Sulfate is transported at significant rates through the symbiosome membrane and is crucial for nitrogenase biosynthesis

Legume–rhizobia symbioses play a major role in food production for an ever growing human population. In this symbiosis, dinitrogen is reduced (“fixed”) to ammonia by the rhizobial nitrogenase enzyme complex and is secreted to the plant host cells, whereas dicarboxylic acids derived from photosynthetically produced sucrose are transported into the symbiosomes and serve as respiratory substrates for the bacteroids. The symbiosome membrane contains high levels of SST1 protein, a sulfate transporter. Sulfate is an essential nutrient for all living organisms, but its importance for symbiotic nitrogen fixation and nodule metabolism has long been underestimated. Using chemical imaging, we demonstrate that the bacteroids take up 20‐fold more sulfate than the nodule host cells. Furthermore, we show that nitrogenase biosynthesis relies on high levels of imported sulfate, making sulfur as essential as carbon for the regulation and functioning of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Our findings thus establish the importance of sulfate and its active transport for the plant–microbe interaction that is most relevant for agriculture and soil fertility.     

针灸联合逍遥散合半夏厚朴汤治疗肝郁脾虚型抑郁症患者伴胃肠功能紊乱的临床疗效

摘要 目的：探讨针灸联合逍遥散合半夏厚朴汤治疗肝郁脾虚型抑郁症患者伴胃肠功能紊乱的临床疗效。方法：选取我院2020年5月到2023年5月收治的80例抑郁症伴胃肠功能紊乱患者作为研究对象,中医证型均为肝郁脾虚型,分为观察组与对照组,40例。对照组患者采取逍遥散合半夏厚朴汤治疗,观察组在对照组基础上增加针灸治疗,对比两组患者临床疗效,分别在治疗前后应用汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAMD）、负性认知加工偏向问卷（NCPBQ）评价抑郁症状和负性认知情况,并对比治疗前后肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、C反应蛋白（CRP）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）表达水平和胃动素（motilin,MTL）、生长抑素（SS）、胃泌素（GAS）相关血清肠胃激素表达水平,并采用世界卫生组织生活质量-100量表（WHOQOL-100）评估生活质量。结果：观察组治疗总有效率较对照组高（P＜0.05）;治疗前两组患者HAMD、NCPBQ评分对比无差异（P＞0.05）,治疗后两组患者均降低,且观察组较对照组低（P＜0.05）;治疗前两组患者TNF-α、CRP、IL-6相关炎症因子和MTL、SS、GAS相关胃肠激素水平对比无明显差异（P＞0.05）,治疗后两组患者TNF-α、CRP、IL-6、SS、GAS水平均降低,且观察组较对照组低,MTL水平升高,观察组较对照组高（P＜0.05）;两组患者治疗后生活质量相关评分均升高,且观察组较对照组高（P＜0.05）。结论：针灸联合逍遥散合半夏厚朴汤治疗肝郁脾虚型抑郁症伴胃肠功能紊乱疗效显著,可减轻患者抑郁情绪和负性认知,降低炎症反应,改善胃肠激素水平,提升患者生活质量。     

暖脐散神阙贴敷联合艾灸治疗脾虚型泄泻患儿效果及对肠道微生态的影响

摘要 目的：分析暖脐散神阙贴敷联合艾灸治疗脾虚型泄泻患儿效果及对肠道微生态的影响。方法：选择河南中医药大学第一附属医院自2021年1月至2022年7月接诊的120例脾虚型泄泻患儿,随机分为对照组和观察组,各60例。对照组予以双歧杆菌三联活菌肠溶胶囊、蒙脱石散治疗;观察组在对照组治疗的基础上,加用暖脐散神阙贴敷联合艾灸治疗,其中艾灸取穴：神阙、中脘、足三里、天枢、脾俞、肾俞,治疗14 d。记录两组患儿症状缓解情况（大便性状正常时间、泄泻停止时间）,检测治疗前后肠道屏障功能指标（二胺氧化酶、D-乳酸）、肠道菌群数量（双歧杆菌、乳酸杆菌、粪球菌、大肠杆菌）、血清炎症因子（白介素-6、白介素-8、肿瘤坏死因子α）。结果：对比对照组,观察组大便性状正常时间、泄泻停止时间均更短（P＜0.05）;治疗后,观察组血清二胺氧化酶、D-乳酸水平均低于对照组（P＜0.05）;治疗后,对比对照组,观察组血清白介素-6、白介素-8、肿瘤坏死因子α水平更低（P＜0.05）;治疗后,对比对照组,观察组双歧杆菌、乳酸杆菌的数量更多,粪球菌、大肠杆菌数量更少（P＜0.05）;观察组总有效率为93.33%,对比对照组的83.33%（P＜0.05）。结论：暖脐散神阙贴敷联合艾灸治疗脾虚型泄泻患儿效果显著,有助于缩短病程、改善肠道屏障功能和肠道微生态。     

Herbivory could unlock mutations sequestered in stratified shoot apices of genetic mosaics

