Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p><jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> (“Huang-Qin” in Chinese) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine and popular dietary supplement in the world, extensively used in prescriptions of TCMs as adjuvant treatments for coronavirus pneumonia 2019 (COVID-19) patients in China. According to the differences in its appearance, <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> can be classified into two kinds: ZiQin (1∼3 year-old <jats:italic>Scutellariae baicalensis</jats:italic> with hard roots) and KuQin (more than 3 year-old <jats:italic>S. baicalensis</jats:italic> with withered pithy roots). In accordance with the clinical theory of TCM, KuQin is superior to ZiQin in cooling down the heat in the lung. However, the potential active ingredients and underlying mechanisms of <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> for the treatment of COVID-19 remain largely unexplored. It is still not clear whether there is a difference in the curative effect of ZiQin and KuQin for the treatment of COVID-19. In this research, network pharmacology, LC-MS based plant metabolomics, and <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> bioassays were integrated to explore both the potential active components and mechanism of <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> for the treatment of COVID-19. As the results, network pharmacology combined with molecular docking analysis indicated that <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> primarily regulates the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways <jats:italic>via</jats:italic> active components such as baicalein and scutellarin, and blocks SARS-CoV-2 spike binding to human ACE2 receptors. <jats:italic>In vitro</jats:italic> bioassays showed that baicalein and scutellarein exhibited more potent anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious effects than baicalin, the component with the highest content in <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic>. Moreover, baicalein inhibited SARS-CoV-2’s entry into Vero E6 cells with an IC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub> value of 142.50 μM in a plaque formation assay. Taken together, baicalein was considered to be the most crucial active component of <jats:italic>Scutellariae radix</jats:italic> for the treatment of COVID-19 by integrative analysis. In addition, our bioassay study revealed that KuQin outperforms ZiQin in the treatment of COVID-19. Meanwhile, plant metabolomics revealed that baicalein was the compound with the most significant increase in KuQin compared to ZiQin, implying the primary reason for the superiority of KuQin over ZiQin in the treatment of COVID-19.</jats:p>

<jats:p><jats:italic>Arthrinium phaeospermum</jats:italic> is the main pathogen that causes <jats:italic>Bambusa pervariabilis × Dendrocalamopsis grandis</jats:italic> blight. It secretes the cutinase transcription factor <jats:italic>ApCtf1β</jats:italic>, which has been shown to play an important role in <jats:italic>B. pervariabilis × D. grandis</jats:italic> virulence. However, knowledge about the interaction target genes of <jats:italic>ApCtf1β</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>B. pervariabilis × D. grandis</jats:italic> remains limited. A cDNA library for the yeast two-hybrid system was constructed from <jats:italic>B. pervariabilis × D. grandis</jats:italic> shoots after 168 h treatment with <jats:italic>A. phaeospermum</jats:italic>. The library was identified as 1.20 × 10<jats:sup>7</jats:sup> cfu, with an average insert &amp;gt;1,000 bp in size and a 100% positive rate, providing a database for the subsequent molecular study of the interaction between <jats:italic>A. phaeospermum</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>B. pervariabilis × D. grandis</jats:italic>. The yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays were used to screen for and identify two <jats:italic>ApCtf1β</jats:italic> interacting target proteins, <jats:italic>BDUbc</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>BDSKL1</jats:italic>, providing a reliable theoretical basis to study the molecular mechanism underlying <jats:italic>B. pervariabilis × D. grandis</jats:italic> resistance in response to <jats:italic>A. phaeospermum</jats:italic>, which would, in turn, establish a platform to develop new strategies for the sustainable and effective control of the blight diseases of forest trees.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Knowledge of the transcriptional regulation of the carotenoid metabolic pathway is still emerging and here, we have misexpressed a key biosynthetic gene in apple to highlight potential transcriptional regulators of this pathway. We overexpressed phytoene synthase (<jats:italic>PSY1</jats:italic>), which controls the key rate-limiting biosynthetic step, in apple and analyzed its effects in transgenic fruit skin and flesh using two approaches. Firstly, the effects of PSY overexpression on carotenoid accumulation and gene expression was assessed in fruit at different development stages. Secondly, the effect of light exclusion on PSY1-induced fruit carotenoid accumulation was examined. PSY1 overexpression increased carotenoid content in transgenic fruit skin and flesh, with beta-carotene being the most prevalent carotenoid compound. Light exclusion by fruit bagging reduced carotenoid content overall, but carotenoid content was still higher in bagged PSY fruit than in bagged controls. In tissues overexpressing <jats:italic>PSY1</jats:italic>, plastids showed accelerated chloroplast to chromoplast transition as well as high fluorescence intensity, consistent with increased number of chromoplasts and carotenoid accumulation. Surprisingly, the expression of other carotenoid pathway genes was elevated in PSY fruit, suggesting a feed-forward regulation of carotenogenesis when this enzyme step is mis-expressed. Transcriptome profiling of fruit flesh identified differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) that also were co-expressed with carotenoid pathway genes. A comparison of differentially expressed genes from both the developmental series and light exclusion  treatment revealed six candidate TFs exhibiting strong correlation with carotenoid accumulation. This combination of physiological, transcriptomic and metabolite data sheds new light on plant carotenogenesis and TFs that may play a role in regulating apple carotenoid biosynthesis.</jats:p>

