Search

Background: bHLH transcription factors play significant roles in regulating plant growth and development, stress response, and anthocyanin biosynthesis. Sweetpotato is a pivotal food and industry crop, but little information is available on sweetpotato bHLH genes. Results: Herein, 227 putative IbbHLH genes were defined on sweetpotato chromosomes, and fragment duplications were identified as the dominant driving force for IbbHLH expansion. These IbbHLHs were divided into 26 subfamilies through phylogenetic analysis, as supported by further analysis of exon-intron structure and conserved motif composition. The syntenic analysis between IbbHLHs and their orthologs from other plants depicted evolutionary relationships of IbbHLHs. Based on the transcriptome data under salt stress, the expression of 12 IbbHLHs was screened for validation by qRT-PCR, and differential and significant transcriptions under abiotic stress were detected. Moreover, IbbHLH123 and IbbHLH215, which were remarkably upregulated by stress treatments, had obvious transactivation activity in yeasts. Protein interaction detections and yeast two-hybrid assays suggested an intricate interaction correlation between IbbHLHs. Besides, transcriptome screening revealed that multiple IbbHLHs may be closely related to anthocyanin biosynthesis based on the phenotype (purple vs. white tissues), which was confirmed by subsequent qRT-PCR analysis. Conclusions: These results shed light on the promising functions of sweetpotato IbbHLHs in abiotic stress response and anthocyanin biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bioleaching conditioning mitigated ARGs in sludge compost products. • Bioleaching conditioning led to the lowest abundances of ARG-associated bacteria. • ARGs Shift during bioleached sludge composting can be ascribed to potential hosts. • Pre-removal of ARGs is crucial for the ARGs reduction in bioleached sludge compost. • Possible limited horizontal transfer of ARGs also contributed to their reduction. Conditioning can drastically improve the dewaterability of sewage sludge and is widely practiced in most wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Sludge conditioning was also reported as a crucial step in sludge treatment to attenuate antibiotic resistance, but it remains unclear whether the attenuated antibiotic resistance by conditioning treatments would guarantee low abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the compost products of municipal sewage sludge. Herein, the impacts of three conditioning treatments, including bioleaching and chemical conditioning using Fe[III]/CaO or polyacrylamide (PAM), on the abundances of 20 ARGs and 4 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) during conventional aerobic composting of dewatered sludge were investigated. It was found that the absolute and relative abundances of total ARGs in compost product of bioleached sludge accounted for only 13.8%-28.8% of that in compost products of un-conditioned, Fe[III]/CaO-conditioned, or PAM-conditioned sludges. Besides, bioleaching conditioning resulted in the lowest abundances of ARG subtypes and ARG-associated bacteria in the sludge compost product. The shift of ARG profiles in the bioleached sludge composting can be mainly ascribed to the ARG-associated bacteria, while the MGEs drove the ARG profiles during conventional composting of un-conditioned sludge and the two chemically conditioned sludge. Thus, bioleaching conditioning is superior to the chemical conditioning using Fe[III]/CaO or PAM in mitigating antibiotic resistance in sludge compost products, which was contributed by the pre-removal of ARGs prior to composting treatment and the potential limitation of ARGs transfer during conventional composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High salinity is one of the major limiting factors that reduces crop productivity and quality. Herein, we report that small SALT TOLERANCE ENHANCER1 (STE1) protein without any known conserved domains is required for tomato salt tolerance. Overexpression (OE) of SlSTE1 enhanced the tolerance to multiple chloride salts (NaCl, KCl, and LiCl) and oxidative stress, along with elevated antioxidant enzyme activities, increased abscisic acid (ABA) and chlorophyll contents, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulations compared to that of wild‐type (WT) plants. Moreover, decreased K+ efflux and increased H+ efflux were detected in the OE plants, which induced a higher K+/Na+ ratio. In contrast, SlSTE1‐RNAi plants displayed decreased tolerance to salt stress. RNA‐seq data revealed 1 330 differentially expressed genes in the OE plants versus WT plants under salt stress, and the transcription of numerous and diverse genes encoding transcription factors, stress‐related proteins, secondary metabolisms, kinases, and hormone synthesis/signaling‐related proteins (notably ABA and 