Lijun Wang

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Huazhong Agricultural University

Plant cell walls are highly dynamic, complex structures composed of multiple biopolymers that form a scaffold surrounding the plant cell. A nanoscale understanding of their architecture, mechanical properties, and formation/degradation dynamics is crucial for revealing structure–function relationships, mechanisms of shape formation, and cell develo...

Biominerals can exhibit exceptional mechanical properties owing to their hierarchically‐ordered organic/inorganic nanocomposite structure. However, synthetic routes to oriented artificial biominerals of comparable complexity remain a formidable technical challenge. Herein we design a series of soft, deformable nanogels that are employed as particul...

Biominerals can exhibit exceptional mechanical properties owing to their hierarchically‐ordered organic/inorganic nanocomposite structure. However, synthetic routes to oriented artificial biominerals of comparable complexity remain a formidable technical challenge. Herein we design a series of soft, deformable nanogels that are employed as particul...

The stabilization of soil organic matter is crucial for global carbon cycling processes as soil stores large amounts of organic carbon. The occlusion of SOM within minerals sequesters these organic molecules, rendering them inaccessible to interference from biotic and abiotic factors. However, the microscopic mechanisms of occlusion are lacking. In...

Phosphate (P) adsorption systems featuring metal-based adsorbents have claimed to achieve ultralow P removal. However, little is known about the micron- and molecular-scale energetic knowledge of P-adsorbent interactions including the facet- and adsorbent-dependent adsorption of P. Herein, representative metal-based adsorbents including iron (Fe)-b...

As a potential phosphorus (P) pool, the enzymatic hydrolysis of organic phosphorus (Po) is of fundamental importance due to the release of bioavailable inorganic phosphate (Pi) for agronomic P sustainability....

Phosphorus (P) is a nonrenewable resource with low availability in soils, and thus can be a yield-limiting factor for food production. Alginate from brown algae has been proved to be a promising fertilizer additive to promote P utilization efficiency so as to achieve sustainable P management. However, there has been a lack of direct observation of...

Redox-active antibiotics have been recently found to enhance phosphorus (P) bioavailability through reductive dissolution of Fe(III) oxides and solubilization of adsorbed P. However, there has been a lack of quantitative insights into their effect on Fe(III)–P minerals in natural environments with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Here, by...

Changes in the secondary structure of phytase, particularly the conserved active catalytic domain (ACD, SRHGVRAPHD) are extremely important for the varied catalytic activity during hydrolyzing phytate in the presence of humic acid (HA). However, little is known about the molecular-scale mechanisms of how HA influences the secondary structure of ACD...

New advances in atomic force microscopy (AFM) enable real-time imaging of live plant cell walls. Imaging is achieved by recording the atomic forces between a cell wall surface and a sharp tip mounted at the end of a flexible cantilever that is raster scanned. This allows direct characterization of the native nanostructures by height and nanomechani...

Organo-clay complexes could be adsorbed and subsequently occluded into soil mineral matrices under local supersaturated solution conditions, leading to inaccessibility of microorganisms and their extracellular enzymes, which plays an important contribution to stabilization of soil organic (SOM) and affects their biogeochemical cycle. However, the u...

Nanoplastics are widely distributed in crop soils and could interact with other exposed organic contaminants such as pesticides, leading to enhanced toxicity to plants and soil beneficial microorganisms. These combined organic pollutants can also interact physiochemically with mineral matrices to be selectively preserved and occluded. Inclusion org...

The advancement in analytical imaging techniques, including atomic force microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopies, has allowed us to observe processes occurring at mineral surfaces in situ at a nanoscale in real space and time, hence giving the possibility to elucidate reaction mechanisms. Classical crystal growth theories hav...

Plant cell walls exhibit excellent mechanical properties, which form the structural basis for sustainable bioresources and multifunctional nanocelluloses. The wall nanomechanical properties of living cells through covalent modifications of hybrid inorganic elements, such as silicon, may confer significant influence on local mechano-response and enz...

Intracellular membrane-bound vesicles play important roles in the formation of biominerals, such as calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals, through the interactions of the vesicles and different crystal faces. However, in situ kinetics and the mechanism of occlusion of diverse vesicles, which have similar compositions, into the (1̅01) and (010)...

Higher concentrations of Ca ²⁺ and Ox ²⁻ can form COD which then transforms to COM. Citrate forms a protective layer to inhibit COD transition; whereas Zn ²⁺ substitutes Ca ²⁺ sites to generate a stable COD structure that retards COM formation.

