Search Results (10,675)

Frequent marine heatwaves (MHWs) pose significant threats to and have a profound impact on the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. The response of marine organisms to MHWs may depend on the background temperature of their habitats. Saccharina japonica is a cold-temperate species that is vulnerable to thermal stress. However, it remains unclear how habitat-related temperatures impact responses of S. japonica to MHWs. In this study, the algae were exposed to MHWs (+∆4 °C) under two background temperatures (control level, 8 °C; warmer level, 12 °C), and the growth, photosynthetic performance, and biochemical composition were measured at the end of the MHW and the recovery periods. The results showed that a warmer background temperature increased the growth and pigment contents (Chlorophyll c and fucoxanthin) of S. japonica, but decreased chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, including the effective quantum yield, relative electron transport rate, non-photochemical quenching, and photochemical quenching. The MHWs had no significant effect on growth rate, photosynthetic performance, or biochemical compositions at the background temperature of 8 °C. In contrast, MHWs reduced growth and biochemical composition contents (Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll c, fucoxanthin and soluble protein) at a warmer level, but the negative influence was alleviated after the recovery period. Furthermore, there was a considerable increase in the total antioxidative capacity caused by MHWs under warmer conditions. Overall, the stimulation in growth demonstrated that warmer conditions (12 °C) may provide a better growth temperature for young S. japonica but also increase the risks of biomass losses and physiological damage triggered by MHWs. These findings deepen our understandings of the tolerance and resistance of S. japonica to heatwaves and provide useful information for managing and modulating the cultivation of this important commercial seaweed. Full article

Fracture healing depends on coordinated osteogenesis and restoration of the vascular microenvironment. Endothelial cells support skeletal repair through angiogenesis, tissue perfusion and angiocrine signaling that regulates osteoprogenitor recruitment and differentiation. This narrative review examines endothelial dysfunction (ED) as a potential systemic contributor to impaired fracture healing by integrating evidence from vascular biology, experimental models and clinical studies. ED is characterized by reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, oxidative stress, inflammation and impaired vascular repair. These changes may disrupt angiogenic–osteogenic coupling through altered hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha subunit (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling, endothelial Notch activity, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-mediated vascular remodeling and endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mobilization. Conditions associated with endothelial dysfunction, including diabetes, aging, chronic kidney disease (CKD), smoking, obesity and chronic inflammatory disease, are also linked to delayed union, nonunion and poorer orthopedic outcomes. Cardiovascular disease and perioperative cardiovascular instability may further impair perfusion and physiological reserve during repair. However, the available evidence is predominantly experimental or observational, and direct causal evidence in fracture patients remains limited. Prospective studies combining standardized endothelial assessments with fracture-healing outcomes are needed to clarify clinical relevance and identify potential therapeutic targets. Full article

Nursery-plant grading relies on morphological traits, but leaf metabolic variation associated with nursery-plant grade remains unclear. In this study, untargeted HPLC-QTOF-MS metabolomics was applied to mature and young leaves of Grade I, II, and III apple nursery plants to explore grade-associated metabolic variation and its relationship with growth performance. After quality filtering, 198 positive-ion features were retained from mature leaves, while 259 positive-ion and 8 negative-ion features were retained from young leaves. Multivariate analysis showed clear grade-associated separation in both leaf types, with stronger discrimination in young leaves. A combination of orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) modeling and trend analysis identified 20 and 28 differential features in mature and young leaves, respectively. Cross-model prioritization further highlighted key metabolites putatively annotated as methyl nicotinate and 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine in mature leaves, and methyl nicotinate, nicotinamide riboside, cis-jasmone, and methyl (9Z,14Z)-12,13,16-trihydroxyoctadeca-9,14-dienoate in young leaves. These key metabolites were potentially associated with NAD precursor metabolism, membrane lipid remodeling, and oxylipin-related signaling. Correlation analysis showed that they were associated with both initial grading traits and post-transplant growth performance. These metabolites represent candidate molecular correlates of grade-associated physiological variation and growth performance in apple nursery plants. Full article

