Adaptive responses drive the success of polyploid yellowcresses(Rorippa,Brassicaceae)in the Hengduan Mountains,a temperate biodiversity hotspot

Polyploids contribute substantially to plant evolution and biodiversity;however,the mechanisms by which they succeed are still unclear.According to the polyploid adaptation hypothesis,successful polyploids spread by repeated adaptive responses to new environments.Here,we tested this hypothesis using two tetraploid yellowcresses(Rorippa),the endemic Rorippa elata and the widespread Rorippa palustris,in the temperate biodiversity hotspot of the Hengduan Mountains.Speciation modes were resolved by phylogenetic modeling using 12 low-copy nuclear loci.Phylogeographical patterns were then examined using haplotypes phased from four plastid and ITS markers,coupled with historical niche reconstruction by ecological niche modeling.We inferred the time of hybrid origins for both species as the mid-Pleistocene,with shared glacial refugia within the southern Hengduan Mountains.Phylogeographic and ecological niche reconstruction indicated recurrent northward colonization by both species after speciation,possibly tracking denuded habitats created by glacial retreat during interglacial periods.Common garden experiment involving perennial R.elata conducted over two years revealed significant changes in fitness-related traits across source latitudes or altitudes,including latitudinal increases in survival rate and compactness of plant architecture,suggesting gradual adaptation during range expansion.These findings support the polyploid adaptation hypothesis and suggest that the spread of polyploids was aided by adaptive responses to environmental changes during the Pleistocene.Our results thus provide insight into the evolutionary success of polyploids in high-altitude environments.

Action Mechanism Research of Lanthanons to Slow Vacuolar Ion Channels in Raphanus Satirus L.(Xinlimei) Radish by Patch-Clamp

We used whole-vacuolar patch-clamp recording mode to study the action mechanism of La3+ to Slow Vacuolar (SV) channels for the first time. We recorded SV channel currents of Xinlimei (Raphanus satirus L.) vacuolars. The minimum activation potentials of voltage-dependent SV channels tied in 25+/-5 mV. The increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ led to enhancement of SV-type currents. It was found that the threshold potential of activation shifted towards more depolarized values whenever cytoplasmic Ca2+ was increased. When 10(-10) mol/L free La3+ was added to the bath, SV-type current was suppressed by 60 similar to 75%. These data showed La3+ reduced ion permeabilities of Xinlimei root vacuolar membrane.

Whole genome phylogeny of Gallus: introgression and data-type effects

Background: Previous phylogenetic studies that include the four recognized species of Gallus have resulted in a number of distinct topologies, with little agreement. Several factors could lead to the failure to converge on a consistent topology, including introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, different data types, or insufficient data.Methods: We generated three novel whole genome assemblies for Gallus species, which we combined with data from the published genomes of Gallus gallus and Bambusicola thoracicus(a member of the sister genus to Gallus). To determine why previous studies have failed to converge on a single topology, we extracted large numbers of orthologous exons, introns, ultra-conserved elements, and conserved non-exonic elements from the genome assemblies. This provided more than 32 million base pairs of data that we used for concatenated maximum likelihood and multispecies coalescent analyses of Gallus.Results: All of our analyses, regardless of data type, yielded a single, well-supported topology. We found some evidence for ancient introgression involving specific Gallus lineages as well as modest data type effects that had an impact on support and branch length estimates in specific analyses. However, the estimated gene tree spectra for all data types had a relatively good fit to their expectation given the multispecies coalescent.Conclusions: Overall, our data suggest that conflicts among previous studies probably reflect the use of smaller datasets(both in terms of number of sites and of loci) in those analyses. Our results demonstrate the importance of sampling large numbers of loci, each of which has a sufficient number of sites to provide robust estimates of gene trees. Low-coverage whole genome sequencing, as we did here, represents a cost-effective means to generate the very large data sets that include multiple data types that enabled us to obtain a robust estimate of Gallus phylogeny.

