Plant-Plant-Microbe Mechanisms Involved in Soil-Borne Disease Suppression on a Maize and Pepper Intercropping System

Background

Intercropping systems could increase crop diversity and avoid vulnerability to biotic stresses. Most studies have shown that intercropping can provide relief to crops against wind-dispersed pathogens. However, there was limited data on how the practice of intercropping help crops against soil-borne Phytophthora disease.

Principal Findings

Compared to pepper monoculture, a large scale intercropping study of maize grown between pepper rows reduced disease levels of the soil-borne pepper Phytophthora blight. These reduced disease levels of Phytophthora in the intercropping system were correlated with the ability of maize plants to form a “root wall” that restricted the movement of Phytophthora capsici across rows. Experimentally, it was found that maize roots attracted the zoospores of P. capsici and then inhibited their growth. When maize plants were grown in close proximity to each other, the roots produced and secreted larger quantities of 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIMBOA) and 6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone (MBOA). Furthermore, MBOA, benzothiazole (BZO), and 2-(methylthio)-benzothiazole (MBZO) were identified in root exudates of maize and showed antimicrobial activity against P. capsici.

Conclusions

Maize could form a “root wall” to restrict the spread of P. capsici across rows in maize and pepper intercropping systems. Antimicrobe compounds secreted by maize root were one of the factors that resulted in the inhibition of P. capsici. These results provide new insights into plant-plant-microbe mechanisms involved in intercropping systems.     

Biodegradation of Azo Dye Methyl Red by Methanogenic Microbial Communities Isolated from Volga River Sediments

Microbiology - Azo dyes are soluble xenobiotics stable under oxidizing conditions, which are widely used in human practice; they are present in liquid and solid industrial and household wastes and...     

西伯利亚蝗卵发育过程的比较转录组分析及滞育关联基因筛选

【目的】通过筛选西伯利亚蝗Gomphocerus sibiricus卵滞育基因及代谢通路,初步明确西伯利亚蝗卵滞育分子机理。【方法】利用Illumina NovaSeq 6000测序平台对西伯利亚蝗早期发育(ES)、滞育(DS)和滞育后发育阶段(PS)的卵进行转录组测序;采用GO和KEGG富集分析并结合文献,预测滞育相关通路并聚类热图分析,筛选蝗卵滞育关联基因,并选取其中6个重要基因进行qRT-PCR验证。【结果】DSvs ES和PS vs DS两比较组分别富集到12 419和4 789个差异表达基因,且多上调表达;两比较组共表达差异基因为2 206个,主要与糖代谢、环境胁迫和生长发育相关。DS vs ES组富集最显著的GO条目为蛋白结合,PS vs DS组GO条目主要包含酶活性、细胞骨架构建及蛋白结合等过程。滞育关联基因主要集中在Wnt信号通路、胰岛素信号通路、细胞周期通路以及昆虫激素生物合成等通路。6个重要的滞育关联基因的表达量变化趋势与转录组数据结果基本一致。【结论】本研究初步明确了西伯利亚蝗卵滞育调控的重要代谢途径,并筛选出20个滞育关联基因,为后续深入研究该物种的适应机理奠定了基础。     

不同抗性泡核桃对褐斑病病原菌侵染的生理生化响应北大核心CSCD

以抗病和感病泡核桃无性系为实验材料,人工接种褐斑病病原菌后测定不同时期叶片中保护酶活性、总酚、类黄酮、叶绿素含量等相关生理生化指标,探讨不同抗性泡核桃响应褐斑病病原菌侵染的生理生化差异。结果表明:(1)接种病原菌后,感病无性系64叶片带菌率随着侵染时间的增加而升高,且显著高于抗病无性系199(P<0.05)。(2)抗病无性系199和感病无性系64叶片的SOD、POD、CAT、APX和PPO活性随着侵染时间均呈现先升高后降低的变化趋势,其中SOD、POD和APX活性均在16 d时达到最大值;与较感病无性系相比,接种后抗病无性系的POD和APX活性较强;在接种前期(1~16 d),感病无性系PPO活性高于抗病无性系,后期(16~34 d)CAT活性也较抗病无性系高。(3)抗病无性系叶片叶绿素含量始终高于感病无性系;抗病无性系MDA含量在接种后无明显变化,而感病无性系先增加后降低,其细胞膜脂过氧化较重。(4)两个无性系叶片可溶性蛋白和可溶性糖含量变化较平缓,且差异不显著,在接种后期(34 d)有升高的趋势;接种5 d以后,感病无性系叶片类黄酮和总酚含量始终显著高于抗病无性系。研究发现,泡核桃抗病无性系叶片带菌率较低,较难受到侵染,并且通过提高POD和APX活性以及积累较多叶绿素、可溶性蛋白和可溶性糖来应对病原菌侵染引起的氧化胁迫,抑制病原菌的繁殖,从而提高其抗病能力。     

