Biology subjects

Chen, Z.

Publications and source records attributed to Chen, Z..

At least 595 records · Page 33Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Neuromorphic Model of Hippocampus Place cells using an Oscillatory Interference Technique for Hardware Implementation

In this paper, we propose a simplified and robust model for Place cell generation based on the Oscillatory Interference (OI) model concept. Aiming toward hardware implementation in bio-inspired Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems for mobile robotics, we base our model on logic operations that reduce its computational complexity. The model compensates for parameter variations in the behaviors of the population of constituent Theta cells, and allows the Theta cells to have square-wave oscillation profiles. The robustness of the model, with respect to mismatch in the Theta cells base oscillation frequency and gain--as a function of modulatory inputs--is demonstrated. Place cell composed of 48 Theta cells with base frequency variations with a 25% standard deviation from the mean and a gain error with 20% standard deviation from the mean only result in a 20% deformations within the place field and 0.24% outer side lobes, and an overall pattern with 0.0015 mean squared error on average. We also present how the model can be used to achieve the localization and path-tracking functionalities of SLAM.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Functional characterization of multidomain protein Vip3Aa from Bacillus thuringiensis reveals a strategy to increase its insecticidal potency

Microbially derived, protein-based biopesticides offer a more sustainable pest management alternative to synthetic pesticides. Vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip3), multidomain proteins secreted by Bacillus thuringiensis, represent a second-generation insecticidal toxin that have been used in transgenic crops. However, the molecular mechanism underlying Vip3s toxicity is poorly understood. Here, we determine the distinct functions and contributions of the domains of the Vip3Aa protein to its toxicity against Spodoptera frugiperda larvae. Vip3Aa domains II and III (DII-DIII) bind the midgut epithelium, while DI maintains the tetrameric state of the Vip3Aa protoxin, which is essential for its stability and toxicity. DI-DIII can be activated by midgut proteases, and exhibits ex vivo cytotoxicity similar to full-length Vip3Aa. We also determine that DV binds the peritrophic matrix via its glycan-binding activity, which is essential for Vip3Aa insecticidal activity. We further show that Vip3Aa has multiple protease activation sites and that introducing additional cleavage sites between DI and DII can increase the proteolysis efficiency and boost Vip3Aa insecticidal potency. This study provides insights into Vip3Aas mode-of-action and demonstrates a proof-of-concept strategy to enhance the insecticidal potency of Vip3Aa, which should significantly improve its application and development as a biopesticide.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Structure of the NuA4 acetyltransferase complex bound to the nucleosome

DNA in eukaryotes wraps around the histone octamer to form nucleosomes1, the fundamental unit of chromatin. The N-termini of histone H4 interact with nearby nucleosomes, and play an important role in the formation of high order chromatin structure and heterochromatin silencing2-4. NuA4 in yeast and its homolog Tip60 complex in mammalian cells are the key enzymes that catalyze H4 acetylation, which in turn regulate chromatin packaging, and function in transcription activation and DNA repair5-10. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of NuA4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae bound to the nucleosome. NuA4 comprises two major modules: the catalytic histone acetyltransferase (HAT) module and the transcription activator-binding TRA module. The nucleosome is mainly bound by the HAT module, and positioned close to a polybasic surface of the TRA module, which is important for the optimal activity of NuA4. The nucleosomal linker DNA carrying the upstream activation sequence is oriented towards the conserved, transcription-activator-binding surface of the Tra1 subunit, which suggests a potential mechanism of NuA4 to act as a transcription co-activator. The HAT module recognizes the disk face of the nucleosome through the H2A-H2B acidic patch and the nucleosomal DNA, projecting the catalytic pocket of Esa1 to the N-terminal tail of H4, supporting its function in selective acetylation of H4. Together, our findings illustrate how NuA4 is assembled, and provide mechanistic insights into nucleosome recognition and transcription coactivation by a histone acetyltransferase.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2022

