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Cadmium (Cd) is a persistent heavy metal that poses environmental and public health concerns. This study aimed to identify the potential biomarkers responsible for Cd tolerance and accumulation by investigating the response of the content of essential metal elements, transporter gene expression, and root exudates to Cd stress in broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum). A hydroponics experiment was conducted using two broomcorn millet cultivars with distinct Cd tolerance levels and accumulation phenotypes (Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive cultivars). Cd stress inhibited lateral root growth, especially in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Furthermore, Cd accumulation was significantly greater in the Cd-tolerant cultivar than in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Cd stress significantly inhibited the absorption of essential metal elements and significantly increased the calcium concentration. Differentially expressed genes involved in metal ion transport were identified via transcriptome analysis. Cd stress altered the composition of root exudates, thus increasing lipid species and decreasing alkaloid, lignan, sugar, and alcohol species. Moreover, Cd stress significantly reduced most alkaloid, organic acid, and phenolic acid exudates in the Cd-tolerant cultivar, while it increased most lipid and phenolic acid exudates in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Some significantly changed root exudates (ferulic acid, O-coumaric acid, and spermine) are involved in the phenylalanine biosynthesis, and arginine and proline metabolic pathways, thus, may be potential biomarkers of Cd stress response. Overall, metal ion absorption and root exudates are critical for Cd tolerance and accumulation in broomcorn millet. These findings provide valuable insights into improving Cd phytoremediation by applying mineral elements or metabolites.

Background Heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is a common environmental pollutant in soils, which has an negative impacts on crop growth and development. At present, cadmium has become a major soil and water heavy metal pollutant, which not only causes permanent and irreversible health problems for humans, but also causes a significant reduction in crop yields. Results This study examined the chemical forms of Cd in the roots of two wheat varieties (M1019 and Xinong20) by continuous extraction and analyzed differences in distribution characteristics of Cd in the root cell wall, cytoplasm, and organelles by elemental content determination and subcellular separation. Furthermore, we conducted proteomics analysis of the roots of the two varieties under Cd pollution using mass spectrometry quantitative proteomics techniques. A total of 11,651 proteins were identified, of which 10,532 proteins contained quantitative information. In addition, the differentially expressed proteins in the two varieties were related to DNA replication and repair, protein metabolism, and the glutathione metabolism pathway. Conclusion The results of this study improve our understanding of the mechanism of plant responses to Cd stress.

One RIL population derived from the cross between Dalibao and BYL8 was used to examine the phenotypes of kernel-related traits in four different environments. Six important kernel traits, kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel perimeter (KP), kernel area (KA), kernel length/width ratio (KLW), and thousand-kernel weight (TKW) were evaluated in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China (2016 and 2017), Nanyang, Henan Province, China (2017) and Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China (2017). A genetic linkage map was constructed using 205 SSR markers, and a total of 21 significant QTLs for KL, KW, KP, KA, KLW and TKW were located on 10 of the 21 wheat chromosomes, including 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3D, 4D, 5A, 5B, and 7D, with a single QTL in different environments explaining 3.495–30.130% of the phenotypic variation. There were four loci for KLW, five for KA, five for KL, three for KP, two for KW, and two for TKW among the detected QTLs. We used BSA + 660 K gene chip technology to reveal the positions of major novel QTLs for KLW. A total of 670 out of 5285 polymorphic SNPs were detected on chromosome 2A. The SNPs in 2A are most likely related to the major QTL, and there may be minor QTLs on 5B, 7A, 3A and 4B. SSR markers were developed to verify the chromosome region associated with KLW. A linkage map was constructed with 7 SSR markers, and a major effect QTL was identified within a 21.55 cM interval, corresponding to a physical interval of 10.8 Mb in the Chinese Spring RefSeq v1.0 sequence. This study can provide useful information for subsequent construction of fine mapping and marker-assisted selection breeding.

Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination can reduce wheat yield and quality, thus threatening food security and human health. Herein, morphological physiology, Cd accumulation and distribution, proteomic and metabolomic analyses were performed (using wheat cultivars 'Luomai23' (LM, Cd-sensitive) and 'Zhongyu10' (ZY, Cd-tolerant) at the seedling stage with sand culture) to reveal Cd tolerance mechanism. Cd inhibited wheat growth, caused oxidative stress, hindered carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and altered the quantity and composition of root exudates. The root Cd concentration was lower in ZY than in LM by about 35% under 15 μM Cd treatments. ZY reduced Cd uptake through root exudation of amino acids and alkaloids. ZY also reduced Cd accumulation through specific up-regulation (twice) of major facilitator superfamily (MFS) proteins. Furthermore, ZY enhanced Cd cell wall fixation and vacuolar compartmentalization by increasing pectin contents, hemicellulose1 contents, and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily C member 1 (ABCC1) transporter expression, thus reducing the Cd organelle fraction of ZY by about 12% and 44% in root and shoot, respectively, compared with LM. Additionally, ZY had enhanced resilience to Cd due to increased antioxidant capacity, plasma membrane stability, nitrogen metabolism, and endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, indicating that the increased Cd tolerance could be because of multi-level coordination. These findings provide a reference for exploring the molecular mechanism of Cd tolerance and accumulation, providing a basis for safe utilization of Cd-contaminated soil by breeding Cd-tolerant and low Cd-accumulating wheat varieties.

Genetic diversity and comprehensive performance are the basis for the discovery and efficient use of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) core collections. In this study, 386 proso millet core collections were used as materials to observe inflorescence color, leaf phase, inflorescence density, axis shape, branched spike length, panicle type, trichome, measured area of the top3 leaves, and chlorophyll content of the top3 leaves at filling stage. These core collections were also used to record growth period, plant height, diameter of main stem, plant tiller number, branch number, panicle length, panicle number per plant, and panicle weight per plant at the maturation stage. Starch, fat, protein, and yellow pigment contents in the grain and 1000-seed weight were also measured after harvest. Then, quantitative traits were used for diversity analysis and comprehensive evaluation of each collection. Correlations between all traits were also analyzed. Results showed that among the 8 quality traits, the Shannon index (H′) of hull color was the highest (1.588) followed by the H′ of inflorescence density (0.984). However, inflorescence color and axis shape were lower. The H′ of 16 quantitative traits were significantly higher than the quality traits with the following traits having the highest indices: fat content (2.092), 1000-seed weight (2.073), top3 leaves area (2.070), main stem diameter (2.056), and plant height (2.052). Furthermore, all other traits had a diversity higher than 1.900. After a comprehensive evaluation of phenotypic traits, plant height, diameter of main stem, plant tiller number, leaf area of top3 leaves, and 1000-seed weight were the biggest contributors to the principal components. Six high-fat and high-protein cultivars, including Nuoshu, A75-2, Zhiduoaosizhi, Panlonghuangmi, Xiaobaishu, and Xiaohongshu were also screened. Correlations between the quantitative traits were significant, including the correlation between quality traits and quantitative traits. In conclusion, the core collections can be used as basis for discriminating among proso millet cultivars based on related traits and for further studies on millet with rich genetic diversity, good representation, and significant collection between traits.

Thermosensitive sterile lines are natural materials for exploring the effects of anther development on male fertility. To study the possible molecular mechanisms regulating protein activity during the induction of male sterility, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses with tandem mass tags (TMTs) were used to study the binucleate anther of the thermosensitive sterile wheat line YS3038. A total of 9072 proteins, including 5019 phosphoproteins, were identified. Enrichment analyses of differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) and phosphoproteins (DAPPs) in metabolic pathways showed that both were mainly related to energy metabolism. Soluble sugar and ATP content were significantly decreased, free fatty acid content was significantly increased, and ROS was abnormally accumulated in male sterile YS3038-A. In addition, 233 kinase–substrate pairs involved in potential phosphorylation control networks were predicted to regulate fertility. Candidate proteins were identified, and a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to validate the TMT results. TaPDCD5 is likely to be involved in fertility conversion of YS3038 by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing (BSMV-VIGS). Our data provide new insights into the mechanism of TCMS, which has value for identifying potential candidate proteins associated with the formation or abortion of pollen and promotion of wheat heterosis utilization.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) has great potential in Cd phytoextraction, but its mechanisms are largely unknown. Two contrasting broomcorn millet varieties, ‘Ningmi6’ (Cd-sensitive variety) and ‘4452’ (Cd-tolerant variety), were investigated through morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses to determine the factors responsible for their differential Cd tolerance and translocation. The Cd-tolerant variety can accumulate more Cd, and its cell wall and vacuole component Cd proportions were higher compared with the Cd-sensitive variety. Under Cd stress, the glutathione content and peroxidase activity of the Cd-tolerant variety were significantly higher than those of the Cd-sensitive variety. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed hub modules that were associated with Cd stress and/or variety. Notably, genes involved in these hub modules were significantly enriched for roles in glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, ABC transport, and metal ion transport process. These results suggested that regulation of genes associated with cell wall precipitation and vacuole compartmentalization may increase Cd tolerance and reduce Cd translocation in the Cd-tolerant variety, although it can absorb more Cd. This study provides a foundation for exploring molecular mechanisms of Cd tolerance and transport in broomcorn millet and new insights into improving Cd phytoremediation with this crop through genetic engineering.

