水稻的光合作用、生长、碳同位素分辨作用及抗渗透胁迫性对CO2浓度增高的响应

四个水稻(Oryza sativa L.)品种"IR72"、"特三矮2号"、"桂朝2号"和"Ⅱ优4480"在田间栽于含35 μmol/mol 和60 μmol/mol CO2的塑料大棚中,自然光照.高浓度CO2下供试水稻品种的光合速率变化表现为提高型("IR72"、"特三矮2号")、稳定型("桂朝2号"的Pn几无变化)和下调型("Ⅱ优4480").生长速率、穗重、由Δ13C计算而得的长期水分利用效率和清除DPPH@自由基的能力皆增加.除"Ⅱ优4480"外,其他3个品种明显增高总生物量.供试品种的穗重/总生物量比不同程度地受到高浓度CO2的改变.叶片段经PEG渗透胁迫后,不同的生长于高浓度CO2者的电解质渗漏率较小.结果表明高浓度CO2可改变水稻的光合作用和水分关系特性,品种间不同的响应显示了选育适于未来高浓度CO2下具有高产和抗逆性品种的可能性.     

Genotypes Analyses of Ten Genes Related to Eating Quality of Twenty-three Fragrant Rice Cultivars by Molecular Marker

Fragrance is a very important quality traits of rice, fragrant rice research has been an important research issue in rice research fields in nowadays. In our study, using the detection method of molecular markers, genotypes of the 10 genes (Wx, SSII 3, SBE3, AGPiso, SSIII 2, AGPlar, PUL, SSI, ISA, SSIV 2) associated rice eating quality were analyzed in the 23 fragrant rice cultivars. The result indicated that the “2845”rice cultivar possesses the best combination of genotypes related to the highest eating quality, and the next best rice cultivars were “Songxiangzaojing”, ”Suhuxiangjing”, “B1”, “Wuyun2645”, “Tongyunjing”, “Yinxiang28”, “Xiangjing49②”, “99983”, “Wxiang99075”, “07-08”, “Yunjingyou15”, “29185”, “Nanhai318”. Other 9 rice cultivars (“Dahuaxiangjing”, “Wuxiang14”, “Xiangjing”, “Della”, “Dalixiang”, “Taiguoxiangdao”, “Cxiang517”, “Xiangdao No1”, “Zhongxiang No1”) obtain some of bad genotypes which may have adverse effect on rice eating quality. This study was helpful to establish an overall understanding of the genotypes of these ten eating quality related genes in the 23 tested fragrant rice cultivars, and provides the important genotype information in selecting and cultivating new fragrant rice with good eating quality in future via molecular markers assisted selection method.     

雪花莲外源凝集素基因转化番茄

The plasmid pRSSGNA1 carried a snowdrop lectin gene (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin, GNA) under the drive of RSs-1 promoter, were successfully transferred into three tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cultivars, “C8”,“A39” and “A53” via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Regenerated plantlets were obtained from cotyledons after preculture, shoot inducing culture and root inducing culture. Transgenic tomato plants were confirmed by the kanamycin-resistant experiment, PCR analysis and Southern blot. The preliminary results from bioassay demonstrated significant resistance of the transgenic plants to aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) larvae. The inheritance of selective marker gene (NPTⅡ) in 3 transgenic tomato plants is in the model of the simple Mendel's fashion in progenies of the selfing generation.     

Effect of Heat Stress on Photosynthetic Characteristics of Different Green Organs of Winter Wheat During Grain-filling Stage

Four winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) varieties (“JD 8”, “Jing 411”,“Centurk” and “Tam 202”) were used to study the effect of heat stress on photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaf blade, flag leaf sheath, peduncle, glume, lemma and awn during grain-filling stage. The results showed that heat acclimation during grain-filling stage increased thermotolerance of wheat with significant differences among different green organs. During heat stress, the decreases of the efficiency of primary light energy conversion ( Fv/Fm ) of PS and pigment (chlorophyll and carotenoid) content were much slower in peduncle, flag leaf sheath and glume than in flag leaf blade, lemma and awn; and the percentage of decrease in net photosynthetic rate ( Pn ) of ear was lower than that of the flag leaf blade. The measured photosynthetic parameters ( Fv/Fm , Pn and pigment content) of “JD 8”, a relatively heat tolerant variety, declined more slowly than those of the other three varieties during the whole heat stress period.      

