海拔梯度对巴郎山奇花柳叶片δ13C的影响

2010年在四川卧龙自然保护区选择海拔为2350、2700、3150和3530 m的4个分布地点,研究了巴郎山海拔梯度对奇花柳叶片¹³C、光合、CO₂扩散导度、氮含量、光合氮利用效率(PNUE)和比叶面积(SLA)的影响.结果表明： 随着海拔的升高,目标树种叶片氮含量(尤其是单位面积氮含量)及PNUE增加,叶片¹³C值也随之显著增加,且海拔每升高1000 m,¹³C增加1.4‰;CO₂扩散导度(气孔导度和叶肉细胞导度)的增加,在一定程度上阻碍了叶片¹³C值随海拔升高,但不足以改变¹³C值随海拔升高的趋势;羧化能力是羧化位点与外界CO₂分压比(P_c/P_a),甚至¹³C的限制因子.在海拔2350～2700 m,奇花柳光合系统内部氮素分配主要受温度的影响,而2700～3530 m的光照作用可能更大.奇花柳的SLA随海拔无显著变化.     

Découverte d’une industrie du Paléolithique inférieur en bordure de la commune de Nice,au Vallon obscur à Saint-Isidore

An archaic lithic assemblage has just been brought to light in border of the municipality of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes, France), in secondary position in a geologic context of middle fluviatile terrace in left bank of the Var. Lithic artefacts collected gather some shaping products (worked or broken pebbles) and débitage products (cores, flakes, angular fragments), obtained on pebbles mainly in marly limestone, stemming from the local plio-Pleistocene conglomerate and the alluviums of the Var. This lithic production shows essentially the beginnings of chaînes opératoires, with the first phases of pebbles cortex removing. Flakes are very mainly cortical or semi-cortical, and cores reveal a weak technical investment, with a reduced enough number of removal negatives. The débitage of orthogonal type is the most frequent, and the bipolar technique on anvil is attested. Some rare flakes are retouched by notches or by abrupt continuous retouches. The sector where was brought to light this lithic industry, in sediments reshaped below a level of fluviatile terrace of the Var in 70 m of height, made us suggest a very ancient age for these vestiges, being able to go back up at the beginning of Middle Pleistocene, even of Lower Pleistocene, what is in agreement with the technical characteristics noticed on this lithic assemblage.     

Reflex delays of the trunk muscles in response to postural perturbations: A reliability study

It has been reported that altered neuromuscular control of the trunk is associated with lower back pain. In this context reflex delays of the trunk muscles have often been assessed but the reliability of the tests has not been well established. The aim of this study was to test the reliability of measuring reflex delays of the trunk muscles after two types of postural perturbations. 24 Healthy subjects participated in the intra-session study and 13 of them repeated the test protocol within 1–3 weeks, to determine inter-session reliability. Postural reflex delays to unexpected loading and unloading of the arms were assessed in a standing unrestrained position. Each subject performed 40 trials of each test in order to evaluate muscle responses of 5 trunk muscles using surface electromyography. Overall reliability increased with higher number of the averaged trials. Good intra-session (ICC_3,1>0.75) and moderate (ICC_3,1>0.60) inter-session reliability were reached in most of the monitored trunk muscles. Within the performed number of trials we did not observe any significant systematic intra- or inter-session bias effect. Averaging a higher number of consecutive trials would be recommended in future research and clinical practice.     

DNA methylation of E-cadherin is a priming mechanism for prostate development

In prostate and other epithelial cancers, E-cadherin (CDH1) is downregulated inappropriately by DNA methylation to promote an invasive phenotype. Though cancer frequently involves a reawakening of developmental signaling pathways, whether DNA methylation of Cdh1 occurs during organogenesis has not been determined. Here we show that DNA methylation of Cdh1 mediates outgrowth of developing prostate ducts. During the three-day gestational window leading up to and including prostate ductal initiation, Cdh1 promoter methylation increases and its mRNA and protein abundance decreases in epithelium giving rise to prostatic buds. DNA methylation is required for prostate specification, ductal outgrowth, and branching morphogenesis. All three endpoints are impaired by a DNA methylation inhibitor, which also decreases Cdh1 promoter methylation and increases Cdh1 mRNA and protein abundance. A CDH1 function-blocking antibody restores prostatic identity, bud outgrowth, and potentiates epithelial differentiation in the presence of the DNA methylation inhibitor. This is the first study to mechanistically link acquired changes in DNA methylation to the normal process of prostate organogenesis. We propose a novel mechanism whereby Cdh1 promoter methylation restricts Cdh1 abundance in developing prostate epithelium to create a permissive environment for prostatic bud outgrowth. Thus, DNA methylation primes the prostate primordium to respond to developmental cues mediating outgrowth, differentiation and maturation of the ductal network.     

