中国蒿属植物比较形态和解剖学研究——(Ⅰ)叶表皮结构

本文通过光学显微镜和扫描电镜,观察国产菊科蒿属2亚属7组30种代表植物成熟叶片的表皮细胞、气孔器、表皮毛的特征和气孔形状、气孔外拱盖及拱盖内缘、角质膜和蜡质纹饰。其中表皮细胞多角(边)形,大小不等,垂周壁平直、弓形,或者表皮细胞形状不规则,大小不等,垂周壁波浪状或波纹状。下表皮均有气孔器,上表皮有或无气孔器,气孔器类型有无规则型。无规则四细胞型、不等细胞型、十字型、横列型和平列型。大多数种类具多细胞单列毛。多细胞双列毛和腺毛仅发现在腺毛蒿组。这些微形态特征在组间存在着某些差异,具有一定的分类学和生态学意义。     

Terpenoids from Euphorbia helioscopia and Their Cytotoxic Activities against H1975 Cells

Three previously undescribed diterpenoids, helioscopnoids A–C, and eight known compounds were isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia helioscopia. Their structures were established by extensive analysis of spectra and data comparison with previous literatures. Among them, compound 4 was identified as 24,24-dimethoxy-25,26,27-trinoreuphan-3β-ol with revised configurations of C-13, C-14, and C-17 (13R*, 14R*, 17R*). Cytotoxicity assays revealed that all compounds exhibited varying levels of cytotoxicity against H1975 cells, with compound 9 displaying the most potent activity, as indicated by cell viability rates of 18.13 % and 20.76 % at concentrations of 20 μM and 5 μM, respectively. This study expands the understanding of E. helioscopia terpenoids’ structural diversity and biological activities, contributing to the exploration of potential therapeutic applications.     

Time-Dependent Effects of Progressive Gamma -Linolenate Feeding on Hyperphagia,Weight Gain,and Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Composition During Growth of Zucker Obese Rats

Obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) have low levels of arachidonic acid (AA) in liver phospholipids (PL). We have previously shown that a 70% gamma-linolenate concentrate (GLA; an AA intermediate) fed at a fixed dose (0.07 g/day) normalized hepatic PL AA and reduced weight gain selectively in the obese animals. In a follow-up study, 16 obese (fa/fa) and 16 lean (Fa/Fa) 4-week-old male rats were randomized into 4 groups of 8 each and gavaged daily with soybean oil (SOY) containing 55% 18:2ω6 (an AA precursor) or GLA, using a progressive dose (≤ 5% of total calories) based on body weight. A defined diet with 11% of energy as SOY was fed ad libitum for 60 days. GLA obese had lower body weight (p<0.0001) and 60-day cumulative food intake (p<0.05) compared to SOY obese, but neither parameter differed between the lean groups. For the last twenty days cumulative food intake was identical for GLA obese and SOY lean, whereas SOY obese consumed 18% more (p<0.05). Thus the progressive dose of GLA selectively suppressed hyperphagia in obese Zucker rats. Erythrocytes collected at 15-day intervals showed parallel increases in AA in both genotypes over time, suggesting normal AA availability during rapid growth. Thus, the reduced PL AA in the livers from the obese rats probably reflects impaired distribution in selected tissues rather than reduced hepatic production. Due to the potential health risks of enriching tissue lipids with AA, great caution is advised in considering GLA as therapy for human obesity.     

Steel Anti-Corrosion Strategy Enables Long-Cycle Zn Anode

The progress of aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) is limited by the poor cycling life due to Zn anode instability, including dendrite growth, surface corrosion, and passivation. Inspired by the anti-corrosion strategy of steel industry, a compounding corrosion inhibitor (CCI) is employed as the electrolyte additive for Zn metal anode protection. It is shown that CCI can spontaneously generate a uniform and ≈30 nm thick solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on Zn anode with a strong adhesion via Zn O bonding. This SEI layer efficiently prohibits water corrosion and guides homogeneous Zn deposition without obvious dendrite formation. This enables reversible Zn deposition and dissolution for over 1100 h under the condition of 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻² in symmetric cells. The Zn-MnO₂ full cells with CCI-modified electrolyte deliver an ultralow capacity decay rate (0.013% per cycle) at 0.5 A g⁻¹ over 1000 cycles. Such an innovative strategy paves a low-cost way to achieve AZBs with long lifespan.     

DNA barcoding of Cymbidium by genome skimming: Call for next-generation nuclear barcodes

Cymbidium is an orchid genus that has undergone rapid radiation and has high ornamental, economic, ecological and cultural importance, but its classification based on morphology is controversial. The plastid genome (plastome), as an extension of plant standard DNA barcodes, has been widely used as a potential molecular marker for identifying recently diverged species or complicated plant groups. In this study, we newly generated 237 plastomes of 50 species (at least two individuals per species) by genome skimming, covering 71.4% of members of the genus Cymbidium. Sequence-based analyses (barcoding gaps and automatic barcode gap discovery) and tree-based analyses (maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and multirate Poisson tree processes model) were conducted for species identification of Cymbidium. Our work provides a comprehensive DNA barcode reference library for Cymbidium species identification. The results show that compared with standard DNA barcodes (rbcL + matK) as well as the plastid trnH-psbA, the species identification rate of the plastome increased moderately from 58% to 68%. At the same time, we propose an optimized identification strategy for Cymbidium species. The plastome cannot completely resolve the species identification of Cymbidium, the main reasons being incomplete lineage sorting, artificial cultivation, natural hybridization and chloroplast capture. To further explore the potential use of nuclear data in identifying species, the Skmer method was adopted and the identification rate increased to 72%. It appears that nuclear genome data have a vital role in species identification and are expected to be used as next-generation nuclear barcodes.     

