Successive cambia in Aizoaceae: products and process

The transverse and longitudinal sections of the stems and roots of 11 genera of Aizoaceae, representing a wide range of growth forms from hard fibrous stems to fibre‐free roots, were studied using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In most of the genera, fibres are the first xylary product of each vascular cambium, followed by vessels in a parenchyma background. Variations on this pattern help to prove that fibres are produced by vascular cambia, except in Ruschia and Stayneria, in which both the lateral meristem and the vascular cambia produce fibres. Cylinders of conjunctive tissue parenchyma that alternate with the vascular cylinders are produced by the lateral meristem. The concept that the lateral meristem gives rise to the vascular cambia and secondary cortex is supported by photographic evidence. Radial divisions occur in the origin of the lateral meristem, and then again as vascular cambia arise from the lateral meristem; these radial divisions account for storeying in fibres and conjunctive tissue. Raylessness characterizes all Aizoaceae studied, with the exception of Tetragonia, which also differs from the remaining genera by having vasicentric axial parenchyma, a scattering of vessels amongst fibres, and the presence of druses instead of raphides. Several vascular cambia are typically formed per year. Several vascular cambia are active simultaneously in a given stem or root. Roots have fewer fibres and more abundant conjunctive tissue parenchyma than stems. Successive cambia result in an ideal dispersion of vascular tissue with respect to water and photosynthate storage and retrieval capabilities of the parenchyma, and to liana stem plans. The distribution and relative abundance of fibres, vessels, secondary phloem, and conjunctive tissue parenchyma relate primarily to habit and are not a good source of systematic data, with the probable exception of Tetragonia. The general pattern of lateral meristem and vascular cambial ontogeny is the same as in other families of the core Caryophyllales, although the patterns of the tissues produced are diverse. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 153 , 141–155.     

Wood and bark anatomy of the African species of Gnetum

Quantitative and qualitative data are given for the two African species of Gnetum ( Gnetum section Gnetum subsection Micrognemones ). These species are lianoid and lack the fibre-tracheids of G. gnemon but have about the same vessel element and tracheid length as in that species. Vessel diameter is related to stem age and organography. Tori are clearly present in tracheary elements of the African Gnetum species, a first report for the genus. In these two species, origin of the lateral meristem, which produces vascular tissue and cambia, can be traced directly and indirecdy to cortical parenchyma. A second kind of meristematic action, newly reported for Gnetum, is produced by proliferation of axial parenchyma, fragmenting secondary xylem. Both presence of tori and site of origin of lateral meristematic activity in Gnetum contrast with corresponding conditions in Welwitschia.     

Development of successive cambia and pattern of secondary growth in the stem of the Neotropical liana Rhynchosia phaseoloides (SW.) DC. (Fabaceae)

The occurrence of flattened stems in Rhynchosia phaseoloides (SW.) DC. (Fabaceae) has been known for years, but little interest has been shown toward elucidating its secondary growth. This study aims to (1) understand the pattern of secondary growth and development of vascular elements from the cambium at different stages of stem growth and (2) elucidate the type, size and distribution of cells related to these processes at different regions of the stem. Dilatation growth in main stems and branches of R. phaseoloides is achieved by successive cambia formed in two areas of the actual cortex that are opposed to each other by approximately 180°. Only the first cambial ring is functionally normal and closed-elliptical in outline, supporting the growth of the middle part of the rather flat stem. Later on, this stem becomes oval to oblong in cross-section outline by the activity of successive cambia from which cells produce further xylem, phloem and parenchyma tissues in a somewhat fan-shaped way. As shown in cross section, a flat cable-like structure of several modules results, forming wings relative to the primary central axis tissues. The secondary cambia are formed by dedifferentiation of cortical parenchyma cells, resulting in small clusters of radially arranged meristematic bands of cells. From these meristematic bands, an outward-facing crescent-shaped new band of cambium is originated. The innermost cells of this meristematic band form the parenchymatic tissue that connects the new lateral module to the proximal one. This occurs several times during the whole stem ontogeny.     

