Linking PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR to Histone Modification in Plant Shade Avoidance

Shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) allows a plant grown in a densely populated environment to maximize opportunities to access to sunlight. Although it is well established that SAS is accompanied by gene expression changes, the underlying molecular mechanism needs to be elucidated. Here, we identify the H3K4me3/H3K36me3-binding proteins, Morf Related Gene (MRG) group proteins MRG1 and MRG2, as positive regulators of shade-induced hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). MRG2 binds PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR7 (PIF7) and regulates the expression of several common downstream target genes, including YUCCA8 and IAA19 involved in the auxin biosynthesis or response pathway and PRE1 involved in brassinosteroid regulation of cell elongation. In response to shade, PIF7 and MRG2 are enriched at the promoter and gene-body regions and are necessary for increase of histone H4 and H3 acetylation to promote target gene expression. Our study uncovers a mechanism in which the shade-responsive factor PIF7 recruits MRG1/MRG2 that binds H3K4me3/H3K36me3 and brings histone-acetylases to induce histone acetylations to promote expression of shade responsive genes, providing thus a molecular mechanistic link coupling the environmental light to epigenetic modification in regulation of hypocotyl elongation in plant SAS

The emerging role of E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF213 as an antimicrobial host determinant

Ring finger protein 213 (RNF213) is a large E3 ubiquitin ligase with a molecular weight of 591 kDa that is associated with moyamoya disease, a rare cerebrovascular disease. It is located in the cytosol and perinuclear space. Missense mutations in this gene have been found to be more prevalent in patients with moyamoya disease compared with that in healthy individuals. Understanding the molecular function of RNF213 could provide insights into moyamoya disease. RNF213 contains a C3HC4-type RING finger domain with an E3 ubiquitin ligase domain and six AAA+ adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) domains. It is the only known protein with both AAA+ ATPase and ubiquitin ligase activities. Recent studies have highlighted the role of RNF213 in fighting against microbial infections, including viruses, parasites, bacteria, and chlamydiae. This review aims to summarize the recent research progress on the mechanisms of RNF213 in pathogenic infections, which will aid researchers in understanding the antimicrobial role of RNF213

Effects of S. cerevisiae strains on the sensory characteristics and flavor profile of kiwi wine based on E-tongue, GC-IMS and 1H-NMR

The fermentation of kiwifruit into kiwi wine (KW) can represent a strategy to reduce the economic losses linked to fruits imperfections, spoilage, over production and seasonality. In the study, Pujiang kiwifruit, a China National Geographical Indication Product, was used as raw material to produce KW fermented by four commercial S. cerevisiae strains, namely Drop Acid Yeast, DV10, SY and RW. The sensory characteristics and flavor profile of KW were assessed by means of sensory evaluation, E-tongue, GC-IMS and 1H-NMR. KW fermented by RW strain obtained the higher sensory evaluation score. E-tongue could clearly distinguish the taste differences of KW fermented by distinct S. cerevisiae strains. A total of 128 molecules were characterized by GC-IMS and 1H-NMR, indicating that the combinations of multiple technologies could provide a comprehensive flavor profile of KW. The main flavor compounds in KW pertained to the classes of esters and alcohols. Several pathways were found to be differently altered by the fermentation with the different yeast strains, namely butanoate metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism. The present study will facilitate screening suitable S. cerevisiae strains for KW production and provide a theoretical basis for large-scale production of KW

Chinese university students’ preferences for physical activity incentive programs: a discrete choice experiment

PurposeThis study aims to explore and compare Chinese university students’ preferences for various physical activity motivation programs.Patients and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in China from February 25 to March 25, 2022. Participants anonymously completed an online questionnaire based on a DCE. A total of 1,358 university students participated in the survey. The conditional logit model (CLM), willingness to accept (WTA), and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to assess college students’ preferences for different attributes and levels of physical activity incentive programs.ResultsRespondents identified the number of bonus, exercise time, and academic rewards as the three most significant attributes of the athletic incentive program. The importance of each attribute varied based on individual characteristics such as gender and BMI. In CLM, college students displayed a preference for a “¥4” bonus amount (OR: 2.04, 95% CI 1.95–2.13), “20 min” of exercise time (OR: 1.85, 95% CI 1.79–1.92), and “bonus points for comprehensive test scores” as academic rewards (OR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.28–1.37). According to the WTA results, college students were willing to accept the highest cost to obtain academic rewards tied to composite test scores.ConclusionThe number of bonus, exercise time, and academic rewards emerge as the three most crucial attributes of physical activity incentive programs. Furthermore, college students with different characteristics exhibit heterogeneity in their preferences for such programs. These findings can guide the development of programs and policies aimed at motivating college students to engage in physical activities

