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Trends in the global commercialization of genetically modified crops in 2023 Xingru Cheng, Haohui Li, Qiaoling Tang, Haiwen Zhang, Tao Liu, Youhua Wang 2024, 23 (12): 3943-3952.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.09.012 Abstract （592）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops has increased food production, improved crop quality, reduced pesticide use, promoted changes in agricultural production methods, and become an important new production strategy for dealing with insect pests and weeds while reducing the cultivated land area.  This article provides a comprehensive examination of the global distribution of GM crops in 2023.  It discusses the internal factors that are driving their adoption, such as the increasing number of GM crops and the growing variety of commodities.  This article also provides information support and application guidance for the new developments in global agricultural science and technology. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Mapping and identification of QTLs for seed fatty acids in soybean (Glycine max L.) Yiwang Zhong, Xingang Li, Shasha Wang, Sansan Li, Yuhong Zeng, Yanbo Cheng, Qibin Ma, Yanyan Wang, Yuanting Pang, Hai Nian, Ke Wen 2024, 23 (12): 3966-3982.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.010 Abstract （351）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Soybean is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil.  The oil content and fatty acid ratio have attracted significant attention due to their impacts on the shelf-life of soybean oil products and consumer health.  In this study, a high-density genetic map derived from Guizao 1 and Brazil 13 was used to analyze the quantitative trait loci of palmitic acid (PA), stearic acid (SA), oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), linolenic acid (LNA), and oil content (OC).  A total of 54 stable QTLs were detected in the genetic map linkage analysis, which shared six bin intervals.  Among them, the bin interval on chromosome 13 (bin106–bin118 and bin123–bin125) was found to include stable QTLs in multiple environments that were linked to OA, LA, and LNA.  Eight differentially expressed genes (DEGs) within these QTL intervals were determined as candidate genes according to the combination of parental resequencing, bioinformatics and RNA sequencing data.  All these results are conducive to breeding soybean with the ideal fatty acid ratio for food, and provide the genetic basis for mining genes related to the fatty acid and oil content traits in soybean. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Karyotype establishment and development of specific molecular markers of Aegilops geniculata Roth based on SLAF-seq  Yongfu Wang, Jianzhong Fan, Hong Zhang, Pingchuan Deng, Tingdong Li, Chunhuan Chen, Wanquan Ji, Yajuan Wang 2024, 23 (12): 3953-3965.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.014 Abstract （336）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The constant evolution of pathogens poses a threat to wheat resistance against diseases, endangering food security.  Developing resistant wheat varieties is the most practical approach for circumventing this problem.  As a close relative of wheat, Aegilops geniculata, particularly accession SY159, has evolved numerous beneficial traits that could be applied to improve wheat.  In this study, we established the karyotype of SY159 by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the oligonucleotide probes Oligo-pTa535 and Oligo-pSc119.2 and a complete set of wheat–Ae. geniculata accession TA2899 addition lines as a reference.  Using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology, 400 specific markers were established for detecting the SY159 chromosomes with efficiencies reaching 81.5%.  The SY159-specific markers were used to classify the different homologous groups of SY159 against the wheat–Ae. geniculata addition lines.  We used these specific markers on the 7Mg chromosome after classification, and successfully confirmed their suitability for studying the different chromosomes of SY159.  This study provides a foundation for accelerating the application of SY159 in genetic breeding programs designed to improve wheat.  Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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The development of a porcine 50K SNP panel using genotyping by target sequencing and its application Zipeng Zhang, Siyuan Xing, Ao Qiu, Ning Zhang, Wenwen Wang, Changsong Qian, Jia’nan Zhang, Chuduan Wang, Qin Zhang, Xiangdong Ding 2025, 24 (5): 1930-1943.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.07.033 Abstract （318）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) integrates the advantages of silicon-based technology (high stability and reliability) and genotyping by sequencing (high flexibility and cost-effectiveness).  However, GBTS panels are not currently available in pigs.  In this study, based on GBTS technology, we first developed a 50K panel, including 52,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in pigs, designated GBTS50K.  