Fruit fly behavior in response to chemosensory signals

An important question in contemporary sensory neuroscience is how animals perceive their environment and make appropriate behavioral choices based on chemical perceptions. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster exhibits robust tastant and odor-evoked behaviors. Understanding how the gustatory and olfactory systems support the perception of these contact and volatile chemicals and translate them into appropriate attraction or avoidance behaviors has made an unprecedented contribution to our knowledge of the organization of chemosensory systems. In this review, I begin by describing the receptors and signaling mechanisms of the Drosophila gustatory and olfactory systems and then highlight their involvement in the control of simple and complex behaviors. The topics addressed include feeding behavior, learning and memory, navigation behavior, neuropeptide modulation of chemosensory behavior, and I conclude with a discussion of recent work that provides insight into pheromone signaling pathways.     

PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism is associated with improved lipoprotein lipase functioning in adipose tissue of insulin resistant obese women

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a pivotal role in lipid metabolism, contributes to metabolic disorders related to insulin action and body weight regulation, and is influenced by inflammation. The Pro12Ala polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ2 gene seems to influence LPL functioning, but its role in obesity and insulin resistance status, which usually coexist in the clinical setting, has not been explored. Our aim was to analyze the association of obesity and insulin resistance with adipose LPL activity and expression, and the influence of the PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 58 reproductive-age women who underwent elective abdominal surgery. Free-fatty acids, glucose, insulin, and selected adipokines were measured in fasting blood samples. DNA was isolated and the polymorphism genotyped. Biopsies of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained during surgery were used to determine enzymatic LPL activity and expression; and expression of selected cytokines. Overweight/obese women presented lower LPL activity (P = 0.022) and higher circulating TNF-α (P = 0.020) than controls. Insulin resistant women also showed borderline lower LPL activity than non-resistant (P = 0.052), but adiposity and inflammatory molecules were comparable. Nevertheless, LPL activity was higher in Pro12Ala carriers than in non-carriers after adjusting for obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation. Likewise, adipose LPL expression was increased in carriers while expression of cytokines was decreased. Our data suggest that insulin resistance is associated with low adipose LPL activity independently of obesity, but the PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism seems to protect the LPL functioning of obese insulin resistant women, likely through regulating inflammation in adipose tissue.     

林木抗病基因工程研究进展

植物抗病性是当前植物病理学中研究的热点和难点之一。着重讨论植物抗病机制、抗病基因的转化方法及其在林木抗病基因工程中的应用情况,并对现阶段林木抗病基因工程中存在的主要问题和应用前景进行了讨论。     

玉蜀黍赤霉(Gibberella zeae)对多菌灵的室内抗药突变体的诱导及其抗药性遗传分析

通过紫外线照射和药剂驯化的方法均获得了玉蜀黍赤霉野生敏感菌株对多菌灵(carbendazim,MBC)的室内抗药突变体。这些抗药突变体一部分表现低抗(low resistance．LR),即能在临界致死剂量1．4μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,但不能在10μg／mL浓度以上生长,且对二氯苯胺甲酸甲酯(N-3,5-dichlorophenyl carbamate,MDPC)不表现负交互抗药性;另一部分表现高抗(high resistance．HR)．即能在100μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,并与田间高抗菌株一样,对MDPC表现负交互抗药性;没有获得类似田间的中抗(moderate resistance,MR)菌株,即能在10μg／mL多菌灵浓度下快速生长,在100μg／mL浓度以上被完全抑制的突变体。通过药剂驯化的方法还获得了田间中抗(MR)菌株的高抗(HR)突变体,但这些突变体与MR一样对MDPC仍然不表现负交互抗药性。抗药性遗传研究表明。在所研究的抗药突变体中,抗药性在自交和无性繁殖后代中能稳定遗传;室内抗药突变体和田间抗药菌株对多菌灵的抗药性由同一个主效基因控制,但它们发生突变的位点不同或者同一碱基位点发生了不同的突变;对MDPC的敏感性也是由单个基因控制的,该基因与控制多菌灵抗性的基因是等位基因,当该基因发生对MDPC的敏感性增加的突变时会使病菌对多菌灵产生高水平抗性。     

