Dud dormancy is a complex physiological process of perennial woody plants living in temperate regions, and can be affected by various phytohormones. Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenases (CKXs) are a group of enzymes essential for maintaining cytokinin homeostasis, but a comprehensive analysis in peach is lacking. Here, a total of 51 CKX members from different species, including six from peach, eleven from apple, nine from poplar, seven from Arabidopsis, eight from strawberry and ten from rice, which were identified using The Simple HMM Search tool of TBtools and a BLASTP program, were classified into four groups using phylogenetic analysis. Conserved motif and gene structure analysis of these 51 CKX members showed that ten conserved motifs were identified, and each CKX gene contained at least two introns. Cis-element analysis of PpCKXs showed that all of the PpCKX genes have light-responsive elements and at least one hormone-responsive element. The obviously changed relative expression levels of six PpCKX genes in peach buds from endodormancy to bud-break were observed by qRT-PCR. Among them, the expression trend of PpCKX6 was almost opposite that of PpEBB1, a positive bud-break regulator in woody plants, around the bud-break stage. Y1H, EMSA, and dual-luciferase assays indicated that PpEBB1 negatively regulated PpCKX6 through direct binding to a GCC box-like element located in the promoter region of PpCKX6. In addition, a transient assay showed that overexpression of PpCKX6 delayed bud-break of peach. These results indicate that the PpCKX genes play an important role in the dormancy-regrowth process and PpCKX6 may act downstream of PpEBB1 directly to regulate bud-break process, which further improves the hormone-regulatory network of dormancy-regrowth of woody plants, and provides new insights for molecular breeding and genetic engineering of peach.

Dud dormancy is a complex physiological process of perennial woody plants living in temperate regions, and can be affected by various phytohormones. Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenases (CKXs) are a group of enzymes essential for maintaining cytokinin homeostasis, but a comprehensive analysis in peach is lacking. Here, a total of 51 CKX members from different species, including six from peach, eleven from apple, nine from poplar, seven from Arabidopsis, eight from strawberry and ten from rice, which were identified using The Simple HMM Search tool of TBtools and a BLASTP program, were classified into four groups using phylogenetic analysis. Conserved motif and gene structure analysis of these 51 CKX members showed that ten conserved motifs were identified, and each CKX gene contained at least two introns. Cis-element analysis of PpCKXs showed that all of the PpCKX genes have light-responsive elements and at least one hormone-responsive element. The obviously changed relative expression levels of six PpCKX genes in peach buds from endodormancy to bud-break were observed by qRT-PCR. Among them, the expression trend of PpCKX6 was almost opposite that of PpEBB1, a positive bud-break regulator in woody plants, around the bud-break stage. Y1H, EMSA, and dual-luciferase assays indicated that PpEBB1 negatively regulated PpCKX6 through direct binding to a GCC box-like element located in the promoter region of PpCKX6. In addition, a transient assay showed that overexpression of PpCKX6 delayed bud-break of peach. These results indicate that the PpCKX genes play an important role in the dormancy-regrowth process and PpCKX6 may act downstream of PpEBB1 directly to regulate bud-break process, which further improves the hormone-regulatory network of dormancy-regrowth of woody plants, and provides new insights for molecular breeding and genetic engineering of peach.

Nitrogen (N) uptake is regulated by water availability, and a water deficit can limit crop N responses by reducing N uptake and utilization. The complex and multifaceted interplay between water availability and the crop N response makes it difficult to predict and quantify the effect of water deficit on crop N status. The nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) has been widely used to accurately diagnose crop N status and to evaluate the effectiveness of N application. The decline of NNI under water-limiting conditions has been documented, although the underlying mechanism governing this decline is not fully understood. This study aimed to elucidate the reason for the decline of NNI under water-limiting conditions and to provide insights into the accurate utilization of NNI for assessing crop N status under different water-N interaction treatments. Rainout shelter experiments were conducted over three growing seasons from 2018 to 2021 under different N (75 and 225 kg N ha^-1, low N and high N) and water (120 to 510 mm, W0 to W3) co-limitation treatments. Plant N accumulation, shoot biomass (SB), plant N concentration (%N), soil nitrate-N content, actual evapotranspiration (ET_a), and yield were recorded at the stem elongation, booting, anthesis and grain filling stages. Compared to W0, the W1 to W3 treatments exhibited NNI values that were greater by 10.2 to 20.5%, 12.6 to 24.8%, 14 to 24.8%, and 16.8 to 24.8% at stem elongation, booting, anthesis, and grain filling, respectively, across the 2018-2021 seasons. This decline in NNI under water-limiting conditions stemmed from two main factors. First, reduced ET_a and SB led to a greater critical N concentration (%N_c) under water-limiting conditions, which contributed to the decline in NNI primarily under high N conditions. Second, changes in plant %N played a more significant role under low N conditions. Plant N accumulation exhibited a positive allometric relationship with SB and a negative relationship with soil nitrate-N content under water-limiting conditions, indicating co-regulation by SB and the soil nitrate-N content. However, this regulation was influenced by water availability. Plant N accumulation sourced from the soil nitrate-N content reflects soil N availability. Greater soil water availability facilitated greater absorption of soil nitrate-N into the plants, leading to a positive correlation between plant N accumulation and ET_a across the different water-N interaction treatments. Therefore, considering the impact of soil water availability is crucial when assessing soil N availability under water-limiting conditions. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the factors contributing to the decline in NNI among different water-N interaction treatments and can contribute to the more accurate utilization of NNI for assessing winter wheat N status. 

Increasing oil content is a key objective in peanut breeding programs.  Accurate identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with linked markers for oil content can greatly aid in marker-assisted selection for high-oil breeding.  In this study, a high-density bin map was constructed by resequencing a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population (ZH16×J11) consisting of 295 lines.  The bin map contained 4,212 loci and had a total length of 1,162.3 cM.  Ten QTLs for oil content were identified in six linkage groups.  Notably, two of these QTLs, qOCB03.1 and qOCB06.1, were consistently detected in a minimum of three environments and explained up to 13.62% of phenotypic variation.  They have not been reported in previous studies and thus are novel QTLs.  The combination of favorable alleles from the qOCB03.1 and qOCB06 in the RIL population could increase oil content across multiple environments from 1.50 to 2.46%.  Two InDel markers linked to qOCB03.1 and qOCB06.1 were developed and validated to be associated with oil content in another RIL population (ZH10×ICG12625) with diverse phenotypes.  Additionally, the high-resolution map allowed for the precise positioning of qOCB03.1 and qOCB06.1 within a 1.77 Mb-interval on chromosome B03 and a 1.51 Mb- interval on chromosome B06, respectively.  Annotation of genomic variants, analysis of transcriptome sequencing, and evaluation of the allelic effects in 292 peanut varieties revealed two candidate genes associated with oil content for each of the two QTLs.  The identification of candidate genes in this study can enable the map-based cloning of key genes controlling oil content in peanut.  Furthermore, these novel and stable QTLs and their tightly linked markers are valuable for marker-assisted breeding for increased oil content in peanut.

