Genome-wide identification of germin-like proteins in peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) and expression analysis under different abiotic stresses

Peanut is an important food and feed crop, providing oil and protein nutrients. Germins and germin-like proteins (GLPs) are ubiquitously present in plants playing numerous roles in defense, growth and development, and different signaling pathways. However, the GLP members have not been comprehensively studied in peanut at the genome-wide scale. We carried out a genome-wide identification of the GLP genes in peanut genome. GLP members were identified comprehensively, and gene structure, genomic positions, motifs/domains distribution patterns, and phylogenetic history were studied in detail. Promoter Cis-elements, gene duplication, collinearity, miRNAs, protein-protein interactions, and expression were determined. A total of 84 GLPs (AhGLPs ) were found in the genome of cultivated peanut. These GLP genes were clustered into six groups. Segmental duplication events played a key role in the evolution of AhGLPs, and purifying selection pressure was underlying the duplication process. Most AhGLPs possessed a well-maintained gene structure and motif organization within the same group. The promoter regions of AhGLPs contained several key cis-elements responsive to ‘phytohormones’, ‘growth and development’, defense, and ‘light induction’. Seven microRNAs (miRNAs) from six families were found targeting 25 AhGLPs. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that AhGLPs are highly enriched in nutrient reservoir activity, aleurone grain, external encapsulating structure, multicellular organismal reproductive process, and response to acid chemicals, indicating their important biological roles. AhGLP14, AhGLP38, AhGLP54, and AhGLP76 were expressed in most tissues, while AhGLP26, AhGLP29, and AhGLP62 showed abundant expression in the pericarp. AhGLP7, AhGLP20, and AhGLP21, etc., showed specifically high expression in embryo, while AhGLP12, AhGLP18, AhGLP40, AhGLP78, and AhGLP82 were highly expressed under different hormones, water, and temperature stress. The qRT-PCR results were in accordance with the transcriptome expression data. In short, these findings provided a foundation for future functional investigations on the AhGLPs for peanut breeding programs

Developing drought-smart, ready-to-grow future crops

Breeding crop plants with increased yield potential and improved tolerance to stressful environments is critical for global food security. Drought stress (DS) adversely affects agricultural productivity worldwide and is expected to rise in the coming years. Therefore, it is vital to understand the physiological, biochemical, molecular, and ecological mechanisms associated with DS. This review examines recent advances in plant responses to DS to expand our understanding of DS-associated mechanisms. Suboptimal water sources adversely affect crop growth and yields through physical impairments, physiological disturbances, biochemical modifications, and molecular adjustments. To control the devastating effect of DS in crop plants, it is important to understand its consequences, mechanisms, and the agronomic and genetic basis of DS for sustainable production. In addition to plant responses, we highlight several mitigation options such as omics approaches, transgenics breeding, genome editing, and biochemical to mechanical methods (foliar treatments, seed priming, and conventional agronomic practices). Further, we have also presented the scope of conventional and speed breeding platforms in helping to develop the drought-smart future crops. In short, we recommend incorporating several approaches, such as multi-omics, genome editing, speed breeding, and traditional mechanical strategies, to develop drought-smart cultivars to achieve the ‘zero hunger’ goal

China’s 10-year progress in DC gas-insulated equipment: From basic research to industry perspective

The construction of the future energy structure of China under the 2050 carbon-neutral vision requires compact direct current (DC) gas-insulation equipment as important nodes and solutions to support electric power transmission and distribution of long-distance and large-capacity. This paper reviews China's 10-year progress in DC gas-insulated equipment. Important progresses in basic research and industry perspective are presented, with related scientific issues and technical bottlenecks being discussed. The progress in DC gas-insulated equipment worldwide (Europe, Japan, America) is also reported briefly

Analysis on Comprehensive Treatment of VOCs in Key Industries of A City

Vocs have become a weak base for air pollution control compared to particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Petrochemical, chemical, industrial coating, packaging and printing, oil storage and Marketing Industries (hereinafter referred to as key industries) are China’s key sources of VOCs emissions. In order to win the battle of protecting the blue sky and improve the air quality, it is urgent to strengthen the comprehensive treatment of VOCs in key industries. In order to fully understand the comprehensive treatment and emission control of industrial sources of organic waste gases in the city, an updated survey was conducted on the emission of VOCs from industrial sources in the region, and the results of the survey were analyzed Analysis report on VOCs emission and comprehensive treatment in key industries

Proliferation of biomass and its impact on the operation of a submerged membrane bioreactor

