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IntroductionSoil salinization has become one of the most serious environmental issues globally. Excessive accumulation of soluble salts will adversely affect the survival, growth, and reproduction of plants. Elaeagnus angustifolia L., commonly known as oleaster or Russian olive, has the characteristics of tolerance to drought and salt. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are considered to be bio-ameliorator of saline soils that can enhance the salt tolerance of the host plants. However, there is little information on the root proteomics of AM plants under salt stress.MethodsIn this study, a label-free quantitative proteomics method was employed to identify the differentially abundant proteins in AM E. angustifolia seedlings under salt stress.ResultsThe results showed that a total of 170 proteins were significantly differentially regulated in E.angustifolia seedlings after AMF inoculation under salt stress. Mycorrhizal symbiosis helps the host plant E. angustifolia to respond positively to salt stress and enhances its salt tolerance by regulating the activities of some key proteins related to amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism in root tissues.ConclusionAspartate aminotransferase, dehydratase-enolase-phosphatase 1 (DEP1), phospholipases D, diacylglycerol kinase, glycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferases, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidases may play important roles in mitigating the detrimental effect of salt stress on mycorrhizal E. angustifolia . In conclusion, these findings provide new insights into the salt-stress tolerance mechanisms of AM E. angustifolia seedlings and also clarify the role of AM fungi in the molecular regulation network of E. angustifolia under salt stress.

Grain sorghum has been a significant contributor to global food security since the prehistoric period and may contribute even more to the security of both food and energy in the future. Globally, precise management techniques are crucial for increasing grain sorghum productivity. In China, with diverse ecological types, variety introduction occasionally occurs across ecological zones. However, few information is available on the effect of ecological type on genotype performance and how plant spacing configuration influences grain yield in various ecological zones. Hence, a series of two-year field experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 in four ecological zones of China, from the northeast to the southwest. The experiments included six widely adapted sorghum varieties under six plant spacing configurations (two row spacing modes: equidistant row spacing (60 cm) mode and wide (80 cm)-narrow (40 cm) row spacing mode; three in-row plant spacings: 10 cm, 15 cm, and 20 cm). Our results indicated that ecological type, variety, and plant spacing configuration had a significant effect on sorghum yield. Ecological type contributed the highest proportion to the yield variance (49.8%), followed by variety (8.3%), while plant spacing configuration contributed 1.8%. Sorghum growth duration was highly influenced by the ecological type, accounting for 87.2% of its total variance, whereas plant height was mainly affected by genotype, which contributed 81.6% of the total variance. All test varieties, developed in the south or north, can reach maturity within 94-108 d, just before fall sowing in central China. Generally, sorghum growth duration becomes longer when a variety is introduced from south to north. A late-maturing variety, developed in the spring sowing and late-maturing regions, possibly could not reach maturity in the early-maturing region. The row spacing modes had no significant affect on sorghum yield, but the equal-row spacing mode consistently caused higher yields with only one exception; this might imply that equal-row spacing mode was more advantageous for boosting sorghum yield potential. In contrast, decreasing in-row plant spacing showed significant positive linear associations with sorghum grain yield in most cases. In addition, these results demonstrated that sorghum is a widely adapted crop and enables success in variety introduction across ecological zones.

Abstract Forest degradation succession often leads to changes in forest ecosystem functioning. Exactly how the decomposition of leaf litter is affected in a disturbed forest remains unknown. Therefore, in our study, we selected a primary Korean pine forest (PK) and a secondary broad‐leaved forest (SF) affected by clear‐cutting degradation, both in Northeast China. The aim was to explore the response to changes in the leaf litter decomposition converting PK to SF. The mixed litters of PK and SF were decomposed in situ (1 year). The proportion of remaining litter mass, main chemistry, and soil biotic and abiotic factors were assessed during decomposition, and then, we made an in‐depth analysis of the changes in the leaf litter decomposition. According to our results, leaf litter decomposition rate was significantly higher in the PK than that in the SF. Overall, the remaining percent mass of leaf litter's main chemical quality in SF was higher than in PK, indicating that leaf litter chemical turnover in PK was relatively faster. PK had a significantly higher amount of total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) than SF during decomposition. Based on multivariate regression trees, the forest type influenced the soil habitat factors related to leaf litter decomposition more than decomposition time. Structural equation modeling revealed that litter N was strongly and positively affecting litter decomposition, and the changes in actinomycetes PLFA biomass played a more important role among all the functional groups. Selected soil abiotic factors were indirectly driving litter decomposition through coupling with actinomycetes. This study provides evidence for the complex interactions between leaf litter substrate and soil physical–chemical properties in affecting litter decomposition via soil microorganisms.

