Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is a pivotal signaling molecule existing in almost all living organisms. However, the mechanism of cAMP signaling in plants remains very poorly understood. Here, we employ the engineered activity of soluble adenylate cyclase to induce cellular cAMP elevation in Arabidopsis thaliana plants and identify 427 cAMP-responsive genes (CRGs) through RNA-seq analysis. Induction of cellular cAMP elevation inhibits seed germination, disturbs phytohormone contents, promotes leaf senescence, impairs ethylene response, and compromises salt stress tolerance and pathogen resistance. A set of 62 transcription factors are among the CRGs, supporting a prominent role of cAMP in transcriptional regulation. The CRGs are significantly overrepresented in the pathways of plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling, and diterpenoid biosynthesis, but they are also implicated in lipid, sugar, K+, nitrate signaling, and beyond. Our results provide a basic framework of cAMP signaling for the community to explore. The regulatory roles of cAMP signaling in plant plasticity are discussed.
Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs) constitute a family of non-selective cation channels that are primarily permeable to Ca2+ and activated by the direct binding of cyclic nucleotides (i.e., cAMP and cGMP) to mediate cellular signaling, both in animals and plants. Until now, our understanding of CNGCs in cotton (Gossypium spp.) remains poorly addressed. In the present study, we have identified 40, 41, 20, 20, and 20 CNGC genes in G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. herbaceum, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii, respectively, and demonstrated characteristics of the phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, chromosomal localization, gene duplication, and synteny. Further investigation of CNGC genes in G. hirsutum, named GhCNGC1-40, indicated that they are not only extensively expressed in various tissues and at different developmental stages, but also display diverse expression patterns in response to hormones (abscisic acid, salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, ethylene), abiotic (salt stress) and biotic (Verticillium dahlia infection) stimuli, which conform with a variety of cis-acting regulatory elements residing in the promoter regions; moreover, a set of GhCNGCs are responsive to cAMP signaling during cotton fiber development. Protein–protein interactions supported the functional aspects of GhCNGCs in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Accordingly, the silencing of the homoeologous gene pair GhCNGC1&18 and GhCNGC12&31 impaired plant growth and development; however, GhCNGC1&18-silenced plants enhanced Verticillium wilt resistance and salt tolerance, whereas GhCNGC12&31-silenced plants had opposite effects. Together, these results unveiled the dynamic expression, differential regulation, and functional diversity of the CNGC family genes in cotton. The present work has laid the foundation for further studies and the utilization of CNGCs in cotton genetic improvement.
A pressure injury is a complex chronic wound that forms when the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to soft tissue regions is compromised due to prolonged pressure, commonly over bony prominences, which results in local ischemia, cell death and potentially fatal infections. Its early diagnosis and prediction are challenging, despite technological advancements. It remains one of the most burdensome, costly and fatal secondary medical conditions, which affects millions of people annually. Here, we present a soft, flexible and stretchable pressure sensor array made out of silicone elastomer material, carbon black particles and stretchable, conductive, silver-plated fabric. Its working principle is based on capacitive sensing, where electrodes form an array of parallel plate-like capacitors that enable the detection of pressure due to the deformation of the dielectric layer. We explored a variety of different dielectric architectures consisting of pillar structures of various shapes that make it compressible and potentially increase sensitivity. The sensor array is designed to be shape-conformable, scalable in size and resolution, and able to detect and measure pressure within the desired pressure range for pressure injuries (0-200 mmHg) over short (≤15 minutes) and long periods (≥8 hours) with consistent accuracy and low repeatability error.
Epoxy cellular plastics have been widely used in lightweight transportation vehicles and energy-efficient constructions due to their low density, excellent mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. However, it remains a great challenge to develop a well-defined porous structure in conventional epoxy foam and thereby enhance their mechanical and thermal properties due to the competition between heating and thermosetting of epoxy resins during foaming processes. Herein, inspired by the structure of wood, we report a type of woodmimetic epoxy cellular plastic with well-aligned channels fabricated by a recently developed emulsion ice-templating technique. Despite a relatively low density (around 0.75 g/cm 3 ), the resulting epoxy cellular plastic achieves a high compressive strength (36.7 ± 3.4 MPa), which is 80% higher than that of the epoxy foam with similar density but prepared by conventional foaming processes. We further found that the as-prepared epoxy cellular plastic has a superior shape-recovery ratio (99.7%), which plays a key role in its adaptivity and reusability. In addition, ambient thawing was successfully utilized to replace the tedious freeze-drying process, making our fabrication method more favorable in both time and energy consumption. In addition, our research provides a feasible approach to prepare cellular materials with various biomimetic architectures and functions using a broad range of polymers.
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