The stimulating effect of a cold dark-pretreatment on the etioplast/chloroplast transformation of angiosperms. III. Involvement of the excision factor and of cold-retarded aging processes?

Our question is whether the stimulating effect of a cold dark-pretreatment on the process of de-etiolation in primary leaves of wheat seedlings under subsequent continuous white light is essentially mediated by the retarding effect of highly lowered temperatures on the following processes: aging and/or senescence, realization of the so-called excision factor in detached leaves, decrease of the cytokinin level in detached leaves. The strong stimulating effect of a cold dark-preatreatment remains inspite of progressive aging in parts of the leaves and a strong decrease of the capability of chlorophyll accumulation in detached in contrast to attached leaves. The strong stimulatory effect of a cold dark-pretreatment is not diminished by application of cytokinin or gibberellic acid. The stimulating effect of a cold dark-pretreatment is detectable over several days under continuous light, but it is lost during a warm dark-phase of a few hours duration between the cold dark-pretreatment and the white light phase.     

Comparative stability of ammonium- and nitrate-induced nitrate reductase activity in maize leaves

Ammonium sulfate (5 mM) had no effect on nitrate reductase activity during a 3 hr dark incubation, but the enzyme was increased 2.5-fold during a subsequent 24 hr incubation of the maize leaves in light. The enzyme activity induced by ammonium ion declined at a slower rate under non-inducing conditions than that induced by nitrate. The decline in ammonium stimulated enzyme activity in the dark was also slower than that with nitrate. Further. cycloheximide accelerated the dark inactivation of the ammonium-enzyme while it had no effect on the nitrate-enzyme. The experiments demonstrate that increase in nitrate reductase activity by ammonium ion is different from the action of nitrate action.     

Long-term patterns of mass loss during the decomposition of leaf and fine root litter: an intersite comparison

Decomposition is a critical process in global carbon cycling. During decomposition, leaf and fine root litter may undergo a later, relatively slow phase; past long-term experiments indicate this phase occurs, but whether it is a general phenomenon has not been examined. Data from Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team, representing 27 sites and nine litter types (for a total of 234 cases) was used to test the frequency of this later, slow phase of decomposition. Litter mass remaining after up to 10 years of decomposition was fit to models that included (dual exponential and asymptotic) or excluded (single exponential) a slow phase. The resultant regression equations were evaluated for goodness of fit as well as biological realism. Regression analysis indicated that while the dual exponential and asymptotic models statistically and biologically fit more of the litter type–site combinations than the single exponential model, the latter was biologically reasonable for 27–65% of the cases depending on the test used. This implies that a slow phase is common, but not universal. Moreover, estimates of the decomposition rate of the slowly decomposing component averaged 0.139–0.221 year⁻¹ (depending on method), higher than generally observed for mineral soil organic matter, but one-third of the faster phase of litter decomposition. Thus, this material may be slower than the earlier phases of litter decomposition, but not as slow as mineral soil organic matter. Comparison of the long-term integrated decomposition rate (which included all phases of decomposition) to that for the first year of decomposition indicated the former was on average 75% that of the latter, consistent with the presence of a slow phase of decomposition. These results indicate that the global store of litter estimated using short-term decomposition rates would be underestimated by at least one-third.     

Genetic networks regulated by ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) and AS2 in leaf development in Arabidopsis thaliana: KNOX genes control five morphological events

The asymmetric leaves 1 ( as1 ) and as2 mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes. Expression of a number of genes, including three class-1 KNOTTED -like homeobox ( KNOX ) genes ( BP , KNAT2 and KNAT6 ) and ETTIN / ARF3 , is enhanced in these mutants. In the present study, we attempted to identify the phenotypic features of as1 and as2 mutants that were generated by ectopic expression of KNOX genes, using multiple loss-of-function mutations of KNOX genes as well as as1 and as2 . Our results revealed that the ectopic expression of class-1 KNOX genes resulted in reductions in the sizes of leaves, reductions in the size of sepals and petals, the formation of a less prominent midvein, the repression of adventitious root formation and late flowering. Our results also revealed that the reduction in leaf size and late flowering were caused by the repression, by KNOX genes, of a gibberellin (GA) pathway in as1 and as2 plants. The formation of a less prominent midvein and the repression of adventitious root formation were not, however, related to the GA pathway. The asymmetric formation of leaf lobes, the lower complexity of higher-ordered veins, and the elevated frequency of adventitious shoot formation on leaves of as1 and as2 plants were not rescued by multiple mutations in KNOX genes. These features must, therefore, be controlled by other genes in which expression is enhanced in the as1 and as2 mutants.     

