PDZ Ligand Binding-Induced Conformational Coupling of the PDZ–SH3–GK Tandems in PSD-95 Family MAGUKs

Discs large (DLG) MAGUKs are abundantly expressed in glutamatergic synapses, crucial for synaptic transmission, and plasticity by anchoring various postsynaptic components including glutamate receptors, downstream scaffold proteins and signaling enzymes. Different DLG members have shared structures and functions, but also contain unique features. How DLG family proteins function individually and cooperatively is largely unknown. Here, we report that PSD-95 PDZ3 directly couples with SH3–GK tandem in a PDZ ligand binding-dependent manner, and the coupling can promote PSD-95 dimerization and multimerization. Aided by sortase-mediated protein ligation and selectively labeling, we elucidated the PDZ3/SH3–GK conformational coupling mechanism using NMR spectroscopy. We further demonstrated that PSD-93, but not SAP102, can also undergo PDZ3 ligand binding-induced conformational coupling with SH3–GK and form homo-oligomers. Interestingly, PSD-95 and PSD-93 can also form ligand binding-induced hetero-oligomers, suggesting a cooperative assembly mechanism for the mega-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor synaptic signaling complex. Finally, we provide evidence showing that ligand binding-induced conformational coupling between PDZ and SH3–GK is a common feature for other MAGUKs including CASK and PALS1.     

Construction of a genome-anchored,high-density genetic map for melon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis melo</Emphasis> L.) and identification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">melonis</Emphasis> race 1 resistance QTL

Key message

Four QTLs and an epistatic interaction were associated with disease severity in response to inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 in a recombinant inbred line population of melon.

Abstract

The USDA Cucumis melo inbred line, MR-1, harbors a wealth of alleles associated with resistance to several major diseases of melon, including powdery mildew, downy mildew, Alternaria leaf blight, and Fusarium wilt. MR-1 was crossed to an Israeli cultivar, Ananas Yok’neam, which is susceptible to all of these diseases, to generate a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 172 lines. In this study, the RIL population was genotyped to construct an ultra-dense genetic linkage map with 5663 binned SNPs anchored to the C. melo genome and exhibits the overall high quality of the assembly. The utility of the densely genotyped population was demonstrated through QTL mapping of a well-studied trait, resistance to Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Fom) race 1. A major QTL co-located with the previously validated resistance gene Fom-2. In addition, three minor QTLs and an epistatic interaction contributing to Fom race 1 resistance were identified. The MR-1 × AY RIL population provides a valuable resource for future QTL mapping studies and marker-assisted selection of disease resistance in melon.

     

放线菌对干旱胁迫下黑麦草生长及抗氧化特性的影响

采用菌剂接种及盆栽生物实验,研究了干旱缺水条件下放线菌对黑麦草生长和抗氧化特性的影响。结果显示:(1)干旱胁迫下,土壤中接种放线菌显著促进黑麦草的生长,其中根分蘖及根部生物量分别显著增加35.00%和37.47%;(2)接种放线菌后,黑麦草叶片的叶绿素总量和类胡萝卜素含量分别显著增加了12.02%和10.38%;(3)加菌后3种主要的抗氧化酶超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)较不加菌对照均增加,其增率分别为12.72%、2.38%和24.83%,其中SOD和CAT的活性增加显著。研究表明,干旱胁迫下放线菌接种土壤后,提高了黑麦草叶绿素含量和类胡萝卜素含量,增强了黑麦草抗干旱胁迫的抗氧化酶活性,可显著促进黑麦草的生长,增加其生物量。     

低温对台湾青枣(Zizyphus mauritiana Lam.)苗期形态的影响

在人工模拟试验箱设置-4、-3、-2、-1、0、1和2℃共7个低温处理,每个低温处理持续时间设1、2和3 d共3个水平,观测低温对台湾青枣苗期形态的影响及低温处理后的恢复情况,确定台湾青枣苗期的低温受害指标;并在5个地理移置点进行自然低温试验,观测不同低温条件对台湾青枣苗期形态的影响及低温处理后恢复情况,验证和完善台湾青枣苗期的低温指标。结果表明:极端最低气温低于-2℃时,青枣苗受害,确定-2℃为低温临界受害指标;极端最低气温低于-4℃时,青枣苗死亡率可达67%,确定-4℃为低温致死指标;冬季最低气温如高于0℃对树体、花果均无不良影响;连续多日出现剧烈的温度变化会导致青枣苗落叶。本研究结合人工模拟低温实验及自然低温试验构建的台湾青枣苗期低温指标较台湾资料中的青枣低温耐受力要强,可为青枣苗期管理及寒害防御提供科学依据。     

