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Zygnematophyceae are the algal sisters of land plants. Here we sequenced four genomes of filamentous Zygnematophyceae, including chromosome-scale assemblies for three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum. We inferred traits in the ancestor of Zygnematophyceae and land plants that might have ushered in the conquest of land by plants: expanded genes for signaling cascades, environmental response, and multicellular growth. Zygnematophyceae and land plants share all the major enzymes for cell wall synthesis and remodifications, and gene gains shaped this toolkit. Co-expression network analyses uncover gene cohorts that unite environmental signaling with multicellular developmental programs. Our data shed light on a molecular chassis that balances environmental response and growth modulation across more than 600 million years of streptophyte evolution.

Breeding new and sustainable crop cultivars of high yields and desirable traits has been a major challenge for ensuring food security for the growing global human population. For polyploid crops such as wheat, introducing genetic variation from wild relatives of its subgenomes is a key strategy to improve the quality of their breeding pools. Over the past decades, considerable progress has been made in speed breeding, genome sequencing, high-throughput phenotyping and genomics-assisted breeding, which now allows us to realize whole-genome introgression from wild relatives to modern crops. Here, we present a standardized protocol to rapidly introgress the entire genome of Aegilops tauschii, the progenitor of the D subgenome of bread wheat, into elite wheat backgrounds. This protocol integrates multiple modern high-throughput technologies and includes three major phases: development of synthetic octaploid wheat, generation of hexaploid A. tauschii–wheat introgression lines (A-WIs) and homozygosis of the generated A-WIs. Our approach readily generates stable introgression lines in 2 y, thus greatly accelerating the generation of A-WIs and the introduction of desirable genes from A. tauschiito wheat cultivars. These A-WIs are valuable for wheat-breeding programs and functional gene discovery. The current protocol can be easily modified and used for introgressing the genomes of wild relatives to other polyploid crops.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs), an emerging type of 2D materials, have aroused significant attention recently. Although a great number of LMOFs with diverse topologies have been reported, their predictable preparation remains challenging. Inspired by the transformation of three-dimensional pillared-layer MOFs (PLMOFs) to 2D layers via solvent-assisted link exchanging, we developed herein a novel de novo synthesis strategy, i.e., in situ capping, for the rational fabrication of 2D LMOFs. During PLMOF construction, the pillars are in situ substituted by terminal ligands to seal both sides of the instantaneously generated layers, forming the targeted 2D LMOFs. Employing such a strategy, 2D LMOFs {[Zn(hsb-2)(benzoate)2]·0.5H2O}n(HSB-W11), [Zn(hsb-2)(2-benzoylbenzoate)2]n(HSB-W12), [Zn(hsb-2)(2-acetylbenzoate)2]n(HSB-W13), and {[Zn(hsb-2)(2-naphthoate)2]·DMF·H2O}n(HSB-W14) were obtained predictably by exchanging the terephthalate pillar (bdc) of HSB-W1 (a 3D PLMOF composed of bdc and 1,2-bis(4′-pyridylmethylamino)-ethane) with the capping ligand benzoate or its analogues. The strategy is also valid for other PLMOF systems with bipyridine-type ligands as pillars, X-pcu-1-Zn, for example. Furthermore, the undersized materials of HSB-W11–W14 have been prepared by the instant in situ exfoliation method. The structure, morphology, and fluorescence were tuned by changing the anchoring terminal ligands. In addition, LMOFs HSB-W11–W14 were utilized as I2adsorbents; remarkably, HSB-W13 displayed a record-high volatile iodine uptake at room temperature. The in situ capping strategy has many merits including high designability and efficiency, facile green synthesis, and atom economy, which may be widely adapted to fabricate diverse 2D LMOFs.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied in host–guest chemistry by means of ultrahigh porosities, tunable channels, and component diversities. As the host matrix, MOFs exhibit immense potential in the preparation of single-phase white light-emitting (SPWLE) materials. Nonetheless, it is a great challenge that the size of the introduced guest molecules is limited by MOF pores, which affects the WLE optimization. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) MOFs are first utilized as the host matrices to simultaneously encapsulate red–green–blue fluorescent dyes for SPWLE. Various dyes@2D MOF composites with high-quality WLE performances and ultrathin nanosheet morphologies are directly assembled from 2D MOF precursors and dyes in high yields. Owing to the flexible interlamellar space of 2D MOFs, different types and sizes of guests can be easily introduced, which greatly expands the range of available MOF hosts and guests, making the WLE much more tunable. The strategy of employing 2D MOFs as the host matrices to introduce multicomponent dyes for SPWLE nanosheets resolves the restriction of MOF pores on the guest molecule size and opens a new avenue to rationally design and prepare SPWLE nanosheets that are highly solution-processable.

