F-box proteins in flowering plants

In eukaryotes, the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway has been shown to control several key biological processes such as cell division, development, metabolism and immune response. F-box proteins, as a part of SCF (Skp1-Cullin (or Cdc53)-F-box) complex, functioned by interacting with substrate proteins, leading to their subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. To date, several F-box proteins identified in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum have been shown to play important roles in auxin signal transduction, floral organ formation, flowering and leaf senescence. Arabidopsis genome sequence analysis revealed that it encodes over 1000 predicted F-box proteins accounting for about 5% of total predicted proteins. These results indicate that the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation involving the F-box proteins is an important mechanism controlling plant gene expression. Here, we review the known F-box proteins and their functionsin flowering plants.     

Repeated, recent and diverse transfers of a mitochondrial gene to the nucleus in flowering plants

A central component of the endosymbiotic theory for the bacterial origin of the mitochondrion is that many of its genes were transferred to the nucleus. Most of this transfer occurred early in mitochondrial evolution; functional transfer of mitochondrial genes has ceased in animals. Although mitochondrial gene transfer continues to occur in plants, no comprehensive study of the frequency and timing of transfers during plant evolution has been conducted. Here we report frequent loss (26 times) and transfer to the nucleus of the mitochondrial gene rps10 among 277 diverse angiosperms. Characterization of nuclear rps10 genes from 16 out of 26 loss lineages implies that many independent, RNA-mediated rps10 transfers occurred during recent angiosperm evolution; each of the genes may represent a separate functional gene transfer. Thus, rps10 has been transferred to the nucleus at a surprisingly high rate during angiosperm evolution. The structures of several nuclear rps10 genes reveal diverse mechanisms by which transferred genes become activated, including parasitism of pre-existing nuclear genes for mitochondrial or cytoplasmic proteins, and activation without gain of a mitochondrial targeting sequence.     

Gene control of flowering time in higher plants

Flowering involves a transition process from vegetative growth to reproductive development, in which a series of routine changes take place in the shoot apical meristems from metabolic pathway to external phenotype. Expression of the genes related to flowering is the foundation for achieving the transition. Environmental factors (such as vernalization and photoperiod) and the growth status of cell itself induce the expression of the specific genes. A lot of achievements have been made recently in gene control for the determination of flowering time. The article reviews some new advances of such researches related to our work and the interesting field.     

雌雄异型异熟植物的开花机制研究进展

雌雄异型异熟是植物从雌雄同花向雌雄异株进化过程中的一种过渡类型,目前发现存在于13个科20个属植物中。其群体中包括雌先型和雄先型两种交配类型,两种交配类型植株的同步性和互不干扰性可有效地避免自交。一般认为雌雄异型异熟植株的交配类型是固定不变的,但也在一些植物中发现了彼此间的转化; 植株内雌雄花开放时间有的完全错开,有的部分重叠。经典遗传学认为交配类型受1对显/隐性的等位基因控制,且当群体达到平衡时两种交配类型的比例可达平衡状态(1:1),这在胡桃属和山核桃属上得到了验证,但在其他同类植物分子生物学方面的研究还是空白。雌雄异型异熟植物的性别决定为饰变型,其性别分化不仅受性别决定基因的遗传控制,而且还受植物激素的诱导调控,但不同植物上激素诱导性别分化的作用存在差异。解剖学研究表明同一交配类型上的雌雄花发育和成熟时间均存在差异。     

开花植物延迟自交的研究进展

延迟自交是植物在单朵花开花末期主动自花授粉的一种繁殖方式。为了补充及完善植物进化和传粉生物学研究的综合数据资料,笔者概述了延迟自交的发生途径、试验研究方法、“两全其美”繁殖保障假说等方面的进展,探讨了其适应性意义,并对今后的研究方向提出了建议。目前,延迟自交现象广泛发生在43科61属74种植物中,其中,52种植物的发生途径是单一的,22种植物由两种途径共同作用。在单一途径中,柱头弯曲引起的延迟自交最为常见;不完全雌雄异熟和雌雄异位减小两种途径共同作用促进的延迟自交最为常见。对延迟自交的观察,多采用宏观传粉生物学手段,少有研究将宏观传粉生物学与遗传学手段相结合为延迟自交的发生提供最严谨的证据。延迟自交的繁殖保障假说表明,植物在优先保障异交进行的前提下,当传粉环境不可预测时,延迟自交能为植物的繁殖成功提供保障,被认为是结合了自交和异交优点的“两全其美”的交配系统。此外,对于少胚珠物种,昆虫单次授粉后即可充分授粉;为节约植物资源,还可阻止延迟自交的发生。     

