Current Understandings on Magnesium Deficiency and Future Outlooks for Sustainable Agriculture

The productivity of agricultural produce is fairly dependent on the availability of nutrients and efficient use. Magnesium (Mg²⁺) is an essential macronutrient of living cells and is the second most prevalent free divalent cation in plants. Mg²⁺ plays a role in several physiological processes that support plant growth and development. However, it has been largely forgotten in fertilization management strategies to increase crop production, which leads to severe reductions in plant growth and yield. In this review, we discuss how the Mg²⁺ shortage induces several responses in plants at different levels: morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular. Additionally, the Mg²⁺ uptake and transport mechanisms in different cellular organelles and the role of Mg²⁺ transporters in regulating Mg²⁺ homeostasis are also discussed. Overall, in this review, we critically summarize the available information about the responses of Mg deficiency on plant growth and development, which would facilitate plant scientists to create Mg²⁺-deficiency-resilient crops through agronomic and genetic biofortification.     

Contrasting Rootstock-Mediated Growth and Yield Responses in Salinized Pepper Plants (Capsicum annuum L.) Are Associated with Changes in the Hormonal Balance

Salinity provokes an imbalance of vegetative to generative growth, thus impairing crop productivity. Unlike breeding strategies, grafting is a direct and quick alternative to improve salinity tolerance in horticultural crops, through rebalancing plant development. Providing that hormones play a key role in plant growth and development and stress responses, we hypothesized that rootstock-mediated reallocation of vegetative growth and yield under salinity was associated with changes in the hormonal balance. To test this hypothesis, the hybrid pepper variety (Capsicum annuum L. “Gacela F1”) was either non-grafted or grafted onto three commercial rootstocks (Creonte, Atlante, and Terrano) and plants were grown in a greenhouse under control (0 mM NaCl) and moderate salinity (35 mM NaCl) conditions. Differential vegetative growth versus fruit yield responses were induced by rootstock and salinity. Atlante strongly increased shoot and root fresh weight with respect to the non-grafted Gacela plants associated with improved photosynthetic rate and K⁺ homeostasis under salinity. The invigorating effect of Atlante can be explained by an efficient balance between cytokinins (CKs) and abscisic acid (ABA). Creonte improved fruit yield and maintained the reproductive to vegetative ratio under salinity as a consequence of its capacity to induce biomass reallocation and to avoid Na⁺ accumulation in the shoot. The physiological responses associated with yield stability in Creonte were mediated by the inverse regulation of CKs and the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. Finally, Terrano limited the accumulation of gibberellins in the shoot thus reducing plant height. Despite scion compactness induced by Terrano, both vegetative and reproductive biomass were maintained under salinity through ABA-mediated control of water relations and K⁺ homeostasis. Our data demonstrate that the contrasting developmental and physiological responses induced by the rootstock genotype in salinized pepper plants were critically mediated by hormones. This will be particularly important for rootstock breeding programs to improve salinity tolerance by focusing on hormonal traits.     

Thrombospondin-1 CD47 Signalling: From Mechanisms to Medicine

Recent advances provide evidence that the cellular signalling pathway comprising the ligand-receptor duo of thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) and CD47 is involved in mediating a range of diseases affecting renal, vascular, and metabolic function, as well as cancer. In several instances, research has barely progressed past pre-clinical animal models of disease and early phase 1 clinical trials, while for cancers, anti-CD47 therapy has emerged from phase 2 clinical trials in humans as a crucial adjuvant therapeutic agent. This has important implications for interventions that seek to capitalize on targeting this pathway in diseases where TSP1 and/or CD47 play a role. Despite substantial progress made in our understanding of this pathway in malignant and cardiovascular disease, knowledge and translational gaps remain regarding the role of this pathway in kidney and metabolic diseases, limiting identification of putative drug targets and development of effective treatments. This review considers recent advances reported in the field of TSP1-CD47 signalling, focusing on several aspects including enzymatic production, receptor function, interacting partners, localization of signalling, matrix-cellular and cell-to-cell cross talk. The potential impact that these newly described mechanisms have on health, with a particular focus on renal and metabolic disease, is also discussed.     

