Effect of fungal fusaric acid on the root and leaf physiology of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seedlings

The impact of fusaric acid (FA) phytotoxin on the physiology of root leaf cells in watermelon seedlings was evaluated. Results revealed that the cell membrane potential treated with FA in 12 h was decreased by 61.9–81.8% compared with untreated controls. FA markedly accelerated the lipid peroxidase activity of watermelon leaves. Malondiadehyde in leaves treated with different concentrations of FA in 24 h was 5.2–11.0 fold as much as control. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity (PAL) in leaves treated with FA was first increased and then decreased. The highest PAL activity was obtained after 6–12 h, which was 7.2–10.5 fold as much as control. Activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) were first increased and then decreased when the seedlings were treated with FA. The highest SOD and POD activities were observed after 12 h and then both declined. The β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities in leaves treated with FA were first quickly increased and then declined, the highest activities were found after 12 and 3 h. We concluded that FA strongly inhibited root and leaf cells functions physiologically responsible for fusarium wilt of watermelon.     

Indole-3-acetic acid concentration and ethylene evolution during early fruit development in peach

Ethylene evolution was measured from greenhouse-grown Jerseyglo peach fruits beginning 29 days after anthesis. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels were measured in the pericarp and seed tissues of individual fruits on a single shoot when variable ethylene evolution was noted. Despite hand-pollinating all flowers on the same day, variability within the shoot existed in fruit fresh weight, IAA levels, and ethylene evolution. Seed IAA concentration increased as fruit and seed fresh weight increased and ranged from 106 to 1572 ng. g^–1. As pericarp fresh weight increased, IAA levels in this tissue decreased. Ethylene evolution rates ranged from 0.21 to 1.07 nl. g.^–1 h^–1 and were not correlated with IAA concentration in seed, pericarp, or the whole fruit. High rates of ethylene evolution from the whole fruit occurred prior to increased IAA concentration in the seed.Fruits were excised from field-grown Redskin peach trees beginning 40 days after full bloom. Fruits from field sampled shoots appeared to be more physiologically advanced than the greenhouse-grown Jerseyglo fruits. Pericarp IAA concentration was low, ranging from 2.8 to 6.5 ng. g^–1. Seed concentrations accounted for 75% of the IAA found in the fruit and ranged from 239 to 1042 ng. g^–1. As with greenhouse-grown samples, whole fruit IAA concentration tended to decrease as fruits increased in fresh weight.     

The relationship between the growth retardative effect of CCC and ethylene production

The ethylene production of the hypocotyls of CCC-treated bean plants was studied, and it was concluded that the treatment induced changes in the quantity of ethylene produced by the apical and basal hypocotyl parts. The ethylene production of the basal hypocotyl parts showed considerable increase on the effect of the treatment, in comparison with the control. The obtained results suggest a possible relationship between the longitudinal-growth inhibiting, stem-thickness inducing, root-formation stimulating effects of CCC and the effect exerted on ethylene production.     

HPLC analysis of fusaric acid, 9,10-dehydrofusaric acid and their methyl esters,toxic metabolites from weed pathogenic Fusarium species

A simple and rapid HPLC method, using a high-density C18 column, has been developed for the quantitative analysis of fusaric and dehydrofusaric acids and their methyl esters in the methanol extract of lyophilised culture filtrates of species of Fusarium. The method has been used to determine the content of these metabolites in two strains of Fusarium oxysporum and in strains of F. nygamai and F. udum. Fusaric acid has been isolated and identified from a strain of F. udum for the first time.     

Complexation of the fungal metabolite tenuazonic acid with copper (II), iron (III), nickel (II), and magnesium (II) ions

Tenuazonic acid (TA) is a phytotoxin produced by a fungal pathogen of rice, Pyricularia oryzae. We have synthesized and characterized the metal complexes of TA with copper (II), iron (III), nickel (II), and magnesium (II). The stoichiometry of the complexes determined by microanalysis and mass spectroscopy (D/CI) are Cu(II)TA2, Fe(III)TA3, Ni(II)TA2, and Mg(TA)2. Voltammograms of Fe(III)TA3, and Cu(II)TA2 in methanolic solutions confirmed this stoichiometry. Ni(II)TA2 paramagnetism and visible absorption data suggest an octahedral geometry. Fe(III)TA3 showed a characteristic visible absorption at 450 nm. Addition of Fe(III)Cl3 and Mg(II)Cl2 did not reverse the toxicity of NaTA to rice and bacterial cells, showing that this toxicity is not due to the privation of the cells of these metals essential for cell growth.     

