Turnover of organic nitrogen in soils and its availability to crops

The root development of barley seedlings grown for one week in an aerated nutrient solution was studied in the presence of dissolved organic matter from an aqueous chestnut leaf litter extract. In particular, the different effects of low and high molecular weight fractions (small molecules: molecular weight <1000; large molecules: >10,000) of the leaf litter extract were examined. In the presence of large molecules root growth was inhibited, an irregular root tip morphology was observed, and Ca and Mg concentrations in the shoots were lower than in control plants. These phytotoxic effects were not caused by the formation of an impermeable layer of large molecules on the root surfaces that lower accessibility for nutrient cations as inferred from voltammetric experiments. A germination assay using spruce seeds, however, indicated allelochemical effects of large molecules, which exhibit a higher aromaticity than the small molecules as indicated by spectroscopic characterisation. In the growth experiments with small molecules, no influence on the root development of barley was evident, but an increase of Ca and Mg in the shoots was detected. During these growth experiments, a large amount of the small molecules, mainly simple phenols and amino acids, disappeared from the nutrient solution. The loss of small molecules was most likely the effect of mineralisation.Abbreviations DOC dissolved organic carbon - DOM dissolved organic matter - LLE leaf litter extract - MW molecular weight - HMDE hanging mercury drop electrode     

The Biology of the Tospoviruses

The tospoviruses are a diverse, cosmopolitan and economically important genus of plant viruses. In the recent past, interest in the tospoviruses has been rekindled with the resurgence and expansion of tomato spotted wilt virus and the appearance of new tospoviruses, including impatiens necrotic spot. This renewed interest in the tospoviruses, accompanied with the many recent advances in plant virology techniques, particularly those utilising molecular biology, have resulted in a rapid growth of our understanding of these viruses. This paper provides a review of the tospoviruses, encompassing all the major aspects of their biology, including the recent changes in the classification of the genus and current knowledge on molecular biology, vector relations, control and diagnosis.     

Growth kinetics of a bacteriophage in continuous culture

Lytic coliphage Qbeta was grown in continuously cultured host bacteria using a cascade of stirred flow reactors. The apparatus was constructed so that the steady stream of exponentially growing bacterial cells passing through the stirred flow reactors served to prevent coevolution brought about by host-parasite interactions. Wall growth was the primary cause for deviation from ideal continuous culture conditions and is largely dependent on the surface structure of the host bacteria. Using an Escherichia coli strain deficient in adhesive type I pili expression, the desynchronization of single burst events could easily be followed over the course of four infection latency periods. Computer simulations based on a two-stage model for the Qbeta infection cycle were in perfect agreement with the experimental data. Applications of the optimized system to strategies of molecular evolution are discussed. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Tumor suppression in Drosophila is causally related to the function of the lethal(2)tumorous imaginal discs gene,a dnaJ homolog

The Drosophila melanogaster tumor suppressor gene lethal(2)tumorous imaginal discs (l(2)tid) causes in homozygotes malignant growth of cells of the imaginal discs and the death of the mutant larvae at the time of puparium formation. We describe the molecular cloning of the 1(2)tid+ gene and its temporal expression pattern in the wild-type and mutant alleles. Germ line rescue of the tumor phenotype was achieved with a 7.0 kb Hindlll-fragment derived from the polytene chromosome band 59F5. The l(2)tid+ gene spans approximately 2.5 kb of genomic DNA. The protein coding region, 1,696 bps long, is divided by an intron into two exons. The predicted Tid⁵⁶ protein contains 518 amino acids and possesses a theoretical molecular weight of 56 kDa. It shows significant homology to all known DnaJ related proteins from bacteria, yeast, and man. The possible function of the Tid⁵⁶ protein in tumor suppression is delineated. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

昆虫核酸分子系统学研究进展

本文从研究对象、方法、类群、内容等方面综述了近十年来昆虫核酸分子系统学研究进展概况。文中首先介绍了ＲＦＬＰＡ、探针杂交及ＤＮＡ指纹、ＰＣＲ与ＲＡＰＤ－ＰＣＲ、顺序分析方法及应用情况,列举了在双翅目、膜翅目、同翅目、直翅目等目昆虫中的研究进展,并从居群遗传结构、分类学研究、系统发育和分子进化４个方面总结了昆虫核酸分子系统学的研究内容和主要成果,最后指出ＲＡＰＤ－ＰＣＲ与ＲＦＬＰ联合用于测序是近期昆虫分子系统学上最有应用价值的方法。     

