玉米穗腐病抗性鉴定、遗传分析与分子机制*

玉米是我国主要农作物之一,其产量占全国谷物总产量三分之一左右,在国民生活中发挥了重要作用。玉米生长过程中受多种病害侵扰,其中穗腐病是一种由真菌导致的常见病害,目前已鉴定出40余种可诱发玉米穗腐病的病原菌。穗腐病不仅可造成玉米产量损失也导致籽粒品质严重下降,病原微生物所产生次生毒素更是危及人畜安全。目前穗腐病防治以化学方法为主,但是因此所造成的种植成本增加和环境污染问题日益突出,选育抗性品种成为防控玉米穗腐病最经济和安全有效的方法。玉米穗腐病抗性属于典型数量性状,国内外已有多个研究组通过建立玉米穗腐病抗性研究体系,开展玉米群体大规模穗腐病抗性鉴定工作,并筛选出一批抗病材料,这为玉米穗腐病抗性遗传改良奠定了材料基础。利用数量性状位点(quantitative trait locus, QTL)定位和全基因组关联分析(genome-wide association study, GWAS)等方法在玉米 1~10号染色体均检测到显著相关位点。尽管如此,玉米穗腐病抗性研究成果应用于生产的实例较少,生产上仍然缺乏综合性状优良且高抗穗腐病的玉米品种。这一方面是由于玉米穗腐病抗性遗传机制十分复杂、抗性基因克隆工作进展缓慢;另一方面为缺乏对玉米穗腐病抗性遗传研究进展进行系统总结,未有效开发分子标记用于分子育种所致。通过综述玉米穗腐病抗性遗传研究进展,汇总已定位QTL位点和显著关联SNP,构建一致性图谱和鉴定出定位热点区间,并进一步对比分析定位区间候选基因特征和转录组、代谢组研究进展,对促进玉米穗腐病抗性机制研究和玉米抗性育种均具有重要意义。     

Racemose inflorescences of monocots: structural and morphogenetic interaction at the flower/inflorescence level

Background

Understanding and modelling early events of floral meristem patterning and floral development requires consideration of positional information regarding the organs surrounding the floral meristem, such as the flower-subtending bracts (FSBs) and floral prophylls (bracteoles). In common with models of regulation of floral patterning, the simplest models of phyllotaxy consider only unbranched uniaxial systems. Racemose inflorescences and thyrses offer a useful model system for investigating morphogenetic interactions between organs belonging to different axes.

Scope

This review considers (1) racemose inflorescences of early-divergent and lilioid monocots and their possible relationship with other inflorescence types, (2) hypotheses on the morphogenetic significance of phyllomes surrounding developing flowers, (3) patterns of FSB reduction and (4) vascular patterns in the primary inflorescence axis and lateral pedicels.

Conclusions

Racemose (partial) inflorescences represent the plesiomorphic condition in monocots. The presence or absence of a terminal flower or flower-like structure is labile among early-divergent monocots. In some Alismatales, a few-flowered racemose inflorescence can be entirely transformed into a terminal ‘flower’. The presence or absence and position of additional phyllomes on the lateral pedicels represent important taxonomic markers and key features in regulation of flower patterning. Racemose inflorescences with a single floral prophyll are closely related to thyrses. Floral patterning is either unidirectional or simultaneous in species that lack a floral prophyll or possess a single adaxial floral prophyll and usually spiral in the outer perianth whorl in species with a transversely oriented floral prophyll. Inhibitory fields of surrounding phyllomes are relevant but insufficient to explain these patterns; other important factors are meristem space economy and/or the inhibitory activity of the primary inflorescence axis. Two patterns of FSB reduction exist in basal monocots: (1) complete FSB suppression (cryptic flower-subtending bract) and (2) formation of a ‘hybrid’ organ by overlap of the developmental programmes of the FSB and the first abaxial organ formed on the floral pedicel. FSB reduction affects patterns of interaction between the conductive systems of the flower and the primary inflorescence axis.     

