Article
Plant Sciences
Qi Meng, Xiao-Fang Hou, Hao Cheng, Xiao-Min Tan, Zuo-Qian Pu, Zi-Qin Xu
Summary: The gene IiSVP, an ortholog of AtSVP in I. indigotica, was found to be highly expressed in rosette leaves, inflorescences and petals, while weakly expressed in sepals, pistils and young silicles. This protein, localized in the nucleus, acts as a MADS-box transcription factor and regulates the floral development and flowering process by forming complexes with other proteins.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Binyu Zheng, Qianqiu Zhao, Lan Feng, Zhenyan Zhang, Qi Zhang, Fan Zhang, Yu Deng, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: This study verified the effects of the chiral herbicide R-IM on the growth and rhizosphere microorganisms of Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that R-IM inhibited the growth of A. thaliana, decreased chlorophyll parameters, and reshaped the rhizosphere bacterial community structure. The influence of pesticide residues on plants became significant with the cultivation of generations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yan-Qin Ma, Zuo-Qian Pu, Xiao-Min Tan, Qi Meng, Kai-Li Zhang, Liu Yang, Ye-Ye Ma, Xuan Huang, Zi-Qin Xu
Summary: This study found that SEPALLATA-like genes have significant effects on the architecture of inflorescence, determinacy of floral meristems, and development of floral organs in woad.
Article
Plant Sciences
Satomi Negoro, Tomo Hirabayashi, Rie Iwasaki, Keiko U. Torii, Naoyuki Uchida
Summary: Temperature plays a crucial role in the successful sexual reproduction of plants. The secreted peptide EPFL6 promotes the elongation of stamens and coordinates the growth of reproductive tissues in Arabidopsis thaliana. Modulating the activity of the receptor ER can rescue reproduction failure caused by insufficient stamen elongation.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yan-Qin Ma, Zuo-Qian Pu, Qi Meng, Xiao-Min Tan, Liu Yang, Kai-Li Zhang, Ye-Ye Ma, Xuan Huang, Zi-Qin Xu
Summary: The study revealed the important role of SEPALLATA genes in regulating flowering, leaf morphology and floral organ development in Arabidopsis. Two splicing variants, SEP3-2 and SEP3-3, of SEP3 gene were found to be involved in leaf morphogenesis and floral organ development by affecting transcriptional activity. SEP4 genes participate in the development of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. These findings demonstrate the diversified functions of SEPALLATA genes.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Horticulture
Byeong Wook Jeon, Man-Ho Oh, Hyoung Seok Kim, Eun Ok Kim, Won Byoung Chae
Summary: Research on radish plants shows that glucosinolate concentrations decrease in roots and shoots during autumn growth, with roots having higher concentrations than shoots during autumn and early spring, and shoots having higher concentrations during late spring. Additionally, proper harvest times for leaves and roots can be suggested based on the glucosinolate content and growth patterns of radish plants.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Umme Amara, Jianzhong Hu, Jing Cai, Hunseung Kang
Summary: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modification in eukaryotic mRNAs and is regulated by m6A writers, erasers, and readers. The study identified FLK as a novel mRNA m6A reader protein that directly binds the m6A site in the FLC transcripts to repress FLC levels. This finding establishes a molecular link between FLK-mediated recognition of m6A modifications and floral transition in Arabidopsis.
