Plant lectins,from ancient sugar‐binding proteins to emerging anti‐cancer drugs in apoptosis and autophagy

Ubiquitously distributed in different plant species, plant lectins are highly diverse carbohydrate‐binding proteins of non‐immune origin. They have interesting pharmacological activities and currently are of great interest to thousands of people working on biomedical research in cancer‐related problems. It has been widely accepted that plant lectins affect both apoptosis and autophagy by modulating representative signalling pathways involved in Bcl‐2 family, caspase family, p53, PI3K/Akt, ERK, BNIP3, Ras‐Raf and ATG families, in cancer. Plant lectins may have a role as potential new anti‐tumour agents in cancer drug discovery. Thus, here we summarize these findings on pathway‐ involved plant lectins, to provide a comprehensive perspective for further elucidating their potential role as novel anti‐cancer drugs, with respect to both apoptosis and autophagy in cancer pathogenesis, and future therapy.     

秸秆全量还田对稻田土壤溶解有机碳含量和水稻产量的影响

以南粳44为供试材料,在粘土和砂土土壤中,设置麦秸秆不还田和全量还田(6000 kg·hm^-2)及3种施氮量(0、225、300 kg·hm^-2)试验,研究了麦秸秆全量还田的腐解率和有机碳释放量动态变化,及其对稻田0～45 cm土壤溶解有机碳(DOC)含量和水稻产量的影响.结果表明： 麦秸秆还田的前期(0～30 d)其腐解率和有机碳释放量最高,腐解率为35.0%(粘土)和31.7%(砂土),有机碳释放率为34.1%(粘土)和33.1%(砂土);30 d后两者均减小.施用氮肥可显著促进秸秆腐解和有机碳释放量,粘土中麦秸秆腐解率和有机碳释放量明显大于砂土.麦秸秆还田后土壤DOC含量逐渐增加,至25 d达最大值,粘土和砂土分别为60.18和56.62 mg·L^-1,此后逐渐减小并趋于稳定.麦秸秆还田处理15 cm处土壤DOC含量显著高于未还田处理,但两者在30和45 cm处土壤DOC含量差异不显著,说明秸秆还田主要增加了稻田0～15 cm土层DOC含量.与不施氮处理相比,施氮处理土壤DOC含量降低,2种施氮处理间差异不显著.秸秆还田减少了水稻前期分蘖发生量,显著降低了有效穗数,增加了穗粒数、结实率和千粒重,显著提高了水稻产量.     

尾巨桉树干木质部液流密度径向变化特征

目前尾巨桉(Eucalyptus urophylla×Eucalyptus grandis)在中国南部大面积种植,尤其是在广西。其水分利用效率对森林的可持续发展以及水资源管理越来越受到关注。在不了解树干液流径向变化的前提下,将最外层边材液流测定值推广到整树或者林分尺度会产生很大的误差。为了准确测定整树耗水,采用热消散探针法(TDP)研究了南宁七坡林场4年生尾巨桉树干液流的径向变化特征。结果表明:各个深度有相似的日变化规律,0~20 mm深液流占有很大比例,随季节有所变化,20~40 mm深液流保持相对稳定;通过对0~20 mm和20~40 mm两个边材深度的日平均液流密度进行曲线回归分析,两者存在显著的幂指数相关关系(R20.90,P=0.00);同时分析了不同深度的径向分布格局,发现尾巨桉属于4大液流径向分布格局之一的递减型,且递减程度比较陡峭;白天和夜间的径向变化规律不一样,白天液流密度径向变化较明显,夜间则表现稳定。本文的发现有助于通过更精确地计算季节性液流密度来准确估算混种桉树的水分利用效率,对土地管理有重要的意义。     

大别山野生油茶中茶氨酸检测与茶氨酸合成酶基因克隆

茶氨酸是茶树叶片中最丰富的游离氨基酸,具有重要的生理药理功能,但迄今仅在蘑菇、蕈和一些山茶科(属)植物中检测到茶氨酸。茶氨酸因有一种独特的风味特色"umami鲜爽味"而被人类营养学广泛研究,并发现合成茶氨酸的植物不仅在植物分类上具有积极意义,而且对于植物资源的有效发掘有巨大经济价值;同时还可以间接去研究茶树中茶氨酸的代谢机理以及茶氨酸合成酶的分离纯化和TS基因的克隆表达。该文运用HPLC、LC-TOF/MS对大别山地区野生幼年与成年油茶根、叶中茶氨酸进行检测,并结合分子生物学手段对油茶中茶氨酸合成酶(theanine synthetase,TS)基因进行克隆与生物信息学分析。结果表明:在幼年的油茶根中检测到茶氨酸,含量为0.08mg·g-1(鲜重),而在幼年的油茶叶片和成年油茶根、叶中均未检测到茶氨酸;在幼年油茶根中克隆出一条长为1 071bp油茶TS基因开放阅读框,其基因序列与茶树谷氨酰胺合成酶(glutamine synthetase,GS,AB117934)基因和TS(DD410896)序列的同源性达到98%,氨基酸序列与茶树中GS(AB117934)和TS(DD410896)的相似性高达99%。经生物信息学分析,该序列编码的TS蛋白具有20个磷酸化位点,不存在信号肽序列与跨膜结构,含有卷曲螺旋结构的亲水性细胞质蛋白。该研究将为油茶新经济价值的发掘,为茶氨酸在油茶中合成代谢途径的研究提供一定的理论基础,同时也为进一步研究茶氨酸在茶树中代谢机理提供了新的研究思路。     

