A saturated SSR/DArT linkage map of Musa acuminata addressing genome rearrangements among bananas

Background

The orderly progression through mitosis is regulated by the Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC), a large multiprotein E₃ ubiquitin ligase that targets key cell-cycle regulators for destruction by the 26 S proteasome. The APC is composed of at least 11 subunits and associates with additional regulatory activators during mitosis and interphase cycles. Despite extensive research on APC and activator functions in the cell cycle, only a few components have been functionally characterized in plants.

Results

Here, we describe an in-depth search for APC subunits and activator genes in the Arabidopsis, rice and poplar genomes. Also, searches in other genomes that are not completely sequenced were performed. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that some APC subunits and activator genes have experienced gene duplication events in plants, in contrast to animals. Expression patterns of paralog subunits and activators in rice could indicate that this duplication, rather than complete redundancy, could reflect initial specialization steps. The absence of subunit APC7 from the genome of some green algae species and as well as from early metazoan lineages, could mean that APC7 is not required for APC function in unicellular organisms and it may be a result of duplication of another tetratricopeptide (TPR) subunit. Analyses of TPR evolution suggest that duplications of subunits started from the central domains.

Conclusions

The increased complexity of the APC gene structure, tied to the diversification of expression paths, suggests that land plants developed sophisticated mechanisms of APC regulation to cope with the sedentary life style and its associated environmental exposures.     

Symbiosome-like intracellular colonization of cereals and other crop plants by nitrogen-fixing bacteria for reduced inputs of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers

It has been forecast that the challenge of meeting increased food demand and protecting environmental quality will be won or lost in maize, rice and wheat cropping systems, and that the problem of environmental nitrogen enrichment is most likely to be solved by substituting synthetic nitrogen fertilizers by the creation of cereal crops that are able to fix nitrogen symbiotically as legumes do. In legumes, rhizobia present intracellularly in membrane-bound vesicular compartments in the cytoplasm of nodule cells fix nitrogen endosymbiotically. Within these symbiosomes, membrane-bound vesicular compartments, rhizobia are supplied with energy derived from plant photosynthates and in return supply the plant with biologically fixed nitrogen, usually as ammonia. This minimizes or eliminates the need for inputs of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Recently we have demonstrated, using novel inoculation conditions with very low numbers of bacteria, that cells of root meristems of maize, rice, wheat and other major non-legume crops, such as oilseed rape and tomato, can be intracellularly colonized by the non-rhizobial, non-nodulating, nitrogen fixing bacterium, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus that naturally occurs in sugarcane. G. diazotrophicus expressing nitrogen fixing (nifH) genes is present in symbiosome-like compartments in the cytoplasm of cells of the root meristems of the target cereals and non-legume crop species, somewhat similar to the intracellular symbiosome colonization of legume nodule cells by rhizobia. To obtain an indication of the likelihood of adequate growth and yield, of maize for example, with reduced inputs of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, we are currently determining the extent to which nitrogen fixation, as assessed using various methods, is correlated with the extent of systemic intracellular colonization by G. diazotrophicus, with minimal or zero inputs.     

圈养大熊猫性情、饲养管理和社群-性行为的关系

以往研究表明,许多成年雄性大熊猫在圈养状态下不能表达正常的社群性行为。我们设计了一个实验来研究大熊猫正常社群性行为与性情特征、展示、以及饲养管理的关系。通过调查获得大熊猫展示和饲养管理的数据,询问饲养员得知2001年繁殖季节中大熊猫的社群性行为发生频次,然后评估社群性行为能力。研究对象是分布在中国4个繁育中心的37头(12头雄性和25头雌性)成体大熊猫。通过提供新物品和气味来评估大熊猫情绪反应状况。情绪反应分为3类:畏惧、访问和访问玩耍。在有饲养员陪同玩耍的一组里,雌、雄大熊猫的"访问玩耍"的分值都较高。"畏惧"类的雌性大熊猫气味标记行为少,表达的性行为也少,并且更多地攻击接近它们的雄性,或者不理睬雄性。在繁殖季节前就接近雄性大熊猫围栏的雌性,表现出更多的气味标记行为和性行为。这些雌性的"访问玩耍"分值也高。"访问"分值高的雄性大熊猫,接近雌性的行为更多。那些与饲养员接触时间少的雄性大熊猫倾向于攻击雌性,与那些攻击性小的雄性相比,这些雄性倾向于能够接受丰富性低的环境。这些结果表明,应该采取措施减少大熊猫的畏惧,在大熊猫和饲养员之间建立积极的关系,在繁殖季节之前,增加雌性和雄性之间的熟悉程度。     

