Cytoplasmic pH of maize scutellum cells

The cytoplasmic pH of scutellum cells from 3-day-old maize seedlings was estimated from the distribution of 2, 4-dinitrophenol (DNP) between scutellum     

Cytoplasmic male sterility in barley

Summary The effect of the msm1 cytoplasm of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) on kernel protein and lysine was studied using the near-isogenic, unrestored derivatives of seven barley varieties. With normal lysine varieties, Adorra, Bomi, CI 4362, and Hankkija's Eero, the msm1 cytoplasm produced an average of one percentage point more protein than did the normal cytoplasm of the same varieties. There was no difference between the two cytoplasms with respect to their effect on the lysine content. With high lysine varieties, Bomi Risø mutant 13, Bomi Risø mutant 1508, and CI 3947, msm1 produced almost one percentage point more protein but protein with a somewhat decreased lysine content.Induced partial spike fertility in normal Adorra was found to be associated with lysine in meal (r=–0.999), with protein in meal (r=–0.984), and with lysine in protein (r=0.941). Removal of the spikes on the secondary tillers affected both the protein and its lysine content. It is suggested that good spike fertility is an important pre-requisite when selecting high lysine and/or high protein segregants or mutants.     

Cytoplasmic male sterility in barley

Summary The associations between seedling reactions to three fungal pathogens (Puccinia hordei, Pyrenophora teres, and Rhynchosporium secalis) or between adult plant reaction to Rh. secalis and the male fertility restoration ability of msml cytoplasm were studied in about 100 accessions of Hordeum spontaneum. Significant differences in the severity of infection between classes of restoration ability were observed with two cultures of P. hordei (751 and 7,649) and with Rh. secalis on adult plants in the field. The cultures 7,432, 751 and 7,649 of P. hordei showed significant positive correlations between infection severity and restoration percentage. The culture 7,620 of P. hordei displayed a significant negative correlation. Rh. secalis (cultures 492A and 531 combined) on seedlings and the natural field infection in the 1978 season showed significant positive correlations. The accession class with the partial restoration ability of 0.1 to 5.0% of the four arbitrary classes (0.0, 0.1–5.0, 5.1–55.0, and 90.1–100%), displayed the lowest mean severity of infection in six of the eleven tests. Some frequently appearing races of these pathogens may operate as selective agents in the maintenance of restoration ability in the original spontaneum populations.     

Cytoplasmic male sterility in barley

The maternal male sterile barley msm1 with or without a dominant gene, Rfmla, which restores male fertility, was studied. Determined with SDS-PAGE, the polypeptide pattern in the anthers of unrestored msm1 plants remains juvenile in the middle of anther development, two major zones being absent or weak. At the stage when anther development stops in msm1 plants, the anther proteins appear to be hydrolyzed to short-chain peptides. Restored plants, heterozygous for the restorer gene, Rfmla, behaved like the near-isogenic normal barley, cv. Adorra. The total leaf protein pattern of young leaf tissue and the chloroplastidic membrane protein pattern are normal in msm1 cytoplasm when studied with this technique. Chlorophyll b is unnecessary for restoration by Rfmla, though the restored plants have a lower chlorophyll a/b ratio than an unrestored plant in the mature stem leaf. Mature stem leaf pieces of unrestored msm1 plants were induced to senesce with 20 mM NaCl solution. This senescence was inhibited by exogenous kinetin. Leaf pieces of restored msm1 plants or those of near-isogenic normal barley behaved in the same way in the NaCl solution as in distilled water. Many features of the physiology of restored plants can be explained as the functions of cytokinins. Kernels of male sterile plants have a more rapid root elongation at germination than near-isogenic normal barley.     

