Structure, Production and Leaf Area Dynamics: A Comparison of Lodgepole Pine and Sunflower

Populations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var latifoliaEngelm) and sunflower (Heltanthus annuus L) were examined tocompare the influence of stand density on canopy structure andthe association between canopy structure and the productionof stem volume The plastic responses of canopy structure tocompetitive interactions indicated that the structural dynamicsof lodgepole pine and sunflower populations were similar, thoughthe degree of plastic response differed The influence of canopystructure on the production of stem volume, however, was fundamentallydifferent efficiency decreased as the mean crown size of lodgepolepine populations increased, but this decrease did not occurin sunflower populations This difference was attributed to thelarge accumulation of branch biomass required to display foliageeffectively in the canopies of the perennial lodgepole pine,accumulation which does not occur in the annual sunflower Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var latifolia Engelm, sunflower, Helianthus annuus L, leaf area, canopy structure, stand production, carbon allocation     

Scarification and Cultural Resources: An Experiment to Evaluate Serotinous Lodgepole Pine Forest Regeneration Techniques

Abstract

The controlled analysis of the effects of natural resource management techniques on cultural resources has rarely been undertaken. Scarification is used by timber managers to mix soil and seed to insure proper regeneration in harvested areas. The effects of one scarification project on an artificial “site” are described and the resultant disturbance evaluated in light of its potential to affect cultural resources. Suggestions for meeting timber management goals while minimizing impacts on cultural resources are offered.     

大肠埃希菌性阴道感染小鼠模型的建立

目的 :建立大肠埃希菌定植的阴道感染小鼠模型。方法 :在阿莫西林溶液 (12 5mg/ml)冲洗小鼠阴道冲洗处理下 ,将致病性大肠埃希菌接种到小鼠阴道内。结果 :各组小鼠阴道冲洗液检出的平均对数值比较 ,经过阿莫西林溶液小鼠阴道冲洗处理后再接种大肠埃希菌的阿莫西林 +大肠埃希菌组 ,阴道内定植的大肠埃希菌数量 (8 18± 1 0 9)较经过生理盐水小鼠阴道冲洗处理后再接种大肠埃希菌组 (5 72± 0 6 8)明显增多 (P <0 0 5 ) ,而且小鼠阴道感染的症状明显 (P <0 0 5 )。结论 :通过抗生素处理后 ,再在小鼠阴道内接种大肠埃希菌 ,大肠埃希菌能够在小鼠阴道内得到定植 ,即建立起大肠埃希菌性阴道感染的小鼠模型。     

Ecohydrology of Adjacent Sagebrush and Lodgepole Pine Ecosystems: The Consequences of Climate Change and Disturbance

Sagebrush steppe and lodgepole pine forests are two of the most widespread vegetation types in the western United States and they play crucial roles in the hydrologic cycle of these water-limited regions. We used a process-based ecosystem water model to characterize the potential impact of climate change and disturbance (wildfire and beetle mortality) on water cycling in adjacent sagebrush and lodgepole pine ecosystems. Despite similar climatic and topographic conditions between these ecosystems at the sites examined, lodgepole pine, and sagebrush exhibited consistent differences in water balance, notably more evaporation and drier summer soils in the sagebrush and greater transpiration and less water yield in lodgepole pine. Canopy disturbances (either fire or beetle) have dramatic impacts on water balance and availability: reducing transpiration while increasing evaporation and water yield. Results suggest that climate change may reduce snowpack, increase evaporation and transpiration, and lengthen the duration of dry soil conditions in the summer, but may have uncertain effects on drainage. Changes in the distribution of sagebrush and lodgepole pine ecosystems as a consequence of climate change and/or altered disturbance regimes will likely alter ecosystem water balance.     

