Latitudinal comparison of altitudinal changes in forest structure,leaf-type,and species richness in humid monsoon Asia

A new template for mountain vegetation zonation along latitudinal gradients is proposed for examining geographical pattern of various forest attributes in humid monsoon Asia. The contrasting temperature regime in tropical and temperate mountains, i.e., the former is a non-seasonal, temperature-sum controlled environment, and the latter is a seasonal, low temperature limiting environment, leads to different altitudinal patterns of tree height distribution and species richness. In the tropical mountains, both tree height and species richness decrease steeply, and the tree height often stepwise. The decline of tree height and species diversity in the temperate mountains is far less pronounced except near the forest limit. Both trends are explained by their temperature regime.     

EPA,not DHA,prevents fibrosis in pressure overload-induced heart failure: potential role of free fatty acid receptor 4

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is half of all HF, but standard HF therapies are ineffective. Diastolic dysfunction, often secondary to interstitial fibrosis, is common in HFpEF. Previously, we found that supra-physiologic levels of ω3-PUFAs produced by 12 weeks of ω3-dietary supplementation prevented fibrosis and contractile dysfunction following pressure overload [transverse aortic constriction (TAC)], a model that resembles aspects of remodeling in HFpEF. This raised several questions regarding ω3-concentration-dependent cardioprotection, the specific role of EPA and DHA, and the relationship between prevention of fibrosis and contractile dysfunction. To achieve more clinically relevant ω3-levels and test individual ω3-PUFAs, we shortened the ω3-diet regimen and used EPA- and DHA-specific diets to examine remodeling following TAC. The shorter diet regimen produced ω3-PUFA levels closer to Western clinics. Further, EPA, but not DHA, prevented fibrosis following TAC. However, neither ω3-PUFA prevented contractile dysfunction, perhaps due to reduced uptake of ω3-PUFA. Interestingly, EPA did not accumulate in cardiac fibroblasts. However, FFA receptor 4, a G protein-coupled receptor for ω3-PUFAs, was sufficient and required to block transforming growth factor β1-fibrotic signaling in cultured cardiac fibroblasts, suggesting a novel mechanism for EPA. In summary, EPA-mediated prevention of fibrosis could represent a novel therapy for HFpEF.     

The role of lipid second messengers in aldosterone synthesis and secretion

Second messengers are small rapidly diffusing molecules or ions that relay signals between receptors and effector proteins to produce a physiological effect. Lipid messengers constitute one of the four major classes of second messengers. The hydrolysis of two main classes of lipids, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids, generate parallel profiles of lipid second messengers: phosphatidic acid (PA), diacylglycerol (DAG), and lysophosphatidic acid versus ceramide, ceramide-1-phosphate, sphingosine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, respectively. In this review, we examine the mechanisms by which these lipid second messengers modulate aldosterone production at multiple levels. Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid hormone responsible for maintaining fluid volume, electrolyte balance, and blood pressure homeostasis. Primary aldosteronism is a frequent endocrine cause of secondary hypertension. A thorough understanding of the signaling events regulating aldosterone biosynthesis may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. The cumulative evidence in this literature emphasizes the critical roles of PA, DAG, and sphingolipid metabolites in aldosterone synthesis and secretion. However, it also highlights the gaps in our knowledge, such as the preference for phospholipase D-generated PA or DAG, as well as the need for further investigation to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which these lipid second messengers regulate optimal aldosterone production.     

Testing parameter sensitivities and uncertainty analysis of Biome-BGC model in simulating carbon and water fluxes in broadleaved-Korean pine forests

