A Putative Calcium-Permeable Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel, CNGC18, Regulates Polarized Pollen Tube Growth

A tip-focused Ca^2＋ gradient is tightly coupled to polarized pollen tube growth, and tip-localized influxes of extracellular Ca^2＋ are required for this process. However the molecular identity and regulation of the potential Ca^2＋ channels remains elusive. The present study has implicated CNGC18 （cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 18） in polarized pollen tube growth, because its overexpression induced wider and shorter pollen tubes. Moreover, CNGC18 overexpression induced depolarization of pollen tube growth was suppressed by lower extracellular calcium （[Ca^2＋]ex）. CNGC18-yellow fluorescence protein （YFP） was preferentially localized to the apparent post-Golgi vesicles and the plasma membrane （PM） in the apex of pollen tubes. The PM localization was affected by tip-localized ROP1 signaling. Expression of wild type ROP1 or an active form of ROP1 enhanced CNGC18-YFP localization to the apical region of the PM, whereas expression of RopGAP1 （a ROP1 deactivator） blocked the PM localization. These results support a role for PM-Iocalized CNGC18 in the regulation of polarized pollen tube growth through its potential function in the modulation of calcium influxes.     

静注免疫球蛋白的调理活性和理化特性

<正> 静注免疫球蛋白制剂用于替代疗法,特别适于在短时期内需输注大量的免疫球蛋白时。例如对早产儿和严重感染的足月新生儿、原发性或继发性低或无丙种球蛋白血症患者,以及骨髓移植一个月后的病人,都是需要的。在该种情况下,免疫球蛋白的肌肉注射几乎是不可能的,因为,需要量大,有时在几天内,会使病人相当的痛苦和不愉快。     

DISCOVERY OF TWO MID-TERTIARY MAMMALIAN FAUNAS FROM HAIYUAN, NINGXIA, CHINA

Inl988-199otheRegionalGeologicalSurveyTeamoftheGeologicalBureauofNingxia(RGSN)foundsomefossilmammalsinthelowerpartoftheHo11g1iugouFormationandtheupperpartoftheOligocene.Inl992ajointteamoflnstituteofVertebratePaleontologyandPaleoanthropo1ogy,AcademiaSinica(IVPP),andtheRGSNwenttoHaiyuailCountyandcollectedmorefossilmamma1sfromtheYuanjia-wowoareausi11gascreen-washingmethodThemammalfaunafromthelowerpartoftheHongliugouFormationiscomposedofAprotodonsp.,Indricotheriidaeindet.,Rhinoceroti…     

rtcisE2F promotes the self-renewal and metastasis of liver tumor-initiating cells via N6-methyladenosine-dependent E2F3/E2F6 mRNA stability

Liver cancer is highly heterogeneous,and the tumor tissue harbors a variety of cell types.Liver tumor initiating cells(TICs) well contribute to tumor heterogeneity and account for tumor initiation and metastasis,but the molecular mechanisms of liver TIC self-renewal are elusive.Here,we identified a functional read-through rt-circRNA,termed rtcisE2 F,that is highly expressed in liver cancer and liver TICs.rtcisE2 F plays essential roles in the self-renewal and activities of liver TICs.rtcisE2 F t...     

甘肃兴隆山主要森林类型凋落物累积量及持水特性

2010年,采用野外实地观测与室内浸水法,对甘肃兴隆山6种主要森林类型(青杆林、青杆-白桦林、山杨-白桦林、灌丛林、落叶松林、油松林)林下凋落物的累积量、持水量、持水率和吸水速率进行了研究.结果表明:不同森林类型凋落物层累积量在13.40～46.32 t·hm-2,为油松林＞青杆-白桦林＞落叶松林＞青杆林＞灌丛林＞山杨-白桦林,且针叶林累积量高于阔叶林;半分解层累积量所占比例均高于未分解层.凋落物最大持水率为185.5％～303.6％,落叶松林最大,油松林最小,持水率与浸水时间呈对数关系;针叶林未分解层持水率均小于半分解层,而阔叶林则相反.凋落物最大持水量在3.94～8.59 mm,为油松林＞落叶松林＞青杆-白桦林＞青杆林＞灌丛林＞山杨-白桦林;持水量与浸水时间存在对数关系;半分解层持水量均大于未分解层.凋落物吸水速率与浸水时间存在幂函数关系,在浸水前1h内,吸水速率均直线下降,而浸水1.0h后吸水速率较小,且不同时段间变化较小;半分解层吸水速率高于未分解层.凋落物有效拦蓄量(深)为青杆-白桦林(5.97 mm)＞油松林(5.59 mm)＞落叶松林(5.46 mm)＞青杆林(4.30 mm)＞灌丛林(3.03 mm)＞山杨-白桦林(2.13 mm).     

