Role of putrescine in ovary and embryo development in fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx during embryonic diapause

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of putrescine on ovarian activity and the rate of embryonic development in Cynopterus sphinx during delayed development. The result showed the presence of a rate‐limiting enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase‐1, in both ovary and utero‐embryonic unit of C. sphinx suggests a synthesis of putrescine in these sites. The corpus luteum showed increased, whereas utero‐embryonic unit showed decreased production of putrescine during delayed development as compared with the normal development. The bat treated in vivo with putrescine during delayed development showed increase in progesterone and estradiol synthesis, correlated with increased expression of luteinizing hormone receptor, steroidogenic acute receptor protein, and 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase through extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK1/2)‐mediated pathway in the ovary; but showed increase in the weight and expression of progesterone receptor (PR), B‐cell lymphoma 2, proliferating cell nucleus antigen, and vascular endothelial growth factor proteins in utero‐embryonic unit. The in vitro treatment of putrescine showed stimulatory whereas treatment with an inhibitor of putrescine, 2‐difluoromethylornithine caused an inhibitory effect on ovarian progesterone synthesis and cell proliferation, and cell survival in the utero‐embryonic unit. In conclusion, the putrescine showed two separate roles during embryonic diapause, high concentration of putrescine in the ovary may support corpus luteum and basal synthesis of progesterone, whereas a low level of putrescine causes retarded embryonic development by inhibiting cell proliferation in the utero‐embryonic unit. The bat treated with putrescine either directly promotes cell proliferation, cell survival, and angiogenic activities or acts indirectly increasing PR on utero‐embryonic unit thereby activating development in delayed embryo in C. sphinx.     

Plant–pollinator interactions in a Mexican Acacia community

Competition for pollination is thought to be an important factor structuring flowering in many plant communities, particularly among plant taxa with morphologically similar and easily accessible flowers. We examined the potential for heterospecific pollen transfer (HPT) in a community of four Acacia species in a highly seasonal tropical habitat in Mexico. Partitioning of pollen flow among sympatric species appears to be achieved, in part, through segregation of flowering in seasonal time, and interspecific differences in pollinator guilds. However, two coflowering species (Acacia macracantha and Acacia angustissima) shared multiple flower visitors, raising the possibility of HPT. Each of these coflowering species showed high intraspecific daily synchrony in pollen release, but dehisce at different times of day. Pollinators rapidly harvested available pollen from one species before abandoning it to visit the flowers of the second later in the day. The activity of shared pollinators, predominantly bees, is thus structured throughout the day, and potential for HPT reduced. Suggestive evidence in favour of a resource partitioning explanation for this pattern is provided by the fact that A. macracantha showed significantly greater intraspecific synchrony when coflowering with a potential competitor (A. angustissima) than when flowering alone. We discuss our results in light of previous work on coflowering acacia assemblages in Tanzania and Australia. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of five diatomaceous earth formulations against Tribofium castaneum （Coleoptera： Tenebrionidae）, Oryzaephflus surinamensis （Coleoptera： Silvanidae） and Rhyzopertha dominica （Coleoptera： Bostrychidae）

Laboratory bioassays were conducted to determine the effect of food source on the survival of Tribolium castaneum Herbst, Oryzaephilus surinamensis L. and Rhyzopertha dominica F., after exposure to five diatomaceous earth （DE） formulations： Protect-It, Insecto, Perma-GuardTM, Dryacide and SilicoSec. Adults of these species were exposed to DEs at the rate of 0.5 mg/cm^2 for 1 day on filter paper inside plastic Petri dishes. After exposure, the initial mortality was counted and live individuals of the three species were held for a week in glass vials containing 50 mg wheat flour, rice and whole wheat, respectively. In the second experiment, after 1 day exposure to DEs, beetles were transferred to Petri dishes without food and held for a week to determine if the presence of food source would decrease the mortality of beetles. Experiments were carried out at 27℃ and 55% RH in the dark. The initial mortality in both of the experiments reached 100% for the three species exposed to Protect-It and in the case ofR. dominica and O. surinamensis exposed to Dryacide. In contrast, low level of mortality （〈 10%） was observed for T. castaneum exposed to Perma-GuardTM and Insecto. The mortality after the post-treatment period on food was decreased for the three species exposed to Perma-GuardTM and in the case of T. castaneum and R. dominica exposed to Insecto and SilicoSec. Adults of O. surinamensis were the most susceptible followed by R. dominica and 100% adult mortality was obtained, whereas T. castaneum were the least susceptible beetles to DEs. Protect-It and Dryacide were the most efficient DE formulations and can be used effectively in a stored grain integrated pest management program.     

Eat now,pay later? Evidence of deferred food-processing costs in diving seals

Seals may delay costly physiological processes (e.g. digestion) that are incompatible with the physiological adjustments to diving until after periods of active foraging. We present unusual profiles of metabolic rate (MR) in grey seals measured during long-term simulation of foraging trips (4-5 days) that provide evidence for this. We measured extremely high MRs (up to almost seven times the baseline levels) and high heart rates during extended surface intervals, where the seals were motionless at the surface. These occurred most often during the night and occurred frequently many hours after the end of feeding bouts. The duration and amount of oxygen consumed above baseline levels during these events was correlated with the amount of food eaten, confirming that these metabolic peaks were related to the processing of food eaten during foraging periods earlier in the day. We suggest that these periods of high MR represent a payback of costs deferred during foraging.     

