Identification and functional characterization of ApisOr23 in pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Pea aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum,is a serious pest of many different leguminous plants,and it mainly relies on its odorant receptors(Ors)to discriminate among host species.However,less is known about the role that Ors play in the host plant location.In this study,we identified a novel conserved odorant receptor clade by phylogenetic analysis,and conducted the functional analysis of ApisOr23 in A.pisum.The results showed that the homologous Ors from A.pisum,Aphis glycines and Aphis gossypii share 94.28% identity in amino acid sequences.Moreover,conserved motifs were analyzed using the annotated homologous Or23 from eight aphid species,providing further proof of the high conservation level of the Or23 clade.According to the tissue expression pattern analysis,ApisOr23 was mainly expressed in the antennae.Further functional study using a heterologous Xenopus expression system revealed that ApisOr23 was tuned to five plant volatiles,namely trans-2-hexen-1-al,cis-2-hexen-1-ol,1-heptanol,4’-ethylacetophenone,and hexyl acetate.Among them,trans-2-hexen-1-al,which is one of the main volatile organic compounds released from legume plants,activated the highest response of ApisOr23.Our findings suggest that the conserved Or23 clade in most aphid species might play an important role in host plant detection.

Mifepristone modulates serotonin transporter function

Regulating serotonin expression can be used to treat psychotic depression. Mifepristone, a glu- cocorticoid receptor antagonist, is an effective candidate for psychotic depression treatment. However, the underlying mechanism related to serotonin transporter expression is poorly un- derstood. In this study, we cloned the human brain serotonin transporter into Xenopus oocytes, to establish an in vitro expression system. Two-electrode voltage clamp recordings were used to detect serotonin transporter activity. Our results show that mifepristone attenuates serotonin transporter activity by directly inhibiting the serotonin transporter, and suggests that the se- rotonin transporter is a pharmacological target of mifepristone for the treatment of psychotic depression.

Circuit breakers in HVDC systems: state-of-the-art review and future trends

High voltage direct current(HVDC)systems are efficient solutions for the integration of large-scale renewable energy sources with the main power grids.The rapid development of the HVDC grid has resulted in a growing interest in DC circuit breakers(DCCBs).A fast and reliable circuit breaker is a necessary requirement in the development of large scale HVDC grids.This paper provides a comprehensive review and survey of the HVDC CBs and discusses potential research directions.Operational principles and the main features of various DCCBs are described and their merits and shortcomings are also highlighted.

Current Injection Provokes Rapid Expansion of the Guard Cell Cytosolic Volume and Triggers Ca^2＋ Signals

High-resolution microscopy opens the door for detailed single-cell studies with fluorescent reporter dyes and proteins. We used a confocal spinning disc microscope to monitor fluorescent dyes and the fluorescent protein Venus in tobacco and Arabidopsis guard cells. Multi-barreled microelectrodes were used to inject dyes and apply voltage pulses, which provoke transient rises in the cytosolic Ca^2＋ level. Voltage pulses also caused changes in the distribution of Lucifer Yellow and Venus, which pointed to a reversible increase of guard cell cytosolic volume. The dynamic cytosolic volume changes turned out to be provoked by current injection of ions. A reduction of the clamp current, by blocking K^＋ uptake channels with Cs^＋, strongly suppressed the cytosolic volume changes. Cs^＋ not only inhibited the expansion of the cytosol, but also inhibited hyperpolarization-induced elevations of the cytosolic Ca^2＋ concentration. A complete loss of voltage-induced Ca^2＋ signals occurred when Ca^2＋-permeable plasma membrane channels were simultaneously blocked with La^3＋. This shows that two mechanisms cause hyperpolarization-induced elevation of the cytosolic Ca^2＋-concentration： （i） activation of voltage-dependent Ca^2＋-permeable channels, （ii） osmotically induced expansion of the cytosol, which leads to a release of Ca^2＋ from intracellular stores.