Abstract Background Astaxanthin is a kind of tetraterpene and has strong antioxygenic property. The biosynthesis of astaxanthin in engineered microbial chassis has greater potential than its chemical synthesis and extraction from natural producers in an environmental-friendly way. However, the cost-offsetting production of astaxanthin in engineered microbes is still constrained by the poor efficiency of astaxanthin synthesis pathway as a heterologous pathway. Results To address the bottleneck of limited production of astaxanthin in microbes, we developed in vitro and in vivo recombination methods respectively in engineered yeast chassis to optimize the combination of heterologous β-carotene ketolase (crtW) and hydroxylase (crtZ) modules that were selected from different species. As a result, the in vitro and in vivo recombination methods enhanced the astaxanthin yield respectively to 2.11–8.51 folds and 3.0–9.71 folds compared to the initial astaxanthin pathway, according to the different combination of particular genes. The highest astaxanthin producing strain yQDD022 was constructed by in vivo method and produced 6.05 mg g−1 DCW of astaxanthin. Moreover, it was proved that the in vivo recombination method showed higher DNA-assembling efficiency than the in vitro method and contributed to higher stability to the engineered yeast strains. Conclusions The in vitro and in vivo recombination methods of heterologous modules provide simple and efficient ways to improve the astaxanthin yield in yeast. Both the two methods enable high-throughput screening of heterologous pathways through recombination of certain crtW and crtZ derived from different species. This study not only exploited the underlying optimal combination of crtZ and crtW for astaxanthin synthesis, but also provided a general approach to evolve a heterologous pathway for the enhanced accumulation of desired biochemical products.

Although it is difficult in fully clarifying its mechanisms and effects, Deqi still can be considered as an instant "sign" of acupuncture response of the patient and acupuncturist, which has a significant value in clinic and research. This paper aims to take a history trace to the development of Deqi theory, understand the connotation of Deqi based on Chinese medicine theory, and establish an evaluation methodology accordingly. We believe that Deqi is not only the needling sensation, but also the perception of changes of qi flowing of the patient elicited by needling on acupoints. The signs of Deqi include the patient's subjective perception (needling sensation), the objective physiological changes (common referred to the skin redness around the acupoints and the response of brain), and the acupuncturists' perception. Although Deqi is essential for attaining the effect, it may not be the necessary sign of the ideal efficacy. It is found that the characteristics of Deqi sensations, Deqi's intensity, time duration, and the propagation will all affect the efficacy. Thus, acupuncturists should pay attention to elicit and control Deqi state, which is also the key point in modern research on the therapeutic implications of Deqi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deqi sensation is believed to be important in clinical efficacy according to TCM theory. The measuring method of Deqi sensation has significant implications for the result of research trials. This study makes an investigation on acupuncture-experienced patients and expert acupuncturists in China and aims to find out the patient's needling sensations and acupuncturist's sensations which can be acceptable as descriptors of Deqi sensation, so as to provide foundation for more systematic and sensitive quantitative evaluation method of Deqi sensation. Results of this survey indicated that the Deqi sensation noted by both patient and acupuncturist is equally important to the treatment efficacy. It is found that there are some differences between the patients' real-life experience and the acupuncturists' expectations on patients' Deqi sensation. The "dull pain," "aching," "sore," "numb," "distended," "heavy," "electric," "throbbing," "warmness," "coolness," "spreading," and "radiating" can be considered as the main manifestations of Deqi sensations. The acupuncturists believed that Deqi sensations were mainly "pulling," "tight," and "throbbing." We suggest developing a questionnaire measuring the Deqi sensations which includes both the sensations of the patient and acupuncturist, and this would be very important and necessary for a better understanding of the relationship between Deqi sensation and acupuncture effects in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]