Soybean is a major legume crop originating in temperate regions, and photoperiod responsiveness is a key factor in its latitudinal adaptation. Varieties from temperate regions introduced to lower ...latitudes mature early and have extremely low grain yields. Introduction of the long-juvenile (LJ) trait extends the vegetative phase and improves yield under short-day conditions, thereby enabling expansion of cultivation in tropical regions. Here we report the cloning and characterization of J, the major classical locus conferring the LJ trait, and identify J as the ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3). J depends genetically on the legume-specific flowering repressor E1, and J protein physically associates with the E1 promoter to downregulate its transcription, relieving repression of two important FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) genes and promoting flowering under short days. Our findings identify an important new component in flowering-time control in soybean and provide new insight into soybean adaptation to tropical regions.
Flowering time influences reproductive success in plants and has a significant impact on yield in grain crops. Flowering time is regulated by a variety of environmental factors, with daylength often ...playing an important role. Crops can be categorized into different types according to their photoperiod requirements for flowering. For instance, long-day crops include wheat (
), barley (
), and pea (
), while short-day crops include rice (
), soybean (
), and maize (
). Understanding the molecular regulation of flowering and genotypic variation therein is important for molecular breeding and crop improvement. This paper reviews the regulation of flowering in different crop species with a particular focus on how photoperiod-related genes facilitate adaptation to local environments.
The natural aging (NA) and artificial aging (AA) behavior of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys with different Mg/Si ratios and Cu additions were systematically investigated by means of hardness test, atom probe ...tomography, transmission electron microscopy, and Monte Carlo simulation. The Si-rich low-Cu alloys displayed higher hardness compared to the Mg-rich equivalents because Si atoms play a dominant role in clustering of solute atoms during both natural and artificial aging. In the high-Cu alloys, Cu did not obviously change the cluster distribution during NA, but significantly refines the clusters and precipitates due to the strong interaction of Cu atoms with Mg atoms during AA. In contrast to the low-Cu alloys, the Mg-rich high-Cu alloys exhibit higher hardness in the early and over-aged stages of artificial aging, with similar or slightly higher hardness in the peak aging condition compared to their Si-rich counterparts. Three types of precipitates (
β
″,
Q
′, and
L
) are favored in the high-Cu alloys. The Mg-rich high-Cu alloy has more
L
phase, while the Si-rich variant is abundant in
Q
′ phase. The negative effect of NA on subsequent AA behavior is less dependent on Mg/Si ratio in the high-Cu alloys due to a synergistic action of the residual Si and Cu atoms, but is closely related to Mg/Si ratio in low-Cu alloys.
Flexible wearable strain sensors based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) have attracted significant interest due to their simple preparation process, three-dimensional porous structure, excellent ...electromechanical characteristics, and remarkable mechanical robustness. In this study, we demonstrated that LIG with various defects could be prepared on the surface of polyimide (PI) film, patterned in a single step by adjusting the scanning speed while maintaining a constant laser power of 12.4 W, and subjected to two repeated scans under ambient air conditions. The results indicated that LIG produced at a scanning speed of 70 mm/s exhibited an obvious stacked honeycomb micropore structure, and the flexible strain sensor fabricated with this material demonstrated stable resistance. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity within a low strain range of 0.4–8.0%, with the gauge factor (GF) reaching 107.8. The sensor demonstrated excellent stability and repeatable response at a strain of 2% after approximately 1000 repetitions. The flexible wearable LIG-based sensor with a serpentine bending structure could be used to detect various physiological signals, including pulse, finger bending, back of the hand relaxation and gripping, blinking eyes, smiling, drinking water, and speaking. The results of this study may serve as a reference for future applications in health monitoring, medical rehabilitation, and human–computer interactions.
