Integrating omics reveals that miRNA-guided genetic regulation on plant hormone level and defense response pathways shape resistance to Cladosporium fulvum in the tomato Cf-10-gene-carrying line

Invasion of C. fulvum causes the most serious diseases affecting the reproduction of tomatoes. Cf-10-gene-carrying line showed remarkable resistance to Cladosporium fulvum. To exploit its defense response mechanism, we performed a multiple-omics profiling of Cf-10-gene-carrying line and a susceptible line without carrying any resistance genes at non-inoculation and 3 days post-inoculation (dpi) of C. fulvum. We detected 54 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) between the non-inoculation and 3 dpi in the Cf-10-gene-carrying line, which potentially regulated plant-pathogen interaction pathways and hormone signaling pathways. We also revealed 3,016 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the non-inoculated and 3 dpi in the Cf-10-gene-carrying line whose functions enriched in pathways that were potentially regulated by the DE-miRNAs. Integrating DE-miRNAs, gene expression and plant-hormone metabolites indicated a regulation network where the downregulation of miRNAs at 3 dpi activated crucial resistance genes to trigger host hypersensitive cell death, improved hormone levels and upregulated the receptors/critical responsive transcription factors (TFs) of plant hormones, to shape immunity to the pathogen. Notably, our transcriptome, miRNA and hormone metabolites profiling and qPCR analysis suggested that that the downregulation of miR9472 potentially upregulated the expression of SAR Deficient 1 (SARD1), a key regulator for ICS1 (Isochorismate Synthase 1) induction and salicylic acid (SA) synthesis, to improve the level of SA in the Cf-10-gene-carrying line. Our results exploited potential regulatory network and new pathways underlying the resistance to C. fulvum in Cf-10-gene-carrying line, providing a more comprehensive genetic circuit and valuable gene targets for modulating resistance to the virus

Neutrino Physics with JUNO

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a 20 kton multi-purposeunderground liquid scintillator detector, was proposed with the determinationof the neutrino mass hierarchy as a primary physics goal. It is also capable ofobserving neutrinos from terrestrial and extra-terrestrial sources, includingsupernova burst neutrinos, diffuse supernova neutrino background, geoneutrinos,atmospheric neutrinos, solar neutrinos, as well as exotic searches such asnucleon decays, dark matter, sterile neutrinos, etc. We present the physicsmotivations and the anticipated performance of the JUNO detector for variousproposed measurements. By detecting reactor antineutrinos from two power plantsat 53-km distance, JUNO will determine the neutrino mass hierarchy at a 3-4sigma significance with six years of running. The measurement of antineutrinospectrum will also lead to the precise determination of three out of the sixoscillation parameters to an accuracy of better than 1\%. Neutrino burst from atypical core-collapse supernova at 10 kpc would lead to ~5000inverse-beta-decay events and ~2000 all-flavor neutrino-proton elasticscattering events in JUNO. Detection of DSNB would provide valuable informationon the cosmic star-formation rate and the average core-collapsed neutrinoenergy spectrum. Geo-neutrinos can be detected in JUNO with a rate of ~400events per year, significantly improving the statistics of existing geoneutrinosamples. The JUNO detector is sensitive to several exotic searches, e.g. protondecay via the $p\to K^++\bar\nu$ decay channel. The JUNO detector will providea unique facility to address many outstanding crucial questions in particle andastrophysics. It holds the great potential for further advancing our quest tounderstanding the fundamental properties of neutrinos, one of the buildingblocks of our Universe

Potential of Core-Collapse Supernova Neutrino Detection at JUNO

JUNO is an underground neutrino observatory under construction in Jiangmen, China. It uses 20kton liquid scintillator as target, which enables it to detect supernova burst neutrinos of a large statistics for the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) and also pre-supernova neutrinos from the nearby CCSN progenitors. All flavors of supernova burst neutrinos can be detected by JUNO via several interaction channels, including inverse beta decay, elastic scattering on electron and proton, interactions on C12 nuclei, etc. This retains the possibility for JUNO to reconstruct the energy spectra of supernova burst neutrinos of all flavors. The real time monitoring systems based on FPGA and DAQ are under development in JUNO, which allow prompt alert and trigger-less data acquisition of CCSN events. The alert performances of both monitoring systems have been thoroughly studied using simulations. Moreover, once a CCSN is tagged, the system can give fast characterizations, such as directionality and light curve