Review
Plant Sciences
Nobutoshi Yamaguchi
Summary: Certain eukaryotic transcription factors have the ability to reprogram one cell type into another, with pioneer factors being able to engage target sites in closed chromatin. In plants, the TF LEAFY acts as a pioneer factor specifying floral fate and interacts with other factors to regulate floral development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wenli Hu, Shuang Hu, Shaozhuang Li, Qi Zhou, Zijing Xie, Xiaohua Hao, Sha Wu, Lianfu Tian, Dongping Li
Summary: In this study, it was found that S-adenosylmethionine synthase regulates plant floral organ development through DNA demethylation and ethylene signaling pathway. DNA demethylation enhances ethylene biosynthesis, leading to abnormal floral organ development. The crosstalk between SAMS-mediated methylation and ethylene signaling may play a crucial role in the process of floral organ development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hua Liu, Hongna Shang, Huan Yang, Wenjie Liu, Daisuke Tsugama, Ken-Ichi Nonomura, Aimin Zhou, Wenwu Wu, Tetsuo Takano, Shenkui Liu
Summary: The development of floral organs is regulated by a complex network of homeotic genes, and the signaling of gibberellin (GA) is essential for this process. In this study, researchers discovered that the protein MAC5A, which contains an RNA-binding motif, is involved in the development of sepals, petals, and stamens. MAC5A interacts with RBE, a repressor of AG expression, and is required for normal stamen development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryan P. McQuinn, Julie Leroux, Julio Sierra, Lina Escobar-Tovar, Sarah Frusciante, E. Jean Finnegan, Gianfranco Diretto, Giovanni Giuliano, James J. Giovannoni, Patricia Leon, Barry J. Pogson
Summary: The redundancy and interplay among transcriptional regulators of floral development play a crucial role in ensuring plant reproductive success and crop production. This study reveals an additional layer of complexity in the regulation of floral meristem identity and flower development, linking carotenoid biosynthesis and metabolism to the determinate flowering regulation. The accumulation and cleavage of various ?-carotenes in the clb5 mutant of Arabidopsis leads to the reprogramming of gene regulatory networks, establishing floral meristem identity similar to the master regulator APETALA1 (AP1). The findings also suggest that this link between carotenoid metabolism and floral development is conserved in tomato, involving AP1 and SEPALLATA3 (SEP3) as redundant regulators of floral meristem identity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yanli Chen, Liping Zhang, Haiyan Zhang, Ligang Chen, Diqiu Yu
Summary: ERF1 plays a crucial role in floral initiation in Arabidopsis by regulating the transcription of the FT gene, acting as a negative modulator of flowering-time control in the ethylene signaling pathway.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daiki Shinozaki, Keitaro Tanoi, Kohki Yoshimoto
Summary: This study demonstrates the important role of autophagy in adapting to excess zinc stress in plants, with the distribution of Fe3+ from source leaves to sink leaves via autophagy promoting healthy growth under excess zinc.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Constance Le Gloanec, Loann Collet, Sylvia R. Silveira, Binghan Wang, Anne-Lise Routier-Kierzkowska, Daniel Kierzkowski
Summary: Coordination of growth, patterning, and differentiation is essential for shaping organs in multicellular organisms. In plants, cell growth is regulated by positional information, but individual cells often exhibit high heterogeneity. This study used time-lapse imaging to investigate the source and relevance of cellular growth variability during organ development in Arabidopsis thaliana. The findings suggest that growth variability is mainly driven by stomata differentiation, and the cell-autonomous behavior of specialized cells is the primary source of local growth variability.
