Temporally distinct post-replicative repair mechanisms fill PRIMPOL-dependent ssDNA gaps in human cells

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Uniconazole-induced thermotolerance in soybean seedling root tissue

Soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr. cv. A2] seeds were germinated in 0 or 1 mg 1¹ (3.4 uM) uniconazole, after which seedling roots were excised and exposed to 22 or 48°C for 90 min. Prior to the temperature treatments there were few ultrastructural differences between uniconazole-treated seedling roots and the controls. Following exposure to 48°C, electron micrographs revealed near complete loss of normal ultrastructure in control epidermal root cells, whereas cellular integrity was maintained in treated roots, indicating that uniconazole conferred tolerance to high temperature. Total electrolyte, sugar and K⁺ leakage were all greater from control roots than treated roots during exposure to 48°C. Proline content in the roots was unaffected by uniconazole at 22°C but was 25–30% greater in treated tissue than in controls following exposure to 48°C. Malondialdehyde content was unaffected by uniconazole at 22°C but was nearly 20% less in treated tissue than in controls following high temperature exposure. This indicates that uniconazole decreased high-temperature-induced lipid peroxidation. Uniconazole elevated several antiox-idant systems in the roots, including water-soluble sulfhydryl concentration and catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that uniconazole-induced stress tolerance is due, at least in part, to enhanced antioxidant activity which reduces stress-related oxidative damage to cell membranes.     

Impact of waterlogging on the N-metabolism of flood tolerant and non-tolerant tree species

The present study was conducted to characterize the N‐metabolism of important European tree species with different degrees of flooding tolerance. The roots of Fagus sylvatica (sensitive to flooding), Quercus robur (moderately flood tolerant) and Populus tremula × P. alba (flood tolerant) saplings were exposed to different flooding regimes and N uptake, amino acid, protein and chlorophyll concentrations as well as gas exchange were measured. The effects of these treatments on the tree species varied distinctly. In general, the N metabolism of beech was severely affected whereas less impacts were observed on oaks and almost no effects on poplars. The concentrations of amino compounds, particularly of Asp, Asn, Glu and Gln, were lower in the roots of flooded trees than in controls. By contrast, γ‐amino butyric acid concentrations increased. Root protein concentrations remained unaffected in oak and poplar but decreased in beech in response to flooding. The concentrations of pigments remained unaffected by flooding in all tree species investigated. However, photosynthesis and transpiration were severely affected in beech but much less in oak and poplar. The data obtained show a clear correlation between the different flooding tolerances of the trees investigated and the impacts of flooding on N uptake and N metabolism.     

Construction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that accumulate relatively low concentrations of trehalose, and their application in testing the contribution of the disaccharide to stress tolerance

Genetically related diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that accumulate varied amounts of trehalose during starvation for nitrogen have been constructed. Strains that produced greater than 5% trehalose (dry cell weight) were more tolerant of thermal, or freeze-thaw stresses than strains that produced less than 4% trehalose. Thus trehalose appears to play a role in stress tolerance of yeast. The significance of these results is that, for the first time, a series of related, unmutated strains have been used to test the effect of trehalose on thermotolerance. Previous studies employed either heat shock treatment, or mutated strains to provide trehalose variations, and as such the contribution of the disaccharide to stress tolerance could not necessarily be separated from other factors such as heat shock proteins.     

NaCl预处理提高两种铁线子属果树耐寒性的研究

古巴牛乳树和人心果是铁线子属具有开发前景的热带珍稀果树。为了将这两种果树在亚热带地区推广种植,该研究在已知这两种果树具有较高耐盐性的研究基础上,采用盆栽试验法,对3年生幼苗设置10‰、20‰的Na Cl预处理,一定时间后依次进行9℃、3℃的低温胁迫,分析比较其叶片中多种渗透调节物质含量及抗氧化酶活性的变化。结果表明:两种果树叶片渗透调节物质含量及抗氧化酶活性的变化趋势是一致的。在9℃、3℃的低温胁迫下,10‰、20‰Na Cl预处理叶片中的游离脯氨酸、可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白质含量及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性均明显高于对照组,同一低温条件下,耐寒性强弱依次为10‰20‰对照(CK)。因此推断Na Cl预处理可以有效提高铁线子属果树的耐寒性,其中以10‰预处理最为理想,此时古巴牛乳树和人心果的实际盆土盐度分别为2.46‰、1.14‰。     

Dicot-specific ATG8-interacting ATI3 proteins interact with conserved UBAC2 proteins and play critical roles in plant stress responses

