Climate‐driven range retraction of an Arctic freshwater crustacean

1. Species responses to global warming are predicted to be manifest as poleward and upward extension of species ranges, whereas cold‐adapted species experience range retractions. We report on recent range retraction of a freshwater crustacean, the Arctic fairy shrimp Branchinecta paludosa (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) from alpine ponds of southern Norway, a southernmost extension of its otherwise arctic range. 2. The species was mapped during two separate surveys, in 1970 and 2011. In 1970, it occurred in numerous ponds from the tree line at 900 m altitude to high alpine sites at 1500 m. Re‐sampling of the same ponds 41 years later revealed extinction of populations from ponds along the lowest 200 m of its altitudinal range. 3. Reconstruction of summer temperatures for the periods 1965–70 and 2005–10 revealed a thermal increase for the period, corresponding to a c. 200‐m upward shift of the local isotherms. More specifically, the number of warm summer days had doubled in the lowest 200 m of the region, which might be particularly detrimental for the species. 4. The extinctions at lower altitudes were not compensated for by corresponding upward colonisations. The range retraction of B. paludosa is possibly associated with oxygen stress and hypoxia, induced by increased water temperatures.     

程序性细胞死亡抑制基因Dad-1在水稻和玉米中的FISH定位(英文)

Dad-1是一种在动物和植物中都非常保守的细胞程序性死亡 (PCD) 抑制基因。作者利用 FISH (荧光原位杂交)首次把单拷贝水稻Dad-1基因物理定位在水稻第2号染色体短臂的端部(Fig.2 A,B&C)。我们还分析了它在玉米基因组中的同源序列。Southern 杂交结果显示在玉米基因组中确实存在水稻Dad-1 的同源序列(Fig.1)。FISH进一步展示了三个杂交信号分别在玉米4、5号染色体长臂和9号染色体短臂上(Fig.2 D,E&F),其信号距着丝粒的百分距离(FL值)分别为 91、98和96。其杂交位点的位置与水稻Dad-1所处的相对位置是相似的,它们都处于染色体臂的端部。这表明在一定的程度上,Dad-1基因不仅在序列同源性上而且在所处的染色体位置上具有保守性。 水稻Dad-1基因在水稻中的杂交信号检出率 (38%) 高于玉米中的。这表明与玉米相比,水稻Dad-1 基因的编码序列更容易与水稻染色体杂交;它与玉米中的相应序列可能只是部分同源。     

Bias and Sampling Error of the Estimated Proportion of Genotypic Variance Explained by Quantitative Trait Loci Determined From Experimental Data in Maize Using Cross Validation and Validation With Independent Samples.

Cross validation (CV) was used to analyze the effects of different environments and different genotypic samples on estimates of the proportion of genotypic variance explained by QTL (p). Testcrosses of 344 F(3) maize lines grown in four environments were evaluated for a number of agronomic traits. In each of 200 replicated CV runs, this data set was subdivided into an estimation set (ES) and various test sets (TS). ES were used to map QTL and estimate p for each run (p(ES)) and its median (p(ES)) across all runs. The bias of these estimates was assessed by comparison with the median (p(TS.ES)) obtained from TS. We also used two independent validation samples derived from the same cross for further comparison. The median p(ES) showed a large upward bias compared to p(TS.ES). Environmental sampling generally had a smaller effect on the bias of p(ES) than genotypic sampling or both factors simultaneously. In independent validation, p(TS.ES) was on average only 50% of p(ES). A wide range among p(ES) reflected a large sampling error of these estimates. QTL frequency distributions and comparison of estimated QTL effects indicated a low precision of QTL localization and an upward bias in the absolute values of estimated QTL effects from ES. CV with data from three QTL studies reported in the literature yielded similar results as those obtained with maize testcrosses. We therefore recommend CV for obtaining asymptotically unbiased estimates of p and consequently a realistic assessment of the prospects of MAS.     

三维电子显微学自动化数据采集的进展

生物三维电子显微学在过去几年取得了巨大的突破,一些具有高对称性的病毒颗粒获得了准原子分辨率的结构,非对称性的生物大分子及其复合体的结构分辨率也有快速的提高。而要获得高分辨率的结构,获取足够多的高质量电子显微照片是其中的一个关键因素。近年来,自动化数据采集技术在电子断层成像术和单颗粒方法中都取得了很大的进展。其广泛应用将使结构测定更加快速并使结构分辨率提高到更高的层次。     

玉米种子发育过程中Dad1基因的表达(英文)

Dad1是一个高度保守的细胞程序性死亡抑制基因。以拟南芥Dad1 (AtDad1) cDNA为模板,利用体外RT-PCR对其进行地高辛标记。以产物反义RNA作探针 (顺义RNA为对照),对Dad1在玉米种子发育过程中的时空表达图谱进行了研究。结果表明Dad1在一些衰老组织如子房壁、珠被(Fig.1, B&C)、成熟的胚乳 (Fig.1, E) 以及脱落的根冠细胞 (Fig.2 A)中表达量均较高,同时在新陈代谢活跃的组织如根尖分生组织细胞 (Fig.2, A&B)、发育的子叶(Fig.2, C&D)、雌性生殖细胞 (Fig.1 C)以及发育的胚乳细胞(Fig.1 C)中表达量也较高。结论:同其它植物中的Dad1同源基因一样,玉米中的Dad1基因在胚胎发育及胚乳PCD等多种发育过程中也可能起重要作用。     

Model animals and their applications

<正>Looking back a decade ago when I decided to use"model animal"to name our newly established institute,my outrageous boldness can only be described by the old Chinese slang,"newborn calf could never sense the danger of tiger".