Genetic analysis of the CHD7 gene in Korean patients with CHARGE syndrome

CHARGE syndrome is an autosomal dominant congenital disorder known to be caused by the haploinsufficiency of the CHD7 gene. Heterozygous mutations in the CHD7 gene have been identified in approximately 60–70% of patients clinically diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome. Although there have been many reports on the mutational spectrum of the CHD7 gene in patients with CHARGE syndrome worldwide, little is known about this syndrome in the Korean population. In this study, three Korean patients with CHARGE syndrome including one patient with Patau syndrome were evaluated for genetic analysis of the CHD7 gene using direct sequencing of all 38 exons and the flanking intronic regions. One nonsense and two novel missense mutations were identified in the CHD7 gene. Clinical symptoms caused by the missense mutations were much milder compared to the nonsense mutation, confirming the previously determined genotype–phenotype correlation in CHARGE syndrome. Our study demonstrates the importance of mutational screening of CHD7 in patients who have been diagnosed with other syndromes but display clinical features of CHARGE syndrome.     

耳鲍精子的超微结构

本文利用透射电子显微镜对耳鲍(Haliotis asinina Linnaeus)精子的形态及超微结构进行了研究.研究结果表明:耳鲍的精子由头部、中段和尾部三部分组成,全长 41.6 μm.精子头部长 1.8 μm,头部由顶体、顶体下腔和细胞核组成,顶体电子密度比较均匀,呈圆锥形,长 0.6 μm,基部宽度为 0.65 μm,占头部长的 1/3;顶体下腔长 0.03 μm,宽为 0.65 μm,腔中含有中等电子密度物质;细胞核圆棒状,长 1.17 μm,核中部的宽度为 1.0 μm.精子中段较短,长 0.51 μm,宽 1.2 μm,主要由 5 个线粒体包围一对中心粒构成.尾部是一根鞭毛,从前到后逐渐变细,鞭毛是由细胞质膜包被的轴丝组成,轴丝为典型的"9 2"微管结构,即轴丝是由两个中心微管及均匀分布在中心微管周围的 9 对双联体微管组成.因此,耳鲍与其它鲍类精子的基本结构相似,形态结构的主要差异表现在三个方面:一是耳鲍精子的头部似圆锥形,长 1.8 μm,是目前已研究的鲍类中头部最短的种类;二是耳鲍精子顶体长比其基部宽要小,顶体电子密度比较均匀,顶体与核的电子密度差异不明显;三是耳鲍精子中段线粒体的数量为 5 个,没有发现 6 个线粒体现象的存在[动物学报 53(3):552-556,2007].     

In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R. Br. leaves

Background

Despite Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R. Br. (Apocynaceae) leaves are widely used in folk Caribbean Colombian medicine for their anti-inflammatory effects, there are no studies that support this traditional use. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of the total extract and primary fractions obtained from Cryptostegia grandiflora leaves, using in vivo and in vitro models of inflammation, and further get new insights on the mechanisms involved in this activity.

Results

Ethanolic extract of Cryptostegia grandiflora leaves, and its corresponding ether and dichloromethane fractions, significantly reduced inflammation and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) in ear tissue of mice treated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Histological analysis revealed a reduction of edema and leukocyte infiltration. Complementarily, we demonstrated that extract and fractions reduced nitric oxide (NO•) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, as well as scavenging activity on DPPH and ABTS radicals.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated for the first time the anti-inflammatory activity of Cryptostegia grandiflora leaves, supporting its traditional use. This activity was related to inhibition of MPO activity, and PGE2 and NO• production. These mechanisms and its antioxidant activity could contribute, at least in part, to the anti-inflammatory effect showed by this plant.     

UFO in the Arabidopsis inflorescence apex is required for floral-meristem identity and bract suppression

The UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS (UFO) gene of Arabidopsis encodes an F-box protein required for the determination of floral-organ and floral-meristem identity. Mutation of UFO leads to dramatic changes in floral-organ type which are well-characterized whereas inflorescence defects are more subtle and less understood. These defects include an increase in the number of secondary inflorescences, nodes that alternate between forming flowers and secondary inflorescences, and nodes in which a single flower is subtended by a bract. Here, we show how inflorescence defects correlate with the abnormal development of floral primordia and establish a temporal requirement for UFO in this process. At the inflorescence apex of ufo mutants, newly formed primordia are initially bract-like. Expression of the floral-meristem identity genes LFY and AP1 are confined to a relatively small adaxial region of these primordia with expression of the bract-identity marker FIL observed in cells that comprise the balance of the primordia. Proliferation of cells in the adaxial region of these early primordia is delayed by several nodes such that primordia appear “chimeric” at several nodes, having visible floral and bract components. However, by late stage 2 of floral development, growth of the bract generally ceases and is overtaken by development of the floral primordium. This abnormal pattern of floral meristem development is not rescued by expression of UFO from the AP1 promoter, indicating that UFO is required prior to AP1 activation for normal development of floral primordia. We propose that UFO and LFY are jointly required in the inflorescence meristem to both promote floral meristem development and inhibit, in a non-cell autonomous manner, growth of the bract.Shelley R. Hepworth and Jennifer E. Klenz contributed equally to this work.     

