Regulatory Network of Transcription Factors in Response to Drought in Arabidopsis and Crops

Drought is one of the most important environmental constraints limiting plant growth, development and crop yield. Many drought-inducible genes have been identified by molecular and genomic analyses in ...     

An inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis — Difluoromethylornithine — and the polyamine spermidine for the control of gray mold(Botrytis Cinerea)

Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) — an inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, and the polyamine spermidine (Spd) reduced gray mold of tomato, pepper, eggplant, bean andSenecio sp. leaves, and of rose petals by 37–88% when applied at 0.1–1.0 mM each. Higher doses did not result in better control. The disease was also reduced significantly on tomato fruits by 1.0 inM DFMO and by 0.1–1.0 mM Spd, and on cucumber fruits by 0.1–1.0 mM of both compounds, but not on grape berries. The combination of 0.2 mM DFMO with 1.0 mM Spd controlled gray mold ofSenecio sp. and tomato leaves additively better than either treatment alone, whereas this effect was not observed in leaves of lettuce and pepper. Ethylene production was reduced significantly by Spd applied to leaves of tomato and pepper, but not by DFMO. Linear growth and germination of the fungus were affected by lower concentrations of DFMO (ED50 0.12–0.97 and 1.4, respectively) as compared with Spd. Spermidine and DFMO controlled white mold(Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) as effectively as did the fungicide benomyl. Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization. No. 3195-E, 1991 series.     

Conditional expression of harpinPsscauses yeast cell death that shares features of cell death pathway with harpinPss-mediated plant hypersensitive response (HR)

Conditional expression of harpin_Psscauses yeast cell death that shares features of cell death pathway with harpin_Pss-mediated plant hypersensitive response (HR).Pseudomonas syringae pv.syringae 61 hrp Z gene encodes harpin_Pss, a 34.7 kD extracellular protein that elicits a hypersensitive response (HR) in plants. Conditional expression of either full-length or truncated hrp Z sequences under the GAL1 promoter caused cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y187. Plating of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants on a medium containing galactose resulted in complete inhibition of colony formation, whereas their growth on a glucose-based medium was unaffected. Western blot analysis confirmed the expression of harpin_Pssin yeast cells transformed with pYEUT- hrp Z and grown in galactose-containing medium. A time-dependent decline in the percentage of trypan blue-excluding cells in cultures of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants was observed when cultured on galactose-containing medium. Similarly, the number of viable cells reduced to about 50% within 6 h. There were similarities in the harpin_Pss-mediated cell death in plants and yeast cell death (YCD). Galactose-induced cell death in pYEUT-hrp Z transformants of S. cerevisiae Y187 was suppressed by a protein kinase inhibitor K252a (10 μ M). The viability of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants was prolonged in the presence of 100 U ml⁻¹catalase suggesting a role for the oxidative burst in YCD that was further supported by the flow cytometric patterns of propidium iodide uptake by yeast cells. Overall, it appears that yeast provides a useful model system to understand the molecular mechanism of harpin_Pss-mediated cell death.     

Genetic Control of Resistance to the Piperidine Fungicide Piperalin in Ustilago maydis