Differentiation trees,a junk DNA molecular clock,and the evolution of neoteny in salamanders

Obligate neotenic salamanders die if forced to metamorphose. We suggest that this can be explained by assuming: 1) their “excess” DNA is “junk” DNA; 2) the “adult” specifying portion of the DNA becomes junk DNA and is available for repeated duplication. This suggests a “new” junk DNA molecular clock. We obtain remarkable agreement in “predicting” the amount of DNA per nucleus in present day non-obligate neotene salamanders from this molecular clock. These observatons are consistent with the idea that the development of these animals is describable in terms of differentiation trees whose branches (gene cascades) corresponding to adult somatic tissues accumulate deleterious mutations over evolutionary time. We show that the amount of DNA per nucleus increases linearly with the phylogenetic age of salamander families. The lack of constraints by natural selection, on unused adult branches, may account for the large amount of so-called “junk DNA” in obligate neotenic salamanders. The effects of this excess DNA, via increased cell size, suggest a positive feedback, ecophysiological explanation for such junk DNA: adaptation to cool water environments is enhanced by the lower metabolism associated with more DNA, larger cells and slower developmental time.     

Intraspecific diversity of the Cassava Green Mite Mononychellus progresivus (Acari: Tetranychidae) using comparisons of mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences and cross-breeding

Intraspecific diversity in Cassava Green Mite Mononychellus progresivus Doreste was examined using individuals collected in Benin and the Congo and in Columbia and Brazil. Comparisons were based on mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA sequences and the results of several cross-breeding experiments. Sequence variation was examined in a total of 1139 base pairs (bp) constituting the ITS2 ribosomal DNA (805 bp) and a fragment of the Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene (334 bp). Sequence divergence is low, ranging from 0% to 2.1% for COI and from 0% to 0.4% for ITS2. Inter-strain comparisons have shown that the two African populations appear to be identical. They were similar to the Colombian population while the Brazilian population was clearly different. The data support the hypothesis of a single introduction of the species in the two African populations. Crossing experiments have shown partial hybrid sterility, suggesting a genetic incompatibility consistent with differences detected by sequence data. The results show the usefulness of molecular markers as a tool for determining taxonomic status and dispersion paths in spider mites.     

铜绿假单胞菌PIC－N萘降解基因的研究

铜绿假单胞菌（Ｐｓｅｕｄｏｍｏｎａｓａｅｒｕｇｉｎｏｓａ）ＰＩＣ－Ｎ对萘、邻苯二甲酸、水杨酸等有较强的氧化能力。发现该菌株以禁为底物可诱导产生芳香烃分解酶系。菌株中存在一个５７．４ｋｂ的质粒,经限制性内切酶ＨｉｎｄⅢ处理可产生７个片段,用限制性内切酶ＥｃｏＲⅠ处理可产生８个片段。将以限制性内切酶ＨｉｎｄⅢ部分酶切的片段克隆至大肠杆菌质粒ｐＭＦＹ４３上,获得２９个克隆株。通过对含有菌株ＰＩＣ－Ｎ质粒ＨｉｎｄⅢ片段的７个重组质粒进行限制酶分析,绘出了该质粒ＨｉｎｄⅢ内切酶７个切点的酶切图谱。     

Molecular modelling of theDolichos biflorus seed lectin and its specific interactions with carbohydrates: α-D-N-acetyl-galactosamine,Forssman disaccharide and blood group A trisaccharide

The three-dimensional structure ofDolichos biflorus seed lectin has been constructed using five legume lectins for which high resolution crystal structures were available. The validity of the resulting model has been thoroughly investigated. Final structure optimization was conducted for the lectin complexed with GalNAc, providing thereby the first three-dimensional structure of lectin/GalNAc complex. The role of theN-acetyl group was clearly evidenced by the occurrence of a strong hydrogen bond between the protein and the carbonyl oxygen of the carbohydrate and by hydrophobic interaction between the methyl group and aromatic amino acids. Since the lectin specificity is maximum for the Forssman disaccharide GalNAc(1–3)GalNAc-O-Me and the blood group A trisaccharide GalNAc(1–3)[Fuc(1–2)]Gal-O-Me, the complexes with these oligosaccharides have been also modelled.