Article
Plant Sciences
Athul Vijayan, Soeren Strauss, Rachele Tofanelli, Tejasvinee Atul Mody, Karen Lee, Miltos Tsiantis, Richard S. Smith, Kay Schneitz
Summary: 3DCoordX, an open-source computational tool, provides spatial context for cells in plant organs with complex shapes. This tool allows rapid spatial annotation of cells and analysis of cellular growth patterns. The research findings reveal the spatial context of cellular features in organs of different species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinfeng Zhang, Qi Zhang, Zhenyan Zhang, Zhigao Zhou, Tao Lu, Liwei Sun, Haifeng Qian
Summary: This study investigated the impact of phoxim on the aquatic microbial community and the intestinal microbiota of fish using shotgun metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results demonstrated that short-term exposure to phoxim significantly altered the structure and function of microbial communities and had a negative impact on freshwater ecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erkui Yue, Fuxi Rong, Zhen Liu, Songlin Ruan, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: This study identifies miR535 as a key regulator of Cd tolerance and accumulation in rice plants. Knocking out miR535 increases Cd tolerance, while overexpressing miR535 has the opposite effect. Cd accumulation is significantly higher in OE535 plants and lower in mir535 plants compared to wild type. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology may be used to create new rice varieties for food safety.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yitian Yu, Qi Zhang, Zhenyan Zhang, Shuyidan Zhou, Mingkang Jin, Dong Zhu, Xiaoru Yang, Haifeng Qian, Tao Lu
Summary: Knowledge of the dissemination and emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the plant rhizosphere is important for evaluating the risk they pose to soil planetary health. In this study, we analyzed the changes in the rhizosphere antibiotic resistome during the enrichment process of the rhizosphere microbiome in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that plants selectively enriched beneficial bacteria with many ARGs, and the wheat rhizosphere had a higher abundance of ARGs compared to other crops. These findings highlight the potential threat to human health from the dissemination of ARGs, despite their beneficial functions in the plant rhizosphere.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Zhang, Nuohan Xu, Zhenyan Zhang, Qi Zhang, Yaohui Yang, Zhitao Yu, Liwei Sun, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: The rhizosphere microbiome is crucial for plant growth and acts as an important interface for resource exchange between plants and the soil environment. This study analyzed the variations of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of four crop species during successive cultivation and found that specific microorganisms that benefit plant growth decreased in abundance over time, while potentially pathogenic fungi increased. The co-occurrence network analysis showed that bacterial and fungal communities under maize were more stable than those under other crops. The findings highlight the importance of indigenous soil flora in determining plant growth and suggest the potential use of critical microorganisms to control crop growth and yield.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Yan Wang, Kepin Ni, Zhenyan Zhang, Nuohan Xu, Chaotang Lei, Bingfeng Chen, Qi Zhang, Liwei Sun, Yiling Chen, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: The emergence and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) pose health risks to the ecosystem and humans. Understanding how non-antibiotic antimicrobial agents drive the expression of ARGs and VFs in freshwater ecosystems, however, remains large challenges.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guoyan Qin, Qi Zhang, Ziyao Zhang, Yiling Chen, Jichao Zhu, Yaohui Yang, W. J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Haifeng Qian
Summary: In this study, the impact of the fungicide difenoconazole on the gut microbial community of Enchytraeus crypticus and the soil microbiome was investigated. The results showed that difenoconazole treatment reduced body weight and increased oxidative stress levels in E. crypticus. The fungicide also altered the composition and structure of the gut microbial community and impaired the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the soil, affecting the stability of the soil-soil fauna microecology. Additionally, the study revealed the enrichment of bacterial genes involved in detoxification and virus genes involved in the carbon cycle, showing their ecological importance under pesticide stress.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bingfeng Chen, Zhenyan Zhang, Qi Zhang, Nuohan Xu, Tao Lu, Tingzhang Wang, Wenjie Hong, Zhengwei Fu, Josep Penuelas, Michael Gillings, Haifeng Qian