Evolution of Conifer Diterpene Synthases: Diterpene Resin Acid Biosynthesis in Lodgepole Pine and Jack Pine Involves Monofunctional and Bifunctional Diterpene Synthases

Abscisic acid (ABA) induces stomatal closure and inhibits light-induced stomatal opening. The mechanisms in these two processes are not necessarily the same. It has been postulated that the ABA receptors involved in opening inhibition are different from those involved in closure induction. Here, we provide evidence that four recently identified ABA receptors (PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 [PYR1], PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE-LIKE1 [PYL1], PYL2, and PYL4) are not sufficient for opening inhibition in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). ABA-induced stomatal closure was impaired in the pyr1/pyl1/pyl2/pyl4 quadruple ABA receptor mutant. ABA inhibition of the opening of the mutant’s stomata remained intact. ABA did not induce either the production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide or the alkalization of the cytosol in the quadruple mutant, in accordance with the closure phenotype. Whole cell patch-clamp analysis of inward-rectifying K⁺ current in guard cells showed a partial inhibition by ABA, indicating that the ABA sensitivity of the mutant was not fully impaired. ABA substantially inhibited blue light-induced phosphorylation of H⁺-ATPase in guard cells in both the mutant and the wild type. On the other hand, in a knockout mutant of the SNF1-related protein kinase, srk2e, stomatal opening and closure, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production, cytosolic alkalization, inward-rectifying K⁺ current inactivation, and H⁺-ATPase phosphorylation were not sensitive to ABA.The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), which is synthesized in response to abiotic stresses, plays a key role in the drought hardiness of plants. Reducing transpirational water loss through stomatal pores is a major ABA response (Schroeder et al., 2001). ABA promotes the closure of open stomata and inhibits the opening of closed stomata. These effects are not simply the reverse of one another (Allen et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2001; Mishra et al., 2006).A class of receptors of ABA was identified (Ma et al., 2009; Park et al., 2009; Santiago et al., 2009; Nishimura et al., 2010). The sensitivity of stomata to ABA was strongly decreased in quadruple and sextuple mutants of the ABA receptor genes PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE/PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE-LIKE/REGULATORY COMPONENT OF ABSCISIC ACID RECEPTOR (PYR/PYL/RCAR; Nishimura et al., 2010; Gonzalez-Guzman et al., 2012). The PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors are involved in the early ABA signaling events, in which a sequence of interactions of the receptors with PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2Cs (PP2Cs) and subfamily 2 SNF1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASES (SnRK2s) leads to the activation of downstream ABA signaling targets in guard cells (Cutler et al., 2010; Kim et al., 2010; Weiner et al., 2010). Studies of Commelina communis and Vicia faba suggested that the ABA receptors involved in stomatal opening are not the same as the ABA receptors involved in stomatal closure (Allan et al., 1994; Anderson et al., 1994; Assmann, 1994; Schwartz et al., 1994). The roles of PYR/PYL/RCAR in either stomatal opening or closure remained to be elucidated.Blue light induces stomatal opening through the activation of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase in guard cells that generates an inside-negative electrochemical gradient across the plasma membrane and drives K⁺ uptake through voltage-dependent inward-rectifying K⁺ channels (Assmann et al., 1985; Shimazaki et al., 1986; Blatt, 1987; Schroeder et al., 1987; Thiel et al., 1992). Phosphorylation of the penultimate Thr of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase is a prerequisite for blue light-induced activation of the H⁺-ATPase (Kinoshita and Shimazaki, 1999, 2002). ABA inhibits H⁺-ATPase activity through dephosphorylation of the penultimate Thr in the C terminus of the H⁺-ATPase in guard cells, resulting in prevention of the opening (Goh et al., 1996; Zhang et al., 2004; Hayashi et al., 2011). Inward-rectifying K⁺ currents (I_Kin) of guard cells are negatively regulated by ABA in addition to through the decline of the H⁺ pump-driven membrane potential difference (Schroeder and Hagiwara, 1989; Blatt, 1990; McAinsh et al., 1990; Schwartz et al., 1994; Grabov and Blatt, 1999; Saito et al., 2008). This down-regulation of ion transporters by ABA is essential for the inhibition of stomatal opening.A series of second messengers has been shown to mediate ABA-induced stomatal closure. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH oxidases play a crucial role in ABA signaling in guard cells (Pei et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 2001; Kwak et al., 2003; Sirichandra et al., 2009; Jannat et al., 2011). Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential signaling component in ABA-induced stomatal closure (Desikan et al., 2002; Guo et al., 2003; Garcia-Mata and Lamattina, 2007; Neill et al., 2008). Alkalization of cytosolic pH in guard cells is postulated to mediate ABA-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and Pisum sativum and Paphiopedilum species (Irving et al., 1992; Gehring et al., 1997; Grabov and Blatt, 1997; Suhita et al., 2004; Gonugunta et al., 2008). These second messengers transduce environmental signals to ion channels and ion transporters that create the driving force for stomatal movements (Ward et al., 1995; MacRobbie, 1998; Garcia-Mata et al., 2003).In this study, we examined the mobilization of second messengers, the inactivation of I_Kin, and the suppression of H⁺-ATPase phosphorylation evoked by ABA in Arabidopsis mutants to clarify the downstream signaling events of ABA signaling in guard cells. The mutants included a quadruple mutant of PYR/PYL/RCARs, pyr1/pyl1/pyl2/pyl4, and a mutant of a SnRK2 kinase, srk2e.     

羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌中的表达及特征分析

本研究采用RT-PCR法从抗性蚊虫(Culex quinquefasciatus)中克隆了羧酸酯酶A2的全长cDNA,对其进行了序列测定,并构建了融合表达质粒pET-ESTA2。转化大肠杆菌BL21后,在异丙基硫代牛乳糖苷(IPTG)的诱导下,使羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌内得到表达。表达产物经亲和层析纯化获得了1条带的重组蛋白。与报道的从蚊虫体内纯化的羧酸酯酶相比,从表达产物中纯化的羧酸酯酶Km与其一致,但从表达产物纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm比蚊虫中纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm高。表明用亲和层析纯化的羧酸酯酶A2比从蚊虫中提取的纯度高。羧酸酯酶A2表达纯化及特征分析为其应用奠定了基础。     

The Projection of a Test Genome onto a Reference Population and Applications to Humans and Archaic Hominins

We introduce a method for comparing a test genome with numerous genomes from a reference population. Sites in the test genome are given a weight, w, that depends on the allele frequency, x, in the reference population. The projection of the test genome onto the reference population is the average weight for each x, w¯(x). The weight is assigned in such a way that, if the test genome is a random sample from the reference population, then w¯(x)=1. Using analytic theory, numerical analysis, and simulations, we show how the projection depends on the time of population splitting, the history of admixture, and changes in past population size. The projection is sensitive to small amounts of past admixture, the direction of admixture, and admixture from a population not sampled (a ghost population). We compute the projections of several human and two archaic genomes onto three reference populations from the 1000 Genomes project—Europeans, Han Chinese, and Yoruba—and discuss the consistency of our analysis with previously published results for European and Yoruba demographic history. Including higher amounts of admixture between Europeans and Yoruba soon after their separation and low amounts of admixture more recently can resolve discrepancies between the projections and demographic inferences from some previous studies.     

苜蓿根瘤菌nodA蛋白在细胞中的定位

应用噬菌体T7 RNA聚合酶/启动子表达系统,质粒pT7—6作为载体,构建了带有首蓿根瘤菌(Rhizobium meliloti)nod A基因的重组质粒pBF3.nod A在T7启动子的控制下,经诱导在大肠杆菌JAKE中得到表达,产物为21.5kD多肽.对nod A基因在大肠杆菌中的翻译产物(NodA)进行细胞定位分析表明,NodA同时存在于细胞质和细胞膜中.     

