Selenium (Se) is in great demand as a health supplement due to its superior reactivity and excellent bioavailability, despite selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) having signs of minor toxicity. At present, the efficiency of preparing SeNPs using lactic acid bacteria is unsatisfactory. Therefore, a probiotic bacterial strain that is highly efficient at converting selenite to elemental selenium is needed. In our work, four selenite-reducing bacteria were isolated from soil samples. Strain LAB-Se2, identified as Pediococcus acidilactici DSM20284, had a reduction rate of up to 98% at ambient temperature. This strain could reduce 100 mg L⁻¹ of selenite to elemental Se within 48 h at pH 4.5–6.0, a temperature of 30–40 °C, and a salinity of 1.0–6.5%. The produced SeNPs were purified, freeze-dried, and subsequently systematically characterised using FTIR, DSL, SEM-EDS, and TEM techniques. SEM-EDS analysis proved the presence of selenium as the foremost constituent of SeNPs. The strain was able to form spherical SeNPs, as determined by TEM. In addition, DLS analysis confirmed that SeNPs were negatively charged (−26.9 mV) with an average particle size of 239.6 nm. FTIR analysis of the SeNPs indicated proteins and polysaccharides as capping agents on the SeNPs. The SeNPs synthesised by P. acidilactici showed remarkable antibacterial activity against E. coli, B. subtilis, S. aureus, and K. pneumoniae with inhibition zones of 17.5 mm, 13.4 mm, 27.9 mm, and 16.2 mm, respectively; they also showed varied MIC values in the range of 15–120 μg mL⁻¹. The DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl, and superoxide scavenging activities of the SeNPs were 70.3%, 72.8%, 95.2%, and 85.7%, respectively. The SeNPs synthesised by the probiotic Lactococcus lactis have the potential for safe use in biomedical and nutritional applications.

As one of the most imperative antioxidants in higher plants, carotenoids serve as accessory pigments to harvest light for photosynthesis as well as photoprotectors for plants to adapt to high light stress. Phytoene synthase (PSY) is the entry enzyme and also the major rate-limiting enzyme in the carotenoid pathway. Here, we report a dehydration-responsive element-binding protein (DREB) transcription factor member in Nicotiana tabacum K326, NtDREB-1BL1, which regulates carotenoids biosynthesis by binding to the NtPSY promoter. The NtDREB-1BL1 transcript was widely distributed in leaves by Real-time PCR. Confocal image revealed that NtDREB-1BL1 was localized in the nucleus. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with the qPCR technique indicated that NtDREB-1BL1 could anchor the promoter region of NtPSY. Overexpression (NtDREB-1BL1 OE) and RNA interference (NtDREB-1BL1 RNAi) of NtDREB-1BL1 were performed to evaluate its biological function in N. tabacum. Both carotenoid and chlorophyll contents increased in transgenic plants of NtDREB-1BL1 OE compared with wild-type (WT) plants, with the augment of the genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. In contrast, the contents of carotenoid and chlorophyll significantly decreased in transgenic plants of NtDREB-1BL1 RNAi compared to WT, along with the decline in the expression of genes related to carotenoid biosynthesis. Moreover, transgenic plants of NtDREB-1BL1 OE exhibited enhanced tolerance under drought stress, with the weakened tolerance of drought stress in transgenic plants of NtDREB-1BL1 RNAi. In conclusion, our results illustrated the new role of transcription factor NtDREB-1BL1 in improving carotenoid biosynthesis through regulating NtPSY expression.

Background: There is great productivity of rice(Oryza sativa L. spp. japonica) straw in China, which is a potential source of biomass for biofuel and forage. However, the high levels of lignins in rice straw limited its usage and induced the formation of agricultural waste. In order to modify the lignins contents to improve biofuel production and forage digestibility, we selected Soybean hull peroxidase (SHP) and Glyoxal oxidase (GLOX) as candidate genes to improve quality of rice straw. SHP, a class III plant peroxidase, is derived from multiple sources. It has several advantages, such as high resistance to heat, high stability under acidic and alkaline conditions, and a broad substrate range. SHP is speculated to be useful for lignin degradation. Glyoxal oxidase (GLOX) is an extracellular oxidase that can oxidize glyoxal and methylglyoxal in the extracellular medium to generate H₂O₂. Results: In the present study, the SHP and GLOX genes in pCAMBIA3301-glycine-rich protein (GRP)-SHP-GLOX, designated the K167 vector, were optimized and introduced into rice embryos using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Positive transgenic rice embryos were examined using molecular, physiological, biochemical and fermentation tests. The outcomes suggested that SHP degraded lignin effectively. Conclusions: This research has created a rice breeding material with normal growth and yield but stalks that are more amenable to degradation in the later stage for use in breeding rice varieties whose stalks are easily used for energy. Our results will improve the industrial and commercial applications of rice straw.

Selenium (Se) is indispensable for the majority of organisms, yet it also possesses toxic properties, with a delicate balance between insufficiency and harmful levels. Some plants can be used for resistance of Se pollution. Here, to identify the Se tolerance and resistance potential of alfalfa, we comprehensively investigated the effects of excessive Na₂SeO₃ on the physio-biochemical, anatomical, mRNA, and miRNA expression profile alterations. Foliar spraying 500 mg/kg Se significantly reduced the biomass in alfalfa probably by inhibiting photosynthesis (20.2%). Excessive Se breaks the balance of antioxidant system, resulting in an increase of H₂O₂ and MDA content by 14.2 and 4.3%. Leaf ultra-structure damages subsequently revealed the phytotoxic effects of Se. And at 500 mg/kg, alfalfa synthesized more S-type lignin probably to increase the Se tolerance, but it resulted in lower nutritional quality. Through RNA-seq, we found 2112 Se-responsive differentially expressed genes, including 1322 up-regulated and 790 down-regulated mRNAs, many of which were related to plant hormone signal transduction, redox reaction, S-assimilation, and cell homeostasis. Moreover, we identified 296 known and 258 conserved miRNAs, and predicted 310 novel miRNAs, among which 77 differentially expressed miRNAs were induced by Se. miRNAs play a crucial role in forming Se tolerance in alfalfa under the precise regulation of redox, chlorophyll degradation, photosynthesis, cell wall synthesis, and other related target genes. Our results provided insights into the complex mechanism of the Se stress response in alfalfa.