Biology subjects

Tang, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Tang, Y..

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

NanoLAS 2.0: A Comprehensive Update on a Nanobody-Focused Platform with Advanced Visualization and Docking Simulation Features

SummaryNanobodies, a unique subclass of antibodies initially discovered in camelids, characterized by the absence of light chains and consisting solely of a heavy chain variable region. This distinctive structure endows nanobodies with inherent advantages in the realms of disease treatment and biopharmaceutical applications. Presently, research and applications concerning nanobodies are experiencing rapid growth. However, existing databases suffer from non-uniform data sources and a lack of data standardization. To address these issues, we developed the NanoLAS database in 2023. Despite the progress in data integration made by NanoLAS, there was room for improvement in search functionality, three-dimensional structural display, and other areas. Building upon this foundation, we introduce the comprehensively updated NanoLAS 2.0. This version offers updates to data sources, precise 3D structural presentation, and molecular docking simulation capabilities, refines the multi-condition search mechanism, and incorporates a brand-new sequence viewer as well as epitope prediction functionality. Additionally, to cater to the needs of researchers, we have designed a user-friendly and intuitive interface. In summary, we anticipate that NanoLAS 2.0 will serve as a powerful and easy-to-use research tool, facilitating researchers in their exploration of nanobodies and propelling advancements in the field of nanobody research and application. AvailabilityNanoLAS 2.0 is available at https://www.nanolas2.online Contactbingdinghuang@sztu.edu.cn and wangxin@sztu.edu.cn

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2024

Pan-cancer subclonal mutation analysis of 7,827 tumors predicts clinical outcome

Intra-tumor heterogeneity is characterized by a diverse population of tumor clones and subclones which are important drivers of tumor evolution and therapeutic response. However, accurate subclonal reconstruction at scale remains challenging. We developed a machine learning tool, CliPP, and surveyed 9,972 tumors from 32 cancer types. We found that high subclonal mutation load (sML), the fraction of subclonal single nucleotide variants (SNVs) to all SNVs in the coding region, was prognostic of survival (progression free survival or overall survival) in 18 cancer types. In 14 cancers with low to moderate tumor mutation burden (TMB), high sML was associated with better prognosis. In immunotherapy trials for 42 metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC), high sML was predictive of favorable response to ipilimumab and associated with increased CD8+ T-cell infiltration and decreased macrophage population. A validation using 613 whole-genomes of esophageal adenocarcinoma confirms the favorable effect of high sML and the observed tumor-associated macrophage. Our study identifies sML as a key feature of cancer, suggesting a biphasic relationship between evolutionary dynamics and differential immune environments. Finally, sML may serve as an orthogonal approach to identify likely responders of immune checkpoint blockade in low to moderate TMB tumors.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2024

Identifying Alzheimer's disease-related pathways based on whole-genome sequencing data

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a highly inheritable neurodegenerative disorder for which pathway-specific genetic profiling provides insights into its key biological mechanisms and potential treatment targets. Traditional disease-pathway analyses for AD have certain limitations, such as environmental interference and arbitrary sample division. We present a comprehensive framework that starts with genome data, avoiding these drawbacks and offering intrinsic pathway-specific genetic profiling for AD. Whole genome sequencing data from 173 individuals were used to quantify transcriptomes in 14 brain regions, estimate individual-level pathway variant scores, and analyze AD risk for each patient. These results were combined to identify AD-related pathways and quantify their interactions. The predicted expression levels were consistent with previous findings, and the estimated AD risk showed a significant correlation with Braak/Thal scores. A total of 3,798 pathways were identified as potentially associated with AD, with about 19.7% previously reported. Key pathways, including NF-{kappa}B signaling and GSK3{beta} activation, were linked to AD pathogenesis. The interactions among pathways highlighted shared gene functions in AD. In summary, we provided an effective framework for disease-pathway analysis, revealing the interdependence or compensatory effects of pathways in AD.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2024

Network for Knowledge Organization (NEKO): an AI knowledge mining workflow for synthetic biology research

