Transcriptome modulation by endophyte drives rice seedlings response to Pb stress.

This study investigated the growth, SPAD value, chlorophyll fluorescence and transcriptome response of endophyte uninoculated and inoculated rice seedlings under Pb stress after treatment of 1 d and 5 d. Inoculation of endophytes significantly improved the plant height, SPAD value, Fv/F0, Fv/Fm and PIABS by 1.29, 1.73, 0.16, 1.25 and 1.90 times on the 1 d, by 1.07, 2.45, 0.11, 1.59 and 7.90 times on the 5 d, respectively, however, decreased the root length by 1.11 and 1.65 times on the 1 d and 5 d, respectively under Pb stress. Analysis of rice seedlings leaves by RNA-seq, there were 574 down-regulated and 918 up-regulated genes after treatment of 1 d, 205 down-regulated and 127 up-regulated genes after treatment of 5 d, of which 20 genes (11 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated) exhibited the same changing pattern after treatment of 1 d and 5 d. Using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to annotate these DEGs, and it was found that many of DEGs involved in photosynthesis, oxidative detoxification, hormone synthesis and signal transduction, protein phosphorylation/kinase and transcription factors. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of interaction between endophyte and plants under heavy metal stress, and contribute to agricultural production in limited environments.

Synthesis of 3D graphene-based materials and their applications for removing dyes and heavy metals.

Contamination of water streams by dyes and heavy metals has become a major problem due to their persistence, accumulation, and toxicity. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate and/or reduce these contaminants before discharge into the natural environment. In recent years, 3D graphene has drawn intense research interests owing to its large surface area, superior charge conductivity, and thermal conductivity properties. Due to their unique surface and structural properties, 3D graphene-based materials (3D GBMs) are regarded as ideal adsorbents for decontamination and show great potential in wastewater or exhaust gas treatment. Here, this minireview summarizes the recent progress on 3D GBMs synthesis and their applications for adsorbing dyes and heavy metals from wastewater based on the structures and properties of 3D GBMs, which provides valuable insights into 3D GBMs' application in the environmental field.

Physicochemical characterization and the hypoglycemia effects of polysaccharide isolated from Passiflora edulis Sims peel.

One polysaccharide, designated as WPEP-A, was isolated from Passiflora edulis Sims peel and its hypoglycemic effects on diabetic db/db mice were evaluated. Physicochemical characterization showed that WPEP-A was composed of galactose, glucose, xylose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid with a molecular weight of 9.51 × 104 Da. We observed an inhibition in weight gain and blood glucose levels. Glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance improved after the administration of WPEP-A. In addition, our data showed increased antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, the levels of serum insulin and triglyceride decreased with the recovery of liver damage. Meanwhile, positive changes in short chain fatty acid content were observed, and the mRNA levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor, glucagon and prohormone convertase 3 were up-regulated in the intestinal tract. In summary, our results showed that WPEP-A had hypoglycemic activity and improved intestinal function in diabetic mice, which may contribute to the attenuation of the hypoglycemia effects.

Progress in modifications of 3D graphene-based adsorbents for environmental applications.

3D graphene-based materials are promising adsorbents for environmental applications. Furthermore, increasing attention has been paid to the improvement of 3D graphene adsorbents for removing pollutants. In this article, the progress in the modification of 3D graphene materials and their performance for removing pollutants were reviewed. The modification strategies, which were classified as (1) the activation with CO2 (steam and other oxidants) and (2) the surface functionalization with polymers (metals, and metal oxides), were evaluated. The performances of modified 3D graphene materials were assessed for the removal of waste gases (such as CO2), refractory organics, and heavy metals. The challenges and future research directions were discussed for the environmental applications of 3D graphene materials.