A total of 6,032 individuals of Large White, Landrace, and Duroc pigs from 10 breeding farms were used to assess the newly developed GBTS50K.  Our results showed that GBTS50K obtained a high genotyping ability, the SNP and individual call rates of GBTS50K were 0.997–0.998, and the average consistency rate and genotyping correlation coefficient were 0.997 and 0.993, respectively, in replicate samples.  We also evaluated the efficiencies of GBTS50K in the application of population genetic structure analysis, selection signature detection, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genotyped imputation, genetic selection (GS), etc.  The results indicate that GBTS50K is plausible and powerful in genetic analysis and molecular breeding.  For example, GBTS50K could gain higher accuracies than the current popular GGP-Porcine bead chip in genomic selection on 2 important traits of backfat thickness at 100 kg and days to 100 kg in pigs.  Particularly, due to the multiple SNPs (mSNPs), GBTS50K generated 100K qualified SNPs without increasing genotyping cost, and our results showed that the haplotype-based method can further improve the accuracies of genomic selection on growth and reproduction traits by 2 to 6%.  Our study showed that GBTS50K could be a powerful tool for underlying genetic architecture and molecular breeding in pigs, and it is also helpful for developing SNP panels for other farm animals. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of water and nitrogen rate on grain-filling characteristics under high-low seedbed cultivation in winter wheat Junming Liu, Zhuanyun Si, Shuang Li, Lifeng Wu, Yingying Zhang, Xiaolei Wu, Hui Cao, Yang Gao, Aiwang Duan 2024, 23 (12): 4018-4031.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.002 Abstract （286）      PDF in ScienceDirect       A high-efficiency mode of high-low seedbed cultivation (HLSC) has been listed as the main agricultural technology to increase land utilization ratio and grain yield in Shandong Province, China.  However, limited information is available on the optimized water and nitrogen management for yield formation, especially the grain-filling process, under HLSC mode.  A three-year field experiment with four nitrogen rates and three irrigation rates of HLSC was conducted to reveal the response of grain-filling parameters, grain weight percentage of spike weight (GPS), spike moisture content (SMC), and winter wheat yield to water and nitrogen rates.  The four nitrogen rates were N1 (360 kg ha–1 pure N), N2 (300 kg ha–1 pure N), N3 (240 kg ha–1 pure N), and N4 (180 kg ha–1 pure N), respectively, and the three irrigation quotas were W1 (120 mm), W2 (90 mm), and W3 (60 mm), respectively.  Results showed that the determinate growth function generally performed well in simulating the temporal dynamics of grain weight (0.989<R2<0.999, where R2 is the determination coefficient).  The occurrence time of maximum filling rate (Tmax) and active grain-filling period (AGP) increased with the increase in the water or nitrogen rate, whereas the average grain-filling rate (Gmean) had a decreasing trend.  The final 1,000-grain weight (FTGW) increased and then decreased with the increase in the nitrogen rates and increased with the increase in the irrigation rates.  The GPS and SMC had a highly significant quadratic polynomial relationship with grain weight and days after anthesis.  Nitrogen, irrigation, and year significantly affected the Tmax, AGP, Gmean, and FTGW.  Particularly, the AGP and FTGW were insignificantly different between high seedbed (HLSC-H) and low seedbed (HLSC-L) across the water and nitrogen levels.  Moreover, the moderate water and nitrogen supply was more beneficial for grain yield, as well as for spike number and grain number per hectare.  The principal component analysis indicated that combining 240–300 kg N ha–1 and 90–120 mm irrigation quota could improve grain-filling efficiency and yield for the HLSC-cultivated winter wheat.   Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Optimizing nitrogen management can improve stem lodging resistance and stabilize the grain yield of japonica rice in rice–crayfish coculture systems Qiang Xu, Jingyong Li, Hui Gao, Xinyi Yang, Zhi Dou, Xiaochun Yuan, Weiyan Gao, Hongcheng Zhang 2024, 23 (12): 3983-3997.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.02.002 Abstract （278）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Nitrogen (N) significantly affects rice yield and lodging resistance.  Previous studies have primarily investigated the impact of N management on rice lodging in conventional rice monoculture (RM); however, few studies have performed such investigations in rice–crayfish coculture (RC).  We hypothesized that RC would increase rice lodging risk and that optimizing N application practices would improve rice lodging resistance without affecting food security.  We conducted a two-factor (rice farming mode and N management practice) field experiment from 2021 to 2022 to test our hypothesis.  The rice farming modes included RM and RC, and the N management practices included no nitrogen fertilizer, conventional N application, and optimized N treatment.  