Dissecting cobamide diversity through structural and functional analyses of the base-activating CobT enzyme of Salmonella enterica

Background

Cobamide diversity arises from the nature of the nucleotide base. Nicotinate mononucleotide (NaMN):base phosphoribosyltransferases (CobT) synthesize α-linked riboside monophosphates from diverse nucleotide base substrates (e.g., benzimidazoles, purines, phenolics) that are incorporated into cobamides.

Methods

Structural investigations of two members of the CobT family of enzymes in complex with various substrate bases as well as in vivo and vitro activity analyses of enzyme variants were performed to elucidate the roles of key amino acid residues important for substrate recognition.

Results

Results of in vitro and in vivo studies of active-site variants of the Salmonella enterica CobT (SeCobT) enzyme suggest that a catalytic base may not be required for catalysis. This idea is supported by the analyses of crystal structures that show that two glutamate residues function primarily to maintain an active conformation of the enzyme. In light of these findings, we propose that proper positioning of the substrates in the active site triggers the attack at the C1 ribose of NaMN.

Conclusion

Whether or not a catalytic base is needed for function is discussed within the framework of the in vitro analysis of the enzyme activity. Additionally, structure-guided site-directed mutagenesis of SeCobT broadened its substrate specificity to include phenolic bases, revealing likely evolutionary changes needed to increase cobamide diversity, and further supporting the proposed mechanism for the phosphoribosylation of phenolic substrates.

General Significance

Results of this study uncover key residues in the CobT enzyme that contribute to the diversity of cobamides in nature.     

Congruent phylogeographical patterns of eight tree species in Atlantic Central Africa provide insights into the past dynamics of forest cover

Cycles of Quaternary climatic change are assumed to be major drivers of African rainforest dynamics and evolution. However, most hypotheses on past vegetation dynamics relied on palaeobotanical records, an approach lacking spatial resolution, and on current patterns of species diversity and endemism, an approach confounding history and environmental determinism. In this context, a comparative phylogeographical study of rainforest species represents a complementary approach because Pleistocene climatic fluctuations may have left interpretable signatures in the patterns of genetic diversity within species. Using 1274 plastid DNA sequences from eight tree species (Afrostyrax kamerunensis, A. lepidophyllus, Erythrophleum suaveolens, Greenwayodendron suaveolens, Milicia excelsa, Santiria trimera, Scorodophloeus zenkeri and Symphonia globulifera) sampled in 50 populations of Atlantic Central Africa (ACA), we averaged divergence across species to produce the first map of the region synthesizing genetic distinctiveness and standardized divergence within and among localities. Significant congruence in divergence was detected mostly among five of the eight species and was stronger in the northern ACA. This pattern is compatible with a scenario of past forest fragmentation and recolonization whereby forests from eastern Cameroon and northeastern Gabon would have been more affected by past climatic change than those of western Cameroon (where one or more refugia would have occurred). By contrast, southern ACA (Gabon) displayed low congruence among species that may reflect less drastic past forest fragmentation or a more complex history of vegetation changes. Finally, we also highlight the potential impact of current environmental barriers on spatial genetic structures.     

Differential high‐altitude adaptation and restricted gene flow across a mid‐elevation hybrid zone in Andean tit‐tyrant flycatchers

