Pistillate Flower Development and Stigma Receptivity of Euphorbia pulcherrima

Objective] This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pistil-late flower developmental morphology and stigma receptivity in Euphorbia pulcherri-ma. [Method] One-year-old adult plants of E. pulcherrima cultivar ‘Mil enium’ were used as experimental materials to analyze pistil ate flower development process by macroscopic and scanning electron microscope （SEM） observation. Stigma receptivity was detected with benzidine-hydrogen peroxide method and in vivo pol en germina-tion method. [Result] The pistil ate flower development process of E. pulcherrima was consisted of columnar stigma phase, stigma lobe slightly opening phase, Y-shape stigma lobe phase, inverse V-shaped stigma lobe phase and stigma curling phase. Pistil ate flower development and stigma receptivity of E. pulcherrima exhibit-ed certain correlation. The stigma receptive period lasted from stigma lobe slightly opening phase to inverse V-shaped stigma lobe phase; inverse V-shaped stigma lobe phase was appropriate for pol ination, lasting for 3-5 d, with V-shaped stigma lobe and a large amount of exudates on stigma surface according to SEM obser-vation. Stigma receptivity of E. pulcherrima detected with benzidine-hydrogen perox-ide method was consistent with that detected in vivo pol en germination method. [Conclusion] ln breeding practice, the optimal pol ination period of E. pulcherrima can be determined based on the developmental morphology of pistil ate flower.

Correlation between Stigma Characteristics and Outcrossing Rate of Five Photo-thermo Sensitive Genic Male Sterile(PTGMS) Rice Lines

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the correlation between stigma characteristics and outcrossing rate of photo-thermo sensitive genic male sterile（PTGMS） rice lines. [Method] The stigma exsertion rate, stigma size and stigma vitality of Chuang 5S, Yun 9S, Peiai 64 S, P88 S and Y58 S were analyzed. Using R608 as a male parent, outcrossing rate of these five PTGMS lines was determined. [Result]There were differences in stigma exsertion rate, stigma size and stigma vitality among five PTGMS lines. P88 S exhibited the best stigma characteristics and relatively strong stigma vitality, with the stigma exsertion rate of 95.94%, stigma vitality coefficient of 2.71, outcrossing rate of 84.02% in the field. Peiai 64 s had the minimum stigma length（2.41 mm） and stigma width（1.10 mm） and the weakest stigma vitality, with the stigma exsertion rate of 93.04%, outcrossing rate of 65.47%. Yun 9S,Y58 S and Chuang 5S displayed medium stigma characteristics, among which Yun9 S exhibited higher outcrossing rate than other two PTGMS lines. Correlation analysis showed that stigma exsertion rate, stigma length, stigma width, stigma area and stigma volume were significantly correlated to outcrossing rate（P〈0.05）, with correlation coefficients of 0.897, 0.934, 0.934, 0.939 and 0.937, respectively. However,there was no significant correlation between stigma vitality coefficient and outcrossing rate. [Conclusion] Based on stigma characteristics of five PTGMS lines, auxiliary pollination measures should be adopted reasonably to save production costs and improve hybrid rice seed yield.

Preliminary Study on Inheritance of Stigma Exertion in Wheat Thermo-photo Sensitive Genic Male Sterile Line

Stigma exertion is one of the key factors for improving the outcrossing ability of wheat thermo-photo sensitive genic male sterile（TPSGMS） line. A DH population derived from K239S/K92 S was constructed to investigate the inheritance of stigma exertion. K239 S and K92 S are TPSGMS lines with higher and lower stigma exertion rates（SER）, respectively. The SERs of parents, reciprocal crosses and the DH population were evaluated for two consecutive years. The results showed that no significant difference was observed in SER between F1 s of K239S/K92 S and K92S/K239 S,implying that stigma exertion was a trait controlled by nuclear gene（s）. In the DH population, the segregation of low and high SERs fitted to a ratio of 3 ∶1 by Chisquare test, suggesting that the stigma exertion of K239 S was controlled by one pair of recessive genes. In addition, the effects of temperature and humidity on the expression of stigma exertion were also discussed.

Preliminary Discussion on Stigma Vitality of Sterile Line Rong 18A and Its Application in Seed Production

Rong 18A is an Indica three-line sterile line bred with M5B×D Xing B, and has the characteristics of stable sterility, high outcrossing rate, good combining ability and good quality. With Rong 18A as an experimental material and Ⅱ-32A, Jin 23A and Gang46 A as the CK materials, a seed setting rate estimation method by daily pollination was used for measuring its stigma vigor, to comparatively analyze the decreasing rates and lasting time of stigma vigor of various materials under natural condition. According to experimental results and combining with field breeding practice, the application of stigma vigor of sterile lines on hybrid rice seed production was discussed.

