Symbiotic nitrogen fixation provides most of the nitrogen required for soybean growth. Rhizobial nodulation outer proteins (Nops) have been reported to influence host specificity during symbiosis establishment. However, the host proteins that interact with Nops remain unknown. In this study, we generated Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 mutants (HH103ΩNopL, HH103ΩNopT, and HH103ΩNopLΩNopT) and analysed the nodule number (NN) and nodule dry weight (NDW) of 12 soybean germplasms after inoculation with wild-type S. fredii HH103 or the mutant strains. The analysis of chromosome segment substitution lines revealed quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with NopL and NopT interactions. A total of 22 QTLs for the 2 nodule traits were detected and mapped to 12 different chromosomes in the soybean genome. Eight and fifteen QTLs were found to be associated with NN and NDW, respectively. Furthermore, 17 candidate genes were selected for further analyses. Considering the results of reverse-transcription quantitative PCR, we propose that the protein products of these 17 candidate genes interact with NopL and NopT.

Jatropha curcas var. nigroviensrugosus CV Yang (Jn) exhibits wrinkled leaves and higher flowering and fruiting rates compared to Jatropha curcas L. (Jc). Teosinte branched1/Cincinnata/Proliferating cell factors (TCPs) are known to play crucial roles in plant development and physiological processes. However, it remains unknown whether or not the TCP gene family regulates in leaf development of Jc and Jn. Here, we systematically performed a genome-wide analysis of the Jc TCP family and investigated the differences in the expression of TCP in different leaf morphologies. In total, our results showed that 18 TCP members were identified in the whole genome sequence of Jatropha curcas L.; Jc TCP genes were classified into two categories by phylogenetic tree construction, among which there were 11 members in the Class I subfamily, seven members in the Class Ⅱ subfamily. It was shown that 12 members of Jc TCP genes were located at the seven chromosomes, and proteins belonging to the same TCP group exhibit higher similarity than those from different groups. Furthermore, the expression profiles of 15 TCP genes were discovered at different leaf developmental stages of Jc and Jn. Jc TCP 4, Jc TCP 5, Jc TCP 8, Jc TCP 13, Jc TCP 14, and Jc TCP 16 showed significantly different expressions, and can be used as candidate genes for regulating leaf development. Therefore, the TCP genes play important roles in regulating the leaf development in Jc, and the manipulation of Jc TCP genes can potentially be an important tool used for the genetic improvement of the leaf.

A cytokine storm(CS) is an out-of-control inflammatory response closely associated with the progression of diseases, such as multiple organ failure(MOF), severe sepsis, and severe or critical COVID-19. However, there is currently a lack of reliable diagnostic markers to distinguish CS from normal inflammatory responses. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) includes transmembrane TNF-α (tmTNF-α) and secreted TNF-α (sTNF-α). The MOF mouse model in this study showed that the tmTNF-α expression changes in the neutrophils differed from the serum TNF-α and serum IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-18 and it was the tmTNF-α, instead of serum TNF-α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-18, that reflected the liver and kidney tissue damage and increased with the aggravation of these injuries. Analysis of the ROC results showed that tmTNF-α effectively distinguished between inflammatory response and CS and efficiently differentiated between surviving and dead mice. It also significantly improved the diagnostic value of the traditional CRP marker for CS. These results indicated that tmTNF-α expressed in the neutrophil could be used to diagnose CS in MOF mice, providing an experimental basis to further develop tmTNF-α for diagnosing CS patients.

Soybean is a cereal crop with high protein and oil content which serves as the main source of plant-based protein and oil for human consumption. The symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobia contributes significantly to soybean yield and quality, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood, hindering efforts to improve soybean productivity. In this study, we conducted a transcriptome analysis and identified 22 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from nodule-related quantitative trait loci (QTL) located in chromosomes 12 and 19. Subsequently, we performed functional characterisation and haplotype analysis to identify key candidate genes among the 22 DEGs that are responsive to nitrate. Our findings identified GmTCP (TEOSINTE-BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PCF) and GmNLP (NIN-LIKE PROTEIN) as the key candidate genes that regulate the soybean nodule phenotype in response to nitrogen concentration. We conducted homologous gene mutant analysis in Arabidopsis thaliana, which revealed that the homologous genes of GmTCP and GmNLP play a vital role in regulating root development in response to nitrogen concentration. We further performed overexpression and gene knockout of GmTCP and GmNLP through hairy root transformation in soybeans and analysed the effects of GmTCP and GmNLP on nodulation under different nitrogen concentrations using transgenic lines. Overexpressing GmTCP and GmNLP resulted in significant differences in soybean hairy root nodulation phenotypes, such as nodule number (NN) and nodule dry weight (NDW), under varying nitrate conditions. Our results demonstrate that GmTCP and GmNLP are involved in regulating soybean nodulation in response to nitrogen concentration, providing new insights into the mechanism of soybean symbiosis establishment underlying different nitrogen concentrations.