生态过程模型的发展为研究者在长时间序列和区域尺度的研究提供了便利, 但模型模拟的准确性受到模型自身结构、模型参数估计合理性的影响。敏感性分析能够定量或定性筛选出对模型模拟结果影响较大的敏感参数, 是模型参数校准过程中的重要工具, 也是建模和应用的先决条件。该文以阔叶红松林为研究对象, 采用全局敏感性分析方法——傅里叶幅度灵敏度检验扩展法(EFAST)对Biome-BGC模型的生理生态参数进行了敏感性分析, 分别分析了红松(Pinus koraiensis)和阔叶树的净初级生产力(NPP)、蒸散(ET)对参数变化的敏感性。结果表明: (1)模拟红松NPP的不确定性高于阔叶树, 但二者的模拟ET的不确定性均较小。阔叶树的NPP和ET对生理生态参数的敏感性总体上都小于红松。(2)无论是红松、阔叶或其他植被类型, 模拟NPP均表现出对叶片碳氮比、细根碳氮比、比叶面积(SLA)和冠层截留系数的敏感性, 这4个参数的高敏感性主要是由模型自身结构所决定的, 与植被类型和研究地区的关系较小。对模拟ET而言, 细根与叶片碳分配比、新茎与新叶碳分配比和SLA均是影响红松和阔叶树ET的敏感参数, 但红松ET主要受参数与参数间的二阶或多阶交互作用的间接影响, 而阔叶树ET则主要是受到敏感参数直接效应的影响。(3)除了上述影响红松和阔叶树碳水通量的共性参数外, 诸如核酮糖-1,5-二磷酸羧化酶中叶氮含量、叶片与细根周转率、所有叶面积与投影叶面积之比等也是对模拟结果有影响的重要参数, 但是其敏感程度随物种不同和研究区不同而不同, 所以这类参数可以根据具体情况进行参数本地化, 对于其他不敏感参数则可以采用模型缺省值。     

De novo organogenesis and plant regeneration in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pongamia pinnata</Emphasis>, oil producing tree legume

Role of Thidiazuron (TDZ) in inducing adventitious organogenesis in Pongamia was studied. TDZ at different concentrations (0, 0.45, 2.27, 4.54, 6.71, 9.08, 11.35, 13.12 and 22.71 μM) were used for induction of caulogenic bud formation in deembryonated cotyledon explants. Each cotyledon was cut into three segments and identified as proximal, middle and distal. Duration of TDZ exposure, influence of the segment and orientation of the explant were studied. TDZ at 11.35 μM concentration was optimum for the induction of shoots and rapid elongation. Shoots induced at higher concentration elongated after several passages in growth regulator free medium, thereby extending the period of differentiation. Exposure of the explant for 20 days yielded more number of buds than 10 days. Proximal segment of the cotyledon was more responsive. Contact of abaxial surface in the medium was more effective and generated more buds than the adaxial side. Buds differentiated and elongated on transfer to MS basal medium for 8–12 passages of 15 days each. Rooting and elongation of shoots was achieved in charcoal supplemented half-strength MS medium. Rooted plantlets survived on transfer to sand soil mixture. The plants were hardened and transferred to green house. This is the first report on in vitro regeneration of Pongamia pinnata via adventitious organogenesis using TDZ. This protocol may find application in studies in genetic transformation, isolation of somaclonal variants and in induction of mutants. It also provides a system to study the inhibitory role of TDZ on shoot differentiation.     

In vitro culture of human chondrocytes (1): A novel enhancement action of ferrous sulfate on the differentiation of human chondrocytes

Chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal cells is generally thought to be initiated by the inductive action of specific growth factors and depends on intimate cell-cell interactions. The aim of our investigation was to characterize the influences of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and ferroussulfate (FeSO₄) on proliferation and differentiation of human articular chondrocytes (HAC). This is the first report of the effects of FeSO₄ on chondrogenesis of HAC. Multiplied chondrocytes of hip and shoulder joints were cultured in chondrocyte growth medium supplemented with bFGF, FeSO₄, or both bFGF + FeSO₄ for4weeks. A 20 μl aliquot of a cell suspension containing2 × 10⁷ cells ml⁻¹ was delivered onto each well of 24-well tissue culture plates. Cells cultured with the growth medium only was used as a control. Alamar blue and alcian blue staining were done to determine the chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation, respectively, after 4 weeks. The samples exposed to bFGF, FeSO₄, and combination of both indicated sufficient cell proliferation similar to the control level. Differentiations of the HAC exposed to bFGF, FeSO₄,and bFGF + FeSO₄ were 1.2-, 2.0-, and 2.2-fold of the control, respectively. Therefore, chondrocyte differentiation was significantly enhanced by the addition of FeSO₄ andbFGF + FeSO₄. The combined effects of bFGF and FeSO₄ were additive, rather than synergistic. These results suggest that treatment with ferrous sulfate alone or in combination with basic fibroblast growth factor etc, is a powerful tool to promote the differentiation of HAC for the clinical application. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of soil water stress on soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity in an 18-year-old temperate Douglas-fir stand

