Metabolic symbiosis and the birth of the plant kingdom

Eukaryotic cells are composed of a variety of membrane-bound organelles that are thought to derive from symbiotic associations involving bacteria, archaea, or other eukaryotes. In addition to acquiring the plastid, all Archaeplastida and some of their endosymbiotic derivatives can be distinguished from other organisms by the fact that they accumulate starch, a semicrystalline-storage polysaccharide distantly related to glycogen and never found elsewhere. We now provide the first evidence for the existence of starch in a particular species of single-cell diazotrophic cyanobacterium. We provide evidence for the existence in the eukaryotic host cell at the time of primary endosymbiosis of an uridine diphosphoglucose (UDP-glucose)-based pathway similar to that characterized in amoebas. Because of the monophyletic origin of plants, we can define the genetic makeup of the Archaeplastida ancestor with respect to storage polysaccharide metabolism. The most likely enzyme-partitioning scenario between the plastid's ancestor and its eukaryotic host immediately suggests the precise nature of the ancient metabolic symbiotic relationship. The latter consisted in the export of adenosine diphosphoglucose (ADP-glucose) from the cyanobiont in exchange for the import of reduced nitrogen from the host. We further speculate that the monophyletic origin of plastids may lie in an organism with close relatedness to present-day group V cyanobacteria.     

New insight in coordination of vic-dioximes: Bis- and tris(E,E-dioximato)Ni(II) complexes

N,N′-Bis[allylamino]glyoxime, N,N′-bis[anilino]glyoxime, and N,N′-bis[1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5-naphthalenamino]glyoxime have been prepared from corresponding amines and (E,E)-dichloroglyoxime. These ligands gave orange-red compound with NiCl₂ in less acidic medium (pH ∼ 5) that are bis(E,E-dioximato)nickel(II) complexes {[(E,E)-Ni(HL)₂]} (1a-3a) and green compounds in acidic medium (pH ∼ 2) that are tris(E,E-dioximato)nickel(II) dichloride complexes {[(E,E)-Ni(LH₂)₃]Cl₂} (1b-3b). The crystal structures of all complexes have been determined by X-ray diffraction on a single crystal. The study of absorption spectra of these two types of complexes shows that they may be converted to each other by addition of acids (1a-3a) or bases (1b-3b) and there is no way for the amphi form.     

VirB3 to VirB6 and VirB8 to VirB11, but not VirB7, are essential for mediating persistence of Brucella in the reticuloendothelial system

The Brucella abortus virB locus contains 12 open reading frames, termed virB1 through virB12, which encode a type IV secretion system. Polar mutations in the virB locus markedly reduce the ability of B. abortus to survive in cultured macrophages or to persist in organs of mice. While a nonpolar deletion of the virB2 gene reduces survival in cultured macrophages and in organs of mice, a nonpolar deletion of virB1 only reduces survival in macrophages, whereas virB12 is dispensable for either virulence trait. Here we investigated the role of the remaining genes in the virB locus during survival in macrophages and virulence in mice. Mutants carrying nonpolar deletions of the virB3, virB4, virB5, virB6, virB7, virB8, virB9, virB10, or virB11 gene were constructed and characterized. All mutations reduced the ability of B. abortus to survive in J774A.1 mouse macrophage-like cells to a degree similar to that caused by a deletion of the entire virB locus. Deletion of virB3, virB4, virB5, virB6, virB8, virB9, virB10, or virB11 markedly reduced the ability of B. abortus to persist in the spleens of mice at 8 weeks after infection. Interestingly, deletion of virB7 did not reduce the ability of B. abortus to persist in spleens of mice. We conclude that virB2, virB3, virB4, virB5, virB6, virB8, virB9, virB10, and virB11 are essential for virulence of B. abortus in mice, while functions encoded by the virB1, virB7, and virB12 genes are not required for persistence in organs with this animal model.     

桔小实蝇国内研究概况

本综述了桔小实蝇的研究概况,包括桔小实蝇的分布、寄主、为害情况、种类、生物学、生态学、生理生化、经济重要性评价、综合防治等方面。     

Effects of Postnatal Stress on the Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Bank Voles (Clethrionomys glareolus)

Wild bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) kept in the laboratory under barren housing conditions develop high incidences of type 1 diabetes mellitus due to beta cell– specific lysis in association with the appearance of GAD65, IA-2, and insulin autoantibodies. Wild-caught and immediately analyzed voles show no histological signs of diabetes, and the disease may therefore be induced by circumstances related to the housing of the animals in captivity. We tested the possibility that postnatal stress by either maternal separation or water immersion at different intervals would induce diabetes in adult bank voles. We found that low-frequent stress during the first 21 days of life increases, whereas high-frequent stress markedly reduces, the incidence of type 1 diabetes in adulthood. These results differentiate the role of early-experienced stress on subsequent type 1 diabetes development and emphasize that the bank vole may serve as a useful new animal model for the disease.     

EVOLUTION OF GENETIC INTEGRATION BETWEEN DISPERSAL AND COLONIZATION ABILITY IN A BIRD

Discrete behavioral strategies comprise a suite of traits closely integrated in their expression with consistent natural selection for such coexpression leading to developmental and genetic integration of their components. However, behavioral traits are often also selected to respond rapidly to changing environments, which should both favor their context-dependent expression and inhibit evolution of genetic integration with other, less flexible traits. Here we use a multigeneration pedigree and long-term data on lifetime fitness to test whether behaviors comprising distinct dispersal strategies of western bluebirds—a species in which the propensity to disperse is functionally integrated with aggressive behavior—are genetically correlated. We further investigated whether selection favors flexibility in the expression of aggression in relation to current social context. We found a significant genetic correlation between aggression and dispersal that is concordant with consistent selection for coexpression of these behaviors. To a limited extent, individuals modified their aggression to match their mate; however, we found no fitness consequences on such adjustments. These results introduce a novel way of viewing behavioral strategies, where flexibility of behavior, while often aiding an organism's fit in its current environment, may be limited and thereby enable integration with less flexible traits.