Planting density for grafted melon as an alternative to methyl bromide use in Mexico

One of the major challenges of melon (Cucumis melo L.) yield is the decrease of fruit yield and quality caused by soil diseases. Soil disinfection with methyl bromide (MB) has been used to prevent soil-borne diseases damage; however, use of MB is being restricted because this substance damages the ozone layer. Searching for new MB alternatives, field experiments were carried out in open fields in soils infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis, Olpidium bornovanus, and Melon Necrotic Spot Virus (MNSV) in Colima, Mexico, where melons had only been grown previously using soil fumigation with MB. Yield and quality of melon cultivar Cruiser F1 (Harris Moran seed company) grafted on two rootstocks of Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne (“RS841”; Séminis seed company and “Shintosa Camelforce”; Nunhens seed company) were evaluated during two consecutive years. Each experiment had five treatments, two of which with non-grafted plants at a density of 18,519 plants/ha, with and without MB fumigation. The other three treatments consisted of grafted plants in non-fumigated soil with plant densities of 14,815, 11,111, and 9260 plants/ha. The use of melon grafted on “RS841” and “Shintosa Camelforce” rootstocks significantly increased the average fruit weight and the total yield of melons in soil without the need for MB. Grafting may be considered an alternative to MB fumigation. With the use of grafted melon plants, planting density may be reduced by 60%, obtaining higher yields than those obtained from non-grafted plants grown on fumigated land. Fruits harvested from grafted plants had equal firmness than those harvested from non-grafted plants, without affecting the content of soluble solids.     

Sulfur in soils

Sulfur (S) deficiency of crops, which has been reported with increasing frequency over the past two decades on a worldwide scale, is a factor that reduces yield and affects the quality of harvested products. Especially in Western European countries, incidence of S deficiency has increasingly been reported in Brassicaceae. For this reason, more attention should be paid to the optimization of S‐fertilizer application, in order to cover plant S requirements whilst minimizing environmental impacts. In soils, S exists in inorganic and organic forms. While sulfate (SO ), which is a direct S source for plants, contributes up to 5% of total soil S, generally more than 95% of soil S are organically bound. Organic S is divided into sulfate ester and carbon‐bonded S. Although not directly plant‐available, organically bound S may potentially contribute to the S supply of plants, especially in deficiency situations. Sulfur turnover involves both biochemical and biological mineralization. Biochemical mineralization, which is the release of SO from the ester sulfate pool through enzymatic hydrolysis, is controlled by S supply, while the biological mineralization is driven by the microbial need for organic C to provide energy.     

华北大黑鳃金龟气味结合蛋白HoblOBP2的生物信息学分析

探讨应用生物信息学技术预测华北大黑鳃金龟触角气味结合蛋白HoblOBP2三维结构及其与苯甲酸己酯的结合模式.利用生物信息学相关工具和网站预测HoblOBP2的基本性质,并对其三维结构进行同源建模后发现HoblOBP2的三维结构具有与昆虫普通气味结合蛋白结构的共同特点,即6个α螺旋,其中除了α2在外的5个α螺旋形成疏水结合口袋,3对二硫键起着稳定蛋白结构的作用.将苯甲酸己酯分子对接到HoblOBP2的活性区域,预测蛋白质与气味分子的结合模式,经分析可知蛋白质与气味分子主要通过范德华力和疏水作用相互影响,蛋白内部形成分子内氢键,根据蛋白与气味分子间的结合特性推测HoblOBP2与气味分子结合的三个关键结合位点分别为:LEU73,THR54和VAL137.     