Many higher plants have shoot apical meristems that possess discrete cell layers, only one of which normally gives rise to gametes following the transition from vegetative meristem to floral meristem. Consequently, when mutations occur in the meristems of sexually reproducing plants, they may or may not have an evolutionary impact, depending on the apical layer in which they reside. In order to determine whether developmentally sequestered mutations could be released by herbivory (i.e., meristem destruction), a characterized genetic mosaic was subjected to simulated herbivory. Many plants develop two shoot meristems in the leaf axils of some nodes, here referred to as the primary and secondary axillary meristems. Destruction of the terminal and primary axillary meristems led to the outgrowth of secondary axillary meristems. Seed derived from secondary axillary meristems was not always descended from the second apical cell layer of the terminal shoot meristem as is expected for terminal and primary shoot meristems. Vegetative and reproductive analysis indicated that secondary meristems did not maintain the same order of cell layers present in the terminal shoot meristem. In secondary meristems reproductively sequestered cell layers possessing mutant cells can be repositioned into gamete-forming cell layers, thereby adding mutant genes into the gene pool. Herbivores feeding on shoot tips may influence plant evolution by causing the outgrowth of secondary axillary meristems.     

Two isoforms of acid phosphatase secreted by tobacco protoplasts: differential effect of brefeldin A on their secretion

Summary The effects of brefeldin A (BFA) on the secretion of acid phosphatase (APase) by tobacco protoplasts were investigated. Secretion of APase was inhibited by BFA in a dose-dependent manner, with a concomitant intracellular accumulation of the enzyme. The secreted APase was composed of two isoforms. BFA (10/ g/ml) inhibited the secretion of one of the isoforms without inhibiting that of the other, and this phenomenon explains the partial inhibition of APase secretion as a whole. The inhibition of APase secretion was accompanied by changes in the morphology of the Golgi apparatus and also by an increment in massdensity of cells.Abbreviations APase acid phosphatase - BFA brefeldin A - CHX cycloheximide - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Effect of zinc deficiency on the mRNA expression pattern in liver and jejunum of adult rats: monitoring gene expression using cDNA microarrays combined with real-time RT-PCR

In the study presented here, the effect of zinc deficiency on mRNA expression levels in liver and jejunum of adult rats was analyzed. Feed intake was restricted to 8 g/day. The semi-synthetic diet was fortified with pure phytate and contained either 2 μg Zn/g (Zn deficiency, n = 6) or 58 μg Zn/g (control, n = 7). After 29 days of Zn depletion feeding, entire jejunum and liver were retrieved and total RNA was extracted. Tissue specific expression pattern were screened and quantified by microarray analysis and verified individually via real-time RT-PCR. A relative quantification was performed with the newly developed Relative Expression Software Tool © on numerous candidate genes which showed a differential expression.

This study provides the first comparative view of gene expression regulation and fully quantitative expression analysis of 35 candidate genes in a non-growing Zn deficient adult rat model. The expression results indicate the existence of individual expression pattern in liver and jejunum and their tissue specific regulation under Zn deficiency. In addition, in jejunum a number of B-cell related genes could be demonstrated to be suppressed at Zn deficiency. In liver, metallothionein subtype 1 and 2 (MT-1 and MT-2) genes could be shown to be dramatically repressed and therefore represent putative markers for Zn deficiency. Expression results imply that some genes are expressed constitutively, whereas others are highly regulated in tissues responsible for Zn homeostasis.     

Overexpression of Arabidopsis ATX1 retards plant growth under severe copper deficiency

In a previous study, we demonstrated that Arabidopsis Antioxidant Protein1 (ATX1) plays an essential role in copper (Cu) homeostasis, conferring tolerance to both excess and subclinically deficient Cu. The Cu-binding motif MXCXXC was required for the physiological function of ATX1. In this study, we found that overexpression of ATX1 resulted in hypersensitivity to severe Cu deficiency despite enhancing tolerance to subclinical Cu deficiency. However, overexpression of mutated ATX1, replacing the Cu-binding motif MXCXXC with MXGXXG, abolished the hypersensitivity, for no differences from the wild type under the same conditions. Thus, the expression of ATX1 must be cautiously regulated to avoid homeostatic imbalance with the over-chelation of Cu.     

Substantial sulfatide deficiency and ceramide elevation in very early Alzheimer's disease: potential role in disease pathogenesis

In addition to pathology in the gray matter, there are also abnormalities in the white matter in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sulfatide species are a class of myelin-specific sphingolipids and are involved in certain diseases of the central nervous system. To assess whether sulfatide content in gray and white matter in human subjects is associated with both the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology as well as the stage of dementia, we analyzed the sulfatide content of brain tissue lipid extracts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry from 22 subjects whose cognitive status at time of death varied from no dementia to very severe dementia. All subjects with dementia had AD pathology. The results demonstrate that: (i) sulfatides were depleted up to 93% in gray matter and up to 58% in white matter from all examined brain regions from AD subjects with very mild dementia, whereas all other major classes of lipid (except plasmalogen) in these subjects were not altered in comparison to those from age-matched subjects with no dementia; (ii) there was no apparent deficiency in the biosynthesis of sulfatides in very mild AD subjects as characterized by the examination of galactocerebroside sulfotransferase activities in post-mortem brain tissues; (iii) the content of ceramides (a class of potential degradation products of sulfatides) was elevated more than three-fold in white matter and peaked at the stage of very mild dementia. The findings demonstrate that a marked decrease in sulfatides is associated with AD pathology even in subjects with very mild dementia and that these changes may be linked with early events in the pathological process of AD.