Fusarium solani is the most significant pathogen that causes root rot in wolfberry, which has led to serious economic losses in terms of production. As an important enzyme in organisms, NADPH oxidase produces ROS. However, the mechanism of ROS mediated by NADPH oxidase in the growth of F. solani has not been studied. In this study, F. solani colonies were treated with 40 µmol/L DPI and 0.0012% H₂O₂. The growth rate in terms of colonies, number of spores, key gene expression levels, activity of key enzymes and the content of key products of ROS metabolic pathways were determined. The results showed that the growth rate of colonies treated by DPI decreased by 19.43%, the number of macroconidia increased by 231.03%, the IOD/area values of O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ decreased by 34.88% and 16.97%, respectively, the expression levels in terms of NCF2, SOD1, CTA1 and PXMP4 significantly decreased and the activities of SOD, CAT and POD decreased significantly, while the MDA content increased significantly. Additionally, in the case of the colonies treated with exogenous H₂O₂, the MDA content decreased significantly while the other indicators increased. Taken together, the NCF2 gene is involved in regulating the activity of NADPH oxidase and regulates the products of O₂⁻ and ROS metabolism enzyme genes and their activities to affect colony growth in the F. solani growth process.

Drought stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that limit plant growth and affect fruit quality and yield. Plants primarily lose water through leaf transpiration, and wax effectively reduces the rate of water loss from the leaves. However, the relationship between water loss and the wax formation mechanism in goji (Lycium barbarum) leaves remains unclear. ‘Ningqi I’ goji and ‘Huangguo’ goji are two common varieties. In this study, ‘Ningqi I’ goji and ‘Huangguo’ goji were used as samples of leaf material to detect the differences in the water loss rate, chlorophyll leaching rate, wax phenotype, wax content, and components of the two materials. The differences in wax-synthesis-related pathways were analyzed using the transcriptome and metabolome methods, and the correlation among the wax components, wax synthesis genes, and transcription factors was analyzed. The results show that the leaf permeability of ‘Ningqi I’ goji was significantly lower than that of ‘Huangguo’ goji. The total wax content of the ‘Ningqi I’ goji leaves was 2.32 times that of the ‘Huangguo’ goji leaves, and the epidermal wax membrane was dense. The main components of the wax of ‘Ningqi I’ goji were alkanes, alcohols, esters, and fatty acids, the amounts of which were 191.65%, 153.01%, 6.09%, and 9.56% higher than those of ‘Huangguo’ goji, respectively. In the transcriptome analysis, twenty-two differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and six transcription factors (TFs) were screened for wax synthesis; during the metabolomics analysis, 11 differential metabolites were screened, which were dominated by lipids, some of which, like D-Glucaro-1, 4-Lactone, phosphatidic acid (PA), and phosphatidylcholine (PE), serve as prerequisites for wax synthesis, and were significantly positively correlated with wax components such as alkanes by the correlation analysis. A combined omics analysis showed that DEGs such as LbaWSD1, LbaKCS1, and LbaFAR2, and transcription factors such as LbaMYB306, LbaMYB60, and LbaMYBS3 were strongly correlated with wax components such as alkanes and alcohols. The high expression of DEGs and transcription factors is an important reason for the high wax content in the leaf epidermis of ‘Ningqi I’ goji plants. Therefore, by regulating the expression of wax-synthesis-related genes, the accumulation of leaf epidermal wax can be promoted, and the epidermal permeability of goji leaves can be weakened, thereby reducing the water loss rate of goji leaves. The research results can lay a foundation for cultivating drought-tolerant goji varieties.

Background: Goji (Lycium barbarum) is an important economic crop that is widely cultivated in Northwest China and is known as superfood. Goji plants are often affected by powdery mildew (Arthrocladiella mougeotii) in the field, resulting in considerable reduction in production and serious economic losses. The long-term reliance on agricultural chemicals to control powdery mildew not only leads to environmental pollution, but also causes excessive residues to accumulate in fruits, endangering human health. The plant epicuticular wax is the first physical barrier between land plants and the atmospheric environment, and plays an important role in the interactions of plants with pathogenic microorganisms. However, the relationship between epicuticular wax and powdery mildew resistance in goji plants is not well understood. Results: The leaf epicuticular wax crystals of ‘Ningqi I’ goji were dense and small, and the wax load was 121.74 μg/cm², which was 3.36 times greater than that of ‘Huangguo’ goji. The ratio of alcohol components in ‘Ningqi I’ goji was 121.18% greater than that in ‘Huangguo’ goji. The incidence rate and disease index of ‘Ningqi I’ goji inoculated with powdery mildew were significantly lower than those inoculated ‘Huangguo’ goji, showing high resistance and moderate susceptibility, respectively. After mechanical wax removal, the disease indices of the two goji varieties increased significantly, indicating extreme susceptibility. Seventeen differential expression genes showing significantly greater expression in ‘Ningqi’ goji leaves than in ‘Huangguo’ goji leaves were enriched in genes involved in fatty acid elongation and the wax biosynthesis pathway. The FAR activity and relative expression levels of LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 in ‘Ningqi I’ goji were significantly greater than those in ‘Huangguo’ goji. The relative expression levels of these genes significantly increased in the overexpression tobacco lines FAR-OE and WSD1-OE, and the wax load were augmented by 46.10% and 22.23%, respectively. Conclusions: The increased expression of the LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 genes in ‘Ningqi I’ leaves led to increased FAR and WSD1 activity, increasing the wax load and alcohol content of the epicuticular of leaves, and improving leaf glossiness, resulting in strengthened resistance to powdery mildew. Therefore, the production of leaf epicuticular wax mediated by the LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 genes could be the main reason for the difference in powdery mildew resistance between the two goji varieties, which can provide a theoretical basis for the selection of resistant varieties to control goji powdery mildew. Graphical

