Diffusible IAA and dominance phenomena in fruits of apple and tomato

The relationships between indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) diffusing out of the fruit and competition among fruits, and between fruits and shoot tips were investigated using apple ( Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Jonagold) and tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. Dominant fruits always had more diffusible IAA than subordinated, inhibited fruits. Alterations in dominance – by fruit- or shoot tip removal – led to significant changes in diffusible IAA by the remaining fruits. This change could be detected one day after dominance modification.
It is suggested that diffusible IAA is involved in the correlative signal regulating dominance relationship between fruits, and between fruits and shoots in apple and tomato.     

关中小麦品种产量构成因素的相互关系和产量育种目标

对关中地区不同年代及当前大面积推广的小麦品种（系）的产量及其构成因素进行了遗传分析和通径分析。结果表明：陕西关中地区近期小麦品种的产量育种目标的趋势是在提高现有穗粒数的基础上,保持现有的穗数（７００万／ｈｍ＾２）及千粒重（３８ｇ左右）,以求在提高品种产量潜力的同时,保持或增加品种的稳定性能;或是大幅度提高穗粒数（３５粒左右）,适当提高千粒重（４０ｇ左右）,适当降低穗数（６００万／ｈｍ＾２左右）,以     

Abscission and thinning of young fruit and thier regulation by plant hormones and bioregulators

Natural abscission of young fruit and its regulation by plant hormones isconsidered and compared to the generally accepted model of senescencetriggered abscission of, for example, leaves or mature fruit. It isconcluded that abscission of young fruit cannot be explained by this model.Alternatively, it is suggested that the senescence triggered initial step inthe classical abscission model should be replaced by a correlativelytriggered step. Polar basipetal IAA transport with its autostimulation andautoinhibition components is the main regulating signal in this correlativeacting system and replaces ethylene as the initial driving force from thesenescence triggered model.Results supporting this model are presented and tested against existingresults from the literature. Finally, this hypothesis is tested as a possibleexplanation of the mode of action of some thinning chemicals orbioregulators. It is speculated how a thinning chemical should be designedto function in a more reliable way, at least as far as its interference with the endogenous hormone system is concerned.     

Correlative Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy for Observing the Three-Dimensional Ultrastructure of Membranous Cell Organelles in Relation to Their Molecular Components

Although the osmium maceration method has been used to observe three-dimensional (3D) structures of membranous cell organelles with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the use of osmium tetroxide for membrane fixation and the removal of cytosolic soluble proteins largely impairs the antigenicity of molecules in the specimens. In the present study, we developed a novel method to combine cryosectioning with the maceration method for correlative immunocytochemical analysis. We first immunocytochemically stained a semi-thin cryosection cut from a pituitary tissue block with a cryo-ultramicrotome, according to the Tokuyasu method, before preparing an osmium-macerated specimen from the remaining tissue block. Correlative microscopy was performed by observing the same area between the immunostained section and the adjacent face of the tissue block. Using this correlative method, we could accurately identify the gonadotropes of pituitary glands in various experimental conditions with SEM. At 4 weeks after castration, dilated cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) were distributed throughout the cytoplasm. On the other hand, an extremely dilated cisterna of the RER occupied the large region of the cytoplasm at 12 weeks after castration. This novel method has the potential to analyze the relationship between the distribution of functional molecules and the 3D ultrastructure in different composite tissues.     

太白红杉生殖年龄及其影响因素分析

研究了太白红杉的平均生殖年龄、最高生殖年龄和最小生殖年龄以及与环境之间的关系。结果表明太白红杉的平均生殖年龄为78．59a,最小生殖年龄为26a,最大生殖年龄为208a;其中南坡太白山最小生殖年龄26a、最高生殖年龄153a、平均生殖年龄72．97a;北坡最小生殖年龄29a、最高生殖年龄208a、平均生殖年龄92a。海拔和年降水与平均生殖年龄呈正相关,坡度与最高生殖年龄呈正相关,最高生殖年龄与最小生殖年龄呈正相关,表明提早生殖会减少太白红杉的生殖寿命。     

Correlative light and electron microscopy imaging of autophagy in a zebrafish infection model

High-resolution imaging of autophagy has been used intensively in cell culture studies, but so far it has been difficult to visualize this process in detail in whole animal models. In this study we present a versatile method for high-resolution imaging of microbial infection in zebrafish larvae by injecting pathogens into the tail fin. This allows visualization of autophagic compartments by light and electron microscopy, which makes it possible to correlate images acquired by the 2 techniques. Using this method we have studied the autophagy response against Mycobacterium marinum infection. We show that mycobacteria during the progress of infection are frequently associated with GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles, and that 2 types of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles were observed. The majority of these vesicles were approximately 1 μm in size and in close vicinity of bacteria, and a smaller number of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles was larger in size and were observed to contain bacteria. Quantitative data showed that these larger vesicles occurred significantly more in leukocytes than in other cell types, and that approximately 70% of these vesicles were positive for a lysosomal marker. Using electron microscopy, it was found that approximately 5% of intracellular bacteria were present in autophagic vacuoles and that the remaining intracellular bacteria were present in phagosomes, lysosomes, free inside the cytoplasm or occurred as large aggregates. Based on correlation of light and electron microscopy images, it was shown that GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles displayed autophagic morphology. This study provides a new approach for injection of pathogens into the tail fin, which allows combined light and electron microscopy imaging in vivo and opens new research directions for studying autophagy process related to infectious diseases.     

