Effects of Manganese on the Antioxidant System and Related Gene Expression Levels in the “Hong Yang” Kiwifruit Seedlings

To explore how manganese affects the antioxidant system and the expression levels of related genes of“Hong yang”seedlings,the leaves of its tissue cultured seedlings were taken as test materials,and single factor treatment was performed by changing the manganese chloride(MnCl_(2)·4H_(2)O)solution concentration when spraying the leaves.The expression levels of Mn-SOD,POD64 and POD27 genes in leaves were quantitatively analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)at different determination times.Meanwhile,the contents of malondial-dehyde(MDA),hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)),the activities of antioxidant enzymes,including catalase(CAT),peroxidase(POD),and superoxide dismutase(SOD).The results showed that the SOD,CAT,POD,ascorbate peroxidase(APX),and reduced glutathione(GSH)activities in leaves were the highest at 12 h post-treatment with 50μM MnCl_(2)·4H_(2)O.Furthermore,the contents of MDA and H_(2)O_(2) in leaves also peaked when the concentration of H_(2)O_(2) is 50μM,which is the minimum value.Additionally at 50μM Mn^(2+),the Mn-SOD and POD27 expression was up-regulated as compared to the control,which promoted the expression of their respective enzyme activities.However,POD64 expression increased with the increasing Mn^(2+) concentration.Therefore,50μM is the optimal concentration of Mn when exogenously applied on“Hong yang”,which improve the antioxidant enzyme activity and regulate the plant’s physiological and biochemical functions.

Heat Stress Related Gene Expression in Gossypium hirsutum L.

Abiotic stress is a major limiting factor to crop productivity,and heat stress is one of the important elements for reduced crop production.Plants respond to heat stress at molecular and cellular levels as well as physiological level.Heat stress alters expression patterns of numerous genes in plants.

Quantitative Expression of Heat Flow versus Tectonic Deformation in the China Continent: The Effects of Plastic-Flow Network and Stable Block

Based on the heat flow data published in 1990 and 2001, a study of the factors influencing the terrestrial heat flow distribution in the China continent and its quantitative expression is carried out using the ＂Netlike Plastic-Flow＂ continental dynamics model and the methods of statistic analysis and optimum fitting. The result indicates that the factors influencing the heat flow distribution is classified into two groups, i.e. background and tectonic ones, in which the former mainly involves the non- uniform distribution of mantle heat flow, heat production of radioactive dements in the crust, heattransfer media and hydrothermal circulation, while the latter mainly involves plastic-flow networks and relatively-stable blocks. The plastic-flow network is a manifestation of shear localization in the netlike plastic-flow process in the lower lithosphere, which is composed of two sets of plastic-flow belts （PFBs） intersecting each other and, as one of the basic action regimes, controls the intraplate tectonic deformation. Relatively stable blocks （RSBs）, which are the tectonic units with relatively-high viscosities existing in the netlike plastic-flow field, as one of the principal origins, result in the development of large-seale compressional basins. PFB and RSB, as the active and quiet states of tectonic deformation, give rise to the higher and lower heat flow values, respectivdy. The provincial average heat flow in continent can be estimated using the expression qav = q0 ＋ a Pbt-c Pbk, where the three terms of the right side are background heat flow, PFB-positive contribution and RSB-negative contribution, Pbt and Pbk are the PFB- and RSB-coverage ratios, respectively, a is the coefficient of PFB- positive contribution depending mainly on the strain in the lower lithosphere, and c is the coefficient of RSB-negative contribution related mainly to the thickness of the lithosphere, the aseismic-area ratio and the tectonic age. For the major portion of the China continent excluding some of the southeastern region of China, the confidence interval of the provincial average background heat flow is qo=57.25±24.8 mW/m^2 and the PFB-positive- and RSB-negative-contribution coefficients are a=14.8-71.9 mW/m^2 and c=0-25.6 mW/m^2, respectively. The concepts of PFB and RSB effects and the heat flow expression suggested provide a new choice of the approach to the quantitative description of the characteristics of heat flow distribution in continent and their physical mechanisms.

Phosphatase and tensin homology deleted in chromosome 10,hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha gene expression in colorectal adenoma and adenocarcinoma and their relation to vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression

To examine phosphatase and tensin homology deleted in chromosome 10 (PTEN),hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) gene expressions and their relation to vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) protein expression in the patients with human colorectal adenomas and adenocarcinomas.Methods The expression of PTEN,HIF-1 alpha gene was detected by using in situ hybridization,and the VEGF expression levels by immunohistochemistry in colorectal adenomas and primary colorectal adenocarcinoma.Results Strong expression of HIF-1 alpha was detectable in the majority of colorectal dadenocarcinoma,particularly surrounding areas of necrosis in adenocarcinoma.PTEN,HIF-1 alpha mRNA and VEGF protein were positive in 51.6%,67.7% and 59.7% respectively in 62 cases of adenocarcinomas,and 77.8%,44.4% and 33.3% respectively in 18 cases of adenomas.The positive rate of VEGF was higher in the patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas than that in those with adenomas,whereas that of PTEN mRNA was contrary.HIF-1 mRNA expression was correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis,liver metastasis,Duke’s stage and recurrence.During colorectal tumor progression,the expression of HIF-1 alpha mRNA was positively correlated with the VEGF protein expression (χ2= 4.751 ,P<0.05),but negatively with the PTEN mRNA expression(χ2=21.84,P<0.01).Conclusion The absence or low expression of PTEN and the increased levels of HIF-1α and VEGF may paly an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of colorectal carcinoma.These results suggest that VEGF upregulated by HIF-1 alpha gene may be involved in angiogenesis of colorectal adenocarcinoma.4 refs,1 tab.

