Subcellular reprogramming of metabolism during cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Metabolite changes in plant leaves during exposure to low temperatures involve re‐allocation of a large number of metabolites between sub‐cellular compartments. Therefore, metabolite determination at the whole cell level may be insufficient for interpretation of the functional significance of cellular compounds. To investigate the cold‐induced metabolite dynamics at the level of individual sub‐cellular compartments, an integrative platform was developed that combines quantitative metabolite profiling by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) with the non‐aqueous fractionation technique allowing separation of cytosol, vacuole and the plastidial compartment. Two mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana representing antipodes in the diversion of carbohydrate metabolism between sucrose and starch were compared to Col‐0 wildtype before and after cold acclimation to investigate interactions of cold acclimation with subcellular re‐programming of metabolism. A multivariate analysis of the data set revealed dominant effects of compartmentation on metabolite concentrations that were modulated by environmental condition and genetic determinants. While for both, the starchless mutant of plastidial phospho‐gluco mutase (pgm) and a mutant defective in sucrose‐phosphate synthase A1, metabolic constraints, especially at low temperature, could be uncovered based on subcellularly resolved metabolite profiles, only pgm had lowered freezing tolerance. Metabolic profiles of pgm point to redox imbalance as a possible reason for reduced cold acclimation capacity.     

Enhanced transpiration rate in the high pigment 1 tomato mutant and its physiological significance

Tomato high pigment (hp) mutants represent an interesting horticultural resource due to their enhanced accumulation of carotenoids, flavonoids and vitamin C. Since hp mutants are known for their exaggerated light responses, the molecules accumulated are likely to be antioxidants, recruited to deal with light and others stresses. Further phenotypes displayed by hp mutations are reduced growth and an apparent disturbance in water loss. Here, we examined the impact of the hp1 mutation and its near isogenic line cv Micro-Tom (MT) on stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), CO(2) assimilation (A) and water use efficiency (WUE). Detached hp1 leaves lost water more rapidly than control leaves, but this behaviour was reversed by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), indicating the ability of hp1 to respond to this hormone. Although attached hp1 leaves had enhanced gs, E and A compared to control leaves, genotypic differences were lost when water was withheld. Both instantaneous leaf-level WUE and long-term whole plant WUE did not differ between hp1 and MT. Our results indicate a link between exaggerated light response and water loss in hp1, which has important implications for the use of this mutant in both basic and horticultural research.     

Temperature-induced modifications in the surface features of stamens of a tomato mutant: An SEM study

Summary Stamenless-2 (sl₂/sl₂) is a temperature-sensitive mutant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) which exhibits altered stamen development under different temperatures (Sawhney 1983). By using scanning electron microscopy, this study was conducted to investigate the differentiation of surface features of mutant and normal stamens grown under different temperatures, with the view to further determine the role of temperature in gene expression in stamen development. Mutant stamens grown under intermediate temperatures (23 °C day/18 °C night) differed from the normal in hair production, the shape of epidermal cells and in the pattern of cuticular thickenings. Under low temperatures (18 °C day/15 °C night), all surface features of mutant stamens closely resembled the normal, whereas under high temperatures (28 °C day/23 °C night), the patterns and types of hairs, epidermal cells, stomata, and cuticular thickenings on mutant stamens were similar to that of a gynoecium. The staminal features of normal stamens were not affected by different temperatures. This study shows that the expression of the sl₂/sl₂ allele is influenced by temperature conditions to the extent that the pattern of cellular differentiation characteristic of either the stamens or the carpels can be induced in mutant stamens.     

Crystal Structure of an RluF-RNA Complex: A Base-Pair Rearrangement Is the Key to Selectivity of RluF for U2604 of the Ribosome

Escherichia coli pseudouridine synthase RluF is dedicated to modifying U2604 in a stem-loop of 23S RNA, while a homologue, RluB, modifies the adjacent base, U2605. Both uridines are in the same RNA stem, separated by ∼ 4 Å. The 3.0 Å X-ray crystal structure of RluF bound to the isolated stem-loop, in which U2604 is substituted by 5-fluorouridine to prevent catalytic turnover, shows RluF distinguishes closely spaced bases in similar environments by a selectivity mechanism based on a frameshift in base pairing. The RNA stem-loop is bound to a conserved binding groove in the catalytic domain. A base from a bulge in the stem, A2602, has folded into the stem, forcing one strand of the RNA stem to translate by one position and thus positioning U2604 to flip into the active site. RluF does not modify U2604 in mutant stem-loops that lack the A2602 bulge and shows dramatically higher activity for a stem-loop with a mutation designed to facilitate A2602 refolding into the stem with concomitant RNA strand translation. Residues whose side chains contact rearranged bases in the bound stem-loop, while conserved among RluFs, are not conserved between RluFs and RluBs, suggesting that RluB does not bind to the rearranged stem loop.     