Flowering time, as an important ecological trait related to photoperiod response, maturity, and final yield, is a complex trait conferred by multiple genes. To further elucidate the genetic mechanism ...for the flowering time, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to the flowering time and maturity were identified utilizing specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-Seq) technology. In total, we identified three QTLs on chromosomes 5, 6, and 7 from a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 171 individuals derived from a cross between Minsoy and Archer soybeans. Of these QTLs, one new QTL on chromosome 7, called
E11
, was simultaneously detected in an ~ 1.03 Mb region from the F
6
and F
8
generations of the RIL population, and accounted for ~ 15% of the total phenotypic variation over 2 years. The gene symbol
E11e11
had been approved by the soybean genetic committee. The segregation patterns observed in residual heterozygous lines (RHLs) at the
E11
locus revealed that early flowering was controlled by a single dominant gene. The gene was fine-mapped to an ~ 138 kb interval, including 11 genes based on the reference genome. Through amino acid sequence analysis, three most likely candidate genes,
Glyma.07 g048500
,
Glyma.07 g049000
, and
Glyma.07 g049200
, were identified. The phenotypes detected from two near-isogenic lines (NILs) revealed that NILs for
E11
allele significantly promoted the flowering time and maturity than NILs for the
e11
under the long-day (LD) conditions. These results suggest that
E11
is a new flowering time gene that will be valuable in improving our understanding of the mechanism for the flowering time and molecular breeding.
Soybean (Glycine max) is an important legume crop that was domesticated in temperate regions. Soybean varieties from these regions generally mature early and exhibit extremely low yield when grown ...under inductive short‐day (SD) conditions at low latitudes. The long‐juvenile (LJ) trait, which is characterized by delayed flowering and maturity, and improved yield under SD conditions, allowed the cultivation of soybean to expand to lower latitudes. Two major loci control the LJ trait: J and E6. In the current study, positional cloning, sequence analysis, and transgenic complementation confirmed that E6 is a novel allele of J, the ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3). The mutant allele e6PG, which carries a Ty1/Copia‐like retrotransposon insertion, does not suppress the legume‐specific flowering repressor E1, allowing E1 to inhibit Flowering Locus T (FT) expression and thus delaying flowering and increasing yields under SD conditions. The e6PG allele is a rare allele that has not been incorporated into modern breeding programs. The dysfunction of J might have greatly facilitated the adaptation of soybean to low latitudes. Our findings increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the LJ trait and provide valuable resources for soybean breeding.
Our research confirmed that the soybean major long‐juvenile trait locus E6 is a novel allele of J. The mutant allele e6PG, which carries a retrotransposon insertion, does not suppress the legume‐specific flowering repressor E1, allowing E1 to inhibit FT expression and thus delaying flowering and increasing yields under short‐day conditions.
Major cereal crops have benefitted from Green Revolution traits such as shorter and more compact plants that permit high-density planting, but soybean has remained relatively overlooked. To balance ...ideal soybean yield with plant height under dense planting, shortening of internodes without reducing the number of nodes and pods is desired. Here, we characterized a short-internode soybean mutant, reduced internode 1 (rin1). Partial loss of SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA 105 3a (SPA3a) underlies rin1. RIN1 physically interacts with two homologs of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), STF1 and STF2, to promote their degradation. RIN1 regulates gibberellin metabolism to control internode development through a STF1/STF2-GA2ox7 regulatory module. In field trials, rin1 significantly enhances grain yield under high-density planting conditions comparing to its wild type of elite cultivar. rin1 mutants therefore could serve as valuable resources for improving grain yield under high-density cultivation and in soybean-maize intercropping systems.
The multifaceted chemo-immune resistance is the principal barrier to achieving cure in cancer patients. Identifying a target that is critically involved in chemo-immune-resistance represents an ...attractive strategy to improve cancer treatment. iRhom1 plays a role in cancer cell proliferation and its expression is negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration. Here we show that iRhom1 decreases chemotherapy sensitivity by regulating the MAPK14-HSP27 axis. In addition, iRhom1 inhibits the cytotoxic T-cell response by reducing the stability of ERAP1 protein and the ERAP1-mediated antigen processing and presentation. To facilitate the therapeutic translation of these findings, we develop a biodegradable nanocarrier that is effective in codelivery of iRhom pre-siRNA (pre-siiRhom) and chemotherapeutic drugs. This nanocarrier is effective in tumor targeting and penetration through both enhanced permeability and retention effect and CD44-mediated transcytosis in tumor endothelial cells as well as tumor cells. Inhibition of iRhom1 further facilitates tumor targeting and uptake through inhibition of CD44 cleavage. Co-delivery of pre-siiRhom and a chemotherapy agent leads to enhanced antitumor efficacy and activated tumor immune microenvironment in multiple cancer models in female mice. Targeting iRhom1 together with chemotherapy could represent a strategy to overcome chemo-immune resistance in cancer treatment.
