Showing papers by "Fei Li published in 2021"

Textured ferroelectric ceramics with high electromechanical coupling factors over a broad temperature range.

Abstract: The figure-of-merits of ferroelectrics for transducer applications are their electromechanical coupling factor and the operable temperature range. Relaxor-PbTiO3 ferroelectric crystals show a much improved electromechanical coupling factor k33 (88~93%) compared to their ceramic counterparts (65~78%) by taking advantage of the strong anisotropy of crystals. However, only a few relaxor-PbTiO3 systems, for example Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3, can be grown into single crystals, whose operable temperature range is limited by their rhombohedral-tetragonal phase transition temperatures (Trt: 60~120 °C). Here, we develop a templated grain-growth approach to fabricate -textured Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PSN-PT) ceramics that contain a large amount of the refractory component Sc2O3, which has the ability to increase the Trt of the system. The high k33 of 85~89% and the greatly increased Trt of 160~200 °C are simultaneously achieved in the textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramics. The above merits will make textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramics an alternative to single crystals, benefiting the development of numerous advanced piezoelectric devices. Only a few relaxors can be grown into crystals, which show high piezoelectricity, but their operable temperature range is limited by the low phase transition temperature. Here, the authors develop an approach to fabricate textured relaxor ceramics with elevated phase transition temperatures.

InsectBase 2.0: a comprehensive gene resource for insects.

Abstract: Insects are the largest group of animals on the planet and have a huge impact on human life by providing resources, transmitting diseases, and damaging agricultural crop production. Recently, a large amount of insect genome and gene data has been generated. A comprehensive database is highly desirable for managing, sharing, and mining these resources. Here, we present an updated database, InsectBase 2.0 (http://v2.insect-genome.com/), covering 815 insect genomes, 25 805 transcriptomes and >16 million genes, including 15 045 111 coding sequences, 3 436 022 3'UTRs, 4 345 664 5'UTRs, 112 162 miRNAs and 1 293 430 lncRNAs. In addition, we used an in-house standard pipeline to annotate 1 434 653 genes belonging to 164 gene families; 215 986 potential horizontally transferred genes; and 419 KEGG pathways. Web services such as BLAST, JBrowse2 and Synteny Viewer are provided for searching and visualization. InsectBase 2.0 serves as a valuable platform for entomologists and researchers in the related communities of animal evolution and invertebrate comparative genomics.

Chromosomal-level genomes of three rice planthoppers provide new insights into sex chromosome evolution

Abstract: The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, white-backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera, and small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus are three major insect pests of rice. They are genetically close; however, they differ in several ecological traits such as host range, migration capacity, and in their sex chromosomes. Though the draft genome of these three planthoppers have been previously released, the quality of genome assemblies need to be improved. The absence of chromosome-level genome resources has hindered in-depth research of these three species. Here, we performed a de novo genome assembly for N. lugens to increase its genome assembly quality with PacBio and Illumina platforms, increasing the contig N50 to 589.46 Kb. Then, with the new N. lugens genome and previously reported S. furcifera and L. striatellus genome assemblies, we generated chromosome-level scaffold assemblies of these three planthopper species using HiC scaffolding technique. The scaffold N50s significantly increased to 77.63 Mb, 43.36 Mb and 29.24 Mb for N. lugens, S. furcifera and L. striatellus, respectively. To identify sex chromosomes of these three planthopper species, we carried out genome re-sequencing of males and females and successfully determined the X and Y chromosomes for N. lugens, and X chromosome for S. furcifera and L. striatellus. The gene content of the sex chromosomes showed high diversity among these three planthoppers suggesting the rapid evolution of sex-linked genes, and all chromosomes showed high synteny. The chromosome-level genome assemblies of three planthoppers would provide a valuable resource for a broad range of future research in molecular ecology, and subsequently benefits development of modern pest control strategies.

