Differential inter- and intra-specific defense induction in Lupinus by Myzus persicae feeding

Experiments were conducted to investigate the potential induction of plant defenses by Myzus persicae Sulzer (Homoptera: Aphididae) feeding on five lupin, Lupinus spp. (Leguminosae), varieties with well‐characterized levels of aphid resistance. Myzus persicae feeding on L. angustifolius and L. luteus varieties induced genotype‐specific changes in their host that were not consistent with the level of aphid resistance or the plant species. The plant responses were systemically detected by apterous and alate forms of the aphids. Chemical assays revealed no induction of oxidizing enzyme (catalase, peroxidase, or polyphenol oxidase) activity, serine or cystein proteinase inhibitors, or soluble phenolics in any of the five varieties tested following 3 days of feeding by 10 or 30 aphids. However, there were significant differences among the five lupin varieties in the levels of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity, proteinase inhibitors, and soluble phenolics.     

hrpZ基因在大肠杆菌中的高效表达与活性检测

PCR扩增hrpZ基因片段,克隆到pGEM-T载体中,经EcoRI／Xho1酶切、连接将hrpZ基因插人大肠杆菌表达载体pET32b（＋）硫氧还蛋白下游,构建重组表达质粒pET-hrpZ,再将其转化至E．coli BL21（DE3）中,经筛选得到阳性克隆子,IPTG诱导表达HrpZ蛋白。SDS-PAGE显示,目的蛋白在重组菌株中得到了可溶性高效表达。该重组蛋白分子量为55．8kD,与理论值大小相符。采用叶片穿刺法,融合蛋白具有诱导烟草过敏反应的生物功能。     

两面针提取物(S-O)对小鼠镇痛、抗炎和止血作用的研究

本研究对两面针根的提取物S-O进行了镇痛、止血和抗炎药理实验,每种作用选用两种实验方法来评价。镇痛作用采用热板法和扭体法。热板法实验显示,S-O在150mg/kg剂量时,小鼠痛阈值明显提高（P〈0．01）;扭体法实验显示,S-O在150mg/kg剂量为时,对冰醋酸致痛的小鼠扭体反应次数减少了70．96％（P〈0．01）。抗炎实验采用二甲苯致小鼠耳廓肿胀法及腹腔染料渗出法。二甲苯致炎剂实验表明,S-O在150mg/kg剂量时,对二甲苯所致小鼠耳廓肿胀有明显抑制作用,抑制率为63．45％（P〈0．01）;冰醋酸所致的腹腔毛细血管通透性实验中,S-O在150mg/kg和75mg/kg两个剂量组时,对小鼠的抗炎效果分别为52．94％（P〈0．01）和52．00％（P〈0．01）。止血实验采用毛细玻璃管法和载玻片法。毛细玻璃管实验表明S-O在150mg/kg和75mg/kg两个剂量时,凝血时间明显缩短（P〈0．01）;载玻片实验表明S-O在150mg/kg剂量时,凝血时间明显缩短（P〈0．01）。总之,两面针中提取物S-O对小鼠具有显著的镇痛、止血和抗炎作用。     

The secretagogue effect of the poison from Centruroides limpidus limpidus on the pancreas of mice and the antagonistic action of the Bouvardia ternifolia extract

In Mexican traditional medicine the plant species Bouvardia ternifolia is used as remedy to treat patients who have been stung by scorpions. In the preceding study, the methanol extract from the roots of this plant was capable of reducing the poisonous effect of Centruroides limpidus limpidus on mice. The poisoning from scorpion C. limpidus limpidus includes manifestations associated with the pancreatitis. This study evaluated the effect produced by the hexane and methanol extract from the root of B. ternifolia upon the acutely inflamed pancreas induced by the venom of C. limpidus limpidus on rats, and the release of amylase in the isolated pancreas of mice. The intravenous administration of venom induced the extravasation of labelled albumin, in a dose dependant manner. The pre-administration of both extracts of Bouvardia ternifolia reduced significantly (p < 0.05) the extravasation by 60%. Upon measuring the secretagogue effect of the venom in the isolated pancreas of mice, the EC50 of the venom was 3.76 x 10(-3) mg ml(-1), whilst in the presence of the methanol and hexane extracts, this EC50 was 9.13 x 10(-3) mg ml(-1) and 0.01629 mg ml(-1). In conclusion, the C. limpidus limpidus venom possesses a secretagogue effect of amylase on the pancreas of mice and produces an inflamed pancreas which is effectively antagonised by the hexane and methanol extracts from the roots of B. ternifolia.     