Background Members of the plant-specific SPL gene family (squamosa promoter-binding protein -like) contain the SBP conserved domain and are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, including the development of plant flowers and plant epidermal hair, the plant stress response, and the synthesis of secondary metabolites. This family has been identified in various plants. However, there is no systematic analysis of the SPL gene family at the genome-wide level of wheat. Results In this study, 56 putative TaSPL genes were identified using the comparative genomics method; we renamed them TaSPL001 - TaSPL056 on their chromosomal distribution. According to the un-rooted neighbor joining phylogenetic tree, gene structure and motif analyses, the 56 TaSPL genes were divided into 8 subgroups. A total of 81 TaSPL gene pairs were designated as arising from duplication events and 64 interacting protein branches were identified as involve in the protein interaction network. The expression patterns of 21 randomly selected TaSPL genes in different tissues (roots, stems, leaves and inflorescence) and under 4 treatments (abscisic acid, gibberellin, drought and salt) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Conclusions The wheat genome contains 56 TaSPL genes and those in same subfamily share similar gene structure and motifs. TaSPL gene expansion occurred through segmental duplication events. Combining the results of transcriptional and qRT-PCR analyses, most of these TaSPL genes were found to regulate inflorescence and spike development. Additionally, we found that 13 TaSPLs were upregulated by abscisic acid, indicating that TaSPL genes play a positive role in the abscisic acid-mediated pathway of the seedling stage. This study provides comprehensive information on the SPL gene family of wheat and lays a solid foundation for elucidating the biological functions of TaSPLs and improvement of wheat yield.

A reconfigurable multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser based on an all-fiber multimode interferometer (MMI) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The interferometer is constructed by sandwiching a section of highly germanium-doped fiber (HGDF) between two sections of single-mode fiber. The insertion loss of the interferometer is as low as 2 dB. Due to the polarization-dependent spectral filtering effect formed by the MMI, by rotating the intracavity polarization controller, the laser output can be switched among single-, dual-, and triple-wavelength lasing states with optical signal-to-noise ratio up to 50 dB. In particular, the obtained dual-wavelength state shows high stability with wavelength shift within ± 0.04 n m , wavelength spacing variation within ± 0.03 n m , and power fluctuation within ± 0.04 d B by monitoring the output spectra over 8 h at room temperature. By changing the length of the HGDF, the wavelength spacing can also be flexibly manipulated. Taking the advantages of reconfiguration, low cost, and easy fabrication, this fiber laser may have great potential in various optical applications.