大肠杆菌热稳定性肠毒素的分离纯化和氨基酸顺序测定

上海市儿童医院婴儿腹泻病患中分离到产肠毒素的菌株,该菌株只产热稳定性肠毒素,经CAD-44树脂吸附,SephadexG-25凝胶过泸,DEAE-Seharose CL-6B离子交换层析,反相高压液相层析分离纯化后,用手工固相DABITC/PITC双偶合Edman降解法测定其氨基酸顺序为:Asn·Ser·Ser·Asn·Tyr·Cys·Cys·Gly·Leu·Cys·Cys·Asn·Pro·Ala·Cys·Thr·Gly·Cys·Tyr。     

Disequilibrium, Selection, and Recombination: Limits in Two-Locus, Two-Allele Models

All possible combinations of equilibria and fitnesses in two-locus, two-allele, deterministic, discrete-generation selection models are enumerated. This knowledge is used to obtain limits (which can be calculated to arbitrary precision) to the relationships among disequilibrium, selection and recombination for fixed values of allele frequencies. In all cases, the inequality|rD| < s/10 holds, where r is recombination and D is disequilibrium, and all selection coefficients lie between 1 - s and 1 + s times that of the double heterozygote. Linear programming techniques are used to calculate the minimum strength of selection needed to explain several observed nonzero values of D reported in the literature. One conclusion is that the failure to observe nonzero values of D is not surprising.     

Periodic Selection, Infectious Gene Exchange and the Genetic Structure of E. COLI Populations

As a consequence of sequential replacements by clones of higher fitness (periodic selection), bacterial populations would be continually purged of genetic variability, and the fate of selectively neutral alleles in very large populations of bacteria would be similar to that in demes of sexually reproducing organisms with small genetically effective population sizes. The significance of periodic selection in reducing genetic variability in these clonally reproducing species is dependent on the amount of genetic exchange between clones (recombination). In an effort to determine the relationship between the rates of periodic selection, recombination and the genetically effective sizes of bacterial populations, a model for periodic selection and infectious gene exchange has been developed and its properties analyzed. It shows that, for a given periodic selection regime, genetically effective population size increases exponentially with the rate of recombination.—With the parameters of this model in the range anticipated for natural populations of E. coli, the purging effects of periodic selection on genetic variability are significant; individual populations or lineages of this bacterial species would have very small genetically effective population sizes.—Based on this result, some other a priori considerations and a review of the results of epidemiological and genetic variability studies, it is postulated that E. coli is composed of a relatively limited number of geographically widespread and genetically nearly isolated and monomorphic lineages. The implications of these considerations of the genetic structure of E. coli populations of the interpretation of protein variation and the neutral gene hypothesis are discussed.     

大肠杆菌poly(A)化mRNA基因的芯片制备

利用大肠杆菌mRNA中存在的一定程度的poly(A)现象,利用oligo(dT)与poly(A)特异结合的特性,纯化并逆转录mRNA,并应用RD-PCR双方法获得了170多条大肠杆菌poly(A)化mRNA的基因片段,利用这些片段打印成基因芯片,以供后续大肠杆菌的基因表达研究。     

透明颤菌血红蛋白基因在产PHB重组大肠杆菌中的引入

将透明颤菌血红蛋白基因 (vgb)采用插入染色体的方式引入产聚 β 羟基丁酸酯(PHB)重组大肠杆菌VG1 (pTU1 4)中 ,以从分子水平上提高克隆菌对氧的利用率 ,解决PHB发酵生产过程中的供氧矛盾 ,透明颤菌血红蛋白的一氧化碳差光谱分析明表 ,vgb基因可以在VG1 (pTU1 4)中成功表达 ,且其表达量受溶氧水平的调控。Vgb基因的引入可以同时促进菌体生长和PHB产品的积累 ,且溶氧水平越低 ,VHB表达量越高 ,这种促进作用就越明显