"Metallothionein-like" metal complexes in angiosperms; their structure and function

Evidence for the presence of the metal-binding protein metallothionein, MT, in higher plants is equivocal. Although a number of MT-like metal complexes have been isolated from plants, the chemical structures of most of these compounds have not been fully elucidated. Recently a novel class of plant peptides, poly (γ-glutamylcysteinyl) glycines, (γEC)_nG, have been discovered. These peptides bind metal ions, and in the presence of such ions the amount of (γEC), G in plant cells increases. The presence of peptide bonds through the γ-carboxyl group of glutamate, rather than the α-carboxyl group, suggests that these peptides are not encoded by structural genes but are the products of biosynthetic pathways. Cells which are resistant to supra-optimal concentrations of certain metal ions over-produce (γEC)_n G. (γEC)_n G. may be functional analogues of MT. Whether or not some plants also produce MT is an important question which remains to be answered.     

Poly(γ-glutamylcysteinyl)glycines or phytochelatins and their role in cadmium tolerance of Silene vulgaris

Abstract. The effect of cadmium on growth of Cd-tolerant and -sensitive plants of Silene vulgaris and on the production of metal-binding compounds in both types of plants was studied. The Cd-content of the roots and the Cd-root/shoot ratio was higher in Cd-tolerant plants. A Cd-binding compound (Cd-BC) with an apparent molecular mass of 14.5 kD was isolated from the roots of Cd-tolerant and -sensitive plants, grown in 40 mmol m⁻³ Cd for 21 d. More than 60% of the total Cd in the roots was associated with this compound. Determination of the amino-acid content of the purified Cd-containing compound from both types of plants showed that they possessed a similar amino-acid composition to that of phytochelatins. Only the bis- and tris-forms were present. The amount of Cd and sulphide associated with phytochelatin was greater in tolerant plants than in sensitive ones suggesting that an increased sulphide content of complexes containing peptide, sulphide and Cd may form the basis of evolved Cd-tolerance in Silence vulgaris.     

Tracking the role of alternative prey in soybean aphid predation by Orius insidiosus: a molecular approach

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest of soybeans in Asia, and in recent years has caused extensive damage to soybeans in North America. Within these agroecosystems, generalist predators form an important component of the assemblage of natural enemies, and can exert significant pressure on prey populations. These food webs are complex and molecular gut-content analyses offer nondisruptive approaches for examining trophic linkages in the field. We describe the development of a molecular detection system to examine the feeding behaviour of Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) upon soybean aphids, an alternative prey item, Neohydatothrips variabilis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and an intraguild prey species, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Specific primer pairs were designed to target prey and were used to examine key trophic connections within this soybean food web. In total, 32% of O. insidiosus were found to have preyed upon A. glycines, but disproportionately high consumption occurred early in the season, when aphid densities were low. The intensity of early season predation indicates that O. insidiosus are important biological control agents of A. glycines, although data suggest that N. variabilis constitute a significant proportion of the diet of these generalist predators. No Orius were found to contain DNA of H. axyridis, suggesting intraguild predation upon these important late-season predators during 2005 was low. In their entirety, these results implicate O. insidiosus as a valuable natural enemy of A. glycines in this soybean agroecosystem.     

Extreme stability of helices formed by water-soluble poly-N-substituted glycines (polypeptoids) with alpha-chiral side chains.

Poly-N-substituted glycines or "peptoids" are protease-stable peptide mimics. Although the peptoid backbone is achiral and lacks hydrogen-bond donors, substitution with alpha-chiral side chains can drive the formation of stable helices that give rise to intense CD spectra. To systematically study the solution properties and stability of water-soluble peptoid helices with alpha-chiral side chains, we have synthesized and characterized an amphipathic, 36-residue N-substituted glycine oligomer. CD was used to investigate effects of concentration and solvent environment on this helical peptoid. We saw no significant dependence of helical structure on concentration. Intense, "alpha-helix-like" CD spectra were observed for the 36-mer in aqueous, 2,2,2-trifluorethanol (TFE), and methanol solution, proving a relative insensitivity of peptoid helical structure to solvent environment. While CD spectra taken in these different solvents were fundamentally similar in shape, we did observe some interesting differences in the intensities of particular CD bands in the various solvents. For example, the addition of TFE to an aqueous solvent increases the degree of peptoid helicity, as is observed for polypeptide alpha-helices. Moreover, the helical structure of peptoids appears to be virtually unaffected by heat, even in an aqueous buffer containing 8 M urea. The extraordinary resistance of these peptoid helices to denaturation is consistent with a dominant role of steric forces in their structural stabilization. The structured polypeptoids studied here may have potential as robust mimics of helical polypeptides of therapeutic interest.     

