The role of wheat awns in the seed dispersal unit

The dispersal unit of wild wheat bears two pronounced awns that balance the unit as it falls. We discovered that the awns are also able to propel the seeds on and into the ground. The arrangement of cellulose fibrils causes bending of the awns with changes in humidity. Silicified hairs that cover the awns allow propulsion of the unit only in the direction of the seeds. This suggests that the dead tissue is analogous to a motor. Fueled by the daily humidity cycle, the awns induce the motility required for seed dispersal.     

mTORC1 senses lysosomal amino acids through an inside-out mechanism that requires the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase

The mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) protein kinase is a master growth regulator that is stimulated by amino acids. Amino acids activate the Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), which promote the translocation of mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface, the site of mTORC1 activation. We found that the vacuolar H(+)-adenosine triphosphatase ATPase (v-ATPase) is necessary for amino acids to activate mTORC1. The v-ATPase engages in extensive amino acid-sensitive interactions with the Ragulator, a scaffolding complex that anchors the Rag GTPases to the lysosome. In a cell-free system, ATP hydrolysis by the v-ATPase was necessary for amino acids to regulate the v-ATPase-Ragulator interaction and promote mTORC1 translocation. Results obtained in vitro and in human cells suggest that amino acid signaling begins within the lysosomal lumen. These results identify the v-ATPase as a component of the mTOR pathway and delineate a lysosome-associated machinery for amino acid sensing.     

Human tears contain a chemosignal

Emotional tearing is a poorly understood behavior that is considered uniquely human. In mice, tears serve as a chemosignal. We therefore hypothesized that human tears may similarly serve a chemosignaling function. We found that merely sniffing negative-emotion-related odorless tears obtained from women donors induced reductions in sexual appeal attributed by men to pictures of women's faces. Moreover, after sniffing such tears, men experienced reduced self-rated sexual arousal, reduced physiological measures of arousal, and reduced levels of testosterone. Finally, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that sniffing women's tears selectively reduced activity in brain substrates of sexual arousal in men.     

The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1

The multiprotein mTORC1 protein kinase complex is the central component of a pathway that promotes growth in response to insulin, energy levels, and amino acids and is deregulated in common cancers. We find that the Rag proteins--a family of four related small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases)--interact with mTORC1 in an amino acid-sensitive manner and are necessary for the activation of the mTORC1 pathway by amino acids. A Rag mutant that is constitutively bound to guanosine triphosphate interacted strongly with mTORC1, and its expression within cells made the mTORC1 pathway resistant to amino acid deprivation. Conversely, expression of a guanosine diphosphate-bound Rag mutant prevented stimulation of mTORC1 by amino acids. The Rag proteins do not directly stimulate the kinase activity of mTORC1, but, like amino acids, promote the intracellular localization of mTOR to a compartment that also contains its activator Rheb.     

Bovine thyroglobulin gene polymorphisms and their association with sexual precocity in Guzerat bulls

Puberty is a stage of sexual development determined by the interaction of environmental factors and genetic mechanisms. Among them, thyroid function plays a key role in sexual development and spermatogenic function and is under the control of several genes, including the well‐described thyroglobulin gene (TG). Previous reports have shown genetic association between thyroid function and selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in taurine cattle. Therefore, the identification of genetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of this trait can assist with the selection for early pubertal bulls, thus improving genetic progress in livestock breeding. The aim of this study was to validate the association between TG SNPs and age at puberty in zebuine bulls. Three SNPs (rs110406764, rs109662686, rs109057985) were genotyped in 159 Guzerat animals using SEQUENOM technology. Results showed a significant association (p < .05) between the studied SNPs and puberty age, in agreement with our previous reports in a taurine breed. Interestingly, allele frequencies were different from those already reported, being GAT the most favourable allele for age at puberty in Guzerat (94.4 days lower). Overall, our findings corroborate previous reports and reinforce the importance of genetic influence in the regulation of sexual development and puberty through a thyroid pathway in zebuine cattle.     

纳米纤维素晶体的制备及表征

采用超声波辅助硫酸水解、高速离心取其上清层水溶胶的方法由微晶纤维素(MCC)制备纳米纤维素晶体(NCC),并采用场发射透射电子显微镜(FETEM)、场发射环境扫描电子显微镜(FEGE-SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)和傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)对所制备NCC的尺寸与形态、结构、组成和光谱性质进行分析。结果表明:FETEM和FEGE-SEM观察所制备纳米纤维素晶体形态相同,呈棒状,直径和长度主要分布在2～24nm和50～450nm;XRD图谱表明NCC仍属于纤维素Ⅰ型,结晶度为77.29%,晶粒尺寸为3～6nm;FTIR分析表明所制备的纳米纤维素晶体仍然具有纤维素的基本化学结构。