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Plant height (PH) and flag leaf (FL) are two crucial agronomic traits for crop yield. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from ‘Mian 96-5’ (M96-5) and ‘Guixie 3’ (GX3) was investigated in five environments to study PH and FL characteristics in Chinese southwest wheat. Eight QTLs related to PH were detected on five chromosomes 1D (1), 2D (1), 4B (2), 4D (2), and 5A (2). Of these, Qph.gaas.2D explained phenotypic variance (PVE) of 22.40%, Qph.gaas.4B.1 (PVE= 21.92%), Qph.gaas.4D.1 (PVE= 12.29%), and Qph.gaas.4D.2 (PVE= 13.69%), which were consistent with known Rht8, Rht-B1, and Rht-D1loci, respectively. The other four QTLs about PH, namely Qph.gaas.1D(212.50–258.36 Mb), Qph.gaas.4B.2(643.50–646.67 Mb), Qph.gaas.5A.1(515.06–523.07 Mb), and Qph.gaas.5A.2(523.07–528.26 Mb), were novel QTLs for reduced wheat PH. Five, four, and five QTLs were related to length, width, and area of flag leaf. Among them, a major QTL (Qfll.gaas.2D, 15.79 ~ 37.04 Mb) was detected on chromosome 2D, where six candidate genes related to the photo-respiration stage of photosynthesis were found. Two important regions on chromosome 4B (25.83 ~ 29.20 Mb and 32.96 ~ 35.63 Mb) were related to the length, width and area of flag leaf at multi-environments, and including genes related to programmed cell death and metabolic regulation of gibberellin in the wheat grain-filling stages. These QTLs would be useful in further studies for decreasing plant height, providing theoretical support for the improvement of wheat plant type and boosting grain yield through pyramiding breeding.

Sorghum grain traits are important agronomic traits directly related to yield and are key factors affecting the brewing process of distill liquor. Exploring the genes controlling those traits is of great significance for understanding the genetic mechanism of sorghum grain development. In this study, we conducted genotyping using Super-GBS technology on a recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population derived from the cross between “BTx623” and “Hongyingzi,” consisting of 205 lines. The grain-related traits of the RIL population were investigated in Guiyang, Anshun in Guizhou, and Ledong in Hainan in China. By inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) method, a total of 47 quantitative trait locus (QTL) related to four grain traits (thousand grain weight, grain length, grain width, and length–width ratio) were identified across 10 chromosomes. Among them, 20 important QTL were repeatedly detected in multiple traits or environments and distributed on chromosomes 1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (5), 4 (5), 5 (1), 6 (2), 7 (2), 8 (1), and 9 (1). Six candidate genes were identified within the confidence interval of these QTL, and they are homologous to genes controlling rice grain development (OsMADS1, RGG2, OsNST1, SMG1, OsGRF8, and OsAP2-39). The results provide a basis for further cloning and functional verification of these candidate genes.

•This is the first case of abscess infection caused by Nocardia beijingensisin China.•N beijingensisis an underdiagnosed pathogen.•Gene sequencing is vital for further identification of Nocardiaat the species level.•Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Nocardiais recommended.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder. This study aimed to investigate clinical, imaging, genetic, and dermatopathological characteristics of a family with adult-onset NIID. The proband was a 62-year-old woman with 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Of these, 4 had symptoms of paroxysmal visual field defect, extrapyramidal symptoms, dysautonomia, emotional changes, and cognitive dysfunction. Genetic examination revealed no abnormality related to cerebrovascular diseases. More than 200 CGG repeats of FMR1 gene cause fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) whereas repeats of the proband were found 29 times, which excluded FXTAS. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and GC-rich-PCR identified an expanded GGC repeat (with ∼100 repeats) in the 5' region of NOTCH2NLC in the patient and her 2 younger brothers. Pathological examination found eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions inside adipocytes, fibrocytes, and sweat gland cells. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining revealed positive staining for ubiquitin and p62. The detailed pathological and genetic features of this NIID family provide a valuable contribution to the existing knowledge base of this rare disorder.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench) is a world cereal crop used in China for producing Baijiu, a distilled spirit. We report a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of the Baijiu cultivar Hongyingzi, HYZ-T2T, using ultralong reads. The 10 chromosome pairs contained 33,462 genes, of which 93% were functionally annotated. The 20 telomeres and 10 centromeric regions on the HYZ-T2T chromosomes were predicted and two consecutive large inversions on chromosome 2 were characterized. A 65-gene reconstruction of the metabolic pathway of tannins, the flavor substances in Baijiu, was performed and may advance the breeding of sorghum cultivars for Baijiu production.