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Plant Cell Reports Jul 2024MdERF023 is a transcription factor that can reduce salt tolerance by inhibiting ABA signaling and Na/H homeostasis. Salt stress is one of the principal environmental...
MdERF023 is a transcription factor that can reduce salt tolerance by inhibiting ABA signaling and Na/H homeostasis. Salt stress is one of the principal environmental stresses limiting the growth and productivity of apple (Malus × domestica). The APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) family plays key roles in plant growth and various stress responses; however, the regulatory mechanism involved has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we identified an AP2/ERF transcription factor (TF), MdERF023, which plays a negative role in apple salt tolerance. Stable overexpression of MdERF023 in apple plants and calli significantly decreased salt tolerance. Biochemical and molecular analyses revealed that MdERF023 directly binds to the promoter of MdMYB44-like, a positive modulator of ABA signaling-mediated salt tolerance, and suppresses its transcription. In addition, MdERF023 downregulated the transcription of MdSOS2 and MdAKT1, thereby reducing the Na expulsion, K absorption, and salt tolerance of apple plants. Taken together, these results suggest that MdERF023 reduces apple salt tolerance by inhibiting ABA signaling and ion transport, and that it could be used as a potential target for breeding new varieties of salt-tolerant apple plants via genetic engineering.
Topics: Malus; Plant Proteins; Abscisic Acid; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Transcription Factors; Salt Tolerance; Signal Transduction; Sodium; Plants, Genetically Modified; Promoter Regions, Genetic
PubMed: 38958739
DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03272-1 -
Chemistry (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Jul 2024Novel fluorinated, pyrrolidinium-based dicationic ionic liquids (FDILs) as high-performance electrolytes in energy storage devices have been prepared, displaying...
Novel fluorinated, pyrrolidinium-based dicationic ionic liquids (FDILs) as high-performance electrolytes in energy storage devices have been prepared, displaying unprecedented electrochemical stabilities (up to 7 V); thermal stability (up to 370 °C) and ion transport (up to 1.45 mS cm‑1). FDILs were designed with a fluorinated ether linker and paired with TFSI/FSI counterions. To comprehensively asess the impact of the fluorinated spacer on their electrochemical, thermal, and physico-chemical properties, a comparison with their non-fluorinated counterparts was conducted. With a specific focus on their application as electrolytes in next-generation high-voltage lithium-ion batteries, the impact of the Li-salt on the characteristics of dicationic ILs was systematically evaluated. The incorporation of a fluorinated linker demonstrates significantly superior properties compared to their non-fluorinated counterparts, presenting a promising alternative towards next-generation high-voltage energy storage systems.
PubMed: 38958607
DOI: 10.1002/chem.202402004 -
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics :... Jul 2024The present investigation fits the reaction kinetics of a lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery with polar electrolyte employing a novel two-phase continuum multipore model. The...
The present investigation fits the reaction kinetics of a lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery with polar electrolyte employing a novel two-phase continuum multipore model. The continuum two-phase model considers processes in both the liquid electrolyte phase and the solid precipitates phase, where the diffusion coefficients of the Li ions in a solvent-softened solid state are determined from molecular dynamics simulations. Solubility experiments yield the saturation concentration of sulfur and lithium sulfides in the polar electrolyte employed in this study. The model describes the transport of dissolved molecular and ion species in pores of different size in solvated or desolvated form, depending on pore size. The Li-S reaction model in this study is validated for electrolyte 1 M LiPF in EC/DMC. It includes seven redox reactions and two cyclic non-electrochemical reactions in the cathode, and the lithium redox reaction at the anode. Electrochemical reactions are assumed to take place in the electrolyte solution or the solid state and cyclic reactions are assumed to take place in the liquid electrolyte phase only. The determination of the reaction kinetics parameters takes place fitting the model predictions with experimental data of a cyclic voltammetry cycle with UV-vis spectroscopy.
PubMed: 38958556
DOI: 10.1039/d4cp02061h -
Nanoscale Jul 2024The nanoscale form of the Chevrel phase, MoS, is demonstrated to be a highly efficient zinc-free anode in aqueous zinc ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZIHSCs). The unique...