Both clinical observations and in vitro studies have confirmed that hyperoxaluria or hypercalciuria is one of the main factors that determine the phase formation of pathological calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones, including the monohydrate (COM) at a low Ca/Ox molar ratio and a dihydrate (COD) at a high Ca/Ox molar ratio. However, in situ nanoscale crys...

Organo-mineral interactions have long been the focus in the fields of biomineralization and geomineralization, since such interactions not only modulate the dynamics of crystal nucleation and growth but also may change crystal phases, morphologies, and structures. The utilization of an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based a dynamic force spectroscop...

ConspectusChemical reactions at the mineral-solution interface control important interfacial processes, such as geochemical element cycling, nutrient recovery from eutrophicated waters, sequestration of toxic contaminants, and geological carbon storage by mineral carbonation. By time-resolved in situ imaging of nanoscale mineral interfacial reactio...

Heterogeneous nucleation induced by natural organic matter (NOM) can lower the energy barrier for calcium arsenate (Ca-As) precipitation, which aids in immobilizing arsenate (AsⅤ). However, it remains unclear how certain chemical functionalities of NOM affect Ca-As nucleation at the molecular scale. By analyzing changes in the local supersaturation...

Amelotin (AMTN) as a matrix protein exerts a direct effect on biomineralization by modulating apatite (HAP) formation during the dental enamel maturation stage through the specific interaction of a potentially phosphorylated Ser-Ser-Glu-Glu-Leu (SSEEL) peptide fragment with calcium phosphate (Ca-P) surfaces. However, the roles of (non)phosphorylati...

The formation of iron oxide mineral-organic associations can regulate long-term preservation of soil organic matter (SOM) by providing shelter for SOM from degradation through adsorption on different crystalline/amorphous phase surfaces. However, little is known about the energetic basis for the phase- and facet-dependent SOM-iron oxide interaction...

Phosphorus (P) availability is widely assumed to be limited by the formation of metal (Ca, Fe or Al) phosphate precipitates that are modulated by soil organic matter (SOM), but the SOM-precipitate interactions remain uncertain due to their environmental complexities. Here we present a model system by quantifying the in situ nanoscale nucleation kin...

Dental enamel possesses remarkable mechanical properties owing to the hierarchical structural organization and hybridization of organic and inorganic components. Amelotin (AMTN), as an enamel matrix protein, plays a critical role in the formation of a compact aprismatic hydroxyapatite (HAP) at the maturation stage of enamel biomineralization. Howev...

Mineral-soil organic matter (SOM) associations formed through various interactions, play a key role in regulating long-term SOM preservation. The mechanisms underlying organic-mineral and organic-organic interactions at nanometer and molecular scales in environmentally relevant solutions remain uncertain. Here we present a model mineral-SOM system...

Global soil carbon cycling plays a key role in regulating and stabilizing Earth’s climate change due to soils with amounts of carbon at least three times higher than that of other ecological systems. Soil minerals have also been shown to underlie the persistence of soil organic matter (SOM) through both adsorption and occlusion, but the microscopic...

The majority of human kidney stones are comprised of multiple calcium oxalate crystals with variable amounts of brushite (DCPD) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) as a nucleus, in which fluid-mediated dissolution and reprecipitation may result in the phase transformation of DCPD to HAP. However, the underlying mechanisms of the phase transition and its modul...

Amelotin (AMTN) has been shown to underlie the promotion of hydroxyapatite (HAP) formation in the late stages of tooth enamel biomineralization, but the molecular mechanisms that control this process are poorly understood. Here, using a combination of atomic force microscopy and high-resolution Raman spectroscopy to directly observe time-resolved i...

Modulating mineralization and demineralization of calcium phosphates (Ca-Ps) with organic macromolecules is a critical process for preventing human kidney stone disease. As a long unbranched polysaccharide of urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), chondroitin 4-sulfate (Ch4S) has been shown to play an essential role in inhibiting the formation of kidne...

Bioavailability and mobility of cadmium (Cd2+) and arsenate (As5+) in soils can be effectively lowered through the dissolution of brushite (dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, CaHPO4∙2H2O) coupled with the precipitation of a more stable mineral phase containing both Cd and As. Due to the ubiquitous presence of humic acid (HA) in soil environments, it is...

Phosphorus (P) recovery from wastewater is essential for sustainable P management. A biomimetic hexapeptide (SGAGKT) has been demonstrated to bind inorganic P in P-rich environments, however the dynamics and molecular mechanisms of P-binding to the hexapeptide still remain largely unknown. We used dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) to directly distin...

• Background and Aims Turgor-driven plant cell growth depends on cell wall structure and mechanics. Strengthening of cell walls on the basis of an association and interaction with silicon (Si) could lead to improved nutrient uptake and optimized growth and metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa). However, the structural basis and physiological mechanisms...

