Phylogeny of Rhus gall aphids (Hemiptera : Pemphigidae) based on combined molecular analysis of nuclear EF1α and mitochondrial COII genes

Rhus gall aphids (Fordinae : Melaphidini) have a disjunct distribution in East Asia and North America and have specific host plant relationships. Some of them are of economic importance and all species form sealed galls which show great variation in shape, size, structure, and galling‐site. We present a phylogeny incorporating ten species and four subspecies of Rhus gall aphids based on 1694 base pairs of nuclear elongation factor‐1α (EF1α) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) DNA sequence data. The results suggest that Melaphidini is monophyletic and at the genus level, Schlechtendalia, Nurudea, and Floraphis were each monophyletic. Kaburagia and Meitanaphis were not monophyletic and therefore inconsistent with the current classification. The North American sumac gall aphid, Melaphis rhois, was most closely related to the East Asian Floraphis species, although this was poorly supported. The conservation of gall morphology with respect to aphid phylogeny rather than their host plants suggests that gall morphology is largely determined by the aphids. While there is no evidence of strict co‐speciation between the aphids and their primary host plants, switching between recently diverged host plants may be involved in the speciation process in Melaphidini.     

Investigation of an “alternate water supply system” in enzymatic hydrolysis in the processive endocellulase Cel7A from Rasamsonia emersonii by molecular dynamics simulation

Cel7A from Rasamsonia emersonii is one of the processive endocellulases classified under family 7 glycoside hydrolase. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to obtain the optimized sliding and hydrolyzing conformations, in which the reducing ends of sugar chains are located on different sites. Hydrogen bonds are investigated to clarify the interactions between protein and substrate in either conformation. Nine hydrogen bonding interactions are identified in the sliding conformation, and six similar interactions are also found correspondingly in the hydrolyzing conformation. In addition, four strong hydrophobic interactions are also determined. The domain cross‐correlation map analysis shows movement correlation of protein including autocorrelation between residues. The root mean square fluctuations analysis represents the various flexibilities of different fragment in the two conformations. Comparing the two conformations reveals the water‐supply mechanism of selective hydrolysis of cellulose in Cel7A. The mechanism can be described as follow. When the reducing end of substrate slides from the unhydrolyzing site (sliding conformation) to the hydrolyzing site (hydrolyzing conformation), His225 is pushed down and rotated, the rotation leads to the movement of Glu209 with the interstrand hydrogen bonding in β‐sheet. It further makes Asp211 close to the hydrolysis center and provides a water molecule bounding on its carboxyl in the previous unhydrolyzing site. After the hydrolysis takes place and the product is excluded from the enzyme, the Asp211 comes back to its initial position. In summary, Asp211 acts as an elevator to transport outer water molecules into the hydrolysis site for every other glycosidic bond.     

Green‐lighting green fluorescent protein: Faster and more efficient folding by eliminating a cis–trans peptide isomerization event

Wild‐type green fluorescent protein (GFP) folds on a time scale of minutes. The slow step in folding is a cis–trans peptide bond isomerization. The only conserved cis‐peptide bond in the native GFP structure, at P89, was remodeled by the insertion of two residues, followed by iterative energy minimization and side chain design. The engineered GFP was synthesized and found to fold faster and more efficiently than its template protein, recovering 50% more of its fluorescence upon refolding. The slow phase of folding is faster and smaller in amplitude, and hysteresis in refolding has been eliminated. The elimination of a previously reported kinetically trapped state in refolding suggests that X‐P89 is trans in the trapped state. A 2.55 Å resolution crystal structure revealed that the new variant contains only trans‐peptide bonds, as designed. This is the first instance of a computationally remodeled fluorescent protein that folds faster and more efficiently than wild type.     

