Regulation of the inward K+-channels in stomatal guard cells by cytoskeletal microtubules

Patch clamp techniques were applied to investigating the regulation of the inward K⁺-channels inVicia stomatal guard cells by cytoskeletal microtubules. The intracellular addition of either microtubule-disassembling reagent amprophos-methyl (APM) or microtubule-stabilizing reagent taxol resulted in significant inhibition of the inward K⁺-currents across the plasma membranes ofVicia stomatal guard cells. The results suggest that the activation of the inward K⁺-channels in stomatal guard cells requires proper dynamic organization of cytoskeletal microtubules. The regulation of the inward K⁺-channels in guard cells by microtubules may mediate the regulation of stomatal movements by cytoskeleton.     

Molecular characterization of diapause hormone inHelicoverpa armigera

Diapause hormone (DH) is a neurohormone which is secreted from suboesophageal ganglion and responsible for induction of embryonic diapause in many insects. Using rapid amplification of the cDNA ends (RACE) method, the cDNA encoding diapause hormone inHelicoverpa armigera, a main kind of crops pest was cloned. The nucleotide sequence reveals that the mRNA encodes an open reading frame and the 25-aa DH peptide is localized at N-terminal region just after the signal peptide. A homology search showed thatH. armigera DH has high homology with the diapause hormone ofBombyx mori andHelicoverpa zea; and it also belongs to the FXPRL neuropeptide family. Thus,H. armigera DH seems to be a new type of diapause hormone molecule.     

黑鲷NKCC1分子特征及其对急性盐度胁迫的表达响应

为了解黑鲷(Acanthopagrus schlegelii)在盐度胁迫过程中的适应机制,本研究利用基因扩增、聚类分析、荧光定量PCR等技术对NKCC1基因进行生物信息学分析以及在不同组织中的表达特征研究,并探讨其在急性盐度胁迫下的表达机制.结果表明NKCC1基因的开放阅读框(Open Reading Frame,OR...     

A possible configuration of H 5 + cluster

On the basis of our previous work, a configuration of H ₅ ⁺ has been presented that is a square center structure, and the energy for the structure of H ₅ ⁺ has been obtained by IACQM. The result showed that there is an extreme energy E_e: −2.45981 [2 Ry] atR = 2.50a ₀. It indicates that the square center structure of H ₅ ⁺ system has the certain stability, which is a possible configuration of H ₅ ⁺ .     

H-ATPase in the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis pollen cells is involved in extracellular calmodulin-promoted pollen germination

In this paper, the role of the plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPase in extracellular calmodulin (CaM)-promoted pollen germination and in tube growth of Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated. Pollen germination, pollen tube growth rate, free cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) and Ca²⁺ channel activity in the PM of pollen cells were measured. In response to fusicoccin or CaM treatment, in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth rate, [Ca²⁺]_cyt and activity of a hyperpolarization-activated Ca²⁺-permeable channel increased. Sodium vanadate inhibited the promotion of these parameters by extracellular CaM. The results suggest that H⁺-ATPase may be involved in extracellular CaM-regulated pollen germination and in tube growth by modulation of the hyperpolarization-activated Ca²⁺ channel in the PM of A. thaliana pollen cells.     

XTR+公钥体制中核心算法的改进

在XTR⁺公钥体制中提出无矩阵的核心算法, 显著提高了核心算法的运算效率, 从而提高了应用XTR⁺公钥体制的可证明IND CCA2安全的密码系统、 可证明安全的数字签名、 可证明安全的盲签名协议和零知识证明协议的运算效率.     

Prediction of Solid-Liquid Equilibrium for KCI in Mixed Water-Ethanol Solutions Using the LIQUAC Model

The LIQUAC model is often used to predict vapor-liquid equilibria, osmotic coefficients, and mean ion activity coefficients for electrolyte systems. This paper describes a thermodynamic method to analyze solid-liquid equilibrium for electrolytes in mixed solvents solutions using the LIQUAC model. The KCI solubilities in mixed water-ethanol solutions are predicted with the LIQUAC model and its original interaction parameters. This method is also used to obtain new K^＋-ethanol interaction parameters in the LIQUAC model from the solubility data. The new interaction parameters accurately predict the vapor-liquid equilibrium data of K^＋ salts （including KCI, KBr, and KCOOCH3） in mixed water-ethanol solutions. The results illustrate the flexibility of the LIQUAC model which can predict not only vapor-liquid equilibrium but also solid-liquid equilibrium in mixed solvent systems.     

