Adaptive evolution of foraging-related traits in a predator-prey community

In this paper, with the method of adaptive dynamics and geometric technique, we investigate the adaptive evolution of foraging-related phenotypic traits in a predator-prey community with trade-off structure. Specialization on one prey type is assumed to go at the expense of specialization on another. First, we identify the ecological and evolutionary conditions that allow for evolutionary branching in predator phenotype. Generally, if there is a small switching cost near the singular strategy, then this singular strategy is an evolutionary branching point, in which predator population will change from monomorphism to dimorphism. Second, we find that if the trade-off curve is globally convex, predator population eventually branches into two extreme specialists, each completely specializing on a particular prey species. However, if the trade-off curve is concave-convex-concave, after branching in predator phenotype, the two predator species will evolve to an evolutionarily stable dimorphism at which they can continue to coexist. The analysis reveals that an attractive dimorphism will always be evolutionarily stable and that no further branching is possible under this model.     

核苷酸转换因子的特性及其在植物中的研究现状

热激蛋白HSP70是一类细胞必需的具有ATPase活性的分子伴侣。ADP的脱离是HSP70分子伴侣体系能够完成其功能循环的限速步骤,该反应步骤由核苷酸交换因子（NEFs）加速,因此,NEFs是HSP70分子伴侣体系中的一类关键辅助因子。本文总结了有关NEFs的研究成果以及植物NEFs的最新研究进展。     

Characterization of bbtTICAM from amphioxus suggests the emergence of a MyD88-independent pathway in basal chordates

The MyD88-independent pathway, one of the two crucial TLR signaling routes, is thought to be a vertebrate innovation. However, a novel Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) adaptor, designated bbtTICAM, which was identified in the basal chordate amphioxus, links this pathway to invertebrates. The protein architecture of bbtTICAM is similar to that of vertebrate TICAM1 (TIR-containing adaptor molecule-1, also known as TRIF), while phylogenetic analysis based on the TIR domain indicated that bbtTICAM is the oldest ortholog of vertebrate TICAM1 and TICAM2 (TIR-containing adaptor molecule-2, also known as TRAM). Similar to human TICAM1, bbtTICAM activates NF-κB in a MyD88-independent manner by interacting with receptor interacting protein (RIP) via its RHIM motif. Such activation requires bbtTICAM to form homodimers in endosomes, and it may be negatively regulated by amphioxus SARM (sterile α and armadillo motif-containing protein) and TRAF2. However, bbtTICAM did not induce the production of type I interferon. Thus, our study not only presents the ancestral features of vertebrate TICAM1 and TICAM2, but also reveals the evolutionary origin of the MyD88-independent pathway from basal chordates, which will aid in understanding the development of the vertebrate TLR network.     

Recent advances in production of 5-aminolevulinic acid using biological strategies

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is the precursor for the biosynthesis of tetrapyrrole compounds and has broad applications in the medical and agricultural fields. Because of the disadvantages of chemical synthesis methods, microbial production of 5-ALA has drawn intensive attention and has been regarded as an alternative in the last years, especially with the rapid development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. In this mini-review, recent advances on the application and microbial production of 5-ALA using novel biological approaches (such as whole-cell enzymatic-transformation, metabolic pathway engineering and cell-free process) are described and discussed in detail. In addition, the challenges and prospects of synthetic biology are discussed.     

天目山柳杉树轮δ13C年序列差异

对天目山3株柳杉树轮δ¹³C年序列分别进行了测定,分析了柳杉树轮δ¹³C年序列变化的异同及其原因.结果表明,在1837～1982年的共同时段,3个树轮δ¹³C年序列彼此间相关系数为：r₁₂=0.47,r₁₃=0.65,r₂₃=0.52 (n=146),都通过了显著性水平α=0.001的信度检验.用多项式拟合法去除原δ¹³C年序列中的高频变化后,所得3个低频序列间高度正相关;原δ¹³C年序列与拟合序列的差值序列即高频序列间也显著正相关,相关系数均达到0.79～0.99,说明气候因素引起树轮δ¹³C年序列的高频变化及大气CO₂浓度引起的低频变化对不同的柳杉个体是共同的.3株树轮δ¹³C年序列间的差异主要是树木立地处局部环境条件的不同所造成的,但是局部环境条件所引起的树轮δ¹³C年序列间的个性差异对其共性变化影响较小.所以,3个树轮δ¹³C年序列间的个性差异,并不影响树轮δ¹³C年作为气候变化研究代用资料的适宜性及重建历史气候结果的可靠性与一致性.     

赤(瓜包)亚族植物叶片中脉的比较解剖

本文对赤(瓜包)属(Thladiantha Bunge)、白兼果属(Baijiana A.M.Lu et J.Q.Li)和苦瓜属(Momordica L.)共11种植物叶片中脉进行了比较解剖学研究。除苦瓜属一种外,其余10种的叶片中脉解剖学资料均为首次报道。分析结果表明:叶片中脉维管束的数目以及排列方式具有分类学意义,而种间和种内维管束数目的减少,在一定程度上反映出植物迁移和演化的方向。