Hydrophilic C terminus of Salicornia europaea vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter is necessary for its function

Plant vacuolar Na⁺/H⁺ antiporters play important roles in cellular ion homeostasis, vacuolar pH regulation and sequestration of Na⁺ ions into the vacuole. Previous research showed that hydrophilic C-terminal region of Arabidopsis AtNHX1 negatively regulates the Na⁺/H⁺ transporting activity. In this study, we truncated the hydrophilic C terminus of a vacuolar Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter gene from Salicornia europaea (SeNHX1) to generate its derivative, SeNHX1- ΔC. Expression of SeNHX1 and SeNHX1- ΔC in yeast mutant showed that SeNHX1 significantly improved the tolerance to NaCl; however, the expression of SeNHX1- ΔC enormously decreased the tolerance to NaCl. Overall, these results suggest that the hydrophilic C-terminal region of SeNHX1 is required for Na⁺/H⁺ exchanging activity of SeNHX1.     

Water relations of Robinia pseudoacacia L.: do vessels cavitate and refill diurnally or are R‐shaped curves invalid in Robinia?

Since 2005, an unresolved debate has questioned whether R‐shaped vulnerability curves (VCs) might be an artefact of the centrifuge method of measuring VCs. VCs with R‐shape show loss of stem conductivity from approximately zero tension, and if true, this suggests that some plants either refill embolized vessels every night or function well with a high percentage of vessels permanently embolized. The R‐shaped curves occur more in species with vessels greater than half the length of the segments spun in a centrifuge. Many have hypothesized that the embolism is seeded by agents (bubbles or particles) entering the stem end and travelling towards the axis of rotation in long vessels, causing premature cavitation. VCs were measured on Robinia pseudoacacia L. by three different techniques to yield three different VCs; R‐shaped: Cavitron P₅₀ = 0.30 MPa and S‐shaped: air injection P₅₀ = 1.48 MPa and bench top dehydration P₅₀ = 3.57 MPa. Stem conductivity measured in the Cavitron was unstable and is a function of vessel length when measured repeatedly with constant tension, and this observation is discussed in terms of stability of air bubbles drawn into cut‐open vessels during repeated Cavitron measurement of conductivity; hence, R‐shaped curves measured in a Cavitron are probably invalid.     

Role of H2O2 dynamics in brassinosteroid‐induced stomatal closure and opening in Solanum lycopersicum

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential for plant growth and development; however, their roles in the regulation of stomatal opening or closure remain obscure. Here, the mechanism underlying BR‐induced stomatal movements is studied. The effects of 24‐epibrassinolide (EBR) on the stomatal apertures of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) were measured by light microscopy using epidermal strips of wild type (WT), the abscisic acid (ABA)‐deficient notabilis (not) mutant, and plants silenced for SlBRI1, SlRBOH1 and SlGSH1. EBR induced stomatal opening within an appropriate range of concentrations, whereas high concentrations of EBR induced stomatal closure. EBR‐induced stomatal movements were closely related to dynamic changes in H₂O₂ and redox status in guard cells. The stomata of SlRBOH1‐silenced plants showed a significant loss of sensitivity to EBR. However, ABA deficiency abolished EBR‐induced stomatal closure but did not affect EBR‐induced stomatal opening. Silencing of SlGSH1, the critical gene involved in glutathione biosynthesis, disrupted glutathione redox homeostasis and abolished EBR‐induced stomatal opening. The results suggest that transient H₂O₂ production is essential for poising the cellular redox status of glutathione, which plays an important role in BR‐induced stomatal opening. However, a prolonged increase in H₂O₂ facilitated ABA signalling and stomatal closure.     

Avoidance of potentially harmful food cannot be socially transmitted between rats

The social transmission of food preferences(STFP) is a behavioural task of olfactory memory, in which an observer rat learns safe food odours from a demonstrator rat, and shows preference for this odour in a subsequent choice test. However, previous studies have failed to detect the transmission of information about food of potential danger and food aversion using STFP test. In this study, we tested how demonstrators' health affects the exchange of odour information and whether observers can learn danger information from an unhealthy demonstrator. As expected, the observer rat formed an odour preference after interacting with a demonstrator rat that had just eaten food containing a new odour, however, odour preference rather than aversion was also formed after interacting with a demonstrator rat injected with LiCl(used to induce gastric malaise). Furthermore, anaesthetized demonstrator rats and half-anaesthetized demonstrator rats, which showed obvious motor deficits suggesting an unhealthy state, also socially transmitted food preferences to observers. These results suggest that the social transmission of food preferences task is independent of a demonstrators' health, and that information about dangerous foods cannot be transmitted using this behavioural task.     

