Co-Planting Cd Contaminated Field Using Hyperaccumulator Solanum Nigrum L. Through Interplant with Low Accumulation Welsh Onion

Monoculture and intercrop of hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. with low accumulation Welsh onion Renbentieganchongwang were conducted. The results showed that the remove ratio of S. nigrum to Cd was about 7% in intercrop plot when top soil (0–20 cm) Cd concentration was 0.45–0.62 mg kg^?1, which did not significantly impact the yield of low accumulation Welsh onion compared to the monoculture. The consistency of remove ratio in practice and theory indicated the remediation of S. nigrum to Cd was significant. The Cd concentration and yield of Welsh onion were not affected by the growth of S. nigrum either in intercrop plot. The Cd concentration in edible parts of Welsh onion was available either. In short, inter-planting hyperaccumulator with low accumulation crop could normally remediate contaminated soil and produce crop (obtain economic benefit), which may be one practical pathway of phytoremediating heavy metal contaminated soil in the future.     

SPONTANEOUS MUTATION ACCUMULATION IN MULTIPLE STRAINS OF THE GREEN ALGA,CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII

Estimates of mutational parameters, such as the average fitness effect of a new mutation and the rate at which new genetic variation for fitness is created by mutation, are important for the understanding of many biological processes. However, the causes of interspecific variation in mutational parameters and the extent to which they vary within species remain largely unknown. We maintained multiple strains of the unicellular eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, for approximately 1000 generations under relaxed selection by transferring a single cell every ～10 generations. Mean fitness of the lines tended to decline with generations of mutation accumulation whereas mutational variance increased. We did not find any evidence for differences among strains in any of the mutational parameters estimated. The overall change in mean fitness per cell division and rate of input of mutational variance per cell division were more similar to values observed in multicellular organisms than to those in other single‐celled microbes. However, after taking into account differences in genome size among species, estimates from multicellular organisms and microbes, including our new estimates from C. reinhardtii, become substantially more similar. Thus, we suggest that variation in genome size is an important determinant of interspecific variation in mutational parameters.     

Lipid droplets fusion in adipocyte differentiated 3T3-L1 cells: A Monte Carlo simulation

Several human worldwide diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis, atherosclerosis and other metabolic pathologies are related to the excessive accumulation of lipids in cells. Lipids accumulate in spherical cellular inclusions called lipid droplets (LDs) whose sizes range from fraction to one hundred of micrometers in adipocytes. It has been suggested that LDs can grow in size due to a fusion process by which a larger LD is obtained with spherical shape and volume equal to the sum of the progenitors’ ones. In this study, the size distribution of two populations of LDs was analyzed in immature and mature (5-days differentiated) 3T3-L1 adipocytes (first and second populations, respectively) after Oil Red O staining. A Monte Carlo simulation of interaction between LDs has been developed in order to quantify the size distribution and the number of fusion events needed to obtain the distribution of the second population size starting from the first one. Four models are presented here based on different kinds of interaction: a surface weighted interaction (R2 Model), a volume weighted interaction (R3 Model), a random interaction (Random model) and an interaction related to the place where the LDs are born (Nearest Model). The last two models mimic quite well the behavior found in the experimental data. This work represents a first step in developing numerical simulations of the LDs growth process. Due to the complex phenomena involving LDs (absorption, growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in existing droplets, de novo formation and catabolism) the study focuses on the fusion process. The results suggest that, to obtain the observed size distribution, a number of fusion events comparable with the number of LDs themselves is needed. Moreover the MC approach results a powerful tool for investigating the LDs growth process.     

