2024 Vol. 23 No. 11 Previous Issue   
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Review
Ovule number as a rising star for regulating seed yield: Hope or hype
Shahid Ullah Khan, Ahmad Ali, Sumbul Saeed, Yonghai Fan, Ali Shehazd, Hameed Gul, Shah Fahad, Kun Lu
2024, 23(11): 3623-3640.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.02.013
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is the second most widely grown premium oilseed crop globally, mainly for its vegetable oil and protein meal.  One of the main goals of breeders is producing high-yield rapeseed cultivars with sustainable production to meet the requirements of the fast-growing population.  Besides the pod number, seeds per silique (SS), and thousand-seed weight (TSW), the ovule number (ON) is a decisive yield determining factor of individual plants and the final seed yield.  In recent years, tremendous efforts have been made to dissect the genetic and molecular basis of these complex traits, but relatively few genes or loci controlling these traits have been reported thus far.  This review highlights the updated information on the hormonal and molecular basis of ON and development in model plants (Arabidopsis thaliana).  It also presents what is known about the hormonal, molecular, and genetic mechanism of ovule development and number, and bridges our understanding between the model plant species (Athaliana) and cultivated species (Bnapus).  This report will open new pathways for primary and applied research in plant biology and benefit rapeseed breeding programs.  This synopsis will stimulate research interest to further understand ovule number determination, its role in yield improvement, and its possible utilization in breeding programs. 

Crop Science
Consensus linkage map construction and QTL mapping for eight yield-related traits in wheat using BAAFS 90K SNP array
Lihua Liu, Pingping Qu, Yue Zhou, Hongbo Li, Yangna Liu, Mingming Zhang, Liping Zhang, Changping Zhao, Shengquan Zhang, Binshuang Pang
2024, 23(11): 3641-3656.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.07.028
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Identifying stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for yield-related traits across populations and environments is crucial for wheat breeding and genetic studies.  Consensus maps also play important roles in wheat genetic and genomic research.  In the present study, a wheat consensus map was constructed using a doubled haploid (DH) population derived from Jinghua 1×Xiaobaidongmai (JX), an F2 population derived from L43×Shanxibaimai (LS) and the BAAFS Wheat 90K SNP array single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array.  A total of 44,503 SNP markers were mapped on the constructed consensus map, and they covered 5,437.92 cM across 21 chromosomes.  The consensus map showed high collinearity with the individual maps and the wheat reference genome IWGSC RefSeq v2.1.  Phenotypic data on eight yield-related traits were collected in the JX population, as well as the F2:3 and F2:4 populations of LS, in six, two and two environments, respectively, and those data were used for QTL analysis.  Inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) identified 32 environmentally stable QTLs for the eight yield-related traits.  Among them, four QTLs (QPH.baafs-4B, QKNS.baafs-4B, QTGW.baafs-4B, and QSL.baafs-5A.3) were detected across mapping populations and environments, and nine stable QTLs (qKL.baafs-1D, QPH.baafs-2B, QKNS.baafs-3D, QSL.baafs-3D, QKW.baafs-4B, QPH.baafs-5D, QPH.baafs-6A.1, QSL.baafs-6A, and QSL.baafs-6D) are likely to be new.  The physical region of 17.25–44.91 Mb on chromosome 4B was associated with six yield-related traits, so it is an important region for wheat yield.  The physical region around the dwarfing gene Rht24 contained QTLs for kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), spike length (SL), and thousand-grain weight (TGW), which are either from a pleiotropic effect of Rht24 or closely linked loci.  For the stable QTLs, 254 promising candidate genes were identified.  Among them, TraesCS5A03G1264300, TraesCS1B03G0624000 and TraesCS6A03G0697000 are particularly noteworthy since their homologous genes have similar functions for the corresponding traits.  The constructed consensus map and the identified QTLs along with their candidate genes will facilitate the genetic dissection of wheat yield-related traits and accelerate the development of wheat cultivars with desirable plant morphology and high yield.


Genome-wide association study dissecting drought resistance-associated loci based on physiological traits in common bean
Lei Wu, Yujie Chang, Lanfen Wang, Shumin Wang, Jing Wu
2024, 23(11): 3657-3671.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.079
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Genetic improvement of drought resistance is one of the main breeding goals for common bean, so molecular markers must be identified to facilitate drought resistance breeding.  In this study, we evaluated the proline, trehalose, raffinose, and stachyose contents of 210 common bean accessions under two watering conditions and found large variations in all four.  The coefficients of variation ranged from 21.21% for proline content to 78.69% for stachyose content under well-watered conditions, and from 20.11% for proline content to 50.08% for trehalose content under drought stress.  According to our genome-wide association analysis, 32 quantitative trait loci were associated with drought resistance, seven of which overlapped with known loci.  Four hotspot regions were identified at Pv01, Pv07 and Pv11.  A set of candidate genes was identified, including genes encoding MYB, bZIP, bHLH, ERF, and protein kinases.  Among these genes, Phvul.001G189400, Phvul.007G273000 and Phvul.008G270500 were annotated as bZIP, ERF and WRKY, respectively.  These genes are reportedly involved in drought stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana and were induced by drought stress in common bean.  Significant SNPs in six candidate gene regions formed different haplotypes, and phenotypic analysis revealed significant differences among the haplotypes.  These results provide new insight into the genetic basis of drought resistance in common bean and reveal candidate genes and superior natural variations that will be useful for improving common bean.


