Dynamics of Carbon Photosynthetically Assimilated in Nodulated Soya Bean Plants under Steady-state Conditions 3. Time-course Study on 13C Incorporation into Soluble Metabolites and Respiratory Evolution of 13CO2 from Roots and Nodules

Well-nodulated soya bean (Glycine max L.) plants were allowedto assimilate ¹³CO₂ for 10 h in the light, under steady-stateconditions in which CO₂ concentration and ¹³C abundance wereboth strictly controlled at constant levels. The respiratoryevolution of ¹³CO₂ from roots and nodules and ¹³C incorporationinto various metabolic fractions were measured during the ¹³CO₂feeding and subsequent 48 h chase period. CO₂ respired from nodules was much more rapidly labelled with¹³C than that from roots. The level of labelling (percentageof carbon currently assimilated during the ¹³COM₂ feeding period)of CO₂ respired from nodules reached a maximum of about 87 percent after 4 h of steady-state ^l3CO₂ assimilation and thereafterremained fairly constant. The absolute amount of labelled carbonevolved by the respiration of the nodules during the 10 h ¹³CO₂feeding period was 1·5-fold that of root respiration.These results demonstrated that the currently assimilated (labelled)carbon was preferentially used to support nodule respiration,while root respiration relied considerably on earlier (non-labelled)carbon reserved in the roots. Sucrose pools were mostly composed of currently assimilatedcarbon in all tissues of the plants, since the levels of labellingaccounted for 86–91 per cent at the end of the ¹³CO₂ feeding.In the nodules, the kinetics and levels of sucrose labellingwere in fairly good agreement with those of respired CO₂, whilein the roots, the level of labelling of respired CO₂ was significantlylower than that of sucrose. Succinate and malate were highly labelled in both roots andnodules but they were labelled much more slowly than sucroseand respired CO₂. The kinetics and levels of labelling of theseKrebs cycle intermediates resembled those of major amino acidswhich are derived directly from Krebs cycle intermediates. Itis suggested that large fractions of organic acids in noduleswere physically separate from the respiration site. Glycine max L., Soya bean, ¹³CO₂ assimilation, respiratory evolution of ¹³CO₂, carbon metabolism in root nodules     

Potential fragmentation and loss of thermal habitats for charrs in the Japanese archipelago due to climatic warming

1. The upper thermal limits of the present distributions of two charr species, Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma , and white-spotted charr, S. leucomaenis , in streams of the Japanese archipelago were examined using groundwater temperature as an index of thermal condition. The lower limits of the altitudinal distributions of Dolly Varden and white-spotted charr were delineated, respectively, by 8 and 16 °C groundwater isotherms.
2. The potential impact of future climatic warming on the geographical distribution, habitat extent and population fragmentation of each species was predicted at both the full archipelago and individual catchment levels.
3. For Dolly Varden, analysis at the full archipelago level indicated a loss of 27.6, 67.2, 79.6 and 89.6% of the current geographical range, respectively, for a 1, 2, 3 and 4 °C increase in mean annual air temperature. The present distribution area of white-spotted charr would likewise reduce by 4.1, 20.5, 33.8 and 45.6%, respectively.
4. Based on the analyses of three individual catchments, one for Dolly Varden and two for white-spotted charr, the lower habitat boundaries for the two charr species could be expected to rise increasingly to higher elevations in each catchment as warming proceeded. As a consequence, there would be large reductions in mean habitat area, with increasing habitat fragmentation followed by localized extinctions of the two species.     

Purification and Characterization of Isocitrate Lyase from Ethanol-grown Euglena gracilis

Isocitrate lyase was purified to homogeneity from ethanol-grown Euglena gracilis. The specific activity was 0.26 μmol/min/mg protein. The molecular mass of the enzyme was calculated to be 380 kDa by gel filtration on a Superose 6 column. The subunit molecular mass of the enzyme was 116 kDa as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These results showed that the native form of this enzyme was a trimer composed of three identical subunits. The pH optimum for cleavage and condensation reactions was 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. The K_m values for isocitrate, glyoxylate and succinate were 3.8, 1.3 and 7.7 mM, respectively. Isocitrate lyase absolutely required Mg for enzymatic activity. This is the first report of the purification of isocitrate lyase to homogeneity from Euglena gracilis.     

