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[前沿资讯 ] Microbiota transplantation offers new hope against cotton leaf curl disease 进入全文
University of Glasgow
Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the Forman Christian College University, Pakistan, are pioneering an approach to combat the devastating cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) through microbiota transplantation. For decades, CLCuD has been devastating cotton crops across the world, especially Southeast Asia. Pakistan, a leading high-quality cotton-producing country, faces a severe challenge due to the biotic stresses encountered by the cotton crop. A consistent crop loss and yield reductions of up to 35% have placed Pakistan's textile industry on the verge of crashing. While the annual economic loss of $2 billion USD is a severe blow to the country's economy, it has also become a critical concern for sustainability scientists. Traditional methods, including chemical treatments and genetic modifications, have had limited success in tackling the disease. However, researchers are now exploring an innovative strategy—transplanting entire microbial communities from disease-resistant cotton species to susceptible ones. This research, "Microbiota transplantation for cotton leaf curl disease suppression—core microbiome and transcriptome dynamics," published in Communications Biology, focuses on transferring rhizospheric (root-associated) and phyllospheric (leaf-associated) microbiota from Gossypium arboreum—a naturally resistant cotton species but not useful for good fabric production—to Gossypium hirsutum, which is highly susceptible to CLCuD but highly valuable for fabric production. "Organ transplantation has always been mainstreamed in human health and our minds often jump to organ donations in humans. But what we thought of was, why not plants? What if plants can have their own version of transplants as well? Not of organs, but of something equally vital, and that is their microbiome," says Ayesha Badar, first author and Ph.D. researcher for the study. Preliminary results indicate that rhizospheric microbiota transplantation significantly reduces disease incidence, outperforming traditional treatments such as salicylic acid application. While the researchers have found that interspecies microbiota transplantation contributes to viral disease tolerance in cotton plants, their study also states, "The rhizosphere of CLCuD-resistant G. arboreum (Rhi.RMF) appeared to harbor selective beneficial bacterial genera which, when transplanted onto susceptible host species G. hirsutum, imparted not only disease suppression but enhanced growth rate as well." Dr. Umer Zeeshan Ijaz from the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering, a leading expert in bioinformatics, plays a key role in analyzing the complex microbial interactions involved in this process. "Using advanced sequencing techniques, we can decode the microbial communities responsible for disease suppression, paving the way for targeted microbiome-based interventions," he said. Dr. Kauser Abdulla Malik, Professor and Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Forman Christian College University, explains, "Due to the advent of CLCuD in the early 1990s, the cotton production drastically reduced. The National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Pakistan, where I was Director at the time, pioneered CLCuV isolation and characterization. "Despite employing RNAi and other advanced techniques, viral mutations rendered resistance efforts unsuccessful. "After decades of battling with CLCuV in Pakistan, now, by leveraging the power of beneficial microbes, we are developing a sustainable, biological solution to improve crop resilience. This research marks a shift from conventional disease management to harnessing nature's own defense mechanisms." The findings of this research hold immense potential for sustainable agriculture. By reducing dependency on chemical pesticides and fostering natural plant defenses, microbiota transplantation could become a game-changer in managing plant diseases globally. The research team envisions future applications of this method in various crops, expanding the scope of microbiome-based disease management. This work highlights the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing agricultural challenges and underscores Pakistan's contribution to cutting-edge scientific advancements in plant health.
[学术文献 ] GWAS and eQTL analyses reveal genetic components influencing the key fiber yield trait lint percentage in upland cotton 进入全文
PLANT JOURNAL
Lint percentage is an important component of cotton yield traits and an important economic indicator of cotton production. The initial stage of fiber development is a critical developmental period that affects the lint percentage trait, but the genetic regulation of the initial stage of fiber development needs to be resolved. In this study, we used a genomewide association study (GWAS) to identify 11 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to lint percentage and identified a total of 13 859 expression QTL (eQTLs) through transcriptome sequencing of 312 upland cotton accessions. Candidate genes for improving the lint percentage trait were identified through transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), colocalization analysis, and differentially expressed gene analysis. We located nine candidate genes through the TWAS, and prioritized two key candidate genes (Ghir_A12G025980 and Ghir_A12G025990) related to lint percentage through colocalization and differential expression analysis. We showed that two eQTL hotspots (Hot26 and Hot28) synergistically participate in regulating the biological pathways of fiber initiation and development. Additionally, we unlocked the potential of genomic variants in improving the lint percentage by aggregating favorable alleles in accessions. New accessions suitable for improving lint percentage were excavated.