黑龙江苹果亚科5属14种植物导管分子形态结构研究

利用扫描电子显微镜对黑龙江苹果亚科5属14种植物导管分子的管腔微形态结构特征进行了比较研究。结果显示:(1)该亚科植物导管分子的管腔长度、宽度及端壁斜度角有较大的差别。(2)孔纹导管在该亚科植物种中均存在,网纹导管和螺纹导管仅见于苹果属和花楸属中。(3)导管分子管壁除苹果属及山楂属中的毛山楂、辽宁山楂外均有螺纹加厚。(4)纹孔的排列方式为互列式、对列式及互列、对列同时存在。(5)在所观察的植物中花楸、山荆子、无毛山楂导管端壁具单穿孔板和梯状穿孔板,其余种的导管端壁仅具单穿孔板。(6)导管纹孔膜残留现象普遍存在。研究表明,导管分子管腔的微形态结构特征,可为该亚科植物的系统演化提供形态学依据;导管分子微形态结构特征与其所处的环境存在一定的适应性。     

调亏灌水和分蘖干扰对冬小麦生长的补偿效应

为探索抑制个体功能的生长冗余以实现群体性能优化并挖掘作物高产潜力的途径,通过桶栽试验,选择分蘖能力中等的小偃22号和分蘖能力较强的郑麦7698,对比研究2种灌水模式（全生育期充分灌水和分生育期调亏灌水）和3种分蘖干扰（从拔节期开始去除所有小分蘖,仅保留主茎和1个大分蘖;抽穗期去除所有无效分蘖;以不作任何干扰为对照）,来模拟不同水分供应和不可预测干扰对冬小麦生理生长、产量和水分利用效率的补偿机制.结果表明： 2个冬小麦品种均存在生长冗余.与小偃22号相比,郑麦7698有效分蘖数较高,但穗部性状较差.调亏灌水和抽穗期去除无效分蘖均可减少生长冗余,弱化竞争能力,改变源 库关系,提高资源分配.但冗余消除过度（拔节期干扰）则会破坏植株固有的根冠平衡和功能结构,导致生长的不足补偿.与对照相比,调亏灌水联合抽穗期去除无效分蘖可在时空尺度上充分开发和利用作物自身调控潜力实现补偿生长,在不显著影响籽粒产量的同时可提高水分利用效率20.4%～25.4%,是适宜的减冗增效措施.     

Mutations in Either TUBB or MAPRE2 Cause Circumferential Skin Creases Kunze Type

Circumferential skin creases Kunze type (CSC-KT) is a specific congenital entity with an unknown genetic cause. The disease phenotype comprises characteristic circumferential skin creases accompanied by intellectual disability, a cleft palate, short stature, and dysmorphic features. Here, we report that mutations in either MAPRE2 or TUBB underlie the genetic origin of this syndrome. MAPRE2 encodes a member of the microtubule end-binding family of proteins that bind to the guanosine triphosphate cap at growing microtubule plus ends, and TUBB encodes a β-tubulin isotype that is expressed abundantly in the developing brain. Functional analyses of the TUBB mutants show multiple defects in the chaperone-dependent tubulin heterodimer folding and assembly pathway that leads to a compromised yield of native heterodimers. The TUBB mutations also have an impact on microtubule dynamics. For MAPRE2, we show that the mutations result in enhanced MAPRE2 binding to microtubules, implying an increased dwell time at microtubule plus ends. Further, in vivo analysis of MAPRE2 mutations in a zebrafish model of craniofacial development shows that the variants most likely perturb the patterning of branchial arches, either through excessive activity (under a recessive paradigm) or through haploinsufficiency (dominant de novo paradigm). Taken together, our data add CSC-KT to the growing list of tubulinopathies and highlight how multiple inheritance paradigms can affect dosage-sensitive biological systems so as to result in the same clinical defect.     

Novel glyphosate-resistant aroA Gene from Paracoccus denitrificans in transgenic Arabidopsis

Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology - To date, only aroA variants derived from Agrobacterium tumefaciens CP4 have been used to generate the commercial glyphosate-resistant crops currently...