A synthetic protein-level neural network in mammalian cells

Artificial neural networks provide a powerful paradigm for information processing that has transformed diverse fields. Within living cells, genetically encoded synthetic molecular networks could, in principle, harness principles of neural computation to classify molecular signals. Here, we combine de novo designed protein heterodimers and engineered viral proteases to implement a synthetic protein circuit that performs winner-take-all neural network computation. This "perceptein" circuit includes modules that compute weighted sums of input protein concentrations through reversible binding interactions, and allow for self-activation and mutual inhibition of protein components using irreversible proteolytic cleavage reactions. Altogether, these interactions comprise a network of 310 chemical reactions stemming from 8 expressed protein species. The complete system achieves signal classification with tunable decision boundaries in mammalian cells. These results demonstrate how engineered protein-based networks can enable programmable signal classification in living cells. One-Sentence SummaryA synthetic protein circuit that performs winner-take-all neural network computation in mammalian cells

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Organs-on-a-Chip Database (OOCDB): A Comprehensive, Systematic and Real-time Organs-on-a-chip Database

Organs-on-a-Chip is a microfluidic microphysiological system that uses microfluidic technology to make high-resolution and real-time imaging analysis on the structure and function of living human cells at the level of tissue and organ in vitro. Compared with the traditional two-dimensional cell culture model and animal model, organs-on-a-chip technology can simulate the pathological and toxicological interactions between different organs or tissues more closely and reflect the collaborative response of multiple organs to drugs. Although lots of organs-on-a-chip-related literature have been published, none of current databases have achieved all the following functionalities yet: searching, downloading and analyzing data and results from literature of organs-on-a-chip. To address this need, we established a database named organs-on-a-chip database (OOCDB), as a platform to integrate information related to organs-on-a-chip from various sources: literature, patents, microarray and transcriptome sequencing raw data, many open access data of organs-on-a-chip and organoids, as well as the data generated in our lab. OOCDB comprises dozens of sub databases and analysis tools and each sub database contains a number of data related to organs-on-a-chip, aiming to provide a comprehensive, systematic and convenient search engine for researchers. In addition, it provides functions such as mathematical modeling, three-dimensional model and citation map to meet the needs of researchers and to promote the development of organs-on-a-chip. The organs-on-a-chip database can be visited at http://www.organchip.cn.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

The slowdown of growth rate controls the single-cell distribution of biofilm matrix production via a SinI-SinR-SlrR network

In Bacillus subtilis, a master regulator Spo0A controls several cell-differentiation pathways. Under moderate starvation, phosphorylated Spo0A (Spo0A~P) induces biofilm formation by indirectly activating genes controlling matrix production in a subpopulation of cells via a SinI-SinR-SlrR network. Under severe starvation, Spo0A~P induces sporulation by directly and indirectly regulating sporulation gene expression. However, what determines the heterogeneity of individual cell fates is not fully understood. In particular, it is still unclear why, despite being controlled by a single master regulator, biofilm matrix production and sporulation are mutually exclusive on a single-cell level. In this work, with mathematical modeling, we showed that the fluctuations in the growth rate and the intrinsic noise amplified by the bistability in the SinI-SinR-SlrR network could explain the single-cell distribution of matrix production. Moreover, we predicted an incoherent feed-forward loop: the decrease in the cellular growth rate activates matrix production by increasing in Spo0A phosphorylation level but represses it via changing the relative concentrations of SinR and SlrR. Experimental data provide evidence to support model predictions. In particular, we demonstrate how the degree to which matrix production and sporulation appear mutually exclusive is affected by genetic perturbations. ImportanceThe mechanisms of cell-fate decisions are fundamental to our understanding of multicellular organisms and bacterial communities. However, even for the best-studied model systems we still lack a complete picture of how phenotypic heterogeneity of genetically identical cells is controlled. Here, using B. subtilis as a model system, we employ a combination of mathematical modeling and experiments to explain the population-level dynamics and single-cell level heterogeneity of biofilm gene expression. The results demonstrate how the two cell fates, biofilm matrix production and sporulation, can appear mutually exclusive without explicitly inhibiting one another. Such a mechanism could be used in a wide range of other biological systems.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Metformin Alleviates Arthrofibrosis in Rat via Fibroblast Metabolic Reprogramming and Lactate-Mediated Macrophage Polarization