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate) was greatly elevated. Furthermore, SlSTE1‐OE plants showed increased sensitivity to ABA, and the results suggest that SlSTE1 promotes ABA‐dependent salt stress‐responsive pathways by interacting with SlPYLs and SlSnRK2s. Collectively, our findings reveal that the small SlSTE1 protein confers salt tolerance via ABA signaling and ROS scavenging and improves ion homeostasis in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) regulate various processes of plant growth, development, and response to environmental stimuli. Although they have been extensively documented in many plants, little is known about stress responsive APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) genes in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.). In this study, 20 putative AP2/ERF genes, named IbERF1, IbERF2, and IbERF5–IbERF23 were identified based on the salt‐treated RNA‐seq data from two sweetpotato cultivars with different salt tolerance. Phylogenetic analysis and sequence characterization identified that all the screened IbERF proteins contained a conserved AP2 domain, which belonged to dehydration‐responsive element binding proteins (DREB; 7 members) or ERF (13 members) subfamily. The systematic expression analysis of 12 mainly salt‐induced IbERFs by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) revealed that most IbERFs were remarkably increased by multiple abiotic stresses, such as NaCl, dehydration, and cold stress. Furthermore, varying degrees of upregulation were also detected in the expression of most IbERFs when treated with hormone abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid. The expression profiles of IbERFs corroborate their involvement in diverse biological processes. In addition, the IbERF5, which was exclusively upregulated by the treatments, was identified as a nuclear protein without transcriptional activation activity. Collectively, the data of stress responsive IbERFs will provide valuable knowledge for further functional studies of IbERFs in sweetpotato stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ARB inactivation and the degradation of carried ARG were simultaneously achieved. • Pre-acidification lysed ARB cells and facilitated the degradation of carried ARGs. • Plasmid-encoding ARGs were more resistant to be degraded than that in chromosomes. • Residual extracellular DNA in bacterial solution can be fragmented to short fragments. • ARB lysis induced by acidification promoted ARG degradation in ZVI/H 2 O 2 or ZVI/PDS. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) activated Fenton-like processes have been proposed to inactivate ARB that carry diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater, whereas they exhibit very low capacity of degrading ARB-carrying ARGs. Our previous study has revealed that pre-acidification can make cell inactivation and lysis. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of pre-acidification on the inactivation of a multi-drug resistant bacterium Pseudomonas putida MX-2 and the simultaneous degradation of carried seven ARGs by ZVI/H 2 O 2 and ZVI/PDS processes. Results showed that the pre-acidification of bacterial solution to acidic pH greatly promoted the degradation of carried ARGs from 0.14 to 0.17 logs to 2.48–2.97 logs at the meanwhile of almost completely inactivating P. putida MX-2 in both ZVI/H 2 O 2 and ZVI/peroxydisulfate (PDS) processes. Moreover, the pre-acidification seriously lysed the bacterial cells, released the carried ARGs into the extracellular environment, and facilitated the degradation of extracellular ARGs (e-ARGs) by the generated radicals. During the degradation of the resultant e-ARGs, they were fragmented to short fragments by ZVI/H 2 O 2 and ZVI/PDS processes. The treatment of real wastewater containing P. putida MX-2 further validated the promoting effect of pre-acidification on the degradation of carried ARGs. Therefore, it is extremely crucial to lyse the cells of ARB efficiently via acidification or other methods to promote the degradation of carried ARGs greatly, which may also be applicable for other advanced oxidation processes to reduce antibiotic resistance in wastewater effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV-based advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOPs) have been recommended to disinfect wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents to control the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, but the mechanism of intracellular antibiotic resistance genes (i-ARGs) degradation by UV-AOPs is still poorly understood. Here we compared the efficacies of UV, UV/H 2 O 2 , and UV/PDS in degrading seven i-ARGs carried by a multi-drug resistant P. putida MX-2 isolated from sewage sludge and investigated the roles of free radicals and UV irradiation in degrading the carried i-ARGs