Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p>Increasing the seeding belt width from 2 to 3 cm (conventional drilling sowing, CD) to 8–10 cm (wide belt sowing, WB) can markedly improve the grain yield of bread wheat. However, there are insufficient data to explain how WB affects dry matter (DM) remobilization, pre- and post-anthesis production, and ultimately grain weight and grain yield. In the present study, four bread wheat cultivars (Jimai44, Taishan27, Gaoyou5766, and Zhouyuan9369) with similar phenology characteristic were selected as experimental materials and two sowing patterns (CD and WB) were applied during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 growing seasons, to investigate the effects of sowing pattern on grain yield and its components of bread wheat. The results showed that WB increased the post-anthesis rate of canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP) in comparison with CD, by 19.73–133.68%, across the two seasons and four bread wheat cultivars. Furthermore, WB significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, and decreased the malondialdehyde content of the flag and penultimate leaf, thereby extending the duration of the high-value CAP period by 1.95–2.51 days. The improved rate and duration of CAP in WB led to an increase in post-anthesis DM production of 13.33–23.58%, thus ensuring DM distribution to the grain of each bread wheat cultivar. Consequently, in WB, the grain weight was maintained, the grain yield was increased markedly by 9.65–15.80%, at the backdrop of increases in spike number and in turn grain number per unit area. In summary, WB could be applied widely to obtain a high yield of bread wheat.</jats:p>

<jats:p><jats:italic>Artemisia argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Artemisia indica</jats:italic> are edible medicinal plants belonging to the genus <jats:italic>Artemisia</jats:italic> in the Asteraceae. There are many similarities in their morphology, traditional curative effect, and modern pharmacological treatment. In this study, we built distribution maps of <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> in China and a phylogenetic tree of common medicinal plants in Asteraceae. Then, we verified the chemical composition changes of <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> via their metabolome. Traditional efficacy and modern pharmacological action were verified by network pharmacology and <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> using RAW264.7 cells. The results showed that <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> are widely distributed in China, and they shared pharmaphylogeny, which provides theoretical support for the mixed use of <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> in most regions of China. Furthermore, there were both similarities and differences in volatile oil and flavonoid composition between <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic>. The network pharmacology results showed that <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> had 23 common active compounds and that both had pharmacological effects on chronic gastritis (CG). Molecular docking analyses showed that quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol have strong binding affinities with the target proteins JUN, TP53, AKT1, MAPK3, TNF, MAPK, and IL6. The cell experiment results further demonstrated that <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> treat CG <jats:italic>via</jats:italic> the NOD-like receptor pathway. Based on the theory of pharmaphylogeny, this study explored the pharmaphylogeny between <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic> from various perspectives to provide a basis for the substitution of <jats:italic>A. argyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>A. indica</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Hybrids have been successfully used to improve crop productivity, including Brassicas. Nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions have been reported to influence the expression of resistance to insect pests in several crops. We studied the effects of Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS) in <jats:italic>Brassica juncea</jats:italic> carrying alien cytoplasms and their respective maintainer (B) lines on the antibiosis mechanism of resistance, involving development, survival, reproduction potential and population build-up of mustard aphid, <jats:italic>Lipaphis erysimi</jats:italic>, and the levels of defense phyto-chemicals. Present findings revealed that the numbers of aphids/plant, aphid multiplication rate and aphid resistance index were lower on <jats:italic>ber</jats:italic> CMS under natural, <jats:italic>mori</jats:italic> CMS under artificial infestation conditions, and <jats:italic>juncea</jats:italic> under both the test conditions indicating nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions for aphid reaction. Across cytoplasms, nymphal, reproductive and total developmental periods were significantly longer on SEJ 8, NPJ 161, LES 39, and NPJ 93, while the reproductive potential and survival were lower on PM 30, Pusa Tarak and SEJ 8 as compared to other nuclear backgrounds. Across nuclear backgrounds, nymphal, reproductive and total developmental periods were significantly longer on <jats:italic>ber</jats:italic> CMS, while reproductive potential and survival were lower on <jats:italic>ber</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>mori</jats:italic> CMS as compared to other cytoplasms. Total glucosinolates were significantly greater and myrosinase lower in Pusa Agrani, SEJ 8, LES 39, PM 30, NPJ 112, and Pusa Tarak as compared to the other nuclear backgrounds. Furthermore, total glucosinolates were significantly greater and myrosinase lower in <jats:italic>ber</jats:italic> CMS and <jats:italic>juncea</jats:italic> as compared to other cytoplasms. The studies suggest that CMS as well as cytoplasmic and nuclear gene interactions regulate the expression of defense compounds such as glucosinolates and determine the expression of resistance/susceptibility to <jats:italic>L. erysimi</jats:italic>. These findings shall help in identification of suitable <jats:italic>L. erysimi</jats:italic> tolerant nucleo-cytoplasmic combinations for their deployment in <jats:italic>B. juncea</jats:italic> hybrid breeding program.