Potential fragmentation and loss of thermal habitats for charrs in the Japanese archipelago due to climatic warming

1. The upper thermal limits of the present distributions of two charr species, Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma , and white-spotted charr, S. leucomaenis , in streams of the Japanese archipelago were examined using groundwater temperature as an index of thermal condition. The lower limits of the altitudinal distributions of Dolly Varden and white-spotted charr were delineated, respectively, by 8 and 16 °C groundwater isotherms.
2. The potential impact of future climatic warming on the geographical distribution, habitat extent and population fragmentation of each species was predicted at both the full archipelago and individual catchment levels.
3. For Dolly Varden, analysis at the full archipelago level indicated a loss of 27.6, 67.2, 79.6 and 89.6% of the current geographical range, respectively, for a 1, 2, 3 and 4 °C increase in mean annual air temperature. The present distribution area of white-spotted charr would likewise reduce by 4.1, 20.5, 33.8 and 45.6%, respectively.
4. Based on the analyses of three individual catchments, one for Dolly Varden and two for white-spotted charr, the lower habitat boundaries for the two charr species could be expected to rise increasingly to higher elevations in each catchment as warming proceeded. As a consequence, there would be large reductions in mean habitat area, with increasing habitat fragmentation followed by localized extinctions of the two species.     

Diamondback moth females oviposit more on plants infested by non‐parasitised than by parasitised conspecifics

Abstract 1. When offered a choice, female diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella) oviposited more eggs on plants with non‐parasitised conspecific larvae than on plants with parasitised larvae. 2. The leaf area consumed by parasitised larvae was significantly lower than that by non‐parasitised larvae. However, this quantitative difference in larval damage did not explain the female’s ability to discriminate between plants with parasitised and non‐parasitised larvae, as females showed an equal oviposition preference for plants infested by higher or lower densities of non‐parasitised larvae. 3. Pupal weight and duration of the larval stage of P. xylostella were independent of whether larvae were reared on plants that were previously infested by either non‐parasitised or parasitised larvae. 4. The larval parasitoid Cotesia vestalis did not distinguish between plants infested by non‐parasitised larvae and plants infested by larvae that had already been parasitised by conspecific wasps. 5. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the moth oviposition preference for plants infested by non‐parasitised conspecifics relative to plants infested by parasitised conspecifics was not explained by plant quality or by the attractiveness of plants towards wasps. It is hypothesised that one of the reasons for this preference is avoidance of plants where a relatively high risk of parasitism is expected due to the emergence of parasitoids from the parasitised host larvae.     

Purification of Mesodermal-inducing Substances from Carp Swim Bladders I. Extraction and Isoelectric Focusing

Mesodermal-inducing substances were isolated from the swim bladders of carp ( Carassius auratus ). These substances, extracted with 8 M urea, can induce the development of early gastrula ectoderm cells of newts into mesodermal tissues, such as muscles, notochords, mesenchyme, renal tubules, and so on, to a high degree. Isoelectric focusing was used to isolate them as a first purifying step, and five component parts with different pH ranges were obtained. Each part was tested for mesodermal-inducing activity. On the basis of the extent and percentage of the induced tissues, two of them (parts C and D with pH ranges 6.0 to 7.0 and 7.0 to 9.0, respectively) were found to have high inducing activity, and the others had lower activity. The substances present in part C showed only low mesodermal-inducing activity, when diluted with gamma-globulin 100-fold. Apparently highly active mesodermal-inducing substances exist in the two parts C and D.     

香蕉果实XET cDNA的克隆及其在成熟软化的果实果皮和果肉中的表达分析

木葡聚糖内糖基转移酶(Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase,XET)通过分解细胞壁半纤维素多糖的主要成分--木葡聚糖而参与果实软化.为了阐明香蕉(Musa acuminata.Colla cv.GrandNain)果实成熟过程中的软化与细胞壁代谢酶XET基因表达模式的关系,采用RT-PCR和RACE-PCR方法,首次从成熟香蕉果实果肉中分离了编码XT基因的全长cDNA(MA-XET1,全长1 095 bp).序列分析表明,MA-XET1的5'端和3'端的非翻译区分别为66 bp和1 89bp,该片段含有一个完整的开放读码框,编码280个氨基酸,推导的MA-XET1蛋白质中存在XET蛋白的催化活性部位DEIDFEFL.Southern杂交表明,MA-XET1在香蕉基因组中由多拷贝基因编码.Northern分析显示,跃变前期的果肉中,不能检测MA-XET1基因的表达,跃变期的果实果肉中MA-XET1表达增加,跃变后期该基因表达略有减弱;在跃变前期的果实果皮中,MA-XET1的积累较低,跃变期的果实果皮中积累大幅增加,而后迅速下降.Propylene(丙烯,乙烯的类似物)处理降低香蕉果实果皮和果肉的硬度,而且propylene促进MA-XET1在果皮和果肉中的积累.这些结果表明,MA-XET1参与香蕉果实成熟过程中的果皮和果肉软化,并且,MA-XET1的表达在转录水平上受乙烯调控.