Germination ecology of drupelets of the fig (Ficus carica L.)

Abiotic and biotic factors and their effects on germination of fig drupelets were studied. The drupelets germinated between 10^oC and 30^oC.Constant humidity was necessary for germination and frequent drying out of the substrate was unfavourable. Total darkness for the whole duration of the experiments had a slighly negative effect on germination. The fastest germination occurred at constant humidity and an alternating temperature of 20/30^oC with exposure to light for 8 hours (at the higher temperature) and to darkness for 16 hours (at the lower temperature).Natural or artificial removal of drupelets from the syconium guaranteed a high germination percentage, whereas no germination occurred in drupelets left inside the syconium. Hence birds and mammals act as dispersal agents and mediators of germination. As they eat pieces of fig syconium, they free the drupelets from the flesh, eliminating the effect of inhibitors and/or microenvironments with high osmotic pressure inside the syconium. These findings support the hypothesis that germination occurs in autumn or spring depending on the climatic zone in which the species grows.     

Interactions of colonisation density and leaf environments on survival of Trioza eugeniae nymphs

1. Female eugenia psyllids Trioza eugeniae oviposit on the margins of expanding young Syzygium paniculatum leaves. The developing nymphs, feeding within pit‐shaped galls on the leaves, cause the leaves to become curled and deformed. The degree of leaf curling was correlated positively with densities of T. eugeniae nymphs. 2. High relative humidity increased persistence of nymphs on leaves at low insect densities, but persistence did not differ between high or low relative humidity conditions when nymphal densities were high and leaves were greatly curled. 3. Direct insolation increased nymphal mortality. Nymphs on the abaxial leaf surface in the direct sun had lower mortality than similarly exposed nymphs on the adaxial leaf surface. 4. Field populations showed high preference for abaxial leaf surfaces and a stronger preference for shaded adaxial surfaces than for exposed adaxial surfaces. 5. Adverse environmental conditions of direct insolation and low relative humidity may be mitigated by leaf curl associated with moderate populations, however competition at high nymphal density supersedes any potential benefit arising from leaf curling and has a negative effect on nymphal survival.     

Use of membrane filters for selective isolation of actinomycetes from soil

Abstract A method using membrane filters of appropriate pore size, to selectively isolate actinomycetes from a mixed population of soil microorganisms, is described.
The method is based on the ability of actinomycetes to propagate and pass through the pores of filters while bacteria and fungi are retained on the membrane surface.     

Growth of animal cells on glass fiber filters and their utilization for biosynthetic analysis

Summary HeLa and L-M cells can be effectively grown directly on glass fiber filters to yield replicate cultures that allow easy analysis of biosynthetic capabilities through measurement of radioactive precursor uptake and incorporation. The glass fiber filters are superior to glass cover slips, growth in scintillation vials, and growth on Millipore filters in the ease of handling during experimental treatment and in the amount of radioactivity incorporated during the labeling period. These parameters are experimentally established and a typical application of the procedure that demonstrates the hydroxyurea inhibition of DNA synthesis is presented. This research was supported by Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station Project 1534. This publication is Article J-3334 of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experimental Station.     

枸杞脱落酸生物合成关键酶基因NCED的克隆及表达分析

脱落酸(abscisic acid,ABA)对植物的生长发育具有独特的调控功能,并在植物适应逆境环境中发挥重要作用。9-顺式环氧类胡萝卜素双加氧酶(NCED)是高等植物中ABA生物合成途径的一个关键酶。根据GenBank中的植物NCED基因的同源序列设计简并引物,通过RT-PCR及RACE技术从枸杞叶片中克隆到1个编码NCED的基因,命名为LbNCED。其cDNA全长为2316 bp,含有1个1824 bp的开放阅读框,编码1个含607氨基酸残基,分子量为67.38 kDa、等电点(pI)为6.43的假定蛋白,其氨基酸序列与番茄(Lycopersicon esculentum)和马铃薯(Solanum tuberosum)的同源性达90%,在N-末端具有1个含15个氨基酸的叶绿体转运肽。Southern杂交结果表明,该基因在枸杞基因组中以低拷贝形式存在。盐处理和脱水处理的枸杞叶片中LbNCED基因的表达与内源ABA的积累同步变化。     