Mutants of Ustilago maydis resistant to the piperidine fungicide piperalin were isolated in a mutation frequency of 2.4 × 10^–5 after UV-irradiation and selection on media containing 50gml^–1 piperalin. Genetic analysis with 15 such mutant isolates resulted in the identifications of two unlinked chromosomal loci, the U/ppl-1 locus with two allelic genes (U/ppl-1A and U/ppl-1B) and the U/ppl-2 locus. The U/ppl-2 and U/ppl-1A mutations are responsible for two levels of moderate and high resistance to piperalin (resistance factor, Rf: 54 and 135, respectively, based on effective concentration causing a 50% reduction in the growth rate, EC₅₀), while the U/ppl-1B mutation gives only a small reduction (approximately 8-fold) in piperalin sensitivity. Cross-resistance studies with other SBIs shows that the major gene (U/ppl-2 and U/ppl-1A) mutants are resistant to fenpropidin (Rf: 43 and 68), fenpropimorph (Rf: 261 and 283) and tridemorph (Rf: 9 and 10), but not to the inhibitors of C-14 demethylase (DMIs) and squalene epoxidase. The minor gene mutation U/ppl-1B codes a low-level of resistance (approximately 5—12-fold) to the above morpholine-type fungicides, but in contrast with the major gene mutations it increases 2–10 times the sensitivity to triazoles: triadimefon, triadimenol, propiconazole and flusilazole. Crosses between mutants carrying the U/ppl-genes with compatible isolates carrying the U/fpd, U/fpm or U/tdm mutations, which have been identified in previous genetic works for resistance to morpholine-type fungicides, yielded, with the exception of U/ppl-2 ×U/fpm-2 cross, a large number of recombinants with wild-type sensitivity, indicating that the mutant genes involved in these crosses, were not allelic. An additive gene effect was observed only between nonallelic minor genes U/ppl-1B and U/fpm-1B or U/tdm-1,2. Studies of the fitness of piperalin-resistant isolates showed that the reduced sensitivity of major gene mutants was not associated with changes on the phytopathogenic fitness determining characteristics, such as growth in liquid culture and pathogenicity on young corn plants. Conversely, the minor gene mutation U/ppl-1B appeared to be pleiotropic, having significantly adverse effects on the phytopathogenic fitness.     

Studies of clomazone mode of action

Intact spinach chloroplasts were used to determine if clomazone, 5-OH clomazone, and/or 5-keto clomazone inhibited the chloroplastic isoprenoid pathway. When isopentenyl pyrophosphate was used as a precursor, neither clomazone nor the clomazone metabolites (5-OH clomazone and 5-keto clomazone) inhibited the formation of products separated by HPLC in the organic phase. However, when pyruvate, a substrate for the first committed step of the pathway, was used as a precursor, both 5-keto clomazone and fosmidomycin reduced the formation of a non-polar product and increased the formation of a polar product in the organic phase. Only 5-keto clomazone, not 5-OH clomazone or clomazone, inhibited the formation of an additional product other than fosmidomycin in the aqueous phase from pyruvate incorporation. In an in vitro assay, 5-keto clomazone inhibited DXP synthase, the enzyme catalyzing the first committed step of the chloroplastic isoprenoid pathway. Therefore, our studies show that neither clomazone nor 5-OH clomazone inhibits the chloroplastic isoprenoid pathway, only 5-keto clomazone does.     

When, why, and how to perform cardiac radiofrequency catheter ablation

Radiofrequency catheter ablative techniques provide a unique opportunity to cure dogs of certain supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, rather than simply controlling the rhythm with drug therapy. Accessory pathways, which can participate as one limb of a rapid, narrow complex tachyarrhythmia circuit, have a particularly high cure rate with radiofrequency catheter ablation. Focal atrial tachycardias also provide a substrate that can be amenable to ablation. Tachycardia-induced myocardial dysfunction resulting from frequent tachyarrhythmic episodes will resolve after a successful ablation. This report outlines the indications, equipment, and techniques used in dogs for performing catheter ablation with temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy delivery.     

套袋对苹果果皮花青苷合成及着色的影响

套袋是提高苹果果实着色的主要技术措施之一,也是研究苹果果皮花青苷合成和基因表达的重要手段。苹果果皮花青苷的合成经由苯丙烷类代谢途径,编码苹果花青苷合成酶类的基因已得到克隆。套袋后果皮花青苷合成酶类的基因表达受到抑制,因而抑制了花青苷合成;摘袋后果皮花青苷迅速合成,与套袋后果皮光受体浓度增加和叶绿素含量降低从而提高对光的敏感度、迅速启动花青苷合成酶类的基因协同表达有关。果皮色素特别是花青苷和叶绿素的含量、比例和分布决定果实的着色状况,套袋促进果皮花青苷合成的同时大大降低了叶绿素含量,从而使果实着色鲜艳。     

Testing assumptions of cost surface analysis—a tool for invasive species management

