内生真菌Colletotrichum sp. B501的寡糖提取物对黄花蒿发根中青蒿素生物合成的诱导

在黄花蒿(Artemisia annua L.)发根液体培养中,黄花蒿内生炭疽菌(Colletotrichum sp. B501)细胞壁寡糖提取物可促进发根青蒿素的合成.经寡糖诱导子(20 mg/L)处理4 d后,发根青蒿素含量达1.15 mg/g, 比对照高出64.29%.诱导作用与诱导子浓度、作用时间相关.诱导处理1 d后,X射线能谱分析表明黄花蒿发根细胞中Ca2+积累量显著增高,电镜观察发现液泡内出现高电子致密物,具活性氧清除作用的过氧化物酶表现出高活性(6.5 unit*min-1*g-1 FW).诱导处理第三天,细胞核DNA呈梯度条带降解,部分细胞出现程序化死亡.内生菌细胞壁寡糖提取物引起的生理反应有利于细胞中青蒿素的生物合成.     

激光诱变小麦后代材料籽粒贮藏蛋白编码基因变异的研究

本研究采用SDS—PAGE分析了冀麦七号、冀麦18和冀早15三个品种激光后代籽粒贮藏蛋白的变异情况。结果表明,高分子量麦谷蛋白和醇溶蛋白亚基变异较小,其控制位点为Glu—1和Gl—3或Gli—1;而低分子量部分变异较大,其控制位点多在Glu—3、Gli—2和Gli—3。这些变异具有一定的随机性。有关激光诱变对小麦面粉品质的影响有待进一步研究。     

A new family of antimicrobial peptides from skin secretions of Rana pleuraden

While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Guizhou region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the Yunnan frog, Rana pleuraden. Members of the new peptide family named pleurain-As are composed of 26 amino acids with a unique N-terminal sequence (SIIT) and a disulfide-bridged heptapeptide sequence (CRLYNTC). By BLAST search, pleurain-As had no significant similarity to any known peptides. Native and synthetic peptides showed antimicrobial activities against tested microorganisms including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Twenty different cDNAs encoding pleurain-As were cloned from the skin cDNA library of R. pleuraden. The precursors of pleurain-As are composed of 69 amino acid residues including predicted signal peptides, acidic propieces, and cationic mature antimicrobial peptides. The preproregion of pleurain-A precursor comprises a hydrophobic signal peptide of 22 residues followed by an 18 residue acidic propiece which terminates by a typical prohormone processing signal Lys-Arg. The preproregions of precursors are very similar to other amphibian antimicrobial peptide precursors but the mature pleurain-As are different from other antimicrobial peptide families. The remarkable similarity of preproregions of precursors that give rise to very different antimicrobial peptides in distantly related frog species suggests that the corresponding genes form a multigene family originating from a common ancestor. Furthermore, pleurain-As could exert antimicrobial capability against Helicobacter pylori. This is the first report of naturally occurring peptides with anti-H. pylori activity from Rana amphibians.     

Metallothionein alleviates cardiac dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetes: role of Ca2+ cycling proteins, NADPH oxidase, poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase and myosin heavy chain isozyme

Diabetic cardiomyopathy contributes to high morbidity and mortality in diabetic populations. It is manifested by compromised ventricular contraction and prolonged relaxation attributable to multiple causative factors including oxidative stress. This study was designed to examine the effect of cardiac overexpression of the heavy metal scavenger metallothionein (MT) on cardiac contractile function, intracellular Ca(2+) cycling proteins, stress-activated signaling molecules and the myosin heavy chain (MHC) isozyme in diabetes. Adult male wild-type (FVB) and MT transgenic mice were made diabetic by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Contractile properties were evaluated in cardiomyocytes including peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-relengthening (TR(90)), maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (+/-dL/dt) and intracellular Ca(2+) fluorescence. Diabetes significantly depressed PS, +/-dL/dt, prolonged TPS, TR(90) and intracellular Ca(2+) clearing, elevated resting intracellular Ca(2+), reduced caffeine-induced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release and dampened stress tolerance at high stimulus frequencies. MT itself exhibited little effect on myocyte mechanics but it significantly alleviated STZ-induced myocyte contractile dysfunctions. Diabetes enhanced expression of the AT(1) receptor, phospholamban, the p47(phox) NADPH oxidase subunit and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), depressed the level of SERCA2a, Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger and triggered a beta-MHC isozyme switch. All of these STZ-induced alterations with the exception of depressed SERCA2a and enhanced phospholamban were reconciled by MT. Collectively, these data suggest a beneficial effect of MT in the therapeutics of diabetic cardiomyopathy, possibly through a mechanism related to NADPH oxidase, PARP and MHC isozyme switch.     

