Increased plant density of winter wheat can enhance nitrogen–uptake from deep soil

Background and Aims

Increased plant density improves grain yield and nitrogen (N)–use efficiency in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by increasing the root length density (RLD) in the soil and aboveground N–uptake (AGN) at maturity. However, how the root distribution and N–uptake at different soil depths is affected by plant density is largely unknown.

Methods

A 2–year field study using the winter wheat cultivar Tainong 18 was conducted by injecting ¹⁵?N–labeled urea into soil at depths of 0.2, 0.6, and 1.0 m under four plant densities of 135 m^?2, 270 m^?2,405 m^?2, and 540 m^?2.

Results

We observed significant RLD and ¹⁵?N–uptake increases at each soil depth as the plant density increased from 135 to 405 m^?2. ¹⁵?N–uptake increased with plant density as the soil depth increased, although the corresponding RLD value fell with depth. The ¹⁵?N–uptake at each soil depth was positively related to the RLD at the same depth. The total AGN was positively related to RLD in deep soil, especially at 0.8–1.2 m.

Conclusions

Increasing the plant density from 135 m^?2 to the optimum increases AGN primarily by increasing the RLD in deep soil and therefore increasing the plant density of winter wheat can be used to efficiently recover N leached to deep soil. Moreover, the total root numbers per unit area and RLD still increased at supraoptimal density while shoot number and N uptake stagnated.     

PAI-1过表达促进食管鳞癌细胞的侵袭和迁移

食管癌是常见的恶性肿瘤之一。由SERPINE1基因编码的纤溶酶原激活物抑制因子1(plasminogen activator inhibitor-1,PAI-1)已被报道在多种类型癌症患者的肿瘤组织中存在高表达并参与癌症进展。为探讨PAI-1蛋白在食管鳞癌中的作用及其分子机制,本研究首先利用Westernblot实验和酶联免疫吸附实验(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA)检测各食管鳞癌细胞系中PAI-1的表达和分泌水平,结果显示,PAI-1高表达的食管鳞癌细胞系分泌至细胞外的PAI-1水平相对较高。进一步选取PAI-1表达及分泌水平均较高的KYSE150和KYSE450细胞系作为研究模型,通过si RNA(小干扰RNA)瞬时转染和Transwell实验证实敲降SERPINE1可显著抑制食管鳞癌KYSE150和KYSE450细胞的侵袭和迁移。同时,构建了慢病毒介导的SERPINE1稳定敲降细胞株KYSE150和KYSE450,将SERPINE1稳定敲降的细胞培养基中外源加入PAI-1蛋白进行Transwell回复实验,结果表明PAI-1过表达可增强食管鳞癌细胞的侵袭和迁移能力。体内实验结果显示,降低PAI-1表达可显著抑制食管鳞癌细胞的成瘤和肺转移能力。分子水平检测表明PAI-1过表达可激活AKT和ERK信号通路,免疫共沉淀(co-immunoprecipitation,Co-IP)实验结果进一步显示PAI-1可能与膜受体LRP1(LDLreceptor related protein1)存在相互作用。上述研究结果表明,PAI-1可能通过与LRP1相互作用进而促进食管鳞癌细胞的侵袭和迁移。     

Cloning and expression of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A4 in Bac-to-Bac system

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the transfer of glucuronic acid from uridine diphosphate-glucuronic acid (UDP-GA) to compounds with amine, hydroxyl, and carboxylic acid moieties. N-glucuronidation is an important pathway for elimination of many tertiary amine therapeutic agents used in humans. UGT1A4 has been reported to be specific for glucuronidating primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, forming N-glucuronides. To further investigate the drugs metabolized by UGT1A4, the Bac-to-Bac expression system was used to express the recombinant UGT1A4 with His-tag on the C-terminal. The His-tagged recombinant UGT1A4 expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells were detected using anti-His antibody and the molecular weight of the recombinant protein was approximately 55kDa. The enzyme activity towards imipramine in cell homogenate protein was found to be 83.14+/-15pmol/min/mg protein (n=3) with 0.5mM imipramine by HPLC, but was not detectable in blank Sf9 cells. It paved the way for the further studies for drug glucuronidation by UGT1A4. The purification of the UGT1A4 can be done by Ni-resin. This is helpful to do research on the structure of the UFT1A4.     