in UV-AOPs. The results suggested that although UV/H 2 O 2 and UV/PDS were only slightly superior to UV to inactivate P. putida MX-2, they significantly promoted the degradation of i-ARGs. The generated free radicals mainly reacted with the bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), increased the cell membrane permeability of bacteria, and consequently facilitated UV irradiation enter into the intracellular environment to damage the i-ARGs, thus enhancing their degradation during UV-AOPs processes. Our findings suggested that the removal of bacterial EPS by free radicals greatly contributed to the degradation of i-ARGs by UV irradiation in UV-AOPs, and more efficient approaches that are capable of removing EPS should be further developed to effectively control the dissemination of antibiotic resistance by UV treatment of wastewater effluent. [Display omitted] • The detailed mechanisms for the degradation of i-ARGs by UV-AOPs were revealed. • UV-AOPs promoted the degradation of i-ARGs compared with UV treatment. • Removing bacterial EPS by free radicals greatly enhanced the degradation of i-ARGs. • UV-AOPs are superior to UV in controlling antibiotic resistance in WWTP effluent. • UV/H 2 O 2 is much more recommended in the disinfection treatment of WWTP effluent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-contamination of arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in groundwater is frequently reported, and it is thus necessary to develop efficient techniques to tackle this problem. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of utilizing schwertmannite to co-adsorb As(III) and phenanthrene from water solution and regenerating spent schwertmannite via a heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction to degrade adsorbed phenanthrene and meanwhile oxidize adsorbed As(III). The results suggested that schwertmannite with a hedgehog-like morphology was superior to that with a smooth surface for the adsorption removal of As(III) or phenanthrene because of the much higher BET surface area and hydroxyl proportion of the former one, and schwertmannite formed at 72 h incubation effectively co-adsorbed As(III) and phenanthrene from water solution. The adsorption of As(III) and phenanthrene on schwertmannite did not interfere with each other, while the acidic initial solution pH delayed the adsorption of As(III) on schwertmannite but enhanced the adsorption capacity for phenanthrene. The adsorption of As(III) on schwertmannite mainly involved its exchange with SO 4 2− (outer-sphere or inner-sphere) and its complexation with iron hydroxyl surface groups, and phenanthrene adsorption mainly occurred through cation-π bonding and OH-π interaction. During the adsorption-regeneration processes, schwertmannite adsorbed As(III) and phenanthrene firstly, and then it can be successfully regenerated via Fenton-like reaction catalyzed by itself to effectively degrade the adsorbed phenanthrene and meanwhile oxidize the adsorbed As(III) to As(V). Therefore, schwertmanite is an outstanding environmental adsorbent to decontaminate As(III) and phenanthrene co-existing in groundwater. [Display omitted] • Biosynthetic schwertmannite efficiently adsorbed As(III) and phenanthrene. • The adsorption behaviors of As(III) and phenanthrene were independent. • Cl−, SO 4 2− and HA showed different inhibitory effects on co-adsorption process. • Above 99% of phenanthrene was degraded during adsorbent regeneration. • 60.9% of adsorbed As(III) was oxidized to As(V) during adsorbent regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schwertmannite, jarosite or goethite are commonly used to remove metals and/or metalloids from contaminated water via adsorption processes, but it is still unclear whether they can be used as adsorbents to remove hydrophobic organic pollutants (HOCs), such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from groundwater or wastewater. Here, the feasibility of using these iron (oxyhydr) oxide minerals as adsorbents for phenanthrene (a model PAH) adsorption and regenerating the spent adsorbents via heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction was investigated. Results showed that they exhibited rapid adsorption rates and considerable adsorption capacities for phenanthrene. The maximum Langmuir capacities (Qmax) for phenanthrene adsorption at 28 °C were in an ascending order of goethite (567 μg·g-1) < schwertmannite (727 μg·g-1) < jarosite (2088 μg·g-1). The adsorption process was a spontaneous and exothermic process along with the decrease of randomness at the solid/liquid interfaces, which was influenced by temperature, adsorbent dosage, and the coexistence of inorganic anions. Both schwertmannite and jarosite were superior to goethite in light of their easy separation from the bulk solution after the adsorption processes. A multi-cycle experiment demonstrated that