Developmental Control of Apiogalacturonan Biosynthesis and UDP-Apiose Production in a Duckweed

Vegetative fronds of Spirodela polyrrhiza were induced to form dormant turions by the addition of 1 micromolar abscisic acid or by shading. The cell wall polymers of fronds contained a high proportion of the branched-chain pentose, d-apiose (about 20% of total noncellulosic wall sugar residues), whereas turion cell walls contained only trace amounts (about 0.2%). When the fronds were fed d-[³H]glucuronic acid for 30 minutes, the accumulated UDP-[³H]apiose pool accounted for about 27% of the total phosphorylated [³H]pentose derivatives; in turions, the UDP-[³H]apiose pool accounted for only about 4% of the total phosphorylated [³H]pentose derivatives. We conclude that the developmentally regulated decrease in the biosynthesis of a wall polysaccharide during turion formation involves a reduction in the supply of the relevant sugar nucleotide. One controlling enzyme activity is suggested to be UDP-apiose/UDP-xylose synthase. However, since there was a 100-fold decrease in the rate of polysaccharide synthesis and only a 9-fold decrease in UDP-apiose accumulation, there is probably also control of the activity of the relevant polysaccharide synthase.     

Patterns of sequence variation in the mitochondrial D-loop region of shrews

Direct sequencing of the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) of shrews (genus Sorex) for the region between the tRNA(Pro) and the conserved sequence block-F revealed variable numbers of 79-bp tandem repeats. These repeats were found in all 19 individuals sequenced, representing three subspecies and one closely related species of the masked shrew group (Sorex cinereus cinereus, S. c. miscix, S. c. acadicus, and S. haydeni) and an outgroup, the pygmy shrew (S. hoyi). Each specimen also possessed an adjacent 76-bp imperfect copy of the tandem repeats. One individual was heteroplasmic for length variants consisting of five and seven copies of the 79-bp tandem repeat. The sequence of the repeats is conducive to the formation of secondary structure. A termination-associated sequence is present in each of the repeats and in a unique sequence region 5' to the tandem array as well. Mean genetic distance between the masked shrew taxa and the pygmy shrew was calculated separately for the unique sequence region, one of the tandem repeats, the imperfect repeat, and these three regions combined. The unique sequence region evolved more rapidly than the tandem repeats or the imperfect repeat. The small genetic distance between pairs of tandem repeats within an individual is consistent with a model of concerted evolution. Repeats are apparently duplicated and lost at a high rate, which tends to homogenize the tandem array. The rate of D- loop sequence divergence between the masked and pygmy shrews is estimated to be 15%-20%/Myr, the highest rate observed in D-loops of mammals. Rapid sequence evolution in shrews may be due either to their high metabolic rate and short generation time or to the presence of variable numbers of tandem repeats.      

Two Transduction Pathways Mediate Rapid Effects of Abscisic Acid in Commelina Guard Cells

Commelina guard cells can be rapidly closed by abscisic acid (ABA), and it is thought that this signal is always transduced through increases in cytosolic calcium. However, when Commelina plants were grown at 10 to 17[deg]C, most guard cells failed to exhibit any ABA-induced increase in cytosolic calcium even though all of these cells closed. At growth temperatures of 25[deg]C or above, ABA-induced closure was always associated with an increase in cytosolic calcium. This suggests that there may be two transduction routes for ABA in guard cells; only one involves increases in cytosolic calcium. Activation of either pathway on its own appears to be sufficient to cause closure. Because the rates of ABA accumulation and transport in plants grown at different temperatures are likely to be different, we synthesized and microinjected caged ABA directly into guard cells. ABA was released internally by UV photolysis and subsequently caused stomatal closure. This result suggests a possible intracellular locale for the hypothesized ABA receptor.     

大鼠胼胝体内神经肽Y免疫反应阳性纤维的发育

本实验用免疫组织化学ＡＢＣ法研究了大鼠胼胝体内神经肽Ｙ免疫反应阳性（ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ）纤维的生后发育。结果发现,许多ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ纤维在大鼠出生时便存在于胼胝体内。ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ胼胝体纤维的密度在生后１周内继续逐渐增高,在第２周内达到最高峰。之后,ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ胼胝体纤维的密度逐渐下降,至第３周末时接近成年时的水平,即仅有少量ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ纤维存在于胼胝体内。这些结果提示在大鼠早期生后发育过程中许多ＮＰＹ－ＩＲ胼胝体纤维是暂时性的,其作用可能与大脑皮质的机能发育有关。     

Cytosolic Ca2+-Concentrations and Distributions in Rhizoids of Chara fragilis Desv. Determined by Ratio Analysis of the Fluorescent Probe Indo-1

Rhizoids of Charafragilis Desv. were iontophoretically loaded with the Ca²⁺-sensitive ratio dye indo-1. After loading, the rhizoids regained their preinjection-membrane potential within 2 to 5 min and survived the procedure for more than 24 h, but their growth in length was permanently inhibited. Microfluorimetric measurements of the indo-1 fluorescence-ratio showed spontaneous fluctuations of the cytoplasmic Ca²⁺-concentration, usually declining from high values after loading to 425 ± 80 nM (± SD, n = 7) as determined by in-vitro calibration. Increasing the extracellular K⁺-concentration (0.1 mM to 10 mM) or Ca²⁺-concentration (1 mM to 10 mM) led to increases of 100 to 200 nM in cytoplasmic Ca²⁺-concentration. The spatial distribution of cytosolic Ca²⁺ in the rhizoid tips was visualised in ratio images computed from low-light video-pictures. These images showed a fairly homogeneous distribution of Ca²⁺ throughout the tip cytoplasm with concentrations being in the same range as determined by microfluorimetry. A tip-to-base gradient in cytoplasmic Ca²⁺, thought to be a prerequisite for cell polarity and tip growth, was found in only 1 out of 16 successfully microinjected cells. Additionally, a progressive compartmentalization of the fluorochrome indo-1, probably in the proplastids and the very abundant endoplasmic reticulum of the rhizoids, was observed.