Pattern analysis of stem cell differentiation during <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro Arabidopsis</Emphasis> organogenesis

Plant somatic cells have the capability to switch their cell fates from differentiated to undifferentiated status under proper culture conditions, which is designated as totipotency. As a result, plant cells can easily regenerate new tissues or organs from a wide variety of explants. However, the mechanism by which plant cells have such remarkable regeneration ability is still largely unknown. In this study, we used a set of meristem-specific marker genes to analyze the patterns of stem cell differentiation in the processes of somatic embryogenesis as well as shoot or root organogenesis in vitro. Our studies furnish preliminary and important information on the patterns of the de novo stem cell differentiation during various types of in vitro organogenesis.     

Engineering lysine‐rich caleosins as carrier proteins to render biotin as a hapten on artificial oil bodies for antibody production

It has been demonstrated that caleosin alone is sufficient to stabilize artificial oil bodies. A series of recombinant caleosins, mutated with 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17 extra Lys residues and over‐expressed in Escherichia coli, were used as carrier proteins to render biotin as a hapten on the surface of artificial oil bodies for antibody production. Biotinylation levels of the recombinant caleosins were step‐wisely elevated as the number of extra Lys residues increased, and the biotinylated Lys residues were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. Polyclonal antibodies against biotin were successfully generated in rats injected with artificial oil bodies constituted with each of the biotinylated caleosins. Moreover, those generated via the biotinylated caleosins with eight or more extra Lys residues no longer recognized caleosin. It appears that engineered Lys‐rich caleosins are suitable carrier proteins for the production of antibodies against small molecules. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011     

Comparative morphology of the foliage leaf epidermis, with emphasis on papillae characters, in key taxa of woody bamboos of the Asian tropics (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

The foliage leaf epidermis of 35 species representing 12 key genera of woody bamboos of the Asian tropics was investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that papillae forms and distributional patterns around the stomatal apparatus of the abaxial foliage leaf epidermis were usually constant and were of great taxonomic significance at the specific and generic levels. However, papillae characters were not suitable for dividing subtribes within woody bamboos of the Asian tropics. On the basis of papillae characters, Schizostachyum s.s. and Cephalostachyum were confirmed, but their delimitations should be modified. The transfer of Leptocanna chinensis and Schizostachyum sanguineum into Cephalostachyum was supported, and Cephalostachyum virgatum and C .  pergracile were confirmed to be members of Schizostachyum s.s. The subtribe Racemobambosinae did not obtain support and Racemobambos appeared to be better placed in subtribe Bambusinae. Neomicrocalamus was supported as a close relative and better treated as a synonym of Racemobambos . Gigantochloa was closely related to Dendrocalamus .  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 411–423.     

Penetration of radioactive sodium and chloride into cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor

1. Experiments were performed on six dogs to determine the rate of penetration of Cl(33) and Na(24) across the blood-aqueous humor and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers after intravenous injection of the radioactive ions. The radioactivity measurements were made with an immersion type of Geiger-Müller counter. 2. The concentrations of the labelled ions in the anterior chamber and the cisterna magna increase slowly to approach that of plasma. The rate of penetration k is calculated from a simple exponential equation with the half-value interval t(0.5) or the time required for the labelled-ion concentration in the fluid to reach 50 per cent of that of plasma. The average t(0.5) for Cl(38) and Na(24) in aqueous humor are 34.3 +/- 9 and 27.3 +/- 9 minutes, respectively, while those for cerebrospinal fluid are 90 +/- 6 and 95 +/- 6 minutes, respectively. 3. A study of the radioactivity in plasma was made to determine the per cent remaining after a steady state was reached. By means of this determination the sodium and chloride space was calculated to be 33 +/- 5 per cent.     

Semiparametric Regression in Size-Biased Sampling

Summary .  Size-biased sampling arises when a positive-valued outcome variable is sampled with selection probability proportional to its size. In this article, we propose a semiparametric linear regression model to analyze size-biased outcomes. In our proposed model, the regression parameters of covariates are of major interest, while the distribution of random errors is unspecified. Under the proposed model, we discover that regression parameters are invariant regardless of size-biased sampling. Following this invariance property, we develop a simple estimation procedure for inferences. Our proposed methods are evaluated in simulation studies and applied to two real data analyses.     

Evidence for Inbreeding and Genetic Differentiation among Geographic Populations of the Saprophytic Mushroom Trogia venenata from Southwestern China

During the past 40 years, more than 400 Sudden Unexplained Deaths (SUDs) have occurred in Yunnan, southwestern China. Epidemiological and toxicological analyses suggested that a newly discovered mushroom called Trogia venenata was the leading culprit for SUDs. At present, relatively little is known about the genetics and natural history of this mushroom. In this study, we analyzed the sequence variation at four DNA fragments among 232 fruiting bodies of T. venenata collected from seven locations. Our ITS sequence analyses confirmed that all the isolates belonged to the same species. The widespread presence of sequence heterozygosity within many strains at each of three protein-coding genes suggested that the fruiting bodies were diploid, dikaryotic or heterokaryotic. Within individual geographic populations, we found significant deviations of genotype frequencies from Hardy-Weinberg expectations, with the overall observed heterozygosity lower than that expected under random mating, consistent with prevalent inbreeding within local populations. The geographic populations were overall genetically differentiated. Interestingly, while a positive correlation was found between population genetic distance and geographic distance, there was little correlation between genetic distance and barium concentration difference for the geographic populations. Our results suggest frequent inbreeding, geographic structuring, and limited gene flow among geographic populations of T. venenata from southwestern China.