Explore the vast range of titles available.

Tiller angle, an important component of plant architecture, greatly influences the grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Here, we identified Tiller Angle Control 4 (TAC4) as a novel regulator of rice tiller angle. TAC4 encodes a plant‐specific, highly conserved nuclear protein. The loss of TAC4 function leads to a significant increase in the tiller angle. TAC4 can regulate rice shoot gravitropism by increasing the indole acetic acid content and affecting the auxin distribution. A sequence analysis revealed that TAC4 has undergone a bottleneck and become fixed in indica cultivars during domestication and improvement. Our findings facilitate an increased understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of tiller angle and also provide a potential gene resource for the improvement of rice plant architecture.

During rice domestication and improvement, increasing grain yield to meet human needs was the primary objective. Rice grain yield is a quantitative trait determined by multiple genes, but the molecular basis for increased grain yield is still unclear. Here, we show that NUMBER OF GRAINS 1 ( NOG1 ), which encodes an enoyl-CoA hydratase/isomerase, increases the grain yield of rice by enhancing grain number per panicle without a negative effect on the number of panicles per plant or grain weight. NOG1 can significantly increase the grain yield of commercial high-yield varieties: introduction of NOG1 increases the grain yield by 25.8% in the NOG1 -deficient rice cultivar Zhonghua 17, and overexpression of NOG1 can further increase the grain yield by 19.5% in the NOG1 -containing variety Teqing. Interestingly, NOG1 plays a prominent role in increasing grain number, but does not change heading date or seed-setting rate. Our findings suggest that NOG1 could be used to increase rice production. Rice grain yield is a quantitative trait determined by multiple genes. Here, the authors find NOG1 , which encodes an enoyl-CoA hydratase/isomerase in fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, can increase grain yield by enhancing grain number per panicle without affecting the other yield component traits.

Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted extensive interest owing to their maximized atomic utilization, low cost as well as outstanding catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability for diverse applications. Due to their excellent performance in electrocatalysis, SACs can be applied to electrochemical sensors, which have been a predominant tool employed in biosensing. In very recent studies, SAC‐based electrochemical biosensors have demonstrated enhanced sensing performances in biomarker detection and in vivo analysis. However, a comprehensive review of SAC‐based electrochemical biosensors has not been reported yet. Herein, we present a summary of the synthesis methods of SACs with their application in electrochemical sensor establishment and electrochemical characterization methods in electrochemical sensing. Biomedical applications utilizing SAC‐based electrochemical biosensors are introduced. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects of SACs in the field of electrochemical biosensing are discussed. This mini‐review provides a comprehensive review of single‐atom catalyst (SAC)‐based electrochemical biosensors applied in biomarker detection and in vivo analysis. The synthesis methods of SACs that are applicable to electrochemical sensor fabrication and electrochemical characterization methods in electrochemical sensing are summarized. Biomedical applications utilizing SAC‐based electrochemical biosensors are introduced, and the challenges and prospects of SACs in the field of electrochemical biosensing are discussed.

Chronic wounds that are difficult to heal can cause persistent physical pain and significant medical costs for millions of patients each year. However, traditional wound care methods based on passive bandages cannot accurately assess the wound and may cause secondary damage during frequent replacement. With advances in materials science and smart sensing technology, flexible wearable sensors for wound condition assessment have been developed that can accurately detect physiological markers in wounds and provide the necessary information for treatment decisions. The sensors can implement the sensing of biochemical markers and physical parameters that can reflect the infection and healing process of the wound, as well as transmit vital physiological information to the mobile device through optical or electrical signals. Most reviews focused on the applicability of flexible composites in the wound environment or drug delivery devices. This paper summarizes typical biochemical markers and physical parameters in wounds and their physiological significance, reviews recent advances in flexible wearable sensors for wound detection based on optical and electrical sensing principles in the last 5 years, and discusses the challenges faced and future development. This paper provides a comprehensive overview for researchers in the development of flexible wearable sensors for wound detection.

