湖南八面山发现灰冠鹟莺和黑喉山鹪莺

正2015年6月在湖南省桂东县八面山国家级自然保护区(25°54′02″~26°06′59″N,113°37′39″~113°50′08″E,900~2 048 m)发现两种雀形目鸟类,通过查阅文献(郑光美2011,邓学建等2012),确认为湖南首次发现。1灰冠鹟莺Seicercus tephrocephalus2015年6月16日傍晚,在湖南桂东八面山保护区金银铺保护站到主峰之间,海拔1 400 m处的矮林中发现1只小型的莺。该莺体长约11 cm,上体灰绿色而下体黄,黄色的眼圈显著,具黑色的头侧线,顶冠灰色。通过外     

濒危植物羽叶丁香种子休眠与萌发特性研究

以濒危植物羽叶丁香(Syringa pinnatifolia)种子为材料,通过形态观察、种子吸水规律测定及其种子水浸液对白菜种子发芽率的影响等几个方面探究了羽叶丁香种子的基本休眠机制。通过室内发芽试验探究了不同浸种温度和赤霉素(GA3)浓度对羽叶丁香种子萌发特性的影响,并且模拟了不同温度和光照条件对种子萌发特性的影响。结果显示,羽叶丁香种子随温度升高吸水速率加快,最终吸水率在96%~121%之间,表明种子吸水性良好,不具有物理休眠特性;种子内部含有水溶性萌发抑制物,具有化学休眠特性,可通过控制浸种时间解除萌发抑制物的限制;30°C是羽叶丁香种子最好的浸种温度,发芽率和发芽势分别达到了86.00%±4.00%和54.00%±8.71%,发芽指数为5.44±0.44;浸种处理后的种子放在15和25°C恒温无光照条件下测试所得的发芽指标最好,发芽起始时间最短,回归分析结果显示光照是影响发芽率最显著的生态因子;GA3处理并没有显著提高种子发芽率和发芽势,但高浓度(400~800 mg·L-1)GA3处理能够加快胚的生长速率,缩短萌发持续时间,说明羽叶丁香种子具有部分形态休眠特性。     

Identification and Characterization of the Lysine-Rich Matrix Protein Family in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada fucata</Emphasis>: Indicative of Roles in Shell Formation

Mantle can secret matrix proteins playing key roles in regulating the process of shell formation. The genes encoding lysine-rich matrix proteins (KRMPs) are one of the most highly expressed matrix genes in pearl oysters. However, the expression pattern of KRMPs is limited and the functions of them still remain unknown. In this study, we isolated and identified six new members of lysine-rich matrix proteins, rich in lysine, glycine and tyrosine, and all of them are basic matrix proteins. Combined with four members of the KRMPs previously reported, all these proteins can be divided into three subclasses according to the results of phylogenetic analyses: KRMP1–3 belong to subclass KPI, KRMP4–5 belong to KPII, and KRMP6–10 belong to KPIII. Three subcategories of lysine-rich matrix proteins are highly expressed in the D-phase, the larvae and adult mantle. Lysine-rich matrix proteins are involved in the shell repairing process and associated with the formation of the shell and pearl. What’s more, they can cause abnormal shell growth after RNA interference. In detail, KPI subgroup was critical for the beginning formation of the prismatic layer; both KPII and KPIII subgroups participated in the formation of prismatic layer and nacreous layer. Compared with different temperatures and salinity stimulation treatments, the influence of changes in pH on KRMPs gene expression was the greatest. Recombinant KRMP7 significantly inhibited CaCO₃ precipitation, changed the morphology of calcite, and inhibited the growth of aragonite in vitro. Our results are beneficial to understand the functions of the KRMP genes during shell formation.     

cDNA Microarray Analysis Revealing Candidate Biomineralization Genes of the Pearl Oyster, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada fucata martensii</Emphasis>

Biomineralization is a common biological phenomenon resulting in strong tissue, such as bone, tooth, and shell. Pinctada fucata martensii is an ideal animal for the study of biomineralization. Here, microarray technique was used to identify biomineralization gene in mantle edge (ME), mantle center (MC), and both ME and MC (ME-MC) for this pearl oyster. Results revealed that 804, 306, and 1127 contigs expressed at least three times higher in ME, MC, and ME-MC as those in other tissues. Blast against non-redundant database showed that 130 contigs (16.17 %), 53 contigs (17.32 %), and 248 contigs (22.01 %) hit reference genes (E?≤??10), among which 91 contigs, 48 contigs, and 168 contigs could be assigned to 32, 26, and 63 biomineralization genes in tissue of ME, MC, and ME-MC at a threshold of 3 times upregulated expression level. The ratios of biomineralization contigs to homologous contigs were similar at 3 times, 10 times, and 100 times of upregulated expression level in either ME, MC, or ME-MC. Moreover, the ratio of biomineralization contigs was highest in MC. Although mRNA distribution characters were similar to those in other studies for eight biomineralization genes of PFMG3, Pif, nacrein, MSI7, mantle gene 6, Pfty1, prismin, and the shematrin, most biomineralization genes presented different expression profiles from existing reports. These results provided massive fundamental information for further study of biomineralization gene function, and it may be helpful for revealing gene nets of biomineralization and the molecular mechanisms underlining formation of shell and pearl for the oyster.