Eosinophilic inflammation promotes CCL6-dependent metastatic tumor growth

Abstract: Compelling evidence suggests that inflammatory components contribute to cancer development. However, eosinophils, involved in several inflammatory diseases, were not fully explored in cancer metastasis. We show that airway inflammatory eosinophilia and colonic inflammation with eosinophil infiltration are both associated with increased metastasis in mice. Eosinophilia is responsible for increased bone metastasis in eosinophil-enriched Cd3δ-Il-5 transgenic (Il-5 Tg) mice. We also observe increased eosinophils in the malignant pleural effusion of cancer patients with pleural metastasis. Mechanistically, eosinophils promote tumor cell migration and metastasis formation through secreting C-C motif chemokine ligand 6 (CCL6). Genetic knockout of Ccl6 in Il-5 Tg mice remarkably attenuates bone metastasis. Moreover, inhibition of C-C chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1, the receptor of CCL6) in tumor cells reduces tumor cell migration and metastasis. Thus, our study identifies a CCL6-dependent prometastatic activity of eosinophils, which can be inhibited by targeting CCR1 and represent an approach to preventing metastatic disease.

Host-pathogen interaction between Asian citrus psyllid and entomopathogenic fungus (Cordyceps fumosorosea) is regulated by modulations in gene expression, enzymatic activity and HLB-bacterial population of the host.

Abstract: The host-pathogen interaction has been explored by several investigations, but the impact of fungal pathogens against insect resistance is still ambiguous. Therefore, we assessed the enzymatic activity and defense-related gene expression of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) nymphal and adult populations on Huanglongbing-diseased citrus plants under the attack of Cordyceps fumosorosea. Overall, five enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), carboxylesterase (CarE), and four genes, namely SOD, 16S, CYP4C68, CYP4BD1, were selected for respective observations from ACP populations. Enzymatic activity of four enzymes (SOD, POD, GST, CarE) was significantly decreased after 5-days post-treatment (dpt) and 3-dpt fungal exposure in fungal treated ACP adult and nymphal populations, respectively, whereas the activity of CAT was boosted substantially post-treatment time schedule. Besides, we recorded drastic fluctuations in the expression of CYP4 genes among fungal treated ACP populations. After 24 hours post-treatment (hpt), expression of both CYP4 genes was boosted in fungal treated populations than controlled populations (adult and nymph). After 3-dpt, however, the expression of CYP4 genes was declined in the given populations. Likewise, fungal attack deteriorated the resistance of adult and nymphal of ACP population, as SOD expression was down-regulated in fungal-treated adult and nymphs after 5-dpt and 3-dpt exposure, respectively. Moreover, bacterial expression via the 16S gene was significantly increased in fungal-treated adult and nymphal ACP populations with increasing post-treatment time. Overall, our data illustrate that the fungal application disrupted the insect defense system. The expression of these genes and enzymes suppress the immune function of adult and nymphal ACP populations. As it is reported first time that the applications of C. fumosorosea against ACP reduce insect resistance by interfering with the CYP4 and SOD system. Therefore, we propose new strategies to discover the role of certain toxic compounds from fungus, which can reduce insect resistance, focusing on resistance-related genes and enzymes.

Large, thermally stabilized and fatigue-resistant piezoelectric strain response in textured relaxor-PbTiO3 ferroelectric ceramics

Abstract: Piezoceramics with both high strain response and excellent output stability are highly in demand for electronic actuator applications. Unfortunately, enhanced strains are generally accompanied by temperature and e-field instabilities for relaxor-PbTiO3 ferroelectrics near the curved morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). In this work, we report the simultaneous achievements of substantially enhanced piezoelectric strain (d33* ∼ 990 pm V−1), greatly improved temperature stability (strain variation below 10% over 25–150 °C) and excellent fatigue resistance (almost no strain variation at a bipolar e-field of 30 kV cm−1 up to 105 cycles) in a relaxor-PbTiO3 ferroelectric ceramic with controlled grain orientation along [001]c, based on integrating texture engineering and composite effect strategies. The temperature–insensitive strain response can be mainly attributed to the thermally stabilized er × P (dielectric permittivity × polarization) and stable domain response over a broad temperature range, which suppressed the adverse effect (strain variation ∼60% over 25–150 °C in the non-textured counterpart) caused by the intermediate ferroelectric phase transition. Besides, the inherent anisotropy properties and enhanced domain mobility in the textured ceramics further contribute to the substantially improved fatigue endurance. This work paves the way for exploring large and stable strain response in ferroelectrics with strongly curved MPB, and can also largely broaden application areas of relaxor-PbTiO3 ceramics to high-performance, stable and robust actuators.

