乙二胺四乙酸钠、能量基质、氨基酸对猪卵母细胞的体外成熟和早期孤雌发育的影响

本研究探讨了:(1)成熟培养基中葡萄糖和丙酮酸钠剂量对猪卵母细胞体外成熟极体排放率的影响;(2)培养基中葡萄糖、谷氨酰胺、牛磺酸和亚牛磺酸的剂量对猪孤雌激活胚胎体外发育的影响,同时探讨不同浓度乙二胺四乙酸钠(EDTA-N a)对猪孤雌激活胚胎体外发育的影响。利用屠宰场猪卵巢卵母细胞,在含不同剂量葡萄糖 丙酮酸钠的成熟液中体外成熟44~48 h,计算其极体排放率(试验1),进行化学法孤雌激活后,在含不同剂量的葡萄糖 谷氨酰胺 牛磺酸 亚牛磺酸与不同浓度的EDTA-N a的培养基中体外培养,计算孤雌激活胚的第48小时卵裂率和第168小时囊胚率(试验2)。结果表明:(1)葡萄糖 丙酮酸钠在1倍剂量(浓度分别为3.05 mm o l/L和0.91 mm o l/L)时,猪卵母细胞体外成熟的核成熟率为(59.3±5.0)%,当其剂量加倍时,猪卵母细胞体外成熟的核成熟率极显著下降(P<0.01),为(51.0±4.4)%;(2)随着EDTA-N a添加浓度的增加,猪孤雌激活胚的的囊胚发育率不断上升,添加浓度达到50μm o l/L时囊胚率最高(7.2±4.1)%,超过此浓度后囊胚率开始下降,培养基中添加适当浓度(25-100μm o l/L)的EDTA-N a对猪孤雌激活胚的囊胚发育率具有有利作用(P<0.05),添加浓度达到200μm o l/L时其有利作用消失;(3)培养基中葡萄糖 氨基酸的剂量过高(葡萄糖、谷氨酰胺、牛磺酸、亚牛磺酸的浓度分别大于5.55,1.0,7.0,5.0 mm o l/L)对猪孤雌激活胚的卵裂率无显著影响(P>0.05),但对其囊胚发育率有不利作用(P<0.05)。本研究得出以下结论:(1)适当浓度(25~100μm o l/L)的EDTA-N a对猪早期胚胎体外发育具有促进作用;(2)培养基中能量基质剂量过高会抑制猪卵母细胞体外成熟;(3)培养基中能量基质 氨基酸的剂量过高会抑制猪早期胚胎的体外发育。     

猪卵母细胞孤雌激活的初步研究

对不同浓度离子霉素以及不同质量(A类或混合类)的猪卵丘细胞-卵母细胞复合体(COC s)对卵孤雌发育的效果影响进行了初步研究。结果表明:(1)A类猪COC s孤雌激活后的囊胚发育率极显著的高于混合类(30.11%vs 9.09%,P<0.01);(2)采用化学方法激活体外成熟后的猪去透明带卵母细胞,离子霉素浓度为5μm o l/L组激活后得到的卵裂率(80.35%),以及激活后48 h发育到4细胞阶段的孤雌胚胎率(62.50%)均极显著高于浓度2μm o l/L组(分别为62.22%和43.33%,P<0.01)。     