Applied ecology could benefit from new tools that identify potential movement pathways of invasive species, particularly where data are sparse. Cost surface analysis (CSA) estimates the permeability (friction) across a landscape and can be applied to dispersal modelling. Increasingly used in a diversity of applications, several fundamental assumptions that might influence the outputs of CSA (cost surfaces and least-cost pathways) have yet to be systematically examined. Thus, we explore two issues: the presumed relationship between habitat preferences and dispersal behaviour as well as the degree of landscape fragmentation through which an organism moves by modelling a total of 18 sensitivity and dispersal scenarios. We explored the effect of fragmentation by altering the friction values (generally assigned using expert opinion) associated with patch and linear features. We compared these sensitivity scenarios in two sites that differed in fragmentation. We also used eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) as an example invading species and compared diffusion models and two contrasting cost surface dispersal scenarios. The diffusion model underestimated spread because squirrels did not move randomly through the landscape. Despite contrasting assumptions regarding dispersal behaviour, the two cost surfaces were strikingly similar while the least-cost paths differed. Furthermore, while the cost surfaces were insensitive to changes in friction values for linear features, they were sensitive to assumptions made for patch features. Our results suggest that movement in fragmented landscapes may be more sensitive to assumptions regarding friction values than contiguous landscapes. Thus, the reliability of CSA may depend not only on the range of friction values used for patches but also the degree of contiguity in the landscape.     

依普黄酮对骨质疏松症笼养蛋鸡OPG和RANKL表达的影响

选用200只24周龄健康海兰褐蛋鸡,随机分为4组:对照组(基础日粮中含钙3.55％)、低钙组(日粮合钙1.27％)、试验Ⅰ组(依普黄酮8 mg/kg,低钙日粮)和试验Ⅱ组(依普黄酮20 mg/kg,低钙日粮),观察依普黄酮对骨质疏松症笼养蛋鸡血清及骨骼骨保护素(Osteo protegerin,OPG)/核因子-相受体活化因子配体(Receptor activatorof NF-κB ligand,RANKL)表达的影响.结果显示:与低钙组相比,30 d时,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组血清OPG分别显著升高33.12％和60.19％(P＜0.05)；60 d时,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组血清OPG分别显著升高35.89％和61.59％ (P＜0.05)；30 d时,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组血清RANKL分别极显著降低63.85％和70.87％(P＜0.01)；60 d时,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组血清RANKL分别极显著降低69.98％和72.85％ (P＜0.01).与低钙组相比,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组骨组织OPG平均光密度分别显著(P＜0.05)和极显著(P＜0.01)升高,试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组蛋鸡骨组织RANKL平均光密度极显著低于低钙组蛋鸡(P＜o.01).试验Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组OPG/RANKL值高于低钙组.结果表明,低钙日粮中添加依普黄酮对蛋鸡骨质疏松症可起到一定改善作用,这可能与OPG上调,RANKL下调,影响RANKL信号通路,使其骨量增加,骨结构改善密切相关.     

水稻粒型调控基因功能研究进展

水稻是世界上的重要谷类粮食作物之一，其产量和品质一直都是育种学家关注的重点，关系到全球粮食安全和人类健康。水稻粒型主要包括粒长、粒宽、粒厚等，是受多基因控制的重要数量性状，不仅直接影响水稻产量，还与水稻品质密切相关。深入了解水稻粒型的形成与调控机理将有助于进一步提升水稻单株产量、改善稻米品质。分子生物学的发展和基因组学的研究为探究水稻内部调控机制带来了新的变革。大量水稻粒型的数量性状遗传位点（Quantitative trait locus，QTL）成功被鉴定与解析，并验证了与之有关的基因功能。目前，已有几条调控粒型的通路得到鉴定，如泛素 - 蛋白酶体降解途径、G 蛋白信号途径、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶途径、转录因子调控途径、植物激素途径以及表观遗传途径等。然而，粒型调控网络极其复杂，多数基因上下游的调控组件作用机制尚不清楚，甚至影响粒型的各条通路间均存在一定的交叉互作。本文综述了影响水稻粒型的不同信号通路相关基因研究进展及关键粒型基因间的互作关系，总结了近年来粒型基因在育种上的应用情况，并提出结合多组学解析水稻粒型的调控机理研究，以期更好地服务于分子设计育种，为开发新的高产优质稻育种提供支撑。