Reagentless amperometric immunosensor for human chorionic gonadotrophin based on direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase

A novel amperometric immunosensor for determination of human serum chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) was constructed by immobilization of HCG with titania sol-gel on a glassy carbon electrode and the direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled to HCG antibody (HRP-anti-HCG). The morphologies of the HCG membrane were characterized to be chemically clean, porous and homogeneous. HRP-anti-HCG was functionally conjugated with the immobilized HCG after incubation in phosphate buffer (PBS) containing HRP-anti-HCG. A direct electron transfer of HRP with a rate constant of 1.35+/-0.40 s(-1) was observed at the HRP-anti-HCG-HCG/titania sol-gel membrane modified electrode in 0.1 M PBS pH 7.0. With a competitive mechanism the differential pulse voltammetric peak current of the immobilized HRP decreased linearly with an increasing HCG concentration from 2.5 to 12.5 mIU/ml in the incubation solution. The HCG immunosensor showed a detection limit of 1.4 mIU/ml, a good accuracy and acceptable precision and reproducibility with an intra-assay CV of 4.7% at 5.0 mIU/ml and an inter-assay precision of 8.1% obtained at 10 mIU/ml. The biosensor displayed a good stability in a storage period of 30 days.     

PNAS-4 expression and its relationship to p53 in colorectal cancer

PNAS-4 is a novel pro-apoptotic protein activated during the early response to DNA damage; however, the molecular mechanisms and pathways regulating PNAS-4 expression in tumors are not well understood. We hypothesized that PNAS-4 is a p53 down-stream target gene and designed this study. We searched online for putative p53-binding sites in the entire PNAS-4 gene and did not find any corresponding information. In HCT116 colon cancer cells, after being transfected with small interfering RNA to silence p53, the expressions of PNAS-4 and other known p53 target gene (Apaf1, Bax, Fas and Dr5) were determined by real-time PCR. We found that PNAS-4 was up-regulated while Apaf1, Bax, Fas and Dr5 were down-regulated. We then examined the expression of PNAS-4 and p53 mutation in colorectal cancer patients. PNAS-4 expressed both in colorectal cancers and normal tissues, but compared with paired control, PNAS-4 was up-regulated in cancers (P = 0.018). PNAS-4 overexpression ratios were correlated to the p53 mutant status (P = 0.001). The mean PNAS-4 expression levels of p53 mutant homozygote group and heterozygote group were higher than that of p53 wild type group (P = 0.013). The expression ratios of PNAS-4 (every sample in relative to its paired normal mucosa) were different between negative lymph node metastasis (66% up-regulated, 34% down-regulated) and positive metastasis (42% up-regulated, 58% down-regulated). Taken together, these findings suggested that PNAS-4 was not a p53 target, but overexpression of PNAS-4 was correlated to p53 inactivity in colorectal cancer.     

A dynamic, architectural plant model simulating resource-dependent growth

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Physiological and architectural plant models have originally been developed for different purposes and therefore have little in common, thus making combined applications difficult. There is, however, an increasing demand for crop models that simulate the genetic and resource-dependent variability of plant geometry and architecture, because man is increasingly able to transform plant production systems through combined genetic and environmental engineering. MODEL: GREENLAB is presented, a mathematical plant model that simulates interactions between plant structure and function. Dual-scale automaton is used to simulate plant organogenesis from germination to maturity on the basis of organogenetic growth cycles that have constant thermal time. Plant fresh biomass production is computed from transpiration, assuming transpiration efficiency to be constant and atmospheric demand to be the driving force, under non-limiting water supply. The fresh biomass is then distributed among expanding organs according to their relative demand. Demand for organ growth is estimated from allometric relationships (e.g. leaf surface to weight ratios) and kinetics of potential growth rate for each organ type. These are obtained through parameter optimization against empirical, morphological data sets by running the model in inverted mode. Potential growth rates are then used as estimates of relative sink strength in the model. These and other 'hidden' plant parameters are calibrated using the non-linear, least-square method. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The model reproduced accurately the dynamics of plant growth, architecture and geometry of various annual and woody plants, enabling 3D visualization. It was also able to simulate the variability of leaf size on the plant and compensatory growth following pruning, as a result of internal competition for resources. The potential of the model's underlying concepts to predict the plant's phenotypic plasticity is discussed.