黑色素瘤相关抗原MAAT1p15与LRP6的相互作用及其对Wnt信号通路的调控

为了深入研究Wnt信号的传导机制 ,利用GAL4酵母双杂交系统 ,以Wnt受体LRP6的胞内区为诱饵蛋白 ,筛选小鼠 11 5d胚胎cDNA文库 ,发现了一个新的LRP6相互作用蛋白 :黑色素瘤相关抗原MAAT1p15 (melanoma associatedantigenrecognizedbycytotoxicTlymphocytesp15 ) .免疫共沉淀方法证明了LRP6胞内区和MAAT1p15在哺乳动物细胞中也存在相互作用 .荧光素酶报告系统分析实验显示 ,MAAT1p15能够明显增强Wnt1和LRP6响应的下游基因的转录活性 ,提示MAAT1p15可能是LRP6的一个辅助蛋白     

RAPD AS A RAPID METHOD FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING IN THE FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY

The application of RAPD as a rapid tool for quality assurance testing in the food microbiology laboratory is discussed in this paper, using Vibrio cholerae as a specific case study. Nine V. cholerae strains isolated during a one month period from environmental, seafood and shellfish samples were typed using the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Using this technique, distinct DNA fingerprint patterns were generated for all 9 strains tested. A particular 80% GC-content RAPD primer, VC80-10, was evaluated for its possible use in the differentiation among V. cholerae strains. Although the results presented are only very preliminary observations, it is shown that it is possible to use RAPD as an additional tool for quality assurance testing in the food microbiology laboratory, albeit only in a rather limited capacity.     

低剂量胸部CT自动管电流调节技术在超重体型患者检查中的可行性研究

目的：探讨16层螺旋CT自动管电流调节技术（CAREDose4D）在超重体型患者检查中的可行性。方法：收集行胸部CT检查的超重体型患者（BMI值于24-27．9之间）100例,扫描分低剂量组（A组）和常规剂量组（B组）,其中A组扫描运用CAREDose4D技术自动调节管电流;B组扫描运用常规剂量管电流为70mAs扫描。扫描完成后记录加权CT剂量指数（CTDlvol）、有效mAs值、剂量长度乘积（DLP）,计算出有效剂量（ED）及剂量减低比值（DR）,并比较两组的剂量及图像质量。结果：与B组相比,A组常规扫描辐射剂量显著降低,差异有显著统计学意义（P〈0．01）,A组剂量减低比值（DR）降低约20．84％,而图像质量无明显下降,不影响诊断,在主动脉弓上4cm（肺尖）层面A组图像质量优于B组,差异有统计学意义（x^2=8．442,P=0．015）。结论：自动管电流调节技术既可以减少患者的辐射剂量,对待超重体型患者个体化、人性化,又不影响影像诊断,是一项有价值的检查方法。     

The recognition of a new species of rice (Oryza) from Australia

The discovery is reported of a new endemic species of wild rice in series Sativae from northern Australia, Oryza meridionalis Ng. This species has previously been confused with O. rufipogon, O. nivara and O. saliva f. spontanea. Its geographical distribution is confined to northern Australia. It is also reproductively isolated from all other species of the series Sativae.