One-time application of controlled-release bulk blending fertilizer enhances yield, quality and photosynthetic efficiency in late japonica rice
Canping Dun, Rui Wang, Kailiang Mi, Yuting Zhang, Haipeng Zhang, Peiyuan Cui, Yanle Guo, Hao Lu, Hongcheng Zhang
2024, 23(11): 3672-3691.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.007
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Controlled-release urea (CRU) releases nitrogen (N) at the same pace that rice takes it up, which can effectively improve N use efficiency, increase rice yield and improve rice quality.  However, few studies have described the effects of CRU application on the photosynthetic rate and endogenous enzyme activities of rice.  Accordingly, a two-year field trial was conducted with a total of seven treatments: CK, no N fertilizer; BBF, regular blended fertilizer; RBBF, 20% N-reduced regular blended fertilizer; CRF1, 70% CRU+30% regular urea one-time base application; CRF2, 60% CRU+40% regular urea one-time base application; RCRF1, CRF1 treatment with 20% N reduction; and RCRF2, CRF2 treatment with 20% N reduction.  Each treatment was conducted in triplicate.  The results showed that the N recovery efficiency (NRE) of the controlled-release bulk blending fertilizer (CRBBF) treatments was significantly greater over the two years.  There were significant yield increases of 4.1–5.9% under the CRF1 treatment and 5.6–7.6% under the CRF2 treatment compared to the BBF treatment, but the differences between the reduced-N treatments RBBF and RCRF2 were not significant.  Photosynthetic rates under the CRF1 and CRF2 treatments were significantly higher than under the other treatments, and they had significantly greater RuBPCase, RuBisCO, glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) enzyme activities.  Additionally, the soil NH4+-N and NO3-N contents under the CRBBF treatments were significantly higher at the late growth stage of rice, which was more in-line with the fertilizer requirements of rice throughout the reproductive period.  CRBBF also led to some improvement in rice quality.  Compared with the BBF and RBBF treatments, the protein contents under the CRBBF treatments were reduced but the milling, appearance, eating and cooking qualities of the rice were improved.  These results showed that the application of CRBBF can improve the NRE, photosynthetic rate and endogenous enzyme activities of rice, ensuring sufficient N nutrition and photosynthetic material production during rice growth and thereby achieving improved rice yield and quality.
Assessing the yield difference of double-cropping rice in South China driven by radiation use efficiency
Jian Lu, Sicheng Deng, Muhammad Imran, Jingyin Xie, Yuanyuan Li, Jianying Qi, Shenggang Pan, Xiangru Tang, Meiyang Duan
2024, 23(11): 3692-3705.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.006
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Double-cropping rice in South China continues to break the total yield record, but the yield potential of single-cropping rice is not being realized.  Radiation use efficiency (RUE) has been singled out as an important determinant of grain yield in many cereal species.  However, there is no information on whether the yield gaps in double-cropping rice involve differences in RUE.  Field experiments were performed over two years to evaluate the effects of intercepted radiation (IP) and RUE on the above-ground biomass production, crop growth rate (CGR), and harvest index (HI), in four representative rice varieties, i.e., Xiangyaxiangzhan (XYXZ), Meixiangzhan 2 (MXZ2), Nanjingxiangzhan (NJXZ), and Ruanhuayoujinsi (RHYJS), during the early and late seasons of rice cultivation in South China.  The results revealed that grain yield in the early season was 8.2% higher than in the late season.  The yield advantage in the early season was primarily due to higher spikelets per panicle and above-ground biomass resulting from a higher RUE.  The spikelets per panicle in the early season were 6.5, 8.3, 6.9, and 8.5% higher in XYXZ, MXZ2, NJXZ, and RHYJS, respectively, than in the late season.  The higher early season grain yield was more closely related to RUE in the middle tillering stage (R2=0.34), panicle initiation (R2=0.16), and maturation stage (R2=0.28), and the intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) in the maturation stage (R2=0.28), while the late season grain yield was more dependent on IPAR in the middle tillering stage (R2=0.31) and IPAR at panicle initiation (R2=0.23).  The results of this study conclusively show that higher RUE contributes to the yield progress of early season rice, while the yield improvement of late season rice is attributed to higher radiation during the early reproductive stage.  Rationally allocating the RUE of double-cropping rice with high RUE varieties or adjustments of the sowing period merits further study.


Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of changes in grain weight potential induced by water stress in wheat
Yanmei Gao, Maoya Jing, Meng Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Yuqing Liu, Zhimin Wang, Yinghua Zhang
2024, 23(11): 3706-3722.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.015
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
The sink strength of developing ovaries in wheat determines the grain weight potential.  The period from booting to the grain setting stage is critical for ovary growth and development and potential sink capacity determination.  However, the underlying regulatory mechanism during this period by which the wheat plant balances and coordinates the floret number and ovary/grain weight under water stress has not been clarified.  Therefore, we designed two irrigation treatments of W0 (no seasonal irrigation) and W1 (additional 75 mm of irrigation at the jointing stage) and analyzed the responses of the ovary/grain weight to water stress at the phenotypic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic levels.  The results showed that the W0 irrigation treatment reduced the soil water content, plant height, and green area of the flag leaf, thus reducing grain number, especially for the inferior grains.  However, it improved the grain weight of the superior and inferior grains as well as average grain weight at maturity, while the average ovary/grain weight and volume during –3 to 10 days after anthesis (DAA) also increased.  Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the genes involved in both sucrose metabolism and phytohormone signal transduction were prominently accelerated by the W0 treatment, accompanied by greater enzymatic activities of soluble acid invertase (SAI) and sucrose synthase (Sus) and elevated abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels.  Thus, the sucrose content decreased, while the glucose and fructose contents increased.  In addition, several TaTPP genes (especially TaTPP-6) were down-regulated and the IAA biosynthesis genes TaTAR1 and TaTAR2 were up-regulated under the W0 treatment before anthesis, which further increased the IAA level.  Collectively, water stress reduced the growth of vegetative organs and eliminated most of the inferior grains, but increased the ABA and IAA levels of the surviving ovaries/grains, promoting the enzymatic activity of Sus and degrading sucrose into glucose and fructose.  As a result, the strong sucrose utilization ability, the enhanced enzymatic activity of SAI and the ABA- and IAA-mediated signaling jointly increased the weight and volume of the surviving ovaries/grains, and ultimately achieved the trade-off between ovary/grain weight and number in wheat under water stress.


Horticulture
Genome-wide identification, molecular evolution, and functional characterization of fructokinase gene family in apple reveal its role in improving salinity tolerance
Jing Su, Lingcheng Zhu, Pingxing Ao, Jianhui Shao, Chunhua Ma
2024, 23(11): 3723-3736.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.09.001
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Fructokinase (FRK) is a regulator of fructose signaling in plants and gateway proteins that catalyze the initial step in fructose metabolism through phosphorylation.  Our previous study demonstrated that MdFRK2 protein exhibit not only high affinity for fructose, but also high enzymatic activity due to sorbitol.  However, genome-wide identification of the MdFRK gene family and their evolutionary dynamics in apple are yet to be reported.  A systematic genome-wide analysis in this study identified a total of nine MdFRK gene members, which could phylogenetically be clustered into seven groups.  Chromosomal location and synteny analysis of MdFRKs revealed that their expansion in the apple genome is primarily driven by tandem and segmental duplication events.  Divergent expression patterns of MdFRKs were observed in four source-sink tissues and at five different apple fruit developmental stages, which suggested their potential crucial roles in the apple fruit development and sugar accumulation.  Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) identified candidate NaCl or drought stress responsive MdFRKs, and transgenic apple plants overexpressing MdFRK2 exhibited considerably enhanced salinity tolerance.  Our results will be useful for understanding the functions of MdFRKs in the regulation of apple fruit development and salt stress response.


Suppression of CsFAD3 in a JA-dependent manner, but not through the SA pathway, impairs drought stress tolerance in tea
Na Chang, Xiaotian Pi, Ziwen Zhou, Yeyun Li, Xianchen Zhang
2024, 23(11): 3737-3750.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.04.002
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
The growth and yield of tea plants are seriously limited by drought stress.  Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) contribute to the mediation of membrane fluidity in response to different stresses, although the role of ω-3 FAD (Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase)-mediated damage induced by drought stress in tea plants is poorly understood.  In this study, drought stress significantly promoted the synthesis of C18:3 (linolenic acid) and the expression level of CsFAD3.  Yeast experiments further demonstrated that CsFAD3 can convert C18:2 to C18:3, and that the 35S:GFP-CsFAD3 fusion protein was localized in the endoplasmic reticulum of Nicotiana benthamiana cells.  CsFAD3-silenced tea leaves exhibited poor drought tolerance, with a lower Fv/Fm and a higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content than the control plants.  However, transgenic 35S:CsFAD3 Arabidopsis plants showed the opposite phenotypes.  In addition, the jasmonic acid (JA) content and the expression levels of CsLOX2, CsLOX4, CsAOS, CsAOC3 and CsOPR2 were significantly reduced in CsFAD3-silenced leaves under drought stress.  However, no substantial difference in the salicylic acid (SA) content was detected under normal or drought conditions.  An analysis of Atcoi1 (JA receptor) or Atnpr1 (SA receptor) mutant Arabidopsis plants in 35S:CsFAD3 backgrounds further revealed that knockout of Atcoi1 impaired the drought-tolerant phenotypes of CsFAD3 overexpression lines.  Therefore, this study demonstrated that CsFAD3 plays a crucial role in drought tolerance by mediating JA pathways.