Cytoplasmic male sterility in barley

Summary Restoration in the msm1 cytoplasm of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. s.l.) was studied from the standpoint of population biology and physiological effects on kernel protein. Restorer genes of 82 accessions of wild barley (ssp. spontaneum) from Israel were determined. 38% of the accessions were maintainers of sterility, 48% were partial restorers, and 14% were restorers. Fourteen dominant restorer genes are described, and evidence for three cases of allelism to Rfm1a is presented. The restorer accessions and their designated gene symbols are: PI 282636 (Rfm,,e), PI 282637 (Rfm,f), PI 282646 (Rfm,,g), PI 284742 (Rfm,h), PI 284743 (Rfm,,i), PI 284753 (Rfm,,j), PI 284755 (Rfm1d), PI 296838 (Rfm,,k), PI 296850 isolate 16/7 (Rfm,,l), PI 296853 (Rfm,,m), PI 296856 (Rfm1b), PI 296899 (Rfm,,n), PI 296919 (Rfm1c), PI 296944 (Rfm,,o). PI 296850 was found to contain both a restorer and a non-restorer genotype. None of the PI accessions with a restorer gene is a carrier of an msm1-type male sterilizing cytoplasm. In the present sample, plants with restoration ability occurred with a higher frequency in the material from the Judean Foothills than that from the other regions of Israel. The greater adaptive value of plants with restoration ability on certain soil associations in semiarid and subhumic climate is suggested. The considerable frequency of restorers and partial restorers in male fertile cytoplasm suggests that the restoration system evolved before the msm1-type cytoplasm. In the nuclear genotype near-isogenic with either Adorra or Risø 1508, msm1 plants heterozygous for Rfm1a produced 98.6 or 98.5% of the protein content in the respective recurrent pollen parent varieties. The amino acid compositions of the derivatives differed little from those of the varieties. In the derivatives, a consistent decrease was found in tryptophan, and consistent increases in isoleucine, phenyalanine, lysine, histidine, and arginine. In relation to glucose consumption, the bioenergetic cost calculated for the amino acid patterns found in the restored msm1 derivatives was slightly higher than that for the near-isogenic pollen parent varieties. The results suggest that the restorer gene in the heterozygous state normalizes the physiology of msm1 cytoplasm to a great extent.     

Isolation and identification of novel microRNAs from Marsupenaeus japonicus

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that function as regulators of gene expression. They play essential roles in various biological processes, such as development, differentiation and immune response. In this study, we identified 35 miRNAs from Marsupenaeus japonicus. Among them, fifteen miRNAs exhibited high homology to the known miRNAs from other arthropods, while the rest might represent novel miRNAs. We further showed a correlation of WSSV infection and the expression levels of 22 miRNAs. This is the first report to identify miRNAs from the shrimp. Our results extend the knowledge of the gene regulation of crustacean, providing clues for future researches of shrimp immunity against virus infection.     

Identification of novel stress-regulated microRNAs from Oryza sativa L.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of small non-coding RNA found in eukaryotes. They play a key role in gene expression by down-regulating gene expression and are involved in the environment stress response in plants. Although a large number of miRNAs have been identified from Arabidopsis, few studies have focused on Oryza sativa miRNAs, especially on stress-related miRNAs. Five cDNA libraries of small RNAs from rice seedlings treated with cold, dehydration, salinity, and abscisic acid (ABA), as well as wild-type seedlings, were constructed. Seven rice novel miRNAs were identified by Northern analysis, and their expression patterns under different stress treatments were determined. Results showed that the expression of several novel miRNAs was regulated by one or more stress treatments. Our identification of novel stress-related miRNAs in rice suggests that these miRNAs might be involved in rice stress response pathways.     

Isolation and characterization of male flower cDNAs from maize

Differential screening of two libraries made from whole, immature maize tassels was used to isolate six cDNAs which show enhanced levels of expression in male flowers. MFS1, MFS2, MFS4, MFS10 and MFS18, which were isolated from a 5 cm tassel library, are expressed throughout tassel growth up until mature pollen is produced in the anthers. MFS14, which was isolated from a 10–12 cm tassel library, has a narrower window of expression associated with microsporogenesis and declines as mature pollen is produced. MFS18 mRNA accumulates in the glumes and in anther walls, paleas and lemmas of mature florets. MFS18 mRNA is particularly associated with the vascular bundle in the glumes and encodes a polypeptide of 12 kDa, rich in glycine, proline and serine that has similarities with other plant structural proteins. In contrast, MFS14 mRNA accumulates in the tapetum and encodes a polypeptide of 13 kDa that is rich in alanine. The MFS14 and MFS18 proteins are basic (isolectric points of 11.56 and 9.54, respectively) and both have hydrophobic N-termini which display all the characteristics of signal peptides, indicating that these proteins may be secreted.     

