Stem growth during seed production in soybean: Implications for pod yield

In soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), stems remain a competitive carbon resource sink during reproduction. Radial stem expansion after termination of axial stem growth requires resources to produce secondary cell walls in secondary vascular tissues. The impact of both the timing and extent of secondary growth in stems on fruit production in soybean is unknown. We hypothesized that cultivars gaining higher amounts of secondary vascular tissues during seed filling would experience lower reproductive output. Four determinate cultivars were grown in a greenhouse and harvested at the beginning and ending of seed filling for biomass determination and tissue composition measurement (ImageJ-Fiji). Cultivar ‘Hanover’ entered seed filling with the lowest amount of secondary phloem. It produced the largest increase in radial stem expansion, largest seeds, and fewest undeveloped (aborted) fruits. The physiological role of active secondary phloem production in stems for seed production in soybean reproduction is unclear. We reject our initial hypothesis and propose that high fitness may require the concomitant growth of vegetative and reproductive organs.     

Trans-endocytosis of CD80 and CD86: a molecular basis for the cell-extrinsic function of CTLA-4

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is an essential negative regulator of T cell immune responses whose mechanism of action is the subject of debate. CTLA-4 shares two ligands (CD80 and CD86) with a stimulatory receptor, CD28. Here, we show that CTLA-4 can capture its ligands from opposing cells by a process of trans-endocytosis. After removal, these costimulatory ligands are degraded inside CTLA-4-expressing cells, resulting in impaired costimulation via CD28. Acquisition of CD86 from antigen-presenting cells is stimulated by T cell receptor engagement and observed in vitro and in vivo. These data reveal a mechanism of immune regulation in which CTLA-4 acts as an effector molecule to inhibit CD28 costimulation by the cell-extrinsic depletion of ligands, accounting for many of the known features of the CD28-CTLA-4 system.     

Conserved structure for single-stranded telomeric DNA recognition

The essential Cdc13 protein in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a single-stranded telomeric DNA binding protein required for chromosome end protection and telomere replication. Here we report the solution structure of the Cdc13 DNA binding domain in complex with telomeric DNA. The structure reveals the use of a single OB (oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding) fold augmented by an unusually large loop for DNA recognition. This OB fold is structurally similar to OB folds found in the ciliated protozoan telomere end-binding protein, although no sequence similarity is apparent between them. The common usage of an OB fold for telomeric DNA interaction demonstrates conservation of end-protection mechanisms among eukaryotes.     

The Effects of a Land Drainage Scheme on the Salmonid Populations of the River Camowen, Co. Tyrone

Annual electro fishing surveys were carried out over an 11-year period at five sites on an upland river, which was subject to dredging operations in connection with a land drainage scheme. Four of the sites were dredged 3 years after the start of the survey and one control site remained undredged throughout. The results indicated that dredging operations initially reduced Salmonid densities and that there was subsequently a progressive downstream recovery, with fry densities taking up to 6 years to improve at the most downstream site. Yearling and older fish recovered to pre-drainage scheme levels more rapidly than fry. Changes in population structure were also observed at three of the dredged sites. Two sites were considerably deepened and finally contained larger numbers of older fish than prior to the drainage scheme. The opposite effect was found to have taken place at a site, which became shallower as a result of drainage works, and contained larger numbers of fry at the end of the survey. Increased fish growth rates were also observed at all sites over the experimental period, and this may have been correlated with enrichment of the river system by leaching from increased fertilizer usage within the catchments.