Molecular Mechanism of GmSNE3 Ubiquitin Ligase-Mediated Inhibition of Soybean Nodulation by Halosulfuron Methyl.

In this study, the role of E3 ubiquitin ligase GmSNE3 in halosulfuron methyl (HSM) inhibiting soybean nodulation was investigated. GmSNE3 was strongly induced by HSM stress, and the overexpression of GmSNE3 significantly reduced the number of soybean nodules. Further investigation found that GmSNE3 could interact with a nodulation signaling pathway 1 protein (GmNSP1a) and GmSNE3 could mediate the degradation of GmNSP1a. Importantly, GmSNE3-mediated degradation of GmNSP1a could be promoted by HSM stress. Moreover, HSM stress and the overexpression of GmSNE3 resulted in a substantial decrease in the expression of the downstream target genes of GmNSP1a. These results revealed that HSM promotes the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of GmNSP1a by inducing GmSNE3, thereby inhibiting the regulatory effect of GmNSP1a on its downstream target genes and ultimately leading to a reduction in nodulation. Our findings will promote a better understanding of the toxic mechanism of herbicides on the symbiotic nodulation between legumes and rhizobia.

Eliminating Voids and Residual PbI2 beneath a Perovskite Film via Buried Interface Modification for Efficient Solar Cells.

The commercialization process of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is markedly restricted by the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and long-term stability. During fabrication and operation, the bottom interface of the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite layer frequently exhibits voids and residual PbI2, while these defects inevitably act as recombination centers and degradation sites, affecting the efficiency and stability of the devices. Therefore, the degradation and nonradiative recombination originating from the buried interface should be thoroughly resolved. Here, we report a multifunctional passivator by introducing malonic dihydrazide as an interfacial chemical bridge between the electron transport layer and the perovskite (PVK) layer. MADH with hydrazine groups improves the surface affinity of SnO2 and provides nucleation sites for the growth of PVK, leading to the reduced residual PbI2 and the voids resulting from the inhomogeneous solvent volatilization at the bottom interface. Meanwhile, the hydrazine group and carbonyl group synergistically coordinate with Pb2+ to improve the crystal growth environment, reducing the number of Pb-related defects. Eventually, the PCE of the PSCs is significantly enhanced benefiting from the reduced interfacial defects and the increased carrier transport. Moreover, the reductive nature of hydrazide further inhibits I2 generation during long-term operation, and the device retains 90% of the initial PCE under a 1 sun continuous illumination exposure of 700 h.

Kinetic and Computational Studies of CO Oxidation and PROX on Cu/CeO2 Nanospheres.

As supported CuO is well-known for low temperature activity, CuO/CeO2 nanosphere catalysts were synthesized and tested for CO oxidation and preferential oxidation of CO (PROX) in excess H2. For the first reaction, ignition was observed at 95 °C, whereas selective PROX occurred in a temperature window from 50 to 100 °C. The catalytic performance was independent of the initial oxidation state of the catalyst (CuO vs. Cu0), suggesting that the same active phase is formed under reaction conditions. Density functional modeling was applied to elucidate the intermediate steps of CO oxidation, as well as those of the comparably less feasible H2 transformation. In the simulations, various Cu and vacancy sites were probed as reactive centers enabling specific pathways. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11244-023-01848-x.

CeO2 Structure Adjustment by H2O via the Microwave-Ultrasonic Method and Its Application in Imine Catalysis.

CeO2 with fusiform structures were prepared by the combined microwave-ultrasonic method, and their morphologies and surface structure were changed by simply adding different amounts of H2O (1-5 ml) to the precursor system. The addition of H2O changed the PVP micelle structure and the surface state, resulting in CeO2 with a different specific surface area (64-111 m2 g-1) and Ce3+ defects (16.5%-28.1%). The sample with 2 ml H2O exhibited a high surface area (111.3 m2∙g-1) and relatively more surface defects (Ce3+%: 28.1%), resulting in excellent catalytic activity (4.34 mmol g-1 h-1).

A porphyrin-based metallacage for enhanced photodynamic therapy.

