青花菜不同器官中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷及萝卜硫素含量分析

 【目的】青花菜的抗癌功能主要与4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷的降解产物萝卜硫素有关,通过测定不同青花菜材料花球、茎和叶片中两者的含量并分析两者含量间的相关性,为青花菜高营养品质育种提供理论依据。【方法】采用反相高效液相色谱法,对24个不同青花菜材料花球、茎和叶片中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷含量,及其中的10份材料花球、茎和叶片中萝卜硫素含量进行测定和分析。【结果】青花菜不同基因型间以及不同器官间4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷和萝卜硫素含量差异均极显著,4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷和萝卜硫素含量均为花球含量最高,其次为茎,叶片含量最低;不同材料花球中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷平均含量分别为茎和叶片的4.4和13.97倍,萝卜硫素平均含量分别为茎和叶片的4和8.7倍,而有的基因型材料茎和叶片中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷的含量较高,约为花球中的50%;参试的10个不同基因型材料的花球、茎和叶片中的萝卜硫素含量与其前体4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷含量间相关系数分别为0.9886**,0.9994**,0.9935**。【结论】不同青花菜材料间不同器官中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷含量存在显著差异;在青花菜萝卜硫素开发应用中,可选择其前体4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷作为筛选指标,并可筛选茎和叶中4-甲基亚磺酰丁基硫苷含量较高的材料作为提取萝卜硫素的原料。     

Role of Cumulus Cells on In Vitro Maturation of Canine Oocytes

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the relationship between the morphological status of cumulus cells surrounding canine oocytes after maturation culture and the meiotic stage of the oocytes. In addition, the effect of the removal of cumulus cells from canine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) during maturation culture on their meiotic competence was examined. Canine COCs were collected from bitches at the anoestrous and dioestrous stages and only COCs with >110 microm in vitelline diameter were cultured in medium 199 with 10% canine serum for 72 h. In the first experiment, the relation between the morphological status of cumulus cells surrounding oocytes cultured for 72 h and their meiotic stages was examined. At the end of maturation culture, the proportions of intact, partially nude and completely nude oocytes were 65.2%, 22.9% and 11.9%, respectively. The proportion of maturation to metaphase II of completely nude oocytes was highest among the oocytes with different morphological status of cumulus cells. In the second experiment, the cumulus cells were partially or completely removed from COCs at 48 h after the start of maturation culture and the oocytes were cultured for a further 24 h. The proportion of oocytes reaching metaphase II in the completely denuded oocytes was significantly higher than that in the control oocytes without the removal treatment of cumulus cells. The results indicate that morphological status of cumulus cells surrounding oocytes may be related to the nuclear maturation of canine oocytes, and the removal of cumulus cells from COCs during maturation culture can promote the completion of oocyte meiotic maturation.     

Methyl‐β‐Cyclodextrin Improves Sperm Capacitation Status Assessed by Flow Cytometry Analysis and Zona Pellucida‐Binding Ability of Frozen/Thawed Bovine Spermatozoa

Mammalian sperm undergo a series of biochemical transformations in the female reproductive tract that are collectively known as capacitation. Cyclodextrins added to the sperm culture medium have been described to induce in vitro sperm capacitation, enabling its use in protein‐free media. However, the additive capacitating effect of methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MβCD) in the medium containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) is unknown in the bovine species. In this study, we evaluated the effects of incubating frozen–thawed bovine spermatozoa in a BSA‐containing medium supplemented with MβCD on different sperm quality and functional parameters. Sperm viability decreased with the addition of MβCD in a dose‐dependent manner (p < 0.05), and DNA damage could be observed but only with the highest concentration of MβCD. However, pre‐incubation of spermatozoa in MβCD‐supplemented medium improved the capacitation status as assessed by the increase in plasma membrane fluidity, intracellular calcium concentration, induced acrosome reactivity and zona pellucida (ZP)‐binding ability (p < 0.05). Thus, we conclude that MβCD supplementation is able to enhance the capacitation status of frozen–thawed bovine spermatozoa cultured in capacitation medium containing BSA and could result in a valid strategy for its application on artificial reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.     

Identifying open-pollinated populations of field corn as sources of cold tolerance for improving sweet corn

Sweet corn has poor cold tolerance and adaptation to the European Atlantic coast. Our objectives were to identify sources of favorable alleles for improving cold tolerance of three sweet corn hybrids, to compare sources of cold tolerance and early vigor, and to provide additional information on the relationships among different classes of loci and estimators of favorable alleles for cold tolerance. Each of ten field corn populations was crossed to four sweet corn inbreds. The field by sweet corn hybrids, the populations, the inbreds and the target hybrids were evaluated under cold conditions. Estimates of the mean frequencies of four classes of loci in the populations, and six estimators of favorable alleles (lp_lμ', PTC, UBND, NI, PNG_g, and PNG_ceg) and GCA were computed. The population by inbred crosses were significantly different for emergence proportion and survival. Correlations between lp_lμ', UBND, PTC and NI were high for emergence proportion. Most estimates of favorable alleles were significantly different from zero but not among populations. PTC was used to choose the best potential donor populations. The US Corn Belt Dent population AS-3(HT)C3 and the Spanish flint population Oroso were the best potential donors of favorable alleles for emergence proportion and survival under cold conditions, respectively. The ability to germinate and survive under cold conditions may be necessary, but it does not ensure adaptation to cold humid springs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Magnetic field effect on picosecond electron transfer

The recombination dynamics of a transition metal redox system monitored by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy are shown to be sensitive to high magnetic fields at times shorter than 10 picoseconds. The effect, based on coherent population beats of different spin states, is quantitatively accounted for and allows direct access to spin relaxation rates far beyond the time resolution of the fastest electron paramagnetic resonance technique. The presence of this ultrafast magnetic field effect helps in understanding complex reaction schemes in transition metal chemistry, which occur in a wide range of fields, such as bioinorganic chemistry and catalysis.     

Factors affecting the glucosinolate content of kale (Brassica oleracea acephala group)

Kales (Brassica oleracea acephala group) are important vegetable crops in traditional farming systems in the Iberian Peninsula. They are grown throughout the year to harvest their leaves and flower buds. The glucosinolate content of kales is dependent upon the environmental factors, plant part examined, phenological stage of plant growth, and level of insect damage. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the changes in the total and individual glucosinolate concentrations during plant development and to determine if significant variation of glucosinolate levels can be explained by insect pests attack and other environmental factors in four locations in northwestern Spain. The total glucosinolate concentration in leaves of B. oleracea increased with plant age from seedling to early flowering stages. At that stage, the aliphatic glucosinolate content in leaves of B. oleracea declined drastically over time as the content in the flower buds increased. The highest contents of indolyl glucosinolate (glucobrassicin) and of the aromatic glucosinolate occurred in leaves harvested at the optimum consumption stage while flower buds contained the highest concentration of aliphatic glucosinolates, especially sinigrin. Sinigrin is reported to have anticarcinogenic properties. There appears to be a loss of total and individual glucosinolate concentrations related to pest attack. Leaves damaged by lepidopterous pests contained a lower total glucosinolate content (25.8 micromol g-1 dw) than undamaged leaves (41 micromol g-1 dw). The amounts of sinigrin, glucoiberin, and glucobrassicin were also lowest in insect-damaged leaves. Environmental factors such as soil properties and temperature appear to influence the glucosinolate content in leaves although more research on this subject is needed.