Wood and stem anatomy of woody Amaranthaceae s.s.: ecology, systematics and the problems of defining rays in dicotyledons

Wood and stem anatomy is studied for seven species of six genera (root anatomy also reported for one species) of Amaranthaceae s.s. Quantitative data on vessels correlate closely with relative xeromorphy of respective species, agreeing with values reported for dicotyledons without successive cambia in comparable habitats. Libriform fibre abundance increases and vessel diameter decreases as stems and roots of the annual Amaranthus caudatus mature. Long, thick-walled fibres in Bosea yervamora may be related to the upright nature of elongate semi-climbing stems. Non-bordered or minutely bordered perforation plates characterize Amaranthaceae, as they do most other Caryophyllales. Amaranthaceae have idioblastic cells containing druses, rhomboidal crystals or crystal sand: these forms intergrade and seem closely related. Rays are present in secondary xylem of the Amaranthaceae studied. Cells intermediate between ray cells and libriform fibres occur in Charpentiera elliptica . Degrees of diversity in rays and reports of raylessness in Amaranthaceae induce discussion of definition and identification of rays in dicotyledons; some sources recognize both rays and radial plates of conjunctive tissue in Amaranthaceae. The action of successive cambia is described: lateral meristem periclinal divisions produce secondary cortex externally, conjunctive tissue internally and yield vascular cambia as well. Vascular cambia produce secondary phloem and secondary xylem, in both ray and fascicular zones, as in a dicotyledon with a single cambium. Identification of meristem activity and appreciation of varied ray manifestations are essential in understanding the ontogeny of stems in Amaranthaceae (which have recently been united with Chenopodiaceae).  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 143 , 1–19.     

Wood, bark and stem anatomy of New World species of Gnetum

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented for 11 collections of six species. The wide range of character states for the species is presented in the form of a key to emphasize their potential systematic correlations. Distinctive among these are phcllem characteristics. Fibre-tracheids are newly reported for lianoid Gnetum species. Cells previously thought to be like companion cells in secondary phloem are shown to be uniseriate rays, counterparts to uniseriate xylem rays. Laticifers are abundant in most of the species, and are newly described for secondary tissues of Gnetum. Presence of tyloses in laticifers of two species is apparently a new report for vascular plants. Tori are present in two New World Gnetum species, adding to the report in African species. Perforation plates are simple except near or in primary xylem, where they are simple or foraminate. Torus presence and foraminate perforation plate presence are features more reminiscent of Ephedra and other gymnosperms than of angiosperms. The bark of Gnetum is also very similar to that of Ephedra.     

Wood and bark anatomy of Gnetutn gnemon L.

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented for seven collections representing two varieties (unlike in habit) of Gnetum gnemon. Tracheids are present, but abundant and intermixed with them are septate fibre-tracheids rich in starch. Axial parenchyma has been reported only once previously for the species. Axial parenchyma is in strands of 4–10 cells, is rich in starch, is primarily vasicentric (paratracheal) in distribution, less commonly diffuse. About equally common are simple and compound perforation plates; the latter are composed of from two to about ten bordered foraminate perforations, the shape of which may be altered by crowding or coalescence, but is clearly still foraminate. Lateral walls of vessels bear pits that are vestured around pit cavities, not facing the pit membrane. Rays are composed mostly of procumbent cells; the tangential walls bear bordered pits. Crystals, present in ray cells and (rarely) axial parenchyma vary widely in size. Crystalliferous sclereids with layered walls, starch-rich parenchyma, and gelatinous secondary phloem fibres are the main components of bark. Early stages in origin of successive vascular cambia in bark are newly described. When representative conditions are derived from study of large numbers of slides, the classical view that Gnetum vessels are unlike those of angiosperms is supported. Features of Gnetum gnemon wood are discussed in the light of ecology and conductive physiology.     

A Patchy Growth via Successive and Simultaneous Cambia: Key to Success of the Most Widespread Mangrove Species Avicennia marina?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Secondary growth via successive cambia has been intriguing researchers for decades. Insight into the mechanism of growth layer formation is, however, limited to the cellular level. The present study aims to clarify secondary growth via successive cambia in the mangrove species Avicennia marina on a macroscopic level, addressing the formation of the growth layer network as a whole. In addition, previously suggested effects of salinity on growth layer formation were reconsidered. METHODS: A 1-year cambial marking experiment was performed on 80 trees from eight sites in two mangrove forests in Kenya. Environmental (soil water salinity and nutrients, soil texture, inundation frequency) and tree characteristics (diameter, height, leaf area index) were recorded for each site. Both groups of variables were analysed in relation to annual number of growth layers, annual radial increment and average growth layer width of stem discs. KEY RESULTS: Between trees of the same site, the number of growth layers formed during the 1-year study period varied from only part of a growth layer up to four growth layers, and was highly correlated to the corresponding radial increment (0-5 mm year(-1)), even along the different sides of asymmetric stem discs. The radial increment was unrelated to salinity, but the growth layer width decreased with increasing salinity and decreasing tree height. CONCLUSIONS: A patchy growth mechanism was proposed, with an optimal growth at distinct moments in time at different positions around the stem circumference. This strategy creates the opportunity to form several growth layers simultaneously, as observed in 14 % of the studied trees, which may optimize tree growth under favourable conditions. Strong evidence was provided for a mainly endogenous trigger controlling cambium differentiation, with an additional influence of current environmental conditions in a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and mechanical stability.     

