Effects of Calcium and Calmodulin Antagonist on Antioxidant Systems of Eggplant Seedlings Under High Temperature Stress

Ca2+ and calmodulin antagonist [trifluoperazine(TFP),N-(6-aminohexyl-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W7)] pretreatments were conducted on two eggplant varieties Nongyouqie andErmingqie, which have different heat resistance. The results showed that under 40C(day/night), Ca2+ immersion pretreatment enabled the eggplant seedlings to keep relatively higheractivities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and peroxidase(POD), reduced the production rate ofsuperoxide anion O2_ and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA), alleviated the damage of reducedglutathione(GSH) and the accumulation of proline (Pro), whereas calmodulin antagonist TFP andW7 immersion pretreatments could lead to more rapid loss of SOD and POD activities, increasethe contents of MDA, Pro and production rate of O2_, aggravate the damage of GSH. Under the samestress condition, heat-resistant variety Nongyouqie was less injured compared to the heat-sensitive variety Erminqie. These data indicated that Ca2+-CaM signal transduction systemmight regulate the heat resistance of eggplant seedlings by controlling the activity of someantioxidant enzymes and the contents of antioxidant substance.

Pseudo Peak Phenomena in Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary Chromatography by Using Ionic Surfactant

The origin of pseudo peak was studied by means of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with cetyltrimethylaminium bromide as the pseudo stationary phase. It has been pointed that two peaks may appear for one component under certain conditions. Experiments showed that the relative areas of the two peaks of analyte depended on the time and the temperature of reaction between analyte and surfactant, and the concentration of surfactant in the sample solution. It means that the interaction between the analyte and the surfactant is a slow process, and a stable substance can be produced from the interaction. It is the substance and the analyte that may lead to the formation of two peaks. The fast interaction mechanism between the solute and the micellar should be queried from the experiment result.

A Genetic Linkage Map of Brassica rapa Based on AFLP Markers

A F2 mapping population was developed by crossing a Chinese cabbage-pe-tsai variety CC156 and an oil type Rapid cycling RC144 which were different from each other in morphology, maturity, self-compatibility, plant height, etc. Using 244 AFLP markers a map was constructed containing 10 main linkage groups covering a total distance of 857 cM, corresponding to 3.5 cM per marker. Length of linkage groups varied from 43 to 125 cM and the number of AFLP markers linkage to each group ranged from 7 to 41.

Leaf Photosynthesis in Response to Removing Fruit During Different Phenological Stages of Fruit Development in Peach Trees

Removing fruit (RF) and retaining fruit (CK) were carried out during different phenological stages of fruit development onone-year-old shoot of Okubo peach trees [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.] under preventing exportation of the assimilates tothe non experimental parts of the tree by girdling one-year-old shoot and keeping the same leaves between RF and CK.The results showed that fruit removal significantly decreased net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs)and transpiration rate (E), but significantly increased leaf surface temperature (TLeaf ) at about midday as compared with CK.Internal CO2 concentration, soluble sugar content, reductive sugar content, starch content except that during the finalrapid fruit growth stage, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and amylase activities in source leaves were not significantlyaffected by fruit removal. There was a significantly positive parabolic correlation between Pn and Gs, and a strongpositive linear correlation between Pn and E. Moreover, Pn increased with increased TLeaf if TLeaf was below 38°C, thendecreased sharply when TLeaf exceeded the above critical temperature for both RF and CK. Pn of RF was lower, however,than that of CK in the same TLeaf , especially if TLeaf exceeded 38°C. It is suggested that the decreased stomatal aperture andincreased TLeaf may be the important mechanism in regulating photosynthesis under a decreased strength of sink demandby RF in fruit trees.

Use of Ultrastructuke and DNA Hybridization to Detect Replication of the Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus in Midgut Cells of Homologous Host

It was controversial issue if nuclear polyhedrosis virus(NPV) could replicate in midgut cells of host larvae from Lepidoptera by now.The replication of Mythimna separata NPV(MsNPV) in M.separata larvae midgut cells was studied by ultrastructural and DNA hybridized techniques.The paper demonstrated that the MsNPV could neither infect midgut cell nor replicate in midgut cell of homologous host.Therefore MsNPV virions released from the virial occlusion bodies were considered as direct penetration though the intercellular spaces of midgut cells to hemocoel of the host larvae.

Nylon Filter Arrays Reveal Differential Expression of Expressed Sequence Tags in Wheat Roots Under Aluminum Stress

: To enrich differentially expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for aluminum (Al) tolerance, cDNA subtraction libraries were generated from Al-stressed roots of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) near-isogenic lines (NILs) contrasting in Al-tolerance gene(s) from the Al-tolerant cultivar Atlas 66, using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Expression patterns of the ESTs were investigated with nylon filter arrays containing 614 cDNA clones from the subtraction library. Gene expression profiles from macroarray analysis indicated that 25 ESTs were upregulated in the tolerant NIL in response to Al stress. The result from Northern analysis of selected upregulated ESTs was similar to that from macroarray analysis. These highly expressed ESTs showed high homology with genes involved in signal transduction, oxidative stress alleviation, membrane structure, Mg2+ transportation, and other functions. Under Al stress, the Al-tolerant NIL may possess altered structure or function of the cell wall, plasma membrane, and mitochondrion. The wheat response to Al stress may involve complicated defense-related signaling and metabolic pathways. The present experiment did not detect any induced or activated genes involved in the synthesis of malate and other organic acids in wheat under Al-stress.

The C-Terminal Portion of the Nucleocapsid Protein Demonstrates SARS-CoV Antigenicity

In order to develop clinical diagnostic tools for rapid detection of SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus) and to identify candidate proteins for vaccine development, the C-terminal portion of the nucleocapsid (NC) gene was amplified using RT-PCR from the SARS-CoV genome, cloned into a yeast expression vector (pEGH), and expressed as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) and Hisx6 double-tagged fusion protein under the control of an inducible promoter. Western analysis on the purified protein confirmed the expression and purification of the NC fusion proteins from yeast. To determine its antigenicity, the fusion protein was challenged with serum samples from SARS patients and normal controls. The NC fusion protein demonstrated high antigenicity with high specificity, and therefore, it should have great potential in designing clinical diagnostic tools and provide useful information for vaccine development.