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Nitrate transporter (<jats:italic>NRT</jats:italic>) genes that participate in nitrate transport and distribution are indispensable for plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. <jats:italic>Spirodela polyrhiza</jats:italic> has the smallest genome among monocotyledon plants, and it has strong nitrate absorbance and phytoremediation abilities. However, the evolutionary history, expression patterns, and functions of the <jats:italic>NRT</jats:italic> gene family in <jats:italic>S. polyrhiza</jats:italic> are not well understood. Here, we identified 29 NRT members in the <jats:italic>S. polyrhiza</jats:italic> genome. Gene structure and phylogeny analyses showed that <jats:italic>S. polyrhiza</jats:italic> nitrate transporter (SpNRTs) genes were divided into eight clades without gene expansion compared with that in <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic>. Transcriptomic analysis showed that <jats:italic>SpNRT</jats:italic> genes have spatiotemporal expression patterns and respond to abiotic stress. Functional analysis revealed that in <jats:italic>S. polyrhiza, SpNRT1.1</jats:italic> expression was strongly induced by treatment with nitrate and ammonium. Overexpression of <jats:italic>SpNRT1.1</jats:italic> significantly repressed primary root length, and the number and total length of lateral roots. This was more pronounced in high ammonium concentration medium. Overexpressed <jats:italic>SpNRT1.1</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> significantly improved biomass and delayed flowering time, indicating that the nitrate transport ability of SpNRT1.1 differs from AtNRT1.1. In conclusion, our results provide valuable information about the evolution of the NRT family in higher plants and the function of SpNRT1.1.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Phosphate (Pi) stress is an important environmental factor that limits plant growth and development. Of various posttranslational modifications (PTMs), protein phosphorylation and succinylation are the two most important PTMs that regulate multiple biological processes in response to Pi stress. However, these PTMs have been investigated individually but their interactions with proteins in response to Pi stress remain poorly understood. In this study, to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of protein phosphorylation and succinylation in response to Pi stress, we performed a global analysis of the barley root phosphorylome and succinylome in Pi starvation and recovery stages, respectively. A total of 3,634 and 884 unique phosphorylated and succinylated proteins, respectively, corresponding to 11,538 and 2,840 phospho- and succinyl-sites, were identified; of these, 275 proteins were found to be simultaneously phosphorylated and succinylated. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was performed with a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database revealing pathways that significantly enriched in the phosphorylome and succinylome. Such pathways, were dynamically regulated by Pi starvation and recovery treatments, and could be partitioned into distinct metabolic processes. In particular, phosphorylated proteins related to purine, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, pyrimidine, and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters were upregulated in both Pi deprivation and recovery stages. Succinylated proteins, significantly upregulated by both Pi starvation and recovery, were enriched in nitrogen metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Meanwhile, succinylated proteins that were significantly downregulated by both Pi starvation and recovery were enriched in lysine degradation and tryptophan metabolism. This highlighted the importance of these metabolic pathways in regulating Pi homeostasis. Furthermore, protein–protein interaction network analyses showed that the response of central metabolic pathways to Pi starvation and recovery was significantly modulated by phosphorylation or succinylation, both individually and together. In addition, we discovered relevant proteins involved in MAPK signaling and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathways existing in interactions between phosphorylated and succinylated proteins in response to Pi recovery. The current study not only provides a comprehensive analysis of phosphorylated and succinylated proteins in plant responses to Pi starvation and recovery, but also reveals detailed interactions between phosphorylated and succinylated proteins in barley roots.