Trade-offs among growth, clonal, and sexual reproduction in an invasive plant Spartina alterniflora responding to inundation and clonal integration

The purpose of this article was to study the trade-offs among vegetative growth, clonal, and sexual reproduction in an aquatic invasive weed Spartina alterniflora that experienced different inundation depths and clonal integration. Here, the rhizome connections between mother and daughter ramets were either severed or left intact. Subsequently, these clones were flooded with water levels of 0, 9, and 18 cm above the soil surface. Severing rhizomes decreased growth and clonal reproduction of daughter ramets, and increased those of mother ramets grown in shallow and deep water. The daughter ramets disconnected from mother ramets did not flower, while sexual reproduction of mother ramets was not affected by severing. Clonal integration only benefited the total rhizome length, rhizome biomass, and number of rhizomes of the whole clones in non-inundation conditions. Furthermore, growth and clonal reproduction of mother, daughter ramets, and the whole clone decreased with inundation depth, whereas sexual reproduction of mother ramets and the whole clones increased. We concluded that the trade-offs among growth, clonal, and sexual reproduction of S. alterniflora would be affected by inundation depth, but not by clonal integration.     

New triterpenoid saponins from the roots of Gypsophila perfoliata Linn

Nine new triterpenoid saponins (1–9) have been isolated from the roots of Gypsophila perfoliata Linn. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive NMR (¹H, ¹³C, HSQC and HMBC) and ESIMS studies.     

Miscellaneous terpenoid constituents of Abies nephrolepis and their moderate cytotoxic activities

Three monoterpenoids and two triterpenoids were isolated from Abiesnephrolepis together with 53 known terpenoids. The structures of the compounds were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The absolute configuration of 3-hydroxycamphane-2-carboxylic acid was established as (1S,2R,3S,4R) by Cu-Kα X-ray crystallography. All 58 isolates were tested for cytotoxic activity against four tumor cells viz. A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma), Colo205 (colon adenocarcinoma), QGY-7703 (human hepatoma) and THP-1 (human monocytic leukemia). α-Cadinol exhibited the best effects on A549, Colo205 and QGY-7703 with IC₅₀ values of 8.6, 8.1 and 4.6 μg/mL, respectively.     

Taccasubosides A-D, four new steroidal glycosides from Tacca subflabellata

By analyzing the steroidal content of fresh whole plants of Tacca subflabellata (Taccaceae), we isolated one sapogenin and eight glycosides with four kinds of steroidal skeletons including four new glycosides, named taccasubosides A-D (1-4), together with five known compounds. Among them, compound 1 is the first pentacyclic sterol glycoside with 6-6-6-5-6 fused rings. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including that of 2D NMR data, and the results of acidic hydrolysis. The cytotoxicity of the selected steroidal glycosides (1-4, 8, and 9) was evaluated in vitro against five human cancer cell lines. Compound 9 showed significant inhibitory activity against all five cell lines.     

Identification and mapping of a new powdery mildew resistance gene on chromosome 6D of common wheat

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is one of the most serious wheat diseases. The rapid evolution of the pathogen's virulence, due to the heavy use of resistance genes, necessitates the expansion of resistance gene diversity. The common wheat line D57 is highly resistant to powdery mildew. A genetic analysis using an F(2) population derived from the cross of D57 with the susceptible cultivar Yangmai 158 and the derived F(2:3) lines indicated that D57 carries two dominant powdery mildew resistance genes. Based on mapping information of polymorphic markers identified by bulk segregant analysis, these two genes were assigned to chromosomes 5DS and 6DS. Using the F(2:3) lines that segregated in a single-gene mode, closely linked PCR-based markers were identified for both genes, and their chromosome assignments were confirmed through linkage mapping. The gene on chromosome 5DS was flanked by Xgwm205 and Xmag6176, with a genetic distance of 8.3 cM and 2.8 cM, respectively. This gene was 3.3 cM from a locus mapped by the STS marker MAG6137, converted from the RFLP marker BCD1871, which was 3.5 cM from Pm2. An evaluation with 15 pathogen isolates indicated that this gene and Pm2 were similar in their resistance spectra. The gene on chromosome 6DS was flanked by co-segregating Xcfd80 and Xmag6139 on one side and Xmag6140 on the other, with a genetic distance of 0.7 cM and 2.7 cM, respectively. This is the first powdery mildew resistance gene identified on chromosome 6DS, and plants that carried this gene were highly resistant to all of the 15 tested pathogen isolates. This gene was designated Pm45. The new resistance gene in D57 could easily be transferred to elite cultivars due to its common wheat origin and the availability of closely linked molecular markers.     

GluR1 phosphorylation and persistent expression of levodopa-induced motor response alterations in the Hemi-Parkinsonian rat

The phosphorylation of glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) has been increasingly implicated in the formation and maintenance of plastic responses. To investigate molecular mechanisms that underlie the persisting alterations in motor response occurring with levodopa treatment of parkinsonian patients, we evaluated the time course of these changes in relation to the phosphorylation of GluR1 in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned animals. Three weeks of twice-daily levodopa administration to rats shortened the duration of the rotational responses and increased the peak turning responses, which lasted at least 7 days after withdrawal of chronic levodopa treatment. The shortened response duration and increased peak turning, resembling human wearing-off fluctuations and dyskinesia, were associated with a marked increase in Ser-845 phosphorylated GluR1 (pGluR1S845) immunoreactivity in lesioned striatum in response to levodopa treatment. The time course of changes in GluR1 phosphorylation correlated with the time course of changes in motor behavior after withdrawal of chronic levodopa therapy. Our immunostaining data showed that these changes were confined to parvalbumin-positive neurons where GluR1 are exclusively expressed. Both the altered motor response and the degree of pGluR1S845 were attenuated by the intrastriatal administration of protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor Rp-cAMPS or GluR1 antisense oligonucleotides. The results suggest that Ser-845 GluR1 phosphorylation within parvalbumin-positive neurons contributes to the persistence of the motor response alterations produced by chronic intermittent dopaminergic stimulation.