the regeneration efficiency of schwertmannite (97.9–99.7%) was much higher than that of jarosite (80.1–87.2%), and the mineral structure, morphology and functional groups of schwertmannite were not changed during the successive adsorption-regeneration processes. Therefore, among the investigated three iron (oxyhydr) oxide minerals, schwertmannite was an attractive and regenerable adsorbent for the removal of phenanthrene from water owing to its high adsorption capacity, good separation ability, and excellent reusability. Image 1 • Schwertmannite, jarosite and goethite can rapidly adsorb phenanthrene. • The adsorption process was a spontaneous and exothermic process. • Schwertmannite and jarosite had better separation ability than goethite. • The regeneration efficiency of schwertmannite was as high as 97.9–99.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betalains are applicable to many aspects of life, and their properties, characteristics, extraction and biosynthesis process have been thoroughly studied. Although betalains are functionally similar to anthocyanins and can substitute for them to provide pigments for plant color, it is rare to study the roles of betalains in plant responses to adverse environmental conditions. Owing to their antioxidant capability to remove excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants and humans, betalains have attracted much attention due to their bioactivity. In addition, betalains can also act as osmotic substances to regulate osmotic pressure in plants and play important roles in plant responses to adverse environmental conditions. The study of the physiological evolution of betalains is almost complete but remains complicated because the evolutionary relationship between betalains and anthocyanins is still uncertain. In this review, to provide a reference for the in-depth study of betalains compared with anthocyanins, the biochemical properties, biosynthesis process and roles of betalains in response to environmental stress are reviewed, and the relationship between betalains and anthocyanins is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors perform as crucial regulators in ABA-mediated stress response in plants. Nevertheless, the functions for most bZIP family members in tomato remain to be deciphered. Results: Here we examined the functional characterization of SlbZIP1 under salt and drought stresses in tomato. Silencing of SlbZIP1 in tomato resulted in reduced expression of multiple ABA biosynthesis- and signal transduction-related genes in transgenic plants. In stress assays, SlbZIP1-RNAi transgenic plants exhibited reduced tolerance to salt and drought stresses compared with WT plants, as are evaluated by multiple physiological parameters associated with stress responses, such as decreased ABA, chlorophyll contents and CAT activity, and increased MDA content. In addition, RNA-seq analysis of transgenic plants revealed that the transcription levels of multiple genes encoding defense proteins related to responses to abiotic stress (e.g. endochitinase, peroxidases, and lipid transfer proteins) and biotic stress (e.g. pathogenesis-related proteins) were downregulated in SlbZIP1-RNAi plants, suggesting that SlbZIP1 plays a role in regulating the genes related to biotic and abiotic stress response. Conclusions: Collectively, the data suggest that SlbZIP1 exerts an essential role in salt and drought stress tolerance through modulating an ABA-mediated pathway, and SlbZIP1 may hold potential applications in the engineering of salt- and drought-tolerant tomato cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abscisic acid (ABA), a critical phytohormone that regulates plant development and stress response, is sensed by the ABA receptors PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYLs). The PYL genes have been widely studied in multiple plant species, while a systematic analysis of PYL genes in the genus Ipomoea remains unperformed. Here, a total of 13, 14, and 14 PYLs were identified in Ipomoea batatas, Ipomoea trifida, and Ipomoea triloba, respectively. Fragment duplication was speculated to play prominent roles in Ipomoea PYL gene expansions. These Ipomoea PYLs were classified into three subfamilies via phylogenetic analysis, which was supported by exon–intron structures and conserved motif analyses. Additionally, the interspecies collinearity analysis further depicted a potential evolutionary relationship between them. Moreover, qRT-PCR analysis showed that multiple IbPYLs are highly and differentially responsive to abiotic stress treatments, suggesting their potential roles in sweetpotato stress responses. Taken together, these data provide valuable insights into the PYLs in the genus Ipomoea, which may be useful for their further functional analysis of their defense against environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic activity