This study investigated the effects of thinning intensity on tree radial growth and physiological responses to drought in an approximately 43-year-old Pinus koraiensis plantation. To analyze tree-ring width, a total of sixty wood cores (5 mm) were collected from three thinning treatments applied in 2007: control (Con), light thinning (LT), and heavy thinning (HT). Drought vulnerability indices were examined across three distinct drought periods (2000–2001, 2007, and 2014–2016), and intrinsic water use efficiency (WUE_i) was estimated from stable carbon isotope analysis (Con vs. HT). Thinning increased basal area increment (BAI) in both the LT and HT groups, with the strongest and most persistent response observed in the HT group. During the 2007 drought, trees in thinned plots, particularly those in the HT group, showed higher resistance and resilience than trees in the Con group. The increased indices during the 2000 and 2007 drought periods predominantly reflected immediate thinning-induced growth release. WUE_i in the HT group increased relative to the Con group during both the 2007 and 2014–2016 drought periods; however, the underlying physiological mechanisms differed, with enhanced net photosynthetic capacity immediately after thinning in 2007 and a likely consistent reduction in stomatal conductance during the 2014–2016 drought. Although constrained by a non-replicated stand design, this site-specific long-term case study provides valuable insights into the multi-decadal growth and physiological trajectories of conifer plantations responding to climate stress. Full article

Biotic stresses (pest feeding, pathogenic fungal/bacterial/viral infection) and diverse abiotic stresses (extreme temperature, drought, waterlogging, saline–alkali soil, heavy metal pollution, nutrient deficiency, UV-B, ozone) severely restrict crop growth and global agricultural yield. Lipids act as core membrane structural constituents and vital secondary signaling messengers, executing multi-layered adaptive balancing functions during cell-type interactive stress acclimation, rather than uniform whole-plant lipid responses. They sustain membrane structural integrity across distinct cell populations, serve as synthetic precursors of bioactive signaling molecules, and trigger cascaded transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming upon environmental stimuli to rebalance physiological status among different cell types. This review systematically summarizes cell-type interactive lipid-mediated plant defense and acclimation balance mechanisms across biotic and abiotic stress contexts. We elaborate the biological functions of fatty acids, phospholipids, galactolipids, sphingolipids and their derivatives (jasmonate, salicylic acid, phosphatidic acid, oxylipin) in stress signal transduction and antioxidant defense and strictly distinguish two categories of lipid changes under all stress types: active adaptive lipid remodeling and passive stress-induced lipid oxidative damage. Key contents include stress-triggered cell-type-specific membrane lipid remodeling, the hierarchical transcriptional regulatory network mediated by WRI1, LEC1, PHR, MADS and other transcription factors governing oil metabolism, as well as crosstalk between lipid metabolism and compartmentalized reactive oxygen species (reactive oxygen species (ROS)) signaling. We further compare conserved lipid-regulatory modules and species-specific divergent responses across model plants and economic oilseed crops, integrating state-of-the-art targeted/untargeted lipidomics, single-cell spatial lipidomics and multi-omics joint breeding strategies to improve multi-stress tolerance in oilseed crops. By consolidating global research progress up to 2025, including the two latest 2026 cross-species meta-analysis reviews, this review provides systematic theoretical support and operable multi-level technical frameworks for genetic engineering targeting conserved lipid pathways to breed stress-resilient high-oil crop germplasm, and highlights reliable lipid stress biomarker screening as a promising translational research direction. Full article

Uranium mining and processing have resulted in widespread environmental contamination by radionuclides and associated heavy metals, creating long-term ecological challenges because of their persistence, mobility, and bioavailability. The aim of this review is to evaluate knowledge on the uptake, accumulation, and biological effects of radionuclides and associated heavy metals in plants, identify the environmental factors governing their bioavailability, and assess recent advances in phytoremediation strategies for the sustainable restoration of uranium-contaminated ecosystems. A critical analysis of the published literature was conducted to evaluate contaminant sources, environmental factors regulating bioavailability, root and foliar uptake pathways, internal transport mechanisms, morphological, physiological, and biochemical biomarkers of plant stress, and phytoremediation approaches. The reviewed evidence demonstrates that plant responses occur at multiple levels of biological organization, including alterations in growth and anatomy, disturbances in photosynthesis and nutrient metabolism, and activation of antioxidant defense systems. Integrating these biomarkers provides a more comprehensive assessment of contaminant-induced stress than individual indicators alone. The literature further indicates that phytostabilization and phytoextraction, particularly when combined with soil amendments and beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms, represent promising approaches for reducing contaminant mobility and supporting ecosystem restoration. However, important knowledge gaps remain regarding native plant species and long-term field validation in uranium mining regions. This review provides a scientific basis for improving ecological monitoring, environmental risk assessment, and sustainable rehabilitation of uranium-contaminated ecosystems. Full article