Filament-like plant proteins are intermediate filament proteins that play a major part in the development and growth of plants.  However, no systematic identification and characterization have been conducted on the FPP family in plants.  Fifty nine FPP candidates were found in this work by analyzing the genomes of two dicots and four monocots.  Phylogenetic analysis and multicollinearity mapping showed the relatively conserved evolution of FPP genes in monocots.  Herein, eight OsFPPs were characterized and found to be induced or repressed by abiotic stresses.  Additional genetic evidence shows that OsFPP7-overexpressing rice exhibited increased sensitivity to abscisic acid during the germination stage, disrupted Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis, and disrupted the balance of reactive oxygen species during the seedling stage when exposed to salt stress.  Conversely, knockout of osfpp7 alleviated ABA sensitivity, safeguarded the antioxidant system and sodium ion transport system, and thus enhanced rice salt tolerance.  The cytoskeleton, FPPs’ function in controlling salt stress and plant stress tolerance mechanisms are all further elucidated by our findings.

The plant circadian clock temporally drives gene expression through the day and coordinates various physiological process with diurnal environmental changes. It is essential to confer plant fitness and competitive advantage to survive and thrive under natural condition by circadian control of gene transcription. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide; however, there is little information concerning its circadian clock system. Here we uncovered that gene expression patterns were affected by circadian oscillators at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in Chinese cabbage. Time-course RNA-seq analyses were conducted on two short-period lines (SPcc-1 and SPcc-2) and two long-period lines (LPcc-1 and LPcc-2) under constant light. We showed that 32.7-50.5% of the genes were regulated by the circadian oscillator and the expression peak of cycling genes appeared even earlier in short-period lines compared to long-period lines. In addition, approximately 250 splicing events showed circadian regulation, of which intron retention (IR) accounted for a large proportion. Rhythmically spliced genes included the clock genes LATE ELONGATED HYOCOTYL (BrLHY), REVEILLE 2 (BrRVE2) and EARLY FLOWERING 3 (BrELF3). We also found that the circadian oscillator could notably influence the diurnal expression patterns of genes that are associated with glucose metabolism via photosynthesis, Calvin cycle and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Taken together, our results demonstrate that circadian-regulated physiological processes contribute to Chinese cabbage growth and development.

Sugarcane has recently attracted increased attention for its potential as a source of sugar and bioethanol, and increasing its yields is essential to ensure the sugar security and bioenergy production. Intergeneric hybridization is a highly efficient method to produce new genetic variants of crop plants, particularly those species with high ploidy such as sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Tripidium arundinaceum exhibits many desirable agronomic traits, and has been widely studied to produce hybrid with improved stress tolerance and other characteristics in sugarcane breeding. However, the genetic relationship between T. arundinaceum and Saccharum species, and the individual T. arundinaceum chromosomal composition in sugarcane hybrids are still elusive. Here we used whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships between these species and found that T. arundinaceum was more closely related to Saccharum than Sorghum, in contrast to the previous narrow genetic analyses utilizing chloroplast DNA. Additionally, oligonucleotide (oligo)-based chromosome-specific painting derived from Saccharum officinarum was found to be able to distinctly identify the chromosomes of T. arundinaceum. We developed the oligo- genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) system, for the first time, to unveil the novel chromosome translocations and the individual chromosomal transmission of T. arundinaceum in sugarcane progeny. Notably, we discovered the chromosomal transmission of T. arundinaceum exhibited several inheritances, including n, 2n, and over 2n in BC₁ progenies. Such inheritances may be resulted from the first division restitution (FDR), FDR + nondisjunction of a chromosome with sister chromatids in the second meiosis division/second division restitution (FDR + NSC/SDR) model during meiosis. These results will be of substantial benefit in further selection of T. arundinaceum chromosome for sugarcane genetic improvement.

The temperament of ruminants has been studied for several decades and has similarities with temperament in humans. Temperament refers to the response of an animal to a situation that the animal perceives as challenging. Temperament can affect most biological functions, primarily the stress axis but also other functions that can impact production traits and the health and welfare of the animal. An essential part of the expression of temperament is the way that an individual perceives a stressor. Studies using molecular tools have started to identify the central pathways that are involved in the expression of temperament. Recent studies have led to the proposal that the rumen microbiome could play a role in temperament, similar to the way that the gut microbiota can influence the brain in monogastric species. The nature of the interactions between the gut microbiome and the temperament of ruminants needs to be explored. In the future, manipulation of the rumen microbiota could modify the temperament of production animals and benefit their health and welfare. 

This study investigated the use of raspberry extract (RBE) in mitigating ethyl carbamate (EC) accumulation in Chinese rice wine (Huangjiu), a traditional fermented beverage. It focused on the addition of RBE to the fermentation mash and its effects on EC levels. Results indicated a significant reduction in EC production, attributed to RBE's role in altering urea and citrulline catabolism and inhibiting arginine metabolism, thus preventing EC precursors from reacting with ethanol. Additionally, RBE enhanced the rice wine's flavor profile, as shown by volatile component and amino acid analysis. This study also explored RBE's impact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) arginine metabolism in a simulated fermentation environment, observing increased arginine, reduced urea and citrulline levels, altered enzyme activities, and gene expression changes in arginine metabolism and transport pathways. In conclusion, it clearly demonstrated RBE’s efficacy in reducing EC content in Chinese rice wine, offering valuable insights for EC reduction strategies. 

Sharp eyespot (Rhizoctonia cerealis) is a widespread soil-borne fungal disease that poses a severe threat to wheat health, and it is one of the main obstacles to achieving stable and high-quality wheat yields in China. Our collaborative team has developed a novel, efficient, and low-toxicity fungicide named Y17991 (N-(2-(2,4-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)phenyl)-3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide). Preliminary laboratory tests confirmed the significant inhibitory effect of this agent on R. cerealis. Large-area field trials also demonstrated its efficacy, with a disease prevention index of 83.52%, which is 1.97% greater than that of the widely used thifluzamide, and it significantly increased the wheat yield. Moreover, this study explored the impacts of Y17991 on the structure and function of the microbial community in wheat rhizosphere soil. Bacterial communities were more strongly affected than fungal communities. Y17991 significantly modulated key amino acid metabolic pathways and certain biosynthetic processes in diseased wheat rhizospheres, and it also enhanced certain biosynthetic pathways and metabolic activities in healthy wheat rhizospheres. Additionally, the application of Y17991 regulated rhizosphere metabolites, thus exerting significant control over the microbial community. We identified 15 microbial strains potentially involved in the prevention and treatment of R. cerealis, and Y17991 treatment promoted the growth of Pedobacter and Bacillus strains. These strains not only aid in plant growth but they also have the potential for disease prevention. In summary, Y17991 application at a reasonable dose does not cause significant disruption to nontarget rhizosphere microbial communities. In future studies, we will continue to investigate the impacts of Y17991 on nonmicrobial components in soil ecosystems, such as protozoa and nematodes. Our research provides a theoretical basis for the scientific application and promotion of new fungicides and offers a significant reference for establishing a comprehensive system for assessing the ecological impact of pesticides on the environment.