In this study, we designed an effective nanoplatform to improve the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of porphyrins. Combining a porphyrin-based metallacage (PM), hyaluronidase (HAase) and DSPE-mPEG2000 together, the nanoparticle (PM@HAase-mPEG) showed enhanced PDT efficacy. The PM improved the stability of the porphyrin, avoided its aggregation and provided cavities to concentrate oxygen molecules, which was beneficial for enhancing PDT. HAase degraded HA to increase the intracellular accumulation of nanoparticles, normalized blood vessels and relieved hypoxia in tumors. PM@HAase-mPEG inhibited the growth of tumors in a 4T1 mouse model by the generated singlet oxygen with excellent PDT efficacy. This study resolved the problems of the instability of PSs, less cellular accumulation of drugs, and tumor hypoxia that limited the anti-tumor application of PDT.

Copper (II) Ion-Modified Gold Nanoclusters as Peroxidase Mimetics for the Colorimetric Detection of Pyrophosphate.

Copper (II) ions have been shown to greatly improve the chemical stability and peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs). Since the affinity between Cu2+ and pyrophosphate (PPi) is higher than that between Cu2+ and AuNCs, the catalytic activity of AuNCs-Cu2+ decreases with the introduction of PPi. Based on this principle, a new colorimetric detection method of PPi with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed by using AuNCs-Cu2+ as a probe. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit of PPi was 0.49 nM with a linear range of 0.51 to 30,000 nM. The sensitivity of the method was three orders of magnitude higher than that of a fluorescence method using AuNCs-Cu2+ as the probe. Finally, the AuNCs-Cu2+ system was successfully applied to directly determine the concentration of PPi in human urine samples.

Co3 O4 -CeO2 Nanocomposites for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation.

In an effort to combine the favorable catalytic properties of Co3 O4 and CeO2 , nanocomposites with different phase distribution and Co3 O4 loading were prepared and employed for CO oxidation. Synthesizing Co3 O4 -modified CeO2 via three different sol-gel based routes, each with 10.4 wt % Co3 O4 loading, yielded three different nanocomposite morphologies: CeO2 -supported Co3 O4 layers, intermixed oxides, and homogeneously dispersed Co. The reactivity of the resulting surface oxygen species towards CO were examined by temperature programmed reduction (CO-TPR) and flow reactor kinetic tests. The first morphology exhibited the best performance due to its active Co3 O4 surface layer, reducing the light-off temperature of CeO2 by about 200 °C. In contrast, intermixed oxides and Co-doped CeO2 suffered from lower dispersion and organic residues, respectively. The performance of Co3 O4 -CeO2 nanocomposites was optimized by varying the Co3 O4 loading, characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 sorption (BET). The 16-65 wt % Co3 O4 -CeO2 catalysts approached the conversion of 1 wt % Pt/CeO2 , rendering them interesting candidates for low-temperature CO oxidation.

Long read sequencing of Toona sinensis (A. Juss) Roem: A chromosome-level reference genome for the family Meliaceae.

Chinese mahogany (Toona sinensis) is a woody plant that is widely cultivated in China and Malaysia. Toona sinensis is important economically, including as a nutritious food source, as material for traditional Chinese medicine and as a high-quality hardwood. However, the absence of a reference genome has hindered in-depth molecular and evolutionary studies of this plant. In this study, we report a high-quality T. sinensis genome assembly, with scaffolds anchored to 28 chromosomes and a total assembled length of 596 Mb (contig N50 = 1.5 Mb and scaffold N50 = 21.5 Mb). A total of 34,345 genes were predicted in the genome after homology-based and de novo annotation analyses. Evolutionary analysis showed that the genomes of T. sinensis and Populus trichocarpa diverged ~99.1-103.1 million years ago, and the T. sinensis genome underwent a recent genome-wide duplication event at ~7.8 million years and one more ancient whole genome duplication event at ~71.5 million years. These results provide a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome for T. sinensis and confirm its evolutionary position at the genomic level. Such information will offer genomic resources to study the molecular mechanism of terpenoid biosynthesis and the formation of flavour compounds, which will further facilitate its molecular breeding. As the first chromosome-level genome assembled in the family Meliaceae, it will provide unique insights into the evolution of members of the Meliaceae.