Root radial transport is important for cadmium (Cd) absorption and root-shoot translocation. However, the relationship between root structural characteristics and radial transport of Cd in wheat is still unclear. Six wheat cultivars with different Cd tolerance and accumulation characteristics were used to investigate the roles of root phenotype, microstructure, and apoplastic and symplastic pathways in Cd uptake and root-shoot transport in pot culture. Longer root length, smaller root diameter, and more numerous root tips were more conducive to Cd absorption, while thicker roots were able to retain more Cd, thus reducing root-shoot transport and improving Cd tolerance of shoots. Cd stress can induce the deposition of apoplastic barriers in wheat roots, and the deposition of the apoplastic barrier increases under greater stress. The formation of apoplastic barriers can reduce Cd absorption and transfer to the shoot, and the presence of passage cells can weaken this effect. The cell wall thickening induced by Cd stress enhanced Cd adsorption capacity in wheat roots, but there was no significant correlation between Cd content and polysaccharide content in the cell wall. The up-regulated expression of TaHMA3 and TaVP1, which encode proteins related to Cd compartmentalization, was associated with increased Cd tolerance in wheat and decreased Cd translocation to aboveground parts. The morphology and anatomy of roots appear to play critical roles in Cd tolerance, uptake, and translocation in wheat. The present study provides useful information for the selection of wheat cultivars with low Cd accumulation.

The study is intended to find a more effective farming practice for improving proso millet production in semi-arid regions of China and a fast real-time method of estimating effects of ridging treatments on the growth and yield of proso millet. An experiment was conducted to investigate soil water contents (SWCs), soil temperatures, water use efficiencies (WUEs), growths and grain yields of proso millet in 2014 and 2015 in Yulin, Shaanxi, China. In the experiment, a control treatment (CK, a convention farming without mulching) and six ridging and mulching combined treatments were tested. The ridging treatments mostly improved the soil moistures, WUEs, growths and grain yields of proso millet compared with the CK. The highest grain yields of proso millet appeared in the ridging treatment with hills and furrows plastic film mulched (RHFPFM) in both of the years. Because of its beneficial effects in SWC, WUE and leaf area index (LAI), RHFPFM improved the growth of proso millet and increased its yield by 31.3%-35.3% in the experimental years. These benefits mostly intensified with the extensions of the corresponding mulched areas. The LAI was shown to have close relations with the aboveground dry matter, crop growth rate and yield of proso millet. The LAI regression formulae developed in the study would provide useful information for growth monitoring and yield estimation of proso millet in the ridging treatments. In this study, the RHFPFM was recommended as an effective farming practice for improving the growth and yield of proso millet in semi-arid regions of China.

In the wheat TCMS line YS3038, the anther development is inhibited from late uninucleate stage to the binucleate stage. The disruption of energy metabolism pathways by aberrant transcriptional regulation causes the male sterility under low temperatures. The utilization of thermosensitive male sterile (TMS) lines provides a basis for two-line breeding. Previous work, including morphological and cytological observations, has shown that the development process of the TMS line YS3038 is inhibited from the late uninucleate stage to the binucleate stage. Transcriptomics studies could now help to elucidate the overall expression of related genes in a specific reproductive process, revealing the metabolic network and its regulatory mechanism of the reproductive process from the transcription level. Considering the fertility characteristics of YS3038, three important stages for transcriptome analysis were determined to be the early uninucleate, late uninucleate and binucleate stages. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was found to be highest in the binucleate stage, and most were related to energy metabolism. Quantitative PCR analysis of selected genes related to energy metabolism revealed that their expression patterns were consistent with the sequencing results. Analysis of the fertility mechanism of YS3038 showed that although the tapetum of anthers was degraded in advance of the tetrad stage, the development of microspores did not result in obvious abnormalities until the binucleate stage, because the genes involved in energy metabolism pathways, including starch and sucrose metabolism (SSM), glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and respiration electron transport chain are differentially expressed under sterile and fertile conditions. Therefore, the pollen in YS3038 was sterile.

We investigate polarization-locked vector solitons (PLVSs) arising in an all-polarization-maintaining (PM) soliton fiber laser mode-locked by a carbon nanotube. The laser can operate stably in both Q-switched and mode-locked states with different pump power. Under the PLVS condition, we observe a string of peak-dip-pair sidebands after polarization-resolving measurement, indicating the strong and regular energy exchange between the two polarized orthogonal components, which evidently distinguishes this all-PM fiber laser from conventional single-mode fiber-based vector cavities. By dispersion compensating, vector dissipative solitons are also successfully obtained. The cavity structure is greatly simplified and stabilized by a hybrid fiber component and shows excellent long-term stability.

