An endogenous circadian rhythm of transpiration in Tamarix aphylla

An endogenous circadian rhythm in the transpiration of Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. was found for plants grown in continuous light under laboratory conditions. The mean period (±SD) was 21.7±2.3 h (n = 121). No such rhythm was observed in continuous darkness, except for one small hump at the time of the first cycle. The influence of NaCl, Cd(NO₃)₂ and LiCi on the rhythmic behaviour of young T. aphylla plants was investigated. NaCl concentrations of up to 150 m M reduced the overall transpiration rates of the plants, but did not change the period of the rhythm. The amplitude and the mesor of the oscillations were inversely correlated with the NaCl concentration. A similar influence was found for Cd(NO₃)₂, but with concentrations that were approximately three orders of magnitude smaller than those of the NaCl treatments. The rhythmic behaviour of the plants was not altered by 10 m M LiCl. It is suggested that the described rhythm of transpiration may have a dual effect: (a) it might cause a partial closure of the stomates during midday hours and (b) it might serve as a possible synchronizer ("master clock") for other rhythmic phenomena in the plants.     

Mitochondrial regulation of [Ca2+]i oscillations during cell cycle resumption of the second meiosis of oocyte

Oocyte is arrested at metaphase of the second meiosis until fertilization switching on [Ca²⁺]i oscillations. Oocyte activation inefficiency is the most challenging problem for failed fertilization and embryonic development. Mitochondrial function and intracellular [Ca²⁺]i oscillations are two critical factors for the oocyte’s developmental potential. We aimed to understand the possible correlation between mitochondrial function and [Ca²⁺]i oscillations in oocytes. To this end, mitochondrial uncoupler CCCP which damages mitochondrial function and two small molecule mitochondrial agonists, L-carnitine (LC) and BGP-15, were used to examine the regulation of [Ca²⁺]i by mitochondrial functions. With increasing CCCP concentrations, [Ca²⁺]i oscillations were gradually diminished and high concentrations of CCCP led to oocyte death. LC enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential and [Ca²⁺]i oscillations and even improved the damage induced by CCCP, however, BGP-15 had no beneficial effect on oocyte activation. We have found that mitochondrial function plays a vital role in the generation of [Ca²⁺]i oscillations in oocytes, and thus mitochondria may interact with the ER to generate [Ca²⁺]i oscillations during oocyte activation. Improvement of mitochondrial functions with small molecules can be expected to improve oocyte activation and embryonic development in infertile patients without invasive micromanipulation.     

Examining differences in phylogenetic composition enhances understanding of the phylogenetic structure of the shrub community in the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

Periodic climatic oscillations and species dispersal during the postglacial period are two important causes of plant assemblage and distribution on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP). To improve our understanding of the bio‐geological histories of shrub communities on the QTP, we tested two hypotheses. First, the intensity of climatic oscillations played a filtering role during community structuring. Second, species dispersal during the postglacial period contributed to the recovery of species and phylogenetic diversity and the emergence of phylogenetic overdispersion. To test these hypotheses, we investigated and compared the shrub communities in the alpine and desert habitats of the northeastern QTP. Notably, we observed higher levels of species and phylogenetic diversity in the alpine habitat than in the desert habitat, leading to phylogenetic overdispersion in the alpine shrub communities versus phylogenetic clustering in the desert shrub communities. This phylogenetic overdispersion increased with greater climate anomalies. These results suggest that (a) although climate anomalies strongly affect shrub communities, these phenomena do not act as a filter for shrub community structuring, and (b) species dispersal increases phylogenetic diversity and overdispersion in a community. Moreover, our investigation of the phylogenetic community composition revealed a larger number of plant clades in the alpine shrub communities than in the desert shrub communities, which provided insights into plant clade‐level differences in the phylogenetic structures of alpine and desert shrub communities in the northeastern QTP.     

高原人体左心室舒张功能和顺应性的改变

应用同步描记心电图、心音图、颈动脉搏动图和心尖搏动图以测定高原人体的左心室舒张功能和顺应性。在4个不同海拔高度进行实验,即76m(海平对照)、2161m、3270m和4179m,每一高度40名健康男性青年,高原3组世居、移居各20名。结果显示:随着海拔增高,主动舒张时间指数(TRTI)有减小趋势,RF波相对振幅(F/H)逐渐降低,A波相对振幅(A/D)则渐趋增大,3270m以上增大明显(p<0.05),舒张振幅时间指数(DATI)逐渐降低,3270m以上差异极显著(p<0.001)。高原世居与移居者相比,在海拔4179m出现明显差别,移居组TRTI、DATI、F/H较低而A/D较高(D<0.05)。测定射血前期与左室射血时间比值(PEP/LVET)、射血分数(EF)及左室周径纤维平均缩短速度(mVcf)3项指标作对照,显示在此高度左室收缩功能仍能保持。高原慢性心肌缺氧可能是导致左室舒张功能和顺应性轻度降低的原因。     

Relation between genotype and left-ventricular dilatation in patients with Marfan syndrome

Cardiovascular manifestations in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are related to aortic and valvular abnormalities. However, dilatation of the left ventricle (LV) can occur, even in the absence of aortic surgery or valvular abnormalities. We evaluated genetic characteristics of patients with MFS with LV dilatation. One hundred eighty-two patients fulfilling the MFS criteria, without valvular abnormalities or previous aortic surgery, with a complete FBN1 analysis, were studied. FBN1 mutations were identified in over 81% of patients. Twenty-nine patients (16%) demonstrated LV dilatation (LV end diastolic diameter corrected for age and body surface area > 112%). FBN1-positive patients carrying a non-missense mutation more often had LV dilatation than missense mutation carriers (14/74 versus 5/75; p < 0.05). Finally, FBN1-negative MFS patients significantly more often demonstrated LV dilatation than FBN1-positive patients (10/33 versus 19/149; p < 0.05). It is concluded that LV dilatation in MFS patients is more often seen in patients with a non-missense mutation and in those patients without an FBN1 mutation. Therefore physicians should be aware of the possibility of LV dilatation in these patients even in the absence of valvular pathology.     

