Root Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana Is Regulated by Ethylene and Abscisic Acid Signaling Interaction in Response to HrpNEa, a Bacterial Protein of Harpin Group

HrpN_Ea is a harpin protein from Erwinia amylovora, a bacterial pathogen that causes fire blight in rosaceous plants. Treating plants with HrpN_Ea stimulates ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) to induce plant growth and drought tolerance, respectively. Herein, we report that both growth hormones cooperate to mediate the role of HrpN_Ea in promoting root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Root growth is promoted coordinately with elevation in levels of ABA and ethylene subsequent to soaking of germinating seeds of wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis in a solution of HrpN_Ea. However, these responses are arrested by inhibiting WT roots from synthesizing ethylene as well as sensing of ABA and ethylene. The effects of HrpN_Ea on roots are also nullified in ethylene-insensitive etr1-1 and ein5-1 mutants and in the ABA-insensitive mutant abi2-1 of Arabidopsis. These results provide evidence for presence of a relationship between root growth enhancement and signaling by ABA and ethylene in response to HrpN_Ea. Nevertheless, when HrpN_Ea is applied to leaves, ethylene signaling is active in the absence of ABA signaling to promote plant growth. This suggests the presence of a different signaling mechanism in leaves from that in roots. X. Ren and F. Liu contributed equally to this study and are regarded as joint first authors     

Effects of lanthanum on rumen fermentation, urinary excretion of purine derivatives and digestibility in steers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of LaCl₃ supplementation on rumen fermentation, urinary excretion of purine derivatives and feed digestibility in the total tract of steers. Eight ruminally cannulated Simmental steers (420 ± 20 kg) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square experiment. The treatments were control (without LaCl₃); La-low; La-medium and La-high with 450, 900 and 1800 mg LaCl₃ per steer per day, respectively. Diet consisted of 600 g/kg corn stover and 400 g/kg concentrate (dry matter [DM] basis). Dry matter intake (averaged 9 kg/day) was restricted to a maximum of 90% of ad libitum intake. Ruminal pH (range of 6.59–6.42) was quadratically (P<0.04) changed, whereas total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration (range of 74.16–88.61 mM) was linearly (P<0.01) and quadratically (P<0.01) increased with increasing La supplementation. Ratio of acetate to propionate decreased linearly (P<0.01) from 3.28 to 1.79 as La supplementation increased due to the increased in propionate production. In situ ruminal neutral detergent fibre (aNDF) degradation of corn stover was improved but the crude protein (CP) degradability of soybean meal was decreased with increasing La supplementation. Urinary excretion of purine derivatives was quadratically (P<0.01) changed with altering La supplementation (75.5, 81.0, 82.4 and 70.6 mmol/day for control, low-, medium- and high-LaCl₃ supplementation, respectively). Similarly, digestibilities of organic matter, aNDF and CP in the total tract were also linearly and quadratically increased with increasing La supplementation. The present results indicate that supplementation of diet with LaCl₃ improved rumen fermentation and feed digestion in beef cattle. It was suggested that the La stimulated the digestive microorganisms or enzymes in a dose-dependent manner. In the experimental conditions of this trial, the optimum La dose was about 900 mg LaCl₃ per steer per day.     

L(p) approximation capabilities of sum-of-product and sigma-pi-sigma neural networks

This paper studies the L(p) approximation capabilities of sum-of-product (SOPNN) and sigma-pi-sigma (SPSNN) neural networks. It is proved that the set of functions that are generated by the SOPNN with its activation function in $L_{loc};p(\mathcal{R})$ is dense in $L;p(\mathcal{K})$ for any compact set $\mathcal{K}\subset \mathcal{R};N$, if and only if the activation function is not a polynomial almost everywhere. It is also shown that if the activation function of the SPSNN is in ${L_{loc};\infty(\mathcal{R})}$, then the functions generated by the SPSNN are dense in $L;p(\mathcal{K})$ if and only if the activation function is not a constant (a.e.).     