BackgroundEmerging studies have suggested an essential role of fibroblast metabolic reprogramming in the pathogenesis of arthrofibrosis. The metabolic modulator metformin appears to be a therapeutic candidate for fibrotic disorders. However, whether metformin could alleviate arthrofibrosis has not been defined. In this study we have determined if treatment with metformin has the beneficial effect on arthrofibrosis and its underlying mechanism. MethodsArticular capsule samples were collected from patients with/without arthrofibrosis to perform gene and protein expression analysis. Arthrofibrosis animal model was established to examine the anti-fibrotic effect of metformin. Cell culture experiments were conducted to determine the mechanism by which metformin inhibits fibroblast activation. ResultsWe found that glycolysis was upregulated in human fibrotic articular capsules. In an arthrofibrosis animal model, intra-articular injection of metformin mitigated inflammatory reactions, downregulated expression of both fibrotic and glycolytic markers, improved range of motion of the joint, and reduced capsular fibrosis and thickening. At the cellular level, metformin inhibited the activation of fibroblasts and mitigated the abundant influx of glucose into activated fibroblasts. Interestingly, metformin prompted a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis in activated fibroblasts, resulting in the anti-fibrotic effect of metformin. ConclusionMetformin decreased glycolysis, causing a metabolic shift toward aerobic glycolysis in activated fibroblasts and has beneficial effect on the treatment of arthrofibrosis. The translational potential of this articleThe finding of this study demonstrated the therapeutic effect of metformin on arthrofibrosis and defined novel targets for the treatment of articular fibrotic disorders.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Injectable hydrogel embedded with mesenchymal stem cells repairs severe spinal cord injury

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation was suggested as a promising approach to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the heterogeneity of MSC and the lack of appropriate delivery methods impede its clinical application. To tackle these challenges, we first generated human MSCs derived from a single cell with a great homogeneity of batch quality and then developed a biocompatible injectable hydrogel to embed these cells to treat severe SCI. In a clinically relevant rat severe SCI model, we showed that the injection of MSCs with injectable hydrogel into the lesion site promoted robust functional recovery, while the intrathecal delivery of MSCs only resulted in limited therapeutic effects. Mechanistically, the hydrogel protected MSCs from the damage of harmful neuroinflammatory microenvironment in the spinal cord lesion. The hydrogel with the survived MSCs ameliorates the neuroinflammatory microenvironment of spinal cord lesion, preventing cavity formation and leads to the remnant of spared axons/tissues, which results in a better prognosis in the end.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

Graphene Biointerface for Cardiac Arrhythmia Diagnosis and Treatment

Heart rhythm disorders, known as arrhythmias, cause significant morbidity and are one of the leading causes of mortality. Cardiac arrhythmias are primarily treated by implantable devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, or by ablation therapy guided by electroanatomical mapping. Pharmacological treatments are mostly ineffective. Both implantable and ablation therapies require sophisticated biointerfaces for electrophysiological measurements of electrograms and delivery of therapeutic stimulation or ablation energy. In this work, we report for the first time on graphene biointerface for in vivo cardiac electrophysiology. Leveraging sub-micrometer thick tissue-conformable graphene arrays, we demonstrate sensing and stimulation of the open mammalian heart both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrate graphene pacemaker treatment of a pharmacologically-induced arrhythmia, AV block. The arrays show effective electrochemical properties, namely interface impedance down to 40 Ohmxcm2 at 1kHz, charge storage capacity up to 63.7 mC/cm2, and charge injection capacity up to 704 C/cm2. Transparency of the graphene structures allows for simultaneous optical mapping of cardiac action potentials and optogenetic stimulation while performing electrical measurements and stimulation. Our report presents evidence of the significant potential of graphene biointerfaces for the future clinical device- and catheter-based cardiac arrhythmias therapies.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

DeepsmirUD: Precise prediction of regulatory effects on miRNA expression mediated by small molecular compounds using competing deep learning frameworks

