保幼激素的分子作用机制

蜕皮激素(ecdysteroids, Ecd)和保幼激素(juvenile hormone, JH)是调控昆虫发育和变态的两种最为重要的昆虫激素。尽管Ecd的分子作用机制已经相当明了,但是,因为迄今为止还没有成功地鉴定出JH受体,人们对JH的分子作用机制还了解甚少。本文从三个方面较为详尽地介绍了近年来JH分子作用机制的相关研究进展：1) JH和Ecd在分子水平上相互作用, JH可以通过改变或者抑制Ecd信号来调控昆虫的发育和变态;2) JH核受体的两个候选基因为Met和USP;3) JH还可以通过膜受体和蛋白激酶C传导信号。     

Color change as a potential behavioral strategy

Within species, color morphs may enhance camouflage, improve communication and/or confer reproductive advantage. However, in the male cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, body color may also signal a behavioral strategy. A. burtoni live in a lek-like social system in Lake Tanganyika, Africa where bright blue or yellow territorial (T) males (together ~ 10–30% of the population) are reproductively capable and defend territories containing food with a spawning site. In contrast, non-territorial (NT) males are smaller, cryptically colored, shoal with females and have regressed gonads. Importantly, males switch between these social states depending on their success in aggressive encounters. Yellow and blue morphs were thought to be adaptations to particular habitats, but they co-exist both in nature and in the laboratory. Importantly, individual males can switch colors so we asked whether color influences behavioral and hormonal profiles. When pairing territorial males with opposite colored fish, yellow males became dominant over blue males significantly more frequently. Moreover, yellow T males had significantly higher levels of 11-ketotosterone than blue T males while only blue NT males had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol compared to the other groups. Thus color differences alone predict dominance status and hormone profiles in T males. Since T males can and do change color, this suggests that A. burtoni may use color as a flexible behavioral strategy.     

Midge-inferred Holocene summer temperatures in Southeastern British Columbia,Canada

Using fossil midge stratigraphies, we inferred Holocene summer temperatures at three subalpine lakes in eastern British Columbia. The late-glacial sediment indicated cool conditions, with an abundance of Microspectra atrofasciata/radialis type fossils at Thunder Lake and Redmountain Lake, and Sergentia at Windy Lake. Sergentia and Tanytarsus lugens/Corynocera oliveri type were dominant in the early Holocene, together with Chironomus at Redmountain Lake. At Thunder and Windy lakes, the early Holocene was dominated by warm-adapted taxa such as Microtendipes. Quantitative midge-temperature inference models reconstruct a 4 to 8 °C rise in mean July air temperature for Windy and Thunder lakes at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Early-Holocene temperatures averaged 3 to 4 °C warmer than those extant today. In contrast, no long-term temperature trend was evident at Redmountain Lake. This site may not reflect actual trends in air temperature due to runoff from a persistent snow pack in the watershed. Comparison of midge and pollen data suggests an inverse relationship between summer temperature and precipitation through the middle to late Holocene.     

Restoration of mature etiolated cucumber hypocotyl cell wall susceptibility to expansin by pretreatment with fungal pectinases and EGTA in vitro

Mature plant cell walls lose their ability to expand and become unresponsive to expansin. This phenomenon is believed to be due to cross-linking of hemicellulose, pectin, or phenolic groups in the wall. By screening various hydrolytic enzymes, we found that pretreatment of nongrowing, heat-inactivated, basal cucumber (Cucumis sativus) hypocotyls with pectin lyase (Pel1) from Aspergillus japonicus could restore reconstituted exogenous expansin-induced extension in mature cell walls in vitro. Recombinant pectate lyase A (PelA) and polygalacturonase (PG) from Aspergillus spp. exhibited similar capacity to Pel1. Pel1, PelA, and PG also enhanced the reconstituted expansin-induced extension of the apical (elongating) segments of cucumber hypocotyls. However, the effective concentrations of PelA and PG for enhancing the reconstituted expansin-induced extension were greater in the apical segments than in the basal segments, whereas Pel1 behaved in the opposite manner. These data are consistent with distribution of more methyl-esterified pectin in cell walls of the apical segments and less esterified pectin in the basal segments. Associated with the degree of esterification of pectin, more calcium was found in cell walls of basal segments compared to apical segments. Pretreatment of the calcium chelator EGTA could also restore mature cell walls' susceptibility to expansin by removing calcium from mature cell walls. Because recombinant pectinases do not hydrolyze other wall polysaccharides, and endoglucanase, xylanase, and protease cannot restore the mature wall's extensibility, we can conclude that the pectin network, especially calcium-pectate bridges, may be the primary factor that determines cucumber hypocotyl mature cell walls' unresponsiveness to expansin.     

杨树根系浸提液对3种牧草种子萌发及幼苗生长的影响

采用不同浓度(3、10和30mg/mL)的南林95杨〔PopulusdeltoidsBartr.cv.Lux×P.euramericana(Dode)Guineircv.I 45/51〕和NL 80351杨(P.deltoidsBartr.cv.Lux×P.deltoidsBartr.cv.Harvard)根系浸提液,处理杨树 牧草复合经营系统中3种主要牧草种子,探讨杨树根系浸提液对牧草种子萌发及幼苗生长的影响。结果表明:南林95杨和NL 80351杨根系浸提液对3种牧草种子的萌发及幼苗的生长有一定影响。这2个无性系根系浸提液对紫花苜蓿(MedicagosativaL.)、白三叶(TrifoliumrepensL.)和杂交狼尾草(PennisetumalopecuroidesL.×P.americanumL.)的种子发芽率、幼苗高生长、根长生长及种子活力主要表现为抑制作用,在浓度较高时影响尤为明显;但2个无性系根系浸提液对白三叶的高生长(南林95杨30mg/mL除外)表现出一定的促进作用;在3mg/mL浓度时,2个无性系根系浸提液对白三叶的种子活力也有一定的促进作用。     