Suppression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity elicited in date palm by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis hyphal wall elicitor

The inoculation of the seedling roots of the resistant (Bousthami Noir) and susceptible (Jihel) date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) cultivars by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis induced an increase in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity. The response of the PAL activity in the resistant cultivar was faster and higher than in the susceptible one. However, the elicitation of the seedlings with the hyphal wall elicitor (HWE) of the pathogen induced identical PAL activity in both cultivars. In the resistant cultivar, the the PAL activity elicited with the HWE was not influenced by the addition of the fungal culture filtrate (FCF) whereas it was suppressed in the susceptible cultivar. This FCF suppressor effect was dose-dependent, not influenced by sodium periodate, whereas it was strongly reduced by the heat (121 °C for 45 min) and pronase E. These results show that differential induction of the defence mechanisms in both cultivars was not related to differences in the induction of the PAL activity, but to the suppression of its elicitation in the susceptible cultivar.     

Jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine hydrolase 1 (JIH1) regulates jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine levels and attenuates plant defenses against herbivores

For most plant hormones, biological activity is suppressed by reversible conjugation to sugars, amino acids and other small molecules. In contrast, the conjugation of jasmonic acid (JA) to isoleucine (Ile) is known to enhance the activity of JA. Whereas hydroxylation and carboxylation of JA‐Ile permanently inactivates JA‐Ile‐mediated signaling in plants, the alternative deactivation pathway of JA‐Ile by its direct hydrolysis to JA remains unstudied. We show that Nicotiana attenuata jasmonoyl‐l ‐isoleucine hydrolase 1 (JIH1), a close homologue of previously characterized indoleacetic acid alanine resistant 3 (IAR3) gene in Arabidopsis, hydrolyzes both JA‐Ile and IAA‐Ala in vitro. When the herbivory‐inducible NaJIH1 gene was silenced by RNA interference, JA‐Ile levels increased dramatically after simulated herbivory in irJIH1, compared with wild‐type (WT) plants. When specialist (Manduca sexta) or generalist (Spodoptera littoralis) herbivores fed on irJIH1 plants they gained significantly less mass compared with those feeding on wild‐type (WT) plants. The poor larval performance was strongly correlated with the higher accumulation of several JA‐Ile‐dependent direct defense metabolites in irJIH1 plants. In the field, irJIH1 plants attracted substantially more Geocoris predators to the experimentally attached M. sexta eggs on their leaves, compared with empty vector plants, which correlated with higher herbivory‐elicited emissions of volatiles known to function as indirect defenses. We conclude that NaJIH1 encodes a new homeostatic step in JA metabolism that, together with JA and JA‐Ile‐hydroxylation and carboxylation of JA‐Ile, rapidly attenuates the JA‐Ile burst, allowing plants to tailor the expression of direct and indirect defenses against herbivore attack in nature.     

果园转型生态公益林防控薇甘菊的生态改造

【背景】深圳大面积果园已转型为生态公益林,但果树被入侵的薇甘菊攀爬覆盖,严重地段已导致群落退行性演替,问题亟待解决。【方法】选取有多种生境的转型果园,分片区开展以植树为核心的生态改造试验,树种以种植后不进行人工除草抚育的血桐、幌伞枫、阴香为主,辅以提高物种多样性为目标的演替中后期树种,均采用袋装大苗于2011年5月种植。【结果】在树冠连续、郁闭的果林片区,所植苗木死亡,林下草本稀少,始终无薇甘菊。在其他非郁闭片区,血桐与幌伞枫生长良好且从未被覆盖;阴香虽于秋冬季被全覆盖但不死亡,次年春新枝穿透覆盖层正常生长;其余种苗木对薇甘菊处于劣势。【结论与意义】郁闭度高的果林片区林下光照弱,能阻止薇甘菊定居,无需人工干预;血桐和幌伞枫分别具抗/耐受薇甘菊覆盖的特性,种后均无需抚育;其余树种则需抚育。因此,掌握各个树种的特性,适地种植、按需精准定株抚育是转型果园低成本、技术简单、一劳永逸地防控薇甘菊生态改造的精髓。在应对有害藤本危害时,勿忽略筛选出不惧该藤本的植物种的可能,在不使用农药、无有效动物或微生物天敌的情况下,它们有可能成为生态安全的防控改造树种。     

