Nitrogen-doped carbon dots as a fluorescent probe for the highly sensitive detection of bilirubin and cell imaging

Nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) with bright blue fluorescence were constructed by a hydrothermal method using sucrose and l- proline as raw materials. The NCDs were characterized by transmitted electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the morphology, elemental composition, and optical properties. The NCDs had good water solubility, high dispersibility with an average diameter of only 1.7 nm, and satisfactory optical properties with a fluorescence quantum yield of 23.4%. The NCDs were employed for the detection of bilirubin. A good linear response of the NCDs in the range 0.35–9.78 μM was obtained for bilirubin with a detection limit of 33 nM. The NCDs were also applied to the analysis of real samples, serum and urine, with a recovery of 95.34% to 104.66%. The low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility of the NCDs were indicated by an MTT assay and cell imaging of HeLa cells. Compared with other detection systems, using NCDs for bilirubin detection was a facile and efficient method with good selectivity and sensitivity.     

Assembly of yield heterosis of an elite rice hybrid is promising by manipulating dominant quantitative trait loci

In the past, rice hybrids with strong heterosis have been obtained empirically, by developing and testing thousands of combinations. Here, we aimed to determine whether heterosis of an elite hybrid could be achieved by manipulating major quantitative trait loci. We used 202 chromosome segment substitution lines from the elite hybrid Shanyou 63 to evaluate single segment heterosis (SSH) of yield per plant and identify heterotic loci. All nine detected heterotic loci acted in a dominant fashion, and no SSH exhibited overdominance. Functional alleles of key yield-related genes Ghd7, Ghd7.1, Hd1, and GS3 were dispersed in both parents. No functional alleles of three investigated genes were expressed at higher levels in the hybrids than in the more desirable parents. A hybrid pyramiding eight heterotic loci in the female parent Zhenshan 97 background had a comparable yield to Shanyou 63 and much higher yield than Zhenshan 97. Five hybrids pyramiding eight or nine heterotic loci in the combined parental genome background showed similar yield performance to that of Shanyou 63. These results suggest that dominance underlying functional complementation is an important contributor to yield heterosis and that heterosis assembly might be successfully promised by manipulating several major dominant heterotic loci.     

MDP25 mediates the fine-tuning of microtubule organization in response to salt stress

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeleton structures playing fundamental roles in plant responses to salt stress. The precise mechanisms by which microtubule organization is regulated under salt stress are largely unknown. Here, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana MICROTUBULE-DESTABILIZING PROTEIN 25 (MDP25; also known as PLASMA MEMBRANE-ASSOCIATED CATION-BINDING PROTEIN 1 (PCaP1)) helps regulate microtubule organization. Under salt treatment, elevated cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration caused MDP25 to partially dissociate from the plasma membrane, promoting microtubule depolymerization. When Ca²⁺ signaling was blocked by BAPTA-AM or LaCl₃, microtubule depolymerization in wild-type and MDP25-overexpressing cells was slower, while there was no obvious change in mdp25 cells. Knockout of MDP25 improved microtubule reassembly and was conducive to microtubule integrity under long-term salt treatment and microtubule recovery after salt stress. Moreover, mdp25 seedlings exhibited a higher survival rate under salt stress. The presence microtubule-disrupting reagent oryzalin or microtubule-stabilizing reagent paclitaxel differentially affected the survival rates of different genotypes under salt stress. MDP25 promoted microtubule instability by affecting the catastrophe and rescue frequencies, shrinkage rate and time in pause phase at the microtubule plus-end and the depolymerization rate at the microtubule minus-end. These findings reveal a role for MDP25 in regulating microtubule organization under salt treatment by affecting microtubule dynamics.     

喀斯特常绿落叶阔叶林个体死亡对空间格局及种间关联性的影响

树木死亡作为森林生态系统中一个重要的生态学过程,研究其如何影响物种的空间分布格局及种间关联性,可以为揭示树木死亡机制及群落动态变化规律提供重要参考。本研究根据木论25 hm²喀斯特常绿落叶阔叶林动态监测样地两次木本植物调查数据,采用点格局分析方法,分析了树木死亡前后空间格局和种间关系的变化。结果表明: 样地内个体死亡前后主要表现为聚集分布,但死亡后聚集分布的物种比例较死亡前略微下降,小尺度上呈现随机分布的物种比例有所增加,个体的死亡呈非随机性死亡。在物种水平上,13个优势种的死树和活树之间在0～30 m各尺度上呈显著正关联,表明样地内优势物种个体之间种内和种间竞争作用不激烈;树木死亡前后种间关联性主要为正关联,且大部分物种种间关系在死亡前后并未发生变化,表明群落已发展到相对稳定的阶段;死亡后,在1～30 m尺度上表现为正关联的物种对比例有所增加,负关联和无关联的物种对在大部分尺度上有所减少,说明个体死亡发生后,各个物种之间的竞争压力在一定程度上有所缓解。     

