土壤管理措施及环境因素对土壤微生物多样性影响研究进展

本文综述了土壤管理措施及环境因素对土壤微生物多样性影响的研究进展,并介绍了土壤微生物多样性的研究方法,土壤微生物多样性包括微生物物种多样性、遗传多样性和生态多样性。传统上,土壤微生物群落的分析依赖于培养技术,但使用该技术只能培养和分离出一部分土壤微生物群落。现在国际上普遍使用Biolog分析、磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)分析和核酸分析等多种现代技术研究和表征土壤微生物多样性。土壤微生物多样性受土壤管理措施和多种环境因素的影响。农药可能使土壤微生物多样性减少或改变其结构和功能;施有机肥有利于维持土壤微生物的多样性及活性;但在施用无机肥的影响上目前的报道有矛盾之处。农业土壤减少耕作可能增加微生物多样性和生物量;轮作可能比单一栽培耕作更有利于维持土壤微生物的多样性及活性。土壤微生物多样性也受土壤有机质、植被、季节变化等因素的影响,且通常遭受干旱、过度放牧、营养缺乏等的胁迫作用。     

Unraveling polyketide synthesis in members of the genus Aspergillus

Aspergillus species have the ability to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites including polyketides that are generated by multi-domain polyketide synthases (PKSs). Recent biochemical studies using dissected single or multiple domains from PKSs have provided deep insight into how these PKSs control the structural outcome. Moreover, the recent genome sequencing of several species has greatly facilitated the understanding of the biosynthetic pathways for these secondary metabolites. In this review, we will highlight the current knowledge regarding polyketide biosynthesis in Aspergillus based on the domain architecture of non-reducing, highly reducing, and partially reducing PKSs, and PKS-non-ribosomal peptide synthetases.     

灌浆期水分亏缺条件下二、四、六倍体小麦收获指数和水分利用效率的演化

为揭示不同倍性小麦生长发育、产量性状及水分利用对灌浆期水分亏缺响应的差异,选用二倍体野生一粒小麦(Triticum boeoticum)、栽培一粒小麦(T.monococcum),四倍体野生二粒小麦(T.dicoccoides)、栽培二粒小麦(T.dicoccon),和两个普通六倍体小麦(T.aestivum)品种‘长武134’和‘陕253’6个小麦品种作为供试材料。采用盆栽控水的方法,测定和分析了不同灌浆期土壤水分条件下小麦株高、旗叶叶面积、穗长、根干重、地上生物量、根冠比、千粒重、粒数、产量、收获指数、蒸腾耗水量和水分利用效率等性状的变化。在小麦染色体倍体由二倍体向六倍体进化的过程中,小麦地上生物量、千粒重、穗粒数、产量、收获指数和水分利用效率都显著增加。随着土壤水分从正常→中度亏缺→重度亏缺的减少,收获指数先增大后减小,分别为41.26%、42.48%和38.19%;生物量水分利用效率逐渐增大,分别为2.39、2.43和2.53g·kg–1;产量水分利用效率分别为1.05、1.10和1.04g·kg–1。在灌浆期水分条件是影响收获指数和水分利用效率的关键因素之一。灌浆期的水分亏缺有利于六倍体小麦的收获指数和四倍体的生物量水分利用效率的提高。中度的水分亏缺有利于四倍体和六倍体产量水分利用效率的提高。     

Cultural Variation in the Use of Overimitation by the Aka and Ngandu of the Congo Basin

Studies in Western cultures have observed that both children and adults tend to overimitate, copying causally irrelevant actions in the presence of clear causal information. Investigation of this feature in non-Western groups has found little difference cross-culturally in the frequency or manner with which individuals overimitate. However, each of the non-Western populations studied thus far has a history of close interaction with Western cultures, such that they are now far removed from life in a hunter-gatherer or other small-scale culture. To investigate overimitation in a context of limited Western cultural influences, we conducted a study with the Aka hunter-gatherers and neighboring Ngandu horticulturalists of the Congo Basin rainforest in the southern Central African Republic. Aka children, Ngandu children, and Aka adults were presented with a reward retrieval task similar to those performed in previous studies, involving a demonstrated sequence of causally relevant and irrelevant actions. Aka children were found not to overimitate as expected, instead displaying one of the lowest rates of overimitation seen under similar conditions. Aka children copied fewer irrelevant actions than Aka adults, used a lower proportion of irrelevant actions than Ngandu children and Aka adults, and had less copying fidelity than Aka adults. Measures from Ngandu children were intermediate between the two Aka groups. Of the participants that succeeded in retrieving the reward, 60% of Aka children used emulation rather than imitation, compared to 15% of Ngandu children, 11% of Aka adults, and 0% of Western children of similar age. From these results, we conclude that cross-cultural variation exists in the use of overimitation during childhood. Further study is needed under a more diverse representation of cultural and socioeconomic groups in order to investigate the cognitive underpinnings of overimitation and its possible influences on social learning and the biological and cultural evolution of our species.     