Adsorption and subsequent precipitation of dissolved phosphates on iron oxides, such as hematite and goethite, is of considerable importance in predicting the bioavailability of phosphates. We used in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image the kinetic processes of phosphate-bearing solutions interacting with hematite or goethite surfaces. The...

Calcium orthophosphates (Ca-Ps) have long been the focus of extensive research due to their significance as inorganic phases of biomineral bones and teeth and the primary constituent of the majority of pathological calcified tissues. The utilization of atomic force microscopy (AFM) as an in situ imaging tool is to probe nanoscale and even near-mole...

Cadmium (Cd 2+) and Arsenate (As 5+) are the main toxic elements in soil environments and are easily taken up by plants. Unraveling the kinetics of the adsorption and subsequent precipitation/immobilization on mineral surfaces is of considerable importance for predicting the fate of these dissolved species in soils. Here we used in situ atomic forc...

Cadmium (Cd2+) and Arsenate (As5+) are the main toxic elements in soil environments and are easily taken up by plants. Unraveling the kinetics of the adsorption and subsequent precipitation/immobilization on mineral surfaces is of considerable importance for predicting the fate of these dissolved species in soils. Here we used in situ atomic force...

Potential pathways for inhibiting crystal growth are either via disrupting local microenvironments surrounding crystal−solution interfaces or physically blocking solute molecule attachment. However, the actual mode of inhibition may be more complicated due to the characteristic time scale for the inhibitor adsorption and relaxation to a well-bound...

The formation of needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called raphides is unique to plants, in which related matrix proteins control crystallization of raphides at biomacromolecule-mineral interfaces with convoluted internal structure and complex morphology. However, investigations for understanding intermediate structures and the underlying mecha...

Birnessite (layer type Mn(III, IV) oxides with ordered sheet stacking) is the most common mineral species of manganese (Mn) oxides, and has been demonstrated to be among the strongest sorbents and oxidants in surface environments. The morphology of birnessite is one of the key factors affecting its reactivity. Either biotic or abiotic birnessite sa...

Calcium oxalate kidney stones form attached to Randall’s plaques (RP), calcium phosphate (Ca-P) deposits on the renal papillary surface. Osteopontin (OPN) suppresses crystal growth in the complex process of urinary stone formation, but the inhibitory role of active domains of OPN involved in the initial formation of the RPs attached to epithelial c...

In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and zeta potential were used to investigate how citrate (50 μM) modified the nanoscale dissolution of brushite (dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, CaHPO4.2H2O) by NaX (X = Cl, Br, or I) at a constant pH of 7.0. Results showed that on the brushite (010) surface, h...

Main conclusion: Our study demonstrated that Zn alleviated Cd toxicity in the presence of Si in the cell walls by Zn (2+) binding to ligands through the formation of the [Si-hemicellulose matrix]Zn complexes that restrict the uptake of Cd. The plant cell wall exhibits preferential sites for the accumulation of metals at toxic concentrations. Throu...

In order to evaluate the organic phosphorus (OP) and pyrophosphate (PyroP) cycle and their fate in the environment, it is critical to understand the effects of mineral interfaces on the reactivity of adsorption and precipitation of OP and PyroP. Here, in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to directly observe the kinetics of coupled dissolut...

The mimic and design of artificial nanoshell materials on individual cells have been explored in microbial and mammalian cells, and these synthetic interfacial materials can confer new and unique properties on living cells to resist various environmental stresses. However, no attempts have been made on chemical nanocapsulation of higher plant cells...

The two main pathways for the growth of calcium phosphates are either via the addition of monomeric chemical species to existing steps or via the attachment of precursor particles. Although recent experimental evidence suggests that the particle-attachment pathway is prevalent, real-time observations for the relative contributions of monomer-by-mon...

The two main pathways for the growth of calcium phosphates are either via the addition of monomeric chemical species to existing steps or via the attachment of precursor particles. Although recent experimental evidence suggests that the particle-attachment pathway is prevalent, real-time observations for the relative contributions of monomer-by-mon...

Silicon (Si) can alleviate cadmium (Cd) stress in rice (Oryza sativa) plants, however, the understanding of the molecular mechanisms at the single-cell level remains limited. To address these questions, we investigated suspension cells of rice cultured in the dark environment in the absence and presence of Si with either short- (12 h) or long-term...

Esters of phosphoric acid constitute a large fraction of the total organic phosphorus (OP) in the soil environment and thus play an important role in the global phosphorus cycle. These esters, such as glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), exhibit unusual reactivity toward various mineral particles in soils, especially those containing calcite. Many important...

