Tianjie Li

Background DNA binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factor (TF) that plays a significant role in various biological processes such as plant growth and development, hormone regulation, and resistance to abiotic stress. The Dof genes have been identified and reported in multiple plants, but so far, the whole genome identification and analysis of Dof transcription factors in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) have not been reported yet. Methods Using the Vaccinium genome, we have identified 51 VcDof genes in blueberry. We have further analyzed their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, collinear analysis, selective evolutionary pressure, cis-acting promoter elements, and tissue and abiotic stress expression patterns. Results Fifty-one VcDof genes were divided into eight subfamilies, and the genes in each subfamily contained similar gene structure and motif ordering. A total of 24 pairs of colinear genes were screened; VcDof genes expanded mainly due to whole-genome duplication, which was subjected to strong purifying selection pressure during the evolution. The promoter of VcDof genes contains three types of cis-acting elements for plant growth and development, phytohormone and stress defense responsiveness. Expression profiles of VcDof genes in different tissues and fruit developmental stages of blueberry indicated that VcDof2 and VcDof45 might play a specific role in anthesis and fruit growth and development. Expression profiles of VcDof genes in different stress indicated that VcDof1 , VcDof11 , and VcDof15 were highly sensitive to abiotic stress. This study provides a theoretical basis for further clarifying the biological function of Dof genes in blueberry.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) availability is an important factor which affects the growth and yield of crops, thus an appropriate and effective response to Pi fluctuation is critical. However, how crops orchestrate Pi signaling and growth under Pi starvation conditions to optimize the growth defense tradeoff remains unclear. Here we show that a Pi starvation-induced transcription factor NIGT1 (NITRATE-INDUCIBLE GARP-TYPE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOR 1) controls plant growth and prevents a hyper-response to Pi starvation by directly repressing the expression of growth-related and Pi-signaling genes to achieve a balance between growth and response under a varying Pi environment. NIGT1 directly binds to the promoters of Pi starvation signaling marker genes, like IPS1, miR827, and SPX2, under Pi-deficient conditions to mitigate the Pi-starvation responsive (PSR). It also directly represses the expression of vacuolar Pi efflux transporter genes VPE1/2 to regulate plant Pi homeostasis. We further demonstrate that NIGT1 constrains shoot growth by repressing the expression of growth-related regulatory genes, including brassinolide signal transduction master regulator BZR1, cell division regulator CYCB1;1, and DNA replication regulator PSF3. Our findings reveal the function of NIGT1 in orchestrating plant growth and Pi starvation signaling, and also provide evidence that NIGT1 acts as a safeguard to avoid hyper-response during Pi starvation stress in rice.

AIM: This study aims to delineate the characteristic profiles of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites in individuals diagnosed with intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), potentially elucidating the gut-disc axis as a novel perspective for understanding IDD pathophysiology. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fecal samples were collected from 15 patients diagnosed with IDD, classified according to the Pfirrmann grading system, with a distribution of three individuals per grade. Additionally, samples were obtained from five healthy controls for comparative analysis. 16S rDNA sequencing was employed to analyze gut microbiota composition, while liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for untargeted metabolite profiling. Distinct gut microbiota signatures were observed in IDD patients compared to controls, characterized by a dysbiotic state with increased biodiversity. More importantly, patients with IDD exhibit a higher abundance of Proteobacteria and Fusobacteriota, along with reduced abundances of Campilobacterota and Synergistota at the phylum level, as determined by Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size (LEfSe). Fecal metabolite analysis revealed an altered metabolic profile in IDD patients, including aggrandized levels of lipids and lipid-like molecules, which are associated with oxidative stress and tissue degradation. KEGG pathways identified five significant ones, including Nucleotide metabolism, Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, Arginine and proline metabolism, Carbohydrate digestion and absorption, and FoxO signaling pathway. Together with receiver operating characteristic analysis, our data indicate that the upregulation of Permethrin and the reduction of 3ccPA, Thymine, His-ser, Hypoxanthine, N6-Acetyl-L-lysine, Safranin, and Peimine are highly associated with IDD. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a strong association between gut microbiota dysbiosis and fecal metabolite alterations in the pathogenesis of IDD.