Scale specific determinants of tree diversity in an old growth temperate forest in China

The major processes generating pattern in plant community composition depend upon the spatial scale and resolution of observation, therefore understanding the role played by spatial scale on species patterns is of major concern. In this study, we investigate how well environmental (topography and soil variables) and spatial variables explain variation in species composition in a 25-ha temperate forest in northeastern China. We used new variation partitioning approaches to discover the spatial scale (using multi-scale spatial PCNM variables) at which environmental heterogeneity and other spatially structured processes influence tree community composition. We also test the effect of changing grain of the study (i.e. quadrat size) on the variation partitioning results. Our results indicate that (1) species composition in the Changbai mixed broadleaf-conifer forest was controlled mainly by spatially structured soil variation at broad scales, while at finer scales most of the explained variation was of a spatial nature, pointing to the importance of biotic processes. (2) These results held at all sampling grains. However, reducing quadrat size progressively reduced both spatially and environmentally explained variance. This probably partly reflects increasing stochasticity in species abundances, and the smaller proportion of quadrats occupied by each species, when quadrat size is reduced. The results suggest that environmental heterogeneity (i.e. niche processes) and other biotic processes such as dispersal work together, but at different spatial scales, to build up diversity patterns.     

一种新型T细胞免疫原的原核表达及对口蹄疫疫苗的免疫增强作用

主要探讨了T细胞免疫原TI对口蹄疫疫苗的免疫增强作用。设计并原核表达产生了一种包含口蹄疫病毒VP1,VP4,3A和3D蛋白上多个T细胞表位与两个通用T细胞表位的T细胞免疫原,命名为TI;同时表达了O和Asia 1两个型口蹄疫病毒 VP1 蛋白的串联编码基因,表达产物命名为OA-VP1。将上述T细胞免疫原分别与OA-VP1和口蹄疫灭活疫苗按不同剂量组合免疫小鼠,于免疫后不同时间测定各组小鼠的体液与细胞免疫应答情况。采用微量中和试验检测小鼠O型和Asia1型中和抗体,采用流式细胞检测技术和测定γ-干扰素的水平来分析不同免疫组小鼠细胞免疫的水平。结果显示,与灭活疫苗或OA-VP1单独免疫组相比,添加TI抗原后灭活疫苗 (P＜0.01) 和OA-VP1免疫组(P＜0.05)小鼠均能产生高水平的特异性中和抗体;且CD4+ T细胞数量显著增多,IFN-γ产生水平显著升高 (P＜0.01)。说明TI抗原具有很好的诱导特异性体液与细胞免疫应答的作用,是一种很好的免疫增效剂,可作为口蹄疫蛋白亚单位疫苗和灭活疫苗中的一种有效成分,以提高疫苗的免疫效果。     

A novel xylanase,XynA4-2, from thermoacidophilic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alicyclobacillus</Emphasis> sp. A4 with potential applications in the brewing industry

A xylanase gene, xynA4-2, was obtained from the genome sequence of thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus sp. A4 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). xynA4-2 encodes a mature protein of 411 residues with a calculated molecular weight of 46.8 kDa. Based on the amino acid sequence similarities (highest identity of 61%), the enzyme was confined into glycoside hydrolase family 10. The purified recombinant XynA4-2 exhibited maximum activity at pH 6.2 and 55°C. The enzyme was stable over a broad pH range, retaining more than 90% of the original activity at pH 5.8–12.0, 37°C for 1 h. The substrate specificity of XynA4-2 was relatively narrow, exhibiting 100, 93, and 35% of the relative activity towards birchwood xylan, oat spelt xylan, and wheat arabinoxylan, respectively. Supplementation of XynA4-2 to mash caused the reduction of mash filtration rate (5.6%) and viscosity (4.0%). When combined with the commercial glucanase from Sunson, higher reduction was detected in the filtration rate (12.0%) and viscosity (17.2%). These favorable properties make XynA4-2 a good candidate in the brewing industry.     

