Publications by authors named "Huijun Jiao"

Laccase, a multipurpose biocatalyst, is widely distributed across all kingdoms of life and plays a key role in essential biological processes such as lignin synthesis, degradation, and pigment formation. These functions are critical for fungal growth, plant-pathogen interactions, and maintenance of soil health. Due to its broad substrate specificity, multifunctional nature, and environmentally friendly characteristics, laccase is widely employed as a catalyst in various green chemistry initiatives.

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  • Phenolic compounds are key secondary metabolites in plants, and this study analyzed the phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of five pear cultivars and tea leaves using advanced mass spectrometry techniques.
  • Significant differences were found in both the quantity and composition of phenolic metabolites between pear and tea leaves, with the Yali cultivar showing the highest total phenol content and antioxidant activity.
  • Specific phenolic compounds were identified as unique to each pear variety, and many metabolites were linked to pathways related to flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, offering insights for future pear leaf resource development.
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  • Iron deficiency in horticultural crops like pears leads to poor growth and leaf health, but the role of bHLH transcription factors in iron absorption is not well understood.
  • This study identified the bHLH gene PbbHLH155 as crucial for enhancing iron absorption, as its overexpression in Arabidopsis and pear calli resulted in increased resistance to iron deficiency.
  • PbbHLH155 activates the expression of two positive regulators, PbFRO2 and PbbHLH38, which improve iron absorption activity, providing insights for future pear breeding efforts.
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Boron (B) is a required micronutrient that is crucial for the growth and development of vascular plants. A deficiency in B is generally regarded as a limiting factor affecting agricultural production in many parts of the world. Boron is involved in the metabolism of plant lignin and additionally, B deficiency can lead to the excessive accumulation of lignin in plant leaves/roots, resulting in corking symptoms and inhibited growth.

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  • Melatonin (MT) is a substance used to help keep fruits fresh longer and prevent them from getting bad too quickly.
  • The best amount of MT found to use for the fruit 'Xinli No.7' is 150 μM, which helps keep the fruit fresh for up to 60 days at a cool temperature.
  • MT not only helps improve the fruit's taste and smell but also affects many genes that are important for keeping the fruit healthy while it is stored.
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Jasmonate (JA) regulates various aspects of plant growth and development and stress responses, with prominent roles in male reproductive development and defenses against herbivores and necrotrophic pathogens. JASMONATE-ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) proteins are key regulators in the JA signaling pathway and function to repress the expression of JA-responsive genes. Here, we show that JAZ proteins directly interact with several chromatin-associated Polycomb proteins to mediate repressive chromatin modifications at JA-responsive genes and, thus, their transcriptional repression in Arabidopsis.

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Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are highly conserved chromatin-modifying complexes that implement gene silencing in higher eukaryotes. Thousands of genes and multiple developmental processes are regulated by PcG proteins. As the first chromatin modifier been identified in model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the methyltransferase CURLY LEAF (CLF) and its catalyzed histone H3 Lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) have already become well-established paradigm in plant epigenetic study.

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In plants, genes containing the C2 domain have been identified and play a crucial role in many key physiological processes. One hundred and sixty-six genes containing a C2 domain were identified in pear and 38 genes contained multiple C2 domains. Whole genome duplication and tandem duplication events were the major forces driving the C2 superfamily expansion, and C2 superfamily members have evolved under negative selection.

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DNA binding with One Finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors with highly conserved Dof domain, including C2-C2 type zinc finger motifs. In this study, we identified 45 PbDofs in pear (Pyrusbretschneideri). PbDofs were classified into eight subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis.

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S-RNase is the female determinant of self-incompatibility (SI) in pear (). After translocation to the pollen tube, S-RNase degrades rRNA and induces pollen tube death in an -haplotype-specific manner. In this study, we found that the actin cytoskeleton is a target of S-RNase (PbrS-RNase) and uncovered a mechanism that involves phosphatidic acid (PA) and protects the pollen tube from PbrS-RNase cytotoxicity.

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Background: The hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) superfamily, comprising three families (arabinogalactan-proteins, AGPs; extensins, EXTs; proline-rich proteins, PRPs), is a class of proline-rich proteins that exhibit high diversity and are involved in many aspects of plant biology.

Results: In this study, 838 HRGPs were identified from Chinese white pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) by searching for biased amino acid composition and conserved motifs. 405 HRGPs were derived from whole genome duplication (WGD) events which is suggested to be the major force of driving HRGPs expansion and the recent WGD event shared by apple and pear generated most duplicated HRGPs in pear.

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Background: Cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) are gaining recognition as regulators of cell-cell communication in plants.

Results: We identified 9556 CRPs in 12 plant species and analysed their evolutionary patterns. In most angiosperm plants, whole genome duplication and segmental duplication are the major factors driving the expansion of CRP family member genes, especially signal peptides.

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