Detection of the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with JUNO

As an underground multi-purpose neutrino detector with 20 kton liquid scintillator, Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is competitive with and complementary to the water-Cherenkov detectors on the search for the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB). Typical supernova models predict 2-4 events per year within the optimal observation window in the JUNO detector. The dominant background is from the neutral-current (NC) interaction of atmospheric neutrinos with 12C nuclei, which surpasses the DSNB by more than one order of magnitude. We evaluated the systematic uncertainty of NC background from the spread of a variety of data-driven models and further developed a method to determine NC background within 15\% with {\it{in}} {\it{situ}} measurements after ten years of running. Besides, the NC-like backgrounds can be effectively suppressed by the intrinsic pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capabilities of liquid scintillators. In this talk, I will present in detail the improvements on NC background uncertainty evaluation, PSD discriminator development, and finally, the potential of DSNB sensitivity in JUNO

Real-time Monitoring for the Next Core-Collapse Supernova in JUNO

Core-collapse supernova (CCSN) is one of the most energetic astrophysical events in the Universe. The early and prompt detection of neutrinos before (pre-SN) and during the SN burst is a unique opportunity to realize the multi-messenger observation of the CCSN events. In this work, we describe the monitoring concept and present the sensitivity of the system to the pre-SN and SN neutrinos at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), which is a 20 kton liquid scintillator detector under construction in South China. The real-time monitoring system is designed with both the prompt monitors on the electronic board and online monitors at the data acquisition stage, in order to ensure both the alert speed and alert coverage of progenitor stars. By assuming a false alert rate of 1 per year, this monitoring system can be sensitive to the pre-SN neutrinos up to the distance of about 1.6 (0.9) kpc and SN neutrinos up to about 370 (360) kpc for a progenitor mass of 30$M_{\odot}$ for the case of normal (inverted) mass ordering. The pointing ability of the CCSN is evaluated by using the accumulated event anisotropy of the inverse beta decay interactions from pre-SN or SN neutrinos, which, along with the early alert, can play important roles for the followup multi-messenger observations of the next Galactic or nearby extragalactic CCSN.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Transcriptome Analysis to Explore the Cause of the Formation of Different Inflorescences in Tomato

The number of inflorescence branches is an important agronomic character of tomato. The meristem differentiation and development pattern of tomato inflorescence is complex and its regulation mechanism is very different from those of other model plants. Therefore, in order to explore the cause of tomato inflorescence branching, transcriptome analysis was conducted on two kinds of tomato inflorescences (single racemes and compound inflorescences). According to the transcriptome data analysis, there were many DEGs of tomato inflorescences at early, middle, and late stages. Then, GO and KEGG enrichments of DEGs were performed. DEGs are mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, biohormone signaling, and cell cycle pathways. According to previous studies, DEGs were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, and FALSIFLORA (FA) and ANANTHA (AN) genes were the most notable of 41 DEGs related to inflorescence branching. This study not only provides a theoretical basis for understanding inflorescence branching, but also provides a new idea for the follow-up study of inflorescence

Molecular mapping of the Cf-10 gene by combining SNP/InDel-index and linkage analysis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract Background Leaf mold, one of the major diseases of tomato caused by Cladosporium fulvum (C. fulvum), can dramatically reduce the yield and cause multimillion dollar losses annually worldwide. Mapping the resistance genes (R genes) of C. fulvum and devising MAS based strategies for breeding new cultivars is an effective approach to improve the resistance in tomato. Up to now, many C. fulvum genes or QTLs have been mapped using different genetic materials, but few studies focused on Cf-10 gene positioning. Results In this study, we investigated the genetic rules for Cf-10 and used a novel combinatorial strategy to rapidly map the Cf-10 gene. Initially, the performance of F1, F2 and BC1F1 individuals after infection, demonstrated that the resistance against C. fulvum was controlled by a single dominant gene. Two pools of resistant and susceptible individuals from F2 population were investigated, using mapping by sequencing approach and Cf-10 was found to be localized to 3.35 Mb and 3.74 Mb on chromosome 1, employing SNP/InDel index methods, respectively. After accounting for overlapping regions, these two algorithms yielded a total length of 3.29 Mb, narrowing down the target region. We further developed five serviceable KASP markers for this region based on sequencing data and conducted local QTL mapping using individuals from the F2 population, except for mapping by sequencing as mentioned above. Finally Cf-10 gene was mapped spanning a region of 790 kb, where only one gene (Solyc01g007130.3) was annotated as probable receptor protein kinase TMK1 with a LRR motif, a common R gene characteristic. The RT-qPCR analysis further confirmed the localization and the relative expression of Solyc01g007130.3 in Ontario 792 and was found to be significantly higher than that in Moneymaker at 9 dpi and 12 dpi, respectively. Conclusion This study proposed a novel combinatorial strategy by combining SNP-index, InDel-index analyses and local QTL mapping using KASP genotyping approach to rapidly map genes responsible for specific traits and provided a robust base for cloning the Cf-10 gene. Furthermore, these analyses suggest that Solyc01g007130.3 is a potential candidate to be regarded as Cf-10 gene

