Vacuolar invertase is involved in sugar metabolism and plays a crucial role in plant growth and development, thus regulating seed size. However, information linking vacuolar invertase and seed size ...in rice is limited. Here we characterized a small grain mutant
(grain size on chromosome 2) that showed a reduced in grain size and 1000-grain weight compared to the wild type. Map-based cloning and genetic complementation showed that
is responsible for the observed phenotype. Loss-of-function of
resulted in grains of smaller size when compared to the wild type, while overexpression showed increased grain size. We also obtained a T-DNA insertion mutant of
, which is a homolog of
and generated double knockout (
) mutants of
and
using CRISPR/Cas9. Genetic data showed that
, that has no effect on grain size by itself, reduces grain length and width in the absence of
. Altered sugar content with increased sucrose and decreased hexose levels, as well as changes vacuolar invertase activities and starch constitution in
,
,
mutants indicate that
and
affect sucrose metabolism in sink organs. In summary, we identified
as a positive regulator of grain size in rice, and while
has no function on grain size by itself. In the absence of
, it is possible to detect a role of
in the regulation of grain size. Both
and
are involved in sucrose metabolism, and thus regulate grain size. Our findings increase our understanding of the role of
and its homolog,
, in grain size development and also suggest a potential strategy to improve grain yield in rice.
The role of rice genomics in breeding progress is becoming increasingly important. Deeper research into the rice genome will contribute to the identification and utilization of outstanding functional ...genes, enriching the diversity and genetic basis of breeding materials and meeting the diverse demands for various improvements. Here, we review the significant contributions of rice genomics research to breeding progress over the last 25 years, discussing the profound impact of genomics on rice genome sequencing, functional gene exploration, and novel breeding methods, and we provide valuable insights for future research and breeding practices.
•There was inconsistent results between UPLC and metabolome analysis.•The content and types of flavonoids in black rice (BR) varieties were high.•Different flavonoids have different antioxidant ...capacities.•Both red rice (RR) and BR were found to possess significant antioxidant capacity.•Quercetin and catechin had peak antioxidant capacity in BR and RR, respectively.
Black and red rice are flavonoid-rich and nutritious. However, comprehensive information of flavonoid components in different pigmented rice varieties remain unclear. Here, we analyze the differences in flavonoid components in black, red, and white rice by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and metabolome analysis. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-G), peonidin-3-glucoside (Pe-3-G), quercetin, dihydromyricetin, naringin, and taxifolin contents were significantly high in black rice. By contrast, catechin and epicatechin contents were substantial in red rice. Cy-3-G was the main anthocyanin and its content was more than four times that of Pe-3-G in black rice varieties. Trifolin hardly showed specificity and exhibited a high content in all rice varieties. The antioxidant capacity of the red and black rice varieties was significantly higher than that of white rice. Moreover, in black and red rice, quercetin and catechin respectively exhibited the strongest antioxidant capacity and a good contribution toward the total flavonoid content, and mean time, white rice possessed antioxidant capacity main derived from quercetin and trifolin. Besides, the study also found that there was slightly inconsistent results between UPLC and metabolome, because certain components with trace by metabolome were not detected by UPLC, but their combination could play a complementary role in the exploration of metabolic components to confirm the ingredients.
In this paper, a sampled-data controller is designed for the exact discrete-time model of nonholonomic mobile robots, which solves the leader-following consensus problem. We describe the uniform ...global asymptotic stability of closed-loop systems with time-varying and periodic characteristics through the generalized Krasovskii-LaSalle Theorem together with the stability theorem of cascaded system. A numerical simulation is used to illustrate our conclusions.
Polymer heterojunctions (PHJs) have emerged as promising photocatalysts for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE). Nevertheless, most PHJs exhibit unsatisfactory hydrogen evolution rate (HER), ...primarily attributing to their own high‐energy Frenkel excitons and poor light capturing ability. In this paper, a molecular engineering strategy is developed to further broaden spectral response range and simultaneously accelerate Frenkel excitons dissociation within PHJs. For this purpose, three donor–acceptor (D‐A) conjugated polymers/g‐C3N4 heterojunctions with alternative donor units (fluorene, carbazole, N‐annulated perylene for P1, P2, and P3, respectively) and the invariant acceptor unit (benzothiadiazole) have been designed and fabricated for efficient PHE. Experimental results show that copolymerizing different donor units into the polymer skeleton not only extends the visible‐light response range but also promotes photoexciton separation within polymer/g‐C3N4 PHJs. Notably, copolymerizing the strongest electron donor unit (N‐annulated perylene) achieves the best light capture ability and the most effective photoexcitation separation of the P3/g‐C3N4, leading to significantly increase HRE of 13.0 mmol h−1 g−1 with a recorded apparent quantum yield of 27.32% at 520 nm. Importantly, the Type II heterojunction mechanism within P3/CN was first proved by theoretical calculation. This work provides a promising strategy for reasonably developing efficient PHJs for solar fuel production.