Structure and ontogeny of successive cambia in Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), the host plants of Rafflesiaceae

Successive cambia in Vitaceae have been reported solely for Tetrastigma, a diverse genus of lianas found primarily in tropical Asia, extending into Australia. However, the structure and origin of these successive cambia have never been fully studied. Here we report the presence of this cambial variant in Tetrastigma retinervum and T. voinierianum, and describe its ontogeny in detail in the latter. New cambia appear successively in stems of Tetrastigma differentiating from the innermost parenchyma cells of the primary phloem, which are located interior to the pericyclic fiber strands. This study constitutes the first report of successive cambia being derived from primary phloem parenchyma in woody plants as a whole. Both species are members of Tetrastigma clade VI, the most species‐rich lineage within the genus. The examination of mature stems of additional species of Tetrastigma should determine the distribution of this unique type of cambial variant in the genus and enhance our understanding of the adaptive significance of this unusual character.     

Stem and leaf anatomy of the arborescent Cucurbitaceae Dendrosicyos socotrana with comments on the evolution of pachycauls from lianas

Stem and leaf anatomy of Dendrosicyos socotrana, the only arborescent Cucurbitaceae, are examined for correlations with life form and ecology and are used to test hypotheses regarding features adaptive in scandent plants. The stem consists mainly of ray and conjunctive parenchyma with small strands of xylem forming an anastomosing net throughout the trunk. Xylem strands bear vascular cambia that produce secondary phloem, representing the first report of successive cambia in Cucurbitales. Some features characteristic of lianas, such as very wide vessel elements with thick walls, are absent from Dendrosicyos. Other features, such as very wide rays and abundant axial parenchyma, are present in both Dendrosicyos and lianas but appear to serve differing roles in these different life forms. It is suggested that lianas have numerous features that are readily co-opted in the evolution of pachycaul trees and that the evolution of pachycauls from lianas has happened repeatedly in the core eudicots.     

Wood and bark anatomy of lianoid Indomalesian and Asiatic species of Gnetum

Quantitative and qualitative data on wood and bark are offered for 11 species of lianoid Indomalesian and Asiatic species of Gnetum section Cylindrostachys. Material of roots was studied for two species, material of an underground stem for one species, and stem material was studied for all species; wood from inside and outside of a large stem of G. montanum was analysed (quantitative data do not change with age in this species). Roots have shorter, narrower vessel elements, more numerous per mm², compared with those of stems; these trends run counter to those in dicotyledons. Roots and underground stems have more abundant parenchyma and less abundant sclerenchyma than do stems. Parenchyma of both roots and stems is rich in starch. All of the species studied here have both fibre-tracheids and tracheids, but tracheids are not distributed vasicentrically as they are in dicotyledons. Tori are reported for tracheary elements of three species studied here. Vasicentric axial parenchyma (which usually is thick-walled) is present in all species; thick or thin-walled diffuse or diffuse-in-aggregates apotracheal parenchyma is present in almost all of the species studied. Rays are mostly dimorphic in size, but show various conditions with respect to wall thickness, sclerenchyma presence, and crystal presence. As in other lianoid species of Gnetum, the species of the present study show origin of lateral meristem activity in parenchyma of the innermost cortex. Cortex and bark of the species studied here are relatively uniform in distribution of gelatinous fibres, nests of sclereids, the cylinder of brachysclereids that extends around the stem, and sclerenchymatous phelloderm. Laticifers were observed in bark of only two species studied. Although a few species characters are evident, the species that comprise Section cylindrostachys differ from each other mostly in degree rather than in presence or absence character state distributions. Secretory cavities are newly reported for the genus.     