Initiation of the Primate Genome Project

A crucial step for understanding human evolution is to identify the genomic changes that occurred during primate evolution,thus allowing investigators to reconstruct the ancestral states preceding the human condition.In the past several decades,the primate clade has been a research focus in genome sequencing due to its unique phylogenetic position and key importance.

一氧化氮对水稻叶片中由镧引起的氧化胁迫的缓解作用

研究了一氧化氮(NO)对水稻中由稀土元素镧诱导的抗氧化活性的影响。结果表明,在100μmol.L-1氯化镧处理的水稻幼苗中加入10μmol.L-1NO供体硝普钠(sodium nitroprusside,SNP),可以显著抑制镧从水稻根部向叶片的转运。镧处理显著降低超氧化物歧化酶(superoxidedismutase,SOD)活性和还原型谷胱甘肽(reduced glutathione,GSH)含量,促进叶片过氧化氢(H2O2)含量上升。而NO则可明显阻断镧引起的这些效应,缓解镧引起的氧化胁迫,即NO缓解了高浓度镧对水稻的毒性。

胞外Ca^(2+)信号——动植物中的第一信使

钙离子作为重要的胞内第二信使,控制着许多细胞的功能,人们对此已经研究得比较深入。然而最近发现的一些细胞表面胞外Ca2+探测器使我们想到是否在胞外环境中,钙离子也具有信号分子的功能。钙离子传感器包括已经研究得比较清楚的胞外Ca2+敏感受体—最初从甲状旁腺分离的G-耦联蛋白受体(CaR),另外,还有其他受体、通道和膜蛋白也都对胞外[Ca2+]的变化很敏感。最近从拟南芥保卫细胞中克隆到一个胞外钙离子受体蛋白(CAS),通过胞外钙离子的变化引起胞内钙离子信号。这些受体蛋白的克隆,使人们确信Ca2+在细胞中可以发挥第一信使的功能。

一氧化氮在植物中的信号分子功能研究:进展和展望

一氧化氮(NO)是一种生物活性分子,越来越多的证据表明它是生物体内分布最为广泛的信号分子之一.NO作为植物生长发育的一个关键调节因子,能对各种生物或非生物胁迫产生应答,在植物生长发育与环境互作的协调过程中起着中枢性的作用.近年来,对于一氧化氮在植物中分子功能的研究取得了较大进展,特别是其信号转导功能、对基因表达的调控和植物体内NO稳态平衡的维持等方面.文中较全面地介绍了植物体内NO的合成、功能、信号转导、对基因表达的调控以及植物体内NO动态平衡的维持等方面研究的进展,并对该领域今后的研究进行了展望.

植物保卫细胞离子通道在气孔运动中的作用

介绍保卫细胞质膜和液泡膜上的离子通道活性变化及其在气孔运动中的作用,同时对各种刺激引发气孔运动过程中的信使Ca2+、H2O2和pH等对离子通道的调节作用作了概述。

Nitric Oxide Alleviates Oxidative Stress Caused by Lanthanum in Rice Leaves

The effect of NO on lanthanum-induced antioxidant activities in rice was evaluated. The results showed that the uptake and translocation of La from root to shoot were obviously inhibited by 10μmol·L^-1 sodium nitropmsside （SNP）, a donor of NO, in the seedlings grown in Mura B nutrient solution with 100μmol·L^-1 La. Although the content of ascorbate acid （AsA） were scarcely affected by La or NO in our experiment, La decreased significantly the activity of SOD and content of GSH, while promoted H202 content in leaves. Furthermore, NO blocked these La effects. Taken together, the results suggested that NO relieved La toxicity in rice. A possible role for NO effects on antioxidant activity was discussed.

GRP7 phase separation as an interpreter of temperature cues

Plants are exposed to a range of daily and seasonal temperatures and thus are required to regulate their cellular processes under fluctuating temperature conditions.Among various temperature-responsive genes,GLYCINE-RICH RNA BINDING PROTEIN7(GRP7)encodes a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein that provides freezing tolerance to plants(Carpenter et al.,1994;Kim et al.,2008)by acting as an RNA chaperone(Kwak et al.,2011).