Intergeneric chromosome-specific painting reveals differential chromosomal transmission from Tripidium arundinaceum in sugarcane progeny
Fan Yu, Zehuai Yu, Jin Chai, Xikai Yu, Chen Fu, Xinwang Zhao, Hailong Chang, Jiawei Lei, Baoshan Chen, Wei Yao, Muqing Zhang, Jiayun Wu, Qinnan Wang, Zuhu Deng
2024, 23(11): 3751-3762.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.08.019
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Sugarcane has recently attracted increasing attention for its potential as a source of sugar and bioethanol, so increasing its yield is essential to ensure the sugar security and bioenergy production.  Intergeneric hybridization is a highly efficient method to produce new genetic variants of crop plants, particularly those species with high ploidy such as sugarcane (Saccharum spp.).  Tripidium arundinaceum exhibits many desirable agronomic traits, and has been widely studied to produce hybrids with improved stress tolerance and other characteristics in sugarcane breeding.  However, the genetic relationship between Tarundinaceum and Saccharum species, and the individual Tarundinaceum chromosomal compositions in sugarcane hybrids are still elusive.  Here we used whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships between these species and found that Tarundinaceum is more closely related to Saccharum than Sorghum, in contrast to the previous narrow genetic analyses using chloroplast DNA.  Additionally, oligonucleotide (oligo)-based chromosome-specific painting derived from Saccharum officinarum was able to distinctly identify the chromosomes of Tarundinaceum.  We developed the oligo-genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) system for the first time, to unveil the novel chromosome translocations and the transmission of individual Tarundinaceum chromosomes in sugarcane progeny.  Notably, we discovered that the chromosomal transmission of T. arundinaceum exhibited several different inheritance modes, including n, 2n, and over 2n in the BC1 progenies.  Such inheritance patterns may have resulted from first division restitution (FDR) or FDR+nondisjunction of a chromosome with the sister chromatids in the second meiosis division/second division restitution (FDR+NSC/SDR) model during meiosis.  These results will be of substantial benefit for the further selection of T. arundinaceum chromosomes for sugarcane genetic improvement.


Plant Protection
Rapid detection of the rice false smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens by lateral flow strip‑based recombinase polymerase amplification assay
Jiacheng Xi, Sanlian Wan, Yue Li, Yuandi Xu, Jing Yang, Ting Zhang, Jiajia Chen, Zhengguang Zhang, Danyu Shen, Haifeng Zhang
2024, 23(11): 3763-3773.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.027
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

Rice false smut, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, is a devastating disease that greatly reduces rice yield and quality.  However, controlling rice false smut disease is challenging due to the unique infection mode of Uvirens.  Therefore, there is a need for early diagnosis and monitoring techniques to prevent the spread of this disease.  Lateral flow strip-based recombinase polymerase amplification (LF-RPA) overcomes the limitations of current Uvirens detection technologies, which are time-consuming, require delicate equipment, and have a high false-positive rate.  In this study, we used a comparative genomics approach to identify Uv_3611, a specific gene of Uvirens, as the target for the LF-RPA assay.  The designed primers and probe efffectively detected the genomic DNA (gDNA) of Uvirens and demonstrated no cross-reactivity with related pathogens.  Under optimal conditions, the LF-RPA assay demonstrated a sensitivity of 10 pg of Uvirens gDNA.  Additionally, by incorporating a simplified PEG-NaOH method for plant DNA extraction, the LF-RPA assay enabled the detection of Uvirens in rice spikelets within 30 min, without the need for specialized equipment.  Furthermore, the LF-RPA assay successfully detected Uvirens in naturally infected rice and seed samples in the field.  Therefore, the LF-RPA assay is sensitive, efficient, and convenient, and could be developed as a kit for monitoring rice false smut disease in the field.

