五指山常见热带树种的丛枝菌根真菌多样性

采用野外调查的方法,分析了五指山不同海拔高度7个科10种常见热带树种形成丛枝菌根(Arbuscular Mycorrhizal,AM)的状况及其根际土壤中AM真菌的多样性。结果表明,所调查的10种热带常见树种都能形成AM共生体,其菌根侵染率随寄主植物的不同,从21.8%～90.5%变化不等,同时,在10种常见植物的根系中也都观察到了AM真菌的典型结构——丛枝和泡囊。从10种植物的根际土壤中共分离到36种AM真菌,隶属于Acaulospora,Glomus,Gigaspora和Scutellospora4个属,其中,Glomus属的真菌是该地区的优势类群,其出现频度和相对多度分别为84%和56%。在所调查的10种热带常见树种中,Swietenia macrophylla根际AM真菌的孢子最丰富,密度高达7.32;Machilus namu根际的AM真菌种类则最为丰富,多样性指数达到1.6548。通过对不同海拔高度Swietenia macrophylla根际AM真菌分布的分析表明,海拔高度显著影响着AM真菌的分布,Gigaspora属的真菌随海拔高度的增加显著升高,Scutellospora属的真菌则显著降低。     

3-羟基丁酸与3-羟基己酸共聚酯在心血管组织工程中的应用

为了研究可降解聚合材料3-羟基丁酸与3-羟基己酸共聚酯 (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate, PHBHHx)的血管内生物相容性, 采用脱细胞羊肺动脉为支架, 以PHBHHx涂层, 构建复合补片(Hybrid patch), 植入New Zealand兔腹主动脉内(12只), 以脱细胞未涂层羊肺动脉片(Uncoated patch)做为对照(12只)。分别于术后第1、4和12周处死动物, 取出移植补片进行组织学、免疫荧光染色、扫描电镜和钙含量测定。结果表明: hybrid patch管腔面光滑无血栓, 内膜增生适度, 再细胞化完全; 免疫荧光染色检测, 新生内膜组织中类内皮细胞呈CD31阳性反应, 单层连续排列, 间质细胞呈现SMA阳性反应; 钙含量测定, hybrid patch明显低于uncoated patch(P<0.05)。由此认为: PHBHHx的血管内生物相容性满意, 是心血管组织工程较为理想的腔内涂层材料。     

雌激素对SD大鼠肾脏缺血再灌注肾小管上皮细胞Cx43蛋白表达的影响

为了探讨雌激素（estrogen,E₂）对SD大鼠肾脏缺血再灌注（ischemia-reperfusion,I/R）肾小管上皮细胞Cx43蛋白表达的影响,选取32只健康雌性SD大鼠作为实验材料,所有雌性SD大鼠均先实施去卵巢（ovariectomized,OVX）处理,之后32只雌性OVX SD大鼠随机分为OVX组、OVX+假手术组、OVX+I/R组、OVX+I/R+E₂组,每组8只。去卵巢2周后,OVX组不进行任何处理,OVX+Sham组进行假手术处理,OVX+I/R组进行缺血再灌注处理,OVX+I/R+E₂组在进行缺血再灌注处理前,连续3 d予以雌激素处理。通过比较各组SD大鼠血肌酐水平、尿素氮水平、肾脏HE染色及Paller评分,评价肾脏组织损伤程度,并通过免疫组化和蛋白印迹法分析各组SD大鼠肾小管上皮细胞中Cx43蛋白的表达位置及水平。与OVX组比较,OVX+I/R组血清BUN、SCr水平明显升高（P<0.05）;与OVX+I/R组比较,OVX+I/R+E₂组血清BUN、SCr水平明显降低（P<0.05）。HE染色观察发现,与OVX组相比,OVX+I/R组肾小管扩张明显,部分细胞碎裂坏死,Paller评分明显升高（P<0.05）;与OVX+I/R组相比,OVX+I/R+E2组可见肾小管轻度扩张,细胞结构较为完整,Paller评分明显下降（P<0.05）。通过免疫组化发现,OVX+I/R组Cx43蛋白在肾小管上皮细胞中阳性表达高于OVX组及OVX+Sham组（P<0.05）,OVX+I/R+E₂组Cx43蛋白表达低于OVX+I/R组（P<0.05）。Western blotting结果显示,与OVX组相比,OVX+I/R组Cx43蛋白在肾小管上皮细胞中表达量增加,肾脏损伤后肾小管上皮细胞Cx43表达明显上调（P<0.05）;与OVX+I/R组相比,OVX+I/R+E₂组经过雌激素干预后,肾脏功能损伤减轻,肾小管上皮细胞Cx43的蛋白表达量下调（P<0.05）。结果表明雌激素可减轻肾缺血再灌注损伤造成的肾脏损伤,其可能是通过调节肾小管上皮细胞中Cx43的表达实现的。研究结果为临床治疗肾脏缺血再灌注损伤提供了新的思路。     

Expressional and Biochemical Characterization of Rice Disease Resistance Gene Xa3/Xa26 Family

The rice （Oryza sativa L.） Xa3/Xa26 gene, conferring race-specific resistance to bacterial blight disease and encoding a leucine-rich repeat （LRR） receptor kinase-like protein, belongs to a multigene family consisting of tandem clustered homologous genes, colocalizing with several uncharacterized genes for resistance to bacterial blight or fungal blast. To provide more information on the expressional and biochemical characteristics of the Xa3/Xa26 family, we analyzed the family members. Four Xa3/Xa26 family members in the indica rice variety Teqing, which carries a bacterial blight resistance gene with a chromosomal location tightly linked to Xa3/Xa26, and five Xa3/Xa26 family members in the japonica rice variety Nipponbare, which carries at least one uncharacterized blast resistance gene, were constitutively expressed in leaf tissue. The result suggests that some of the family members may be candidates of these uncharacterized resistance genes. At least five putative N-glycosylation sites in the LRR domain of XA3/XA26 protein are not glycosylated. The XA3/XA26 and its family members MRKa and MRKc all possess the consensus sequences of paired cysteines, which putatively function in dimerization of the receptor proteins for signal transduction, immediately before the first LRR and immediately after the last LRR. However, no homo-dimer between the XA3/XA26 molecules or hetero-dimer between XA3/XA26 and MRKa or MRKc were formed, indicating that XA3/XA26 protein might function either as a monomer or a hetero-dimer formed with other protein outside of the XA3/XA26 family. These results provide valuable information for further extensive investigation into this multiple protein family.     

Dissecting root trait variability in maize genotypes using the semi-hydroponic phenotyping platform

Plant and Soil - The production of maize (Zea mays L.) is restricted by various edaphic stresses, including drought and low-fertility soil. Searching for genotypes with optimal root traits is a...     

OsWRKY13 mediates rice disease resistance by regulating defense-related genes in salicylate- and jasmonate-dependent signaling

Although 109 WRKY genes have been identified in the rice genome, the functions of most are unknown. Here, we show that OsWRKY13 plays a pivotal role in rice disease resistance. Overexpression of OsWRKY13 can enhance rice resistance to bacterial blight and fungal blast, two of the most devastating diseases of rice worldwide, at both the seedling and adult stages, and shows no influence on the fertility. This overexpression was accompanied by the activation of salicylic acid (SA) synthesis-related genes and SA-responsive genes and the suppression of jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis-related genes and JA-responsive genes. OsWRKY13 bound to the promoters of its own and at least three other genes in SA- and JA-dependent signaling pathways. Its DNA-binding activity was influenced by pathogen infection. These results suggest that OsWRKY13, as an activator of the SA-dependent pathway and a suppressor of JA-dependent pathways, mediates rice resistance by directly or indirectly regulating the expression of a subset of genes acting both upstream and downstream of SA and JA. Furthermore, OsWRKY13 will provide a transgenic tool for engineering wider-spectrum and whole-growth-stage resistance rice in breeding programs.     

Molecular dynamic study of MlaC protein in Gram‐negative bacteria: conformational flexibility,solvent effect and protein‐phospholipid binding

The composition of the outer membrane in Gram‐negative bacteria is asymmetric, with the lipopolysaccharides found in the outer leaflet and phospholipids in the inner leaflet. The MlaC protein transfers phospholipids from the outer to inner membrane to maintain such lipid asymmetry in the Mla pathway. In this work, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations on apo and phospholipid‐bound systems to study the dynamical properties of MlaC. Our simulations show that the phospholipid forms hydrophobic interactions with the protein. Residues surrounding the entrance of the binding site exhibit correlated motions to control the site opening and closing. Lipid binding leads to increase of the binding pocket volume and precludes entry of the water molecules. However, in the absence of the phospholipid, water molecules can freely move in and out of the binding site when the pocket is open. Dehydration occurs when the pocket closes. This study provides dynamic information of the MlaC protein and may facilitate the design of antibiotics against the Mla pathway of Gram‐negative bacteria.