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are among the most diverse TF families of plants. They are implicated in various processes related to plant growth and stress response. Kenaf (<jats:italic>Hibiscus cannabinus</jats:italic> L.), an important fiber crop, has many applications, including the phytoremediation of saline-alkaline soil. However, the roles of WRKY TFs in kenaf are rarely studied. In the present study, 46 kenaf WRKY genes were genome-widely identified and characterized by gene structure, phylogeny and expression pattern analysis. Furthermore, the <jats:italic>HcWRKY44</jats:italic> gene was functionally characterized in <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> under salinity and drought stresses. HcWRKY44 is a nuclear-localized protein that is positively induced by salinity and drought, with roots showing maximum accumulation of its transcripts. Under NaCl and abscisic acid (ABA) stress conditions, plants overexpressing <jats:italic>HcWRKY44</jats:italic> had higher germination rates, better root growth and increased survival than control plants; however, it did not improve the ability to withstand drought stress. Moreover, ABA signaling genes (<jats:italic>ABI1</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>ABI2</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>ABI5</jats:italic>), ABA-responsive genes (<jats:italic>ABF4</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>RD29B</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>COR15A</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>COR47</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>RD22</jats:italic>), stress-related genes (<jats:italic>STZ</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>P5CS</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>KIN1</jats:italic>), and ionic homeostasis-related genes (<jats:italic>SOS1</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>AHA1</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>AHA2</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>HKT1</jats:italic>) were positively induced in <jats:italic>HcWRKY44</jats:italic> transgenic plants under NaCl treatment. These results suggest that <jats:italic>HcWRKY44</jats:italic> improved plant’s tolerance to salt stress but not osmotic stress through an ABA-mediated pathway. In summary, this study provides provided comprehensive information about <jats:italic>HcWRKY</jats:italic> genes and revealed that <jats:italic>HcWRKY44</jats:italic> is involved in salinity tolerance and ABA signaling.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The primary task in calculating the tobacco shred blending ratio is identifying the four tobacco shred types: expanded tobacco silk, cut stem, tobacco silk, and reconstituted tobacco shred. The classification precision directly affects the subsequent determination of tobacco shred components. However, the tobacco shred types, especially expanded tobacco silk and tobacco silk, have no apparent differences in macro-scale characteristics. The tobacco shreds have small size and irregular shape characteristics, creating significant challenges in their recognition and classification based on machine vision. This study provides a complete set of solutions aimed at this problem for screening tobacco shred samples, taking images, image preprocessing, establishing datasets, and identifying types. A block threshold binarization method is used for image preprocessing. Parameter setting and method performance are researched to obtain the maximum number of complete samples with acceptable execution time. ResNet50 is used as the primary classification and recognition network structure. By increasing the multi-scale structure and optimizing the number of blocks and loss function, a new tobacco shred image classification method is proposed based on the MS-X-ResNet (Multi-Scale-X-ResNet) network. Specifically, the MS-ResNet network is obtained by fusing the multi-scale Stage 3 low-dimensional and Stage 4 high-dimensional features to reduce the overfitting risk. The number of blocks in Stages 1–4 are adjusted from the original 3:4:6:3 to 3:4:N:3 (A-ResNet) and 3:3:N:3 (B-ResNet) to obtain the X-ResNet network, which improves the model’s classification performance with lower complexity. The focal loss function is selected to reduce the impact of identification difficulty for different sample types on the network and improve its performance. The experimental results show that the final classification accuracy of the network on a tobacco shred dataset is 96.56%. The image recognition of a single tobacco shred requires 103 ms, achieving high classification accuracy and efficiency. The image preprocessing and deep learning algorithms for tobacco shred classification and identification proposed in this study provide a new implementation approach for the actual production and quality detection of tobacco and a new way for online real-time type identification of other agricultural products.