基于主成分-聚类-逐步回归分析构建番茄苗期耐铝性综合评价体系

铝毒是限制酸性土壤中作物产量的主要因素之一。番茄(Solanum lycopersicum)是适合在酸性土壤中种植的主要经济作物, 不同品种番茄对铝胁迫的响应存在差异, 因此, 筛选苗期耐铝毒种质对番茄生产及研究具有重要意义。以10个番茄品种为材料, 采用室内土培盆栽, 设置1 000 µmol∙L^-1 AlCl₃·6H₂O处理, 测定反映植物铝胁迫下生长状况的16个形态、生理生化及光合指标。通过主成分分析, 将铝胁迫下番茄幼苗的16个指标转化为5个独立的综合指标, 累积贡献率达90.779%。基于耐铝性综合评价值(A)的系统聚类分析, 将供试种质划分为5类, 第I类为高度耐铝品种Qianxi, 第V类为高度不耐铝品种Puluowangsi。经多元线性逐步回归分析得出番茄苗期耐铝评价方程: y=0.046+0.405X₆+0.515X₁₀-0.207X₁₅+0.028X₃ (R²=0.997), 从16个指标中提取出与A值显著相关(P<0.01)的4个指标: 丙二醛含量(X₃)、净光合速率(X₆)、叶面积(X₁₀)和地下部干重(X₁₅)。利用评价方程可判断不同番茄品种苗期的耐铝性, 使番茄耐铝性鉴定工作快速简便。     

Deciphering the global phylogeography of a coastal shrub (Scaevola taccada) reveals the influence of multiple forces on contemporary population structure

The phylogeography of coastal plant species is heavily influenced by past sealevel fluctuations, dispersal barriers, and life-history traits, such as long-distance dispersal ability of the propagules. Unlike the widely studied mangroves, phylogeographic patterns have remained mostly obscure for other coastal plant species. In this study, we sampled 42 populations of Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb., a coastal shrub of the family Goodeniaceae, from 17 countries across its distribution range. We used five chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and 14 nuclear microsatellite (simple sequence repeat [SSR]) markers to assess the influence of abiotic factors and population genetic processes on the phylogeographic pattern of the species. Geographical distribution of cpDNA haplotypes suggests that the species originated in Australia, followed by historical dispersal and expansion of its geographic range. Multiple abiotic factors, including the sealevel changes during the Pleistocene, the presence of landmasses like the Malay Peninsula, and contemporary oceanic circulation patterns, restricted gene flow between geographically distinct populations, thereby creating low haplotype diversity and a strong population structure. Population genetic processes acted on these isolated populations, leading to high nuclear genetic diversity and population differentiation, as revealed from analyzing the polymorphic SSR loci. Although genetic divergence was mostly concordant between cpDNA and SSR data, asymmetrical gene flow and ancestral polymorphism could explain the discordance in the detailed genetic structure. Overall, our findings indicate that abiotic factors and population genetic processes interactively influenced the evolutionary history and current phylogeographic pattern of S. taccada across its distribution range.     

Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 is a CROPs-associated receptor for Clostridioides infection toxin B

Science China Life Sciences - As the leading cause of worldwide hospital-acquired infection, Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection has caused heavy economic and hospitalized burden,...     

OsRLCK160 contributes to flavonoid accumulation and UV-B tolerance by regulating OsbZIP48 in rice

Science China Life Sciences - Plants produce specialized metabolites to adapt to the ever-changing environments. Flavonoids are antioxidants essential for growth, development, and breeding with...     

Effects of magnolol and honokiol blend on performance,egg quality,hepatic lipid metabolism,and intestinal morphology of hens at late laying cycle

Magnolol and its isomer honokiol are polyphenols with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. We evaluated the effects of magnolol and honokiol supplementation alone or in combination with hen diets during the late laying cycle. A total of 540 Jingfen pink-shell laying hens (50 weeks old) were randomly assigned to six treatments: a control diet and diets supplemented with 300 mg/kg magnolol (M₃₀₀), honokiol (H₃₀₀), or 300 mg/kg total phenols with a magnolol/honokiol ratio of 2:1 (M₂₀₀H₁₀₀), 1:2 (M₁₀₀H₂₀₀), and 1:1 (M₁₅₀H₁₅₀). Compared with that of the control, all supplementation groups had higher laying rates and the M₃₀₀, M₁₀₀H₂₀₀, and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups showed comparatively lower feed conversion ratios. Magnolol and honokiol supplementation increased the Haugh units of fresh eggs at week 62 and alleviated the decline of the Haugh units of eggs stored for 14 days. Compared with that of the control group, the serum total antioxidant capacity of the M₁₀₀H₂₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups significantly increased, and all supplementation groups had higher total antioxidant capacity and lower malondialdehyde content in the liver. With respect to lipid metabolism, the M₂₀₀H₁₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups had lower total and relative liver weights compared with those of the control and H₃₀₀ groups. The mRNA expression levels of CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1, fatty acid synthase and stearyl coenzyme A desaturase 1 involved in lipogenesis; microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and apolipoprotein B involved in fatty acid transport; and the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta were lower in all supplementation groups compared with those in the control. With respect to gut health, the heights of the jejunum and ileum villi significantly increased in all supplementation groups compared with those of the control, and the jejunum villus heights of the M₃₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups were higher than those of the H₃₀₀ and M₁₀₀H₂₀₀ groups. The H₃₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups had higher mRNA expression levels of zonula occludens-1 in the ileum compared with those in the control and M₃₀₀ groups, whereas all supplementation groups had higher mRNA levels of claudin-1 than that of the control group. In conclusion, magnolol and honokiol improved hen performance and the albumen quality of fresh and stored eggs by improving the antioxidant capacity, liver lipid metabolism, and intestinal health of laying hens. The combination of magnolol and honokiol at a 1:1 ratio may be an optimal choice for hen diet supplementation.     

