Transgenerational effects benefit offspring across diverse environments: a meta‐analysis in plants and animals

The adaptive value of transgenerational effects (the ancestor environmental effects on offspring) in changing environments has received much attention in recent years, but the related empirical evidence remains equivocal. Here, we conducted a meta‐analysis summarising 139 experimental studies in plants and animals with 1170 effect sizes to investigate the generality of transgenerational effects across taxa, traits, and environmental contexts. It was found that transgenerational effects generally enhanced offspring performance in response to both stressful and benign conditions. The strongest effects are in annual plants and invertebrates, whereas vertebrates appear to benefit mostly under benign conditions, and perennial plants show hardly any transgenerational responses at all. These differences among taxonomic/life‐history groups possibly reflect that vertebrates can avoid stressful conditions through their mobility, and longer‐lived plants have alternative strategies. In addition to environmental contexts and taxonomic/life‐history groups, transgenerational effects also varied among traits and developmental stages of ancestors and offspring, but the effects were similarly strong across three generations of offspring. By way of a more comprehensive data set and a different effect size, our results differ from those of a recent meta‐analysis, suggesting that transgenerational effects are widespread, strong and persistent and can substantially impact the responses of plants and animals to changing environments.     

Diversity of the Fusarium pathogens associated with crown rot in the Huanghuai wheat-growing region of China

To investigate the distribution and diversity of the pathogens associated with Fusarium crown rot in the Huanghuai wheat-growing region (HHWGR) of China, we collected wheat samples with symptomatic stem bases from seven provinces in the HHWGR between 2013 and 2016. A total of 1196 isolates obtained from 222 locations were identified as 9 Fusarium species based on morphological and molecular identification. Of these pathogen species, F. pseudograminearum was the dominant species. Furthermore, F. sinensis was isolated from the disease specimens and tested for virulence to wheat. The result of the pathogenicity revealed that an intraspecific differentiation existed in F. pseudograminearum; sequence analysis of the EF-1α gene showed that 194 F. pseudograminearum isolates were differentiated into two distinct clades which closed to the strains from Australia and China respectively, but neither pathogenicity nor EF-1α sequence was related to the geographic origins of these isolates. However, universal rice primers-polymerase chain reaction showed a correlation with the geographical origins of the 194 isolates, which were divided into eight subclusters, the level of genetic diversity was higher within a geographical population than among the different populations. The results of these analyses can be directly used to facilitate disease monitoring and development of control strategies.     

Effects of parental light environment on growth and morphological responses of clonal offspring

• Environments experienced by parent ramets of clonal plants can potentially influence fitness of clonal offspring ramets. Such clonal parental effects may result from heritable epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, which can be removed by application of DNA de‐methylation agents such as 5‐azacytidine.
• To test whether parental shading effects occur via clonal generation and whether DNA methylation plays a role in such effects, parent plants of the clonal herb Alternanthera philoxeroides were first subjected to two levels of light intensity (high versus low) crossed with two levels of DNA de‐methylation (no or with de‐methylation by application of 5‐azacytidine), and then clonal offspring taken from each of these four types of parent plant were subjected to the same two light levels.
• Parental shading effects transmitted via clonal generation decreased growth and modified morphology of clonal offspring. Offspring responses were also influenced by DNA methylation level of parent plants. For clonal offspring growing under low light, parental shading effects on growth and morphology were always negative, irrespective of the parental de‐methylation treatment. For clonal offspring growing under high light, parental shading effects on offspring growth and morphology were negative when the parents were not treated with 5‐azacytidine, but neutral when they were treated with 5‐azacytidine.
• Overall, parental shading effects on clonal offspring performance of A. philoxeroides were found, and DNA methylation is likely to be involved in such effects. However, parental shading effects contributed little to the tolerance of clonal offspring to shading.

