Conjugation morphology of Zygogonium ericetorum (Zygnematophyceae,Charophyta) from a high alpine habitat

Reproductive characteristics are important for defining taxonomic groups of filamentous Zygnematophyceae, but they have not been fully observed in the genus Zygogonium. Specimens of Z. ericetorum previously studied and used to clarify the generic concept lacked fertile material, which was obtained recently. This study illustrates for the first time, using color light microscopic and fluorescence images, a consequent conjugation stage in Z. ericetorum, including completely developed zygospores and purple cytoplasmic residue content left outside the zygospores, similar to aplanospore formation. Structures confirmed earlier reports and provided new observation informative regarding phylogenetically relevant reproductive characters of Z. ericetorum.     

城市绿地对热岛效应缓解作用研究——以保定市中心城区为例

随着中国城镇化建设的进行,城市热岛效应逐渐成为城市发展的显著问题之一,而城市绿地能有效地缓解城市热岛效应,在城市规划中,可以通过对城市绿地进行合理布局,从而减缓城市热岛效应的影响。本文采用遥感数据反演的方法,综合应用地理信息系统（GIS）和遥感（RS）技术,得到不同时期保定市中心城区地表温度和植被覆盖度的时空演变图,分析近10年的时空演变规律,并用网格法对植被覆盖度与地表温度之间的耦合关系进行研究,得出研究区内的植被覆盖度每增加10%,其地表的平均温度可减少0.9℃~1.3℃。选取研究区域内的8个城市绿地,利用缓冲区分析的方法,定量研究城市绿地面积与其降温范围之间的关系,结合保定市热岛效应集中区域及周边土地利用现状,提出增加城市绿地的可能位置,为城市绿地布局提供科学依据。     

基于LSMM与MSPA的深圳市绿色景观连通性研究

基于线性光谱混合模型(LSMM,Linear Spectral Mixture Model),引入形态学空间格局分析(MSPA,Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis)进行城市地域绿色景观连通性评价。根据城市绿色景观特点和MSPA方法中的7种连通性类型的涵义,定义了城市绿色景观连通性功能类型。以深圳市1986年、1995年、2000年、2005年及2010年五期Landsat TM影像为数据源,应用线性光谱混合模型提取植被覆盖率,得到深圳市植被覆盖图。在此基础上,提取出高、全植被覆盖作为目标像元进行MSPA处理,分析植被覆盖状况与绿色景观功能类型的时序总体特征及空间梯度动态。结果表明:深圳市绿色景观破碎程度较高,表现为对结构连通性贡献最小的斑块类型总数最大。城市内部东西部连通性呈现出不同变化的趋势;右侧外圈层的大鹏半岛结构连通性最佳;在同一城市化发展梯度上,东部的样带连通性水平比西部要好。在城市化过程中,深圳市高、全覆被植被像元连通性大小受以下因素的影响:城市化程度,地形因素及区域定位。在同一城市化程度上,地形因素对景观连通性的影响较大。从整体的时间变化和空间梯度动态分析可知,在快速城市化过程中植被覆盖率和连通性功能均下降,而到稳定城市化阶段植被覆盖率和连通性均得到改善。研究表明线性光谱混合模型与形态学空间格局分析相结合可以较好的表征城市绿色景观连通性类型时空分布特征,进而明晰城市化过程与区域内绿色景观数量及连通性动态变化关系。     

The bacterial paromomycin resistance gene, aphH, as a dominant selectable marker in Volvox carteri

The aminoglycoside antibiotic paromomycin that is highly toxic to the green alga Volvox carteri is efficiently inactivated by aminoglycoside 3′-phosphotransferase from Streptomyces rimosus. Therefore, we made constructs in which the bacterial aphH gene encoding this enzyme was combined with Volvox cis-regulatory elements in an attempt to develop a new dominant selectable marker – paromomycin resistance (Pm^R) – for use in Volvox nuclear transformation. The construct that provided the most efficient transformation was one in which aphH was placed between a chimeric promoter that was generated by fusing the Volvox hsp70 and rbcS3 promoters and the 3′ UTR of the Volvox rbcS3 gene. When this plasmid was used in combination with a high-impact biolistic device, the frequency of stable Pm^R transformants ranged about 15 per 10⁶ target cells. Due to rapid and sharp selection, Pm^R transformants were readily isolated after six days, which is half the time required for previously used markers. Co-transformation of an unselected marker ranged about 30%. The chimeric aphH gene was stably integrated into the Volvox genome, frequently as tandem multiple copies, and was expressed at a level that made selection of Pm^R transformants simple and unambiguous. This makes the engineered bacterial aphH gene an efficient dominant selection marker for the transformation and co-transformation of a broad range of V. carteri strains without the recurring need for using auxotrophic recipient strains.     

