Background Pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) and Chinese hickory ( C. cathayensis ) are important commercially cultivated nut trees in the genus Carya (Juglandaceae), with high nutritional value and substantial health benefits. Results We obtained >187.22 and 178.87 gigabases of sequence, and ∼288× and 248× genome coverage, to a pecan cultivar (“Pawnee”) and a domesticated Chinese hickory landrace (ZAFU-1), respectively. The total assembly size is 651.31 megabases (Mb) for pecan and 706.43 Mb for Chinese hickory. Two genome duplication events before the divergence from walnut were found in these species. Gene family analysis highlighted key genes in biotic and abiotic tolerance, oil, polyphenols, essential amino acids, and B vitamins. Further analyses of reduced-coverage genome sequences of 16 Carya and 2 Juglans species provide additional phylogenetic perspective on crop wild relatives. Conclusions Cooperative characterization of these valuable resources provides a window to their evolutionary development and a valuable foundation for future crop improvement.

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Hickory (Carya cathayensis) kernel is rich in powerful bioactive flavonoids, which can remove excess free radicals in the human body and play an important role in regulating the physiological metabolism of the plant. This study investigated the changes of flavonoids in hickory exocarp and embryo during development. In this study, 72 DEGs involved in the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in fruits were identified, and TT4, CCoAOMT1, UGT71D1, C4H, F3H, TT8, FLS1, and LDOX were identified as the core genes of flavonoid biosynthesis. A total of 144 flavonoid-related metabolites were detected by metabolite analysis. Transcriptome and metabolome analysis combined to construct the flavonoid biosynthesis regulatory pathway in the development stage of hickory fruit. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the exploration and regulation of functional genes related to flavonoid biosynthesis and metabolism in hickory and other plants and the breeding of new walnut varieties.

This study was conducted to investigate epigenetic landscape across multiple species and identify transcription factors (TFs) and their roles in controlling cell fate decision events during early embryogenesis. We made a comprehensively joint-research of chromatin accessibility of five species during embryogenesis by integration of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq datasets. Regulatory roles of candidate early embryonic TFs were investigated. Widespread accessible chromatin in early embryos overlapped with putative cis-regulatory sequences. Sets of cell-fate-determining TFs were identified. YOX1, a key cell cycle regulator, were found to homologous to clusters of TFs that are involved in neuron and epidermal cell-fate determination. Our research provides an intriguing insight into evolution of cell-fate decision during early embryogenesis among organisms.

e18042 Background: Cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) NK cells are attractive for adoptive cell therapeutic approaches due to their key characteristics which include anti-tumor responses, prolonged proliferation and persistence in vivo. Several NK cell subsets have been reported in human and mice, but their heterogeneity and trajectories in human peripheral blood remains poorly characterized. We aimed to evaluate the developmental trajectories and prognosis outcomes of several CIML NK subsets between HPV+ and HPV- HNSC patients. Methods: A publicly available scRNA-seq dataset (only CD45+PBMC data sets were used) (Kürten et al., 2021) was obtained and stratified by two definitions of CIML NKs: (1) increased granzyme B mRNA expression and (2) preactivated with iterleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-15 and IL-18. Single-cell analysis was performed, followed by sub-clustering of NK populations. Results: 4,794 NK cells from 6 HPV+ and 11 HPV- HNSC patients were analyzed in our study. Expression profiles showed that these NK cells were CD56dimCD16+CD57-NKs. Further investigation showed that these cell populations exhibit a cytokine-induced memory-like phenotype, including increased granzyme B mRNA and preactivated with IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18. Transcriptomic profiles demonstrated that CIML NK cells can be classified into three subsets, including Bl1, Bl2, and Bl3, where Bl1 and Bl3 were found to be consistent with the previous studies, Bl2 was a newly identified NK cluster in this study. Pseudotime analyses suggested that CIML NK cells transitioned from Bl3 (is in cytolytic state) to Bl2, and then (maintains intermediate cell states) to Bl1 (supports cytotoxic activity), regardless of HPV status. There were 20, 60, and 26 Up-regulated genes in Bl, Bl2, and Bl3 in HPV+ patient compared to HPV- patients, respectively. Biocarta pathway analyses showed that NK cell pathway was highly enriched in all NK subsets from HPV+ patients, instead of HPV- patients, indicating a developmental independent characteristic. Survival analyses showed poor prognosis outcomes for high expressed CIML NK signatures in no matter HPV+ or HPV- patients. Conclusions: We investigated CIML NK cells in human peripheral blood and found that Bl1, Bl2, and Bl3 NK clusters showing the developmental patterns of increased cytotoxicity independent of HPV status. The Bl2 is a novel NK cell cluster which presents intermediate cell states. The cluster signatures were correlated with poor clinical outcomes, highlighting its’ potential clinical values for CIML NK-targeted immunotherapies.