     

Investigating seed dormancy in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.): understanding the physiological changes in embryo during after‐ripening and germination

• The dormancy of seeds of upland cotton can be broken during dry after‐ripening, but the mechanism of its dormancy release remains unclear.
• Freshly harvested cotton seeds were subjected to after‐ripening for 180 days. Cotton seeds from different days of after‐ripening (DAR) were sampled for dynamic physiological determination and germination tests. The intact seeds and isolated embryos were germinated to assess effects of the seed coat on embryo germination. Content of H₂O₂ and phytohormones and activities of antioxidant enzymes and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase were measured during after‐ripening and germination.
• Germination of intact seeds increased from 7% upon harvest to 96% at 30 DAR, while embryo germination improved from an initial rate of 82% to 100% after 14 DAR. Based on T₅₀ (time when 50% of seeds germinate) and germination index, the intact seed and isolated embryo needed 30 and 21 DAR, respectively, to acquire relatively stable germination. The content of H₂O₂ increased during after‐ripening and continued to increase within the first few hours of imbibition, along with a decrease in abscisic acid (ABA) content. A noticeable increase was observed in gibberellic acid content during germination when ABA content decreased to a lower level. Coat removal treatment accelerated embryo absorption of water, which further improved the accumulation of H₂O₂ and changed peroxidase content during germination.
• For cotton seed, the alleviation of coat‐imposed dormancy required 30 days of after‐ripening, accompanied by rapid dormancy release (within 21 DAR) in naked embryos. H₂O₂ acted as a core link between the response to environmental changes and induction of other physiological changes for breaking seed dormancy.

     

油菜秸秆还田对水稻根系、分蘖和产量的影响

采用田间试验与栽培模拟试验相结合的方法,分析了油菜秸秆还田对水稻根系、分蘖和产量的影响.结果表明: 水稻移栽后0～36 d,与秸秆不还田处理相比,油菜秸秆还田处理下水稻分蘖减少1～2个,根系单株伤流量降低1.0～8.6 mg,根系谷氨酰胺合成酶(GS)、谷丙转氨酶(GPT)和谷草转氨酶(GOT) 活性分别降低0.10～6.11、0.06～0.31和0.52～0.84 μmol·g^-1·h^-1. 水稻移栽后56 d,与秸秆不还田处理相比,油菜秸秆翻埋还田处理下水稻根系单株伤流量增加3.4～11.7 mg,根系GS、GPT和GOT活性分别增加0.34～0.78、0.13～0.45和0.18～0.20 μmol·g^-1·h^-1;油菜秸秆覆盖还田处理下水稻根系单株伤流量降低19～25 mg,根系GS、GPT和GOT活性分别增加0.16～0.34、0.08～0.21和0.06～0.32 μmol·g^-1·h^-1.油菜秸秆还田处理中,全量还田处理下的水稻产量最高,其中,与全量覆盖还田相比,全量翻埋还田处理下的水稻产量增加0.13～0.48 t·hm^-2.可见,油菜秸秆还田会导致水稻生长前期根系活力下降、氮代谢酶活性降低,从而使水稻根系生长缓慢、返青延迟,但在中后期,随着根系活力和氮代谢酶活性的增强,秸秆还田会促进水稻根系生长;油菜秸秆还田对水稻产量的影响是多因素综合作用的结果,全量翻埋还田更适宜于四川油稻两熟轮作系统.     

阔叶红松林6种阔叶树单个叶片叶面积和叶干质量的垂直变异及模型构建

快捷、准确地测定植物叶片尺度上的叶面积(LA)和叶干质量(LDM)对于探讨植物性状对气候变化的响应机制至关重要,但适于测定区域尺度上不同阔叶植物单个叶片LA和LDM的经验模型尚未提出.本研究以中国东北4个分布区阔叶红松林内的白桦、紫椴、山杨、枫桦、水曲柳和裂叶榆6种阔叶树种为研究对象,分别测定其不同冠层高度(上层、中层和下层)叶片的叶长、叶宽、叶厚、LA及LDM.以叶长与叶宽之比(叶长宽比)的中位数为标准将6种阔叶树分为两组,检验每组树种不同冠层高度对构建预测LA和LDM的经验模型是否存在显著影响;构建适于预测区域尺度上不同冠层单个叶片LA和LDM的经验模型,验证其预测精度;并进一步评估构建的经验模型预测其他区域相同阔叶树种LA和LDM的适用性.结果表明: 整体上6种阔叶树单个叶片的LA随冠层高度的降低呈显著增大趋势,而部分树种的LDM呈下降趋势;冠层高度对构建预测LA和LDM的经验模型具有显著影响;构建的经验模型预测两组阔叶树种不同冠层单个叶片LA和LDM的平均精度分别为95%和83%,且基于这些模型预测其他区域相应树种LA和LDM的平均精度分别为94%和80%,表明本研究构建的经验模型在我国东北区域具有普遍适用性.     

