Understanding the Origin and Evolution of Tea (Camellia sinensis [L.]): Genomic Advances in Tea.

Tea, which is processed by the tender shoots or leaves of tea plant (Camellia sinensis), is one of the most popular nonalcoholic beverages in the world and has numerous health benefits for humans. Along with new progress in biotechnologies, the refined chromosome-scale reference tea genomes have been achieved, which facilitates great promise for the understanding of fundamental genomic architecture and evolution of the tea plants. Here, we summarize recent achievements in genome sequencing in tea plants and review the new progress in origin and evolution of tea plants by population sequencing analysis. Understanding the genomic characterization of tea plants is import to improve tea quality and accelerate breeding in tea plants.

The lineage-specific evolution of the oleosin family in Theaceae.

Oleosins play essential roles in stabilization of lipid droplets (LDs) and seed oil production. However, evolution of this gene family has not been reported in Theaceae, a large plant family that contains many important tea and oil tea species. In this study, a total of 65 oleosin genes were identified in nine genome-sequenced Theaceae species. Among these genomes, the gene number of oleosin showed significant difference, with Camellia sinensis var. sinensis cv. Shuchazao and Camellia lanceoleosa displayed more oleosin numbers than other species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Theaceae oleosin genes were classified into three clades (U, SL, SH) respectively. Proteins within the same clade had similar gene structure and motif composition. Segmental duplication was the primary driving force for the evolution of oleosin genes in Shuchazao (SCZ), Huangdan (HD), C.lanceoleosa (Cla), and wild tea (DASZ). Synteny analysis showed that most oleosin genes displayed inter-species synteny among tea and oil tea species. Expression analysis demonstrated that oleosin genes were specifically expressed in seed and kernel of Huangdan (HD) and C.lanceoleosa. Moreover, expression divergence was observed in paralogous pairs and ∼1-2 oleosin genes in each clade have become activate. This study leads to a comprehensive understanding of evolution of oleosin family in Theaceae, and provides a rich resource to further address the functions of oleosin in tea and oil tea species.

Identification and validation of coding and non-coding RNAs involved in high-temperature-mediated seed dormancy in common wheat.

Introduction: Seed dormancy (SD) significantly decreases under high temperature (HT) environment during seed maturation, resulting in pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) damage under prolonged rainfall and wet weather during wheat harvest. However, the molecular mechanism underlying HT-mediated SD remains elusiveSeed dormancy (SD) significantly decreases under high temperature (HT) environment during seed maturation, resulting in pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) damage under prolonged rainfall and wet weather during wheat harvest. However, the molecular mechanism underlying HT-mediated SD remains elusive. Methods: Here, the wheat landrace 'Waitoubai' with strong SD and PHS resistance was treated with HT from 21 to 35 days post anthesis (DPA). Then, the seeds under HT and normal temperature (NT) environments were collected at 21 DPA, 28 DPA, and 35 DPA and subjected to whole-transcriptome sequencing. Results: The phenotypic data showed that the seed germination percentage significantly increased, whereas SD decreased after HT treatment compared with NT, consistent with the results of previous studies. In total, 5128 mRNAs, 136 microRNAs (miRNAs), 273 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and 21 circularRNAs were found to be responsive to HT, and some of them were further verified through qRT-PCR. In particular, the known gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis gene TaGA20ox1 (TraesCS3D02G393900) was proved to be involved in HT-mediated dormancy by using the EMS-mutagenized wheat cultivar Jimai 22. Similarly, a novel gene TaCDPK21 (TraesCS7A02G267000) involved in the calcium signaling pathway was validated to be associated with HT-mediated dormancy by using the EMS mutant. Moreover, TaCDPK21 overexpression in Arabidopsis and functional complementarity tests supported the negative role of TaCDPK21 in SD. We also constructed a co-expression regulatory network based on differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs and found that a novel miR27319 was located at a key node of this regulatory network. Subsequently, using Arabidopsis and rice lines overexpressing miR27319 precursor or lacking miR27319 expression, we validated the positive role of miR27319 in SD and further preliminarily dissected the molecular mechanism of miR27319 underlying SD regulation through phytohormone abscisic acid and GA biosynthesis, catabolism, and signaling pathways. Discussion: These findings not only broaden our understanding of the complex regulatory network of HT-mediated dormancy but also provide new gene resources for improving wheat PHS resistance to minimize PHS damage by using the molecular pyramiding approach.

Amelioration of Lung Fibrosis by Total Flavonoids of Astragalus via Inflammatory Modulation and Epithelium Regeneration.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is identifiable by the excessive increase of mesenchyme paired with the loss of epithelium. Total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA), the main biologically active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi), shows outstanding effects on treating pulmonary disorders, including COVID-19-associated pulmonary dysfunctions. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of TFA on treating pulmonary fibrosis and the possible mechanisms behind these effects. A549 cells were treated with TGF-[Formula: see text]1 and TFA to observe the potential effects of TFA on regulating alveolar epithelial cell proliferation, TGF-[Formula: see text]1-induced EMT, and the underlying mechanisms in vitro. Then, mouse pulmonary fibrosis was induced with a single intra-tracheal injection of bleomycin, and TFA was administrated by i.p. injection. Lung fibrosis was evaluated through histological and molecular analyses, and the possible mechanisms were explored using immunological methods. The results demonstrated that TFA could promote cell proliferation but inhibit TGF-[Formula: see text]1-induced EMT on A549 cells. TFA attenuated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by modulating inflammatory infiltration and M2 macrophage polarization; it furthermore modulated EMT through regulating the TGF-[Formula: see text]1/Smad pathway. In addition, TFA augmented the expression of the Wnt7b protein, which plays an important role in alveolar epithelium reparation. In conclusion, TFA alleviated bleomycin-induced mouse lung fibrosis by preventing the fibrotic response and increasing epithelium regeneration.

