Reproductive structures and phylogenetic significance of extant primitive Angiosperms

A brief survey is presented on fossil reproductive structures of early Angiosperms from the Lower and mid-Cretaceous and at the same time on the reproductive structures of those extant Angiosperms which resemble most closely these fossils and which seem to be especially primitive also on other grounds: a first group (Degeneriaceae, Himantandraceae, Eupomatiaceae, Austrobaileyaceae) possessing relatively complicated and conspicuous flowers with elaborated inner staminodes, a second group (Chloranthaceae, Trimeniaceae, Amborellaceae) possessing small and relatively simple, inconspicuous flowers with peculiar features in the carpels, and a third group (Winteraceae) possessing flowers with unusual variability in organ number and size. The three groups exhibit a certain diversity in pollination biology, although cantharophily seems to prevail, however different the cantharophily character syndromes may be between the groups. In the extant primitiveMagnoliidae variability occurs on other morphological levels than in the higher advanced Angiosperms. This has to be taken into consideration in evaluations of the systematic relationships of the various groups of theMagnoliidae. Presumably often their relationships are closer than it may appear at first sight. This is also true for the three groups here discussed.     

Distinguishing between driver and passenger mutations in individual cancer genomes by network enrichment analysis

Background

In somatic cancer genomes, delineating genuine driver mutations against a background of multiple passenger events is a challenging task. The difficulty of determining function from sequence data and the low frequency of mutations are increasingly hindering the search for novel, less common cancer drivers. The accumulation of extensive amounts of data on somatic point and copy number alterations necessitates the development of systematic methods for driver mutation analysis.

Results

We introduce a framework for detecting driver mutations via functional network analysis, which is applied to individual genomes and does not require pooling multiple samples. It probabilistically evaluates 1) functional network links between different mutations in the same genome and 2) links between individual mutations and known cancer pathways. In addition, it can employ correlations of mutation patterns in pairs of genes. The method was used to analyze genomic alterations in two TCGA datasets, one for glioblastoma multiforme and another for ovarian carcinoma, which were generated using different approaches to mutation profiling. The proportions of drivers among the reported de novo point mutations in these cancers were estimated to be 57.8% and 16.8%, respectively. The both sets also included extended chromosomal regions with synchronous duplications or losses of multiple genes. We identified putative copy number driver events within many such segments. Finally, we summarized seemingly disparate mutations and discovered a functional network of collagen modifications in the glioblastoma. In order to select the most efficient network for use with this method, we used a novel, ROC curve-based procedure for benchmarking different network versions by their ability to recover pathway membership.

Conclusions

The results of our network-based procedure were in good agreement with published gold standard sets of cancer genes and were shown to complement and expand frequency-based driver analyses. On the other hand, three sequence-based methods applied to the same data yielded poor agreement with each other and with our results. We review the difference in driver proportions discovered by different sequencing approaches and discuss the functional roles of novel driver mutations. The software used in this work and the global network of functional couplings are publicly available at http://research.scilifelab.se/andrej_alexeyenko/downloads.html.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2105-15-308) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

海珠国家湿地公园浮游植物群落结构时空变化

浮游植物是湿地生态系统的重要组成成分,其数量及群落结构变化会对湿地生态系统的结构和功能产生重要影响。为了解海珠国家湿地公园浮游植物群落结构及时空动态变化特征,于2017年冬、2018年夏两季分别进行了调查。结果表明:海珠国家湿地公园共检到浮游植物171种,隶属7门64属,其中绿藻门、硅藻门和蓝藻门种类分别占总种类的44%、26%和13%;广州平裂藻(Merismopedia cantonensis)和细小平裂藻(Merismopedia minima)在两季均为优势种,冬季啮蚀隐藻(Cryptomonas erosa)也较多;浮游植物群落结构、丰度与生物多样性指数具有明显季节变化,冬季硅藻和绿藻占优,分别占藻类总丰度的32%和29%;夏季蓝藻占绝对优势,占68%;夏季浮游植物平均丰度达(25.58±18.47)×10⁶cells·L^-1,约为冬季的3倍; Shannon物种多样性指数和Pielou均匀度指数冬季分别为4.38和0.77,夏季分别为2.92和0.51;从空间上看,海珠湖浮游植物种类、多样性指数均较低,而丰度较高;塘涌和西江涌硅藻...     

Genetic dissection of Al tolerance QTLs in the maize genome by high density SNP scan

Background

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is an important limitation to food security in tropical and subtropical regions. High Al saturation on acid soils limits root development, reducing water and nutrient uptake. In addition to naturally occurring acid soils, agricultural practices may decrease soil pH, leading to yield losses due to Al toxicity. Elucidating the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying maize Al tolerance is expected to accelerate the development of Al-tolerant cultivars.