Can the Study of Natural Vegetation Succession Assist in the Control of Soil Erosion on Abandoned Croplands on the Loess Plateau,China?

In the Loess Plateau, China, arable cultivation of slope lands is common and associated with serious soil erosion. Planting trees or grass may control erosion, but planted species may consume more soil water and can threaten long‐term ecosystem sustainability. Natural vegetation succession is an alternative ecological solution to restore degraded land, but there is a time cost, given that the establishment of natural vegetation, adequate to prevent soil erosion, is a longer process than planting. The aims of this study were to identify the environmental factors controlling the type of vegetation established on abandoned cropland and to identify candidate species that might be sown soon after abandonment to accelerate vegetation succession and establishment of natural vegetation to prevent soil erosion. A field survey of thirty‐three 2 × 2–m plots was carried out in July 2003, recording age since abandonment, vegetation cover, and frequency of species together with major environmental and soil variables. Data were analyzed using correspondence analysis, classification tree analysis, and species response curves. Four vegetation types were identified and the data analysis confirmed the importance of time since abandonment, total P, and soil water in controlling the type of vegetation established. Among the dominant species in the three late‐successional vegetation types, the most appropriate candidates for accelerating and directing vegetation succession were King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) and Lespedeza davurica (Leguminosae). These species possess combinations of the following characteristics: tolerance of low water and nutrient availability, fibrous root system and strong lateral vegetative spread, and a persistent seed bank.     

转座子Tn5096对刺孢吸水链霉菌北京变种RF220转座的诱变

用大肠杆菌/链霉菌穿梭质粒pCZA168(bla,tsr,Tn5096,ColEI rep,Strep repts)多次转化农抗120产生菌刺孢吸水链霉菌北京变种(S.Streptomyces hygrospinocus var. beijingensis)RF220的原生质体,均未得到转化子。来自吸水链霉菌应城变种(S.Streptomyces hygroscopicus var.)10-22突变株的链霉菌质粒pIJ702(tsr mel+)可以转化RF220,但转化频率只有数十个转化子/μgDNA。用来自RF220本身的pIJ702对消除pIJ702后的RF220的原生质体进行了再转化,转化率没有明显的提高。用氨苄青霉素和甘氨酸协同处理RF220的菌丝体,并经-70℃冷冻原生质体再转化,得到了4个pCZA168的转化子。质粒提取、酶切、抗性测定表明：4个转化子中pCZA168中大肠杆菌DNA部分均被切除,成为大小约50～60kb的小质粒,命名为pWZH102(tsr,Tn5096,strep repts)。用pWZH102上的转座子Tn5096对RF220进行转座实验,在168个转座个体中,有2株可能为抗生素生物合成阻断变株,另有产生抗生素水平各异的变株,说明Tn5096的转座可以引起表型的不同变化。     

Selected Schizosaccharomyces pombe Strains Have Characteristics That Are Beneficial for Winemaking

At present, wine is generally produced using Saccharomyces yeast followed by Oenococus bacteria to complete malolactic fermentation. This method has some unsolved problems, such as the management of highly acidic musts and the production of potentially toxic products including biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate. Here we explore the potential of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to solve these problems. We characterise an extensive worldwide collection of S. pombe strains according to classic biochemical parameters of oenological interest. We identify three genetically different S. pombe strains that appear suitable for winemaking. These strains compare favourably to standard Saccharomyces cerevisiae winemaking strains, in that they perform effective malic acid deacidification and significantly reduce levels of biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate precursors without the need for any secondary bacterial malolactic fermentation. These findings indicate that the use of certain S. pombe strains could be advantageous for winemaking in regions where malic acid is problematic, and these strains also show superior performance with respect to food safety.     

