Taxonomic review of the genus Lymantria (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae) in Korea

A taxonomic review of the Korean Lymantria Hübner, 1819 was conducted. A total of nine species of five subgenera with two unrecorded species are listed: Lymantria (Porthetria) dispar Linnaeus 1758, L. (P.) xylina Swinhoe 1903, L. (Lymantria) monacha (Linnaeus 1758), L. (L.) minomonis Matsumura 1933 (new to Korea), L. (L.) similis monachoides Schintlimeister 2004 (new to Korea), L. (L.) lucescens (Butler 1881), L. (Nyctria) mathura Moore 1865, L. (Collentria) fumida Butler 1877, and L. (Spinotria) bantaizana Matsumura 1933. Lymantria (Lymantria) minomonis and L. (L.) similis monachoides are newly added to the Korean fauna. Lymantria (L.) minomonis was found only on Bogildo Island of Jeollanam‐do in the southern part of Korea, and L. (L.) similis monachoides was collected in central Korea. Lymantria (Porthetria) xylina and L. (Collentria) fumida were not examined in this study, and it is considered that the previous records were due to misidentification or they are only distributed in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. We provide diagnoses of two unrecorded species and adult habitus and genitalia photos of the Korean Lymantria species.     

The Unique Non-Catalytic C-Terminus of P37delta-PI3K Adds Proliferative Properties In Vitro and In Vivo

The PI3K/Akt pathway is central for numerous cellular functions and is frequently deregulated in human cancers. The catalytic subunits of PI3K, p110, are thought to have a potential oncogenic function, and the regulatory subunit p85 exerts tumor suppressor properties. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a highly suitable system to investigate PI3K signaling, expressing one catalytic, Dp110, and one regulatory subunit, Dp60, and both show strong homology with the human PI3K proteins p110 and p85. We recently showed that p37δ, an alternatively spliced product of human PI3K p110δ, displayed strong proliferation-promoting properties despite lacking the catalytic domain completely. Here we functionally evaluate the different domains of human p37δ in Drosophila. The N-terminal region of Dp110 alone promotes cell proliferation, and we show that the unique C-terminal region of human p37δ further enhances these proliferative properties, both when expressed in Drosophila, and in human HEK-293 cells. Surprisingly, although the N-terminal region of Dp110 and the C-terminal region of p37δ both display proliferative effects, over-expression of full length Dp110 or the N-terminal part of Dp110 decreases survival in Drosophila, whereas the unique C-terminal region of p37δ prevents this effect. Furthermore, we found that the N-terminal region of the catalytic subunit of PI3K p110, including only the Dp60 (p85)-binding domain and a minor part of the Ras binding domain, rescues phenotypes with severely impaired development caused by Dp60 over-expression in Drosophila, possibly by regulating the levels of Dp60, and also by increasing the levels of phosphorylated Akt. Our results indicate a novel kinase-independent function of the PI3K catalytic subunit.     

Dynamics of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in a saline and semiarid stream of southeast Spain (Chicamo stream)

Annual variations in the concentration of dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (CPOC = Coarse; FPOC = Fine; UPOC = Ultrafine) were studied in a 100 m-reach of the Chicamo stream, an intermittent saline stream in southeast Spain. DOC represented the most important fraction of organic carbon flowing in the Chicamo stream (>98%), with concentrations of about 1.7 mgC l^–1 during most of the year, reaching 2.5 mgC l^–1 in summer. One high flow episode during a rain storm in winter was characterized by a considerably increased concentration of DOC (9.4 mgC l^–1). CPOC was the dominant POC fraction. Positive and significant correlations were found for DOC and discharge, which support the idea of allochthonous inputs due to floods. There was no significant correlation between POC and discharge. No significant correlations were found for DOC or POC with the physico-chemical parameters measured, while a negative significant correlation was found between DOC and temperature. The export of total organic carbon from the drainage basin of the Chicamo stream was low (6.2 × 10^–4 gC m^–2 yr^–1) and typical of streams in arid and semi-arid regions. The results of a Principal Component Analysis defined three different phases. The first consisted of short periods, during which floods provide pulses of allochthonous organic carbon and nutrients, the second a dry phase (summer), defined by biotic interactions, during which the stream could acts as a `sink' of organic matter, and the third and final phase which is characterised by hydrological stability.     