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The seed coat takes an important function in the life cycle of plants, especially seed growth and development. It promotes the accumulation of nutrients inside the seed and protects the seed embryo from mechanical damage. Seed coat permeability is an important characteristic of seeds, which not only affects seed germination, but also hinders the detection of seed vigor by electrical conductivity (EC) method. This research aimed to elucidate the mechanism of seed coat permeability formation through metabolome and transcriptome analysis of <jats:italic>Elymus nutans</jats:italic>. We collected the samples at 8, 18, and 28 days post-anthesis (dpa), and conducted a seed inclusion exosmosis experiment and observed the seed coat permeability. Moreover, we analyzed the changes in the metabolome and transcriptome during different development stages. Here, taking 8 dpa as control, 252 upregulated and 157 downregulated differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were observed and 886 upregulated unigenes and 1170 downregulated unigenes were identified at 18 dpa, while 4907 upregulated unigenes and 8561 downregulated unigenes were identified at 28 dpa. Meanwhile, we observed the components of ABC transporters, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and phenylalanine metabolism pathways. The key metabolites and genes affecting seed coat permeability were thiamine and salicylic acid. Furthermore, there were 13 and 14 genes with correlation coefficients greater than 0.8 with two key metabolites, respectively, and the —log<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>Fold Change— of these genes were greater than 1 at different development stages. Meanwhile, pathogenesis-related protein 1 and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase play an important role in regulating the formation of compounds. Our results outline a framework for understanding the development changes during seed growth of <jats:italic>E. nutans</jats:italic> and provide insights into the traits of seed coat permeability and supply a great significance value to seed production and quality evaluation.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) is a destructive cassava pest. Intensive demonstration of resistance mechanism greatly facilitates the creation of TSSM-resistant cassava germplasm. Gene to metabolite network plays a crucial role in modulating plant resistance, but little is known about the genes and related metabolites which are responsible for cassava resistance to TSSM. Here, a highly resistant (HR) and a highly susceptible (HS) cassava cultivar were used, integrative and comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses between these two cultivars after TSSM infestation revealed that several genes and metabolites were closely related and significantly different in abundance. In particular, the expression of leucoanthocyanidin reductase (<jats:italic>LAR</jats:italic>) and anthocyanidin reductase (<jats:italic>ANR</jats:italic>) genes showed a high positive correlation with most of the metabolites in the tannin biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, transgenic cassava lines overexpressing either of the genes elevated tannin concentrations and conferred cassava resistance to TSSM. Additionally, different forms of tannins possessed distinct bioactivity on TSSM, of which total condensed tannins (LC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub> = 375.68 mg/l) showed maximum lethal effects followed by procyanidin B1 (LC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub> = 3537.10 mg/l). This study accurately targets <jats:italic>LAR</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>ANR</jats:italic> and specific tannin compounds as critical genes and metabolites in shaping cassava resistance to TSSM, which could be considered as biomarkers for evaluation and creation of pest-resistant cassava germplasm.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Oleanolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in numerous plant species and is a precursor to several bioactive triterpenoids with commercial potential. However, oleanolic acid accumulates at low levels in plants, and its chemical synthesis is challenging. Here, we established a method for producing oleanolic acid in substantial quantities <jats:italic>via</jats:italic> heterologous expression of pathway enzymes in <jats:italic>Nicotiana benthamiana</jats:italic>. The “Tsukuba system” is one of the most efficient agroinfiltration-based transient protein expression systems using the vector pBYR2HS, which contains geminiviral replication machinery and a double terminator for boosting expression. Additionally, the pBYR2HS vector contains an expression cassette for the gene-silencing suppressor p19 protein from tomato bushy stunt virus, which can also contribute to enhancing the expression of target proteins. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of this system to heterologous triterpenoid production in <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>benthamiana. Medicago truncatula</jats:italic> cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) 716A12 is the first enzyme to be functionally characterized as β-amyrin C-28 oxidase producing oleanolic acid. A mutant CYP716A12 (D122Q) with improved catalytic activity engineered in our previous study was co-expressed with other enzymes in <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>benthamiana</jats:italic> leaves. Using pBYR2HS, oleanolic acid yield was increased 13.1-fold compared with that using the conventional binary vector, indicating the advantage of the Tsukuba system. We also demonstrated the efficacy of co-expressing a mutant <jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</jats:italic> HMGR1 catalytic domain, additional NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) transferring electrons to heterologous CYPs, and application of ascorbic acid for preventing leaf necrosis after agroinfiltration, to improve product yield. As a result, the product yields of both simple (β-amyrin) and oxidized (oleanolic acid and maslinic acid) triterpenoids were significantly improved compared with the previously reported yield in heterologous triterpenoid production in <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>benthamiana</jats:italic> leaves.</jats:p>