Acacetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid that displays multi-pharmacological activities, as well as phytotoxicity. In this study, seeds of four typical vegetables including lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), onion (Allium cepa L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were selected to evaluate the phytotoxic effects of acacetin, and the model plant lettuce, which is also the most sensitive species to acacetin of the four vegetables, was used to research the phytotoxic mechanism of acacetin. Bioassays showed that the germination rate and germination potential of vegetable seeds were both decreased under a high concentration of acacetin. Acacetin displayed strong inhibitory effects on root growth, shoot growth and fresh weight of vegetable seedlings in a concentration dependent manner. After treatments with acacetin, the levels of O2−, H2O2, MDA, free proline and the number of dead cells in lettuce root tips were increased, while the mitosis index (MI) was decreased. These results indicated that acacetin could cause stress on lettuce seedlings and induce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells, leading to lipid peroxidation and then loss of cell viability and even cell death. Moreover, acacetin influenced the mitosis of the target plant, resulting in a decreased proportion of cells during the division phase. Together, acacetin showed strongly phytotoxic effects on vegetables, and the allelopathic activity mainly depended on the influence of ROS and mitosis of the receptor plant.

Interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are strongly affected by soil phosphorus (P) availability. However, how P forms impact rhizosphere AMF diversity, community composition, and the co-occurrence network associated with native and invasive plants, and whether these changes in turn influence the invasiveness of alien species remain unclear. In this work, we performed a greenhouse experiment with the invasive species Solidago canadensis and its native congener S. decurrens to investigate how different forms of P altered the AMF community and evaluate how these changes were linked with the growth advantage of S. canadensis relative to S. decurrens. Plants were subjected to five different P treatments: no P addition (control), simple inorganic P (sodium dihydrogen phosphate, NaP), complex inorganic P (hydroxyapatite, CaP), simple organic P (adenosine monophosphate, AMP) and complex organic P (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate, PA). Overall, invasive S. canadensis grew larger than native S. decurrens across all P treatments, and this growth advantage was strengthened when these species were grown in CaP and AMP treatments. The two Solidago species harbored divergent AMF communities, and soil P treatments significantly shifted AMF community composition. In particular, the differences in AMF diversity, community composition, topological features and keystone taxa of the co-occurrence networks between S. canadensis and S. decurrens were amplified when the dominant form of soil P was altered. Despite significant correlations between AMF alpha diversity, community structure, co-occurrence network composition and plant performance, we found that alpha diversity and keystone taxa of the AMF co-occurrence networks were the primary factors influencing plant growth and the growth advantage of invasive S. canadensis between soil P treatments. These results suggest that AMF could confer invasive plants with greater advantages over native congeners, depending on the forms of P in the soil, and emphasize the important roles of multiple AMF traits in plant invasion.

Background Immunotherapy has become increasingly important in the treatment of various malignant tumors. The interaction between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in the efficacy of immunotherapy. The phenotype of cancer cells is thought to be influenced by lysosomal activity. The overall activity of lysosomes, including autophagy, has been shown to inhibit tumor occurrence. Nonetheless, the relationship between lysosomal function in Colon Adenocarcinoma (COAD) and clinical prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and response to immunotherapy remain to be elucidated. Methods We thoroughly determined the relationship between lysosomes and transcription patterns, prognosis, and immune cell infiltration by carefully evaluating 32 lysosomal-related genes (LRGs). Subsequently, we evaluated their value in COAD treatment outcomes and prognosis prediction. Results We explored the genetic changes of LRGs in COAD samples and discovered their expression patterns using the TCGA and GEO databases. We identified two relevant subgroups as well as Established that clinical-pathological features, prognosis, and invasive TME were all associated with Coad mutations. We then developed an LRG_score to predict overall survival (OS) and demonstrated its accuracy as a predictive indicator for COAD patients. We also developed an extremely accurate nomogram chart for the clinical feasibility of LRG_score. Finally, drug sensitivity analysis revealed a strong association between LRG_score and anti-cancer drugs. Conclusion Overall, we identified the prognostic LRG characteristics of COAD patients. This characteristic may help to elucidate the features of TME and explore more effective immunotherapy strategies.