Landscape simplification increases vineyard pest outbreaks and insecticide use

Diversifying agricultural landscapes may mitigate biodiversity declines and improve pest management. Yet landscapes are rarely managed to suppress pests, in part because researchers seldom measure key variables related to pest outbreaks and insecticides that drive management decisions. We used a 13‐year government database to analyse landscape effects on European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) outbreaks and insecticides across c. 400 Spanish vineyards. At harvest, we found pest outbreaks increased four‐fold in simplified, vineyard‐dominated landscapes compared to complex landscapes in which vineyards are surrounded by semi‐natural habitats. Similarly, insecticide applications doubled in vineyard‐dominated landscapes but declined in vineyards surrounded by shrubland. Importantly, pest population stochasticity would have masked these large effects if numbers of study sites and years were reduced to typical levels in landscape pest‐control studies. Our results suggest increasing landscape complexity may mitigate pest populations and insecticide applications. Habitat conservation represents an economically and environmentally sound approach for achieving sustainable grape production.     

聚多曲霉菌原生质体和液泡的制备及优化

原生质体的大量制备是研究原生质体转化、诱变、融合等技术的关键,液泡的制备对研究液泡中分解、转运有机物的特性具有重要意义,但目前分离技术还不够成熟.本研究从聚多曲霉菌菌丝中分离原生质体和液泡并对分离条件进行优化,以聚多曲霉菌DJ515-2菌丝为材料,探索不同因素对原生质体和液泡制备分离效果的影响.结果表明,聚多曲霉菌DJ515-2在菌龄42 h,以3％纤维素酶、1％蜗牛酶和3％的溶壁酶组成复合酶液,25℃下酶解4 h,原生质体达到最大产量,为5.167×105个/mL.同时,在此基础上裂解液泡的最优条件为pH7.5、1.0mol/L KCl、0.020％Triton X-10,其产量达2.63×105个/mL,产率为原生质体的50.8％,相比采用多元碱化合物诱导真菌原生质体裂解释放液泡的产率增加了 40％～45％.本研究为真菌和植物的各种原生质体技术及基于亚细胞层面的研究提供了材料基础.     

Temporal changes of soil physic‐chemical properties at different soil depths during larch afforestation by multivariate analysis of covariance

Soil physic-chemical properties differ at different depths; however, differences in afforestation-induced temporal changes at different soil depths are seldom reported. By examining 19 parameters, the temporal changes and their interactions with soil depth in a large chronosequence dataset (159 plots; 636 profiles; 2544 samples) of larch plantations were checked by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). No linear temporal changes were found in 9 parameters (N, K, N:P, available forms of N, P, K and ratios of N: available N, P: available P and K: available K), while marked linear changes were found in the rest 10 parameters. Four of them showed divergent temporal changes between surface and deep soils. At surface soils, changing rates were 262.1 g·kg⁻¹·year⁻¹ for SOM, 438.9 mg·g⁻¹·year⁻¹ for C:P, 5.3 mg·g⁻¹·year⁻¹ for C:K, and −3.23 mg·cm⁻³·year⁻¹ for bulk density, while contrary tendencies were found in deeper soils. These divergences resulted in much moderated or no changes in the overall 80-cm soil profile. The other six parameters showed significant temporal changes for overall 0–80-cm soil profile (P: −4.10 mg·kg⁻¹·year⁻¹; pH: −0.0061 unit·year⁻¹; C:N: 167.1 mg·g⁻¹·year⁻¹; K:P: 371.5 mg·g⁻¹ year⁻¹; N:K: −0.242 mg·g⁻¹·year⁻¹; EC: 0.169 μS·cm⁻¹·year⁻¹), but without significant differences at different soil depths (P > 0.05). Our findings highlight the importance of deep soils in studying physic-chemical changes of soil properties, and the temporal changes occurred in both surface and deep soils should be fully considered for forest management and soil nutrient balance.     

Negative control of BAK1 by protein phosphatase 2A during plant innate immunity

Recognition of pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by surface‐localized pattern‐recognition receptors (PRRs) activates plant innate immunity, mainly through activation of numerous protein kinases. Appropriate induction of immune responses must be tightly regulated, as many of the kinases involved have an intrinsic high activity and are also regulated by other external and endogenous stimuli. Previous evidences suggest that PAMP‐triggered immunity (PTI) is under constant negative regulation by protein phosphatases but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that protein Ser/Thr phosphatase type 2A (PP2A) controls the activation of PRR complexes by modulating the phosphostatus of the co‐receptor and positive regulator BAK1. A potential PP2A holoenzyme composed of the subunits A1, C4, and B’η/ζ inhibits immune responses triggered by several PAMPs and anti‐bacterial immunity. PP2A constitutively associates with BAK1 in planta. Impairment in this PP2A‐based regulation leads to increased steady‐state BAK1 phosphorylation, which can poise enhanced immune responses. This work identifies PP2A as an important negative regulator of plant innate immunity that controls BAK1 activation in surface‐localized immune receptor complexes.     

