CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus

The climate of the native tropical forest habitats of Hylocereus undatus, a hemiepiphytic cactus cultivated in 20 countries for its fruit, can help explain the response of its net CO2 uptake to environmental factors. Under wet conditions, about 85% of the total daily net CO₂ uptake occurs at night via Crassulacean acid metabolism, leading to a high water‐use efficiency. Total daily net CO₂ uptake is reduced 57% by only 10 days of drought, possibly involving stomatal closure induced by abscisic acid produced in the roots, which typically occupy a small substrate volume. Total daily net CO₂ uptake for H. undatus is maximal at day/night air temperatures of 30/20°C, optimal temperatures that are higher than those for desert cacti but representative of ambient temperatures in the tropics; its total daily net CO₂ uptake becomes zero at day/night air temperatures of 42/32°C. Stem damage occurs at 45°C for H. undatus, whose photosynthetic cells show little acclimation to high temperatures compared with other cacti and are also sensitive to low temperatures, ‐1.5°C killing half of these cells. Consistent with its shaded habitat, total daily net CO2 uptake is appreciable at a total daily PPF of only 2 mol m2 day' and is maximal at 20 mol m^?2 day^?1, above which photoinhibition reduces net CO₂ uptake. Net CO₂ uptake ability, which is highly correlated with stem nitrogen and chlorophyll contents, changes only gradually (halftimes of 2–3 months) as the concentration of applied N is changed. Doubling the atmospheric CO₂ concentration raises the total daily net CO₂ uptake of H. undatus by 34% under optimal conditions and by even larger percentages under adverse environmental conditions.     

Two Clip Domain Family of Serine Proteases and a Serine Protease Homolog from the Fall Webworm, Hyphantria cunea; cDNA Cloning and Characterization

Two types of serine proteases and a serine protease homologue cDNAs were isolated from Hyphantria cunea larvae induced immune response due to an injection of a microorganism through RT‐PCR and cDNA library screening, and their characteristics were examined. The isolated cDNAs are composed 2.1 kb, 2.2 kb, and 2.5 kb nucleotide each, which encoded 388, 390, 580 amino acid residues, and were designated as HcPE‐1, HcPE‐2 and HcPE‐3, respectively. They were revealed as serine proteases or a serine protease homologue with the clip domain through a database search. The deduced amino acid sequence comparison showed high homology of 72‐78% among them. Six Cys residues of the N‐terminal clip domain forming the disulfide bond, Cys residues of the catalytic domain, and Cys residues forming inter‐bridge between clip domain and catalytic domain were also well preserved. Three amino acid residues, His, Asp, and Ser, within the active site were perfectly conserved in HcPE‐2 and HcPE‐3, however, His was replaced with Gln¹⁷⁸ in HcPE‐1. The Arg residues (HcPE‐1, Arg¹³²; HcPE‐2, Arg¹³⁴; HcPE‐3, Arg³²⁵) known as the activation sites by proteolytic cleavage were preserved well in all three types of protein. In case of HcPE‐3, three continuous clip‐like domains existed in the N terminal. As the result of phylogenetic analysis, three clip domain family of protein from H. cunea make groups with arthropod proclotting enzyme precursor. Northern blot analysis showed all three genes were induced through an injection of Escherichia coli, but expression patterns were varied.     

Lanzia berggrenii及其相关种的系统发育地位(英文)

系统发育分析结果表明,尽管Lanzia berggrenii能在寄主中形成基物子座,但与膜盘菌属的核心种关系较近,而与蜡盘菌科成员关系较远,应该归属于膜盘菌属。在广义的膜盘菌属的系统树中该种及在新西兰发现的4个新种构成一个单系群,分别命名为Hymenoscyphus haasticus,H. kiko,H.ohakune和H.waikaia。它们的共同特征:基物均为南青冈叶片,侧丝顶端分枝形成类似囊层被的结构,覆盖于子实层上部。Lanzia berggrenii var.metrosideri应为膜盘菌属中一个独立的种,即Hymenoscyphus metrosideri。     

Arabidopsis ROP‐interactive CRIB motif‐containing protein 1 (RIC1) positively regulates auxin signalling and negatively regulates abscisic acid (ABA) signalling during root development

Auxin and abscisic acid (ABA) modulate numerous aspects of plant development together, mostly in opposite directions, suggesting that extensive crosstalk occurs between the signalling pathways of the two hormones. However, little is known about the nature of this crosstalk. We demonstrate that ROP‐interactive CRIB motif‐containing protein 1 (RIC1) is involved in the interaction between auxin‐ and ABA‐regulated root growth and lateral root formation. RIC1 expression is highly induced by both hormones, and expressed in the roots of young seedlings. Whereas auxin‐responsive gene induction and the effect of auxin on root growth and lateral root formation were suppressed in the ric1 knockout, ABA‐responsive gene induction and the effect of ABA on seed germination, root growth and lateral root formation were potentiated. Thus, RIC1 positively regulates auxin responses, but negatively regulates ABA responses. Together, our results suggest that RIC1 is a component of the intricate signalling network that underlies auxin and ABA crosstalk.