A guided tour: Pollen tube orientation in flowering plants

Sexual reproduction in flowering plants requires that two sperm cells are delivered to the embryo sac where double fertilization of an egg cell and of a central cell results in the formation of a diploid embryo and of the triploid nutritional endosperm tissue. The immobile male gametes are delivered to the im- mobile female gametophyte by a single cell, the pollen tube. The pollen tube must be able to germinate on a genetically appropriate stigma and it must be directed through the transmitting tract of the style from where it must target an ovule. Moreover, the pollen tube must enter the ovule at a defined opening, the micropyle, grow toward one of the two synergids and release the two sperm cells upon contact. This complex process requires recognition events with chemically based or physically supported cell-cell communication as well as directional cues for the growing pollen tube. A number of molecules and mechanisms have been implicated in pollen tube guidance which are summarized in this review.     

家庭养花在污染防治中的作用

阐述了花卉在削弱室内空气污染，提高空气质量方面的作用：吸收有毒气体、二氧化硫(SO2)、氟化氢(HF)、氯气(Cl2)等；分泌杀菌素，减少空气含菌量；减少空气中放射性物质含量及辐射危害；监测空气污染。同时文中对具有空气净化能力的家庭常见花卉也进行了较详细的分类总结。     

种植转Bt水稻对固氦细菌多样性和固氮酶铁蛋白基因nifH的水平转移的影响

通过对具有不同种植年限和不同种植强度的转Bt基因水稻与非转Bt基因水稻土壤中的细菌以及固氮细菌群落结构进行研究,发现转Bt水稻的种植可能会影响土壤中微生物群落的多样性,但是这种影响的可能只是暂时的,通过对测量种植水稻的芽长实验也得出相似的结论．另外,根据16SrDNA基因构建的系统发育进化树揭示了本实验分离的固氮细菌的遗传多样性,发现实验土壤中的固氮细菌主要分为放线菌门（Actinobacteria）（92％）和α-变形菌门（α-Pro—teobacteria）两大类．分离出的8株典型的固氮菌株,其16SrDNA基因和固氮基因nifH的序列两者的分布不一致,nifH的分布更为紧凑,为固氮基因可能发生了原位水平基因转移提供了证据．     

高温胁迫下菜心SSH cDNA文库的建立

为发现与菜心耐热性相关的差异表达基因,该研究以耐热性强的"四九19号菜心"和耐热性弱的"3T6"作实验材料,采用抑制差减杂交(SSH)技术,构建了一个高温胁迫下在"四九19号菜心"中特异表达的SSH c DNA基因文库.该文库共有154个contigs,经测序和拼接获得99条unique ESTs.这些EST序列长度在122~819 bp之间,平均344 bp.BLAST分析发现99条ESTs代表81个基因,其中68个基因有功能注释、9个无功能注释和4个未匹配的新基因.这些基因可能与菜心的耐热性相关.     

Independent transfer of mitochondrial plasmids in Neurospora crassa

In the ascomycete fungus Neurospora, the distribution of homologous mitochondrial plasmid DNAs in different species and among mitochondrial types of N. crassa suggests that these molecules have moved between lineages of clonally propagated mtDNA. Here we report direct evidence for independent inheritance of mitochondrial plasmids by sexual reproduction which may help explain the distribution of these molecules among mitochondrial lineages.     

水平井中前置液压力传递规律研究

以判定人工裂缝起裂点位于径向井远端天然裂缝处还是近井筒地带为目的,以质量守恒和动量守恒定理为出发点,考虑液体的黏性和可压缩性,建立幂律流体前置液压力波传递数学模型。利用有限差分法求解压力波速值,并对计算结果进行实验检验。实验结果与计算结果对比发现,两者平均计算误差为4.70%,压力波传递数学模型准确性较高。在此基础上推导出水平井压力分布与波速的函数关系式。通过研究幂律流体前置液在水平井中压力传递规律,可揭示水平井尤其是径向水井中压力分布规律,为精细描述前置液压力分布提供理论依据。     

低沸点工质在水平蒸发换热强化管内换热特性研究

本文通过分析作者和国内外文献有关低沸点工质在水平螺旋翅片管内蒸发换热特性实验数据，讨论了热流密度、质量干度和质量流速对局部换热系数的影响，并将实验数据与现有的螺旋翅片管换热关系式的计算值进行比较，结果表明，Ｋａｎｄｌｉｋａｒ的关系式具有明确的流动沸腾换热机制及一定的计算精度．为提高其通用性和计算精度，本文提出了进一步改进Ｋａｎｄｌｉｂａｒ关系式的具体设想．从而为优化设计螺旋翅片管、研制高效蒸发强化管提供了理论计算依据．     

Rearranged mitochondrial genes in the yeast nuclear genome

We have found a contiguous DNA sequence in the yeast nuclear genome with extensive homology to non-contiguous yeast mitochondrial DNA sequences. Closely linked to this nuclear sequence in some, but not all, yeast strains is a tandem pair of transposable (Ty) elements. Certain features of the content and organization of this nuclear DNA sequence suggest that it may have originated from petite mitochondrial DNA which integrated into the nuclear genome.     

植物纤维素合成酶研究进展

纤维素是自然界分布最广、含量最多的一种多糖,占植物碳含量的50%以上。在植物中,纤维素是细胞壁的主要组分和承重元件,由纤维素合成酶复合体(CSCs)在质膜上催化合成。笔者综述了纤维素合成酶(CESA)的类型、结构、互作基因及关于CSCs结构、组装、运输的研究进展。植物细胞壁分为初生细胞壁和次生细胞壁,不同类型细胞壁中控制纤维素合成的CSCs由不同类型的纤维素合成酶(CESA)构成,且CSCs中CESAs的比例可能具有物种特异性。大多数植物中CESAs的化学计量比都是1∶1∶1,但在杨树的应力木组织中次生细胞壁相关CESAs的化学计量比为8∶3∶1。CSCs在高尔基体上装配并通过跨高尔基体网络分泌到质膜,而质膜上CSCs的丰度和分布很大程度上决定了纤维素的定向沉积。纤维素的合成和定向沉积在植物生长发育及抵御胁迫过程中发挥重要的作用。目前已发现多个关键基因通过与CSCs中特定CESA互作来识别和调控CSCs的运输。CESAs基因的表达水平也是影响纤维素合成的重要因素,油菜素甾醇等激素能通过调控CESAs的表达来控制纤维素的合成。未来在CESA功能、CSCs结构模型、CSCs中不同类型CESA所占比例、CSCs组装和运输与纤维素合成速度之间的关系,以及CESA基因的表达调控机制等方面可运用基因编辑技术进一步开展工作,从而完善植物纤维素合成的调控机制。     

Characteristics of C4 photosynthesis in stems and petioles of C3 flowering plants.

Most plants are known as C3 plants because the first product of photosynthetic CO2 fixation is a three-carbon compound. C4 plants, which use an alternative pathway in which the first product is a four-carbon compound, have evolved independently many times and are found in at least 18 families. In addition to differences in their biochemistry, photosynthetic organs of C4 plants show alterations in their anatomy and ultrastructure. Little is known about whether the biochemical or anatomical characteristics of C4 photosynthesis evolved first. Here we report that tobacco, a typical C3 plant, shows characteristics of C4 photosynthesis in cells of stems and petioles that surround the xylem and phloem, and that these cells are supplied with carbon for photosynthesis from the vascular system and not from stomata. These photosynthetic cells possess high activities of enzymes characteristic of C4 photosynthesis, which allow the decarboxylation of four-carbon organic acids from the xylem and phloem, thus releasing CO2 for photosynthesis. These biochemical characteristics of C4 photosynthesis in cells around the vascular bundles of stems of C3 plants might explain why C4 photosynthesis has evolved independently many times.     

水平管外蒸气轴向库特流动时的凝结换热

根据蒸气在管束间和套管环流道内流动特性，建立了适应该种流动凝结换热的物理及数学模型；通过数值求解，得到了蒸气流束对流膜厚度的影响区域及其随雷诺数，雅可比数及普朗特数的变化关系，表明这种流动形式强化了凝结换热。     

SOS response promotes horizontal dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes

Mobile genetic elements have a crucial role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial populations. Environmental and genetic factors that regulate conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations are largely unknown. Integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) are a diverse group of mobile elements that are transferred by means of cell-cell contact and integrate into the chromosome of the new host. SXT is a approximately 100-kilobase ICE derived from Vibrio cholerae that encodes genes that confer resistance to chloramphenicol, sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim and streptomycin. SXT-related elements were not detected in V. cholerae before 1993 but are now present in almost all clinical V. cholerae isolates from Asia. ICEs related to SXT are also present in several other bacterial species and encode a variety of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes. Here we show that SetR, an SXT encoded repressor, represses the expression of activators of SXT transfer. The 'SOS response' to DNA damage alleviates this repression, increasing the expression of genes necessary for SXT transfer and hence the frequency of transfer. SOS is induced by a variety of environmental factors and antibiotics, for example ciprofloxacin, and we show that ciprofloxacin induces SXT transfer as well. Thus, we present a mechanism by which therapeutic agents can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.