The aim of this work was to investigate the biomass proliferation and its impact on the operation of a submerged membrane bioreactor (sMBR). A programmable logic controller (PLC) was used to control the process of the sMBR with no discharge of sludge. When MLSS was 9670 mg/L and the solid retention times (SRT) ranged from 20 to 40 days, the optimal removal efficiencies of COD, NH3-N, TP were 93.89%, 93.02%, 80.57%, respectively. Accompanying with the decreasing of the sludge loading, the substrate and nutrition were insufficient in the sMBR, leading to endogenous respiration of the activated sludge, which decreased the activity of sludge and resulted in the death of more microorganisms

Engineering Example of Compact Type Sewage Treatment Plant

Considering the land shortage features of a given district in Hangzhou city, the High-sludge sedimentation tank + denitrification filtering tank + nitrification filtering tank + cloth media filtering tank process is adopted for purification treatment. When the system (with the treatment scale of 15,000m3/d) runs for 60 days, the average removal rate of COD and ammoniacal nitrogen are 86% and 96% respectively and the effluent quality reach the quasi grade IV standard

Bayesian Phylogeographic Inference Suggests Japan as the Center for the Origin and Dissemination of Rice Stripe Virus

Rice stripe virus (RSV) is one of the most important viral pathogens of rice in East Asia. The origin and dispersal of RSV remain poorly understood, but an emerging hypothesis suggests that: (i) RSV originates from Yunnan, a southwest province of China; and (ii) some places of eastern China have acted as a center for the international dissemination of RSV. This hypothesis, however, has never been tested rigorously. Using a data set comprising more than 200 time-stamped coat protein gene sequences of RSV from Japan, China and South Korea, we reconstructed the phylogeographic history of RSV with Bayesian phylogeographic inference. Unexpectedly, the results did not support the abovementioned hypothesis. Instead, they suggested that RSV originates from Japan and Japan has been the major center for the dissemination of RSV in the past decades. Based on these data and the temporal dynamics of RSV reported recently by another group, we proposed a new hypothesis to explain the origin and dispersal of RSV. This new hypothesis may be valuable for further studies aiming to clarify the epidemiology of RSV. It may also be useful in designing management strategies against this devastating virus

Respiratory syncytial virus subtypes in children with bronchiolitis: does it correlate with clinical severity?

Abstract Background In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the factors associated with the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in children aged under 2 years who were admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Hebei between June 2018 and January 2019. Methods Sputum samples positive for RSV via multiplex PCR were subtyped using real-time PCR. Data collected included risk factors for disease severity, demographics, microbiology, and outcomes. Results Of the 82 children with RSV bronchiolitis, 79 were treated and discharged with improvement, while 3 died. All three patients had underlying medical conditions, including complex congenital heart disease and severe combined immunodeficiency. Further, disease severity was associated with preexisting underlying disease, fever duration, and bacterial co-infection, but not with the RSV subtype. Conclusions Our findings suggest that an appropriate therapeutic regimen should include the detection of bacterial co-infections and the identification of underlying diseases for the effective management of severe RSV bronchiolitis

Comprehensive in-silico characterization and expression analysis of UbiA prenyltransferase genes in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) against abiotic stresses

Genes of the UbiA prenyltransferase family play key roles in secondary metabolites synthesis and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance through different metabolic pathways. Currently, there is a notable lack of comprehensive information on the UbiA genes in legumes, particularly in peanuts. To bridge this gap, we conducted a detailed genome-wide analysis to identify the UbiA genes in the peanut genome. We studied chromosomal organization, gene structure, phylogenetic relations, protein interactions, collinearity, and gene duplication events. Additionally, we predicted different cis-elements in UbiA promoters and miRNAs target sites, while expression matrices in different organs and stresses also were examined. Our study found 43 UbiA members in the peanut genome (AhUbiA), clustered into seven distinct phylogenetic groups. Tandem and segmental duplication played significant roles in the evolution of AhUbiA genes. AhUbiA promoters were enriched in key cis-elements, including 'growth and development', 'phytohormones', 'light induction', and 'defense-related' elements. Micro-RNAs from five different families targeted 12 AhUbiA genes. GO enrichment analysis indicated that AhUbiA proteins are highly enriched in transferase and catalytic activities, cellular metabolic, and biosynthesis processes. AhUbiA genes recorded expression variance in different tissues. AhUbiA-15 and AhUbiA-38 were highly expressed in roots and root nodules. AhUbiA-6, AhUbiA-7, and AhUbiA-10 were highly expressed under stress conditions. These findings are valuable for future functional studies on the AhUbiA genes for peanut breeding programs