Solution-processed p-type nanocrystalline CoO films for inverted mixed perovskite solar cells.

Inorganic p-type materials show great potential as the hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells with the merits of low costs and enhanced chemical stability. As a p-type material, cobalt oxide (CoO) has received so far not that level of attention despite its high hole mobility. Herein, solution-processed p-type CoO nanocrystalline films are developed for inverted mixed perovskite solar cells. The ultrafine CoO nanocrystals are synthesized via an oil phase method, which are subsequently treated by a ligand exchange process using pyridine solvent to remove the long alkyl chains covering the nanocrystals. From this homogeneous colloidal solution CoO films are obtained, which exhibit a smooth and pin-hole free surface morphology with high transparency and good conductivity. The ultraviolet photoelectron spectrum also indicates that the energy levels of the CoO film match well with the mixed perovskite Cs0.05(FA0.83MA0.17)0.95(I0.83Br0.17)3. Inverted solar cells based on crystalline CoO films with ligand exchange show a reasonable energy conversion efficiency, whereas devices based on CoO films without ligand exchange suffer from a strong S-shape JV-characteristic. Thus, the crystalline CoO films are foreseen to pave a new way of inorganic hole transport materials in the fields of perovskite solar cells.

BiSbS3@N-doped carbon core-shell nanorods as efficient anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

BiSbS3@N-doped carbon (NC) core-shell nanorods were prepared through a simple preparation process. As anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), BiSbS3@NC core-shell nanorods present excellent electrochemical performance with higher specific capacity and better rate capability compared with the unmodified pristine BiSbS3 nanorods. The BiSbS3@NC electrode delivers high sodium storage capacity (771.5 mA h g-1 in the 2nd cycle) and excellent rate performance (capacity of 518.4 mA h g-1 at 1000 mA g-1). The improvement in electrochemical performance results from the coated conductive NC layer which brings about fast ion/electron transfer and buffers volume expansion. The BiSbS3@NC core-shell nanorods are thus promising high performance anode materials for SIBs.

Copper(II) ions enhance the peroxidase-like activity and stability of keratin-capped gold nanoclusters for the colorimetric detection of glucose.

A method is described for the preparation of copper(II)-modified keratin-capped gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with adjustable Au/Cu molar ratio through a two-step synthetic route. The introduction of Cu(II) is known to cause quenching of the fluorescence of such AuNCs. It is found, however, that the Cu(II) loaded AuNC (AuNC-Cu2+) display strongly enhanced peroxidase-like activity and improved chemical stability. This is assumed to be due to the synergistic effect of the gold and copper atoms and in contrast to the single components (pure AuNCs and copper ions). The kinetic parameters of the new peroxidase mimic show a higher Kcat value (12.1 × 10-4 s-1) and a lower Km value (53 µM) for H2O2 (compared to those of conventional AuNCs). The catalytic activity is stable and remains essentially unchanged after two months. The interactions of AuNCs with Cu(II) were characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Based on these findings, a glucose colorimetric assay at 452 nm was developed that has a detection range from 1.6 to 800 µM and a 0.26 µM detection limit. Graphical abstract Copper ion-modified keratin-capped gold nanoclusters (AuNC-Cu2+) exhibit enhanced peroxidase-like activity owing to the synergistic effect of the gold and copper atoms which is in contrast to pure AuNCs.

Transcriptome changes in the phenylpropanoid pathway in senescing leaves of Toona sinensis.

