A sensitive sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensing platform based on Ti3C2Tx/MoS2/MWCNT@rGONR composites for simultaneous detection of kanamycin and chloramphenicol in food samples.

A Ti3C2Tx/MoS2/MWCNT@rGONR nanocomposite was prepared for the first time for building a sensitive electrochemical aptasening platform to simultaneously detect kanamycin (Kana) and chloramphenicol (Cap). Owing to their accordion-like structure, rich surface groups, and high charge mobility, Ti3C2Tx/MoS2/MWCNT@rGONR composites provided a spacious covalent immobilization surface and a better electrochemical aptasensing platform. The aptamers of Kana and Cap used in sensors enhance the selectivity. Furthermore, TiP, an ion exchanger, was used for loading more different metal ions functioning as labels to form a sandwich-type sensor together with Ti3C2Tx/MoS2/MWCNT@rGONR, improving the electrochemical sensitivity and obtaining a highly distinguishable signal readout. Under the optimized conditions, the sensor has good detection limits of 0.135 nmol L-1 and 0.173 nmol L-1 for Kana and Cap, respectively, at the same linearity concentration of 0.5-2500 nmol L-1. Finally, it was successfully applied for detection in milk and fish meat, and the results were compared with the standard method HPLC, indicating its great potential for food safety monitoring.

Create artilysins from a recombinant library to serve as bactericidal and antibiofilm agents targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical pathogen and novel treatments are urgently needed. The out membrane of P. aeruginosa facilitates biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, and hinders the exogenous application against Gram-negative bacteria of endolysins. Engineered endolysins are investigated for enhancing antimicrobial activity, exemplified by artilysins. Nevertheless, existing research predominantly relies on laborious and time-consuming approaches of individually artilysin identification. This study proposes a novel strategy for expedited artilysin discovery using a recombinant artilysin library comprising proteins derived from 38 antimicrobial peptides and 8 endolysins. In this library, 19 colonies exhibited growth inhibition against P. aeruginosa exceeding 50 %, and three colonies were designated as dutarlysin-1, dutarlysin-2 and dutarlysin-3. Remarkably, dutarlysin-1, dutarlysin-2 and dutarlysin-3 demonstrated rapid and enhanced antibacterial activity, even 2 µmol/L of them killed approximately 4.93 lg units, 6.75 lg units and 5.36 lg units P. aeruginosa, respectively. Dutarlysins were highly refractory to P. aeruginosa resistance development. Furthermore, 2 µmol/L dutarlysin-1 and dutarlysin-3 effectively eradicated over 81 % of the mature biofilm. These dutarlysins exhibited potential broad-spectrum activity against hospital susceptible Gram-negative bacteria. These results supported the effectiveness of this artilysins discovery strategy and suggested dutarlysin-1 and dutarlysin-3 could be promising antimicrobial agents for combating P. aeruginosa.

Identification of distinct symptom profiles in prostate cancer patients with cancer-related cognitive impairment undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: A latent class analysis.

Objective: To identify latent classes of cognitive impairment and co-occurring symptoms (fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, depression) as clusters in patients with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy and to explore the predictors among distinct latent classes. Methods: A total of 228 patients with prostate cancer were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The assessment instrument included the Perceived Cognitive Impairment Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Brief Pain Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form, the Charlson comorbidity index, and General Information questionnaire. The identification of different patient subgroups was done by the latent class analysis. Results: The study identified three distinct latent classes: all low symptoms (class 1, 32%), high depression symptoms (class 2, 37.7%), and high physical symptoms (fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain) with high cognitive impairment (class 3, 30.3%). Patients who had higher Charlson comorbidity index (P = 0.003) scores were more likely to be classified in class 3. Patients with higher loneliness scores (P < 0.001; P < 0.001) were significantly more likely to fall into class two or three than in class 1. However, having a higher level of physical activity (P = 0.014; P < 0.001) increased the likelihood of being in class 1. Conclusions: This study exhibited the inter-individual variability of symptom experience in prostate cancer patients with cognitive impairment undergoing androgen deprivation therapy. The result suggests that more emphasis should be placed on screening for fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain, and future interventions should focus on loneliness and physical activity.

