genes is higher in RC30 than in RC15. Sixty-one MYB transcripts were obtained on the PacBio Sequel platform from woody tissues of one 30 years old Chinese fir stem. Based on the number of MYB DNA-binding domain and phylogenetic relationships, the ClMYB transcripts contained 21 transcripts of MYB-related proteins (1R-MYB), 39 transcripts of R2R3-MYB proteins (2R-MYB), one transcript of R1R2R3-MYB protein (3R-MYB) belonged to 18 function-annotated clades and two function-unknown clades. In RC woody tissues of 30 years old Chinese fir stem, ClMYB22 was the transcript with the greatest fold change detected by both RNA-seq and qRT-PCR. Reference genes selected in this study will be helpful for further verification of transcript abundance patterns during the heartwood formation of Chinese fir.

Heteroatom doping is an effective strategy for improving the sodium storage performance of hard carbon. However, the use of sulfur and fluorine codoped carbon materials as anodes for sodium-ion batteries has not been reported. Here, an S-infused/S, F-codoped PVDF-derived carbon SFC5 was prepared by one-step carbonization of PVDF and synchronously used as an anode for a sodium-ion battery. The prepared SFC5 containing 10.11 at% S and 9.54 at% F is a short-range ordered amorphous carbon with a microporous structure. Owing to the structural advantages of S, F codoping, and the high specific capacity of S, SFC5 exhibited an outstanding sodium storage performance of 365 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 50 mA g−1 and 212 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 400 mA g−1. Moreover, theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) verify that S and F codoping can considerably reduce the Na+ adsorption energy and increase the electronic conductivity of SFC5. The current study presents a viable and facile approach to prepare high-performance, low-cost anode materials for SIBs, supported by empirical evidence and theoretical computations.

Endoscopic transmural drainage (TMD) has been accepted as the preferred therapy for symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs). Recurrence of PFCs presents a unique challenge in patients with disrupted pancreatic duct (PD). We aimed to evaluate whether transpapillary drainage (TPD) provides additional benefits to TMD in patients with PD disruption. This was a multicenter retrospective study. Consecutive patients who underwent TMD, TPD, or combined drainage (CD) of PFCs were included. The primary outcome was to compare PFC recurrence among different groups. The secondary outcomes were the technical success rate, length of hospital stay, and procedure-related complications. A total of 153 patients, which consists of 57 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts and 96 patients with walled-off necrosis, were included. PFC recurrence was more common in patients with PD disruption than those with an intact main duct (19% vs 1.4%, P < 0.001). PD disruption was identified as a major risk factor of PFC recurrence by univariable and multivariable analyses. The recurrence rate of CD was significantly lower than TMD only or TPD only (6.5% vs 15.4% vs 22.7%, P < 0.01). The length of hospital stay of CD was significantly shorter than TMD only or TPD only (5 [3.0-9.0] vs 7.0 [5.0-12.0] vs 9 [7.0-16.0], P < 0.001). Dual-modality drainage did not increase procedure-related complications compared with TMD only (13.0% vs 12.8%, P > 0.05). Partial PD disruption was bridged in 87.3% cases while complete PD disruption was reconnected in 55.2% cases. Although statistically not significant, the clinical success rate in walled-off necrosis cases with actively bridged ducts was much higher than those with passively bridged ducts (76.9% vs 40%). Transpapillary pancreatic duct stenting seems to improve the efficacy of endoscopic TMD of pancreatic duct disruption-associated PFCs by reducing the recurrence rate and shortening the length of hospital stay.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a common pregnancy disease, has long-term negative effects on offspring health. Epigenetic changes may have important contributions to that, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we report the influence of GDM on DNA methylation of offspring (GDF1) oocytes and the possible mechanisms. Our results show that GDM induces genomic hyper-methylation of offspring oocytes, and at least a part of the altered methylation is inherited by F2 oocytes, which may be a reason for the inheritance of metabolic disorders. We further find that GDM exposure increases the expression of Ezh2 in oocytes. Ezh2 regulates DNA methylation via DNMT1, and Ezh2 knockdown reduces the genomic methylation level of GDF1 oocytes. These results suggest that GDM may induce oocyte genomic hyper-methylation of offspring via enhancing the Ezh2 expression recruiting more DNMT1 into nucleus. Gestational diabetes milletus (GDM) may have impairments on offspring health. Here, the authors suggest that the increase of EZH2 is an important reason for the disrupted DNA methylome in oocytes exposed to GDM, which may be associated with the transgenerational inheritance of the metabolic disorders.