精细化管理在病理学技术质量控制中的应用

精准医疗是近年来医学的发展方向,精准医疗依赖于精准的诊断,而精准诊断则需要高质量病理学切片技术作为支撑。武汉大学人民医院病理科将精细化管理理念融入病理学技术质控和管理工作的每一环节,通过采用不同颜色包埋框对组织分类、时间梯度法调控出片时间、根据人员资质及医疗风险对病理学技术人员分级授权、专人专机负责制、信息化管理、PDCA循环法持续改进等管理措施为精准病理学诊断打好基础,大大提高了诊断准确率和及时率,为临床病理学诊断提供了可靠的技术支撑。     

原发性乳腺弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤5例并文献复习

目的探讨原发性乳腺弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤(primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,PB-DLBCL)的临床病理学特点、诊断及鉴别诊断、治疗及预后。方法采用HE染色和免疫组织化学SP法分析5例PB-DLBCL患者的临床表现、病理学及免疫表型特征,并复习相关文献。结果 5例均为女性患者,发病年龄48~70岁,中位年龄59.2岁,均为单侧乳腺肿块,其中左乳3例,右乳2例。镜下见乳腺正常结构被破坏,成片的中等偏大的肿瘤细胞弥漫浸润乳腺小叶、导管周围、间质及周围脂肪组织。根据免疫组织化学表型,4例为非生发中心型,1例为生发中心型;Ki67增殖指数为60%~90%;根据 Ann Arbor 分期标准,5例均为II E期。病例随访时间截止至2018年6月,随访期内,有2例复发,分别于7和19个月后死亡;2例健在,分别已存活12和72个月;另外一例失访。结论 PB-DLBCL是一种少见的恶性淋巴瘤,临床表现为单侧乳腺无痛性包块进行性增大,以右侧多见。确诊主要依靠病理活检及免疫表型,免疫表型以非生发中心为主,以化疗联合放疗等综合治疗方案为宜。     

西藏雅鲁藏布大峡谷国家级自然保护区金猫的色型类别与活动节律

2013-2018年间采用红外相机技术对西藏雅鲁藏布大峡谷国家级自然保护区的金猫(Catopuma temminckii)进行长期监测, 累计布设70个点位, 14,071个相机工作日。共收集金猫独立照片101张, 其中60张可识别色型, 占金猫独立照片总数的59.40%。共记录到4种不同色型的金猫个体, 拍摄频次比例为麻褐色型:红棕色型:黑色型:灰色型 = 46:7:4:3; 其中灰色型为我国野生金猫实体首次记录。不同色型的个体可同域分布, 而以雅鲁藏布大峡谷自然保护区为代表的藏东南地区是我国金猫色型变异最丰富的地区。基于红外相机照片对金猫的共性形态特征和不同色型的独特形态特征进行了详细的图文描述, 以期为该物种的深入研究提供详实的基础资料。活动节律的分析结果显示, 研究区内金猫以昼行性活动为主, 10:00-12:00为其最强的活动高峰。不同月份的日活动差异指数(daily-discrepancy index) α和昼行性指数(diurnal-nocturnal index) β均存在显著差异, 且活动强度具有明显的季节性变化, 不同季节的活动峰型存在显著差异。本研究为东喜马拉雅生物多样性热点区动物多样性本底的完善积累了基础资料, 也为后续的猫科动物色型多样性的形成机制研究提供了基础信息与参考。