Medical radiation exposure in inflammatory bowel disease: an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There have been previous studies and earlier systematic review on the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and radiation exposure. With the diversification of current test methods, this study intended to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the IBD radiation exposure in recent years. METHODS: Three databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, and MEDICINE) for relevant literature up to May 1, 2023 were searched. The statistical data meeting requirements were collated and extracted. RESULTS: 20 papers were enrolled. The overall high radiation exposure rate was 15% (95% CI = [12%, 19%]) for CD and 5% (95% CI = [3%, 7%]) for UC. The pooled result found that high radiation exposure rate was 3.44 times higher in CD than in UC (OR = 3.44, 95% CI = [2.35, 5.02]). Moreover, the average radiation exposure level in CD was 12.77 mSv higher than that in UC (WMD = 12.77, 95% CI = [9.93, 15.62] mSv). Furthermore, radiation exposure level of CD after 2012 was higher than those before 2012 (26.42 ± 39.61vs. 23.76 ± 38.46 mSv, P = 0.016), while UC did not show similar result (11.99 ± 27.66 vs. 10.01 ± 30.76 mSv, P = 0.1). Through subgroup analysis, it was found that disease duration (WMD = 2.75, 95% CI = [0.10, 5.40] mSv), complications (OR = 5.09, 95% CI = [1.50, 17.29]), and surgical history (OR = 5.46, 95% CI = [1.51, 19.69]) significantly increased the proportion of high radiation exposure. CONCLUSION: This study found that radiation exposure level of IBD patients was high, which revealed the radiation risk in the process of diagnosis and treatment of IBD patients. In the future, longer follow-up and prospective studies are needed to reveal the relationship between high radiation exposure and solid tumorigenesis.

Abdominal pain caused by Tibetan medicine: A case report of lead poisoning.

Nowadays, lead poisoning in children commonly occurs, but lead poisoning caused by the administration of Tibetan medicine is rarely reported. This report describes the diagnosis and management of lead poisoning in a 16-year-old girl presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, and anemia with limb numbness, who had a childhood history of epilepsy and took Tibetan medicine intermittently to control the symptoms. After admission into hospital, Computed tomography showed high-density shadows in the gastrointestinal tract. Video-Electroencephalography showed no signs of seizure. Reflux esophagitis was observed in gastroscopy. And no obvious abnormalities in the colonic mucosa through colonoscopy. Bone marrow smear test showed basophilic stippling in the erythrocytes. The blood and urine lead levels of 626 and 75.9 µg/L, respectively. We therefore considered lead poisoning, and the patient improved after chelation therapy. Due to its atypical clinical manifestations, lead poisoning is easily misdiagnosed. Thus, clinicians should pay more attention to this disease. When abdominal pain, anemia, and neurological symptoms are present, the possibility of lead poisoning should be considered.

Mammalian IRE1α dynamically and functionally coalesces with stress granules.

Upon endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, activation of the ER-resident transmembrane protein kinase/endoribonuclease inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) initiates a key branch of the unfolded protein response (UPR) through unconventional splicing generation of the transcription factor X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1s). Activated IRE1 can form large clusters/foci, whose exact dynamic architectures and functional properties remain largely elusive. Here we report that, in mammalian cells, formation of IRE1α clusters is an ER membrane-bound phase separation event that is coupled to the assembly of stress granules (SGs). In response to different stressors, IRE1α clusters are dynamically tethered to SGs at the ER. The cytosolic linker portion of IRE1α possesses intrinsically disordered regions and is essential for its condensation with SGs. Furthermore, disruption of SG assembly abolishes IRE1α clustering and compromises XBP1 mRNA splicing, and such IRE1α-SG coalescence engenders enrichment of the biochemical components of the pro-survival IRE1α-XBP1 pathway during ER stress. Our findings unravel a phase transition mechanism for the spatiotemporal assembly of IRE1α-SG condensates to establish a more efficient IRE1α machinery, thus enabling higher stress-handling capacity.