The rice yield and lodging resistance characteristics, such as morphology, mechanical and chemical characteristics, anatomic structure, and gene expression levels, were analyzed and compared among the treatments.  Under the same N application practice, RC decreased the rice yield by 11.1–24.4% and increased the lodging index by 19.6–45.6% compared with the values yielded in RM.  In RC, optimized N application decreased the plant height, panicle neck node height, center of gravity height, bending stress, and lodging index by 4.0–4.8%, 5.2–7.8%, 0.5–4.5%, 5.5–10.5%, and 1.8–19.5%, respectively, compared with those in the conventional N application practice.  Furthermore, it increased the culm diameter, culm wall thickness, breaking strength, and non-structural and structural carbohydrate content by 0.8–4.9%, 2.2–53.1%, 13.5–19.2%, 2.2–24.7%, and 31.3–87.2%, respectively.  Optimized N application increased sclerenchymal and parenchymal tissue areas of the vascular bundle at the culm wall of the base second internode.  Furthermore, optimized N application upregulated genes involved in lignin and cellulose synthesis, thereby promoting lower internodes on the rice stem and enhancing lodging resistance.  Optimized N application in RC significantly reduced the lodging index by 1.8–19.5% and stabilized the rice yield (>8,570 kg ha–1 on average).  This study systematically analyzed and compared the differences in lodging characteristics between RM and RC.  The findings will aid in the development of more efficient practices for RC that will reduce N fertilizer application. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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A novel chorismate mutase effector secreted from root-knot nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii manipulates plant immunity to promote parasitism Tuizi Feng, Yuan Chen, Zhourong Li, Ji Pei, Deliang Peng, Huan Peng, Haibo Long 2024, 23 (12): 4107-4119.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.039 Abstract （275）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Meloidogyne spp. is an economically important plant-parasitic nematode distributed worldwide.  To fight with host immune system for successful parasitism, plant parasitic nematodes secrete effectors to promote infection.  In this study, we identified one chorismate mutase (CM) effector from M. enterolobii, named Me-CM.  Spatial and temporal expression assays exhibited Me-cm is expressed in esophageal glands and up-regulated at parasitic-stage juveniles.  Me-CM affects the pathogenicity of M. enterolobii based on the reduced infection rate, number of galls, egg masses, eggs per mass and multiplication rate collected from RNA silencing experiments.  We showed that Me-CM localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of plant cells and decreased the expression level of the marker gene PR1 of salicylic acid (SA) pathway.  Besides, constitutive expression of Me-cm in Arabidopsis thaliana significantly reduced salicylic acid concentration.  These results suggested that M. enterolobii may secrete effector Me-CM to fight with plant immune systems via regulating SA signaling pathway when interacting with host plants, ultimately facilitating parasitism. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Dietary manganese supplementation inhibits abdominal fat deposition possibly by regulating gene expression and enzyme activity involved in lipid metabolism in the abdominal fat of broilers Xiaoyan Cui, Ke Yang, Weiyun Zhang, Liyang Zhang, Ding Li, Wei Wu, Yun Hu, Tingting Li, Xugang Luo 2024, 23 (12): 4161-4171.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.08.004 Abstract （272）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Excessive abdominal fat deposition seriously restricts the production efficiency of broilers.  Several studies found that dietary supplemental manganese (Mn) could effectively reduce the abdominal fat deposition of broilers, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.  The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with the inorganic or organic Mn on abdominal fat deposition, and enzyme activity and gene expression involved in lipid metabolism in the abdominal fat of male or female broilers.  A total of 420 1-d-old AA broilers (half males and half females) were randomly allotted by body weight and gender to 1 of 6 treatments with 10 replicates cages of 7 chicks per cage in a completely randomized design involving a 3 (dietary Mn addition)×2 (gender) factorial arrangement.  Male or female broilers were fed with the Mn-unsupplemented basal diets containing 17.52 mg Mn kg–1 (d 1–21) and 15.62 mg Mn kg–1 (d 22–42) by analysis or the basal diets supplemented with 110 mg Mn kg–1 (d 1–21) and 80 mg Mn kg–1 (d 22–42) as either the Mn sulfate or the Mn proteinate with moderate chelation strength (Mn-Prot M) for 42 d.  