Upland cotton is the most important natural-fiber crop. The genomic variation of diverse germplasms and alleles underpinning fiber quality and yield should be extensively explored. Here, we resequenced a core collection comprising 419 accessions with 6.55-fold coverage depth and identified approximately 3.66 million SNPs for evaluating the genomic variation. We performed phenotyping across 12 environments and conducted genome-wide association study of 13 fiber-related traits. 7,383 unique SNPs were significantly associated with these traits and were located within or near 4,820 genes; more associated loci were detected for fiber quality than fiber yield, and more fiber genes were detected in the D than the A subgenome. Several previously undescribed causal genes for days to flowering, fiber length, and fiber strength were identified. Phenotypic selection for these traits increased the frequency of elite alleles during domestication and breeding. These results provide targets for molecular selection and genetic manipulation in cotton improvement.

SummaryErucic acid (22 : 1) is a major feedstock for the oleochemical industry. In this study, a gene stacking strategy was employed to develop transgenic Crambe abyssinica lines with increased 22 : 1 levels. Through integration of the LdLPAAT, BnFAE1 and CaFAD2-RNAi genes into the crambe genome, confirmed by Southern blot and qRT-PCR, the average levels of 18 : 1, 18 : 2 and 18 : 3 were markedly decreased and that of 22 : 1 was increased from 60% in the wild type to 73% in the best transgenic line of T4 generation. In single seeds of the same line, the 22 : 1 level could reach 76.9%, an increase of 28.0% over the wild type. The trierucin amount was positively correlated to 22 : 1 in the transgenic lines. Unlike high erucic rapeseed, the wildtype crambe contains 22 : 1 in the seed phosphatidylcholine and in the sn-2 position of triacylglycerols (5% and 8%, respectively). The transgenic line with high 22 : 1 had decreased 22 : 1 level in phosphatidylcholine, and this was negatively correlated with the 22 : 1 level at the sn-2 position of TAG. The significances of this study include (i) achieving an unprecedented level of 22 : 1 in an oil crop; (ii) disclosing mechanisms in the channelling of a triacylglycerol-specific unusual fatty acid in oil seeds; (iii) indicating potential limiting factors involved in the erucic acid biosynthesis and paving the way for further increase of this acid and (iv) development of an added value genetically modified oil crop having no risk of gene flow into feed and food crops.

High-temperature (HT) stress induces male sterility, leading to yield reductions in crops. DNA methylation regulates a range of processes involved in plant development and stress responses, but its role in male sterility under HT remains unknown. Here, we investigated DNA methylation levels in cotton () anthers under HT and normal temperature (NT) conditions by performing whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to investigate the regulatory roles of DNA methylation in male fertility under HT. Global disruption of DNA methylation, especially CHH methylation (where H = A, C, or T), was detected in an HT-sensitive line. Changes in the levels of 24-nucleotide small-interfering RNAs were significantly associated with DNA methylation levels. Experimental suppression of DNA methylation led to pollen sterility in the HT-sensitive line under NT conditions but did not affect the normal dehiscence of anther walls. Further transcriptome analysis showed that the expression of genes in sugar and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolic pathways were significantly modulated in anthers under HT, but auxin biosynthesis and signaling pathways were only slightly altered, indicating that HT disturbs sugar and ROS metabolism via disrupting DNA methylation, leading to microspore sterility. This study opens up a pathway for creating HT-tolerant cultivars using epigenetic techniques.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is the predominant effect of severe traumatic brain injury and contributes significantly to neurological deficits. However, it is difficult to diagnose or characterize non-invasively with conventional imaging. Our study provides significant validation of a visual and statistical diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique as compared with pathological and electron microscopic study in a rat DAI model at multiple predilection sites and time points following trauma. Two DTI parameters, fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial diffusivity (AD), were significantly reduced from 12 h to 5 days post-trauma, corresponding to pathological axonal injury. At 7 days post-trauma, FA remained decreased, whereas AD pseudo-normalized and radial diffusivity increased. The temporal alterations in DTI parameters were observed in multiple predilection sites, and the extent of the changes in these parameters correlated significantly with the severity of histologically visualized axonal injury, as assessed by integrated optical density of immunochemically stained injured axons with quantitative stereology. Although anatomical T2-weighted magnetic resonance images showed no abnormal signals in microscopic lesions, we detected and characterized axonal injury directly by DTI at each time point. These results demonstrate that DTI has significant potential as a non-invasive tool with which to quantitatively diagnose and evaluate microstructural injury in the experimental and clinical assessment of DAI. This method can assist in accurate evaluation of the extent of axonal injury, detection of severe predilection foci, determination of approximate time of injury, and monitoring of the pathogenic condition at the early post-injury stage.

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Novel supramolecular vesicles based on host-guest systems were coassembled from carboxylate-substituted pillar[6]arene (CPA[6]) and disulfide-linked benzimidazolium amphiphiles, and the microstructures of the CPA-based supramolecular vesicles were clearly elaborated. The supramolecular vesicles showed controlled drug release in response to five stimuli, with glutathione, pH, CO , Zn ions, and hexanediamine, leading to cleavage of the disulfide bonds, protonation of the carboxylate groups, metal chelation, and competitive binding. This is the first case of a smart pillararene-based supramolecular vesicle being integrated with five stimuli-responsive functions to meet the diverse requirements of controlled drug release. Importantly, each of the five stimuli is closely related to microenvironments of tumors and diseases of the human body. The smart stimuli-responsive supramolecular vesicles have promising applications in drug therapy of tumors and relevant diseases.

Feedstocks for industrial applications ranging from polymers to lubricants are largely derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Vegetable oils with fatty acid structures and storage forms tailored for specific industrial uses offer renewable and potentially sustainable sources of petrochemical-type functionalities. A wide array of industrial vegetable oils can be generated through biotechnology, but will likely require non-commodity oilseed platforms dedicated to specialty oil production for commercial acceptance. Here we show the feasibility of three Brassicaceae oilseeds crambe, camelina, and carinata, none of which are widely cultivated for food use, as hosts for complex metabolic engineering of wax esters for lubricant applications. Lines producing wax esters >20% of total seed oil were generated for each crop and further improved for high temperature oxidative stability by down-regulation of fatty acid polyunsaturation. Field cultivation of optimized wax ester-producing crambe demonstrated commercial utility of these engineered crops and a path for sustainable production of other industrial oils in dedicated specialty oilseeds.

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