A mixture of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate is a source of chronic human disease, forming kidney stones. However, the mechanisms of pathological biomineralization and its modulation by natural inhibitors such as osteopontin (OPN) proteins are poorly defined at the nanoscale. Here, the in vitro formation of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) c...

Adsorption and subsequent immobilization of orthophosphate on iron oxides is of considerable importance in soil fertility and eutrophication studies. Here, in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to probe the interaction of phosphate-bearing solutions with goethite, α-FeOOH, (010) cleavage surfaces. During the dissolution of goethite we...

Silicon ( S i) alleviates cadmium ( C d) toxicity in rice ( O ryza sativa ). However, the chemical mechanisms at the single‐cell level are poorly understood. Here, a suspension of rice cells exposed to C d and/or S i treatments was investigated using a combination of plant cell nutritional, molecular biological, and physical techniques including in...

Silicon (Si) plays a large number of diverse roles in plants, but the structural and chemical mechanisms operating at the single-cell level remain unclear. We isolate the cell walls from suspension-cultured individual cells of rice (Oryza sativa) and fractionate them into three main fractions including cellulose (C), hemicellulose (HC) and pectin (...

Biological organisms possess an unparalleled ability to control crystallization of biominerals with convoluted internal structures. For example, an occluded organic matrix can interact with the mineral during its formation to control its morphology and structure. Although related matrix proteins that preferentially nucleate minerals have been ident...

Unraveling the kinetics and mechanisms of sparingly soluble calcium orthophosphate (Ca-P) dissolution in the presence of organic acids at microscopic levels is important for an improved understanding in determining the effectiveness of organic acids present in most rhizosphere environments. Herein, we use in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) coupl...

Aims Rice is a well-known silica-accumulating plant. The dumbbell-shaped silica bodies in the silica cells in rice leaf epidermis are formed via biosilicification, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Methods Leaves at different developmental stages were collected to investigate silica cell differentiation by analyzing structures and...

The stresses acting on plants that are alleviated by silicon (Si) range from biotic to abiotic stresses, such as heavy metal toxicity. However, the mechanism of stress alleviation by Si at the single‐cell level is poorly understood. We cultivated suspended rice ( Oryza sativa ) cells and protoplasts and investigated them using a combination of plan...

Dissolution of calcite in the presence of phosphate solutions was studied in situ by Atomic Force Microscopy. Results of experiments in slightly alkaline (NH4)2HPO4 solutions showed that dissolution, measured from etch pit spreading, is significantly reduced compared to that observed in pure deionized water, confirming an inhibitory effect of (NH4)...

Despite the ubiquity and beneficial role of silicon (Si) in plant biology, structural and chemical mechanisms operating at the single‐cell level have not been extensively studied. To obtain insights regarding the effect of Si on individual cells, we cultivated suspended rice ( Oryza sativa ) cells in the absence and presence of Si and analyzed sing...

Under near-physiological pH and ionic strength, the role of a 14 amino acid segment of osteopontin (OPN) in inhibiting hydroxyapatite (HAP) nucleation and growth was kinetically examined by measuring the induction time via pH monitoring. The phosphorylated 14-mer OPN peptide segments (PP) significantly inhibit nucleation of HAP by markedly increasi...

Although many in vitro studies have looked at calcium phosphate (Ca–P) mineralization, they have not emphasized the earliest events and the pathway of crystallization from solvated ions to the final apatitic mineral phase. Only recently has it become possible to unravel experimentally the processes of Ca–P formation through a cluster-growth model....

Unraveling the kinetics of calcium orthophosphate (Ca-P) precipitation and dissolution is important for our understanding of the transformation and mobility of dissolved phosphate species in soils. Here we use an in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) coupled with a fluid reaction cell to study the interaction of phosphate-bearing solutions with cal...

The mechanisms by which background electrolytes modify the kinetics of non-equivalent step propagation during calcite growth were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), at constant driving force and solution stoichiometry. Our results suggest that the acute step spreading rate is controlled by kink-site nucleation and, ultimately, by the...

In situ AFM observations of calcite growth in the presence of Li+ show that the site-selective mechanism of Li+-surface interactions leads to morphology changes as a result of the stabilization of the energetically unfavourable (0001) face. Selective stabilization of an unexpressed face in pure growth systems in turn alters the density of other str...

Although extensive investigations of biogenic and geological calcium phosphate crystallization/dissolution and their phase transformations have been performed, the mechanisms of crystallization and dissolution of sparingly soluble calcium phosphates in geological settings have not been completely determined at the near-molecular level. In particula...

