Molecular cloning and functional analysis of duck Toll-like receptor 5

Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is responsible for the recognition of bacterial flagellin in vertebrates. In this study, we cloned the single-exon TLR5 gene of the Maya breed of Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). The TLR5 open reading frame is 2580 bp in length and encodes an 859-amino acid protein. The putative amino acid sequence of duck TLR5 consisted of a signal peptide sequence, 11 leucine-rich repeat domains, a leucine-rich repeat C-terminal domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular Toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain. The duck TLR5 gene was highly expressed in the lung, bone marrow, spleen, and liver; moderately expressed in kidney, small intestine, large intestine, and brain. A plasmid expressing duck TLR5 was constructed and transfected into HEK293T cells, and expression was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. HEK293T cells transfected with duck TLR5- and NF-κB-luciferase-containing plasmids significantly responded to flagellin from Salmonella typhimurium, indicating that it is a functional TLR5 homolog.     

激素与营养液配施对平菇产量及品质的影响

植物激素与营养液配合施用可促进平菇菌丝生长和子实体发育，提高产量，改善商品性状，但却不能增加干物质的积累。对营养成分含量的影响随激素与营养液配方的不同而异。     

Effects of puerarin on apelin-12, angiotensin II,NO and blood pressure in renovascular hypertensive rat

AIM: To investigate the effects of puerarin on blood pressure in renovascular hypertensive rats, and to measure puerarin-induced changes of apelin-12, angiotensin II (Ang II) and nitric oxide(NO), the factors related to development of hypertension. METHODS: Sixty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were used, of which 8 rats were randomly selected as sham operation group, and the remaining were used to make two-kidney, one-clip model. The rats that met the criterion for Goldblatt hypertensive rat model were randomly allocated into 5 groups: high-, middle- and low-dose puerarin groups, captopril group, and model group. The drugs were administered for 6 weeks. Blood pressure was measured every 2 weeks. Six weeks after treatment, all rats were sacrificed under deep anesthesia. Blood and kidney samples were collected. The level of apelin-12 in serum and kidneys was detected by ELISA. The level of Ang II in plasma and kidneys was measured by radioimmunoassay. NO level in serum was examined by nitrate reductase assay. RESULTS: Puerarin had an antihypertensive effect in a dose-dependent manner. Marked decreases in the level of serum apelin-12 in high- and middle-dose puerarin groups were observed(P<0.01). Puerarin at low dose did not cause obvious change in the content of apelin but still reached significant level (P<0.05). As the dose of puerarin went up, the level of apelin-12 in the kidneys was gradually decreased. Puerarin at high and middle doses obviously reduced the level of AngII in plasma, while purarin at low dose did not produce any significant effects. Puerarin at high and middle doses markedly increased the level of NO in serum, but puerarin at low dose did not induce any significant changes. CONCLUSION: Puerarin has an antihypertensive effect, and its mechanism may be related to inducing the changes of apelin, Ang II and NO, and regulating the balance among those factors.     

The role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in alleviating pine decline in semiarid sandy soil of northern China: an experimental approach

The decline of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) trees on sandy land in northern China has caused serious ecological concerns. Mongolian pine is an ectomycorrhizal fungus (ECM)-dependent species. Three ECM species (Boletus sp., Lactarius deliciosus and L.sp.) were collected from Mongolian pine plantation stands to test their beneficial effects on Mongolian pine seedlings and their responses to environmental factors such as pH, drought stress and temperature. The results indicated that ECM inoculation significantly increased the rate of ECM colonization and the length of seedling shoots. The three ECM could grow in a pH range from 4 to 7, but did not grow under heavy drought stress (?1.53 MPa). High temperatures (over 37 °C) caused death of ECM. When related to soil pH, soil water content and temperature in the Mongolian pine plantations, water conditions and temperature were unfavorable for ECM growth in surface soil, but suitable in deeper soil. Therefore, it was concluded that the failure of natural regeneration in Mongolian pine plantations might be influenced by the lack of ECM in the surface soil because of high temperatures causing ECM death. Moreover, the majority of the root area is distributed in deeper soil, which alleviates the stresses on ECM development and arrests pine decline; this is beneficial for tree growth.     

白牦牛早期胚胎发育条件的初步研究

研究了卵母细胞质量和体外受精卵培养温度对白牦牛早期胚胎发育的影响。结果表明:白牦牛体外受精时要选择A级质量的卵母细胞,体外受精胚胎发育的最适温度为38℃。为完善白牦牛胚胎的体外生产体系提供了实验依据。     

水稻雄性不育突变体012S-3的遗传分析和基因定位

雄性不育是水稻杂种优势利用的重要资源,对雄性不育现象的研究具有重要理论意义和实践价值。本研究以自然突变的水稻雄性不育突变体012S-3为试验材料,对其表型特征和花粉育性等进行调查,并构建遗传群体,利用分子标记对目的基因进行初步定位,然后应用基因组重测序技术对其进行精细定位。结果表明,012S-3是一个典型的无花粉普通型雄性不育材料,其不育性状受1对隐性核基因控制。初步定位分析目的基因与SSR标记RM6081存在连锁关系,其遗传距离约为34.4 c M;进一步的精细定位分析,找到3个候选基因:LOC_Os07g35880、LOC_Os07g35920和LOC_Os07g35940,其中LOC_Os07g35880和LOC_Os07g35940编码β-淀粉酶,属于水稻中新发现的花粉致死基因。该不育基因的成功定位为其进一步的分离克隆及其在水稻分子设计育种中的应用奠定了基础。     

高温胁迫对无柄小叶榕光合作用的影响

以无柄小叶榕为材料,研究了不同时间高温处理对无柄小叶榕气体交换参数、叶绿素荧光参数和Rubisco活力的影响.结果表明,随着高温处理的持续,净光合速率(Pn)持续下降,而气孔导度(Gs)下降非常缓慢,蒸腾速率(Tr)则先开始快速上升随后保持稳定,但是胞间CO2浓度(Ci)却没有明显变化.进一步研究发现,在高温胁迫下,开放PSII反应中心激发能捕获效率(Fv''/Fm'')、光化学猝灭(gP)、PSⅡ实际量子产额(Φ<,PSⅡ>)和电子传递速率(ETR)都持续下降.Rubisco初始活力下降速度则快于这些荧光参数的变化.非光化学猝灭(NPQ)14是先迅速上升后来略有下降.这些结果表明高温抑制无柄小叶榕的光合作用不是由于气孔因素引起的,而是由于高温抑制了Rubisco活力,进而影响PSⅡ活力和电子传递.     

水稻淀粉合成代谢相关基因与千粒重QTLs的连锁分析

稻米淀粉的合成和积累是水稻千粒重形成的重要基础之一。在水稻千粒重QTLs定位分析基础上，对本研究克隆的14个水稻胚乳淀粉合成与积累相关基因及已报道的和预测的42个相关基因进行了电子定位分析，比较水稻淀粉合成代谢相关基因与千粒重QTLs的连锁关系。发现有38个基因位点与千粒重QTLs连锁，说明千粒重形成与胚乳淀粉积累与淀粉结构形成代谢密切相关。本研究结果将为进一步研究水稻产量形成的分子机理提供参考。