The developing relationship between the study of fungal communities and community ecology theory

Plant and animal systems had a head start of several decades in community ecology and have largely created the theoretical framework for the field. I argue that the lag in fungal community ecology was largely due to the microscopic nature of fungi that makes observing species and counting their numbers difficult. Thus the basic patterns of fungal occurrence were, until recently, largely invisible. With the development of molecular methods, especially high-throughput sequencing, fungal communities can now be “seen”, and the field has grown dramatically in response. The results of these studies have given us unprecedented views of fungal communities in novel habitats and at broader scales. From these advances we now have the ability to see pattern, compare it to existing theory, and derive new hypotheses about the way communities are assembled, structured, and behave. But can fungal systems contribute to the development of theory in the broader realm of community ecology? The answer to this question is yes! In fact fungal systems already have contributed, because in addition to many important natural fungal communities, fungi also offer exceptional experimental communities that allow one to manipulate, control, isolate and test key mechanisms. I discuss five well-developed systems and some of the contributions they have made to community ecology, and I briefly mention one additional system that is amenable to development.     

Direct development in the tailed amphibians (salamanders), its origin and evolution

Biphasic life circle including water larvae and terrestrial adults is the primitive character for recent amphibians. Respectively, the larval development type (sensu Zakhvatkin, 1975) is also primitive for them. However, many amphibians possess direct development, in which the most part of ontogenesis takes place in the egg, and a miniature copy of the adult adapted to the terrestrial mode of life comes into the world. Transition from the larval type to the direct one occurs several times independently in Apoda, Urodela, and Anura. Pathways and mechanisms of formation of the direct type, its evolutionary tendencies, and ontogenetic prerequisites of that transition are studied in the plethodontid urodelans herewith in details. It is observed that the entire process of initial formation and subsequent specialization of the direct type involves: 1) progressing displacement of ontogenesis into embryogenesis and loss of larval characters, 2) desynchronization of initially metamorphic transformations and processes with their progressive lost, 3) acceleration of the beginning of functional activity of the thyroid gland, and 4) subsiding of the role of thyroid hormones in the ontogenesis regulation. Transition to the direct development type involves similar kinds of ontogenetic transformations and regulations in both Anura and Urodela despite of their independent evolution. Respectively, mechanisms of that transition are universal for the amphibians. The ontogenetic prerequisites of that transition are shown to be either significant dissociability of the larval and adult stages of ontogenesis (in anurans and plethodontid urodelans), or absence of the extreme larval specializations and respective sharp differences between larvae and adults (in extant Apoda and extinct labyrinthodonts and seymouriamorphs).     

水杨酸、茉莉酸和乙烯介导的防卫信号途径相互作用的研究进展

乙烯、水杨酸和茉莉酸是植物体内主要的几个防御信号途径,也是研究比较多的几个信号途径。很多试验证明不同的防御信号途径相互间存在相互作用,他们或相互抑制,或相互促进。从这三种信号途径相互间的作用,及作用的联系点进行综述。     

The effect of picolinic acid and iron ions on the proliferation of SPEV cells

The effect of picolinic acid (PA) on SPEV cell proliferation is found to be different from that on normal and virus transformed NRC cells, and on spontaneously transformed CHO cells. It is shown that SPEV cells are arrested by PA at the end of G1-phase and at the beginning of S-phase and probably in G2-phase of the cell cycle. Ferrous ions remove the G1/S block induced by PA to permit the cell transfer through S-phase. On the one hand, PA chelates ferrous ions from the cells, and on the other one it inhibits the replicative DNA synthesis. It can be suggested that PA may arrest the SPEV cell growth affecting the iron-depend stable radical formation which is introduced into the active centre of ribonucleotiDE reduCTase. This results in the lower enzyme activity.     

