The wheat LLM-domain-containing transcription factor TaGATA1 positively modulates host immune response to Rhizoctonia cerealis

Wheat (Triticumaestivum) is essential for global food security. Rhizoctonia cerealis is the causal pathogen of sharp eyespot, an important disease of wheat. GATA proteins in model plants have been implicated in growth and development; however, little is known about their roles in immunity. Here, we reported a defence role of a wheat LLM-domain-containing B-GATA transcription factor, TaGATA1, against R. cerealis infection and explored the underlying mechanism. Through transcriptomic analysis, TaGATA1 was identified to be more highly expressed in resistant wheat genotypes than in susceptible wheat genotypes. TaGATA1 was located on chromosome 3B and had two homoeologous genes on chromosomes 3A and 3D. TaGATA1 was demonstrated to localize in the nucleus, possess transcriptional-activation activity, and bind to GATA-core cis-elements. TaGATA1 overexpression significantly enhanced resistance of transgenic wheat to R. cerealis, whereas silencing of TaGATA1 suppressed the resistance. RT-qPCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR results indicated that TaGATA1 directly bound to and activated certain defence genes in host immune response to R. cerealis. Collectively, TaGATA1 positively regulates immune responses to R. cerealis through activating expression of defence genes in wheat. This study reveals a new function of plant GATAs in immunity and provides a candidate gene for improving crop resistance to R. cerealis

Determination of Verapamil HCl in Pharmaceutical Preparations by a Fluorescent Nano Probe Based on CdTe/CdS/ZnS Quantum Dots

An analytical technique based on fluorescence quenching of CdTe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) was developed to quantify verapamil in commercially available preparations. Various reaction parameters were optimized and the method developed was validated. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc tests at a 5% significance level were performed to justify the significance of the variation in observations. The linear range of the verapamil concentration was 0.25–5 µg/mL while the limit of detection was 20 µg/mL. Recovery and relative standard deviations were not more than ±10% of the actual amount and <5.9%, respectively. Foreign materials, common metal ions and pharmaceutical excipients of dosage forms caused little interference. To verify the application of the analytical method, the quantity of verapamil in commercially available dosage forms was measured. Verapamil content in the tablets and injections was not more than ±10% of the stated amount and it conformed to the specifications of both the British and the United States pharmacopoeias. In the case of statistical analysis, p-value was <0.05 in almost all levels of all parameters except for the optimized level of system. It can be concluded from the results that the designed method is simple, reliable, cost effective, selective, rapid and sensitive enough to be used for quantitative measurement of the verapamil HCl in dosage forms for quality control purposes

One-Pot Synthesis of a Magnetic, Ratiometric Fluorescent Nanoprobe by Encapsulating Fe₃O₄ Magnetic Nanoparticles and Dual-Emissive Rhodamine B Modified Carbon Dots in Metal–Organic Framework for Enhanced HClO Sensing

In this work, a new magnetic, ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe has been designed and fabricated by encapsulating Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and dual-emissive carbon dots into the cavities of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). This one-pot method combined hybrid characteristics of MOFs with multiple properties of the encapsulated functional materials. The MOF-based nanoprobe possessed the advantages of MOFs (strong adsorption ability, accumulating the analytes), Fe₃O₄ MNPs (magnetic separation), and ratiometric sensors (eliminating the variabilities caused by the instability of the instruments and environment). The MOF-based nanoprobe was dispersible and stable in aqueous solution, and the nanoprobe was applied to HClO sensing. This work will provide a promising strategy for design and synthesis of novel MOF-based composite materials

A Ratiometric Fluorescence Universal Platform Based on N, Cu Codoped Carbon Dots to Detect Metabolites Participating in H₂O₂‑Generation Reactions

In this work, a new kind of N, Cu codoped carbon dots (N/Cu-CDs) was prepared via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method by using citric acid monohydrate, copper acetate monohydrate and diethylenetriamine. The prepared N/Cu-CDs with a high quantum yield (50.1%) showed excitation-independent emission at 460 nm. The structure and fluorescence properties of N/Cu-CDs were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectrofluorometer, FT-IR spectrometer, UV–visible spectrophotometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. N/Cu-CDs were applied to establishing a ratiometric fluorescence probe toward H₂O₂ based on the inner filter effect (IFE) between N/Cu-CDs and DAP (2,3-diaminophenazine, the oxidative product of o-phenylenediamine (OPD)), and provided a ratiometric fluorescence universal platform for detection of the metabolites participating in H₂O₂-generation reactions (cholesterol and xanthine). The proposed method was demonstrated to be ultrasensitive and highly selective for cholesterol and xanthine assay with detection limits of 0.03 and 0.10 μM, respectively. The fluorescence probe built was applied to the determination of cholesterol and xanthine in human serum with satisfactory results

Meta-discoveries from a synthesis of satellite-based land-cover mapping research

This article provides a spatialized database of scientific literature in English about land-cover mapping