源库比改变对小麦氮磷吸收积累量及利用效率的影响

以８个小麦品种为试材,研究了源库比改变对氮磷吸收积累量及利用效率的影响。试验结果表明,去除部分小穗,使某些小麦品种的氮磷吸收积累量增加,另一些品种则降低或基本不受影响。但各品种的籽粒含氮量均因部分去穗而增加。     

A 2-year field trial reveals no significant effects of GM high-methionine soybean on the rhizosphere bacterial communities

Genetically modified (GM) crops have brought various economic benefits but may also have adversely affected soil microorganisms. To examine whether transgenic high-methionine soybean ZD91 alters the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere, we performed a 2-year follow-up study using the transgenic high-methionine soybean cultivar ZD91 and wild type cultivar ZD. The community composition and the relative abundance of bacteria in rhizosphere soil were determined by sequencing of the 16S rRNA amplicon. Our results indicated that transgenic soybean ZD91 had no significantly effects on rhizosphere bacterial communities. Instead, the plant growth stage and year appeared to have a stronger effect on bacterial communities. Our findings therefore provided reliable scientific evidence for potential commercial cultivation of cultivar ZD91.     

Planting density effects on assimilation and partitioning of photosynthates during grain filling in the late-sown wheat

Leaf blades of the late-sown winter wheat produced the major portion, i.e., more than 60 %, of the total ¹⁴C-photosynthates at grain filling, but ear (rachis and glumes) only about 15 %, sheaths about 11 %, and stem internodes about 11 %. The change of plant density in this experiment had little influence on the ¹⁴CO2-photoassimilation of the ear (rachis and glumes), flag leaf lamina, sheaths and stem internodes, but markedly affected photosynthesis of the second, the third and lower leaves. The photosynthetic rate [expressed as specific radioactivity, s-¹ kg-¹(d.m.)] and the amount of ¹⁴CO₂ photosynthates decreased significantly in the second, the third and other lower leaves at a high plant density. Upon grain-filling of the late-sown wheat, the grain was the major importer of photosynthates. Yet partitioning to the stem internodes depended on the plant density. Stem was the importer of photosynthates at a low plant density, but the exporter at a high plant density. In plants at a low plant density a fairly large proportion of photosynthates was distributed into the roots. The middle and lower above-ground parts of the late-sown wheat at a high plant density decreased or lost their function early. As a result, the plant senesced earlier. However, the grain setting, filling and yielding were restricted. An appropriately low plant density was suitable for prolonging the function of the middle and lower organs, delaying the senescence of plant, increasing the source supply for grain filling, and improving the grain yield. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

4种昆虫病原线虫对草地贪夜蛾的致死作用

【目的】探讨昆虫病原线虫对草地贪夜蛾幼虫的侵染效果。【方法】在室内条件下采用生测试验法,测定了小卷蛾斯氏线虫AⅡ、长尾斯氏线虫X-7、夜蛾斯氏线虫SN和嗜菌异小杆线虫H06等4种昆虫病原线虫对草地贪夜蛾2龄和5龄幼虫的致死作用。【结果】小卷蛾斯氏线虫AⅡ与草地贪夜蛾数量比为50∶1时,36 h后草地贪夜蛾2龄和5龄幼虫的死亡率分别为92%和100%。长尾斯氏线虫X-7与草地贪夜蛾数量比为50∶1时,36 h后草地贪夜蛾2龄幼虫的死亡率为80%;在数量比30∶1时,36 h后草地贪夜蛾5龄幼虫死亡率为100%。夜蛾斯氏线虫SN与草地贪夜蛾数量比为400∶1时,36 h后草地贪夜蛾2龄和5龄幼虫的死亡率分别为88%和85%。嗜菌异小杆线虫H06与草地贪夜蛾在400∶1时,36 h后草地贪夜蛾2龄和5龄幼虫的死亡率分别为32%和67.5%。【结论】小卷蛾斯氏线虫AⅡ具有较好的草地贪夜蛾生物防治潜质,其次是长尾斯氏线虫X-7。     

细胞自噬及其与肿瘤关系的研究进展

细胞自噬是一种细胞自我降解的过程,在适应代谢应激、保护基因组完整性及维持内环境稳定方面起到重要作用。在许多人类肿瘤中存在自噬水平的改变。肿瘤发生发展的不同阶段,自噬起到了促进和抑制的双重作用。该文综述了细胞自噬的分子机制及其与肿瘤关系的主要研究进展。     

转录因子SoxR的结构、调控机制及生理功能

转录因子SoxR是典型的汞抗性操纵子调节因子家族的成员,广泛存在于变形菌门、放线菌门、酸杆菌门等微生物类群中。SoxR感受胞内氧化还原电势,通过铁硫簇失去一个电子,而激活目标基因的表达。SoxR在大肠杆菌中能应答过氧化物,负责抗氧化胁迫的全局性调控;在铜绿假单胞菌中受群体感应终端信号分子绿脓菌素的激活,参与群体对环境变化的协同应答过程。本文综述了SoxR的结构、作用机制和生理功能。近年来关于SoxR的研究虽然已取得许多令人瞩目的成果,但SoxR激活的分子机制仍有待确立和验证,同时也亟待在更多微生物类群中开展相关研究。对这些问题的深入研究,不仅可以更全面地认识SoxR,而且可以对微生物体的整个代谢调控网络有更加深入地了解,并有可能获得里程碑式的重大发现。