Aberrant RNA splicing in keratinocytes drives inflammatory skin disorders. In the present study, we found that the RNA helicase DDX5 was downregulated in keratinocytes from the inflammatory skin lesions in patients with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, and that mice with keratinocyte-specific deletion of Ddx5(Ddx5∆KC) were more susceptible to cutaneous inflammation. Inhibition of DDX5 expression in keratinocytes was induced by the cytokine interleukin (IL)-17D through activation of the CD93–p38 MAPK–AKT–SMAD2/3 signaling pathway and led to pre-messenger RNA splicing events that favored the production of membrane-bound, intact IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) at the expense of soluble IL-36R (sIL-36R) and to the selective amplification of IL-36R-mediated inflammatory responses and cutaneous inflammation. Restoration of sIL-36R in Ddx5∆KCmice with experimental atopic dermatitis or psoriasis suppressed skin inflammation and alleviated the disease phenotypes. These findings indicate that IL-17D modulation of DDX5 expression controls inflammation in keratinocytes during inflammatory skin diseases.

Cycads represent one of the most ancient lineages of living seed plants. Identifying genomic features uniquely shared by cycads and other extant seed plants, but not non-seed-producing plants, may shed light on the origin of key innovations, as well as the early diversification of seed plants. Here, we report the 10.5-Gb reference genome of Cycas panzhihuaensis, complemented by the transcriptomes of 339 cycad species. Nuclear and plastid phylogenomic analyses strongly suggest that cycads and Ginkgoform a clade sister to all other living gymnosperms, in contrast to mitochondrial data, which place cycads alone in this position. We found evidence for an ancient whole-genome duplication in the common ancestor of extant gymnosperms. The Cycasgenome contains four homologues of the fitDgene family that were likely acquired via horizontal gene transfer from fungi, and these genes confer herbivore resistance in cycads. The male-specific region of the Y chromosome of C. panzhihuaensiscontains a MADS-box transcription factor expressed exclusively in male cones that is similar to a system reported in Ginkgo, suggesting that a sex determination mechanism controlled by MADS-box genes may have originated in the common ancestor of cycads and Ginkgo. The C. panzhihuaensisgenome provides an important new resource of broad utility for biologists.

Increasing crop production is necessary to feed the world’s expanding population, and crop breeders often utilize genetic variations to improve crop yield and quality. However, the narrow diversity of the wheat D genome seriously restricts its selective breeding. A practical solution is to exploit the genomic variations of Aegilops tauschiivia introgression. Here, we established a rapid introgression platform for transferring the overall genetic variations of A. tauschiito elite wheats, thereby enriching the wheat germplasm pool. To accelerate the process, we assembled four new reference genomes, resequenced 278 accessions of A. tauschiiand constructed the variation landscape of this wheat progenitor species. Genome comparisons highlighted diverse functional genes or novel haplotypes with potential applications in wheat improvement. We constructed the core germplasm of A. tauschii, including 85 accessions covering more than 99% of the species’ overall genetic variations. This was crossed with elite wheat cultivars to generate an A. tauschii-wheat synthetic octoploid wheat (A-WSOW) pool. Laboratory and field analysis with two examples of the introgression lines confirmed its great potential for wheat breeding. Our high-quality reference genomes, genomic variation landscape of A. tauschiiand the A-WSOW pool provide valuable resources to facilitate gene discovery and breeding in wheat.

•Identified 23 members of the four cotton AFP families, revealing high conservation in both gene and protein structures.•Overexpression of GhAFP8 in tobacco demonstrated enhanced resistance to Verticillium dahlia.•The GhAFP8 gene compromised cotton’s resistance to Verticillium dahliae.•GhAFP8 exhibited responsiveness to signals from jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA).

