The National Genomics Data Center (NGDC), part of the China National Center for Bioinformation (CNCB), provides a family of database resources to support global research in both academia and industry. With the explosively accumulated multi-omics data at ever-faster rates, CNCB-NGDC is constantly scaling up and updating its core database resources through big data archive, curation, integration and analysis. In the past year, efforts have been made to synthesize the growing data and knowledge, particularly in single-cell omics and precision medicine research, and a series of resources have been newly developed, updated and enhanced. Moreover, CNCB-NGDC has continued to daily update SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, variants, haplotypes and literature. Particularly, OpenLB, an open library of bioscience, has been established by providing easy and open access to a substantial number of abstract texts from PubMed, bioRxiv and medRxiv. In addition, Database Commons is significantly updated by cataloguing a full list of global databases, and BLAST tools are newly deployed to provide online sequence search services. All these resources along with their services are publicly accessible at https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn.

Leaf senescence is a developmentally programmed degeneration process, which is fine tuned by a complex regulatory network for plant fitness. However, molecular regulation of leaf senescence is poorly understood, especially in rice (Oryza sativa), an important staple crop for more than half of the world population. Here, we report a novel nuclear-localized CCCH-type zinc finger protein, Oryza sativa delay of the onset of senescence (OsDOS), involved in delaying leaf senescence in rice. The expression of OsDOS was down-regulated during natural leaf senescence, panicle development, and pollination, although its transcripts were accumulated in various organs. RNAi knockdown of OsDOS caused an accelerated age-dependent leaf senescence, whereas its overexpression produced a marked delay of leaf senescence, suggesting that it acts as a negative regulator for leaf senescence. A genome-wide expression analysis further confirmed its negative regulation for leaf senescence and revealed that, in particular, the jasmonate (JA) pathway was found to be hyperactive in the OsDOS RNAi transgenic lines but impaired in the OsDOS overexpressing transgenic lines, indicating that this pathway is likely involved in the OsDOS-mediated delaying of leaf senescence. Furthermore, methyl JA treatments of both seeds and detached leaves from the RNAi and the overexpressing transgenic lines showed hyper- and hyporesponses, respectively, consistent with the negative regulation of the JA pathway by OsDOS. Together, these results indicate that OsDOS is a novel nuclear protein that delays leaf senescence likely, at least in part, by integrating developmental cues to the JA pathway.

The National Genomics Data Center (NGDC), part of the China National Center for Bioinformation (CNCB), provides a family of database resources to support global academic and industrial communities. With the explosive accumulation of multi-omics data generated at an unprecedented rate, CNCB-NGDC constantly expands and updates core database resources by big data archive, integrative analysis and value-added curation. In the past year, efforts have been devoted to integrating multiple omics data, synthesizing the growing knowledge, developing new resources and upgrading a set of major resources. Particularly, several database resources are newly developed for infectious diseases and microbiology (MPoxVR, KGCoV, ProPan), cancer-trait association (ASCancer Atlas, TWAS Atlas, Brain Catalog, CCAS) as well as tropical plants (TCOD). Importantly, given the global health threat caused by monkeypox virus and SARS-CoV-2, CNCB-NGDC has newly constructed the monkeypox virus resource, along with frequent updates of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, variants as well as haplotypes. All the resources and services are publicly accessible at https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn.

Recently, we have provided evidence that the polymorphic self-incompatibility (S) locus-encoded F-box (SLF) protein AhSLF-S(2) plays a role in mediating a selective S-RNase destruction during the self-incompatible response in Antirrhinum hispanicum. To investigate its role further, we first transformed a transformation-competent artificial chromosome clone (TAC26) containing both AhSLF-S(2) and AhS(2)-RNase into a self-incompatible (SI) line of Petunia hybrida. Molecular analyses showed that both genes are correctly expressed in pollen and pistil in four independent transgenic lines of petunia. Pollination tests indicated that all four lines became self-compatible because of the specific loss of the pollen function of SI. This alteration was transmitted stably into the T1 progeny. We then transformed AhSLF-S(2) cDNA under the control of a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) pollen-specific promoter LAT52 into the self-incompatible petunia line. Molecular studies revealed that AhSLF-S(2) is specifically expressed in pollen of five independent transgenic plants. Pollination tests showed that they also had lost the pollen function of SI. Importantly, expression of endogenous SLF or SLF-like genes was not altered in these transgenic plants. These results phenocopy a well-known phenomenon called competitive interaction whereby the presence of two different pollen S alleles within pollen leads to the breakdown of the pollen function of SI in several solanaceaous species. Furthermore, we demonstrated that AhSLF-S(2) physically interacts with PhS(3)-RNase from the P. hybrida line used for transformation. Together with the recent demonstration of PiSLF as the pollen determinant in P. inflata, these results provide direct evidence that the polymorphic SLF including AhSLF-S(2) controls the pollen function of S-RNase-based self-incompatibility.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers are single highly elongated cells derived from the outer epidermis of ovules. A large number of genes are required for fiber differentiation and development, but so far, little is known about how these genes control and regulate the process of fiber development. Here we examine the role of the cotton-fiber-specific R2R3 MYB gene GhMYB109 in cotton fiber development. Transgenic reporter gene analysis revealed that a 2-kb GhMYB109 promoter was sufficient to confirm its fiber-specific expression. Antisense-mediated suppression of GhMYB109 led to a substantial reduction in fiber length. Consistently, several genes related to cotton fiber growth were found to be significantly reduced in the transgenic cotton. Our results showed that GhMYB109 is required for cotton fiber development and reveal a largely conserved mechanism of the R2R3 MYB transcription factor in cell fate determination in plants.

Guard cells, which form stoma in leaf epidermis, sense and integrate environmental signals to modulate stomatal aperture in response to diverse conditions. Under drought stress, plants synthesize abscisic acid (ABA), which in turn induces a rapid closing of stoma, to prevent water loss by transpiration. However, many aspects of the molecular mechanism for ABA-mediated stomatal closure are still not understood. Here, we report a novel negative regulator of guard cell ABA signaling, DOR, in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The DOR gene encodes a putative F-box protein, a member of the S-locus F-box-like family related to AhSLF-S₂ and specifically interacting with ASK14 and CUL1. A null mutation in DOR resulted in a hypersensitive ABA response of stomatal closing and a substantial increase of drought tolerance; in contrast, the transgenic plants overexpressing DOR were more susceptible to the drought stress. DOR is strongly expressed in guard cells and suppressed by ABA treatment, suggesting a negative feedback loop of DOR in ABA responses. Double-mutant analyses of dor with ABA-insensitive mutant abi1-1 showed that abi1-1 is epistatic to dor, but no apparent change of phospholipase Dα1 was detected between the wild type and dor. Affymetrix GeneChip analysis showed that DOR likely regulates ABA biosynthesis under drought stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that DOR acts independent of phospholipase Dα1 in an ABA signaling pathway to inhibit the ABA-induced stomatal closure under drought stress.