Research at channel level on the effect of LaCl3 on Radish (Raphanus satirus L.) vacuolar membrane

We recorded slow vacuolar (SV-type) channel currents of Radish vacuoles successfully for the first time by using the whole-vacuolar patch-clamp recording mode. SV-type currents would increase and threshold potentials of activation would shift towards more negative values with the increase of concentrations of cytosolic Ca2+. When 2.5 mmol/ L LaCl3 and 4 mmol/L EGTA were added to bath solutions, SV-type currents were suppressed remarkably. Then adding LaCl3 with different concentrations to pipette solutions, we found that LaCl3 with higher concentrations (】4 × 10-7mol/L) had a strong inhibitory effect on SV-type currents, while LaCl3 with lower concentrations (≤4 × 10-7mol/L) promoted channel currents. This promoting effect provides an impor-tant basis at channel level for researching further the effects of rare earth on physiological activities of plants and the production-increase effects of rare earth fertilizers on crops.

Plant Immune Mechanisms:From Reductionistic to Holistic Points of View

After three decades of the amazing progress made on molecular studies of plant-microbe interactions(MPMI),we have begun to ask ourselves"what are the major questions still remaining?"as if the puzzle has only a few pieces missing.Such an exercise has ultimately led to the realization that we still have many more questions than answers.Therefore,it would be an impossible task for us to project a coherent"big picture"of the MPMI field in a single review.Instead,we provide our opinions on where we would like to go in our research as an invitation to the community to join us in this exploration of new MPMI frontiers.

Nuclear Localized O-Fucosyltransferase SPY Facilitates PRR5 Proteolysis to Fine-Tune the Pace of Arabidopsis Circadian Clock

Post-translational modifications play essential roles in finely modulating eukaryotic circadian clock systems.In plants,the effects of O-glycosylation on the circadian clock and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.The O-fucosyltransferase SPINDLY(SPY)and the O-GIcNAc transferase SECRET AGENT(SEC)are two prominent O-glycosylation enzymes in higher plants,with both overlapped and unique functions in plant growth and development.Unlike the critical role of O-GIcNAc in regulating the animal circadian clock,here we report that nuclear-localized SPY,but not SEC,specifically modulates the pace of the Arabidopsis circadian clock.By identifying the interactome of SPY,we identified PSEUDORESPONSE REGULATOR 5(PRR5),one of the core circadian clock components,as a new SPY-interacting protein.PRR5 can be O-fucosylated by SPY in pianta,while point mutation in the catalytic domain of SPY abolishes the O-fucosylation of PRR5.The protein abundance of PRR5 is strongly increased in spy mutants,while the degradation rate of PRR5 is much reduced,suggesting that PRR5 proteolysis is promoted by SPY-mediated O-fucosylation.Moreover,multiple lines of genetic evidence indicate that PRR5 is a major downstream target of SPY to specifically mediate its modulation of the circadian clock.Collectively,our findings provide novel insights into the specific role of the O-fucosyltransferase activity of SPY in modulating the circadian clock and implicate that O-glycosylation might play an evolutionarily conserved role in modulating the circadian clock system,via O-GIcNAcylation in mammals,but via O-fuco-sylation in higher plants.

Emerging Role of PD-1 in the Central Nervous System and Brain Diseases

Programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)is an immune checkpoint modulator and a major target of immunotherapy as anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in cancer treatment.Accumulating evidence suggests an important role of PD-1 in the central nervous system(CNS).PD-1 has been implicated in CNS disorders such as brain tumors,Alzheimer’s disease,ischemic stroke,spinal cord injury,multiple sclerosis,cognitive function,and pain.PD-1 signaling suppresses the CNS immune response via resident microglia and infiltrating peripheral immune cells.Notably,PD-1 is also widely expressed in neurons and suppresses neuronal activity via downstream Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 and modulation of ion channel function.An improved understanding of PD-1 signaling in the cross-talk between glial cells,neurons,and peripheral immune cells in the CNS will shed light on immunomodulation,neuromodulation,and novel strategies for treating brain diseases.