入侵植物水花生解剖学和组织化学染色研究

水花生(Alternanthera philoxeroides)因其表型可塑性、高生长速率和快速无性繁殖能适应水、陆生境.该文利用光学显微镜和荧光显微镜对水、陆生境的水花生不定根、茎解剖结构、组织化学特征及质外体通透性进行了研究.结果表明:(1)水生境下,其不定根皮层中具较大裂生型通气组织,无次生生长,内皮层具凯氏带且...     

Treatment of Mid‐Pregnant Mice with KRN633, an Inhibitor of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase,Induces Abnormal Retinal Vascular Patterning in Their Newborn Pups

We previously reported that treatment of mid‐pregnant mice with KRN633, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, caused fetal growth restriction resulting from diminished vascularization in the placenta and fetal organs. In this study, we examined how the treatment of mid‐pregnant mice with KRN633 affects the development and morphology of vascular components (endothelial cells, pericytes, and basement membrane) in the retinas of their newborn pups. Pregnant mice were treated with KRN633 (5 mg/kg) once daily from embryonic day 13.5 until the day of delivery. Vascular components were examined using immunohistochemistry with specific markers for each component. Radial vascular growth in the retina was slightly delayed until postnatal day 4 (P4) in the newborn pups of KRN633‐treated mothers. On P8, compared with the pups of control mothers, the pups of KRN633‐treated mothers exhibited decreased numbers of central arteries and veins and abnormal branching of the central arteries. No apparent differences in pericytes or basement membrane were observed between the pups of control and KRN633‐treated mothers. These results suggest that a critical period for determining retinal vascular patterning is present at the earliest stages of retinal vascular development, and that the impaired vascular endothelial growth factor signaling during this period induces abnormal architecture in the retinal vascular network     

Caryophyllales: a key group for understanding wood anatomy character states and their evolution

Definitions of character states in woods are softer than generally assumed, and more complex for workers to interpret. Only by a constant effort to transcend the limitations of glossaries can a more than partial understanding of wood anatomy and its evolution be achieved. The need for such an effort is most evident in a major group with sufficient wood diversity to demonstrate numerous problems in wood anatomical features. Caryophyllales s.l., with approximately 12 000 species, are such a group. Paradoxically, Caryophyllales offer many more interpretive problems than other ‘typically woody’ eudicot clades of comparable size: a wider range of wood structural patterns is represented in the order. An account of character expression diversity is presented for major wood characters of Caryophyllales. These characters include successive cambia (more extensively represented in Caryophyllales than elsewhere in angiosperms); vessel element perforation plates (non‐bordered and bordered, with and without constrictions); lateral wall pitting of vessels (notably pseudoscalariform patterns); vesturing and sculpturing on vessel walls; grouping of vessels; nature of tracheids and fibre‐tracheids, storying in libriform fibres, types of axial parenchyma, ray anatomy and shifts in ray ontogeny; juvenilism in rays; raylessness; occurrence of idioblasts; occurrence of a new cell type (ancistrocladan cells); correlations of raylessness with scattered bundle occurrence and other anatomical discoveries newly described and/or understood through the use of scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. This study goes beyond summarizing or reportage and attempts interpretations in terms of shifts in degrees of juvenilism, diversification in habit, ecological occupancy strategies (with special attention to succulence) and phylogenetic change. Phylogenetic change in wood anatomy is held to be best interpreted when accompanied by an understanding of wood ontogeny, species ecology, species habit and taxonomic context. Wood anatomy of Caryophyllales demonstrates problems inherent in binary character definitions, mapping of morphological characters onto DNA‐based trees and attempts to analyse wood structure without taking into account ecological and habital features. The difficulties of bridging wood anatomy with physiology and ecology are briefly reviewed. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 164 , 342–393.     