Large language models (LLMs) can complete general scientific question-and-answer, yet they are constrained by their pretraining cut-off dates and lack the ability to provide specific, cited scientific knowledge. Here, we introduce Network for Knowledge Organization (NEKO), a workflow that uses LLM Qwen to extract knowledge through scientific literature text mining. When user inputs a keyword of interest, NEKO can generate knowledge graphs and comprehensive summaries from PubMed search. NEKO has immediate applications in daily academic tasks such as education of young scientists, literature review, paper writing, experiment planning/troubleshooting, and new hypothesis generation. We exemplified this workflows applicability through several case studies on yeast fermentation and cyanobacterial biorefinery. NEKOs output is more informative, specific, and actionable than GPT-4s zero-shot Q&A. NEKO offers flexible, lightweight local deployment options. NEKO democratizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools, making scientific foundation model more accessible to researchers without excessive computational power.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Deep learning of protein energy landscape and conformational dynamics from experimental structures in PDB

Protein structure prediction has reached revolutionary levels of accuracy on single structures, implying biophysical energy function can be learned from known protein structures. However apart from single static structure, conformational distributions and dynamics often control protein biological functions. In this work, we tested a hypothesis that protein energy landscape and conformational dynamics can be learned from experimental structures in PDB and coevolution data. Towards this goal, we develop DeepConformer, a diffusion generative model for sampling protein conformation distributions from a given amino acid sequence. Despite the lack of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data in training process, DeepConformer captured conformational flexibility and dynamics (RMSF and covariance matrix correlation) similar to MD simulation and reproduced experimentally observed conformational variations. Our study demonstrated that DeepConformer learned energy landscape can be used to efficiently explore protein conformational distribution and dynamics.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2024

ER-GUARD: an evolutionarily conserved antioxidant defense system at ER membranes

Oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is essential for all eukaryotic cells yet generates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ER-transmembrane protein that provides reducing equivalents to ER and guards the cytosol for antioxidant defense remains unidentified. Here we combine AlphaFold2-based and functional reporter screens in C. elegans to discover a previously uncharacterized and evolutionarily conserved protein ERGU-1 that fulfills these roles. Deleting C. elegans ERGU-1 causes excessive H2O2 and transcriptional gene up-regulation through SKN-1, homolog of mammalian antioxidant master regulator NRF2. ERGU-1 deficiency also impairs organismal reproduction and behavioral responses to H2O2. Both C. elegans and human ERGU-1 proteins localize to ER membranes and form network reticulum structures. Human and Drosophila homologs of ERGU-1 can rescue C. elegans mutant phenotypes, demonstrating evolutionarily ancient and conserved functions. In addition, purified ERGU-1 and human homolog TMEM161B exhibit redox-modulated oligomeric states. Together, our results reveal an ER-membrane-specific protein machinery for peroxide detoxification and suggest a previously unknown and conserved mechanisms for antioxidant defense in animal cells.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Theoretical proposal for restoration of hand motor function utilizing plasticity of motor-cortical interhemispheric interaction