香蕉乙二醛酶基因增强酿酒酵母对非生物胁迫抵抗能力的研究

从香蕉cDNA文库中克隆到了一个香蕉(Musa acuminata AAA subgroup)乙二醛酶(glyoxalase,GLO)基因(MaGLO14)。构建了带有MaGLO14的酵母表达载体PYES2-MaGLO14,转化酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)尿嘧啶营养缺陷型菌株INVSC1,挑取转化子进行PCR和酶切鉴定,证实获得了转基因菌株。通过比较转基因菌株和非转基因菌株在NaCl、高温、低温、干旱、UV胁迫下的生长状况,证明转基因菌株在以上非生物胁迫条件下的存活菌落数均高于非转基因菌株。利用酿酒酵母初步证明MaGLO14具有增强酵母菌对非生物胁迫抵抗力的功能。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Physcomitrella patens</Emphasis> is highly tolerant against drought,salt and osmotic stress

In order to determine the degree of tolerance of the moss Physcomitrella patens to different abiotic stress conditions, we examined its tolerance against salt, osmotic and dehydration stress. Compared to other plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, P. patens exhibits a high degree of abiotic stress tolerance, making it a valuable source for the identification of genes effecting the stress adaptation. Plants that had been treated with NaCl tolerated concentrations up to 350 mM. Treatments with sorbitol revealed that plants are able to survive concentrations up to 500 mM. Furthermore, plants that had lost 92% water on a fresh-weight basis were able to recover successfully. For molecular analyses, a P. patens expressed sequence tag (EST) database was searched for cDNA sequences showing homology to stress-associated genes of seed plants and bacteria. 45 novel P. patens genes were identified and subjected to cDNA macroarray analyses to define their expression pattern in response to water deficit. Among the selected cDNAs, we were able to identify a set of genes that is specifically up-regulated upon dehydration. These genes encode proteins exerting their function in maintaining the integrity of the plant cell as well as proteins that are known to be members of signaling networks. The identified genes will serve as molecular markers and potential targets for future functional analyses.     

Expression of a novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">OSPGYRP</Emphasis> (rice proline-, glycine- and tyrosine-rich protein) gene,which is involved in vesicle trafficking,enhanced cold tolerance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis>

A novel OSPGYRP gene encoding a rice proline-, glycine- and tyrosine-rich protein was isolated from cold-stress treated rice seedlings using suppression subtractive hybridization. Both amino acid sequence analysis and subcellular localization confirm that OsPGYRP is a novel protein involved in vesicle trafficking. The expression of the OSPGYRP gene was induced by cold, salt, and osmotic stress. In addition, expression of the OSPGYRP gene in E. coli increased the resistance to cold stress. These results show that OsPGYRP is a novel protein involved in vesicle trafficking and plays an important role in plant adaptation to stress. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

非生物胁迫下耐辐射异常球菌drB0118基因功能分析

【目的】鉴定和确定被预测为编码干燥相关蛋白的耐辐射异常球菌(Deinococcus radiodurans) drB0118基因功能,探讨该基因对盐、渗透和氧化胁迫抗性的作用。【方法】构建drB0118基因缺失突变株(ΔB0118),通过氯化钠、D-山梨糖醇和过氧化氢等胁迫冲击实验及氧化胁迫条件下qRT-PCR分析,研究drB0118突变对非生物胁迫反应及氧化胁迫相关基因表达的影响。【结果】drB0118突变导致菌株对NaCl和D-sorbitol胁迫的抗性降低;对氧化胁迫(H2O2)敏感;qRT-PCR分析显示,drB0118突变引起氧化胁迫抗性基因pod和oxyR分别下调4倍和10倍。【结论】D. radiodurans中drB0118参与了盐、渗透和氧化等多种非生物胁迫反应。