不同化学激活方法和电激活参数对猪体外成熟卵母细胞早期孤雌发育的影响

本研究探讨了不同化学激活方法和不同电激活参数对猪体外成熟卵母细胞早期孤雌发育的影响。利用屠宰场猪卵巢卵母细胞,在体外成熟培养44~48 h后,将核成熟卵母细胞分别用:(1)不同化学激活方法[①1 0%乙醇 1 0μg/mL放线菌酮;②2.5 mm o l/L氯化锶 1 0μg/mL放线菌酮;③5μm o l/L离子霉素 2.5 mm o l/L 6二-甲氨基嘌呤(6-DMAP);④200μm o l/L硫柳汞 8 mm o l/L二硫苏糖醇进行激活处理;⑤对照组——不用任何激活剂(试验1)];(2)用不同电场强度和脉冲时程进行电激活(试验2),之后放入胚胎培养液中进行体外培养7 d。研究结果显示:(1)4种不同化学激活方法处理卵子的1原核形成率、2原核形成率和原核形成率都显著比对照组的高(P<0.05),其中离子霉素 6-DMAP组的2原核形成率和总原核形成率最高,分别为(23.1±3.5)%和(65.2±3.5)%,显著比其他处理组的都高(P<0.0 5);(2)4种不同化学激活方法处理组的囊胚率都比对照组的高(P<0.0 1),其中离子霉素 6-DMAP组的卵裂率及囊胚率最高,分别为(4 6.6±1 8.5)%和(5.6±4.2)%;(3)本研究所用的4种不同化学激活方法对猪4细-胞孤雌胚SDS-PAGE电泳的蛋白质表达图谱没有显著影响;(4)电场强度为1.7 kV/cm、脉冲时程为50和70μs时猪体外成熟卵母细胞激活效果最好,卵裂率、囊胚率、囊胚细胞数分别为:(77.4±9.7)%,(12.4±3.7)%,17.6±5.9和(75.1±10.6)%,(12.3±2.6)%,19.1±8.1。以上结果说明:(1)本研究所用的4种化学激活方法均能有效激活猪体外成熟卵母细胞,其中离子霉素 6-DMAP的激活效果最理想;(2)在本实验室条件下,采用1.7 kV/cm的电场强度、50~70μs的脉冲时程均能有效的激活猪体外成熟卵母细胞;(3)本研究所用的4种不同化学激活方法对猪4细-胞孤雌胚SDS-PAGE电泳的蛋白质表达图谱没有显著影响。     

6－二甲氨基嘌呤对牛卵母细胞孤雌发育的影响

本研究系统探讨了 6-二甲氨基嘌呤 ( DMAP)对牛卵母细胞孤雌发育的影响。牛卵母细胞体外成熟 2 4 ,2 6,2 8或 30 h后 ,先用含 7%乙醇的培养液激活处理 5min,然后在含 2 mmol/L DMAP的培养液中培养 3h,或直接在培养液中进行培养。结果发现 ,经 2 mmol/L DMAP培养处理 3h的卵母细胞的激活分裂率和囊胚发育率均明显高于未处理的卵母细胞 ,特别是对于体外成熟 2 4 h和 2 6h的卵母细胞差异更为显著。如若在 DMAP处理的基础上同时加入 5μg/m L的细胞松驰素 ( CB) ,卵母细胞激活后的囊胚发育率则得到进一步提高 ( 48.7%比 37.5% )。研究结果表明 ,DMAP和 CB对卵母细胞激活后的孤雌发育有促进作用 ,并能降低卵龄所引起的激活效果差异     

NCSU23、SOF及氨基酸对猪孤雌激活胚胎体外发育的影响*

研究了培养基(NCSU23和SOF)和添加氨基酸对猪孤雌激活胚胎体外发育的影响，以探明猪早期胚胎体外培养的最佳体系。实验结果表明，在高氧(5％CO2的空气)或低氧环境(5％CO2：7％O2：88％N2)中，猪的孤雌发育胚胎培养在添加氨基酸的合成输卵管液(SOFaa)中其囊胚发育率显著低于NCSU23培养液；但培养液中添加氨基酸能显著提高卵裂率，培养后期去除氨基酸可减小氨基酸造成的不良影响。胚胎培养早期(前两天)添加氨基酸，不能提高囊胚发育率和囊胚细胞数。     

发情牛血清在猪卵母细胞成熟中的应用

为了检验发情牛(Bos taurus)血清在猪卵母细胞成熟中的应用,实验分别在成熟培养液中加入不同的血清,观察卵母细胞的成熟效果,并通过孤雌激活胚胎和重构胚的体外发育能力来判断血清对卵母细胞质量的影响:研究还进行了用发情牛血清成熟的卵母细胞构建的核移植胚胎的体内发育试验.结果表明,发情牛血清,成年牛血清和胎牛血清在猪卵母细胞的成熟率方面没有显著差异(P>0.05);卵母细胞成熟时加入不同的血清,对卵母细胞体外发育能力的影响不显著(P>0.05);来自含发情牛血清成熟液培养的卵母细胞,与胎儿成纤维细胞构建的克隆胚胎能够完成全期发育.     

