Is N‐feedback involved in the regulation of nitrogenase activity in Medicago truncatula?

To determine whether senescing leaves provoke an active nitrogen (N) remobilization that results in the reduction of nitrogenase activity, 60% of Medicago truncatula lower leaves were either darkened or individually excised for two weeks. Although a considerable amount of N was remobilized, N₂ fixation activity was found to be increased to maintain the N source/sink balance, indicating an absence of the negative N‐feedback regulation of nitrogenase activity in the senescing M. truncatula.     

Application of urease inhibitor improves protein composition and bread‐baking quality of urea fertilized winter wheat

Background: Nitrogen losses is an economic problem for wheat production and a high risk to the environment. Therefore, improved N fertilizer management is a key to increasing the N efficiency and minimizing N losses. To increase N efficiency, enhanced fertilizers such as urea combined with urease inhibitor can be used. Aims: The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of different N forms on grain storage protein subunits in winter wheat and to examine whether the observed changes correlate with parameters of baking quality. Methods: The investigation was performed over two consecutive years at two locations in Germany. Protein subunits were analyzed by SDS‐PAGE. Results: Protein concentrations were similarly increased after fertilization with ammonium nitrate and urea + urease inhibitor. Analysis of the individual storage protein fractions indicated that both fertilizers specifically enhanced ω‐gliadins and HMW glutenins, but the effect was more pronounced in the ammonium nitrate treatment. Application of urea + urease inhibitor had greater influence on the protein composition and resulted in higher specific baking volume as well as the best fresh keeping ability, in comparison with urea treatment. Conclusion: Considering that the urea + urease inhibitor treatment resulted in almost comparable improvements of NUE and baking quality, with the additional benefit of reduced N losses in combination with easy handling, urea + urease inhibitor can be recommended as a viable alternative to both urea alone and ammonium nitrate treatments. This opens up an opportunity for the reduction of N loss in wheat production when use of urea is preferred.     

Short-term effects of aglime on inorganic- and organic-derived CO2 emissions from two acid soils amended with an ammonium-based fertiliser

Purpose

Aglime application can promote carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from acid soils. However, the controlling mechanisms are still poorly understood, particularly the role of fertiliser-ammonium oxidation. This study therefore assessed the effects of aglime on soil inorganic C (SIC)– and soil organic C (SOC)–derived CO₂ emissions from acid soils amended with ammonium.

Materials and methods

Ammonium at three N rates [0% (A0), 0.005% (A1), and 0.2% (A2) w/w] and labelled aglime (Ca¹³CO_3,¹³C 5.94% aa) at three rates [0% (L1), 0.067% (L1), and 0.392% (L2) w/w] were applied to two contrasting acid soils (Nariva series, Mollic Fluvaquents; and Piarco series, Typic Kanhaplaquults) and incubated in 1-l media bottles for 23 days. A calcareous soil (Princes Town series, Aquentic Eutrudepts, carbonate δ¹³C of ??4.79‰) was included as a control that only received ammonium at the three rates.

Results and discussion

The application of ammonium at the A2 rate significantly (p?<?0.05) increased cumulative SIC-CO₂ emissions by 15.8 and 27.1% in comparison to the A0 rate for the Nariva and Piarco soils, respectively, when they were limed at the L2 rate. The lower rate of ammonium (A1), however, had no effect on these emissions, which suggests that enough acidity may not have been generated at this rate to significantly enhance the release of SIC-CO₂. Furthermore, no effect of ammonium rates was observed on SIC-CO₂ emissions from the calcareous soil, which refutes the hypothesis that this amendment plays a greater role in regulating these emissions from calcareous soils compared with acid soils. Also, in contradiction to another hypothesis, the aglime-induced priming effect on SOC decomposition was more apparent in the low-C Piarco soil. This effect was also significantly (p?<?0.05) greater at the L2 rate (above the lime requirement for Piarco), which demonstrates the negative impact that over-liming could have on the sequestration of C in this soil. Our results also showed that ammonium addition may also help to reduce the magnitude of the aglime-induced priming effect in the Piarco soil when it is not over-limed.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings of this study suggest that ammonium fertiliser broadcast at conventional rates may not serve as a significant regulator of SIC-CO₂ emissions from highly to moderately acidic soils amended with aglime. Our findings also indicate a need to consider nitrogen management as an important factor regulating the effects of aglime on SOC-CO₂ emissions.

