Non-Random Distribution of EMS-Induced Mutations Reveals Preference for Open Chromatin and Expressed Genes in Rice.

Mutagenesis is an effective strategy to generate genetic resources for functional genomics and crop improvement. It is widely accepted that chemical-induced mutations are randomly distributed across the genome. However, the randomness of such mutations remains a matter of scientific debate due to a lack of systematic investigation.

OsSPL9 promotes Cu uptake and translocation in rice grown in high-Fe red soil.

Most rice varieties are able to grow in red high-Fe soil, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Through forward genetic screening, we identified a red soil-sensitive-1 (rss1) mutant that exhibited severely retarded growth when grown in red soil but showed no evident phenotype in cinnamon soil. Under the red soil/high-Fe conditions, rss1 exhibited increased Fe but decreased copper (Cu) concentrations in both roots and shoots, and the rss1 phenotype was partially rescued by Cu supplement.

Genome-Wide Study of Plant-Specific PLATZ Transcription Factors and Functional Analysis of in Regulating Caryopsis Development of Rice ( L.).

Plant A/T-rich sequence- and zinc-binding protein (PLATZ) is a type of plant-specific zinc-dependent DNA-binding protein that binds to A/T-rich DNA sequences. This family is essential for plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, 15 were identified in the rice genome with complete PLATZ-conserved domains by CD-search, similar to those found in angiosperms.

Histochemical studies on the distribution and accumulation of trans-polyisoprene in the rubber-producing plant Eucommia ulmoides.

Eucommia ulmoides rubber (EUR) is a high-quality natural rubber resource, which can be extracted from different organs of the Eucommia ulmoides tree. In this study, EUR was isolated from the leaves, barks, and pericarps, and the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of EUR were systematically determined. The accumulation and distribution of EUR in different tissues were assessed through in situ observations combined with cellular and subcellular scales.

The leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase OsERL plays a critical role in anther lobe formation in rice.

In Arabidopsis, ERECTA (ER) subfamily of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) play important roles in cell division and cell elongation. However, the functions of OsER genes in rice are still very much unknown. In this study, sixty-seven TILLING and four gene-edited mutants were identified for one of the three OsERs, OsERL, and used for functional analyses.

Defective mitochondrial function by mutation in THICK ALEURONE 1 encoding a mitochondrion-targeted single-stranded DNA-binding protein leads to increased aleurone cell layers and improved nutrition in rice.

Cereal endosperm comprises an outer aleurone and an inner starchy endosperm. Although these two tissues have the same developmental origin, they differ in morphology, cell fate, and storage product accumulation, with the mechanism largely unknown. Here, we report the identification and characterization of rice thick aleurone 1 (ta1) mutant that shows an increased number of aleurone cell layers and increased contents of nutritional factors including proteins, lipids, vitamins, dietary fibers, and micronutrients.

Efficient CELI endonuclease production in Nicotiana benthamiana through transient expression and applications in detections of mutation and gene editing events.

Rapid and low-cost methods of detecting mutations and polymorphisms are crucial for genotyping applications including mutagenesis and gene editing. S1 family endonucleases such as T7E1, EndoV and CELI can potentially be used in enzymatic mismatch detection. Among them, CELI has been shown to be effective in detecting mutations in Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING).

Is Required for Formation of the Stigma and Style in Rice.

The stigma is the entry point for sexual reproduction in plants, but the mechanisms underlying stigma development are largely unknown. Here, we disrupted putative auxin biosynthetic and signaling genes to evaluate their roles in rice () development. Disruption of the rice () gene completely eliminated the development of stigmas, and overexpression of led to overproliferation of stigmas, suggesting that is a key determinant for stigma development.

An efficient TILLING platform for cultivated tobacco.

Targeting-induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING) is a powerful reverse-genetics tool that enables high-throughput screening of genomic variations in plants. Although TILLING has been developed for many diploid plants, the technology has been used in very few polyploid species due to their genomic complexity. Here, we established an efficient capillary electrophoresis-based TILLING platform for allotetraploid cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.

Strain-sensitive electrical conductivity of carbon nanotube-graphene-filled rubber composites under cyclic loading.

Conductive rubber nanocomposites have been attracting interest for strain sensing applications owing to their large deformation and high sensitivity. In this paper, the strain sensing behavior of room temperature vulcanized (RTV) hybrid silicone rubber composites containing carbon nanotubes and graphene was systematically investigated. We studied the effects of the nanofiller content and strain amplitude on the strain sensing behavior of the nanocomposites, and found good stability and durability during cyclic loading.

[Algorithm for Background Removal in Spectral Image of Echelle Spectrometer].

Echelle spectrometer gets full spectrum by transient direct reading because of the characteristic of cross-dispersion. The two-dimension spectra received by flat-plane detector needs to be reduced to one-dimension spectra so that the effective wavelength can be detected. Because of huge original data and few effective data, background removal plays an important role of decreasing the amount of data and improving data processing speed.

[Study on the Design of Prism Hyperspectral Imaging System Based on Off-Axis Two-Mirror Littrow Configuration].

In order to meet the requirements of high spectral resolution and high image quality on the hyperspectral imaging system, and to meet the new demands of miniaturization, light weight, and high optical efficiency in practical applications, a prism known as hyperspectral imaging system based on Littrow configuration is designed. The use of off-axis two-mirror Littrow configuration is to reduce the size of the optical system and provide a collimated beam for the plane prisms. To avoid the optical path interference, the macro programming optimization is applied.

[An Effective Wavelength Detection Method Based on Echelle Spectra Reduction].

Echelle spectrometer with high dispersion, high resolution, wide spectral coverage, full spectrum transient direct-reading and many other advantages, is one of the representative of the advanced spectrometer. In the commercialization trend of echelle spectrometer, the method of two-dimension spectra image processing is becoming more and more important. Currently, centroid extraction algorithm often be used first to detect the centroid position of effective facula and then combined with echelle spectrum reduction method to detect the effective wavelength, but this method is more difficult to achieve the desired requirements.

[Nanomechanical properties of vertebral trabeculae in ovariectomized rats].

Objective: To study the nanomechanical properties of the vertebral trabeculae of ovariectomized rat using nanoindentation.

Methods: Twenty 10-month-old SD rats were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: ovariectomized (OVX) group and Sham operation (SHAM) group. Fifteen weeks post-operationally dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) of the total body and of the sixth lumbar vertebra.

[Digital speckle correlation method: a technique to evaluate the tensile property of articular cartilage].

Objective: To establish a new technique for evaluation of the tensile property of articular cartilage using digital speckle correlation method (DSCM).

Methods: Three specimens of whole layer articular cartilage of the size of 10 mm x 4 mm were prepared from the cartilage of head of femur replaced from a 52-year-old male suffering from fracture of neck of femur (old control), the amputated tibia plateau of a 16-year-old female suffering from osteosarcoma (young control), and the cartilage of head of femur of a 19-year-old female suffering from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy (SEDT-PA) and then underwent DSCM in U and V fields.

Results: The specimens of the 2 controls showed a smooth surface of cartilage and homologous deformation while the specimen of the SEDT-PA patient showed a rough surface of cartilage and deformation with increased undulation.