of palladium (Pd) nanostructures highly relies on their size and morphology, especially enclosed with high-index facets, which provide more active sites so as to enhance their catalytic performance comparing with their low-index facet counterparts. Herein, Pd concave nanocubes enclosed with {730} facets by a one-pot scalable liquid method, with various high-index facets are synthesized via tuning reduction kinetics. Due to their high-index facets, the Pd concave nanocubes exhibit much higher electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation than the Pd nanocubes enclosed by {100} facets and commercial Pd/C. Furthermore, we scale up synthesis of Pd concave nanocubes by expanding the volume of all species to fifty times with high-yield production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schwertmannite and jarosite, two secondary Fe(III)-hydroxysulfate minerals abundant in acid-mine drainage, can be biosynthesized by an Fe-oxidizing bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , but the differences of their catalytic activities in heterogeneous Fenton-like reactions are still unclear to date. In the present study, the catalytic activities of biosynthesized schwertmannite and jarosite were compared through investigating the heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of a target organic pollutant phenol. Results showed that these two catalysts efficiently catalyzed heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of phenol, and the degradation in both systems consisted of an induction period (first-stage) and a followed rapid degradation stage (second-stage). Schwertmannite exhibited a much higher catalytic capacity than jarosite, because of its shorter induction period and higher kinetic rate ( k ) of the second-stage, but jarosite catalytically degraded phenol in a much wider pH range (pH 3.0–7.5) over schwertmannite (pH 3.0–4.5). Based on the results of radical scavenger effect, H 2 O 2 decomposition, Fe leaching and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis, similar catalytic mechanisms were proposed in schwertmannite/H 2 O 2 and jarosite/H 2 O 2 systems, in which the induction period can be ascribed to the activation of catalysts by H 2 O 2 and the second-stage was mainly attributed to the homogeneous Fenton reaction in bulk solution. During the catalytic degradation of phenol, catechol was firstly accumulated and was then further decomposed into smaller molecular organic acids. The repeated uses of schwertmannite and jarosite for phenol degradation manifested their stability and reusability as Fenton-like catalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: WRKY transcription factors play pivotal roles in regulating plant multiple abiotic stress tolerance, however, a genome-wide systematical analysis of WRKY genes in sweetpotato is still missing. Results: Herein, 84 putative IbWRKYs with WRKY element sequence variants were identified in sweetpotato reference genomes. Fragment duplications, rather than tandem duplications, were shown to play prominent roles in IbWRKY gene expansion. The collinearity analysis between IbWRKYs and the related orthologs from other plants further depicted evolutionary insights into IbWRKYs. Phylogenetic relationships displayed that IbWRKYs were divided into three main groups (I, II and III), with the support of the characteristics of exon-intron structures and conserved protein motifs. The IbWRKY genes, mainly from the group Ib, displayed remarkable and diverse expression profiles under multiple abiotic stress (NaCl, PEG6000, cold and heat) and hormone (ABA, ACC, JA and SA) treatments, which were determined by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR assays, suggesting their potential roles in mediating particular stress responses. Moreover, IbWRKY58L could interact with IbWRKY82 as revealed by yeast two-hybrid based on the protein interaction network screening. And abiotic stress-remarkably induced IbWRKY21L and IbWRKY51 were shown to be localized in the nucleus and had no transactivation activities. Conclusion: These results provide valuable insights into sweetpotato IbWRKYs and will lay a foundation for further exploring functions and possible regulatory mechanisms of IbWRKYs in abiotic stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic pollution and antibiotic resistance are two emerging environmental and human health crises today. Although it was revealed that microplastics can serve as vectors for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, it is still unclear how the nanoplastics influence the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Herein, we firstly compared the effect of polystyrene (PS) micro/nanoplastics on the transformation of plasmid‐borne ARG, using a transformation model consisting of plasmid pUC19 (ampR) and Escherichia coli DH5α (recipient). Due to its size effect, PS