The nanoscale form of the Chevrel phase, MoS, is demonstrated to be a highly efficient zinc-free anode in aqueous zinc ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZIHSCs). The unique morphological characteristics of the material when its dimensions approach the nanoscale result in fast zinc intercalation kinetics that surpass the ion transport rate reported for some of the most promising materials, such as TiS and TiSe. Raman spectroscopy, post-mortem X-ray diffraction, Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were combined to understand the overall mechanism of the zinc ion (de)intercalation process. The previously unknown formation of the sulfur-deficient ZnMoS (ZnMoS) phase is identified, leading to a re-evaluation of the mechanism of the (de)intercalation process. A full cell comprised of an activated carbon (YEC-8A) positive electrode delivers a cell capacity of 38 mA h g and an energy density of 43.8 W h kg at a specific current density of 0.2 A g. The excellent cycling stability of the device is demonstrated for up to 8000 cycles at 3 A g with a coulombic efficiency close to 100%. Post-mortem microscopic studies reveal the absence of dendrite formation at the nanosized MoS anode, in stark contrast to the state-of-the-art zinc electrode.
PubMed: 38958552
DOI: 10.1039/d4nr01238k -
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Jul 2024Gel electrolytes are a promising research direction due to their high safety. However, its poor room temperature conductivity along with complex preparation process...
Gel electrolytes are a promising research direction due to their high safety. However, its poor room temperature conductivity along with complex preparation process hinder its practical application. In this article, a type of zwitterionic gel electrolyte is prepared by in situ polymerization. The introduction of charged but nonmigrating zwitterionic copolymer in the polymer chain is beneficial to the dissociation of the lithium salt, improving the ion transport of the electrolyte on this account. At room temperature, the conductivity of lithium ion reaches 9.1 × 10 S cm, which contributes to achieve excellent electrochemical performance at high rates. The assembled Li|LiFePO cell also shows a capacity retention rate of 90.5% after 150 cycles at 0.5 C at room temperature as well as remarkable cycle stability at 1 C. These offer a novel tactic for the efficient and safe commercial application of lithium-ion batteries.
PubMed: 38958244
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c05762 -
Chemistry (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Jul 2024Because of its high specific capacity and superior rate performance, porous carbon is regarded as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However,...
Because of its high specific capacity and superior rate performance, porous carbon is regarded as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, porous carbon materials with wide pore diameter distributions suffer from low structural stability and low electrical conductivity during the application process. During this study, the calcium carbonate nanoparticle template method is used to prepare coal tar pitch-derived porous carbon (CTP-X). The coal tar pitch-derived porous carbon has a well-developed macroporous-mesoporous-microporous hierarchical porous network structure, which provides abundant active sites for Li+ storage, significantly reduces polarization and charge transfer resistance, shortens the diffusion path and promotes the rapid transport of Li+. More specifically, the CTP-2 anode shows high charge capacity (496.9 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1), excellent rate performance (413.6 mAh g-1 even at 500 mA g-1), and high cycling stability (capacity retention rate of about 100% after 1,000 cycles at 2 A g-1). The clean and eco-friendly large-scale utilization of coal tar pitch will facilitate the development of high-performance anodes in the field of LIBs.
PubMed: 38958147
DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400189 -
Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Jul 2024Natural organisms have evolved precise sensing systems relying on unique ion channels, which can efficiently perceive various physical/chemical stimuli based on ionic...
Natural organisms have evolved precise sensing systems relying on unique ion channels, which can efficiently perceive various physical/chemical stimuli based on ionic signal transmission in biological fluid environments. However, it is still a huge challenge to achieve extensive applications of the artificial counterparts as an efficient wet sensing platform due to the fluidity of the working medium. Herein, nanofluidic membranes with selective cation transport properties and solid-state organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with amplified signals are integrated together to mimic human gustatory sensation, achieving ionic gustatory reagent recognition and a portable configuration. Cu-HHTP nanofluidic membranes with selective cation transport through their uniform micropores are constructed first, followed by assembly with OECTs to form the designed nanofluidic membrane-assisted OECTs (nanofluidic OECTs). As a result, they can distinguish typically ionic gustatory reagents, and even ionic liquids (ILs), demonstrating enhanced gustatory perception performance under a wide concentration range (10-10 m) compared with those of conventional OECTs. The linear correlations between the response and the reagent concentration further indicate the promising potential for practical application as a next-generation sensing platform. It is suggested that nanofluidic membranes mediated intramembrane cation transport based on the steric hindrance effect, resulting in distinguishable and improved response to multiple ions.