A novel secreted protein FgHrip1 from Fusarium graminearum triggers immune responses in plants
Zhenchao Fu, Huiqian Zhuang, Vincent Ninkuu, Jianpei Yan, Guangyue Li, Xiufen Yang, Hongmei Zeng
2024, 23(11): 3774-3787.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.08.009
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

Fusarium graminearum, the primary pathogenic fungus responsible for Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat, secretes abundant chemical compounds that interact with host plants.  In this study, a secreted protein FgHrip1, isolated from the culture filtrate of Fgraminearum, was found to induce typical cell death in tobacco.  The FgHrip1 gene was then cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli.  Further bioassay analysis showed that the recombinant FgHrip1 induced early defense induction events, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, callose deposition, and up-regulation of defense-related genes in tobacco.  Furthermore, FgHrip1 significantly enhanced immunity in tobacco seedlings against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pst. 6605) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).  FgHrip1-treated wheat spikes also exhibited defense-related transcript accumulation and developed immunity against FHB infection.  Whereas the expression of FgHrip1 was induced during the infection process, the deletion of the gene impaired the virulence of F. graminearum.  Our results suggest that FgHrip1 triggers immunity and induces disease resistance in tobacco and wheat, thereby providing new insight into strategy for biocontrol of FHB.

Autophagy-related protein PlAtg3 participates in vegetative growth, sporangial cleavage, autophagy and pathogenicity of Peronophythora litchii
Chengdong Yang, Manfei Luo, Xue Zhang, Linlin Ye, Ge Yu, Yi Lü, Yi Chen, Taixu Chen, Xuejian Wang, Wanzhen Feng, Qinghe Chen
2024, 23(11): 3788-3800.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.01.009
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Litchi downy blight, caused by the plant pathogenic oomycete Peronophythora litchii, is one of the most devastating diseases on litchi and resulted in huge economic losses.  Autophagy plays an essential role in the development and pathogenicity of the filamentous fungi.  However, the function of autophagy in oomycetes remain elusive.  Here, an autophagy-related protein Atg3 homolog PlAtg3 was identified and characterized in Plitchii.  The absence of PlATG3 through the CRISPR/Cas9 gene replacement strategy compromised vegetative growth and sexual/asexual development.  Cytological analyses revealed that the deletion of PlATG3 impaired autophagosome formation with monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and significantly disrupted zoospore release due to defects of sporangial cleavage with FM4-64 staining.  Atg8 is considered to be an autophagy marker protein in various species.  Western blot analysis indicated that PlAtg3 is involved in degradation of PlAtg8-PE.  Interestingly, PlAtg3 was unable to interact with PlAtg8 in yeast two hybrid (Y2H) assays, possibly due to the absence of the Atg8 family interacting motif (AIM) in PlAtg3.  Furthermore, pathogenicity assays revealed that the deletion of PlATG3 considerably reduced the virulence of Plitchii.  Taken together, our data reveal that PlAtg3 plays an important role in radial growth, asexual/sexual development, sporangial cleavage and zoospore release, autophagosome formation, and pathogenicity in Plitchii.  This study contributes to a better understanding of the pathogenicity mechanisms of Plitchii and provides insights for the development of more effective strategies to control oomycete diseases.


Disruption of a microvitellogenin gene impairs eggshell formation in Mythimna separata
Lingling Li, Junhong Fu, Changgeng Dai, Yuhang Zhou, Yang Hu, Hongbo Li
2024, 23(11): 3801-3811.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.057
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Microvitellogenin (mVg) belongs to the lepidopteran-specific lipoprotein_11 super family and is thought to be involved in insect reproduction.  However, the function of mVg in reproduction has not been established.  In this study, we identified and characterized MsmVg in Mythimna separata, a destructive insect pest of grain crops.  MsmVg is comprised of a 1,310 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 437 amino acids.  Structural analysis showed that MsmVg contains three conserved domains in the lipoprotein_11 super family, including the all-α-N-terminal domain (NTD), a Pseudomonas putida homologous domain (PPD), and an all-β-C-terminal domain (CTD).  MsmVg was highly expressed in mature female adults and enriched in the ovaries of 3-day-old female adults.  Disruption of MsmVg by RNA interference did not change the expression of MsmVg, vitellogenin (MsVg) or the vitellogenin receptor (MsVgR) in fat bodies, but it inhibited their transcription in ovaries.  Phenotype analysis showed that knockdown of MsmVg did not affect yolk deposition in ovaries, but impaired eggshell formation and led to a reduction in the reproductive capacity.  Furthermore, knockdown of MsmVg significantly inhibited the expression of genes associated with eggshell formation (MsChP1-3 and MsFcP3C).  Taken together, these data suggest that MsmVg plays an important role in female reproduction by affecting eggshell formation in Mseparata, which provides a potential target for managing this insect pest.