After stroke, the poorer recovery of motor function of upper extremities compared to other body parts is a longstanding problem. Based on our recent functional MRI evidence on healthy volunteers, this perspective paper proposes systematic hand motor rehabilitation utilizing the plasticity of interhemispheric interaction between motor cortices and following its developmental rule. We first discuss the effectiveness of proprioceptive intervention on the paralyzed (immobile) hand synchronized with voluntary movement of the intact hand to induce muscle activity in the paretic hand. In healthy participants, we show that this bilateral proprioceptive-motor coupling intervention activates the bilateral motor cortices (= bilaterally active mode), facilitates interhemispheric motor-cortical functional connectivity, and augments muscle activity of the passively-moved hand. Next, we propose training both hands to perform different movements, which would be effective for stroke patients who become able to manage to move the paretic hand. This bilaterally different movement training may guide the motor cortices into left-right independent mode to improve interhemispheric inhibition and hand dexterity, because we have shown in healthy older adults that this training reactivates motor-cortical interhemispheric inhibition (= left-right independent mode) declined with age, and can improve hand dexterity. Transition of both motor cortices from the bilaterally active mode to the left-right independent mode is a developmental rule of hand motor function and a common feature of motor function recovery after stroke. Hence, incorporating the brains inherent capacity for spontaneous recovery and adhering to developmental principles may be crucial considerations in designing effective rehabilitation strategies.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Impact of variants and vaccination on nasal immunity across three waves of SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease vary with respect to viral variant and host vaccination status. However, how vaccines, emergent variants, and their intersection shift host responses in the human nasal mucosa remains uncharacterized. We and others have shown during the first SARS-CoV-2 wave that a muted nasal epithelial interferon response at the site of infection underlies severe COVID-19. We sought to further understand how upper airway cell subsets and states associate with COVID-19 phenotypes across viral variants and vaccination. Here, we integrated new single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from nasopharyngeal swabs collected from 67 adult participants during the Delta and Omicron waves with data from 45 participants collected during the original (Ancestral) wave in our prior study. By characterizing detailed cellular states during infection, we identified changes in epithelial and immune cells that are both unique and shared across variants and vaccination status. By defining SARS-CoV-2 RNA+ cells for each variant, we found that Delta samples had a marked increase in the abundance of viral RNA+ cells. Despite this dramatic increase in viral RNA+ cells in Delta cases, the nasal cellular compositions of Delta and Omicron exhibit greater similarity, driven partly by myeloid subsets, than the Ancestral landscapes associated with specialized epithelial subsets. We found that vaccination prior to infection was surprisingly associated with nasal macrophage recruitment and activation rather than adaptive immune cell signatures. While patients with severe disease caused by Ancestral or Delta variants had muted interferon responses, Omicron-infected patients had equivalent interferon responses regardless of disease severity. Our study defines the evolution of cellular targets and signatures of disease severity in the upper respiratory tract across SARS-CoV-2 variants, and suggests that intramuscular vaccines shape myeloid responses in the nasal mucosa upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Discovery and binding site identification of a single-stranded DNA-binding protein that interacts with double-stranded DNA

Scientists have conducted in-depth studies on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding and protein interaction network of single-stranded DNA binding proteins (SSBs). SSBs are widely present in cells from lower prokaryotes to higher mammals and are important proteins for ssDNA protection. In-depth studies in recent years have revealed a wide range of interactions between SSBs and other proteins. Studies have shown that in addition to playing the role of ssDNA protector, SSBs are also important members of biochemical pathways such as DNA replication and recombination. In this study, a single-stranded DNA binding protein SSF encoded by E. coli F plasmid with highly conserved N-terminal region was demonstrated to have ssDNA binding ability similar to E. coli SSB through gel migration experiments. At the same time, the dsDNA binding ability of SSF was also demonstrated, and the dissociation constant of this interaction (in the range of microliters) was determined by Micro-scale Thermophoresis (MST). Through the above experiments, a previously unreported SSB with dsDNA binding ability was revealed, and the region interacting with dsDNA was determined to be the C-terminal unstructured region. This study lays a foundation for further understanding of the mechanism of bacterial conjugation conducted by F plasmid, as well as the potential dsDNA binding ability and biological significance of other SSBs.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Genetic regulation of lncRNA expression in the whole human brain

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key role in the human brain, and genetic variants regulate their expression. Herein, the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) of lncRNAs encompassing ten brain regions from 134 individuals was analyzed, and novel variants influencing lncRNA expression (eSNPs) and the respective affected lncRNAs (elncRNAs) were identified. The eSNPs are proximate to their corresponding elncRNAs, enriched in the non-coding genome, and have a high minor allele frequency. The elncRNAs exhibit a high-level and complex pattern of expression. The genetic regulation is more tissue-specific for lncRNAs than for protein-coding genes, with notable differences between cerebrum and cerebellum. However, it shows relatively similar patterns across the cortex regions. Furthermore, we observed a significant enrichment of eSNPs among variants associated with neurological disorders, especially insomnia, and identified insomnia-related lncRNAs involved in immune response functions. Moreover, the present study offers an improved tool for lncRNA quantification, a novel approach for lncRNA function analysis, and a database of lncRNA expression regulation in the human brain. These findings and resources will advance the research on non-coding gene expression regulation in neuroscience.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2024

The mitochondrial stress- induced protein carboxyl-terminal alanine and threonine tailing (msiCAT-tailing) promotes glioblastoma tumorigenesis by modulating mitochondrial functions

