拟南芥功能获得突变体sef的研究

植物顶端分生组织中干细胞数量的维持对于侧生器官的发生至关重要。在干细胞的基因调控网络中WUSCHEL (WUS) 是一个关键成员，围绕该基因形成两个反馈调节环，控制分生组织中干细胞群的平衡。 　　论文分析了用激活标签法 (activation tagging) 获得的突变体sef (stem-ecotopic-flowers)，其最大的表型特点是花序轴上产生异位花和幼苗下胚轴增长。本论文就此两个表型产生的机理进行了探索，以期了解WUS基因的新功能。 　　对sef的表型观察发现异位分生组织不仅在花序轴上出现，而且也出现在叶柄、叶片、托叶叶腋内、花梗、花梗腋内以及花器官上。组织切片结果表明花序轴上的异位分生组织起源于已经分化的皮层细胞。对突变体的分子鉴定证明T-DNA是以单拷贝插入到WUS起始密码子上游810 bp处。对插入位点上下游各10 kb的4个基因在花序轴中的表达水平进行了分析，结果表明只有WUS基因的表达量升高，说明增强子只对WUS基因发挥了激活作用，暗示了WUS基因过表达与异位花之间存在某种联系。转35S::WUS的拟南芥幼苗下胚轴与根部出现异位的生长点;WUS被诱导表达的突变体pga6-1花序轴上出现异位花芽，证实sef的表型是由WUS超表达所导致。利用组织原位杂交和RT-PCR分析了WUS、CLAVATA3 (CLV3)、LEAFY (LFY) 与AGAMOUS (AG) 在异位分生组织中的表达模式与表达水平，结果表明WUS、CLV3、LFY、AG在花序轴表皮以下皮层中异位表达。这些结果表明WUS能激活CLV3异位表达，从而在已经分化的皮层中重新产生具有分生组织特征的细胞，同时WUS异位激活AG的表达并使LFY也在这些异位的分生组织中表达，这些分生组织发育方向被LFY与AG所决定，最终发育为异位花器官。 　　sef突变体另外一个突出的表型是幼苗的下胚轴增长。对幼苗期下胚轴以及胚胎4个时期的胚干细胞数进行统计，结果表明下胚轴与胚干细胞数目都呈现出sef比野生型多而wus-1比野生型少的趋势，因此sef幼苗下胚轴增长是由于细胞数目改变引起的。进一步分析发现这种区别是由于胚胎早期（授粉后1~3天）胚干细胞分裂速率的差异所造成的。利用基因芯片杂交分析突变体的基因表达谱，结果发现许多与细胞分裂相关的基因在sef中表达水平升高。RT-PCR证实这些基因在胚胎时期的表达水平升高，说明胚胎早期胚干细胞分裂速率的不同导致了幼苗下胚轴的异常。 　　综上所述，我们的研究结果揭示了sef异常表型的产生的可能机制。在已经分化的皮层中激活标签介导的WUS超表达激活干细胞标志基因之一CLV3和花器官基因AG，并使LFY异位表达，重新产生具有分生组织特征的细胞，这些分生组织的发育方向被LFY和AG所决定，最终发育为异位花。在sef的早期胚胎中，WUS表达增强使细胞分裂相关基因表达水平升高、细胞分裂增快，说明WUS与细胞周期相关基因的调控存在某些联系。 　　本论文的创新之处在于首次提出WUS表达增强能在分化的组织中产生具有分生组织特征的细胞以及WUS调控细胞分裂的结论。 　　