Glomerular organization in the antennal lobe of the oriental armyworm Mythimna separata
Baiwei Ma, Qi Chen, Xi Chu, Yidong Zuo, Jiayu Wang, Yi Yang, Guirong Wang, Bingzhong Ren
2024, 23(11): 3812-3829.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.04.030
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
In insects, the number and specificity of antennal lobe glomeruli often reflect the number and diversity of expressed chemosensory genes, which are linked to its ecological niche and specific olfactory needs.  The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata, is an important and common lepidopteran pest of cereal crops.  Given its reliance on the olfactory system for crucial behaviors, understanding the evolutionary potential of this system requires a thorough characterization of the anatomical structure of the primary olfactory center.  Here, we systematically identified all antennal lobe glomeruli of Mseparata based on synaptic antibody immunostaining and mass staining of the olfactory sensory neurons.  A total of 69 glomeruli were identified in females and 65 in males, and an intuitive nomenclature based on glomerular positions was applied.  Our findings uncovered some sex-specific glomeruli in this species.  There were ten female-specific glomeruli and three male-specific glomeruli, except for the macroglomerular complex (MGC) units, with a notable observation that the female labial pit organ glomerulus was larger than its male counterpart.  Additionally, we identified four antennal-lobe tracts (ALTs) and retrograde labeling from the calyx revealed that all glomeruli were innervated by the medial ALT projection neurons.  The comparison of the olfactory system structures between Mseparata and sympatric moths supports their evolutionary convergence in noctuid moths.  These results collectively lay the foundation for future studies on olfactory processing in Mseparata.


Animal Science · Veterinary Medicine
Long non-coding RNA FPFSC promotes immature porcine Sertoli cell growth through modulating the miR-326/EHMT2 axis
Dan Chu, Bin Chen, Bo Weng, Saina Yan, Yanfei Yin, Xiangwei Tang, Maoliang Ran
2024, 23(11): 3830-3842.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.06.026
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Sertoli cells are indispensable for guaranteeing normal spermatogenesis and male fertility.  Although a huge number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are identified from developing porcine testicular tissues and have been predicted with crucial regulatory roles in spermatogenesis, their functions and regulatory mechanisms are still in infancy.  Herein, we mainly explored the regulatory and functional roles of lncFPFSC in proliferation and apoptosis of immature porcine Sertoli cells.  The results demonstrated that lncFPFSC was predominantly located in the cytoplasm of immature porcine Sertoli cells.  lncFPFSC overexpression promoted cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, as well as inhibited cell apoptosis, whereas siRNA-induced lncFPFSC knockdown resulted in the opposite effects.  Mechanistically, lncFPFSC acted as a sponge for miR-326.  Overexpression of miR-326 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis, which further abolished the effects of lncFPFSC overexpression.  The euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2 (EHMT2) gene was directly targeted by miR-326, and its mRNA and protein expressions were both negatively regulated by miR-326 in immature porcine Sertoli cells.  Then, siRNA-induced EHMT2 knockdown resulted a similar effect of miR-326 inhibition.  Collectively, lncFPFSC promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in immature porcine Sertoli cells through modulating the miR-326/EHMT2 axis.  This study expanded our understanding of non-coding RNAs in participating porcine spermatogenesis through deciding the fate of Sertoli cells, and the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, and provided new molecular markers to treat Sertoli cell disorder inducing male infertility.


Retinol is involved in the intestinal regeneration and strengthens the intestinal barrier during refeeding in broiler chickens
Youli Wang, Huajin Zhou, Jing Chen, Yuqin Wu, Yuming Guo, Bo Wang, Jianmin Yuan
2024, 23(11): 3843-3859.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.006
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

Fasting is typically used before feeding metabolizable energy assessment in broilers.  Previous studies have shown that fasting cause atrophy of the intestinal villus.  Whether fasting affects intestinal permeability during refeeding by altering barrier function and nutrient absorption is of concern.  Here, 23-d-old broilers were randomly assigned to 5 treatments, fasted for 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h, respectively, and then refed for 2 d, to study the impact of different duration of fasting on the intestinal regeneration and barrier function during refeeding.  Results showed that the intestinal morphology in fasted birds was recovered in 2 d of refeeding at most.  As fasting durations increased, enterocytes per intestinal villus were linearly and quadratically increased (both P<0.05), whereas goblet cells per intestinal villus was linearly decreased (both P<0.05).  Besides, the mRNA level of lysozyme was linearly decreased as fasting durations increased during refeeding (both P<0.05), while quadratically increased mucin 2 was observed only after 1 d of refeeding (P<0.05).  Linear increase effects were observed for claudin 2 and zonula occludens-1 with increased fasting durations after 1 d of refeeding (all P<0.05), and linear and quadratical effects were observed for claudin 2 at 2 d of refeeding (both P<0.05).  Besides, we found that intestinal permeability to creatinine, 4 and 70 kD dextran were linearly and quadratically decreased with increased fasting durations at 6 h and 1 d of refeeding (all P<0.05).  Furthermore, jejunum proteomic from birds refed for 6 h showed that birds fasted for 36 h showed increased antimicrobial peptides and upregulated retinol metabolism when compared to the nonfasted birds (P<0.05).  Further study showed that retinyl ester catabolism was inhibited during fasting and enhanced during refeeding.  Results of intestinal organoid culture showed that retinol benefits the cell proliferation and enterocyte differentiation.  In conclusion, the intestinal permeability to small and large molecules was decreased during refeeding by strengthening the intestinal barrier function, and the activated retinol metabolism during refeeding is involved in the intestinal regeneration and strengthens the intestinal barrier. 