Metabolic activation of unsaturated derivatives of valproic acid. Identification of novel glutathione adducts formed through coenzyme A-dependent and -independent processes

The ability of 2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid (Δ⁴-VPA) and 2-n-propyl-2(E)-pentenoic acid ([E]-Δ²-VPA), two unsaturated metabolites of valproic acid (VPA), to form reactive intermediates, deplete hepatic glutathione (GSH) and cause accumulation of liver triglycerides was investigated in the rat. With the aid of ionspray liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), three GSH adducts were detected in the bile of Δ⁴-VPA-treated animals and were identified as 4-hydroxy-5-glutathion-S-yl-VPA-γ-lactone, 5-glutathion-S-yl-(E)-Δ³-VPA and 3-oxo-5-glutathion-S-yl-VPA. A fourth conjugate was identified tentatively as 4-glutathion-S-yl-5-hydroxy-VPA. Quantitative analysis of the corresponding N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugates in urine indicated that metabolism of Δ⁴-VPA via the GSH-dependent pathways accounted for approximately 20% of an acute dose (100 mg kg⁻¹ i.p.). In contrast, when rats were given an equivalent dose of (E)-Δ²-VPA, only one GSH adduct (5-glutathion-S-yl-(E)-Δ³-VPA) was detected at low concentrations in bile. In vitro experiments with rat liver mitochondria demonstrated that Δ⁴-VPA undergoes coenzyme A- and ATP-dependent metabolic activation in this organelle via the β-oxidation pathway to intermediates which bind covalently to proteins. When liver homogenates and hepatic mitochondria from rats injected with Δ⁴-VPA, (E)-Δ²-VPA or VPA were analyzed for GSH content, it was found that only Δ⁴-VPA depleted GSH pools significantly. Treatment of rats with Δ⁴-VPA and (to a lesser extent) VPA led to an accumulation of liver triglycerides, whereas (E)-Δ²-VPA had no measurable effect. It is concluded that Δ⁴-VPA undergoes metabolic activation by both microsomal cytochrome P-450-dependent and mitochondrial coenzyme A-dependent processes, and that the resulting electrophilic intermediates, which are trapped in part by GSH, may mediate the hepatotoxic effects of this compound. In contrast, (E)-Δ²-VPA is not transformed to any appreciable extent to reactive metabolites, which thus accounts for the apparent lack of hepatotoxicity of this positional isomer in the rat.     

Effects of oral aluminum on essential trace elements metabolism during pregnancy

The present study was conducted to assess in rats the effects of oral aluminum (Al) exposure on calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) accumulation and urinary excretion. Three groups of plug-positive Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given by gavage 0, 200, and 400 mg/kg/d of Al(OH)₃ on gestational days 1–20. Three groups of nonpregnant female SD rats of the same age received Al(OH)₃ by gavage at the same doses for 20 consecutive days. At the end of the treatment period, 24-h urine samples were collected for analysis of Al and essential elements. Subsequently, all animals were sacrificed and samples of liver, bone, spleen, kidneys, and brain were removed for metal analyses. With some exceptions, the urinary amounts of Al, Mn, and Cu excreted by pregnant animals as well as the urinary levels of Al excreted by nonpregnant rats were higher in the Al-treated groups than in the respective control groups. Although higher Al levels were found in the liver of pregnant rats, the concentrations of Al in the brain of these animals were lower than those found in the same tissues of nonpregnant rats. With regard to the essential elements, tissue accumulation was most affected in pregnant than in nonpregnant animals. In pregnant rats, the hepatic and renal concentrations of Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Fe, as well as the levels of Ca in bone, and the concentrations of Cu in brain were significantly higher in the Al-exposed groups than in the control group. According to the current results, oral Al exposure during pregnancy can produce significant changes in the tissue distribution of a number of essential elements.     