NIN-like proteins (NLPs) are conserved, plant-specific transcription factors that play crucial roles in the nitrate signaling response, plant growth and development, and abiotic stress responses. However, their functions have not been explored in sweet potato. In this study, we identified 7 NLPs in cultivated hexaploid sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas, 2n = 6x = 90), 9 NLPs in the diploid relative Ipomoea trifida (2n = 2x = 30), and 12 NLPs in Ipomoea triloba (2n = 2x = 30) via genome structure analysis and phylogenetic characterization, respectively. The protein physiological properties, chromosome localization, phylogenetic relationships, syntenic analysis maps, gene structure, promoter cis-acting regulatory elements, and protein interaction networks were systematically investigated to explore the possible roles of homologous NLPs in the nitrate signaling response, growth and development, and abiotic stress responses in sweet potato. The expression profiles of the identified NLPs in different tissues and treatments revealed tissue specificity and various expression patterns in sweet potato and its two diploid relatives, supporting differences in the evolutionary trajectories of the hexaploid sweet potato. These results are a critical first step in understanding the functions of sweet potato NLPs and offer more candidate genes for improving nitrogen use efficiency and increasing yield in cultivated sweet potato.

After continuous cropping for many years, crops are often subject to growth inhibition, which seriously affects their yields.In agricultural production, soil fumigation can effectively alleviate the biological stress on plants. However, the relationship between the microbial groups that respond to soil fumigation changes and plants, as well as whether their existence makes a beneficial contribution to plants, remains unclear. We explored the mechanism of soil fumigation promoting plant growth by affecting microorganisms. The results showed that dazomet treatment significantly alleviated the growth retardation of tobacco, and this difference was most obvious in the flourishing period of tobacco, when the plant height and leaf area increased by 3.33 times and 3.24 times respectively. In addition, the growth advantage of the above-ground tissue was significantly correlated with the root advantage ( P  < 0.05). At the same time, we found that dazomet treatment significantly increased a large number of microbial groups positively related to roots, such as g_Pedobacter , g_Microbacterium and g_Brevundimonas . The results of structural equation modeling indicated that the microbial community, which was positively correlated with the amount of dazomet applied and also positively correlated with roots ( P  < 0.05), was an important factor contributing to the growth advantage of tobacco. Overall, the findings of this study are of great significance for enhancing our understanding of soil remediation by fumigation and may have far reaching implications for the practical application of dazomet fumigation.

Cuttage propagation involves adventitious root formation induced by auxin. In our previous study, Larix kaempferi BABY BOOM 1 ( LkBBM1 ), which is known to regulate adventitious root formation, was affected by auxin. However, the relationship between LkBBM1 and auxin remains unclear. Auxin response factors (ARFs) are a class of important transcription factors in the auxin signaling pathway and modulate the expression of early auxin-responsive genes by binding to auxin response elements. In the present study, we identified 14  L. kaempferi ARFs ( LkARFs ), and found LkARF7 and LkARF19 bound to LkBBM1 promoter and enhanced its transcription using yeast one-hybrid, ChIP-qPCR, and dual-luciferase assays. In addition, the treatment with naphthalene acetic acid promoted the expression of LkARF7 and LkARF19 . We also found that overexpression of these two genes in poplar promoted adventitious root formation. Furthermore, LkARF19 interacted with the DEAD-box ATP-dependent RNA helicase 53-like protein to form a heterodimer to regulate adventitious root formation. Altogether, our results reveal an additional regulatory mechanism underlying the control of adventitious root formation by auxin. Overexpression of the transcription factors LkARF7 and LkARF19 promote adventitious root (AR) formation in a heterologous poplar model by positively regulating LkBBM1, providing further insight into the mechanisms of AR development.