Phylogeny of forkhead genes in three spiralians and their expression in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

The Fox genes encode a group of transcription factors that contain a forkhead domain, which forms a structure known as a winged helix. These transcription factors play a crucial role in several key biological processes, including development. High-degree identity in the canonical forkhead domain has been used to divide Fox proteins into 23 families （FoxA to FoxS）. We surveyed the genome of three spiralians, the oyster Crassostrea gigas, the limpet Lottia gigantea, and the annelid Capitella teleta. We identified 25 C. gigas fox genes, 21 L. gigantea fox genes, and 25 C. teleta fox genes. The C. gigas fox and L. giganteafox genes represented 19 of the 23 families, whereas FoxI, QI, R, and S were missing. The majority of the Fox families were observed within the C. teletafox genes, with the exception of FoxR and S. In addition, thefoxAB-like gene,foxY-like gene, andfoxH gene were also present in the three genomes. The conserved FoxC-FoxL 1 cluster, observed in mammals, was also found in C. gigas. The diversity of temporal expression patterns observed across the developmental process implies the C. gigasfox genes exert a wide range of functions. Further functional studies are required to gain insight into the evolution of Fox genes in bilaterians.

Effect of Alexandrium tamarense on three bloom-forming algae

We investigated the allelopathic properties of Alexandrium tamarense(Laboar) Balech on the growth of Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu,Chattonella marina(Subrahmanyan) Hara et Chihara and Heterosigma akashiwo(Hada) Hada in a laboratory experiment.We examined the growth of A.tamarense,C.marina,P.donghaiense and H.Akashiwo in co-cultures and the effect of filtrates from A.tamarense cultures in various growth phases,on the three harmful algal bloom(HAB)-forming algae.In co-cultures with A.tamarense,both C.marina and H.akashiwo were dramatically suppressed at high cell densities;in contrast,the growth of P.donghaiense varied in different inoculative ratios of A.tamarense and P.donghaiense.When the ratio was 1:1(P.donghaiense:A.tamarense),growth of P.donghaiense was inhibited considerably,while the growth of P.donghaiense was almost the same as that of the control when the ratio was 9:1.The growth difference of P.donghaiense,C.marina and H.akashiwo when co-cultured with A.tamarense indicated that the allelopathic effect may be one of the important factors in algal competition and phytoplankton succession involving A.tamarense.In addition,the filtrate from A.tamarense culture had negative impacts on these three HAB algae,and such inhibition varied with different growth phases of A.tamarense in parallel with reported values of PSP toxin content in Alexandrium cells.This implied that PSP toxin was possibly involved in allelopathy of A.tamarense.However,the rapid decomposition and inactivation of PSP toxin above pH7 weakened this possibility.Further studies on the allelochemicals responsible for the allelopathy of A.tamarense need to be carried out in future.

Molecular cloning,tissue expression of gene Muc2 in blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala and regulation after re-feeding

Mucins are important components of mucus, which form a natural, physical, biochemical and semipermeable mucosal layer on the epidermis offish gills, skin, and the gastrointestinal tract. As the first step towards characterizing the function of Muc2, we cloned a partial Megalobrama amblycephala Muc2 cDNA of 2 175 bp, and analyzed its tissue-specific expression pattern by quantitative real-time PCR （qPCR）. The obtained sequence comprised 41 bp 5＇-untranslated region （5＇-UTR）, 2 134 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 711 amino acids. BLAST searching and phylogenetic analysis showed that the predicted protein contained several common secreted mucin-module domains （VWD-C8-TIL-VWD-C8） and had high homology with mucins from other vertebrates. Among four candidate reference genes （β-Actin, RP113a, RPII, 18S） for the qPCR, RPII was chosen as an appropriate reference gene because of its lowest variation in different tissues. M. amblycephala Muc2 was mainly expressed in the intestine, in the order （highest to lowest） middle-intestine 〉 fore-intestine 〉 hind-intestine. Muc2 was expressed relatively poorly in other organs （brain, liver, kidney, spleen, skin and gill）. Furthermore, after 20-days of starvation, M. amblycephala Muc2 expressions after refeeding for 0 h, 3 h, 16 h, 3 d, and 10 d were significantly decreased in the three intestinal segments （P〈0.05） at 16 h, and were then upregulated to near the initial level at 10 d.