Aberrant miRNA expression has pervasively been found to relate to a growing number of human diseases. Therefore, targeting miRNAs to regulate their expression levels has become an important therapy against diseases that stem from the dysfunction of oncogenic pathways regulated by the miRNAs. In recent years, small molecule compounds have demonstrated enormous potential as drugs to regulate miRNA expression (i.e., SM-miR). A clear understanding of the mechanism of action of small molecules on down- and up-regulating miRNA expression allows precise diagnosis and treatment of oncogenic pathways. However, outside of a slow and costly process of experimental determination, computational strategies to assist this in an ad hoc manner have still not been enabled. In this work, we develop, to the best of our knowledge, the first prediction tool, DeepsmirUD, to infer small molecule-mediated regulatory effects on miRNA expression. This method is powered by an ensemble of 12 cutting-edged deep learning frameworks and achieves state-of-the-art performance with AUC values of 0.840/0.969 and AUCPR values of 0.866/0.983 on two independent test datasets. With a complementarily constructed network inference approach based on similarity, we report a significantly improved accuracy of 0.813 in determining regulatory effects of nearly 650 SM-miR relations formed with either novel small molecules or novel miRNAs. By further integrating miRNA-cancer relations, we established a database of potentially pharmaceutical drugs to aid in understanding the drug mechanisms of action in diseases and to offer novel insight into drug repositioning. Taken together, our method shows great promise to assist and accelerate the therapeutic development of potential miRNA targets and small molecule drugs. Furthermore, we have employed DeepsmirUD to predict regulatory effects of a large number of high-confidence SM-miR relations curated from Psmir, which are publicly available through https://github.com/2003100127/deepsmirud and https://rujinlong.github.io/deepsmirud/ alongside the DeepsmirUD standalone package.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

Lupus disease flares are concordant with immune responses to blooms of lipoglycan-expressing Ruminococcus blautia gnavus strains arising from unstable gut microbiota communities

Whereas genetic susceptibility for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus has been well explored, the precipitants for clinical disease flares remain a mystery. To investigate for dynamic-relationships between gut-microbial communities and Lupus disease activity, we performed taxonomic surveys of fecal 16S rRNA gene amplicon-libraries from Lupus patients and healthy volunteers, obtained at serial timepoints over many months to several years. Individual Lupus patients commonly displayed imbalances in alpha and beta microbiota-diversity, which were uniquely different from healthy individuals as well as from other Lupus patients. Moreover, multivariate analysis of sequential Lupus libraries documented community-wide ecological microbiota instability overtime, most pronounced in patients with Lupus Nephritis LN), a severe form associated with worse prognosis. Lupus gut communities displayed transient spikes of pathogenic bacterial species, with by far the most prevalent being blooms of Ruminococcus blautia gnavus (RG), occurring in nearly half of LN patients often concordant with disease activity flares. RG strains isolated during disease flares, but not those isolated from healthy individuals or patients with inflammatory bowel disease, commonly expressed a novel, highly immunogenic cell wall-associated lipoglycan with conserved structural features that include a diacyl glycerol anchor. Cross-reactive antigenic determinants on these lipoglycans were recognized by murine monoclonal antibodies, and by spontaneously arising Lupus serum IgG antibodies with peak serum antibody responses also concordant with RG blooms. As SLE is frequently characterized by remitting-relapsing disease, despite appropriate treatment, we speculate that gut blooms of pathogenic bacteria, that impair gut barrier function and stoke systemic inflammation, directly contribute to immunopathogenesis.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

AIM1-dependent high basal SA accumulation modulates stomatal aperture in rice

The basal levels of salicylic acid (SA), an important plant hormone, vary dramatically among plant species. In the shoot, for example, the monocot plant rice contains almost 100 times higher SA levels than the dicot model plant Arabidopsis. Despite its high basal levels, neither the biosynthetic pathway nor the biological functions of SA is well understood in rice. Here, we report that the synthesis of basal SA in rice shoot is not altered in the mutant for the ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE (ICS) gene, but drastically reduced in the mutant for OsAIM1, which encodes a beta-oxidation enzyme in the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) pathway. Analogous to its role in thermogenesis, compromised SA accumulation in the Osaim1 mutant led to a lower shoot temperature than wild-type plants. However, this shoot temperature defect was resulted from increased transpiration due to elevated steady-state stomatal aperture in the mutant. Furthermore, the high basal shoot SA level is required for sustained expression of WRKY45 to modulate the steady-state stomatal aperture and shoot temperature in rice. Taken together, these results provide the direct genetic evidence for the critical role of the PAL pathway in the biosynthesis of high levels of basal SA, which play an important role in the regulation of steady-state stomatal aperture to promote fitness under both normal and stress conditions.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Definition of a saxitoxin (STX) binding code enables discovery and characterization of the Anuran saxiphilin family