Testosterone regulates smooth muscle contractile pathways in the rat prostate: emphasis on PDE5 signaling

Testosterone (T) plays a permissive role in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) have been found to be effective for BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in clinical trials. This study investigated the effect of T on smooth muscle (SM) contractile and regulatory signaling pathways, including PDE5 expression and functional activity in prostate in male rats (sham-operated, surgically castrated, and castrated with T supplementation). In vitro organ bath studies, real-time RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry were performed. Castration heavily attenuated contractility, including sensitivity to phenylephrine with SM myosin immunostaining revealing a disrupted SM cell arrangement in the stroma. PDE5 was immunolocalized exclusively in the prostate stroma, and orchiectomy signficantly reduced PDE5 immunopositivity, mRNA, and protein expression, along with nNOS and ROKβ mRNA, whereas it increased eNOS plus α(1a) and α(1b) adrenoreceptor expression in castrated animals. The PDE5i zaprinast significantly increased prostate strip relaxation to the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in control but not castrated rats. But SNP alone was more effective on castrated rats, comparable with sham treated with SNP plus zaprinast. T supplementation prevented or restored all above changes, including SNP and zaprinast in vitro responsiveness. In conclusion, our data show that T positively regulates PDE5 expression and functional activities in prostate, and T ablation not only suppresses prostate size but also reduces prostatic SM contractility, with several potential SM contraction/relaxation pathways implicated. Zaprinast findings strongly suggest a major role for PDE5/cGMP in this signaling cascade. PDE5 inhibition may represent a novel mechanism for treatment of BPH.     

Functional characterization and localization of a gill-specific claudin isoform in Atlantic salmon

Claudins are the major determinants of paracellular epithelial permeability in multicellular organisms. In Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), we previously found that mRNA expression of the abundant gill-specific claudin 30 decreases during seawater (SW) acclimation, suggesting that this claudin is associated with remodeling of the epithelium during salinity change. This study investigated localization, protein expression, and function of claudin 30. Confocal microscopy showed that claudin 30 protein was located at cell-cell interfaces in the gill filament in SW- and fresh water (FW)-acclimated salmon, with the same distribution, overall, as the tight junction protein ZO-1. Claudin 30 was located at the apical tight junction interface and in cell membranes deeper in the epithelia. Colocalization with the α-subunit of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase was negligible, suggesting limited association with mitochondria-rich cells. Immunoblotting of gill samples showed lower claudin 30 protein expression in SW than FW fish. Retroviral transduction of claudin 30 into Madin-Darby canine kidney cells resulted in a decreased conductance of 19%. The decreased conductance correlated with a decreased permeability of the cell monolayer to monovalent cations, whereas permeability to chloride was unaffected. Confocal microscopy revealed that claudin 30 was expressed in the lateral membrane, as well as in tight junctions of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, thereby paralleling the findings in the native gill. This study suggests that claudin 30 functions as a cation barrier between pavement cells in the gill and also has a general role in cell-cell adhesion in deeper layers of the epithelium.     

He—Ne激光对君子兰幼果和胡萝卜根的愈伤组织形成及生长的影响

利用6mv的He—Ne激光器,每天对君子兰幼果、胡萝卜根的外植体辐照5分钟,连续辐照20天,对愈伤组织的形成和生长有一定的促进作用。但同样条件下,辐照10分钟,对君子兰幼果,胡萝卜根的愈伤组织形成和生长都有明显的抑制作用。     

The complete mitochondrial genome of Solen strictus (Bivalvia: Solenidae)

In this paper, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of Solen strictus (Bivalvia: Solenidae). The whole mitogenome of S. strictus is 16,535?bp in length with a base composition of 21.7% A, 41.0% T, 25.6% C, and 11.7% G and contains 12 protein-coding genes (atp8 is missing), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a major non-coding region (MNR). Some peculiar patterns including tandem repeats and microsatellite-like elements are found in the MNR of S. strictus.