Cropland nitrate leaching is the major nitrogen (N) loss pathway, and it contributes significantly to water pollution. However, cropland nitrate leaching estimates show great uncertainty due to variations in input datasets and estimation methods. Here, we presented a re-evaluation of Chinese cropland nitrate leaching, and identified and quantified the sources of uncertainty by integrating three cropland area datasets, three N input datasets, and three estimation methods. The results revealed that nitrate leaching from Chinese cropland averaged 6.7±0.6 Tg N yr⁻¹ in 2010, ranging from 2.9 to 15.8 Tg N yr⁻¹ across 27 different estimates. The primary contributor to the uncertainty was the estimation method, accounting for 45.1%, followed by the interaction of N input dataset and estimation method at 24.4%. The results of this study emphasize the need for adopting a robust estimation method and improving the compatibility between the estimation method and N input dataset to effectively reduce uncertainty. This analysis provides valuable insights for accurately estimating cropland nitrate leaching and contributes to ongoing efforts that address water pollution concerns.

Fencing for grazing exclusion is regarded as a traditional and effective method for the natural restoration of degraded alpine steppe, and it effectively promotes plant growth and enhances soil carbon stocks. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are essential microorganisms in grassland that play a major role in plant-derived C translocation into the soil. However, the effects of fencing on AMF communities and their contributions to soil carbon sequestration are still unclear. In this study, alpine steppe areas with three different fencing durations (free grazing, medium-term fencing for 5-6 years and long-term fencing for more than 10 years) in the northern Tibetan Plateau were selected to explore the effects of grazing exclusion on AMF communities and their roles in soil carbon sequestration. The results showed that medium- and long-term fencing significantly increased both plant aboveground biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) content. The AMF community composition varied significantly during different fencing durations, with a dramatic increase in the relative abundance of Glomus but a significant reduction in the relative abundance of Diversispora with longer fencing time. Medium-term fencing significantly increased AMF richness and the Shannon-Wiener index. Meanwhile, fencing significantly increased hyphal length density (HLD), glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) and the proportion of macroaggregates (250-2,000 μm), all of which contribute positively to SOC. Structural equation modeling revealed that fencing time positively influenced HLD and the AMF community composition, subsequently affecting T-GRSP, which was tightly correlated with SOC. Our findings suggest the potentially important contribution of AMF to SOC sequestration, so more attention should be paid to AMF during alpine steppe fencing, particularly for enhancing the efficiency of degraded grassland restoration efforts.

This study evaluated the effects of maternal chromium (Cr), supplemented with Cr propionate (CrPro) during perinatal period of does, on antioxidant capacity, immune response, and intestinal morphology of goat kids injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Forty LeZhi black does at 90 days of pregnancy were divided into four groups based on body weight (52.36±8.24 kg) with 10 replicate pens for each treatment and one doe for each replicate pen. Treatments consisted of 0, 0.4, 1.2, or 2.0 mg of supplemental Cr per head per day (head^-1 d^-1) from CrPro. After birth, the goat kids were allowed to suckle until 21 days. At 21-day-old, one male goat kid per replicate was sacrificed 2 h after LPS injection. Individual weight and litter weight of goat kids on birth and 21 d were not affected by maternal Cr supplementation. Chromium concentrations in umbilical cord, colostrum and liver of goat kids were linearly increased by maternal Cr supplementation (P<0.05). Maternal Cr supplementation quadratically increased serum total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity of goat kids (P<0.05). Goat kids from maternal Cr supplementation groups had higher serum T-SOD activity than those from control group (P˂0.05). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration of goat kids was linearly decreased, whereas serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was linearly increased as maternal Cr increased (P<0.05). Maternal Cr supplementation linearly increased colostrum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations (P<0.05), and quadratically increased serum IgG and IgM concentration of goat kids with the greatest response detected at 0.4 mg head^-1 d^-1 maternal Cr supplementation group (P<0.05). The villus height (VH) and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) in duodenum of goat kids increased quadratically as maternal Cr increased, and both reached the highest in maternal 1.2 mg head^-1 d^-1 maternal Cr supplementation group. Maternal Cr supplementation linearly decreased ileal crypt depth (CD) of goat kids. The results indicate that 0.4-2.0 mg (0.47-2.41 mg by analysis) head^-1 d^-1 maternal Cr supplementation from CrPro could improve antioxidant capacity, immune response, and small intestinal morphology of goat kids injected with LPS. 

非洲马瘟（AHS）是一种由非洲马瘟病毒（AHSV）引起的马属动物急性和亚急性虫媒传染病。该病在中国被列为一类动物传染病。中国是AHS无疫区，2020年在邻国泰国和马来西亚相继爆发AHS，增加了该病传入中国的风险。因此，开发快速准确的 AHSV 诊断方法对于监测和预防AHS在中国的发生至关重要。本研究以AHSV 基因组中高度保守的vp7 mRNA为检测靶标，开发了一种反转录重组酶介导等温核酸扩增技术（RT-RAA）联合CRISPR/Cas12a系统（CRISPR/Cas12a-RT-RAA）的方法检测AHSV，并对该方法的性能进行了评估。结果显示，其最低检测限是10 个拷贝vp7 mRNA/反应，检测敏感性是RT-qPCR的10倍；该方法与马传染性贫血病毒、马动脉炎病毒、马流感病毒、马疱疹病毒1型/4型、马链球菌和马沙门氏菌等其他马病原体核酸没有交叉反应。此外，该方法检测结果读取方便快捷，在紫外光下肉眼可以直接观察，无需特殊仪器。由于缺乏 AHSV 阳性的临床样本，我们通过在马血液和组织 mRNA 中添加 vp7 mRNA 作为对照，证实了该检测方法在临床实践中的适用性。总之，本研究建立的RT-RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a方法在AHSV 检测中具有便捷、灵敏度高和特异性好的优势，可能有助于AHS 的早期预警和诊断。

The rice white tip nematode (RWTN) Aphelenchoides besseyi secretes effectors that manipulate the cells of its host plant and help the nematode to successfully parasitize and maintain infection in the host. The number of identified RWTN effectors is limited, and the mechanisms of RWTN effectors interacting with plants are largely unknown. Profilins (PFNs) function as hubs that control a complex network of molecular interactions. To gain full knowledge of PFN3 in plant parasitic nematodes, we identified an effector from A. besseyi named AbPFN3. AbPFN3 is transcriptionally upregulated in the juvenile stage of the nematode. In situ hybridization experiments showed that AbPFN3 transcribed in the nematode esophageal glands. Three AbPFN3-interacting proteins (OsAAC1, OsBAP31 and OsSAUR50) were found in the host plant, with interactions occurring in various locations such as the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. Transgenic analyses showed that the expression of AbPFN3 significantly increased plant height and upregulated the expression of AAC1 and BAP31 while downregulating RGA2 and SAUR50. This study describes a new effector protein, AbPFN3, secreted by A. besseyi, that interacts with multiple host proteins. These results suggest the important role of AbPFN3 in host defense response and cell development process.