赤桉抗寒转录因子ICE1基因的分子克隆与表达分析

ICE1属于一种类似MYC的bHLH转录因子,可特异地结合到CBF3启动子的MYC作用元件并诱导CBF/DREB1下游基因的转录表达。本文以拟南芥ICE1蛋白序列为信息探针,搜索桉树基因组和EST数据库的同源序列并进行拼接、设计引物,通过RT-PCR从赤桉克隆了桉树的第一个ICE1基因。其cDNA长1792bp,含有完整的开放阅读框,可编码523个氨基酸。BLAST分析表明,cDNA序列及其推导的氨基酸序列均与拟南芥、芥菜、小麦和甜杨ICE1存在着较高的同源性,预示所获得的cDNA可能是赤桉ICE1基因（EcaICE1）。EcaICE1基因表达分析结果显示,EcaICE1在赤桉根、茎、叶中均表达,而且表达水平不受低温胁迫处理时间的影响,这表明EcaICE1是组成型表达。此外,EcaICE1的超表达可以提高转基因烟草的耐低温能力。上述结果为进一步研究EcaICE1在赤桉耐低温胁迫过程中基因表达的调控机制打下基础。     

红壤中VA菌根真菌(球囊霉目)的种类和生态分布

本文报道了发育于第四纪红色粘土母质上的红壤中的4属13种VA菌根真菌(球囊霉目):1.细齿无梗囊霉 Acaulospora denticulata Sieverding & Toro;2.丽孢无梗囊霉Acaulospora elegans Trappe & Gerdemann:3.光壁无梗囊霉Acaulospora laevis Gerdeman D & Trappe:4.巨大巨孢囊霉Gigaspora gigantea(Nicol.& Gerd.)Gerdemann & Trappe;5.珍珠巨孢囊霉Gigaspora margarita Becket & Hall;6.聚球囊霉Glomus aggregatum Schenck & Smith;7.明球囊霉Glomus clarum Nicolson & Schenck;8.集球囊霉Glomus fasiculatum(Thaxter)Gerdemann & Trappe;9.地球囊霉Glomus geosporum(Nicol.& Gerd.)Walker;10.木薯球囊霉Glomus manihot Howeler,Sieverding & Schenck;11.变形球囊霉Glomus versiforme(Karsten)Berch;12.美丽盾孢囊霉Scutellospora calospora(Nicol.& Gerd.)Walker & Sanders;13.异配盾孢囊霉Scutellospora heterogama(Nicol.& Gerd.)Walker & Sanders。其中细齿无梗囊霉(Acaulospora denticulata)、巨大巨孢囊霉(Gigaspora gigantea)、木薯球囊霉(Glomus manihot)和异配盾孢囊霉(Scutellospora heterogama)4种为国内新记录种。对这13种VA菌根真菌的形态进行了描述讨论,并对这些种群的出现频度、不同利用方式     

Cell division in the unicellular microalga Dunaliella viridis depends on phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs)