American bullfrog (Rana castesbeiana) saxiphilin (RcSxph) is a high-affinity toxin sponge protein thought to prevent intoxication by saxitoxin (STX), a lethal bis-guanidinium neurotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs). How specific RcSxph interactions contribute to STX binding has not been defined and whether other organisms have similar proteins is unclear. Here, we use mutagenesis, ligand binding, and structural studies to define the energetic basis of Sxph:STX recognition. The resultant STX recognition code enabled engineering of RcSxph to improve its ability to rescue NaVs from STX and facilitated discovery of ten new frog and toad Sxphs. Definition of the STX binding code and Sxph family expansion among diverse Anurans separated by [~]140 million years of evolution provides a molecular basis for understanding the roles of toxin sponge proteins in toxin resistance and for developing novel proteins to sense or neutralize STX and related PSP toxins. TeaserA conserved STX recognition motif from frog and toad saxiphilins defines molecular principles of paralytic toxin binding.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2022

Characterization of two conserved cell death elicitor families from the Dothideomycete fungal pathogens Dothistroma septosporum and Fulvia fulva (syn. Cladosporium fulvum)

Dothistroma septosporum (Ds) and Fulvia fulva (Ff; previously called Cladosporium fulvum) are two closely related Dothideomycete fungal species that cause Dothistroma needle blight in pine and leaf mold in tomato, respectively. During host colonization, these pathogens secrete virulence factors termed effectors to promote infection. In the presence of corresponding host immune receptors, however, these effectors activate plant defenses, including a localized cell death response that halts pathogen growth. We identified two effector protein families, Ecp20 and Ecp32, which are conserved between the two pathogens. The Ecp20 family has four paralogues in both species, while the Ecp32 family has four paralogues in D. septosporum and five in F. fulva. Both families have members that are highly expressed during host infection. Members of the Ecp20 family have predicted structural similarity to proteins with a {beta}-barrel fold, including the Alt a 1 allergen from Alternaria alternata, while members of the Ecp32 family have predicted structural similarity to proteins with a {beta}-trefoil fold, such as trypsin inhibitors and lectins. Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient transformation assays, each family member was assessed for its ability to trigger cell death in leaves of the non-host species Nicotiana benthamiana and N. tabacum. Using this approach, FfEcp20-2, DsEcp20-3 and FfEcp20-3 from the Ecp20 family, and all members from the Ecp32 family, except for the Ds/FfEcp32-4 pair, triggered cell death in both species. This cell death was dependent on secretion of the effectors to the apoplast. In line with recognition by an extracellular immune receptor, cell death triggered by Ds/FfEcp20-3 and FfEcp32-3 was compromised in N. benthamiana silenced for BAK1 or SOBIR1, which encode extracellular co-receptors involved in transducing defense response signals following apoplastic effector recognition. We then investigated whether DsEcp20-3 and DsEcp20-4 triggered cell death in the host species Pinus radiata by directly infiltrating purified protein into pine needles. Strikingly, as in the non-host species, DsEcp20-3 triggered cell death, while DsEcp20-4 did not. Collectively, our study describes two new candidate effector families with cell death-eliciting activity from D. septosporum and F. fulva and provides evidence that members of these families are recognized by plant immune receptors.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Adenylyl cyclase 9 is auto-stimulated by its isoform-specific carboxyl terminal domain and equipped with paradigm-switching mechanisms.