Simultaneous determination of vitexin-4″-O-glucoside,vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside,rutin and vitexin from hawthorn leaves flavonoids in rat plasma by UPLC–ESI-MS/MS

A sensitive and accurate ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of vitexin-4″-O-glucoside (VGL), vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside (VRH), rutin (RUT) and vitexin (VIT) in rat plasma after intravenous administration of hawthorn leaves flavonoids (HLF). Following protein precipitation by methanol, the analytes were separated on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ column packed with 1.7 μm particles by gradient elution using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) at a flow rate of 0.20 mL/min. The analytes and diphenhydramine (internal standard, IS) were detected in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by means of an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface (m/z 292.96 for vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, m/z 293.10 for vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, m/z 299.92 for rutin, m/z 310.94 for vitexin and m/z 166.96 for IS). The calibration curve was linear over the range 10–40,000 ng/mL for vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, 10–50,000 ng/mL for vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, 8–1000 ng/mL for rutin and 16–2000 ng/mL for vitexin. The intra- and inter-run precisions (relative standard deviation, RSD) of these analytes were all within 15% and the accuracy (the relative error, RE) ranged from −10% to 10%. The stability experiment indicated that the four analytes in rat plasma samples and plasma extracts under anticipated conditions were stable. The developed method was applied for the first time to pharmacokinetic studies of the four bioactive compounds of hawthorn leaves flavonoids following a single intravenous administration of 20 mg/kg in rats.     

秦岭南坡不同海拔林分凋落叶分解特征

采用野外放置凋落物分解袋法,对秦岭南坡林区不同海拔华山松(Pinus armandii)、油松(P.tabulaeformis)、锐齿栎(Quercus aliena var.acuteserrata)和华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)凋落叶分解过程中N、P、C、粗脂肪、粗纤维和热值的变化规律进行比较研究.结果表明:(1)处于不同海拔的同一树种新鲜凋落叶的N、P、C、粗脂肪含量及其热值差异不显著(P＞0.05).(2)在一年的分解过程中,凋落叶N、P含量表现出逐渐富集的趋势,其中油松凋落叶N、P富集速度最快,分别达到165.60%和189.94%;凋落叶C、粗脂肪含量和热值、C/N、C/P、粗纤维/N在分解中逐渐下降,粗脂肪释放速率达到50.29%～77.82%.(3)分解一年后,不同海拔同一树种凋落叶N、P、C、C/N、C/P含量仍未表现出显著性差异(P＞0.05),但不同海拔凋落叶粗脂肪分解表现出极显著差异(P＜0.01),其中差距最大的锐齿栎凋落叶低海拔较高海拔粗脂肪释放率高19.38%;不同海拔华北落叶松和锐齿栎凋落叶粗纤维释放速率差异极显著(P＜0.01),而不同海拔油松、华山松凋落叶粗纤维释放无显著差异;处于高低海拔的华北落叶松和锐齿栎凋落叶热值分别为17.12和15.68 kJ·g-1、17.74和13.51 kJ·g-1,表现出极显著差异(P＜0.01),油松、华山松凋落叶表现出显著差异(P＜0.05).研究发现,一年中海拔差异所造成的降水、温度等因素的变化对各树种凋落叶中N、P、C的释放无显著影响,但对凋落叶分解过程中粗脂肪、热值、粗纤维/N的变化影响显著.     

NaCl胁迫对毛竹叶片的电阻抗图谱参数及膜透性的影响

以NaCl胁迫下毛竹（Phyllostachys edulis）实生苗叶片为材料,测定其电阻抗图谱参数和膜透性的变化,通过膜透性与电阻抗图谱参数间的相关性,来证明电阻抗图谱法研究竹子受胁迫程度的有效性。结果表明：随着盐浓度的升高,胞外电阻、胞内电阻和弛豫时间呈现先减小、后增加、再减小的特征,而弛豫时间分布系数表现恰好相反;叶片细胞膜相对透性逐渐增大,脯氨酸的含量先逐渐增大,然后减小。相关分析表明：胞内电阻、胞外电阻、弛豫时间与脯氨酸含量呈极显著负相关（p〈0.01）;胞外电阻、弛豫时间与膜相对透性呈显著负相关（p〈0.05）。电阻抗图谱参数能够有效地表示毛竹受NaCl胁迫的程度,电阻抗图谱法将是竹子逆境胁迫研究的一种有效方法。     

葡萄叶中总黄酮的提取工艺研究

目的：从葡萄叶中提取总黄酮。方法：采用正交试验法研究葡萄叶总黄酮的最佳提取工艺条件,考察了乙醇浓度、回流温度、回流时间及料液比四因素对葡萄叶总黄酮提取率的影响。结果：确立了葡萄叶总黄酮最佳提取条件为：45％的乙醇为溶剂、液料比为1：40、提取温度为60％、提取时间2h,在最佳工艺条件下葡萄叶总黄酮含量为5．329mg／g。     

胡杨器官和体胚发生方式的植株再生

目的：为以胡杨为亲本的体细胞杂交育种奠定基础。方法：以胡杨苗叶片为外植体,通过器官和体胚两种不同发生方式建立了离体再生体系。结果：附加0．75mg/L BA、0．5mg/L NAA基本培养基及3w暗培养是愈伤组织诱导的最佳条件;附加0．25mg/L BA和0．1mg/L NAA的基本培养基上不定芽的诱导率最高;1／2大量元素的MS培养基附加0．1mg/l NAA、0．05mg／L和1．5％蔗糖对不定芽生根效果最好;诱导并筛选出的胚性愈伤组织在附加了0．5mg/L BA、0．5mg／L NAA的基本培养基上诱导获得大量胚状体,干化处理后大部分能经子叶胚期萌发成苗。结论：外植体的采集周期和培养条件影响胡杨离体叶片的形态发生途径。