Computer vision is widely recognized as an influential technology in the field of precision management of animals. Emerging studies have demonstrated the potential to improve pig health and welfare through animal surveillance systems and computer vision (CV) algorithms. However, the lack of benchmark datasets and robust fundamental algorithms restrict CV applications for the commercial use. This study aims to bridge the gap between technology development and commercial applications in pig farming scenarios by introducing a general-purpose dataset (PigLife), comparing benchmark performances of foundational CV algorithms and model development workflows. The PigLife dataset contains video clips and images (38 short video clips, 2K image frames, 22K pig instances) across most pig production phases in a typical commercial pig farm: Breeding and Gestation, Farrow to Wean, Weaning & Nursery, and Growth to Finish. Three detection algorithms (Faster R-CNN, RetinaNet, TridentNet) and three segmentation algorithms (Mask R-CNN, MViTv2, Point-Rend) were trained on the PigLife dataset from scratch. Fine-tuning of pre-trained models (YOLO8-m, Faster-RCNN-r50) and no-training from zero-shot models (CLIP-SAM, Grouddino-HQSAM) were also evaluated to suggest faster CV development workflows for commercial applications in pig farming. This study emphasizes the necessity of a benchmark dataset for evaluating the robustness of algorithms and identifying the remaining difficulties and challenges across various algorithms. Furthermore, developing CV models from pre-trained algorithms or zero-shot models showed better performance and a faster process, which could reduce barriers when developing high-performance CV products in pig production industry

NADC34-like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been circulating in China for several years and became the dominant field strain in some provinces. Current commercial vaccines could not provide complete cross-protection to NADC34-like PRRSV infection, which led to huge economic losses on pig farms. Co-infections of NADC34-like PRRSV with some other PRRSV strains are commonly found in many clinical cases, and successful isolation of NADC34-like PRRSV strain from the clinical samples has been a challenge to study its biological characters and perform animal experiments to evaluate its pathogenicity. In this study, we constructed a NADC34-like PRRSV infectious clone derived from the isolated JS2021NADC34 PRRSV strain using the reverse genetics technique and investigated its virulence and pathogenicity for nursery pigs. The rescued (rNADC34) strain could proliferate well in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), and the viral copy number and titers were comparable to parental strain. For pathogenicity, the rNADC34 strain-infected pigs showed high body temperature and body weight loss. The histopathological results presented interstitial pneumonia and severe hemorrhage, infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocyte in lungs, lymph nodes, and tonsils. The viral proteins were also detectable in rNADC34 strain-infected pigs using immunohistochemistry staining. Moreover, the trends of PRRSV-specific antibody and viremia in PRRSV rNADC34-infected pigs were similar with the parental strain-infected pigs. These data indicated that rNADC34 strain manifested strong virulence and high pathogenicity for nursery pigs. 

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a highly lethal and contagious viral pathogen; it is also a potent oncolytic virus that selectively replicates in tumor cells. NDV demonstrates high replication efficiency in avian and tumor cells, causing various types of cell death, including ferroptosis, necrosis, apoptosis and autophagic cell death, with apoptosis being the most thoroughly studied. Organelles play critical and distinctive roles in the regulation and execution of apoptosis. However, the involvement of peroxisomes, an important organelle that regulates redox balance and lipid biosynthesis, in virus-induced apoptosis remains unclear. Our findings reveal that NDV infection promotes the downregulation of several peroxisome biogenesis factors (PEXs) at the mRNA level. Peroxisomal biogenesis factor 5 (PEX5), a critical peroxisomal shuttle protein, was identified to be significantly downregulated at both the mRNA and protein levels. Further, gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated the negative regulation of NDV-induced apoptosis by PEX5. In addition, PEX5 inhibits NDV-induced apoptosis by regulating the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which NDV-induced apoptosis is modulated through the downregulation of PEXs, particularly PEX5, shedding light on the potential role of peroxisome in apoptosis regulation in response to virus infection.

Southern corn leaf blight (SCLB) caused by Cochlibolus heterostrophus, is a widespread foliar disease that has a substantial impact on maize yield in the Huanghuaihai region of China. Pydiflumetofen (Pyd), a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI), has been found as a promising fungicide for the efficient control of SCLB, however, resistance of C. heterostrophus to Pyd has not been studied well. Here, five Pyd-resistant mutants were generated through fungicide adaptation. Sequence alignment analysis revealed that these mutants primarily mutated in ChSdhB and ChSdhD, with 3 genotypes: ChSdhB^H277Y, ChSdhB^I279T and ChSdhD^H133Y, exhibiting two distinct categories of resistance: high resistance (HR) and moderate resistance (MR), which resistance factors (RF) is 214.22 and 44.33-53.67, respectively. These mutants were more pathogenic than the wild-type parental strains, but there was a significant reduction in mycelial growth rate and sporulation in the resistant mutants, indicating a significant fitness cost associated with resistance to Pyd. In addition, this study revealed a positive cross-resistance between Pyd and another SDHI fungicide cyclobutrifluram. However, no cross-resistance was found between Pyd and other classes of fungicide, including prochloraz, fludioxonil, iprodioneand pyraclostrobin. Homology modeling and molecular docking further confirmed that point mutation of ChSdhB^H277Y, ChSdhB^I279T, and ChSdhD^H133Y could reduce binding affinity between Pyd and its target subunits from −74.07, −74.07, −152.52 kcal mol^-1 to −3.90, −4.95, −9.93 kcal/mol, respectively. These findings not only provided valuable insights for managing SCLB caused by C. heterostrophus, but also enhanced our understanding of molecular mechanism underlying plant pathogen resistance to Pyd.

Bacterial blight (BB) of rice caused by the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a disease of global importance. Xoo utilizes the type III secretion system (T3SS) and its effectors for virulence, and XopM is a conserved T3SS effector in Xanthomonas spp. However, the virulence function of XopM is largely unknown. In this study, we show that XopM contributes to Xoo virulence in rice. We demonstrate that XopM interacts with allene oxide synthase OsAOS3, a key enzyme involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis. The expression levels of OsAOS3 and three homologues of OsAOS were elevated after Xoo infection. Knockout mutants of OsAOS3 exhibited decreased JA accumulation and reduced resistance to Xoo and X. oryzae pv. oryzicola. Moreover, JA-related defense genes were downregulated in osaos3 mutants during Xoo infection. Based on our results, we propose a model showing how XopM hijacks OsAOS3 to interfere with JA-mediated defenses, leading to a suppression of rice immunity. Our findings reveal a novel virulence strategy where Xanthomonas pathogens interfere with the JA pathway and modulate the host defense response.

