Nickel tolerance and copper - nickel co - tolerance in Mimulus guttatus from copper mine and serpentine habitats

Previous work on M. guttatus suggested that nickel tolerance in copper mine populations may also be given by the genes for copper tolerance. It has been shown that copper tolerance in M. guttatus is controlled by a single major gene, plus a number of minor genes (or modifiers) which elevate copper tolerance. Crosses between nickel tolerant individuals from three families and non - tolerants showed that nickel tolerance in M. guttatus is heritable. In order to study the effects of the major copper tolerance gene on copper - nickel co - tolerance in M. guttatus, homozygous copper tolerant and non - tolerant lines were screened against nickel. Significant differences occur between these lines for copper, but were not found when analysed for nickel, indicating that copper - nickel tolerance is not governed by the major gene for copper tolerance. To test whether the minor genes for copper have a pleiotropic effect on nickel tolerance, five selection lines derived from three copper mines (Copperopolis, Penn and Quail) in Calaveras county, California, which vary in degree of tolerance to copper, by the presence or absence of minor copper genes, were also screened against nickel. Two out of three of the lines from Copperopolis showed elevated tolerance to nickel, but two further selection lines derived from Penn and Quail copper mines gave no indication of increased nickel tolerance. These results suggest that the minor genes for copper do not give tolerance to nickel. This was confirmed by the screening of modifier lines, in which modifiers for differing degrees of copper tolerance were inserted into a non - tolerant background. Genotypes possessing fewer copper modifiers yielded higher nickel tolerance than those genotypes which have a greater number of modifiers. Thus nickel tolerance in this species is heritable and under the control of different genes to those producing copper tolerance.     

Do ectomycorrhizal fungi exhibit adaptive tolerance to potentially toxic metals in the environment ?

The effects of potentially toxic metals on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi and their higher plant hosts are examined in this review. Investigations at a species and community level have revealed wide inter- and intraspecific variation in sensitivity to metals. Adaptive and constitutive mechanisms of ECM tolerance are proposed and discussed in relation to proven tolerance mechanisms in bacteria, yeasts and plants. Problems with methodology and research priorities are highlighted. These include the need for a detailed understanding of the genetic basis of tolerance in the ECM symbiosis, and for studies of ECM community dynamics in polluted sites.     

Histochemical and immunohistochemical studies on the origin of the blue marlin heater cell phenotype

The superior rectus muscle fibers of marlins, swordfish, sailfish and spearfish are modified for heat production at the expense of contractile ability. Although ‘heater cells’ are a muscle derivative (Bennett, 1971 and Block, 1991), the myoblast origin and developmental pathway of these thermogenic cells is unknown. To gain insight into heater cell origins, we characterized blue marlin superior rectus muscle and its heater tissue derivative with histochemical and immunological techniques. We specifically employed myosin ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase histochemical assays, and myosin heavy chain immunohistochemistry. Results revealed that marlin superior rectus muscles contain at least six distinct fiber types, and suggested the presence of both twitch and tonic fibers. Immunological results indicate that myosin is present within the thermogenic cells but not in myofibrillar lattices. The antibodies that recognized myosin in heater cells also labeled myosin in the twitch fibers of swimming muscle. In contrast, antibodies that labeled histologically defined tonic fibers did not label heater cells. These results suggest that heater cells and twitch fibers express the same myosin isoform, and establish a phenotypic connection between heater cells and twitch fibers. This conclusion is discussed in the context of the muscle-to-heater trajectory and the muscle fiber-type origin of heater cells.     

The ‘high’ concentrations of enzymes within the chloroplast

In addition to the well documented circumstances associated with ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, calculations suggest that there are several other enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle (i.e. glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, aldolase, phosphoribulokinase, transketolase) whose stromal concentrations could readily approach or exceed the concentrations of one or more of their substrates. Such circumstances have extensive ramifications ranging from the alterations of enzyme kinetic behavior and the binding of metabolites to the generation of stromal microenvironments that could facilitate channeling or influence the distribution of metabolites. Consideration of the relative concentrations of all enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle will likely prove essential to a complete understanding of its operation and regulation.     

N^7＋重离子注入和贯穿后小麦种胚的期外DNA合成效应

用＾３ＨＴｄＲ掺入法研究了经Ｎ＾７＋重离子注入贯穿处理的８２５７９小麦和８８１２小麦种胚的ＤＮＡ合成动态。结果发现,未经Ｎ＾７＋重离子任何处理的两个小麦品种的对照种胚,在萌发早期（２０ｈ内）仅存在一个ＤＮＡ合成峰（于萌发的第１４ｈ）,而经过Ｎ＾７＋重离子注入和贯穿处理的小麦种胚则存在两个ＤＮＡ合成峰（分别于萌发的８－１０ｈ和１４－１６ｈ）,该种子经ＤＮＡ修复合成的抑制剂咖啡因处理后,第一个ＤＮＡ合     

Metabolic Consequences of Altered PhosphoenolpyruvateCarboxykinase Activity in Corynebacterium glutamicum Reveal Anaplerotic Regulation Mechanisms in Vivo

Corynebacterium glutamicum possesses high in vivo activity of the gluconeogenic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCk) during growth on glucose, resulting together with anaplerotic carboxylation reactions in a PEP/pyruvate/oxaloacetate substrate cycle. The present study investigated the changes in intracellular fluxes and metabolite concentrations that are caused by altered PEPCk activity in L-lysine-producing C. glutamicum MH20-22B, applying a recently developed (13)C labeling-based strategy for anaplerotic flux resolution and quantification. Abolition of PEPCk activity by deletion of the respective pck gene resulted in increased intracellular concentrations of oxaloacetate L-aspartate, alpha-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, and L-lysine and in a 60% enhanced flux toward L-lysine biosynthesis, whereas increasing the PEPCk activity by pck overexpression had opposite effects. The results of the combined measurements of enzyme activities, in vivo fluxes, and metabolite concentrations were exploited to elucidate the in vivo regulation of anaplerotic reactions in C. glutamicum, and implications for the metabolic engineering of amino-acid-producing strains are discussed.