Wheat (
) originated from three different diploid ancestral grass species and experienced two rounds of polyploidization. Exploring how certain wheat gene subfamilies have expanded during the ...evolutionary process is of great importance. The
(
) gene family encodes plant-specific transcription factors that share a highly conserved LOB domain and are prime candidates for this, as they are involved in plant growth, development, secondary metabolism and stress in various species.
Using a genome-wide analysis of high-quality polyploid wheat and related species genome sequences, a total of 228
members from five Triticeae species were identified, and phylogenetic relationship analysis of
members classified them into two main classes (classes I and II) and seven subgroups (classes I a-e, II a and II b).
The gene structure and motif composition analyses revealed that genes that had a closer phylogenetic relationship in the same subgroup also had a similar gene structure. Macrocollinearity and microcollinearity analyses of Triticeae species suggested that some
genes from wheat produced gene pairs across subgenomes of chromosomes 4A and 5A and that the complex evolutionary history of
homologs was a combined result of chromosome translocation, polyploidization, gene loss and duplication events. Public RNA-seq data were used to analyze the expression patterns of wheat
genes in various tissues, different developmental stages and following abiotic and biotic stresses. Furthermore, qRT-PCR results suggested that some
in class II responded to powdery mildew, regulated reproductive growth and were involved in embryo sac development in common wheat.
The ankyrin-transmembrane (ANKTM) subfamily is the most abundant subgroup of the ANK superfamily, with critical roles in pathogen defense. However, the function of ANKTM proteins in wheat immunity ...remains largely unexplored. Here, a total of 381
ANKTMs
were identified from five
Triticeae
species and
Arabidopsis
, constituting five classes. Among them, class a only contains proteins from Triticeae species and the number of ANKTM in class a of wheat is significantly larger than expected, even after consideration of the ploidy level. Tandem duplication analysis of
ANKTM
indicates that
Triticum urartu
,
Triticum dicoccoides
and wheat all had experienced tandem duplication events which in wheat-produced
ANKTM
genes all clustered in class a. The above suggests that not only did the genome polyploidization result in the increase of
ANKTM
gene number, but that tandem duplication is also a mechanism for the expansion of this subfamily. Micro-collinearity analysis of Triticeae
ANKTMs
indicates that some
ANKTM
type genes evolved into other types of
ANKs
in the evolution process. Public RNA-seq data showed that most of the genes in class d and class e are expressed, and some of them show differential responses to biotic stresses. Furthermore, qRT-PCR results showed that some
ANKTMs
in class d and class e responded to powdery mildew. Silencing of
TaANKTM2A-5
by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing compromised powdery mildew resistance in common wheat Bainongaikang58. Findings in this study not only help to understand the evolutionary process of
ANKTM
genes, but also form the basis for exploring disease resistance genes in the
ANKTM
gene family.
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metal elements to the environment, which seriously threatens the safe production of food crops. In this study, we identified a novel function of the ...cytomembrane TaSFT2L protein in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Expression of the TaSFT2L gene in yeast showed no transport activities for Cd, which could explain the role of TaSFT2L in metal tolerance. It was observed that increased autophagic activity in roots caused by silencing of TaSFT2L enhanced Cd tolerance. Transgenic wheat revealed that RNA interference (RNAi) lines enhanced the wheat growth concerning the increased shoot or root elongation, dry weight, and chlorophyll accumulation. Furthermore, RNAi lines decreased root-to-grain Cd translocation in wheat by nearly 68% and Cd accumulation in wheat grains by 53%. Meanwhile, the overexpression lines displayed a compromised growth response and increased Cd accumulation in wheat tissues, compared to wild type. These findings show that TaSFT2L is a key gene involved in regulation of Cd translocation in wheat, and its silencing to form transgenic wheat can inhibit Cd accumulation. This has the ability to alleviate the food chain-associated impact of environmental pollution on human health.
Bainong sterility (BNS) is a thermo‐sensitive genic male sterile wheat line, characterised by anther fertility transformation in response to low temperature (LT) stress during meiosis, the failure of ...vacuole decomposition and the absence of starch accumulation in sterile bicellular pollen. Our study demonstrates that the late microspore (LM) stage marks the transition from the anther growth to anther maturation phase, characterised by the changes in anther structure, carbohydrate metabolism and the main transport pathway of sucrose (Suc). Fructan is a main storage polysaccharide in wheat anther, and its synthesis and remobilisation are crucial for anther development. Moreover, the process of pollen amylogenesis and the fate of the large vacuole in pollen are closely intertwined with fructan synthesis and remobilisation. LT disrupts the normal physiological metabolism of BNS anthers during meiosis, particularly affecting carbohydrate metabolism, thus determining the fate of male gametophytes and pollen abortion. Disruption of fructan synthesis and remobilisation regulation serves as a decisive event that results in anther abortion. Sterile pollen exhibits common traits of pollen starvation and impaired starch accumulation due to the inhibition of apoplastic transport starting from the LM stage, which is regulated by cell wall invertase TaIVR1 and Suc transporter TaSUT1.
Summary statement
The manuscript provides new insight into the role of carbohydrate metabolism in regulating anther development and the molecular mechanisms underlying pollen abortion in a thermo‐sensitive genic male sterile winter wheat line under low temperature during meiosis.
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most environmentally hazardous heavy metals, posing a significant threat to food safety. In the present study, we identified a novel cytoplasmic amylase gene, TaBMY1, ...involved in Cd transport in wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants. Cysteine residues in the core domain of BMY1 formed disulfide bridges. Yeast expressing TaBMY1 exhibited poor Cd tolerance. These findings suggested that BMY1 might participate in metal tolerance and translocation. Subsequently, RNA interference (RNAi) and overexpression (OE) transgenic wheat were obtained. Compared to wild-type (WT), RNAi lines exhibited shoot or root elongation and increased dry mass and chlorophyll content, whereas TaBMY1 overexpression showed a sensitive growth phenotype. RNAi lines accumulated less Cd and reduced Cd translocation from root to shoot by approximately 38%, as well as Cd accumulation in grains by 71–74%, whereas the OE lines had increased Cd accumulation. Our results suggest that silencing the TaBMY1 gene may affect Cd allocation and distribution. This work provides a novel approach to decreasing Cd accumulation in wheat crops and reducing environmental risks to human health through food chains.
•A novel wheat β-amylase gene, TaBMY1, was investigated.•TaBMY1 was first reported to reside in the cytoplasm.•Heterologous expression of TaBMY1 gene in yeast showed no transport activities for Cd.•Silencing of TaBMY1 decreased root-to-shoot Cd translocation and Cd accumulation in wheat grains.•This study offers a highly effective solution for breeding lower Cd-accumulating wheat crop.
Salinity difference between seawater and river water is a sustainable energy resource that catches eyes of the public and the investors in the background of energy crisis. To capture this energy, ...interdisciplinary efforts from chemistry, materials science, environmental science, and nanotechnology have been made to create efficient and economically viable energy conversion methods and materials. Beyond conventional membrane-based processes, technological breakthroughs in harvesting salinity gradient power from natural waters are expected to emerge from the novel fluidic transport phenomena on the nanoscale. A major challenge toward real-world applications is to extrapolate existing single-channel devices to macroscopic materials. Here, we report a membrane-scale nanofluidic device with asymmetric structure, chemical composition, and surface charge polarity, termed ionic diode membrane (IDM), for harvesting electric power from salinity gradient. The IDM comprises heterojunctions between mesoporous carbon (pore size ∼7 nm, negatively charged) and macroporous alumina (pore size ∼80 nm, positively charged). The meso-/macroporous membrane rectifies the ionic current with distinctly high ratio of ca. 450 and keeps on rectifying in high-concentration electrolytes, even in saturated solution. The selective and rectified ion transport furthermore sheds light on salinity-gradient power generation. By mixing artificial seawater and river water through the IDM, substantially high power density of up to 3.46 W/m2 is discovered, which largely outperforms some commercial ion-exchange membranes. A theoretical model based on coupled Poisson and Nernst–Planck equations is established to quantitatively explain the experimental observations and get insights into the underlying mechanism. The macroscopic and asymmetric nanofluidic structure anticipates wide potentials for sustainable power generation, water purification, and desalination.
A novel thin-film nanocomposite forward-osmosis (FO) membrane was fabricated on hydrophilic nylon microfiltration (MF) support by interfacial polymerization with the assistance of an intermediate ...layer of graphene oxide and multiwall carbon nanotube (GO/MWCNT). The chemical composition, structure, and surface properties of the synthesized FO membranes were studied using various characterization methods. It was found that the GO/MWCNT composite layer not only provided ultrafast nanochannels for water transport but also reduced the thickness of the polyamide layer by up to 60%. As a result, the novel FO membrane exhibited a higher water flux and lower reverse salt flux compared with the membrane synthesized without the GO/MWCNT intermediate layer. This method offers promising opportunities to fabricate thin-film composite membranes on microfiltration substrates for FO application with inhibited concentration polarization phenomenon and expected separation performance.
As a low-cost green technology, solar steam generation using nanostructured photothermal materials has been drawing increasing attention in various applications,
e.g.
seawater desalination, and zero ...liquid discharge of industrial wastewater. However, the crystallisation of salts on the surface of photothermal materials during steam generation leads to a gradual decline in the water evaporation rate. Herein, this challenge was overcome by a novel design involving controlled water transport, edge-preferential crystallisation and gravity-assisted salt harvesting. The crystallisation sites of the salt were spatially isolated from the water evaporation surface, achieving continuous steam generation and salt harvesting in over 600 hours of non-stop operation. The study provides new insights into the design of solar steam generators and advances their applications in sustainable seawater desalination and wastewater management.
Efficient solar steam generation and concurrent salt harvesting from saline water were achieved with both continuous operation and long-term stability.
In this paper, we propose a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor based on the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect for simultaneous temperature and refractive index (RI) measurement. The coupling ...characteristics and sensing performance of the sensor are analyzed using the full vector finite element method (FEM). The sensor provides two channels for independent measurement of RI and temperature. When operating independently, channel I supports
y
-polarized light with a sensitivity of up to 7 000 nm/RIU for detecting RI, while channel II supports
x
-polarized light with a sensitivity of up to 16 nm/°C for detecting temperature. Additionally, we investigate the influence of gold layer thickness on the sensing performance to optimize the sensor.
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