Exposure to high‐concentration oxygen in the neonatal period induces abnormal retinal vascular patterning in mice

The interruption of vascular development could cause structural and functional abnormalities in tissues. We have previously reported that short‐term treatment of newborn mice with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors induces abnormal retinal vascular growth and patterns. An exposure of neonatal mice to high‐concentration oxygen disturbs normal retinal vascular development. The present study aimed to determine (1) whether vascular abnormalities are observed in the retina of newborn mice exposed to high concentrations of oxygen, and (2) how astrocyte network formation is affected following the exposure to hyperoxia. Newborn (postnatal day 0) mice were exposed to 75% oxygen for 48 or 96 hr. During hyperoxia exposure, VEGF expression decreased, and the onset of retinal vascularization was completely suppressed. After completion of the hyperoxic period, retinal vascularization occurred, but it was delayed in a hyperoxic exposure duration‐dependent manner. In retinas of hyperoxia‐exposed mice, dense capillary plexuses were found, and the number of arteries and veins decreased. The astrocyte network formation was slightly delayed under hyperoxic conditions, and the network became denser in retinas of mice with an episode of hyperoxia. Expression of VEGF levels in the avascular retina of mice that were exposed to hyperoxia was higher than that of control mice. These results suggest that short‐term interruption of the onset of vascular development resulting from the reduction in VEGF signals induces abnormal vascular patterns in the mouse retina. The abnormalities in retinal astrocyte behavior might contribute to the formation of an abnormal retinal vascular growth.     

凝血酶与血管内皮细胞

凝血酶不仅在凝血过程中起主导作用,还可以引发多种凝血酶受体介导的分子和细胞间相互作用,在动脉粥样硬化和再狭窄形成中起着重要的作用。现就凝血酶及其受体的特性,以及对血管内皮细胞的作用,包括通透性改变、内皮生长因子、基质金属蛋白酶、黏附分子表达作一综述。     

Wood anatomy of Polygonaceae: analysis of a family with exceptional wood diversity

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented for woods of 30 species of woody Polygonaceae. Wood features that ally Polygonaceae with Plumbaginaceae include nonbordered perforation plates, storeying in narrow vessels and axial parenchyma, septate or nucleate fibres, vasicentric parenchyma, pith bundles that undergo secondary growth, silica bodies, and ability to form successive cambia. These features are consistent with pairing of Plumbaginaceae and Polygonaceae as sister families. Wood features that ally Polygonaceae with Rhabdodendraceae include nonbordered perforation plates, presence of vestured pits in vessels, presence of silica bodies and dark-staining compounds in ray cells, and ability to form successive cambia. Of the features listed above, nonbordered perforation plates and ability to form successive cambia may be symplesiomorphies basic to Caryophyllales sensu lato . The other features are more likely to be synapomorphies. Wood data thus support molecular cladograms that show the three families near the base of Caryophyllales s.l. Chambered crystals are common to three genera of the family and may indicate relationship. Ray histology suggests secondary woodiness in Antigonon, Atraphaxis, Bilderdykia, Dedeckera, Eriogonum, Harfordia, Muehlenbeckia, Polygonum , and Rumex . Other genera of the family show little or no evidence of secondary woodiness. Molecular data are needed to confirm this interpretation and to clarify the controversial systematic groupings within the family proposed by various authors. Vessel features of Polygonaceae (lumen diameter, element length, density, degree of grouping) show an extraordinary range from xeromorphy to mesomorphy, indicating that wood has played a key role in ecological and habital shifts within the family; the diversity in ecology and habit are correlated with quantitative wood data.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 141 , 25−51.     

自噬对血管功能的影响及与相关疾病的关联研究进展

自噬(autophagy)是细胞利用溶酶体降解自身受损的细胞器和大分子物质的过程,在稳定细胞内环境中发挥着重要作用．研究发现,自噬影响血管功能,与血管疾病的病理生理进程密切相关．本文从自噬对血管功能的影响,与血管相关疾病(如动脉粥样硬化、腹主动脉瘤、肺动脉高压、糖尿病血管并发症等)的关系及药物对血管壁细胞自噬的调控进行综述,希望从自噬的角度来了解血管的功能和病变及一些疾病的发生发展进程,为治疗血管相关疾病提供新的思路．     

衰老与血管钙化

血管钙化是指体内钙磷在血管壁的异常沉积,是一个主动的、高度可调节的、类似于骨形成的生物学过程。血管钙化是引起心血管疾病发病率、病死率升高的重要原因,也是危害中老年人身体健康的广泛存在的病理现象。近年研究表明,衰老与血管钙化存在密切关系,衰老可以通过诱导血管平滑肌细胞成骨样转化、内皮细胞释放囊泡、细胞外基质重塑、DNA损伤、炎症反应、磷代谢失衡以及抗衰老因子如Klotho和Sirtuin 1的表达减少而促进血管钙化。