Pro-inflammatory cytokines and microRNAs in male infertility

Molecular Biology Reports - Male infertility is a problem that affects 10–15% of men of reproductive age. In particular, gametogenesis is a complex process in which inflammation may play a...     

Serum microRNAs are promising novel biomarkers

Background

Circulating nucleic acids (CNAs) offer unique opportunities for early diagnosis of clinical conditions. Here we show that microRNAs, a family of small non-coding regulatory RNAs involved in human development and pathology, are present in bodily fluids and represent new effective biomarkers.

Methods and Results

After developing protocols for extracting and quantifying microRNAs in serum and other body fluids, the serum microRNA profiles of several healthy individuals were determined and found to be similar, validating the robustness of our methods. To address the possibility that the abundance of specific microRNAs might change during physiological or pathological conditions, serum microRNA levels in pregnant and non pregnant women were compared. In sera from pregnant women, microRNAs associated with human placenta were significantly elevated and their levels correlated with pregnancy stage.

Conclusions and Significance

Considering the central role of microRNAs in development and disease, our results highlight the medically relevant potential of determining microRNA levels in serum and other body fluids. Thus, microRNAs are a new class of CNAs that promise to serve as useful clinical biomarkers.     

Cytoplasmic streaming affects gravity-induced amyloplast sedimentation in maize coleoptiles

Living maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptile cells were observed using a horizontal microscope to determine the interaction between cytoplasmic streaming and gravity-induced amyloplast sedimentation. Sedimentation is heavily influenced by streaming which may (1) hasten or slow the velocity of amyloplast movement and (2) displace the plastid laterally or even upwards before or after sedimentation. Amyloplasts may move through transvacuolar strands or through the peripheral cytoplasm which may be divided into fine cytoplasmic strands of much smaller diameter than the plastids. The results indicate that streaming may contribute to the dynamics of graviperception by influencing amyloplast movement.     

Cytoplasmic male sterility in Vicia faba L.

Summary In many higher plants, nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions lead to pollen abortion. In Vicia faba, cytoplasmic male sterility is unstable as the cytoplasm appears to shift from a sterile to a fertile state. In this report, five flower phenotypes are defined but the study is focussed on the progenies obtained from intermediate, semi-sterile plants with the same homozygous nuclear constitution during five successive generations. The results could be interpreted by quantitative modifications of at least four different kinds of cytoplasmic determinants.     

玉米microRNAs及其靶基因的生物信息学预测

microRNAs (miRNAs) 是一类非编码的小分子RNA, 通过碱基互补调控靶基因的表达。鉴定和发现新的miRNAs及其靶基因, 对揭示miRNAs在基因表达调控中的作用至关重要。玉米全基因组测序工作开展较晚, 已经鉴定登记的miRNAs很少, 对靶基因的调控作用尚待解明。文章根据miRNA进化上的保守性, 以已知的植物miRNAs为探针, 与相关数据库中玉米表达序列标签(EST)和基因组序列(GSS)中的非编码序列比对, 共发现11个新的miRNA前体。虽然在序列长度和二级结构方面各有变化, 但这11个前体均可折叠形成miRNA家族的标准二级结构。通过靶基因预测, 找到其中7条miRNAs的26个靶基因, 分别编码与新陈代谢、信号转导、转录调节、跨膜运输、生物和非生物胁迫及叶绿体组装等相关的蛋白。这些miRNAs及其靶基因的鉴定, 补充了miRNA数据库的不足。