The rapid and sustained proliferation of cancer cells necessitates increased protein production, which, along with their disrupted metabolism, elevates the likelihood of translation errors. Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC), a recently identified mechanism, mitigates ribosome collisions resulting from frequent translation stalls. However, the precise pathophysiological role of the RQC pathway in oncogenesis remains ambiguous. Our research centered on the pathogenic implications of mitochondrial stress-induced protein carboxyl-terminal alanine and threonine tailing (msiCAT-tailing), a specific RQC response to translational arrest on the outer mitochondrial membrane, in glioblastoma (GBM). The presence of msiCAT-tailed mitochondrial proteins was observed commonly in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). The exogenous introduction of the mitochondrial ATP synthase F1 subunit alpha (ATP5) protein, accompanied by artificial CAT-tail mimicking sequences, enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential ({Delta}{Psi}m) and inhibited the formation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). These alterations in mitochondrial characteristics provided resistance to staurosporine (STS)-induced apoptosis in GBM cells. Consequently, msiCAT-tailing can foster cell survival and migration, whereas blocking msiCAT-tailing via genetic or pharmacological intervention can impede GBM cell overgrowth. Impact StatementThe Carboxyl-Terminal Alanine-Threonine-tailed protein ATP5 helps glioblastoma mitochondria maintain a high membrane potential and keep the permeability transition pore closed, thereby promoting tumor growth and increasing resistance to apoptosis. HighlightsO_LIGlioblastoma (GBM) cells have a disturbed RQC pathway C_LIO_LImsiCAT-tailing on ATP5 in GBM cells increases mitochondrial membrane potential C_LIO_LIThis msiCAT-tailing prevents MPTP opening C_LIO_LIATP5 msiCAT-tailing also inhibits drug-induced apoptosis in GBM cells C_LIO_LIBlocking msiCAT-tailing impedes the overall growth of GBM cells C_LI

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Functional and multi-omic aging rejuvenation with GLP-1R agonism

Identifying readily implementable methods that can effectively counteract aging is urgently needed for tackling age-related degenerative disorders. Here, we conducted functional assessments and deep molecular phenotyping in the aging mouse to demonstrate that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) treatment attenuates body-wide age-related changes. Apart from improvements in physical and cognitive performance, the age-counteracting effects are prominently evident at multiple omic levels. These span the transcriptomes and DNA methylomes of various tissues, organs and circulating white blood cells, as well as the plasma metabolome. Importantly, the beneficial effects are specific to aged mice, not young adults, and are achieved with a low dosage of GLP-1RA which has a negligible impact on food consumption and body weight. The molecular rejuvenation effects exhibit organ-specific characteristics, which are generally heavily dependent on hypothalamic GLP-1R. We benchmarked the GLP-1RA age-counteracting effects against those of mTOR inhibition, a well-established anti-aging intervention, observing a strong resemblance across the two strategies. Our findings have broad implications for understanding the mechanistic basis of the clinically observed pleiotropic effects of GLP-1RAs, the design of intervention trials for age-related diseases, and the development of anti-aging-based therapeutics.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Allele-specific targeting of mutant TOR1A by the compact CRISPR/NmCas9 system in DYT1 dystonia with high fidelity

DYT1 is an autosomal dominant form of isolated dystonia, which is basically caused by an in-frame 3-bp GAG deletion in the TOR1A gene, leading to loss of a single glutamic acid residue ({Delta}E) at the C-terminus. TOR1A has been strongly implicated in various biological processes, such as protein quality control and regulation of ER stress. Many of these functions involve as protein multimers between TOR1A and its partners, whereas the {Delta}E mutant leads to destabilization of their binding, thereby reducing ATPase activation. Despite controversy over its functional model, the dominant-negative nature of TOR1A{Delta}E has been demonstrated in a number of ways. Therefore, it is promising to develop an allele-specific intervention strategy that specifically silences the pathogenic TOR1A allele while preserving the wild-type allele to perform its normal function. In this study, we systematically evaluated the allele-specific targeting of TOR1A{Delta}E using over 20 Cas endonucleases. We found that NmCas9, one of the compact Cas endonucleases yet with high-fidelity, selectively targeted the TOR1A{Delta}E allele, with a 3-nt deletion located in the spacer region of sgRNAs. The discriminatory Nm-sgRNAs were verified both exogenously and endogenously that showed high specificity in disrupting the TOR1A{Delta}E allele but not the wild-type one. Functionally, this strategy efficiently ameliorated the ubiquitin accumulation in DYT1 fibroblasts. Overall, our study demonstrates that the allele-specific targeting of mutant TOR1A with NmCas9 is a promising alternative approach for the treatment of DYT1.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Nuclear size-regulated emergence of topological packing order on growing human lung alveolospheres