Powdery mildew poses a significant threat affecting goji plant cultivation, resulting in significant economic losses, particularly in low UV-B environments. To clarify the molecular mechanism by which UV-B-induced wax synthesis in leaves affects the resistance of goji powdery mildew, the ‘Ganqi II’ was used as the experimental material, natural light (no filtration, FUV-B) was used as the control, and two treatments were compared: polyethylene film filtration (filtering 48.62%, HUV-B) and glass filtration (filtering 98.33%, NUV-B). Differences in leaf wax load, powdery mildew resistance, and gene expression were analyzed under these treatments, and key genes involved in UV-B-induced wax synthesis were identified and validated through qRT-PCR, bioinformatics analysis, subcellular localization, and tobacco overexpression assays. The results showed that UV-B reduction using polyethylene film and glass decreased the leaf wax load from 90.65 µg/cm2 to 70.53 µg/cm2 and 49.99 µg/cm2, respectively. Concurrently, the incidence of powdery mildew rose from 7.85 to 21.7% and 72.92%, while the disease index increased from 14.21 to 27.23 and 78.40, respectively. Transcriptomic data revealed that 122 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the lipid metabolism pathway, with 26 DEGs specifically associated in the wax synthesis metabolic pathway. Under FUV-B conditions, the expression of LbCYP96A15 was 18.04 times higher than under NUV-B treatment. LbCYP96A15, localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, plays a key role in wax synthesis. Overexpression of LbCYP96A15 in tobacco increased wax load and reduced powdery mildew incidence and disease index compared to the wild type. UV-B radiation enhances resistance to powdery mildew in goji plants by upregulating the expression of the LbCYP96A15 gene, which promotes leaf wax biosynthesis. LbCYP96A15, a key gene localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, plays a critical role in wax synthesis. Its overexpression significantly increases wax load and reduces the incidence of powdery mildew.

Periodic mycelial subculture is a method commonly used for the storage of edible mushrooms, but excessive subculturing can lead to the degeneration of strains. In this study, the Volvariella volvacea strain V971(M0) was successively subcultured on PDA medium every 4 days, and one generation of strains was preserved every 4 months. Thus, five generations of subcultured strains (M1–M5) were obtained after 20 months of mycelial subculturing, their production traits were determined, and transcriptomic analysis was performed using RNA-seq; the differentially expressed genes were verified via RT-qPCR. The results showed that as the number of subcultures increased, the diameter of the mycelium and biological efficiency gradually decreased; in addition, the time in which the primordium formed increased and the production cycle was lengthened, while strains M4 and M5 lacked the ability to produce fruiting bodies. There were 245 differentially expressed genes between the M1–M5 and M0 strains, while the highest number of differentially expressed genes was between M3 and M0, at 1439; the smallest number of differentially expressed genes was between M2 and M0, at 959. GO enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in metabolic processes, organelle components, and catalytic activities. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways. The further annotation of differentially expressed genes showed that 39, 24, and 24 differentially expressed genes were related to substrate degradation, amino acid synthesis and metabolism, and reactive oxygen species metabolism, respectively. The downregulation of the related differentially expressed genes would lead to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species, inhibit nutrient absorption and energy acquisition, and lead to the degradation of V. volvacea. These findings could form a theoretical basis for the degeneration mechanism of V. volvacea, and also provide a basis for the molecular function study of the genes related to strain degradation.

Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis is extensively found in China, where the annual precipitation ranges from 400 to 800 mm. It is the most dominant species in natural sea buckthorn forests and the primary cultivar for artificial ecological plantations. Additionally, it exhibits significant nutritional and medicinal value, making it a renowned eco-economic tree species. Despite extensive research into its ecological functions and health benefits, the mitochondrial genome of this widespread species has not yet been published, and knowledge of the mitochondrial genome is crucial for understanding plant environmental adaptation, evolution, and maternal inheritance. Therefore, the complete mitochondrial genome was successfully assembled by aligning third-generation sequencing data to the reference genome sequence using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform and Nanopore Prometh ION technologies. Additionally, the gene structure, composition, repeat sequences, codon usage bias, homologous fragments, and phylogeny-related indicators were also analyzed. The results showed that the length of the mitochondrial genome is 454,489 bp, containing 30 tRNA genes, three rRNA genes, 40 PCGs, and two pseudogenes. A total of 411 C-to-U RNA editing sites were identified in 33 protein-coding genes (PCGs), with higher frequencies observed in ccmFn, ccmB, nad5, ccmC, nad2, and nad7 genes. Moreover, 31 chloroplast-derived fragments were detected, accounting for 11.86% of the mitochondrial genome length. The ccmB, nad4L, and nad7 genes related to energy metabolism exhibited positive selection pressure. The mitochondrial genome sequence similarity between H. rhamnoides subsp. sinensis and H. tibetana or H. salicifolia was 99.34% and 99.40%, respectively. Fifteen shared gene clusters were identified between H. rhamnoides subsp. sinensis and H. tibetana. Phylogenetically, the Rosales order showed close relationships with Fagales, Fabales, Malpighiales, and Celastrales. These findings provide fundamental data for exploring the widespread distribution of H. rhamnoides subsp. sinensis and offer theoretical support for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms within the Hippophae genus and the selection of molecular breeding targets.