The structural transformation of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has attracted increasing interests, which has not only produced various new structures but also served as a fantastic platform for MOF-based kinetic analysis. Multiple reaction conditions have been documented to cause structural transformation; nevertheless, central metal-induced topological alteration of MOFs is rare. Herein, we reported a structural transformation of a 2D layered Cd-MOF driven by Cd(II) ions. After being submerged in the aqueous solution of cadmium nitrate, the twofold interpenetrated 2D network of [Cd(hsb-2)(bdc)·5H2O]n[HSB-W10; bdc: 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate; hsb-2:1,2-bis(4′-pyridylmethylamino)-ethane] was converted into a novel noninterpenetrated 2D network [Cd1.5(hsb-2)(bdc)1.5(H2O)2·H2O]n(HSB-W16). This partial dissolution–recrystallization process was investigated by integrating controlled experiments, 1H NMR spectra, and photographic tracking analysis. Furthermore, a novel strategy combining in situ multicomponent dye encapsulation and central metal-triggered structural transformation was developed for the fabrication of MOF materials with white-light emission. By adopting this strategy, different dye guest molecules were concurrently introduced into the HSB-W16 host matrix, leading to a range of white-light-emitting MOF composites. This work will enable detailed studies of solid-state transformations and demonstrate a promising application prospect for structural transformation.

Despite decades of efforts in genome sequencing and functional characterization, some important protein families remain poorly understood. In this study, we report the classification, evolution, and functions of the largely uncharacterized AIM24 protein family in plants, including the identification of a novel subfamily. We show that two AIM24 subfamilies (AIM24-A and AIM24-B) are commonly distributed in major plant groups. These two subfamilies not only have modest sequence similarities and different gene structures but also are of independent bacterial ancestry. We performed comparative functional investigations on the two AIM24 subfamilies using three model plants: the moss Physcomitrium patens, the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, and the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Intriguingly, despite their significant differences in sequence and gene structure, both AIM24 subfamilies are involved in ER stress tolerance and the unfolded protein response (UPR). In addition, transformation of the AIM24-Agene from P. patensinto the AIM24-Bnull mutant of A. thalianacould at least partially rescue ER stress tolerance and the UPR. We also discuss the role of AIM24genes in plant development and other cellular activities. This study provides a unique example of parallel evolution in molecular functions and can serve as a foundation for further investigation of the AIM24 family in plants.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are similar to T helper (Th) cells in expression of cytokines and transcription factors. For example, RORγt is the lineage-specific transcription factor for both ILC3 and Th17 cells. However, the ILC counterpart for BCL6-expressing T follicular helper (Tfh) cells has not been defined. Here, we report that in the ILC compartment, BCL6 is selectively co-expressed with not only CXCR5 but also RORγt and CCR6 in ILC3 from multiple tissues. BCL6-deficient ILC3 produces enhanced levels of IL-17A and IL-22. More importantly, phenotypic and single-cell ATAC-seq analysis show that absence of BCL6 in mature ILC3 increases the numbers of ILC1 and transitional cells co-expressing ILC3 and ILC1 marker genes. A lineage-tracing experiment further reveals BCL6+ ILC3 to ILC1 trans-differentiation under steady state. Finally, microbiota promote BCL6 expression in colonic CCR6+ ILC3 and thus reinforce their stability. Collectively, our data have demonstrated that CCR6+ ILC3 have both Th17 and Tfh programs and that BCL6 expression in these cells functions to maintain their lineage identity.

To investigate the effect of Lingguizhugan decoction (LGZGD) on changes of cardiac structure and function, and its putative mechanism of action, by investigating mRNA and protein expression of myocardial nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and the plasma content of NF-κB in rats with chronic heart failure.

To study the effect of Wuziyanzong treatment on the sperm quality and content of calcium ions (Ca2+) in oligoasthenospermia rats.

Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) was synthesized and self-assembled on the surface of nanoscale tin dioxide (SnO 2) by in-situprocess, marked as i, and Co–O interaction was verified to conjugate axially between macromolecule (CoPc) and SnO 2in CoPc/SnO 2(i). The results indicated that the binding constant of CoPc/SnO 2(i) was two-order higher than that of CoPc/SnO 2(d) synthesized by dipping process, marked as d, while the numbers of binding sites were comparable in both samples. The degradation rate in the photocatalytic activity of CoPc/SnO 2(i) was 32.5% higher than that of CoPc/SnO 2(d) under visible-light irradiation for 150 min due to the effective electron separation and energy injection from LUMO of CoPc to conduction band of SnO 2for CoPc/SnO 2(i) based on the strong interaction between CoPc and SnO 2. The degradation recyclability of CoPc/SnO 2(i) retained 48.8% in 10 times under the same circular photocatalytic process.