Direct observation of nanoscale dynamics of ferroelectric degradation.

Abstract: Failure of polarization reversal, i.e., ferroelectric degradation, induced by cyclic electric loadings in ferroelectric materials, has been a long-standing challenge that negatively impacts the application of ferroelectrics in devices where reliability is critical. It is generally believed that space charges or injected charges dominate the ferroelectric degradation. However, the physics behind the phenomenon remains unclear. Here, using in-situ biasing transmission electron microscopy, we discover change of charge distribution in thin ferroelectrics during cyclic electric loadings. Charge accumulation at domain walls is the main reason of the formation of c domains, which are less responsive to the applied electric field. The rapid growth of the frozen c domains leads to the ferroelectric degradation. This finding gives insights into the nature of ferroelectric degradation in nanodevices, and reveals the role of the injected charges in polarization reversal.

A chromosome-level assembly of the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis as a genomic resource to study beetle and invasion biology.

Abstract: The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), is a well-known model organism for genetic studies and is also a well-studied natural enemy used for pest control. It became an invasive species after being introduced to North America and Europe as a pest control agent. Though two genome assemblies for this insect have been previously reported, a high-quality genome assembly at the chromosome level is still not available. Here, we obtained a new chromosome-level genome assembly of H. axyridis by combining various sequencing technologies, namely Illumina short reads, PacBio long reads, 10X Genomics and Hi-C. The chromosome-level genome assembly is 423 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 45.92 Mb. Using Hi-C data 1,897 scaffolds were anchored to eight chromosomes. A total of 730,068 repeat sequences were identified, making up 51.2% of the assembled genome. After masking these repeat sequences, we annotated 22,810 protein-encoding genes. The X chromosome and Y-linked scaffolds were also identified by resequencing male and female genomes and calculating the male to female coverage ratios. Two gene families associated with environmental adaptation, odorant receptor and cytochrome P450, were analysed and showed no obvious expansion in H. axyridis. We successfully constructed a putative biosynthesis pathway of harmonine, a defence compound in the haemolymph of H. axyridis, which is a key factor for H. axyridis strong immunity. The chromosome-level genome assembly of H. axyridis is a helpful resource for studies of beetle biology and invasive biology.

Eosinophil-derived chemokine (hCCL15/23, mCCL6) interacts with CCR1 to promote eosinophilic airway inflammation.

Abstract: Eosinophils are terminally differentiated cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow. Several studies have confirmed the effective roles of eosinophils in asthmatic airway pathogenesis. However, their regulatory functions have not been well elucidated. Here, increased C-C chemokine ligand 6 (CCL6) in asthmatic mice and the human orthologs CCL15 and CCL23 that are highly expressed in asthma patients are described, which are mainly derived from eosinophils. Using Ccl6 knockout mice, further studies revealed CCL6-dependent allergic airway inflammation and committed eosinophilia in the bone marrow following ovalbumin (OVA) challenge and identified a CCL6-CCR1 regulatory axis in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Eosinophil differentiation and airway inflammation were remarkably decreased by the specific CCR1 antagonist BX471. Thus, the study identifies that the CCL6-CCR1 axis is involved in the crosstalk between eosinophils and HSCs during the development of allergic airway inflammation, which also reveals a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for future clinical treatment of asthma.