Developmental study on the inflorescence and flower of Caldesia grandis Samuel (Alismataceae)

The inflorescence and floral development of Caldesia grandis Samuel is reported for the first time in this paper. The basic units of the large cymo‐thyrsus inflorescence are short panicles that are arranged in a pseudowhorl. Each panicle gives rise spirally to three bract primordia also arranged in a pseudowhorl. The branch primordia arise at the axils of the bracts. Each panicle produces spirally three bract primordia with triradiate symmetry (or in a pseudowhorl) and three floral primordia in the axils of the bract primordia. The apex of the panicle becomes a terminal floral primordium after the initiations of lateral bract primordia and floral primordia. Three sepal primordia are initiated approximately in a single whorl from the floral primordium. Three petal primordia are initiated alternate to the sepal primordia, but their subsequent development is much delayed. The first six stamen primordia are initiated as three pairs in a single whorl and each pair appears to be antipetalous as in other genera of the Alismataceae. The stamen primordia of the second whorl are initiated trimerously and opposite to the petals. Usually, 9–12 stamens are initiated in a flower. There is successive transition between the initiation of stamen and carpel primordia. The six first‐initiated carpel primordia rise simultaneously in a whorl and alternate with the trimerous stamens, but the succeeding ones are initiated in irregular spirals, and there are 15–21 carpels developed in a flower. Petals begin to enlarge and expand when anthers of stamens have differentiated microsporangia. Such features do not occur in C. parnassifolia. In the latter, six stamen primordia are initiated in two whorls of three, carpel primordia are initiated in 1–3 whorls, and there is no delay in the development of petals. C. grandis is thus considered more primitive and C. parnassifolia more derived. C. grandis shares more similarities in features of floral development with Alsma, Echinodorus, Luronium and Sagittaria. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 140 , 39–47.     

Otodectes cynotis (Acari: Psoroptidae): examination of survival off-the-host under natural and laboratory conditions

The biological and environmental factors affecting survival off-the-host of Otodectes cynotis (Acari: Psoroptidae) ear mites were investigated under natural and laboratory conditions. From November 2000 to November 2002 mites were collected monthly from cats and divided into four groups according to sex and stage. In laboratory conditions, the mites were placed in an incubator with a steady 95% relative humidity (r.h.), at 10 °C. All the plates were examined by stereomicroscopy every 24 h until all the mites had died. The data were analysed statistically by multiple linear regression and survival analysis. At 10 °C, the maximum survival time of mites was between 15 and 17 days, while at 34 °C, it was between 5 and 6 days. The maximum survival time of adult females was significantly longer than that of other stages. No differences were observed in maximum survival times of mites that had been offered food and those that had not, or in the time (in days) to reach 50% mortality (LT50). When exposed to environmental conditions, the maximum survival time (12 days) was observed at temperatures ranging from 12.3 to 14.2 °C and r.h.s between 57.6 and 82.9%. Multiple regression analysis showed that temperature alone influenced the maximum survival time and LT50 of mites, and that the rate of survival declined linearly with increasing mean temperature. This basic understanding of off-host survival suggests that, places which have been inhabited by infected animals may need to be disinfected or remain vacated for at least 12 days before occupancy by clean cats or dogs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

云南矮马耳缘组织成纤维细胞系的建立及其生物学特性

随着全球生物多样性及其遗传资源丧失程度的加剧 ,使得各国纷纷投入大量人力和财力 ,并以多种方式收集、保存和整理大自然赋予人类的宝贵财富 ,如美国典型培养物保藏中心 (AmericanTypeCultureCollection ,ATCC) ,欧洲动物细胞培养物保藏中心 (EuropeanCollectionofAnimalCellC