Background Chinese Nong-favor daqu, the presentative liquor starter of Baijiu, has been enriched with huge amounts of enzymes in degrading various biological macromolecules by openly man-made process for thousand years. According to previous metatranscriptomics analysis, plenty of α-glucosidases were identified to be active in NF daqu and played the key role in degrading starch under solid-state fermentation. However, none of α-glucosidases was characterized from NF daqu, and their actual functions in NF daqu were still unknown. Results An α-glucosidase (NFAg31A, GH31-1 subfamily), the second highest expressed α-glucosidases in starch degradation of NF daqu, was directly obtained by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). NFAg31A exhibited the highest sequence identities of 65.8% with α-glucosidase II from Chaetomium thermophilum , indicating its origin of fungal species, and it showed some similar features with homologous α-glucosidase IIs, i.e., optimal activity at pH ~ 7.0 and litter higher temperature of 45 ℃, well stability at 41.3 ℃ and a broad pH range of pH 6.0 to pH 10.0, and preference on hydrolyzing Glc-α1,3-Glc. Besides this preference, NFAg31A showed comparable activities on Glc-α1,2-Glc and Glc-α1,4-Glc, and low activity on Glc-α1,6-Glc, indicating its broad specificities on α-glycosidic substrates. Additionally, its activity was not stimulated by any of those detected metal ions and chemicals, and could be largely inhibited by glucose under solid-state fermentation. Most importantly, it exhibited competent and synergistic effects with two characterized α-amylases of NF daqu on hydrolyzing starch, i.e., all of them could efficiently degrade starch and malto-saccharides, two α-amylases showed advantage in degrading starch and long-chain malto-saccharides, and NFAg31A played the competent role with α-amylases in degrading short-chain malto-saccharides and the irreplaceable contribution in hydrolyzing maltose into glucose, thus alleviating the product inhibitions of α-amylases. Conclusions This study provides not only a suitable α-glucosidase in strengthening the quality of daqu, but also an efficient way to reveal roles of the complicated enzyme system in traditional solid-state fermentation. This study would further stimulate more enzyme mining from NF daqu, and promote their actual applications in solid-state fermentation of NF liquor brewing, as well as in other solid-state fermentation of starchy industry in the future.

Nong-flavor (NF) Daqu, a critical fermentation starter for traditional Baijiu, harbors diverse starch-degrading enzymes with poorly characterized functional dynamics. This study transcended traditional quality assessments by developing molecular approaches to dissect starch-hydrolyzing enzyme genes. Specific and degenerate primers targeting glucoamylase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase genes were designed, and key genes were qualitatively identified with distinct distributions among NF Daqus and unique presences between JXL and HB Daqu. Quantitative PCR revealed six genes with elevated expression in JXL Daqu versus HB Daqu, and which peaked during late fermentation in both Daqus. Metagenomics identified greater enzymatic diversity in HB Daqu. Phylogenetic clustering confirmed evolutionary conservation (GH13/GH15/GH31 families) and specificity of core enzyme genes across both Daqus. Enzymatic assays demonstrated the dominance of saccharification over α-glucosidase activity in both Daqus, with significantly higher α-glucosidase activity in JXL than HB Daqu. Divergent starch degradation strategies emerged: JXL prioritized high enzyme expression/activity, while HB utilized broader gene abundance. Based on Pearson correlation analysis, the saccharification activity showed the highest but weak correlation with α-glucosidase gene_15963 (r = 0.26), and was also positively correlated with the expression of all other enzyme genes except one glucoamylase gene. Meanwhile, α-glucosidase activity was most strongly linked to glucoamylase gene_22243 (r = 0.76), with additional correlations with two α-glucosidase genes being observed. This establishes RNA-based biomarkers for real-time quality control. Our findings decode divergent microbial strategies (JXL: high-expression/high-activity vs. HB: high-diversity) and provide a molecular framework for optimizing starch utilization in Baijiu fermentation. This technology holds potential to enable precision-driven standardization of traditional food production, which would reduce processing waste and enhance resource efficiency.

The Sanjiangyuan region is a typical ecologically vulnerable region. Although environmental initiatives in the region have had positive results, criticism has arisen that one of these, the ecological migration policy, did not achieve the desired results regarding the transition to off-farm employment and livelihoods. This study examined key factors influencing the engagement of pastoralists in the Sanjiangyuan region in off-farm employment. Binary logit and probit models were adopted along with in-depth household surveys in the Sanjiangyuan region to support the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results indicate that off-farm employment in the region is generally not significant (18.13% of the investigated households had members working in off-farm sectors), and that education and government subsidies have had significantly positive effects on engagement in off-farm employment, while the number of livestock and the distance between house and town have had significantly negative effects. These results suggest that it is necessary to establish more financial support for off-farm employment and livelihood transitions, in addition to strengthening ecological compensation. Promising approaches could include offering different types of skill training and increasing employment opportunities in off-farm industries.