In mammalian cells, MAPKs are involved in both stress response (JNK and p38 pathways) and cell proliferation and differentiation [extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)] through protein kinase cascades. Exposure of Dunaliella viridis cell cultures to PD98059, a very specific inhibitor of the ERK signalling pathway, resulted in a total arrest of cell proliferation and a complete dephosphorylation of ERK. As shown by flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide-stained cells, PD98059 stopped mitosis at the G(2) phase after the S phase has been completed. Multiple physiological parameters such as cell motility and reducing power generation (NADPH) clearly indicate that the treated cells are wholly viable. Exposure of D. viridis to environmental stresses that impair cell division, such as hyperosmotic shock, nitrogen starvation, or sublethal UV irradiation, caused a marked decrease in the phospho-ERK levels as detected by western blot. Two 400 bp polynucleotides from D. viridis with high homologies to published sequences of ERK1 and ERK2 were cloned, sequenced, and submitted to GenBank. Northern blot analysis revealed two mRNA bands of approximately 1.9 kb, consistent with the expected size of ERK proteins ( approximately 40 kDa). Sequence analysis showed that they contained several mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) conserved domains, including II, III, VIb, VII, and the double phosphorylation motif. Interestingly, in D. viridis, this motif was T*DY* instead of the canonic T*EY*. Based on this finding, ERK plant sequences can be divided into two groups, one termed the T*DY* branch and the other termed the T*EY* branch. The molecular and functional data presented here suggest that ERK is a very ancient signalling pathway and that it was already present in the last common ancestor of all eukaryotic cells.     

Purification and Characterization of a Soluble and a Particulate Glutamate Dehydrogenase from Rat Brain

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity was determined in high-speed fractions (100,000 g for 60 min) obtained from whole rat brain homogenates after removal of a low-speed pellet (480 g for 10 min). Approximately 60% of the high-speed GDH activity was particulate (associated with membrane) and the remaining was soluble (probably of mitochondrial matrix origin). Most of the particulate GDH activity resisted extraction by several commonly used detergents, high concentration of salt, and sonication; however, it was largely extractable with the cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in hypotonic buffer solution. The two GDH activities were purified using a combination of hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange, and hydroxyapatite chromatography. Throughout these purification steps the two activities showed similar behavior. Kinetic studies indicated similar Km values for the two GDH fractions for the substrates alpha-ketoglutarate, ammonia, and glutamate; however, there were small but significant differences in Km values for NADH and NADPH. Although the allosteric stimulation by ADP and L-leucine and inhibition by diethylstilbestrol was comparable, the two GDH components differed significantly in their susceptibility to GTP inhibition in the presence of 1 mM ADP, with apparent Ki values of 18.5 and 9.0 microM GTP for the soluble and particulate fractions, respectively. The Hill plot coefficient, binding constant, and cooperativity index for the GTP inhibition were also significantly different, indicating that the two GDH activities differ in their allosteric sites. In addition, enzyme activities of the two purified proteins exhibited a significant difference in thermal stability when inactivated at 45 degrees C and pH 7.4 in 50 mM phosphate buffer.     

The generation of hydroxyl and alkoxyl radicals from the interaction of ferrous bipyridyl with peroxides.

Reaction conditions by which the iron-chelate ferrous bipyridyl can be used as a Fenton reagent to generate specifically alkoxyl radical (.OR) from its corresponding alkyl hydroperoxide (ROOH) without producing hydroxyl radical (.OH) as a result of autoxidation are described. In this manner, the relative ability of common .OH-scavenging agents to react with .OH and various .OR species could be assessed. When .OH was generated from H2O2, 4-methylmercapto-2-oxobutyrate, ethanol and benzoate all were oxidized. When .OR (cumoxyl radical, t-butoxyl radical or ethoxyl radical) was generated specifically, each was found to oxidize 4-methylmercapto-2-oxobutyrate and ethanol. In contrast with .OH, however, none of the .OR radicals mediated the decarboxylation of benzoate. Cross-competition studies with the scavengers showed that, in contrast with the .OH-dependent reaction, the .OR-dependent oxidation of 4-methylmercapto-2-oxobutyrate and ethanol was not inhibited by benzoate. Rate constants for ferrous bipyridyl oxidation by ROOH and by H2O2 were found to be essentially the same, and therefore the differential oxidation of the various scavengers was not a reflection of iron-peroxide interaction, but rather an interaction between generated oxy radicals and the scavengers. In contrast with the H2O2 system, catalase did not inhibit the oxidation of 4-methylmercapto-2-oxobutyrate or ethanol by either the cumene hydroperoxide or the t-butyl hydroperoxide system, suggesting that the oxidizing species was not derived from H2O2. These results suggest that benzoate decarboxylation might serve as a more specific probe to detect the presence of .OH than either 4-methylmercapto-2-oxobutyrate or ethanol, which react readily with .OR.