Within multicellular living systems, cells coordinate their positions with spatiotemporal accuracy to form various structures, setting the clock to control developmental processes and trigger maturation. These arrangements can be regulated by tissue topology, biochemical cues, as well as mechanical perturbations. However, the fundamental rules of how local cell packing order is regulated in forming three-dimensional (3D) multicellular architectures remain unclear. Furthermore, how cellular coordination evolves during developmental processes, and whether this cell patterning behavior is indicative of more complex biological functions, is largely unknown. Here, using human lung alveolospheres as a model system, by combining experiments and numerical simulations, we find that, surprisingly, cell packing behavior on alveolospheres resembles hard-disk packing but with increased randomness; the stiffer cell nuclei act as the hard disks surrounded by deformable cell bodies. Interestingly, we observe the emergence of topological packing order during alveolosphere growth, as a result of increasing nucleus-to-cell size ratio. Specifically, we find more hexagon-concentrated cellular packing with increasing bond orientational order, indicating a topological gas-to-liquid transition. Additionally, by osmotically changing the compactness of cells on alveolospheres, we observe that the variations in packing order align with the change of nucleus-to-cell size ratio. Together, our findings reveal the underlying rules of cell coordination and topological phases during human lung alveolosphere growth. These static packing characteristics are consistent with cell dynamics, together suggesting that better cellular packing stabilizes local cell neighborhoods and may regulate more complex biological functions such as organ development and cellular maturation.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2024

Mitigation of Stress-induced Structural Remodeling and Functional Deficiency in iPSC-CMs with PLN R9C Mutation by Promoting Autophagy

BackgroundPhospholamban (PLN) is a key regulator of cardiac function connecting adrenergic signaling and calcium homeostasis. The R9C mutation of PLN is known to cause early onset dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and premature death, yet the detailed mechanisms underlie the pathologic remodeling process are not well defined in human cardiomyocytes. The aim of this study is to unravel the role of PLN R9C in DCM and identify potential therapeutic targets. MethodsPLN R9C knock-in (KI) and patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) were generated and comprehensively examined for their expression profile, contractile function, and cellular signaling under both baseline conditions and following functional challenges. ResultsPLN R9C KI iPSC-CMs exhibited near-normal morphology and calcium handling, slightly increased contractility, and an attenuated response to {beta}-adrenergic activation compared to wild-type (WT) cells. However, treatment with a maturation medium (MM) has induced fundamentally different remodeling in the two groups: while it improved the structural integrity and functional performance of WT cells, the same treatment result in sarcomere disarrangement, calcium handling deficiency, and further disrupted adrenergic signaling in PLN R9C KI cells. To understand the mechanism, transcriptomic analysis showed the enrichment of protein homeostasis signaling pathways specifically in PLN R9C KI cells in response to the MM treatment and increased contractile demands. Further studies also indicated elevated ROS levels, interrupted autophagic flux, and increased pentamer PLN aggregation in functionally challenged KI cells. These results were further confirmed in patient-specific iPSC-CM models, suggesting that functional stresses exacerbate the deficiencies in PLN R9C cells through disrupting protein homeostasis. Indeed, treating stressed patient cells with autophagy-accelerating reagents, such as metformin and rapamycin, has restored autophagic flux, mitigated sarcomere disarrangement, and partially rescued {beta}-adrenergic signaling and cardiac function. ConclusionsPLN R9C leads to a mild increase of calcium recycling and contractility. Functional challenges further enhanced contractile and proteostasis stress, leading to autophagic overload, structural remodeling, and functional deficiencies in PLN R9C cardiomyocytes. Activation of autophagy signaling partially rescues these effects, revealing a potential therapeutic target for DCM patients with the PLN R9C mutation. Graphic abstractsA graphic abstract is available for this article.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