It has long been known that magnesium (Mg) ions are effective inhibitors of hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystal nucleation and growth. During the HAP nucleation, it is now generally recognized that the involvement of assembled amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nuclei and prenuclei may be of greater importance in the overall crystallization mechanism. In t...

Boron (B) deficiency is a worldwide problem, and Brassica napus is one of the most sensitive crops to B deficiency. To better understand the B starvation response of Brassica napus, we conducted a comparative proteomic analysis of seedling stage Brassica napus root between B-sufficient and B-limited conditions: 45 differentially expressed proteins...

Cloaking device: Yeast cells were coated with a uniformly thin (about 100 nm) and continuous layer of biocompatible silica through a layer-by-layer chemical modification approach (see picture). Such a silica nanoshell forms an extracellular shield that endows these cells with enhanced defense against high temperature without significantly compromis...

Biogenic silica with amazing diversity of nanostructure shells, fibers and granules in diatoms and sponges is radiated by proteins and polysaccharides and forms at ambient pressure and temperatures. Chemical synthetic methods, in contrast, have to rely on extreme pH and/or surfactants to induce the condensation of silica precursors into specific pa...

In order to understand the fundamental processes leading to biomineralization, this chapter focuses on the earliest events of homo/heterogeneous nucleation from an initial supersaturated solution phase and subsequent growth involving various possible precursor phases (amorphous or crystalline) to the final mineral phase by specific template and oth...

Objectives: To determine how amelogenin (Amel) influences the apatitic crystallization pathways from solvated calcium and phosphate ions in supersaturated solutions, to amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nuclei and intermediate clusters, and to the final mineral phase. Methods: Constant Composition (CC) under precisely defined thermodynamic and near...

Amelogenin (Amel) accelerates the nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HAP) in supersaturated solutions of calcium phosphate (Ca-P), shortening the induction time (delay period), under near-physiological conditions of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Hierarchically organized Amel and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanorod microstructures are formed...

Many plant systems accumulate silica in solid form, creating intracellular or extracellular silica bodies (phytoliths) that are essential for growth, mechanical strength, rigidity, predator and fungal defence, stiffness and cooling. Silica is an inorganic amorphous oxide formed by polymerization processes within plants. There has been much research...

Although extensive investigations of calcium phosphate crystallization have been performed, many have focused only on the final structures and morphologies and have not emphasized the need to consider the molecular contacts between mineral and matrix that drive nucleation nor the thermodynamic and kinetic controls imposed by matrix and soluble prot...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

In order to understand the fundamental processes leading to CaP-based biomineralization, this review focuses on the earliest events of homo/ heterogeneous nucleation from an initial supersaturated solution phase and subsequent crystal growth involving various possible precursor phases (amorphous or crystalline) to the final mineral phase by specifi...

Under near-physiological pH, temperature, and ionic strength, a kinetics constant composition (CC) method was used to examine the roles of phosphorylation of a 14 amino acid segment (DDVDDTDDSHQSDE) corresponding to potential crystal binding domains within the osteopontin (OPN) sequence. The phosphorylated 14-mer OPN peptide segment significantly i...

The in vivo formation of calcium oxalate concretions having calcium phosphate nidi is simulated in an in vitro (37 degrees C, pH 6.0) dual constant composition (DCC) system undersaturated (sigma DCPD = -0.330) with respect to brushite (DCPD, CaHPO 4 . 2H 2O) and slightly supersaturated (sigma COM = 0.328) with respect to calcium oxalate monohydrate...

Most nutrient solution studies on the interactions between silicon (Si) and cadmium (Cd) are short term. Here we reported a long-term experiment in which rice (Oryza sativa L.) was cultured for 105 days and harvested at four different growth stages to measure biomass accumulation and Cd uptake and distribution in shoots and roots. Exogenous Si incr...

Under near-physiological pH, temperature, and ionic strength, amelogenin (Amel) accelerates hydroxyapatite (HAP) nucleation kinetics, decreasing the induction time in a concentration-dependent manner. Hierarchically organized apatite microstructures are achieved by self-assembly involving nucleated nanocrystallites and Amel oligomers and nanosphere...

The organic matrix in forming enamel consists largely of the amelogenin protein self-assembled into nanospheres that play a pivotal role in controlling the oriented and elongated growth of highly ordered apatitic crystals during enamel biomineralization. However, the mechanisms of amelogenin-mediated mineralization have not yet been fully elucidate...

Combination of a constant composition (CC) crystallization approach together with atomic force microscopy (AFM) has enabled the elucidation of the mechanisms of the scale (crystals) formation and dissolution at the molecular level. The new model reveals that the surfaces may be unable to support etch pits of sufficient size so as to be able to cont...