In vitro insect-feeding bioassay to determine the resistance of transgenic rice plants transformed with insect resistance genes against striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis)

Summary To determine the degree of insect resistance in transgenic plants, different bioassays are used which typically use either whole plant or small pieces of leaves or stems of transgenic plants, following culture under greenhouse conditions. An in vitro insect-feeding bioassay is presented which permits the infestation of transgenic plantlets with newly hatched larvae from the striped stem borer. The bioassay consists of the germination of rice seeds in vitro using Murashige and Skoog medium in test tubes, and then infestation of each 3–4 cm long seedling with one neonate larva obtained from surfacesterilized eggs of Chilo suppressalis. The infested in vitro plantlets are kept in culture rooms at 25°C for several days and then the seedling damage and the growth of the larvae are analyzed. Senia (japonica variety) homozygous transgenic rice plants were used for these experiments. The plants were transformed with either the cry1B or the maize proteinase inhibitor (mpi) genes. Both genes confer resistance to Chilo suppressalis. With non-transformed plants the larvae grew and developed normally, feeding on the small rice plantlets. In contrast, with cry1B plants, the neonate larvae died during the first days of the infestation. These plantlets recovered completely and developed similarly to the non-infested control plants. With transgenic plants transformed with the mpi gene, the neonate larvae did not die but grew more slowly compared with the controls. Thus, this in vitro insect-feeding bioassay is a rapid and easy method to detect the resistance of cry and mpi transgenic plants to stem borers such as Chilo suppressalis.     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts of hydroxyproline resistant cell line in Onobrychis viciaefolia

An efficient protocol for plant regeneration from protoplasts of hydroxyproline(HYP)resistant cell line of Onobrychis viciaefolia was established.In SH medium supplemented with 1mg/L2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid(2,4-D),0.5mg/L kinetin(KT)and 0.2mg/L naphthalene acetic acid(NAA),the division frequency of protoplastderived cells reached up to over 60%,and microcalli were obtained in 5-6wk.Upon transferring them on agar solidified MS medium plus 2mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA),shoots were induced.After cultivating them on MS medium with or without IAA,roots were regenerated.Chromosome number of all protoplast-regenerated plants examined were normal(2n=28).The protoplast-derived calli and plants grew vigorously on the medium containing 10 mmol/L HYP.     

A novel cysteine‐free venom peptide with strong antimicrobial activity against antibiotics‐resistant pathogens from the scorpion Opistophthalmus glabrifrons

Antibiotic‐resistant bacteria, such as methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus, pose serious threat to human health. The outbreak of antibiotic‐resistant pathogens in recent years emphasizes once again the urgent need for the development of new antimicrobial agents. Here, we discovered a novel antimicrobial peptide from the scorpion Opistophthalmus glabrifrons, which was referred to as Opisin. Opisin consists of 19 amino acid residues without disulfide bridges. It is a cationic, amphipathic, and α‐helical molecule. Protein sequence homology search revealed that Opisin shares 42.1–5.3% sequence identities to the 17/18‐mer antimicrobial peptides from scorpions. Antimicrobial assay showed that Opisin is able to potently inhibit the growth of the tested Gram‐positive bacteria with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 4.0–10.0 μM; in contrast, it possesses much lower activity against the tested Gram‐negative bacteria and a fungus. It is interesting to see that Opisin is able to strongly inhibit the growth of methicillin‐ and vancomycin‐resistant pathogens with the MICs ranging from 2.0 to 4.0 μM and from 4.0 to 6.0 μM, respectively. We found that at a concentration of 5 × MIC, Opisin completely killed all the cultured methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus. These results suggest that Opisin is a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of the antibiotic‐resistant bacterial infections. Copyright © 2015 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.