The results showed that the interaction between dietary Mn addition and gender had no impact (P>0.05) on any of the measured parameters; abdominal fat percentage of broilers was decreased (P<0.003) by Mn addition; Mn addition increased (P<0.004) adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) activity, while Mn-Prot M decreased (P<0.002) the fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity in the abdominal fat of broilers compared to the control; Mn addition decreased (P<0.009) diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) mRNA expression level and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) mRNA and protein expression levels, but up-regulated (P<0.05) the ATGL mRNA and protein expression levels in the abdominal fat of broilers.  It was concluded that dietary supplementation with Mn inhibited the abdominal fat deposition of broilers possibly via decreasing the expression of PPARγ and DGAT2 as well as increasing the expression and activity of ATGL in the abdominal fat of broilers, and Mn-Prot M was more effective in inhibiting the FAS acitivity. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Nitrogen application regulates antioxidant capacity and flavonoid metabolism, especially quercetin, in grape seedlings under salt stress Congcong Zhang, Han Wang, Guojie Nai, Lei Ma, Xu Lu, Haokai Yan, Meishuang Gong, Yuanyuan Li, Ying Lai, Zhihui Pu, Li Wei, Guiping Chen, Ping Sun, Baihong Chen, Shaoying Ma, Sheng Li 2024, 23 (12): 4074-4092.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.013 Abstract （270）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Salt stress is a typical abiotic stress in plants that causes slow growth, stunting, and reduced yield and fruit quality.  Fertilization is necessary to ensure proper crop growth.  However, the effect of fertilization on salt tolerance in grapevine is unclear.  In this study, we investigated the effect of nitrogen fertilizer (0.01 and 0.1 mol L–1 NH4NO3) application on the salt (200 mmol L–1 NaCl) tolerance of grapevine based on physiological indices, and transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses.  The results revealed that 0.01 mol L–1 NH4NO3 supplementation significantly reduced the accumulation of superoxide anion (O2–·), enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), and improved the levels of ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) in grape leaves compared to salt treatment alone.  Specifically, joint transcriptome and metabolome analyses showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were significantly enriched in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (ko00941) and the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathway (ko00944).  In particular, the relative content of quercetin (C00389) was markedly regulated by salt and nitrogen.  Further analysis revealed that exogenous foliar application of quercetin improved the SOD and POD activities, increased the AsA and GSH contents, and reduced the H2O2 and O2–· contents.  Meanwhile, 10 hub DEGs, which had high Pearson correlations (R2>0.9) with quercetin, were repressed by nitrogen.  In conclusion, all the results indicated that moderate nitrogen and quercetin application under salt stress enhanced the antioxidant system defense response, thus providing a new perspective for improving salt tolerance in grapes. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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PDL1-dependent trans-acting siRNAs regulate lateral organ polarity development in rice Yi Zhang, Jing You, Jun Tang, Wenwen Xiao, Mi Wei, Ruhui Wu, Jinyan Liu, Hanying Zong, Shuoyu Zhang, Jie Qiu, Huan Chen, Yinghua Ling, Fangming Zhao, Yunfeng Li, Guanghua He, Ting Zhang 2025, 24 (9): 3297-3310.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.01.025 Abstract （264）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Leaves and glumes act as lateral organs and have essential effects on photosynthesis and seed morphology, thus affecting yield.  However, the molecular mechanisms controlling their polarity development in rice still need further study.  Here, we isolated a polarity defect of lateral organs 1 (pdl1) mutant in rice, which exhibits twisted/filamentous-shaped leaves and cracked/filamentous-shaped lemmas caused by defects in polarity development.  PDL1 encodes a SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING 3 protein localized in the cytoplasmic granules.  PDL1 is expressed in the shoot apical meristem, inflorescence meristem, floral meristem, and lateral organs including leaves and floral organs.  PDL1 is involved in the synthesis of tasiR-ARF, which may subsequently modulate the expression of OsARFs.  Meanwhile, the expression levels of abaxial miR165/166 and the adaxial identity genes OSHBs were respectively increased and reduced significantly.  The results of this study clarify the molecular mechanism by which PDL1-mediated tasiR-ARF synthesis regulates the lateral organ polarity development in rice. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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A genome-wide association study and transcriptome analysis reveal the genetic basis for the Southern corn rust resistance in maize Yang Wang, Chunhua Mu, Xiangdong Li, Canxing Duan, Jianjun Wang, Xin Lu, Wangshu Li, Zhennan Xu, Shufeng Sun, Ao Zhang, Zhiqiang Zhou, Shenghui Wen, Zhuanfang Hao, Jienan Han, Jianzhou Qu, Wanli Du, Fenghai Li, Jianfeng Weng 2025, 24 (2): 453-466.