山羊卵母细胞无血清体外成熟培养研究

摘要：为了研究无血清培养系统对山羊卵母细胞体外成熟及孤雌激活胚胎早期发育力的影响，分别以0.3% BSA(m/v)、1% PVA(m/v)、1% ITS(v/v)代替成熟培养液中FBS，以添加5% FBS的OM为对照组，对来源于屠宰场的COCs进行体外培养。成熟率PVA添加组（50.00%），显著低于FBS组（83.23%）（P﹤0.01），BSA组（71.19%）和ITS组（76.79%）与FBS组无显著差异（P＞0.05）；成熟卵母细胞用离子霉素联合6-DMAP激活，在SOFaa中进行孤雌胚培养，BSA、PVA、ITS及 FBS各组的卵裂率依次为61.90%、46.97%、79.07%和83.58%，囊胚率分别为25.00%、19.70%、55.81%和60.45%。实验结果指出:在OM基础培养液中添加BSA或PVA卵母细胞的成熟率明显低于添加FBS，且卵裂率和囊胚发育率也低于对照组(P<0.05或 P<0.01)；添加ITS，卵母细胞成熟率虽低于对照组，但孤雌胚卵裂率和囊胚发育率与对照组接近（P>0.05）。结论：以ITS代替FBS，可以用于山羊卵母细胞体外成熟培养。     

HSP27基因在牦牛卵母细胞和体外早期胚胎中的表达

为了探讨牦牛HSP27(heat shock proteins27, HSP27)基因在牦牛卵母细胞和早期孤雌激活胚胎中的表达情况及定位,本试验通过实时荧光定量PCR检测牦牛HSP27基因在未成熟卵母细胞和成熟卵母细胞以及孤雌激活不同时期胚胎中的相对表达量,用免疫荧光染色法检测HSP27蛋白在未成熟卵母细胞和成熟卵母细胞以及孤雌激活不同时期胚胎中的表达与定位情况。结果显示,HSP27基因在牦牛未成熟卵母细胞和成熟卵母细胞以及体外培养孤雌激活不同时期胚胎中均可表达,其中在未成熟卵母细胞中的表达量显著高于成熟卵母细胞;在孤雌激活胚胎中,2~4细胞期表达量最高,囊胚期胚胎表达量最低,随着胚胎的发育,HSP27的表达量呈现逐渐降低的趋势;在2~4细胞期和囊胚期胚胎中的表达与其他组表达存在显著差异性,在5~8细胞期和桑椹胚中的表达无显著差异。免疫荧光染色结果表明,HSP27蛋白在牦牛卵丘细胞和卵母细胞中均有表达,在牦牛孤雌激活2~4细胞期、5~8细胞期和桑椹期胚胎中主要表达于细胞核内和细胞质中,在囊胚期主要表达于细胞核中;而HSP27蛋白的表达水平与基因表达水平基本一致。本研究为后续研究HSP27基因在牦牛生殖生理过程中的作用机制提供了参考。     

牛分离精子ICSI后卵母细胞激活方法的研究

本研究的目的是比较采用由流式细胞仪分离的牛X和Y精子进行胞质内精子注射(ICS I)后,两种不同激活方法对ICS I卵母细胞的激活效果。ICS I后,卵母细胞用5μm o l/L的Ionom yc in(离子霉素)处理5 m in后,先在化学成分明确培养液(CDM-1)中培养3 h,然后再在含有1.9 mm o l/L 6-DM AP(6二-甲氨基嘌呤)的培养液中培养3 h(Ionom yc in CDM-1 DM AP),或用5μm o l/L的Ionom yc in处理5 m in后,不经过CDM培养直接转入1.9 mm o l/L DM AP的培养液中培养3 h(Ionom yc in DAM P)。结果发现,两种激活处理的效果差异不显著。     

丁内酯-Ⅰ影响猪卵母细胞的体外成熟和发育能力

体外成熟的卵母细胞存在核成熟与胞质成熟不一致的情况,从而使得体外成熟的卵母细胞质量不高.本实验采用cdc2激酶抑制剂丁内酯-Ⅰ (butyrolactone Ⅰ,BL-Ⅰ)抑制猪卵母细胞核体外成熟,期望解决卵母细胞体外培养过程中细胞核与细胞质发育的不同步问题.结果表明,分别用0、10、20、40和80 μmol/LBL-Ⅰ处理猪卵母细胞44 h后,对卵母细胞成熟的抑制程度与BL-Ⅰ浓度的升高成正比.用20、40和80μmol/L处理时,处于生发泡(GV)期的卵母细胞分别为25％、47％和67％,与对照组(5％)相比差异极显著(P＜0.01);而到达MⅡ期的卵母细胞分别为38％、9％和0,与对照组(67％)相比差异极显著(P＜0.01).将20、40和80 μmol/L处理44 h后的卵母细胞,再在不含BL-Ⅰ的卵母细胞体外成熟培养液中培养44 h后,到达MⅡ期的卵母细胞为57％、41％和5％,与抑制44 h时相比均有显著差异,表明BL-Ⅰ对卵母细胞成熟的抑制作用是可逆的.20 μmol/L BL-Ⅰ抑制培养20 h再正常培养24 h(20 h++24 h-处理组)后卵母细胞的成熟率显著低于对照组(正常培养44 h)(65.6％vs 70.1％,P＜0.05).对20 h++24 h-处理组成熟的卵母细胞进行孤雌激活,其卵裂率、囊胚率和囊胚总细胞数均好于对照组,但无显著差异;对20 h++24 h-处理组成熟的卵母细胞进行核移植(NT),获得重构胚的卵裂率、囊胚率和囊胚总细胞数均优于对照组,并且卵裂率有显著差异(68.9％vs 62.4％,P＜0.05).结果提示BL-Ⅰ处理对猪卵母细胞的核成熟有明显抑制作用,这种抑制作用是可逆的,对猪卵母细胞孤雌胚胎发育能力和核移植胚胎的发育能力有一定的提高.     

Potential of wild species for genetic enhancement of some semi-arid food crops

Discovery and incorporation of genes from wild species provide means to sustain crop improvement, particularly when levels of resistance in the cultigens are low and virulent strains of pests and pathogens overcome the host plant resistance. The extent of utilization and the potential of the wild genepool for genetic enhancement were reviewed in five important food crops viz. sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut grown in the semi-arid tropics. Introgression from compatible wild germplasm in the primary gene pool resulted in transfer of new cytoplasmic male sterility systems in pearl millet and pigeonpea, development of high protein, cleistogamous flower and dwarf pigeonpea lines and foliar disease resistant groundnut cultivars. Utilization of wild species in secondary and tertiary gene pools has been generally limited due to sterility, restricted recombination or cross incompatibility. Nevertheless, these species are extremely important as they contain high levels of resistance to several important biotic and abiotic stresses. Several of them, like those belonging to the Parasorghum section and the rhizomatous Arachis species are sources of multiple resistances and hold great promise to sustain crop productivity.     

“绿色革命”以来大气CO2浓度升高对C3作物营养品质的影响

自20世纪60年代"绿色革命"以来,育种技术和农耕技术的发展促进了农作物产量的大幅提升,然而作物的营养品质出现下降趋势。在相似的遗传背景下,大气CO_2浓度升高会使单位体积农作物产品的营养元素含量下降,因此"绿色革命"至今,农作物产品的营养元素下降可能受大气CO_2浓度升高影响。通过植物生长箱模拟"绿色革命"初期和目前的大气CO_2浓度水平(310μmol/mol和400μmol/mol),针对主要C_3作物水稻、小麦和大豆,研究"绿色革命"以来大气CO_2浓度升高对其籽粒的C、N、Fe、Zn元素含量的影响,结果表明:CO_2浓度升高对3种作物籽粒的C元素含量几乎没有影响,变化幅度在±1.5%之间;籽粒的N、Fe、Zn元素含量普遍呈现下降趋势,但均未达到显著水平。     

Faculty positions:Center for Agricultural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences

正The Center for Agricultural Resources Research(CARR),the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB),Chinese Academy of Sciences,invites applicants for several research group leader positions.CARR is one of the research organizations in Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS).We seek nominations and applications     