基于SWMM模型的城市排水区域降雨及地表产流特征

以上海市中心城区典型排水区域为研究对象,基于SWMM模型连续模拟2009—2011年降雨径流,分析区域235场降雨及地表径流特征.结果表明: 该区域发生频率较高的降雨具有雨量小、强度低的特点,雨量为0～10 mm、平均降雨强度为0～5 mm·h^-1、降雨峰值为0～10 mm·h^-1的降雨发生频率最大,分别占所有研究降雨场次的66.4%、88.8%和79.6%,这对于该区域应用低影响开发措施削减小雨量或低强度降雨下的径流和面源污染具有重要意义;径流量总体随着降雨量增大而增大,区域降雨产流临界值不仅与降雨量有关,还与平均降雨强度和降雨历时有关,2 mm以下的降雨基本不产流;2～4 mm的降雨如降雨强度在1.6 mm·h^-1以下,产流量不到1 mm,当降雨量在4 mm以上、平均降雨强度大于1.6 mm·h^-1时,区域基本产流.基于SWMM径流模拟结果,建立适合该区域的径流量与降雨因子的回归方程,其调整R²均大于0.97,能较好反映该区域径流量与降雨因子的关系.研究结果可为该区域更好地规划低影响开发措施和削减排水系统溢流污染提供计算基础,并为类似区域的径流研究提供参考.     

Ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River,China

In this research, ecological risks for eight individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and ∑PAH₈ in surface sediments from middle and lower reaches of Yellow River are evaluated using overlapping areas of probability density curves and margin of safety (MOS), based on the toxicity data and the exposure concentrations of PAHs in sediments collected from 23 sites. In the overlapping areas of probability density curves, the risk of Ant and Pyr are the highest, then the risk level is in the order of Flua > Nap > Phe > BaP > Flu > Ace. The values of MOS₁₀ present that Pyr (4.62 × 10^?4), Ant (5.60 × 10^?3), and Flua (6.4 × 10^?3) have a significantly high ecological risk level, while Nap and Phe have middle-level ecological risk. As for Ace, BaP, and Flu, they pose limited risk to the ecological system with MOS₁₀ greater than 1.0. The ∑PAH₈ (2.66 × 10^?5) is a higher risk level than that of any individual PAHs, where the probabilities of ∑PAH₈ in excess of the 10th percentile of the toxicity data were 86%.     

Serum levels of HSP70 and other DAMP proteins can aid in patient diagnosis after traumatic injury

Danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are activated by endogenous signals that originate from stressed, injured, or necrotic cells, signifying “danger” to the host. In this study, we evaluated the expression of the DAMP heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in trauma patients with and without secondary infections. Levels of glucose (GLU), procalcitonin (PCT), total cholesterol (T-Chol), and white blood cell (WBC) counts were also evaluated at three time stages after trauma. Our analysis showed that the levels of serum HSP70 in patients with minor, moderate, and severe injuries were significantly higher than in healthy patients at each time point post-injury (P?<?0.01), and levels of serum HSP70 in the severe injury group were significantly higher than in the minor injury group at 1–6 h after trauma (P?=?0.047). HSP70 was correlated with GLU and was negatively correlated with T-Chol in the period 1–6 h after injury (P?=?0.008/0.032). WBC and GLU were elevated after trauma, with mutual positive correlation (P?<?0.001). PCT levels increased later than WBC counts and GLU levels; these levels were correlated at the two later time periods, 24–48 h and 60–90 h (P?=?0.008/0.041). PCT continued to rise in patients with secondary infection, but PCT dropped at the third time period in patients without secondary infection. In summary, our results suggest that danger and stress theory can be used to predict severity of trauma.