Induction of an immune response through the idiotypic network with monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies in the carcinoembryonic antigen system.

Anti-idiotype antibodies can mimic the conformational epitopes of the original antigen and act as antigen substitutes for vaccination and/or serological purposes. To investigate this possibility concerning the tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), BALB/c mice were immunized with the previously described anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5.D11 (AB1). After cell fusion, 15 stable cloned cell lines secreting anti-Ids (AB2) were obtained. Selected MAbs gave various degrees of inhibition (up to 100%) of the binding of 125I-labeled CEA to MAb 5.D11. Absence of reactivity of anti-Id MAbs with normal mouse IgG was first demonstrated by the fact that anti-Id MAbs were not absorbed by passage through a mouse IgG column, and second because they bound specifically to non-reduced MAb 5.D11 on Western blots. Anti-5.D11 MAbs did not inhibit binding to CEA of MAb 10.B9, another anti-CEA antibody obtained in the same fusion as 5.D11, or that of several anti-CEA MAbs reported in an international workshop, with the exception of two other anti-CEA MAbs, both directed against the GOLD IV epitope. When applied to an Id-anti-Id competitive radioimmunoassay, a sensitivity of 2 ng/ml of CEA was obtained, which is sufficient for monitoring circulating CEA in carcinoma patients. To verify that the anti-Id MAbs have the potential to be used as CEA vaccines, syngeneic BALB/c mice were immunized with these MAbs (AB2). Sera from immunized mice were demonstrated to contain AB3 antibodies recognizing the original antigen, CEA, both in enzyme immunoassay and by immunoperoxidase staining of human colon carcinoma. These results open the perspective of vaccination against colorectal carcinoma through the use of anti-idiotype antibodies as antigen substitutes.     

云南傣族中所见的G6PD突变型

利用错配碱基PCR/酶切法,在云南傣族中发现ntl388 G→A、ntl376 G→T和nt392 G→T G6PD基因突变型。其中主要为1388突变(18/23)。此3种突变也见于华南地区的汉族中,而有别于非中国人的突变型。提示傣族与汉族可能有同一民族渊源。利用PCR-SSCP方法在不同外显子中发现3例未知突变,待进一步DNA序列测定定型。 Abstract:By using mis-matched PCR followed by endonuclease digestion,G6PD gene mutations nt1388G→A,nt1376G→T,and nt392G→T were found among Dai national minority in Yunnan Province.Among these mutations,18 out 23 were nt1388G→A mutation.These three types of mutation were also found in Han people in the southern China,and never reported in other ethnic groups worldwide.It implied that the Han and Dai people perhaps had the same ethnic origin.Mutations of three undefined cases were identified in different exons by PCR-SSCP method.The exact mutation point will be detected by DNA sequencing under further investigation.     

白喉毒素E154位突变及生物活性评价

在量子化学计算的基础上,结合目前关于白喉毒素结构与功能的研究状况,选择把白喉毒素催化区的第154位谷氨酸分别突变为天冬氨酸和精氨酸,研究此处电荷性质的改变对生物活性的影响.通过基因定点突变方法制备这两个突变体基因,并在大肠杆菌表达系统中获得高效表达,在此基础上对它们的生物活性进行了评价.结果表明,与重组野生型白喉毒素相比,突变体E154D的整体动物毒性和细胞毒性略有增加,而E154R的毒性下降.     

Isolation and characterization ofPleurotus ostreatus mutant strains resistant to a carboxin-derived fungicide,flutolanil

To develop a dominant genetic marker inPleurotus ostreatus, mutant strains resistant to a carboxin-derived fungicide, flutolanil, were isolated. These mutants included strains which showed resistance to 50-fold higher concentration of fluotolanil than the wild-type strain, even after successive cultivations in the absence of the drug. Dominance of the phenotype was confirmed by back-crossing between the resistant and wild-type monokaryons. The flutolanilresistance was also shown to be stably inherited by the basidiospore-derived progenies of the mutant strains.     

含锰固氮酶组分Ⅰ蛋白的纯化和特性

棕色固氮菌（Azotobacter vinelandii Lipmann)突变种UW3能在无Mo的无氨培养基中固氮生长,低浓度的Mn对UW3突变种生长有促进作用,从在Mn中生长的UW3菌体中分离得到的部分纯固氮酶组分Ⅰ蛋白含量有Mn和Fe原子（Fe/Mo/Mn为10．41：0．19：1．00）并有OP MoFe蛋白一半的还原乙炔和质子的活性。这种蛋白的吸收光谱和圆二色谱与MoFe蛋白存在明显的差异,含Mn蛋白的亚基分子量都与MoFe蛋白的α亚基相近。初步结果表明,这种含Mn蛋白可胡是一种固氮酶组分Ⅰ蛋白。