A molecular engineering strategy based on introducing donor–acceptor units into conjugated polymers for polymer heterojunction photocatalysts with broadened spectral response range and simultaneously accelerate Frenkel excitons dissociation is developed. Notably, N‐annulated perylene polymers achieve a AQY of 27.32% at 520 nm.
Although electrospun nanofibers are expanding their potential commercial applications in various fields, the issue of energy savings, which are important for cost reduction and technological ...feasibility, has received little attention to date. In this study, a concentric spinneret with a solid Teflon-core rod was developed to implement an energy-saving electrospinning process. Ketoprofen and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used as a model of a poorly water-soluble drug and a filament-forming matrix, respectively, to obtain nanofibrous films via traditional tube-based electrospinning and the proposed solid rod-based electrospinning method. The functional performances of the films were compared through in vitro drug dissolution experiments and ex vivo sublingual drug permeation tests. Results demonstrated that both types of nanofibrous films do not significantly differ in terms of medical applications. However, the new process required only 53.9% of the energy consumed by the traditional method. This achievement was realized by the introduction of several engineering improvements based on applied surface modifications, such as a less energy dispersive air-epoxy resin surface of the spinneret, a free liquid guiding without backward capillary force of the Teflon-core rod, and a smaller fluid-Teflon adhesive force. Other non-conductive materials could be explored to develop new spinnerets offering good engineering control and energy savings to obtain low-cost electrospun polymeric nanofibers.
The Hippo pathway plays a central role in tissue homoeostasis, and its dysregulation contributes to tumorigenesis. Core components of the Hippo pathway include a kinase cascade of MST1/2 and LATS1/2 ...and the transcription co-activators YAP/TAZ. In response to stimulation, LATS1/2 phosphorylate and inhibit YAP/TAZ, the main effectors of the Hippo pathway. Accumulating evidence suggests that MST1/2 are not required for the regulation of YAP/TAZ. Here we show that deletion of LATS1/2 but not MST1/2 abolishes YAP/TAZ phosphorylation. We have identified MAP4K family members--Drosophila Happyhour homologues MAP4K1/2/3 and Misshapen homologues MAP4K4/6/7-as direct LATS1/2-activating kinases. Combined deletion of MAP4Ks and MST1/2, but neither alone, suppresses phosphorylation of LATS1/2 and YAP/TAZ in response to a wide range of signals. Our results demonstrate that MAP4Ks act in parallel to and are partially redundant with MST1/2 in the regulation of LATS1/2 and YAP/TAZ, and establish MAP4Ks as components of the expanded Hippo pathway.
In this communication, a self-assembled supramolecular system consisting of phosphoric acid substituted perylene diimide (P-PMPDI) has been successfully developed for highly efficient photocatalytic ...hydrogen evolution. Compared with a carboxylic substituent perylene diimide (P-CMPDI), P-PMPDI showed a superior H2 evolution reaction rate of 11.7 mmol g-1 h-1 and a recorded apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 2.96% at 550 nm.
Mammalian cells are surrounded by neighbouring cells and extracellular matrix (ECM), which provide cells with structural support and mechanical cues that influence diverse biological processes
. The ...Hippo pathway effectors YAP (also known as YAP1) and TAZ (also known as WWTR1) are regulated by mechanical cues and mediate cellular responses to ECM stiffness
. Here we identified the Ras-related GTPase RAP2 as a key intracellular signal transducer that relays ECM rigidity signals to control mechanosensitive cellular activities through YAP and TAZ. RAP2 is activated by low ECM stiffness, and deletion of RAP2 blocks the regulation of YAP and TAZ by stiffness signals and promotes aberrant cell growth. Mechanistically, matrix stiffness acts through phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) to influence levels of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidic acid, which activates RAP2 through PDZGEF1 and PDZGEF2 (also known as RAPGEF2 and RAPGEF6). At low stiffness, active RAP2 binds to and stimulates MAP4K4, MAP4K6, MAP4K7 and ARHGAP29, resulting in activation of LATS1 and LATS2 and inhibition of YAP and TAZ. RAP2, YAP and TAZ have pivotal roles in mechanoregulated transcription, as deletion of YAP and TAZ abolishes the ECM stiffness-responsive transcriptome. Our findings show that RAP2 is a molecular switch in mechanotransduction, thereby defining a mechanosignalling pathway from ECM stiffness to the nucleus.
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