Increased crop yields are required to support rapid population growth worldwide. Grain weight is a key compo- nent of rice yield, but the underlying molecular mechanisms that control it remain ...elusive. Here, we report the clon- ing and characterization of a new quantitative trait locus （QTL） for the control of rice grain length, weight and yield. This locus, GL3.1, encodes a protein phosphatase kelch （PPKL） family -- Ser/Thr phosphatase. GL3.1 is a member of the large grain WY3 variety, which is associated with weaker dephosphorylation activity than the small grain FAZ1 variety. GL3.I-WY3 influences protein phosphorylation in the spikelet to accelerate cell division, thereby re- suiting in longer grains and higher yields. Further studies have shown that GL3.1 directly dephosphorylates its sub- strate, Cyclin-TI;3, which has only been rarely studied in plants. The downregulation of Cyclin-T1;3 in rice resulted in a shorter grain, which indicates a novel function for Cyclin-T in cell cycle regulation. Our findings suggest a new mechanism for the regulation of grain size and yield that is driven through a novel phosphatase-mediated process that affects the phosphorylation of Cyclin-T1;3 during cell cycle progression, and thus provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying crop seed development. We bred a new variety containing the natural GL3.1 allele that demonstrated increased grain yield, which indicates that GL3.1 is a powerful tool for breeding high-yield crops.
For grain crops such as rice (Oryza sativa), grain size substantially affects yield. The histone acetyltransferase GRAIN WEIGHT 6a (GW6a) determines grain size and yield in rice. However, the gene ...regulatory network underlying GW6a-mediated regulation of grain size has remained elusive. In this study, we show that GW6a interacts with HOMOLOG OF DA1 ON RICE CHROMOSOME 3 (HDR3), a ubiquitin-interacting motif-containing ubiquitin receptor. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing HDR3 produced larger grains, whereas HDR3 knockout lines produce smaller grains compared to the control. Cytological data suggest that HDR3 modulates grain size in a similar manner to GW6a, by altering cell proliferation in spikelet hulls. Mechanistically, HDR3 physically interacts with and stabilizes GW6a in an ubiquitin-dependent manner, delaying protein degradation by the 26S proteasome. The delay in GW6a degradation results in dramatic enhancement of the local acetylation of H3 and H4 histones. Furthermore, RNA sequencing analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays reveal that HDR3 and GW6a bind to the promoters of and modulate a common set of downstream genes. In addition, genetic analysis demonstrates that HDR3 functions in the same genetic pathway as GW6a to regulate the grain size. Therefore, we identified the grain size regulatory module HDR3-GW6a as a potential target for crop yield improvement.
Abstract
Green Pea and Blueberry galaxies are well known for their compact size, low mass, strong emission lines, and analogs to high-
z
Ly
α
-emitting galaxies. In this study, 1547 strong O
iii
λ
...5007 emission-line compact galaxies with 1694 spectra are selected from LAMOST DR9 at the redshift range from 0.0 to 0.59. According to the redshift distribution, these samples can be separated into three groups: Blueberries, Green Peas, and Purple Grapes. Optical Mg
ii
λ
2800 line feature, BPT diagram, multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, mid-IR (MIR) color, and MIR variability are deployed to identify 23 active galactic nucleus candidates from these samples, which are excluded for the following star formation rate (SFR) discussions. We perform the multiwavelength SED fitting with GALEX UV and WISE MIR data. Color excess from the Balmer decrement shows that these strong O
iii
λ
5007 emission-line compact galaxies are not highly reddened. The stellar mass of the galaxies is obtained by fitting LAMOST calibrated spectra with the emission lines masked. We find that the SFR is increasing with the increase of redshift, while for the sources within the same redshift bin the SFR increases with mass with a similar slope to the star-forming main sequence. These samples have a median metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) of 8.10. The metallicity increases with mass, and all the sources are below the mass–metallicity relation. The direct-derived
T
e
-based metallicity from the O
iii
λ
4363 line agrees with the empirical N2-based empirical gas-phase metallicity. Moreover, these compact strong O
iii
λ
5007 lines are mostly in a less dense environment.