Soil salinity and bacterial spot of tomato (BST), caused by Xanthomonas perforans, are major abiotic and biotic stresses limiting tomato production, particularly in Florida. While their individual effects are well documented, the impact of soil salinity on BST has not yet been investigated. This greenhouse study evaluated how increasing irrigation water salinity (electrical conductivity [EC] = 0.5, 3, 5, or 7 dS m⁻¹) affected tomato growth, physiology, BST severity, fruit quality, and transcriptomic responses. Salinity reduced plant growth and BST severity but did not directly affect X. perforans populations. Results indicated that reduced plant physiological activity (net CO₂ assimilation [A], transpiration [E], and stomatal conductance [g_s]) contributes to lower disease levels. Increased salinity led to more solute concentrations, altered sugar metabolism, and improved perceived taste, as supported by taste panel, osmolality, and transcriptomic analyses. They also showed that transcriptional responses to salinity (EC = 7 dS m⁻¹) and X. perforans infection were strongly time-dependent. Salt-treated plants exhibited fewer differentially expressed genes following inoculation, whereas comparisons between EC 7-treated and control plants revealed extensive salinity-induced reprogramming. KEGG analysis indicated enrichment of photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and ribosome pathways, while defense-related pathways, including MAPK signaling and plant–pathogen interaction, were downregulated, suggesting that tomato prioritized adaptation to salinity over pathogen defense. Full article

Natural Killer (NK) cell-mediated immunosurveillance is a cornerstone of anti-tumor defense, yet its efficacy can be compromised by common clinical medications. Paracetamol (APAP) and metformin (MET) are widely used for pain and metabolic management in cancer patients, but their unintended effects on the immune–tumor interface remain poorly understood. MCF-7 breast cancer cells (Luminal A subtype) were treated with APAP or MET and co-cultured with primary expanded NK cells (CD3⁻CD56⁺CD16⁺). We evaluated cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and the enrichment of the CD44⁺CD24⁻ cancer stem-like cell (CSC-like) subpopulation. Transcriptional changes in immune checkpoints (PD-L1/L2), stress ligands (MICA/B), and costimulatory molecules CD80/86 were quantified via RT-qPCR. Despite inhibiting MCF-7 growth (IC₅₀ at 48 h: 11.86 mM for APAP; 21.11 mM for MET), both drugs induced a “therapeutic paradox” by promoting an immune-evasive phenotype. APAP and MET significantly enriched the CD44⁺CD24⁻ CSC-like subpopulation to 75.31% and 68.31%, respectively, compared to 11.00% in controls. Molecular analysis revealed a robust upregulation of PD-L1 (19.9-fold by APAP) and PD-L2 (16.4-fold by MET), alongside increased CD80/86 and MICA/B transcription. Consequently, drug-treated cells exhibited marked resistance to NK-mediated apoptosis and necrosis. NK cells preferentially eliminated non-stem cells (non-CSCs), inadvertently further concentrating the highly resistant CSC-like subpopulation. Additional experiments revealed that APAP directly impaired NK-cell survival and reduced the proportion of CD3⁻CD56⁺ cells, whereas MET exerted minimal effects on NK cells, suggesting distinct mechanisms underlying the observed reduction in NK-mediated cytotoxicity. Under the experimental conditions employed in this study, APAP and MET were associated with reduced susceptibility of MCF-7 cells to NK-mediated killing through distinct but partially overlapping mechanisms, including CSC-like enrichment and transcriptional activation of immune-evasion pathways. Although these findings were obtained in a mechanistic in vitro model using supra-physiological drug concentrations, they identify potential mechanisms that warrant further validation in physiologically relevant experimental systems and in vivo models. Full article

Trauma with hemorrhagic shock causes about 2.3 million deaths yearly worldwide. Improved hemostatic management has shifted the relative distribution of mortality, leaving multiorgan failure (MOF) as a leading cause of death. Clinical observations suggest that the evolutionarily ancient and well-conserved sympathetic system and the microvascular endothelium are involved, and the experimental evidence is reviewed here. The analyzed clinical studies, human endothelial cell (EC) culture, and animal model-based experiments delineate how excess catecholamine levels increase endothelial cell reactive oxygen species production, causing glycocalyx damage and thrombomodulin cleavage. This leads to a prothrombotic EC surface, resulting in coagulation activation and thrombus formation that leaves tissues prone to hypoxia. Excess catecholamines also increase endothelial barrier permeability, leading to fluid extravasation, elevated tissue pressure, and hypoxia. The reviewed experimental data support, but do not yet prove, dysregulated sympathetic activation’s critical contribution to the development of shock-induced endotheliopathy prone to tissue hypoxia and, ultimately, death from coagulopathy, loss of immune competence, and MOF, as observed clinically in shocked trauma patients. Due to the physiological differences between humans and model organisms, and EC culture growth conditions, some molecular mechanisms require further investigation through clinical studies and targeted experiments. Full article

