Genetic analysis of rice allelopathy

A double haploid population derived from anther culture of ZYQ8/JX17,a typical indica and japonica hybrid,was used in this study.The inhibited effect of water-soluble extract of 123 DH pure lines leaves on the lettuce roots growth was investigated,and the QTLs analysis of rice allelopathy was carried out.Totally,four QTLs related to rice allelopathy were detected,and they were on chromosomes,3,9,10 and 12,respectively.The LOD scores were 3.40,2.68,2.75 and 3.08,respectivel.Among them,additive effects of the QTLs on chromosomes 3 and 10 were 1.65 and 1.43,on chromosomes 9 and 12 were-1.44 and -1.58 respectively.Allelopathy characteristics of another three common rice varieties were also studied.     

Crystal structure of oxygen-evolving photosystem II at a resolution of 1.9 Å

Photosystem II is the site of photosynthetic water oxidation and contains 20 subunits with a total molecular mass of 350 kDa. The structure of photosystem II has been reported at resolutions from 3.8 to 2.9 ?. These resolutions have provided much information on the arrangement of protein subunits and cofactors but are insufficient to reveal the detailed structure of the catalytic centre of water splitting. Here we report the crystal structure of photosystem II at a resolution of 1.9 ?. From our electron density map, we located all of the metal atoms of the Mn(4)CaO(5) cluster, together with all of their ligands. We found that five oxygen atoms served as oxo bridges linking the five metal atoms, and that four water molecules were bound to the Mn(4)CaO(5) cluster; some of them may therefore serve as substrates for dioxygen formation. We identified more than 1,300 water molecules in each photosystem II monomer. Some of them formed extensive hydrogen-bonding networks that may serve as channels for protons, water or oxygen molecules. The determination of the high-resolution structure of photosystem II will allow us to analyse and understand its functions in great detail.     

QTL analysis of rice low temperature germinability

A double haploid population, derived from anther culture of F1 hybrid between a typical indica and a japonica (ZYQ8/JX17), has been used to investigate the low temperature germinability (LTG) at 15 ℃. The low temperature germinability of two parents was significantly different. In 6-11 d, the germination percentage of ZYQ8 was higher than that of JX17. In 12-16 d, the germination percentage of JX17 was higher than that of ZYQ8. The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of every day for low temperature germinabilityhave been mapped based on a molecular linkage map constructed from this population. In 8-11 d, qLTG-9 was identified in C397B-RZ617B on chromosome 9, the additive effect was positive, showing that, the allele from JX17 could increase low temperature germinability. In 12-16 d, qLTG-4 was mapped between RG908 and CT563 on chromosome 4, the additive effect was negative, showing that the allele from ZYQ8 could increase low temperature germinability. These two QTLs were detected at different stages, showing the complexity of the mechanism of low temperature germinability.     

Alpha-synuclein elicits glucose uptake and utilization in adipocytes through the Gab1/PI3K/Akt transduction pathway

Insulin is the main glucoregulator that promotes the uptake of glucose by tissues and the subsequent utilization of glucose as an energy source. In this paper, we describe a novel glucoregulator, the alpha-synuclein (SNCA) protein, that has previously been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Treatment with recombinant SNCA promotes glucose uptake in vitro in preadipocytes and in vivo in the adipose tissues and skeletal muscles of mice through the LPAR2/Gab1/PI3K/Akt pathway; these effects occur independently of the insulin receptor. This function of SNCA represents a new mechanistic insight that creates novel avenues of research with respect to the process of glucose regulation.