Guidelines for genetic nomenclature and community governance for the model legume Medicago truncatula.

At the 2nd Medicago meeting (a satellite of the 1999 IS-MPMI meeting in Amsterdam), investigators perceived a need for standardization of genetic nomenclature in Medicago truncatula, due to the rapid growth of research on this species in the past few years. Establishment of such standards grew out of discussions begun at this meeting and continued electronically throughout the M. truncatula community. The proposed standards presented here are the consensus results of those discussions. In addition to standards for gene nomenclature, a method for community governance and a website for cataloging gene names and submitting new ones are presented. The purpose of implementing these guidelines is to help maintain consistency in the literature, to avoid redundancy, to contribute to the accuracy of databases, and, in general, to aid the international collaborations that have made M. truncatula a model system for legume biology.     

Whole Genome Amplification for Sequencing and Applications in Conservation Genetics

Abstract: We describe a method for rapidly amplifying whole genomes via a Phi29 DNA polymerase-mediated strand displacement reaction (SDR). Genomic amplification products derived from the SDR reaction resulted in high quantities of DNA suitable for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial genomes. Control region sequences of DNA derived directly from PCR amplicons of extracted DNA were identical to those derived from PCR amplification of SDR genomic DNA. Effective SDR amplification and subsequent sequencing was successful across tissues sources ranging in age from 1 year to 19 years. Strand replacement reaction genomic amplification offers a means of obtaining large quantities of DNA from small amounts of tissue.     

Salivary alpha amylase and salivary cortisol response to fluid consumption in exercising athletes

The objective of the study was to examine salivary biomarker response to fluid consumption in exercising athletes. Exercise induces stress on the body and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol are useful biomarkers for activity in the sympathoadrenal medullary system and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis which are involved in the stress response. Fifteen college students were given 150 ml and 500 ml of water on different days and blinded to fluid condition. The exercise protocol was identical for both fluid conditions using absolute exercise intensities ranging from moderate to high. Saliva was collected prior to exercise, post moderate and post high intensities and analyzed by Salimetrics assays. Exercise was significant for sAA with values different between pre-exercise (85 ± 10 U · ml⁻¹) and high intensity (284 ± 30 U · ml⁻¹) as well as between moderate intensity (204 ± 32 U · ml⁻¹) and high intensity. There was no difference in sAA values between fluid conditions at either intensity. Exercise intensity and fluid condition were each significant for cortisol. Cortisol values were different between pre-exercise (0.30 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹) and high intensity (0.45 ± 0.05 ug · dL⁻¹) as well as between moderate intensity (0.33 ± 0.04 ug · dL⁻¹) and high intensity. Moderate exercise intensity cortisol was lower in the 500 ml condition (0.33 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹) compared with the 150 ml condition (0.38 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹). This altered physiological response due to fluid consumption could influence sport performance and should be considered. In addition, future sport and exercise studies should control for fluid consumption.     

不同退化阶段高寒草甸土壤化学计量特征

为了阐明不同退化阶段高寒草甸土壤的化学计量特征,沿着高寒草甸退化的梯度选取了原生嵩草草甸、轻度退化草甸和严重沙化草甸,测定了高寒草甸退化过程中不同深度土壤的有机碳、全氮、全磷和全钾含量。结果表明:随着高寒草甸的退化,0～100cm土壤的有机碳、全氮、全磷和全钾含量以及碳氮比、碳磷比、碳钾比、氮磷比、氮钾比和磷钾比均呈降低趋势,且土壤有机碳对高寒草甸退化的敏感性最高,全氮、全磷和全钾的敏感性依次降低,表层20cm的土壤有机碳和全氮可作为表征高寒草甸退化程度最敏感的土壤养分指标。另外,随着草甸的退化,土壤的有机碳、全氮、全磷和全钾含量及其化学计量比的垂直分布明显不同:随着土壤深度的增加,原生嵩草草甸和轻度退化草甸的土壤有机碳、全氮和全磷含量以及碳氮比、碳磷比、碳钾比、氮磷比、氮钾比和磷钾比在0～40cm范围内锐减,在40cm以下缓慢降低并趋于稳定;而沙化草甸土壤的有机碳、全氮、全磷和全钾及其化学计量比随着土壤深度的增加保持不变。     

Specialization of the inner cortex for ureide production in soybean root nodules

Summary The possibility that cells in the inner cortex of determinate root nodules participate in ureide production from recently fixed N₂, as do the uninfected (interstitial) cells of the infected central region, has been investigated in soybean (Glycine max) inoculated as seeds withBradyrhizobium japonicum. Like the interstitial cells, cells of the three innermost cortical layers produce enlarged peroxisomes and a meshwork of tubular ER during differentiation. These changes are most pronounced in the innermost cortical layer, are successively less so in the 2nd and 3rd layers, and are usually undetectable in more distant layers. Peroxisomes in the inner three layers are stained in the DAB (3,3-diaminobenzidine) test for uricase (EC 1.7.3.3) activity, indicative of the potential for ureide formation, but peroxisomes in more distant cortical cells are not stained. A nodulespecific uricase also is demonstrable in the inner three cortical layers by immunogold labeling enhanced with silver for visualization in the light microscope. The observations suggest that with respect to ureide production the cells of the inner layers of the cortex are functionally similar to the interstitial cells of the infected region despite the apparent distinctiveness of the two regions anatomically.Abbreviations DAB 3,3-diaminobenzidine - ER endoplasmic reticulum     

Cloning and gene map assignment of the Xiphophorus DNA ligase 1 gene

Fishes represent the stem vertebrate condition and have maintained several gene arrangements common to mammalian genomes throughout the 450 Myr of divergence from a common ancestor. One such syntenic arrangement includes the GPI-PEPD enzyme association on Xiphophorus linkage group IV and human chromosome 19. Previously we assigned the Xiphophorus homologue of the human ERCC2 gene to linkage group U5 in tight association with the CKM locus. CKM is also tightly linked to the ERCC2 locus on human chromosome 19, leading to speculation that human chromosome 19 may have arisen by fusion of two ancestral linkage groups which have been maintained in fishes. To investigate this hypothesis further, we isolated and sequenced Xiphophorus fish genomic regions exhibiting considerable sequence similarity to the human DNA ligase 1 amino acid sequence. Comparison of the fish DNA ligase sequence with those of other species suggests several modes of amino acid conservation in this gene. A 2.2-kb restriction fragment containing part of an X. maculatus DNA ligase 1 exon was used in backcross hybrid mapping with 12 enzyme or RFLP loci. Significant linkage was observed between the nucleoside phosphorylase (NP2) and the DNA ligase (LIG1) loci on Xiphophorus linkage group VI. This assignment suggests that the association of four DNA repair-related genes on human chromosome 19 may be the result of chance chromosomal rearrangements.