We report a candidate centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) in the radio-quiet quasar SDSS J0159+0105 at z= 0.217. With a modified Lomb-Scargle code (GLSdeDRW) and auto-correlation ...analysis, we detect two significant (at P> 99%) periodic signals at ~741 day and ~1500 day from the 8.1 yr Catalina V-band light curve of this quasar. The period ratio, which is close to 1:2, is typical of a black hole binary system with a mass ratio of 0.05 < q< 0.8 according to recent numerical simulations. SDSS J0159+0105 has two SDSS spectroscopic observations separated by ~10 yr. There is a significant change in the broad Hbeta profile between the two epochs, which can be explained by a single broad-line region (BLR) around the binary system illuminated by the aforementioned mini-disks, or a stream of gas flowing from the circumbinary disk to one of the SMBHs. From the single BLR assumption and the orbital period t sub(orb)~ 1500 day, we estimate the total virial masses of M sub(SMBHB)~ 1.3 x 10 super(8)M sub(middot in circle), the average distances of BLR of ~0.04 pc (~50 lt-day, with + or -0.3 dex uncertainty), and an SMBHB separation of d= (0.01 pc)M super(1/3) sub(8.tot )(T sub(rest)/3.3 yr) super(2/3)~ 0.0.13 pc (15 lt-day). Based on analytical work, the postulated circumbinary disk has an inner radius of 2d= 0.026 pc (30 lt-day). SDSS J0159+0105 also displays unusual spectral energy distribution. The unique properties of SDSS J0159+0105 are consistent with it being a centi-parsec SMBHB.
Among arthropod vectors, ticks transmit the most diverse human and animal pathogens, leading to an increasing number of new challenges worldwide. Here we sequenced and assembled high-quality genomes ...of six ixodid tick species and further resequenced 678 tick specimens to understand three key aspects of ticks: genetic diversity, population structure, and pathogen distribution. We explored the genetic basis common to ticks, including heme and hemoglobin digestion, iron metabolism, and reactive oxygen species, and unveiled for the first time that genetic structure and pathogen composition in different tick species are mainly shaped by ecological and geographic factors. We further identified species-specific determinants associated with different host ranges, life cycles, and distributions. The findings of this study are an invaluable resource for research and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Display omitted
•Six high-quality ixodid tick genomes and 678 re-sequenced tick specimens•Insights into the genetic basis of tick hematophagy and related phenotypes•Population structure and genetic diversity of six tick species•Tick-borne pathogen composition and distribution by metagenome analyses
The high-quality genomes of six ixodid tick species and resequencing of 678 tick specimens are a resource to understand the genetic diversity, population structure, and pathogen distribution of ticks with implications for control of ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Depression afflicts more than 300 million people worldwide, but there is currently no universally effective drug in clinical practice. In this study, chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced mice ...depression model was used to study the antidepressant effects of resveratrol and its mechanism. Our results showed that resveratrol significantly attenuated depression-like behavior in mice. Consistent with behavioral changes, resveratrol significantly attenuated CRS-induced reduction in the density of dendrites and dendritic spines in both hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Meanwhile, in hippocampus and mPFC, resveratrol consistently alleviated CRS-induced cofilin1 activation by increasing its ser3 phosphorylation. In addition, cofilin1 immunofluorescence distribution in neuronal inner peri-membrane in controls, and cofilin1 diffusely distribution in the cytoplasm in CRS group were common in hippocampus. However, the distribution of cofilin1 in mPFC was reversed. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant positive correlation found between the sucrose consumption in sucrose preference test and the dendrite density in multiple sub-regions of hippocampus and mPFC, and a significant negative correlation between the immobility time in tail suspension test and the dendrite/dendritic spine density in several different areas of hippocampus and mPFC. P-cofilin1 was significantly positively correlated with the overall dendritic spine density in mPFC as well as with the overall dendrite density or BDNF in the hippocampus. Our results suggest that the BDNF/cofilin1 pathway, in which cofilin1 may be activated in a brain-specific manner, was involved in resveratrol’s attenuating the dendrite and dendritic spine loss and behavioral abnormality.
Objective
The reported date in the repeat surgical intervention for adolescent lumbar disc herniation (ALDH) after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) was quite scarce. This study aims ...to introduce cases of repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH and assess the incidence, chief causes, repeat surgery methods, and surgical outcomes of repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH.
Methods
A retrospective multicenter observational study was conducted on patients undergoing repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH at four tertiary referral hospitals from January 2014 through August 2022. The incidence of repeat surgeries, chief causes, strategies for repeat surgeries, and timing of repeat surgeries were recorded and analyzed. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Numeric Rating Scales (NRS) scores and the modified MacNab criteria. Statistical analyses were performed with the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test.
Results
A total of 23 patients who underwent repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH were included. The chief causes were re‐herniation (homo‐lateral re‐herniation at the same level, new disc herniation of adjacent level). The repeat surgery methods were revision PELD, micro‐endoscopic discectomy (MED), open discectomy and instrumented lumbar inter‐body fusion. The NRS scores decreased significantly in follow‐up evaluations and these scores demonstrated significant improvement at the last follow‐up (p < 0.002). For the modified MacNab criteria, at the last follow‐up, 18 patients (78.26%) had an excellent outcome, and the overall success rate was 86.95%.