nanoplastics (10–500 mg/L) significantly enhanced the transformation efficiency (2.8–5.4 folds) and frequency (3.2–8.4 folds) of exogenous ampR into E. coli, while PS microplastics exerted no influence. The detailed mechanisms were found that nanoplastics induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, activated SOS response, increased cell membrane permeability and changed the secretion systems, thereby facilitating the uptake of exogenous DNA by bacteria. Moreover, the co‐presences of nanoplastics with humic acid or Fe3+ relieved to some extent, but did not completely alleviate the promoting effect of nanoplastics on plasmid transformation. Our findings suggest that the risk of nanoplastics on promoting the dissemination of antibiotic resistance should not be neglected, and further studies are needed to investigate such risk in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The plant-specific GRAS transcription factors play pivotal roles in various adverse environmental conditions. Numerous GRAS genes have been explored and characterized in different plants, however, comprehensive survey on GRASs in sweetpotato is lagging. Results: In this study, 72 putative sweetpotato IbGRAS genes with uneven distribution were isolated on 15 chromosomes and classified into 12 subfamilies supported by gene structures and motif compositions. Moreover, both tandem duplication and segmental duplication events played critical roles in the expansion of sweetpotato GRAS genes, and the collinearity between IbGRAS genes and the related orthologs from nine other plants further depicted evolutionary insights into GRAS gene family. RNA-seq analysis under salt stress and qRT-PCR detection of 12 selected IbGRAS genes demonstrated their significant and varying inductions under multiple abiotic stresses (salt, drought, heat and cold) and hormone treatments (ABA, ACC and JA). Consistently, the promoter regions of IbGRAS genes harbored a series of stress- and hormone-associated cis-acting elements. Among them, IbGRAS71, the potential candidate for breeding tolerant plants, was characterized as having transactivation activity in yeasts, while IbGRAS-2/-4/-9 did not. Moreover, a complex interaction relationship between IbGRASs was observed through the interaction network analysis and yeast two-hybrid assays. Conclusions: Our results laid a foundation for further functional identifications of IbGRAS genes, and multiple members may serve as potential regulators for molecular breeding of tolerant sweetpotato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlamellar dendrolites, a type of microbial carbonate, exhibit dendritic fabric on the macroscale, which is different from stromatolites, thrombolites, and leiolites. This work reports the sedimentary environment and sedimentary characteristics of dendrolites dominated by calcified microbes in the Zhangxia Formation in the Dongping section of Shandong Province, China. Thick oolitic limestone affected by the rise in sea level is developed in the middle section of the Zhangxia Formation in the Dongping section, and a set of thick massive dendrolites are developed above the oolitic limestone. It exhibits the special sedimentary phenomenon of microbes seeking stability in a high-energy environment. Microscopically, the dendrolites are characterized by the rich development of calcified cyanobacteria fossils, such as the epiphyton group and Girvanella , demonstrating the diversity and complexity of the microbes that dominate the dendrolite formation in the Dongping section. The epiphyton group can be classified by morphological characteristics, namely, Epiphyton , Korilophyton , and Hedstroemia. The latter can be further categorized into typical Hedstroemia and Cayeuxia. Therefore, this study enhances our understanding of dendrolite sedimentary environments and provides a reference example for exploring diverse fossil records in ancient strata. [Display omitted] • The dendrolites developed above the high-energy massive oolitic limestone. • Based on phototaxis and symbiosis, Epiphyton is considered to be cyanobacteria. • Microscopically, dendrolites are characterized by abundant cyanobacteria fossils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Photocatalytic activities of Sch and Jar were evaluated in UV/PDS system. • Synergetic effect in Sch/UV/PDS system accelerated the degradation of SMX and TOC. • UV irradiation accelerated ≡Fe3+/≡Fe2+ redox cycle on Sch surface. • Production of OH and SO 4 •- was enhanced in Sch/UV/PDS system. • Sch exhibited wide pH adaptability and good recyclability. Ultraviolet (UV)/peroxydisulfate (PDS) system has been employed for degrading organic pollutants in water, but the insufficient production of reactive species in the system limits the mineralization of organic pollutants. This study evaluated for the first time the effectiveness of integrating iron