Pesticides are the basis for defending against major biological disasters and important for ensuring national food security. Biocompatible, biodegradable, intelligent, and responsive materials are currently an emerging area of interest in the field of efficient, safe, and green pesticide formulation. Using nanotechnology to design and prepare targeted pesticides with environmentally responsive controlled release via compound and chemical modifications has also shown great potential in creating novel formulations. In this review, special attention has been paid to intelligent pesticides with precise controlled release modes that can respond to micro-ecological environment changes such as light-sensitivity, thermo-sensitivity, humidity sensitivity, soil pH, and enzyme activity. Moreover, establishing intelligent and controlled pesticide release technologies using nanomaterials are reported. These technologies could increase pesticide-loading, improve the dispersibility and stability of active ingredients, and promote target ability.

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The human IgA FcR (FcαRI; CD89) mediates a variety of immune system functions including degranulation, endocytosis, phagocytosis, cytokine synthesis, and cytokine release. We have identified a common, nonsynonymous, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the coding region of CD89 (844A→G) (rs16986050), which changes codon 248 from AGC (Ser248) to GGC (Gly248) in the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor. The two different alleles demonstrate significantly different FcαRI-mediated intracellular calcium mobilization and degranulation in rat basophilic leukemia cells and cytokine production (IL-6 and TNF-α) in murine macrophage P388D1 cells. In the absence of FcR γ-chain association in P388D1 cells, the Ser248-FcαRI allele does not mediate cytokine production, but the Gly248-FcαRI allele retains the capacity to mediate a robust production of proinflammatory cytokine. This allele-dependent difference is also seen with FcαRI-mediated IL-6 cytokine release by human neutrophils ex vivo. These findings and the enrichment of the proinflammatory Gly248-FcαRI allele in systemic lupus erythematosus populations in two ethnic groups compared with their respective non-systemic lupus erythematosus controls suggest that FcαRI (CD89) α-chain alleles may affect receptor-mediated signaling and play an important role in the modulation of immune responses in inflammatory diseases.

FcalphaRI (CD89) is a human IgA FcR expressed on cells of myeloid lineage such as neutrophils, monocytes, tissue macrophages, eosinophils, and subpopulations of dendritic cells. FcalphaRI mediates cell activation through Src family kinases and downstream tyrosine-based phosphorylation pathways. However, the role of IgA and the expression and role of its cognate receptor FcalphaRI (CD89) in platelet activation are undefined. In the current study, we demonstrate that human platelets express FcalphaRI mRNAs and proteins. Furthermore, we show that the platelet FcalphaRI is associated with the FcR gamma-chain, and cross-linking of FcalphaRI leads to Syk phosphorylation. Clustering of FcalphaRI induces pre-mRNA splicing and protein production of tissue factor and IL-1beta, suggesting novel roles for human platelet FcalphaRI and serum IgA in thrombosis and inflammation.

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The distribution of surface modified carbon dots (CDs) in the pumpkin seedlings was studied by visualization techniques and their potential phytotoxicity was investigated at both the physiological and biochemical levels. The average size of carbon dots was approximately 4 nm. The fluorescent peaks of bared CDs, CD-PEI and CD-PAA were between 420 nm and 500 nm, indicating CDs could emit blue and green fluorescence. Fluorescent images showed that all three types of CDs could accumulate in the pumpkin roots and translocate to the shoots, although the distribution pattern of each CDs was obviously different. At the biochemical level, the elevated antioxidant enzymes in pumpkin roots suggest that all the CDs could potentially trigger the antioxidant defense systems in pumpkin seedlings. Additionally, such alteration was greater in the roots than in the shoots. Our study represents a new perspective on CD visualization in plant tissues and provide useful information for the potential toxicity of different types of CDs to terrestrial plants, which is of importance to agricultural application.