Survival of cultured cells and somatic embryos of Asparagus officinalis cryopreserved by vitrification

Cultured cells and somatic embryos derived from the mesophyll tissue of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) were cryopreserved by vitrification. The vitrification solution (PVS) contains (w/v) 22% glycerol, 15% ethylene glycol, 15% propylene glycol and 7% DMSO in Murashige-Skoog medium enriched with 0.5M sorbitol. After initial cryoprotection with sorbitol supplemented MS medium containing 12% ethylene glycol, cells or embryos were exposed stepwise to 85% PVS at 0°C. They were loaded into 0.5 ml transparent straws, and were then plunged directly into liquid nitrogen. After rapid warming, PVS was removed and diluted stepwise. The highest survivals of vitrified cells and embryos were about 65 and 50%, respectively. Surviving embryos developed into plantlets.Abbreviations DMSO dimetyl sulfoxide - PVS vitrification solution - LN liquid nitrogen - DSC differential scanning calorimeter - MS Murashige-Skoog salt medium - NAA naphthalene acetic acid - BA 6-benzyladenine     

Plant cell biology 150 years after Matthias Schleiden

Summary Exactly 150 years after the publication of the so-called cell theory the role of the botanist Schleiden has been reconsidered. It is emphasized that the study of plant sexual reproduction systems has contributed considerably to the development of the general cell concept. Recent examples show that 150 years later plant cell biology is flourishing, not least because of the great impact of the increasing use of plant reproductive cells and organs.     

Classical plant taxonomic ambiguities extend to the molecular level

Summary The molecular evolution of cytochrome c from angiosperms is compared to that from vertebrates. On the basis of a cladistic analysis from 26 plant species, compared to that from 27 vertebrate species, we find that although the vertebrate sequences yield reasonably well-defined minimal trees that are congruent with the biological tree, the plant sequences yield multiple minimal trees that are not only highly incongruent with each other, but none of which is congruent with any reasonably biological tree. That is, the plant sequence set is much more homoplastic than that of the animal. However, as judged by the relative rate test, the extent of divergence, and degree of functional constraint, cytochrome c evolution in plants does not appear to differ from that of vertebrates.     

Rates of synonymous substitution in plant nuclear genes

Summary The rate of synonymous nucleotide substitution in nuclear genes of higher plants has been estimated. The rate varies among genes by a factor of up to two, in a manner that is not immediately explicable in terms of base composition or codon usage bias. The average rate, in both monocots and dicots, is about four times higher than that in chloroplast genes. This leads to an estimated absolute silent substitution rate of 6 × 10^–9 substitutions per site per year that falls within the range of average rates (2–8 × 10^–9) seen in different mammalian nuclear genomes.     

Microbial mats and physicochemistry in a saltern in the Bretagne (France) and in a laboratory scale saltern model

Abstract A saltern near La Baule (Bretagne, France) was remodeled in a programmable temperature and humidity controlled walk-in environmental chamber resembling the characteristics of the original saltern. The saltern showed different types of microbial mats predominantly composed of algae, oxy- and anoxyphotobacteria, and associated chemoorganotrophic bacteria, fungi and animals. Well-developed microbial mats were found up to a salinity of 10% during the three or four months in summer when salinity gradients and NaCl precipitation were established. The main phototrophic organisms were diatoms, the cyanobacteria Aphanothece, Microcoleus, Spirulina , and Oscillatoria , and Chromatiaceae. At higher salinity, Halobacterium sp., diatoms, and Dunaliella were dominant. Typical microbial mats and saltern-typical invertebrate, algal and bacterial species also developed in the saltern model, building up a stable community. The ionic composition of the brines and physicochemical parameters were similar to those determined for the original saltern. Different photosynthetic organisms, e.g. a filamentous purple bacterium and a hypersaline Chloroflexus -like organism, could be enriched within the microbial mats by changing the light regime.     

A revision of coregonine fish distribution and abundance in eastern James-Hudson Bay

Synopsis Recent sampling programs conducted in the estuaries of the Eastmain and La Grande rivers (James Bay) and the Great Whale, Little Whale, Innuksuac and Povungnituk rivers (Hudson Bay) revealed patterns of coregonine fish distribution that differ from previous observations. The relative abundance of cisco, Coregonus artedii, and lake whitefish, C. clupeaformis, varied among rivers but did not reveal a latitudinal cline. Previous sampling programs underestimated the abundance of cisco in the Little Whale River. In addition, cisco was the third most abundant species captured in the Povungnituk River, situated 200 km to the north of the previously proposed northern limit at Innuksuac River. As such, the low abundances of cisco in the Great Whale and Innuksuac rivers cannot be attributed to a physiological inability to cope with a reduced growing season. Immature cisco were almost totally absent from the estuaries of the Hudson Bay rivers following spring breakup whereas immature lake whitefish made up 100% of the catch in the Innuksuac River at the same time of year. Species-specific migration patterns in Hudson Bay that differ from those observed in James Bay and the existence of unique juvenile overwintering rivers are 2 hypotheses proposed to explain the discontinuous age-class distribution of cisco and lake whitefish observed in Hudson Bay.Contribution to the program of GIROQ (Groupe Interuniversitaire de Recherche Océanographique du Québec).     

