有作物潜水蒸发规律的试验研究和理论分析(2)——有作物生长条件下的地下水利用量计算模型研究

在干旱与半干旱地区水资源日益紧缺,浅埋深地下水对作物的补给量占较大的比重,准确确定作物的地下水利用量对合理制定灌溉制度具有重要的意义。本文采用田间试验和数值模拟相结合的方法,探讨有作物生长条件下的潜水蒸发规律及其主要影响因素。结果表明,有作物生长条件下的潜水蒸发主要因素为生长阶段、作物腾发强度及潜水埋深,并引入GDD作为反应作物生长发育影响因子,通过分析这些主要影响因素与潜水蒸发量之间的函数关系,建立了能够反映作物、外部因素与地下水利用量之间关系的计算模型。

应用主成分分析法综合评价柞蚕新品种及其杂交组合的经济性状

应用主成分分析法对5个不同类型柞蚕品种及10个杂交组合的经济性状进行综合评价,为柞蚕优良新品种选育及推广应用提供理论依据。从11个柞蚕主要经济性状确定3个主成分,即产量因子、茧层与繁殖效率因子、生长发育因子,这3个主成分所表达的信息量占信息总量的90.25%。第1主成分来自产量和收蚁结茧率等性状,其贡献率为50.65%;第2主成分来自茧层率、茧层量及产卵量等性状,其贡献率为25.83%;第3主成分来自全龄经过及茧质性状,其贡献率为13.77%。基于3个主成分分值对5个柞蚕品种及10个杂交组合进行综合评价:新品种金凤的配合力和杂种优势表现突出,以该品种组配的4个杂交组合的综合得分排列前5位;10个杂交组合综合得分排列前3位的是金凤×抗大、方山黄×抗大、金凤×青6号,显示出较好的推广应用潜力。

Effect of Fulvic Acid on Growth and Yield Components of Direct Seeding Rice

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effect of fulvic acid on the growth and yield components of direct seeding rice （Nanjing 44）. MethodThe rice seeds were soaked in 0 （water as a control）, 1, 2, 4 and 6 g/L fulvic acid （FA） before sowed. Then, the rice morphological indices, leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthesis parameters, root activity and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in the following field studies. ResultCompared with the control, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and dry matter weight and some fluorescence parameters such as the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II （PSII） （Fv/Fm）, excitation energy capture efficiency of opened PSII reaction center （Fv’/Fm’） and efficiency of the open reaction centre （ΦPS II） increased by different levels at both jointing stage and heading stage of direct seeding rice, whose seeds were soaked by FA with different concentrations. High FA concentration （4-6 g/L） significantly increased the cultivated rice leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and dry matter weight by 10.32% -22.88% , 5.88% -13.11% , 12.16% -26.84% , 11.43% -88.46% , 10.63% -21.63% , 18.49% -19.68% , respectively, thereby improving the physiological function and light energy transform efficiency of rice at the growth stage. With FA concentration increasing, the yield, effective panicles, grain number per panicle and seed setting rate were increased significantly compared with the control by 17.52%-18.71%, 3.46%-3.85%, 6.30%- 6.51% and 7.82%-8.69% respectively. ConclusionSoaking rice seed with FA could be considered as an effective way to improve the rice competitiveness at early growth stage.

Effects of Environmental Factors on Tomato Growth

[Objective] This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of environmental factors on the biological characteristics of tomatoes.[Method] The growth traits such as plant height,stem diameter,leaf shape index of tomato plants grown under different environmental conditions（temperature,light and soil moisture content）were measured and compared.[Result] The effect of light on tomatoes was higher than that of soil moisture in high-temperature environment（30 ℃ or higher）;while the speed of tomato plant growth and fruit development were improved by low light.The synthesis of chlorophyll was influenced by soil moisture and light,and greater impact of soil water content on the synthesis of chlorophyll was observed.Among the three treatments,the chlorophyll content of all the three tomato cultivars was in a descending order as follows：control〉 shading treatment〉 drought treatment.[Conclusion] This study will provide references for the control of temperature,light and soil water in tomato cultivation.

Developmental Changes of IGF-Ⅰ mRNA Expression Level in Sheep Muscle

[ Objective] To detect the mRNA of muscle insulin-like growth factorl （IGF-I） in the early development of Kazak sheep and Xinjiang fine-wool sheep, so as to provide information for the research about the early growth and development of sheep. [ Method] With real-time quan- titative PCR, the muscle IGF-I mRNA level was separately detected in two varieties of sheep at 2, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days old. Then the data was analyzed with SPSS software. [ Result] The IGF-I mRNA in sheep muscle first increased and then decreased with ages, peaking at 30 days old in Kazak sheep and at 60 days old in Xinjiang fine-wool sheep. The IGF-I expression level of Kazak sheep had no significant difference with Xinjiang fine-wool sheep at 2 or 90 days old （ P 〉0.05）, but was lower than that of the latter with extremely significant difference （ P 〈0.01 ） from 30 to 60 days old. [ Conclusion] The male Kazak sheep and Xinjiang fine-wool sheep have similar model of developmental changes of muscular IGF-I mRNA, but the expression level is different between these two species.