昆明地区人输血传播病毒分子流行病学研究

目的检测昆明市体检人群血清输血传播病毒,研究该地区第4和第5组群输血传播病毒分子流行病学特征。方法聚合酶链反应检测血清输血传播病毒,阳性样品测序后进行同源性和系统进化分析。结果检测了224份血清,通过序列测定和比对确定了151份阳性样品,病毒感染率为67.41%（151/224）,第4组群和第5组群分别检测到48份和79份,混合感染10份,两组群输血传播病毒流行率为21.43%（48/224）和35.27%（79/224）,混合感染率为4.46%（10/224）。结论获得了昆明地区第4和第5组群输血传播病毒流行病学数据,为昆明地区输血传播病毒的预防奠定基础。     

灵武长枣果实ATPase超微细胞化学定位和功能研究

采用ATPase超微细胞化学定位技术,研究灵武长枣果实不同发育阶段韧皮部和果肉库薄壁细胞ATPase分布特征,以明确灵武长枣果实ATPase超微细胞化学定位特征和功能。结果显示:(1)第一次快速生长期SE/CC复合体与周围的薄壁细胞有丰富的胞间连丝,形成共质体连续,韧皮部薄壁细胞之间有丰富的胞间连丝,ATPase反应物在韧皮部各细胞分布较少。(2)缓慢生长期ATPase反应物在韧皮部各细胞分布逐渐增加。(3)第二次快速生长期SE/CC复合体与周围的薄壁细胞缺乏胞间连丝,形成共质体隔离,韧皮薄壁细胞及果肉库薄壁细胞的胞间连丝较少,囊泡和膜泡在筛管、韧皮薄壁细胞和库薄壁细胞中很丰富,质膜、液泡膜、囊泡膜、细胞壁和胞间隙的ATPase活性较高。研究表明,果实在第一次快速生长期同化物从筛分子的卸出主要采取共质体途径,缓慢生长期同化物卸出时可能为共质体和质外体途径共存,第二次快速生长期则主要以质外体途径为主,证明果实不同发育阶段韧皮部同化物卸出路径存在差异。     

糖代谢相关酶在灵武长枣叶片和果柄糖积累中的作用

以不同发育时期灵武长枣为试材,测定果实生长发育过程中叶片、果柄可溶性糖含量及蔗糖代谢相关酶活性的变化,探讨果实生长发育过程中叶片、果柄糖的积累与蔗糖代谢相关酶活性的关系。结果表明:(1)灵武长枣叶片、果柄均主要以积累蔗糖为主,叶片、果柄中葡萄糖和果糖含量的变化平缓且随果实发育略有上升,蔗糖含量则呈先下降后迅速上升的趋势,且蔗糖含量始终高于葡萄糖和果糖的含量。(2)在果实的整个发育期,叶片和果柄的酸性转化酶(AI)活性均远高于中性转化酶(NI),AI在前期升高后变化较平稳,而蔗糖合成酶(SS)和蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)活性的变化各不相同。(3)SS分解方向酶活性(SSd)对叶片和果柄蔗糖的积累具有重要的调节作用。研究认为,蔗糖合成酶分解方向酶活性(SSd)对灵武长枣叶片和果柄蔗糖的积累起主要的调控作用。     

温度对浙江天童国家森林公园9种鳞翅目昆虫繁殖力的影响

设置16、19、22、25、28和31 ℃ 6个温度梯度条件,研究了温度对浙江天童国家森林公园9种鳞翅目昆虫繁殖力的影响.结果表明： 9种鳞翅目昆虫在19～28 ℃范围内可顺利产卵并孵化,随温度升高成虫的产卵前期缩短;四川尾尺蛾等8种昆虫在22 ℃时繁殖力最强,之美苔蛾最大繁殖力出现在25 ℃;9种昆虫的卵期随温度升高而缩短;产卵同步性和卵孵化同步性最大值均出现在较高的温度条件下.四川尾尺蛾卵的发育起点温度较低,为9.52 ℃,其他8种昆虫卵的发育起点温度在13.32～14.72 ℃;四川尾尺蛾卵的有效积温为120.82日·度,显著高于其他8种昆虫(45.09～68.30日·度）.研究得到的有效积温回归方程可初步用于9种昆虫发生的预测.