Conclusion
This study's data suggest that young patients who underwent repeat surgery improved significantly compared to baseline. The chief cause was re‐herniation. Revision PELD was the main surgical procedure, which provides satisfactory clinical results in young patients who underwent repeat surgeries.
An 18‐year‐old male who underwent revision PELD surgery for homolateral re‐herniation at the same level due to radiating pain and neurologic symptoms resistant to nonoperative treatment.
Acoustic communication in noisy environments presents a significant challenge for vocal animals because noise can interfere with animal acoustic signals by decreasing signal-to-noise ratios and ...masking signals. Birds and mammals increase call intensity or frequency as noise levels increase, but it is unclear to what extend this behavior is shared by frogs. Concave-eared torrent frogs (Odorrana tormota) have evolved the capacity to produce various calls containing ultrasonic harmonics and to communicate beside noisy streams. However, it is largely unclear how frogs regulate vocalization in response to increasing noise levels. We exposed male frogs to various levels of noise with playback of conspecific female courtship calls and recorded antiphonal signals and spontaneous short calls. Males were capable of rapidly adjusting fundamental frequency and amplitude of antiphonal signals as noise levels increased. The increment in fundamental frequency and amplitude was approximately 0.5 kHz and 3 dB with every 10 dB increase in noise level, indicating the presence of noise-dependent signal characteristics. Males showed the noise-tolerant adaption in response to female calls in noise level from 40 to 90 dB SPL. The results suggest that the noise-dependent signal characteristics in O. tormota have evolved as a strategy to cope with varying torrent noise.
The chromatin modifier GRAIN WEIGHT 6a (GW6a) enhances rice grain size and yield. However, little is known about its gene network determining grain size. Here, we report that MITOGEN-ACTIVED PROTEIN ...KINASE 6 (OsMAPK6) and E3 ligase CHANG LI GENG 1 (CLG1) interact with and target GW6a for phosphorylation and ubiquitylation, respectively. Unexpectedly, however, in vitro and in vivo assays reveal that both of the two post-translational modifications stabilize GW6a. Furthermore, we uncover two major GW6a phosphorylation sites (serine142 and threonine186) targeted by OsMAPK6 serving an important role in modulating grain size. In addition, our genetic and molecular results suggest that the OsMAPK6-GW6a and CLG1-GW6a axes are crucial and operate in a non-additive manner to control grain size. Overall, our findings identify a previously unknown mechanism by which phosphorylation and ubiquitylation non-additively stabilize GW6a to enhance grain size, and reveal correlations and interactions of these posttranslational modifications during rice grain development.
Grain size is a key component of grain yield and quality in crops. Several core players of auxin signaling have been revealed to modulate grain size; however, to date, few genetically defined ...pathways have been reported, and whether phosphorylation could boost degradation of Aux/IAA proteins is uncertain. Here, we show that TGW3 (also called OsGSK5) interacts with and phosphorylates OsIAA10. Phosphorylation of OsIAA10 facilitates its interaction with OsTIR1 and subsequent destabilization, but this modification hinders its interaction with OsARF4. Our genetic and molecular evidence identifies an OsTIR1-OsIAA10-OsARF4 axis as key for grain size control. In addition, physiological and molecular studies suggest that TGW3 mediates the brassinosteroid response, the effect of which can be relayed through the regulatory axis. Collectively, these findings define a auxin signaling pathway to regulate grain size, in which phosphorylation of OsIAA10 enhances its proteolysis and potentiates OsIAA10-OsARF4-mediated auxin signaling.
Display omitted
•TGW3 negatively regulates grain size in rice, which mediates brassinosteroid response•TGW3 interacts with and phosphorylates OsIAA10•OsIAA10 phosphorylation potentiates the OsIAA10-OsARF4-mediated auxin signaling•OsTIR1-OsIAA10-OsARF4 defines a genetic pathway for controlling rice grain size
Grain size is a key component of grain quality and crop yield. Ma et al. show that TGW3 interacts with and phosphorylates OsIAA10, which favors OsIAA10’s interaction with OsTIR1 and destabilization but hinders its interaction with OsARF4. The genetically defined OsTIR1-OsIAA10-OsARF4 axis is required for grain size control in rice.
PDF
![Strong [O iii] λ5007 Emissi...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/0004-637X/small "Strong [O iii] λ5007 Emission-line Compact Galaxies in LAMOST DR9: Blueberries, Green Peas, and Purple Grapes")