Making a tooth:growth factors,transcription factors,and stem cells

Mammalian tooth development is largely dependent on sequential and reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. These processes involve a series of inductive and permissive interactions that result in the determination, differentiation, and organization of odontogenic tissues. Multiple signaling molecules, including BMPs, FGFs, Shh, and Wnt proteins, have been implicated in mediating these tissue interactions. Transcription factors participate in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions via linking the signaling loops between tissue layers by responding to inductive signals and regulating the expression of other signaling molecules. Adult stem cells are highly plastic and multipotent. These cells including dental pulp stem cells and bone marrow stromal cells could be reprogrammed into odontogenic fate and participated in tooth formation. Recent progress in the studies of molecular basis of tooth development, adult stem cell biology, and regene- ration will provide fundamental knowledge for the realization of human tooth regeneration in the near future.

Gfi1.1 regulates hematopoietic lineage differentiation during zebrafish embryogenesis

Growth factor independence 1 （GFI1） is important for maturation of mammalian lymphocytes and neutrophils and maintenance of adult hematopoietic stem cells （HSCs）. The role of GFI1 in embryonic hematopoiesis is less well characterized. Through an enhancer trap screen and bioinformatics analysis, we identified a zebrafish homolog of Gill （named grill） and analyzed its function during embryonic development. Expression of both an endogenous griLl gene and a GFP reporter gene inserted near its genomic locus was detected in hematopoietic cells of zebrafish embryos. Morpholino （MO） knockdown of gill.1 reduced expression of scl, Imo2, c-myb, mpo, ragl, gatal and hemoglobin alpha embryonic-1 （hbael）, as well as the total amount of embryonic hemoglobin, but increased expression ofpu.1 and l-plastin. Under the same conditions, MO injection did not affect the markers involved in vascular and pronephric development. Conversely, overexpression of gill.1 via mRNA injection enhanced expression ofgatal but inhibited expression ofpu.1. These findings suggest that Gill.1 plays a critical role in regulating the balance of embryonic erythroid and myeloid lineage determination, and is also required for the differentiation of lymphocytes and granulocytes during zebrafish embryogenesis.

VEGFR-3 ligand-binding and kinase activity are required for lymphangiogenesis but not for angiogenesis

Although VEGFR-3 deficiency disrupts blood vascular development during early embryogenesis, the underlying mechanism was not clear. To characterize its function in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, we employed two genetically modified mouse models in this study, targeting the coding region for the ligand-binding domain （Vegfr△LBD） or the tyrosine kinase domain with an inactivation point mutation （Vegfr3^TKmat）. We show that lymphatic growth was disrupted in Vegfr3△LBD/△LBD and Vegfr3^TKmut3^TKmat mice, but blood vessels developed normally in both embryo and yolk sac. Interestingly, in Vegfr3△LBD/△LBD but not Vegfr3^TKmut3^TKmat mice, lymph sac was present but there was lack of iym- phangiogenic sprouting. We further demonstrate that both the wild-type and mutant forms of VEGFR-3 could form heterodimers with VEGFR-2, and decreased the level of phospho-VEGFR-2 and the downstream phospho-Erk1/2 in endothelial cells when they were treated with VEGF-A. These findings indicate that signaling mediated via VEGFR-3 activation by its cognate ligands （VEGF-C/-D） is not required for angiogenesis, and that VEGFR-3 may play a role in this process by modulating VEGFR-2-mediated signals.

Quantitative comparison of the expression of myogenic regulatory factors in flounder(Paralichthys olivaceus) embryos and adult tissues

MyoD, Myf5, and myogenin are myogenic regulatory factors that play important roles during myogenesis. It is thought that MyoD and Myf5 are required for myogenic determination, while myogenin is important for terminal differentiation and lineage maintenance. To better understand the function of myogenic regulatory factors in muscle development of flounder, an important economic fish in Asia, real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to characterize the expression patterns of MyoD, Myf5, and myogenin at early stages of embryo development, and in different tissues of the adult flounder. The results show that, MyJ5 is the first gene to be expressed during the early stages of flounder development, followed by MyoD and myogenin. The expressions ofMyf5, MyoD, and myogenin at the early stages have a common characteristic： expression gradually increased to a peak level, and then gradually decreased to an extremely low level. In the adult flounder, the expression of the three genes in muscle is much higher than that in other tissues, indicating that they are important for muscle growth and maintenance of grown fish. During embryonic stages, the expression level of MyoD might serve an important role in the balance between muscle cell differentiation and proliferation. When the MyoD expression is over 30% of its highest level, the muscle cells enter the differentiation stage.