不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育的形态指标

对采自广东、山东、河北和黑龙江4个省份大豆蚜Aphis glycines Matsumura种群在不同温度条件下的生长发育形态指标进行测定。结果表明,在20、25和30℃,不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育形态指标差异不显著;在15℃,不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育形态指标差异显著。在15～30℃,单一大豆蚜地理种群形态指标有随温度降低而增大的趋势。试验结果也表明,单一地理种群大豆蚜的Q值也有随着温度降低而增大的趋势;而在相同温度下,不同种群间的Q值变化不明显,差异性不显著。     

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone alter soybean diseases at SoyFACE

Human driven changes in the Earth's atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant disease in the future. We evaluated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and ozone (O₃) on three economically important soybean diseases (downy mildew, Septoria brown spot and sudden death syndrome‐SDS) under natural field conditions at the soybean free air concentration enrichment (SoyFACE) facility. Disease incidence and/or severity were quantified from 2005 to 2007 using visual surveys and digital image analysis, and changes were related to microclimatic variability and to structural and chemical changes in soybean host plants. Changes in atmospheric composition altered disease expression, but responses of the three pathosystems varied considerably. Elevated CO₂ alone or in combination with O₃ significantly reduced downy mildew disease severity (measured as area under the disease progress curve‐AUDPC) by 39–66% across the 3 years of the study. In contrast, elevated CO₂ alone or in combination with O₃ significantly increased brown spot severity in all 3 years, but the increase was small in magnitude. When brown spot severity was assessed in relation to differences in canopy height induced by the atmospheric treatments, disease severity increased under combined elevated CO₂ and O₃ treatment in only one of the 3 years. The atmospheric treatments had no effect on the incidence of SDS or brown spot throughout the study. Higher precipitation during the 2006 growing season was associated with increased AUDPC severity across all treatments by 2.7 and 1.4 times for downy mildew and brown spot, respectively, compared with drought conditions in 2005. In the 2 years with similar precipitation, the higher daily temperatures in the late spring of 2007 were associated with increased severity of downy mildew and brown spot. Elevated CO₂ and O₃ induced changes in the soybean canopy density and leaf age likely contributed to the disease expression modifications.     

大豆蚜危害胁迫对大豆叶片几个重要生理指标的影响

大豆蚜Aphis glycines Matsumura是为害大豆(Glycine max)的重要害虫,已给我国大豆生产造成了较为严重的经济损失。本研究通过测定大豆蚜危害胁迫后大豆叶片可溶性蛋白、非可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖含量及2种防御性酶——过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性的动态变化,探讨大豆蚜危害胁迫对大豆叶片几个重要生理指标的影响。研究结果表明,受到大豆蚜危害胁迫的大豆叶片与未受为害叶片中所含可溶性蛋白含量存在极显著差异(t0.01=11.814,df=4,P<0.01),且前者较后者含量明显增高1.73mg·g-1。与之相比较,非可溶性蛋白与可溶性糖含量分别在此两处理间无显著差异(t0.05=-1.104,df=4,P>0.05;t0.05=-2.639,df=4,P>0.05)。此外,受到大豆蚜危害胁迫的大豆叶片较未受为害叶片中所含POD活性有所升高,但在两处理间POD活性无显著差异(t=-2.639,df=4,P>0.05)。同时,受到大豆蚜危害的大豆叶片较未受为害的大豆叶片中CAT活性增强。本研究有助于揭示大豆蚜对大豆的危害机理,评价不同大豆品种对大豆蚜虫危害的耐受程度,也为大豆抗虫品种选育以及大豆蚜的可持续控制提供理论依据。     

Aphids decelerate litter nitrogen mineralisation through changes in litter quality

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