Transgenic rice overexpressing insect endogenous microRNA csu‐novel‐260 is resistant to striped stem borer under field conditions

Abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising approach for developing insect-resistant crops. In the first two proof-of-concept studies, DNA fragments derived from essential insect genes were constructed into plant expression cassettes as inverted repeats, enabling long double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) to be transcribed in host plants (Baum et al., 2007; Mao et al., 2007). After ingestion, dsRNAs overexpressed in planta suppressed target gene expression via small interference RNA (siRNA)-mediated RNAi in western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) (Baum et al., 2007) and cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) (Mao et al., 2007), and thereby reduced their viability. Subsequent studies have mostly employed a similar approach and attempted to develop RNAi crops against various insect species (Liu et al., 2020). However, except for coleopterans that are generally susceptible to RNAi, most insects (e.g., lepidopterans, dipterans, hymenopterans, and hemipterans) exhibit unpredictable responses to dsRNA-induced RNAi, and this has become a hurdle for ubiquitous adaption of this strategy (Cooper et al., 2019). Potential factors influencing RNAi efficacy in insects involve dsRNA stability, cellular dsRNA absorption, core RNAi machinery integrity, systemic RNAi spread, and target gene amenability (Cooper et al., 2019).

Expression and functional characterization of odorant-binding protein genes in the endoparasitic wasp Cotesia vestalis.

Abstract: Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are crucial in insect's olfactory perception, which participate in the initial step of odorant molecules transporting from the external environment to olfactory receptor neurons. To better understand the roles for OBPs in olfactory perception in Cotesia vestalis, a solitary larval endoparasitoid of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, we have comprehensively screened the genome of C. vestalis, and obtained 20 CvesOBPs, including 18 classic OBPs and two minus-C OBPs. Motif-pattern analysis indicates that the motifs of C. vestalis OBPs are highly conserved in Hymenoptera. The results of tissue expression analysis show that five OBPs (CvesOBP1/11/12/14/16) are highly expressed in male antennae, whereas six other OBP genes (CvesOBP7/8/13/17/18/19) are significantly transcriptionally enriched in female antennae. The results of RNA interference experiments for three most highly expressed OBP genes (CvesOBP17/18/19) in female antennae demonstrate that they are likely involved in parasitic processes of female wasps, as the wasps take a longer time to target the hosts when they are knocked down.

Genome of the pincer wasp Gonatopus flavifemur reveals unique venom evolution and a dual adaptation to parasitism and predation.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Hymenoptera comprise extremely diverse insect species with extensive variation in their life histories. The Dryinidae, a family of solitary wasps of Hymenoptera, have evolved innovations that allow them to hunt using venom and a pair of chelae developed from the fore legs that can grasp prey. Dryinidae larvae are also parasitoids of Auchenorrhyncha, a group including common pests such as planthoppers and leafhoppers. Both of these traits make them effective and valuable for pest control, but little is yet known about the genetic basis of its dual adaptation to parasitism and predation. RESULTS We sequenced and assembled a high-quality genome of the dryinid wasp Gonatopus flavifemur, which at 636.5 Mb is larger than most hymenopterans. The expansion of transposable elements, especially DNA transposons, is a major contributor to the genome size enlargement. Our genome-wide screens reveal a number of positively selected genes and rapidly evolving proteins involved in energy production and motor activity, which may contribute to the predatory adaptation of dryinid wasp. We further show that three female-biased, reproductive-associated yellow genes, in response to the prey feeding behavior, are significantly elevated in adult females, which may facilitate the egg production. Venom is a powerful weapon for dryinid wasp during parasitism and predation. We therefore analyze the transcriptomes of venom glands and describe specific expansions in venom Idgf-like genes and neprilysin-like genes. Furthermore, we find the LWS2-opsin gene is exclusively expressed in male G. flavifemur, which may contribute to partner searching and mating. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide new insights into the genome evolution, predatory adaptation, venom evolution, and sex-biased genes in G. flavifemur, and present genomic resources for future in-depth comparative analyses of hymenopterans that may benefit pest control.