Construction of EMS-Induced Peanut Mutant Libraries and Identification of Pod-Related Traits Mutant Lines

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an oil and economic crop of vital importance, and peanut pod is the key organ influencing the yield and processing quality. Hence, the Pod-related traits (PRTs) are considered as important agronomic traits in peanut breeding. To broaden the variability of PRTs in current peanut germplasms, three elite peanut cultivars were used to construct Ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)-induced mutant libraries in this study. The optimal EMS treatment conditions for the three peanut varieties were determined. It was found that the median lethal dose (LD50) of EMS treatment varied greatly among different genotypes. Finally, the EMS-induced peanut mutant libraries were constructed and a total of 124 mutant lines for PRTs were identified and evaluated. Furthermore, “M-8070”, one of the mutant lines for pod constriction, was re-sequenced via high-throughput sequencing technology. The genome-wide variations between “M-8070” and its wild parent “Fuhua 8” (FH 8) were detected. 2994 EMS-induced single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1188 insertion-deletions (InDels) between “M-8070” and its wild parent were identified. The predominant SNP mutation type was C/G to T/A transitions, while the predominant InDel mutation type was “1-bp”. We analyzed the distribution of identified mutations and annotated their functions. Most of the mutations (91.68% of the SNPs and 77.69% of the InDels) were located in the intergenic region. 72 SNPs were identified in the exonic region, leading to 27 synonymous, 43 non-synonymous and 2 stop-gain variation for gene structure. 13 Indels were identified in the exonic region, leading to 4 frame-shift, 8 non-frame-shift and 1 stop-gain variations of genes. These mutations may lead to the phenotypic variation of “M-8070”. Our study provided valuable resources for peanut improvement and functional genomic research.     

水稻耐光氧化和耐荫特性的生理基础

用简易、有效的人工光氧化和遮荫技术对30个水稻(Oryza sativa L.)种质进行筛选,鉴定出既耐光氧化又耐荫、耐光氧化不耐荫、耐荫不耐光氧化、既不耐荫又不耐光氧化等4种品种类型,并用既耐光氧化又耐荫的品种"武育粳3号"和对光氧化和遮荫均敏感的品种"香籼"进行光合特性研究.结果表明:在遮荫条件下,与对光氧化和遮荫敏感的品种"香籼"比较,"武育粳3号"的PSⅡ活性差异不大,RuBisCO活性降低较少,光合能力、光合生产力较高.在光抑制条件下,"武育粳3号"的PSⅡ活性,PSⅡ光化学效率(Fv/Fm),PSⅡ-D1蛋白含量降低较少,光合作用光抑制较轻.在光氧化条件下,内源活性氧清除剂SOD诱导活性高,清除O-能力强,因而叶绿素衰减较慢.上述研究为水稻育种提供了配套的优良生理特性的鉴定技术和生理依据.     

Studies on a Gynoecious-specific ACC Synthase Gene in Different Sexual Phenotypes of Cucumber Genome

Using a pair of primers (Primer Ⅰ and Primer Ⅱ), the authors have amplified a fragment of ACC synthase gene about 1025 bp from four varieties of gynoecious species of cucumber （Cucumis sativus L.） viz.:“CORONA”,“DALEVE”,“Zhongnong No.5”,and “Ouzhou No.8”. Sequence analysis revealed that this fragment of ACC synthase gene was more than 99% homologous with the gene reported by Trebitsh et al (1997). The authors regard them as the same gene, but it exhibited less homology with this ACC synthase gene when expressed by other induction. Southern blot analysis showed that this fragment of ACC synthase gene is associated with the sexual phenotype of cucumber,and it is the specific gene of gynoecium. However, the number of its copies has no direct correlation with the degree of female expression; this seems to indicate that there might be other genes associated with the degree of feminization.     