Two new antibacterial sesquiterpenoids from Centipeda minima

Two new guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactones, compounds 1 and 2, along with three known guaianolide- or pseudoguaianolides, were isolated from Centipeda minima (whole plant). Their structures were identified by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses. The configuration at C5 of the guaiane framework of 1 was rationalized by quantum-mechanical calculations (Table 2). All compounds were found to be active against eight different microbial pathogens (Table 3), with MIC values in the range of 6.25-100 microg/ml.     

Direct activation of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1(TRPV1) by Diacylglycerol (DAG)

Voltage-gated sodium channels play important roles in modulating dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron hyperexcitability and hyperalgesia after peripheral nerve injury or inflammation. We report that chronic compression of DRG (CCD) produces profound effect on tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) and tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium currents, which are different from that by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in small DRG neurons. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were obtained in vitro from L₄ and/or L₅ dissociated, small DRG neurons following in vivo DRG compression or nerve injury. The small DRG neurons were classified into slow and fast subtype neurons based on expression of the slow-inactivating TTX-R and fast-inactivating TTX-S Na⁺ currents. CCD treatment significantly reduced TTX-R and TTX-S current densities in the slow and fast neurons, but CCI selectively reduced the TTX-R and TTX-S current densities in the slow neurons. Changes in half-maximal potential (V_1/2) and curve slope (k) of steady-state inactivation of Na⁺ currents were different in the slow and fast neurons after CCD and CCI treatment. The window current of TTX-R and TTX-S currents in fast neurons were enlarged by CCD and CCI, while only that of TTX-S currents in slow neurons was increased by CCI. The decay rate of TTX-S and both TTX-R and TTX-S currents in fast neurons were reduced by CCD and CCI, respectively. These findings provide a possible sodium channel mechanism underlying CCD-induced DRG neuron hyperexcitability and hyperalgesia and demonstrate a differential effect in the Na⁺ currents of small DRG neurons after somata compression and peripheral nerve injury. This study also points to a complexity of hyperexcitability mechanisms contributing to CCD and CCI hyperexcitability in small DRG neurons.     

石菖蒲提取物对四种储粮害虫的生物活性研究

研究了石菖蒲4种溶剂无水乙醇、丙酮、乙酸乙酯、石油醚提取物对玉米象、谷蠹、长角扁谷盗和锯谷盗4种储粮害虫的驱避作用和触杀作用。结果表明：石菖蒲4种溶剂提取物对4种试虫均有明显的驱避作用和触杀作用,处理60 h的平均驱避等级均达到Ⅲ级以上,对4种试虫的触杀死亡率均达到41.11%以上。     

Photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogen distribution under different nitrogen management and relationship with physiological N-use efficiency in three rice genotypes

Nitrogen fertilization strategies were widely adopted to enhance grain production and improve nitrogen utilization in rice all over the world. For fertilization timing strategy, ear fertilization was usually employed in recent years. For fertilization amount strategy, nitrogen fertilization would continually increase to meet the demands of increasing people for food. However, under heavy ear fertilization as well as great nitrogen amount (NA), physiological N-use efficiency (PE, defined as grain production per unit nitrogen uptake by plants) decreased. Under three NA and two ratios of fertilization given during ear development period to total NA (ear fertilization distribution ratio, EFDR), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), Pn to nitrogen content per unit area (photosynthetic N-use efficiency, Pn/N), nitrogen accumulation in plant tissues and PE of three rice (Oryza sativaL.) genotypes, Jinyou 253, Liangyoupeijiu and Baguixiang were screened in the first and second seasons in 2002 so as to understand the fluctuation patterns of Pn/N and nitrogen distribution in leaf blades under great NA & EFDR and relationship with PE in rice. Results showed that under greater NA & EFDR, Pn in flag leaves at heading and plant nitrogen accumulation at maturity always increased and PE & Pn/N always decreased in spite of increased grain production. Rice distributed more nitrogen in leaf blade under greater NA and EFDR. PE indicated significantly (P<0.05) positive relationship with Pn/N and negative relationship with nitrogen distribution ratio in leaf blades at heading and maturity, and no association with Pn in two growing seasons. Results suggested that low PE in rice under great NA and heavy ear fertilization is associated to more nitrogen distribution in leaf blades and decreases in photosynthetic efficiency.