Zhao Wang

Soybean is one of the most important oilseed and fodder crops. Benefiting from the efforts of soybean breeders and the development of breeding technology, large number of germplasm has been generated over the last 100 years. Nevertheless, soybean breeding needs to be accelerated to meet the needs of a growing world population, to promote sustainable agriculture and to address future environmental changes. The acceleration is highly reliant on the discoveries in gene functional studies. The release of the reference soybean genome in 2010 has significantly facilitated the advance in soybean functional genomics. Here, we review the research progress in soybean omics (genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics), germplasm development (germplasm resources and databases), gene discovery (genes that are responsible for important soybean traits including yield, flowering and maturity, seed quality, stress resistance, nodulation and domestication) and transformation technology during the past decade. At the end, we also briefly discuss current challenges and future directions.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect millions of lives worldwide, leading to the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. G-quadruplexes (G4s) have been demonstrated to regulate life cycle of multiple viruses. Here, we identify several highly conservative and stable G4s in SARS-CoV-2 and clarify their dual-function of inhibition of the viral replication and translation processes. Furthermore, the cationic porphyrin compound 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine (TMPyP4) targeting SARS-CoV-2 G4s shows excellent antiviral activity, while its N-methyl-2-pyridyl positional isomer TMPyP2 with low affinity for G4 has no effects on SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that the antiviral activity of TMPyP4 attributes to targeting SARS-CoV-2 G4s. In the Syrian hamster and transgenic mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, administration of TMPyP4 at nontoxic doses significantly suppresses SARS-CoV-2 infection, resulting in reduced viral loads and lung lesions. Worth to note, the anti-COVID-19 activity of TMPyP4 is more potent than remdesivir evidenced by both in vitro and in vivo studies. Our findings highlight SARS-CoV-2 G4s as a novel druggable target and the compelling potential of TMPyP4 for COVID-19 therapy. Different from the existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic strategies, our work provides another alternative therapeutic tactic for SARS-CoV-2 infection focusing on targeting the secondary structures within SARS-CoV-2 genome, and would open a new avenue for design and synthesis of drug candidates with high selectivity toward the new targets.

Abstract Na‐based layered transition metal oxides with an O3‐type structure are considered promising cathodes for sodium‐ion batteries. However, rapid capacity fading, and poor rate performance caused by serious structural changes and interfacial degradation hamper their use. In this study, a NaPO 3 surface modified O3‐type layered NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 cathode is synthesized, with improved high‐voltage stability through protecting layer against acid attack, which is achieved by a solid‐gas reaction between the cathode particles and gaseous P 2 O 5 . The NaPO 3 nanolayer on the surface effectively stabilizes the crystal structure by inhibiting surface parasitic reactions and increasing the observed average voltage. Superior cyclic stability is exhibited by the surface‐modified cathode (80.1% vs 63.6%) after 150 cycles at 1 C in the wide voltage range of 2.0 V–4.2 V (vs Na + /Na). Moreover, benefiting from the inherent ionic conduction of NaPO 3 , the surface‐modified cathode presents excellent rate capability (103 mAh g −1 vs 60 mAh g −1 ) at 10 C. The outcome of this study demonstrates a practically relevant approach to develop high rate and durable sodium‐ion battery technology.