How Symbiodiniaceae meets the challenges of life during coral bleaching

Coral Reefs - Coral health depends on a fragile partnership between the coral hosts and the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate symbionts. Sequence-level omics techniques are revolutionizing many aspects...     

Resorption of nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium from leaves of lucerne stands of different ages

Background and aims

Nutrient resorption from the senesced to the green leaves can help a plant re-use elements, thus improving adaptability and persistence. How the resorption of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) varies among differently aged lucerne (Medicago sativa) stands and how they correlate to their stoichiometry in the leaves and soil remain uncertain. This study aimed to analyze the resorption efficiencies (REs) of N, P and K and their possible correlations with stoichiometric ratios in the plant and soil.

Methods

The concentrations of plant N, P and K and soil N, P, K and carbon (C) were measured under lucerne stands established in different years, and stoichiometric ratios and REs were calculated. The relationships of REs with stoichiometric ratios were analyzed.

Results

The nitrogen resorption efficiency (NRE) was quite variable among the different stands and tended to rise and then drop with stand age, ranging from 4.6 to 33.7 % with an average of 16.2 %. The phosphorus resorption efficiency (PRE) tended to increase with stand age, ranging from 11.1 to 38.3 % with an average of 27.3 %. The potassium resorption efficiency (KRE) increased with stand age, ranging from 21.0 to 49.8 % with an average of 36.9 %. The KRE was generally highest, followed by the PRE, and the NRE was lowest. Leaf N:P and N:K generally decreased and then increased with stand age, while the K:P increased and then decreased. In the green leaves, total N concentration increased significantly with NRE and PRE, and total P concentration rose significantly with PRE, while in the senesced leaves, total N concentration decreased significantly with NRE and KRE. The N:P in the green leaves decreased significantly with PRE and the K:P in the senesced leaves dropped with NRE. Furthermore, the REs decreased with total soil nutrition status if there was any correlation. The REs increased significantly with soil ammonium N concentration, while the NRE decreased significantly with soil nitrate N concentration. In addition, soil available P concentration at most depths led to significant increases in NRE and KRE. However, the REs were rarely influenced by stoichiometric ratios of soil N, P, K and C.

Conclusions

The NRE rose and then dropped, and the PRE and KRE both increased with stand age. Leaf N:P and N:K generally decreased and then increased with stand age, while K:P increased and then decreased. The concentrations of N, P and K increased in the green leaves and decreased in the senesced leaves with REs if there was any correlation. The REs decreased with total soil nutrition status if there was any correlation. However, the REs hardly changed with stoichiometric ratios in the leaves and soil under differently aged lucerne stands. There appear to be no correlations between REs and element stoichiometries.     

Overexpression of an optimized <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus sulphureus β</Emphasis>-mannanase gene in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

β-Mannanase (EC 3.2.1.78) is a key enzyme to hydrolyze the β-mannosidic linkages in mannan and heteromannan. The expression of a wild type β-mannanase (manWT) of Aspergillus sulphureus in Pichia pastoris is not high enough for its application in feed supplement. To earn a high expression level, the manWT gene was firstly optimized to manM according to the code bias of P. pastoris, which was then inserted into pPICzαA and transformed into P. pastoris strain X-33. In the induction by methanol, β-mannanase was expressed in high level with 32% increase in comparison with the manWT gene expressed in P. pastoris in shaken flask. In a 10-L fermenter, the manM was expressed in 9-fold higher level than that in shaken flask, which yielded the enzyme activity of 1100 U/mL. This is the first study on codon bias effect on the β-mannanase gene expression level, which helps to achieve high β-mannanase yield and enzymatic activity in P. pastoris.     

Exploring nanoscale structure change of dermal tissues suffering injury by small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy

Scar formation and wound non-healing often occur during wound repair after skin injury, which are still unresolved. Clinic indicated that the structure played an important role in the wound repair. Our previous research showed that the wound over-healed (scar formation) when the integrity and continuity of dermal tissues was destroyed by injury. Other evidences showed that wound healing was impaired in diabetes because the underlying alternation in their skin tissues occurred caused by advanced glycation end products (AGES) aggregation. In order to explore the changes of the structure of skin at nanoscale, the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), compared with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), was applied to observe the skin in different pathological status. The results showed that there were some regular patterns in the structure of dermal tissue. The patterns were changed by different pathological status, which would result in wound healing disorder. These will be beneficial for clarifying the pathological mechanisms of wound healing.

     

紫花苜蓿叶性状对干旱的阶段性响应

通过盆栽控水试验,研究了不同生育时期陇东苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.cv.Longdong)叶性状对不同程度干旱的响应。结果表明:(1)随干旱加重,叶干物质含量(LDMC)、叶氮含量(LN)、比叶重(LMA)、叶厚(LT)上升,叶面积(LA)减小,叶磷含量(LP)无明显变化,叶绿素含量(Chl)和叶长宽比(L/W)波动较大。(2)随生育时期的延长,LT、LDMC、L/W和LA变化不明显,LN下降,LP呈倒\"V\"型趋势,LMA和Chl波动较大。(3)L/W与LN、LT显著负相关;LDMC与LT、LMA显著正相关;LMA与LT、LN显著正相关,与L/W、LP显著负相关;LN与LT显著正相关;LA与LP显著正相关,与LDMC、LMA、LN显著负相关;Chl与其他叶性状均不相关。尽管干旱下陇东苜蓿不同生育时期叶性状响应并未表现出一致的变化,叶性状的差异性变化还是部分反映了陇东苜蓿适应干旱而采取的综合策略。从不同生育时期的差异性反应角度出发,探讨干旱下的叶性状响应是阐明优良牧草紫花苜蓿水分适应性的新的尝试。     

紫花苜蓿光合气体交换和叶绿素荧光特征的时间变异性

气体交换和荧光特性是植物环境适应的重要表征,会随植物生长而变化,但其变化规律尚不明确。以多年生豆科牧草陇东苜蓿为材料,测定了其3茬不同生育时期气体交换和叶绿素荧光、叶绿素组分含量、蔗糖合成酶和蔗糖磷酸合成酶活性等参数,从时间变异性角度探讨紫花苜蓿环境适应的光合作用机制。结果表明:（1）随陇东苜蓿的生长,其地上部分和叶干重在各茬内都呈增加趋势,而平均日増干重在前两茬内呈增加趋势,在第3茬内呈先上升后下降的趋势,符合“S”型生长规律。（2）叶片净光合速率、气孔导度和羧化效率在各茬内呈降低的趋势,而叶片胞间CO₂浓度则相反,水分利用效率和气孔限制值在第一茬内呈下降的趋势而在第二茬和第三茬内则呈增加的趋势。（3）叶片蔗糖合成酶和蔗糖磷酸合成酶活性均不随陇东苜蓿生长而发生明显变化,蔗糖含量则呈增加的趋势。（4）同一茬内,叶片叶绿素含量随陇东苜蓿的生长而呈增加趋势,叶绿素荧光参数只在第一茬初期有较明显的变化,后两茬内变化不明显。研究发现,为适应不同生育时期的环境条件,紫花苜蓿叶片气体交换和叶绿素荧光特性表现出时间变异性,且二者间存在差异。