Skeletal muscle is composed of multinucleated muscle fibers, which play a crucial role in determining the quality of meat products in livestock. Quantifying the total number of muscle fibers (TNM) is essential for understanding muscle composition, yet remains challenging in poultry, particularly due to the size of the livestock that complicates the preparation of tissue sections for analysis and renders the counting process laborious. Our previous study developed an automatic muscle fiber quantification tool powered by deep learning, named MyoV, which has addressed this bottleneck. This study aimed to employ the tool for the accurate quantification of the TNM in the pectoral muscles of slow-growing (SL), medium-growing (ML), and fast-growing (FL) broilers. Results showed that FL exhibited higher growth performance compared to ML and SL from embryonic to rearing stages. Processing of whole slide images of pectoral muscle revealed significantly higher TNM in FL and ML than in SL (P < 0.01). The TNM of FL, ML and SL were 693,568.00 ± 54,169.80, 652,122.00 ± 65,822.60 and 539,778.57±40,722.94 at 7 days of age (D7), respectively. And the TNM at D35 were 663,014.93±58,801.11, 645,784.76±80,204.34 and 507,280.29±98,092.16 of FL, ML and SL. Differences in cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle fibers among the three groups were consistent with TNM results. Correlation analysis showed a correlation coefficient of 0.73-0.89 between body weight (BW) and TNM and a correlation coefficient of 0.78-0.87 between BW and CSA. These findings directly indicate that the number of muscle fibers in broilers is an important foundation for their rapid growth and development. This study precisely quantifies the muscle fiber number of important skeletal muscle in poultry for the first time, providing the direct evidence for the physiological basis of rapid development in broilers and offering important data support for further in-depth researches on muscle fiber development.

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the stem-cell population of adult animal gametes, which develop into sperm or eggs. It can be propagated in vitro and injected into the host chicken for genome editing to obtain germline chimeric chicken. However, it has the limitation that the host embryo contains endogenous PGCs, which raises complications, resultantly donor PGCs fail to compete, and transmission efficiency reduced. Therefore, to increase the transmission efficiency, we generated a novel sterile chicken with the inducible elimination of endogenous PGCs in the host. This is the first study that applied the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) cell ablation system in avian. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair was performed to localize the HSV-TK suicide gene to the last exon of the deleted in azoospermia-like (DAZL) gene, and ganciclovir (GCV) was added to induce the apoptosis in the germ cells of the host embryo. The sterilized host embryo introduced genome-edited PGCs to produce chimeric chicken carrying exogenous germ cells only. It was observed that the germline transmission efficiency was 100% achieved, and the obtained chicks were purely from donor breeds. The technologies established in the current study have important applications in germplasm conservation and gene editing in chicken.

Integrated agronomic optimization (IAO) adopts suitable crop varieties, sowing dates, planting density and advanced nutrient management to redesign the entire production system according to the local environment, which can achieve synergistic improvements in crop yields and resource utilization.  However, the intensity and magnitude of the impacts of IAO on soil quality under long-term intensive production and high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) require further clarification.  Based on a 13-year field experiment conducted in Dawenkou, Tai’an, China, we investigated the effects of four cultivation modes on the grain yield, NUE, soil aggregate structure, as well as the fraction of organic matter (SOM) and soil quality, reflected by integrated fertility index (IFI) during the winter wheat maturation period in 2020–2022.  The four cultivation modes were traditional local farming (T1), farmer-based improvement (T2), increased yield regardless of production cost (T3), and integrated soil–crop system management (T4).  As IAO modes, T2 and T4 were characterized by denser planting, reduced nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates, and delayed sowing compared to T1 and T3, respectively.  In this long-term experiment, IAO was found to maintain aggregate stability, increase SOM content (by increasing organic carbon and total nitrogen of the light fraction (LF) and the particulate organic matter fraction (POM)), and improve SOM quality by increasing the proportions of LF and POM and the ratio of organic carbon to total nitrogen in SOM.  Compared to T1, the IFI of T2, T3, and T4 increased by 10.91, 23.38, 25.55%, and by 17.78, 6.41, 28.94% in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers, respectively.  The grain yield of T4 was 22.52% higher than that of T1, reaching 95.98% of that in T3.  Furthermore, NUE of T4 was 35.61% higher than that of T1 and T3.  In conclusion, our results suggest that T4 synergistically increases grain yield and NUE in winter wheat, while maximizing soil quality.

Investigating genetic markers and key genes associated with sheep growth rate using integrated multi-omics approaches could provide valuable insights for the sheep industry. Based on the average daily gain (ADG), fast-growing (N_case=70) and slow-growing (N_control=70) Hu sheep were selected for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Ten Hu sheep (fast-growing, n=5; slow-growing, n=5) and ten Dorper sheep (fast-growing, n=5; slow-growing, n=5) were selected for comparative transcriptome analysis. We identified hub genes and tissue-specific genes (TSGs) using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data from ten tissues, respectively. Ten genes were found within 50 kb distances of the significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Based on a comparative transcriptomic analysis, a total of 501 and 441 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the HF vs. HS and DF vs. DS comparisons, respectively. We found some important signaling pathways closely associated with fat metabolism and energy metabolism, such as “regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes”, “Oxidative phosphorylation”, and “Thermogenesis”. Several DEGs play a crucial role in fat deposition (such as ADRB3, PDE3B, FABP4, SERPINE1, PLIN1, and FOXO6) and muscle development (MYL3). Using the WGCNA analysis, 15 genes were considered as hub genes associated with ADG. Integration of GWAS and RNA-Seq data indicates that BRINP3 and PENK may further influence the growth rate by regulating feeding behavior in sheep. Association analysis of 1,071 Hu sheep populations revealed that mutations in the BRINP3 (BRINP3 g.16903465 T>C) and PENK (PENK g.39289926 T>C) genes were significantly related to the growth traits (P<0.05). Our research provides novel insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying growth traits in sheep. BRINP3 and PENK genes may be potential key candidate genes related to sheep growth rate.

The color and pattern of watermelon's rind are crucial external traits that directly affect consumer preferences. Watermelons with stripes having a stronger color than the background rind are ideal for studying plant stripes, while there is still limited knowledge about the genetic mechanisms underlying stripe coloration due to the lack of germplasm resources. In this study, we focused on a watermelon germplasm with colorless stripes, and genetic analysis revealed that the trait is controlled by a single recessive gene. The gene Clsc (Citrullus lanatus stripe coloration), which is responsible for the colorless stripe, was confined into a 147.6 kb region on chromosome 9 by linkage analysis in a large F₂ mapping population. Further analysis revealed that the Cla97C09G175170 gene, encoding the APRR2 transcription factor, plays a crucial role in determining watermelon's colorless stripe phenotype and was deduced to be related to chlorophyll and chloroplast development. Based on the physiology experiment results, it can be inferred that Cla97C09G175170 may significantly influence chloroplast development and chlorophyll synthesis in watermelon. The results of this study will be helpful for better understanding the molecular mechanism of stripe coloration in watermelon and for the development of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for new watermelon cultivars.