Oscillations in the electrical resistance of Nitellopsis obtusa nodes

Oscillatory changes of the electrical resistance across the nodal complex of Nitellopsis obtusa (Desv. in Lois) J. Gr. were observed in experiments performed for 40–150 min with the use of external electrodes and microelectrodes. Three main patterns of node resistance oscillations were similar to those found for membrane potential and resistance. The presented findings indicate an oscillatory behaviour of the plasmodesmata system at the node, which may be connected with e.g. pulsatile variations in the number of open plasmodesmata.     

ATP-induced calcium oscillations and change of P2Y subtypes with culture conditions in HeLa cells

ATP, UTP, ADP and UDP induced intracellular Ca(2+) responses and oscillations in HeLa cells that sometimes lasted over 1 h. The response is due to the activation of P2Ys, G-protein coupled ATP receptors, because the oscillations persisted for several minutes even in Ca(2+)-free solution, and suramin and PPADS, antagonists of ATP receptors, partially inhibited the response. The potency of these nucleotides varied with the culture or cell conditions, i.e. UTP was generally most potent but in some cases UDP was more potent; responses to UDP were variable while those to ATP were constant. In addition, Ca(2+) responses to ATP and UDP were additive. These findings suggested the existence of two or more subtypes of P2Ys in HeLa cells. RT-PCR experiments revealed the existence of P2Y(2), P2Y(4) and P2Y(6). Recovery from starvation (culture in FBS-free medium overnight and re-addition of FBS) increased the responses to UTP and UDP but not to ATP, suggesting that the number or activity of P2Y(6) and/or P2Y(4) receptors may increase with cell proliferation in HeLa cells.     

钙离子振荡对肝糖磷酸化酶激活的随机效应研究

在复杂生化系统的研究过程中,仿真与建模变得越来越重要.对于参与分子数量比较大的生化系统,通常可以采用常微分方程来解决这一问题.对于分子数量比较小的系统,离散粒子基础上的随机模拟方法更精确.然而目前还没有明确的理论方法来确定,对于实际问题用哪种方法能得到更合理的结果.因此需要在一个普遍研究的体系中,通过Ca~(2+)振荡传导信号来研究从随机行为到确定行为的过渡过程.本文以肝细胞中Ca~(2+)振荡对肝糖磷酸化酶激活随机效应为例,讨论了利用随机微分方程来解决分子数量比较小的生化系统的仿真与建模问题,利用细胞内Ca~(2+)有关的Li-Rinzel随机模型,研究了在磷酸化酶降解肝糖的磷酸化-去磷酸化作用循环过程中,三磷酸肌醇受体通道(IP_3R)释放Ca~(2+)的调控作用.结果表明,肝糖磷酸化酶的激活率随受体通道IP_3R的总数增大而减弱,而且三磷酸肌醇浓度比较小时出现相干共振.     

Inertial force as a possible factor in mitosis

Some previous studies of cell division have suggested that chromosome movements in mitosis involve two distinct forces: one which pulls chromosomes poleward by means of attached fibers, and another which tends to push chromosome arms away from the pole. The latter force may also be a factor in non-chromosomal spindle transport, by which objects other than chromosomes are transported toward or away from spindle poles. Based on a survey of previous literature, this paper makes a prima facie case for describing this latter force as "inertial", since in some respects it can be simulated by centrifugation. A theoretical analysis demonstrates that an inertial force could arise in the spindle from postulated high-frequency, small-amplitude oscillations, which could be caused by changes in coherently processing electron spin alignments at the spindle poles. Some possible experimental approaches to the problem are briefly outlined.     

Two guard cell mitogen‐activated protein kinases,MPK9 and MPK12, function in methyl jasmonate‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and abscisic acid (ABA) signalling cascades share several signalling components in guard cells. We previously showed that two guard cell‐preferential mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs), MPK9 and MPK12, positively regulate ABA signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we examined whether these two MAP kinases function in MeJA signalling using genetic mutants for MPK9 and MPK12 combined with a pharmacological approach. MeJA induced stomatal closure in mpk9‐1 and mpk12‐1 single mutants as well as wild‐type plants, but not in mpk9‐1 mpk12‐1 double mutants. Consistently, the MAPKK inhibitor PD98059 inhibited the MeJA‐induced stomatal closure in wild‐type plants. MeJA elicited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cytosolic alkalisation in guard cells of the mpk9‐1, mpk12‐1 and mpk9‐1 mpk12‐1 mutants, as well in wild‐type plants. Furthermore, MeJA triggered elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) in the mpk9‐1 mpk12‐1 double mutant as well as wild‐type plants. Activation of S‐type anion channels by MeJA was impaired in mpk9‐1 mpk12‐1. Together, these results indicate that MPK9 and MPK12 function upstream of S‐type anion channel activation and downstream of ROS production, cytosolic alkalisation and [Ca²⁺]_cyt elevation in guard cell MeJA signalling, suggesting that MPK9 and MPK12 are key regulators mediating both ABA and MeJA signalling in guard cells.