Response of rice (Oryza sativa) with root surface iron plaque under aluminium stress

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Rice (Oryza sativa) is an aquatic plant with a characteristic of forming iron plaque on its root surfaces. It is considered to be the most Al-tolerant species among the cereal crops. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of root surface iron plaque on Al translocation, accumulation and the change of physiological responses under Al stress in rice in the presence of iron plaque. METHODS: The japonica variety rice, Koshihikari, was used in this study and was grown hydroponically in a growth chamber. Iron plaque was induced by exposing the rice roots to 30 mg L(-1) ferrous iron either as Fe(II)-EDTA in nutrient solution (6 d, Method I) or as FeSO(4) in water solution (12 h, Method II). Organic acid in root exudates was retained in the anion-exchange resin and eluted with 2 m HCl, then analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after proper pre-treatment. Fe and Al in iron plaque were extracted with DCB (dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate) solution. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Both methods (I and II) could induce the formation of iron plaque on rice root surfaces. The amounts of DCB-extractable Fe and Al on root surfaces were much higher in the presence of iron plaque than in the absence of iron plaque. Al contents in root tips were significantly decreased with iron plaque; translocation of Al from roots to shoots was significantly reduced with iron plaque. Al-induced secretion of citrate was observed and iron plaque could greatly depress this citrate secretion. These results suggested that iron plaque on rice root surfaces can be a sink to sequester Al onto the root surfaces and Fe ions can pre-saturate Al-binding sites in root tips, which protects the rice root tips from suffering Al stress to a certain extent.     

云南红豆杉紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶基因的克隆及定性

通过RACE技术,克隆了云南红豆杉紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶基因(TyTBT),该酶催化2-去苯甲酰-7,13-二乙酰巴卡亭Ⅲ生成7,13-二乙酰巴卡亭Ⅲ,是紫杉醇合成途径中的关键酶之一.TyTBT基因cDNA全长1481 bp,含有1 320 bp的开放读码框,编码440个氨基酸的多肽,分子量为50 050 Da,等电点为6.17.氨基酸序列比对表明TyTBT同植物酰化酶家族的其它成员有较高的相似性,超过67%,同东北红豆杉和曼地亚红豆杉的紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶氨基酸序列的一致性和相似性达到最高,分别为95%和96%.广泛地比对分析证明这种较高的相似性在红豆杉属的其它酶家族中具有普遍性,进化树分析表明同东北红豆杉和曼地亚红豆杉的紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶(TBT)的相似性高于紫杉醇合成途径中的其它酰化酶.     

Two mutations in LDLR gene were found in two Chinese families with familial hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) (OMIM 143890) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease mainly caused by mutations of the gene encoding the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and Apolipoprotein (Apo) B. First the common mutation R3500Q in ApoB gene was determined using PCR/RFLP method. Then the LDLR gene was screened for mutations using Touch-down PCR, SSCP and sequencing techniques. Furthermore, the secondary structure of the LDLR protein was predicted with ANTHEPROT5.0. The R3500Q mutation was absent in these two families. A heterozygous p.W483X mutation of LDLR gene was identified in family A which caused a premature stop codon, while a homozygous mutation p.A627T was found in family B. The predicted secondary structures of the mutant LDLR were altered. We identified two known mutations (p.W483X, p.A627T) of the LDLR gene in two Chinese FH families respectively.     

Overexpression of Jatropha curcas Defensin (JcDef) Enhances Sheath Blight Disease Resistance in Tobacco

Plant defensins are small, basic, cysteine‐rich peptides, belonging to the antimicrobial peptide superfamily, commonly found in the plant kingdom. In this study, we cloned and characterized a plant defensin gene from Jatropha curcas (JcDef). JcDef carried conserved receptor binding sites and a cysteine motif, and it was phylogenetically grouped together with defensin Ec‐AMP‐D2‐like in Elaeis guineensis. JcDef is localized to cytoplasm and highly expressed in young tissues with fast metabolism such as cotyledons and stem apexes. Transgenic expression of JcDef in tobacco showed enhanced resistance against sheath blight disease caused by R. solani, indicating the antibacterial function.     