Seismic Response of a Bridge Pile Foundation during a Shaking Table Test

Puqian Bridge is located in a quake-prone area in an 8-degree seismic fortification intensity zone, and the design of the peak ground motion is the highest grade worldwide. Nevertheless, the seismic design of the pile foundation has not been evaluated with regard to earthquake damage and the seismic issues of the pile foundation are particularly noticeable. We conducted a large-scale shaking table test (STT) to determine the dynamic characteristic of the bridge pile foundation. An artificial mass model was used to determine the mechanism of the bridge pile-soil interaction, and the peak ground acceleration range of 0.15 g–0.60 g (g is gravity acceleration) was selected as the input seismic intensity. The results indicated that the peak acceleration decreased from the top to the bottom of the bridge pile and the acceleration amplification factor decreased with the increase in seismic intensity. When the seismic intensity is greater than 0.50 g, the acceleration amplification factor at the top of the pile stabilizes at 1.32. The bedrock surface had a relatively small influence on the amplification of the seismic wave, whereas the overburden had a marked influence on the amplification of the seismic wave and filtering effect. Damage to the pile foundation was observed at 0.50 g seismic intensity. When the seismic intensity was greater than 0.50 g, the fundamental frequency of the pile foundation decreased slowly and tended to stabilize at 0.87 Hz. The bending moment was larger at the junction of the pile and cap, the soft-hard soil interface, and the bedrock surface, where cracks easily occurred. These positions should be focused on during the design of pile foundations in meizoseismal areas

Influence of spatial gradients on ionospheric mapping using thin layer models

This study provides information about the influence of various ionospheric spatial gradients on the thin layer ionospheric model (TLIM). Particular attention is paid to the errors caused by the slant total electron content (sTEC) when converted to the vertical total electron content (vTEC) by an elevation-dependent mapping function (MF), ignoring the satellite azimuth. We quantify the influence of the spatial gradient on ionospheric mapping using globally distributed GNSS measurements and the NeQuick2 ionospheric electron density model. The ionospheric mapping errors (IME) were confirmed using GNSS measurements that were observed for different solar activity conditions. It was found that the IME in the low latitudes were significantly higher than those at other latitudes, and the high-latitude region IME were more pronounced than those of the mid-latitude regions. A comprehensive simulation analysis based on the NeQuick2 model was conducted for different azimuth angles and geographical locations. It was found that the vTEC converted by the MF is smaller than the real value of vTEC in different spatial directions. The IME in the north-to-south direction were much higher than those in the east-to-west direction and were symmetrical north–south about the geomagnetic equator. The values of the IME had obviously seasonal variation characteristics: The IME in the spring and autumn were significantly higher than those in the winter and summer; however, in the low latitudes, the IME were abnormal and had larger values. There is an interesting phenomenon wherein the IME were symmetrical about the azimuth of 180°, and the value of the IME was less than 1 TECu when the satellite elevation was up to 50°. From the global perspective, when the thin layer height is at 400 km, the IME were relatively minimal. In addition, the modified single-layer model (MSLM) and Ou (Ou J) segmented mapping functions outperformed other mapping functions at low satellite elevations; however, when the elevation angle was increased to approximately 40°, the differences of the different MFs were small

Virus-induced gene silencing of SlPYL4 decreases the drought tolerance of tomato

The abscisic acid (ABA) receptor PYR/PYL/RCAR, located upstream of the ABA signaling pathway, recognizes ABA signals and initiates the primary process of signal transduction. In our previous study, we found that the PYL4 gene in tomato plants was significantly upregulated after exogenous treatment with the hormone ABA. The present study used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to further elucidate the role of the PYL4 gene in response to drought in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. Under the drought treatment, the SlPYL4-silenced plants wilted faster than the control plants did. Physiological indicators showed that the total reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities of the SlPYL4-silenced plants were lower than those of the control plants after 3 and 6 h of drought stress treatment. After 3 h of drought treatment, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2−.) accumulated much more in the leaves of the SlPYL4-silenced plants than in the leaves of the control plants. These results indicated that PYL4 plays a positive role in drought tolerance in tomato plants. Our results also suggest that SlPYL4 is located upstream of the ABA pathway to regulate the expression of PP2C, SnRK, and AREB/ABF genes