籽粒镉低积累水稻地上部镉高积累遗传特性分析

农田土壤镉（Cd）污染日益严重,导致稻米Cd含量超标事件频繁出现,使粮食安全问题备受关注。因此,合理利用Cd污染农田、降低水稻籽粒Cd含量成为亟待解决的问题。籽粒Cd低积累水稻雅恢2816的地上部具有较强的Cd积累能力,研究旨在弄清其地上部Cd积累能力的遗传稳定性,进一步揭示控制该性状的遗传基础,为利用分子标记辅助选育地上部Cd富集能力强、籽粒Cd安全的水稻提供途径。以水稻雅恢2816和3个不同品种水稻分别组配获得的F₁为研究对象,分析地上部Cd积累相关性状的杂种优势。进一步以优势组合C268A/雅恢2816构建F₂作图群体,对地上部Cd积累相关性状进行QTL定位分析。结果表明：（1） F₁地上部Cd积累相关性状杂种优势明显,遗传稳定性强。地上部Cd积累相关性状属数量性状,F₂中/超亲分离现象明显。（2）在第4、6号染色体上共挖掘到1个控制水稻地上部生物量和3个控制地上部Cd积累量的QTL位点,分别为qSB-6、qSCdA-4、qSCdA-6-1和qSCdA-6-2,表型贡献率为10.6%—14.4%,且增效等位基因均来自雅恢2816。（3）地上部Cd积累量与地上部生物量、Cd含量,根、糙米的生物量、Cd积累量,根-地上部转移系数均呈极显著正相关,与地上部-籽粒转移系数呈极显著负相关,存在4个QTL集簇区Cl-4-1、Cl-6-1、Cl-6-2和Cl-6-3。（4）区间marker 04171-marker 04197控制着地上部生物量和Cd积累量,与控制糙米Cd含量的QTL不重叠。研究表明：籽粒Cd低积累水稻雅恢2816携带控制地上部Cd高积累的等位基因,可在世代间稳定遗传,QTL位点qSCdA-4、qSCdA-6-1、qSCdA-6-2是控制该性状的重要遗传基础,可为分子标记辅助选育地上部Cd高积累、籽粒Cd低积累水稻提供理论依据。     

RATES OF FITNESS DECLINE AND REBOUND SUGGEST PERVASIVE EPISTASIS

Unraveling the factors that determine the rate of adaptation is a major question in evolutionary biology. One key parameter is the effect of a new mutation on fitness, which invariably depends on the environment and genetic background. The fate of a mutation also depends on population size, which determines the amount of drift it will experience. Here, we manipulate both population size and genotype composition and follow adaptation of 23 distinct Escherichia coli genotypes. These have previously accumulated mutations under intense genetic drift and encompass a substantial fitness variation. A simple rule is uncovered: the net fitness change is negatively correlated with the fitness of the genotype in which new mutations appear—a signature of epistasis. We find that Fisher's geometrical model can account for the observed patterns of fitness change and infer the parameters of this model that best fit the data, using Approximate Bayesian Computation. We estimate a genomic mutation rate of 0.01 per generation for fitness altering mutations, albeit with a large confidence interval, a mean fitness effect of mutations of ?0.01, and an effective number of traits nine in mutS^? E. coli. This framework can be extended to confront a broader range of models with data and test different classes of fitness landscape models.     

蔬菜吸收不同形态外源碘的动力学特性

采用水培法,研究了两种蔬菜(小白菜和芹菜)对两种不同形态碘源(I-,IO-3)的吸收和积累特性.结果表明:供试蔬菜吸收碘的速率表现为在短时间(＜60 min)内迅速增加,随着时间的延长蔬菜对碘的吸收速率逐渐下降;在低浓度范围内(0.01～0.50 mg/L)蔬菜对IO-3的吸收速率与碘浓度变化曲线符合饱和吸收动力学特征(表现为遵循酶学方程),进一步研究表明,解偶联剂2,4-二硝基苯酚(DNP)对低浓度(＜0.50 mg/L)下蔬菜IO-3吸收速率具有明显的抑制作用,说明两种蔬菜对低浓度的IO-3可能存在主动吸收,而在高浓度范围内(0.50～10.0 mg/L),蔬菜对碘的吸收速率随着碘浓度的提高呈现直线上升的趋势.两种蔬菜相比,在同样条件下芹菜对碘的吸收速率明显大于小白菜.蔬菜可食部分中碘的含量随着碘浓度的提高而增加,在一次加碘条件下表现为先增加后降低的趋势,而在持续加碘条件下蔬菜中碘的含量在整个处理期间表现为不断增加; Cl-的添加对低浓度下蔬菜碘的吸收具有明显的抑制作用,而随着碘浓度的提高Cl-的抑制作用逐渐减弱.供试蔬菜对碘的富集系数随碘浓度的提高而降低,碘在蔬菜不同器官的分配次序表现为根＞叶＞茎.