Diet selection of sheep shifted from quality to quantity characteristics of forages as sward availability decreased

Understanding the dynamic inter-relationship between grazing animals and the pasture sward is critical for sustainable grazing management. A field study was conducted to investigate the relationships between the quantity and quality characteristics of forages and diet selection of 30-kg Mongolian ewes in different seasons in Bromus inermis improved meadow steppe. Using a residual herbage mass method (1 000 kg/ha in spring, 800 kg/ha in summer and 600 kg/ha in autumn) to adjust stocking rate, three seasonal rest grazing strategies (spring rest, summer rest and autumn rest) combined with continuous grazing were studied. In each season, diet selection of sheep, quantified by diet composition and selectivity index, was estimated using a plant wax marker technique. Quantity (dry weight proportion, coverage, frequency, density and height) and quality (CP, NDF, ADF and DM digestibility) characteristics of forages consumed by sheep were determined simultaneously. Our results showed that in spring with the highest sward availability (herbage mass), diet selection of sheep could be predicted by the positive linear relationship between quality characteristics of forages and their selectivity index. In summer, the diet selection could be predicted by both positive linear relationship between quality characteristics and selectivity index, and the relationship between quantity characteristics and diet composition. While in autumn with the lowest sward availability, it could be predicted by the positive linear relationship between quantity characteristics and diet composition. During the whole grazing season, the diet composition of B. inermis (40.4%) and Leymus chinensis (35.1%) were larger than that of Potentilla bifurca (9.5%) and Carex (15.1%) and the selectivity index of P. bifurca was the highest (0.62), followed by Carex (0.17) and B. inermis (0.05), and L. chinensis (?0.29) was the lowest. The two parameters of diet selection above were positively related to their quantity and quality characteristics, respectively. These results suggested that the influence of quality characteristics on diet selection of sheep decreased gradually as a result of the decline in sward availability, while the influence of quantity characteristics increased. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of diet selection of sheep examining the trade-offs between quantity and quality characteristics of forages. The knowledge of diet selection of sheep and the corresponding prediction regressions acquired in this study could give the basis for designing appropriate grazing management strategies.     

Multiplex gene precise editing and large DNA fragment deletion by the CRISPR-Cas9-TRAMA system in edible mushroom Cordyceps militaris

The medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris contains abundant valuable bioactive ingredients that have attracted a great deal of attention in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, the development of this valuable mushroom faces the obstacle of lacking powerful genomic engineering tools. Here, by excavating the endogenous tRNA-processed element, introducing the extrachromosomal plasmid and alongside with homologous template, we develop a marker-free CRISPR-Cas9-TRAMA genomic editing system to achieve the multiplex gene precise editing and large synthetic cluster deletion in C. militaris. We further operated editing in the synthetases of cordycepin and ergothioneine to demonstrate the application of Cas9-TRAMA system in protein modification, promoter strength evaluation and 10 kb metabolic synthetic cluster deletion. The Cas9-TRAMA system provides a scalable method for excavating the valuable metabolic resource of medicinal mushrooms and constructing a mystical cellular pathway to elucidate the complex cell behaviours of the edible mushroom.     

Biocontrol: Endophytic bacteria could be crucial to fight soft rot disease in the rare medicinal herb,Anoectochilus roxburghii

Microbial destabilization induced by pathogen infection has severely affected plant quality and output, such as Anoectochilus roxburghii, an economically important herb. Soft rot is the main disease that occurs during A. roxburghii culturing. However, the key members of pathogens and their interplay with non-detrimental microorganisms in diseased plants remain largely unsolved. Here, by utilizing a molecular ecological network approach, the interactions within bacterial communities in endophytic compartments and the surrounding soils during soft rot infection were investigated. Significant differences in bacterial diversity and community composition between healthy and diseased plants were observed, indicating that the endophytic communities were strongly influenced by pathogen invasion. Endophytic stem communities of the diseased plants were primarily derived from roots and the root endophytes were largely derived from rhizosphere soils, which depicts a possible pathogen migration image from soils to roots and finally the stems. Furthermore, interactions among microbial members indicated that pathogen invasion might be aided by positively correlated native microbial members, such as Enterobacter and Microbacterium, who may assist in colonization and multiplication through a mutualistic relationship in roots during the pathogen infection process. Our findings will help open new avenues for developing more accurate strategies for biological control of A. roxburghii bacterial soft rot disease.     

Evolutionary history and climate conditions constrain the flower colours of woody plants in China

进化历史和气候条件共同影响中国木本植物花色的分布 本研究以中国木本植物为研究对象,主要探讨两个问题：(1)不同生活型物种花色组成的差异;(2)生物地理区、进化年龄和气候条件对不同花色地理分布格局的影响。研究使用7673种木本植物的物种分布数据和花色信息(分为白色、红色、黄色、黄绿色、绿色和蓝紫色),并结合属级系统进化树来比较不同生活型(包括灌木、乔木和藤本)物种花色组成的差异,分析不同生物地理区、进化年龄和现代气候对花色地理格局的影响。研究结果表明,与乔木和藤本植物相比,灌木具有更高比例 的由花青素着色的红色花和蓝紫色花物种。中国木本植物的花色地理格局受到区域效应和现代气候(尤其是降水和UVB辐射)的共同影响。倾向于蜂媒传粉的黄色花和蓝紫色花物种和由花青素着色、耐环境胁迫的红色花和蓝紫色花物种比例在中国西北部地区更高。绿色花物种的进化起源更早,但进化时间对花色地理格局的解释力很弱。这些结果说明中国木本植物花色的地理格局受到进化历史和现代环境的共同影响。