[前沿资讯 ] NBRI’s innovative chip to boost cotton cultivation 进入全文
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Lucknow: CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, has developed a special chip that will assist scientists and farmers in cultivating superior cotton plants. Upon insertion of this ‘90K SNP Cotton Chip' in special equipment, it will provide data about various cotton varieties and their characteristics. The chip facilitates the development of high-quality cotton plants through marker-assisted breeding (MAB), a DNA-based approach. This utilises molecular markers to identify and choose plants with specific traits, creating new varieties. "The chip contains data of around 90,000 cotton SNP markers, which can be used to crossbreed and create a new variety according to climatic, production or pest control needs. This is the first such chip in India, and its license was given to a Delhi-based company in the presence of CSIR director general N Kalaiselvi," said NBRI director Ajit Kumar Shasany. Explaining MAB or chip technology, Shasany said: "In agricultural production, we often aim to combine good traits from different plants to breed a new variety. Suppose we have a cotton plant with many seeds but fewer branches and is not drought or pest-resistant while another variety has fewer seeds but is drought and pest-resistant and has more branches. We can combine these two to breed a desirable variety." "This may sound easy, but it's a herculean task as suitable varieties must be identified from thousands before crossbreeding. It may take months and even years. It's tough to determine which one is the best. The agricultural performance of plants is usually linked to traits that are encoded by DNA," he said. Shasany added that this chip was prepared by sequencing 320 cotton genotypes found in India, which resulted in 40 lakh single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), a variation in the DNA sequence at a single base position. Out of these, 90K SNPs were shortlisted as the best markers. Lucknow: CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, has developed a special chip that will assist scientists and farmers in cultivating superior cotton plants. Upon insertion of this ‘90K SNP Cotton Chip' in special equipment, it will provide data about various cotton varieties and their characteristics. The chip facilitates the development of high-quality cotton plants through marker-assisted breeding (MAB), a DNA-based approach. This utilises molecular markers to identify and choose plants with specific traits, creating new varieties. "The chip contains data of around 90,000 cotton SNP markers, which can be used to crossbreed and create a new variety according to climatic, production or pest control needs. This is the first such chip in India, and its license was given to a Delhi-based company in the presence of CSIR director general N Kalaiselvi," said NBRI director Ajit Kumar Shasany. Explaining MAB or chip technology, Shasany said: "In agricultural production, we often aim to combine good traits from different plants to breed a new variety. Suppose we have a cotton plant with many seeds but fewer branches and is not drought or pest-resistant while another variety has fewer seeds but is drought and pest-resistant and has more branches. We can combine these two to breed a desirable variety." "This may sound easy, but it's a herculean task as suitable varieties must be identified from thousands before crossbreeding. It may take months and even years. It's tough to determine which one is the best. The agricultural performance of plants is usually linked to traits that are encoded by DNA," he said. Shasany added that this chip was prepared by sequencing 320 cotton genotypes found in India, which resulted in 40 lakh single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), a variation in the DNA sequence at a single base position. Out of these, 90K SNPs were shortlisted as the best markers.
[学术文献 ] Identification of salt-resilient cotton genotypes using integrated morpho-physiological and biochemical markers at the seedling stage 进入全文
Scientific Reports
Soil salinity drastically hinders cotton productivity (Gossypium hirsutum), and fiber quality. The current study evaluated morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of fifty cotton genotypes under different salinity levels (control, 12 dS/m, and 17 dS/m) at the seedling stage. The experiment was performed in a factorial complete randomized design with three replications. Significant genotype × treatment interactions were observed for most traits, including shoot length (SL), root length (RL), fresh and dry shoot weight (FSW, DSW), fresh and dry root weight (FRW, DRW), total soluble protein (TSP), proline content, and antioxidant enzymes. Severe salinity stress reduces shoot length (SL) and root length (RL) along with notable decreases in biomass and altered biochemical responses, including increased antioxidant activities and proline content, indicating stress adaptation. Moreover, PCA and Pearson’s correlation analyses unveiled strong positive and negative correlations among studied attributes while MGIDI analyses assist in determining the salt-resilient cotton genotypes under applied treatments. The best-performing genotypes under control conditions were G2, G8, and G12, while G7, G43, and G30 showed resilience under severe salinity stress. MGIDI effectively identified genotypes with outstanding salinity tolerance, such as G2, G43, G40, and G26, across all stress levels. This research assists in determining the salinity stress-tolerant cotton genotypes using morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters and MGIDI is used as a precise method for identifying salt-resilient cotton accessions.