Human transmembrane adenylyl cyclase 9 (AC9) is not regulated by heterotrimeric G proteins. Key to the resistance to stimulation by Gs-coupled receptors (GsR) is auto-inhibition by the COOH-terminal domain (C2b). The present study investigated the role of the C2b domain in the regulation of cyclic AMP production by AC9 in HEK293FT cells expressing the Glosensor22F cyclic AMP-reporter protein. Surprisingly, we found C2b to be essential for sustaining the basal output of cyclic AMP by AC9. A human mutation (E326D) in the parallel coiled-coil formed by the signalling helices of AC9 dramatically increased basal activity, which was also dependent on the C2b domain. Intriguingly, the same mutation enabled stimulation of AC9 by GsRs. In summary, auto-regulation by the C2b domain of AC9 sustains its basal activity and quenches activation by GsR. Thus AC9 appears to be tailored to support constitutive activation of cyclic AMP effector systems. A switch from this paradigm to stimulation by GsRs may be occasioned by conformation changes at the coiled-coil or removal of the C2b domain.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Potent and pan-neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern by DARPins

We report the engineering and selection of two synthetic proteins - FSR16m and FSR22 - for possible treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. FSR16m and FSR22 are trimeric proteins composed of DARPin SR16m or SR22 fused with a T4 foldon and exhibit broad spectrum neutralization of SARS-Cov-2 strains. The IC50 values of FSR16m against authentic B.1.351, B.1.617.2 and BA.1.1 variants are 3.4 ng/mL, 2.2 ng/mL and 7.4 ng/mL, respectively, comparable to currently used therapeutic antibodies. Despite the use of the spike protein from a now historical wild-type virus for design, FSR16m and FSR22 both exhibit increased neutralization against newly-emerged variants of concern (39- to 296-fold) in pseudovirus assays. Cryo-EM structures revealed that these DARPins recognize a region of the receptor binding domain (RBD, residues 455-456, 486-489) overlapping a critical portion of the ACE2-binding surface. K18-hACE2 transgenic mice inoculated with a B.1.617.2 variant and receiving intranasally-administered FSR16m were protected as judged by less weight loss and 10-100-fold reductions in viral burden in the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The strong and broad neutralization potency make FSR16m and FSR22 promising candidates for prevention and treatment of infection by current and potential future strains of SARS-CoV-2.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

Herd immunity on chip: recapitulating virus transmission in human society

Virus transmission is affected by population density, social distancing, and vaccination. This has been simulated only by mathematical models. Here, we report the first experimental model to mimic herd immunity to a human coronavirus using a microfluidic device filled with host cells. The device consists of 444 microchambers filled with susceptible (S0), infected (I0), and unsusceptible (U0) cells at specific ratios. The transmission rate and reproduction numbers were directly proportional to S0 and I0 and inversely proportional to U0. Herd immunity was achieved when the proportion of U0 was at 80% in a fixed number of uninfected (S0+U0) cells. These results were consistent with those from a mathematical model. The device can be used for predicting virus transmission. One-Sentence SummaryWe present the first experimental model enabling the simulation of herd immunity in a microfluidic device filled with host cells to human coronavirus.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Sucrose metabolism and candidate genes during catkin fibers development in poplar

Poplar is an important tree species for ecological protection, wood production, bioenergy and urban greening; it has been widely planted worldwide. However, the catkin fibers produced by female poplars can cause environmental pollution and safety hazards during spring. This study focused on Populus tomentosa, and revealed the sucrose metabolism regulatory mechanism of catkin fibers development from morphological, physiological and molecular aspects. Paraffin section suggested that poplar catkin fibers were not seed hairs and produced from the epidermal cells of funicle and placenta. Sucrose degradation via invertase and sucrose synthase played the dominant role during poplar catkin fibers development. The expression patterns revealed that sucrose metabolism-related genes played important roles during catkin fibers development. Y1H analysis indicated that there was a potential interaction between sucrose synthase 2 (PtoSUS2)/vacuolar invertase 3 (PtoVIN3) and MYB/ bHLH transcription factors in poplar. Finally, the two key genes, PtoSUS2 and PtoVIN3, had roles in Arabidopsis trichome density, indicating that sucrose metabolism is important in poplar catkin fibers development. This study is not only helpful for clarifying the mechanism of sucrose regulation during trichome development in perennial woody plants, but also establishes a foundation to solve poplar catkin fibers pollution through genetic engineering methods. HighlightSucrose degradation via invertase and sucrose synthase plays an important role in poplar catkin fibers development, and PtoSUS2 and PtoVIN3 are potential promising targets to solve poplar catkin fibers pollution.

molecular biology↗