hydroxysulfates, including schwertmannite (Sch) and jarosite (Jar), with UV/PDS system for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation in water. The optimal conditions identified for 40 μM SMX degradation were PDS 2 mM, photocatalysts 1 g L-1 and pH 3 in both of Sch/UV/PDS and Jar/UV/PDS systems. A synergetic effect between UV/PDS and Sch/UV processes was found in Sch/UV/PDS system with synergistic factor of 1.15, which drastically enhanced the production of reactive species (OH and SO 4 •-) and consequently improved SMX degradation and TOC mineralization. Additionally, schwertmannite exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than jarosite in UV/PDS system for both SMX degradation and TOC mineralization. In Sch/UV/PDS system, ≡Fe(OH)2+ on schwertmannite can be efficiently photolyzed to ≡Fe2+ and OH under UV irradiation with O 2 – generation, in which the produced reactive species contributed to a relatively small fraction of SMX degradation. More importantly, the regeneration of ≡Fe2+ accelerated PDS activation to SO 4 •-/OH, which was responsible for the degradation of most SMX. However, the photoreduction of ≡Fe3+ to ≡Fe2+ on jarosite by UV irradiation was insignificant, thus leading to the poor PDS activation to SO 4 •-/OH and a lower SMX degradation rate. The degradation pathways of SMX in Sch/UV/PDS system were further proposed based on the identified degradation intermediates of SMX. Besides, schwertmannite exhibited a good adaptability in wide pH (2–9) range, good stability, and recyclability for catalyzing SMX degradation in UV/PDS system. Therefore, integrating schwertmannite with UV/PDS system is an attractive method for efficiently removing organic pollutants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eco-efficient, green, and multi-gram procedure is presented for one-pot multicomponent synthesis of N-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles by using waste fishbone powders supported CuBr (FBPs-CuBr) as catalyst. FBPs-CuBr is found to be an efficient heterogeneous catalyst and a series of 1,2,3-triazoles are obtained in moderate to excellent yields in water under MW irradiation (70-98%). It can be separated conveniently by a simple filtration and reused at least seven consecutive runs with a slight drop in the product yields. Furthermore, the desired product still could be obtained in 80% yield when the scale of the reaction was increased to 40.0 mmol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siyuan Liu, Chengbin Zhang and Fen Guo contributed equally to this work. Reference 1 Liu S, Zhang C, Guo F. A systematical genome-wide analysis and screening of WRKY transcription factor family engaged in abiotic stress response in sweetpotato. [Extracted from the article]

The East Asian summer precipitation exhibits significant spatial differences from inter-annual to sub-orbital timescales, which has been associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, studies on spatial patterns of climate and their mechanisms on orbital and tectonic timescales are still scarce, impeding a better understanding of Asian monsoon dynamics on long timescales. Here, we present a loess section spanning the past 430 ka in the Menyuan (MY) basin from the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), and compare it with records from other sites in East Asia in order to explore the spatial patterns of climate changes and their mechanisms. Our results reveal a distinct climate transition at ∼260 ka in various records, which is characterized a transition from a "wet–dry–wet" to a "dry–wet–dry" pattern in the north-south direction and a transition from a "dry–wet" to "wet–dry" pattern in the west-east direction. This climate transition coincides with a significant weakening of the equatorial Pacific zonal (east–west) thermal gradient which indicates a shift to a more El Niño-like state, suggesting that the climate transition in East Asia at ∼260 ka could be related to paleo-ENSO variation. A more El Niño-like state could force an intensification and southwestward extension of the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) which could in turn move the rainfall front westward with the maximum rainfall belt over central China, resulting in the persistence of the observed climate patterns in East Asia. Our model results suggest that the change of the paleo-ENSO condition at ∼260 ka could be related to the eccentricity-modulated insolation and the ice shelve changes in northern high latitudes. Our study highlights the important role of paleo-ENSO in regulating the long-term climate changes in different sub-regions in East Asia. • The East Asian monsoon region is divided into four sub-regions. • A transition of meridional tripole climate pattern in East Asia occurred at ∼260 ka. • A transition of zonal dipole climate pattern existed in mid-latitude monsoonal region. • Paleo-ENSO