Expression Analysis of the Insulin-Like Growth Factors Ⅰ and Ⅱ During Embryonic and Early Larval Development of Turbot(Scophthalmus maximus)

The insulin-like growth factors Ⅰ and Ⅱ （IGF-Ⅰ and IGF-Ⅱ） are important proteins involved in fish growth and develop- ment. Here, we report the isolation of IGF-Ⅱ and expression analysis of IGFs in turbot Scophthalmus maximus, aiming to clarify their function in embryonic and larval development of fish. The deduced IGF-Ⅱ gene is 808 bp in full length, which encodes a protein of 219 amino acids and is 93% similar with that ofParalichthys olicaceus in amino acid sequence. The tissue abundance and the ex- pression pattern of IGFs in a turbot at early development stages were investigated via reverse transcription-polymer chain reaction. Result showed that the IGF-Ⅰ and IGF-Ⅱ genes were widely expressed in tissues of S. maximus. IGF-Ⅰ was detected in all tissues ex- cept intestines with the highest level in liver, while IGF-Ⅱ transcript presented in all tissues except muscle. At the stages of embry- onic and larval development, the mRNA levels of IGFs sharply increased from the stage of unfertilized egg to post larva, followed by a decrease with larval development. However, there was an increase in IGF-Ⅰ at the embryonic stage and IGF-Ⅱ at the gastrula stage, respectively. These results suggested that IGFs play important roles in cell growth and division of the turbot. Our study provides reference data for further investigation of growth regulation in turbot, which can guarantee better understanding of the physiological role that IGFs play in fish.

Apical ectodermal ridge regulates three principal axes of the developing limb

Understanding limb development not only gives insights into the outgrowth and differentiation of the limb,but also has clinical relevance.Limb development begins with two paired limb buds(forelimb and hindlimb buds),which are initially undifferentiated mesenchymal cells tipped with a thickening of the ectoderm,termed the apical ectodermal ridge(AER).As a transitional embryonic structure,the AER undergoes four stages and contributes to multiple axes of limb development through the coordination of signalling centres,feedback loops,and other cell ac-tivities by secretory signalling and the activation of gene expression.Within the scope of proximodistal pattering,it is understood that while fibroblast growth factors(FGFs)function sequentially over time as primary components of the AER signalling process,there is still no consensus on models that would explain proximodistal patterning itself.In anteroposterior pattermning,the AER has a dual-direction regulation by which it promotes the sonic hedgehog(Shh)gene expression in the zone of polarizing activity(ZPA)for proliferation,and inhibits Shh expression in the anterior mesenchyme.In dorsoventral patterming,the AER activates Engrailed-1(En1)expression,and thus represses Wnt family member 7a(Wnt7a)expression in the ventral ectoderm by the expression of Fgfs,Sp6/8,and bone morpho-genetic protein(Bmp)genes.The AER also plays a vital role in shaping the individual digits,since levels of Fgf4/8 and Bmps expressed in the AER affect digit patterning by controlling apoptosis.In summary,the knowledge of crosstalk within AER among the three main axes is essential to understand limb growth and pattern fomation,as the development of its areas proceeds simultaneously.

Identification and expression of amphioxus AmphiSmad1/5/8 and AmphiSmad4

Smad family proteins are identified as intracellular signal mediators of the TGF-β superfamily.In this study,we identified two novel members of the Smad family,termed as AmphiSmad1/5/8 and AmphiSmad4,from Chinese amphioxus.Both AmphiSmad1/5/8 and AmphiSmad4 showed a typical domain structure of Smad proteins consisting of conserved MH1 and MH2 domains.Phylogenetic analysis placed AmphiSmad1/5/8 in the Smad1,5 and 8 subgroup of the R-Smad subfamily,and AmphiSmad4 in the Co-Smad subfamily.The spatial and temporal gene expression patterns of AmphiSmad1/5/8 and AmphiSmad4 showed that they may be involved in the embryonic development of notochord,myotome and alimentary canal,and may help to establish the specification of dorsal-ventral axis of amphioxus.Moreover,AmphiSmad1/5/8 and AmphiSmad4 showed extensive distribution in all adult tissues examined,suggesting that these two genes may play important roles in the morphogenesis of a variety of tissues especially notochord and gonad.

Roles of intracellular fibroblast growth factors in neural development and functions

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) can be classified as secretory (FGFI-10 and FGF15-23) or intracellular non-secretory forms (FGF 11-14). Secretory forms of FGF and their receptors are best known for their regulatory roles in cell growth, differentiation and morphogenesis in the early stages of neural development. However, the functions of intracellular FGFs remain to be ex- plored. FGF12 and FGF14 are found to interact with voltage-gated sodium channels, and regulate the channel activity in neu- rons. FGF13 is expressed in primary sensory neurons, and is colocalized with sodium channels at the nodes of Ranvier along the myelinated afferent fibers. FGF13 is also expressed in cerebral cortical neurons during the late developmental stage. A re- cent study showed that FGFI3 is a microtubule-stabilizing protein required for regulating the neuronal development in the cerebral cortex. Thus, non-secretory forms of FGF appear to have important roles in the brain, and it would be interesting to further investigate the functions of intracellular FGFs in the nervous system and in neural diseases.