植物提取物和药剂对蔬菜蚜虫种群的联合控制作用

研究白蝴蝶(Syngonium podophyllum)乙醇提取物、苍耳(Xanthium sibiricum)乙醇提取物、机油乳剂和0.3%印楝素乳油对桃蚜(Myzus persicae)和萝卜蚜(Lipaphis erysimi)的控制效果.室内四因子(1/2实施)二次正交回归旋转组合设计测试对有翅蚜的忌避作用,结果表明,对有翅桃蚜的主要忌避作用物为苍耳乙醇提取物,当苍耳提取物与白蝴蝶乙醇提取物混用,以及机油乳剂和印楝素混用时,对桃蚜有翅蚜的忌避效果提高;而对萝卜蚜有翅蚜的忌避作用主要受苍耳提取物和白蝴蝶提取物的影响.这些干扰作用均是非线性的.田间试验结果,单独使用白蝴蝶提取物对有翅成蚜有较强的驱避作用;对萝卜蚜自然种群的干扰控制作用以4种植物提取物和药剂混配效果最好,达95.7%;对桃蚜自然种群干扰控制效果最好的则是白蝴蝶提取物,控制效果达87%;同时,白蝴蝶提取物与印楝素乳油混配以及苍耳提取物与印楝素乳油混配,对两种蚜虫的控制效果均达80%以上.     

Effect of Light Quality on Nitrogen Metabolism of Radish Plants

The long-term action of blue or red light on nitrogen metabolism was studied in radish (Raphanus sativus L.) plants. The potential activity of nitrate reductase (NR) in vivo and its maximum activity in vitro, the content of soluble protein and free amino acids were determined in the course of the growth of a third leaf of radish plants. The effect of light quality on NR activity was found to depend significantly on the stage of leaf development. Blue light (BL) stimulated NR activity in leaves, when their areas were about 11–13% of the fully developed leaves. The efficiency of red light (RL) was significantly lower, because the maximum NR activity was observed in the leaves developed to the stage, when their areas were 38–40% of the final one. The comparative analysis of the pool of free amino acids in expanding leaves of BL- or RL-grown plants revealed significant changes in the contents of individual amino acids. Despite a higher accumulation of two amino acids in the leaves of BL-grown plants, namely, Asp (27% as compared to 13–16% in the RL-grown leaves) and Gly (5% against 2.5% in RL-grown leaves), the BL-grown leaves also demonstrated a significant decrease in Ala (10% as compared to 23% in the RL-grown leaves) and some decrease in the amounts of Ser and Gly. The content of soluble protein in a juvenile BL-grown leaf was observed to decrease gradually during leaf development. However, the protein content in the BL-grown leaf was always higher than in the RL-grown leaf of the same age. We concluded that the photoregulatory action of BL on NR activity determined the different rates of nitrogen assimilation in BL- and RL-grown plants.__________Translated from Fiziologiya Rastenii, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2005, pp. 349–356.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Maevskaya, Bukhov.     