Chuanqing Sun and colleagues show that the gene PROG1 , encoding a zinc-finger protein, determines the erect growth habit in rice. Sequencing of 182 varieties of cultivated rice reveals an identical mutation in the PROG1 coding region, suggesting a common origin for erect growth during rice domestication. The transition from the prostrate growth of ancestral wild rice ( O. rufipogon Griff.) to the erect growth of Oryza sativa cultivars was one of the most critical events in rice domestication. This evolutionary step importantly improved plant architecture and increased grain yield. Here we find that prostrate growth of wild rice from Yuanjiang County in China is controlled by a semi-dominant gene, PROG1 ( PROSTRATE GROWTH 1 ), on chromosome 7 that encodes a single Cys 2 -His 2 zinc-finger protein. prog1 variants identified in O. sativa disrupt the prog1 function and inactivate prog1 expression, leading to erect growth, greater grain number and higher grain yield in cultivated rice. Sequence comparison shows that 182 varieties of cultivated rice, including 87 indica and 95 japonica cultivars from 17 countries, carry identical mutations in the prog1 coding region that may have become fixed during rice domestication.

Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) was domesticated from wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), which typically displays fewer grains per panicle and longer grains than cultivated rice. In addition, wild rice has long awns, whereas cultivated rice has short awns or lacks them altogether. These changes represent critical events in rice domestication. Here, we identified a major gene, GRAIN NUMBER, GRAIN LENGTH AND AWN DEVELOPMENT1 (GAD1), that regulates those critical changes during rice domestication. GAD1 is located on chromosome 8 and is predicted to encode a small secretary signal peptide belonging to the EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE family. A frame-shift insertion in gad1 destroyed the conserved cysteine residues of the peptide, resulting in a loss of function, and causing the increased number of grains per panicle, shorter grains, and awnless phenotype characteristic of cultivated rice. Our findings provide a useful paradigm for revealing functions of peptide signal molecules in plant development and helps elucidate the molecular basis of rice domestication.

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), the wild relative of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), flaunts long, barbed awns, which are necessary for efficient propagation and dissemination of seeds. By contrast, O. sativa cultivars have been selected to be awnless or to harbor short, barbless awns, which facilitate seed processing and storage. The transition from long, barbed awns to short, barbless awns was a crucial event in rice domestication. Here, we show that the presence of long, barbed awns in wild rice is controlled by a major gene on chromosome 4, LONG AND BARBED AWN1 (LABA1), which encodes a cytokinin-activating enzyme. A frame-shift deletion in LABA1 of cultivated rice reduces the cytokinin concentration in awn primordia, disrupting barb formation and awn elongation. Sequencing analysis demonstrated low nucleotide diversity and a selective sweep encompassing an ~800-kb region around the derived laba1 allele in cultivated rice. Haplotype analysis revealed that the laba1 allele originated in the japonica subspecies and moved into the indica gene pool via introgression, suggesting that humans selected for this locus in early rice domestication. Identification of LABA1 provides new insights into rice domestication and also sheds light on the molecular mechanism underlying awn development.

Grain number is an important factor in determining grain production of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The molecular genetic basis for grain number is complex. Discovering new genes involved in regulating rice grain number increases our knowledge regarding its molecular mechanisms and aids breeding programs. Here, we identified GRAINS NUMBER 2 (GN2), a novel gene that is responsible for rice grain number, from “Yuanjiang” common wild rice (O. rufipogon Griff.). Transgenic plants overexpressing GN2 showed less grain number, reduced plant height, and later heading date than control plants. Interestingly, GN2 arose through the insertion of a 1094-bp sequence from LOC_Os02g45150 into the third exon of LOC_Os02g56630, and the inserted sequence recruited its nearby sequence to generate the chimeric GN2. The gene structure and expression pattern of GN2 were distinct from those of LOC_Os02g45150 and LOC_Os02g56630. Sequence analysis showed that GN2 may be generated in the natural population of Yuanjiang common wild rice. In this study, we identified a novel functional chimeric gene and also provided information regarding the molecular mechanisms regulating rice grain number.

In article number 20220058, Hao Wan, Ping Wang and their co‐workers have displayed that single atom catalysts demonstrate superior performance in electrochemical biosensing.