A glassy carbon electrode GCE modified with nickelii tetrasulfophthalocyanine NiTSPc and Nafion®was used for the investigation of the catalytic oxidation of luminol. The modified electrode was found to much more effectively improve the emission of electrochemiluminescenceECL of luminol in a solution containing hydrogen peroxide. The enhanced ECL signal corresponded to the catalytic oxidation of both luminol and H2O2by NiTSPc. Attached Niii on GCE was oxidised to Niiii and then used as the catalyst for the chemiluminescence of luminol. The enhanced stability of the ECL signal with Nafion®would mainly result from the prevention of the dissolution of NiTSPc and the adsorption of the oxidation product of luminol on the electrode surface. The proposed method enables a detection limit for luminal of 6.0 × 10−8mol L−1to be achieved in the presence of H2O2in the neutral solution. The enhanced ECL intensity had a linear relationship with the concentration of luminol in the range of 1.0 × 10−7–8.0 × 10−6mol L−1

ABSTRACTAlthough fungal association has been instrumental to the evolution of land plants, how genes of fungal origin might have contributed to major plant innovations remains unclear. In a recent study, we showed that a macro2 domain-containing gene likely acquired from mycorrhiza-like fungi is important in gametophore development of mosses, suggesting a role of fungi-derived genes in the three-dimensional growth of land plants.

The title compound has been synthesized and its crystal structure determined at room temperature.Mr=731.39, triclinic, space groupP¯1,a=9.020(3),b=11.280(7),c=7.784(2)Å,a=97.05(4),ß=97.08(2), ?=105.32(4)°, U=748(1)Å3,Z=1,Dcalc.=1.624 g/cm3. The finalR is 0.030 for 3095 independent observed reflections withI=3s(I). The crystal structure consists of repeated [Ni(im)4(H2O)2]2+ cations and noncoordinated saccharin anions. In the complex cation [Ni(im)4(H2O)2]2+, Ni2 is bonded to four N atoms from four imidazole molecules and two O atoms from two water molecules forming an approximately square octahedral stereochemistry. The d-d transition spectrum of the title compound is also reported and is explained perfectly with the scaling radial theory which was proposed by us.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) is a key enzyme responsible for the degradation of endogenous cytokinins. However, the origins and roles of CKXgenes in angiosperm evolution remain unclear. Based on comprehensive bioinformatic and transgenic plant analyses, we demonstrate that the CKXs of land plants most likely originated from an ancient chlamydial endosymbiont during primary endosymbiosis. We refer to the CKXs retaining evolutionarily ancient characteristics as “ancient CKXs” and those that have expanded and functionally diverged in angiosperms as “non-ancient CKXs”. We show that the expression of some non-ancient CKXs is rapidly inducible within 15 min upon the dehydration of Arabidopsis, while the ancient CKX(AtCKX7) is not drought responsive. Tobacco plants overexpressing a non-ancient CKXdisplay improved oxidative and drought tolerance and root growth. Previous mutant studies have shown that non-ancient CKXs regulate organ development, particularly that of flowers. Furthermore, ancient CKXs preferentially degrade cis-zeatin (cZ)-type cytokinins, while non-ancient CKXs preferentially target N6-(Δ2-isopentenyl) adenines (iPs) and trans-zeatins (tZs). Based on the results of this work, an accompanying study (Wang et al. 10.1038/s41438-019-0211-x) and previous studies, we hypothesize that non-ancient CKXs and their preferred substrates of iP/tZ-type cytokinins regulate angiosperm organ development and environmental stress responses, while ancient CKXs and their preferred substrates of cZs play a housekeeping role, which echoes the conclusions and hypothesis described in the accompanying report (Wang, X. et al. Evolution and roles of cytokinin genes in angiosperms 1: Doancient IPTs play housekeeping while non-ancient IPTs play regulatory roles? Hortic Res7, (2020). 10.1038/s41438-019-0211-x).

A combination of UV–vis, HPLC, and NMR methods was used to identify isomers of mono- and disulfonic phthalocyaninatozinc, which provides a good reference for isomer research of such compounds.

The sonochemiluminescence (SCL) of lucigenin in N,N-dimethylformamide was investigated. It is found that flavonoids can effectively inhibit this type of SCL and the inhibition of flavonoids parallel very well to their radical-scavenging capacity. These results provide useful data for establishing methods to assess the radical.