Results

Five genomic regions were significantly associated with Al tolerance, using 54,455 SNP markers in a recombinant inbred line population derived from Cateto Al237. Candidate genes co-localized with Al tolerance QTLs were further investigated. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) developed for ZmMATE2 were as Al-sensitive as the recurrent line, indicating that this candidate gene was not responsible for the Al tolerance QTL on chromosome 5, qALT5. However, ZmNrat1, a maize homolog to OsNrat1, which encodes an Al³⁺ specific transporter previously implicated in rice Al tolerance, was mapped at ~40 Mbp from qALT5. We demonstrate for the first time that ZmNrat1 is preferentially expressed in maize root tips and is up-regulated by Al, similarly to OsNrat1 in rice, suggesting a role of this gene in maize Al tolerance. The strongest-effect QTL was mapped on chromosome 6 (qALT6), within a 0.5 Mbp region where three copies of the Al tolerance gene, ZmMATE1, were found in tandem configuration. qALT6 was shown to increase Al tolerance in maize; the qALT6-NILs carrying three copies of ZmMATE1 exhibited a two-fold increase in Al tolerance, and higher expression of ZmMATE1 compared to the Al sensitive recurrent parent. Interestingly, a new source of Al tolerance via ZmMATE1 was identified in a Brazilian elite line that showed high expression of ZmMATE1 but carries a single copy of ZmMATE1.

Conclusions

High ZmMATE1 expression, controlled either by three copies of the target gene or by an unknown molecular mechanism, is responsible for Al tolerance mediated by qALT6. As Al tolerant alleles at qALT6 are rare in maize, marker-assisted introgression of this QTL is an important strategy to improve maize adaptation to acid soils worldwide.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-153) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

锦鸡儿属植物一些种类的染色体数目及核型研究

报道了国产10种锦鸡儿的染色体数目,并对其中9种的核型进行了研究。这9个种的核型公式分别为：荒漠锦鸡儿（Caragana roborovskyi）,2n＝16＝10m(2SAT)+6sm;川西锦鸡儿（C. erinacea）,2n=16=10m+6sm;密叶锦鸡儿（C. densa）,2n=16=10m（2SAT）+6sm;刺叶锦鸡儿（C. acanthophylla）,2n=16=12m+4sm;柄荚锦鸡儿（C. stipitata）,2n=16=10m+6sm;甘蒙锦鸡儿（C. opulens）,2n=16=12m(2SAT)+4sm;白皮锦鸡儿（C. leucophloea）,2n=32=22m(4SAT)＋10sm;北疆锦鸡儿（C. camilli-schneideri）,2n=32=20m(4SAT)+12sm;中亚锦鸡儿（C. tragacanthoides）,2n=32=20m(2SAT)+10sm+2st+2B。白毛锦鸡儿（C.licentiana）2个居群的染色体数目均为2n=32,为四倍体。研究结果表明,锦鸡儿属的核型一般比较对称,核型上的特化往往与其形态上的特化相关联,但也有例外。从倍性水平上来看,二倍体类群多是一些羽状叶的种,在分布上倾向于亚洲东部其祖先分布区,而四倍体的种类多是一些假掌状叶的类群,分布于西部干旱生境中,在形态上也表现的较为特化。这也符合锦鸡儿属的演化趋势。     

The control of chloroplast number in wheat mesophyll cells

Chloroplast number per cell and mesophyll cell plan area were determined in populations of separated cells from the primary leaves of different wheat species representing three levels of ploidy. Mean chloroplast number per cell increases with ploidy level as mean cell size increases. But in addition the analysis of individual cells clearly shows that cells of a similar size but from species of different ploidies have similar numbers of chloroplasts. We conclude that the number of chloroplasts within a cell is closely correlated (P<0.001) with the size of the cell and this relationship is consistent for species of different ploidies over a wide range of cell sizes. These results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that chloroplast number in leaf mesophyll cells is determined by the size of the cell.     

Response of microbial communities of Lake Baikal to extreme temperatures

The survival rate, metabolic activity, and ability for growth of microbial communities of Lake Baikal have been first studied after exposure to extremely low temperatures (freeze-thawing) for different lengths of time. It has been shown that short-term freezing (1–3 days) inhibits the growth and activity of microbial communities. The quantity of microorganisms increased after 7-and 15-day freezing. In the periods of maximums, the total number of microorganisms in the test samples was twice as high as in the control. It was established that after more prolonged freezing the microorganisms required more time after thawing to adapt to new conditions. In the variants with 7-and 15-day freezing, the activities of defrosted microbial communities were three or more times higher than in the control. The survival rate and activity of Baikal microorganisms after freeze-thawing confirms the fact that the Baikal microbial communities are highly resistant to this type of stress impact.     

Highly Solvating Electrolytes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

There is a critical need to evaluate lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries with practically relevant high sulfur loadings and minimal electrolyte. Under such conditions, the concentration of soluble polysulfide intermediates in the electrolyte drastically increases, which can alter the fundamental nature of the solution‐mediated discharge and thereby the total sulfur utilization. In this work, an investigation into various high donor number (DN) electrolytes that allow for increased polysulfide dissolution is presented, and the way in which this property may in fact be necessary for increasing sulfur utilization at low electrolyte and high loading conditions is demonstrated. The solvents dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and 1‐methylimidazole are holistically evaluated against dimethoxyethane as electrolyte co‐solvents in Li–S cells, and they are used to investigate chemical and electrochemical properties of polysulfide species at both dilute and practically relevant conditions. The nature of speciation exhibited by lithium polysulfides is found to vary significantly between these concentrations, particularly with regard to the S₃^?? species. Furthermore, the extent of the instability in conventional electrolyte solvents and high DN solvents with both lithium metal and polysulfides is thoroughly investigated. These studies establish a basis for future efforts into rationally designing an optimal electrolyte for a lean electrolyte, high energy density Li–S battery.