Spatial Distribution and Correlative Study of the Total and the Available Heavy Metals in Soil From a Typical Lead Smelting Area,China

Representative soil samples (n = 453) were collected from a lead smelting area in central China. The total and the available contents of several hazardous elements, including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury were determined. Inorganic acid were used for the pretreatment of the total element analysis. DTPA (Diethylene triamine pentacetate acid) digestion, an effective pretreatment procedure for the biological availability assessment of heavy metals, was used for bio-available assessment in this study. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed for the instrumental analysis. The results indicated that the soil samples were seriously polluted by mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium around the smelting factories, comparing to many other cities in China. Spatial distributions of the metal contents were then illustrated with maps. For 220 samples in pollution areas, average bio-effectiveness rates of cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic in soils were 25.9%, 17.2%, 0.58% and 0.11%, respectively. The relationships of the total and the available contents of metals were investigated, among which lead and cadmium were found to can be expressed as linear and power function. These equations were tested inversely and further verified by the data from six randomly selected sites. The results will be helpful to assess the bioavailable contents of lead and cadmium fast and accurately only by the total contents and functional calculation in similar study.     

Multi‐model comparison highlights consistency in predicted effect of warming on a semi‐arid shrub

A number of modeling approaches have been developed to predict the impacts of climate change on species distributions, performance, and abundance. The stronger the agreement from models that represent different processes and are based on distinct and independent sources of information, the greater the confidence we can have in their predictions. Evaluating the level of confidence is particularly important when predictions are used to guide conservation or restoration decisions. We used a multi‐model approach to predict climate change impacts on big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), the dominant plant species on roughly 43 million hectares in the western United States and a key resource for many endemic wildlife species. To evaluate the climate sensitivity of A. tridentata, we developed four predictive models, two based on empirically derived spatial and temporal relationships, and two that applied mechanistic approaches to simulate sagebrush recruitment and growth. This approach enabled us to produce an aggregate index of climate change vulnerability and uncertainty based on the level of agreement between models. Despite large differences in model structure, predictions of sagebrush response to climate change were largely consistent. Performance, as measured by change in cover, growth, or recruitment, was predicted to decrease at the warmest sites, but increase throughout the cooler portions of sagebrush's range. A sensitivity analysis indicated that sagebrush performance responds more strongly to changes in temperature than precipitation. Most of the uncertainty in model predictions reflected variation among the ecological models, raising questions about the reliability of forecasts based on a single modeling approach. Our results highlight the value of a multi‐model approach in forecasting climate change impacts and uncertainties and should help land managers to maximize the value of conservation investments.     

Large-scale spatial and temporal dynamics of the vulnerable and highly mobile superb parrot

Aim To investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the vulnerable and highly mobile superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) across its range in south‐eastern mainland Australia. Location South‐eastern Australia (27°–37° S latitude and 141°–151° E longitude). Methods We used generalized additive models (GAMs) to model time‐specific bird atlas occurrence data against time‐specific plant productivity data, plus a range of environmental predictor variables. We then examined the effects of environmental variables on the temporal and spatial patterns of predicted abundance and distribution of the superb parrot using a correlative mapping approach. Results Key findings from GAM analysis were: (1) there was a strong positive relationship between abundance and plant productivity in all regions, but (2) the response of abundance to other predictor variables often differed between regions. Correlative mapping predictions of the abundance and distribution of the superb parrot also indicated that: (1) predicted abundance varied through time and space, (2) predicted abundance sometimes decreased in all regions, but at other times some regions had high abundance when others had low, and (3) changes in plant productivity (and therefore climate) were associated with this variation. Main conclusion The superb parrot favours productive landscapes that are also favoured for agriculture. Movements appear to be associated with seasonal and year to year climate variability. Thus, variation in the recorded abundance of the superb parrot may mask population trends, suggesting that existing population estimates are unreliable. Also, high abundances in some areas, and at some times, may reflect deteriorating habitat conditions elsewhere rather than species recovery. Temporal variability in the distribution of the superb parrot makes it difficult to identify specific drought refugia. Consequently, through time, as key habitat continues to deteriorate, the species will become increasingly vulnerable and threatened. Whole‐landscape habitat conservation and restoration strategies are therefore needed to sustain superb parrot populations in the long‐term.     

Discovery of a new RNA-containing nuclear structure in UVC-induced apoptotic cells by integrated laser electron microscopy

Background information. Treatment of cells with UVC radiation leads to the formation of DNA cross‐links which, if not repaired, can lead to apoptosis. γ‐H2AX and cleaved caspase 3 are proteins formed during UVC‐induced DNA damage and apoptosis respectively. The present study sets out to identify early morphological markers of apoptosis using a new method of correlative microscopy, ILEM (integrated laser electron microscopy). Cleaved caspase 3 and γ‐H2AX were immunofluorescently labelled to mark the cells of interest. These cells were subsequently searched in the fluorescence mode of the ILEM and further analysed at high resolution with TEM (transmission electron microscopy). Results. Following the treatment of HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) with UVC radiation, in the majority of the cells γ‐H2AX was formed, whereas only in a subset of cells caspase 3 was activated. In severely damaged cells with high levels of γ‐H2AX a round, electron‐dense nuclear structure was found, which was hitherto not identified in UV‐stressed cells. This structure exists only in nuclei of cells containing cleaved caspase 3 and is present during all stages of the apoptotic process. Energy‐loss imaging showed that the nuclear structure accumulates phosphorus, indicating that it is rich in nucleic acids. Because the nuclear structure did not label for DNA and was not affected by regressive EDTA treatment, it is suggested that the UV‐induced nuclear structure contains a high amount of RNA. Conclusions. Because the UV‐induced nuclear structure was only found in cells labelled for cleaved caspase 3 it is proposed as an electron microscopic marker for all stages of apoptosis. Such a marker will especially facilitate the screening for early apoptotic cells, which lack the well‐known hallmarks of apoptosis within a cell population. It also raises new questions on the mechanisms involved in the UV‐induced apoptotic pathway.