The present study investigates the chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of juice from the Gannan navel orange, which is harvested at one- to two-week intervals during the ripening period.  The total soluble solid (TSS), total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), sucrose and hesperidin contents gradually increase with the ripening of the fruit, followed by slight declines at the late maturity stage.  Contrary to these observations, the contents of titratable acid (TA), vitamin C (Vc), and limonin trend downward throughout the ripening period.  However, the contents of fructose, glucose, and narirutin fluctuate throughout the harvest time.  Three in vitro antioxidant assays consistently indicate that the harvest time exerts no significant influence (P>0.01) on the antioxidant capacity.  Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson’s correlation test are performed to provide an overview of the complete dataset. This study provides valuable information for evaluating the fruit quality and determining when to harvest the fruit in order to meet the preferences of consumers.  Meanwhile, our observations suggest that the fruits subjected to juice processing should be harvested at the late maturity stage to alleviate the “delayed bitterness” problem without compromising the antioxidant capacity and the flavonoid content in the juice.

     Rice blast, bacterial blight (BB) and brown planthopper (BPH) are the three main pests of rice. This study investigated pyramiding genes resistant to blast, BB and BPH to develop restorer lines. Ten new lines with blast, BB and/or BPH resistance genes were developed using marker-assisted selection (MAS) technique and agronomic trait selection (ATS) method. Only HR13 with resistance genes to blast, BB and BPH was obtained. In addition to blast and BB resistance, four lines (HR39, HR41, HR42, HR43) demonstrated moderate resistance to BPH, but MAS for BPH resistance genes were not conducted in developing these four lines. These data suggested that there were unknown elite BPH resistance genes in the Zhongzu 14 donor parent. A more effective defense was demonstrated in the lines with Pi1 and Pi2 genes although the weather in 2012 was favorable to disease incidence. Blast resistance of the lines with a single resistance gene, Pita, was easily influenced by the weather. Overall, the information obtained through pyramiding multiple resistance genes on developing the restorer lines is helpful for rice resistance breeding.

As one member of the Ras super family, Rheb is an upstream regulator of mTOR signaling pathway, which regulates the process of cell-growth, proliferation and differentiation. In order to study the relationship between Rheb and mTOR in Inner Mongolian Cashmere goat (Capra hircus) cells, Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb) gene cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR. It is 555 bp in length and includes the complete ORF encoding 184 amino acids (GenBank accession no. HM569224). The full cDNA nucleotide sequence has a 99% identity with that of sheep, 98% with cattle and 93% with human while their amino acids sequence shares identity with 98, 97 and 97% of them, correspondingly. The bioinformatics analysis showed that Rheb has a Ras family domain, two casein kinase II phosphorylation sites, two ATP/GTP-binding sites motif A (P-loop), a prenyl group binding site (CAAX box). Tissue-specific expression analysis performed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. The Rheb gene was expressed in all the tested tissues and the highest level of mRNA accumulation was detected in brain, suggesting that Rheb played an important role in goat cells.

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is a widely expressed enzyme that plays a key role in plant growth, development, and the stress response.  However, information on MDH genes in the soybean genome is limited. Seventeen members of the soybean MDH family were identified by genome-wide analysis, and the presence of conserved protein motifs was analyzed.  The genes were divided into five clusters according to their phylogenetic relationships.  The intracellular localizations of six GmMDHs were determined by confocal microscopy on Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts.  Transcripts of GmMDHs were significantly increased by abiotic stress (drought, salt, and alkalinity) and hormone treatments, as shown by analysis of cis-regulatory elements and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).  GmMDHs displayed unique expression patterns in diverse soybean tissues.  It is noteworthy that under salt stress, the expression levels of a chloroplast isoform (GmMDH2) were unusually high, presumably indicating a critical role in soybean responses to salinity.  Expression of GmMDH2 in Escherichia coli showed that the recombinant enzyme had NADP-dependent MDH activity. The redox states of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) pool and antioxidant activities were shown to be modulated by GmMDH2 gene overexpression, which in turn reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in transgenic soybean, significantly enhancing the salt stress resistance.  Gene-based association analysis showed that variations in GmMDH2 were strongly linked to seedling salt tolerance.  A polymorphism possibly associated with salt tolerance was discovered in the promoter region of GmMDH2.  These findings not only improve our understanding of the stress response mechanism by identifying and characterizing the MDH gene family throughout the soybean genome but it also identified a potential candidate gene for the future enchancement of salt tolerance in the soybean.

Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferases (LPATs) are enzymes widely expressed in various plant species, contributing to growth, development, and stress responses.  Currently, little information regarding the LPAT gene family is available in soybeans.  In this study, genome-wide analyses identified 15 soybean LPATs, which were then evaluated for the conserved protein motifs.  These genes were grouped into three clusters based on their phylogenetic relationships.  Confocal microscopy was used to visualize the localization of six GmLPATs within Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts.  cis-Acting regulatory element analyses and qRT-PCR experiments revealed that these GmLPATs were upregulated in response to hormone stimulation or exposure to abiotic stressors, including drought, alkaline conditions, and salt stress.  The expression patterns of these GmLPATs varied across different soybean tissue types.  One member of the solLPAT1 subtype (GmLPAT11) was found to be upregulated in response to a range of treatments, highlighting its role in soybean salt stress responses. GmLPAT11 expression in Escherichia coli confirmed the LPAT activity of this recombinant enzyme, and overexpressing this LPAT reduced reactive oxygen species production in transgenic soybean plants, enhancing their salt stress tolerance.  Gene association analyses indicated that GmLPAT11 variants are closely associated with seedling salt tolerance, and a polymorphism in the GmLPAT11 CDS region was potentially associated with salt tolerance.  These results provide new insight into the nature of the LPAT gene family in soybeans while also suggesting promising candidate genes for future research efforts aimed at enhancing the overall salt tolerance of soybean crops.