Effect of fatty acids on polyamine contents and Na+/H+ antiport activity in PM vesicles isolated from roots of barley under salt stress

With 200 mmol/L NaCl treatment on barley cultivar “Jian 4” (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. J4) seedlings for 6 d, the contents of covalently and noncovalently conjugated polyamines (PAs) and activities of H⁺-ATPase in plasma membrane (PM) vesicles isolated from the roots decreased remarkably. Moreover, the activity of Na⁺/H⁺ antiport was detected first in PM vesicles. The results showed that the decrease in the contents of membrane phospholipid, noncovalently conjugated PAs and activity of H⁺-ATPase caused by NaCl could be restored partially by application of 1 mmol/L stearie acid (C_16:0) and linoleic acid (C_18:2), and C_18:2 was more effective than C_16:0 In addition, a reduction in the contents of covalently conjugated PAs was only reversed partially in the presence of C_18:2 Furthermore, Na⁺/H⁺ antiport activity was strengthened by exogenous C_16:0 and C_18:2 and C_18:2 was more effective than C_16:0. The correlative analysis suggested that, after application of C_16:0 and C_18:2 under salt stress, there was a significant positive correlation existing among phospholipid content, noncovalently conjugated PA levels, H⁺-ATPase activities and Na⁺/H⁺ antiport activities, indicating that one of the mitigative mechanisms of exogenous fatty acids on salt injury was to improve membrane phospholipid and PA contents, leading to an enhance in membrane integrity and a change in charge status of PM vesicles, so the activity of membrane-associated enzyme H⁺-ATPase was increased and synthesis of Na⁺/H⁺ antiport protein was activated.     

Na+-permeable channels of human sperm membrane reassembled into giant liposome

Previous data showed that a Na⁺-transmembrane flux was accompanied with acrosome reaction of sperm. However, the electrophysiological recording and characterization of Na⁺ current in human sperm membrane have not been yet reported. In the present investigation, membrane proteins extracted from human sperms were reassembled into liposome bilayer, and then the liposomes were fused by dehydration-rehydration into giant liposomes with the diameter of more than 10 ώm. By patch clamping the giant liposomes two kinds of single channel currents were recorded in a NaCl solution system. Both of them were Na⁺-carried, TTX-sensitive and strongly rectifying, but with different unit conductance and open probability. Moreover, bursting activity and channel-substates as well as two open time constants were observed in the larger channel.     

Novel form of long-term potentiation produced by a K+ channel blocker in the hippocampus.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission in the hippocampus is a widely studied model of memory processes. In the CA1 region, LTP is triggered by the entry of Ca2+ through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channels and maintained by the activation of Ca2(+)-sensitive intracellular messengers. We now report that in CA1, a transient block by tetraethylammonium of IC, IM and the delayed rectifier (IK) produces a Ca2(+)-dependent NMDA-independent form of LTP. Our results suggest that this new form of LTP (referred as to LTPK) is induced by a transient enhanced release of glutamate which generates a depolarization by way of the non-NMDA receptors and the consequent activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels.     

The short C-terminal hydrophilic domain of NhaH Na^＋/H^＋ antiporter from Halobacillus dabanensis with roles in resistance to salt and in pH sensing

The Na^＋/H^＋ antiporter plays key roles in maintaining low cytoplasmic NaNa^＋ level and pH homeostasis, while little is known about the Carboxyl-terminal hydrophilic tails of prokaryotic antiporters. In our previous study, the first Na^＋/H^＋ antiporter gene nhaH from moderate halophiles was cloned from Halobacillus dabanensis D-8 by functional complementation. A topological model suggested that only nine amino acid residues （^395PLIKKLGMI403） existed in the hydrophilic C-terminal domain of NhaH. The C-terminal truncated mutant of NhaH was constructed by PCR strategy and designated as nhaH△C. Salt tolerance experiment demonstrated that the deletion of hydrophilic C-terminal nine amino acid residues significantly inhibited the complementation ability of E. coil KNabc, in which three main Na^＋/H^＋ antiporters nhaA, nhaB and chaA were deleted. Everted membrane vesicles prepared from E. coil KNabc/nhaHAC decreased both Na^＋/H^＋ and Li^＋/H^＋ exchange activities of NhaH, and also resulted in an acidic shift of its pH profile for Na^＋, indicating a critical role of the short C-terminal domain of NhaH antiporter in alkali cation binding/translocation and pH sensing.     