Food encounter rate of simulated termite tunnels in heterogeneous landscapes

The aim of this study was to explore how a heterogeneous landscape affects food encounter rate in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. To do this, a lattice model was formulated to simulate the tunneling structure of the termite. The model made use of minimized local rules derived from empirical data. In addition, a landscape structure was generated on a lattice space by using a neutral landscape model. Each lattice cell has a value h, representing spatially distributed property of the landscape (e.g., temperature or moisture). The heterogeneity of the landscape was characterized by a parameter, H controlling aggregation of lattice cells with higher values of h. Higher H values correspond to higher aggregation levels. The effect of the landscape heterogeneity on the encounter rate was clear in the presence of higher food density than in lower density. The effect was also enhanced by the increase of the number of primary tunnels.     

中国维管植物属中文普通名选定规则新探

<正>自18世纪瑞典博物学家林奈奠定了植物科学命名的基础之后,国际上通用以拉丁语命名的植物学名(scientific name)作为学术交流的标准。除学名之外,植物的其他任何名称(包括所有非拉丁语名称)都叫作俗名(vernacular name)。在同一种语言的俗名中,又分普通名和别名(王锦秀和汤彦承,2005)。普通名是使用该语言的共同体普遍接受的名称,通常是综合性、权威性的植物志或植物名录中用作分类群正式名称的单一名称;而别名是普通名之外的其他所有俗名的统称,其应用常常存在局限性。     

Surfactin and fengycin contribute to the protection of a Bacillus subtilis strain against grape downy mildew by both direct effect and defence stimulation

Bacillus subtilis GLB191 (hereafter GLB191) is an efficient biological control agent against the biotrophic oomycete Plasmopara viticola, the causal agent of grapevine downy mildew. In this study, we show that GLB191 supernatant is also highly active against downy mildew and that the activity results from both direct effect against the pathogen and stimulation of the plant defences (induction of defence gene expression and callose production). High-performance thin-layer chromatography analysis revealed the presence of the cyclic lipopeptides fengycin and surfactin in the supernatant. Mutants affected in the production of fengycin and/or surfactin were thus obtained and allowed us to show that both surfactin and fengycin contribute to the double activity of GLB191 supernatant against downy mildew. Altogether, this study suggests that GLB191 supernatant could be used as a new biocontrol product against grapevine downy mildew.     

甘草次酸保肝功效的通路作用机制

甘草的活性成分包括甘草甜素(glycyrrhizin,GL)和甘草次酸(glycyrrhetinic acid,GA),而GA是甘草中的主要生物活性成分,是GL的主要代谢产物,部分GL通过细菌在肠内代谢为GA。在许多以往的研究中已经证实其具有多种药理学效果,例如抗炎、抗过敏、抗致癌、抗损伤和抗氧化特性以及肝脏保护。最近的研究表明,GA可以降低逆转录因子、二氧化钛纳米粒子和环磷酰胺诱导的肝毒性,并且可以保护免受四氯化碳诱导的肝损伤。已报道的GA的保肝作用机制主要归因于诱导抗氧化剂防御,抑制炎症反应和细胞色素P450表达,本文将对GA在不同信号通路中发挥保肝作用进行综述。     

A novel case of autogamy and cleistogamy in Dendrobium wangliangii: A rare orchid distributed in the dry‐hot valley

Dendrobium wangliangii is an epiphytic orchid distributed in the Jinshajiang dry‐hot valley in Luquan County, Yunnan Province, China. Most Dendrobium spp. typically have a low fruit set, but this orchid shows a higher fruit set under natural conditions despite the lack of effective pollinators. The pollination biology of the critically endangered D. wangliangii was investigated in this study. A fruit set rate of 33.33 ± 4.71% was observed after bagging treatment in 2017 and a high fruit set rate (65.72 ± 4.44% in 2011; 50.79 ± 5.44% in 2017) was observed under natural conditions, indicating that D. wangliangii is characterized by spontaneous self‐pollination. The anther cap blocked the growing pollinium; thus, the pollinium slid down and reached the stigmatic cavity, leading to autogamous self‐pollination. Specifically, 51.50% of 162 unopened flowers (total 257 flowers) of this Dendrobium species under extreme water‐deficit conditions developed into fruits, suggesting the presence of cleistogamy in D. wangliangii. Here, cleistogamy may represent the primary mode of pollination for this orchid. Spontaneous self‐pollination and specific cleistogamous autogamy could represent major adaptions to the drought and pollinator‐scarce habitat in the Jinshajiang dry‐hot valley.