By ultrafinecrashing and chemical modifying, the modified mineral ultrafinepowders as silicone rubber reinforcing fillers were prepared firstly, their reinforcing effect have approached to the level of silica.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has been well documented in prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes, but its role in plants and animals remains elusive. In a recent study, we showed that at least 57 families of nuclear genes in the moss Physcomitrella patenswere acquired from prokaryotes, fungi or viruses and that HGT played a critical role in plant colonization of land. In this paper, we categorize all acquired genes based on their putative functions and biological processes, and further address the importance of HGT in plant innovation and evolution.

Background Ancient endosymbioses are responsible for the origins of mitochondria and plastids, and they contribute to the divergence of several major eukaryotic groups. Although chlamydiae, a group of obligate intracellular bacteria, are not found in plants, an unexpected number of chlamydial genes are most similar to plant homologs, which, interestingly, often contain a plastid-targeting signal. This observation has prompted several hypotheses, including gene transfer between chlamydiae and plant-related groups and an ancestral relationship between chlamydiae and cyanobacteria.Results We conducted phylogenomic analyses of the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae to identify genes specifically related to chlamydial homologs. We show that at least 21 genes were transferred between chlamydiae and primary photosynthetic eukaryotes, with the donor most similar to the environmental Protochlamydia. Such an unusually high number of transferred genes suggests an ancient chlamydial endosymbiosis with the ancestral primary photosynthetic eukaryote. We hypothesize that three organisms were involved in establishing the primary photosynthetic lineage: the eukaryotic host cell, the cyanobacterial endosymbiont that provided photosynthetic capability, and a chlamydial endosymbiont or parasite that facilitated the establishment of the cyanobacterial endosymbiont.Conclusion Our findings provide a glimpse into the complex interactions that were necessary to establish the primary endosymbiotic relationship between plastid and host cytoplasms, and thereby explain the rarity with which long-term successful endosymbiotic relationships between heterotrophs and photoautotrophs were established. Our data also provide strong and independent support for a common origin of all primary photosynthetic eukaryotes and of the plastids they harbor.

Background The apicomplexan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is an emerging pathogen capable of causing illness in humans and other animals and death in immunocompromised individuals. No effective treatment is available and the genome sequence has recently been completed. This parasite differs from other apicomplexans in its lack of a plastid organelle, the apicoplast. Gene transfer, either intracellular from an endosymbiont/donor organelle or horizontal from another organism, can provide evidence of a previous endosymbiotic relationship and/or alter the genetic repertoire of the host organism. Given the importance of gene transfers in eukaryotic evolution and the potential implications for chemotherapy, it is important to identify the complement of transferred genes in Cryptosporidium.Results We have identified 31 genes of likely plastid/endosymbiont (n = 7) or prokaryotic (n = 24) origin using a phylogenomic approach. The findings support the hypothesis that Cryptosporidium evolved from a plastid-containing lineage and subsequently lost its apicoplast during evolution. Expression analyses of candidate genes of algal and eubacterial origin show that these genes are expressed and developmentally regulated during the life cycle of C. parvum.Conclusions Cryptosporidium is the recipient of a large number of transferred genes, many of which are not shared by other apicomplexan parasites. Genes transferred from distant phylogenetic sources, such as eubacteria, may be potential targets for therapeutic drugs owing to their phylogenetic distance or the lack of homologs in the host. The successful integration and expression of the transferred genes in this genome has changed the genetic and metabolic repertoire of the parasite.

Motivation: Physical mapping of chromosomes using the maximum likelihood (ML) model is a problem of high computational complexity entailing both discrete optimization to recover the optimal probe order as well as continuous optimization to recover the optimal inter-probe spacings. In this paper, two versions of the genetic algorithm (GA) are proposed, one with heuristic crossover and deterministic replacement and the other with heuristic crossover and stochastic replacement, for the physical mapping problem under the maximum likelihood model. The genetic algorithms are compared with two other discrete optimization approaches, namely simulated annealing (SA) and large-step Markov chains (LSMC), in terms of solution quality and runtime efficiency. Results: The physical mapping algorithms based on the GA, SA and LSMC have been tested using synthetic datasets and real datasets derived from cosmid libraries of the fungus Neurospora crassa. The GA, especially the version with heuristic crossover and stochastic replacement, is shown to consistently outperform the SA-based and LSMC-based physical mapping algorithms in terms of runtime and final solution quality. Experimental results on real datasets and simulated datasets are presented. Further improvements to the GA in the context of physical mapping under the maximum likelihood model are proposed. Availability: The software is available upon request from the first author. Contact: tupistra@yahoo.com * To whom correspondence should be addressed. † Present address: Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, 623 Biological Science Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

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