微管的冷稳定性与植物抗寒性关系的研究

利用间接免疫荧光的细胞化学技术对番茄、黄瓜、菠菜、甜菜及小麦等不同抗寒性植物微管的冷稳性进行了比较研究。结果指出,不抗寒的喜温性植物番茄和黄瓜的气孔保卫细胞的微管在0℃—1℃冷处理3小时即解聚;属于中等抗寒性植物的菠菜和甜菜幼苗经秋季低温锻炼后,其气孔保卫细胞的微管在0℃和—5℃低温处理3小时,均不发生解聚;具有较强抗寒性的冬小麦品种农大139幼苗在2—3℃低温锻炼期间,微管结构保持完整,经过15天低温锻炼的幼苗在-8℃冰冻处理3小时,微管也不受破坏。这些结果表明,微管的冷稳性与植物的抗寒性成正相关。     

The role of litter in an old-field community: impact of litter quantity in different seasons on plant species richness and abundance

Summary We studied the effect of removing and adding plant litter in different seasons on biomass, density, and species richness in a Solidago dominated old-field community in New Jersey, USA. We removed all the naturally accumulated plant litter in November (658 g/m²) and in May (856 g/m²) and doubled the amount of litter in November and May in replicated plots (1 m²). An equal number of plots were left as controls. Litter removal and addition had little impact on total plant biomass or individual species biomass in the growing season following the manipulations. Litter removal, however, significantly increased plant densities but this varied depending upon the season of litter removal, species, and life history type. Specifically, the fall litter removal had a much greater impact than the spring litter removal suggesting that litter has its greatest impact after plant senescence in the fall and prior to major periods of early plant growth in spring. Annual species showed the greatest response, especially early in the growing season. Both spring and fall litter removal significantly increased species richness throughout the study. Litter additions in both spring and fall reduced both plant densities and species richness in June, but these differences disappeared near the end of the growing season in September. We concluded than in productive communities where litter accumulation may be substantial, litter may promote low species richness and plant density. This explanation does not invoke resource competition for the decline in species richness. Finally, we hypothesize that there may be broad thresholds of litter accumulation in different community types that may act to either increase or decrease plant yield and diversity.     

Cellulose and xylans in the interface capsule in symbiotic cells of actinorhizae

Summary Enzyme-gold affinity labeling was used to show that in mature infected cells of actinorhizal symbioses the capsule on the plant host side of the symbiotic interface contained cellulose and xylans. Host species examined for cellulose wereAlnus rubra, Casuarina equisetifolia, C. glauca, Ceanothus cuneata, C. velutinus, Elaeagnus pungens, andMyrica cerifera.. Cellulose was in the capsule throughout the infected cell, implying that during development cellulose synthase was present in the host cell membrane component of the symbiotic interface. Any possible degradation of capsule cellulose by the microsymbiont was either incomplete or transient, because the polymer was present in mature infected cells. Cellulose labeling inCeanothus andElaeagnus was less consistent than in the other species. Dual labeled capsules inCasuarina glauca andAlnus rubra showed a similar distribution of xylans and cellulose. Cytochemical studies indicate that the capsule contains three major classes of cell wall polysaccharides: cellulose, hemicellulose (xylans), and pectins (shown previously). This suggests that the capsule is essentially a thin, internal, tubular plant cell wall.Abbreviations Au₅ Au₁₅ colloidal gold particles with mean diameter of 5 and 15 nm, respectively - CBHI cellobiohydrolase I - CBHII cellobiohydrolase II - PBS phosphate-buffered saline     

Numbers of sporophytic self-incompatibility alleles in populations of wild radish

Summary To estimate the numbers of sporophytic S-alleles in two adjacent populations of wild radish, we performed 701 reciprocal crosses among 50 individuals. Each cross was replicated five times in each direction. Sixteen plants were fully intercompatible, indicating the presence of at least 32 S-alleles in the two populations. A minimum of 22 S-alleles occur in a single population. The frequency of incompatibility was significantly higher for within-population crosses (14.5%) than for between-population crosses (7.8%). This suggests that the two populations differ in the composition and frequency of alleles at the S-locus.