Toona sinensis is a deciduous tree native to eastern and southeastern Asia that has important culinary and cultural values. To expand current knowledge of the transcriptome and functional genomics in this species, a de novo transcriptome sequence analysis of young and mature leaf tissues of T. sinensis was performed using the Illumina platform. Over 8.1 Gb of data were generated, assembled into 64,541 unigenes, and annotated with known biological functions. Proteins involved in primary metabolite biosynthesis were identified based on similarities to known proteins, including some related to biosynthesis of carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, and energy. Analysis of unigenes differentially expressed between young and mature leaves (transcriptomic libraries 'YL' and 'ML', respectively) showed that the KEGG pathways of phenylpropanoid, naringenin, lignin, cutin, suberin, and wax biosynthesis were significantly enriched in mature leaves. These results not only expand knowledge of transcriptome characteristics for this valuable species, but also provide a useful transcriptomic dataset to accelerate the researches on its metabolic mechanisms and functional genomics. This study can also further the understanding of unique aromatic metabolism and Chinese medicinal properties of T. sinensis.

In situ formation of reduced graphene oxide structures in ceria by combined sol-gel and solvothermal processing.

Raman and IR investigations indicated the presence of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-like residues on ceria nanoparticles after solvothermal treatment in ethanol. The appearance of such structures is closely related to cerium tert-butoxide as precursor and ethanol as solvothermal solvent. The rGO-like residues improve the catalytic CO oxidation activity. This was also confirmed by introduction of "external" graphene oxide during sol-gel processing, by which the rGO structures and the catalytic activity were enhanced.

Different synthesis protocols for Co3O4 -CeO2 catalysts--part†1: influence on the morphology on the nanoscale.

Co3 O4 -modified CeO2 (Co/Ce 1:4) was prepared by a combination of sol-gel processing and solvothermal treatment. The distribution of Co was controlled by means of the synthesis protocol to yield three different morphologies, namely, Co3 O4 nanoparticles located on the surface of CeO2 particles, coexistent Co3 O4 and CeO2 nanoparticles, or Co oxide structures homogeneously distributed within CeO2 . The effect of the different morphologies on the properties of Co3 O4 -CeO2 was investigated with regard to the crystallite phase(s), particle size, surface area, and catalytic activity for CO oxidation. The material with Co3 O4 nanoparticles finely dispersed on the surface of CeO2 particles had the highest catalytic activity.

High Surface Area Ceria for CO Oxidation Prepared from Cerium t-Butoxide by Combined Sol-Gel and Solvothermal Processing.

ABSTRACT: CeO2 was synthesized by combined sol-gel and solvothermal processing of gels obtained from acetaldoximate-modified cerium(IV) t-butoxide in the presence of the non-ionic surfactant Pluronic F127. The use of cerium(IV) t-butoxide as precursor contrasts very favorably with the often used ceric ammonium nitrate and results in more reliable and tailorable properties of the final materials. The kind of post-synthesis treatment of the gels and the composition of the precursor mixture proved to be crucial for obtaining high surface area ceria with a high Ce3+ proportion. Calcination in air or under nitrogen was compared with solvothermal treatment in ethanol or water and a combination of solvothermal treatment and calcination. The obtained materials are composed of 3.5-5.5 nm ceria nanoparticles. The highest specific surface area of 277 m2/g was obtained after solvothermal treatment, and 180 m2/g when solvothermal treatment was followed by calcination in air to remove residual organic groups. The highest Ce3+ proportion was 18 % after solvothermal treatment in ethanol and additional calcination in air. CO oxidation on selected samples indicated that activity scaled with surface area and thus was largest for samples solvothermally treated in ethanol. The reaction rate of the best sample was about 75-times larger than that of commercial ceria. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: .

Zinc(II) Complexes with Dangling Functional Organic Groups.

Zinc(II) complexes with dangling functional organic groups were synthesized by reaction of zinc acetate with a series of bifunctional p-substituted benzene derivatives (a combination of carboxylate, oximate, amino, ß-ketoimine, and salicylaldime groups). Selective coordination to carboxylate groups was observed when the second functional group was an oxime or ß-ketoimine group. When the second group was an amine or salicylaldimine moiety, these groups were additionally coordinated. From the reaction with p-aminobenzoic acid, the compound [Zn2(OOCCH3)(OOC-C6H4-NH2)3]∞ was crystallized. It is a three-dimensional coordination polymer with bridging aminobenzoate ligands.