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Galloyl–RGD is a novel compound that combines gallic acid with RGD peptides (arginine, glycine, and asparaginic acid) to overcome the problems associated with gallic acid, such as instability at high temperatures and low solubility. In this study, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanisms of action of galloyl–RGD on UVB-induced skin photoaging in human dermal fibroblasts-neonatal (HDF-n). Galloyl–RGD increased collagen synthesis by inhibiting UVB-induced MMP-1 via inhibiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Jun N-terminal kinase and their downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, which are known to be representative photoaging mechanisms. The results of this study will be helpful for understanding the anti-photoaging effect and mechanism of galloyl–RGD and its future applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose is a desirable component of processed soybean foods and animal feed, and thus, its content is used as an important characteristic for assessing the quality of soybean seeds. However, few studies have focused on the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with sucrose regulation in soybean seeds. This study aims to measure the sucrose content of 1014 soybean accessions and identify genes related to high sucrose levels using QTL analysis. Colorimetric analysis based on the enzymatic reaction of invertase (INV) and glucose oxidase (GOD) was employed to test the germplasms. A total of six high-sucrose genetic resources (IT186230, IT195321, IT263138, IT263276, IT263286, and IT276521) and two low-sucrose genetic resources (IT025668 and IT274054) were identified. Two F2:3 populations, IT186230 × IT025668 and Ilmi × IT186230, were then established from these germplasms. QTL analysis identified four QTLs (qSUC6.1, qSUC11.1, qSUC15.1, and qSUC17.1), explaining 7.3–27.6% of the phenotypic variation in the sugar content. Twenty candidate genes were found at the four QTLs. Notably, Glyma.17G152300, located in the qSUC17.1 QTL region, exhibited a 17-fold higher gene expression in the high-sucrose germplasm IT186230 compared to the control germplasm Ilmi, confirming its role as a major gene regulating the sucrose content in soybean. These results may assist in marker-assisted selection for breeding programs that aim to develop soybean lines with a higher sucrose content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trypsin inhibitors (TIs) in soybean seeds reduce the availability of processed soybean foods and animal feed. This study aimed to evaluate the trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) in 999 Korean soybean accessions and conduct molecular characterization of soybean accessions with low TIA. TIA was evaluated using colorimetric analysis through a substrate–enzyme reaction. The average TIA of the 999 soybean accessions was 90.31%, ranging from 43.70% to 99.51%. Kunitz trypsin inhibitor 3 (KTi-3) gene target sequencing analysis was performed on seven soybean germplasm accessions (IT105782, IT170889, IT273590, IT274513, IT274515, IT276197, and IT022891) showing less than 60% TIA. Four soybean accessions (IT274513, IT274515, IT276197, and IT022891) exhibited the same mutations (a G-to-T transversion and an AG deletion) in the KTi-3 gene (Glyma.08g341500) in PI542044. In addition, whole-genome re-sequencing was performed on three soybean accessions with no mutations in the KTi-3 gene. Compared with the reference soybean genome, an in-frame insertion and five missense mutations were identified in the coding sequencing of the KTi-1 gene (Glyma.01g09500) in IT105782. A RT-qPCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression level of KTi-1 was reduced by approximately 17% in IT105782 during seed development. In this study, we identified a previously unreported mutation in the KTi-1 gene and developed a KASP marker using this new KTi-1 variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to numerous chamber and free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) studies with artificially raised CO2 concentration and/or temperature, it appears that increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) stimulates crop yield. However, there is still controversy about the extent of the yield stimulation by elevating [CO2] and concern regarding the potential adverse effects when temperature rises concomitantly. Here, we tested the effects of natural elevated [CO2] (ca. 120 ppm above the ambient level in 100 years ago) and warming (ca. 1.7–3.2 °C above the ambient level 100 years ago) on rice growth and yield over three crop seasons via a past reference investigation and current experiment (PRICE) study. In 2020–2022, the rice cultivar Tamanishiki (Oryza sativa, ssp. japonica) was grown in Wagner's pots (1/2000 a) at the experiment fields of Chonnam National University (35°10′ N, 126°53′ E), Gwangju, Korea, according to the pot trial methodology of the reference experiment conducted in 1920–1922. Elevated [CO2] and temperature over the last 100 years significantly stimulated plant height (13.4% on average), tiller number (11.5%), and shoot biomass (10.8%). In addition, elevated [CO2] and warming resulted in a marked acceleration of flowering phenology (6.8% or 5.1 days), potentially leading to adverse effects on tiller number and grain yield. While the harvest index exhibited a dramatic reduction (12.2%), grain yield remained unchanged with elevated [CO2] and warming over the last century. The response of these crop parameters to elevated [CO2] and warming was highly sensitive to sunshine duration during the period from transplanting to heading. Despite the pot-based observations, considering a piecewise response pattern of C3 crop productivity to [CO2] of <500 ppm, our observations demonstrate realistic responses of rice crops to elevated [CO2] (+120 ppm) and moderate warming (+1.7–3.2 °C) in the absence of adaptation measures (e.g., cultivars and agronomic management practices). Hence, our results suggest that the PRICE platform may provide a promising way to better understand and forecast the net impact of climate change on major crops that have historical and experimental archived data, like rice, wheat, and soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]