Studying global change through investigation of the plastic responses of xylem anatomy in tree rings

Variability in xylem anatomy is of interest to plant scientists because of the role water transport plays in plant performance and survival. Insights into plant adjustments to changing environmental conditions have mainly been obtained through structural and functional comparative studies between taxa or within taxa on contrasting sites or along environmental gradients. Yet, a gap exists regarding the study of hydraulic adjustments in response to environmental changes over the lifetimes of plants. In trees, dated tree-ring series are often exploited to reconstruct dynamics in ecological conditions, and recent work in which wood-anatomical variables have been used in dendrochronology has produced promising results. Environmental signals identified in water-conducting cells carry novel information reflecting changes in regional conditions and are mostly related to short, sub-annual intervals. Although the idea of investigating environmental signals through wood anatomical time series goes back to the 1960s, it is only recently that low-cost computerized image-analysis systems have enabled increased scientific output in this field. We believe that the study of tree-ring anatomy is emerging as a promising approach in tree biology and climate change research, particularly if complemented by physiological and ecological studies. This contribution presents the rationale, the potential, and the methodological challenges of this innovative approach.     

白鲜根的发育解剖学研究

应用半薄切片、常规石蜡切片并结合离析法,对药用植物白鲜(Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz.)根的发生发育过程进行了研究。结果表明:白鲜根的发生发育过程包括4个阶段,即原分生组织阶段、初生分生组织阶段、初生结构阶段以及次生结构阶段。原分生组织位于根冠内侧及初生分生组织之间,衍生细胞分化为初生分生组织。初生分生组织由原表皮、基本分生组织以及中柱原组成。原表皮分化为表皮,基本分生组织分化为皮层,中柱原分化为维管柱,共同组成根的初生结构;在初生结构中,部分表皮细胞外壁向外延伸形成根毛,皮层中分布有油细胞,内皮层有凯氏带,初生木质部为二原型或偶见三原型,外始式;根初生结构有髓或无。次生结构来源于原形成层起源的维管形成层的活动以及中柱鞘起源的木栓形成层的活动;白鲜次生韧皮部宽广,其中多年生根中可占根横切面积的85%,另外除基本组成分子外,还分布有油细胞;周皮发达,木栓层厚;初生皮层、次生木质部和次生韧皮部薄壁细胞中常充满丰富的淀粉粒。     

传统中药白芍原植物分类鉴定及根形态解剖研究

对我国主产地的白芍(Radix Paeonia alba)原植物10个居群进行调查及标本采集,植物鉴定结果为：川白芍原植物粉红花居群为原变种芍药Paeonia lactiflora Pall,白花居群为芍药变种毛果芍药P.lactiflora var.trichocarpa(Bunge)Stern;毫白芍原植物线条居群和蒲棒居群均为芍药;杭白芍原植物红花、白花、粉红花居群均为毛果芍药;陕西韩城、江苏东海、山东荷泽白芍均为芍药,各居群在花色及形态上有明显而稳定的变异。根横切面解剖结构显示,按木质部的排列方式可将白芍原植物10个居群分为两大类：第一类为有呈两个不相连的扇形中央导管群,并且有狭长、具分枝的从形成层到根中央部分连续排列的木质部,基本上是原植物芍药的植物特征,其中毫白芍线条居群兼有毛果芍药和芍药的特征;第二类为具有不明显的根中央扇形导管束,导管束呈环状围绕中央排列,并且有粗短不分枝的靠近形成层处成群的导管,与原植物毛果芍药的特征基本一致,其中杭白芍红花居群与川白芍白花居群根中央导管群呈现较明显的2个分离扇形排列,类似芍药。白芍原植物的种分类定位与花色无密切关联,但由于性状的稳定,可以考虑作为变种或变型定位。     

中华真地鳖低龄若虫消化道结构及取食习性

解剖喂食不同饲料中华真地鳖EupolyphagasinensisWalker的低龄若虫 ,结果表明 ,低龄若虫消化道与成虫消化道结构相同 ,具有胃盲囊和马氏管 ;嗉囊、中肠和后肠分别占消化道总长的比率与中龄若虫相同 ,具有消化食物的能力。观察消化道各部分的滞留物变化情况 ,发现 1龄若虫取食了饲养土中的腐殖质和配合饲料 ,表明孵化后的若虫需要喂食以满足营养需要。     

腐食酪螨在不同温度和营养条件下生长发育的比较研究

在12.5℃、15℃、20℃、25℃和30℃恒温下,用啤酒酵母粉和玉米粉为饲料,测定了不同温度和饲料条件下腐食酪螨Tyrophagus putrescentiae各个发育阶段和世代的发育历期,获得其在各条件下的发育起点温度和有效积温。结果表明,在本文的实验温度范围内,该螨的发育历期与温度呈负相关,即随着温度的升高发育历期缩短。在各发育阶段不同饲料条件下发育起点温度和有效积温都有所差异。用啤酒酵母粉作饲料时,腐食酪螨的全世代历期为48.04天（12.5℃下）和8.41天（30℃下）,发育起点温度为10.18℃,有效积温为155.44 d·℃; 用玉米粉作饲料时,全世代历期为78.79天（12.5℃下）和10.77天（30℃下）,发育起点温度为10.52℃,有效积温为208.33 d·℃。以成螨体长和体宽为指标,比较了在各温度条件及不同饲料条件对其生长的影响,结果表明不同饲料对螨体大小有显著影响,温度的影响不明显。     