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.039 Abstract （260）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Southern corn rust (SCR) is an airborne fungal disease caused by Puccinia polysora Underw. (P. polysora) that adversely impacts maize quality and yields worldwide.  Screening for new elite SCR-resistant maize loci or genes has the potential to enhance overall resistance to this pathogen.  Using phenotypic SCR resistance-related data collected over two years and three geographical environments, a genome-wide association study was carried out in this work, which eventually identified 91 loci that were substantially correlated with SCR susceptibility.  These included 13 loci that were significant in at least three environments and overlapped with 74 candidate genes (B73_RefGen_v4).  Comparative transcriptomic analyses were then performed to identify the genes related to SCR infection, with 2,586 and 797 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) ultimately being identified in the resistant Qi319 and susceptible 8112 inbred lines following P. polysora infection, respectively, including 306 genes common to both lines.  Subsequent integrative multi-omics investigations identified four potential candidate SCR response-related genes.  One of these genes is ZmHCT9, which encodes the protein hydroxycinnamoyl transferase 9.  This gene was up-regulated in susceptible inbred lines and linked to greater P. polysora resistance as confirmed through cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-based virus induced-gene silencing (VIGS) system-mediated gene silencing.  These data provide important insights into the genetic basis of the maize SCR response.  They will be useful for for future research on potential genes related to SCR resistance in maize. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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The VGLL2 gene participates in muscle development in Gushi chickens Wenya Li, Haoxiang Ma, Yanxing Wang, Yushi Zhang, Yang Liu, Ruili Han, Hong Li, Hanfang Cai, Xiaojun Liu, Xiangtao Kang, Ruirui Jiang, Zhuanjian Li 2025, 24 (1): 246-260.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.06.017 Abstract （259）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Previous studies have shown that VGLL2, a member of the mammalian Vestigial-like (VGLL) family, plays important roles in the growth and development of animal skeletal muscle, but its specific role in the development of chicken skeletal muscle is unclear.  The main goal of this study was to explore the biological functions of VGLL2 in the development of chicken skeletal muscle and the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle cells in vitro.  In this study, we detected the effect of VGLL2 on the proliferation of myoblasts by CCK8, EdU and flow cytometry analyses after overexpressing and interfering with VGLL2.  Indirect immunofluorescence was used to detect the effect of VGLL2 on the differentiation of myoblasts.  qRT-PCR and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were used to evaluate the effects of VGLL2 overexpression on the growth rate and muscle fiber structure of chicken skeletal muscle.  The results showed that VGLL2 inhibited the proliferation of primary cultured chicken myoblasts and promoted the differentiation of these cells.  Interestingly, food intake and muscle fiber development were significantly enhanced by the overexpression of VGLL2 in chickens.  Taken together, these data demonstrate that the VGLL2 gene may be a useful marker for improving muscle mass in poultry. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Mechanism of mitigating on Deoxynivalenol-induced intestinal toxicity in swine and its dietary regulation strategy Ting Pan, Ruiting Guo, Weiwei Wang, Xing Liu, Bing Xia, Linshu Jiang, Ming Liu 2025, 24 (7): 2449-2464.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.037 Abstract （259）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Mycotoxins are the most widely existing pollutants in both dietary provisions and livestock feed, and they pose a series of hazards for humans and animals.  Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a prevalent mycotoxin that is primarily produced by Fusarium spp. and commonly found in various cereal products.  Feeding swine diets contaminated with trichothecene DON can lead to major adverse effects, including reduced feed intake, diminished weight gains, and compromised immune function.  Among all animal species, swine are the most sensitive to DON.  Here we explore the disruption of gut health by DON, considering aspects such as intestinal histomorphology, epithelial barrier functions,  immune system, microflora, and short-chain fatty acid production in the intestines.  Numerous additives have been documented for their potential in the detoxification of DON.  These additives can alleviate the toxic effects of DON on pigs by modulating the Nrf2-Keap1, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways.  