中华蜜蜂普通气味结合蛋白ASP2的气味结合功能模式分析

【目的】研究中华蜜蜂（Apis cerana cerana）体外重组普通气味结合蛋白AcerASP2与不同气味信息的结合功能和模式。【方法】通过诱导条件的优化和纯化,在获得的重组AcerASP2蛋白基础上,研究竞争性荧光探针1-NPN及不同结构气味信息与蛋白的相互作用关系,并通过同源建模和分子对接解析蛋白与气味信息的结合模式和机理。【结果】通过条件摸索获得了可溶性表达的重组中蜂ASP2蛋白,荧光光谱分析1-NPN与AcerASP2的解离常数K1-NPN为7.38 μmol•L-1,结合位点数n为1.0321。在7种气味信息中,4-烯丙基藜芦醚亲和力最强,其IC50和解离常数KD分别达到7.09和3.46 μmol•L-1。分子对接显示AcerASP2具有1个呈狭长的口袋状的疏水性结合内腔,4-烯丙基藜芦醚绝大部分位于该预测疏水性内腔中,且与Lys74产生2个氢键。【结论】中华蜜蜂AcerASP2由于特殊的空间结构而具有较强的气味信息结合能力,且易通过与疏水内腔中的赖氨酸残基产生氢键而促进结合。     

Capacity of selected Illinois soils to remove lead from aqueous solution

Abstract

Lead is being added to the environment in automotive exhausts and as an industrial pollutant. To understand its fate in the environment, it is necessary that factors affecting the capacity of soils to sorb Fb be determined.

The capacity of soils to sorb Fb from aqueous solutions vas measured for selected Illinois soils via column leaching experiments and adsorption isotherms. A regression equation was determined that predicted the capacity of a soil to sorb Fb based on its C.E.C., pH and soluble F level. Results of the regression analysis indicated that soil properties associated with increasing C.E.C., i.e. higher organic matter content, higher surface area, and higher clay content have a greater effect on Fb sorption than soil pH, and that soil pH has a greater effect than soluble P.     

茉莉酸甲酯与水杨酸对光温敏雄性不育小麦颖花开闭的调控

为探索雄性不育小麦小花颖壳开闭人工调控的有效途径,将离体穗或连体穗用茉莉酸甲酯(Methyljasmonate,MeJA)或水杨酸(Salicylic acid,SA)溶液浸穗,研究了MeJA与SA对光温敏雄性不育小麦BS366(Triticum aestivum L.)颖花开闭的诱导效应.结果表明,0.5、1.0、2.0、4.0 mmol/L MeJA均可显著诱导BS366离体穗开颖,并且诱导效应随浓度的增加而增强;1.0、2.0、4.0 mmol/L MeJA诱导的开颖率无显著差异,三者在处理后12 h内可诱导大部分的小花开颖,并且对低结实率的诱导效应更明显.适播(自交结实率为0%)的BS366对MeJA响应速度起初略快于晚播(自交结实率为7%),之后适播的BS366开颖率的增长呈先慢后快的变化,晚播的BS366则呈先快后慢的变化.4.0 mmol/L MeJA亦可显著诱导田间连体穗开颖,MeJA处理后第1 d和第5 d人工授粉的结实率达80.4%和91.3%,表明MeJA处理对雌蕊无副作用.5.0和10.0 mmol/L的SA对MeJA诱导离体麦穗开颖的效应有明显的抑制效应,而2.0 mmol/L的SA没有抑制效应;各浓度的SA均能显著促进经MeJA诱导开颖的小花闭颖,5.0和10.0 mmol/L SA的效应更为明显.     

2个甜菜夜蛾信息素结合蛋白cDNA片段的克隆和序列分析

 通过比较几种已发表夜蛾科昆虫的信息素结合蛋白（PBP）氨基酸序列，设计合成一对简并性引物, 利用反转录多聚酶链式反应（RT-PCR）技术从甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua Hübner)雄虫触角扩增得到2个分别为275 bp和281 bp的cDNA片段SexigPBP1和SexigPBP2，其分别由92个氨基酸残基和94个氨基酸残基组成。通过在GenBank中进行序列的同源性比较，表明这2个序列与已知几种昆虫的PBP氨基酸序列具较高同源性。     

Low-density lipoprotein-related receptor protein 1 (LRP-1) is not required for insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) to suppress L6 myogenic cell proliferation