We analyzed 17 months (August 2005 to December 2006) of continuous measurements of soil CO₂ efflux or soil respiration (R_S) in an 18‐year‐old west‐coast temperate Douglas‐fir stand that experienced somewhat greater than normal summertime water deficit. For soil water content at the 4 cm depth (θ) > 0.11 m³ m^?3 (corresponding to a soil water matric potential of ?2 MPa), R_S was positively correlated to soil temperature at the 2 cm depth (T_S). Below this value of θ, however, R_S was largely decoupled from T_S, and evapotranspiration, ecosystem respiration and gross primary productivity (GPP) began to decrease, dropping to about half of their maximum values when θ reached 0.07 m³ m^?3. Soil water deficit substantially reduced R_S sensitivity to temperature resulting in a Q₁₀ significantly < 2. The absolute temperature sensitivity of R_S (i.e. dR_S/dT_S) increased with θ up to 0.15 m³ m^?3, above which it slowly declined. The value of dR_S/dT_S was nearly 0 for θ < 0.08 m³ m^?3, thereby confirming that R_S was largely unaffected by temperature under soil water stress conditions. Despite the possible effects of seasonality of photosynthesis, root activity and litterfall on R_S, the observed decrease in its temperature sensitivity at low θ was consistent with the reduction in substrate availability due to a decrease in (a) microbial mobility, and diffusion of substrates and extracellular enzymes, and (b) the fraction of substrate that can react at high T_S, which is associated with low θ. We found that an exponential (van't Hoff type) model with Q₁₀ and R₁₀ dependent on only θ explained 92% of the variance in half‐hourly values of R_S, including the period with soil water stress conditions. We hypothesize that relating Q₁₀ and R₁₀ to θ not only accounted for the effects of T_S on R_S and its temperature sensitivity but also accounted for the seasonality of biotic (photosynthesis, root activity, and litterfall) and abiotic (soil moisture and temperature) controls and their interactions.     

Analysis of Trunk Neural Crest Cell Migration using a Modified Zigmond Chamber Assay

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a transient population of cells present in vertebrate development that emigrate from the dorsal neural tube (NT) after undergoing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition ^1,2. Following EMT, NCCs migrate large distances along stereotypic pathways until they reach their targets. NCCs differentiate into a vast array of cell types including neurons, glia, melanocytes, and chromaffin cells ^1-3. The ability of NCCs to reach and recognize their proper target locations is foundational for the appropriate formation of all structures containing trunk NCC-derived components ³. Elucidating the mechanisms of guidance for trunk NCC migration has therefore been a matter of great significance. Numerous molecules have been demonstrated to guide NCC migration ⁴. For instance, trunk NCCs are known to be repelled by negative guidance cues such as Semaphorin, Ephrin, and Slit ligands ^5-8. However, not until recently have any chemoattractants of trunk NCCs been identified ⁹. Conventional in vitro approaches to studying the chemotactic behavior of adherent cells work best with immortalized, homogenously distributed cells, but are more challenging to apply to certain primary stem cell cultures that initially lack a homogenous distribution and rapidly differentiate (such as NCCs). One approach to homogenize the distribution of trunk NCCs for chemotaxis studies is to isolate trunk NCCs from primary NT explant cultures, then lift and replate them to be almost 100% confluent. However, this plating approach requires substantial amounts of time and effort to explant enough cells, is harsh, and distributes trunk NCCs in a dissimilar manner to that found in in vivo conditions. Here, we report an in vitro approach that is able to evaluate chemotaxis and other migratory responses of trunk NCCs without requiring a homogenous cell distribution. This technique utilizes time-lapse imaging of primary, unperturbed trunk NCCs inside a modified Zigmond chamber (a standard Zigmond chamber is described elsewhere¹⁰). By exposing trunk NCCs at the periphery of the culture to a chemotactant gradient that is perpendicular to their predicted natural directionality, alterations in migratory polarity induced by the applied chemotactant gradient can be detected. This technique is inexpensive, requires the culturing of only two NT explants per replicate treatment, avoids harsh cell lifting (such as trypsinization), leaves trunk NCCs in a more similar distribution to in vivo conditions, cuts down the amount of time between explantation and experimentation (which likely reduces the risk of differentiation), and allows time-lapse evaluation of numerous migratory characteristics.