抗疫病加工型辣椒细胞质雄性不育恢复系的创制

为加快抗疫病加工型辣椒细胞质雄性不育(cytoplasmic male sterility,CMS)恢复系的创制,该试验以单生、长果自交系481 4 10为母本,以抗疫病的恢复系939 1和1021(1) 1为父本配制杂交组合,采用花药培养技术将抗疫病恢复系的Rf基因和抗疫病基因导入单生、长果自交系中,并利用分子标记辅助选择(molecular marker assisted selection, MAS)技术鉴定DH系(Double Haploid line)的Rf基因以及抗病性,进一步用室内苗期抗性鉴定的方法验证MAS筛选的含Rf DH系对疫病的抗性。结果表明：(1)花药培养的供体亲本(481 4 10×939 1)F₁诱导出22个胚状体,成苗后经倍性鉴定获得11个花培DH系;而由供体亲本［481 4 10×1021(1) 1］F₁获得 9个DH系。(2)分子标记CRF SCAR对花培DH系进行分子标记辅助选择验证结果表明,来自供体(481 4 10×939 1)F₁的DH系中有7个可扩增出870 bp的特异条带,占63.6%;而供体［481 4 10×1021(1) 1］F₁获得的DH系中则有8个能扩增出870 bp的特异条带,占88.9%。(3)分子标记FQ01/RQ01对DH系进行分子标记辅助选择筛选结果发现,来自供体(481 4 10×939 1)F₁的DH系有5个能扩增出717 bp的特异条带,占45.5%;而来自供体［481 4 10×1021(1) 1］F₁的DH系有4个可扩增出717 bp的特异条带,占44.4%。(4)MAS技术初步筛选到7个携带Rf的抗疫病DH系,分别命名为‘渝辣选3 2/3 3/3 5/7 1/7 5/7 6/7 9’;苗期抗性鉴定结果显示,7个DH系中5个DH系抗疫病,2个中抗疫病;农艺性状调查和测交实验表明,‘渝辣选3 2’和‘渝辣选7 1’是单生朝天椒、果实较长,味辣,均为CMS恢复系。该研究创制的2个DH系为利用辣椒CMS三系配套选育抗病新品种奠定了基础。     

Engineering the migration and attachment behaviour of primary dermal fibroblasts

The availability of primary cells present in pathological conditions is often very limited due to stringent ethical regulation and patient consent. One such condition is chronic wounds, where dermal fibroblasts show a deficient migration. In vitro models with cellular tools that mimic the in vivo scenario would be advantageous to test new therapies for these challenging wounds. Since the availability of primary dermal fibroblasts present in chronic wounds is restricted and their “shelf-life” limited due to the increased senescence, our aim was to engineer human dermal fibroblasts with impaired migration using synthetic Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides. We studied fibroblast behaviour on three different two dimensional (2D) surfaces, representative of the dermal extracellular matrix and the materials used in the development of dermal scaffolds, in addition to commercially available, collagen-based 3D dermal scaffolds, demonstrating that the concentration of synthetic RGD peptides necessary to impair migration of dermal fibroblasts should be tailored to the particular surface/material and cell population used. The described technology could be translated to other cell types including established cell lines. A wide range of synthetic peptides exists, which differ in the amino acid sequence, thus increasing the possibilities of this technology.     

Pollen development at high temperature and role of carbon and nitrogen metabolites

Fruit and seed crop production heavily relies on successful stigma pollination, pollen tube growth, and fertilization of female gametes. These processes depend on production of viable pollen grains, a process sensitive to high‐temperature stress. Therefore, rising global temperatures threaten worldwide crop production. Close observation of plant development shows that high‐temperature stress causes morpho‐anatomical changes in male reproductive tissues that contribute to reproductive failure. These changes include early tapetum degradation, anther indehiscence, and deformity of pollen grains, all of which are contributing factors to pollen fertility. At the molecular level, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate when plants are subjected to high temperatures. ROS is a signalling molecule that can be beneficial or detrimental for plant cells depending on its balance with the endogenous cellular antioxidant system. Many metabolites have been linked with ROS over the years acting as direct scavengers or molecular stabilizers that promote antioxidant enzyme activity. This review highlights recent advances in research on anther and pollen development and how these might explain the aberrations seen during high‐temperature stress; recent work on the role of nitrogen and carbon metabolites in anther and pollen development is discussed including their potential role at high temperature.     

Potential roles and targeted therapy of the CXCLs/CXCR2 axis in cancer and inflammatory diseases

The chemokine receptor CXCR2 and its ligands are implicated in the progression of tumours and various inflammatory diseases. Activation of the CXCLs/CXCR2 axis activates multiple signalling pathways, including the PI3K, p38/ERK, and JAK pathways, and regulates cell survival and migration. The CXCLs/CXCR2 axis plays a vital role in the tumour microenvironment and in recruiting neutrophils to inflammatory sites. Extensive infiltration of neutrophils during chronic inflammation is one of the most important pathogenic factors in various inflammatory diseases. Chronic inflammation is considered to be closely correlated with initiation of cancer. In addition, immunosuppressive effects of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) against T cells attenuate the anti-tumour effects of T cells and promote tumour invasion and metastasis. Over the last several decades, many therapeutic strategies targeting CXCR2 have shown promising results and entered clinical trials. In this review, we focus on the features and functions of the CXCLs/CXCR2 axis and highlight its role in cancer and inflammatory diseases. We also discuss its potential use in targeted therapies.     

一种可用于分析水稻花药中钙调素蛋白分布的胶体金免疫电镜标记技术

以水稻花药作为实验材料,在前人应用胶体金技术标记钙调素蛋白(Ca M)的基础上,采用Epon812常规包埋方法,并在标记过程及染色体系上做了一些改进,建立了一套标记特异性较强且超微结构保存较好的花药中Ca M的标记方法。