Response of rice (Oryza sativa) with root surface iron plaque under aluminium stress

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Rice (Oryza sativa) is an aquatic plant with a characteristic of forming iron plaque on its root surfaces. It is considered to be the most Al-tolerant species among the cereal crops. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of root surface iron plaque on Al translocation, accumulation and the change of physiological responses under Al stress in rice in the presence of iron plaque. METHODS: The japonica variety rice, Koshihikari, was used in this study and was grown hydroponically in a growth chamber. Iron plaque was induced by exposing the rice roots to 30 mg L(-1) ferrous iron either as Fe(II)-EDTA in nutrient solution (6 d, Method I) or as FeSO(4) in water solution (12 h, Method II). Organic acid in root exudates was retained in the anion-exchange resin and eluted with 2 m HCl, then analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after proper pre-treatment. Fe and Al in iron plaque were extracted with DCB (dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate) solution. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Both methods (I and II) could induce the formation of iron plaque on rice root surfaces. The amounts of DCB-extractable Fe and Al on root surfaces were much higher in the presence of iron plaque than in the absence of iron plaque. Al contents in root tips were significantly decreased with iron plaque; translocation of Al from roots to shoots was significantly reduced with iron plaque. Al-induced secretion of citrate was observed and iron plaque could greatly depress this citrate secretion. These results suggested that iron plaque on rice root surfaces can be a sink to sequester Al onto the root surfaces and Fe ions can pre-saturate Al-binding sites in root tips, which protects the rice root tips from suffering Al stress to a certain extent.     

Century-Scale Responses of Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Flux to Multiple Environmental Changes in the Southern United States

Terrestrial ecosystems in the southern United States (SUS) have experienced a complex set of changes in climate, atmospheric CO₂ concentration, tropospheric ozone (O₃), nitrogen (N) deposition, and land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) during the past century. Although each of these factors has received attention for its alterations on ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics, their combined effects and relative contributions are still not well understood. By using the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) in combination with spatially explicit, long-term historical data series on multiple environmental factors, we examined the century-scale responses of ecosystem C storage and flux to multiple environmental changes in the SUS. The results indicated that multiple environmental changes shifted SUS ecosystems from a C source of 1.20?±?0.56?Pg (1?Pg?=?10¹⁵?g) during the period 1895 to 1950, to a C sink of 2.00?±?0.94?Pg during the period 1951 to 2007. Over the entire period spanning 1895–2007, SUS ecosystems were a net C sink of 0.80?±?0.38?Pg. The C sink was primarily due to an increase in the vegetation C pool, whereas the soil C pool decreased during the study period. The spatiotemporal changes of C storage were caused by changes in multiple environmental factors. Among the five factors examined (climate, LULCC, N deposition, atmospheric CO₂, and tropospheric O₃), elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration was the largest contributor to C sequestration, followed by N deposition. LULCC, climate, and tropospheric O₃ concentration contributed to C losses during the study period. The SUS ecosystem C sink was largely the result of interactive effects among multiple environmental factors, particularly atmospheric N input and atmospheric CO_2.     

Effects of Dragonfly Wing Structure on the Dynamic Performances

The configurations of dragonfly wings, including the corrugations of the chordwise cross-section, the microstructure of the longitudinal veins and membrane, were comprehensively investigated using the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). Based on the experimental results reported previously, the multi-scale and multi-dimensional models with different structural features of dragonfly wing were created, and the biological dynamic behaviors of wing models were discussed through the Finite Element Method (FEM). The results demonstrate that the effects of different structural features on dynamic behaviors of dragonfly wing such as natural frequency/modal, bending/torsional deformation, reaction force/torque are very significant. The corrugations of dragonfly wing along the chordwise can observably improve the flapping frequency because of the greater structural stiffness of wings. In updated model, the novel sandwich microstructure of the longitudinal veins remarkably improves the torsional deformation of dragonfly wing while it has a little effect on the flapping frequency and bending deformation. These integrated structural features can adjust the deformation of wing oneself, therefore the flow field around the wings can be controlled adaptively. The fact is that the flights of dragonfly wing with sandwich microstructure of longitudinal veins are more efficient and intelligent.     

不同发育期诸氏鲻虾虎鱼对钻井液的敏感性比较

目的筛选试验鱼适宜急性毒性试验的发育期。方法将诸氏鲻虾虎鱼早期仔鱼、中期仔鱼、晚期仔鱼、稚鱼、幼鱼及成鱼暴露于一定浓度的钻井液中,比较钻井液对不同发育期诸氏鲻虾虎鱼的急性毒性。结果早期仔鱼48 h LC50为157 mg/L,中期仔鱼48 h LC50大于500 mg/L;中期仔鱼96 h LC50为79 mg/L,晚期仔鱼96h LC50为625 mg/L,稚鱼、幼鱼、成鱼96 h LC50显著大于500 mg/L;卤虫无节幼体96 h LC50为105 mg/L;不同发育期诸氏鲻虾虎鱼对钻井液的敏感性顺序为：早期仔鱼〉中期仔鱼〉晚期仔鱼〉稚、幼、成鱼。结论诸氏鲻虾虎鱼的早期仔鱼适用于海洋污染物急性毒性评价。