Additionally, there are additives capable of mitigating the toxicity of DON through adsorption or biotransformation.  This update has novel potential for advancing our comprehension of the mechanisms linked to DON intestinal toxicity and facilitating the formulation of innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of DON. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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A potential hyphal fusion protein complex with an important role in development and virulence interacts with autophagy-related proteins in Fusarium pseudograminearum Linlin Chen, Yixuan Shan, Zaifang Dong, Yake Zhang, Mengya Peng, Hongxia Yuan, Yan Shi, Honglian Li, Xiaoping Xing 2024, 23 (12): 4093-4106.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.005 Abstract （256）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Hyphal fusion (anastomosis) is a common process serving many important functions at various developmental stages in the life cycle of ascomycetous fungi.  However, the biological roles and molecular mechanisms in plant pathogenic fungi were widely unknown.  In this study, a hyphal fusion protein FpHam-2 was screened from a T-DNA insertion mutant library of Fusarium pseudograminearum, and FpHam-2 interacts with another 2 hyphal fusion protein homologues FpHam-3 and FpHam-4.  Each of these 3 genes deletion mutant revealed in similar defective phenotypes compared with the WT and complemented strains, including reduction in growth rate, defects in hyphal fusion and conidiation, more sensitive for cell membrane, cell wall and oxidative stress responses, and decreased in virulence.  The yeast two-hybrid assay was used to identify that FpHam-2 interacts with 3 autophagy-related proteins, including FpAtg3, FpAtg28 and FpAtg33.  Furthermore, FpHam-2-deletion mutant showed decreased accumulation of autophagic bodies in hypha.  In conclusion, FpHam-2, FpHam-3 and FpHam-4 have an essential role for hyphal fusion and regulating the growth, conidiation and virulence in F. pseudograminearum. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Genome-wide association study identifies novel loci associated with feed efficiency traits in Hu lambs Deyin Zhang, Xiaolong Li, Fadi Li, Xiaoxue Zhang, Yuan Zhao, Yukun Zhang, Zongwu Ma, Huibin Tian, Xiuxiu Weng, Weimin Wang 2025, 24 (4): 1259-1269.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.011 Abstract （254）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Feed efficiency (FE) is a crucial economic trait that significantly impacts profitability in intensive sheep production, and can be evaluated by the residual feed intake (RFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR).  However, the underlying genetic mechanisms that underlie FE-related traits in sheep are not fully understood.  Herein, we measured the FE-related traits of 1,280 Hu sheep and conducted the phenotype statistics and correlation analysis, the result showcase that there was a large variation for FE-related traits, and RFI was significant positive correlation with average daily feed intake (ADFI) and FCR.  Moreover, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using whole-genome resequencing data to investigate the genetic associations of ADFI, FCR and RFI.  For ADFI and FCR traits, 2 and one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) exceeded the genome-wide significance threshold, whereas ten and 5 SNPs exceeded the suggestive significance threshold.  For RFI traits, only 4 SNPs exceeded the suggestive significance threshold.  Finally, a total of 8 genes (LOC101121953, LOC101110202, CTNNA3, IZUMO3, PPM1E, YIPF7, ZSCAN12 and LOC105603808) were identified as potential candidate genes for FE-related traits.  Simultaneously, we further analyzed the effects of 2 candidate SNPs associated with RFI on growth and FE traits in enlarged experimental population, the results demonstrated that these 2 SNPs was not significantly associated with growth traits (P>0.05), but significantly related to RFI traits (P<0.05).  These findings will provide valuable reference data and key genetic variants that can be used to effectively select feed-efficient individual in sheep breeding programs. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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A comparative study on the role of conventional, chemical, and nanopriming for better salt tolerance during seed germination of direct seeding rice Yixue Mu, Yusheng Li, Yicheng Zhang, Xiayu Guo, Shaokun Song, Zheng Huang, Lin Li, Qilin Ma, Mohammad Nauman Khan, Lixiao Nie 2024, 23 (12): 3998-4017.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.013 Abstract （242）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Salinity is one of the most significant risks to crop production and food security as it harms plant physiology and biochemistry.  The salt stress during the rice emergence stages severely hampers the seed germination and seedling growth of direct-seeded rice.  