A novel conditional survival nomogram for monitoring real-time prognosis of non-metastatic colorectal cancer.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to enhance the accuracy of monitoring and treatment information for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, a cohort of 335,948 eligible CRC patients was included in this investigation. Conditional survival probability and actuarial overall survival were employed as methodologies to investigate the association between clinicopathological characteristics and cancer prognosis. RESULTS: Among CRC patients, the 5-year survival rate was 59%, while the 10-year survival rate was 42%. Over time, conditional survival showed a consistent increase, with rates reaching 45% and 48% for individuals surviving 1 and 2 years, respectively. Notably, patients with unfavorable tumor stages exhibited substantial improvements in conditional survival, thereby narrowing the disparity with actuarial overall survival over time. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the significance of time-dependent conditional survival probability, particularly for patients with a poorer prognosis. The findings suggest that long-term CRC survivors may experience improved cancer prognosis over time.

Hederagenin reduces Aß-induced oxidative damage, decreases Aß deposition and promotes cell survival by the P13†K/Akt signaling pathway.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment. ß-amyloid (Aß) is one of the typical pathological features of AD, and its accumulation leads to neuronal death from oxidative stress. Here, we found that hederagenin (HG), a natural product, exhibits anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, anti-neurodegenerative biological activities. However, whether HG has anti-Aß activity remains unclear. Based on the characteristics of HG, it is hypothesized that HG has biological activity against Aß injury. Therefore, Aß-injured SH-SY5Y cells were constructed, and the protective effect of HG against Aß injury was further evaluated using C. elegans. The results showed that HG increased superoxide dismutase activity, effectively reduced Aß-induced oxidative damage, and reduced apoptosis via the PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway. HG inhibited Aß deposition and delayed senescence and paralysis in the C. elegans strain, CL4176. HG showed inhibitory effects on Aß; therefore, more natural active products are expected to be applied in AD therapy.

Matrine exhibits antiviral activities against PEDV by directly targeting Spike protein of the virus and inducing apoptosis via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is a highly contagious virus that causes Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED). This enteric disease results in high mortality rates in piglets, leading to significant financial losses in the pig industry. However, vaccines cannot provide sufficient protection against epidemic strains. Spike (S) protein exposed on the surface of virion mediates PEDV entry into cells. Our findings imply that matrine (MT), a naturally occurring alkaloid, inhibits PEDV infection targeting S protein of virions and biological process of cells. The GLY434 residue in the autodocking site of the S protein and MT conserved based on sequence comparison. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of viral attachment, entry, and virucidal effects to investigate how that MT inhibits virus replication. MT inhibits PEDV attachment and entry by targeting S protein. MT was added to cells before, during, or after infection, it exhibits anti-PEDV activities and viricidal effects. Network pharmacology focuses on addressing causal mechanisms rather than just treating symptoms. We identified the key genes and screened the cell apoptosis involved in the inhibition of MT on PEDV infection in network pharmacology. MT significantly promotes cell apoptosis in PEDV-infected cells to inhibit PEDV infection by activating the MAPK signaling pathway. Collectively, we provide the biological foundations for the development of single components of traditional Chinese medicine to inhibit PEDV infection and spread.