Cloning and Function Identification of a Phytoene Desaturase Gene from Eucommia ulmoides

The phytoene desaturase(PDS)encodes a crucial enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway.Silencing or inhibiting PDS expression leads to the appearance of mottled,chlorosis,or albino leaves.In this study,the CDS sequence of EuPDS(Eucommia ulmoides Phytoene Desaturase)was first cloned and then PDS was silenced in Nicotiana benthamiana.Result showed the expression level of EuPDS in leaves was higher than that in the roots and stems.In N.benthamiana leaves,which were treated by Agrobacterium for 24 h,photo-bleaching was shown on the fresh leaves one week after injection and the transcript level of PDS was down-regulated during the period of emersion.This suggested that EuPDS could silence PDS of N.benthamiana,so as to cause the phenotype of leaf whitening.PDS is the main reporter gene involved in virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS).This study offered molecular evidence for identifying PDS gene involved in Carotenoid’s biosynthesis pathway and the regulation networks in E.ulmides.It also laid a useful foundation for study on leaf discoloration mechanism of other woody plants.

A Modified Form of Mild-Slope Equation with Weakly Nonlinear Effect

Nonlinear effect is of importance to waves propagating from deep water to shallow water. The non-linearity of waves is widely discussed due to its high precision in application. But there are still some problems in dealing with the nonlinear waves in practice. In this paper, a modified form of mild-slope equation with weakly nonlinear effect is derived by use of the nonlinear dispersion relation and the steady mild-slope equation containing energy dissipation. The modified form of mild-slope equation is convenient to solve nonlinear effect of waves. The model is tested against the laboratory measurement for the case of a submerged elliptical shoal on a slope beach given by Berkhoff et al. The present numerical results are also compared with those obtained through linear wave theory. Better agreement is obtained as the modified mild-slope equation is employed. And the modified mild-slope equation can reasonably simulate the weakly nonlinear effect of wave propagation from deep water to coast.

Cloning,Tissue Distribution,and Transmembrane Orientation of the Olfactory Co-Receptor Orco from Two Important Lepidopteran Rice Pests,the Leaffolder(Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and the Striped Stem Borer(Chilo suppressalis)

In insects,the sense of smell is mainly mediated by olfactory receptors（Ors）.Olfactory co-receptor（Orco）,which is coexpressed with the Ors in almost all olfactory receptor neurons（ORNs）,is demonstrated to be an essential component in the insect olfactory system.It can be potential target for developing novel olfactory-disruption strategy to control insect pests.In this study,two full-length cDNA sequences encoding Orcos（CmedOrco and ChsupOrco） were cloned from two Lepidopteran rice pests,the rice leaffolder,Cnaphalocrocis medinalis and the rice striped stem borer,Chilo suppressalis.The amino acid sequences of CmedOrco and ChsupOrco showed high similarity to the previously identified Orcos from other insect species. Bioinformatic prediction and cellular immunofluorescence indicated that CmedOrco and ChsupOrco were both seven-transmembrane proteins with intracellular N-termini and extracellular C-termini.mRNA expression levels of the two Orcos were much higher in male and female antennae than those in non-olfactory tissues,and the ChsupOrco transcripts reached a peak level in adults compared to other life stages.Our results provide a foundation from which it will be possible to elucidate the roles of Orco in moth olfaction and for the development of environment-friendly management strategies of these two rice insect pests.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and antioxidant function of catalase in Lymantria dispar asiatic (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) under avermectin stress

The critical antioxidant catalase(CAT)breaks down hydrogen peroxide induced by environmental stresses.Here we cloned full length catalase cDNA from Lymantria dispar asiatic(LdCAT).Bioinformatic analyses showed that open reading frames of LdCAT contains 1524 bp,encoding 507 amino acids with molecular weight of 126.99 kDa,theoretical pI of 5.00,aliphatic index of 29.92,grand average of hydropathicity of 0.764,and instability index(II)of 46.56.Protein BLAST and multiple sequence alignment indicated that LdCAT had high identity with CAT from other insects,especially lepidopterans.In a phylogenetic analysis,LdCAT was most similar to CAT from Spodoptera litura and S.exigua.Quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction showed that LdCAT transcripts in all instar larvae and the five tissues tested,verifying the ubiquity of LdCAT in L.disapr.Moreover,LdCAT of third instar larvae was significantly upregulated after they fed on avermectin at sublethal and LC10 doses.The highest relative transcript levels were found 2 h after an avermectin spray at LC90,and in the cuticula,rather than heads,fat bodies,malpighian tubes,and midguts after a spray avermectin at a sublethal concentration.The expression level of LdCAT under pesticide stresses here suggested that CAT is an important antioxidant enzyme of L.disapr defensing against pesticide stress and may be a good target for controlling this pest.

The association of olanzapine-induced metabolic disturbance related measures with TCF7L2 gene expression

Objective To investigate the relationship between olanzapine induced metabolic disturbance related measures and TCF7L2 gene expression.Methods Thirty adult C57BL/61 mice,in accordance with the random number table,were divided into 3 groups that were