Do Woody Plants Operate Near the Point of Catastrophic Xylem Dysfunction Caused by Dynamic Water Stress? : Answers from a Model

We discuss the relationship between the dynamically changing tension gradients required to move water rapidly through the xylem conduits of plants and the proportion of conduits lost through embolism as a result of water tension. We consider the implications of this relationship to the water relations of trees. We have compiled quantitative data on the water relations, hydraulic architecture and vulnerability of embolism of four widely different species: Rhizophora mangle, Cassipourea elliptica, Acer saccharum, and Thuja occidentalis. Using these data, we modeled the dynamics of water flow and xylem blockage for these species. The model is specifically focused on the conditions required to generate `runaway embolism,' whereby the blockage of xylem conduits through embolism leads to reduced hydraulic conductance causing increased tension in the remaining vessels and generating more tension in a vicious circle. The model predicted that all species operate near the point of catastrophic xylem failure due to dynamic water stress. The model supports Zimmermann's plant segmentation hypothesis. Zimmermann suggested that plants are designed hydraulically to sacrifice highly vulnerable minor branches and thus improve the water balance of remaining parts. The model results are discussed in terms of the morphology, hydraulic architecture, eco-physiology, and evolution of woody plants.     

A method for measuring xylem hydraulic conductance and embolism in entire root and shoot systems

Current methods for determining the influence of xylem cavitationon hydraulic conductance are limited to unbranched stem or rootsegments with hydraulic conductances above c. 2 mmol s^–1MPa^–1. Lower conductances and/or highly branched systemsare encountered in seedlings, arid-land shrubs, herbs, and distalportions of shoot and root systems of trees. In order to quantifythe hydraulic impact of cavitation in such systems, existingtechniques have been modified. Branched shoot or root systemswere prepared for measurement by removal of leaves, or roottips, respectively. The shoot or root system was enclosed ina vacuum chamber with the proximal end protruding and suppliedwith perfusing solution. Flow through the xylem was inducedby chamber vacuum. Hydraulic conductance was determined fromthe slope of the flow rate versus pressure relationship. Xylemembolism was quantified from the increase in hydraulic conductancefollowing high pressure (100 kPa) perfusion of solution throughthe plant. Examples are provided of the application of the methodto cavitation studies in the cold desert shrub Artemisia tridentata. Key words: Hydraulic conductance, xylem cavitation, embolism, whole root/shoot system     

Freezing-induced xylem cavitation and the northern limit of Larrea tridentata

We investigated the occurrence of freezing-induced cavitation in the evergreen desert shrub Larrea tridentata and compared it to co-occurring, winter-deciduous Prosopis velutina. Field measurements indicated that xylem sap in L. tridentata froze at temperatures below c. –5°C, and that this caused no measurable cavitation for minimum temperatures above –7°C. During the same period P. velutina cavitated almost completely. In the laboratory, we cooled stems of L. tridentata to temperatures ranging from –5 to –20°C, held them at temperature for 1 or 12 h, thawed the stems at a constant rate and measured cavitation by the decrease in hydraulic conductivity of stem segments. As observed in the field, freezing exotherms occurred at temperatures between –6.5 and –9°C and as long as temperatures were held above –11°C there was no change in hydraulic conductivity after thawing. However, when stems were cooled to between –11°C and –20°C, stem hydraulic conductivity decreased linearly with minimum temperature. Minimum temperatures between –16 and –20°C were sufficient to completely eliminate hydraulic conductance. Record (>20 year) minimum isotherms in this same range of temperatures corresponded closely with the northern limit of L. tridentata in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.     

定量分析调控人类免疫缺陷病毒潜伏与激活的动力学机制

目的 治疗艾滋病最大的障碍在于无法根除人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）潜伏于人体细胞所形成的病毒存储库。构建描述病毒存储库建立分子机制的动力学模型需考虑生物体内的噪声环境和多重影响因素,本文通过一种全新的动力学结构分解方法将随机微分方程的确定性部分与随机性噪声分开,从而在仅需分析常微分方程不动点的情况下即可判断不同药物靶点的作用效果。方法 使用连续的随机微分方程构建了HIV转录过程的动力学模型,简化了描述系统所需方程的维度,增大了模型的可探索空间,在此基础上,通过计算得到的势能函数和概率分布函数直观表示病毒潜伏与激活的不同表达状态以及它们之间的关系。结果 定量分析了不同动力学参数对系统稳态和势函数的影响程度,分别得到了系统处于双稳态和单稳态时的参数范围,并将不同因素对动力系统分岔的影响程度与生物学实验结果对比,验证了本工作的理论基础。结论 本文突破了以往离散、随机的方法,可以通过常微分方程定量分析HIV转录调控的动力学机制,有利于推广到处理高维情况,进一步研究艾滋病在生物体内的发生发展,从而指导设计实验寻找临床上的治疗方案。     

Kinesin-related proteins in the mammalian testes: candidate motors for meiosis and morphogenesis.