Bone morphogenetic protein-6 suppresses TGF-ß2-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in retinal pigment epithelium.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) on transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß2-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). METHODS: Adult retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) were randomly divided into control, TGF-ß2 (5 µg/L), and BMP-6 small interfering RNA (siRNA) group. The cell morphology was observed by microscopy, and the cell migration ability were detected by Transwell chamber. The EMT-related indexes and BMP-6 protein levels were detected by Western blotting. Furthermore, a BMP-6 overexpression plasmid was constructed and RPE cells were divided into the control group, TGF-ß2+empty plasmid group, BMP-6 overexpression group, and TGF-ß2+BMP-6 overexpression group. The EMT-related indexes and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) protein levels were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the migration of RPE cells in the TGF-ß2 group was significantly enhanced. TGF-ß2 increased the protein expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin and vimentin but significantly decreased the protein levels of E-cadherin and BMP-6 (P<0.05) in RPE. Similarly, the migration of RPE cells in the BMP-6 siRNA group was also significantly enhanced. BMP-6 siRNA increased the protein expression levels of α-SMA, fibronectin and vimentin but significantly decreased the protein expression levels of E-cadherin (P<0.05). Overexpression of BMP-6 inhibited the migration of RPE cells induced by TGF-ß2 and prevented TGF-ß2 from affecting EMT-related biomarkers (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: BMP-6 prevents the EMT in RPE cells induced by TGF-ß2, which may provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Spatial spillovers of violent conflict amplify the impacts of climate variability on malaria risk in sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden, accounting for 94% of malaria cases and deaths worldwide in 2019. It is also a politically unstable region and the most vulnerable continent to climate change in recent decades. Knowledge about the modifying impacts of violent conflict on climate-malaria relationships remains limited. Here, we quantify the associations between violent conflict, climate variability, and malaria risk in sub-Saharan Africa using health surveys from 128,326 individuals, historical climate data, and 17,429 recorded violent conflicts from 2006 to 2017. We observe that spatial spillovers of violent conflict (SSVCs) have spatially distant effects on malaria risk. Malaria risk induced by SSVCs within 50 to 100 km from the households gradually increases from 0.1% (not significant, P>0.05) to 6.5% (95% CI: 0 to 13.0%). SSVCs significantly promote malaria risk within the average 20.1 to 26.9 °C range. At the 12-mo mean temperature of 22.5 °C, conflict deaths have the largest impact on malaria risk, with an approximately 5.8% increase (95% CI: 1.0 to 11.0%). Additionally, a pronounced association between SSVCs and malaria risk exists in the regions with 9.2 wet days per month. The results reveal that SSVCs increase population exposure to harsh environments, amplifying the effect of warm temperature and persistent precipitation on malaria transmission. Violent conflict therefore poses a substantial barrier to mosquito control and malaria elimination efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings support effective targeting of treatment programs and vector control activities in conflict-affected regions with a high malaria risk.

Biosynthesis of Enfumafungin-type Antibiotic Reveals an Unusual Enzymatic Fusion Pattern and Unprecedented C-C Bond Cleavage.

Enfumafungin-type antibiotics, represented by enfumafungin and fuscoatroside, belong to a distinct group of triterpenoids derived from fungi. These compounds exhibit significant antifungal properties with ibrexafungerp, a semisynthetic derivative of enfumafungin, recently gaining FDA's approval as the first oral antifungal drug for treating invasive vulvar candidiasis. Enfumafungin-type antibiotics possess a cleaved E-ring with an oxidized carboxyl group and a reduced methyl group at the break site, suggesting unprecedented C-C bond cleavage chemistry involved in their biosynthesis. Here, we show that a 4-gene (fsoA, fsoD, fsoE, fsoF) biosynthetic gene cluster is sufficient to yield fuscoatroside by heterologous expression in Aspergillus oryzae. Notably, FsoA is an unheard-of terpene cyclase-glycosyltransferase fusion enzyme, affording a triterpene glycoside product that relies on enzymatic fusion. FsoE is a P450 enzyme that catalyzes successive oxidation reactions at C19 to facilitate a C-C bond cleavage, producing an oxidized carboxyl group and a reduced methyl group that have never been observed in known P450 enzymes. Our study thus sets the important foundation for the manufacture of enfumafungin-type antibiotics using biosynthetic approaches.

Delaying the First Nucleation Event of Amorphous Solid Dispersions Above the Polymer Overlap Concentration (c*): PVP and PVPVA in Posaconazole.