The tropical Andes are a global hotspot of avian diversity that is characterized by dramatic elevational shifts in community composition and a preponderance of recently evolved species. Bird habitats in the Andes span a nearly twofold range of atmospheric pressure that poses challenges for respiration, thermoregulation, water balance and powered flight, but the extent to which physiological constraints limit species' elevational distributions is poorly understood. We report a previously unknown hybrid zone between recently diverged flycatchers (Aves, Tyrannidae) with partially overlapping elevational ranges. The southern Anairetes reguloides has a broad elevational range (0–4200 m), while the northern Anairetes nigrocristatus is restricted to high elevations (>2200 m). We found hybrids in central Peru at elevations between ~3100 and 3800 m, with A. nigrocristatus above this elevation and A. reguloides below. We analysed variation in haematology, heart mass, morphometrics, plumage and one mitochondrial and three nuclear loci across an elevational transect that encompasses the hybrid zone. Phenotypic traits and genetic markers all showed steep clines across the hybrid zone. Haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, mean cellular haemoglobin concentration and relative heart mass each increased at altitude more strongly in A. reguloides than in A. nigrocristatus. These findings suggest that A. nigrocristatus is more resistant than A. reguloides to high‐altitude hypoxic respiratory stress. Considering that the ancestor of the genus is suggested to have been restricted to high elevations, A. reguloides may be secondarily adapted to low altitude. We conclude that differential respiratory specialization on atmospheric pressure combined with competitive exclusion maintains replacement along an elevational contour, despite interbreeding.     

Microclimatic differentiation of gene pools in the Lobaria pulmonaria symbiosis in a primeval forest landscape

Population genetics of the tree‐colonizing lichen Lobaria pulmonaria were studied in the largest primeval beech forest of Europe, covering 10 000 ha. During an intensive survey of the area, we collected 1522 thallus fragments originating from 483 trees, which were genotyped with eight mycobiont‐ and 14 photobiont‐specific microsatellite markers. The mycobiont and photobiont of L. pulmonaria were found to consist of two distinct gene pools, which are co‐existing within small areas of 3–180 ha in a homogeneous beech forest. The small‐scale distribution pattern of the symbiotic gene pools show habitat partitioning of lineages associated with either floodplains or mountain forests. Using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), we dated the divergence of the two fungal gene pools of L. pulmonaria as the Early Pleistocene. Both fungal gene pools survived the Pleistocene glacial cycles in the Carpathians, although possibly in climatically different refugia. Fungal diversification prior to these cycles and the selection of photobionts with different altitudinal distributions explain the current sympatric, but ecologically differentiated habitat partitioning of L. pulmonaria. In addition, the habitat preferences of the mycobiont are determined by other factors and are rather independent of those of the photobiont at the landscape level. The distinct gene pools should be considered evolutionarily significant units and deserve specific conservation priorities in the future, for example gene pool A, which is a Pliocene relict.     

海南新村湾海草泰来藻凋落叶特征及其对网箱养殖的响应

以海南岛新村湾海草床海草优势种泰来藻(Thalassia hemprichii)为对象,通过现场观测实验,研究网箱养殖引起海水营养元素的改变对泰来藻叶片凋落量及叶片性状的影响,并结合室内模拟实验初步研究泰来藻叶片分解过程释放溶解有机物(DOM)的动态过程,以探讨网箱养殖对泰来藻凋落叶释放DOM的影响机制。结果表明:新村湾海草泰来藻叶片的平均凋落量为0.26±0.05 g·m-2·d-1,并呈现随着距离网箱养殖区的增加而逐渐降低的变化趋势,而泰来藻叶片的长度和重量却呈现相反的趋势;网箱养殖减少泰来藻叶片的非结构性碳和氨基酸含量,降低泰来藻叶片分解过程溶解有机碳(DOC)和溶解有机氮(DON)的最大释放速率;而网箱养殖却提高了泰来藻叶片的碳、氮含量,增加了叶片分解过程DOC和DON的累积释放量;泰来藻凋落叶的DOM累积释放量平均值为12.08±0.17g·m-2·d-1,并呈现距离网箱养殖区越近越高的趋势。因此,网箱养殖提高了海草泰来藻的叶片凋落量及其DOM的释放量,从而对海草床的碳、氮和磷的生物地球化学循环过程产生影响。     

The influence of raw material qualities in the lithic technology of Gran Dolina (Units TD6 and TD10) and Galería (Sierra de Atapuerca,Burgos, Spain): A view from experimental archeology

This paper analyses the qualities of the raw materials used in two Palaeolithic sites (Gran Dolina and Galería) of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) during the Lower and Middle Pleistocene, and their influence in the development of knapping. These sites offer a chronological sequence that allows us to study the evolution of lithic technology at a local scale during 1.2 Ma. Combining technological analysis and experimental archaeology has proven to be an excellent tool for the understanding and the interpretation of the qualities of raw materials and their relation with the development of the gestures, methods and techniques.