Unveiling molecular mechanisms of pepper resistance to Phytophthora capsici through grafting using iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis

Abstract Phytophthora blight severely threatens global pepper production. Grafting bolsters plant disease resistance, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we used P. capsici-resistant strain ‘ZCM334’ and susceptible strain ‘Early Calwonder’ for grafting. Compared to self-rooted ‘Early Calwonder’ plants, ‘ZCM334’ grafts exhibited delayed disease onset, elevated resistance, and reduced leaf cell damage, showcasing the potential of grafting in enhancing pepper resistance to P. capsici. Proteomic analysis via the iTRAQ technology unveiled 478 and 349 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the leaves and roots, respectively, between the grafts and self-rooted plants. These DEPs were linked to metabolism and cellular processes, stimulus responses, and catalytic activity and were significantly enriched in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organizations, and pyruvate metabolism pathways. Twelve DEPs exhibiting consistent expression trends in both leaves and roots, including seven related to P. capsici resistance, were screened. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed a significant correlation between the protein and transcript levels of DEPs after P. capsici inoculation. This study highlights the molecular mechanisms whereby grafting enhances pepper resistance to Phytophthora blight. Identification of key genes provides a foundation for studying the regulatory network governing the resistance of pepper to P. capsici

Crystallization, rheological behavior and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/metallocene polypropylene composites

In this paper, metallocene polypropylene (mPP) composites filled with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared using twin-screw extruder. The crystallization behavior, mechanical properties and rheological behavior were characterized by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), universal material testing machine and rotational rheometer. The results of DSC indicated that the effect of CNTs on heterogeneous nucleation of mPP was very obvious and the crystallizability of the resin matrix was improved after adding CNTs, especially the initial crystallization temperature ( T _0 ), crystallization temperature ( T _c ) increased by 9.63 °C and 8.28 °C when the CNTs content was 1.25 wt%. The yield stress and elastic modulus increased to 33.98 MPa and 1605.6 MPa as the CNTs concentration increased to 1.0 wt% in contrast to that of the neat mPP. The results of SEM images showed that the better dispersion and adhesion of CNTs into polymer matrix. The results of rotational rheometer proved that interactions increased between CNTs and mPP as the content of CNTs increasing

Biomimetic honeycomb Zn anode enabled multi-field regulation toward highly stable flexible Zn-ion batteries

Flexible Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) emerge as a promising entrant for flexible and safe energy systems in the post-Li era, while the instability of Zn anode including inferior flexibility, uncontrollable plating, and dendrite growth remains a challenge. Naturally inspired, a topology-optimized biomimetic honeycomb Zn (BH-Zn) anode through mechanical-electrochemical processing is demonstrated. Numerical simulations and experimental observations reveal the BH-Zn engenders smooth current–stress–thermal field distributions, concurrently realizing the multi-field regulation effect and boosted stability. After in situ alloying, the BH-Zn enables half-diminished voltage polarization, superior electrochemical stability of 2000 h cycling, and thermal stability even at 30 mA cm−2. Moreover, the assembled ZIBs manifest over 20 times enhanced capacity retention and are integrated as a self-powered wearable system for real-time health monitoring. This strategy can be extended to customizable metal anodes and promises to be applied in stable flexible batteries.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 52175534, U22A20193), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (grant no. 2022JJ30154), the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province (grant no. 2021RC3052), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant no. 531118010016), and the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body (grant no. 72175008). F.C. acknowledges the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 51975204) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (grant no. 2021JJ30103). H.L. is grateful for the funding of China Scholarship Council (CSC)