A thorough understanding of effects of polymers on crystallization of amorphous drugs is essential for rational design of robust amorphous solid dispersion (ASD), since crystallization of the amorphous drug negates their solubility advantage. In this work, we measured the first nucleation time (t0, time to form the first critical nucleus in fresh liquid/glass) in posaconazole (POS)/polyvinylpyrrolidone vinyl acetate (PVPVA) and POS/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP K25) ASDs and showed that the polymer overlap concentration (c*, concentration above which adjacent polymer chains begin to contact) is critical in controlling crystallization of ASDs. When polymer concentration c < c*, t0 of POS ASDs is approximately equal to that of the neat amorphous POS, but it increases significantly when c > c*. This observation supports the view that the effective inhibitory effect of crystallization in ASDs above c* is primarily correlated with delay in the first nucleation event. Our finding is useful in efficient polymer selection and performance prediction of high drug loaded ASD formulations.

Variations and reduction of plastome are associated with the evolution of parasitism in Convolvulaceae.

Parasitic lifestyle can often relax the constraint on the plastome, leading to gene pseudogenization and loss, and resulting in diverse genomic structures and rampant genome degradation. Although several plastomes of parasitic Cuscuta have  been reported, the evolution of parasitism in the family Convolvulaceae which is linked to structural variations and reduction of plastome has not been well investigated. In this study, we assembled and collected 40 plastid genomes belonging to 23 species representing four subgenera of Cuscuta and ten species of autotrophic Convolvulaceae. Our findings revealed nine types of structural variations and six types of inverted repeat (IR) boundary variations in the plastome of Convolvulaceae spp. These structural variations were associated with the shift of parasitic lifestyle, and IR boundary shift, as well as the abundance of long repeats. Overall, the degradation of Cuscuta plastome proceeded gradually, with one clade exhibiting an accelerated degradation rate. We observed five stages of gene loss in Cuscuta, including NAD(P)H complex → PEP complex → Photosynthesis-related → Ribosomal protein subunits → ATP synthase complex. Based on our results, we speculated that the shift of parasitic lifestyle in early divergent time promoted relaxed selection on plastomes, leading to the accumulation of microvariations, which ultimately resulted in the plastome reduction. This study provides new evidence towards a better understanding of plastomic evolution, variation, and reduction in the genus Cuscuta.

Altered cortical thickness and structural covariance networks in chronic low back pain.

BACKGROUND: Despite regional brain structural changes having been reported in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), the topological properties of structural covariance networks (SCNs), which refer to the organization of the SCNs, remain unclear. This study applied graph theoretical analysis to explore the alterations of the topological properties of SCNs, aiming to comprehend the integration and separation of SCNs in patients with CLBP. METHODS: A total of 38 patients with CLBP and 38 healthy controls (HCs), balanced for age and sex, were scanned using three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The cortical thickness was extracted from 68 brain regions, according to the Desikan-Killiany atlas, and used to reconstruct the SCNs. Subsequently, graph theoretical analysis was employed to evaluate the alterations of the topological properties in the SCNs of patients with CLBP. RESULTS: In comparison to HCs, patients with CLBP had less cortical thickness in the left superior frontal cortex. Additionally, the cortical thickness of the left superior frontal cortex was negatively correlated with the Visual Analogue Scale scores of patients with CLBP. Furthermore, patients with CLBP, relative to HCs, exhibited lower global efficiency and small-worldness, as well as a longer characteristic path length. This indicates a decline in the brain's capacity to transmit and process information, potentially impacting the processing of pain signals in patients with CLBP and contributing to the development of CLBP. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the clustering coefficient, local efficiency, nodal efficiency, nodal betweenness centrality, or nodal degree between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: From the regional cortical thickness to the complex brain network level, our study demonstrated changes in the cortical thickness and topological properties of the SCNs in patients with CLBP, thus aiding in a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of CLBP.