Research on cultivating and constructing e-commerce industry cluster in Wuhan

Based on the analysis of the e-commerce industry cluster development in Wuhan, it analyzed opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses in its development by using the method of SWOT analysis and proposed. Wuhan should use SWO combination, make use of advantages, such as larger network operators group and better IT talent base, and renew orientation; avoid the threat of other leading cities, train multi-level e-commerce professionals, to make up for the lack of leading enterprises and the imperfect of e-commerce industry chain; establish e-commerce industrial parks by adding fiction in the entity; take advantage of the great opportunity that e-commerce is at the stage of rapid development and establish and strengthen e-commerce industry cluster in Wuhan.

Survey of cyanomyovirus abundance in Shantou coastal waters by g20

To understand the genetic diversity and population changes in cyanophages in the coastal waters of Shantou, northeast South China Sea, we used the capsid assembly protein gene g20 as a marker of the abundance and phylogeny of natural cyanomyovirus communities. The abundance of total viruses, heterotrophic bacteria, and picophytoplankton in the coastal waters was monitored with flow cytometry. Hydrological parameters （NO3^-, NO2^-, NH3, soluble reactive phosphorus, total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a concentration） and microbial abundance （total viruses, total bacteria, Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and eukaryotes） were measured in the upper and lower layers at four sampling sites in the research area. In the direct viral counts, cyanomyoviruses accounted for 1.92% to 〉10% of the total viral community. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the g20 sequences in the Shantou coastal waters were very diverse, distributed in eight distinct operational taxonomic units, including the newly formed Cluster W. The g20 gene copies inferred from real time PCR assay indicated that cyanomyovimses were correlated significantly with the heterotrophic bacteria numbers and the nitrate and chlorophyll a concentrations. These results suggest that cyanomyoviruses are ubiquitous and are an abundant component of the virioplankton in Shantou coastal waters.

Mutations in CCIN cause teratozoospermia and male infertility

Teratozoospermia is usually associated with defective spermiogenesis and is a disorder with considerable genetic heterogeneity. Although previous studies have identified several teratozoospermia-associated genes, the etiology remains unknown for a majority of affected men. Here, we identified a homozygous missense mutation and a compound heterozygous mutation of CCIN in patients suffering from teratozoospermia. CCIN encodes the cytoskeletal protein Calicin that is involved in the formation and maintenance of the highly regular organization of the calyx of mammalian spermatozoa, and has been proposed to play a role in sperm head structure remodeling during the process of spermiogenesis. Our morphological and ultrastructural analyses of the spermatozoa obtained from all three men harboring deleterious CCIN mutants reveal severe head malformation. Further immunofluorescence assays unveil markedly reduced levels of Calicin in spermatozoa. These patient phenotypes are successfully recapitulated in mouse models expressing the disease-associated variants, confirming the role of Calicin in male fertility.Notably, all mutant spermatozoa from mice and human patients fail to adhere to the zona mass, which likely is the major mechanistic reason for CCIN-mutant sperm-derived infertility. Finally, the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injections(ICSI) successfully makes mutated mice and two couples with CCIN variants have healthy offspring. Taken together, our findings identify the role of Calicin in sperm head shaping and male fertility, providing important guidance for genetic counseling and assisted reproduction treatments.

Total hip arthroplasty with cementless cups and femoral head autografts for patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of total hip arthroplasty (THA) with cementless cups and femoral head autografts for patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. Methods: Between 1995 and 2002, we implanted 23 cementless cups and femoral head autografts in 20 patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. In this study, a retrospective study was made on 21 hips in 20 patients (18 females and 2 males, aged 50 years on an average) with developmental hip dysplasia treated by THA with a cementless cup and femoral head autograft. The acetabular cup was placed at the level of the true acetabulum and all the patients required autogenous femoral head grafts due to acetabular deficiency. The average rate of the acetabular cup covered by the femoral head autograft was 31% (ranging from 10% to 45%). Eight hips had less than 25% cup coverage and thirteen between 25% and 50%. The average follow-up period was (4.7) years (range, 1-8 years). The replacing outcome was evaluated by modified Harris hip score. Preoperative and follow-up radiographs were made. Results: All the autografts were united to the host bones. No autograft was collapsed or no component from the hip was loosed in all the patients. According to the modified Harris hip score, the average hip score increased from 46 before operation to 89 at the final review. Before operation, the leg-length discrepancy was greater than 2 cm in all the patients except one with bilateral hip dysplasia. After operation, only 2 out of 20 patients had a leg-length discrepancy greater than 1 cm. Three hips showed minor bone resorption in the lateral portion of the graft, which did not support the cup. Three hips developed Grade 1 Brooker heterotopic ossification and one developed Grade 2. Conclusions: THA with a cementless cup and a femoral head autograft for patients with osteoarthritis resulted from hip dysplasia can result in favorable outcomes. This method can provide reliable acetabular fixation and restore the acetabular bone stock in patients with developmental hip dysplasia when the cementless cup covered by the graft does not exceed 50%.