种植制度对江苏省棉田杂草群落影响的研究

 经连续5年对江苏省主棉区水旱轮作及旱连作两种种植制度下的棉田杂草种群密度及草害优势度级数进行定田调查,通过时间和空间上的比较统计分析,研究了棉田杂草群落演替趋势及草害发生规律。研究结果表明,种植制度与江苏省棉田杂草群落的组成和草害发生程度紧密相关。在水旱轮作棉田中,随着棉花(Gossypium hirsutum)种植年数的增加,喜湿性杂草稗草(Echinochloa crusgalli)等优势度值逐渐减少,喜旱性杂草马唐(Digitaria sanguinalis)等优势度值逐渐提高,它们之间存在显著的线性关系。旱连作棉田以喜旱性杂草为主,发生量较大,草害较重,年际间杂草群落变化较小。另外,水旱轮作和旱连作棉田之间的杂草群落结构和种群数量差异显著。而地理区域差异的影响明显小于轮作制度差异导致的影响。     

记裂齿目(哺乳动物纲)一新属——豫裂兽(Yuesthonyx gen.nov.)

古新世晚期裂齿类———丁氏豫裂兽 (新属、新种 ) (Yuesthonyxtingaegen .etsp .nov.)的发现表明了裂齿目在亚洲古新世已相当分化 ,在臼齿形态上有与北美始新世Esthonyx相近的小尖兽 (Meiostylogon)和中间兽 (Interogale) ,也有与北美Megalesthonyx接近的豫裂兽等。根据豫裂兽、Megalesthonyx、和亚洲的Adapidium的上臼齿都具有明显的中附尖等特征可与其他裂齿类相区别 ,新建了豫裂兽科 (YuesthoncidaeFam .nov.)。     

A multi-generation analysis of the stability of transgenic virus resistance in doubled-haploid tobacco lines

Plants can be genetically engineered for virus resistance by transformation with a viral gene. We transformed tobacco with the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) nucleocapsid gene from the Hawaiian L isolate in order to obtain TSWV resistant breeding lines. Doubled-haploid lines were produced from primary transgenic plants that were selected for resistance to the virus. Several of these lines showed very high levels of resistance and were symptomless after inoculation with the Hawaiian L isolate of TSWV. The accumulation of only low levels of full-length transgene RNA and protein observed in these lines is consistent with an RNA-mediated mechanism of resistance. The lines that were highly resistant to the Hawaiian L isolate of TSWV were also found to be highly resistant to several other isolates of TSWV, while lines that were only moderately resistant to the Hawaiian L isolate were often susceptible to the other isolates. The highly resistant lines were advanced over several generations by self-pollination. Although these lines were fully homozygous, several lines lost resistance in later generations, indicating that the resistance was unstable. Selection for resistance in these unstable lines did not prevent the occurrence of susceptible progeny in subsequent generations. Therefore, testing over several generations is required to determine the stability of resistance when breeding crops with transgenic virus resistance.     

Heavy Metal Distribution in Open Canals and Drains in the Upper Rio Grande Basin

The inclusion of reclaimed effluents for irrigated agriculture may allow communities along the U.S.-Mexico border to use water resources more efficiently and reduce urban costs of wastewater treatment. However, metal inflow from industry and urbanization may threaten food safety. This study examines metal concentrations in sediments from open canal systems charged with flow from the Rio Grande and from effluents discharged from border communities. At the surface of canal beds, sediments were collected from six canal segments that began at the fringe of the El Paso/Juarez metroplex to rural areas downstream, and ranged from 9 to 24?km in length. Sediments were analyzed for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. These metals rarely exceeded 20?mg kg^?1. Drainage and effluent conveyance increased the variability of metal concentrations in sediments. Geostatistical models did not significantly account for spatial variability of metals, except in Mexico. This may implicate multiple rather than single inflow sources of metals. Peaks in metal concentrations often coincided with growing rural communities. However, most metal concentrations were within conventional global ranges and were not at levels high enough to threaten food safety. Future sampling strategies will require reduced sampling intervals from 1 to <0.13?km.     

Characterization of the role of full-length CRMP3 and its calpain-cleaved product in inhibiting microtubule polymerization and neurite outgrowth

Collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMPs) are key modulators of cytoskeletons during neurite outgrowth in response to chemorepulsive guidance molecules. However, their roles in adult injured neurons are not well understood. We previously demonstrated that CRMP3 underwent calcium-dependent N-terminal protein cleavage during excitotoxicity-induced neurite retraction and neuronal death. Here, we report findings that the full-length CRMP3 inhibits tubulin polymerization and neurite outgrowth in cultured mature cerebellar granule neurons, while the N-terminal truncated CRMP3 underwent nuclear translocation and caused a significant nuclear condensation. The N-terminal truncated CRMP3 underwent nuclear translocation through nuclear pores. Nuclear protein pull-down assay and mass spectrometry analysis showed that the N-terminal truncated CRMP3 was associated with nuclear vimentin. In fact, nuclear-localized CRMP3 co-localized with vimentin during glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. However, the association between the truncated CRMP3 and vimentin was not critical for nuclear condensation and neurite outgrowth since over-expression of truncated CRMP3 in vimentin null neurons did not alleviate nuclear condensation and neurite outgrowth inhibition. Together, these studies showed CRMP3's role in attenuating neurite outgrowth possibility through inhibiting microtubule polymerization, and also revealed its novel association with vimentin during nuclear condensation prior to neuronal death.