Adaptive Divergence without Distinct Species Relationships Indicate Early Stage Ecological Speciation in Species of the Rhododendronpseudochrysanthum Complex Endemic to Taiwan.

The testing association of environmental variables with genetic and epigenetic variation could be crucial to deciphering the effects of environmental factors playing roles as selective drivers in ecological speciation. Although ecological speciation may occur in closely related species, species boundaries may not be established over a short evolutionary timescale. Here, we investigated the genetic and epigenetic variations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP), respectively, and tested their associations with environmental variables in populations of four closely related species in the R. pseudochrysanthum complex. No distinctive species relationships were found using genetic clustering analyses, neighbor-joining tree, and neighbor-net tree based on the total AFLP variation, which is suggestive of the incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral variation. Nonetheless, strong isolation-by-environment and adaptive divergence were revealed, despite the significant isolation-by-distance. Annual mean temperature, elevation, normalized difference vegetation index, and annual total potential evapotranspiration were found to be the most important environmental variables explaining outlier genetic and epigenetic variations. Our results suggest that the four closely related species of the R. pseudochrysanthum complex share the polymorphism of their ancestor, but reproductive isolation due to ecological speciation can occur if local environmental divergence persists over time.

Cloning and Characterization of TaTGW-7A Gene Associated with Grain Weight in Wheat via SLAF-seq-BSA.

Thousand-grain weight (TGW) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) contributes significantly to grain yield. In the present study, a candidate gene associated with TGW was identified through specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) of DNA bulks of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross between Jing 411 and Hongmangchun 21. The gene was located on chromosome 7A, designated as TaTGW-7A with a complete genome sequence and an open reading frame (ORF). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was present in the first exon between two alleles at TaTGW-7A locus, resulting in a Val to Ala substitution, corresponding to a change from higher to lower TGW. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) (TGW7A) and InDel (TG9) markers were developed to discriminate the two alleles TaTGW-7Aa and TaTGW-7Ab for higher and lower TGW, respectively. A major QTL co-segregating with TaTGW-7A explained 21.7-27.1% of phenotypic variance for TGW in the RIL population across five environments. The association of TaTGW-7A with TGW was further validated in a natural population and Chinese mini-core collections. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed higher transcript levels of TaTGW-7Aa than those of TaTGW-7Ab during grain development. High frequencies of the superior allele TaTGW-7Aa for higher TGW in Chinese mini-core collections (65.0%) and 501 wheat varieties (86.0%) indicated a strong and positive selection of this allele in wheat breeding. The molecular markers TGW7A and TG9 can be used for improvement of TGW in breeding programs.

The involvement of the trisulfur radical anion in electron-catalyzed sulfur insertion reactions: facile synthesis of benzothiazine derivatives under transition metal-free conditions.

An efficient and practical synthesis of benzothiazine by K2S initiated sulfur insertion reaction with enaminones via electron catalysis is developed. This protocol provides a new, environment-friendly and simple strategy to construct benzothiazine derivatives via formation of two C-S bonds under transition metal-free, additive-free and oxidant-free conditions. K2S not only provides the sulfur insertion source, but also ignites the reaction through the formation of a trisulfur radical anion and electrons in DMF.

Mn(III)-mediated reactions of 2-isocyanobiaryl with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds: efficient synthesis of 6-alkylated and 6-monofluoro-alkylated phenanthridines.

Mn(III)-mediated reactions of 2-isocyanobiaryls with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds were described for the construction of 6-alkylated and 6-monofluoro-alkylated phenanthridines in moderate to good yields. The reaction involves formation of two new C-C bonds and one C-C bond cleavage.

tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB)-mediated 2-isocyanobiaryl insertion with 1,4-dioxane: efficient synthesis of 6-alkyl phenanthridines via C(sp3)-H/C(sp2)-H bond functionalization.

An efficient method for the construction of 6-alkyl phenanthridines by tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB)-mediated 2-isocyanobiaryl insertion with 1,4-dioxane was established. Two new C-C bonds were formed in this reaction via a sequential C(sp(3))-H/C(sp(2))-H bond functionalization under metal-free conditions.

[Study on the identification of ganoderma by multi-steps infrared macro-fingerprint method].

Ganoderma lucidum, ganoderma atrum, ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense can be discriminated and identified by using multi-steps infrared macro-fingerprint method. The 1D-1R spectra, based on the peaks intensity at 1153 and 1078 cm(-1), which are the fingerprint characteristic peaks of glucoside compounds, show that the content of glucoside compounds of them was in the order of: ganoderma lucidum>ganoderma atrum>ganderma tsugae Murr. >ganoderma lipsiense. Generally, the second derivative IR spectra can clearly enhance the spectra resolution. In the range of 1600-1720 cm(-1), the position and sharpness of characteristics peaks were very different, and it's proved that amino acid peptide compounds of them were different. In the 2D-IR spectra, four of them have the same autopeak at 1100 cm(-1), which is the autopeaks of glucoside, but the number of autopeaks of ganoderma lucidum was 4 and its strongest autopeak was 1040 cm(-1), while 5 autopeaks, 4 autopeaks and 5 autopeaks were for ganoderma atrum, ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense respectively, and their strongest autopeaks were 1040, 1139, 1140 and 1134 cm(-1) respectively. The multi-steps infrared maro-fingerprint identification testified that the contents of glucoside compounds and amino acid peptide compounds in these four kinds of ganoderma are different. It's proved that multi-steps infrared maro-fingerprint method can be used to analyze and distinguish ganoderma lucidum, ganoderma atrum, ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense.