A new species of Galearis (Orchidinae: Orchidaceae) from Sichuan,China

A new species, Galearis huanglongensis Q.W.Meng & Y.B.Luo, is described and illustrated. It is similar to Galearis cyclochila (Franch. & Sav.) Soó and Galearis diantha (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt, but differs in having a short spur, two elliptical lateral stigma lobes and distinctly separated bursicles. This new species is known only from the type locality, the Huanglong Valley, Songpan County, western Sichuan, China, growing amongst mosses under alpine shrubs at an elevation of about 3000 m. Based on two years of observations of its population size, the species was categorized as critically endangered CR (B1a, B2a) according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1. The micromorphology of pollinia and seeds was observed by scanning electron microscopy and compared with that of G. cyclochila and G. diantha. The results supported G. huanglongensis Q.W.Meng & Y.B.Luo as a new species. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 689–695.     

Balancing crosstalk between 20-hydroxyecdysone-induced autophagy and caspase activity in the fat body during Drosophila larval-prepupal transition

In the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, autophagy and caspase activity function in parallel in the salivary gland during metamorphosis and in a common regulatory hierarchy during oogenesis. Both autophagy and caspase activity progressively increase in the remodeling fat body, and they are induced by a pulse of the molting hormone (20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E) during the larval-prepupal transition. Inhibition of autophagy and/or caspase activity in the remodeling fat body results in 25–40% pupal lethality, depending on the genotypes. Interestingly, a balancing crosstalk occurs between autophagy and caspase activity in this tissue: the inhibition of autophagy induces caspase activity and the inhibition of caspases induces autophagy. The Drosophila remodeling fat body provides an in vivo model for understanding the molecular mechanism of the balancing crosstalk between autophagy and caspase activity, which oppose with each other and are induced by the common stimulus 20E, and blockage of either path reinforces the other path.     

Analysis of the serotype-specific epitopes of avian infectious bronchitis virus strains Ark99 and Mass41.

The Ark and Mass serotype-specific epitopes of infectious bronchitis virus were studied by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation of mutant and recombinant spike glycoproteins (S protein) expressed in mouse L cells. Serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies could bind to the recombinant proteins of Ark99 and Mass41 expressed from the chimeras in which the N-terminal thirds of the S1 sequences were reciprocally exchanged. Therefore, it appears that the respective serotype-specific epitopes of both strains were localized within the C-terminal two-thirds of the S1 proteins. Deletion and insertion of a five-amino-acid fragment on the S1 proteins of Ark99 and Mass41, altered the serotype-specific epitopes. This result implies that the five-amino-acid insertion on the S1 protein of the Ark serotype was involved in determining the conformation of the protein, probably acting as a spacer. In addition, it appears that an interaction between sequences of the N-terminal third and the remaining portion of the S1 protein determines the tertiary structure of the protein as well as the conformation of the serotype-specific epitope.     

RFLP-based maps of the homoeologous group-6 chromosomes of wheat and their application in the tagging of Pm12, a powdery mildew resistance gene transferred from Aegilops speltoides to wheat

Genetic maps of the homoeologous group-6 chromosomes of bread wheat, Triticum aestivum, have been constructed spanning 103 cM on 6A, 90 cM on 6B and 124 cM on 6D. These maps were transferred to a Chinese Spring (CS) x line #31 cross to locate a dominant powdery mildew resistance gene, Pm12, introgressed into line #31 from Aegilops speltoides. Pm12 was shown to lie on the short arm of translocation chromosome 6BS-6SS.6SL in line #31, but could not be mapped more precisely due to the lack of recombination between the 6S Ae. speltoides segment and chromosome 6B. Possible strategies to reduce the size of the alien segment, which probably encompasses the complete long arm and more than 82% of the short arm of chromosome 6B, are discussed.     

