Differential requirement of Oryza sativa RAR1 in immune receptor-mediated resistance of rice to Magnaporthe oryzae

The required for Mla12 resistance (RAR1) protein is essential for the plant immune response. In rice, a model monocot species, the function of Oryza sativa RAR1 (OsRAR1) has been little explored. In our current study, we characterized the response of a rice osrar1 T-DNA insertion mutant to infection by Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. osrar1 mutants displayed reduced resistance compared with wild type rice when inoculated with the normally virulent M. oryzae isolate PO6-6, indicating that OsRAR1 is required for an immune response to this pathogen. We also investigated the function of OsRAR1 in the resistance mechanism mediated by the immune receptor genes Pib and Pi5 that encode nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat (NB-LRR) proteins. We inoculated progeny from Pib/osrar1 and Pi5/osrar1 heterozygous plants with the avirulent M. oryzae isolates, race 007 and PO6-6, respectively. We found that only Pib-mediated resistance was compromised by the osrar1 mutation and that the introduction of the OsRAR1 cDNA into Pib/osrar1 rescued Pib-mediated resistance. These results indicate that OsRAR1 is required for Pib-mediated resistance but not Pi5-mediated resistance to M. oryzae.     

Changes in progesterone levels and distribution of progesterone receptor during vitellogenesis in the female mud crab (Scylla paramamosain)

Vertebrate-type steroids, such as progesterone, have been identified in crustaceans. The physiological activity of progesterone during vitellogenesis is still not well understood. In this study, progesterone levels in the female mud crab, Scylla paramamosain, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Peak levels of progesterone were detected during the previtellogenic stage in the hemolymph, ovary, and hepatopancreas, whereas the progesterone level decreased significantly in vitellogenic stage I. During vitellogenic stage II, progesterone levels rose again in the hemolymph and ovary, but continued to decrease in the hepatopancreas. By using western blotting, progesterone receptor (PR), with an apparent molecular weight of 70 kDa, was identified in the ovary during both vitellogenic stages I and II. By means of immunohistochemistry, PR was detected mainly in the follicle cells during vitellogenic stage I and in the nuclei of oocytes in vitellogenic stage II. Our results strongly suggest that progesterone promotes vitellogenesis in the mud crab, S. paramamosain via a classical genomic mechanism.     

Adaptor Protein Complex 2–Mediated Endocytosis Is Crucial for Male Reproductive Organ Development in Arabidopsis

Fertilization in flowering plants requires the temporal and spatial coordination of many developmental processes, including pollen production, anther dehiscence, ovule production, and pollen tube elongation. However, it remains elusive as to how this coordination occurs during reproduction. Here, we present evidence that endocytosis, involving heterotetrameric adaptor protein complex 2 (AP-2), plays a crucial role in fertilization. An Arabidopsis thaliana mutant ap2m displays multiple defects in pollen production and viability, as well as elongation of staminal filaments and pollen tubes, all of which are pivotal processes needed for fertilization. Of these abnormalities, the defects in elongation of staminal filaments and pollen tubes were partially rescued by exogenous auxin. Moreover, DR5rev:GFP (for green fluorescent protein) expression was greatly reduced in filaments and anthers in ap2m mutant plants. At the cellular level, ap2m mutants displayed defects in both endocytosis of N-(3-triethylammonium-propyl)-4-(4-diethylaminophenylhexatrienyl) pyridinium dibromide, a lypophilic dye used as an endocytosis marker, and polar localization of auxin-efflux carrier PIN FORMED2 (PIN2) in the stamen filaments. Moreover, these defects were phenocopied by treatment with Tyrphostin A23, an inhibitor of endocytosis. Based on these results, we propose that AP-2–dependent endocytosis plays a crucial role in coordinating the multiple developmental aspects of male reproductive organs by modulating cellular auxin level through the regulation of the amount and polarity of PINs.     

Three New Loxophyllum Species (Ciliophora: Pleurostomatida) from China with a Brief Review of the Marine and Brackish Loxophyllum Species

Recent studies indicate that there is a high diversity of pleurostomatid ciliates in the coastal waters of China. Here, three new congeners of Loxophyllum, L. caudatum sp. n., L. rugosum sp. n., and L. chinense sp. n., are described following observations of live cells and protargol‐impregnated specimens. All three species usually have two macronuclear nodules and prominent warts along the dorsal margin formed by clustered extrusomes. In addition, L. caudatum sp. n. is characterized by its long conspicuous tail, dot‐like cortical granules, 4 or 5 left and 9 or 10 right kineties, and a single subterminal contractile vacuole. Loxophyllum rugosum sp. n. is distinguished by possessing three prominent ridges on the left side, 7–11 right and 5–7 left kineties. Loxophyllum chinense sp. n. is characterized by having several contractile vacuoles distributed along the ventral margin, 13–18 right and 6–8 left kineties. The small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequence similarities among six congeners range from 96.46% to 99.94%. Phylogenetic trees based on the SSU rDNA sequences indicate that all Loxophyllum spp. form a well‐supported monophyletic group. A brief review of the marine and brackish Loxophyllum species is supplied and one new combination, Litonotus multiplicatus (Kahl 1931) comb. n. (basionym Loxophyllum multiplicatum Kahl 1931), and one new name, Litonotus dragescoi nom. n. (basionym L. fasciolatus Dragesco 1966), are suggested.     

Atherosclerosis,Oxidation and Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects younger women of childbearing age. Atherosclerosis is considered as a disease of the old and increases with the ageing process. Both diseases are characterized by the increased presence of activated macrophages and associated increases in growth promoting activity and the production of inflammatory cytokines. In this review, we propose that oxidative stress and the presence of forms of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) might contribute to both Atherosclerosis and Endometriosis.     

Changes of Sleep Adaptation in Hospitalized Patients with Depression

Sleep adaptation in an unfamiliar environment, the so-called “first-night effect”, is known to occur in healthy individuals. To avoid the confounding effects of the “first-night effect”, the first-night sleep data are not used in most of sleep studies. In the present study, we examined changes of sleep adaptation in hospitalized patients with depression. Polysomnographic recordings were obtained for two consecutive nights from 14 patients, and sleep parameters were compared between both nights. Total sleep time, sleep latency, awakening times, movement awakening time, sleep efficiency, sleep architecture, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, REM intensity, REM density, REM time, REM cycles, and other indicators showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the first and second nights. To conclude, hospitalized patients with depression have relatively less change in sleep adaptation, thus, the data from their first night do not need to be discarded.     

Study on the Interaction Mechanism of 2‐Aminoanthraquinone with Calf Thymus DNA

By utilizing multispectrosopic techniques, the toxic interaction of 2‐aminoanthraquinone (2‐AAQ) with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) was investigated in vitro under simulated physiological conditions. The experimental results proved that 2‐AAQ has a toxic interaction with ctDNA. The binding capacity of DNA with 2‐AAQ is diminishing as the pH value of system increasing in the optimization of experimental condition. Moreover we selected pH 7.4, which is nearly physiological condition to enhance the practical significance. According to the Stern–Volmer equation, the quenching was the static quenching process. And the quenching constant can be derived from the fluorescence quenching spectrogram. Ultraviolet absorption spectra and the change in the fluorescence intensity at different ionic strengths further indicated that there was electrostatic binding between 2‐AAQ and ctDNA. The circular dichroism experiment showed that the DNA conformation varied from B to A conformation. The basic group enhanced after 2‐AAQ embedding. The double helix is more compact, and the DNA conformation changes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J BiochemMol Toxicol 27:272‐278, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/jbt.21487