Daily changes in components of xanthophyll cycle and antioxidant systems in leaves of rice at different developing stage

The daily changes in the behavior of xanthophyll cycle and antioxidant systems in flag leaves of superhigh-yield hybrid rice were investigated in relation to various developing stages. Dark-adapted Fv/Fm decreased with the increasing incident light intensity on leaf surface in the morning and then minimized at midday; Deepoxidation State showed an opposed daily pattern to Fv/Fm at different developing stage. As compared with increased deepoxidation state maximum value, the relative content of xanthophyll cycle pigments remained almost constant during development. The daily changes in activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate-peroxidase and glutathione reductase and the content of ascorbate and glutathione displayed a similar pattern, where they increased from 8:00 and reached maximum at midday, however, a lower daily fluctuation of superoxide dismutase activity was observed in senescent leaves. The enhanced contribution of xanthophyll cycle and Mehler-ascorbate peroxidase reaction to photoprotection in old leaves could be partially due to the altered leaf posture. In conclusion, daily changes of xanthophyll cycle and antioxidant systems in leaves of rice at various developing stages were dependent on leaf age, leaf angle and intensity of solar irridiance.     

Acid invertase is predominantly localized to cell walls of both the practically symplasmically isolated sieve element/companion cell complex and parenchyma cells in developing apple fruits

The acid invertase (β‐fructosidase, EC 3·2·1·26) was localized at subcellular level via immunogold electron microscopy in the phloem‐unloading zone of developing apple fruit. The enzyme (immunogold particles) was found to reside predominantly in the cell walls of the sieve element/companion cell (SE/CC) complex, phloem parenchyma cells and other parenchyma cells. There was almost no gold particle found in cytoplasm and vacuole. This distribution pattern remained unchanged throughout the growing season, but the enzyme numbers varied. The density of immunogold particles increased during fruit development. The immunoblotting of soluble and insoluble acid invertases provided a supporting proof for the assays of immunolocalization. The biochemical analysis showed a predominantly cell‐wall‐distributed activity of acid invertase that corresponds essentially with its amount distribution. The ultrastructural observations showed that there were numerous plasmodesmata between the parenchyma cells, but almost no plasmodesmium between the SE/CC complex and its surrounding parenchyma cells, practically resulting in the symplasmic isolation of the SE/CC complex. It is therefore suggested that the unloading pathway of sucrose from the SE/CC complex may be predominantly apoplasmic in the developing apple fruit, and that the unloaded sucrose may be hydrolysed by the functional acid invertase localized in the cell wall before it is loaded in sink cells.     

Effect of long-term treatment with vanadate in drinking water on KK mice with genetic non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

The glucose-lowering effect of vanadate, ammonium metavanadate (AMV), on diabetic KK mice was examined. Five-week-old male KK mice were administrated with a solution of AMV via drinking water at concentrations of vanadium (V) with 0.1, 1.0, 10 and 100 μg/mL for a period of 10 wk, respectively. Body weight, consumption of food and water, and blood glucose levels was measured every week for 10 wk. The results showed that food consumption and body weight in the experimental groups were similar to those in the control group. A statistically significant decrease of drinking water consumption and blood glucose levels in the group treated with 100 μg V/mL was observed. The glucose tolerance in the vanadate-treated mice with 10 and 100 μg V/mL was remarkably improved compared with the control group. Biochemical analyses at the end of experiments demonstrated that a distinct tendency for the glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels to decrease with vanadate treatment in the blood was also observed. The glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol levels in plasma were lower in the higher vanadium groups than those in the control group. These results indicate that vanadium effectively produced the glucose-lowering effect at a higher dose than that at a low dose of vanadium in drinking water, without any overt signs of toxicity.     

Selection of Pupation Habitats by Oriental Fruit Fly Larvae in the Laboratory

We performed a series of laboratory experiments to determine the effects of shade, soil moisture, and soil compaction on the selection of pupation habitats by wandering late-instar Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). Larvae showed a strong preference toward pupating in shaded rather than brightly lit areas, in moist rather than dry soil, and in soil with larger particle sizes. These behavioral preferences are likely to lead to clumped distribution of Oriental fruit fly pupae in natural habitats. The implications of this for management of localized populations by chemical and biological methods are discussed.     