Elucidating crops' physiological and molecular mechanisms to adapt to low nitrogen environment and promoting nitrogen transfer from senescent leaves to new leaves is crucial in improving Brassica's nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Glutamine synthetase (GS), a vital gene that helps plants to reassimilate ammonium released from protein degradation in leaves, was the focus of our research. In this study, we identified high (H141) and low NUE genotype (L65) genotypes of Brassica juncea with different responses to low-nitrogen stress. We observed that H141 has a lower nitrate content but higher ammonium and free amino acid contents as well as higher nitrate reductase and GS activities in the shoots. These physiological indicators are responsible for the high NUE of H141. Whole-genome resequencing data revealed that 5,880 genes associated with NUE are polymorphic between H141 and L65. These genes participate in amino acid, carbohydrate, and energy metabolic pathways. Haplotype analysis revealed two haplotypes for BjuB05.GS1.4. Hap1 and Hap2 have multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms or insertions/deletions in the regulatory regions of 5’ and 3' untranslated regions and introns. Furthermore, the shoot NUE of Hap1 is significantly lower than that of Hap2. The two haplotypes of BjuB05.GS1.4 led to differences in the shoot NUEs of different genetic populations of mustard and are associated with the local soil nitrogen content, suggesting that they might help mustard to adapt to different geographies. In conclusion, the results of our study shed light on the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying different mustard NUE genotypes and demonstrate the enormous potential of NUE breeding in B.juncea.

High temperature stress (HT) significantly reduces maize yield by reducing the starch accumulation in kernels.  However, the effect of HT on starch synthesis is controversial, whether by reducing the supply of assimilates or directly affecting the starch synthesis in the kernels.  To clarify the potential mechanisms, a heat sensitive maize hybrid Xianyu 335 (XY) was subjected to 30/20°C (maximum/ minimum temperature, control) and 40/30°C for 7 consecutive days at the seed setting stage.  Synchronous pollination (SP), apical pollination (AP) and shading treatments were adopted to change the inherent source-sink ratio in maize plant. Results showed that the weight of apical kernels reduced by 11.9% under 40°C in SP treatment.  The ¹³C contents, starch accumulation and activity of cell wall invertase (CWIN) also decreased by 15.9, 36.7, and 16.4% respectively under HT.  In shading treatment, 40/30°C caused even higher reduction in ¹³C contents, starch accumulation and CWIN activity because of the decreased assimilates supply.  On the contrary, in AP treatment, starch contents and CWIN were increased 22.0 and 18.5% under 40/30°C, which caused similar weight and ¹³C contents with the kernels in SP and shading regardless of the temperature treatments.  Consistent with the apical kernels in AP treatment, HT treatment did not have negative effects on the middle kernels both in the SP and shading treatments, which the kernel weight and starch content were not decreased under HT.  All the kernels were exposed to the same environment with HT or control, but their responses to HT were different.  The originally disturbed starch synthesis in the apical kernels under HT could be salvaged by increasing the carbon supply through AP treatment.  The different performance between the middle kernels, apical kernels in AP and the apical kernels in SP or shading treatments meant that reduced carbon supply was a critical mechanism for the inhibited starch accumulation.  Our findings provided a theoretical basis for further improving the understanding of kernel abortion under HT.

The accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) is easily accomplished by returning crop straw, which strongly affects the formation and pore structure of aggregates, especially in black soil. We returned maize straw at different rates (6,000, 9,000, 12,000 and 15,000 kg ha^-1) for nine years to investigate its influence on the SOC and TN contents in the SOC fractions of aggregates by combining size and density fractionation. Their subsequent influences on pore morphology and size distribution characteristics were examined using X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning (μCT). The results showed that returning straw significantly increased the contents of C and N in the SOC fractions of aggregates, especially at the return rates of 12,000 and 15,000 kg ha^-1, which in turn promoted aggregate formation and stability, and ultimately amended pore structure. The pore size >100 μm, porosity (>2 μm), and morphological characteristics (anisotropy, circularity, connectivity and FD) significantly increased, but the total number of pores significantly decreased (P<0.05). Our results indicated that the amendment of the pore morphology and size distribution of soil aggregates was primarily controlled by the higher contents of C and N in the density fractions of aggregates, rather than in the aggregate sizes. Furthermore, this pore network reconfiguration favored the storage of C and N simultaneously. The findings of this study offer valuable new insights into the relationships between C and N storage and the pore characteristics in soil aggregates under straw return. 

When the dominant species in a plant community are palatable, many believe that large herbivores will reduce the dominant species and promote the proportion of previously suppressed species. However, this view may not always hold true. We conducted a 4-year yak grazing experiment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and tracked the plant compositions of the rotational grazing (RG) and grazing exclusion (GE) grasslands during the four years. The results showed that in the absence of yaks (GE), the plant community was dominated by two palatable species, Kobresia pygmaea and Stipa capillata, due to their small leaf area and rapid growth strategy. The presence of yaks (RG) significantly inhibited S. capillata and over half of the forbs, while the proportion of K. pygmaea increased and it became the absolute dominant species, contradicting the view that large herbivores inhibit palatable species. Interannually, the dominance of K. pygmaea under RG decreased in the dry year, leading to an increase in the dominance of the other eight species. Under GE, the dominance of K. pygmaea declined notably in the dry year, while S. capillata and seven other forbs increased substantially. Overall, these results suggest that K. pygmaea is grazing-tolerant but not drought-tolerant, whereas the other eight species are drought-tolerant but not grazing-tolerant. At the community level, community composition shifts resulting from succession after grazing exclusion exceeded those caused by drought, drought tends to induce community species turnover while grazing tends to induce species abundance variations. In summary, our conclusions remind ranch managers that when considering the impact of livestock on plant community composition, they should factor in local conditions and climate change rather than simply assuming that livestock will suppress the palatable species.

Adelphocoris suturalis is a polyphagous pest that is increasingly causing severe economic damage due to more frequent outbreaks. The development of non-target resistance to commercial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton has further exacerbated its pest status and amplified the need for more sustainable methods of control. RNA interference (RNAi)-based pest management strategies, such as root soaking and transgenic plants that express dsRNAs, have proven to be reliable, eco-friendly pest control strategies. To identify new RNAi targets for potential A. suturalis population control, we investigated the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway. A critical role for this pathway in A. suturalis reproductive regulation was suggested by pharmacological analyses. Subsequent RNAi-mediated knockdown of the A. suturalis TOR pathway genes TOR, Ras homolog enriched in the brain (Rheb), and ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K) reduced fertility. Moreover, a spray-induced and nanocarrier-delivered gene silencing (SI-NDGS) system targeting TOR successfully suppressed ovarian development, which demonstrates its effectiveness as a pest control target. These results provide a critical foundation for understanding reproductive regulation in A. suturalis and introduce new candidates for RNAi-based A. suturalis management.