Measurement of the absorption spectrum of H2O+ in the visible region

Together with the 74 lines belonging to (0,9,0)- (0,0,0) band, the high-resolution absorption spectrum of H₂O⁺ A²A₁-X²B₁ system was observed in the visible region of 16680 — 17300 cm^-1 using optical heterodyne magnetic rotation enhanced velocity modulation spectroscopy for the first time, which verifies the high sensitivity and high signal to noise ratio (S/N) of this technique.     

Research at channel level on the effect of LaCl3 on Radish (Raphanus satirus L.) vacuolar membrane

We recorded slow vacuolar (SV-type) channel currents of Radish vacuoles successfully for the first time by using the whole-vacuolar patch-clamp recording mode. SV- type currents would increase and threshold potentials of activation would shift towards more negative values with the increase of concentrations of cytosolic Ca²⁺. When 2.5 mmol/ L LaCl₃ and 4 mmol/L EGTA were added to bath solutions, SV-type currents were suppressed remarkably. Then adding LaCl₃ with different concentrations to pipette solutions, we found that LaCl₃ with higher concentrations (＞4 ´ 10^-7 mol/L) had a strong inhibitory effect on SV-type currents, while LaCl₃ with lower concentrations (≤4 ´ 10^-7 mol/L) promoted channel currents. This promoting effect provides an important basis at channel level for researching further the effects of rare earth on physiological activities of plants and the production-increase effects of rare earth fertilizers on crops.     

Callus formation in relation to changes of the membrane Ca2+ in the graft unions ofGinkgo biloba L.

The relationship between the callus formation and intracellular Ca²⁺ at the early stage of development of graft unions inGinkgo biloba L. was investigated. On the second day after grafting, part of the undamaged living cells at the graft interface of the stock and scion in the regions of the cortex and pith began to dedifferentiate or divide. 8 d after grafting, a great number of callus cells were produced from the cortex and phloem, while callus bridges linking the stock with scion formed between the callus cells of the graft partners from the cortex. A membrane Ca²⁺ probe, chlortetracycline (CTC), was used to locate the intracellular Ca²⁺ distribution and it was found that the cortical and pith parenchyma cells were the first to show remarkably increased CTC-Ca²⁺ fluorescence, suggesting that the cortical and other parenchyma cells play a leading role at the early stage of development of graft unions by earlier dedifferentiation and more rapid production of callus cells.     

Molecule modification and mass deposition induced by the implantation of low energy Fe+ ion beams into amino acids

Fe⁺ ion beams with the energy of 110 keV were implanted into films of L(+)-cysteine (HSCH₂CH(NH₂)COOH). One of the single crystals grown in hydrochloric acid solution with the implanted samples through slow evaporation was structurally characterized by the X-ray crystallography. The crystal is monoclinic, space group C2, with a = 1.8534(4) nm, b = 0.5234(1) nm, c = 0.7212(1) nm, β= 103.72°, V = 0.67965(3) nm³, Z = 4, F(000) = 144.0, D{clac} = 1.763 g · cm⁻³, μ(MoK _a = 1.06 mm⁻¹, T = 293(2) K. R = 0.0379, wR = 0.0835 for 660 observed reflections (I > 2σ(I)). The structural formula of the crystal compound is (CH₂CH(NH₂)NO₂)ClFe (M _r = 180.38 u). Products of heavy ion beam irradiation were purified and it was directly confirmed that the implanted Fe⁺ ions had been deposited in the novel molecules. The same doses of Fe⁺ ion beams of the same energy were implanted into films of L(+)-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate. FTIR spectroscopy of the implanted samples proved that some of the original molecules were seriously damaged and significant modifications were induced.     

Cu2+对两种海洋微藻生长和叶绿素荧光特性的影响

运用水样叶绿素荧光仪(WATER-PAM)研究Cu2+胁迫下,湛江叉鞭金藻(Dicrateria zhanjiangensis)和球等鞭金藻3011(Isochrysis galbana MACC/H59)叶绿素荧光特性的变化,同时监测微藻的生长情况.结果就叶绿素荧光参数而言,湛江叉鞭金藻和球等鞭金藻3011的叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fm,Fv/F0,Yield和ETR均随着Cu2+浓度的增大而明显降低;就生长情况而言,随着Cu2+浓度的增大,两种海洋微藻细胞密度的增长明显变缓.在24 h时Cu2+对湛江叉鞭金藻的毒性大于球等鞭金藻3011,48～96 h时Cu2+对球等鞭金藻3011的毒性大于湛江叉鞭金藻,Cu2+的毒性随着胁迫时间的延长而逐步增大.