The Prevention Effect of Bacillus subtilis on Escherichia coli–Induced Mastitis in Mice by Suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Mastitis, common inflammation of the mammary gland, caused by various factors, is a challenge for the dairy industry. Escherichia coli (E. coli), a...     

The Puccinia striiformis effector Hasp98 facilitates pathogenicity by blocking the kinase activity of wheat TaMAPK4

The obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) employs virulence effectors to disturb host immunity and causes devastating stripe rust disease. However, our understanding of how Pst effectors regulate host defense responses remains limited. In this study, we determined that the Pst effector Hasp98, which is highly expressed in Pst haustoria, inhibits plant immune responses triggered by flg22 or nonpathogenic bacteria. Overexpression of Hasp98 in wheat (Triticum aestivum) suppressed avirulent Pst-triggered immunity, leading to decreased H₂O₂ accumulation and promoting P. striiformis infection, whereas stable silencing of Hasp98 impaired P. striiformis pathogenicity. Hasp98 interacts with the wheat mitogen-activated protein kinase TaMAPK4, a positive regulator of plant resistance to stripe rust. The conserved TEY motif of TaMAPK4 is important for its kinase activity, which is required for the resistance function. We demonstrate that Hasp98 inhibits the kinase activity of TaMAPK4 and that the stable silencing of TaMAPK4 compromises wheat resistance against P. striiformis. These results suggest that Hasp98 acts as a virulence effector to interfere with the MAPK signaling pathway in wheat, thereby promoting P. striiformis infection.     

EFFECTS OF HELPER PROTEINS ENCODED BY p19 AND orf1-orf2 GENES ON Cyt1Aa PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN ACRYSTALLIFEROUS STRAIN OF BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS

A series of plasmids were constructed to examine the effects of p19 and orf1‐orf2 genes from Bacillus thuringiensis on Cyt1Aa synthesis and inclusion formation. The plasmids expressed the cyt1Aa gene along with either p19 or orf1‐orf2, or each of them coordinatively with p20 in the acrystalliferous strain of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis 4Q7. No effect on the expression of Cyt1Aa protein was found when P19 or Orf1‐Orf2 co‐expressed with Cyt1Aa. However, when including p20 gene, the constructs with p19 or orf1‐orf2 gene produced lower yield of Cyt1Aa proteins than without p19 or orf1‐orf2 gene. Electron microscopy observation and bioassay showed that P19 and Orf1‐Orf2 have no influence on the crystal size and toxicity of Cyt1Aa protein. It is presumed that P19 and Orf1‐Orf2 might have negative effects on Cyt1Aa synthesis in B. thuringiensis.     

Acid-base equilibria of air-water monolayers ofN-hexadecyl-8-hydroxy-2-quinolinecarboxamide

The surface pressure-area (-A) isotherms ofN-hexadecyl-8-hydroxy-2-quinolinecarboxamide (HHQ) monolayers at an air-water interface on subphases with different pH values were investigated. The monolayer of HHQ was expanded and unstable on acidic subphases, while it was condensed and stable on basic subphases. The acid-base equilibrium of HHQ was investigated in an aqueous dioxane solution and at the air-water interface. The association-dissociation of HHQ with H⁺ ions in the interfacial region was very different from that in the aqueous dioxane solution. Some information regarding the packing density, phase transition and degree of ionization of the head group under different experimental conditions has been obtained.     

Poplar (Populus nigra L.) plants transformed with aBacillus thuringiensis toxin gene: insecticidal activity and genomic analysis

Insect-resistant poplar (Populus nigra L.) plants have been produced by infecting leaves withAgrobacterium tumefaciens strains carrying a binary vector containing different truncated forms of aBacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin gene under a duplicated CaMV 35S promoter. Putative transgenic plants were propagated by cuttings at two experimental farms (in Beijing and Xinjiang, China). At 2–3 years after transformation, 17 of them were selected on the bases of insect-tolerance and good silvicultural traits, and evaluated for insect resistance, for the presence of theB.t. toxin DNA fragment (Southern blots and PCR) and for the expression of the transgene (western and northern blots). Somaclonal variation, as suggested by the appearance of permanent changes in the shape of the leaves, was also investigated with molecular tools (RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) and microsatellite DNA).Bioassays withApochemia cineraius andLymantria dispar on the leaves of the selected clones showed different and, in some cases, high levels of insecticidal activity. The molecular analysis demonstrated integration and expression of the foreign gene. Somatic changes were correlated to extensive genomic changes and were quantified in dendrograms, in terms of genomic similarity. The analysis of control plants suggested that genomic changes were correlated to thein vitro culture step necessary forA. tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer, rather than to the integration of the foreign genes.Three transgenic clones (12, 153 and 192), selected for insect resistance, reduced morphological changes and promising silvicultural traits, are now under large-scale field evaluation in six different provinces in China.