Understanding the genetic and metabolic elements that impact the quality of meat is crucial in order to improve production and satisfy consumer demands in the beef sector. Differences in meat quality among various muscle areas in beef cattle can impact pricing in the market. Despite progress in genomics, the specific genes and metabolites that affect meat quality characteristics in Qinchuan cattle remain inadequately understood. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the meat quality characteristics of four specific muscle locations (tenderloin, striploin, high rib and ribeye muscles) in Qinchuan bulls, including ten traits (total protein content (TPC), intramuscular fat (IMF), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), meat color (L*, a* and b*), shear force (SF), cooking loss (CL), pH0 and pH24). In this experiment, transcriptome, metabolome sequencing, and sophisticated analytical methodologies such as weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) were used to identify the key genes and metabolites associated with specific traits. The findings highlighted three notable genes (NDUFAB1, NDUFA12, and NDUFB7) linked to intramuscular fat (IMF), three key genes (CSRP3, ACAA3, ACADVL) correlated with non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and one crucial gene (CREBBP) influencing meat color. In conclusion, this investigation offers a new perspective on the differences in bovine muscle locations and contributes to the molecular understanding of bovine meat quality. Future research endeavors could delve deeper into the identified genes and pathways to enhance both the quality and yield of beef cattle.

Potassium nitrate (KNO₃) promotes adventitious root (AR) formation in apple stem cuttings. However, evidence for the possible involvement of cytokinin (CK) in KNO₃-mediated AR formation in apples is still lacking. In this study, we used GL-3 apple microshoots and cultured them in different treatment combinations. T1 (KNO₃ 9.4 mmol L^-1 + 6-benzyl adenine, 6-BA 2.22 μmol L^-1) and T3 (6-BA 2.22 μmol L^-1) treatments completely inhibited AR formation. However, control, T2 (KNO₃ 9.4 mmol L^-1), and T4 (KNO₃ 9.4 mmol L^-1 + lovastatin, Lov 1.24 μmol L^-1) treatments developed ARs. But T4 developed fewer and shorter ARs, indicating that optimum CK synthesis was needed for normal AR growth. This also suggests that these fewer and shorter ARs were developed because of the KNO₃ presence in the same medium. The stem basal part anatomy indicated that inhibition of CK biosynthesis delayed AR primordia formation. The endogenous levels of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) and zeatin riboside (ZR) were higher in T2-treated microshoots, and abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid 3 (GA₃), and brassinosteroid (BR) levels were higher in T4-treated microshoots. The expression levels of MdNRT1.1 and MdNRT2.1 were higher in T2-treated microshoots at 3 and 8 days, and MdRR2 and MdCKX5 were higher at 8 and 16 days, respectively. Furthermore, higher IAA levels increased MdWOX11 expression, which in turn increased MdLBD16 and MdLBD29 expressions in response to T2. The combined expression of these genes stimulated adventitious rooting by upregulating cell cycle-related genes (MdCYCD1;1 and MdCYCD3;1) in response to T2-treated microshoots. This study shows that specific genes and hormonal pathways contribute to KNO₃-CK-mediated adventitious rooting in apples.

Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (Ogura CMS), first identified in wild radish (Raphanus sativus), results in complete pollen abortion. However, the molecular mechanism of Ogura CMS in Chinese cabbage remains unclear. The cytological analysis confirmed nuclear degradation during the late uninucleate stage of pollen development, diminishing by the tricellular stage. Concurrently, tapetal cells exhibited abnormal enlargement and vacuolation starting from the tetrad stage. Serious developmental defects were observed in the pollen wall. During early pollen development, genes associated with cytochrome c and programmed cell death (PCD) were upregulated in the Ogura CMS line.  In contrast, genes involved in pollen wall mitosis were downregulated. Conversely, at the late stage of pollen development, peroxisome and autophagy-related genes in the Ogura CMS line showed upregulation. The mitochondrial orf138 gene mutation triggered the PCD process in tapetal cells, leading to their abnormal enlargement and degradation of contents, eventually resulting in vacuolation at the tricellular stage. These tapetal defects hindered the provision of adequate sporopollenin and nutrients to the microspores, consequently leading to abnormal pollen wall development and abnormal mitosis in the microspores. Ultimately, nuclear dispersion commenced during the late uninucleate stage, and autophagy occurred in the late stage of pollen development. Consequently, the plant could not produce functional pollen, resulting in male sterility in Chinese cabbage.The study of Ogura CMS can promote the production and application of male sterile materials and enrich male sterile resources, which is of great significance for hybrid breeding.

Structural variation is an important source of genetic variation in wheat and have been important in the evolution of the wheat’s genome. Few studies have examined the relationship between structural variations and agronomy and drought tolerance. The present study identified structural chromosome variations (SCVs) in a doubled haploid (DH) population and backcross introgression lines (BC₅F₃) derived from Jinmai 47 and Jinmai 84 using fluorescence in situ hybridization.  There are one simple translocation, 10 present/absent variations (PAVs), and one copy number variation (CNV) between Jinmai 47 and Jinmai 84, which distributed in 10 chromosomes.  Eight SCVs were associated with 15 agronomic traits. A PAV recombination occurred on chromosome 2A, which was associated with grain number per spike (GNS). The 1BL/1RS translocation and PAV.2D were associated with significant reductions in plant height, deriving from the effects on LI2-LI4 and UI, LI2-LI4, respectively.  PAV.2D was also contributed to an increase of 3.13% for GNS, 1BL/1RS significantly increased spikelet number, grain length (GL), and grain thickness (GT). The effect of PAV.4A.1 on GL, PAV.6A on spike length (SL) and thousand-grain weight (TGW), PAV.6B on SL, GT and TGW were identified and verified. PAVs on chromosomes 2A, 6A, 1D, 2D, and a CNV on chromosome 4B were associated with the drought tolerance coefficients.  Additive and interaction effects among SCVs were observed. Many previously cloned key genes and yield-related QTL were found in polymorphic regions of PAV.2B, PAV.2D, and CNV.4B.  Altogether, this study confirmed the genetic effect of SCVs on agronomy and drought tolerance, and identification of these SCVs will facilitate genetic improvement of wheat through marker-assisted selection.

Mycotoxins are the most widely present pollutants in both dietary provisions and livestock feed, and they pose a series of hazards for humans and animals. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a prevalent mycotoxin that is primarily produced by Fusarium spp. and commonly found in various cereal products. Feeding swine diets contaminated with trichothecene DON can lead to major adverse effects, including reduced feed intake, diminished weight gains, and compromised immune function. Among all animal species tested, swine were the most sensitive to DON. Here we explored the disruption of gut health by DON, considering aspects such as intestinal histomorphology, epithelial barrier functions, the intestinal immune system, microflora, and short-chain fatty acid production in the intestines. Numerous additives have been documented for their potential in the detoxification of DON. These additives can alleviate the toxic effects of DON on pigs by modulating the Nrf2-Keap1, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Additionally, there are additives capable of mitigating the toxicity of DON through adsorption or biotransformation. This update has novel potential for advancing our comprehension of the mechanisms linked to DON intestinal toxicity and facilitating the formulation of innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of DON.