Ralstonia solanacearum, the causative agent of bacterial wilt disease, has been a major threat to tobacco production globally. Several control methods have failed. Thus, it is imperative to find ...effective management for this disease. The biocontrol agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens WS-10 displayed a significant control effect due to biofilm formation, and secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and exopolysaccharides. In addition, strain WS-10 can produce antimicrobial compounds, which was confirmed by the presence of genes encoding antimicrobial lipopeptides (
,
,
, and
) and polyketides (
,
,
, and
). Strain WS-10 successfully colonized tobacco plant roots and rhizosphere soil and suppressed the incidence of bacterial wilt disease up to 72.02% by reducing the R. solanacearum population dynamic in rhizosphere soil. Plant-microbe interaction was considered a key driver of disease outcome. To further explore the impact of strain WS-10 on rhizosphere microbial communities, V3-V4 and ITS1 variable regions of 16S and ITS rRNA were amplified, respectively. Results revealed that strain WS-10 influences the rhizosphere microbial communities and dramatically changed the diversity and composition of rhizosphere microbial communities. Interestingly, the relative abundance of genus
significantly decreased when treated with strain WS-10. A complex microbial co-occurrence network was present in a diseased state, and the introduction of strain WS-10 significantly changed the structure of rhizosphere microbiota. This study suggests that strain WS-10 can be used as a novel biocontrol agent to attain sustainability in disease management due to its intense antibacterial activity, efficient colonization in the host plant, and ability to transform the microbial community structure toward a healthy state.
The plant rhizosphere acts as the first line of defense against the invasion of pathogens. The perturbation in the rhizosphere microbiome is directly related to plant health and disease development. The introduction of beneficial microorganisms in the soil shifted the rhizosphere microbiome, induced resistance in plants, and suppressed the incidence of soilborne disease.
sp. is widely used as a biocontrol agent against soilborne diseases due to its ability to produce broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds and colonization with the host plant. In our study, we found that the application of native Bacillus amyloliquefaciens WS-10 significantly suppressed the incidence of tobacco bacterial wilt disease by shifting the rhizosphere microbiome and reducing the interaction between rhizosphere microorganisms and bacterial wilt pathogen.
Background
This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) in Chinese adolescent sports exam candidates.
Methods
One day before the National Sports ...College Entrance Examination, 965 Chinese athletes rated the Chinese-language SAS-2. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the three-factor structure. Factorial invariance was tested by comparing the configural invariance model to three more constrained models. Construct validity and reliability were determined.
Results
Fit indices meet the critical values: CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.943, RMSEA = 0.048 90% CI, 0.041–0.054, and SRMR = 0.042. All path factor loadings exceed 0.5. The changes in CFI and RMSEA across the configural, metric, scalar, and uniqueness invariance are within the critical values, demonstrating strict measurement invariance across gender, years of training, and type of sports. The average variance extracted of the worry sub-scale is above the cutoff criteria, and McDonald's omega coefficients are over 0.70. Significant correlations exist between the SAS-2, SCAT, and CSAI-2. Factor correlations are all below 0.8. The measurement also distinguishes the known gender effect, with females showing a probability of 58.6% higher anxiety levels. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranges from 0.706 to 0.801.
Conclusion
This study validated the Chinese-language SAS-2 in measuring competitive anxiety among Chinese adolescent athletes taking the National Sports College Entrance Examination. The development of the scale's applicability in China is discussed.