was the dominant forcing for the ∼260 ka climate transition. • Paleo-ENSO may be influenced by changes in eccentricity and Arctic ice shelves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors function as critical regulators in numerous abiotic stress responses. Massive bZIPs have been systematically identified in plants, but not in sweetpotato. In this study, 87 sweetpotato IbbZIPs unevenly distributed onto 15 chromosomes were identified, and segmental duplications were shown to play dominant roles in the diversity of IbbZIPs. The collinearity between IbbZIPs and the related orthologs from nine plants depicted evolutionary insights into bZIP gene family. Additionally, IbbZIP proteins were clustered into 11 subfamilies while no members were found in the M subfamily, and the regularity of gene structures and conserved motifs was consistent with the subgroup classification. Evidence from transcriptome data and qRT-PCR analysis of 12 selected IbbZIPs revealed that they were significantly and varyingly induced under multiple abiotic stresses (salt, drought, heat and cold) and hormone treatments (ABA, ACC, JA and SA). Consistently, the promoters of IbbZIPs harbored multiple stress- and hormone-related cis-acting elements. Besides, IbbZIP17 and IbbZIP61 exhibited transactivation activity in yeasts, while IbbZIP-14/-69/-84 did not. These findings supply worthy foundations for further functional investigation of IbbZIPs , and multiple members may serve as promising regulators to enhance the abiotic stress tolerance of transgenic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 175 sweetpotato IbANCs were identified and clustered into 22 subgroups including 4 specific subgroups. • Tandem duplications and segmental duplications played critical roles in the diversity of IbANCs. • Collinearity between IbANCs and related orthologs from other plants depicted evolutionary insights into NACs. • Transcriptome and qRT-PCR data provided multiple promising IbNAC regulators for breeding tolerant sweetpotato. • IbNAC006 and IbNAC143 exhibited transactivation activities in yeasts. Sweetpotato is a pivotal crop that can tolerate various edaphic and climatic conditions. The plant-specific NAC transcription factors are involved in regulating various adverse environmental conditions, while currently NAC genes have not been systematically characterized in sweetpotato. Herein, 175 putative NAC or NAC-like genes (IbNACs) were identified in sweetpotato. These genes were unevenly scattered onto all 15 chromosomes, among which 12 pairs of tandem duplications and 12 groups of fragment duplications existed. The collinearity analysis between IbNACs and the related orthologs from nine other plant species further depicted evolutionary insights into NAC gene family. Phylogenetic analysis displayed that IbNAC proteins were classified into 22 subfamilies including four sweetpotato-specific subfamilies, with the support of gene structure and motif analyses. Transcriptome analysis showed that IbNAC genes differed significantly in expression under salt stress, and significant and varying expression of ten selected genes under multiple abiotic stresses was detected by qRT-PCR. Moreover, IbNAC006 and IbNAC143, which were significantly induced by abiotic stress, exhibited obvious transactivation activities, while IbNAC-029/-138/-148 did not. These results will lay the foundation for further evolutionary analysis and functional characterization of IbNACs , particularly with regards to the potential applications of multiple IbNAC regulators in the breeding of tolerant sweetpotato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White light colonoscopy is widely used to detect colorectal polyps, but flat and depressed lesions are often missed. Here, we report a molecular imaging strategy to potentially improve diagnostic performance by developing a fluorescently-labeled peptide specific for cMet. This 7mer is conjugated to Cy5.5, a near-infrared (NIR) cyanine dye. Specific binding to cMet was confirmed by cell staining, knockdown, and competition assays. The probe showed high binding affinity (kd = 57 nM) and fast onset (k = 1.6 min) to support topical administration in vivo. A mouse model (CPC;Apc) that develops spontaneous adenomas that overexpress cMet was used to demonstrate feasibility for real time in vivo imaging. This targeting ligand showed significantly higher target-to-background (T/B) ratio for polypoid and non-polypoid lesions by comparison with a scrambled control peptide. Immunofluorescence staining on human colon specimens show significantly greater binding to tubular and sessile serrated adenomas versus hyperplastic polyps and normal mucosa. These results demonstrate a peptide specific for cMet that is promising for endoscopic detection of pre-malignant lesions and guiding of tissue biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]