Recently, nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported to be effectively involved in many plant physiological processes, particularly under abiotic stresses.  To our knowledge, no comparative studies have been performed to study the efficiency of conventional, chemical, and seed nanopriming for better plant stress tolerance.  Therefore, we conducted growth chamber and field experiments with different salinity levels (0, 1.5, and 3‰), two rice varieties (CY1000 and LLY506), and different priming techniques such as hydropriming, chemical priming (ascorbic acid, salicylic acid, and γ-aminobutyric acid), and nanopriming (zinc oxide nanoparticles).  Salt stress inhibited rice seed germination, germination index, vigor index, and seedling growth.  Also, salt stress increased the over accumulation of reactive oxygen species (H2O2 and O2-·) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents.  Furthermore, salt-stressed seedlings accumulated higher sodium (Na+) ions and significantly lower potassium (K+) ions.  Moreover, the findings of our study demonstrated that, among the different priming techniques, seed nanopriming with zinc oxide nanoparticles (NanoZnO) significantly contributed to rice salt tolerance.  ZnO nanopriming improved rice seed germination and seedling growth in the pot and field experiments under salt stress.  The possible mechanism behind ZnO nanopriming improved rice salt tolerance included higher contents of α-amylase, soluble sugar, and soluble protein and higher activities of antioxidant enzymes to sustain better seed germination and seedling growth.  Moreover, another mechanism of ZnO nanopriming induced rice salt tolerance was associated with better maintenance of K+ ions content.  Our research concluded that NanoZnO could promote plant salt tolerance and be adopted as a practical nanopriming technique, promoting global crop production in salt-affected agricultural lands. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Transcriptome analysis reveals the genetic basis of crest cushion formation in duck Lan Huang, Qixin Guo, Yong Jiang, Zhixiu Wang, Guohong Chen, Guobin Chang, Hao Bai 2024, 23 (12): 4172-4185.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.025 Abstract （240）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The Chinese crested duck is a unique duck breed having a bulbous feather shape on its duck head.  However, the mechanisms involved in its formation and development are unclear.  In the present study, RNA sequencing analysis was performed on the crested tissues of 6 Chinese crested ducks and the scalp tissues of 6 cherry valley ducks (CVs) from 2 developmental stages.  This study identified 261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 122 upregulated and 139 downregulated, in the E28 stage and 361 DEGs, 154 upregulated and 207 downregulated in the D42 stage between CC and CV ducks.  The subsequent results of weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that the turquoise and cyan modules were associated with the crest trait in the D42 stage, meanwhile, the green, brown, and pink modules were associated with the crest trait in the E28 stage.  Venn analysis of the DEGs and WGCNA showed that 145 and 45 genes are associated between the D42 and E28 stages, respectively.  The expression of WNT16, BMP2, SLC35F2, SLC6A15, APOBEC2, ABHD6, TNNC2, MYL1, and TNNI2 were verified by real-time quantitative PCR.  This study provides an approach to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the crested trait development. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Transcriptome-wide N6-methyladenosine (m6A) profiling of compatible and incompatible responses reveals a nonhost resistance-specific m6A modification involved in soybean–soybean cyst nematode interaction Qianqian Shi, Xue Han, Xinhao Zhang, Jie Zhang, Qi Fu, Chen Liang, Fangmeng Duan, Honghai Zhao, Wenwen Song 2025, 24 (5): 1875-1891.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.023 Abstract （234）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) is a devastating pathogen that infects soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) and disrupts soybean production worldwide.  SCN infection upregulates or downregulates the expression of multiple genes in soybean.  However, the regulatory mechanisms that underlie these changes in gene expression remain largely unexplored.  N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, one of the most prevalent mRNA modifications, contributes to transcriptional reprogramming during plant responses to pathogen infection.  Nevertheless, the role of m6A methylation in establishing compatible and incompatible soybean responses to SCN has not previously been studied.  Here, we performed transcriptome-wide m6A profiling of soybean roots infected with virulent and avirulent populations of SCN.  Compared with the compatible response, the incompatible response was associated with higher global m6A methylation levels, as well as more differentially modified m6A peaks (DMPs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs).  