Identification of the Molecular Markers Linked to the Salt-resistance Locus in the Wheat Using RAPD-BSA Technique

Calli from mature embryo of “Jimai-24” wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) were induced on medium containing Zhengdingmycin then continuously cultured on medium containing 0.5% NaCl till to regenerate plants named 8901-17 salt-tolerant mutant. “Jimai-24” was compared with 8901-17 by using the technique of RAPD. Thirty-five out of 280 random primers could detect DNA polymorphism. The similarity index was 0.978, indicating that they were NILs (near-isogenic lines). Two F2 populations (“Jimai-24”×8901-17 and 8901-17דZhongmai-9”) had been constructed using the method of half-division. The two relative DNA pools (salt tolerant DNA pool and susceptible DNA pool) which come from the two F2 populations, respectively, had been made according to the method of BSA (bulked segregant analysis). RAPD analysis between the two DNA relative pools was carried on with above 35 random primers which could detect DNA polymorphism definitely. The identical polymorphism between the two sets of DNA pools come from the two F2 populations could be determined only by OperonQ4 primer. This result implied that the polymorphic fragment amplified by OperonQ4 primer was the molecular marker of RAPD closely linked to the salt tolerant mutation locus.     

水稻基因APRT的克隆及其与温敏核雄性不育的关系

在拟南芥中腺嘌呤磷酸核糖转移酶基因(APRT)突变导致植株雄性不育.本文首次报道从水稻(Oryza sativa subsp.indica)中克隆了基因APRT(GenBank登录号AY238894),并将其定位于水稻第4染色体的一个BAC克隆(AL606604)的58 000 bp至63 000 bp区域.该基因长4 220 bp(起始密码子至终止密码子),含7个外显子、6个内含子,编码的APRT蛋白长212个氨基酸残基,与其他物种来源的APRT序列存在很高的同源性.与大麦、小麦、拟南芥1型及其2型的该蛋白同源性分别为54.9%、54.9%、49.6%和59.5%.经保守结构域搜索发现该蛋白中存在APRT催化结构域.从DNA、mRNA两个水平分析了该基因与水稻温敏核雄性不育(TGMS)的关系,结果表明:受温度诱导,水稻"安农S-1"APRT基因的表达变化可能与温敏核雄性不育表现型具相关性.     

钼、硼对大豆叶片膜脂过氧化及体内保护系统的影响

The study deals with the changes of membrane peroxidation and endogenous protective system with different supplementation of molybdenum (Mo) and/or boron (B) concentration in soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves at three developmental stages (5-trifoliate stage, initiation of flowering, and peak podsetting stage) in three pot-grown soybean varieties (“Zhechun No.3”, “Zhechun No.2”, “3811”). The control plants under low Mo and low B exhibited an increasing of membrane permeability (MP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (Pro) contents, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and ascorbate oxidase (AO) activities and a decrease of ascorbate (AsA) contents, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (AP) and catalase (CAT) activities. Application of Mo or B alone raised the ability of anti-oxidant of soybean leaves. The results indicated that the anti-oxidant enzymes (including SOD, POD, CAT and AP) related closely to anti-oxidant compounds (including AsA and Pro). There was some difference between the effects of Mo and B on the anti-oxidant, and a synergetic effect was observed between Mo and B. Some genetic variation in the responses to Mo and B was found among the three soybean varieties which was related to the activities of the total anti-oxidant systems.     

C4 Pathway Enzymes in Soybean Leaves

High-yielding soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) variety, “Heinong 40”, and one control variety, “Heinong 37”, were used as experimental materials. The activities of C4 pathway enzymes, i.e. PEPCase (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase), NADP-ME (NADP-malic enzyme), NADP-MDH (NADP-malate dehydrogenase), PPDK (pyruvate phosphate dikinase) and RuBPCase (ribulose-1.5-bisphosphate carbozylase) were assayed at seedling, blooming, pod-bearing and pod-filling stage. The results indicated that C4 pathway enzymes were expressed differently at different developing stages in both varieties of soybean, but the ratio of PEPCase and RuBPCase showed that the expression of C4 pathway enzymes of “Heinong 40” was higher than those of “Heinong 37” at each stage. The results showed that C4 pathway enzymes were closely related to the crop yielding potential. Therefore, it is possible to select potentially high-yielding soybean variety by the expression of C4 pathway enzymes.     