油菜素内酯信号转导相关基因的克隆、鉴定和功能分析

油菜素甾醇类(Brassinosteroids，BRs)是一类新的植物内源激素，在植物整个生长发育周期中发挥着很重要的作用。拟南芥中BR信号转导途径基本清晰，从膜受体BRI1到细胞质中的负调控因子BIN2，再到核内的转录因子BZR1和BES1。但是从BR信号感知到细胞质内的传递，再到细胞核内的调控特异基因的表达都还有很多问题有待于进一步的探索。 本研究运用激活标签pDSK15-11对大约5000株拟南芥bzr1-1D进行了转化, 得到抗性植株约50000株，构建了一个拟南芥激活标签突变体库，从中筛选到和BR相关的突变体七个，并对其中的B26和B16突变体进行了详细的分析。此外还筛选到若干个和BR没有关系的突变体，并对其中的一个表皮毛缺陷的突变体B11进行了分析。 B26是一株恢复了bzr1-1D茎叶处打弯表型的突变体，并且具有矮化、叶色深绿、晚花等特点。B26部分抑制了bzr1-1D对BR合成抑制剂BRZ的不敏感性，但仍然对BR超敏感。BR上调的基因SAUR-AC1在bzr1-1D中表达上升，而在B26突变体中SAUR-AC1的表达量比bzr1-1D中有所下降。B26突变体显示的表型是依赖于bzr1-1D突变的。我们通过T-DNA侧翼序列，RT-PCR，以及重现实验证实造成突变表型的基因，并命名为BZS1。BZS1编码一个B类锌指蛋白，在植物发育的各个时期各个器官中都有表达。亚细胞定位分析显示BZS1定位于细胞质和细胞核中，以上这些结果说明BZS1可能在BR信号途径中是位于BZR1的下游，作为一个负的调节因子调控下游BR反应基因的表达。 B16是从突变体库中筛选得到的一个叶柄明显增长，营养生长期延长，开花晚，结实率比较低的突变体。T-DNA侧翼序列和基因表达分析显示B16突变体中T-DNA插入点附近的一个基因表达量升高，这一基因被命名为BZE1。BZE1编码一个含有bHLH结构域的蛋白。BZE1 RNAi转基因植株的叶柄比对照明显变短，说明BZE1调控叶柄的伸长。在B16突变体中，CPD和DWF4的表达较bzr1-1D中增强了，而SAUR-AC1的表达减弱了，这一结果说明BZE1过表达减弱了BZR1对CPD的反馈抑制。Pro35S:BZE1 /bzr1-1D转基因植株对BRZ的敏感度与bzr1-1D相似。BR不调节BZE1的转录水平，却可以促进BZE1蛋白在核内积累。这些结果都说明BR处理不改变BZE1的转录水平，只是通过促进BZE1在核内的积累增加，从而参与调控下游基因的表达，如CPD。随着这些突变体研究的进一步深入，将有助于我们更好的理解BR信号转导途径。 B11是一个叶片（包括莲座叶和茎生叶）和茎表皮毛缺失，但根毛发育正常的突变体，T-DNA侧翼序列和基因表达分析显示B11突变体表型是由于ETL1的过量表达造成的。ETL1可能是一个表皮毛特异表达的基因，对根毛的发育影响不大。功能缺失突变体etl1-1和野生型拟南芥具有相似的表皮毛数量和分布，根毛的数量和分布也没有明显的变化，这就说明ETL1可能与其他同源基因功能冗余。ETL1在gl1中表达量增加，由此推测ETL1在表皮毛的发育中可能起负调控的作用。

The effect of thermal-activation on dislocation processes at an atomistic crack-tip

The effects of thermal activation on the dislocation emission from an atomistic crack tip are discussed, Molecular dynamics simulations at different constant temperatures are carried out to investigate the thermal effects. The simulated results show that the processes of the partial dislocation generation and emission are temperature dependent. As the temperature increases, the incipient duration of the partial dislocation nucleation becomes longer, the critical stress intensity factor for partial dislocation emission is reduced and, at the same loading level, more dislocations are emitted. The dislocation velocity moving away from the crack tip and the separations of partial dislocations are apparently not temperature dependent. The simulated results also show that, as the temperature increases, the stress distribution along the crack increases slightly. Therefore stress softening at the crack tip induced by thermal activation does not exist in the present simulation. A simple model is proposed to evaluate the relation of the critical stress intensity factor versus temperature. The obtained relation is in good agreement with our molecular dynamics results.