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) suppresses proliferation of numerous cell types, including myogenic cells, via both insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-dependent and IGF-independent mechanisms; however, the mechanism of IGF-independent suppression of proliferation is not clearly defined. In nonmuscle cells, binding of IGFBP-3 to the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1)/activated α(2)M receptor is reportedly required for IGFBP-3 to inhibit proliferation. These findings suggest that binding to this receptor also may be required for IGFBP-3 to suppress proliferation of cultured myogenic cells. To investigate the role of the LRP-1 receptor in suppression of myogenic cell proliferation by IGFBP-3, we have examined the effect of receptor-associated protein, an LRP-1 receptor antagonist, on recombinant porcine (rp)IGFBP-3 inhibition of L6 myogenic cell proliferation. Treatment with receptor-associated protein results in a 37% decrease (P < 0.05) in the ability of rpIGFBP-3 to inhibit L6-cell proliferation. In L6 cells subjected to LRP-1 small interfering RNA treatment for 48 h (LRP-1 silenced), LRP-1 mRNA levels were reduced by greater than 80% compared with control cultures treated with nonsense small interfering RNA (mock silenced). In addition, the 85-kDa transmembrane subunit of LRP-1 was undetectable in Western immunoblots of total protein lysates from LRP-1-silenced cells. Even though LRP-1 mRNA and protein levels were dramatically reduced in LRP-1-silenced L6 cells compared with mock-silenced controls, rpIGFPB-3 suppressed proliferation rate to the same extent in both LRP-1-silenced and mock-silenced cultures. Our results strongly suggest that, in contrast to data obtained for nonmuscle cell lines, the LRP-1 receptor is not required for IGFBP-3 to suppress proliferation of L6 myogenic cells.     

Effect of growth hormone administration to mature miniature Brahman cattle treated with or without insulin on circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I and other metabolic hormones and metabolites

Previously, we determined that a primary cause of proportional stunted growth in a line of Brahman cattle was related to an apparent refractoriness in metabolic response to GH in young animals. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of administration of GH, insulin (INS), and GH plus INS to mature miniature Brahman cows (n = 6; 9.7 ± 2.06 y; 391 ± 48.6 kg) and bulls (n = 8; 9.4 ± 2.00 y; 441 ± 54.0 kg) on circulating concentrations of metabolic hormones and metabolites, primarily IGF-I and IGF-I binding proteins. We hypothesized that IGF-I secretion could be enhanced by concomitant administration of exogenous GH and INS, and neither alone would be effective. Animals were allotted to a modified crossover design that included four treatments: control (CON), GH, INS, and GH + INS. At the start of the study, one-half of the cattle were administered GH (Posilac; 14-d slow release) and the other one-half served as CON for 7 d. Beginning on day 8, and for 7 d, INS (Novolin L) was administered (0.125 IU/kg BW) twice daily (7:00 AM and 7:00 PM) to all animals; hence, the INS and GH + INS treatments. Cattle were rested for 14 d and then were switched to the reciprocal crossover treatments. Blood samples were collected at 12-hour intervals during the study. Compared with CON, GH treatment increased (P < 0.01) mean plasma concentrations of GH (11.1 vs 15.7 ± 0.94 ng/mL), INS (0.48 vs 1.00 ± 0.081 ng/mL), IGF-I (191.3 vs 319.3 ± 29.59 ng/mL), and glucose (73.9 vs 83.4 ± 2.12 mg/dL) but decreased (P < 0.05) plasma urea nitrogen (14.2 vs 11.5 ± 0.75 mg/dL). Compared with INS, GH + INS treatment increased (P < 0.05) mean plasma concentration of INS (0.71 vs 0.96 ± 0.081 ng/mL), IGF-I (228.7 vs 392.3 ± 29.74 ng/mL), and glucose (48.1 vs 66.7 ± 2.12 mg/dL), decreased (P < 0.01) plasma urea nitrogen (13.6 vs 10.4 ± 0.76 mg/dL), and did not affect GH (13.5 vs 12.7 ± 0.95 ng/mL). In the miniature Brahman model, both the GH and GH + INS treatments dramatically increased circulating concentrations of IGF-I in mature cattle, suggesting that this line of Brahman cattle is capable of responding to bioactive GH.