The kinesin superfamily of molecular motors comprises proteins that participate in a wide variety of motile events within the cell. Members of this family share a highly homologous head domain responsible for force generation attached to a divergent tail domain thought to couple the motor domain to its target cargo. Many kinesin-related proteins (KRPs) participate in spindle morphogenesis and chromosome movement in cell division. Genetic analysis of mitotic KRPs in yeast and Drosophila, as well as biochemical experiments in other species, have suggested models for the function of KRPs in cell division, including both mitosis and meiosis. Although many mitotic KRPs have been identified, the relationship between mitotic motors and meiotic function is not clearly understood. We have used sequence similarity between mitotic KRPs to identify candidates for meiotic and/or mitotic motors in a vertebrate. We have identified a group of kinesin-related proteins from rat testes (termed here testes KRP1 through KRP6) that includes new members of the bimC and KIF2 subfamilies as well as proteins that may define new kinesin subfamilies. Five of the six testes KRPs identified are expressed primarily in testes. Three of these are expressed in a region of the seminiferous epithelia (SE) rich in meiotically active cells. Further characterization of one of these KRPs, KRP2, showed it to be a promising candidate for a motor in meiosis: it is localized to a meiotically active region of the SE and is homologous to motor proteins associated with the mitotic apparatus. Testes-specific genes provide the necessary probes to investigate whether the motor proteins that function in mammalian meiosis overlap with those of mitosis and whether motor proteins exist with functions unique to meiosis. Our search for meiotic motors in a vertebrate testes has successfully identified proteins with properties consistent with those of meiotic motors in addition to uncovering proteins that may function in other unique motile events of the SE.     

Erythritol catabolism by Brucella abortus.

Cell extracts of Brucella abortus (British 19) catabolized erythritol through a series of phosphorylated intermediates to dihydroxyacetonephosphate and CO-2. Cell extracts required adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), Mg2+, inorganic orthophosphate, and reduced glutathione for activity. The first reaction in the pathway was the phosphorylation of mesoerythritol with an ATP-dependent kinase which formed d-erythritol 1-phosphate (d-erythro-tetritol 1-phosphate). d-Erythritol 1-phosphate was oxidized by an NAD-dependent dehydrogenase to d-erythrulose 1-phosphate (d-glycero-2-tetrulose 1-phosphate). B. abortus (US-19) was found to lack the succeeding enzyme in the pathway and was used to prepare substrate amounts of d-erythrulose 1-phosphate. d-Erythritol 1-phosphate dehydrogenase (d-erythro-tetritol 1-phosphage: NAD 2-oxidoreductase) is probably membrane bound. d-Erythrulose 1-phosphate was oxidized by an NAD-dependent dehydrogenase to 3-keto-l-erythrose 4-phosphate (l-glycero-3-tetrosulose 4-phosphate) which was further oxidized at C-1 by a membrane-bound dehydrogenase coupled to the electron transport system. Either oxygen or nitrate had to be present as a terminal electron acceptor for the oxidation of 3-keto-l-erythrose 4-phosphate to 3-keto-l-erythronate 4-phosphate (l-glycero-3-tetrulosonic acid 4-phosphate). The beta-keto acid was decarboxylated by a soluble decarboxylase to dihydroxyacetonephosphate and CO-2. Dihydroxyacetonephosphate was converted to pyruvic acid by the final enzymes of glycolysis. The apparent dependence on the electron transport system of erythritol catabolism appears to be unique in Brucella and may play an important role in coupling metabolism to active transport and generation of ATP.     

Cytochrome spectrum of an obligate anaerobe, Eubacterium lentum.

An obligately anaerobic bacterium, Eubacterium lentum, was shown to contain cytochromes a, b, and c and a carbon monoxide-binding pigment. Extracts of cells grown with hemin gave a typical absorption spectrum for cytochrome c with maxima at 424, 525, and 553 nm. Extracts from cells grown in the absence of hemin also had an absorption peak corresponding to cytochrome b (562 nm) in their reduced versus oxidized spectrum. Extraction of hemes and formation of pyridine hemochromes allowed quantitation of protoheme IX and heme c. Large amounts of cytochrome c masked the presence of cytochrome b in cells grown in medium containing hemin. When cells were grown in the presence of 50 mM nitrate, cytochrome A (606 nm) was detected. In anaerobic extracts of cells grown either with or without nitrate, cytochromes b and c were reduced by formate and oxidized by NO3. Cytochrome a appeared to be partially oxidized by NO3 and completely oxidized by air.     