Structural conservation and food habit-related liver expression of uncoupling protein 2 gene in five major Chinese carps

The full-length cDNA of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) was obtained from liver. The grass carp UCP2 cDNA was determined to be 1152 bp in length with an open reading frame that encodes 310 amino acids. Five introns (Intron 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) in the translated region, and partial sequence of Intron 2 in the untranslated region of grass carp UCP2 gene were also obtained. Gene structure comparison between grass carp and mammalian (human and mouse) UCP2 gene shows that, the UCP2 gene structure of grass carp is much similar to that of human and mouse. Partial UCP2 cDNA sequences of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) and mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella), were further determined. Together with the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) UCP2 sequence from GenBank (AJ243486), multiple alignment result shows that the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the UCP2 gene, were highly conserved among the five major Chinese carps that belong to four subfamilies. Using beta-actin as control, the ratio UCP2/beta-actin mRNA (%) was determined to be 149.4 +/- 15.6 (common carp), 127.4 +/- 22.1(mud carp), 96.7 +/- 12.7 (silver carp), 94.1 +/- 26.8 (bighead carp) and 63.7 +/- 16.2 (grass carp). The relative liver UCP2 expression of the five major Chinese carps, shows a close relationship with their food habit: benthos and detritus-eating fish (common carp and mud carp) > planktivorious fish (silver carp and bighead carp) > herbivorous fish (grass carp). We suggest that liver UCP2 might be important for Chinese carps to detoxify cyanotoxins and bacteria in debris and plankton food.     

Identification of new sources of aluminum resistance in wheat

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major constraint for wheat production in acidic soils. An Al resistance gene on chromosome 4DL that traces to Brazilian wheat has been extensively studied, and can provide partial protection from Al damage. To identify potentially new sources of Al resistance, 590 wheat accessions, including elite wheat breeding lines from the United States and other American and European countries, landraces and commercial cultivars from East Asia, and synthetic wheat lines from CIMMYT, Mexico, were screened for Al resistance by measuring relative root elongation in culture with a nutrient solution containing Al, and by staining Al-stressed root tips with hematoxylin. Eighty-eight wheat accessions demonstrated at least moderate resistance to Al toxicity. Those selected lines were subjected to analysis of microsatellite markers linked to an Al resistance gene on 4DL and a gene marker for the Al-activated malate transporter (ALMT1) locus. Many of the selected Al-resistant accessions from East Asia did not have the Al-resistant marker alleles of ALMT1, although they showed Al resistance similar to the US Al-resistant cultivar, Atlas 66. Most of the cultivars derived from Jagger and Atlas 66 have the Al-resistant marker alleles of ALMT1. Cluster analysis separated the selected Al-resistant germplasm into two major clusters, labeled as Asian and American–European clusters. Potentially new germplasm of Al resistance different from those derived from Brazil were identified. Further investigation of Al resistance in those new germplasms may reveal alternative Al-resistance mechanisms in wheat. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Responsible Editor: Thomas B. Kinraide.     

RNAi knockdown of Oryza sativa root meander curling gene led to altered root development and coiling which were mediated by jasmonic acid signalling in rice

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a well-known defence hormone, but its biological function and mechanism in rice root development are less understood. Here, we describe a JA-induced putative receptor-like protein (OsRLK, AAL87185) functioning in root development in rice. RNA in situ hybridization revealed that the gene was expressed largely in roots, and a fusion protein showed its localization on the plasma membrane. The primary roots in RNAi transgenic rice plants meandered and curled more easily than wild-type (WT) roots under JA treatment. Thus, this gene was renamed Oryza sativa root meander curling (OsRMC). The transgenic primary roots were shorter, the number of adventitious roots increased and the number of lateral roots decreased as compared to the WT. As well, the second sheath was reduced in length. Growth of both primary roots and second sheaths was sensitive to JA treatment. No significant change of JA level appeared in the roots between the transgenic rice line and WT. Expression of RSOsPR10, involved in the JA signalling pathway, was induced in transgenic rice. Western blotting revealed OsRMC induced by JA. Our results suggest that OsRMC of the DUF26 subfamily involved in JA signal transduction mediates root development and negatively regulates root curling in rice.