杜鹃花属的研究(二)

灌木,高1.5-3米。小枝适度地纤细,当年生者紫色,有鳞斑,约长4-5厘米,直径1-1.5毫米,一年生以上者淡黄色或褐色,无鳞斑。冬芽长圆锥状,鳞片覆瓦状排列,早落。叶薄纸质,狭窄或长圆状椭圆形,先端渐尖或近于钝尖状锐尖,基部楔形或钝形,长4.5-5厘米,宽1.2-2厘米,上面深绿色,有稀疏的鳞斑,下面淡绿色,有鳞斑,彼此间的距离,为其直径的2-3倍,中脉在上而略四陷,在下面稍凸起,侧脉不发育;叶柄有稀疏的鳞斑,长6-8毫米。     

Five New Guaiane Sesquiterpenes from the Endophytic Fungus Xylaria sp. YM 311647 of Azadirachta indica

Five new guaiane sesquiterpenes, 1 – 5 , were isolated from the culture broth of the endophytic fungus Xylaria sp. YM 311647, isolated from Azadirachta indica A. Juss . The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, and their inhibitory activities against five pathogenic fungi were evaluated. All guaiane sesquiterpenes showed moderate or weak antifungal activities in a broth microdilution assay.     

丁香酚对致热家兔弓状核及PO/AH区脑组织中PGE2和cAMP含量的影响

丁香酚是中药丁香油中的主要作用成份,它具有多种复杂的药理作用,尤其在解热降温方面有显著作用.本研究室以往的电生理实验观察到,丁香酚可反转致热原作用下的PO/AH(视前区-下丘脑前部)温度敏感神经元的放电活动,说明丁香酚的解热作用是通过直接或间接地影响PO/AH神经元的放电活动而实现的.近年来,弓状核在体温调节方面的作用倍受观注.本研究室多年的研究表明,弓状核积极地参与了体温调节活动,因为毁损弓状核后大鼠体温发生明显紊乱.本实验对PO/AH与弓状核在体温调节中的作用进行比较性研究,同时观察家兔发热以及丁香酚解热时在家兔弓状核及PO/AH中PGE2和cAMP含量的变化.     

Dopaminergic pathways and its effects on honeybee behaviors

蜜蜂复杂的社会行为受到了研究者的广泛关注,了解蜜蜂的学习、记忆、导航、信息传递等行为的神经分子基础,可对探索人类自身的脑科学和复杂社会行为的分子基础提供比较研究信息.本文综述了多巴胺的作用机制及其在蜜蜂行为中的作用,详细介绍了蜜蜂脑部的多巴胺受体,总结了蜜蜂脑部多巴胺水平的影响因子等,最后对进一步研究多巴胺神经通路对蜜蜂行为的作用及机制的前景做一展望.     

The DLC-1 -29A/T polymorphism is not associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk in Chinese population

Deleted in liver cancer-1 (DLC-1), encoding a Rho GTPase-activating protein (GAP), is considered as a promising candidate tumor suppressor gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) -29A/T upstream of ATG start codon was found when gene mutation profile of DLC-1 in NPC was analyzed. To evaluate the correlation between SNP -29A/T in the promoter region of DLC-1 gene and risk of NPC, a total of 521 samples from a Chinese population, including 320 healthy individuals and 201 NPC patients, were collected for SNP analysis by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequencing. The differences in allele and genotype frequencies between NPC patients and controls were tested using logistic regression statistical method. No significant differences were found in allele or genotype frequencies between NPC patients and controls or among different NPC clinical stages. Hence, our data indicate that the SNP -29A/T of DLC-1 gene is not associated with NPC susceptibility.