Telomerase enzymatic component hTERT shortens long telomeres in human cells

Telomere lengths are tightly regulated within a narrow range in normal human cells. Previous studies have extensively focused on how short telomeres are extended and have demonstrated that telomerase plays a central role in elongating short telomeres. However, much about the molecular mechanisms of regulating excessively long telomeres is unknown. In this report, we demonstrated that the telomerase enzymatic component, hTERT, plays a dual role in the regulation of telomere length. It shortens excessively long telomeres and elongates short telomeres simultaneously in one cell, maintaining the optimal telomere length at each chromosomal end for efficient protection. This novel hTERT-mediated telomere-shortening mechanism not only exists in cancer cells, but also in primary human cells. The hTERT-mediated telomere shortening requires hTERT’s enzymatic activity, but the telomerase RNA component, hTR, is not involved in that process. We found that expression of hTERT increases telomeric circular DNA formation, suggesting that telomere homologous recombination is involved in the telomere-shortening process. We further demonstrated that shelterin protein TPP1 interacts with hTERT and recruits hTERT onto the telomeres, suggesting that TPP1 might be involved in regulation of telomere shortening. This study reveals a novel function of hTERT in telomere length regulation and adds a new element to the current molecular model of telomere length maintenance.     

柽柳属和水柏枝属植物化学分类的研究

运用植物化学分类学的实验方法,即薄层层析和紫外吸收光谱对柽柳属（Ｔａｍａｒｉａｘ Ｌｉｎｎ）和水柏枝属（Ｍｙｉｃａｒｉａ Ｄｅｓｖ）的４种植物进行了分析测定,提出了柽柳属和水柏枝属的植物化学分类检索表,并对存有疑问的白花柽柳（Ｔ．ａｌｂｉｆｌｏｎｕｍ）进行了植物化学方面的分析鉴定。     

普通小麦与瓦维洛夫山羊草属间杂种的产生及其育性的细胞学 …

通过重复授粉和７５μｇ．ｇ＾－１ＧＡ３处理,成功地获得了普通小麦（Ｔ．ａｅｓｔｉｕｍ）与瓦维洛夫山羊草（Ａｅ．ｖａｖｉｌｏｖｉｉ）ＲＭ０２８６,ＲＭ０２９１ ２个组合属间杂种的产生及其育性,期间表现出较高的可酱性,杂匀结实率分别３９．８４％和４１．２２％,杂种Ｆ１植株具有双亲的形态特征,并表现出强的生活力。通过对Ｆ１植株小孢子发生和花粉发生和花粉发育的细胞学观察发现,花粉母细胞减数分裂过程异常紊乱     

春小麦幼苗在水胁迫下内源ABA含量与自由基清除酶活力的变化

３个基因型的春小麦幼苗分别用ＰＥＧ作轻主胁迫（－０．６ＭＰａ）或中度胁迫（－１．５６ＭＰａ）的２个处理,不胁迫为对照,２ｄ后分开观察成熟叶和新生叶中内源ＡＢＡ和３个自由基清除酶活力对水胁迫的反应。３个基因型新生叶ＳＯＤ、ＣＡＴ平均活力极显著的高于成熟叶中的平均活力（Ｐ〈０．０１）,ＰＯＤ却是成熟的高,中度胁迫与对照相比,各基因型各叶龄的酶活力除成熟叶中ＣＡＴ的活力显著下降（Ｐ〈０．０１）外,其它都     

玉米孤雌生殖单倍体的诱导与父本花粉在离体萌发花粉管中精核 …

试验选用孤雌生殖单倍体地率存在差异的不同类型自交系为材料,利用ＤＡＰＩ荧光染色方法对离体萌发花粉管中两个精核之间的距离进行观察统计。结果显示,具有２个精核、１个精核和无精核花粉管的百分率与单倍体诱导率均不存在相关关系。在具有２个糖核的花粉管中,根据不同精核间距分布组之间的相互关系推测,存在着２个相互独立的花粉管亚群,即精核间距小于花粉管平均直径的疏亚群。其中,密管亚,即精核间距小于花粉管平均直径的     

果实成熟过程相关调控基因研究进展

果实成熟过程中,多聚半乳糖醛酸酶（ＰＧ）参与果胶的分解,从而在果实软化中起作用,新近发现,果实软化过程中,协同展蛋白具有一定的作用：ＡＣＣ合成酶（ＡＣＳ）、ＡＣＣ氧化酶（ＡＣＯ）和ＡＣＣ脱氨酶与乙烯合成直接有关,ＡＣＳ是乙烯形成的关键酶,由多基因家族编码,各个基因协同表达,每一基因都有自己的转录特性,新近不断发现果实中ＡＣＳ基因家族中的新成员;ＡＣＯ是一种与膜结合的酶,这种酶具有结构上的立体专一性