The association of the Arabidopsis actin-related protein (ARP) 2/3 complex with cell membranes is linked to its assembly status but not its activation

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Bm-TFF2, a trefoil factor protein with platelet activation activity from frog Bombina maxima skin secretions

In mammals, trefoil factor family (TFF) proteins are involved in mucosal maintenance and repair, and they are also implicated in tumor suppression and cancer progression. A novel two domain TFF protein from frog Bombina maxima skin secretions (Bm-TFF2) has been purified and cloned. It activated human platelets in a dose-dependent manner and activation of integrin a(11b)beta(3) was involved. Aspirin and apyrase did not largely reduce platelet response to Bm-TFF2 (a 30% inhibition), indicating that the aggregation is not substantially dependent on ADP and thromboxane A2 autocrine feedback. Elimination of external Ca2+ with EGTA did not influence the platelet aggregation induced by Bm-TFF2, meanwhile a strong calcium signal (cytoplasmic Ca2+ release) was detected, suggesting that activation of phospholipase C (PLC) is involved. Subsequent immunoblotting revealed that, unlike in platelets activated by stejnulxin (a glycoprotein VI agonist), PLC gamma 2 was not phosphorylated in platelets activated by Bm-TFF2. FITC-labeled Bm-TFF2 bound to platelet membranes. Bm-TFF2 is the first TFF protein reported to possess human platelet activation activity. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impairments in embryonic genome activation in rhesus monkey somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a remarkable process in which a somatic cell nucleus is acted upon by the ooplasm via mechanisms that today remain unknown. Here we show the developmental competence (% blastocyst) of embryos derived from SCNT (21%)

Glycine receptor activation regulates short-term plasticity in CA1 area of hippocampal slices of rats

Functional glycine receptors (GlyRs) are enriched in the hippocampus, but their roles in synaptic transmission are unclear. In this study, we examined the effect of GlyR activation on paired-pulse stimulation of the whole-cell postsynaptic currents (PSCs)

Regulation of zygotic gene activation in the preimplantation mouse embryo: Global activation and repression of gene expression

Superimposed on the activation of the embryonic genome in the preimplantation mouse embryo is the formation of a transcriptionally repressive state during the two-cell stage. This repression appears mediated at the level of chromatin structure, because it is reversed by inducing histone hyperacetylation or inhibiting the second round of DNA replication. We report that of more than 200 amplicons analyzed by mRNA differential display, about 45% of them are repressed between the two-cell and four-cell stages. This repression is scored as either a decrease in amplicon expression that occurs between the two-cell and four-cell stages or on the ability of either trichostatin A tan inhibitor of histone deacetylases) or aphidicolin tan inhibitor of replicative DNA polymerases) to increase the level of amplicon expression. Results of this study also indicate that about 16% of the amplicons analyzed likely are novel genes whose sequence doesn't correspond to sequences in the current databases, whereas about 20% of the sequences expressed during this transition likely are repetitive sequences. Lastly, inducing histone hyperacetylation in the two-cell embryos inhibits cleavage to the four-cell stage. These results suggest that genome activation is global and relatively promiscuous and that a function of the transcriptionally repressive state is to dictate the appropriate profile of gene expression that is compatible with further development.

Free radical scavenging and antioxidant enzymes activation of polysaccharide extract from Nostoc sphaeroides

Nostoc sphaeroides Kuetzing has been used as a traditional medicine in China to treat a variety of ailments. This research identified the antioxidant activities of polysaccharide extract from Nostoc sphaeroides. The extract, which contains 46.2% carbohydrates, exhibited an effective scavenging capability on superoxide radical, hydroxyl radicals in non site-specific as well as site-specific assays, and also performed lipid peroxidation inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. Polysaccharide extract had no 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging potential at all test concentrations. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in human embryo kidney 293 cells were increased effectively when Nostoc sphaeroides extract was applied. These results suggested that the use of N. sphaeroides in treating ailments may be based on the antioxidant capacities of polysaccharide composition.