Collection and preliminary evaluation of native turfgrass accessions in Italy

Despite a raising interest on turfs in Italy, all theavailable varieties of this kind in the Country are of foreign origin, and areoften poorly adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions. This prompted tobegin a collection activity of indigenous turfgrass species, with the ultimategoal of identifying promising materials for future breeding based on localgenetic resources. The collection was carried out in three areas of Italy, viz.the northern Po Plain, the coastal region of Liguria, and the island of Sardiniathat are characterised, respectively, by subcontinental, warm temperate, andtypical Mediterranean climate. Altogether, 141 sites were visited, yielding 226accessions belonging to eight species of potential interest for turfs:Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis,Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea,Lolium perenne, Agrostis stolonifera,Agrostis tenuis, and Cynodon dactylon,this last being a warm-season grass. Poa pratensis andCynodon dactylon were mostly collected in northern Italyand Sardinia, respectively, whereas Festuca arundinacea andLolium perenne were rather ubiquitous. The collection sitesranged from 0 to 1040 m asl, but sites over 750 m wereonly visited in the inner part of Sardinia. All the accessions, collected aswhole plants, were transplanted at Lodi, northern Italy, where they are beingevaluated. Their preliminary evaluation for traits of importance for turf use,such as sward colour and overall quality, highlighted the great variation andthe occurrence of interesting accessions in all species. Other characters wererecorded, bearing specific importance in individual species, and in all casespromising accessions were identified. The germplasm of Festucarubra, Festuca arundinacea, and Loliumperenne proved highly infected by endophytic (symbiotic) fungi of thegenus Neotyphodium.     

Leaf position and genotype differences for mineral element concentrations in sorghum grown on tropical acid soil 1

Mineral element deficiencies and toxicities are common problems associated with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] production on acid soils. To better understand some of the mineral element problems and the analysis of plant tissue of sorghum plants grown on acid soils, four sorghum genotypes were grown on an acid Oxisol at Carimagua, Colombia limed with dolomite at 2 and 6 Mg ha^‐1.

Samples for mineral element analyses were obtained from leaves at different positions on the four genotypes. Concentrations of P and Mg were highest in the flag leaf (Leaf No. 1) and decreased as the position on the plant declined from the top of the plant for plants grown at 2 Mg lime ha^‐1. Similar decreases in P, Mg, K, and Zn concentrations occurred in plants grown with 6 Mg lime ha^‐1. Concentrations of Ca, S, Si, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Al increased as leaf position declined from the flag leaf for plants grown at 2 and 6 Mg lime ha^‐1. The higher lime supply enhanced Ca and reduced Mn and Fe concentrations in leaves. Differences in mineral element concentrations for the four genotypes used were fairly extensive. The elements to show the greatest range among genotypes were Al and Si and the elements to show the least range among genotypes were P, K, and S. Care should be used in collecting leaf samples for plant analysis and genotypic differences for accumulation of mineral elements should be considered in interpretation of results.     

Short-term variation in the concentration of selected ions within individual tropical rainstorms

Rainwater was collected at the campus of the University of Brunei Darussalam in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, using a funnel-in-bottle sampler. Polypropylene bottles were changed at intervals during rainstorm events. The pH and conductivity were determined immediately after collection on aliquots of the sample. Samples were refrigerated at 5°C for subsequent chemical analysis. Analyses for Na, Mg, Ca, Zn and Fe were carried out by means of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES); Cu and Mn were analysed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS); K was analysed using flame atomic emission spectroscopy (FAES); and Cl^–, NO₃ ^– and SO₄ ^2– were analysed by ion chromatography (IC). Concentration versus time profiles are reported for three rainstorm events. All ions exhibited a decrease in concentration during the rainstorm. The first sample contained the highest concentration of ions, consistent with a first-flush effect. The contribution of the initial stages of the shower to the total quantity of ion deposited during the entire rainstorm is quite overwhelming; in many cases 20 to 30% of the mass was deposited in less than 5% of rainstorm duration. On the other hand, the pH and conductivity variation during rainstorms did not exhibit a consistent pattern.     

Leaf litter selection by detritivore and geophagous earthworms

Summary Litterbag experiments with 10 different kinds of leaf litter showed that detritivore (Lumbricus species) and geophagous (Aporrectodea species) earthworms prefer certain litter types over others, since different numbers of worms were found below the litter after 50–52 days of exposure in a pasture. The detritivores preferred Fraxinus, Tilia, and predecomposed Ulmus and Fagus litter to Fagus litter and paper, while geophages preferred Tilia litter to Alnus and Ulmus litter, so that the two groups of earthworms showed different preferences. The detritivores seemed to be more selective than the geophages. The palatability of the litter was examined in relation to the C: N ratio, the lignin concentration and the initial and final polyphenol concentration. The numbers of detritivores were significantly correlated with the C: N ratio and the final polyphenol concentration, so that selection of litter seems to be related to palatability. The numbers of geophages were not significantly correlated with any of the parameters for palatability. The disappearance of litter after 50–52 days appeared to be due to detritivore activity, since the numbers found below the litter were positively and significantly correlated with the litter disappearance. There was no significant correlation with geophage activity. This indicates that detritivores use litter as food, and therefore influence the composition of the litter layer.     

