Nutrient uptake by rice and soil solution composition under atmospheric CO2 enrichment

Plant and Soil - Using free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) we grew rice crops at ambient or elevated (ca.&;nbsp;250&;nbsp;μmol mol?1 above ambient) and evaluated soil nutrition status...     

Tertiary relic deciduous forests on a humid subtropical mountain, Mt. Emei, Sichuan, China

The floristic characteristics, age structure and survival modes of Tertiary-relic deciduous forests were analyzed at 1600 m on Mt. Emei (3099 m), Sichuan, China. Three plots were selected to represent typical topographies: Plot 1 at 1620 m on a scree slope, Plot 2 at 1640 m on a slope with moderately rocky soils, and Plot 3 at 1616 m on a gentle slope with less rocky soils. At Plot 1, on the scree slope, the forest was rich in species and dominated by Tertiary remnants and other deciduous trees (Davidia involucrata, Styrax hemsleyana, Cercidiphyllum japonicum var.sinense, Pterocarya hupehensis, Prunus brachypoda, Prunus padus, Tetracentron sinense andStaphylea holocarpa). The relic deciduous tree taxaDavidia, Cercidiphyllum, Tetracentron andEuptelea occupied the unstable concave slopes, where evergreen broad-leaved trees (Castanopsis platycantha andMachilus pingii) were rarely able to survive. On the relatively stable convex slopes of this plot, evergreen trees with small diameter mainly appeared in the subcanopy and shrub layers.Davidia involucrata was the dominant species in this forest. On the slope with moderately rocky soils (Plot 2), the forest was co-dominated by relicDavidia and other deciduous (Styrax andPterocarya), and evergreen trees (Castanopsis andMachilus). On the gentle slope with less rocky soils (Plot 3),Davidia trees were found only in the subcanopy and shrub layers, and the forest was dominated byMachilus, Castanopsis, Styrax andPrunus trees. Regeneration ofDavidia occurs mainly on the scree slope where landslides are most common. The age structure of theDavidia stands indicates that this species is able to survive on the unstable scree habitat due to its strong sprouting ability. The Tertiary-relic deciduous forest on the scree slope is seen to be a topographic climax forest.     

The development of cysteine proteases in freesia corms during responses to chilling

Freesia protease (FP)-A has been found in regular freesia corms (Kaneda et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 61 (1997) 1554). New corms were generated from original corms that were kept for several months at 4°C. In this study, two proteases (FP-B and FP-C) have been found to new corms kept for 6 months at 4°C, and have increased during new corms enlargement.

 FPs were purified from the extracts of new corms, and the M_r of those were 24k (A), 25k (B), and 24.5k (C) by SDS-PAGE, respectively.

 The N-terminal sequences of FPs were identical to those of papain with respect to the conservative residues of cysteine protease. The sequence of FP-A was identical with those of FP-B within 20 residues of its N-terminal. It may be possible that FP-B was produced by some post-translational modifications from FP-A during the chilling. On the other hand, N-terminal sequence of FP-C was different from those of FP-A and FP-B. It was explained that FP-C was a new protease of freesia corm.     

Insight into the basis of root growth in Arabidopsis thaliana provided by a simple mathematical model

Plant organ growth changes under genetic and environmental influences can be observed as altered cell proliferation and volume growth. The two aspects are mutually dependent and intricately related. For comprehensive growth analysis, it is necessary to specify the relationship quantitatively. Here, we develop a simple mathematical model for this purpose. Our model assumes that the biological activity of a given organ is proportional to the cell number of the organ and is allocated into three aspects: cell proliferation, volume growth, and organ maintenance. We analyzed the growth of primary roots of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. in one tetraploid and four diploid strains using this model. The analysis determined various growth parameters, such as specific cost coefficients of cell proliferation and volume growth for each strain. The results provide insight into the basis of interstrain variations and ploidy effects in root growth.     

Suitable Chemical Properties of Animal Manure Compost to Facilitate Pb Immobilization in Soil

Chemical immobilization using animal manure compost is one of the most useful for low-cost, in-situ soil remediation techniques. The present study aimed to determine suitable chemical properties of animal manure compost to facilitate lead (Pb) immobilization in soil. The level of mobile Pb in soil amended with swine compost was higher than that amended with cattle compost during the early stage of incubation. However, the level of mobile Pb was almost the same in soil amended with both types of compost on day 184 of incubation. The ratio of the residual fraction after sequential extraction was enhanced in soil amended with both types of compost, particularly swine compost. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results demonstrated the precipitation of Pb phosphate minerals, such as pyromorphite, in Pb-sorbed composts, particularly swine compost. Amendment using swine compost could reduce Pb solubility even when it had a high content of water-soluble organic matter because it significantly lowered Pb phase solubility. The amendment with swine compost improved plant growth and microbial activity. This study suggests that composts with high phosphorus (P) content are suitable for Pb immobilization amendment even if they have a high water-soluble organic matter content.     

Generation of reactive oxygen species is an early event in dolichyl phosphate-induced apoptosis

The mechanism of induction of apoptosis by dolichyl phosphate (Dol-P) was investigated in U937 cells. Studies using isolated mitochondria revealed that the respiratory complex II activity was almost completely inhibited by 20 microg/ml of Dol-P but not by the same concentration of dolichol. Activities of complex I and III were also inhibited by Dol-P, but nearly 50% of activity still remained at 20 microg/ml. Dol-P induced release of cytochrome-c from the isolated mitochondria. Fluorometric microtiter plate assay revealed that generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased in a time-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis also indicated that Dol-P caused loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsi(m)) and increased ROS generation. The addition of the antioxidant pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) significantly inhibited Dol-P-induced ROS generation and activation of caspase-3. A specific inhibitor of respiratory complex II, thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTFA), increased ROS generation, potentially mimicking the consequence of inhibition of electron flow at complex II by Dol-P in U937 cells. Electron microscopy revealed that mitochondria became swollen and spherical in shape by the treatment with Dol-P. Neither the tyrosine kinase inhibitor k252a nor mitogen activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors PD98059 and U0126 inhibited the Dol-P-induced apoptosis. Together, these results suggest that the direct disruption of mitochondrial respiratory complexes and the consequent ROS generation play a critical role in the initiation of Dol-P-induced apoptosis.