Characteristics and Correlates of Leisure Walking Based on the Comprehensive Benefits of Space-Time Opportunity and Health Promotion

At present, the continuous improvement of urban residents' quality of life puts forward higher requirements for exploring the supply and demand of leisure walking. Against this background, this study focuses on leisure walking, taking the 15-minute community life circle as the space-time scope to re-examine the cumulative health effect of leisure walking as physical activity. Additionally, this study constructs a research framework to highlight the comprehensive benefits of leisure walking, including space-time opportunity and health promotion. Based on the research framework, this study uses comprehensive survey data from relevant communities in Nanjing to conduct an empirical study on the characteristics and influencing factors of leisure walking. The results show that the leisure walking of most residents makes it difficult to obtain comprehensive benefits, including space-time opportunity and health promotion. The built environment of the 15-minute community life circle significantly affects leisure walking based on the comprehensive benefits of space-time opportunity and health promotion. Specifically, the dense distribution of walkable paths has a promoting effect on overall residents and residents based on age and income stratification. In contrast, high-density population distribution and living locations far from the city center have an inhibitory effect. In addition, dense parks, high green coverage, and good public space accessibility positively affect stratified residents. The influence of individual attributes involves three aspects: socioeconomic attributes, health status, and family socioeconomic attributes. Specifically, overall or stratified residents with flexible and abundant leisure time and family members' accompanying behavior are more likely to participate in leisure walking and obtain more health benefits in a shorter space-time range. However, affected by the limited leisure time and poor physical condition, overall or stratified residents with a higher level of personal monthly income, families with children (<18 years old) who need to be cared for, and sub-health symptoms have fewer opportunities to walk leisurely within the 15-minute community life circle and obtain fewer health benefits. Therefore, space optimization that considers the comprehensive benefits of space-time opportunity and health promotion should cover all residents to the greatest extent possible and strengthen the overall planning, connection, and enrichment of leisure walking resource allocation inside and outside the life circle. The differences between this study and previous ones include two aspects. Taking high-density and highly mobile cities in China as case studies, first, at the community level, this study combines the perspectives of space-time behavior and health, comprehensively measures the space-time opportunity and health promotion effects of leisure walking, and integrates the comprehensive value of leisure walking into urban social spaces. Second, when examining the comprehensive impact of the community built environment on leisure walking space-time opportunity and health promotion, it combines objective and subjective perceptions to more realistically evaluate the residents' activity environment

Supply-Demand Matching Characteristics and Influencing Mechanism of Urban Residents' Daily Activities and the Environment

The supply-demand relationship between the daily activities of urban residents and the environment is closely related to the quality of urban life. In the context of the interweaving and overlapping of old and new supply-demand contradictions, as well as the rapid development of new ideas and technologies, the complex supply-demand matching characteristics and influencing mechanisms of urban residents' daily activities and the environment need to be further clarified to provide useful reference for the optimization of urban living space quality. Using the theories of temporal-spatial behavior and space of flows, this study establishes the theoretical framework and measurement index of the supply demand relationship between daily activities and the environment. Based on the utilization of geographical big data, the ANP (Analysis Network Process)-CV (Coefficient of variation) weighting method, Random Forest regression model, and other technical means, an empirical analysis is carried out for the central urban area of Nanjing. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) The supply-demand matching relationship between daily activities and the environment presents a composite spatial structure dominated by "center-periphery" relations and supplemented by "circle layer," style with significant polarization. 2) The supply-demand matching mechanism of daily activities and the environment is asymmetrical and non-sustainable. Daily activities are shaped more by the activity environment, in which the social environment plays a major role. At the same time, the trend of mutual promotion between supply and demand often does not lead to sustainable growth. 3) To a certain extent, in the central urban area of Nanjing, the distribution of daily activities and environmental factors, as well as their supply and demand relationships, have issues of one-way agglomeration and disorderly spread as well as the tension and inefficiency of supply and demand matching. A livable and inclusive social environment is the primary driving force affecting the level of daily activities, and the scale and intensity of activities are the main factors driving the enhancement of the environmental quality of activities. 4) The positive supply-demand interaction between daily activities and the environment should be promoted to improve the agglomeration and diffusion benefits of factors in the supply-demand network. According to the stages of the supply-demand development of the daily activities-environment system, flexible and diverse optimization paths should be selected to promote the high-quality sustainable development of supply and demand relations. Overall, this study makes certain innovations in the theoretical exploration and empirical analysis of the matching characteristics and the impact relationship between supply and demand. To match the feature recognition of supply and demand, the absolute level of supply and demand and relative benefit of supply and demand are presented simultaneously. To reveal the influence relationship, the significance, importance, and development trend of the nonlinear influence between supply and demand are thoroughly explored. Compared to related research on community life circles, this study covers the overall activity space of the city and considers different life activities and the multiscale spatial connections between life activities, which can more accurately and comprehensively reflect the panoramic living space of urban residents

CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 Inhibits Leaf Senescence in Arabidopsis

Leaf senescence is an integral part of plant development, and the timing and progressing rate of senescence could substantially affect the yield and quality of crops. It has been known that a circadian rhythm synchronized with external environmental cues is critical for the optimal coordination of various physiological and metabolic processes. However, the reciprocal interactions between the circadian clock and leaf senescence in plants remain unknown. Here, through measuring the physiological and molecular senescence related markers of several circadian components mutants, we found that CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 inhibits leaf senescence. Further molecular and genetic studies revealed that CCA1 directly activates GLK2 and suppresses ORE1 expression to counteract leaf senescence. As plants age, the expression and periodic amplitude of CCA1 declines and thus weakens the inhibition of senescence. Our findings reveal an age-dependent circadian clock component of the process of leaf senescence

Table_1.XLSX

<p>Leaf senescence is an integral part of plant development, and the timing and progressing rate of senescence could substantially affect the yield and quality of crops. It has been known that a circadian rhythm synchronized with external environmental cues is critical for the optimal coordination of various physiological and metabolic processes. However, the reciprocal interactions between the circadian clock and leaf senescence in plants remain unknown. Here, through measuring the physiological and molecular senescence related markers of several circadian components mutants, we found that CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 inhibits leaf senescence. Further molecular and genetic studies revealed that CCA1 directly activates GLK2 and suppresses ORE1 expression to counteract leaf senescence. As plants age, the expression and periodic amplitude of CCA1 declines and thus weakens the inhibition of senescence. Our findings reveal an age-dependent circadian clock component of the process of leaf senescence.</p

Image_5.TIF

<p>Leaf senescence is an integral part of plant development, and the timing and progressing rate of senescence could substantially affect the yield and quality of crops. It has been known that a circadian rhythm synchronized with external environmental cues is critical for the optimal coordination of various physiological and metabolic processes. However, the reciprocal interactions between the circadian clock and leaf senescence in plants remain unknown. Here, through measuring the physiological and molecular senescence related markers of several circadian components mutants, we found that CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 inhibits leaf senescence. Further molecular and genetic studies revealed that CCA1 directly activates GLK2 and suppresses ORE1 expression to counteract leaf senescence. As plants age, the expression and periodic amplitude of CCA1 declines and thus weakens the inhibition of senescence. Our findings reveal an age-dependent circadian clock component of the process of leaf senescence.</p

Image_4.TIF

<p>Leaf senescence is an integral part of plant development, and the timing and progressing rate of senescence could substantially affect the yield and quality of crops. It has been known that a circadian rhythm synchronized with external environmental cues is critical for the optimal coordination of various physiological and metabolic processes. However, the reciprocal interactions between the circadian clock and leaf senescence in plants remain unknown. Here, through measuring the physiological and molecular senescence related markers of several circadian components mutants, we found that CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 inhibits leaf senescence. Further molecular and genetic studies revealed that CCA1 directly activates GLK2 and suppresses ORE1 expression to counteract leaf senescence. As plants age, the expression and periodic amplitude of CCA1 declines and thus weakens the inhibition of senescence. Our findings reveal an age-dependent circadian clock component of the process of leaf senescence.</p