A negatively-charged region within carboxy-terminal domain maintains proper CTCF DNA binding

As an essential regulator of higher-order chromatin structures, CTCF is a highly-conserved DNA binding protein with a central DNA-binding domain of 11 tandem zinc fingers, which are flanked by amino (N-) and carboxy (C-) terminal domains of intrinsically disordered regions. Here we report that CRISPR deletion of the entire C-terminal domain of alternating charge blocks decreases CTCF DNA binding but deletion of the C-terminal fragment of 116 amino acids results in increased CTCF DNA binding and aberrant gene regulation. Through a series of genetic targeting experiments, in conjunction with EMSA, 4C, qPCR, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq, we uncovered a negatively-charged region (NCR) responsible for weakening CTCF DNA binding and chromatin accessibility. AlphaFold prediction suggests an autoinhibitory mechanism of CTCF via NCR as a flexible DNA mimic domain, possibly competing with DNA binding for the positively-charged ZF surface area. Thus, the unstructured C-terminal domain plays an intricate role in maintaining proper CTCF-DNA interactions and 3D genome organization.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2024

Plasticity and Dynamics of Hematopoietic Cells within Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Leukemia

Extensive research has been conducted on the plasticity of malignant cells and nonmalignant cells in solid tumor. However, the plasticity of bone marrow hematopoietic cells in leukemia have remained largely unexplored. In this study, we aimed to investigate cell changings in hematopoietic cells through lineage tracing across various types of leukemias. We had compiled a landscape of leukemia and constructed phylogenetic trees of hematopoietic cells through utilizing massively parallel scRNA-seq data, mtDNA mutation and SNP analysis. Based on the observed cell changings, we identified several types of cell changings, including transdifferentiation, dedifferentiation, and state transition, except for differentiation and expansion. In AML and CMML, GMPs and neutrophils showed a higher potential for transferring to other cell types. In BPDCN, pDCs were less prone to switching to other cell types, while T cells demonstrated high plasticity. In B-ALL and B-CLL, B-ALL blast cells and B-CLL blast cells emerged at the most dynamic state. The dynamics of hematopoietic cells in AML, BPDCN and ALL changed along with the clinical process. Extrinsic factors within the leukemia microenvironment may influence the cell changings. Regulons encountered an intermediate cell state during the process of transition to myeloid cells and erythroid cells. We also found a correlation between B-common blast cells and T cells, suggesting a potential transition from B lymphoblastic leukemia to T lymphoblastic leukemia. In conclusion, our study unveiled the distinct plasticity and dynamics of hematopoietic cells in various types of leukemia. This sheds light on the possibility of targeting cell changes as a new strategy for leukemia treatment and improving current immunotherapy.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2024

Development of a Two-Leaf Photosynthetic Model Sensitive to Chlorophyll and Its Coupling with a Wheat Growth Model

Crop growth models (CGMs) commonly simulates the response of photosynthetic rate to nitrogen (N) dynamic by calculating critical N concentration. However, critical N concentration makes it hard to describe the physiological effect of N dynamic on photosynthesis. Meanwhile, the effect of diffuse light on photosynthesis was limited in previous studies. In this study, we introduced a Two-leaf Photosynthetic Model Sensitive to Chlorophyll Content (TPMSCC) and coupled it with the crop growth model (WheatGrow) to enhance our understanding of how N dynamic and diffuse light affects photosynthesis. By coupling the Farquhar-von Caemmerer-Berry (FvCB) C3 photosynthesis model with a canopy radiative transfer model (PROSAIL), TPMSCC simulated the light interception of direct and diffuse light, and employed leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) to simulate the light absorption and electron transfer rate of leaves. Result showed that TPMSCC well simulated the light absorption of the wheat canopy and found the canopy photosynthetic rate benefited from the increase of diffuse radiation fraction (DRF) except for when the condition of a dense canopy at a high solar zenith angle was present. Research found the logarithmic and linear relationships of LCC to the initial light use efficiency ([a]) and the maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax), respectively, which followed the field measurements. Additionally, the optimized WheatGrow model outperforms its predecessor in describing the response of N application rate on photosynthesis.

biophysics↗