Pragmatic turn in biology: From biological molecules to genetic content operators

Erwin Schrdinger‘s question "What is life?" received the answer for decades of "physics + chemistry". The concepts of Alain Turing and John von Neumann introduced a third term: "information". This led to the understanding of nucleic acid sequences as a natural code. Manfred Eigen adapted the concept of Hammings "sequence space". Similar to Hilbert space, in which every ontological entity could be defined by an unequivocal point in a mathematical axiomatic system, in the abstract "sequence space" concept each point represents a unique syntactic structure and the value of their separation represents their dissimilarity. In this concept molecular features of the genetic code evolve by means of self-organisation of matter. Biological selection determines the fittest types among varieties of replication errors of quasi-species. The quasi-species concept dominated evolution theory for many decades. In contrast to this, recent empirical data on the evolution of DNA and its forerunners, the RNA-world and viruses indicate cooperative agent-based interactions. Group behaviour of quasi-species consortia constitute de novo and arrange available genetic content for adaptational purposes within real-life contexts that determine epigenetic markings. This review focuses on some fundamental changes in biology, discarding its traditional status as a subdiscipline of physics and chemistry.     

Comparative Spectroscopic Studies on the Photoinhibition Process in Photosystem ￠?Complex from Two Wheat Cultivars

The photodamage processes of PSⅠ particles isolated from two wheat cultivars “Jing 411” and “Xiaoyan 54” were studied by comparing the difference in spectroscopic properties. It was found that high light intensity caused the damage of pigments in PSⅠ, especially Chl a molecules with maximum absorption at 683 nm is very sensitive to high light. The change in fluorescence spectra revealed that photodamage also led to the damage of the process of energy transfer in PSⅠ. In the PSⅠ particles “Xiaoyan 54”, the absorption of Chl a molecules at 683 nm slightly decreased at the beginning of illumination and meanwhile the fluorescence become stronger, but the absorption become stable rather long, and declining after 40 min. On the other hand, PSⅠ particles of “Jing 411” showed no such changes during the process of photodamage. Presumably in PSⅠ of “Xiaoyan 54”, excessive energy was distributed to long wave chlorophyll molecules and the number of antenna pigment molecules was less, so that less energy was transferred to the reaction center P700 and thus it was protected. This is the possible reason why “Xiaoyan 54” was more resistant to photooxidation.     

利用转hpRNA基因水稻抗水稻矮缩病毒

具有发夹结构的双链RNA(hairpin RNA,hpRNA)能高效诱导转录后基因沉默的发生.以水稻(Oryza sativaL.)矮缩病毒(RDV)基因组中第八片段编码区128～754 bp的序列为臂构建hpRNA,并克隆到植物表达载体pROK-2上.通过农杆菌介导的方法转化水稻"中花11".Southern blot分析表明,共获得12株阳性转化体.用带有RDV的叶蝉(Nephotettix cincticeps)接种Tl代转hpRNA水稻,结果表明转基因水稻对RDV具有高抗性或表现为症状延迟.而相同序列的有义链的转基因水稻和空载体的转基因水稻表现为典型的RDV侵染症状.HpRNA在转基因水稻中对RDV高抗性发挥重要作用.     

Stable low molecular weight RNA analyzed by staircase electrophoresis, a molecular signature for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms

Low-molecular weight RNA (LMW RNA) analysis using staircase electrophoresis was performed for several species of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms. According to our results, the LMW RNA profiles of archaea and bacteria contain three zones: 5S RNA, class 1 tRNA and class 2 tRNA. In fungi an additional band is included in the LMW RNA profiles, which correspond to the 5.8S RNA. In archaea and bacteria we found that the 5S rRNA zone is characteristic for each genus and the tRNA profile is characteristic for each species. In eukaryotes the combined 5.8S and 5S rRNA zones are characteristic for each genus and, as in prokaryotes, tRNA profiles are characteristic for each species. Therefore, stable low molecular weight RNA, separated by staircase electrophoresis, can be considered a molecular signature for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. Analysis of the data obtained and construction of the corresponding dendrograms afforded relationships between genera and species; these were essentially the same as those obtained with 16S rRNA sequencing (in prokaryotes) and 18S rRNA sequencing (in eukaryotes).     