Knockouts of high-ranking males have limited impact on baboon social networks

Social network structures can crucially impact complex social processes such as collective behaviour or the transmission of information and diseases. However, currently it is poorly understood how social networks change over time. Previous studies on primates suggest that ＇knockouts＇ （due to death or dispersal） of high-ranking individuals might be important drivers for structural changes in animal social networks. Here we test this hypothesis using long-term data on a natural population of ba- boons, examining the effects of 29 natural knockouts of alpha or beta males on adult female social networks. We investigated whether and how knockouts affected （i） changes in grooming and association rates among adult females, and （2） changes in mean degree and global clustering coefficient in these networks. The only significant effect that we found was a decrease in mean degree in grooming networks in the first month after knockouts, but this decrease was rather small, and grooming networks re- bounded to baseline levels by the second month after knockouts. Taken together our results indicate that the removal of high-ranking males has only limited or no lasting effects on social networks of adult female baboons. This finding calls into question the hypothesis that the removal of high-ranking individuals has a destabilizing effect on social network structures in social animals [Current Zoology 61 （1）： 107-113, 2015].

Translational Regulation of Metabolic Dynamics during Effector-Triggered Immunity

Recent studies have shown that global translational reprogramming is an early activation event in pattern-triggered immunity,when plants recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns.However,it is not fully known whether translational regulation also occurs in subsequent immune responses,such as effector-triggered immunity(ETI).In this study,we performed genome-wide ribosome profiling in Arabidopsis upon RPS2-mediated ETI activation and discovered that specific groups of genes were translationally regulated,mostly in coordination with transcription.These genes encode enzymes involved in aromatic amino acid,phenylpropanoid,camalexin,and sphingolipid metabolism.The functional significance of these components in ETI was confirmed by genetic and biochemical analyses.Our findings provide new insights into diverse translational regulation of plant immune responses and demonstrate that translational coordination of metabolic gene expression is an important strategy for ETI.

Mitotic motor CENP-E cooperates with PRC1 in temporal control of central spindle assembly

Error-free cell division depends on the accurate assembly of the spindle midzone from dynamic spindle microtubules to ensure chromatid segregation during metaphase-anaphase transition.However,the mechanism underlying the key transition from the mitotic spindle to central spindle before anaphase onset remains elusive.Given the prevalence of chromosome instability phenotype in gastric tumorigenesis,we developed a strategy to model context-dependent cell division using a combination of light sheet microscope and 3D gastric organoids.Light sheet microscopic image analyses of 3D organoids showed that CENP-E inhibited cells undergoing aberrant metaphase-anaphase transition and exhibiting chromosome segregation errors during mitosis.Highresolution real-time imaging analyses of 2D cell culture revealed that CENP-E inhibited cells undergoing central spindle splitting and chromosome instability phenotype.Using biotinylated syntelin as an affinity matrix,we found that CENP-E forms a complex with PRC1 in mitotic cells.Chemical inhibition of CENP-E in metaphase by syntelin prevented accurate central spindle assembly by perturbing temporal assembly of PRC1 to the midzone.Thus,CENP-E-mediated PRC1 assembly to the central spindle constitutes a temporal switch to organize dynamic kinetochore microtubules into stable midzone arrays.These findings reveal a previously uncharacterized role of CENP-E in temporal control of central spindle assembly.Since CENP-E is absent from yeast,we reasoned that metazoans evolved an elaborate central spindle organization machinery to ensure accurate sister chromatid segregation during anaphase and cytokinesis.

