alpha-Oligodeoxynucleotide stability in serum, subcellular extracts and culture media

Degradation of a synthetic alpha-oligodeoxynucleotide was studied in order to compare its survival with naturally occurring beta-oligodeoxynucleotides in five systems used for antisense hybridization arrest experiments. In contrast to beta-oligodeoxynucleotides, alpha-oligodeoxynucleotides were not detectably degraded over 24 h at 37 degrees C in HeLa cell postmitochondrial cytoplasmic extract or RPMI 1640 with 10% fetal bovine serum, and showed significant survival after 24 h at 37 degrees C in rabbit reticulocyte lysate, fetal bovine serum and human serum.     

The biochemical control of leaf expansion during drought

Over the past decade it has become clear that we cannot always explain the observed reduction in leaf expansion rates during drought by measuring the plant's water relations. This has led us to question the possibility of a role for the cell wall and its biochemical machinery in controlling the rate of leaf expansion during drought. However, if we are to reject or modify previous assumptions regarding the control of leaf expansion during drought, then we must offer alternative explanations. This article addresses recent work from this laboratory and in the literature, concerning the involvement of cell wall-enzymes, pH and abscisic acid (ABA) in regulating leaf expansion during water deficit.     

Increased Atmospheric SO2 Detected from Changes in Leaf Physiognomy across the Triassic–Jurassic Boundary Interval of East Greenland

The Triassic–Jurassic boundary (Tr–J; ∼201 Ma) is marked by a doubling in the concentration of atmospheric CO₂, rising temperatures, and ecosystem instability. This appears to have been driven by a major perturbation in the global carbon cycle due to massive volcanism in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. It is hypothesized that this volcanism also likely delivered sulphur dioxide (SO₂) to the atmosphere. The role that SO₂ may have played in leading to ecosystem instability at the time has not received much attention. To date, little direct evidence has been presented from the fossil record capable of implicating SO₂ as a cause of plant extinctions at this time. In order to address this, we performed a physiognomic leaf analysis on well-preserved fossil leaves, including Ginkgoales, bennettites, and conifers from nine plant beds that span the Tr–J boundary at Astartekløft, East Greenland. The physiognomic responses of fossil taxa were compared to the leaf size and shape variations observed in nearest living equivalent taxa exposed to simulated palaeoatmospheric treatments in controlled environment chambers. The modern taxa showed a statistically significant increase in leaf roundness when fumigated with SO₂. A similar increase in leaf roundness was also observed in the Tr–J fossil taxa immediately prior to a sudden decrease in their relative abundances at Astartekløft. This research reveals that increases in atmospheric SO₂ can likely be traced in the fossil record by analyzing physiognomic changes in fossil leaves. A pattern of relative abundance decline following increased leaf roundness for all six fossil taxa investigated supports the hypothesis that SO₂ had a significant role in Tr–J plant extinctions. This finding highlights that the role of SO₂ in plant biodiversity declines across other major geological boundaries coinciding with global scale volcanism should be further explored using leaf physiognomy.