On the existence of stable pairing distributions

We formulate and analyze pair-formation models for multiple groups with general pairing rates and arbitrary mixing probabilities. Under the assumption of constant recruitment rates and equal average duration of all types of partnerships, we have shown that the dynamics are relatively simple because of the monotonicity properties of the dynamical system associated with the pairing/mixing of heterogeneous populations of male and female individuals. In fact, we have shown that the corresponding asymptotic stable paired distribution is given precisely by the asymptotic values of the matrices that prescribe the mixing/contact structure. In other words, if the sizes of the mixing subpopulations of males and females are asymptotically constant and if the average durations of partnerships are about the same regardless of type, then the matrices that describe the mixing between subpopulations also characterize the distribution of paired types. Alternatively, if the distribution of the average duration of relationships between individuals has a large variance then it may be impossible to detect any relationship between the mixing/contact structure and the observed distribution of paired types. The study of models with constant per-capita recruitment rates give rise to homogeneous systems of degree one. The analysis of the dynamics of pairs for models with exponentially growing populations of singles is complicated. So far, we are only able to classify the stability of all non-strictly positive boundary exponential solutions. From our incomplete analysis, it is not possible to detect necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and stability of strictly interior exponential solutions. We cannot rule out the possibility of oscillations. The mathematical problems associated with the stability of exponential solutions of dynamical systems of degree one are of relevance in demography, epidemiology, and population dynamics.On leave from University of Alabama in Huntsville     

乙烯诱导下草莓果实采后RNA代谢与蛋白质合成活性的变化

草莓草果实在乳白时期采收（开花后约４０ｄ）,分别用１０μｌ／Ｌ,５０μｌ／Ｌ和１００μｌ／Ｌ的外源乙烯进行处理。处理后的果实大分子ＲＮＡ和ｐｏｌｙ（Ａ）＋ＲＮＡ水平以及ｐｏｌｙ（Ａ）＋ＲＮＡ与总ＲＮＡ的比例均有增高。果实体内ＲＮＡ酶活性和体外蛋白质的合成水平也升高。乙烯很可能是促进草莓果实成熟衰老的因素之一。     

抗氧化剂对苜蓿原生质体早期培养的影响

研究发现,分离原生质体的酶解脱壁处理可以诱导苜蓿细胞产生活性氧。培养基中添加抗氧化剂,有助于提高培养原生质体的分裂频率,缓解褐化现象的出现。经紫外照射处理的培养基不利于苜蓿原生质体的生长和分裂,添加抗氧化剂后,紫外辐射所引起的不良效应则被抵消。因而,通过抗氧化剂对活性氧的清除,有助于早期原生质体的培养。     

温度对草地螟成虫产卵和寿命的影响

在16℃、19℃、22℃、25℃.28℃,31℃和34℃的范围内, 草地螟(Loxostege sticticalis L.)成虫的产卵前期与温度的关系呈逻辑靳谛曲线,产卵雌蛾数、产卵历期和产卵量均以22℃为最高。初步确定19-25℃为草地螟蛾产卵的适温范围,22℃为最适产卵温度,16℃和34℃分别为产卵温度的下限和上限。成虫寿命与温度的关系为负相关(r=-0.91,P<0.01)。表明在试验温度范围内,温度越高,成虫寿命越短。但温度对雌雄成虫寿命的影响不一致,在28℃以下的温度内,雄蛾寿命比雌蛾长;在31-34℃的范围内,雄蛾寿命比雌蛾短。根据以上研究结果,对我国草地螟发生为害区的种群动态规律进行了讨论。     

地球生物学发展的机遇与挑战*

地球生物学已经引起了人们的广泛关注, 目前面临着机遇与挑战并存的发展局面。得益于现代技术方法的大发展, 地球生物学的研究对象经历了从宏体动植物向微体古生物再向地质微生物和地质病毒的发展, 研究主题从气候环境对生物演化的影响进一步拓展到生物演化如何影响气候环境乃至深地过程, 进而回答生命是如何塑造地球的宜居性这个地球科学的根本性难题。研究对象和研究主题的拓展也提升了地球生物学服务人类社会的能力, 资源能源安全的保障、气候—环境—生物多样性危机的协调应对等都需要地球生物学的支撑。同时, 地球生物学的发展也面临着诸多挑战。它首先需要技术方法的进一步革新来带动认识的创新, 其次需要回答生物演化的驱动力问题, 更需要破解生物演化如何影响深地过程, 包括板块运动、火山活动等地质过程, 只有这样才能全面而正确地评估生物是否改变了宜居地球的演化方向, 以及如何应对当前人类所面临的诸多全球性难题。