The 5S rRNA gene diversity in the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Secale</Emphasis> and determination of its closest haplomes

We analyzed 127 rDNA sequences (5S DNA units) obtained from 23 seed accession samples from more or less 10 taxa in wild and cultivated rye, genus Secale L. The sequences fell into two known groups, here assigned to two unit classes, viz. long R1 and short R1 (designations to reflect on R haplome of rye). The different taxa could not be fully differentiated based on the 5S DNA units. We searched for 5S DNA sequences from known unit classes most closely similar to the long R1 and the short R1. One set with the long R1 unit class contained sequences of the long P1 unit class from Agropyron (P haplome) and from Kengyilia (StYP haplome), long J1 from Thinopyrum (J haplome), whereas the set with the short R1 included the long S1 from Pseudoroegneria (St haplome) and Kengyilia (StYP haplome), the short J1 from Thinopyrum (J haplome) and the short V1 from Dasypyrum (V haplome). Each of the two sets was analyzed separately by maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis from which we were able to infer that the 5S DNA units of Secale differentiated in a non-clock fashion and followed the HKY substitution model in the gene tree with the long R1 unit class and the HKY + G in the gene tree with the short R1 unit class. A complementary Bayesian analysis yielded identical tree topologies to the ML ones for each of the two sequence sets. In the tree with the long R1 units the long P1 and long J1 unit classes were closest to the long R1 unit class, whereas in the tree with the short R1 units the long S1 and short J1 unit classes were closest to the short R1 unit class, indicating possibly a close relationship between the St, J and R haplomes.     

Nematode succession and microfauna-microorganism interactions during root residue decomposition

The quality of plant material affects the vigor of the decomposition process and composition of the decomposer biota. Root residues from hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), rye (Secale cereale L.) and vetch+rye, packed in litterbags were placed in pots of soil at 15 C and the content of the bags was analyzed after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Bacterial biomass did not differ between residues with contrasting composition. Among bacterivores groups of nematodes that require high bacterial production dominated in fast decomposing resources whereas flagellates with smaller requirements prevail in slower decomposing resources. Biomass of bacterial feeding nematodes correlated positively with early phase (0-2 wk) decomposition that increased in the order: rye< vetch+rye<vetch. Bacterial biomass therefore seems to be under top-down (predation) control during early decomposition. In contrast, the fungal biomass differed between resources with highest values for rye. Moreover, this increase in fungal biomass occurred later during succession and was correlated with decomposition activity for rye in that period. Fungal biomass therefore seems to be under bottom-up (resource) control. The composition of the nematode assemblages (composed of 25 taxa) showed a clear relationship to initial plant resource quality as well as decomposition phase. Early successional microbivorous nematodes vary according to resource quality with demanding bacterivores+predators (Neodiplogasteridae) dominating in vetch and less demanding bacterivores (Rhabditidae) and fungivores (Aphelenchus) being equally common in vetch and rye. Later in the succession (2-4 wk) bacterivorous Cephalobidae and fungivorous Aphelenchoides prevailed similarly on the different root materials whereas bacterivorous protozoa and the amoebal fraction thereof dominated in rye. At week 12 no species dominated the nematode assemblages that were similar between the resources. The differences between nematode assemblages among plant resources at 2 week were similar to the results of a field study sampled after 6 weeks with the same soil and plant resources. This lends support to the relevance of the successional patterns observed in this incubation study.     

Cycling of extracellular DNA in the soil environment

Upon entering the soil environment, extracellular DNA is subjected to dynamic biological, physical, and chemical factors that determine its fate. This review concerns the fate of both recombinant and non-recombinant sources of DNA. A schematic of DNA cycling coupled with genetic transformation is presented to understand its behavior in soil. Extracellular DNA may persist through cation bridging onto soil minerals and humic substances, be enzymatically degraded and restricted by DNases of microbial origin, and/or enter the microbial DNA cycle through natural transformation of competent bacteria. Lateral gene transfer may disseminate DNA through the microbial community. An understanding of DNA cycling is fundamental to elucidating the fate of extracellular DNA in the soil environment.