Growth,photosynthesis, and metabolism of sugar beet at an early stage of exposure to elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The effects of CO₂ concentration (C _a) on growth, photosynthesis, and the activity of enzymes associated with the translocation and assimilation of CO₂ were studied in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. saccharifera, cv. Ramonskaya) plants. The plants were grown in controlled-climate chamber to the stage of 3–4 leaves and then used in experiments. Experimental plants were exposed in boxes to doubled C _a (700 µl/l, 2C plants), whereas control plants were kept in a chamber with ambient atmosphere (350 µl/l, 1C plants). As compared with 1C plants, in 3 and 8 days, the leaf area of 2C plants increased by 14 and 26%, respectively. The rate of their photosynthesis (P _n) measured in 3, 6, and 8 days increased by 85, 47, and 52%, respectively, whereas in normal air, the values of P _n in 2C plants were by 12, 19, and 15% lower than in 1C plants. After 8-day growth, the content of soluble carbohydrates in the leaves of 2C plants attained 7.2%, being by 80% greater than in 1C plants; the content of starch did not exceed 3%. The total content of chlorophylls a and b in the leaves of 2C plants was by 14% greater than in 1C plants, but their ratio was essentially the same. The level of protein in 2C plants was by 13.4% lower than in 1C plants. The activity and content of Rubisco in 1C and 2C plants were similar. As compared with 1C plants, in 2C plants the activity of soluble carbonic anhydrase (sCA) was lower by 34% in 3 days and by 18% in 8 days; the activity of carbonic anhydrase of membrane preparations (mCA), was lower by 24 and 77%, respectively. Catalase activity in 2C plants became by 8% lower than in 1C plants only after 8 days. A reduction in the photosynthetic ability of 2C plants in ambient atmosphere, a decrease in activity of sCA and, especially, of mCA observed together with invariable activity and content of Rubisco in the leaf extracts are interpreted as early symptoms of acclimation of young plants of sugar beet to elevated CO₂.Translated from Fiziologiya Rastenii, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2005, pp. 184–190.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Ignatova, Novichkova, Mudrik, Lyubimov, Ivanov, Romanova.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Chemiluminescence determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics using a soluble manganese (IV)-sulphite system.

The reaction of soluble manganese (IV) with sulphite in acidic condition was found to elicit weak chemiluminescence (CL). The CL signal was remarkably enhanced in the presence of three fluoroquinolones, viz. norfloxacin, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Based on these observations, a new flow-injection CL method was developed for the determination of these fluoroquinolones. The method allows determination in the range 5.0 x 10(-8)-1.0 x 10(-6) mol/L for norfloxacin, 1.0 x 10(-7)-8.0 x 10(-6) mol/L for ofloxacin and 1.0 x 10(-7)-3.0 x 10(-5) mol/L for ciprofloxacin, with detection limits of 3 x 10(-8) mol/L, 5 x 10(-8) mol/L and 3 x 10(-8) mol/L, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of fluoroquinolones in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Soluble Organic Nitrogen Pools in Forest soils of Subtropical Australia

Soil soluble organic N (SON) plays an important role in N biogeochemical cycling. In this study, 22 surface forest soils (0–10 cm) were collected from southeast Queensland, Australia, to investigate the size of SON pools extracted by water and salt solutions. Approximately 5–45 mg SON kg⁻¹, 2–42 mg SON kg⁻¹ and 1–24 SON mg kg⁻¹ were extracted by 2 M KCl, 0.5 M K₂SO₄ and water, on average, corresponding to about 21.1, 13.5 and 7.0 kg SON ha⁻¹ at the 0–10 cm forest soils, respectively. These SON pools, on average, accounted for 39% (KCl extracts), 42% (K₂SO₄ extracts) and 43% (water extracts) of total soluble N (TSN), and 2.3% (KCl extracts), 1.3% (K₂SO₄ extracts) and 0.7% (water extracts) of soil total N, respectively. Large variation in SON pools observed across the sites in the present study may be attributed to a combination of factors including soil types, tree species, management practices and environmental conditions. Significant relationships were observed among the SON pools extracted by water, KCl and K₂SO₄ and microbial biomass N (MBN). In general, KCl and K₂SO₄ extracted more SON than water from the forest soils, while KCl extracted more SON than K₂SO₄. The SON and soluble organic C (SOC) in KCl, K₂SO₄ and water extracts were all positively related to soil organic C, total N and clay contents. This indicates that clay and soil organic matter play a key role in the retention of SON in soil.