PubMed: 38958098
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202403629 -
Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Jul 2024In P2-type layered oxide cathodes, Na site-regulation strategies are proposed to modulate the Na distribution and structural stability. However, their impact on the...
In P2-type layered oxide cathodes, Na site-regulation strategies are proposed to modulate the Na distribution and structural stability. However, their impact on the oxygen redox reactions remains poorly understood. Herein, the incorporation of K in the Na layer of NaNiCuMnO is successfully applied. The effects of partial substitution of Na with K on electrochemical properties, structural stability, and oxygen redox reactions have been extensively studied. Improved Na diffusion kinetics of the cathode is observed from galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and rate performance. The valence states and local structural environment of the transition metals (TMs) are elucidated via operando synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). It is revealed that the TMO slabs tend to be strengthened by K-doping, which efficiently facilitates reversible local structural change. Operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) further confirms more reversible phase changes during the charge/discharge for the cathode after K-doping. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that oxygen redox reaction in NaKNiCuMnO cathode has been remarkably suppressed as the nonbonding O 2p states shift down in the energy. This is further corroborated experimentally by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy, ultimately proving the role of K incorporated in the Na layer.
PubMed: 38958092
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202402991 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2024Density functional theory calculations are carried out to investigate the adsorption properties of Li and Li on twenty-four adsorbents obtained by replacement of C atoms...
Density functional theory calculations are carried out to investigate the adsorption properties of Li and Li on twenty-four adsorbents obtained by replacement of C atoms of coronene (CH) and circumcoronene (CH) by Si/N/BN/AlN units. The molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) analysis show that such replacements lead to an increase of the electron-rich environments in the molecules. Li is relatively strongly adsorbed on all adsorbents. The adsorption energy of Li (E) on all adsorbents is in the range of - 42.47 (BHN) to - 66.26 kcal/mol (m-CHBN). Our results indicate a stronger interaction between Li and the nanoflakes as the deepest MESP minimum of the nanoflakes becomes more negative. A stronger interaction between Li and the nanoflakes pushes more electron density toward Li. Li is weakly adsorbed on all adsorbents when compared to Li. The adsorption energy of Li (E) on all adsorbents is in the range of - 3.07 (BHN) to - 47.79 kcal/mol (CHSi). Assuming the nanoflakes to be an anode for the lithium-ion batteries, the cell voltage (V) is predicted to be relatively high (> 1.54 V) for CH, CHSi, BHN, CHSi, and BHN. The E data show only a small variation compared to E, and therefore, E has a strong effect on the changes in V.
PubMed: 38956188
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66099-6 -
Nature Communications Jul 2024Vitamin C plays important roles as a cofactor in many enzymatic reactions and as an antioxidant against oxidative stress. As some mammals including humans cannot...
Vitamin C plays important roles as a cofactor in many enzymatic reactions and as an antioxidant against oxidative stress. As some mammals including humans cannot synthesize vitamin C de novo from glucose, its uptake from dietary sources is essential, and is mediated by the sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter 1 (SVCT1). Despite its physiological significance in maintaining vitamin C homeostasis, the structural basis of the substrate transport mechanism remained unclear. Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of human SVCT1 in different states at 2.5-3.5 Å resolutions. The binding manner of vitamin C together with two sodium ions reveals the counter ion-dependent substrate recognition mechanism. Furthermore, comparisons of the inward-open and occluded structures support a transport mechanism combining elevator and distinct rotational motions. Our results demonstrate the molecular mechanism of vitamin C transport with its underlying conformational cycle, potentially leading to future industrial and medical applications.
Topics: Humans; Sodium-Coupled Vitamin C Transporters; Ascorbic Acid; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Biological Transport; Sodium; Models, Molecular; Protein Multimerization; Protein Binding; HEK293 Cells; Protein Conformation
PubMed: 38956111
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49899-2