头癣与家养宠物的病原学关系探讨

为了解本地区头癣患者病原菌与家养宠物关系的流行分布情况,我们对来本院1998—2004年就诊的1020例头癣病患者及其所养宠物进行了病原菌的培养分离、鉴定结果进行分析,现将培养分离和鉴定结果报告如下。     

Soil fungal pathogens and the relationship between plant diversity and productivity

One robust result from many small-scale experiments has been that plant community productivity often increases with increasing plant diversity. Most frequently, resource-based or competitive interactions are thought to drive this positive diversity-productivity relationship. Here, we ask whether suppression of plant productivity by soil fungal pathogens might also drive a positive diversity-productivity relationship. We created plant assemblages that varied in diversity and crossed this with a ± soil fungicide treatment. In control (non-fungicide treated) assemblages there was a strong positive relationship between plant diversity and above-ground plant biomass. However, in fungicide-treated assemblages this relationship disappeared. This occurred because fungicide increased plant production by an average of 141% at the lower ends of diversity but boosted production by an average of only 33% at the higher ends of diversity, essentially flattening the diversity-productivity curve. These results suggest that soil pathogens might be a heretofore unappreciated driver of diversity-productivity relationships.     

The relationship between early embryo development and tumourigenesis

With the recent substantial progress in developmental biology and cancer biology, the similarities between early embryo development and tumourigenesis, as well as the important interaction between tumours and embryos become better appreciated. In this paper, we review in detail the embryonic origin of tumour, and the similarities between early embryo development and tumourigenesis with respect to cell invasive behaviours, epigenetic regulation, gene expression, protein profiling and other important biological behaviours. Given an improved understanding of the relationship between early embryo development and tumourigenesis, now we have better and broader resources to attack cancer from the perspective of developmental biology and develop next generation of prognostic and therapeutic approaches for this devastating disease.     

The relationship between force and focal complex development

To adhere and migrate, cells must be capable of applying cytoskeletal force to the extracellular matrix (ECM) through integrin receptors. However, it is unclear if connections between integrins and the ECM are immediately capable of transducing cytoskeletal contraction into migration force, or whether engagement of force transmission requires maturation of the adhesion. Here, we show that initial integrin-ECM adhesions become capable of exerting migration force with the recruitment of vinculin, a marker for focal complexes, which are precursors of focal adhesions. We are able to induce the development of focal complexes by the application of mechanical force to fibronectin receptors from inside or outside the cell, and we are able to extend focal complex formation to vitronectin receptors by the removal of c-Src. These results indicate that cells use mechanical force as a signal to strengthen initial integrin-ECM adhesions into focal complexes and regulate the amount of migration force applied to individual adhesions at localized regions of the advancing lamella.     

动物进化中神经肽样物质和神经系统关系之探讨

用免疫组织化学方法,研究和追踪神经肽样物质在原生动物、水螅及蝾螈胚胎发育过程中分布的变化,试图探索在动物早期进化过程中神经肽样物质和神经系统之间的关系。实验结果表明：（1）从系统发育看神经肽样物质比神经系统先出现并行使在细胞内的功能。（2）在随后的进化中神经肽样物质先分布于非神经系统部位,如肠道外缘及表皮,并逐渐进入神经系统,这无论从系统发育和个体发育中都能找到依据。（3）在神经系统,神经肽样物质先出现在周边神经,之后;才出现在中枢神经,实验中表明NPY是随着神经嵴细胞的迁移而进入周边神经系统,之后,随着胶质细胞的出现而出现在中枢神经系统。（4）原生动物和蝾螈胚胎均由皮膜或表皮细胞中囊泡状结构直接分泌神经肽祥物质进入胞质内或细胞外。     