受体相互作用蛋白质激酶3通过上调整合素β3促进骨关节炎相关病变

骨关节炎（osteoarthritis,OA）是最常见的慢性致残性关节疾患,目前尚无针对病因的有效治疗手段。程序性坏死在多种疾病中扮演关键角色,受体相互作用蛋白质激酶3（receptor-interacting protein kinase 3, RIP3）是程序性坏死进程的关键调控因子。有研究显示,RIP3在人与鼠骨关节炎退变软骨组织中表达水平显著上调,提示程序性坏死的发生,但RIP3在软骨中的具体病生理角色仍不明确。本研究拟对过表达RIP3前后的软骨细胞转录物组进行测序分析,探索RIP3在骨关节炎进程中发挥作用的具体机制。RNA测序结果显示,RIP3的过表达诱发软骨细胞中244个基因表达上调,277个表达下调。通过进一步构建基因间共表达作用网络,筛选出16个候选靶基因在mRNA水平进行验证,证实RIP3对磷脂酰肌醇3激酶调节亚单位5（phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 5,Pik3r5）、整合素β3（integrin subunit beta 3,Itgb3）及成髓细胞瘤转录因子第2亚型（MYB proto-oncogene like 2,Mybl2）的表达上调作用最为显著。CCK-8以及乳酸脱氢酶活性检测结果表明,利用siRNA沉默Itgb3的表达可显著抑制RIP3诱发的软骨细胞活力下降及程序性坏死,同时也抑制了RIP3对软骨细胞中分解代谢相关基因Mmp1、Mmp13与Il6的表达上调作用,以及其对合成代谢相关基因Acan、Col2a1与Sox9的下调作用。本研究证实,RIP3通过上调软骨细胞中Itgb3的表达诱发软骨细胞坏死与软骨基质代谢紊乱,并最终导致软骨退变,为骨关节炎的临床治疗提供了新靶点,同时进一步明确了程序性坏死的病理生理学意义。     

Variability in host plant resistance of Sorghum to Striga Hermonthica infestation in West Africa

Fourteen elite sorghum lines were evaluated for their resistance to Striga hermonthica at three locations in Nigeria and Mali. Results showed that many of the lines especially MALISOR 84-1, SAMSORG 41, 97-SB-F5DT-64 (Keninkédié) and the check SRN 39 remained resistant to Striga in all locations with low emerged Striga counts, while SAMSORG 14 had the highest Striga infestation in all locations. Considerable variation in reaction to Striga infestation was observed on Séguètana, 97-SB-F5DT-63 (Wasa), 97-SB-F5DT-65, CMDT 38, CMDT 39 and CMDT 45 which were susceptible to Striga at Samaru, Nigeria but were resistant to Striga at both locations in Mali. Based on low Striga resistance and high grain yield, lines MALISOR 84-1, SAMSORG 41, 97-SB-F5DT-64, 97-SB-F5DT-65, CMDT 39 and SAMSORT 14 have been nominated for wider evaluation across more West African countries.     

Leveraging plant hydraulics to yield predictive and dynamic plant leaf allocation in vegetation models with climate change

Plant functional traits provide a link in process‐based vegetation models between plant‐level physiology and ecosystem‐level responses. Recent advances in physiological understanding and computational efficiency have allowed for the incorporation of plant hydraulic processes in large‐scale vegetation models. However, a more mechanistic representation of water limitation that determines ecosystem responses to plant water stress necessitates a re‐evaluation of trait‐based constraints for plant carbon allocation, particularly allocation to leaf area. In this review, we examine model representations of plant allocation to leaves, which is often empirically set by plant functional type‐specific allometric relationships. We analyze the evolution of the representation of leaf allocation in models of different scales and complexities. We show the impacts of leaf allocation strategy on plant carbon uptake in the context of recent advancements in modeling hydraulic processes. Finally, we posit that deriving allometry from first principles using mechanistic hydraulic processes is possible and should become standard practice, rather than using prescribed allometries. The representation of allocation as an emergent property of scarce resource constraints is likely to be critical to representing how global change processes impact future ecosystem dynamics and carbon fluxes and may reduce the number of poorly constrained parameters in vegetation models.