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides are a promising class of antimicrobials that can combat antibiotic resistance crisis. A global study on the diversity, hosts, and resistance potential of these peptides is lacking. This research analyzed 52,515 metagenome-assembled genomes to investigate the diversity and number of antimicrobial peptides in different habitats. The number of peptides was highest in the human gut microbiome, and their hosts varied across habitats. The risk of resistance genes to human health was quantified, with those conferring resistance to multiple AMPs and polymyxin B posing the highest threat.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Lin, Zhenyan Zhang, Yiling Chen, Qi Zhang, Mingjing Ke, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: This study investigated the effects of glyphosate on six common cyanobacterial species and found that the growth of five species was promoted to different degrees, while only Pseudanabaena was inhibited. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pseudanabaena, which is more closely related to plants, was sensitive to glyphosate. Additionally, the study demonstrated that glyphosate served as a source of phosphorus and accelerated cyanobacterial growth.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ming-Kang Jin, Qi Zhang, Yu-Tian Yang, Cai-Xia Zhao, Jian Li, Hongjie Li, Haifeng Qian, Dong Zhu, Yong-Guan Zhu
Summary: Worldwide, the use of pyrethroids, such as cypermethrin, is widespread as insecticides, but their impact on the soil microbiome and non-target soil fauna is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of cypermethrin on the bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the soil and gut of Enchytraeus crypticus using genetic sequencing and qPCR. The results showed that cypermethrin exposure led to an increase in potential pathogens in the soil and gut microbiome of E. crypticus, disrupting the microbiome structure and immune system. The co-occurrence of potential pathogens, ARGs, and mobile genetic elements revealed an increased risk of pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that ARG dissemination was promoted by both mobile genetic elements and the ratio of core to non-core bacterial abundance. Overall, this study provides important insights into the environmental risk of cypermethrin on the dissemination of ARGs in the soil and non-target soil fauna.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bingfeng Chen, Zhenyan Zhang, Tingzhang Wang, Hang Hu, Guoyan Qin, Tao Lu, Wenjie Hong, Jun Hu, Josep Penuelas, Haifeng Qian
Summary: We created a global map using a machine-learning model to predict marine microplastic pollution. The results showed that microplastics accumulate in subtropical gyres and near polar seas. Our study also identified areas with high microplastic pollution and high potential for biodegradation, but the limited number of samples hindered accurate predictions.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nuohan Xu, Hang Hu, Yan Wang, Zhenyan Zhang, Qi Zhang, Mingjing Ke, Tao Lu, Josep Penuelas, Haifeng Qian
Summary: River microbiotas play a critical role in geochemical processes and ecological functions of rivers, but their response to environmental drivers is sensitive. Understanding the geographic patterns of river microbial traits can provide important insights into river health and function.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Tao Lu, Nuohan Xu, Chaotang Lei, Qi Zhang, Zhenyan Zhang, Liwei Sun, Feng He, Ning-Yi Zhou, Josep Penuelas, Yong-Guan Zhu, Haifeng Qian
Summary: In this study, 6102 high-quality sequencing results of soil bacterial samples were re-analyzed. The results showed that the type of land use was the principal driver of bacterial richness and diversity. Additionally, SOC content was found to be positively correlated with key bacteria and total nitrogen content.
SOIL ECOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chunlei Yang, Xiangfei Deng, Peter Lund, Haixia Liu, Xingwang Ding, Zhengwei Fu, Naifeng Zhang, Jinjun Li, Lifeng Dong
Summary: Developing alternatives to antibiotics for prevention of gastrointestinal dysbiosis in early-weaning farmed animals is urgently needed. This study explored the potential effects of trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on maintaining ruminal homeostasis of young ruminants during the weaning transition period. Results showed that CLA supplementation enhanced the ruminal microbiota-driven transcriptional regulation and alleviated early-weaning stress in young ruminants.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chaotang Lei, Tao Lu, Haifeng Qian, Yuxue Liu
Summary: Biochar amendment significantly affects the soil microbial community by altering the composition of bacteria and fungi. It enhances the stability of the soil microbial community while reducing the interactions between fungi and bacteria. In addition, biochar amendment enhances the biosynthetic capabilities of bacteria and increases the fungal nutrient patterns, resulting in an increase in the abundance and diversity of saprophytic fungi that promote soil nutrient cycling.
Article
Ecology
Yitian Yu, Qi Zhang, Zhenyan Zhang, Nuohan Xu, Yan Li, Mingkang Jin, Guoqiang Feng, Haifeng Qian, Tao Lu
Summary: This study investigated the impact of residual chlorine on soil microbial communities. The results showed that continuous chlorine treatment did not have a lasting effect on the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities, and slightly affected the metabolic functions of rhizosphere microbial communities, which later recovered to their original status. Due to the potential slight long-term effects on plant growth and soil micro-ecology, conducting environmental risk assessments and minimizing risks to the environment are crucial.
SOIL ECOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)