<jats:p>This paper aims to solve the problems of the low quality and shallow depth of the traditional straw return method. According to the requirements of the new furrow burial and return agronomic model, a corn straw ditch-buried returning machine was designed that could simultaneously complete the processes of picking, conveying, ditching, soil-covering and pressing. Key components were theoretically analyzed and designed, such as the pickup device, ditching device and straw-guiding soil-covering and pressing device. Based on a field experiment, the main factors influencing the effects of straw picking, soil ditching and straw return were studied. Both forward speed and pickup device speed significantly affected the straw picking rate. The ditching area, ditching width consistency factor and ditching depth stability factor gradually decreased with increasing forward speed and gradually increased with increasing trenching device speed. There was a significant interaction among the forward speed, pickup device speed and ditching device speed. At a forward speed of 1.68 m/s, the picking device speed was 330 r/min, the ditching device speed was 290 r/min, and the highest straw return rate was 93.65%.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Maize production is constantly threatened by the presence of different fungal pathogens worldwide. Genetic resistance is the most favorable approach to reducing yield losses resulted from fungal diseases. The molecular mechanism underlying disease resistance in maize remains largely unknown. The objective of this study was to identify key genes/pathways that are consistently associated with multiple fungal pathogen infections in maize. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of gene expression profiles from seven publicly available RNA-seq datasets of different fungal pathogen infections in maize. We identified 267 common differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) in the four maize leaf infection experiments and 115 co-DEGs in all the seven experiments. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the co-DEGs were mainly involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoid and phenylpropanoid. Further investigation revealed a set of genes associated with terpenoid phytoalexin and lignin biosynthesis, as well as potential pattern recognition receptors and nutrient transporter genes, which were consistently up-regulated after inoculation with different pathogens. In addition, we constructed a weighted gene co-expression network and identified several hub genes encoding transcription factors and protein kinases. Our results provide valuable insights into the pathways and genes influenced by different fungal pathogens, which might facilitate mining multiple disease resistance genes in maize.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Successful fertilization of a flowering plant requires tightly controlled cell-to-cell communication between the male pollen grain and the female pistil. Throughout <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> pollen-pistil interactions, ligand-receptor kinase signaling is utilized to mediate various checkpoints to promote compatible interactions. In <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic>, the later stages of pollen tube growth, ovular guidance and reception in the pistil have been intensively studied, and thus the receptor kinases and the respective ligands in these stages are quite well understood. However, the components of the earlier stages, responsible for recognizing compatible pollen grains and pollen tubes in the upper reproductive tract are less clear. Recently, predicted receptor kinases have been implicated in the initial stages of regulating pollen hydration and supporting pollen tube growth through the upper regions of the reproductive tract in the pistil. The discovery of these additional signaling proteins at the earlier stages of pollen-pistil interactions has further elucidated the mechanisms that <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> employs to support compatible pollen. Despite these advances, many questions remain regarding their specific functions. Here, we review the roles of the different receptor kinases, integrate their proposed functions into a model covering all stages of pollen-pistil interactions, and discuss what remains elusive with regard to their functions, respective binding partners and signaling pathways.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Identification and validation of biomarkers and bioindicators to select genotypes with superior tolerance to water deficit (WD) under field conditions are paramount to plant breeding programs. However, the co-occurrence of different abiotic stresses such as WD, heat, and radiation makes it difficult to develop generalized protocols to monitor the physiological health of the plant system. The study assessed the most abundant carbohydrates and sugar alcohols in five faba bean (<jats:italic>Vicia faba</jats:italic>) genotypes under field conditions and the abundance of naturally occurring carbon isotopes in bulk leaf material to predict water use efficiency (WUE). Plant water status and biomass accumulation were also assessed. Among the accumulated sugars, inter-specific variation in glucose was most prevalent and was found at a higher concentration (8.52 mg g<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> leaf) in rainfed trial. <jats:italic>myo-</jats:italic>Inositol concentrations followed that of glucose accumulation in that the rainfed trial had higher amounts compared to the irrigated trial. WUE calculated from carbon isotope abundance was consistently offset with measured WUE from measurements of leaf gas exchange. All genotypes demonstrated significant relationships between predicted and measured WUE (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.05) apart from control variety PBA Warda. Thus, bulk leaf-level carbon isotope abundance can be used to calculate WUE and used as an effective selection criterion for improving WUE in faba bean breeding programs under field conditions.