[前沿资讯 ] Research leads to viable solution for polycotton textile waste recycling—— Chemical processing of blended fabrics yields renewable feedstock for bio-based plastics 进入全文
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Researchers present a solution to the challenging problem of recycling poly-cotton textile waste. The process starts with fully removing all cotton from the fabric using superconcentrated hydrochloric acid at room temperature. The cotton is converted into glucose, which can be used as a feedstock for biobased products such as renewable plastics. The remaining polyester fibers can be reprocessed using available polyester recycling methods. In a paper just published in Nature Communications, researchers at the Industrial Sustainable Chemistry group of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) present a solution to the challenging problem of recycling polycotton textile waste. The process, developed in cooperation with the company Avantium, starts with fully removing all cotton from the fabric using superconcentrated hydrochloric acid at room temperature. The cotton is converted into glucose, which can be used as a feedstock for biobased products such as renewable plastics. The remaining polyester fibres can be reprocessed using available polyester recycling methods. The research was led by Prof. Gert-Jan Gruter, who heads the Industrial Sustainable Chemistry group at the UvA's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) as a parttime professor. Gruter is Chief Technology Officer at Avantium where he leads the development of renewable and circular polymer materials and technologies that are key to transforming our fossil-based economy into a renewable, bio-based economy. "Being able to recover glucose from the cotton in textile waste is a crucial contribution to this, as glucose is a key bio-based feedstock. Currently, it is produced from starch from corn and wheat. If and when we will be producing plastics from biomass on a large scale, the world will need a lot of non-food glucose." Equally important, the process now presented in the Nature Communications paper provides a solution to the mammoth problem of recycling textile waste. According to Gruter, it is the first effective method for recycling both cotton and polyester components of polycotton with high efficiency. Gruter's PhD student Nienke Leenders, first author of the paper, performed many tests under the four-year MiWaTex project that has been funded by the Dutch Research Council NWO and is now about halfway. The project entails cooperation with textile sorting and recycling company Wieland, workwear producer Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding, Modint, the trade association for the Dutch clothing and textile industry, and CuRe, developer of advanced technology for chemical recycling of polyester. Scalability and cost-effectiveness The Nature Communications paper describes how Leenders performed experiments using Avantium's pilot plant for its proprietary Dawn Technology which was originally developed to convert non-food plant-based feedstock (e.g wood) into glucose and lignin. Its key feature is using highly concentrated hydrochloric acid (43% by weight) at room temperature. Leenders tested batches of actual post-consumer polycotton waste textiles in Avantium's Dawn pilot plant. It turned out the cotton cellulose could be fully hydrolyzed into glucose under industrially relevant conditions. The polyester part of the fabric remained intact and could be easily separated. The trials demonstrated high glucose yields, indicating scalability and cost-effectiveness. The cotton-derived glucose from the process can be used in a wide range of industrial applications, including polymers, resins and solvents. It can for example be used by Avantium to produce its lead product 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a crucial component in the production of the biobased PEF polyester (polyethylene furanoate) that offers a renewable alternative to PET bottles. The process also enables the complete recycling of polyester from polycotton. It can be chemically recycled to form new virgin polyester, as was established by tests performed by CuRe. Favorable techno-economic analysis According to Gruter, the research lays the foundation for actual industrial-scale recycling of polycotton textiles and the first commercial availability of non-food glucose. "Many parties are trying to get either of these things done but no one has succeeded yet. Our techno-economic analysis looks rather favourable and Avantium has already invested substantially in this development. Our ambition is to advance this technology to the next phase of commercialization, together with partners. So we might very well be the first to market non-food glucose obtained through a bio-refinery approach."
[学术文献 ] PtrVINV2 is dispensable for cellulose synthesis but essential for salt tolerance in Populus trichocarpa Torr. and Gray 进入全文
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
Invertase (EC.3.2.1.26), a key enzyme in sucrose breakdown, is crucial for cellulose synthesis. However, the function of the vacuolar invertase (VINV) in woody plants remains unclear. In this study, transgenic lines of Populus trichocarpa Torr. and Gray were generated to investigate the role of PtrVINV2 in wood formation and under high salinity stress. Compared to wild-type (WT), VINV activity in the developing xylem of knockout lines was reduced, resulting in a decrease in lignin content and an increase in hemicellulose content, while cellulose content remained unaffected. These changes in structural carbohydrate content were accompanied by reductions in xylem width and fibre cell wall thickness. The overexpression lines of the developing xylem exhibited opposite trends. Transcriptome analyses of developing xylem indicated that the expression level of PtrVINV2 affects the expression of genes involved in hemicellulose and lignin biosynthesis pathways, such as AXS, UAMs, HCT, COMT, CAD and peroxidases, while CesA expression remained unaffected. WGCNA analysis revealed that Potri.001G219100, Potri.009G106600 and Potri.002G081000 serve as 'hub' transcription factor genes within the structural/non-structural carbohydrate modules of PtrVINV2 transgenic lines, potentially involved in plant salt tolerance. Additionally, under 200 mmol/L NaCl treatment, the knockout lines exhibited increased salt sensitivity compared to WT. This increased sensitivity was accompanied by elevated activities of SOD, CAT and MDA, as well as higher sucrose content and reduced contents of glucose and fructose. The findings indicate that although PtrVINV2 is not essential for cellulose synthesis, it enhances salt tolerance in poplar and presents a promising candidate gene for breeding salt-tolerant poplar.