Nitric oxide-mediated S-nitrosylation of IAA17 protein in intrinsically disordered region represses auxin signaling

The phytohormone auxin plays crucial roles in nearly every aspect of plant growth and development.Auxin signaling is activated through the phytohormone-induced proteasomal degradation of the Auxin/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID(Aux/IAA)family of transcriptional repressors.Notably,many auxin-modulated physiological processes are also regulated by nitric oxide(NO)that executes its biological effects predominantly through protein S-nitrosylation at specific cysteine residues.However,little is known about the molecular mechanisms in regulating the interactive NO and auxin networks.Here,we show that NO represses auxin signaling by inhibiting IAA17 protein degradation.NO induces the S-nitrosylation of Cys-70 located in the intrinsically disordered region of IAA17,which inhibits the TIR1-IAA17 interaction and consequently the proteasomal degradation of IAA17.The accumulation of a higher level of IAA17 attenuates auxin response.Moreover,an IAA17^(C70W)nitrosomimetic mutation renders the accumulation of a higher level of the mutated protein,thereby causing partial resistance to auxin and defective lateral root development.Taken together,these results suggest that S-nitrosylation of IAA17 at Cys-70 inhibits its interaction with TIR1,thereby negatively regulating auxin signaling.This study provides unique molecular insights into the redox-based auxin signaling in regulating plant growth and development.

Negative cross-resistance of a pyrethroid-resistant Drosophila mutant to Phryma leptostachya-derived haedoxan A

Voltage-gated sodium channels are the primary target of pyrethroid insecticides.Mutations in sodium channel confer knockdown resistance(kdr)to pyrethroids in various arthropod pests.Haedoxan A(HA)is the major insecticidal component from Phryma leptostachya.It has been shown that HA alters electrical responses at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction and modifies the gating properties of cockroach sodium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes.However,whether sodium channel mutations that confer pyrethroid resistance also affect the action of HA is unknown.In this study,we conducted bioassays using HA and permethrin in two Drosophila melanogaster strains:w^(1118),an insecticide-susceptible strain,and para^(tsl),a pyrethroid-resistant strain due to a I265N mutation in the sodium channel,and identified a new case of negative cross-resistance(NCR)between permethrin and HA.Both para^(tsl) larvae and adults were more resistant to permethrin,as expected.However,both para^(tsl) larvae and adults were more sensitive to HA compared to w^(1118).We confirmed that the I265N mutation reduced the sensitivity to permethrin of a Drosophila sodium channel variant,DmNa_(v)22,expressed in Xenopus oocytes.Interestingly,the I265N mutation also abolished the effect of HA on sodium channels.Further characterization showed that I265 on the sodium channels is critical for the action of both pyrethroids and HA on sodium channels,pointing to an overlapping mode of action between pyrethroids and HA on the sodium channel.Overall,our results suggest an I265N-independnt mechanism(s)in para^(tsl) flies that is responsible for the NCR between permethrin and HA at the whole insect level.

Stipa tenacissima Does not Affect the Foliar δ^(13)C and δ^(15)N of Introduced Shrub Seedlings in a Mediterranean Semi-arid Steppe

Recent studies have shown that the tussock grass Stipa tenacissima L. facilitates the establishment of late-successional shrubs, in what constitutes the first documented case of facilitation of woody plants by grasses. With the aim of increasing our knowledge of this interaction, in the present study we investigated the effects of S. tenacissima on the foliar δ13C, δ15N, nitrogen concentration, and carbon ： nitrogen ratio of introduced seedlings of Pistacia lentiscus L., Quercus coccifera L., and Medicago arborea L. in a semi-arid Mediterranean steppe. Six months after planting, the values of δ13C ranged between -26.9‰ and -29.6‰, whereas those of δ15N ranged between -1.9‰ and 2.7‰. The foliar C ： N ratio ranged between 10.7 and 53.5, and the nitrogen concentration ranged between 1.0% and 4.4%. We found no significant effect of the microsite provided by S. tenacissima on these variables in any of the species evaluated. The values of δ13C were negatively correlated with predawn water potentials in M. arborea and were positively correlated with relative growth rate in Q. coccifera. The values of δ15N were positively correlated with the biomass allocation to roots in the latter species. The present results suggest that the modification of environmental conditions in the are surrounding S. tenacissima was not strong enough to modify the foliar isotopic and nitrogen concentration of shrubs during the early stages after planting.