Selective macroautophagy/autophagy targets specific cargo by autophagy receptors through interaction with ATG8 (autophagy-related protein 8)/MAP1LC3 (microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3) for degradation in the vacuole. Here, we report the identification and characterization of 3 related ATG8-interacting proteins (AT1G17780/ATI3A, AT2G16575/ATI3B and AT1G73130/ATI3C) from Arabidopsis. ATI3 proteins contain a WxxL LC3-interacting region (LIR) motif at the C terminus required for interaction with ATG8. ATI3 homologs are found only in dicots but not in other organisms including monocots. Disruption of ATI3A does not alter plant growth or development but compromises both plant heat tolerance and resistance to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. The critical role of ATI3A in plant stress tolerance and disease resistance is dependent on its interaction with ATG8. Disruption of ATI3B and ATI3C also significantly compromises plant heat tolerance. ATI3A interacts with AT3G56740/UBAC2A and AT2G41160/UBAC2B (Ubiquitin-associated [UBA] protein 2a/b), 2 conserved proteins implicated in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation. Disruption of UBAC2A and UBAC2B also compromised heat tolerance and resistance to B. cinerea. Overexpression of UBAC2 induces formation of ATG8- and ATI3-labeled punctate structures under normal conditions, likely reflecting increased formation of phagophores or autophagosomes. The ati3 and ubac2 mutants are significantly compromised in sensitivity to tunicamycin, an ER stress-inducing agent, but are fully competent in autophagy-dependent ER degradation under conditions of ER stress when using an ER lumenal marker for detection. We propose that ATI3 and UBAC2 play an important role in plant stress responses by mediating selective autophagy of specific unknown ER components.     

嗜盐古菌Haloferax sp. D1227中超氧化物歧化酶功能鉴定及其增强细菌耐盐性的研究

【背景】细菌、酵母或植物来源的超氧化物歧化酶(Superoxide dismutase,SOD)编码基因在异源宿主中表达并提高宿主耐盐性的研究已有一些报道,其异源宿主也多为植物,而古菌来源的超氧化物歧化酶编码基因在细菌中成功表达并提高其耐盐性的研究尚无报道。【目的】寻找嗜盐古菌Haloferax sp.D1227中的超氧化物歧化酶编码基因并鉴定其功能,将其在4-硝基苯酚降解细菌Burkholderia sp.SJ98中表达,研究该古菌的超氧化物歧化酶对菌株SJ98耐盐性和降解4-硝基苯酚功能的影响。【方法】通过生物信息学方法寻找嗜盐古菌D1227中潜在的超氧化物歧化酶编码基因,利用表达载体p ET-28a和广泛宿主载体p BBR1MCS-2将其分别在E.coli BL21(DE3)和4-硝基苯酚的降解菌株SJ98中异源表达,检测细胞抽提液和纯化蛋白的超氧化物歧化酶比活力。分别以葡萄糖和4-硝基苯酚为碳源,在M9培养基和添加500 mmol/L Na Cl(Na Cl含量约3%)的M9培养基中分别培养细菌SJ98的重组菌株和空载体重组菌株,利用全自动生长曲线分析仪和高效液相色谱等方法检测重组菌株的生长能力和对4-硝基苯酚的降解能力。【结果】通过生物信息学分析,在嗜盐古菌D1227基因组中发现了潜在的超氧化物歧化酶编码基因sod A,其在E.coli BL21(DE3)和菌株SJ98中分别异源表达均具有超氧化物歧化酶活力[细胞抽提液的比活力分别为21.07±0.02 U/mg和84.56±0.16 U/mg,从BL21(DE3)菌株纯化的蛋白Sod AD1227比活力为179.46±3.43 U/mg]。在添加500 mmol/L Na Cl的M9培养基中培养时,以葡萄糖为碳源,重组菌株SJ98[p BBR-sod A]仍可正常生长,而空载体对照菌株SJ98[p BBR1MCS-2]几乎丧失了生长能力;以4-硝基苯酚为碳源,菌株SJ98[p BBR-sod A]保持了利用底物生长和降解底物的能力,而菌株SJ98[p BBR1MCS-2]的生长和降解能力几乎丧失。用软件Phyre2模拟分析Sod AD1227的单体结构,该蛋白拥有Fe/Mn-SOD家族的典型结构特征,推测其属于Fe/Mn-SOD家族。【结论】本研究为利用古菌SOD对细菌进行改造以适应高盐环境中降解有机污染物的应用提供了潜在的可行性。     

Comparative analysis of high butanol tolerance and production in clostridia

2016, was the 100 years anniversary from launching of the first industrial acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) microbial production process. Despite this long period and also revival of scientific interest in this fermentative process over the last 20 years, solventogenic clostridia, mainly Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium beijerinckii, Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum and Clostridium pasteurianum, still have most of their secrets. One such poorly understood mechanism is butanol tolerance, which seems to be one of the most significant bottlenecks obstructing industrial exploitation of the process because the maximum achievable butanol concentration is only about 21 g/L. This review describes all the known cellular responses elicited by butanol, such as modifications of cell membrane and cell wall, formation of stress proteins, extrusion of butanol by efflux pumps, response of regulatory pathways, and also maps both random and targeted mutations resulting in high butanol production phenotypes. As progress in the field is inseparably associated with emerging methods, enabling a deeper understanding of butanol tolerance and production, progress in these methods, including genome mining, RNA sequencing and constructing of genome scale models are also reviewed. In conclusion, a comparative analysis of both phenomena is presented and a theoretical relationship is described between butanol tolerance/high production and common features including efflux pump formation/activity, stress protein production, membrane modifications and biofilm growth.