Genetic and biological properties of H10Nx influenza viruses in China
Yina Xu, Hailing Li, Haoyu Leng, Chaofan Su, Siqi Tang, Yongtao Wang, Shiwei Zhang, Yali Feng, Yanan Wu, Daxin Wang, Ying Zhang
2024, 23(11): 3860-3869.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.028
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
H10 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIV) have been circulating in China for 40 years.  H10 AIVs in China have expanded their host range from wild birds to domestic poultry and mammals, even human.  Most of the H10 subtype AIVs reported in China were isolate from the southeast part.  We isolated an H10N3 AIV, A/Chicken/Liaoning/SY1080/2021 (SY1080), from live poultry market (LPM) in Liaoning Province of the Northeast China.  SY1080 replicated efficiently in mice lungs and nasal turbinates without prior adaptation.  We systematically compared SY1080 with other H10 subtype isolates in China.  Phylogenetic analysis showed that SY1080 and most of the H10 strains belonged to the Eurasian lineage.  H10 AIVs in China have formed 63 genotypes.  SY1080 as well as the H10N3 strains from human infections belonged to G60 genotype.  H10Nx AIV acquired multiple mammalian adaptive and virulence related mutations during circulation and the recent reassortants derived internal genes from chicken H9N2 AIVs.  The H10Nx subtypes AIVs posed potential threat to public health.  These results suggested we should strengthen the surveillance and evaluation of H10 subtype strains.


Agro-ecosystem & Environment
Straw interlayer improves sunflower root growth: Evidence from moisture and salt migration and the microbial community in saline-alkali soil 
Mengmeng Chen, Guoli Wang, Yupeng Jing, Jie Zhou, Jiashen Song, Fangdi Chang, Ru Yu, Jing Wang, Weini Wang, Xia Sun, Hongyuan Zhang, Yuyi Li
2024, 23(11): 3870-3881.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.048
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
A straw interlayer added to soil can effectively reduce soil salinity effects on plant growth, however, the effects of soil moisture, salt and microbial community composition on plant growth under a straw interlayer are unclear.  A rhizobox study was conducted to investigate the role of straw interlayer thickness on soil moisture, salt migration, microbial community composition, as well as root growth in sunflower.  The study included four treatments: Control (no straw interlayer); S3 (straw interlayer of 3.0 cm); S5 (straw interlayer of 5.0 cm); S7 (straw interlayer of 7.0 cm).  Straw interlayer treatments increased soil moisture by 8.2–11.0% after irrigation and decreased soil salt content after the bud stage in 0–40 cm soil.  Total root length, total root surface area, average root diameter, total root volume and the number of root tips of sunflower plants were higher under straw interlayer treatments than in the control, and were the highest under the S5 treatment.  This stimulated root growth was ascribed to the higher abundance of Chloroflexi and Verrucomicrobia bacteria in soil with a straw interlayer, which was increased by 55.7 and 54.7%, respectively, in the S5 treatment.  Addition of a straw interlayer of 5 cm thickness is a practical and environmentally feasible approach for improving sunflower root growth in saline-alkali soil.


Biochar induced trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services and crop productivity
Jinxia Wang, Qiu Huang, Kai Peng, Dayang Yang, Guozhen Wei, Yunfei Ren, Yixuan Wang, Xiukang Wang, Nangia Vinay, Shikun Sun, Yanming Yang, Fei Mo
2024, 23(11): 3882-3895.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.022
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Biochar amendment offers a chance for sustainable agriculture. However, the effectiveness of biochar relies on its physical and chemical properties, which are heavily affected by biochar production conditions and management practices. Therefore, substantial uncertainties regarding the use of biochar exist in agricultural systems globally. This study provides the first quantitative evaluation of the impacts of biochar characteristics and management practices on key ecosystem services by performing a second-order meta-analysis based on 34,628 paired observations in biochar-amended and unamended systems. Overall, biochar enhances phytotoxicity alleviation, physiology regulation, soil remediation and carbon sequestration, and microbial functional gene abundance. However, some prominent trade-offs exist between crop productivity and ecosystem service deliveries including for nutrient cycling, microbial function, climate change mitigation, and the soil microbial community). The adoption of low C:N biochar produced at high pyrolysis temperatures from sewage sludge-derived feedstock, in combination with a moderate application rate and inorganic fertilizer input, shows potential for achieving synergistic promotion of crop productivity and ecosystem services. These outcomes highlight the need for judicious implementation of biochar-based solutions to site-specific soil constraints. The quantified synergy and tradeoff relationships will aid the establishment of a sustainable biochar development framework that strengthens necessary ecosystem services commensurate with food security assurance.
Insight into the effect of geographic location and intercropping on contamination characteristics and exposure risk of phthalate esters (PAEs) in tea plantation soils
Jie Li, Shanjie Han, Ruhang Xu, Xuchen Zhang, Junquan Liang, Mengxin Wang, Baoyu Han
2024, 23(11): 3896-3911.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.018
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are an emerging pollutant due to widespread distribution in environmental mediums that have attracted widespread attention over recent years.  However, there is little information about tea plantation soil PAEs.  A total of 270 soil samples collected from 45 tea plantations in the major high-quality tea-producing regions of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces in China were analyzed for seven PAEs.  The detection frequency of PAEs in tea plantation soil was 100%.  DBP, DEHP, and DiBP were the main congeners in tea plantation soil.  The PAEs concentrations in the upper soil were significantly higher than those in the lower soil.  The concentration of tea plantation soil PAEs in Jiangsu Province was significantly lower than those in Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.  Intercropping with chestnuts can effectively reduce the contamination level of PAEs in tea plantation soil.  Correlation analysis, redundancy analysis, partial correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling methods further confirmed the strong direct influence of factors such as chestnut–tea intercropping, temperature, and agricultural chemicals on the variation of PAEs in tea plantation soil.  The health and ecological risk assessments indicated that non-carcinogenic risk was within a safe range and that there was a high carcinogenic risk via the dietary pathway, with DBP posing the highest ecological risk. 