四川卧龙国家级自然保护区三种高山同域鸡形目鸟类的时空生态位比较

高海拔山区气候条件恶劣, 资源匮乏, 探究同域分布的近缘物种如何利用有限的资源以实现稳定共存, 对于了解高山生态系统生物多样性格局的形成和维持机制具有重要意义。鸡形目鸟类飞行能力弱, 属于典型的地栖物种, 生态位空间相对狭窄, 可能面临更高的种间竞争压力。本研究旨在比较几种同域分布的鸡形目鸟类的时空生态位, 为了解高山生态系统同域物种的共存机制提供新的研究案例。2020年4-9月, 研究人员在四川卧龙国家级自然保护区海拔3,300-4,200 m的高山区域进行了野外调查, 通过样线法和样方法对鸡形目鸟类群落优势物种绿尾虹雉(Lophophorus lhuysii)、雉鹑(Tetraophasis obscurus)和雪鹑(Lerwa lerwa)繁殖期的微生境进行调查, 使用红外相机对其活动节律进行监测, 并运用核密度估计法从微生境利用和日活动节律两个生态维度进行了种间生态位比较。结果显示, 雪鹑在微生境利用和日活动节律上均与其他两个物种存在显著差异。绿尾虹雉与雉鹑在微生境的利用上具有相似偏好; 但绿尾虹雉的早活动高峰晚于雉鹑, 晚活动高峰早于雉鹑, 表现出显著的种间日活动节律差异; 然而, 整合两个维度后, 绿尾虹雉和雉鹑的整体生态位仍然高度重叠, 没有显著分化。本研究表明高山鸡形目物种间的生态位分化体现于多个不同的生态维度, 并且不同物种之间的分化方式有所差异。在空间和时间生态位上的显著分化使雪鹑与同域物种间的竞争压力相对较小, 有利于其实现稳定共存。而绿尾虹雉与雉鹑的整体生态位高度重叠, 建议进一步对其食性开展研究, 探讨营养生态位上的潜在种间分化。     

中国生物多样性核心监测指标遥感产品体系构建与思考

生物多样性的稳定维持关乎人类生存发展与地球健康。生物多样性核心监测指标(Essential Biodiversity Variables, EBVs)旨在结合地面调查与遥感技术, 为大尺度、长时间序列的生物多样性监测提供新的解决方案。然而, 目前学界仍然缺乏一套国家尺度标准化EBVs遥感监测产品数据集, 以进行生物多样性评估。本研究旨在对中国生物多样性核心监测指标遥感产品进行体系构建与思考, 首先综述了目前EBVs的遥感研究概况, 并根据EBVs研究文献的数量进行调研分析; 同时, 本文在已有遥感生物多样性产品优先标准的基础上, 添加了“可重复性”的新标准, 并据此构建了中国EBVs遥感产品体系与监测数据集的指标清单, 最终对中国EBVs遥感研究存在的问题进行思考与讨论。本研究可为中国的生物多样性遥感监测提供科学依据, 有望为中国生物多样性政策的制定提供支撑。     

马尾松R2R3-MYB基因特征及进化和表达分析

MYB类转录因子在植物生长发育、代谢、应答生物胁迫和非生物胁迫的响应等生物过程发挥重要作用。为探究马尾松R2R3-MYB基因结构及功能,该研究以转录组数据为研究区域,从中筛选获得了17个马尾松R2R3-MYB基因,利用生物信息学对基因进行理化性质、系统进化树等分析,同时利用荧光定量PCR技术分析基因的组织特异性以及在花发育时期和非生物胁迫下的表达模式。结果表明：(1)17个PmMYBs亚细胞定位于细胞核,均无跨膜结构,且均含有Motif1、Motif2保守基序。系统发育进化树将马尾松PmMYBs划分为9个亚家族,且与火炬松、白云杉等裸子针叶植物关系较近。(2)17个基因均属于组成型表达,但在不同组织的表达量不同;所有基因均参与了花发育和非生物胁迫,不同基因在花发育不同时期的表达存在差异,有7个基因可能参与了雌雄性状转变;大部分基因响应非生物胁迫上调表达,但响应胁迫的时间存在差异;少数基因在胁迫中下调表达,尤其是PmMYB11基因在所有胁迫中均明显下调表达。该研究较系统地分析了马尾松R2R3-MYB基因的结构特征、系统进化及其在花发育时期和非生物胁迫下的表达模式,为深入探究马尾松R2R3...