Effect of prenatal arsenic exposure on DNA methylation and leukocyte subpopulations in cord blood

Prenatal arsenic exposure is associated with increased risk of disease in adulthood. This has led to considerable interest in arsenic’s ability to disrupt fetal programming. Many studies report that arsenic exposure alters DNA methylation in whole blood but these studies did not adjust for cell mixture. In this study, we examined the relationship between arsenic in maternal drinking water collected ≤ 16 weeks gestational age and DNA methylation in cord blood (n = 44) adjusting for leukocyte-tagged differentially methylated regions. DNA methylation was quantified using the Infinium HumanMethylation 450 BeadChip array. Recursively partitioned mixture modeling examined the relationship between arsenic and methylation at 473,844 CpG sites. Median arsenic concentration in water was 12 µg/L (range < 1- 510 µg/L). Log₁₀ arsenic was associated with altered DNA methylation across the epigenome (P = 0.002); however, adjusting for leukocyte distributions attenuated this association (P = 0.013). We also observed that arsenic had a strong effect on the distribution of leukocytes in cord blood. In adjusted models, every log₁₀ increase in maternal drinking water arsenic exposure was estimated to increase CD8+ T cells by 7.4% (P = 0.0004) and decrease in CD4+ T cells by 9.2% (P = 0.0002). These results show that prenatal exposure to arsenic had an exposure-dependent effect on specific T cell subpopulations in cord blood and altered DNA methylation in cord blood. Future research is needed to determine if these small changes in DNA methylation alter gene expression or are associated with adverse health effects.     

玉米叶片气孔及花环和维管束结构对水分胁迫的响应

采用盆栽种植,以玉米品种郑单958为试验材料,设置对照（CK）、轻度（LS）、中度（MS）和重度（SS）水分胁迫 (土壤含水量分别为田间持水量的75%～85%、65%～75%、55%～65%、45%～55%)4个水分梯度,从气孔开度的调控、花环结构的变化、叶片维管束水分运输等方面研究了玉米对土壤水分胁迫的应激反应.结果表明：随着水分胁迫程度的不断加剧,气孔保卫和副卫细胞中过氧化氢(H₂O₂)的积累量逐渐增多,应用荧光染色定位也发现H₂O₂荧光强度逐渐增强,而气孔开度和气孔导度均逐渐减小.同时,花环的正常结构被破坏,花环细胞排列凌乱且体积逐渐变小,维管束鞘细胞变得不规则;大维管束断面面积、木质部面积以及韧皮部细胞数均减少,总的叶片和上、下表皮的厚度逐渐变薄.此外,花环细胞和维管束鞘细胞中叶绿体数目减少,且在中度胁迫下花环细胞中叶绿体的分布发生了变化,由紧贴细胞质膜内侧环靠细胞壁分布向偏细胞中心扩散.发现玉米气孔关闭可能是由保卫细胞和副卫细胞中的H₂O₂共同调节,副卫细胞中的H₂O₂对保卫细胞主导的气孔关闭具有协同作用.总之,在水分胁迫下,玉米通过改变叶片花环结构和厚度、叶绿体的分布,减小木质部和韧皮部面积等降低叶片表面水势,促进气孔关闭,减少体内水分散失,以减轻干旱胁迫对其伤害.     

A unique case of a discontinuous duplication 3q26.1-3q28 resulting from a segregation error of a maternal complex chromosomal rearrangement involving an insertion and an inversion

Until now, few cases of partial trisomy of 3q due to segregation error of parental balanced translocation and segregation of a duplicated deficient product resulting from parental pericentric inversion have been reported so far. Only five cases of chromosomal insertion malsegregation involving 3q region are available yet, thus making it relatively rare. In this case report, we are presenting a unique case of discontinuous partial trisomy of 3q26.1-q28 region which resulted from a segregation error of two insertions involving 3q26.1 to 3q27.3 and 3q28 regions with ~ 21 Mb and ~ 2 Mb sizes, respectively. The maternally inherited insertion was cytogenetically characterized as der(8)(8pter → 8p22::3q26 → 3q27.3::3q28 → 3q28::8p22 → 8qter) and the patient's major clinical features involved Dandy Walker malformation, sub-aortic ventricular septal defect, upslanting palpebral fissures, clinodactyly, hirsutism, and prominent forehead. Besides, a review of the literature involving cases with similar chromosomal imbalances and cases with “3q-duplication syndrome” is also provided.     

贺兰山不同生境旱生灌木的解剖学研究

贺兰山荒漠地带三种不同基质生境的２０种旱生灌木的营养器官的比较解剖学研究表明：其共同特点是叶片的表面积／体积的比值小,叶表具厚的角质层、表皮毛,气孔下陷、并具孔下室,叶向中栅栏组织发达;轴器官中木栓层细胞层数多,皮层较厚,机械组织发达,木薄壁组织及髓部细胞的细胞壁术化加厚,根内都具周皮、木质部的导管分子大小不一、频率较高。此外,根、茎、叶中普遍存在粘液细胞和草酸钙结晶,部分植物的根和茎内有异常维管组织。这些结构特征都与早生环境相关,而不同基质生境中生长的植物尚存在一定差异。