     

不同根系分泌物对土壤N2O排放及同位素特征值的影响

【目的】探究植物根系分泌的主要组分（有机酸、氨基酸、糖类）对土壤N₂O排放及其微生物过程的影响,为选择适宜的植物进而控制土壤N₂O排放提供支撑。【方法】通过室内试验分别添加草酸、丝氨酸、葡萄糖于土壤中模拟根系的3种主要分泌物,每种分泌物设置两个浓度水平：低浓度（150 μg C·d ^-1）和高浓度（300 μg C·d ^-1）,另设置添加蒸馏水的对照组,共7个处理。将土壤置于120 mL玻璃瓶中进行培养,24 h内采集气体样品7次,每次培养2 h,获取N₂O排放速率、日累积排放量和同位素特征值（δ ¹⁵N ^bulk、δ ¹⁸O和SP（site preference,SP=δ ¹⁵N ^α-δ ¹⁵N ^β））。【结果】添加3种根系分泌物组分后,土壤N₂O排放速率均逐渐升高,且均高于对照。高浓度处理组N₂O累积排放量为：葡萄糖（（3.2±1.3）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理>丝氨酸（（2.6±0.5）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理>草酸（（1.4±0.2）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理,低浓度处理组为：草酸（（2.7±1.3）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理>丝氨酸（（1.8±0.4）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理>葡萄糖（（1.6±0.8）mg·kg ^-1·d ^-1）处理;添加根系分泌物的不同处理间土壤N₂O的δ ¹⁸O值无明显差异,并稳定在24.1‰—25.6‰,且均显著高于对照（（20.1±1.5）‰）;土壤N₂O的δ ¹⁵N ^bulk值与添加根系分泌物的种类有关,其中草酸处理组为（-20.06±2.22）‰、丝氨酸处理组为（-22.33±1.10）‰、葡萄糖处理组为（-13.86±1.11）‰、对照组为（-23.14±3.72）‰。各处理土壤N₂O的SP值的变化范围为13.13‰—15.03‰,根系分泌物浓度越高,SP值越低。综合分析不同处理4个指标（N₂O排放速率、N₂O的δ ¹⁵N ^bulk、δ ¹⁸O和SP值）的不同时刻的检测值与日均值的校正系数,添加根系分泌物后第16小时各处理4个指标的校正系数最接近于1。【结论】在NH+ 4-300 mg N·kg ^-1的土壤环境下根系分泌物促进N₂O的排放,且在培养期间（24 h）土壤N₂O排放速率逐渐升高。高浓度处理组葡萄糖对土壤N₂O排放速率促进效果最强,低浓度处理组草酸对土壤N₂O排放速率促进效果最强。与对照组相比,根系分泌物的添加使N₂O的δ ¹⁸O值显著升高;与对照组相比,葡萄糖的添加使δ ¹⁵N ^bulk值显著升高。根系分泌物浓度越高,反硝化作用对N₂O的贡献越大。     

miR-204 inhibits proliferation of Hodgkin lymphoma cells by targeting Sirt1/p53 signaling pathway

AIM: To investigate the effect of microRNA-204 (miR-204) on the proliferation of Hodgkin lymphoma cells and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: The expression of miR-204 and Sirt1 mRNA in Hodgkin lymphoma tissues was detected by RT-qPCR. After transfection with miR-204 mimic, Sirt1 siRNA and miR-204 mimic+pcDNA3.1-Sirt1 into the L428 cells, the cell viability and BrdU incorporation were measured by CCK-8 assay and BrdU assay, respectively. The protein levels of Sirt1 and acetylated p53 (ac-p53) were determined by Western blot.The targeting relationship between miR-204 and Sirt1 was verified by double luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: The low expression of miR-204 and the high mRNA expression of Sirt1 were found in the Hodgkin lymphoma tissues. Compared with control group, the cell viability, BrdU incorporation and the protein levels of Sirt1 and ac-p53 were significantly decreased after L428 cells were transfected with miR-204 mimic or Sirt1 siRNA (P<0.05). Compared with miR-204 mimic alone group, the cell viability, BrdU incorporation and the protein levels of Sirt1 and ac-p53 were increased after L428 cells were co-transfected with miR-204 mimic and pcDNA3.1-Sirt1 (P<0.05). The results of double luciferase reporter assay confiermed that Sirt1 was the target gene of miR-204. CONCLUSION: The inhibitory effect of miR-204 on the proliferation of L428 cells may be achieved by inhibiting the expression of Sirt1 and promoting the up-regulation of ac-p53.     

Three dimensional (3D) spatial metrics for objects

Landscape Ecology - The increasing availability of lidar data and structure from motion processing techniques is moving pattern metric research toward the development of three-dimensional (3D)...