For the first time, researchers have detailed a complete molecular circuit where two major plant hormones—ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA)—actively promote each other's production to drive the rapid softening of persimmon fruit.

Plants can distinguish between closely related beneficial bacterial strains and respond differently depending on the dose they receive. 

A study published in Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing reports a significant breakthrough in the microbial production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Researchers successfully engineered a high-producing strain of Enterococcus faecalis, designated EM05, achieving a GABA titer of 64.2 g/L in a 3 L bioreactor. This was accomplished through a combinatorial strategy involving atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis, microdroplet cultivation (MMC) based adaptive evolution, and systematic fermentation medium optimization.

Researchers have developed a novel chemo-biological hybrid system that enables the direct synthesis of polylactic acid from CO₂, water, and renewable energy. By engineering Escherichia coli to utilize ethanol and acetate, this study establishes a sustainable route for bioplastic manufacturing that decouples agricultural feedstocks. The work highlights a synergistic cofeeding strategy that significantly enhances PLA titer, offering a promising solution to the environmental challenges associated with fossil-fuel and crop-based plastics.

Researchers in China have designed an exploratory randomized controlled trial protocol to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary effects of a 12-month home-based strength training program delivered at three different intensities in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The findings are expected to provide critical data to guide future larger-scale trials and evidence-based exercise prescriptions.

A new mechanism based on Nuciferine, a bioactive alkaloid from lotus leaf, to ameliorate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus-induced Cognitive Impairment (T2DM-CI) by directly targeting the Insulin Receptor (IR) and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to reduce Tau hyperphosphorylation and oxidative stress is provided, and a new strategy for metabolic-targeted neuroprotection in diabetes is opened.

A novel mechanism based on Yinxie Granules and its core active ingredients (quercetin and kaempferol) to ameliorate psoriasis by blocking the STING-NF-κB signaling pathway to simultaneously suppress cutaneous inflammation and pathological angiogenesis is provided, and a new strategy for dual-targeting therapy of psoriasis is opened.

A research team demonstrated that pulsed electric field (PEF) processing can effectively inactivate harmful foodborne bacteria in bovine colostrum while potentially preserving its valuable immune-supporting compounds. 

Researchers have developed a series of Ce-doped BiOI catalysts via a one-pot solvothermal method for the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates. Ce doping facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancy-mediated Lewis acid-base pairs, where Oᵥ–Ce³⁺ sites enhance epoxide adsorption and ring-opening, while Bi–Oᵥ sites supply CO₂ adsorption sites. The optimized Ce₀.₁Bi₀.₉OI catalyst achieves a butylene carbonate yield of 91 % under solvent- and cocatalyst-free conditions, with an apparent activation energy of 70.67 kJ·mol⁻¹ – 35 % lower than that of undoped BiOI.