Regions of Intermolecular Complementarity in Escherichia coli 16S rRNA,mRNA, and tRNA Molecules

The results of computer analysis of complementarity regions in the sequences of E. coli 16S rRNA, mRNAs and tRNAs are reported in this article. The potential regions of intermolecular RNA–RNA hybridization, or clinger fragments, in 16S rRNA, which are complementary to the sites frequently occurring in mRNAs and tRNAs, were found. Major clinger fragments on 16S rRNA are universal for genes that belong to different functional groups. Our results show there are adaptations of the structural organization of the 16S rRNA molecule to messenger and transport RNA sequences. RNA interaction with clinger fragments may contribute to upregulation of the translation process through increasing the local concentration of mRNAs and tRNAs in the vicinity of the ribosome and their proper positioning, as well as decrease the efficiency of translation through nonspecific mRNA–16SrRNA interactions.     

P61 Protein from a Male Sterile Mutant of Rice is an Isoform of the Chloroplast ATPase β Subunit

P61 was a protein identified from chloroplasts of Nongken 58S, a male sterile mutant of rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica). Microsequence analysis has revealed that its N-terminal sequence was identical to N-termini of ATPase β subunits of chloroplasts from rice and barley. The antiserum produced using ATPase β subunit from maize specifically recognized P61. P61 had the same molecular weight as the chloroplast ATPase β subunit of wild-type rice “Nongken 58”, but had different isoelectric point (pI) from this β　subunit. P61 was more basic than this β subunit. Thus, P61 would be identified as an isoform of the chloroplast ATPase β subunit of rice, named β1. Genetic analysis with a F2 population of Nongken 58SדNongken 58” showed that a single recessive genic gene regulated the formation of β1.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of land flatworm assemblages in Brazilian Araucaria forests

Abstract. Araucaria forests are among the most threatened biomes of one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots, the south Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest. This study was focused on flatworm community structure in three protected areas located on the eastern border of the Araucaria Plateau in south Brazil. We addressed three main questions: (1) How species‐rich are Araucaria forests? (2) Are there any differences in the community structure within the three areas? (3) What is the distribution pattern of land flatworms in this type of forest? A total of 51 flatworm species in ten genera and two subfamilies were found. Non‐metric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the assemblage structure differed within the three areas. The abundance and richness varied in time, being affected by an interaction between season and areas. Araucaria forests on the eastern border of the Araucaria Plateau should be considered a hotspot of land planarian diversity, harboring an estimated 64 species. The high combined species richness in the protected areas studied emphasizes the importance of their preservation. Notwithstanding their close proximity, they are not redundant in maintaining regional biodiversity.     

A phylogenetic reconsideration of suctorian ciliates (Protista,Ciliophora, Phyllopharyngea) based on small subunit rRNA gene sequences

Compared with other ciliated protozoa, molecular studies of phylogenetic relationships within the subclass Suctoria are rare. In this work, phylogenetic analyses focusing on this group were performed based on all data available. In addition, the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes of three suctorian ciliates (Acineta compressa, Acineta tuberosa and Paracineta limbata) were newly sequenced. Furthermore, the putative secondary structures of the variable region 2 of the SSU rRNA gene were predicted and compared within the Suctoria. Our results show that (i) there is support for the monophyly of the subclass Suctoria, which is a sister clade to the cyrtophorids; (ii) based on combined morphologic and molecular features, we propose the following evolutionary routine within the Suctoria: Exogenina – Evaginogenina – Endogenina; (iii) the similarities of the secondary structures of the V2 region and the SSU rRNA gene sequences within the subclass Suctoria are consistent with the branching of the phylogenetic lineages.     

The New Microbiology: A conference at the Institut de France

In May 2012, three European Academies held a conference on the present and future of microbiology. The conference, entitled “The New Microbiology”, was a joint effort of the French Académie des sciences, of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and of the British Royal Society. The organizers – Pascale Cossart and Philippe Sansonetti from the “Académie des sciences”, David Holden and Richard Moxon from the “Royal Society”, and Jörg Hacker and Jürgen Hesseman from the “Leopoldina Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften” - wanted to highlight the current renaissance in the field of microbiology mostly due to the advent of technological developments and allowing for single-cell analysis, rapid and inexpensive genome-wide comparisons, sophisticated microscopy and quantitative large-scale studies of RNA regulation and proteomics. The conference took place in the historical Palais de l’Institut de France in Paris with the strong support of Jean-François Bach, Secrétaire Perpétuel of the Académie des sciences.