Food Science
The shaping of milk-flavored white tea: More than a change in appearance
Jiao Feng, Weisu Tian, Jinyuan Wang, Shuping Ye, Guanjun Pan, Bugui Yu, Fang Wang, Hongzheng Lin, Zhilong Hao
2024, 23(11): 3912-3922.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.09.010
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Tea’s popularity and flavor are influenced by factors like cultivation and processing methods and shaping techniques also have an impact on tea flavor.  This study employed targeted metabolomics and chemometrics to investigate how shaping techniques affect the flavor of milk-flavored white tea (MFWT).  The results showed that the tea cake sample with the shortest pressing time (Y90) has the highest amino acid content and milky aroma intensity.  There were variations in amino acids, catechins, and soluble sugars among MFWT samples with different shaping techniques.  The total contents of amino acids and catechins in tea cake sample (Y90) were significantly lower than those in the loose tea sample (SC) and bundle-like tea sample (SG), while the total sugar content was significantly higher than that in SC (P<0.05).  Additionally, the content of volatiles presenting milky aroma (VIP&OAV>1) in Y90 remained lower relative to SC and SG (P<0.05), but the proportion was not different from that in SC and SG, minimally affecting the overall flavor.  The short-time pressing method might be suitable for mass production of MFWT.  These findings provide insights into improving the tightness of the appearance of MFWT with minimal impact on tea flavor.


Identification of key genes and metabolites involved in meat quality performance in Qinchuan cattle by WGCNA
Hengwei Yu, Zhimei Yang, Jianfang Wang, Huaxuan Li, Xuefeng Li, Entang Liang, Chugang Mei, Linsen Zan
2024, 23(11): 3923-3937.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.044
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  
Understanding the genetic and metabolic elements that impact meat quality is crucial to improving production and meeting consumer demands in the beef sector.  Differences in meat quality among various muscle areas in beef cattle can impact pricing in the market.  Despite progress in genomics, the specific genes and metabolites that affect meat quality characteristics in Qinchuan cattle remain inadequately understood.  Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the meat quality characteristics of four specific muscle locations (tenderloin, striploin, high rib, and ribeye muscles) in Qinchuan bulls, including 10 traits (total protein content (TPC), intramuscular fat (IMF), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), meat color (L*, a*, and b*), shear force (SF), cooking loss (CL), pH0, and pH24).  This experiment uses transcriptome, metabolome sequencing, and sophisticated analytical methodologies such as weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein–protein interaction networks (PPI) to identify the key genes and metabolites associated with specific traits.  The findings highlight three notable genes (NDUFAB1, NDUFA12, and NDUFB7) linked to intramuscular fat (IMF), three key genes (CSRP3, ACAA3, and ACADVL) correlated with non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and one crucial gene (CREBBP) influencing meat color.  In conclusion, this investigation offers a new perspective on the differences in bovine muscle locations and contributes to the molecular understanding of bovine meat quality.  Future research endeavors could delve deeper into the identified genes and pathways to enhance beef cattle’s quality and yield.


Letter
Emergence of a novel multi-resistance-mediating integrative and conjugative element ICEPmu3 in Pasteurella multocida
Jiao He, Zhishuang Yang, Mingshu Wang, Renyong Jia, Shun Chen, Mafeng Liu, Xinxin Zhao, Qiao Yang, Ying Wu, Shaqiu Zhang, Juan Huang, Xumin Ou, Di Sun, Bin Tian, Yu He, Zhen Wu, Anchun Cheng, Dekang Zhu
2024, 23(11): 3938-3942.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.008
Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect  

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