139 Taxonomic Re-Examination of Eight Species of Nitella (Charales, Charophyceae) from Asia, And Phylogenetic Relationships Within the Genus Based on rbcL and Atpb Gene Sequences

Eight taxa of Nitella, collected from Asia, were investigated using LM and SEM of the oospores and sequencing of rbc L gene to improve understanding of their taxonomic status. Our SEM observations demonstrated that the oospore morphology of six taxa – N. capitulifera (= N. acuminata f. capitulifera ), N. japonica (= N. furcata f. japonica ), N. tumulosa (= N. furcata f. tumulosa ), N. megaspora comb. nov. (= N. pseudoflabellata f. megaspora ), N. gracillima (= N. gracilis f. gracillima ), and N. axilliformis (= N. translucens f. axilliformis ) – is distinctly different from that of the species to which R.D. Wood assigned them as infraspecific taxa. Our rbc L sequence data showed that N. japonica is separated phylogenetically from N. furcata , N. tumulosa from N. furcata , N. megaspora from N. pseudoflabellata , and N. axilliformis from N. translucens . In addition, to re-examine the taxonomic system of Nitella proposed by R.D. Wood, who treated oospore wall ornamentations as a diagnosis at the infraspecific level, we carried out molecular phylogenetic analyses using the combined sequence dataset for atpB and rbc L genes of these eight species, as well as twelve species of Nitella previously studied. The combined sequence data resolved five robust clades within the subgenus Tieffallenia that were characterized by differences in oospore wall ornamentation. However, the species and sectional diagnoses of R.D. Wood, such as the form and cell number of dactyls in vegetative thalli, were variable within the clades. Therefore, R.D. Wood's taxonomic system appears unnatural, at least within the subgenus Tieffallenia .     

Localization of glutaredoxin (thioltransferase) in the rat brain and possible functional implications during focal ischemia.

We investigated the distribution of glutaredoxin (GRX, thioltransferase) in the rat brain using the in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical methods. GRX mRNA and GRX were expressed widely in the rat brain. The endothelial cell, tanycyte and ependymal cell expressed GRX mRNA and GRX protein. Neurons in various regions also showed GRX mRNA and GRX. Among them, pyramidal neurons in hippocampal CA3 region expressed a higher level of GRX mRNA. In addition, GRX mRNA signals were reduced after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Immunohistochemical analysis for GRX also revealed that GRX was reduced after ischemia. Northern blot analysis also showed that GRX mRNA from ischemic hemispheres decreased after ischemia. This reduction was parallel with the neuronal damage. This observation indicated that the maintenance of GRX and the redox regulating system was important for neuronal survival against oxidative stress.