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone protects retinal pigment epithelium cells from oxidative stress through activation of melanocortin 1 receptor–Akt–mTOR signaling

Patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD) will develop vision loss in the center of the visual field. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell apoptosis is an important contributor of AMD. In this study, we explored the pro-survival effect of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on oxidative stressed RPE cells. We found that α-MSH receptor melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) was functionally expressed in primary and transformed RPE cells. RPE cells were response to α-MSH stimulation. α-MSH activated Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Erk1/2 signalings in RPE cells, which were inhibited by MC1R siRNA knockdown. α-MSH protected RPE cells from hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced apoptosis, an effect that was almost abolished when MC1R was depleted by siRNA. α-MSH-mediated S6K1 activation and pro-survival effect against H₂O₂ was inhibited by Akt inhibitors (perifosine, MK-2206 and LY294002). Further, mTOR inhibition by rapamycin, or by mTOR siRNA knockdown, diminished α-MSH’s pro-survival effect in RPE cells. Thus, Akt and its downstream mTOR signaling mediates α-MSH-induced survival in RPE cells. In summary, we have identified a new α-MSH–MC1R physiologic pathway that reduces H₂O₂-induced RPE cell damage, and might minimize the risk of developing AMD.     

Zn、Cd在太原工业区和紫金山非工业区环颈雉不同组织中的分布及比较研究

为了探讨Zn、Cd在环颈雉（Phasianuscolchicus）体内的积累和分布规律,对太原工业区环颈雉体内不同组织的Zn、Cd进行了分析,并以紫荆山区为对照区（相对非污染区）,对两区环颈雉体内不同组织的Zn、Cd进行了比较。研究结果表明：Zn在环颈雉体内的分布规律为：股骨＞胸骨＞心＞肝＞肾＞肺＞股肌＞胸肌;Cd在环颈雉体内的分布规律为：肾＞胸骨＞股骨＞肝＞肺＞胸肌＞心＞股肌。两区环颈雉各组织中,Zn的含量没有明显差异,而肾脏中的Cd含量差异显著。     

Smad2条件基因剔除载体的构建及LoxP位点有效性鉴定

Smads家族是最新发现的TGF－β信号转导途径中一个重要的新基因家族,SMAD2属于受体激活的SMADs。Smad2在某些肿瘤中发生突变,是一种可能的肿瘤抑制基因。Smad2基因完全剔除小鼠在胚胎期E6．5天死亡,为了研究Smad2在成体各组织器官及肿瘤发生中的可能作用,构建了Smad2条件基因剔除载体,将LoxP置于Smad2基因组序列C末端功能域两侧,并在组成型表达Cre重组酶的大肠杆菌中检测了LoxP位点的功能,该载体的构建为进行Smad2组织特异性基因剔除研究了奠定了基础。     

棉酚对鼠类生精细胞LDH-X活性的影响

本文测定了连续饲喂棉酚达6周的大鼠和小鼠的生精细胞的LDH-X活性。结果表明,棉酚能够明显地抑制大鼠成熟精子的LDH-X活性;而对睾丸LDH-X活性的抑制,与对照相比,无显著性差异。在小鼠中,未发现棉酚对成熟精子及睾丸生精细胞中的LDH-X活性产生具统计学意义的抑制作用。本文结合精子发生过程及LDH-X的特殊功能,对棉酚抗生育作用的可能机理进行了讨论。     

Complete genome sequence of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus casei LC2W

Lactobacillus casei LC2W, a patented probiotic strain (Z. Wu, European patent EP 1642963 B1, February 2009), has been isolated from Chinese traditional dairy products and implemented in industrial production as starter culture. Here we present the complete genome sequence of LC2W and the identification of a gene cluster implicated in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides.     

Apoptosis induced by (di-isopropyloxyphoryl-Trp)2-Lys-OCH3 in K562 and HeLa cells

According to the method used in our laboratory, our group synthesized (DIPP-Trp)₂-Lys-OCH₃. It inhibited the proliferation of K562 and HeLa cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ of 15.12 and 42.23 µM, respectively. (DIPP-Trp)₂-Lys-OCH₃ induced a dose-dependent increase of the G2/M cell population in K562 cells, and S cell population in HeLa cells; the sub-G0 population increased dramatically in both cell lines as seen by PI staining experiments using a FACS Calibur Flow cytometer (BeckmanCoulter, USA). Phosphatidylserine could significantly translocate to the surface of the membrane in (DIPP-Trp)₂-Lys-OCH₃-treated K562 and HeLa cells. The increase of an early apoptotic population was observed in a dose-dependent manner by both annexin-FITC and PI staining. It was concluded that (DIPP-Trp)₂-Lys-OCH₃ not only induced cells to enter into apoptosis, but also affected the progress of the cell cycle. It may have arrested the K562 and HeLa cells in the G₂/M, S phases, respectively. The apoptotic pathway was pulsed at this point, resulting in the treated cells entering into programmed cell death. (DIPP-Trp)₂-Lys-OCH₃ is a potential anticancer drug that intervenes in the signalling pathway.