丙型肝炎患者血浆和外周血单个核细胞同步检测HCV—RNA和HGV—RNA

庚型肝炎和丙型肝炎传播途径是一致的 ,主要通过血制品和注射途径 ,有可能同时或重叠感染 ,尽管ＨＧＶ感染能否导致肝损害仍有争论 ,由于国外近年做了许多研究 ,而国内仅有血清检测丙肝和庚肝重叠感染的个别报道 ,但对外周血单个核细胞和血浆未作同步检测。我们对此进行了探讨 ,现将结果报道如下。1　方法观察组 72例患者均为我院住院治疗或门诊追踪观察病例 ,所有病例通过血清学检查排除甲、乙、丁、戊型肝炎。 70 %有输血史 ,肝功能反复异常 ,抗ＨＣＶ阳性 ,临床诊断为慢性或急性丙型肝炎 ,以 2 0例健康献血员作阴性对照 ,用比重 1.0 77的…     

Vitamin C alleviates the senescence of periodontal ligament stem cells through inhibition of Notch3 during long‐term culture

Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), as potential “seed cells” for periodontal tissue repair and regeneration, require to be expanded in vitro for a large scale. Senescence of PDLSCs occurred during long‐term culture may compromise the therapeutic effects of PDLSCs. Medium supplements may be useful in antisenescence. However, the effects and mechanisms of vitamin C (Vc) treatment on PDLSCs during long‐term culture are still unclear. In this study, we identified that Vc‐treated PDLSCs cells maintained a slender morphology, higher growth rate and migration capacity, stemness, and osteogenic differentiation capability during a long‐term culture. Moreover, we also identified that Notch3 was significantly upregulated during the cell senescence, and Vc treatment alleviated the senescence of PDLSCs through inhibition of Notch3 during long‐term culture. In summary, Vc treatment suppressed PDLSCs senescence by reducing the expression of Notch3 and might be a simple and useful strategy to inhibit cellular senescence during the cell long‐term culture.     

草假单胞菌HT1在蚕豆根和茎的定殖特性及对内生细菌多样性的影响

[背景] 关于蚕豆内生生防细菌的定殖规律及其对内生细菌微生物多样性的研究鲜有报道。[目的] 明确草假单胞菌HT1在蚕豆的定殖特性以及对根茎部内生细菌群落多样性的影响。[方法] 采用抗生素标记法测定菌株HT1的定殖特性,利用高通量测序技术分析该菌灌根处理与对照处理蚕豆根茎部内生细菌的群落多样性。[结果] 菌株HT1的定殖数量为根>茎>叶,呈先升后降的趋势,根部、茎部、叶部在第7天达到最大值,在第83天仍能检测到标记菌株。灌根处理降低了内生细菌的丰富度,提高了根内生细菌物种多样性;灌根处理组根部厚壁菌门、放线菌门、拟杆菌门丰度显著提高,茎部变形菌门的相对丰度有所升高但无显著影响;在属水平上,灌根处理后,根部如Romboutsia、Mitsuaria、乳杆菌属、德沃斯氏菌属等属的相对丰度明显升高,茎部假单胞菌、Muribaculaceae、Elstera、鞘氨醇单胞菌属等属的相对丰度明显升高。[结论] HT1菌株能在蚕豆植株体内定殖达83 d以上,并且可以影响蚕豆植株内部的微生物群落结构组成,提高相关微生物的相对丰度。     

Rabl2 GTP hydrolysis licenses BBSome‐mediated export to fine‐tune ciliary signaling

Cilia of higher animals sense various environmental stimuli. Proper ciliary signaling requires appropriate extent of BBSome‐mediated export of membrane receptors across ciliary barrier transition zone (TZ) through retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery. How the barrier passage is controlled, however, remains unknown. Here, we show that small GTPase Rabl2 functions as a molecular switch for the outward TZ passage. Rabl2‐GTP enters cilia by binding to IFT‐B complex. Its GTP hydrolysis enables the outward TZ passage of the BBSome and its cargos with retrograde IFT machinery, whereas its persistent association leads to their shedding from IFT‐B during the passing process and consequently ciliary retention. Rabl2 deficiency or expression of a GTP‐locked mutant impairs the ciliary hedgehog signaling without interfering with ciliation and respectively results in different spectrums of mouse developmental disorders. We propose that the switch role of Rabl2 ensures proper turnover of the BBSome and ciliary membrane receptors to fine‐tune cilia‐dependent signaling for normal embryonic development and organismic homeostasis.     

喷司他丁的合成及其生物合成机制研究进展

喷司他丁是一种核苷类抗生素,对腺苷脱氨酶有极强的抑制效果,在临床治疗恶性肿瘤方面具有广泛应用。但其生产成本高、市售价格昂贵,难以满足需求。近10年来,关于生物合成喷司他丁的研究主要集中在菌种选育、优化培养基组分与发酵工艺等方面。目前,尽管喷司他丁的生物合成机制得到了阐明,但生物合成喷司他丁方面的综述尚无。对此,文中综述了喷司他丁的生物合成进展,为其进一步研究提供参考。首先,简介了喷司他丁的合成方法及其生产现状;其次,总结了喷司他丁在不同微生物中的生物合成机制;最后,探讨了生物合成喷司他丁所面临的问题,并提出调控微生物合成喷司他丁的策略,以期为喷司他丁的规模化生产提供指导。