A total of 133 and 194 genes showed significant differences in both transcriptional expression and m6A methylation levels in compatible and incompatible interactions; the most significantly enriched gene ontology terms associated with these genes were plant–pathogen interaction (compatible) and folate biosynthesis (incompatible).  Our findings demonstrate that the m6A methylation profiles of compatible and incompatible soybean responses are distinct and provide new insights into the regulatory mechanism underlying soybean response to SCN at the post-transcriptional modification level, which will be valuable for improving the SCN-resistant breeding. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Application of dsRNA of FgPMA1 for disease control on Fusarium graminearum Luoyu Wu, Furong Chen, Pengwei Wang, Chongjing Xu, Weidong Wen, Matthias Hahn, Mingguo Zhou, Yiping Hou 2025, 24 (6): 2285-2298.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.046 Abstract （232）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Fusarium graminearum is a fungal plant pathogen which causes Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease on cereal crops.  Here we report that FgPMA1 could be a new target to control FHB by the application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of FgPMA1.  FgPMA1 was divided into 6 segments to generated RNA interference (RNAi) constructs (FgPMA1RNAi-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, and -6), and these constructs were transformed in F. graminearum strain PH-1.  The expression of FgPMA1 reduced by 18.48, 33.48 and 56.93% in FgPMA1RNAi-1, FgPMA1RNAi-2 and FgPMA1RNAi-5, respectively.  FgPMA1RNAi-1, -2, and -5 mutants inhibited fungal development, including mycelium growth, mycelial morphology, asexual and sexual development, and toxin production.  The length of lesions on wheat leaves, wheat coleoptiles and wheat ears were shorter after infection with FgPMA1RNAi-1, -2, and -5 mutants than wild type PH-1.  These results showed that three segments (FgPMA1RNAi-1, -2, and -5) exhibited effective silencing effects.  After treatment with 25 ng µL–1 dsRNA of these segments in vitro, the growth rate of mycelium growth was significant decreased, mycelium became deformed with bulbous structure at the tip, and the mycelium lost the ability to produce conidia in F. graminearum strain PH-1, Fusarium asiacitum strain 2021 and phenamacril-resistant strain YP-1.  After application of FgPMA1RNAi-1-dsRNA and FgPMA1RNAi-2-dsRNA to wheat ears, pathogenicity reduced 34.21–35.40%. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

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Supplementation of serine in low-gossypol cottonseed meal-based diet improved egg white gelling and rheological properties by regulating ovomucin synthesis and magnum physiological function in laying hens Jianmin Zhou, Yu Fu, Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna, Jing Wang, Haijun Zhang, Xiubo Li, Guanghai Qi, Shugeng Wu 2025, 24 (3): 1152-1166.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.020 Abstract （223）      PDF in ScienceDirect       This study examined the effect of dietary serine (Ser) on egg white quality, ovomucin content of laying hens fed low-gossypol cottonseed meal (LCSM)-based diet and sought to explore the regulatory mechanism underlying the effects.  A total of 288 Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly assigned into 3 treatments and respectively offered soybean meal (SBM)-based diet, LCSM-based diet, and LCSM-based diet supplemented with 0.435% L-Ser.  Dietary Ser supplementation reversed the decrease in quality indices of albumen, including the proportion of thick albumen (P<0.05), thick-to-thin ratio (P<0.05), albumen height (P<0.05), Haugh unit (P<0.05), and apparent viscosity that were caused by LCSM intake.  Also, dietary Ser supplementation mitigated the LCSM-induced reduction in ovomucin content of the albumen (P<0.05).  FT-IR analysis of ovomucin revealed differences in second derivative spectra at 1,200–800 cm–1 between birds received SBM- and LCSM-based diets, meanwhile, the α-helix of ovomucin was decreased by LCSM but increased by Ser addition (P<0.05).  Furthermore, Ser addition up-regulated the mRNA expression of β-ovomucin in magnum mucosa at 2 and 7.5 h post-oviposition (P<0.05).  Ser mitigated the LCSM-induced impairment of magnum epithelium, increased goblet cell counts (P<0.05), and up-regulated the expression of occludin, mucin 2, and the relevant glycosyltransferases for O-glycosylation in magnum mucosa (P<0.05).  Conclusively, the alleviating effect of Ser on declining albumen quality due to dietary LCSM, could be explained by the efficacy of Ser in regulating ovomucin synthesis.  This regulation occurred at the levels of transcription and post-transcriptional O-glycosylation modification of β-ovomucin, while positive effect on magnum morphology and barrier function could also in part account for the ovomucin content.  This would provide a promising research direction on the adoption of nutritional interventions for manipulation of egg white quality from perspectives of albumen protein synthesis. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics