发光细菌在水环境生物毒性检测中应用的研究进展

发光细菌是一类自身含发光基因且能够发出可见光的细菌,其分布非常广泛。由于具备了日常毒性检测所要求的快速灵敏以及再现性好的特点,发光细菌法愈来愈受到关注,且因其快速和低成本的特点常被用作早期预警系统。基因操作技术的介入更使得发光细菌试验具有了分辨各种毒性的功能。本文综述了发光细菌在环境毒性检测中的进展,重点介绍了基于发光细菌的毒性试验方法,以及在水质检测中的应用。     

Distribution and population development of Nasonovia ribisnigri (Homoptera: Aphididae) in iceberg lettuce

A field study was conducted to determine the distribution and development of aphid Nasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley) (Homoptera: Aphididae) populations in iceberg lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. 'Salinas'. Lettuce plants were transplanted and caged individually in the field and inoculated with apterous N. ribisnigri at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 wk after transplanting in spring and fall 2002. Plants were harvested 15-50 d after inoculations; numbers of alates and apterous N. ribisnigri were counted or estimated on each leaf for each plant. Inoculations during all 5 wk of plant development resulted in successful colonization of lettuce heads. Results indicated that head formation did not reduce the risk of colonization by N. ribisnigri to iceberg lettuce; plants were susceptible to colonization by N. ribisnigri throughout their development. For later inoculations, N. ribisnigri populations were relatively smaller, and aphids were found mostly within the heads. For earlier inoculations, N. ribisnigri populations were larger, and within-plant distributions shifted toward frame leaves. The shift of population distributions toward frame leaves correlated significantly with increases in N. ribisnigri population density. For most inoculations, more aphids were present on wrapper leaves than on other leaves. The proportion of alates did not vary significantly with population density. Population development of N ribisnigri also correlated significantly with heat unit accumulation. Yellow sticky cards were used to monitor alates in each cage. Catches of N. ribisnigri alates on yellow sticky cards were significantly correlated with total numbers of alates as well as with total population sizes on individual lettuce plants.     

Shared genetic basis of resistance to Bt toxin Cry1ac in independent strains of pink bollworm

Classical and molecular genetic analyses show that two independently derived resistant strains of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), share a genetic locus at which three mutant alleles confer resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin Cry1Ac. One laboratory-selected resistant strain (AZP-R) was derived from individuals collected in 1997 from 10 Arizona cotton fields, whereas the other (APHIS-98R) was derived from a long-term susceptible laboratory strain. Both strains were previously reported to show traits of "mode 1" resistance, the most common type of lepidopteran resistance to Cry1A toxins. Inheritance of resistance to a diagnostic concentration of Cry1Ac (10 microg per gram of diet) was recessive in both strains. In interstrain complementation tests for allelism, F1 progeny from crosses between the two strains were resistant to the diagnostic concentration of Cry1Ac. These results indicate that a major resistance locus is shared by the two strains. Analysis of DNA from the pink bollworm cadherin gene (BtR) using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests showed that the previously identified resistance alleles (r1, r2, and r3) occurred in both strains, but their frequencies differed between strains. In conjunction with previous findings, the results reported here suggest that PCR-based detection of the three known cadherin resistance alleles might be useful for monitoring resistance to Cry1Ac-producing Bt cotton in field populations of pink bollworm.     

Ultralow oxygen treatment for postharvest control of Nasonovia ribisnigri (Homoptera: Aphididae) on iceberg lettuce

The aphid Nasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley) is a common pest of lettuce in the United States. It hinders export of U.S. lettuce to the overseas market such as Japan where it is a quarantined pest. Ultralow oxygen treatments were studied for control of the insect on iceberg lettuce. Small-scale ultralow oxygen treatments in plastic jars were conducted at 1, 5, and 10 degrees C for different durations to determine effective treatment against nymphs and alates of N. ribisnigri. At oxygen levels of 0.015-0.025%, N. ribisnigri can be controlled in 3 d at 1 degrees C, 2 d at 5 degrees C, and 1 d at 10 degrees C. Large-scale ultralow oxygen treatments were conducted in bulk container treatment chambers with commercial iceberg lettuce heads for 2 d at 6 degrees C with oxygen levels of 0.015 and 0.025% and for 3 d at 3 degrees C with oxygen level of 0.015%. All treatments achieved complete control of N. ribisnigri. No negative impact on lettuce quality was detected after 2 wk of posttreatment storage. Therefore, the selected treatments have potential to be commercially developed for postharvest control of N. ribisnigri on iceberg lettuce.     

Cross-Resistance of Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins

Two strains of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) selected in the laboratory for resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac had substantial cross-resistance to Cry1Aa and Cry1Ab but not to Cry1Bb, Cry1Ca, Cry1Da, Cry1Ea, Cry1Ja, Cry2Aa, Cry9Ca, H04, or H205. The narrow spectrum of resistance and the cross-resistance to activated toxin Cry1Ab suggest that reduced binding of toxin to midgut target sites could be an important mechanism of resistance.     

Low-temperature phosphine fumigation of chilled lettuce under insulated cover for postharvest control of western flower thrips,Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Pallet-scale phosphine fumigations were conducted on pre-chilled iceberg lettuce under an insulated cover to determine efficacy against western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and phytotoxicity to lettuce. Vacuum-cooled commercial iceberg lettuce at 3 °C was sealed in a plastic bag, covered with double-bubble foil insulation, and then fumigated with 484 ± 17 ppm phosphine for 18 h under storage at 20 °C. Lettuce temperature increased from 4.5 °C to 7.2 °C during the course of fumigations. The fumigation treatment was replicated three times and achieved complete control of 3453 western flower thrips. Lettuce quality was evaluated 2 weeks after fumigation and the fumigation had no significant negative impact on lettuce quality. This study demonstrates that insulated cover can be used to keep pre-chilled lettuce at low temperature suitable for low-temperature phosphine fumigation to control western flower thrips on harvested lettuce.     

On the origin of Tibetans and their genetic basis in adapting high-altitude environments

Since their arrival in the Tibetan Plateau during the Neolithic Age, Tibetans have been well-adapted to extreme environmental conditions and possess genetic variation that reflect their living environment and migratory history. To investigate the origin of Tibetans and the genetic basis of adaptation in a rigorous environment, we genotyped 30 Tibetan individuals with more than one million SNP markers. Our findings suggested that Tibetans, together with the Yi people, were descendants of Tibeto-Burmans who diverged from ancient settlers of East Asia. The valleys of the Hengduan Mountain range may be a major migration route. We also identified a set of positively-selected genes that belong to functional classes of the embryonic, female gonad, and blood vessel developments, as well as response to hypoxia. Most of these genes were highly correlated with population-specific and beneficial phenotypes, such as high infant survival rate and the absence of chronic mountain sickness.     

Derivatives of oxoisoaporphine alkaloids: a novel class of selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

A series of 9-aminoalkanamido-1-azabenzanthrones derviatives (3a-i Ar-NHCO(CH(2))(n)NR(1)R(2)) and their quaternary methiodide salts (4a-g Ar-NHCO(CH(2))(n)N(+)(CH(3))R(1)R(2)I(-)) were designed and synthesized as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) or butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitors. The synthetic compounds exhibited high AChE inhibitory activity with IC(50) values in the nanomolar range and high selectivity for AChE over BuChE (45- to 1980-fold). The structure-activity relationships (SARs) were discussed.     

Genome-Wide Linkage Study Suggests a Susceptibility Locus for Isolated Bilateral Microtia on 4p15.32–4p16.2

Microtia is a congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped. Genetic investigations have identified many susceptibility genes of microtia-related syndromes. However, no causal genes were reported for isolated microtia, the main form of microtia. We conducted a genome-wide linkage analysis on a 5-generation Chinese pedigree with isolated bilateral microtia. We identified a suggestive linkage locus on 4p15.32–4p16.2 with parametric LOD score of 2.70 and nonparametric linkage score (Zmean) of 12.28 (simulated occurrence per genome scan equal to 0.46 and 0.47, respectively). Haplotype reconstruction analysis of the 4p15.32–4p16.2 region further confined the linkage signal to a 10-Mb segment located between rs12505562 and rs12649803 (9.65–30.24 cM; 5.54–15.58 Mb). Various human organ developmental genes reside in this 10-Mb susceptibility region, such as EVC, EVC2, SLC2A9, NKX3-2, and HMX1. The coding regions of three genes, EVC known for cartilage development and NKX3-2, HMX1 involved in microtia, were selected for sequencing with 5 individuals from the pedigree. Of the 38 identified sequence variants, none segregates along with the disease phenotype. Other genes or DNA sequences of the 10-Mb region warrant for further investigation. In conclusion, we report a susceptibility locus of isolated microtia, and this finding will encourage future studies on the genetic basis of ear deformity.     

Ultralow oxygen treatment for control of western flower thrips,Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on harvested table grapes

Exported organic table grapes from the U.S. are currently fumigated with methyl bromide to control quarantined pests such as western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). An alternative treatment which is compatible with organic products is needed. In this study, controlled atmosphere with ultralow oxygen (ULO) treatment was studied to control thrips on harvested table grapes. ULO treatments with < 0.01 ppm oxygen at 3.3 °C for 1, 2, and 3 days were tested for thrips control. The 3-day ULO treatment achieved complete control of thrips. The treatment was also applied to Thompson seedless and Flame seedless grape varieties and grape quality was evaluated two weeks after the treatment. The ULO treatment had no negative impact on the visual quality of grapes. There were no significant differences in overall grape quality or premium quality berries between the ULO treatment and the control. The results indicated that the ULO treatment was effective and safe to control western flower thrips on table grapes and had a potential for commercial use.