Review
Plant Sciences
Anurag Kashyap, Marc Planas-Marques, Montserrat Capellades, Marc Valls, Nuria S. Coll
Summary: Xylem vascular wilt pathogens cause devastating diseases in plants by disrupting water and mineral transport, but plants develop physico-chemical barriers in xylem tissue to restrict the spread of these pathogens. These barriers compartmentalize and eliminate the pathogen at the infection site, contributing to plant resistance against xylem colonizers.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Muna Alariqi, Mohamed Ramadan, Qiongqiong Wang, Zhaoguang Yang, Xi Hui, Xinhui Nie, Amani Ahmed, Qiansi Chen, Yanyin Wang, Longfu Zhu, Xianlong Zhang, Shuangxia Jin
Summary: This study reveals the role of Gh4CL3 in cotton resistance to the vascular pathogen Verticillium dahliae. Gh4CL3 acts as a positive regulator by promoting JA signaling, enhancing cell wall rigidity, metabolic flux, and the synthesis of phenolic metabolites, ultimately leading to increased resistance against V. dahliae.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mukesh Roy, Anamika Prasad
Summary: Next-generation agriculture needs to address energy-intensive resource utilization and optimize plant growth. This study used Raman spectroscopy to monitor soybean development and identified indicators of plant health under different stress conditions. The results demonstrate the suitability of Raman spectroscopy for precision plant health monitoring.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mengxue Xia, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Vidya Suseela, Christopher B. Blackwood, Nishanth Tharayil
Summary: Recent studies have shown that mycorrhizal dependency strongly influences the organization of root traits, forming a dominant axis of trait covariation unique to roots. There is coordination between root chemistry, morphology, and anatomy, reflecting tradeoffs between chemical protection and mycorrhizal dependency, and supporting the mycorrhizal-collaboration gradient. The study also revealed remarkable phylogenetic structuring in root chemistry, which could impact biogeochemical cycles through their links with root chemistry.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hongyan Cao, Rohul Amin, Lili Niu, Zhihua Song, Biying Dong, Hanghang Li, Litao Wang, Dong Meng, Qing Yang, Yujie Fu
Summary: The study identified all members of the CcADF family from the pigeon pea genome and revealed their specific expression patterns under different stress treatments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these CcADFs were relatively conservative in gene structure evolution, protein structure, and functional expression, with different subgroups showing specific response patterns to different stresses.
FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zhaogang Liu, Ming Zhao, Hongxiang Zhang, Tingting Ren, Congcong Liu, Nianpeng He
Summary: This study investigated the spatial variation and adaptation of specific leaf area (SLA) in plant species in China. The results showed that SLA differed among different ecosystems, temperature zones, vegetation types, and functional groups. Phylogeny had a weak effect on SLA, but plant species evolved toward higher SLA. SLA responded nonlinearly to environmental change, and radiation was one of the main factors determining the spatial variation in SLA.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Mingming Cui, Shishir K. Gupta, Petra Bauer
Summary: Many membrane-associated proteins and complexes are essential for decoding information at the plasma membrane and regulating signaling processes. The plant-specific C2-DOMAIN ABSCISIC ACID-RELATED (CAR) proteins, which contain a calcium and phospholipid-binding C2-domain, play important roles in various signaling pathways including biotic and abiotic stress, blue light and iron nutrition. These proteins can oligomerize in membrane microdomains and their presence in the nucleus is associated with nuclear protein regulation, suggesting their unique roles in coordinating environmental responses and transmitting information cues between plasma membrane and nucleus.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Muhammad Yaseen, Waseem Razzaq Khan, Saraj Bahadur, Farwa Batool, Farhan Khalid, Umair Ahmed, Maria Ashraf
Summary: The interaction between soil properties and plant functional traits in tropical coastal secondary forests has been found to influence the dynamics and composition of plant communities. The study also revealed a relationship between trait variation and soil variables. Understanding the relationship between plant functional traits and soil conditions is crucial for the restoration of tropical coastal secondary forests.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
O. Dorogina, N. S. Nuzhdina, G. A. Zueva, Yu A. Gismatulina, O. Yu Vasilyeva
Summary: The study found that the Miscanthus sacchariflorus population can adapt to different lighting conditions, and plants growing in partial shade have lower lignin content, which can increase their value as a bioenergy plant.
VAVILOVSKII ZHURNAL GENETIKI I SELEKTSII
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kim Oelkers
Summary: The study shows that the objectives of the Water Framework Directive are not consistently implemented by the substance-specific legal acts of the Union. While regulatory frameworks for industrial chemicals, biocides, and pesticides have implemented various instruments to achieve environmental objectives, pharmaceutical legislation is lacking in comparison. This highlights the need to incorporate similar instruments in pharmaceutical legislation to ensure coherence with the Water Framework Directive.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria O. Ivanova, Polina A. Volkova, Yury A. Burlakov, Yury O. Kopylov-Guskov, Nikita P. Tikhomirov, Alexander A. Bobrov
Summary: Researchers explored the vascular flora of the Simushir island in the central part of the Kuril Archipelago and discovered 24 new species, including three new species for the entire Kuril Archipelago. The study showed that one-third of the new species found on Simushir island are alien, and there is no distinct floristic border between the Northern and Middle Kurils. Additionally, the study revealed that the Middle Kurils' aquatic flora is not as impoverished as previously believed.
JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC BIODIVERSITY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gustav B. Pedersen, Leonard Blaschek, Kristian E. H. Frandsen, Lise C. Noack, Staffan Persson
Summary: All plant cells have cell walls that provide cohesion, protection, and directional growth to plants. Cellulose microfibrils are the main biomechanical scaffold in these walls. Recent technological advances have greatly improved our understanding of the machinery and regulation of cellulose biosynthesis. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the structure, function, and regulation of cellulose synthesis machinery, highlights knowledge gaps, and outlines emerging approaches to fill those gaps.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Leonard Blaschek, Emiko Murozuka, Henrik Serk, Delphine Menard, Edouard Pesquet
Summary: Vascular plants use lignin phenolic polymers to strengthen the cell walls of different xylem cell types. The chemistry of lignin varies between each cell wall layer and each cell type. Multiple individual laccases are specifically required to control the lignin chemistry in different cell types and cell wall layers.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marzieh Saeedimasine, Fredrik Grote, Alexander P. Lyubartsev
Summary: In this study, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the structural details of ZnO surfaces in water and develop a classical force field for hydrated ZnO surfaces. The simulations showed that water dissociates near unmodified ZnO surfaces, forming hydroxyl groups and protonating surface oxygen atoms. The developed force field was validated and can be used for modeling ZnO in various fluid environments and in interaction with biomolecules.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andi Di, Jipeng Xu, Thomas Zinn, Michael Sztucki, Wentao Deng, Anumol Ashok, Cheng Lian, Lennart Bergstrom
Summary: This study presents a time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering investigation on the co-assembly process of amphiphilic organo-functionalized Wells-Dawson-type polyoxometalate (POM) metal-oxygen clusters with Pluronic block copolymer in aqueous solutions. The study revealed the formation of large vesicles, a lamellar phase, a mixture of two cubic phases, and eventually a hexagonal phase at concentrations above 110 mM.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anthony E. E. Szego, Tamara L. L. Church, Zoltan Bacsik, Aleksander Jaworski, Latif Ullah, Niklas Hedin
Summary: A heterogenized alternative method using aminated silica and a Ru-MACHOTM catalyst was developed for CO2 precapture and subsequent hydrogenation to MeOH. The support for the Ru catalyst was commercial mesoporous silica modified with three different amino-silane monomers. TEM and solid-state NMR spectroscopy were used to study the composites before and after the catalytic reaction. The gas-solid heterogeneous system was probed with gas-phase infrared spectroscopy to quantify the resulting products, and high turnover number (TON) values were observed for samples aminated with secondary amines.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andi Di, Carina Schiele, Seyed Ehsan Hadi, Lennart Bergstrom
Summary: Low-density foams and aerogels based on upcycled and bio-based nanofibers and additives are potential alternatives to fossil-based thermal insulation materials. This study focuses on the preparation of super-insulating foams using upcycled acid-treated aramid nanofibers (upANFA) and tempo-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNF), and highlights the importance of the very small diameter of upANFA for phonon scattering. The foams exhibit high thermal stability, low thermal conductivity, and are moisture-resilient. The use of significant amounts of upcycled textile nanofibers can reduce carbon footprint and energy demand in thermal management applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mikhail Ivanov, Maksim Posysoev, Alexander P. Lyubartsev
Summary: This study proposes a bottom-up coarse-graining method using artificial neural networks to determine interactions within a coarse-grained model. The method is demonstrated on modeling methanol-water solutions and shows promising results.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THEORY AND COMPUTATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Koichi Yoshioka, Hoon Kim, Fachuang Lu, Nette De Ridder, Ruben Vanholme, Shinya Kajita, Wout Boerjan, John Ralph
Summary: A previously overlooked benzofuran moiety was discovered in lignin, revealing its potential mechanistic role in lignification.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roja Rahmani, Alexander P. Lyubartsev
Summary: The understanding of how nanomaterials interact with biological molecules is crucial for their biomedical applications and evaluation of toxicity. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study the adsorption properties of 30 small molecules on ZnS surfaces in aqueous media. It was found that only a few anionic molecules showed significant binding to the pristine ZnS surface, while spherical ZnS nanoparticles exhibited stronger binding due to their surface facets. The presence of a poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating changed the binding preferences, with some molecules showing high affinity due to binding with the coating.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fredrik Grote, Alexander Lyubartsev, Sergey V. Dvinskikh, Vibhu Rinwa, Jan Holmbaeck
Summary: Binary mixtures of ethanol and phospholipids DOPC and DOPE were investigated for topical drug delivery applications using computer simulation and experimental approach. Molecular dynamics simulations and experimental measurements were used to compute and validate properties such as diffusion coefficients, relaxation times, and viscosity. The simulations revealed that the structure of ethanol-DOPC mixtures remains unchanged while ethanol-DOPE mixtures undergo structural rearrangements, indicating the stronger aggregation tendency of DOPE. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of advanced drug delivery formulations.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Seyed Ehsan Hadi, H. Aygul Yeprem, Agnes ahl, Mohammad Morsali, Martin Kapuscinski, Konstantin Kriechbaum, Mika H. Sipponen, Lennart Bergstrom
Summary: Lightweight iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)/TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCNF) hybrid foams with an anisotropic structure and high IONP content were produced using magnetic field-enhanced unidirectional ice-templating. Coating the IONP with tannic acid (TA) improved the processability, mechanical performance, and thermal stability of the hybrid foams. These highly magnetic hybrid foams are of potential interest for environmental remediation, energy storage, and electromagnetic interference shielding.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Frederic Heraly, Miao Zhang, Agnes Ahl, Wei Cao, Lennart Bergstrom, Jiayin Yuan
Summary: The study presents a nanomaterial-based organic-inorganic humidity-sensitive bilayer actuator characterized by large humidity-driven locomotion and fast unbending. Cationic exchange and control of layer thickness can be used to adjust and dictate the actuator's response to humidity variations.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2022)