Population growth has necessitated more stringent regulation of effluent wastewater quality to protect source water. Microalgae have been identified as an emergent technique to perform biological nutrient removal and address this concern. Microalgae have been found to effectively uptake constituents of concern through assimilatory pathways while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation measures through carbon sequestration. This review summarizes the fundamental biological and physiological characteristics of microalgae that can be leveraged for application in engineered systems to treat wastewater. The current state of both suspended and biofilm systems has been reviewed and their respective advantages and limitations have been evaluated. Emphasis has been placed on recent progress in algal biofilm systems, providing insight related to the factors that contribute to their development. The study of algal biofilm systems remains limited in part due to the complex interactions that influence their behaviors. Hence, this review interrogates the strategies employed for the start-up and operation of biofilm systems and offers future perspectives related to the factors that could potentially expedite biofilm formation and enhance system performance. Full article

Aspergillus westerdijkiae, a filamentous fungus commonly isolated from pickled vegetables and high-salt condiments, can cause spoilage and produce nephrotoxic ochratoxin A (OTA) under saline conditions. However, its adaptive mechanisms to salt stress remain unclear. To address this, the pickle-derived strain NDX1 was subjected to 0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol/L NaCl treatments. Colony growth was assessed after 7 days of incubation on PDA plates supplemented with the respective NaCl concentrations. For physiological indices, mycelia were pre-cultured in salt-free PDB for 5 days, followed by the addition of NaCl to final concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol/L) and further incubation for 2 days, after which relative electrical conductivity (REC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were measured. Colony diameters were recorded to evaluate vegetative growth; REC was determined by conductometry to assess cell membrane permeability; and MDA content was measured via the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) colorimetric method to indicate lipid peroxidation levels. Transcriptome sequencing combined with qRT-PCR validation was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in osmotic adaptation. Results showed that low salinity (1.0 mol/L NaCl) promoted growth, while higher concentrations (≥1.5 mol/L NaCl) inhibited it, accompanied by increased REC and decreased MDA, forming a distinctive high-permeability, low-lipid-peroxidation phenotype. A total of 3155 DEGs were detected, mainly associated with the HOG-MAPK cascade, glycerol biosynthesis, and ion transport pathways. Eight key HOG-MAPK genes and 21 glycerol metabolic genes were upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner, with the terminal kinase Hog1 coordinating transcription of downstream effectors governing glycerol synthesis and ion homeostasis. These findings demonstrate that A. westerdijkiae integrates de novo glycerol production and intracellular lipid remodeling via the HOG-MAPK pathway to achieve osmotic adaptation under hypersaline stress. This work identifies potential molecular targets for controlling toxigenic spoilage caused by this species in high-salt fermented foods. Full article

Plant-derived lectins originating from plants perform essential functions in both plant growth and stress response processes. Rice jacalin-related mannose-binding lectin 1 (OsMBL1), a well-characterized canonical salt-responsive regulatory factor, acts as a core positive regulator that confers enhanced salt tolerance. In the present study, OsMBL1 was found to respond to multiple environmental stresses and signaling molecules, and it not only positively regulated salt tolerance at the seedling stage but also at the seed germination stage. To dissect the underlying regulatory network, we performed transcriptome profiling of an OsMBL1-overexpressing line, which identified 562 differentially expressed genes (438 up- and 124 down-regulated) relative to wild-type plants. These sets of differentially expressed genes exert pivotal control over a suite of physiological events, most notably the conserved metabolic routes of phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. Further physiological assays confirmed a low level of membrane lipid peroxidation and a high level of flavonoids and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase antioxidant enzyme activities in the OsMBL1-overexpressing line. Collectively, these correlative findings suggest that OsMBL1 overexpression is associated with the upregulation of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and with an altered antioxidant system status, which may contribute to enhanced stress tolerance in rice. Collectively, these observations provide a deeper perspective on the molecular underpinnings of OsMBL1-associated stress adaptation. Full article