Late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins are the products of an important gene family in plants that play vital roles in regulating growth and development as well as a variety of stress responses. In our study, 67 members of LEA (BdLEA) were identified in the genome of Brachypodium distachyon L. Analyses of gene structure, evolutionary relationships and protein motifs showed that the BdLEAs belonged to six subfamilies. Analyses of chromosomal locations and duplication events revealed that the 67 BdLEAs were distributed over all five chromosomes and 26 BdLEAs were identified as products of duplication events. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation results suggested that nearly 60% of BdLEAs could be involved in stress response. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis showed that the BdLEAs were differentially expressed in nine organs and responded to low stringency of exogenous phytohormones. Subsequently, 18 BdLEAs from six subfamilies were randomly selected for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, which showed that they were mainly expressed in the spikelets and they may preferentially respond to salt, drought and abscisic acid (ABA) stress. This study is the first to report the characteristics of the BdLEA family, providing valuable information for understanding the evolution of LEAs in the model plant B. distachyon and supporting future functional research on these proteins.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the immediate and long-term outcomes of endovascular treatment for massive hemoptysis and to identify the factors influencing outcome.A total of 147 patients who underwent transarterial embolization for massive hemoptysis between 2001 and 2012 were retrospectively evaluated. All patients (93 males and 54 females, ranging in age from 28 to 76 years) had active massive bleeding and underwent bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and/or non-bronchial artery embolization (NBAE). Angiography result, endovascular techniques, embolized materials and complications were recorded.Complete cessation of massive hemoptysis was achieved in 126/147 patients (85.7%) and failed in 21/147 patients (14.3%) within 24 hours. The etiology of hemoptysis was as follows: bronchiectasis (49.7%), tuberculosis (24.5%), artery malformation (14.3%), lung carcinoma (9.5%) and idiopathic hemoptysis (2.0%). In many patients of tuberculosis and artery malformation, abnormal bronchial and nonbronchial systemic artery-pulmonary circulation shunts were usually found. During a mean follow-up period of 18 months (range from 1 day to 63 months), hemoptysis was controlled in 117(79.6%), ineffective and recurred in 30 (20.4%) and 14 (9.5%) required repeat embolization. A better success rate of 90.4% was obtained in the bronchiectasis group. The worse results were seen in the lung carcinoma group with 42.9%. The tuberculosis and artery malformation groups also demonstrated good results. Transient quadriplegia of major complication was recorded in 1/147 (0.7%). Minor complications such as chest pain, dysphagia and fever were recorded in 45/147 (30.6%).BAE and NBAE are safe and effective procedure for treatment for massive hemoptysis, with low recurrence and complication rates. Abnormal bronchial and nonbronchial systemic artery-pulmonary circulation shunts were usually found in many patients of tuberculosis and artery malformation. The better success rate was obtained by the bronchiectasis group, and ineffectiveness and high recurrence rate is associated with lung carcinoma.

Trace elements from the giant panda including hair, liver, kidney, ovary and testis, were determined by PIXE. Comparative studies of the elemental contents in hair, liver and kidney from epileptic and normal giant pandas were performed respectively. The differences in the elemental contents of leaf, stalk, and bamboo shoots from normal and withered arrows were determined. For this research work a Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator and a Si(Li) semiconductor spectrometer at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology of Sichuan University were employed.

Comparative analysis of trace elements in tomato seeds from the earlier Western Han dynasty (200 B.C.) tomb in suburban Chengdu and present tomato seeds in Chengdu Qingdao and Beijing has been performed. The intended purpose of this analysis is to provide some useful information for archaeologists and biologists to solve controversial problems involved in the place of origin of the ancient tomato seeds. In order to study the ancient agricultural technique, seed reservation and environment science, the trace elements in carbonized food and the wood of a coffin have also been analyzed. The experimental results demonstrate that there are significant differences between the elemental composition and relative contents of ancient tomato seeds. In this paper the analysis of trace elements in historic relics from the group tombs of the minority nationality in Aba Tibetan Autonomy State of Sichuan Province is also reported. It is found that in the glazed pearls there is much Ba and Pb which is significant for the study of glass manufacture techniques in ancient China All experiments were done in vacuum by nondestructive PIXE analysis using a 2.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator and a Si(Li) spectrometer at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology of Sichuan University.