In Vitro Characterization of Human CD24hiCD38hi Regulatory B Cells Shows CD9 Is Not a Stable Breg Cell Marker

Regulatory B (Breg) cells are endowed with immune suppressive functions. Various human and murine Breg subtypes have been reported. While interleukin (IL)-10 intracellular staining remains the most reliable way to identify Breg cells, this technique hinders further essential functional studies. Recent findings suggest that CD9 is an effective surface marker of murine IL-10 competent Breg cells. However, the stability of CD9 and its relevance as a unique marker for human Breg cells, which have been widely characterized as CD24^hiCD38^hi, have not been investigated. Here, we demonstrate that CD9 expression is sensitive to in vitro B cell stimulations. CD9 expression could either be re-expressed or downregulated in purified CD9-negative B cells and CD9-positive B cells, respectively. We found no significant differences in the Breg differentiation capacity of the CD9-negative and CD9-positive B cells. Furthermore, CD9-positive B cells co-express CD40 and CD86, suggesting their nature as B cell activation or co-stimulatory molecules, rather than regulatory ones. Therefore, we report the relatively unstable CD9 as a distinct surface molecule, indicating the need for further research for a more reliable marker to purify human Breg cells.     

磨制铝粉工艺中物料的动态平衡研究

铝与其他非金属矿物不同，其粉碎工艺既具有球磨工艺的普遍性又具有特殊性。运用传统的球磨理论，对铝在球磨工艺中的物料平衡状态进行了解释。     

强化反应器中厌氧颗粒污泥的形成过程

本文就啤酒废水处理过程中厌氧颗粒驯化过程及微生物群落等进行光学显微镜和扫描电镜跟踪观察和研究。结果表明，厌氧序批式反应器(Anaeroibc Sequencing Batch Reactor．ASBR)在处理啤酒废水过程中，厌氧颗粒污泥的形成过程分五个阶段，即细菌增殖阶段、小颗粒污泥形成阶段、小颗粒污泥聚合阶段、初生颗粒污泥阶段和成熟颗粒污泥阶段。     

中国植物空间分异规律

以省级行政区为分析单元,借助ArcGIS空间分析功能对中国行政分区图、中国森林覆盖率图、中国植物区系图、中国植被分区图进行叠加分析。通过对同一植被分区下分析单元数据进行整合,给出全国不同植物区系、植被分区、森林覆盖率信息。采用二阶聚类综合判别法,提取中国植被分区总体信息,探求植被空间分异规律,发现一类、二类、三类植被的比例为30∶37∶23,反映出植被的区域分布特性较强;四类植被比例大致占10%,反映出大区域内部的局地小生境造成的植被分布的整体差异。另外,一类植被多分布在中高纬度地带,二类植被贯穿中国全纬度,三类植被多分布在低纬度地带。     

禹州华夏植物群与含煤地层研究

通过对河南禹州华夏植物群与含煤地层的研究可知,河南省禹州市神垕镇与磨街乡之间的大风口一带,石炭二叠纪含煤地层出露总厚度超过950 m,最多含煤层数达89层,华北与华南所有的含煤层位在这里几乎都可以找到天然露头,成为研究我国华北晚古生代聚煤盆地的一根"铁柱子",对对比河南省煤田地质勘查和地层具有重要的标杆作用.所产植物化石已鉴定有112属306种;其中,137个为新种,分属12个植物类别.此外,剖面上还有多层可用于烧制钧瓷的黏土矿层.     

The Role of E3 Ubiquitin Ligases in Chloroplast Function

Chloroplasts are ancient organelles responsible for photosynthesis and various biosynthetic functions essential to most life on Earth. Many of these functions require tightly controlled regulatory processes to maintain homeostasis at the protein level. One such regulatory mechanism is the ubiquitin-proteasome system whose fundamental role is increasingly emerging in chloroplasts. In particular, the role of E3 ubiquitin ligases as determinants in the ubiquitination and degradation of specific intra-chloroplast proteins. Here, we highlight recent advances in understanding the roles of plant E3 ubiquitin ligases SP1, COP1, PUB4, CHIP, and TT3.1 as well as the ubiquitin-dependent segregase CDC48 in chloroplast function.     

Salivary Redox Homeostasis in Human Health and Disease

Homeostasis is a self-regulatory dynamic process that maintains a stable internal environment in the human body. These regulations are essential for the optimal functioning of enzymes necessary for human health. Homeostasis elucidates disrupted mechanisms leading to the development of various pathological conditions caused by oxidative stress. In our work, we discuss redox homeostasis and salivary antioxidant activity during healthy periods and in periods of disease: dental carries, oral cavity cancer, periodontal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, systemic sclerosis, and pancreatitis. The composition of saliva reflects dynamic changes in the organism, which makes it an excellent tool for determining clinically valuable biomarkers. The oral cavity and saliva may form the first line of defense against oxidative stress. Analysis of salivary antioxidants may be helpful as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic marker of not only oral, but also systemic health.