Puccinellia tenuiflora is the most saline-alkali tolerant plant in the Songnen Plain, one of the three largest soda saline-alkali lands worldwide. Here, we investigated the physicochemical properties of saline-alkali soils from the Songnen Plain and sequenced the transcriptomes of germinated P. tenuiflora seedlings under long-term treatment (from seed soaking) with saline-alkali soil extracts. We found that the soils from Songnen Plain were reasonably rich in salts and alkali; moreover, the soils were severely deficient in nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], potassium [K] and several other mineral elements. This finding demonstrated that P. tenuiflora can survive from not only high saline-alkali stress but also a lack of essential mineral elements. To explore the saline-alkali tolerance mechanism, transcriptional analyses of P. tenuiflora plants treated with water extracts from the saline-alkali soils was performed. Interestingly, unigenes involved in the uptake of N, P, K and the micronutrients were found to be significantly upregulated, which indicated the existence of an efficient nutrition-uptake system in P. tenuiflora. Compared with P. tenuiflora, the rice Oryza sativa was hypersensitive to saline-alkali stress. The results obtained using a noninvasive microtest techniques confirmed that the uptake of NO3- and NH4+ and the regulatory flux of Na+ and H+ were significantly higher in the roots of P. tenuiflora than in those of O. sativa. In the corresponding physiological experiments, the application of additional nutrition elements significantly eliminated the sensitive symptoms of rice to saline-alkali soil extracts. Our results imply that the survival of P. tenuiflora in saline-alkali soils is due to a combination of at least two regulatory mechanisms and the high nutrient uptake capacity of P. tenuiflora plays a pivotal role in its adaptation to those stress. Taken together, our results highlight the role of nutrition uptake in saline-alkali stress tolerance in plants.

Protein aggregation is one of the hallmarks of aging and aging-related diseases, especially for the neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and others. In these diseases, many pathogenic proteins, such as amyloid-β, tau, α-Syn, Htt, and FUS, form aggregates that disrupt the normal physiological function of cells and lead to associated neuronal lesions. Protein aggregates in NDs are widely recognized as one of the important targets for the treatment of these diseases. Natural products, with their diverse biological activities and rich medical history, represent a great treasure trove for the development of therapeutic strategies to combat disease. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that natural products, by virtue of their complex molecular scaffolds that specifically bind to pathogenic proteins and their aggregates, can inhibit the formation of aggregates, disrupt the structure of aggregates and destabilize them, thereby alleviating conditions associated with NDs. Here, we systematically reviewed studies using natural products to improve disease-related symptoms by reducing or inhibiting the formation of five pathogenic protein aggregates associated with NDs. This information should provide valuable insights into new directions and ideas for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Ancient humans used dietary plants and herbs to treat disease and to pursue eternal life. Today, phytochemicals in dietary plants and herbs have been shown to be the active ingredients, some of which have antiaging and longevity-promoting effects. Here, we summarize 210 antiaging phytochemicals in dietary plants and herbs, systematically classify them into 8 groups. We found that all groups of phytochemicals can be categorized into six areas that regulate organism longevity: ROS levels, nutrient sensing network, mitochondria, autophagy, gut microbiota, and lipid metabolism. We review the role of these processes in aging and the molecular mechanism of the health benefits through phytochemical-mediated regulation. Among these, how phytochemicals promote longevity through the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism is rarely highlighted in the field. Our understanding of the mechanisms of phytochemicals based on the above six aspects may provide a theoretical basis for the further development of antiaging drugs and new insights into the promotion of human longevity.

Lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆) is one of the leading electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries, and its usage has increased tremendously in the past few years. Little is known, however, about its potential environmental and biological impacts. In order to improve our understanding of the cytotoxicity of LiPF₆ and the specific cellular response mechanisms to it, we performed a genome-wide screen using a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) deletion mutant collection and identified 75 gene deletion mutants that showed LiPF₆ sensitivity. Among these, genes associated with mitochondria showed the most enrichment. We also found that LiPF₆ is more toxic to yeast than lithium chloride (LiCl) or sodium hexafluorophosphate (NaPF₆). Physiological analysis showed that a high concentration of LiPF₆ caused mitochondrial damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and ATP content changes. Compared with the results of previous genome-wide screening for LiCl-sensitive mutants, we found that oxidative phosphorylation-related mutants were specifically hypersensitive to LiPF₆. In these deletion mutants, LiPF₆ treatment resulted in higher ROS production and reduced ATP levels, suggesting that oxidative phosphorylation-related genes were important for counteracting LiPF₆-induced toxicity. Taken together, our results identified genes specifically involved in LiPF₆-modulated toxicity, and demonstrated that oxidative stress and ATP imbalance maybe the driving factors in governing LiPF₆-induced toxicity.

Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) is the type member of the genus Hordeivirus. Brachypodium distachyon line Bd3-1 shows resistance to the BSMV ND18 strain, but is susceptible to an ND18 double mutant (β NDTGB1R390K, T392K) in which lysine is substituted for an arginine at position 390 and for threonine at position 392 of the triple gene block 1 (TGB1) protein. In order to understand differences in gene expression following infection with ND18 and double mutant ND18, Bd3-1 seedlings were subjected to RNA-seq analyses at 1, 6, and 14days post inoculation (dpi). The results revealed that basal immunity genes involved in cellulose synthesis and pathogenesis-related protein biosynthesis were enhanced in incompatible interactions between Bd3-1 and ND18. Most of the differentially expressed transcripts are related to trehalose biosynthesis, ethylene, jasmonic acid metabolism, protein phosphorylation, protein ubiquitination, transcriptional regulation, and transport process, as well as pathogenesis-related protein biosynthesis. In compatible interactions between Bd3-1 and ND18 mutant, Bd3-1 developed weak basal resistance responses to the virus. Many genes involved in cellulose biosynthesis, protein amino acid phosphorylation, protein biosynthesis, protein glycosylation, glycolysis and cellular macromolecular complex assembly that may be related to virus replication, assembly and movement were up-regulated. Some genes involved in oxidative stress responses were also up-regulated at 14dpi. BSMV ND18 mutant infection suppressed expression of genes functioning in regulation of transcription, protein kinase, cellular nitrogen compound biosynthetic process and photosynthesis. Differential expression patterns between compatible and incompatible interactions in Bd3-1 to the two BSMV strains provide important clues for understanding mechanism of resistance to BMSV in the model plant Brachypodium

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) is an important inorganic salt. It is not only widely used in industrial production and daily life, but is also the main stress in alkaline saline soil. NaHCO₃ has a strong ability to inhibit the growth of fungi in both natural environment and daily application. However, the mechanism by which fungi respond to NaHCO₃ stress is not fully understood. To further clarify the toxic mechanisms of NaHCO₃ stress and identify the specific cellular genes and pathways involved in NaHCO₃ resistance, we performed genome-wide screening with NaHCO₃ using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutant library. A total of 33 deletion mutants with NaHCO₃ sensitivity were identified. Compared with wild-type strains, these mutants had significant growth defects in the medium containing NaHCO₃. Bioinformatics analysis found that the corresponding genes of these mutants are mainly enriched in the cell cycle, mitophagy, cell wall integrity, and signaling pathways. Further study using transcriptomic analysis showed that 309 upregulated and 233 downregulated genes were only responded to NaHCO₃ stress, when compared with yeast transcriptomic data under alkaline and saline stress. Upregulated genes were mainly concentrated in amino acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and cell wall, while downregulated genes were enriched in various cellular metabolisms. In summary, we have identified the cellular pathways and key genes that respond to NaHCO₃ stress in the whole genome, providing resource and direction for understanding NaHCO₃ toxicity and cellular resistance mechanisms.