The relationship between assessments of jet lag and some of its symptoms

The power of the symptoms of jet lag in predicting the amount of jet lag measured at the same and different times of the day has been investigated. A total of 85 subjects was studied for 6 days after a flight from the UK to Australia (10 time zones to the east). At 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00, and 24:00h, the subjects recorded their jet lag and fatigue. At 08:00h, they also assessed their sleep. At 12:00 and 16:00h, they assessed their attitude to a meal, as well as their motivation, commitment, and irritability. On retiring, they recorded bowel activity. Assessments were by visual analog scales. Jet lag was treated as the dependent variable and the symptoms as covariates in ANCOVAs. Fatigue was a powerful predictor of jet lag, provided it was measured at the same time, and some aspects of sleep predicted jet lag measured on retiring or rising. The other symptoms predicted jet lag less powerfully and/or at a wider range of times. It is concluded that, even though jet lag at any time of the day can be predicted from contemporaneous assessments of fatigue and that it can be predicted on retiring or rising from some aspects of changed sleep, jet lag is predicted less reliably from other symptoms, including aspects of mental performance. These findings question exactly what causes jet lag at a particular time of day, and so are relevant to studies which use this measurement to investigate the problems associated with time-zone transitions, and ways to ameliorate them.     

The relationship between latitude,migration and the evolution of bird song complexity

For the past several decades it has been proposed that birds show latitudinal variation in song complexity. How universal this variation may be and what factors generate it, however, are still largely unknown. Furthermore, while migration is confounded with latitude, migratory behaviour alone may also be associated with variation in song complexity. In this paper we review the literature to assess current ideas on how latitude and migratory behaviour may drive large‐scale geographical patterns of song complexity. At least seven distinct hypotheses have been proposed in 29 studies of the topic. Four of these hypotheses posit that sexual selection pressures co‐vary with latitude and/or migration, resulting in concordant changes in song. Other hypotheses suggest that mechanisms other than sexual selection, such as large‐scale changes in environmental sound transmission properties, may be at play. Sixteen studies found support for increased song complexity with increased latitude and/or migration, whereas 13 did not. Relatively few studies exist on this topic, and methodological differences between them and variable definitions of ‘complexity’ make it difficult to determine whether results are comparable and concordant. At a minimum, it is possible to conclude there is no strong evidence that song complexity increases with latitude and/or migration in all birds. Future work should focus on examining multiple hypotheses at once to further advance our understanding of how latitude, migration and song complexity may or may not be related.     

The relationship between symptoms of depression and body weight in younger adults

A bidirectional relationship between obesity and depression may exist, though previous results are conflicting. The objectives of our study were to determine whether there is a bidirectional relationship between obesity and symptoms of depression in younger adults and whether this relationship varies with sociodemographic factors. We used data from 7,980 participants in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 to examine whether baseline depressive symptoms (score ≥ 10 on a seven-item subscale of the CES-D) in 1992, predicted adjusted percent change in BMI between 1992 and 1994. We then examined whether obesity in 1992 predicted the development of symptoms of depression in 1994, after adjustment for confounders. We found that the presence of baseline depressive symptoms was not prospectively associated with increase in percent BMI, except in Hispanic women. Additionally, baseline obesity was not associated with higher risk of future symptoms of depression in the sample overall (adjusted risk ratio (RR) 1.20; 99% CI 0.91-1.60). However, in those of higher socioeconomic status, obesity was associated with almost double the risk of depressive symptoms compared to nonobese (highest income category: adjusted RR 1.97; 99% CI 1.14-3.40). We concluded that although obesity was not associated with risk of depression symptoms in the population overall, obesity was associated with an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms in those of higher socioeconomic status. Sociodemographic factors may be important modifiers of the relationship between obesity and depression.     

The relationship between the age of bacillus subtilis spores and their resistance to ethylene oxide

ИААлeдуя стeрилизуящee дeйсBниe газообразного этилeноксида на споры бактeАии Bacillus subtilis, мы обнаружили возрастныe разлизия в устойчивости спор, полуGeнных из одной и тоHй жe субкультуры. Это наблядeниe доказываeт, чРо послe окончания eазвития из вeгeтативной клeтки споры продолжают подвeргаться глкбоким цитологичeским чзмeнeниям — и нeзависимо от влияния внeшнeй срeды.SS