Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is a widely cultivated and economically important vegetable crop with typical leaf curvature. The TCP (Teosinte branched1, Cycloidea, Proliferating cell factor) family proteins are plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) and play important roles in many plant biological processes, especially in the regulation of leaf curvature. In this study, 39 genes encoding TCP TFs are detected on the whole genome of B. rapa. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of TCPs between Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa, TCP genes of Chinese cabbage are named from BrTCP1a to BrTCP24b. Moreover, the chromosomal location; phylogenetic relationships among B. rapa, A. thaliana, and rice; gene structures and protein conserved sequence alignment; and conserved domains are analyzed. The expression profiles of BrTCPs are analyzed in different tissues. To understand the role of Chinese cabbage TCP members in regulating the curvature of leaves, the expression patterns of all BrTCP genes are detected at three development stages essential for leafy head formation. Our results provide information on the classification and details of BrTCPs and allow us to better understand the function of TCPs involved in leaf curvature of Chinese cabbage.

The nucleotide-binding site–leucine-rich repeat (NBS–LRR) gene family is the largest group of plant disease resistance (R) genes widespread in response to viruses, bacteria, and fungi usually involved in effector triggered immunity (ETI). Forty members of the Chinese cabbage CC type NBS–LRR family were investigated in this study. Gene and protein characteristics, such as distributed locations on chromosomes and gene structures, were explored through comprehensive analysis. CC–NBS–LRR proteins were classified according to their conserved domains, and the phylogenetic relationships of CC–NBS–LRR proteins in Brassica rapa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Oryza sativa were compared. Moreover, the roles of BrCC–NBS–LRR genes involved in pathogenesis-related defense were studied and analyzed. First, the expression profiles of BrCC–NBS–LRR genes were detected by inoculating with downy mildew and black rot pathogens. Second, sensitive and resistant Chinese cabbage inbred lines were screened by downy mildew and black rot. Finally, the differential expression levels of BrCC–NBS–LRR genes were monitored at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h for short and 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days for long inoculation time. Our study provides information on BrCC–NBS–LRR genes for the investigation of the functions and mechanisms of CC-NBS-LRR genes in Chinese cabbage.

Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is an important cultivated vegetable in China and is becoming more and more popular worldwide. Soft rot is one of the major bacterial diseases aff...

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is a widely consumed vegetable in China. However, radish is susceptible to diseases, which limits its yield and development in Harbin, China. In September 2021, rotten ...

Previous studies have shown that the unique short 2 (US2) protein contributes to the infection of several herpesviruses. However, little is known about whether the US2 protein of duck enteritis virus (DEV) could also contribute to the DEV infection in susceptible cells. This study is aimed at investigating the role of US2 protein in the DEV infection in vitro. The US2 gene was amplified from DEV and cloned into pET32a (+). The expression of recombinant US2 protein was induced in Escherichia coli. After purification, the recombinant US2 protein was immunized into rabbits to generate anti‐US2 sera. The immunoreactivity of anti‐US2 sera was determined by Western blot and immunofluorescent assays. The US2 protein was detected in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of DEV‐infected duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cells by immunofluorescent assay using the anti‐US2 serum. When DEV infected DEF cells in vitro, pre‐treatment with anti‐US2 serum did not affect the attachment of virus, but significantly reduced the penetration and cell‐to‐cell spreading of DEV in DEF cells. Our data suggest that the US2 protein is involved in the penetration and cell‐to‐cell spreading during the DEV infection of susceptible cells in vitro.