厦门市交通主干道绿化带结构及其减噪效果研究

通过对厦门市主干道绿化带种类结构调查以及噪声测定等,分析了厦门市主干道绿化带结构及其减噪效果。结果表明,厦门市主干道绿化带可分为4种结构:单一乔木型、乔木+疏灌木/绿篱型、乔木+密灌木型以及乔木+小乔木+灌木/绿篱型,带宽多在4~10 m。厦门市主干道绿化带总体减噪能力为0.93~12.96 dB,绿化带对交通噪声超标治理率达70%。绿化带减噪能力y(dB)与带宽x(m)呈显著的线性关系:y=1.2251x+0.2416(R²=0.8603);绿化带的附加衰减与总衰减亦呈显著正相关:y=0.4535x+0.2698 (R²=0.9242),噪声的附加衰减主要受绿化带结构的影响,上述四种结构对噪声附加衰减平均值分别达0.93、2.25、4.43和6.72 dB。绿化带的宽度和结构均是影响其减噪效果的关键因素。     

靶向吲哚菁绿纳米探针介导的光声治疗

光声治疗是一种利用纳米材料的光声效应选择性破坏癌细胞的方法。本研究采用叶酸作为肿瘤靶向分子,以聚乙二醇包裹吲哚菁绿形成纳米粒子(ICG-PL-PEG-FA),利用此纳米粒子在近红外区的光吸收特性,开展光声治疗研究。实验结果表明,这种叶酸标记的纳米探针对高表达叶酸的EMT6细胞具有高靶向选择性和靶向光杀伤性。这种基于包含吲哚菁绿纳米探针的光声治疗将有潜力发展为一种安全,高效的癌症治疗技术。     

Isolation and Characterization of a Free Gibberellin and Glucosyl Esters of Gibberellins in Mature Seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris

Treatment of N⁶,N⁶,5′-O-tribenzoyl-2′,3′-O-isopropylidenetubercidin (VI) with aqueous acetic acid afforded N⁶,5′-O-dibenzoyltubercidin (V), which was mesylated to yield the dimesylate X. On treatment of X with sodium iodide and zinc dust, the 2′,3′-unsaturated derivatives of tubercidin XI and XIII were obtained.

N⁶,5′-O-Dibenzoyltubercidin 2′,3′-thionocarbonate (XIV), prepared from V by treatment with Corey-Winter reagent, was converted to the 1-methyl-2′,3′-unsaturated derivative XV in refluxing trimethyl phosphite.     

Mitotracker Green Is a P-Glycoprotein Substrate

P-glycoprotein has a widespread expression on normal tissues. The protein has also been strongly associated with the multidrug resistance phenotype (MDR) on tumor cells. The employment of flow cytometry and confocal microscopy has contributed to the discovery and application of new particular fluorescent dyes. Nevertheless, several studies are being performed in different cellular types neglecting the expression/activity of MDR proteins. Because many fluorochromes have been reported as P-glycoprotein substrates, an especial attention must be given to the properties of new dyes in the presence of MDR proteins. Flow cytometric analyzes of Mitotracker Green (MTG) fluorescence profile were performed in a human erythroleukemic cell line and its resistant counterpart. In this report we demonstrated that MTG, a probe used to evaluate the mitochondrial mass, is a P-glycoprotein substrate and its staining profile is dependent on the activity of this protein. In vitro studies on a human erythroleukemic cell line and its resistant counterpart revealed that MDR modulators (Cyclosporin A, Verapamil, and Trifluoperazine) alter the MTG fluorescence pattern on a resistant cell line. The findings suggest that attention should be given to the expression of P-glycoprotein when performing an evaluation of mitochondria properties with MTG.     

Peptide rescues GLUT4 recruitment, but not GLUT4 activation, in insulin resistance

Insulin-stimulated GLUT4 recruitment to the plasma membrane is impaired in insulin resistance. We recently reported that a cell permeable phosphoinositide-binding peptide induces GLUT4 recruitment as potently as insulin, but does not activate GLUT4 to initiate glucose uptake. Here we investigated whether the peptide-induced GLUT4 recruitment is intact in insulin resistance. The expression levels of GLUT1 and GLUT4 were unaffected by chronically treating 3T3-L1 adipocytes with insulin. GLUT4 recruitment by acute insulin stimulation after chronic insulin treatment was significantly reduced, but was fully restored by the peptide treatment. However, subsequent acute insulin stimulation to activate GLUT4 failed to increase glucose uptake in peptide-pretreated cells. Insulin-stimulated GLUT1 recruitment was unaffected by the peptide pretreatment. These results suggest that the GLUT4 recruitment signal caused by the peptide is intact in insulin resistance, but GLUT4 activation that occurs subsequent to recruitment is not rescued by the peptide treatment.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the temperate grass Brachypodium distachyon (genotype Bd21) for T-DNA insertional mutagenesis

Brachypodium distachyon is a promising model system for the structural and functional genomics of temperate grasses because of its physical, genetic and genome attributes. The sequencing of the inbred line Bd21 ( http://www.brachypodium.org ) started in 2007. However, a transformation method remains to be developed for the community standard line Bd21. In this article, a facile, efficient and rapid transformation system for Bd21 is described using Agrobacterium -mediated transformation of compact embryogenic calli (CEC) derived from immature embryos. Key features of this system include: (i) the use of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) associated with hygromycin selection for rapid identification of transgenic calli and plants; (ii) the desiccation of CEC after inoculation with Agrobacterium ; (iii) the utilization of Bd21 plants regenerated from tissue culture as a source of immature embryos; (iv) the control of the duration of the selection process; and (v) the supplementation of culture media with CuSO₄ prior to and during the regeneration of transgenic plants. Approximately 17% of CEC produced transgenic plants, enabling the generation of hundreds of T-DNA insertion lines per experiment. GFP expression was observed in primary transformed Bd21 plants (T₀) and their progeny (T₁). The Mendelian inheritance of the transgenes was confirmed. An adaptor-anchor strategy was developed for efficient retrieval of flanking sequence tags (FSTs) of T-DNA inserts, and the resulting sequences are available in public databases. The production of T-DNA insertion lines and the retrieval of associated FSTs reported here for the reference inbred line Bd21 will facilitate large-scale functional genomics research in this model system.