Altered volume of the amygdala subregions in patients with chronic low back pain.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have suggested a pivotal role for the amygdala involvement in chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, the relationship between the amygdala subregions and CLBP has not yet been delineated. This study aimed to analyze whether the amygdala subregions were linked to the development of CLBP. Methods: A total of 45 patients with CLBP and 45 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. All subjects were asked to complete a three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (3D-T1 MRI) scan. FreeSurfer 7.3.2 was applied to preprocess the structural MRI images and segment the amygdala into nine subregions. Afterwards, comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of the volumes of the amygdala subregions. Correlation analysis is utilized to examine the relationship between the amygdala subregion and the scale scores, as well as the pain duration in patients with CLBP. Additionally, logistic regression was used to explore the risk of the amygdala and its subregions for CLBP. Results: In comparison to HCs, patients with CLBP exhibited a significant enlargement of the left central nucleus (Ce) and left cortical nucleus (Co). Furthermore, the increased volume of the left Ce was associated with a higher risk of CLBP. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the left Ce and left Co may be involved in the pathophysiological processes of CLBP. Moreover, the volume of the left Ce may be a biomarker for detecting the risk of CLBP.

[Construction of the Whole Process Management Model of Hospice and Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic].

Objective To construct a scientific and practical management model of the hospice and palliative care outpatient clinic and provide a reference for the operation and development of the outpatient clinic. Methods The basic framework of the whole process management model of hospice and palliative care outpatient clinic was determined preliminarily by literature analysis,qualitative interviews and experts group meetings.Two rounds of consultation were conducted among 18 experts in hospice and palliative care and medical-nursing combined outpatient service by the Delphi method. Results The questionnaire response rates of the two rounds of expert consultation were both 100% and the authority coefficients of the two rounds of expert consultation were 0.88 and 0.91,respectively.Finally,the whole process management model of hospice and palliative care outpatient clinic was constructed,which was composed of three first-level indicators including staff composition,work structure and effect evaluation,5 second-level indicators and 62 third-level indicators. Conclusion The constructed whole process management model is scientific,innovative and continuous,which can provide a reference for the operation and development of the hospice and palliative care outpatient clinic.

Enhancing In Vivo Electroporation Efficiency through Hyaluronidase: Insights into Plasmid Distribution and Optimization Strategies.

Electroporation (EP) stands out as a promising non-viral plasmid delivery strategy, although achieving optimal transfection efficiency in vivo remains a challenge. A noteworthy advancement in the field of in vivo EP is the application of hyaluronidase, an enzyme with the capacity to degrade hyaluronic acid in the extracellular matrix, which thereby enhances DNA transfer efficiency by 2- to 3-fold. This paper focuses on elucidating the mechanism of hyaluronidase's impact on transfection efficiency. We demonstrate that hyaluronidase promotes a more uniform distribution of plasmid DNA (pDNA) within skeletal muscle. Additionally, our study investigates the effect of the timing of hyaluronidase pretreatment on EP efficiency by including time intervals of 0, 5, and 30 min between hyaluronidase treatment and the application of pulses. Serum levels of the pDNA-encoded transgene reveal a minimal influence of the hyaluronidase pretreatment time on the final serum protein levels following delivery in both mice and rabbit models. Leveraging bioimpedance measurements, we capture morphological changes in muscle induced by hyaluronidase treatment, which result in a varied pDNA distribution. Subsequently, these findings are employed to optimize EP electrical parameters following hyaluronidase treatment in animal models. This paper offers novel insights into the potential of hyaluronidase in enhancing the effectiveness of in vivo EP, as well as guides optimized electroporation strategies following hyaluronidase use.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulate nitrogen signaling using temporal transcriptome analysis in foxtail millet.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a chemically reactive chemical substance containing oxygen and a natural by-product of normal oxygen metabolism. Excessive ROS affect the growth process of crops, which will lead to the decrease of yield. Nitrogen, as a critical nutrient element in plants and plays a vital role in plant growth and crop production. Nitrate is the primary nitrogen source available to plants in agricultural soil and various natural environments. However, the molecular mechanism of ROS-nitrate crosstalk is still unclear. In this study, we used the foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) as the material to figure it out. Here, we show that excessive NaCl inhibits nitrate-promoted plant growth and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). NaCl induces ROS accumulation in roots, and ROS inhibits nitrate-induced gene expression in a short time. Surprisingly, low concentration ROS slight promotes and high concentration of ROS inhibits foxtail millet growth under long-term H2O2 treatment. These results may open a new perspective for further exploration of ROS-nitrate signaling pathway in plants.