High output power density and strong vibration durability in a modified barbell-shaped energy harvester based on multilayer Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystals

Abstract: Traditional piezoelectric energy harvesters are made of piezoelectric ceramics with a cantilever structure, which show a low output energy density. Thus, they are difficult to meet the requirements for self-powered electronics. Herein, we report a modified barbell-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester (BSPEH) based on two d33-mode cuboid Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 multilayer single crystal stacks (ten wafers with a thickness of 0.5 mm and d33 ∼ 1300 pC/N). Due to the electrically parallel and series connections of multilayer piezoelectric elements and the high figure-of-merit d33 × g33 of the single crystal, the maximum power density of BSPEH could reach 39.7 mW cm−3 (under an acceleration of 5 g), which is much higher than that of traditional cantilever piezoelectric energy harvesters (CPEHs), ∼0.1 mW cm−3. A maximum output voltage of 50.4 Vp–p was obtained when two crystal stacks are connected in series, and a maximum output current of 880 µA can be obtained when two crystal stacks are connected in parallel. Furthermore, the energy harvesting properties of BSPEH stay almost the same after 106 vibration cycles, while the properties of CPEH decrease 20% after 105 vibration cycles. This work indicates that BSPEH has a great potential in the application of wireless sensor networks for realizing the self-power of the equipment.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis

Abstract: The rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenee (Crambidae, Lepidoptera), is an important agricultural pest that causes serious losses to rice production in rice-growing regions with high humidity and temperature. However, a lack of genomic resources limits in-depth understanding of its biological characteristics and ecological adaptation. Here, we sequenced the genome of rice leaffolder using the Illumina and PacBio platforms, yielding a genome assembly of 528.3 Mb with a contig N50 of 524.6 kb. A high percentage (96.4%) of Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCOs) were successfully detected, suggesting high-level completeness of the genome assembly. In total, 39.5% of the genome consists of repeat sequences and 15,045 protein-coding genes were annotated. Comparative phylogenomic analysis showed that some gene families associated with hormone biosynthesis expanded in rice leaffolder. Next, we used the Hi-C technique to produce a chromosome-level genome assembly with a scaffold N50 of 16.1 Mb by anchoring 3,248 scaffolds to 31 chromosomes. The rice leaffolder genome showed high chromosomal synteny with the genome of four other lepidopteran insects. By comparing coverage ratios from the genome resequencing of male and female pupae, we identified near intact Z and W chromosomes. The W chromosome is estimated as 20.75 Mb, which is the most complete known W chromosome in Lepidoptera. The protein-coding genes on the W chromosome were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways. In all, the high-quality genome assembly and the near-intact W chromosome of rice leaffolder should be a useful resource for the fields of insect migration, chromosome evolution and pest control.

Computational methods for the prediction of chromatin interaction and organization using sequence and epigenomic profiles.

Abstract: The exploration of three-dimensional chromatin interaction and organization provides insight into mechanisms underlying gene regulation, cell differentiation and disease development. Advances in chromosome conformation capture technologies, such as high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and chromatin interaction analysis by paired-end tag (ChIA-PET), have enabled the exploration of chromatin interaction and organization. However, high-resolution Hi-C and ChIA-PET data are only available for a limited number of cell lines, and their acquisition is costly, time consuming, laborious and affected by theoretical limitations. Increasing evidence shows that DNA sequence and epigenomic features are informative predictors of regulatory interaction and chromatin architecture. Based on these features, numerous computational methods have been developed for the prediction of chromatin interaction and organization, whereas they are not extensively applied in biomedical study. A systematical study to summarize and evaluate such methods is still needed to facilitate their application. Here, we summarize 48 computational methods for the prediction of chromatin interaction and organization using sequence and epigenomic profiles, categorize them and compare their performance. Besides, we provide a comprehensive guideline for the selection of suitable methods to predict chromatin interaction and organization based on available data and biological question of interest.

A Dual-Mode 2D Matrix Array for Ultrasound Image-Guided Noninvasive Therapy

Abstract: Focused ultrasound (FUS) lacks reliable real-time image guidance, which hinders the development of non-invasive ultrasound treatment in many important clinical applications. A dual-mode ultrasound array, capable of both imaging and therapy offers a new and reliable strategy for image-guided ultrasound therapy applications. The strategy has the advantages of real-time use, low cost, portability and inherent registration between imaging and therapeutic coordinate systems. In this work, a dual-mode two-dimensional (2D) matrix array with 1 MHz center frequency and 256 elements for ultrasound image-guided non-invasive therapy is reported. The array can provide three-dimensional (3D) volumetric ultrasound imaging and 3D focus control. Ultrasound imaging and therapeutic applications for the brain of small animals demonstrated the multi-functional capability of the dual-mode 2D matrix array. A method of rat brain positioning based on ultrasound imaging was proposed and verified. Transcranial ultrasound image-guided blood–brain barrier (BBB) opening of multiple-targets was achieved in vivo, using the proposed dual-mode 2D array. The obtained results indicate that the dual-mode 2D matrix array is a promising method for practical use in ultrasound image-guided non-invasive therapy applications.

Inverse Domain-Size Dependence of Piezoelectricity in Ferroelectric Crystals.

Abstract: Piezoelectricity of ferroelectric crystals is widely utilized in electromechanical devices such as sensors and actuators. It is broadly believed that the smaller the ferroelectric domain size, the higher the piezoelectricity, arising from the commonly assumed larger contributions from the domain walls. Herein, the domain-size dependence of piezoelectric coefficients of prototypical ferroelectric crystals is theoretically studied based on thermodynamic analysis and phase-field simulations. It is revealed that the inverse domain-size effect, i.e., the larger the domain size, the higher the piezoelectricity, is entirely possible and can be just as common. The nature of the domain-size dependence of piezoelectricity is shown to be determined by the propensity of polarization rotation inside the domains instead of the domain wall contributions. A simple, unified, analytical model for predicting the domain-size dependence of piezoelectricity is established, which is valid regardless of the crystalline symmetry, the materials chemistry, and the domain structures of a ferroelectric crystal, and thus can serve as a guiding tool for optimizing piezoelectricity of ferroelectric materials beyond the "nanodomain" engineering. In addition, the theoretical approach can be extended to understand the microstructural size effect of multifunctional properties in ferroic and multiferroic materials.

Transcriptome analysis reveals Vernalization is independent of cold acclimation in Arabidopsis.

Abstract: Background Through vernalization, plants achieve flowering competence by sensing prolonged cold exposure (constant exposure approximately 2-5 °C). During this process, plants initiate defense responses to endure cold conditions. Here, we conducted transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis plants subjected to prolonged cold exposure (6 weeks) to explore the physiological dynamics of vernalization and uncover the relationship between vernalization and cold stress. Results Time-lag initiation of the two pathways and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that vernalization is independent of cold acclimation. Moreover, WGCNA revealed three major networks involving ethylene and jasmonic acid response, cold acclimation, and chromatin modification in response to prolonged cold exposure. Finally, throughout vernalization, the cold stress response is regulated via an alternative splicing-mediated mechanism. Conclusion These findings illustrate a comprehensive picture of cold stress- and vernalization-mediated global changes in Arabidopsis.

Large electric field induced strain of Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 ceramics textured by Template Grain Growth

Abstract: oriented xBi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3-(0.7-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3 (BMT-PMN-PT) textured ceramics are successfully fabricated by the template grain growth method using BaTiO3 platelets as template. BMT-PMN-PT textured ceramics with different BMT contents are studied in terms of crystal structure, microstructures, dielectric and ferroelectric properties, and electric field induced strain. The as-fabricated BMT-PMN-PT textured ceramics were found to have a strong orientation along direction. The frequency dispersion of dielectric constant of BMT-PMN-PT textured ceramics increases gradually and its relaxability becomes stronger with increasing BMT content. A large electric-field induced strain (0.42 % at 4 kV/mm) is obtained in 0.25BMT-0.45PMN-0.3PT textured ceramics with Lotgering factor 0.94, which is about 83 % enhancement than that of the randomly oriented ceramics (0.23 % at 4 kV/mm). The strain of 0.25BMT-0.45PMN-0.3PT textured ceramics have a relatively high thermal stability, with a slight decrease from 0.42 % to 0.28 % in the temperature range of 20−100 °C. Our research suggests that 0.25BMT-0.45PMN-0.3PT textured ceramics have a greatly potential for actuator devices applications owing to its advantages of large electric field induced strain response.