Inhibition of co-operative enzymes by substrate-analogues: Possible implications for the physiological significance of negative co-operativity illustrated by phenylalanine metabolism in higher plants

The “Hill” equation for co-operative binding-systems has been extended to describe the effect of substrate-analogue on the binding of substrate to an oligomeric protein. It is demonstrated that the more negatively co-operative the binding-system, the more sensitive is the binding of substrate to inhibition by increases in the relative concentration of substrate-analogue. It is proposed that the physiological significance of negative co-operativity for enzymes may be complementary to the physiological significance of positive co-operativity. The effect of negative co-operativity is to make substrate binding more sensitive to inhibition by relative increases in the concentration of substrate-analogue (e.g. for many enzymes product of the reaction) at the expense of decreased sensitivity of substrate binding to relative changes in substrate concentration compared to a system with equivalent, independent substrate binding sites. In contrast, the effect of positive co-operativity is to make the enzyme more sensitive to relative changes in substrate concentration at the expense of decreased sensitivity to inhibition by relative increases in product concentration, compared to an enzyme without co-operative binding.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and biochar improves drought tolerance in chickpea

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation and biochar amendment has been reported to improve growth of several crop plants however their role in stress amelioration individually as well as in combination has not been worked out. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the application of AMF and biochar on the performance of chickpea under drought stress. The treatments included the individual as well as combined treatment of AMF and biochar to drought stressed and normal chickpea plants. Plants inoculation improved growth in terms of shoot and root length, leaf area and number of branches which was observed to show a steep decline due to drought stress. Drought declined the AMF colonization potential though biochar amendment ameliorated the negative effects of drought significantly by improving the spore population, number of mycelium, vesicle and arbuscules and the percentage of colonization as well. Increased chlorophyll synthesis in biochar and AMF treated plants was obvious, which lead to significant enhancement in the net photosynthetic efficiency. Drought stress also declined the relative water content (RWC) and membrane stability index (MSI), while treatment of biochar and AMF either individually or in combination mitigated the deleterious effects to considerable extent and caused a significant enhancement in RWC and MSI under normal conditions. Amendments with biochar and AMF inoculation increased the nitrogen fixation attributes including the number and weight of nodules, leghemoglobin content and activity of nitrate reductase enzyme leading to greater uptake and assimilation of nitrogen in them when compared to drought stressed plants. Drought stressed chickpea plants exhibited considerable reduction in uptake of nitrogen and phosphorous which was ameliorated by biochar and AMF treatments. It could be suggested that increase in growth and physiological attributes in chickpea due to biochar amendments and AMF inoculation under drought stress were plausibly due to their involvement in nitrogen and phosphorous uptake, chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthesis.     

The association between sociodemographic,hormonal, tubo-ovarian factors and bacterial count in Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections with infertility

Aim: To determine if there is an association between the Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections with socio-demographic and clinical factors, and also with infertility. Methods: We conducted a study on 100 infertile married women and 100 control group, and collected data on the socio-demographic, hormonal and tubo-ovarian factors. The results of the endocervical swabs were analyzed for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia infection, the bacterial counts were also determined. Results: The percentage positivity to infection was significantly more among the infertile group compared to the control group, and also significantly more among the age group <30 years old. The positivity for infection with Chlamydia and/or Mycoplasma was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion. Further sub-analysis of the infertile group showed that positivity to Chlamydia and/or Mycoplasma infection was significantly correlated to hormonal factors, ovarian factors, irregular menstruation, and previous abortion. Regression analysis showed that hormonal, ovarian factors, and irregular menstruation were the most significant factors in the positivity to Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infection. Bacterial count was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion. Conclusion: Infection to Chlamydia and Mycoplasma is associated to younger age (?30 years old), and occurs in the infertile women. There is an interplay between infection in younger women, irregular menstruation, hormonal, and tubo-ovarian factors with infertility. Bacterial count was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion.     

双向电泳技术进展及在动物和植物科学研究中的应用

综述了双向电泳技术的原理、每一步骤的研究进展及其在动物和植物科学研究中的应用。     

桂林漓江沿岸植物区系特点及其与景观的关系

桂林漓江沿岸原生植被受破坏严重 ,植物区系为次生性质 ,其特点 :( 1 )种类丰富 ,共有野生维管束植物 80 8种 ,隶属于 1 5 6科、483属 ;( 2 )植物区系的地理成份复杂 ,可将 45 4个种子植物属归为 1 4个类型 ,以热带、亚热带类型为主 ,温带类型次之 ,中国特有属 6个 ;( 3 )植物区系岩溶特性明显 ,属于东亚植物区、中国—日本森林植物亚区、岭南山地地区的一个小区。植物景观是桂林漓江沿岸风景的重要组成部分 ,具体表现在各类植物群落的外貌和一些重要植物种类的花、果和叶色的季节性变化上。现存的主要植物群落以次生藤刺灌丛为主 ;少见尚存的喀斯特常绿、落叶阔叶混交林 ;独有的喀斯特硬叶常绿阔叶林 :以乌冈栎为建群种的山顶矮林 ,是我国东部湿润亚热带地区罕见的残遗植被类型 ,在构成景观和科研上均有特殊意义。沿河岸分布的植物是最吸引游人注意的重要景观 ,形状各异的灌丛、杂木林、竹林和农田植被等都是风景的重要组成部分     

植物学的发展趋势及国家自然科学基金委员会植物学科资助状况

根据植物学的发展趋势和植物学科的特点,对该学科采取的资助策略是“重视前沿领域,扶持弱势学科,关注新的学科生长点”;学科资助项目数和经费数逐年增加,2004年投入经费和资助项目数是2001年的2倍;简要介绍了学科遴选项目的原则和2004年度项目申请和资助的情况,提供了2004年度植物学科资助项目一览表。     

AFLP Analysis of Genetic Variation and Structure of Natural Populations of Quercus senescens

The population variation and structure of 115 plants representing 8 populations of Quercus senescens Hand. Mazz. were investigated by amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis.Using TFPGA software,94 polymorphic phenotypic patterns (752%) was obtained using 2 AFLP primer combinations and it was found that genetic variation of different population was negatively correlated with altitudes.Analysis of the genetic structure of populations carried out using analysis of molecular variation (by Arliquin 2000 software),It showed that there was a high significant population differentiation (φst=02956).And neighbour joining dendragram also be constructed based on 2 primer combinations by PAUP software.     

Botany and horticulture — the twain shall meet

The residual failures of harmony between botanical and cultivated plant systematists is related to a review of their methodologies. Because some cultivated plant groups overlap the distinction, it is argued that special classification systems are not appropriate generally to cultivated plants. A fundamental reason for the difficulty is suggested and it is shown that this still allows, as a compromise solution, the adoption of the author's previously published flexible unified hierarchy of categories, which is figured and its relevance to the whole situation explained. Some misunderstandings between botanists and horticulturists are reviewed and explanations consistent with the previous discussion offered. These concern typification, whether cultivars require types or have synonyms and what should be done about the confusion of typical. The relationship between the Codes is clarified by an example and the matter of the gardener's species is discussed.Dedicated to the memory of JohnS. L. Gilmour.