Tibetan alpine steppes are large and sensitive terrestrial carbon (C) reservoirs that are experiencing desertification due to global change and overgrazing, which can lead to stronger resource limitations for both above- and below-ground communities. Soil nutrients, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), are the crucial resources for plant growth and microbial metabolism. However, whether both plant and soil microbial communities in the degraded alpine steppes are limited by these soil nutrients remains unclear, which limits our understanding of the mechanisms of desertification and subsequent ecosystem restoration. Here, we evaluated potential nutrient limitations of the plant and soil microbial communities in the alpine steppe across five stages of desertification using stoichiometry-based approaches. Our results showed that soil microbial metabolism was mainly limited by C and P, and the plant N limitation and microbial C limitation were intensified while the microbial P limitation was relieved during desertification. Plant-soil-microbe interactions had significant impacts on the microbial C and P limitations, explaining 72 and 61% of the variation, respectively. Specifically, desertification ultimately affected microbial metabolic limitations by regulating soil pH, soil nutrients, and the plant N limitation. Moreover, the microbial C limitation further reduced microbial C use efficiency (CUE) with desertification, which is detrimental for organic C retention in the degraded soil. Overall, this study revealed that microbial metabolic limitations through plant-microbe interactions were the key drivers affecting soil microbial CUE, and it provided insights that can advance our knowledge of the microbial regulation of nutrient cycles and C sequestration.

Hylocereus polyrhizus, also known as pitaya or dragon fruit, is a climbing cactus grown worldwide because of its excellent performance under drought stress and appealing red-purple fruits. In practice, accelerating flower formation and inducing more flowers usually result in higher yield. However, the genes for this purpose have not been well characterized in pitaya. Previously, FLOWERING BHLHs (FBHs) have been identified as positive regulators of flower formation. In the present work, a total of eight FBHs were identified in pitaya. This is a greater number than in beet and spinach, possibly because of the recent whole-genome duplication that occurred in the pitaya genome. The phylogenetic tree indicated that the FBHs could be divided into three groups. In TYPE II, the genes of Caryophyllales encode atypical FBHs and are generated by dispersed duplication. The Ka/Ks ratios indicated that HpFBHs are under purifying selection. Promoter and expression analysis of HpFBHs revealed that they are spatiotemporally activated in flower-related tissues and responsive to multiple abiotic stresses. These results indicated that HpFBHs are involved in the flower formation of pitaya. Therefore, typical HpFBH1/3 from TYPE III and an atypical HpFBH8 from TYPE II were selected for functional verification. HpFBH3 was found to heterodimerize with HpFBH1 in the nucleus using subcellular localization, yeast two-hybrid and luciferase complementation assays. With bioinformatic analysis, all HpFBHs were predicted to transactivate downstream genes via binding to the E-boxes, which were frequently detected in the promoters of HpCOs, HpFTs and HpSOC1s. RNA-Seq datasets showed that these flowering accelerators were expressed in coordination with HpFBH3. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase reporter assays further verified that HpFBH3 transactivated HpCO7 by selectively binding to the E-boxes in the promoter. Moreover, ectopic overexpression of HpFBH3 accelerated flower formation in Arabidopsis. In summary, this study systematically characterized the typical HpFBHs, especially HpFBH3, as positive regulators of flower formation, which could be target genes for the genetic improvement of pitaya.

Oral immunization is an alternative or supplementary approach that can significantly improve dog vaccination coverage, especially for free-roaming dogs. Safe and effective oral rabies vaccines for dogs are still being sought. In our previous studies, we generated a genetically modified rabies virus (RABV) ERA strain, rERAG_333E, containing a mutation from arginine (Arg, R) to glutamic acid (Glu, E) at residue 333 of the G protein (G_333E). Our previous results demonstrated that rERAG_333E was safe for adult mice and dogs, and oral vaccination with rERAG_333E induced a strong and long-lasting protective immune response in dogs. Here, we further investigated the safety and immunogenicity of rERAG_333E in non-target species, including suckling mice, rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, piglets, goats, and sheep. Suckling mice studies demonstrated that the G_333E mutation significantly reduced the virulence of the ERA strain. All of the suckling mice aged 10 days and above survived and showed no apparent signs of disease after intracerebral inoculation with rERAG_333E. Animal studies demonstrated that rERAG_333E was safe in rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, piglets, goats, and sheep. None of those animals inoculated orally with 10 times the intended field dose of rERAG_333E showed abnormal clinical signs before and after the booster immunization with Rabvac 3, an inactivated rabies vaccine. Meanwhile, oral inoculation with rERAG_333E induced strong neutralizing antibody (NA) responses to RABV in rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, and piglets. These results demonstrated that rERAG_333E has the potential to serve as a safe oral rabies vaccine for dogs.

Plants experience dynamic light environments in the field, and the mechanisms for physiological and biochemical acclimation to fluctuating light (FL) vary among species.  How soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) integrates multiple physiological changes to acclimate to FL remains unclear.  This study evaluated the impact of FL conditions on soybean morphology and photosynthetic characteristics by analyzing changes in photosynthetic gas exchange parameters and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence parameters under alternating high and low light conditions.  Results showed that soybeans subjected to FL conditions had low dry matter mass, small and thin leaves, and a low Chl a to Chl b ratio, resembling the traits of soybeans grown in low-light environments.  However, their photosynthetic gas exchange rates and photosynthetic capacity remained constant, which was not the case under consistent low-light conditions.  The adaptation processes for fluctuating and lowlight conditions are distinct.  Correlation analyses indicated that the drop in carbon assimilation under FL primarily resulted from two aspects: the speed of recovery in stomatal conductance when transitioning to bright light and the slow relief of nonphotochemical quenching as light levels decreased.  Thus, the decrease in carbon assimilation under FL conditions cannot be ascribed to adjustments during low-light phases but is due to a lag in photosynthetic response.

Nitrogen (N) enrichment is expected to induce a greater phosphorus (P) limitation, despite the acceleration of soil P cycling. However, the changing patterns in plant P and soil available P after N enrichment, and their regulatory mechanisms, remain poorly understood in alpine meadows. Here, we conducted a field experiment with four N addition rates (0, 5, 10, and 15 g N m^-2 yr^-1) in an alpine meadow, and investigated the P in plants, microorganisms, and soil to determine their patterns of change after short-term N addition. Our results showed that N addition significantly increased plant biomass, and the plant P pool showed a non-linear response to the N addition gradient. Soil available P initially increased and then declined with increasing N addition, whereas the occluded inorganic P decreased markedly. The critical factors for soil available P varied with different N addition rates. At lower N addition levels (0 and 5 g N m^-2 yr^-1), soil acidification facilitated the mobilization of occluded inorganic P to increase soil available P. Conversely, at higher N addition levels (10 and 15 g N m^-2 yr^-1), the elevated soil microbial biomass P intensified the competition with plants for soil P, leading to a decline in soil available P. This study highlights the non-linear responses of the plant P pool and soil available P concentration to N addition rates. These responses suggest the need for developing ecosystem models to assess different effects of increasing N rates, which would enable more accurate predictions of the plant P supply and soil P cycling under N enrichment.