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Laticifers are secretory structures that produce latex, forming a specialized defense system against herbivory. Studies using anatomical approaches to investigate laticifer growth patterns have described their origin; however, their mode of growth, i.e., whether growth is intrusive or diffuse, remains unclear. Studies investigating how cytoskeleton filaments may influence laticifer shape establishment and growth patterns are lacking. In this study, we combined microtubule immunostaining and developmental anatomy to investigate the growth patterns in different types of laticifers. Standard anatomical methods were used to study laticifer development. Microtubules were labelled through immunolocalization of α-tubulin in three types of laticifers from three different plant species: nonanastomosing (<jats:italic>Urvillea ulmacea</jats:italic>), anastomosing unbranched with partial degradation of terminal cell walls (<jats:italic>Ipomoea nil</jats:italic>), and anastomosing branched laticifers with early and complete degradation of terminal cell walls (<jats:italic>Asclepias curassavica</jats:italic>). In both nonanastomosing and anastomosing laticifers, as well as in differentiating meristematic cells, parenchyma cells and idioblasts, microtubules were perpendicularly aligned to the cell growth axis. The analyses of laticifer microtubule orientation revealed an arrangement that corresponds to those cells that grow diffusely within the plant body. Nonanastomosing and anastomosing laticifers, branched or not, have a pattern which indicates diffuse growth. This innovative study on secretory structures represents a major advance in the knowledge of laticifers and their growth mode.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Breeding of wheat adapted to new climatic conditions and resistant to diseases and pests is hindered by a limited gene pool due to domestication and thousands of years of human selection. Annual goatgrasses (<jats:italic>Aegilops</jats:italic> spp.) with M and U genomes are potential sources of the missing genes and alleles. Development of alien introgression lines of wheat may be facilitated by the knowledge of DNA sequences of <jats:italic>Aegilops</jats:italic> chromosomes. As the <jats:italic>Aegilops</jats:italic> genomes are complex, sequencing relevant <jats:italic>Aegilops</jats:italic> chromosomes purified by flow cytometric sorting offers an attractive route forward. The present study extends the potential of chromosome genomics to allotetraploid <jats:italic>Ae. biuncialis</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Ae. geniculata</jats:italic> by dissecting their M and U genomes into individual chromosomes. Hybridization of FITC-conjugated GAA oligonucleotide probe to chromosomes suspensions of the two species allowed the application of bivariate flow karyotyping and sorting some individual chromosomes. Bivariate flow karyotype FITC vs. DAPI of <jats:italic>Ae. biuncialis</jats:italic> consisted of nine chromosome-populations, but their chromosome content determined by microscopic analysis of flow sorted chromosomes indicated that only 7M<jats:sup>b</jats:sup> and 1U<jats:sup>b</jats:sup> could be sorted at high purity. In the case of <jats:italic>Ae. geniculata</jats:italic>, fourteen chromosome-populations were discriminated, allowing the separation of nine individual chromosomes (1M<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 3M<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 5M<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 6M<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 7M<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 1U<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 3U<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, 6U<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>, and 7U<jats:sup>g</jats:sup>) out of the 14. To sort the remaining chromosomes, a partial set of wheat<jats:italic>-Ae. biuncialis</jats:italic> and a whole set of wheat-<jats:italic>Ae. geniculata</jats:italic> chromosome addition lines were also flow karyotyped, revealing clear separation of the GAA-rich <jats:italic>Aegilops</jats:italic> chromosomes from the GAA-poor A- and D-genome chromosomes of wheat. All of the alien chromosomes represented by individual addition lines could be isolated at purities ranging from 74.5% to 96.6% and from 87.8% to 97.7%, respectively. Differences in flow karyotypes between <jats:italic>Ae. biuncialis</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Ae. geniculata</jats:italic> were analyzed and discussed. Chromosome-specific genomic resources will facilitate gene cloning and the development of molecular tools to support alien introgression breeding of wheat.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Fluctuations in light intensity and temperature lead to periods of asynchrony between carbon (C) supply by photosynthesis and C demand by the plant organs. Storage and remobilization of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are important processes that allow plants to buffer these fluctuations. We aimed to test the hypothesis that C storage and remobilization can buffer the effects of temperature and light fluctuations on growth of tomato plants. Tomato plants were grown at temperature amplitudes of 3 or 10°C (deviation around the mean of 22°C) combined with integration periods (IP) of 2 or 10 days. Temperature and light were applied in Phase (high temperature simultaneously with high light intensity, (400 μmol m<jats:sup>–2</jats:sup> s<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>), low temperature simultaneously with low light intensity (200 μmol m<jats:sup>–2</jats:sup> s<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>) or in Antiphase (high temperature with low light intensity, low temperature with high light intensity). A control treatment with constant temperature (22°C) and a constant light intensity (300 μmol m<jats:sup>–2</jats:sup> s<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>) was also applied. After 20 days all treatments had received the same temperature and light integral. Differences in final structural dry weight were relatively small, while NSC concentrations were highly dynamic and followed changes of light and temperature (a positive correlation with decreasing temperature and increasing light intensity). High temperature and low light intensity lead to depletion of the NSC pool, but NSC level never dropped below 8% of the plant weight and this fraction was not mobilizable. Our results suggest that growing plants under fluctuating conditions do not necessarily have detrimental effects on plant growth and may improve biomass production in plants. These findings highlight the importance in the NSC pool dynamics to buffer fluctuations of light and temperature on plant structural growth.</jats:p>