High‐Throughput DNA sequencing of ancient wood

Reconstructing the colonization and demographic dynamics that gave rise to extant forests is essential to forecasts of forest responses to environmental changes. Classical approaches to map how population of trees changed through space and time largely rely on pollen distribution patterns, with only a limited number of studies exploiting DNA molecules preserved in wooden tree archaeological and subfossil remains. Here, we advance such analyses by applying high‐throughput (HTS) DNA sequencing to wood archaeological and subfossil material for the first time, using a comprehensive sample of 167 European white oak waterlogged remains spanning a large temporal (from 550 to 9,800 years) and geographical range across Europe. The successful characterization of the endogenous DNA and exogenous microbial DNA of 140 (~83%) samples helped the identification of environmental conditions favouring long‐term DNA preservation in wood remains, and started to unveil the first trends in the DNA decay process in wood material. Additionally, the maternally inherited chloroplast haplotypes of 21 samples from three periods of forest human‐induced use (Neolithic, Bronze Age and Middle Ages) were found to be consistent with those of modern populations growing in the same geographic areas. Our work paves the way for further studies aiming at using ancient DNA preserved in wood to reconstruct the micro‐evolutionary response of trees to climate change and human forest management.     

Lipid droplet proteins and metabolic diseases

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous cellular organelles for lipid storage which are composed of a neutral lipid core bounded by a protein decorated phospholipid monolayer. Although lipid storage is their most obvious function, LDs are far from inert as they participate in maintaining lipid homeostasis through lipid synthesis, metabolism, and transportation. Furthermore, they are involved in cell signaling and other molecular events closely associated with human disease such as dyslipidemia, obesity, lipodystrophy, diabetes, fatty liver, atherosclerosis, and others. The last decade has seen a great increase in the attention paid to LD biology. Regardless, many fundamental features of LD biology remain obscure. In this review, we will discuss key aspects of LD biology including their biogenesis, growth and regression. We will also summarize the current knowledge about the role LDs play in human disease, especially from the perspective of the dynamics of the associated proteins. This article is part of a Special issue entitled Cardiac adaptations to obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance, edited by Professors Jan F.C. Glatz, Jason R.B. Dyck and Christine Des Rosiers.     

不同盐碱类型胁迫对红地球/贝达葡萄植株离子分布的影响

以盆栽红地球/贝达葡萄为试材,定量浇灌NaCl、Na₂SO₄、NaHCO₃、NH₄Cl和(NH₄)₂SO₄,筛选导致葡萄叶片黄化的盐、碱离子,研究不同盐碱类型胁迫对葡萄植株离子分布的影响.结果表明： NaHCO₃对植株影响最大,叶片在处理14 d时出现黄化症状,而NaCl和NH₄Cl处理28 d时出现黄化症状.NaHCO₃和NaCl处理均显著增加了植株各器官中Na^+含量,NaHCO₃处理根中Na⁺含量是对照的 6.4倍;这两种盐处理均降低了除叶片外其他器官中的K⁺含量,NaHCO₃处理显著降低了各器官中K/Na,根中K/Na仅为0.1,NaCl处理降低了除茎外其他器官中K/Na;这两种盐处理还降低了Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺、Fe²⁺向地上部的运输.NH₄Cl、(NH₄)₂SO₄和Na₂SO₄处理降低了植株各器官中K/Na,以NH₄Cl处理显著.碱性盐NaHCO₃对葡萄叶片黄化影响最大,其次是中性盐NaCl,再次是NH₄Cl,而(NH₄)₂SO₄和Na₂SO₄影响较小.     

Action mechanism of tachyplesin I and effects of PEGylation

PEGylation of protein and peptide drugs is frequently used to improve in vivo efficacy. We investigated the action mechanism of tachyplesin I, a membrane-acting cyclic antimicrobial peptide from Tachypleus tridentatus and the effects of PEGylation on the mechanism. The PEGylated peptide induced the leakage of calcein from egg yolk l-α-phosphatidylglycerol/egg yolk l-α-phosphatidylcholine large unilamellar vesicles similarly to the parent peptide. Both peptides induced lipid flip-flop coupled to leakage and was translocated into the inner leaflet of the bilayer, indicating that tachyplesin I forms a toroidal pore and that PEGylation did not alter the basic mechanism of membrane permeabilization of the parent peptide. Despite their similar activities against model membranes, the peptides showed very different biological activities. The cytotoxicity of tachyplesin I was greatly reduced by PEGylation, although the antimicrobial activity was significantly weakened. We investigated the enhancement of the permeability of inner membranes induced by the peptides. Our results suggested that outer membranes and peptidoglycan layers play an inhibitory role in the permeation of the PEG moiety. Furthermore, a reduction in DNA binding by PEGylation may also contribute to the weak activity of the PEGylated peptide.     

山黧豆抗逆性研究进展

山黧豆是一种栽培历史悠久、种植广泛的豆科作物,具有很高的蛋白质含量和极强的耐旱能力,因而成为一些干旱、贫困和人口众多地区的主要饲料和粮食作物,且被考虑作为可持续发展农业的模式作物。随着人类对粮食、蛋白质和新型食物资源需求的日益增长,山黧豆的研究引起了世界各国学者的重视。该文对国内外近年来有关山黧豆在干旱、盐、重金属及生物胁迫下抗逆性方面的研究进展作了概述,同时简要介绍了山黧豆与干旱相适应的形态特征,并对亟需重点研究的几个方向作了展望。     

Understanding thermostability in cytochrome P450 by combinatorial mutagenesis

The cytochromes P450 are an important class of mono-oxygenases involved in xenobiotic metabolism and steroid biosynthesis in a diverse set of life forms. Discovery of CYP-119, a P450 from the archea Sulfolobus solfataricus has provided a means for understanding nature's method of stabilizing this important protein superfamily. To identify classes of stabilizing interactions used by CYP-119, we have generated a randomized library of point mutants and screened for mutants that are less thermostable than the wild type by monitoring the characteristic Soret band in the visible region of the cell lysis. The selected mutants were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry to compare the temperatures of the melting transitions of the various mutants. The identified mutations suggested that electrostatic interactions involving salt links and charge-charge interactions, as well as contributions from other interactions such as aromatic stacking, and side chain volume of hydrophobic residues contribute to enhanced thermostability in this cytochrome P450.     

Cation-induced superoxide generation in tobacco cell suspension culture is dependent on ion valence

There have been many reports suggesting the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion (O₂^.–), in salt stress. Herein, direct evidence that treatments of cell suspension culture of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.; cell line, BY‐2) with various salts of trivalent, divalent and monovalent metals stimulate the immediate production of O₂^.– is reported. Among the salts tested, LaCl₃ and GdCl₃ induced the greatest responses in O₂^.– production, whereas CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ showed only moderate effects; salts of monovalent metals such as KCl and NaCl induced much lower responses, indicating that there is a strong relationship between the valence of metals and the level of O₂^.– production. As the valence of the added metals increased from monovalent to divalent and trivalent, the concentrations required for maximal responses were lowered. Although O₂^.– production by NaCl and KCl required high concentrations associated with hyperosmolarity, the O₂^.– generation induced by NaCl and KCl was significantly greater than that induced simply by hyperosmolarity. Since an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, diphenyleneiodonium chloride, showed a strong inhibitory effect on the trivalent and divalent cation‐induced generation of O₂^.–, it is likely that cation treatments activate the O₂^.–‐generating activity of NADPH oxidase.