We reexamined the critical importance of water motion in measuring algal growth and photosynthetic rates, addressing a significant limitation in traditional static incubation approaches. It presents a comprehensive framework for dynamic measurement methods that better simulate natural hydrodynamic conditions experienced by both macroalgae and other benthic autotrophs. We considered the barrier effects of the diffusion boundary layer surrounding the algae on the fluxes of gases and nutrients across the cellular membrane, and integrates findings demonstrating that flow-enhanced mass transfer of nutrients, inorganic carbon and O₂ across diffusion boundary layers can increase photosynthetic performance in macroalgae including the tested Sargassum, Porphyra and Macrocystis species. We provide quantitative comparisons demonstrating that increased velocities of water current can enhance photosynthetic and/or nutrient uptake rates compared to stagnant conditions. The comparative analysis highlights the advantages of flowing water systems in reducing diffusion limitations and better simulating natural environments against the technical simplicity of static methods. We detailed practical methodologies including flow-through system setup and sealed chamber with magnetic stirring techniques for macroalgae, and brush substrate for benthic diatoms. These approaches enable diurnal physiological tracking and reveal saturation responses to increasing water velocities. The methodological framework provides researchers with robust protocols for more accurate assessment of algal photosynthesis and primary productivity in both experimental and applied contexts such as aquaculture, carbon sequestration, and ecological monitoring. Full article

Accurate estimation of canopy water content (OWC) is essential for precision irrigation, crop growth monitoring, and yield prediction. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multispectral remote sensing provides a rapid and non-destructive approach for monitoring crop water status; however, the selection of effective spectral features and appropriate machine learning algorithms for robust OWC estimation remains insufficiently investigated, particularly across multiple growing seasons. This study evaluated the potential of UAV multispectral imagery for estimating oilseed rape canopy water content using two feature selection strategies and four representative machine learning algorithms. Field experiments were conducted during two consecutive growing seasons (2023–2024 and 2024–2025). Different sowing dates, nitrogen application rates, and planting densities were used to create a broad range of canopy water conditions. UAV multispectral images were acquired at ten representative growth stages during the reproductive period, from stem elongation to physiological maturity. Fourteen vegetation indices (VIs) were extracted from the multispectral imagery. Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to select informative features. These features were then used to develop multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares (PLS), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF) models. Model performance was evaluated using each single-year dataset and the combined two-year dataset to assess robustness under different seasonal conditions. The RF model consistently achieved the highest prediction accuracy. The correlation-based RF model developed from the combined two-year dataset produced the best performance. It achieved an R² of 0.966, an RMSE of 1.734%, and an RRMSE of 2.360% for the training dataset. For the independent testing dataset, the corresponding values were 0.901, 2.794%, and 3.830%, respectively. The PCA-based models showed similar performance and effectively reduced feature redundancy. However, they did not consistently outperform the correlation-based models. These results indicate that combining UAV multispectral imagery with appropriate feature selection and machine learning algorithms can accurately estimate oilseed rape canopy water content under field conditions. Integrating data from multiple growing seasons further improves model robustness and provides a practical basis for UAV-assisted crop water monitoring and precision agricultural management. Full article

To address the limited synergy between integrated water–fertilizer technologies and intelligent application equipment, as well as the low water–nitrogen use efficiency in rapeseed production systems in southwestern China—which together constrain the large-scale adoption of smart fertigation equipment—this study conducted a two-season field experiment using an integrated water–fertilizer application system. The experiment included two irrigation regimes (W1: 60% ET_c; W2: 100% ET_c) and three nitrogen rates (F1: 220, F2: 300, F3: 360 kg N ha⁻¹), plus a rainfed control (CK), to quantify rapeseed responses to water–nitrogen interactions under an equipment-based fertigation framework. Results showed that water–nitrogen interactions significantly regulated rapeseed physiological processes, growth, yield formation, and resource-use efficiency. Compared with CK, appropriate water and nitrogen supply markedly enhanced PSII efficiency and overall energy conversion. In particular, W2F2 increased leaf photosynthetic rate by 51.2% and 50.8% across the two seasons. Water–nitrogen coupling also improved yield components such as branch number and thousand-seed weight, thereby increasing final yield. Although nitrogen partial factor productivity declined with increasing N rates, smart fertigation improved economic returns to varying degrees. EWM-TOPSIS results indicated that W2F2 consistently achieved the highest comprehensive performance across both seasons. By balancing yield, seed quality, resource efficiency, and economic benefit, this treatment represents the optimal strategy under intelligent fertigation systems. Overall, this study provides a decision-oriented optimization framework based on crop physiological responses under smart water–fertilizer equipment, offering practical guidance for intelligent fertigation deployment in rapeseed systems in southwestern China. Full article